David Rudel - The Moment of Zuke - Critical Positions and Pivotal Decisions For Colle System Players (2009, Thinker Press) PDF

Critical Positions and Pivotal Decisions for Colle System Players
by
David Rudel
Tl}illl{ers' Press. IllC. Bool{s

2009
Davenport, IA
©2009 David Rudel
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, except as may be permitted by the 1 97 6
Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. This also includes e-Books ( and
associated publishing ) and information stored or used on or by internet services.
ISBN: 1 -8 8 8 7 1 0-38- 1
First Published June 2009

Version 1.1 Published December 2 009
Contact the author David Rudel at: [email protected]
Requests for permissions and republication rights should be directed to:

Thinkers' Press, Inc. Books
1 5 24 LeClaire St.
Davenport, IA 5 2 803
[email protected]
To Wayne Weaver and Irving Chernev, who introduced me to the Colle
3
Table o f COIlteIlts
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1 Move Order Quandaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2 Slaying the b7-Monster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3 Putting Down an Errant Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4 A Kite of Doom - Double-Bareled Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5 The Game-Changing Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
6 Charge ! (When to Play g4 ! ? ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 39
7 Classic Greek Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Bonus Tract 1 : Anti-Colle Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Bonus Tract 2 : The Phoenix Attack - A New C-K Line . . . . 249
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Colophon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
5
IIltroducP.OIl
T
hree obj ectives guided my writing of Zuke 'Em:
• Promote the Colle-Zukertort and help those who play it.

• Give my own model for the organization and format of opening books.
• Write in a way that untitled players could understand.
Those same goals informed the writing of The Moment oJZuke (TMoZ), but this
work is a very different animal from Zuke 'Em.
TMoZ is an effort to help Colle players make difficult decisions at the chess
board. If Zuke 'Em is a banquet, TMoZ is a Golden Corral™ buffet. It is a practical
guide to situations Colle players (both C-Z [b3-Colle] and C-K [c3-Colle] players)
often run into. Some of these, like when your opponent lu mbers his Knight to e4
on move 5, are endemic to class play. Others, like knowing when to play g4 ! ? or
responding to . . . Nfd7 (threatening . . . f5 and the end of all happiness), are ques
tions all Colle players must face, but class players are much less likely to have
cultivated a feel for these pivotal points in a game. The Bishop sacrifice material
is so common that I plan on extracti ng and re-releasing it as a separate book for a
general audience. (Just to be clear - you should not buy that upcoming book if
you have already bought this one . )
Format a n d Use
It should be evident from the above that this book is not intended to be any
one's first guide to the Colle. I'm assuming you already play the Colle and have a
book on whichever variation you prefer.
I am hopeful TMoZ will contribute to the training of a new crop of titled Colle
7
The Moment of Zuke
players. I ndeed, it started out as a simple exercise book sim ilar to Chang's Prac tical
Chess Exercises, but dedicated to positions from Colle games. H owever, while pre
paring these exercises I realized that I really wanted to add lessons as well . The book
developed into a collection of modules. Each module contains a lesson, exercises,
and solutions to the exercises. (The shape and size of the book was chosen to ac
commodate the huge diagrams I wanted used for the exercises . ) Zuke 'Em readers
who requested private lessons on the Colle now have a fair substitute.
The exercises within each module are distributed more or less randomly with
regard to difficulty ( after all, in OTB play no one tells you whether a given position
is hard or easy) . H owever, the modules themselves have been placed in a rough
chronological order based on how far into the game you are most likely to confront
the featured situation. Modules 1 and 3 are aimed at dubious moves encountered
in lower-level play while the other modules treat decisions germane to all players.
The vast maj ority of exercises for modules 4-7 come from positions between strong
(sometimes quite strong) players.
Weaker players ( 1 000- 1 3 00 Elo) m ight j ust want to figure out the best move or
answer the question in each case, but I recommend even modestly skilled players
take time and write down all their ideas, analysis and variations in a j ournal. This is
a very useful way to improve your game, even if your analysis ends up being totally
wrong. You will get much more from this book if you write out all your ideas and
compare them with the analysis in the solutions than if you just try to figure out
the best move or answer the question related to the diagram.
The exercises and solutions have been selected not only as opportunities for
practice, but also as fodder for pattern training. I very much suggest you repeat the
exercises and re-read the solutions as part of your ongoing chess practice.
Usi ng G u idel i nes

I t will not take long for the reader to see I have a certain affinity for giving guide
l ines to follow. I'm hopeful the principles I've distilled in the various lessons will
prove useful for Colle players, but I would caution you not to treat them as gospel .
I have tried hard to publish rules that really are true in almost all normal situations,
especially up until the early middle game. H owever, the farther a position is away
from what m ight be considered orthodox, the more likely some tactical exception
8
The Moment of Zuke
occurs. You can trust that the maxims here are true most of the time. In each case
I've tried to give an explanation as to why the rules work.
Some people may use the information as a heuristic for finding candidate
moves to analyze, others will trust them more and save clock time by doing so.
More advanced players can use them for middle-game planning as they get a better
and better feel for what attacks Black's pieces are ( and are not ) set up to meet. It
is up to you to incorporate them into your play in a manner consistent with your
particular style, opponents, and demeanor.
A Note on the Sol utions

All modules have exercises for students to put into practice the information
from the lesson. With the exception of the first module and a few exercises of the
second, they all include notes and analysis. By no means should these be consid
ered exhaustive. They are meant simply to defend the solution. They may not even
include best play if that "best play" clearly validates the given answer. For example,
if I claim " Bxh 7 + is a val id sacrifice and . . . KfS leaves Black clearly worse, I'll only
/I
analyze . . . Kxh7, even if it ends up being a forced mate. Some solutions include a
fair amount of information in them, so many players should not feel the need to
re-read the lessons on their second or third run-through of the exercises.
C-z versus C-K Coverage

The two Colle variations share nothing in the way of main l ines, but practitio
ners of each often find themselves facing similar strategic decisions. This is particu
larly true when meeting pet defenses and variations, which normally deviate before
the two variations diverge. H owever, this is not to say that each module is equally
useful to both players. C-Z players and C-K players may both have to contemplate
Bxh7 +, but C-K players contemplate it more often. They both have to deal with the
threat of . . . Ne4, but it comes up more frequently in C-Z games.
Thus, I figured it made sense to indicate how important each module is for
the different variations. The chart on the next page is based on the content of the
module and the frequency of the featured situation. The percentages add to more
than 1 00% due to overlap.
9
The Moment of Zuke
C-K C-Z
# Top i c Pages Rel eva ncy Releva ncy Exercises
1 Move Order Issues 12 400/0 75% 8
2 Early ... b6 20 1000/0 50% 12
3 Early ... Ne4 21 400/0 850/0 12
4 Kite Formation 30 5% 1000/0 16
5 Knight Retreat 35 350/0 800/0 20
6 g4 Charge 35 450/0 1000/0 20
7 Classic Bishop Sac 66 850/0 250/0 60
I hope to see you at the Colle-Zukertort Players Forum ( www .zuke-dukes.com/

forum) . Even you C-Kers are welcome, j ust don't be surprised if we try to convert
you.
David Rudel
[email protected]
Charlottesvile, VA
10
Module 1: Early Move Order Quaqdaries
I
t can be frustrating playing people who Orleans. I suppose I should have known
don't know what they're doing. How better, walking into a chess club having
many times have you sat down across three very large men at the door whose
from someone, ready to show them the black windbreakers had SECURIlY sten
gospel according to your d3-Bishop, and ciled upon them.
the following happens: 1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 Th e d i sturb i ng th i ng i s that now
d S ( phew, no King's I ndian Defense ! ) you have to think. A cruel chess reality
3 .e3 e6 (great, his Bishop is locked in) - your opponent's errors end up pl ac
4.Bd3 c61! ing an obl igation on you rather than on
him. H e has taken a misstep, but you
know you are going to stab yourself with
a plastic knife later at the food court if
you don't figure out how to take advan
tage of it.
Of course, you could j ust play S .b3
or S . c3, figuring . . . c6 didn't give Black
any new opportunities. It might not be
the best way to punish your opponent,
but chewi ng up five m i nutes of your
This isn't i n The Book. own t i m e o n m ove 5 h a rd ly s e e m s
wise . . . especially if you don't come u p
Doesn't he know 4 . . . cS is the move? with anyth ing better.
No. Evidently he does not. U n for Unfortunately, this type of thinking
tunately, chess etiquette does not smile in chess can get your goose cooked . . . . c6
upon counsel ing your opponent to take may not have given Black any new active
back a move and play one you'd prefer. options, but it certainly deprives you of
I learned that the hard way once in New the ab il ity to play dxcS on some later
11
Module 1 : Early Move Order Quandaries
move compared to the normal 5 . . . c5 . cause Black is able to push his e-pawn
Do you really want to think through all before you can push yours. Just push
the variations and move-order options yours in response (perhaps exchanging
to see if this is an issue? off your d-pawn first) and you should
No. Not at the board you don't. always be set to come out ahead.
So, i n our first n itty-gritty module, Players who play the C- K and only
we'l l discuss how to deal with odd move the C-K can skip forward to the Compli
orders or novelties assuming the game cations with ... c5 section.
has already started I .d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 d5
3 .e3 e6 4 . Bd3 ( actually, I'll be suggesting Zu kertort Players Have to Think
in module 2 that C-K players no longer S i n ce the Zukertort i s a bit m o re
play thei r Bishop out on move 4, but ambitious with regard to its opening
pretend you don't know that yet. ) These designs, those who use b3 instead of c3
guidelines are designed to engage either must be more careful about move-order
simple transpositions or dub ious play tricks.
by Black. There are several viable pet de
fenses that fit neither of these categories F ive Early Prio rities
(you wil l find one in the next module) . General ly White plays the moves b3,
Bb2, 0-0, and Nbd2 ( i n some order)
Koltanowski Players Have It Easy during moves 5 through 8. To painlessly
Because fireworks tend to happen in determine the correct order, use the fol
the C-K earlier than i n the C-Z, players lowing l ist of priorities.
who utilize the c3-version of the Colle 1 . Prevent . . . c4 .
generally h ave an easy time knowing 2 . Castle i m mediately after Bl ack
what they need to do when their oppo puts support on the e5 square
nent deviates: Castle (if you have not al (e.g . . . . Nc6, . . . Nbd7, . . . Bd6 )
ready), play e4, and if that is i mpossible 3 . Preven t early ch ecks ( . . . Q a 5 +
play Ne5 or prepare it with Re I . o r . . . B b 4 + ) , o r m a ke them
unappealing.
Meeting ...eS 4 . Make sure Black cannot play . . . e5
I f Whi te h as played accurately, he unless he uses 3 pieces (Queen,
never has to worry about Black getting Knight, Bishop)
. . . e5 in. Do not turn timorous j ust be- 5. Prevent . . . Ne4 .
12
Module 1 : Lesson
Wait, something seems odd here. Isn't That's a great question. To answer
item 4 more important than item 2? it, let's remove item 2 from the l ist and
see where it would lead us. In fact, we
Ah, I was wondering when you were can use the game that began this lesson:
going to show up ! 1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d 5 3 .e3 e 6 4.Bd3 c61!
You b ring up a good point. I t cer Black's l ast move did not give any
tainly seems that p reventing . . . eS i s support to eS . He is certainly not threat
pretty important. ening . . . c4, so that leaves two ideas we
The short answer is that no move want to p revent: . . . Ne4 and an early
order guarantees you can accomplish all check. 5 . N b d 2 stops both of these, so
S goals. It turns out that you can guar that would be our logical choice.
antee three of them, but the repertoire Assume Bl ack responded with 5 •••
move order needed for that leaves you in N bd 7 . He now has one piece supporting
worse shape when Black accompl ishes eS but can b ring in another on his next
one of the two you cannot prevent. move. This means it's time for 6.b3 so
It is better to pick a repertoire move that after 6 Bd6, White can respond
•••
order that prevents only two of these, with 7.B b2, adding a third defender to
but leaves you well off even when Black the eS-square. But then Black could play
gets to play a move we would generally 7 Qc7, wh ich puts a third supporter
•••
want to prevent. Prioritizing as I have to eS .

gives better results than i f you make
stopping . . . eS an absolute priority. An
alternative is to switch goals 1 and 3 if
you are happy playing against 1 . d4 NfG
2.Nf3 dS 3 . e3 eG 4 . Bd3 cS S .O-O c4 ? ! I
prefer not to deal with it.
A Demonstration
Okay, I get that you have to prioritize,

but I still don't see what support for ••• eS White Wishes H e Had Castled.
has to do with castling. What's going on
there? The ab ove position is not bad for
13
White. He can still get a good game by S. Thus 5.Nbd2 is our move ( Note, this
either playing c4 immediately or castling business about Nbd2 preventing a check
a bit too late. But he would be much bet does not work in the 4 . . . cS line due to a
ter equipped to handle Black's setup had combination of a weak c3-square and a
he been less concerned about stopp ing lack of a e3-pawn after Black exchanges .
. . . eS and more focused on making sure For example l . d4 N f6 2 . N f3 d S 3 . e3
he was castled before it happened. Then e6 4 . Bd3 cS S .b 3 Nc6 6 . Nbd2 ? ! cxd4 !
he could take advantage of B lack's un 7 . exd4 Bb4, and White is on his heels. )
castled King by opening up the middle. After S . Nbd2, let's assume Black con
tinues with 5 . . . N bd 7 .
I believe you, but show me anyway. Priority two makes our next move,
6.0-0, pretty clear. After 6 Bd6 7.Re 1 ,
•.•
Fai r enough. Let's step through the Black is already in trouble.

same moves and see what moves our
prioritized goals indicate.
1 .d4 N f6 2.Nf3 d5 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 c61!
Black Wishes He Had Castled.
7 . . . eS ? drops a pawn to 8 .e4 regard

less of how Black responds (e.g. 8 . . . dxe4
Clearly Black is not threatening . . . c4, 9 . Nxe4 Nxe4 1 0. Bxe4 0-0 1 1 .dxeS BxeS
and we can castle any time. So priorities 1 2 . NxeS NxeS 1 3 . Bxh7+ ! )
1 and 2 seem safe. Black has noth ing 7 . . . Qc7 and 7 . . . 0-0 are not qu ite
hitting eS currently, so number 4 isn't as b ad, but they both al l ow White a
at risk. Both Nbd2 and 0-0 will prevent tremendous attack on Black's King after
a check, but Nbd2 also fulfills priority 8 .e4.
14
Module 1 : Lesson
Respon se to ...eS
Th e ab ove d i scuss i o n sh ows that
we cannot stop . . . e5 co mpl etely, nor
should we be overly concerned about it.
The more important thing is to prepare
for it appropriately.
If you have pl ayed b3 & Bb2 early
on, and B l ack is threatening e 5 , you
should play e4 .
I f you have not played b3 & Bb2 yet,
then prepare to meet . . . e5 by playing Th e co rrect m ove h ere i s 7 .e4. I f
Nbd2. I f you have already played Nbd2, Bl ack plays 7 . . . c4, then White simply
then play Re I . takes with 8. Bxc4. Now, i f Black takes
the B i s h o p , W h i te h a s e 5 . B e tter i s
Com p l ications with . . . cS 8 . . . dxe4, when White has 9 . N gS, and
You m i gh t b e a l l set to p u s h e 4 Black will not be able to hold onto h is
when your opponent plays a very late advanced e-pawn . H ad White i nstead
. . . c5 . The natural question is whether p l ayed the natural 7 . c3 ? ! , B l ack can
you should ignore this play ( ramming vi ndicate himself with 7 . . . cxd4 8 . exd4
through with e4 anyway) or respond and natural moves will get him equality
with your normal Col l e move ( b 3 or (or he can mix things up with . . . Ba6 ! ?
c3 ) . soon ) . I f White were a C-Z player and
This can b e a more critical decision went with 7 .b3, he would likely end up
than you m ight bel ieve. For example, in a normal and decent position, but
consider the p o s i t i o n sh own bel ow. nothing nearly as nice as what he gets
Black is obviously playing a bit whacky, after the immediate 7 . e4 !
but if White makes the wrong choice, his Th e c r i t i c a l p o i n t i s that B l ack's
advantage will evaporate completely. Bishop was on d6, p reventing B l ack
from taking the B ishop on c4 due to the
forking e5 ! H ad the Bishop been on e7
or f8, that would not have worked and
c3 or b3 would be the indicated play.
15
Exerci ses
There are 8 diagrams on the follow
ing pages. For each one, determine the
best move for White. H alf the diagrams
are relevant to b oth variations (b3 or
c3 ) , and the other half are only relevant
to one or the other.
16
Exercises
Exercise 1 Exercise 3
Last Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd 3 c5 Last Moves: 4.Bd3 c5 5. b3 N b d 7
Last Moves: 5.b3 Nc6 6.0-0 Be7 La st Moves: 5.b3 Nc6 6.0-0 Bd6
17
La st Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 Bd6 Last Moves: 7 .exd4 Be7 8.0-0 Qc7
Last Moves: 5 . N bd 2 N bd 7 6.0-0 Bd6 Last Moves: 5.Bd3 a6 6.0-0 c5
18
Solufioqs
Last Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 Last Moves: 5.b3 Nc6 6.0-0 Be7
Best Move: 5.b3 or 5 .c3 (or 5.0-0) Best M ove: 7.Nbd2
Commentary Commentary
We'll start off with an easy one that is After Black moves the Bishop to e7,
not a "quandary" at al l . This is the main there is little concern about his advanc
l i n e ! Wh ite s h o u l d d i scou rage Bl ack ing his e-pawn any time soon. Thus, it is
from playing . . . c4 . best to play Nbd2 to prevent . . . Ne4 .
I f White is playing the alternate rep
ertoi re ( switching priorities 1 and 3 ) ,
then castling i s fine here a s well .
19
Last Moves: 4.Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nbd7 La st Moves: 5.b3 Nc6 6.0-0 Bd6
Best Move: 6. 0-0 Best Move: 7. Bb2
Based on priority number 2, Wh ite The need to stop . . . eS is more critical
castl e s . I t m i gh t s e e m l i ke 6 . N b d 2 than the need to prevent . . . Ne4 .
makes more sense, a s i t stops . . . Ne4 .
H owever, after 6 . . . Bd6 White would be Exercise 5
in a fix. Responding with 7 . Bb2 would Last Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 Bd6
hold off . . . eS temporarily, but after 7 . . .
Qc7, White would prefer to have already
been castled to open up the middle. On
the other hand, responding with 7 . 0-0
would allow Black to get . . . eS in before
Wh ite coul d p l ay Re I . Furthermore,
blocking the possible check with 6 . Nbd2
is dubious after . . . cS and b3 have been
played. 6 . . . cxd4 7 . exd4 Bb4 8 . 0-0 Bc3 is
annoying. It is better to play 6 . 0-0 now,
and White is well-positioned to meet all Best m ove: 5.0-0
the various threats.
20
Module 1 : Solutions
Commentary Exercise 7
c-z pl ayers should castle because Last M oves: 7 .exd4 Be7 8.0-0 Qc7
priority two says so. C- K should castle
because they need to do that b e fo re
pushing forward with e4 . ( Nbd2 would
have been fine for C-K players as wel l .
I don't recom mend this t o C-Z players
unless they develop a way to avoid Prie's
antidote to the mainline; see next mod
ule for more information. )
Exercise 6
Last Moves: S . N bd 2 Nbd7 6.0-0 Bd6 Best Move: 9.Re1
Commentary
Black has exchanged on d4, so the
correct plan is to post a Kn ight on eS .
Currently th is would l ose a pawn, so
White needs to prepare it with Re 1 .
Exercise 8
La st Moves: S.Bd3 a6 6.0-0 cS
Best Move: 7. Re1
Commentary
White cannot stop Black from ad
vancing h i s e-pawn, fo r i t takes two
moves to get a Bishop on b 2 . Wh ite
should play his Rook to e 1 and get ready
to blast forward with e4 !
Best Move: 7.c3 or 7.b3
21
Module 1: Early Move Order Quandaries
Commentary
B l ack h as p l ayed a l ate . . . cS right
when White was planning on pushing
his e-pawn. Since Black's B ishop is not
on d6, White should meet the threat
of . . . c4 using c3 or b 3 ( depending on
which kind of Col l e he p l ays) rather
than pushing forward with e4.
22
Module 2: SIayiIl8 tile b7-Mollster
�e last module was devoted to The P roblem
.1 move order q ua ndar ies. In this The problems that plague C-K play
module we will treat the special case ers after an early ...b6 are many, organic,
of an early ...b6, the venom of which and discouraging on both a theoretical
eclipses any label as tame as q ua ndary and a practical level. For starters, the
for the Colle-Koltanowski player. Think move is a harbinger of ...Bb7, threaten
how you would describe running your ing ...Ne4. Koltanowski players do not
Dad's new pickup (or "pickup truck" often have to worry about such a play
as people outside Texas insist on call in the early game, for they generally
ing them) into a telephone pole. That's play Bd3 and Nbd2 very early. However,
roughly what an early ...b6 is for the should Black actually get ...Ne4 in, C-K
Colle-Koltanowski. players are less equipped to handle it
c-z players can benefit from some of than C-Z players. For one thing, the
the analysis of this chapter (see notes in standard response (c4) would represent
the subsection under the heading Line a lost tempo. For another, C-K players
A), but it is a lower priority. If they do are unable to target g7 with a Bishop on
not want to mess with another variation, b2, a tactic their C-Z playing brothers
they should be fine after: 1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 can do easily.
d S 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 b6 S . N bd 2 Bb7 6.0-0, Furthermore, C-K players' standard
when Black is not able to make any use methods of engaging opening devia
out of the e4-square and White can con tions have a hard time getting a foothold
tinue with b3, etc. It isn't the most thrill against an early ...b6. As mentioned in
ing position for White, but it's blueberry the last module, a quick e4 or Stonewall
cobbler compared to what a C-K player formation are the bread and butter for
can come up against. C-K players going up against a non-stan
dard move order. Unfortunately, e4 is
obviously going to be hard to get in, and
23
Module 2 : Slaying the b7-Monster
playing a Stonewall when your oppo the next move, and then Black can play
nent can do the same generally gets you . . . Ne4 safely.
only equality. For example, after 1 .d4 I 've been using the move order 1 .d4
N f6 2 . N f3 d5 3 .e3 e6 4 . B d 3 b6! 5 .0-0 Nf6 2.Nf3 d 5 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 b6! 5.0-0 Bb7
Bb7 6.Ne51! Be7 7. Nd2 0-0 8.f4, Black to display these problems, but White has
can simply plop his Knight into e4, as similar trouble even when Black delays a
Zarnicki did against Yusupov in 2005 . move or two. Black can play 4 . . . c5 5.c3
As Pall iser mentions in his annotations b6 as wel l as other, more exotic orders.
to that game, there is not much White
can do to punish this. The Idea
Worse, Black does not even have to To determine a solution to this prob
trade Stonewall formations. All he re lem, we have to go back to the root of
ally has to do is play . . . Be7 after White it. Let's ask ourselves Wha t gives Black
pl ays Nes, and White has equal ity at the right to make s uc h a n ugly, arroga nt
best. After 1 .d 4 N f6 2 . N f3 d5 3 .e3 e6 move so early? Playing a Knight to such
4 . B d 3 b6! 5 .0-0 Bb7 6 . N e 5 1 ! Be7, the an advanced post ( as Black no less ! ) so
gam e will l i kely drift i nto 7 . N d 2 0-0 early seems somehow unj ust, and we
8.f4 c5 9.c3 Nbd7 1 0.Qf3 Qc7, a posi think White should have some way of
tion where White has had great practical punishing Black's brashness.
success with 1 1 .g41!, but in reality he To understand why Black can make
is not threatening anything ( as we will these m oves safely, we must l o o k at
find in module 6 ), and Black is already what weaknesses his play i ntroduces
sign i fi c a n tly b etter a fter 1 1 . . . Rad 8 ! , and ask ourselves why White is unable
1 1 . . . Rac8 ! , or 1 1 . . . as ! to target those weaknesses. Then the an
I 've given 6.Ne5 a " ? ! " i n the l i nes swer becomes rather clear. Black's play
above, but it is not as though other plays has softened the a4-e8 diagonal (you
give White much either. Both Pall iser know, the one Black's King is on . . . since
and I have suggested this move in the Black has not taken time to castle) . I n
past. 6 . c4 takes White into a lackluster particular, playing . . . b 6 has weakened
line of the Q I D and leads to a type of c6 and the Knight that j u m ped to e4
game most Colle players are unlikely to used to cover d 7 .
either enj oy or be prepared for. 6 . Nbd2 Unfortunately, normal Colle play is
can be met by simply 6 . . . Be7 now or on particularly ill -suited to taking advan-
24
Module 2 : Lesson
tage of this weakness. White would like The P l a n

to play NeS, BbS ( + ) , and perhaps Qa4 Now, what kind o f stew can we make
to cause problems along this diagonal, from the three observations above ?
but such plays cut against the grain of
the Koltanowski variation. Obviously, Good Question! My pot is empty.
Wh i te has al ready pl ayed h i s Bishop
to d3, so now BbS + would represent a Don't feel bad. You have to knock
wasted tempo in some sense. Secondly, down a few walls and rip up some floor
the Colle is quiet enough that Bl ack ing to find the solution, which involves
m ay del ay . . . cS, mean i ng he h as the two maj or principles:
. . . c6 "biff" in his pocket as a response 1 . When possib le, we will disrupt
to Bb S + . Lastly, the cruel, tragic truth is Black's Q-side by playing BbS+ imme
that White generally needs to play Qe2 diately after . . . b 6 . To get the most from
to push e4 (to prevent . . . Ne4 ), but it is this play, we switch up the Colle move
this exact move that often leaves h i m order and play Nbd2 before Bd3 .
unable t o meet . . . Ne4 because once the 2 . I f Black plays . . . b 6 before playing
Queen moves to e2, she cannot go to . . . cS, we do not play c3 in response. We
a4 ( o r even c2 to at least pressure the welcome . . . c4 because we will now be
Knight after it lands on e4 ) . a tempo up on those lines where Black
F a s h i o n i n g a s a t i s fa c t o ry s o l u had not played . . . b 6 .
tion involves making use o f a few key
observations: Explain that second one.
• White's opportunity for play along
the a4-e8 diagonal increases significant After . . . c4, Black will have to play
ly once Black plays . . . cS . . . . b S soon to defend the pawn. H ow
• Black is unl ikely to play . . . Nc6 if ever, he has al ready played . . . b 6 . The
he is trying to make use of an early fian tempo lost in movi ng the b-pawn twice
chetto, this means there is less pressure turns out to be rather critical.
on d4 and no chance of . . . Nb4, hitting
White's Bishop. Doesn't playing Nbd2 so soon have some
• If Black plays . . . b6 and later plays other problems?
. . . bS, it represents a loss of tempo.
I d o n ' t t h i n k so, not fo r the C- K
25
M odule 2 : Slaying the b7-Monster
p l ayer at l east. I ndeed, it all ows them Oh, you have some lines? Show me.
greater flexibil ity in meeting deviations
because the extra defense given to the I ' m about to, but first let's discuss
Kn ight on f3 can be useful against . . . Bg4 how the general plan unfolds and why
deviati o n s and the option of p l aying it works .
c4 and retaking with the Knight ( rather Keep in mind that the goal here is
than retaking with the B ishop that has not necessari ly to get a great position.
al ready moved ) should be quite usefu l . Th e goal i n these l i n es i s to d o dge a
bullet and make Black think and sweat
You said "not for the C-K player at least, " a b it for equality. Even when Bl ack gets
does that mean C-Z players should stick an equal position, it will be the kind of
with their normal move order? p ositi o n that C- K pl ayers are used to .
H opefully, he will also have a good deal
Yes . P l aying an early N b d 2 i s s ig more ti me on his clock too !
nificantly more del icate a matter for the Wh ite's strategy i s b ased o n a few
c-z p l ayer. The biggest issue is that i f po ints:
he p l ays main-line moves he w i l l fi n d • After Bl ack has played . . . b6, Wh ite
h i mself i n the j aws of Prie's trap after, does not need to castle before playing
say, 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4 . Nbd2 e4 if either of the two co nditions below
cS S . b 3 Nc6 6 . Bd3 Bd6 7 . Bb 2 0-0 B . O are true:
o Qe7 9 . NeS Qc7 ! , when 1 0 . f4 ? ! cxd4 o Black has also played . . . Bb 7 .
1 1 . exd4 Nb4 forces White to p art with o Wh ite has not played c3 .
his Bishop. In a Chessville article, I gave • With a proper move order, Wh ite
the improvement on this l ine, but it gets c a n p ro v o k e . . . cS a ft e r . . . b 6 . Th e n ,
ruined if White plays an early Nbd2 . White need n o t worry about . . . c4 . (See
On the other hand, as I mentioned discussion on previous page . )
earli e r, C-Z p l ayers are not in n early • B l ack must either p l ay . . . N b d 7 ,
as much o f a p ickle when it comes to . . . cS o r . . . B e 7 / d 6 b e fo re h e c a n safely
meeting . . . b6. Even better, C-Z players p l ay . . . Ne4 due to the th reat o f N e S
can transpose i nto one of the l ines I give & BbS .
here without changing their move order Th e ab ove, w h e n taken togeth e r,
with 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4 . Bd3 b 6 mean that White can always safely play
S . Nbd2 ! B b 7 6 . 0-0 c S 7 . NeS . e4 before Bl ack can play . . . Ne4 .
26
Module 2 : Lesson
I see how developing his Bishop helps castled because B . . . cxd4 9 . Nxd4 ! NcS ? !
him get away with ••• Ne4 (he can castle (which would typ ically b e a prob l e m
quickly), and how ••• Nbd7 helps (he can here) can be answered b y 1 0 . Bb S + !
lop oHthe Knight that comes to eS), but
how does ••• cS help? And how does c3 make it harder for
White to play e4 safely?
. . . Qc7 lets Bl ack hit the Kn ight that
j ust carne to eS while putting an extra If White is in a position where he has
d e fe n d e r o n the c 6 - squ are, a l l ow i n g to rely on eS ! as an answer to . . . cxd4, he
Black t o bl ock the check Wh ite's Bishop ends up l osing the pawn marauding war
will give on b S . because Bl ack's pawn has a clear path
to White's King via c3 and d2. If there is
And how does ••• Bb7 help White play e4 no pawn on c3, Bl ack's pawn becomes
safely even if he has not castled? stranded on d4 in this continuation.
Thus, White will end up doing one
It weakens the d7 -square. Th is only of three things:
comes up i f B l ack is focusing on get 1 . Play NeS with advantage, either
ting . . . Ne4 in as quickly as possible. An because B l ack p l ayed . . . Ne4 at a b ad
exa mple would be 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . N f3 dS time or because Black has been coaxed
3 . Nbd2 e6 4 . e3 cS S . c3 Nbd7 6 . Bd3 b6 into playing . . . Bd7.
7 . Qe2 Bb7, planning . . . Ne4 afterward . 2. P l ay e4 a fter preparing it with
N b d 2 , Bd3, and perhaps Q e 2 . ( N ote
that in this case Wh ite will delay castl ing
to make sure he can get e4 in. )
3 . Obtain a very good position after
Bl ack plays a misco nceived . . . c4 .
Okay, enough generalities. Show me

those lines!
Fine. We really only need to look at

White can b e at h i m to the punch how the Bb S + fi nesse unfo l d s . White
by playing B . e4 ! even though he hasn't should p l ay th is any time Bl ack p l ays
27
Module 2 : Slaying the b7-M onster
. . . b 6 b e fo re deve l o pi n g his Q u e e n' s 7 . Qe2!, when Bl ack should know better

Knight. If Black plays his Queen's Knight than to rid himself of his "thorn in the
out before . . . b6, the moves for White are flesh " with 7 . . . Bb 7 ? ! , for after B . Bxb 7
pretty easy to find up until at least e4. Rxb 7 9 . e4 , the u n d e fended Ro o k o n
Thus, we wil l look at two lines: b7 adds extra color t o exchanges on e4.
A. 1 .d4 Nf6 2 .Nf3 d5 3 .e3 e6 4.N b d 2 More circumspect lines are also pleasant
b6 for White - Not a huge surprise given
B. 1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d 5 3 .e3 e6 4.N bd2 that both pawn b reaks ( c4 and e4 ) are
c5 5.c3 b6 available to him.
The first is the only line that is rel S . . . Bd7 ?! 6 . Bd3! might l o o k odd,
evant for C-Z players, who can transpose but is actually quite i ntel ligent. After
to it without changing their move order. 6 . . . cS , White can ei ther advance his
Th at transpositi o n a l line is l . d 4 N f6 e-pawn immediately or revert to a typi
2 . Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4 . Bd3 b6 S . Nbd2 ! Bb 7 cal C- K setup. To see why White would
6 . 0-0 cS 7 . NeS . See notes to move 7 of want to do the latter, see Line B.
the Line A commentary. 6.Bd3 c5
O f course, other pl ays are possible,
line A but they are unlikely to pose White any
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d 5 3 .e3 e6 4.N b d 2 b6 difficulties. White's plan is to ignore this
5.Bb5+!1 move, which means he has fewer op
tions ( for example, Qe2 is more or l ess
impossible now ) . If White finds himself
" out of moves " in this line, he should
play NeS . He wil l likely find himself up
one move on a more normal variation
by not having pl ayed c3 .
7.0-0 c4
The other way of h o l ding b ack e4
( 7 . . . Bb 7 B . N e S c 4 ) s h o u l d l e a d t o
something similar t o what w e wil l see
5 ••• c6 here. N ote that this is where Zukerto rt
Anything else is fine for White. S . . . pl ayers wil l find themselves after 1.d4
N b d 7 a l l ows the ann oying 6 . Bc6 Rb B Nf6 2 . Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4 . Bd3 b 6 S . Nbd2 !
28
M odule 2 : Lesson
Bb 7 6.0-0 cs 7.Nes . Wh ite's plan is to retake with his b-pawn, but would not
threaten Bl ack's Q-side pawns and then be able to after 8 .. . Nbd7 9.c3 Bb7 1 0.b 3
either lock them up or grab an advantage bS I l .bxc4. Wh ite's position after 1 1 . . .
there. Either way he will likely trade off bxc4 ? ! 1 2.Q a4 i s excell ent fo r Wh ite.
Bishops with Ba3. He should try to get in 9.b3 b5 1 O.a4 a6 1 1 .Ne51
Nes before Bl ack covers that square with
a Kn ight. If Black devel ops with ... Nc6
or . . . Nbd7 before playing . . . c4, White
should immediately play Nes ( not wait
ing for . . . c4 ) , and he'll be fine.
8. Be2 Bb7
We will soon see that Bl ack ru n s
into d ifficu l ty b ecause h e is sti l l two
moves away from castl ing, so it might
seem like . .. Be7 or ... Bd6 is the smarter
pl ay; h owever, Bl ack can get into b ig Th is last move might seem a b it op
trouble because his a-Rook lacks protec timistic, but B l ack does not have time
ti on ( e.g. 8 . . . Bd6 ? ! 9.b3 b S ? ! 1 0 . a4 a6 ? to play ...c3 due to his under-defended
1 1 . axbs ) . Ki ng. ( 1 1. . . c3 ? ! 1 2 . Ndf3 b4? 1 3 . Ngs ! ) .
8 . .. Qc7 i s really Bl ack's only other Nor is Bl ack in a position to take those
option here, as it requires White to play pawns on the Q - s i d e b ecause Wh ite
9 . c3 before playing b 3. H owever, Black can put significant pressure down the
would sti ll have to play 9 . . . Bb7 to give a- and b-files. The diagram position is
his Rook protection, and play would be quite rich in possibil ities due to threats
similar to the l i ne given here ( and l ikely on both sides of the board. If nothing
will transpose) because 8 . . . Qc7 has not else, Wh ite can lock up the Q-side, play
stopped White from playing Nes . f4 , and use his space advantage on the
8 ... N b d 7 would a l s o req u i re 9 . c3 K-side to mount an assault on Bl ack's
and would put the brakes on Nes, but King.
it doesn't matter because Bl ack needs to
have a piece supporting a possible ... Bc6 lineS
to prevent a future Qa4+ should Wh ite 1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d 5 3 .e3 e6 4.N b d 2 c5
take on c4. Bl ack would really prefer to 5.c3 b6 6.Bb5+
29
eS-square and stops his positi on from

being generally passive. H owever, trying
to get b oth of those moves in the near
future allows White to sacrifice the mi
nor exchange for excellent control of the
center and play against Bl ack's K-side.
Bl ack players going for a win might start
down that road, but it is unlikely to take
them where they want to go.
The rest of t h i s l i n e is devoted to
6 .•. Nbd7 an exa m p l e of how such p l ay might
S h o u l d B l ack play 6 . . . Bd7 i nstead, unfold.
White has already won a small victory. 11 ••• Bd6
The Bishop there not only gets in the way Th i s makes d S l es s o f a c o n ce rn .
of Bl ack's forces but also gives White an Note that Bl ack cannot get around what
easy plan of retreating the Bishop to d3, is co m i ng by p l aying 1 1 . . . h 6 ? ! si nce
stonewal ling with NeS & f4, and looking White can play 1 2 . d S !
for a g4 ! break. 1 2 .Bg5 0-0 1 3 .0-0 Nf6?!
7.e4! dxe4 There is nothing that says Black has
7 . . . cxd4 8 . Nxd4 wil l allow White to to play this, but otherwise White has a
play eS with advantage. pretty free hand.
8.Nxe4! Nxe4 9.Bc6 Rb8 1 0. Bxe4 Qc7! 1 4.Bxf6! gxf6 1 5.d5! f5
The only move. Otherwise Bf4 makes C l e a rly, th i s is the way to refute
Bl ack's Rook cry . White's play if such a refutatio n is to be
1 1 .Qe2 found.
White threatens d S . The problem for 1 6.Bc2 exd 5 1 7.Rfe 1 Qd8
Black from this position is that he would Covering gS to allow his next move.
like to play both . . . Bd6 and . . . Nf6 soon. 1 8.Ra d 1 Be6 1 9.g 3 !
The Knight move helps unwind his posi B l ack cannot enj oy t h e prospect of
tion. In addition to putting his Knight on seeing Nh4 come down .
a natural square, it shoos White's Bishop
from e4, allowing Bb 7 . A Bishop o n d6
al lows Bl ack to continue contesting the
30
Module 2 : Lesson
Sa m p le Exercise There are three chief candidates: e4,

O n e l i n e I h ave not menti o n ed is Qe2, and 0 - 0 . Let's l o o k at each o n e .
shown below. Note that Q c 2 is generally not a good
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 dS 3 .e3 e6 4.Nbd2 cS play in the C-K. White will be pressured
S.c3 N bd 7 6.Bd3 b6 down the c-file and often has to make
concessions to keep his Queen safe o n
c2.
W h ite Adva nces

The obvious candidate is 7 .e4. C- K
players should be quite at h o m e with
the sort of game one expects after this
central pawn b reak. The problem is that
Wh ite's uncastled position gives Black
seri ous tactical options. Remember the
W h a t s h o u l d Wh i t e p l ay h e r e ? two criteria indicating when White can
Analyze the various options and defend p l ay e4 without h aving castl ed. N o te
your choice. that neither applies: White has p l ayed
(Solution begins at the top of the nex t c3, and Bl ack has not played . . . Bb 7 .
column.) After 7 . . cxd4, White would rather
.
not take back wi th a pawn, l eading to

what looks l ike either a l i fel ess IQP or
one with a bit too much l i fe to it (e.g.,
8 . cxd4 dxe4 9 . Nxe4 Bb7 I O . Nxf6 + Qxf6
I l. BgS Bxf3 ! ? ) Unfo rtunately 8 . Nxd4 ? !
NcS ! can not b e adequately an swered
with 9 . Bb S + (which is often a resource
in such l i nes) . Bl ack can s i m p ly meet
t h i s with 9 . . . B d 7 , after which Wh ite
has l i ttl e better than I O . Bxd 7 + Qxd 7
I I . exd S , when Bl ack can p l ay the an
noying I l . . . Nd3 + or try for more with
1 1 . . . eS ! ? ( Note that Nd3 + would not be
31
an option if White had castled, and this between the cal m 10.cxd4 dxe4 1 1.Nxe4
is also the move that stops 1 1.eS from Bb7 12.Nc3 and the considerably less
working as well.) calm 12.NegS ! ? h6 13.Nxe6 ! ?
Thus, White may be tempted to play
8.eS?! But this does not work out well White Castles
for him either because his King is in the Wh ile it is generally smart to castle
way of B l ack's m arau d i n g p awn as it before opening up the center, it is hard
threatens to zig-zag to c3 and then d2. to see how White can get anything bet
te r th an a tra n s p o s i t i o n of an e a rlier
White Conti n u es Prepa rations l i ne by castling now. Castl ing i s also
The b e s t m o ve i s 7 . Q e 2 , v i r t u discouraged as it allows Black to make
ally assuring White can play e4 at some up for be ing a b it lazy in his moves ear
point. lier. After 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Qe2 Bl ack has the
I f B l a c k i g n o re s t h i s a n d p l ays option of p l aying 8 ••• Ne4!? s i n ce the
7 ... B b 7 anyway, we h ave 8 .e 4 cxd 4 c7-square is available for his Queen, and
9.Nxd4, and now 9 ... NcS can be met he appears to be fine after 9.NeS NxeS
with 10.BbS ! because Black's Bishop is 1 0.dxeS Qc7!
no l onger on its home square. Of course,
Bl ack has far better 9th moves, such as Exe rci ses
9 ... Qc7. H oweve r, White w i l l be able On the following three pages are 12
to grab the central files, and that should diagrams testing your tactics and stra
count for something. tegic understanding in positions where
I f Black instead pl ays 7 ... Be7, plan- Black plays an early ...b 6. The first four
n i ng to castle and avo id any nasti ness only have general co mmentary in their
on the e-file, White should fol l ow suit. solutions ( as in the solutions to exercis
After 8.0-0 0-0 9.e4, Black sti ll has to do es in module 1 ) . I have provided addi
something about that e-pawn, and after tional notes and variations to the l ast 8.
9 ... dxe4 10.Nxe4 B b 7 1 1.Nxf6 + Nxf6 The exercises in the rest of the modules
12.dxcS BxcS 13.BgS, I think Wh ite can all have these additional analyses.
sti l l claim some slim pull. 9 ... cxd4 is
far less common in practical play from
th is position, but might be better. On
the other hand, it gives White the choice
32
Exercises
Last Moves: 5 .c3 b6 6.Bb5+ Bd7 La st Moves: 5.Bb5+ N bd 7 6.Bc6 Rb8
Last Moves: 6.Bd3 c5 7.0-0 Be7 Last Moves: 5.Bb5+ c6 6.Bd3 c5
33
Last Moves: 5 .c3 Be7 6.Bd3 b6 Last Moves: 5.c3 b6 6.Bb5+ N b d 7
Last Moves: 7 .0-0 c4 S.Be2 Qc7 Last Moves: 5.Bb5+ c6 6.Bd3 N b d 7
34
M odule 2 : Exercises
Exercise 9 Exercise 1 1
Last Moves: 3 .e3 b6 4.BbS+ N b d 7 Last Moves: 9.Bc6 R b 8 1 0. Bxe4 N f6
Exercise 1 0 Exercise 1 2
Last Moves: 7.0-0 c4 8. Be2 Bd7 Last Moves: 4.Nbd2 N b d 7 S.Bd3 b6
35
SolutiOilS
Last Moves: S .c3 b6 6.BbS+ B d 7 Last Moves: 6.Bd3 cS 7.0-0 Be7
Best Move: 7.Bd 3 ! Best Move: S.NeS
White retreats his Bishop and now Black has run W hite out of moves,
plans on establishing a Knight on eS. so N e S is the appr o priate p l ay h er e.
He will look for an opportunity to break Remember, you should not play c3 in
with g4. response to ... cS after Black has already
played ...b 6.
37
Module 2 : Slaying the b7 -Monster
Last Moves: 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 6.Bc6 Rb8 Last Moves: 5.Bb5+ c6 6.Bd3 c5
Best Move: 7.Qe2 Best Move: 7.0-0

Th is was the move given in Li ne A N ow t h a t B l a c k h as p l ayed . . . c S ,
if Black b locks the check with a Knight. neither Q e 2 n o r e4 are possible ( . . . c4
It gives Wh ite an excellent position by squashes b oth ) . Thus, cast l i n g is the
supporting b oth pawn b reaks ( e 4 and move White has left.
c4 ) while discouraging . . . Bb 7 ? ! due to
tactics involving White's Queen h itting Exercise 5
the undefended Roo k on b7 when she Last Moves: 5 .c3 Be7 6.Bd3 b6
retakes o n e4 .
Best M ove: 7.e4
38
Since Bl ack has not played . . . Nbd7 White needs to stop Black from play
(the source of White's frustration in the ing . . . c3 .
sample exercise discussed in the mod
ule), White can play e4 immedi ately. Analysis, Variation, and Notes
9 ••• Bb7
Analysis, Variation, and Notes Based on the resu l t s of t h i s l i n e, i t
7 dxe4
••• m ight seem l ike gua rd i ng eS with a m i n o r
7 ... cxd4 8.Nxd4, a n d B l a ck h a s to be piece i s more i m portant, but that does not
ca reful about how the center resolves. work out wel l fo r B l a ck. One probl e m is
S.Nxe4 N bd 7 that Black knows moving his Ki ng's Bishop
8... Bb7 9.Nxf6+ Bxf6 1 0.dxcS. i s a wa sted m ove, but at the sa m e ti m e
9.Nxf6+ Nxf6 he has t o b e ca reful about Wh ite openi ng
9...Bxf6 1 0.Be4. up the ga m e with h i s King sti l l two m oves
1 0.dxeS BxeS 1 1 .Bf4 0-0 1 2 .Qe2 away from ca stli ng.
Black's Queen wi l l have a bit of an i s 9 ...Nbd 7 1 0.b3 cxb3 ( 1 0...bS? 1 1 .a4)
sue find i ng a good squa re. 1 1 .Qxb3 Bd6 ( 1 1 ...Bb7 1 2.c4) 1 2.Ba3 0-0
1 3.Rfc 1 ;
Exercise 6 9...Nc6 1 0.e4! dxe4 1 1 .NgS.
Last Moves: 7.0-0 e4 S.Be2 Qe7 1 0.NeS
It is i m p o rta nt to get th i s in befo re
B l a ck covers eS. Otherwise you ca n e n d
up w i t h a position t o o l ocked up t o get
a nyt h i ng fro m . Th i s move gives Wh i te
some extra space he w i l l use later.
1 0.b3 cxb3 1 1 .Qxb3 Nc6 i s okay fo r
Wh ite but n ot great.
1 0.Qc2 Nbd 7 1 1 .b3 bS 1 2.a4 a6 a n d
i t l ooks l ike Wh ite w i l l have t o l ose t h e
te m po wa r a n d p l a y B a 3 befo re B l a ck
Best Move: 9.e3 m oves h i s o w n B i s h o p. De p e n d i ng o n
your technique, you may find this position
quite pro m i s i ng o r quite dul l. Th i s i s why I
39
suggest playing Ne5 ea rlier. 1 0... b5 1 1 .exf6.

10 ••• N b d 7 1 1 .f4 1 1 .Nxe4 dxe4 1 2 . Bf4
Black ca nnot make use of the e4-squa re Black wi l l have to play pretty scra p p i l y
due t o the pressure on c4. to manage some sembla nce of equa l ity.
Last Moves: S.c3 b6 6.BbS+ N b d 7 La st Moves: S . B b S + c 6 6 . B d 3 N b d 7
Best Move: 7.e4 Best Move: 7.0-0
Th is makes good use of the unde Bl ack has decided to play his Kn ight
fended Rook. out befo re pushing the c-pawn, th is is
the s o rt of i n accu racy strong p l aye rs
Analysis, Variation, and Notes know how to punish.
7 ••• cxd4
7 . . . d xe4 8 . Nxe4 Nxe4 9 . B c 6 Rb8 Analysis, Variation, and Notes
1 0.Bxe4 (th reate n i ng Bf4!) 1 0... 0c7 1 1 .0-0 7 .e4 d xe4 8 .Nxe4 Nxe4 9 . Bxe4 O c 7
B d 6 1 2.Bg5 h6 1 3. B h4 i s about eq u a l, but d oe s n 't l o ok too ba d fo r B l a ck. 1 0.Ne 5
Black has to play some awkwa rd m oves. N xe 5 1 1 . B f4 B d 6 . Co m pa re t h e s i m i l a r
He wou l d l ike t o p l a y . . . Nf6 b u t wou l d l i nes bel ow.
rather not have to reca pture with a pawn 7 cS
•••
after Bxf6. Not h i ng else puts u p much of a fight

8.Nxd4 Bb7 9.eS a6 1 0.Ba4 Ne4 aga i nst e4.
40
7 ... Be 7 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 1 0.Bxe4 Commentary

Q c 7 1 1 .N e 5 B b 7 ( 1 1 ... N x e 5 1 2 . B f4 ) B l ack p u s h e d h i s b - p awn a m ove
1 2.Qg4! b e fore h e pr o b ab ly s h o u l d h ave. H e
7 ... Bd6 8.Qe2 gets good use out of the then compounded this by making the
un protected c-pawn. 8 ...0-0 9.e4 dxe4?! natural beginner error of blocking with
1 0.Nxe4 Nxe4 1 1 .Qxe4. his Knight. W hite should take advan
8.e4! tage of the locked in Queen and weak
W h ite ca n p l a y e4! because B l a c k 's c6-square.
pawn ca n not d o a Sherman's M a rch to the
Ki ng (. . . cxd4, . . . dxc3, . . . cxd 2+)-there is Analysis, Variation, and Notes
no c3-pawn to ta ke. S ••• Bb7
8 ... c4 5 ...c 5 6.e4 e6 (6... cxd4 7.exd 5 Bb7
8...cxd4?! 9.e5. 8.Qxd4 a6 9.Bc6 Bxc6 1 0.Nxc6 Qc8 1 1 .0-0)
9.Be2 c3 7.exd 5 Nxd 5 (7...exd 5 ? 8.Nc6 Qc7 9.Qe2+)
9...b5 ?! 1 0.a4. 8.c4 Nc7 9.Bc6 cxd4 1 0.Qxd4 f6 1 1 .Nxd 7.
1 0.bxc3 dxe4 1 1 .NeS Qc7 1 2.BbS Be7 6.Qf3 ! c6 7.Nxc6 Bxc6 8.Bxc6 Rc8
1 2 ...a6 1 3.Bc6. 9. Bxd S
1 3 .Rel .
Exercise 10
Exercise 9 Last Moves: 7.0-0 c4 8.Be2 Bd7
Last Moves: 3 .e3 b6 4.BbS+ N b d 7
Best Move: 9.e4

Best Move: S.NeS
41
Module 2 : Slaying the b 7 -Monster
Commentary Exe rcise 1 1

Black has moved his Bishop to d7 in Last Moves: 9.Bc6 Rb8 1 0.Bxe4 Nf6
an effort to reach a stab le Q-side. Th is
Bishop puts support on b S and a4. I n
particular a future Qa4 ( as described i n
the lesso n ) i s now out o f the question.
H owever, Black has overlooked the over
worked nature of his d-pawn, which has
to both protect c4 and stop e4 .
Analysis, Variations, and Notes

9 ••• N c6
Consistent with Black's ea rlier p l a n a s Best Move: 1 1 .Bf4!
n o w t h e Queen ca n protect t h e Rook o n
a8. Sti l l, a l l owing White t o get eS i n must Commentary
a l ways be considered ca reful ly. Black has made a natural move, try
9 . . . dxe4 1 O . N e S and Bl ack cannot ing to unwind his position by playing
hold the c-pawn . 1O . . . b S 1 1 . a4; . . . N f6 with tempo against the B ishop
9 . . . Nxe4 1 O . Nxe4 dxe4 gives Wh ite a on e4. G iven the compromised state of
choice between a stabl e advantage ( 1 1 . his Q-side, this is a luxury he could not
NeS ) or an active one after 1 1 . NgS Bc6 afford . . . . Qc7 was needed instead with
1 2 .£3 Be7 1 3 . Nxf7 ! an interesting game ahead ( see lesson
1 0.eS Ng4 1 1 .b3 bS 1 2 .a4 a613 . N b 1 for analysis of that variation ) .
White has options on both sides o f
t h e b oard . H i s l ast move foresees push Analysis, Variations, and Notes
ing the Knight back to h6 and then tak 1 1 .Bf4 Bd6 1 2. Bc6+ Ke7
ing him to introduce doubled, isol ated 1 2 ...B d 7 1 3 .Bxd6 Bxc6 1 4.Bxb8.
h-pawns in Black's camp . 1 3 .NeS Qc7
1 3 ...Bb7? 1 4.Bxb7 Rxb7?? l S.Nc6+;
1 3 ...BxeS 1 4.BxeS d rops the excha nge
(for some compensation).
1 4.0-0 Rd8 1 S .Qe2 Kf8 1 6.Rad 1
B l a ck h a s ma d e i t u n s c a t h e d , but
42
Wh ite sti l l has much the better position. fo r Wh ite and h a s performed quite wel l
He w i l l l ikely take o n c 5 soon, giving h i m i n practice.
ta rgets on the Q-side. 9. Bxe4 Bxe4 1 0.Qxe4 h 6
If Black wants to play Bd6, he should
Exercise 12 play t h i s first to stop Bg5.
Last M oves: 4. N b d 2 N b d 7 S.Bd3 b6 1 1 .0-0 Bd6 1 2 .dS NcS 1 3 .Qe2 Qf6
1 3 ...0-0 1 4.b4.
1 4.QbS+ Kf8 l S .dxe6 a6 1 6.Qc6 Rd8
1 7 .Be3
1 7.exf7?? Bxh2+ 1 B.Kxh2 Qxc6.
17 .•. Nxe6 1 8.c3
Wh ite reta i n s an advantage.
Best Move: 6.e41
Commentary
Si nce Wh ite's c-pawn is stil l on c2,
Wh ite can push e4 safely without having
castled first. This leads to a position that
has favored White in the past.

6 ... dxe4
6...c5 7.e5 c4 B.Be2 Ng4.
7.Nxe4 Bb7 8.Qe2 Nxe4
B... B e 7 h a s been p l ayed on severa l
occa sions fro m here. The text i s a sharp
try to i mp rove si nce n o rma l p l a y gives
White a good a ga me. 9.0-0 0-0 1 O.R d 1
Nxe4 1 1 .Bxe4 Bxe4 1 2.Qxe4 looks good
43
Module 3: PuttillS Dowll all Errallt �lliSqt
A
s you almost certa inly know, the Argh .
Colle has the uncommon feature You know it isn't a good move. I t
that its deviati ons are as i mportant to doesn't even qual ify a s a pet defense. It's
study as its m a i n l i n e . We all heave a more like an " i maginary friend " defense.
small sigh of rel ief when . . . e6 graces the But you also know that if you j ust go
score sheet. lumbering away with normal C-Z moves
Col le players know these deviations he is go ing to secu re the Kn ight with
come with the territory, and learn i ng . . . f5 soon, and you will start wondering
how to respond to them is like preposi whether the Blackmar- Diemer gambit is
ti ons or to ilet paper-someth i ng you all that bad.
cannot go very long without. Books don't have sections on early
It can be rather disconcerting, then, . . . Ne4 plays because no one above 2000
when B l ack fi rst p l ays n i cely i n to a would be caught dead playing such rub
standard Col l e structure, and then all bish. (This l ine is one of the better tries
of a sudden th reate n s to take away for Bl ack, and I found only 1 master
Christmas: level game with it. )
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 dS 3 .e3 e6 (yay! ) 4.Bd3 S t i l l , c h a n ces a re you are n o t a
cS S.b3 Nc6 6.0-0 cxd4 7.exd4 Ne47! m aster. And that you w i l l face such
filthy knight sall ies considerably more
frequently than Anand. I n this module
I ' l l discuss the ideas relevant to these
positions so you are better equipped to
punish your opponent for marring the
chessboard with such ugly and arrogant
moves. ( For we all know that you are the
only one who has the right to play ugly
and arrogant moves. )
U g ly, Arroga nt, and An noyi ng.
45
Module 3 : Putting Down an Errant Kn ight
P r i m a ry Ta rgets One target for White is always the

C o l l e - K o l ta nowski pl ayers w i l l i n g Knight itsel f. The steed on e4 in itial ly
t o use the move order I gave in the last has o n ly one defender, the dS p awn .
m o d u l e [ 1 . d 4 N f6 2 . N f3 d S 3 . e 3 e 6 B l ack has p l enty of ways o f s u p p o rt
4 . Nb d 2 rath e r t h a n 4 . B d 3 ] h ave t h e ing the Knight. That isn't the issue. The
l uxury o f s i mply exch anging i f B l ack rules of chess allow him to advance his
plays . . . Ne4 very early. Black then has f-pawn immediately afterward, and he
to hustle to p rotect the p awn after re could c o n te m p l ate . . . b6 a n d . . . B b 7 .
capturing on eS, l eaving him behind i n The p robl e m i s that Bl ack has al ready
development. put h i m s e l f b e h i n d in deve l o p ment,
Col le-Zukertort players do not have and these moves only put him further
this luxury, and most of this module is behind. Furthermore, no te tha t bo th these
dedicated to the targets and ideas they op tio ns ( . . . f5 a nd . . . Bb 7) remov e a de
should have in mind when facing this fender from the e6-paw n.
threat. To make matters worse for Bl ack, he
There is no set- in-stone c o l l ection cannot i n general want to exchange this
of principles that dictate exactly how to Kn ight. After a l l , h e has i nvested two
respond to an early . . . Ne4, but under moves in putting it on a useful square.
standing your primary targets in such The second maj or target for White is
positions should put you o n the right the d S -pawn. The Knight that moved to
track. e4 used to defend that pawn, but now it
is defended by the pawn . The pawn might
seem adequately guarded. Currently the
e6-pawn and the Queen on dB protect it.
The issue is that any attack on the pawn
is really an attack on the Knight until the
Knight gets more protectio n . Thus, Nc3
is a triple attack of sorts. I t hits the pawn
on dS directly and h its the Knight on e4
b oth directly and indirectly. G iven that
White woul d be h appy to h ave B l ack
Primary Ta rgets take on c3, Nc3 is a very powerful move
for White i n these l ines.
46
Module 3 : Lesson
But my guess is that it would be too set of three threats you will rarely get to
simple tojust say "always play Nc3 when execute .
Black plays ••• Ne4" right?
How can they be "nearly as important" if
Qu ite so. I n fact, that is almost never you rarely get to use them?
the right response. It is better to play c4
first. This move not o nly h its the pawn I didn't say you rarely get to use them.
on d S , b u t co n trib utes in general to I said you rarely get to execute them. You
opening up the game so White can pun wi l l be using them ( i n some sense) all
ish Black for neglecting development. the time because your opponent has to
I f these were the only targets, Bl ack take them into considerati o n as h e i s
would be o kay. But there is always a responding t o your moves.
th ird target. I f Bl ack has exchanged on It's l i ke warnings on cigarettes. My
d4, W h i t e has a s e m i - o p e n e - fi l e to gu ess i s M ar l b o ro wou l d n ever h ave
target the pawn on e 6 . I f Black has not unil aterally decided " H ey, here's a great
exchanged o n d4, then Wh ite has the idea for marketing our product - Let's
threat of dxcS fol l owed by Bxg7 . put a big warn ing l abel apprising any
one who has been on Pluto for the last
2 0 years that wi l l fu l ly i n h a l ing l a rge
quantities of tar and carbon monoxide
is perhaps not the healthiest thing in the
world. " They would rather be using that
sp ace for any number of things . H ow
ever, the threat of being fined mill ions
of dollars requires them to package their
cigarettes in a sl ightly different way than
they would l ike.
Standard Piece Placements and Ta rgets Same th ing here. These threats wil l
dictate h o w your opponent responds,
Th reats and if he fails to adequately consider all
The targets from the last section are these options, then BOOM he's going to
th e fu ndamental b ricks fo r building a get smoked .
response, but nearly as important are a 1. Uncovering the Bishop
47
Module 3: Putting D own an Errant Knight
2. The Anti -Stonewall Assault

3. The ds-pin
The Lo ng Dista nce Bishop

I f B lack has n o t tr aded p awns o n
d4 before putti ng his Knight on e4, he
has to keep in mi nd the possibili ty of
White capturing the g7 pawn, which is
no longer shielded by the Knight on f6
from the Bishop on b 2 .
The Danger of an Early Stonewa ll.
Roya l P(a ) i n on d5
The ds -pawn enj oys support fr o m
the pawn o n e6 and the Queen. It may
appear a poor target si nce White does
not have an easy way to put a third at
tacker on the pawn. However, you always
have to be co ncerned when a Queen is
required as a defender, especially whe n
U nveiling t h e Bishop with a Ca ptu re you are behi nd in development.
Black may think he has dealt with his
The Sta ndard problems after castli ng and playing . . . fS .
Anti-Sto newa l l Assa u lt I n reality his Queen can find herself the
Since the pawn on dS and Knight on victi m of a nasty pin after cxds exds ;
e4 are standard targets for White, Black Nxds Qxds; Bc4!
gener ally d e s i res to p l ay . . . fs , taki n g
some of the defensive burden off the em
battled dS pawn. H owever, if Black has
not castled, White can contemplate Qhs+
prepared by Nes . The point being that
. . . g6 can be met by Nxg6! as the h-pawn
is pinned to the unprotected Rook.
48
Module 3 : Lesson
Thi s c o n figurati o n b o d e s p o o rly

for Black in an astounding number of
ways :
• Black can no longer play ... Bf6 to
defend the g7 pawn.
• dxcs ( o r cs ) n o w c o m e s wi t h
tempo against the Bishop.
• The Bishop can fi nd itsel f pinned
to the Queen down the d-file.
• Th e Bishop is vulnerable to Nc4,
Why the d-pawn is Fragile which very well may come about due to
the sequence Bxe4 dxe4; Nd2 fs; Nc4
This Bishop can be supported either • Any Nxe4 now comes with tempo
by a pawn on b3 or a Knight on es. on the Bish op.
• The Bishop cuts the Queen away
A Very M i s p la ced B i s h o p from the pawn on dS.
Should Black play ... B d 6 before o r
soon after playing ... Ne4, you will gen The only option the Bishop on d6
erally have reason to cackl e with glee gives Black is the possibility of a co mbi
(but on the inside, of course). nation based on ... Bxh 2 + .
Genera l Advice
These guidelines should help you as
you determine the specific ways of using
the targets and tactics described earlier.
• Be patient! The earlier Black pl ays
... Ne4 the less likely he is going to be
able to make up fo r his lack of develop
ment soon. It is not the end of the world
if he gets to castle or play ...fs. O ften
A "Good" Bishop on a Bad Square. these just present him other problems.
• K n o w t h a t B l ack c a n m ove his
Bishop to f6 via e7.
49
Module 3 : Putting D own an Errant Knight
• O ften it is advisab l e to take the on a chess board, you'll get a good feel
Knight on e4, not only to give yourself for the ab ove principles as well as an un
an u n m oving target o n e4 after B l ack derstanding of the development advantage
recaptures with the dS-pawn, but also you can expect in these lines.
to stop the Knight from going anywhere
more usefu l . This is particularly true if
you plan to take the cS -pawn or i f Black
has j ust taken on d4 with his c-pawn,
which opens the cS -square.
• If B l ack takes o n d4 after h aving
al ready p l ayed . . . Ne4, you w i l l m o re
or l ess never want to recapture with the
e-pawn . Take with the Knight if you are
unsure which p iece to recapture with .
• I f B l ack c a p t u r e d t h e d 4 - p awn After 7 . . . cxd4
before playing . . . Ne4, try to figure out
how to use the open e3 square. This can B l ack p l ayed . . . N e 4 b e fo re Wh i te
either be by p l aying a Queen to e2, a had castled, so White wisely ( remember,
Roo k to e 1 , or l o o king to play Bf4 if you be patient) castled to prevent any nasti
have not already played Bb2 . ness with . . . QaS + . Then Bl ack took on
• Any p i ece o n d 6 o r d 7 cuts the d4 .
b l ack Queen fro m defending dS. H ow should White respond? Figure
• The longer Black goes without cas out the important variations. It wouldn't
tling, the more l i kely NeS is good. hurt to write your conclusions i n a prac
• When all else fails, and you can tice j ournal . In fact, take as much time as
not think o f a good variation, p l ay c4 you need and write down everythi ng.
and Nc3 !
[Solution begins on next page. J
Princi p l es in Action The first thing that came i nto your
Th e d i agram b e l ow t i e s togeth e r
much of this chapter's guidance. I f you
work on this exercise yourself and then
play through all the solution's variations
50
M odule 3 : Lesson
head should have been Don 't retake with

the pawn because that closes the long diago
nal while the g7-pawn is still a target.
That makes Bxd4 and Nxd4 the most
immediate candidate moves . Bxd4 al
l ows Black to take the Bishop, putting a
defin ite ki nk in the plan to target g7 , so
Nxd4 presents itself.
Nxd4 is a perfectly good move that
gives White a good position, but it allows
Black to find a more intelligent square for U s i n g the f-p awn in this p o s i t i o n
his advanced Knight. In general we never can not possibly be good d u e t o QhS +
l i ke to see Black play . . . NcS, and here ( e . g . 9 . . . fS ? 1 0 . Q h S + g 6 I l . Nxc6 ! ) .
Black could also simply play . . . Nf6 . This Instead Black can play his Queen to gS,
yields a position that most masters would whence it can sally to fS or g6 . An option
love to play against, but many class play promoting more develop ment involves
ers will l ikely prefer more clear advantag playing the Bishop to c6 after p l aying
es before abandoning the C-Z structure. . . . Nxd4 .
In particular I would suggest opening the
board up to make use of White's immi Defe n d i n g with t h e Queen
nent development advantage. Trying to defend with the Q u e e n
W i t h t h e a b ove i n m i n d , W h i t e leaves Black terribly behind a s h e address
should snip off that Kn ight before i t can es Wh ite's fusillade of threats. He should
go anywhere and then exchange on d4. play 9 . . . Nxd4 immediately to stop NbS,
After 8.Bxe4! dxe4 9.Nxd4 Black is faced hitting c7 . After 1 0 . Bxd4 QgS I l . Nd2
with the question of how to defend the Qg6 ( . . . Q fS is met by 1 2 . f3 ) , 1 2 . Qe2
e4-pawn after White pl ays Nd2 . threatens a fork on b S . 12 . . . Bd7 1 3 . Nc4
eyes a fork on eS, and 1 3 . . . f6 1 4 . Rad l
threatens BeS ! ! (e.g., Be7 ? ! I S . BeS ! ! fxeS ?
1 6 . Rxd7 Kxd7 ? 1 7 .NeS + . )
Sane players should prefer 1 4 . . . QfS
because 1 4 . . . eS ? ! I S . BxeS ! Bg4 can be
met by 1 6 . Q d2 ! and there is a heavy
51
Module 3 : Putting D own an Errant Knight
price on the material White appears to 13. Ndb 5 Bxb 5 14.Nxb5 RcB 15.c4 Nc6
be giving away. Afte r 14 ... Q f5 1 5.f4, 16.Rad 1 looks terrible for Black.
White should still eventually get Be5 in The direct 10.N d 2 is fine as long
with good effect. a s y o u re a li ze that a ft e r 1 0 ... Nxd4
1 l.exd4 Bc6 12.Qe2 you are not actu
Defend i ng with the Bishop ally assured of winning a p awn as Black
Thus, the most reasonable plan in might find 12 ... Bd6 ! , all owing him to
volves defending with the Bishop. I n meet 13.Nxe4 with 13 ... Bxh 2 + 14.Kxh 2
this case Bl ack should not exchange the Q h 5 + 1S.Kg 1 Qxe4. This doesn't make
Knight immediately because 9 . .. Nxd4 10.Nd2 a bad p l ay. White has a great
1 0. B x d 4 B d 7 a l l o w s W h i te to p l ay game after 13.c4 and may well take on
1 1.Q h 5 ! , making ro o m fo r th e Ro o k e4 soon anyway.
t o attai n t h e p owerfu l d 1 p o s t whi l e Si n c e B l a c k i s n o t c a p t u ri n g t h e
leaving t h e black Queen with very few Knight, though, White can also answer
squares. ( l l.Qg4 ! ? wins the e-pawn im 9. . . Bd7 with 10.Nb S, threatening to hit
mediately, but Bl ack can cause White a the d6-square when Black would really
bit of a headache afterward.) rather not exchange his Bishop, which
is defending the g7 -pawn under attack
by the Bishop on b2. Thus, Black may
answer in kind with 10 ... Nb4, hitting c2
and essentially pinning the Knight on d2
before it even gets there ! ( 1 l .N S c3 Bc6
12.Nd2 Be7 1 3.Ndxe4 ? ! Qxd 1 14.Rfxd 1
Nxc2.) Unfo rtun ately for Bl ack, White
has more important things on his mind
than c2 and a l . After 1 l .N d 6 + ! Bxd 6
12.Qxd 6 Nxc2 13.Qg3 , Bl ack's Knight
After 9 . . . Bd 7, White has three prom is not doing him any favors.
ising plans. Since 10 ... Nb4 has flaws, it l o o ks
1 0.Qh 5 is still quite good since 10 ... like Black has to settle for 10 .. . eS, when
Qf6 appears to j ust give a worse version 1 l.Nd 6 + Bxd 6 12.Qxd 6 f6 13.Nc3 BfS
of the early Defending with the Queen line 14.Q a3 cannot be comfo rtable.
while 1 0... Qa5 1 l.Qxa5 Nxa5 12.Nc3 f5
52
Module 3 : Lesson
N otes on Com p leting the

Exe rci ses
My guess is th at your j ournal shows
a substantially different answer than the
ab ove . That's okay. Both the solving of
the problem and seeing a thorough solu
tion improve your chess.
Th e s o luti o n s to the exe rcise di a
grams shown on the next two pages are
not nearly as tho rough, but I do try to
give the important variations you can
c o m p are with your own a n swers . I n
each diagra m try to find the best move
and write out the variations you see.
Pl ayers under 1600 might just want
to focus th e fi rst ti me around on the
gen eral co m m e n tary describing why
the best move is called fo r. All players
s h o u l d eventua l ly p l ay th rough a n d
thi n k a b o u t t h e Analys is, Variations,
and Notes portion o f the so lutions to
build up their understanding of these
positions. D on't be discouraged if you r
solutions do not match mine. I promise
you that if you take these problems seri
ously and write down all your analysis
and ideas when working th rough them,
you'll start seeing improvement.
53
Exercises
La st Moves: 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bb2 N e4 La st Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.N b d 2 Ne4
Last Moves: 4.Bd3 cS S.b3 Ne4 Last Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 N e4
55
Module 3 : Putting Down an Errant Knight
Last Moves: 6.0-0 Ne4 7.Bb2 Be7 Last Moves: 4.Nbd2 cS S.c3 Ne4
La st Moves: 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bb2 N e4 Last Moves: 9.Nc3 fS 1 O.cxd S exd S
56
Module 3 : Exercises
Last Moves: 8.c4 f5 9.cxd 5 exd 5 Last Moves: 7.exd4 Ne4 8.c4 B d 6
Last Moves: 7.Bd3 Bc6 8.0-0 N e4 Last Moves: 9.b3 cxb3 1 0.axb3 N e4
57
Solutioqs
Exercise 1 a strong co mputer would d o, but sma rt

La st Moves: 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bb2 N e4 practica l play given that White is goi ng to
be a whole pawn up.) 1 1 ...Nxd 8 1 2.Rd 1 !?
(perhaps Wh ite w i l l take on g7 now a n d
pick up g 2 later.) 1 2 ...f6 1 3. Kxg2
1 0.QxdS+ NxdS
1 0... Kxd8? 1 1 .NgS.
1 1 .Nfd 2 fS 1 2.Bxg 7
Exercise 2
Last Moves: 4.Bd3 cs s.b3 N e4
Best Move: S.Bxe4
Commentary
With only one minor piece on the
d-file, Black has very few options once
Wh i t e b e g i n s exch a n g i n g . S i n c e t h e
Bishop is on d6, dxcs is the natural play.
H owever, it is better to take the Knight
on e4 before taking on cS .
Best M ove: 6.0-0
8 ••• dxe4 9.dxcs Bxcs Commentary
9 ...exf3?! l eaves B l a ck no compensa- White h a s to be carefu l here. Be-
tion for a whole pawn lost once the dust fore he can start bl asting through with
settles. 1 O.Qxd6 fxg2 1 1 .Qxd8+ (not what c4, Nc3, etc. he needs to put his King
59
Module 3: Putting D own an Errant Knight
to safety or else ... QaS + is a pr oblem. 11 ••• Bd6 1 2 .Nb5 Bb8 1 3 .Qd2
Bl ack's difficulties wil l still be around Th reate n i ng Nxc6 by d efe n d i ng the
after White has castl ed. Catch the ball Bishop. Black has th ree pieces h itti ng the
first; then you can start looking at the Knight, but wi n n i ng a pawn by kicki ng the
end zone. Kn ight o n bS away gives White a violent
attack.
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 13 ••• a611
6 ••• f5 11 Oth e r m oves, l i ke Q d 8, Qe7, o r Qh4
Other m oves a re better, but t h i s i s the a re wiser but a d m it B l a c k' s whole setu p
o n l y rea s o n abl e o n e t h a t offe rs s o m e- is bad .
t h i ng with a d ifferent flavor t h a n what i s 1 4.Na3 Nxe5 1 5 . Bxe5 Bxe5 1 6.dxe5
fou n d in other exercises. Qxe511 1 7.Nc4 Qc7 1 8.N d6+ Kf8
7. Bxe4 dxe4 l 8 . . . Ke 7 ? Th i s gets t h e Ki ng off t h e
7 . . .fxe4 gives Wh ite a com p l etely open ba c k-ra n k, p reventing a s kewer aga i n st
f-fi le before Black has castled. the Rook, but the King i s more v u l nerable
8.Ne5 Qf6 9.Nc31 here a n d g7 n ow has no defe n se.
Hitti ng e4 w h i l e t h reate n i ng NbS, a 1 9.Ra d 1
natura l reply t o Black' s Queen sortie. Th reate n i ng to ta ke a pawn with the
9 • • • cxd4 Kn ight a n d then i nvad e o n d8.
9 ... a 6 sto p s NbS , but a t t h e cost of
e v e n m o r e d e v e l o p m e n t : 1 0 .f3 e xf3 Exercise 3
1 1 .Qxf3 Be7 l 2.Qe2 with Ne4 in m i n d . Last Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.N b d 2 N e4
1 0.exd4 N c6!
A tactica l way of d i ss u a d i ng NbS d u e
t o t h e un protected natu re o f t h e a-Rook
s h o u l d l i q u i d a t i o n o c c u r on e S . Note
that Black i s essenti a l l y meeti ng Wh ite' s
early NeS i n m uch the sa me way I suggest
W h i te a d d ress an early ... Ne4, ta rgeti ng
the a p p ropriate center sq u a res.
1 1 .Bf4
1 1 .NbS Lea d s to exceed i ngly i n terest-
ing and unclea r p lay. Best M ove: 5.Nxe4
60
Commentary
Whi l e N e 5 is appealing, it s h o u l d
lead t o b oth Knights getting snipped off
without White h avi ng much to s h ow
for it. I n stead, White simply exchanges,
betting Black cannot make anything of
the space advantage he wil l get on the
K-side.

5 ••• dxe4 6.Nd2 f5 7.Be2 Best Move: 5.c4
Th i s l eaves c4 open for the Kn ight or Commentary
pawn wh i l e givi ng Wh ite a n other option Wi th n o c 5 - p awn to take a n d n o
for reca pture after a later f3. immediate vu lnerab ility t o a check by
7.Bc4 Qh4 8.0-0 Bd6 i s a n noyi ng. Black's Queen, White should just imme
7 ••• Qg5 diately attack the pawn the errant Knight
A bit bold, but Black has trouble devel had p reviously defended, which also
opi ng. He wants to move his Bishop to d6, happens to be the only thing defending
but the th reat of Nc4 d i scourages t h i s for the Knight.
now. P l ayi ng h i s Bishop to e7 blocks h i s
Queen a n d makes it harder for h i m t o use Analysis, Variations, and Notes
the one asset he has, h i s K-side space. 5 ••• f5
7 ... Qh4 8.Nc4; S ... Be7 6.Nc3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 a n d Wh ite
7 ... c5 8.Nb3 . has gotten what he wa nted .
8.0-0 Be7 9.Kh 1 ! S . . . Nc6 (If B l a ck p l a n s o n d e l a y i ng
W h i te p re p a r e s n. I w o u l d t h i nk castl i ng a n d wants to snap up a n y Kn ight
m o st p l ayers wou l d be h a p p y sta rti ng that a rrives on eS, he m ight choose to go
every ga me of chess with Wh ite' s current this route.) 6.Nc3 fS (6 ... Bb4 7.Qc2) 7.0-0
position. a n d White should strongly consider Qb3
soon . It a d d s an attacker to d5 a n d would
Exercise 4 support a later Bc4, bea ring down on e6.
Last Moves: 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 Ne4 Pressure on b7 i s i c i ng on the cake.
61
Module 3 : Putting D own an Errant Kn ight
6.Nc3 c6 Analysis, Variations, and Notes

B l a c k h a s c reated a Dutch Ston ewa l l 8 ••• 0-0 9.Nc3 cxd4 1 0.Nxe4 dxe4
formation. 1 1 .Bxe4 dxe3 1 2 .fxe3 Qb6 1 3 .Qd3 f5
6 ... B b4 7.Qb3; 1 4.Bxc6 bxc6
6 . . . B e 7 7 . N e S 0-0 8 . c x d S N x c 3 ( 8 . . . Ta ki n g w i t h t h e p a w n p r e s e rv e s
exd S ? ! 9.NxdS Qxd S ? 1 0.Bc4) . B l ack's hope of cou nterplay with a fut u re
7.Ne5 ... a s a n d m a kes Wh ite's i m m i nent Qd4 at
After B l a c k a d d r e s s e s the t h reat of l ea st a l ittl e less d o m i nati n g .
Q h S +, Wh ite can castl e a n d play f3 . 1 4 ... Qxc6 l S .Rad 1 b6 1 6.Qd4.
1 5 .Qd4 Qxd4 1 6.exd4
Exercise 5
last Moves: 6.0-0 Ne4 7.Bb2 Be7 Exercise 6
last Moves: 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bb2 N e4
Best M ove: 8.c4

Best m ove: 8.Bxe4
Commentary
B l ack is one move away fro m cas Commentary
tli ng, and you m ight b e feel ing antsy, After the exchange on e4, the pawns
thinking you've missed the boat since g7 on e4 a n d g7 are awkward to h o l d .
is soon to be defended. You have to stay 8 . Nbd2 i s a perfectly good alternative
patient here. If you play dxcS , B lack will but it's a bit harder to see a way to make
resp o n d . . . B f6 . B l ack's p rob l e m s w i l l use of the advantage it gives.
not g o away after he castles.
62
Analysis, Variations, and Notes advanced c-pawn really hurts Black be
8 ••• dxe4 9.Nfd 2 cause not only is . . . c6 (to block the check
Si nce Wh ite c a n hit t h e e4 pawn with from BbS ) impossible, but the c-pawn
two m o re pi eces q u ic kl y, B l a c k ca n o n l y itsel f can become a target.
h o p e t o h o l d t h e pawn t h ro u g h tactics.
9 ••• 0-0! Analysis, Variations, and Notes
9 .. .fS ? 1 0.dxcS; 6 ••• dxe4 7.NeS
9 ... Nf6 1 O.dxcS BxcS 1 1 .Nc3; 7 . N d 2 i s certa i n l y o ka y a s wel l , b u t I
9 ... cxd4 1 0.Nc4 BcS ( 1 O ... Be7?! 1 1 .0xd4) t h i n k Wh ite ca n press t h i s position m o re.
1 1 .exd4 B b4 ( l 1 ...Be7 1 2. Og4) 1 2.0g4. 7 ••• Nd7
1 0.Nxe4 Bxh2+ 1 1 .Kxh2 Q h 4 + 1 2 .Kg 1 7 ... Bd6 8.0g4.
Qxe4 8.BbS
White's a b i l ity to p i n the Kn i g ht that i s
Exercise 7 th reate n i n g t o exc h a n g e o n eS g ives l ife
Last Moves: 4.Nbd2 cS S.c3 N e4 to a position that oth e rwise m i g h t offe r
Wh ite few i m med iate attacki n g o pti o n s.
8 ••• Bd6
8 . . . a6 9 . B x d 7 + B x d 7 1 0 . d x c S B x c S
1 1 . N xf7 Kxf7 1 2.0 hS+
9.Nc4
N o w it i s c l e a r that W h ite wi l l w i n a
pawn ( a ss u m i n g ... Bf8 c a n not be good ) .
The o n l y q u esti o n i s what compensation
Bl ack can get.
9 ••• Bc7
Best Move: 6.Nxe4 9 ... Be 7 1 0.Og4 0-0 1 1 .0xe4 Nf6 1 2.0f3
N d S 1 3 . N d 2 a nd the boa rd is sta rti ng to
Commentary look l i ke a norma l Col l e set u p with Bl ack
Of course, taking the Knight is fine. a pawn down.
The question is what happens afterward. 1 O.dxcS 0-0 1 1 .b4
H opefully some of what sh ows up here 1 1 . Bxd 7 ? ! i s n o t s o m u c h g re e d y
occurred to you a s you were trying to (th o u g h i t is t h a t) b u t s i m p l y d o e s n ot
figure o u t h o w p l ay s h o u l d go . Th e p a y e n o u g h a tte n t i o n to t h e a va i l a b i l -
63
Module 3: Putting Down an Errant Knight
ity of d ecent sq u a res fo r W h ite's o t h e r Exercise 9

pieces after the exchange. 1 1 . . . Bxd 7 1 2.b4 Last Moves: 8.c4 fS 9.cxd S exd S
B b 5 1 3 .Qxd8 Rfx d 8 a n d i n t h e word s of
Socrates "l swa l l owed what?"
1 1 ... QgS 1 2 .0-0 NeS 1 3 . NxeS QxeS
1 4.g3
Wh ite i s safe eno u g h and a pawn to
the good.
Exercise 8
La st Moves: 9.Nc3 fS 1 O.cxd S exd S
Best Move: 1 0.NeS
Commentary
Black closed the a l-hB diagonal be
fore pl aying Ne4, so White has delayed
Bb2 to see if perhaps there is a better
p l ace ( l i ke f4 ) fo r h i s d a rk- s q u a red
Bis h o p . With the c l o su re o f the l o ng
diago nal, Ne5 should be strongly con
Best Move: 1 1 .NxdS sidered after .. . f5 . The threats of Q h 5 +
and Bb5 encourage Bl ack t o take on e 5 ,
Commentary which re moves White's isol ated pawn
This diagram shows a classic example while exp osing his own .
of why Bl ack has trouble consolidating
his Kn ight on e4 with .. . f5 . The Queen Analysis, Variations, and Notes
cannot recapture due to the open a2 -gB 1 0 ... NxeS
diagonal . We' l l look at 1 0 . . . g6 sepa rately.
1 1 .dxeS BcS 1 2.Ba3 Qa S 1 3 . BxcS QxcS
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 1 3 ... Nxc5 1 4.Qc2.
1 1 ... Qxd S 1 1 2.Bc4 1 4.Q hS+ g6 1 S.Qh6 Be6 1 6.Nd2
64
Let's consider 1 0 . . . g6 now, which p rotects c6. F u rthermore, a6 i s n o l o n g e r

is not a bad move, but Black has to be ava i l a b l e t o the c8-Bishop. 1 3 . Bxc6+ bxc6
very careful that Wh ite does not open 1 4 .f3 N d 6 ( 1 4 . . . B g 7 l S . a S Q a 7 1 6 . B f4 )
the e-file and kill him before he has cas l S .Re 1 .)
tled. We will consider this as a separate 1 3 .Bxc6+ bxc6 1 4.aS QbS 1 S. Bf4 0-0
mainline with bold notation for ease of Th i n g s g et c razy here, but the critica l
reading. l i ne a p pears to be:
10 • • • g6 1 1 .BbS Qb6 1 6.f3 Ba6 1 7 . Re 1 g S 1 8 .fxe4 gxf4
In a d d i t i o n to atta c k i n g the B i s h o p , 1 9.exfS RxfS 20. N d 2 .
t h i s p r e- p i n s t h e d - p a w n ( s i n c e W h ite
p l a n s o n p l a y i n g f3 o r f4) , t h e o n l y de Exercise 1 0
fender of the K n i g h t o n eS. Last Moves: 7.Bd3 Bc6 8.0-0 N e4
1 2 .a4!!
Th i s s u p po rts the B i s h o p and th reat
e n s to k n o c k t h e Q u ee n off b6, w h i c h
removes the p re- p i n fro m t h e d4-pa w n .
Th i s i s i m porta nt beca u se White can p l ay
f3 fo l l owed by Re l to m a ke B l a ck's K i n g
very u n comfo rta ble.
I n stead , 1 2. Bxc6+? ! attem pts to ta ke
a d va n ta g e of t h e B l a c k K i n g ' s c e n t r a l
p l a cement too e a rly. You m u st be ca re
fu l of yo u r o p p o n e nt's c o u nte r p l ay, es Best Move: 9.NeS
pec i a l l y w h e n yo u r f- p a w n has m oved !
1 2 ... bxc6 1 3 .f3 B g 7 ! ! 1 4. Bf4 0-0 l S .fxe4? Commentary
Oth e r m oves a re better, b u t t h i s is t h e Th is position could co me about if
p l a y White wo u l d m a ke if he thoug ht he Bl ack decides to post a Kn ight on e4
wa s o n top here. l S .. .fxe4 1 6. B g 3 ? Rxfl + ! after Wh ite uses the anti- . . . b6 idea from
1 7.Kxfl Ba6+ 1 8.Kg 1 Rf8. the last module. Since White's Bishop is
12 ••• Bg7 now on d3, taking with the Knight is ob
1 2 ... a6 doesn't solve B l a c k's p ro b l e m s viously not a good idea. White threatens
beca u s e W h i te ca n p rotect h i s K n i g h t to undermine the Kn ight by taking the
via Bf4 a n d the Q u ee n o n a 7 no l o n g e r exposed Bishop.
65
Module 3 : Putting D own an Errant Kn ight
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Analysis, Variations, and Notes

9 . . . N x d 2 1 0. Bxd 2 B d 6 1 1 . N xc6 Nxc6 9 ••• N b4
1 2.e4. Wh ite h a s a n excel lent positi o n . 9 .. 0-0 1 0.Nc3 Nxc3 1 1 .Bxc3 b6 1 2.cxd 5
.
exd 5 1 3 . N e 5
Exercise 1 1 1 0. N c3 Nxc3 1 1 .Bxc3 Nxd3 1 2 .Qxd3
la st Moves: 7.exd4 N e4 8.c4 Bd6 0-0 1 3 .c5
Exercise 1 2
last M oves: 9.b3 cxb3 1 0.axb3 N e4
Best Move: 9.Bb2
Commentary
White would prefer to get some use Best Move: 1 1 .Nxe4
fro m the o p e n e 3 -square. 9 . Q e2 ? ! i s
tempting, since after 9 . . . £ 5 1 0 . cxdS exds, Commentary
the Knight on e4 is p inned to the b l ack This is a line you could find yoursel f
king, allowing 1 1 . Nc3 without prepara in should you use the anti- . . . b 6 plan o f
tion by Bb 2 . H owever, after 1 1 . . . B b 4 , t h e l ast module a n d B lack accepts your
White's Knight does not have anywhere invitation to push his c-pawn . It is in
to go and B l ack has rid h i mself of his structive to see how deadly a Knight on
worst l iab ility, the misplaced Bishop o n es and a Bishop touching bs can be.
d 6 . I nstead, White wil l proceed a s nor-
mal and should stil l arrive at an advan- Analysis, Variations, and Notes
tage because Black cannot force through 11 ••• dxe4 1 2 .Ne5 a6
es, so he will eventually play b 6 ; that is T h e o n l y w a y t o stop B b5+. H owever,
the correct time to exchange on ds . n o w both p a w n s a re l i a b l e to beco m e
66
ta rgets.
The ava i l a b i l ity of 1 2 ... Qc77 can often
l et B l a c k g et away with an ea rly ... N e4 be
ca u se the Q u een h its Wh ite's Knight o n eS
w h i l e d efe n d i n g both c6 and d7 (neutra l
i z i n g the potency o f B b S ) . H e re, t h o u g h ,
Wh ite has the a b i l ity t o play d S, putt i n g
yet a n other attacker o n c 6 . 1 3 . B b S + Bc6
1 4. N xc 6 N xc6 1 S . d S exd S 1 6 .Qxd S R c B
1 7.Ra4.
1 3 .f3 1
Wh ite casts i nto sta rk rel i ef how over
worked that B i s h o p on b7 i s. Kee p i n g the
f-fi l e c l o sed i s i m p o ss i b l e, and n o w the
Kn i g ht o n eS (su rveyi ng f7) i s sta rti ng to
look m o re l i ke a N o rse god.
1 3 ... Nd7
1 3 ... exf3 1 4. Bxf3 Bxf3 1 S .Qxf3;
1 3 ... Bd6 1 4. N c4;
1 3 ... Be7 1 4.fxe4 Bxe4 1 S . N xf7.
1 3 .. .f6 fo resees t h e d a n g e r of N xf7
with the f-fi l e a bout to open, but Bla ck's
p o s i t i o n h a s a h o st of ot h e r p ro b l e m s,
a n d s p e n d i n g a n ot h e r m ove w i t h o u t
d eve l o p i n g i s u n l i kely t o fix them. 1 4. N c4
Be 7 1 S .fxe4 Bxe4 1 6. B h S + g6 1 7. Bf3 Bxf3
( 1 7 ... Bc6 1 B.e4 t h reate n i ng d S .) 1 B.Qxf3
R a 7 ( l B . . . N d 7 1 9.Qc6 bS 20. N d 6 + B x d 6
2 1 .Qxd6 l ooks terri b l e fo r B l ac k) 1 9. B b 2
a n d White h a s a d o m i nati ng positi o n .
1 4.Nxd7 Qxd7 1 5.fxe4 Bxe4 1 6. Rxa6
Black a p pears to s u rvive "on ly" a pawn
down.
67
Module 4: � I{ite of Doolt}-Double-Barreled FUll
L
et's break away from the depress- pert. The cl ass player did not see the op
ing business of examining monkey portunity to win a tremendous upset.
wrenches Bl ack can throw at us - in- 1 0.Nxe6! Qxe6 1 1 .dxeS BxeS 7!
stead it is time to start havi ng some fun ! ( . . . Be? lets Black off just down a pawn )
Th is module is dedicated to the attacks 1 2 .Bxf6 gxf6 1 3 . Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 4.QhS+
that can come from a setup C-Z pl ayers Kg 7 1 S .Qg4+ Kh7 1 6.Rf3 Bxe3+ 1 7.Kh 1
often ai m for. To start th ings off, we'll 1 -0
exa m i ne an i n famous game where a Whew ! Wasn't that fun ? Sort of the
computer overl ooked the most enj oy th ing you impress women with on a first
able tactic in the C-Z player's kit bag. date, especially those you do not want
bothering you for a second.
Krabbe - Dappet (Computer) 1 992 Th i s d o u b l e - b a rre l ed sac fl owed
1 .d4 d S 2.b3 e6 3 . Nf3 eS 4.e3 N e6 fro m a standard setup that I cal l The
S.Bd3 Nf6 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bb2 0-0 S.NeS Kite. Th e m i n i m a l req u i re m e n ts a re
Qe7 9.f4 b67! shown below.
The same position was reached in Kite Skeleton

2004 between a class pl ayer and an ex-
69
Module 4 : A Kite of Doom-D ouble-Barreled Fun
Note that the Knight does not have

to be on f6 . If there is no Knight on f6,
White can make it a true double-sac by
playing Bxg7 . Unfo rtunately, the condi
tions for that version of the sacrifice to
work are a b i t m o re p articul ar, as 1 M
Shereshevski found out against future
GM Vladimirov in the 1 9 7 8 USSR cham
pionship qualifier:
Shereshevski - V/adimirov 7 978 16 ••• fS

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3 .e3 cS 4.Bd3 d S Even if Black takes the B ishop, White
S.b3 Be7 6.Bb2 0-0 7.Nbd2 b 6 8.0-0 won't win . Not only is there the annoy
Bb7 9.NeS Nc610.a3 aSl l l .f4 N d 7 ance of . . . Bxe3 +, but more importantly
Black can get his Queen to f6 and sacri
fice her for White's Rook.
1 6 . . . Bxe3 + immediately is not good
since a later Rf3 would come with tempo
against the Bishop.
17.Bh6?
1 7 . Rf3 holds the draw. The text loses
and Black was on the right path until he
self-destructed on move 2 0 .
17 • . • Bxe3+18.Kh l Qf619. Rf3 .Qxa l +
W e w i l l d i scuss l ater w h y B l ack's 20.Nfl Bd4?
1 0th move was so useful . I n any event, Letti ng W h i t e ' s Q u e e n l o o s e l i ke
the game continued a Wh irl i ng D ervish . B l ack had to find
12 .Nxc6 Bxc6 13 . dxcS BxcS 2 0 . . . Bf2 ! ! , removing the g3 -square from
14.Bxh7+?1 the Rook. I f the Roo k takes (which he
This is o n ly a good move i f White will h ave to d o sooner o r l ater given
wants to force a draw. that White is threatening Qxf1 # ) , it gives
14 . . • Kxh 71S .Qh S+ Kg816.Bxg 7 B l ack a crucial couple tempi to put a
maj or p iece o n f6 .
70
Module 4 : Lesson
2 1 .Qg6+ 8g7 22.8xg7 Qxg 7 23 .Qxe6+ there is no Knight is on f6 , you can use
Rf7 24.Qxc6 Qf8 2S.Rg3+ Kh8 26.Rh3+ the following practical guidance:
Kg8 27.Rg3+ 1/2-1/2. (The below refer to the b oard posi
I n th is module I'll show you when tion after Black has recaptured on c5)
the sacri fi ce works, the attacks to use • I f Bl ack's Queen is on d8, e8, d7, or
when the sacrifice is called for, and how e7, the sacrifice does not force a wi n.
to pick a good move when the sacrificial • I f Bl ack's Queen is on c7, the sac
options are not going to work. rifice generally works as long as there is
a Kn ight on d7 or a Bishop on e7 but
When it Works: Kn i g h t on 16 not b oth .
After White pl ays dxc5 and Bl ack re • I f Bl ack's Queen is anywhere else,
captures, if there is a Knight on f6 whose the sacrifice should work.
only defender is the g7 -pawn, the sacri N ote: if Bl ack recaptures on c5 with
fice will practically always work. the Queen, White general ly has to play
I s ay " p ractica l l y always " b ecause B d 4 to stop Qxe 3 + . I n that case you
you stil l have to check obvious things. should assume Black's Queen will run
For example, if there is a Knight on f8 or back to c7 .
e8 defending the g7- or h 7 -pawns, then
clearly the sacrifice won't work. The only H ere are a few i l l ustratio n s s how
non- obvious thing to keep in mind is ing examples where the sacrifice works
that a Knight on e7 can rui n your day without any special effort.
by hopping to g6 .
Remember, part of the Kite forma
tion i nvolves B l ack h aving a Ro o k on
f8 . If there is no Rook on f8, the doub le
barreled sac wil l al most never work be
cause not only does the b l ack King have
an extra flight square, but he l i kely has
the defensive resou rce of . . . Bf8 as wel l .
When it Works: No Kn i g ht on 16
To determ i n e w h e n the standard One piece between O/c7 and f7
double-b arreled sequence works when
71
Module 4 : A Kite of Doom- Double- Barreled Fun
forced. They take into consideration the

standard sequences and positions. There
are times when those rules will make it
look l ike Black can survive when he re
ally cannot.
2 . Even when Black can stop mate,
Wh i te o ften h a s a p ro m i s i n g attack
and a wonderfu l p o s i ti o n . Knowing
those attacks increases significantly the
frequency you can use the sacri ficial
Queen not on a ny of the magic S squa res sequence.
3. Knowing when and why there are
promising attacks from the Kite position
in general helps you make smart plays
during moves 7 through 9 as you decide
whether the Kite formation is what you
should be going for or if you need to do
someth ing else to maxi m ize your ad
vantage. I t gives you a stepping stone to
help organize your th inking when there
are too many branches to keep track of
After dxcS QxcS; Bd4 Qc7 otherwise.
4. With only one significant excep
Now, if the above were all there was tion, Wh ite can always force ( or prac
to it, we could stop here and you'd have tical ly fo rce ) a draw if he kn ows the
a weapon that required little study and proper attack. In practical play, this can
you could use rarely. The reality is that be quite useful to know !
if you are will ing to study a bit more,
you get an attack far more often than the Defe n ses a nd Attac ks
above rules suggest. Now for the nitty-gritty. There are
There are three reasons for this: several p o ss i b l e defe n s ive res o u rces
1. Th e ru l e s I gave are p ra ct i c a l Bl ack h as when there is no Kn ight on
gu i d e s a b o u t w h e n a w i n cou l d b e f6 . We will describe each one and how
72
Module 4 : Lesson
to react. I'll also describe what outcome Th is l ast point is i m perative ! You
you can hope for. have to visual ize what the board looks
The four maj or defenses you need to like after Black retakes the Knight and
know, keyed to the placement of Bl ack's then the p awn o n c5 . If B l ack had a
Queen and minor pieces, are: Queen on d8 but then had to use that
1 . I f Black's Queen is on d8 or e7, Queen to recapture after Wh ite pl ays
he can general ly get a piece on f6 or g5, Nxd7, then the Queen is no longer on
blocking the attack or exchanging one of the diagonal .
White's maj or pieces. Similarly, if Black had a Bishop on
2 . I f Black's Queen is on d7 (or e8 ) e7 but uses that Bishop to recapture the
and he has a Bishop on e7, he can set pawn on c5 after White plays dxc5, then
up the defensive formation P/f5, B/e7, that Bishop is no longer on e 7 . Often
Q/e8, removing a bunch of real estate Black has multiple options for retaking,
from White's Queen. and each must be considered.
3. I f Black's Queen is on c7 and there Th is is why it is so useful to know
is a Bishop on e7 and a Knight on d7, these defenses cold. Instead of working
Bl ack can counter-sac these p i eces to through the sacri fi ce in each separate
defend. configuration, you can tell immediately
4. If Black's Queen is on d7 or c7 and whether the sacri fice works in a given
nothing blocks it from the f7 -pawn, she l ine by knowing each defense.
can defend adequately by simply sweep Th is defense is totally sol id, so i f
ing across the 7th rank after pushing the Bl ack's Queen can stay o n this diagonal
f-pawn. ( after whatever exchanges happen ), you
should not go in for any sacrificial com
Queen on d8 o r e7 bination. Instead I recommend playing
The first defensive resource showed a3 if there is any danger of . . . Nb4. As
up in the earl ier Sheres hevski - Vladim suming that consideration is taken care
rov match . I f Bl ack has a Queen on the of, Qe2 is probably a safe bet.
d8-h4 diagonal that can get to f6, Black
can successfully defend. White can still Queen on d 7 (or e8)
get a draw unless Bl ack happens to have If Black has a Queen on d7 or e8, he
a Queen on d8 and Bishop on e7 after can decl ine the second sac and quickly
retaking on c5 . grab most of the squares on the K-side.
73
Before seeing how this l ine should square from Wh ite's Queen and threat
play out, l et's make two observations: ens . . . Bf6, which would severely cripple
• I t is much more likely for B lack's White's attack by not only attacking the
Queen to be on d7 than eB . She p roba Bishop but also putting defense on the
bly arrived at d7 by capturing a Knight. crucial g7-square. All of Bl ack's hopes
• Black must have a p iece on e7 or are b ased on at l east threatening . . . Bf6,
else we would be in the Queen Sweeps 7th and it's worth pointing out that if Black's
Rank Defense. The natural p iece to be Roo ks are not connected, th is whole de
on e7 is a B ishop (which is fortunate for fense fails. Then . . . B f6 would leave the
White since if it were a Knight or Rook, Rook under-defended and White would
there would be practically no hope of a play QhB + fol lowed by QxfB + .
theoretically sound attack. ) N ote that 1 6 . . . f6 ? all ows Wh ite to
H ence, if we are tal king l ate-open p ick either of two wins. The brute-force
ing or early-middle game, the position option is simply to play 1 7 . Bh6 and then
has to look pretty close to the diagram murder Bl ack on g7 either via Rf3 -g3 or
shown below. Wal king through the at Qg4 (the square that would be covered
tack and defense here should prep are h a d B l ack p l ayed . . . f5 i n stead ) . Th e
you for similar positions. more artistic win makes use of the lack
of space around Black's King: 1 7 . Rf3 QeB
I B . QhB+ Kf7 1 9 . Q h 7 and Black's Queen
has to move to allow an escape route for
the King, but then 2 0 . Q h 5 + coaxes the
King b ack to the g-fi l e to get stomped
on by White's Rook. These l i nes show
important motifs that are useful in other
double-Bishop sac scenarios, so it pays
to be mindful of them.
White needs to play 1 7.Qg6 to stop
After 14.Bxh7+ B l ack fro m p l aying . . . Bf6 . Th is is a con
Th e n ext m oves are n o s u rp r i s e : cession because now White cannot play
14 . . • Kxh 7 1 5 .Qh 5+ Kg8 1 6.Bxg 7 Q h B + in one play. You saw in the above
Taking the Bishop is suicide, so Black lines how that move can cause problems
p l ays 1 6 • . . f51 Thi s takes away the g4- fo r B l ack. B l ack then p l ays 1 7 • • • Qe8,
74
Module 4 : Lesson
wh ich chall enges Wh ite's Queen and he could instead have si mply retreated
lim its further the places she can go with his Bishop b ack to, say, b 2 , threatening
out being exchanged . Qg6#
The critical g-file squares have been Now, with the Queen o n d7, there
taken away. i s n o real d a n ge r b ec a u s e B l ack can
play . . . Bf6 , and he is total ly safe since
What about g3? his Queen can get to g7 in case Wh ite
played Qg6 + . H owever, if Black's Queen
If White goes all the way b ack there, were not on d 7, he would have no such
B l ack can j u st p l ay . . . Q h S a n d t h e n defense and Qg6 + would put a second
perch ( i f need be) on g4 . attacker on f6 . The results would be di
sastrous for Bl ack.
You said earlier that Black's Queen So, to make this defense work, Black
should be on d7 when Bxh7+ is played, needs to be ab l e to see the g7 -square
but it seems to me that the only thing with his Queen once the B ishop moves
that matters is that she can get to eB. and he has to be able to get his Queen
Why wouldn't this work if, say, she were to e8. That is why d7 is the magic square
on cB instead of d7 and moved to eB from for this defense. It also happens to be a
there? very common square for the Queen to
be on.
Nothing gets by you, does it? Let's Oddly enough, it is better for Bl ack
rol l b ack the position a b it. Instead of for his Queen to be on d7 and then move
White playing his Queen from hS to g6, to e8 than it would be for the Queen to
75
have already been on e8. The issue being And that's when it's time to show
that then Black's King can be blocked in your ace in the hole:
by his own pieces after Qh8+ Kf7; Qh7, 20.Ne4!!
threaten i ng a discovered checkm ate . There are other ways to keep some
Black wou ld rather get Wh ite to play advantage, but this move is the best and
his Queen to g6 before playing his own one you have to remember. Taking with
Queen to e8 to prevent this. the d-pawn allows Wh ite to first close
Since Qg3 does not wo rk wel l for the back door with 2 0 . Rad l and then
White, 1 8.Qh6 is the only place for him. simply run the g-pawn up Black's gullet.
White once again has the option of play If Bl ack takes with the f-pawn, Wh ite
ing Qh8+, so Black plays 1 8 . . . Kf7 with wi l l exchange on f8 and advance the
the idea of . . . Rh8 . Anythi ng else allows f-pawn with power. Ignoring the Knight
White to win easily with Rf3 . is practical ly not an option due to the
As i s rath er co m m o n after B l ack threat of Nf6 after Bxf8 .
moves his King to f7, White should then
play 1 9.Qh7, threatening mate, so Black Co u nter-sac Defense
opens an escape route with 1 9 . . . Qd7. I f there i s a B i s h o p o n e 7 a n d a
B l ack has to keep his Queen o n the Knight on d7, he can transfer the Knight
7th rank to contest White's Queen (e.g. over to draw. H ere's how:
1 9 . . . Qc8 ? 2 0 . N f3 Ke8 2 1 . Bxf8 ! Kxf8
2 2 . Ng5 ! )
And now it looks like Black is going
to l ive.
Wh ite has pl ayed Bd4 to kick the

Queen b ack to c 7 . Now the double
Bishop sac only bri ngs a draw due to
1 5 . Bxh7 + Kxh 7 1 6 . Q h 5 + Kg8 1 7 . Bxg7
76
Module 4 : Lesson
Kxg7 1 B . Qg4 + KhB 1 9 . Rf3 Nf6 2 0 . Rh 3 + cracks. This attack does not work if Black
N h 7 . H ere it is best for Wh ite to take has a pawn on as .
with the Rook and accept the draw. Go Here is a standard example.
ing after more with 2 1 . Q h S ? is met by
2 1 . . . Bh4 ! 2 2 . Rxh4 f6 .
Note that it required both the Bishop
and the Knight to make this work. With
out the Bishop on e7, White could have
played QgS instead of Qg4, and then
Nf6 would have dropped the Knight.
There is no real attack White can get
here ifhe wants to go for a win (but hav
ing a forced draw might be useful ) .
1 4.Rf3
Q ueen Sweeps 7th Ra n k This sets up threats against both g7
I f Bl ack winds up with h i s Queen and h7, since White can choose where
on the 7th Rank and there is noth i ng to put the Rook. I nstead of the text, a
between the Queen and the f7 -pawn, he couple of strong players have gone in for
can draw by advancing his f-pawn to let the double-barreled sacrifice and ended
his Queen get to g7 or h7 as needed. up losing.
This plan would work pretty well if 1 4 . . . f6
White all owed him to carry it out. H ow This is a most logical choice, plan
ever, the prepared player has a couple ning on using the f-pawn to bl ock the
tricks up his sleeve. dark-squared Bishop and the g-pawn
to block the l ight-squared one. Strong
Pins and Needles players have opted for 1 4 . . . fS instead,
I f Bl ack has a Bishop on cS and a but after 1 S . Rg3 Rf7 1 6 .b4 Be7, White
Knight on c6, the other Kn ight having hits the Knight with 1 7 .bS ! ! before Black
been exchanged, then Wh ite can take has played . . . Bf6 . It might look l ike the
advantage of this momentary diversion point is to push the Knight while the
of Black's minor pieces by playing Rf3 Bishop is still on e7, but the real point is
and forcing Bl ack to defend with j ust to knock the Kn ight away so that White
his Queen and pawns until his K-side can respond to . . . Bf6 with NeS : 1 B . Nf3
77
Module 4 : A Kite of Doom-D ouble- Barreled Fun
Bf6 1 9 . NeS . This b S -pawn push is not Note how Black's pawns are all tied
available i f Bl ack has played . . . a6, but up with pins against Black's royalty and
White stil l has a good game. mating squares. Black has not managed
l S.b41 to get any of h i s minor pieces over to
This is the reason I made the com help due to the need to meet immediate
ment about the . . . as play in the Shere threats.
shevski - Vladimirov game. Th is whole
attack fal l s apart i f Wh ite can not p l ay The Phantom Knight
b4. White can ge neral ly win i f the f6
l S . . .Bd6 square is not protected by any pieces by
I f Black h a s t o decide which square pretending there is a Kn ight on f6 and
to put the Bishop on without knowing playing Bf6 ! ! instead of Bxg7 .
beforehand which square White's Rook
goes to, then th is is the cho i ce he has
to make. Otherwise we h ave 1 S . . . B e 7
1 6 . Rh3 h 6 ( 1 6 . . . g6 1 7 . Rxh7 ! ) 1 7 . Qg4
and Bl ack's days are numbered .
1 6. Rh3 96 1 7.Q94 Qf7
Th is is the only decent way to get
another defender on f6 since White is
threatening Qh4.
1 8.Rf1
This threatens fS . Play Bf6!!, not Bxg7?
Th is sacrifi cial maneuver is an ex

a m p l e of A lekhine's B lock, a sacri fice
pl ayed to j am up l ines by manipulating
the pl acement of pawns.
Don't trust th is tactic if your oppo
nent can play Bxe3 +, and it never works
if B l ack h a s a Knight on c6 to swi ng
around to g6 via e 7 .
Is that a K-side or a pin cushion?
78
M odule 4 : Lesson
Other Defenses There are two maj o r ideas b e h i n d

These are the standard defenses . It Q e 2 . Th e fi rst i s that Wh ite can p u t
is possible that b izarre play wil l allow p ressure o n the d- a n d c- fi l es, h o p e
others. For exa m p l e, it is conceivab l e fully causing Black discomfort if he has
that Bl ack will wind up with a Queen no place to put his Queen . This works
on d6 that could defend sideways after hand-in-hand with knowing these sacri
playing . . . eS . It possible that a Queen ficial plays because a Bishop on e7 tends
on c7 could first run down the c-file to to make sacri fi ces less l i kely to work,
hit c2 then fly up the and across to sac and that is exactly the square the Queen
rifice herself on h 7 . It j ust does not tend would l ike to be on if she is hiding from
to happen in n ormal play. For example, White's Rooks.
the types of positions that would tend to The second maj or point behind Qe2
leave a Queen on an open c-file after a has to do with the e4 square. If Black is
double-barrel sac happen to occur in se threatening to play Ne4, then Qe2 works
quences where White has al ready played against that strategy. General ly, B l ack
Nbd2, allowing him to bl ock any such would prefer to exchange on d4 imme
martyrdom streak with e4 . di ately before placing a Knight o n e4,
I n general, if something l o o ks odd but with the Queen on e2 exchanging on
a b o u t the b o a rd c o n figurat i o n , you d4 all of a sudden adds a third defender
should recheck the attack, but also re to e4, making . . . Ne4 impossible.
check lines that normally do not work. If
Black has played his p ieces on ab normal Sa m p le Exe rcise
squares, chances are there is something Before working the exercises, analyze
b etter to be had to take advantage of completely in your j ournal the position
them. shown below. It does not require any of
the special attacks o r defenses ( except
When in Doubt: Qe2 Alekhine's bl ock, which is just an exotic
I f you cannot find a sacrificial option version of the double-b arreled sacrifice ) .
or see how the various exceptional attacks Indeed, the configuration of Q/c7, N/c6,
can be worked into a given situation, first N/d7, and B/d6 is the standard forma
make sure that Black cannot play . . . Nb4 . tion indicating the sacrifice works in all
As long a s that tactic is stopped, Q e 2 is lines without knowing any of the fancy
almost always a good play. stuff.
79
Module 4 : A Kite o f Doom- Double- Barreled Fun
1 2 .Nxc6
There are two possible recaptures.
We will analyze each separately.
Black Reca ptu res with Bishop

1 2 . . . Bxc6 1 3 .dxcS BxcS
1 3 . . . NxcS Connects the Queen to
the K-side pawns, but removes defense
from f6 . 1 4 . Bxh7+ Kxh7 I S . QhS+ KgB
1 6 . Bf6 ! ! And nothing Black tries works.
[Analysis begins at top of next column] ( 1 6 . Bxg7 ? fS is only good for a draw. )
1 6 . . . gxf6 ( 1 6 . . . Nd7 bl ocks the Queen,
a l l owing Wh ite to retu rn to the n o r
mal sequence. 1 7 . Bxg7 ) 1 7 . Qg4 + Kh7
I B . Rf3 .
1 3 . . . bxcS seems the worst of all possi
bil ities - not only is the Queen blocked
down the c-file, but she is still blocked
along the 7th-rank and now the Bishop
cannot even p l ay . . . Bxe3 + . 1 4 . Bxh 7 +
Kxh 7 I S . Q h S + K g B 1 6 . Bx g 7 Kxg 7
1 7 . QgS + KhB I B . Rf3 with mate i n 4 .
1 4.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 S .Qh S+ Kg8 1 6.Bxg 7
Bxe3+ 1 7.Kh l f6 1 8.Bh6 NeS 1 9.fxeS
Bxh6 20.Qxh6
Black Reca ptu res with Queen

1 2 ... Qxc6
Taking with the Queen means that
Bl ack has the p ossib l e future defense
o f . . . Qxc2 -g6 o r . . . Qxc2 - h 7 . I n th i s
case, though, these defenses are i rrel
evant because White h a s already played
80
Module 4 : Lesson
Nbd2, wh ich allows h i m to block the Exerci ses

diagonal with e4 later. (See Wh ite's 20th The exercises on the following pages
move. ) . allow you to practice your decision-mak
1 3 .dxcS QxcS ing skills with the Kite. In each case, you
1 3 . . . BxcS 1 4 . Bxh 7+ Kxh7 l S . Qh S + should determine whether a sacrifice is
Kg8 1 6 . Bxg7 Bxe 3 + 1 7 . K h l Kxg7 available ( and if not, why) .
1 8 . QgS + Kh8 1 9 . Qh6+ ( 1 9 . Rf3 ? White is I have selected these with the idea
still ahead here, but not as convincingly. that you will be revisiting them several
1 9 . . . Qxc2 20. Rh3+ Qh7 2 1 . Rxh7 + Kxh7 times as part of your study. Thus, there
2 2 . Qh 4 + Kg7 2 3 . Qg3 + Kh 7 2 4 . Qxe3 ) are some diagrams that come straight
1 9 . . . Kg8 2 0 . Rf3 Qxc2 2 1 . Rg3 + Q g 6 from the chapter, others that come from
2 2 . Rxg6+ fxg6 2 3 . Qxg6+ K h 8 2 4 . Qh6+ your open ing repertoire as standard po
Kg8 2 S . Qxe6+ Rf7 2 6 . Qxe3 +- sitions, others that allow you to apply
1 3 . . . NxcS 1 4 . Bxh 7 Kxh 7 l S . Q h S + basic Kite analysis techniques, and one
Kg8 1 6 . Bxg7 Kxg7 1 7 . QgS + Kh7 1 8 . Rf3 that is a pretty good challenge !
with mate to follow.
1 4.Bxh7 Kxh 7 1 S .Bd4!
D o n ' t fo rget this move ! After the
Queen moves, Black can no longer play
. . . Qxe3+.
l S . QhS + ? ? Kg8 1 6 . Bxg7 ( 1 6 . Bd4 ? ?
too late now. Black will get her Queen
to the c2-g7 diagonal before White plays
his key QgS + check. 1 6 . . . Qxc2 1 7 . Bxg7
Kxg7 1 8 . QgS + Qg6 ) 1 6 . . . Qxe3+ 1 7 . Kh l
Kxg7 . Now al l Wh ite h a s i s a draw.
1 8 . QgS + Kh7 1 9 . Rf3 Qxf3 20. Nxf3 .
1 S ... Qc7 1 6.QhS+ Kg8 1 7 .Bxg7 Kxg 7
1 8.Qg S+ Kh8
Black cannot stop mate.
1 9.Rf3 Qxc2 20.e4
81
Exercises
Last Moves: 1 0.a3 Qe7 1 1 .f4 Nd7 La st Moves: 9.Bb2 Be7 1 0.f4 0-0
La st Moves: 1 0.f4 ReS 1 1 .a 3 N d 7 Last Moves: 1 0.f4 Bb7 1 1 .0-0 RaeS
83
La st Moves: 1 O.Nd2 a6 1 1 .f4 bS Last Moves: 1 2 .Rae1 RaeS 1 3 .f4 Bd6
Last Moves: 9.NeS Bb7 1 0.f4 ReS La st Moves: 9.Nd2 b6 1 0.f4 Bb7
84
La st Moves: 9.NeS Nc6 1 0.f4 Rc8 Last Moves: 1 0.NeS Nd7 1 1 .f4 Qc7
Last Moves: 1 1 .NeS Rad8 1 2 .f4 Bd6 Last Moves: 1 0.NeS Be8 1 1 .f4 Qb6
85
Module 4: A Kite of Doom- Double-Barreled Fun
Last Moves: 1 0.NeS ReS 1 1 .f4 eS La st Moves: 1 0.f4 Ba6 1 1 .e4 QbS
La st Moves: 9.f4 eS 1 0.Bb2 ReS La st Moves: 1 1 .dxeS QxeS 1 2.Qf3 Nd7
86
Solu tioqs
Exercise 1 Analysis, Variations, and Notes

Last Moves: 1 0.a3 Qe7 1 1 .f4 N d 7 1 2 .Q h S ? ! g 6 1 3 . Q h 3 Rac8 1 4. N x d 7
Qxd 7 l S . d x c S bxcS 1 6. Q h4 ( 1 6 . Q h 6 f6)
1 6 ... Be7 1 7.Qh6 d4 a n d Black has su ccess
fu l ly b ro ken Wh ite's d a rk-sq ua red wa l l .
12 .•• Qxd 7 1 3 .dxeS BxeS
1 3 . . . b x c S 1 4 . Q h S ( 1 4 . Bx h 7 + Kx h 7
l S.QhS+ Kg8 1 6. Bxg 7 f6 1 7.Bh6 i s dyna m i
ca l ly eq u a l .) 1 4 .. .fS l S . N f3 a n d Wh ite sti l l
h a s some attacking pros pects.
1 4. Rf3
Bette r t h a n Q h S b e c a u s e i t reta i n s
Best M ove: 1 2 .Nxd7 more fl exi b i l i ty. Wh ite can fo l l ow u p with
Rg 3 or Rh3, and then Wh ite's Queen ca n
Commentary go to g4 or h S .
The Queen on e7 makes it unlikely 1 4. B x h 7 + ? wa s p l a yed i n t h e actu a l
that any quick attack, sacrificial or oth game. 1 4 ... Kxh 7 l S .QhS+ Kg 8 1 6.Bxg7 fS
erwise, will work. 1 7 . Bxf8 a n d Wh ite wi l l e n d u p w i t h o u t
D i rect attacks l i ke QhS should be e n o u g h t o s h o w fo r h i s lost B i s h ops.
discouraged since they allow responses 1 4 .f6
••
l ike . . . g6 which blunt the attack, require S i n c e Wh ite has the a b i l ity to tra i n a
White to use a move in retreat, and open B i s h o p a n d Rook on both g 7 a n d h7, the
up space for Black's King. White should best d efe n sive set u p fo r B l a c k i s to use
instead make Black defend his King with each of the f- a n d g-pawns to b l ock one.
just his Queen and pawns, and eventu 1 4 .. .fS l S .Rg 3 Rf7 1 6. b4 Be7 1 7.bS with
ally the Queen wil l become overworked Nf3 to fol l ow
and the pawns will be pinned. 1 S .b4!
87
M a k i n g B l a c k d e c i d e before p l a c i n g Commentary
t h e Rook. It i s then a n easy d ec i s i o n . I hope this was not too hard to see.
15 ••• Bd6
l S ... Be 7? 1 6. R h 3 g6 1 7 .Rxh 7 ! Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 6.Rh3 g6 1 7 .Qg4 Qf7 13 ••• Qxd7 1 3 .dxe5 bxe5
The o n l y g o o d way to g et a n ot h e r 1 3 ... BxcS 1 4. Rf3 f6 l S . b4 Bd6 1 6. R h 3
d efender o n f6 si nce Wh ite i s th reate n i n g g6 with the "pi n s a n d n eed l es" attac k d e-
Qh4. scri bed in the cha pter.
l S.Rf1 1 4.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 5 .Qh 5 + KgS 1 6.Bxg 7
Th r e a te n i n g fS . N o te h o w W h i t e ' s f5 1 7 .Qg6 QeS 1 S.Qh6 Kf7 1 9.Qh7 Qd7
B i s h o p s a n d a l l h i s m aj o r p i e c e s a r e 20.Ne4!1
tra i ned o n the pawns, p i n n i n g t h e m to T h e key p l a y t o re m e m b e r i n t h i s
the King, Q u een, a n d mati ng s q u a res. atta ck.
1 B. N f3 is natu ra l , but leads to an u n- 20 fxe4
•••
c l e a r p o s i t i o n after 1 B ... eS 1 9.fxeS NxeS 2 0 . . . d x e4 2 1 . R a d 1 N d 4 ( 2 1 . . . Q c 7

2 0 . N xeS BxeS 2 1 . BxeS BcB 2 2 . Q g 3 B x h 3 22.BeS+) 22.Bxd4+
2 3 . Rf1 2 0 . . . K e B 2 1 . B x f B fx e 4 ( 2 1 . . . B x fB
22.Nf6+) 22.Bxe7 N x e 7 ( 2 2. . .Qxe7 2 3 .Qh6
Exercise 2 and W h i te w i l l a d va n ce t h e f- pawn a n d
Last Moves: 1 0.f4 ReS 1 1 .a 3 N d 7 g ra b t h e f-fi le.) 2 3 .Q h B+ Kfl 24.Q h S + Kg 7
2 S .g4 a n d Wh ite wi l l eventu a l l y play QeS
and fS .
2 1 .BxfS+ KxfS 22 .f5 KeS 2 3 .QhS+ BfS
24.fxe6
Exercise 3
Last Moves: 9.Bb2 Be7 1 0.f4 0-0
Best M ove: 1 2 .Nxd 7
88
open. It also highl ights how the option

of . . . bS should change your middlegame
planning.

11 ••• Bxc6 1 2.a4
Sto p p i n g bS. Why d oes it stop bS? The
th reat of a d o u b l e-barreled sac.
1 2.Qe2 i s not the cu re-a l l here beca u se
B l a ck's fut u re . . . bS w i l l mea n h i s Q u ee n
Best Move: 1 1 .Nxc6 h a s extra Q-si d e p l a ces t o roost. Th i s i s a n
i m porta nt n ua n ce t o rem e m ber. M u c h of
Commentary the benefit to Qe2 comes fro m poss i b l e
We have here a standard position press u re d own t h e c-fi l e a n d d -fi l e, where
except Bl ack has played . . . a6, showing Bla c k's Q u een i s very l i kely to w i n d u p if
an interest in . . . bS, rather than the more t h e re is a B i s h o p o n e7. W i t h the extra
normal . . . Nb4 . The placement of Black's Q-s i d e spa ce, that merit eva porates.
Bishop and Queen suggest that there is 12 ••• N e4
still no sacrifice to be had. Nor do I sug Th i s i s the l o g i c a l p lay, but the Kn i g ht
gest the Rf3 attack since Black's double on e4 i s u n l i kely to be of m u ch u se. Wh ite
control of e4 allows him to totally close w i l l s i m p l y post h i s own on eS if Black l ets
the diagonal should he choose. There is h i m , a n d both Knig hts wi l l be exc h a n g e d .
also the real concern of a slowly build There i s a s i g n ificant d ifference between
ing attack on the K-side being compro the K n i g ht o n e4 a n d the K n i g ht Wh ite
m i sed by an al ready moving Q - s i d e can post o n eS - Wh ite ca n reta ke with
pawn rol ler. Si nce the . . . N b 4 l i ne is a the f-pawn.
pretty serious try for equality by Black, 1 2 ... bS? 1 3 .a x b S axbS 1 4. Rxa8 Qxa8
simply exchanging the Knight comes as l S .dxcS Bxc S ? ? Th e K n i g h t that u sed to
a natural option. Th is move also frees h a ve two p i eces d efe n d i n g it n ow h a s
Wh ite to p l ay a4 ( rather than a3 ) to zero. 1 6.Bxf6! a n d it's a l l over b u t t h e c ry
dissuade . . . bS. The solution to this exer i n g . 1 6 ... gxf6 1 7.Bxh7+
cise illustrates nicely how the sacrificial 1 3 .Qe2 Nxd2
options influence what possibilities are 1 3 ... Bf6 1 4. N f3 B b 7 1 S . N eS;
89
Module 4: A Kite of Doom-Double-Barreled Fun
1 3 ... Bb7 1 4. Nxe4 ( 1 4.Nf3 f6) 1 4 ... dxe4 1 3 ... Nxc5 1 4.Bxh 7 + Kxh 7 1 5 .Qh5+ Kg8
1 5 .Bc4 i s p l easant for White. 1 6.Bf6!! and the goose i s cooked.
1 4.Qxd2 1 4.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 S .Qh S+ Kg8 1 6.Bxg 7
W h i t e s t i l l h a s h o p e of a K-s i d e Bxe3 +
attack. 1 6 ... Kxg 7 1 7.Qg 5+ Kh8 1 8. Rf3 +-
1 7 .Kh 1 f6 1 8.Bh6
Exercise 4 Th reate n i n g Qg6+
Last Moves: 1 0.f4 Bb7 1 1 .0-0 Rae8 18 ••• NeS
1 8 ... Qxc2 1 9.Rf3 .
1 9.Bxf8 Bxd2
1 9 ... Rxf8 2 0 .fx e 5 Bxd 2 2 1 . Rxf6 Rxf6
2 2.exf6 Qf7 2 3 .Qe5 a n d t h e re i s no rea l
solution t o Rd 1 -d3, etc.
20.Bb4
A n d B l a c k ca n n ot w i n d u p w i t h o u t
materi a l d eficit.
Exercise 5
Best Move: 1 2 .Nxd7 Last Moves: 1 0.Nd2 a6 1 1 .f4 bS
Commentary
After a bit of p ractice, you should
be able to easily recognize this a simple
win for White. This diagram also gives
a good exa m p l e o f h ow Nxd 7 forces
. . . Nxd7 when the Knight on f6 is not de
fended by a piece because otherwise we
have an easy win due to a later Bxf6 .
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Best Move: 1 2 .dxeS

12 ••• Nxd7
1 2 ... Qxd 7 1 3 .dxc5 Bxc5 1 4. Bxf6+- Commentary
1 3 .dxeS BxeS You should take this position as a
90
warning against go ing i nto auto-pilot Commentary

during the fi rst B moves of the game. Since Black's Queen can stay on dB,
Inaccuracy has robbed White of any real White has l ittle hope of a double-Bishop
opening advantage because the threat of sacrifice. I ndeed, Black's setup is pretty
. . . c4 has to be dealt with . The text is the sol id, and in Zuke 'Em I did not suggest
proper choice, but then Wh ite h as to going into the Kite formation here. Still,
deal with the threat to his e-pawn . it is good exercise to see what can be
1 2 . c4 dxc4 1 3 . bxc4 cxd 4 1 4 . Nxc6 made from a dynamically equal posi
Bxc6 does not look good for White. tion. Qe2 cuts through Black's general
desire to exchange on d4 and place a
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Knight on e4. I f Black exchanges fi rst,
1 2 ... BxeS 1 3 .Qe2 NxeS then White has three pieces hitting e4.
1 3 . . . d 4 1 4 . N e4 N x e4 l S . B xe4 N x e S I f Black plays . . . Ne4 fi rst, White gener
1 6 . B x b 7 d 3 1 7 .Q h S B x e 3 + 1 B . K h 1 N g 6 ally does fine by taking on e4 with his
1 9.Bxa8 Qxa8 20.Rf3 Bishop, playing a Knight to c4, exchang
1 4.fxeS N e4 l S .b4 Be7 1 6.Bd4 ing on d7, then exchanging on cS .
T h i s p o s i t i o n is p ro b a b l y a b o u t a s
g ood a s Wh ite ca n hope for g iven h i s ear Analysis, Variations, and Notes
l ier i nacc u racies. 1 1 .N xd 7 i s the move if you want yo u r
o p ponent t o sweat a l ittle, b u t o n l y if yo u
Exercise 6 a re okay ta k i n g a m e re d raw. 1 1 . .. N x d 7
Last Moves: 9.NeS Bb7 1 0.f4 ReS ( 1 1 ...Qxd 7 1 2.dxcS wins a pawn si nce
B l a c k ca n n ot reta ke. 1 2 . . . B x c S 1 3 . Bxf6 )
1 2 . d x c S BxcS ( 1 2 . . . N x c S 1 3 . B x h 7 + Kx h 7
1 4.Q h S + Kg 8 l S .Bxg7 does not q u ite g ive
the sa m e attack as when the B i s h o p is on
e7, but Wh ite wou l d have at l ea st a d raw)
1 3 . B x h 7 + Kx h 7 1 4. Q h S + K g 8 l S . B x g 7
B x e 3 + 1 6 . K h 1 Kxg 7 1 7 . Q g 4 + K h 7 a n d
Wh ite o n l y has a d raw.
1 1 ... Qe7
Proba b l y the most l o g i c a l m ove, fo r
Best Move: 1 1 .Qe2 often W h ite p l a ys Q e 2 s pe c i fi c a l l y be-
91
ca u se B l a c k ca n n ot safe l y p u t h i s o w n l S . . . dxe4
Q u een on e7. 1 5 . . . Nxe4? 1 6.Nxe4 a nd Wh ite th reat-
1 1 . . . N e4 1 2 . N xe4 d x e4 1 3 . B b 5 N f6 ens both N g 5 a n d Q h 5 .
1 4.Rad 1 . 1 6.Ndc4 Ba6 1 7 .Qf2
1 2 .a4! To dea l with the th reat t o b6, Black has
On the su rface, th i s move threatens to to l et Wh ite o pen u p the l o n g d ia g o n a l ,
merely pu nch a h o l e d own the a-fi l e a n d so there i s s o m e sti l l s o m e rea l attacking
t r y to g et s o m eth i n g fro m B l a c k' s e a r l y potenti a l fo r Wh ite here.
vacation o f the a 8-sq u a re. But there i s a
d ee p e r, m o re i m p o rta nt i d ea . At s o m e Exercise 7
p o i n t i n t h e futu re, B l a c k wi l l need t o play La st Moves: 1 2 .Rac1 Rac8 1 3 .f4 Bd6
. . . cxd4. W h i te d e s i res to reta ke (Bxd4)
with tempo a ga i n st the b6-pawn.
1 2 ...a S l!
1 2 ... N e4 i s a m o re c i rc u m s pect p l ay,
but I th i n k m o st peo p l e wo u l d be fa i rl y
ha ppy with t h e aftermath. 1 3 . Bxe4 dxe4
1 4. N d c4 B b8 1 5 . N x d 7 Qxd 7 1 6.dxc5 bxc5
1 7.Rad l .
1 3 . Rf3 ! N e4 1 4.Rh3 Ndf6
Ot h e rwi se, B l a c k fi n d s h i m se l f a fa i r
a m o u nt of tro u ble. Best Move: 1 4.Nxd7
1 4 ...cxd4 1 5 . N xe4 d xe4 1 6. N x d 7 Qxd 7
1 7. B b 5 Qe7 1 8. Bxd4 i l l u strates the a bove Commentary
point a bout b6. This problem is a good example of
1 4 . . .f5 1 5 . N x d 7 Qxd 7 1 6 . d x c 5 b x c 5 one that would take a wh i l e to work
( 1 6 . . . N xc 5 1 7 . N f3 and t h e re i s b l o o d i n through i f you did not have confidence
t h e w a t e r . ) 1 7 . N x e 4 fx e4 1 8 . B b 5 Q e 7 in the basic rules and motifs described
1 9. R h 5 ! ? in the chapter. There are many lines to
l S .Bxe4 consi der, but each can be easily dis-
T h i s b e g i n s a p r etty st a n d a r d s e - missed if you know what to look for.
q u e n c e I a d v o c a t e fo r d ea l i n g w i t h a
Kn i g ht pla nted on e4.
92

1 4 . . . Nxd7 T h e g a m e , fro m t h e 1 9 3 4 R u s s i a n
1 4 ... Qxd 7 mea ns Bxf6 is letha l . l S.dxcS C h a m p i o n s h i p, conti n u ed : 1 1 ... N e4
BxcS 1 6. Bxf6. 1 2.cxd S exdS 1 3 . N xe4 dxe4 1 4.Bc4 Nf6.
l S .dxcS NxcS At that p o i n t I t h i n k Wh ite co u l d h a ve
A l I 4 ca ptu res a l iow the dou ble-Bishop e x e c u t e d t h e b a s i c s t r a t e g i c g o a l of
sac! J u st re member "Alekhine's block." 1 1 .c4 by p l a y i n g l S .dxcS QxcS (. . . Bxc S ?
l S . . . BxcS 1 6.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 7.QhS+; 1 6. N g 4 ! ) 1 6. Qe2. P ro m i s i n g m oves fo r
l S ... QxcS 1 6.Bd4; Wh ite s p r i n g u p l i ke b l uebon n ets a l on g
l S . . . bxcS 1 6. Bxh7+. Texa s roa d s i d es.
1 6.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 7 .Qh S + Kg8 1 8.Bf6
Exercise 9
Exercise 8 La st Moves: 9.NeS Nc6 1 0.f4 Rc8
La st Moves: 9.Nd2 b6 1 0.f4 Bb7
Best Move: 1 1 .a3

Best Move: 1 1 .c4
Commentary
Commentary White plays to stop Nb4. There is no
Th is is a standard setup, and the hope of any sacrifice right now given the
suggested idea is to play c4 and look for lineup on d8 and e7. See Zuke 'Em for a
c-fiIe tactics. There are no sacrificial lines discussion of Bl ack's options here.
to be had.
93
Module 4: A Kite of Doom- Double-Barreled Fun
Exercise 1 0 game, a n d Black won 35 moves l ater.

Last Moves: 1 1 .Ne5 Rad8 1 2 .f4 Bd6 17 ••• Nd7
Everyt h i n g e l s e obvi o u s l y fa i l s:
1 7 . . . gxf6 ? ? 1 B.Og4+ Kh7 1 9. Rf3;
1 7 . . . Be7? 1 B. Bxg 7.
Most others can be m et by Rf3 .
1 8.Bxg 7 Kxg 7 1 9.Qg5+ Kh8 20.Rf3
Qxc2
B l a c k has m a n a g ed to sto p m ate by
t h e rare d efe n s e . . . O x c 2 . H owever, a s
i n d i cated i n the lesson secti on, when t h i s
happens i n practica l play, it a l most n ever
Best M ove: 1 3 .Nxd 7 mea n s Bl ack g ets fu l l eq u a l ity.
2 1 .Rh3+ Q h 7 22.Rxh7+ Kxh 7 23 .f51
Commentary Be5
I n this game, played in the 1 952 Rus 23 ... RgB? 24.0h4+ Kg7 25 .fxe6.
s i a n Champ i o n s h i p s e m i - fi n a l , B l ack 24.Nf3 Bg7 2 5 .fxe6 fxe6 26.Qh4+ Kg8
origi nally played his Bishop to e7 before 27.Ng5
moving it to d 6 . It should be clear to you
now why this was a grave mistake. Exercise 1 1
Last M oves: 1 0.Ne5 N d 7 11 .f4 Qc7
13 ••• Nxd7
A n y oth e r c a p t u re a l l ows a later
Bxf6, b l o c ki n g u p t h e K-s i d e . T h e p res
e n ce of the Rook on d B does n ot c h a n g e
a n yth i ng .
1 4.dxc5 Nxc5 1 5.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 6.Qh 5 +
Kg8 1 7 .Bf61
If B l a c k ta kes the B i s hop, he is h ope
l es s l y l o st. T h i s is the " A l e k h i ne's B l o c k"
tactic mentioned in the mod u l e. Best Move: 1 2 .Nxd 7
1 7.Bxg 7 ? was the move played i n the
94
Commentary
You should be able to tel l that the
double-barreled sacrifice does not lead
to a win regardless of which Knight you
take. However, hopefully you found that
White can execute one of the special at
tacks described in the chapter.
1 2 . Nxc6 is definitely the wrong cap
ture. Either recapture allows Black to get
to a position where he can survive a dou
ble-barreled sac and leaves White with Best Move: 1 2 .dxeS
nothing to show for his extra move.
Commentary
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Th i s m ight l o o k l i ke a l u d icrous
12 ••• Qxd7 1 3 .dxeS BxeS position, but be advised that an Inter
1 3 ... bxcS g ives the sta n d a rd atta ck fo r national Master was playing the Black
when a B i s h o p sepa rates the Q u een from pieces. White, a strong master, upset his
the K-si d e but the Queen ca n sti l l get to opponent by finding the correct p l ay
t h e e8 s q u a re. 1 4. B x h 7 + Kx h 7 l S .Q h S + OTB. I give the entire game continua
K g 8 1 6.Bxg 7 f S 1 7 .Qg6 Q e 8 1 8. Q h 6 Kf7 tion here.
1 9.Qh 7 Q d 7 20.Ne4.
1 4. Rf3 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
And now Wh ite ca n use the attac k d e 1 2. N xc6 is the safer o pti o n . If you d i d
scri bed i n the lesson sectio n when B l ack's not trust you r a n a lysis o f what happens if
pieces have been d iverted away from the a Queen got to e3, then t h i s l i n e is for you .
K-si d e, l eavi n g o n l y the Queen o n d7 to H owever, it d oes a l l ow B l a c k t o scra pe out
h e l p d efe n d . with j u st t h e l o s s of a pawn. Either way,
you d i d need to make s u re that the Bishop
Exercise 1 2 o n e8 did not change a n yth i n g . 1 2 ... Qxc6
La st Moves: 1 0.NeS Be8 1 1 .f4 Qb6 ( 1 2 . . . c4 1 3 . N xa 7 Qxa 7 1 4. bxc4) 1 3 .dxcS
Be7 ( 1 3 . . . Q xcS 1 4.Bd4 Qc7 l S . Bxf6; 1 3 . . .
BxcS 1 4. Bxf6).
12 QxeS 1 3 .Nxe6 Qxe3 + 1 4.Kh 1 Bxe6
•••
95
1 5 .Bxf6 Bxf4 1 6.Qg4 Bh6 1 7 .Ra e 1 tion was pul led, Wh ite, a n 1 M playing
Qxd2 1 8.Re2 Qa 5 1 9.Re3 K h 8 20.Qh5 someone 200 points below him, pl ayed
"
[ 1 -0] Rh3, as George Koltanowski did decades
earl ier. H owever, rather than pl aying
Exercise 1 3 for a K-side sacrifice, he played for e4,
Last Moves: 1 0.Ne5 Re8 1 1 .f4 e5 and when the dust settled his advantage
had evaporated. I'm including notes to
that game just to show that one has to
respect the strength of Black's position.

12 ••• Re8
Th i s move m a kes a ny Bishop sac m uch
h a rd e r to p u l l off beca u s e the Ki n g now
h a s a retreat path.
1 3 .Rh3
Best M ove(s): 1 2 .Rf3 (or Qe2) W h i te ' s p l a y m i g h t l o o k a b i t ove r
method i c a l a n d s l ow, but it fo rces B l a c k
Commentary t o deal w i t h a n o n-sacrificia l th reat. G iven
When you checked the double-Bish that B l a c k has u sed a co u pl e tem p i to play
op sac, I hope you real ized that it was ... Ba6 a n d ... Rc8, a n yt h i n g that fo rces Black
only good for a draw because Bl ack can to react rat h e r than d eve l o p i s proba b l y
maintain his Queen on d8 and recapture worthwh i l e.
with a Bishop on c5 . Assuming you are In the act u a l g a m e, Wh ite played fo r
not interested in a mere draw, Qe2 is a the e-pawn advance with 1 3 . N x d 7 ? ! N x d 7
good solid move and White has a great 1 4.e4, but it d i d n o t g ive h i m a nyth i n g . It
position. Black will probably eventually s h o u l d be n oted, though, that the sacri
play his Bishop back to b7 since White fi c i a l l i ne d oes n ot wo rk either: 1 4.Bxh7
now has three pieces on c4 . Kx h 7 1 5 . R h 3 + Kg 8 1 6 . Q h S Kf8 1 7 . d x c S
1 2 . Rf3 is also a perfectly good move, BxcS 1 8. Bxg 7+ K e 7 a n d Bla ck's connected
but be aware that Black's position is a maj o r p i eces a l o n g the l a st ra n k as wel l a s
good deal more resil ient than it might h i s control of c4, d4, a n d e4 m a ke i t h a rd
look. In the game from which this posi- fo r White to b r i n g i n a d d iti o n a l reso u rces
96
due to th reats to his Queen.

Aft e r the e - p a w n a d va n ce, the a c
t u a l g a m e c o n c l u d e d 1 4 . . . cxd 4 l S . e S
d xc4 1 6.Bxc4 Bxc4 1 7 . N xc4 B c S 1 B. R d 3
b S 1 9.Nd6 Bxd6 20.exd6 e S 2 1 .fxeS NxeS
2 2 . R x d 4 Q b 6 2 3 . K h 1 R c d B 2 4 . Q d 2 f6
2 S . Rd 1 Re6 26.h 3 R d 7 2 7.Bc3 Nf7 2B.BaS
Qxd 4 ? ? when a d raw wa s a g reed . I can
only assu m e Wh ite did not see 29.Qxd4
Rexd6 30.Re 1 !
1 3 ... h6 Best Move: 1 1 .Qe2
1 3 ... N fB r e m o v e s t h e K i n g ' s fl i g h t
sq u a re a n d ma kes fl a n d g7 hard to de- Commentary
fen d after 1 4. N df3. There is no way to conjure up the
1 3 ... g6 1 4. N df3 th reaten s N g S . co nditions fo r a doubl e-b arreled sac,
1 4.Rg3 nor any real hope of any in the future
Th i s s h o u l d m a ke B l a c k a l ittl e wor- unless Bl ack decides to play . . . Bd6 for
ried a bout the d efense of h i s K n i g h t on no reason. Si nce there is no threat of
f6. White a l so now has the option of Nxfl . . . . Nb4, the ge n e ral - p u rp o s e Qe2 i s
fol l owed by Bg6. called for. This discourages Black from
1 4 ... exd4 1 5 .exd4 Bb7 1 6.a3 Qe7 exchanging on d4, which would bring
1 6 ... N e4 1 7 .Bxe4 dxe4 1 B.QhS. an extra defender to e4. It also pres
1 7.Qe2 ages future veiled threats against Black's
I wou l d t h i n k most players wou l d be Queen whose safe haven on e7 is cur
happy with White's positio n. rently occupied.
Exercise 1 4 Analysis, Variations, and Notes

Last Moves: 9.f4 e5 1 0.Bb2 ReS 1 1 ... N e4 1 2 .Nxe4 dxe4 1 3 .Be4
Th i s is the sta n d a rd l i n e I suggest for
dea l i n g with . . . N e4.
97
Module 4 : A Kite of Doom-Double- Barreled Fun
Exercise 1 5 of that opti o n here, l ead i n g to h i s doom.

Last Moves: 1 0.f4 Ba6 1 1 .c4 Qb8 1 4.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 S .Qh S+ Kg8 1 6.Bxg 7
fS 1 7.Rf3
It's c e rta i n l y te m pt i n g to j u m p i n to
t h e sta n d a rd seq u e n c e beg i n n i n g with
1 7. 0 g 6 ? , b u t t h e a b n o rm a l boa rd c o n
fig u ration s h o u l d m a ke y o u pa u se t o do
you r own a n a lysis. I n t h i s ca se, Bl ack has
a n extra piece h itti n g f6, so you have to
come u p with someth i ng el se. 1 7.0g6 i s
th u m ped b y 1 7 ...0 e B 1 B.Oh6 Bf6.
17 ••• Nf6 1 8.Qh6 Ng4 1 9.Qxe6+ Rf7
Best M ove: 1 2 .Nxd7 20.BeS
With cxdS to fo l low.
Commentary
I h ave included this as an exercise Exercise 1 6
where some rather non-standard moves Last Moves: 1 1 .dxcS QxcS 1 2.Qf3 N d 7
have b e e n p l ayed . Th is means certai n
ideas that normally work might not. . .
and certai n ideas that n ormally fail can
succeed.

12 ••• Nxd7 1 3 .dxcS bxcS
1 3 ... BxcS 1 4.Bxh 7 +!
Here we see a n exa m p l e of why B l ack's
decl i n i n g the sacrifice does not work we l l
i f he h a s n o d efense a l o n g t h e 7th ra n k. Best Move: 1 3 .Na4!!
1 4 . . . Kxh 7 1 S.0hS+ KgB 1 6.Bxg 7 fS 1 7.Bb2
th reaten s Og6#. Commentary
In a typical boa rd layo ut, Black wo u l d I consider this a challenge prob lem.
be i n a position t o b l o c k u p the l o n g d i Na4 ! ! is a resourceful way to use knowl
agona l . B u t h i s m i s p la ced p i eces ro b h i m edge a b o u t t h e d o u b l e - b arre l e d s a c .
98
Where can Black's Queen go ?

13 ••• Qc7 1 4.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 S.QhS+
1 5 . N xd 7 wou l d have a l so wo rked .
lS ••• Kg8 1 6.Nxd7 Qxd 7
Black h a s to recaptu re, sett i n g h i m self
u p for a fo rk ( N b6).
1 6 . . . B x d 7 1 7 . B x g 7 f6 1 8 . R f3 Q x c 2
1 9.Rg3 a n d there i s n o d efen se.
1 7.Bxg 7 fS
1 7 .. .f6 1 8. Bxf8 Bxf8.
1 8.Bxf8 Bxf8 1 9. N b6
99
Module 5: Tile Gallle-C llaIlSiIlS l\.etreat
! took considerable trouble in Zuke 'Em Rich a rd Pal l i ser m a kes a s i m i l a r
to ensure Wh ite would avoid the fol point i n his excellent, cram med-to-the
lowing variation: brim-with-useful-i nformation book on
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d S 3 .e3 e6 4 . B d 3 c S the c3-Co l l e . After 1 .d4 d S 2 . N f3 N f6
S . b 3 N c 6 6.0-0 B e 7 7 . N b d 2 0-0 8.Bb2 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 cS S .c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Be7
b6 9.NeS N b4 1 0.Be2 7.0-0 0-0 he points out that White can
amble forward with a stonewall forma
tion (8.NeS) if he absolutely wants to,
but when Black responds with 8 . . . N d 7
about the best White can do is 9.f4 fS
and White's face might resemble that of
a child waking up Christmas morning to
find no presents under the tree.
Th e re a re seve r a l reas o n s why I

warned agai nst all owing th is l i ne, not
the least of which being that Black could
( were he of a mind to ) simply play 1 0 . . .
Nd7, and White is not able to make any

use of the temporary retreat. I t's h ard
to see how White is going to stop Black
from playing . . . f5 or . . . f6 and take the Sa nta is Not Ha ppy with White
game in a direction White cannot pos
sibly desire ( barring any masoch istic You c a n h ave c o n fi d e n c e that a
tendencies ). Knight retreating from f6 marks an im-
1 01
Module 5 : The Game-Changing Retreat
p o rtant moment in al most any Co l l e to get off the c- and d-files? If she has
System game. B l ack departs from gen no good square (in particular if e7 is oc
eral o p e n i ng p r i n c i p l e s to d e a l very cupied) elsewhere, then Qe2 is favored
directly with Wh ite's opening strategy. b ecause White can o ften s l ide Ro oks
Th is module will hone your ab i l i ty to to b oth c1 and d1 and open up those
ferret out the p roper resp o n s e . There files.
are several plans and ideas here, and I • I s f7 defended by something other
recommend rereading this chapter and than the King? If Bl ack has moved his
reworking the exercises several times. Ro o k fro m f8 and nothing else is de
fending f7 , o ften a Bishop sacrifice is
Th ree Q uestions extra deadly due to Qh5 hitting both h7
Your best play must be based on the and the under-defended f7 -square .
specifics of the position, but you can at • Do you have a Rook or Kn ight on
least sort the candidates from most likely f3 ? I f so, that p iece is one move closer to
to least l i kely using three questions. Black's K-side than normal, and a Bishop
1 . What are my assets ? sacrifice might lead to easy victory.
2 . Can Black take my Knight without • H ave you p l ayed f4 ? I f so vari
negative consequences ? ous sacrificial o p t i o n s b e c o m e m o re
3 . Can Black advance his f-p awn ? plausible.
• Does Black have a B ishop on d6? If
Assets so, it is unlikely he will take on e5 .
M any are t h e ga m e s l o st b e cause • Would Qh5 be a useful move? I f
someone did not realize the usefulness so, there i s l i ttle danger of B l ack play
of a resource. The fol l owing questions ing . . . f6 . If Black plays . . . f6 and White
can help expose p otentially useful de responds with Qh5, Black almost always
tails you should not ignore. has to play f5 . Assuming Qh5 had some
• If I am i n a kite formation, can one value in itse l f, then White w o u l d b e
of the attacks from the l ast module be better off than h ad Black simply pl ayed
used? . . . f5 i mmediately.
• I s the e-file half-open ? If so Qe2 is
a very l i kely candidate, pressuring the O ptions
e6-pawn. Wh ite s h o u l d c o n s i d e r one of six
• H ow easy it is for the bl ack Queen pl ans when Bl ack retreats his Knight:
1 02
Module 5: Lesson
1. Use a Kite formation attack from with engaging the Knight o n eS than
the l ast module. th inking about a sacrifice.
2. Sacrifice the Bishop.
3. Target e 6 . Under-defended f-pawn
4 . Target the Queen. The easiest attack comes if the f- pawn
S. Exchange the Knight. is only defended by Black's King. This is
6. Ignore it. one of those nuances that weaker play
The l ist of questions and assets gives ers are less likely to appreciate, though
you a good start toward picking which to be honest some rather stro ng o n es
option is best. The last module was de h ave overl o o ked the danger as wel l .
voted to the first option. Let's look at the I n p racti cally any s e m i - n o rmal C o l l e
rest in more detail . System game, such a n under-defended
f-pawn by itself is enough to warrant a
S i n g l e Bishop Sacrifice Bishop sacrifice. White does not even
When most people th ink of the sac have to have a Knight on f3 or any other
rifice Bxh 7 + , they envision a pawn o n help.
eS a n d a Kn ight ready t o j u m p t o gS . To show how far-ranging this prin
That is the classical version of the Greek c i p l e is, I 've c o n c o cted a rath e r s i l ly
Gift, which we will discuss i n Module 7 . diagram.
H owever, Bxh 7 + can work with a Knight
on eS instead of a pawn if the board is
right. We w i l l describe three possib l e
attacks for White here. They a l l assume
that B l ack h as castled K-side and h i s
pawns are on their h o m e squares. They
also assu me White's Queen can get to
hS safely (perhaps after moving a Knight
from f3 ) .
These attacks are unlikely to b e avail
ab le in high-level games. Most masters W h i t e h a s n o t even m o v e d h i s
have a enough danger sense to prevent Q-side Knight, h e put h i s Ro o k on a
them. H owever, at l ower levels your op rather unavailing square, and he has not
po nent will often be more concerned played the often useful b3-move ( many
1 03
Module 5 : The Ga me-Changing Retreat
are the sacrifices where an earl ier b3 Okay, maybe I'll take your word for it.
ends up sealing Black's coffi n because
White plays Ba3 at some point, closing That sounds good. You could con
the back door on Black's King. ) coct a position, by giving Black several
The fact is that White won't need any free moves where the sacrifice would not
of these pieces to reap materi al gains lead to material gain, but in any semi
here. After 1 1 .Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 2.Nxf7 the normal position where Wh ite is using
best Black can do is p l ay 1 2 . . . Bxh2+ those moves even somewhat rationally,
1 3 .Kxh 2 Qc7+ 1 4.Kg 1 Kg 8 because the he should always find some way to get
more knee-j erk 1 2 . . . Qc7 ? leaves h i m an advantage. Even in the worst-case sce
down a n Exchange and two pawns after nario you can draw by perpetual check.
1 3 . Nxd6 Qxd6 1 4 . Qh 5 + Kg8 1 5 . Qxe8 .
The Knight Assassination Attack
But didn 't that just work because the The second kind of attack requi res
Queen was on dB? White to have a Knight on f3 and either
a pawn on f4 or a Bishop that sees the
If she had been somewhere else the g5-square. I will once again show an ul
Roo k woul d h ave no p rotection and tra pared-down version, which occurred
Qxf7 + forks the King and the Rook. in Bucher-Barbueda, 1 9 9 3 .
What if she were on el, protecting the 1 .d4 dS 2 . Nf3 Nf6 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 cS
Rook? S.c3 N c6 6.Nbd2 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd6
8.Qe2 0-0 9.NeS Qc7 1 0.N df3 N d 7
Then f7 is not "under-defended " and
you wouldn't be using this attack.
Okay, but what if the Queen had vacated

the back rank and the Bishop were pro
tecting the Rook on dl?
Then how did the Knight retreat to

d7 if the Bishop were already there?
1 04
Module S : Lesson
Wh i te co rrectly p l ayed 1 1 . B x h 7 +
Kxh 7 1 2 .N g 5+ KgS, but then he played
the very typ ical 1 3 .Q h 5 ? after which
there was nothing much for him to do
after 1 3 . . . Nf6.
Bl ack's 1 3th move is a typical way
to deal with a QhS assault. That is one
reason why we normally see a pawn on
eS when White plays Bxh7 + . That pawn
takes away the f6 -square from Bl ack's
Knight. But, we don't have a pawn on All Tied U p
eS, so instead we capture ( Nxd7 ) before
playing QhS. With Black's Knight in the Notice how neither Bl ack's Queen
box, White's attacking prospects are sig nor his Rook on dB can move due to
nificantly enhanced. the Kn ight o n h7 ( keep i ng in m i n d
Wh ite's Queen and Knight are sur the threat of Nf6 + ) . H is Knight is also
prisingly adept at dancing around the p i n ned. I t's uncl ear how much of an
King. After 1 3 .Nxd7 Qxd7 1 4 . QhS ReB advantage White has here, but my point
l S . Q h 7 + KfB 1 6 . Q h B + Ke7 1 7 . Qxg7 is that the sacrifice leads to a decent po
KdB 1 B . Nxf7 + Kc7 1 9 .Nxd6, White has sition even when White has no maj or
three pawns for his piece and stil l NbS+ pieces to hel p . I magi ne i f Wh ite had
and Bf4 in reserve. castled and had the option of Re 1 or
A better defense would be to sl ide f4-fS at some point.
the Queen past the Rook and eventually My general guidel ines for using this
to hB by playing 1 4 . . . RdB l S .Qh7+ KfB sacrifice are:
1 6.QhB+ Ke7 1 7 . Qxg7 QeB 1 B . Nh7 QhB • Black needs to have his Rook on fB .
1 9 . BgS+ Kd7 20. Qxf7 + Ne7 . I f there is no Rook on fB, then hopefully
the f7 -pawn is undefended and you can
use the attack in the earlier subsection.
• You need to either h ave p l ayed
f4 or have a Bishop that can see the gS
square. We saw the value of the Bishop
in the above example, the power of the
1 05
f-pawn l ies in the trouble it causes with

a wel l-timed f5 .
• Nxd 7 needs to e l i m i n ate Bl ack's
ability to play . . . Nf6 . For example, if he
can retake with a Knight then he'll sti l l
be able t o play . . . Nf6
Looking at that last bullet, what if Black

retreats . . . NeB instead of . . . Nd7? Our
Knight on eS cannot reach eB.
H ere, White played 13 .bxc4 and after
And th at, of c o u rse, is where the recapturing B l ack p l ayed . . . f5 . Wh ite
third option might co me in. could make no headway against Black's
position and the game was drawn 14
The Impending Doom Attack moves later.
The final attack should be considered H ad White instead pl ayed 1 3 .Bxh7+
any time the Knight on: e5 is very solidly Kx h 7 1 4 . N g S + K g 8 1 S . Q h S t h e o n ly
defended. At the very least White should move for Bl ack ( as is normal in these
have pawns on d4 and f4, and probably attacks ) is l S .•. Nf6 but then Wh ite can
at l east one more defender (depending play the absurdly cal m 1 6.Qh4! and ask
on h ow many pieces B lack has trained Black how he plans on stopping Rf3-h3,
on e5 ) . To see the idea behind this at threaten ing mate on hB.
tack, l et's look at a game from the 2 0 0 7
World U- 10 Champ ionship.
1 .d4 d S 2 .e3 e6 3.Bd3 Nf6 4.f4 eS S.e3

Ne6 6.Nf3 Bd6 7.0-0 Bd7 8.NeS 0-0
9.Nd2 e4 1 0. Be2 Re8 1 1 .N df3 bS 1 2 .b3
Ne8
Imprisoned by the Knights
1 06
Module S : Lesson
Black's position is hopeless because e7, but then the B ishop cannot get to fB .
the Knight on f6 is stuck and Black can And if the B ishop cannot get to fB, it is
not break through to counter-attack be hard to eject the Queen from h6.
cause the eS-Knight is sol idly defended. I f B lack's Queen is bl ocked down
The l ast th ing Bl ack wants is a pawn the c-file and cannot be traded along
showing up on eS ! the d B - h 4 d i agonal, Wh i te ge nerally
I n these s i t u a t i o n s, B l ack's o n l y has enough time to eat up Black on the
defense i s t o play . . . g6, preparing i m K-s i d e . N o te that Col l e- K o l tanowski
mediately . . . NhS, blocking u p the h-file, players will often have this situation for
but also starting the process of getting free, since the c3-pawn supported by a
his Bishop to g7 . After Black plays . . . g6, pawn on b2 is pretty hard to break down
White must make a decision. He has two in time.
ways of continuing the attack, and it is In the case on the board, play should
i mportant to know which works when. then go 1 6 . . . g6 1 7 .Qh6 Qe7 1 8. Rf3 and
O n e option is to p l ay Q h 6 , with there is really no hope.
the threat of Nxg6 . Of course, Qh6 also
makes . . . NhS impossible unless Black Ta rget i n g e6
can capture the Kn ight on gS ( gener Bishop sacrifices are fun, but at high
ally i mpossible) or scare White's Queen er levels they are more often threatened
away (by playing BfB ) . With this reason (to accomplish some other goal ) than
ing, we can say this option works as long actually executed. Another plan you can
as Black cannot defend g7 without blocking threaten often ( and execute sometimes)
his Bishop from getting to f8. is the targeting of e6. If Black is playing
The other option is to simply allow standard l ines, he will generally have
. . . N h S and p l a n on p l aying g4, etc. exchanged on d4 before having retreated
That option generally works as long as his Knight. ( I f he hasn't, you may well
Black cannot shoot his Queen down the find yourself in a Kite formation ! ) I f e6
c-file or exchange her by opening up is not defended by anything other than
the dB-h4 diagonal. Note that if Black's the f-pawn, then simply playing Qe2 can
Queen is on this diagonal, that should be a simple, powerful response.
mean she cannot defend g7 without One example where I" suggested this
blocking the Bishop from getting to fB, in Zuke 'Em was after
as in the diagram above. She can go to 1 .d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5
1 07
S.b3 Nc6 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bb2 0-0 S.NeS ule, is that e7 i s the safest square fo r
Qc7 9.f4 cxd4 1 0.exd4 b6 1 1 .a3 Bb7 Bl ack's Quee n . I f there is so meth i ng
1 2 .Nd2 Nd7 al ready there, White should strongly
consider simply tucking his own Queen
into e2 and playing his Rooks to c1 and
d 1 before p l aying to open the c- and
d-files.
Exc h a n g i n g the Kn i g h t
You may be able to exchange your
Kn ight fo r one of Bl ack's ponies and
then domi nate the board while Bl ack
re-organ izes his pieces. You can often
1 3 .Qe2 aim for an invisible fence along the dark
Since advancing the f-pawn would squ ares h o l d i ng b ack h i s p awns. An
drop eG, Black has essentially retreated example is shown below where White
the Knight for nothing. has exchanged on d 7 and then taken
on c5 .
Ta rget i n g the Queen
We touched on this tactic in the last
module, and it generally provokes White
to make the same move as targeting eG.
I ndeed, the two ideas are often devel
oped i n tandem. For example, i n that
last diagram, White will probably end
up playing Rac l and c4 .
H owever, the idea of targeting the
Queen works even if there is still a pawn
on e3 . In fact, it can be a bit more effec An I nvisi ble Fence
tive in that case since White's Queen is
protected on e2 wh ile B lack's Queen, While the center is not quite as stable
presumably, has trouble finding cover. as a typ ical C-Z game, Wh ite enj oys
The basic idea, j ust as in the Kite Mod- for now the best of both worlds. Black
1 08
Module 5 : Lesson
is restrained and stil l has troub le get Spec i a l Case:

ting h i s p ieces over to h i s K-side, yet The Cava l ie r Defe n se
White's dark-Bishop is free ( and rather O n e defensive try by Black merits
powerful ! ) special consideration for the si mple rea
It's worthwh ile to note that th is is son that none of the above ideas work
really only an option for Colle-Zukertort against it !
p l ayers. I had troub l e fi nding even a Those horsemen who were loyal to
single normal Colle-Koltanowski game King Charles during Britain's Civil Wars
where White chose to exchange a Knight ( 1 64 1 - 1 65 1 ) were called Caval iers. I give
in th i s situati o n . Th is should not be that name to a type of defense where
too surprising given the power of that Bl ack slips a Knight in to f8 and then
Bishop we see on b2 in the diagram. retreats his other Kn ight to d7 (where
the first Knight had earl ier been ) . This
I g no r i n g Black idea comes up relatively frequently in
O cca s i o n a l ly, Wh i te c a n s i m p l y both variations of the Colle. An example
ignore the Kn ight retreat. White might played against Colle himself is shown
bel ieve that e6 wi ll eventual ly become below:
indefen s i b l e if B l ack p l ays . . . f5 , and 1 .d4 d 5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5
. . . f6 is seldom much of a threat si nce 5.c3 N b d 7 6.Nbd2 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd6
after Qh5 since Black generally has to S.O-O 0-0 9.Re l Qc7 1 0.Qe2 ReS
advance the f-pawn to block mate. 1 1 .Ne5 NfS 1 2.N df3 N6d7
If Wh ite decides to ignore the retreat,
he should probably play f4 if he has not
already done so. This will likely threaten
one of the other attacks mentioned in
th is module or the last. Otherwise, con
sider an immediate Qh5 or Ndf3, eyeing
g5 (and putting more pressure on the e6
pawn at the same ti me . )
The Cava lier Defense
1 09
Module S : The Game-Changing Retreat
If you consider this formation a bit, 1 3 .Ng4!

you should see that it rather defies most I n the actual game, C o l l e p l ayed
of the strategies d iscussed so far. The 1 3 . NgS ? ! instead . He won that game
Knight on fB defends both e6 and h 7, pretty quickly after 1 3 . . . f6 1 4 . QhS g6
the two squares that many of our various l S . Nxg6 fxgS 1 6 . NxfB N f6 1 7 . QxgS +
strategies target. White needs something Qg7 1 B . Nxh 7 , but had B l ack p l ayed
different here. 1 3 . . . Re7 i nstead, I th i n k Wh i te can
The good news is that White gener cl a i m o n ly a s m a l l a dva n t age a fter
ally does very well from these positions. 1 4 . Qh S g6 l S . Qh4 f6 1 6 . Nxd7 Bxd 7
Black's problem l ies in the acre of space 1 7 . Nf3 Rf7 .
on the K-side where he has no influence You should n o t take this aspersion
whatsoever. White should therefore sim as an indication that NgS is generally a
ply transfer as many pieces to that region bad play here. I would say simply that
as possible. Here are some guidelines: White should only make that move if he
• Avoid trades and sacrifices. has played f4 already.
• Black will generally want to play My suggested m ove ( 1 3 . Ng4 ! ) i s
. . . f6, so make that move awkward. o n e of several ideas you should keep i n
• Black only wants to play . . . g6 if he your k i t bag. Black is rather restrained
can transfer a Bishop to g7 easily. because . . . Nf6 now involves disruption
of the King's pawn cover while the more
Sa m pl e Exercise natural 1 3 . . . f6 can be met with 1 4 . Ne3 !
As a sample exercise, determine the threate n i n g N fS ! ( Recal l my re mark
best move i n the Cavalier Defense posi about making . . . f6 awkward . )
tion shown on the last page. 1 3 . . . Be7
Analysis begins at the top of the next It is hard to say what is obj ectively
column. best here for Black. White is not target
ing specific squares yet, and his vague
threats are hard to fully analyze. The text
is at least natural, trying to get some
thing on f6 . It also unpins the e-pawn by
putting a buffer between the Queen on
e2 and the Rook on eB. 1 3 . . . Ng6 would
only invite 1 4 .h4.
110
Module 5 : Lesson
The i m med i ate 1 3 . . . fS is perhaps quite good for White.

Black's safest play, but one can hardly 1 4 . . . BxgS I S . BxgS is fine for White,
look at the position after 1 4 . Nges Nxes leaving Black's K-side rather bare.
I S .dxeS Be7 1 6 . BgS BxgS 1 7 . NxgS and 1 5 .f4 f5 1 6.Ne5 Nxe5 1 7.fxe5
want to be on Black's side of the table. White still has more than a little ini-
I f Black has ice (or silicon) running tiative with g4 and/or Qhs in mind.
through his veins, he m ight call White
out on his previous retreat, believing he Exerc ises
is in no immediate danger. After 1 3 . . . As i n the l ast module, determ i n e
Nb6 ! ? , h e could maneuver h i s Bishop to White's best response for each position
c6, at which point Black has connected sh own on the next five p ages . Write
Rooks, central pressure and a clear 7th- down your reas o n i ng and wh atever
rank for his Queen to defend along. In variations you calculate.
that case we might see something l i ke
1 4 . Bgs Bd7 1 s . h4 Bc6 1 6 .hs h6 1 7 . Bh4.
Note that Black cannot really play . . . h6
until White pushes his pawn all the way
to hs due to various threats against the
f6 and h6 squares coupled with Q h s
when the dust settles. When the pawn
reaches hs, that last idea is removed and
Black can safely play . . . h 6 .
1 4.Ng5
This move makes more sense now
that es needs less support. I t also threat
ens si mply Nes, when the f7-pawn is
hard to defend.
1 4 . . . Qd61
This adds protection to e6, preparing
. . . fS (which White cannot really stop ) .
1 4 . . . e s backfires due t o the vul ner
ability of the Rook on e8: I s . Nxes Bxgs
1 6 . Bxgs f6 1 7 . Q h s ! Rxes 1 8 . dxes is
111
Exercises
Last Moves: 9.NeS 0-0 1 0.0-0 N d 7 Last Moves: 1 1 .NeS Re7 1 2 .Ndf3 N d 7
Last Moves: 9.Nbd2 Bb7 1 0 .NeS N d 7 Last Moves: 1 2 .0-0 N d 7 1 3 .N df3 RacS
1 13
Last Moves: 1 0.f4 ReS 1 1 .a 3 N d 7 Last Moves: 1 0.NeS Q e 7 1 1 .N df3 N d 7
Last Moves: 1 0.f4 NfS 1 1 .0-0 N6d7 Last Moves: 9.Re 1 Qe7 1 0.NeS Nd7
1 14
La st Moves: 1 1 .Ndf3 Qc7 1 2 .c3 NeS La st Moves: 1 0.NeS Bb7 1 1 .0-0 N d 7
Last M oves: 1 2 .N df3 ReS 1 3 .Bd2 N d 7 Last Moves: 1 1 .f4 Q c 7 1 2 .Ndf3 N6d 7
1 15
Module 5 : The Game-Changi ng Retreat
Last Moves: 1 0.0-0 N c6 1 1 .a 3 N d 7 Last Moves: 1 3 .f4 cxd4 1 4.exd4 N d 7
La st Moves: 1 1 .Qe2 0-0 1 2 .NeS N d 7 Last Moves: 1 1 .NeS Bd6 1 2 .Re 1 Nd7
116
La st Moves: 1 0.Qe2 ReS 1 1 .NeS Nd7 Last Moves: 9.c3 Nc6 1 0 .f4 N d 7
Exercise 1 8 Exercise 20
La st Moves: S.a3 Q e 7 9 . N e S N d 7 Last Moves: 1 0.Qe2 a6 1 1 .NeS N d 7
117
SolutiollS
Exercise 1 moves have gone poof. The text d efe n d s

La st Moves: 9.NeS 0-0 1 0.0-0 N d 7 e 6 a l l owing the f-pawn t o adva n ce.
1 2 .a4
Th i s i s n ot merely a t h reat to fu rther
e m b a r r a s s B l a c k' s K n i g h t . I t s u p p o rt s
ma ny fut u re idea s, s u c h a s Ba3 a n d B b 5 .
B l a c k ' s a - p a w n c a n a l so b ec o m e wea k
l ater, es peci a l ly if Wh ite takes o n c6 a n d
B l a c k reca ptu res with the b-pawn.
12 ••• a S 1 3 . Rf3 fS 1 4.Rh3
S i nce B l a c k tra n sfe rred h i s K n i g h t to
the Q-s i d e, the h 5-sq u a re is u ng u a rded,
Best Move: 1 1 .Qe2 so t h i s p l a n i s exceptio n a l l y stro n g .
14 NxeS 1 S.fxeS Rf7
•••
Commentary 1 5 . . . B g 5 ? 1 1 6. N f3 Bxc l 1 7 . Rxc l N xa4

The Bishop on e7 puts the kibosh on 1 8.c4 with c5 to fol l ow i s h a rd l y a ba rga i n
the Bishop sacrifice. The Knight on e5 is for w i n n i n g t h e pawn.
solidly defended, so freezing the f-pawn 1 6.Nf3
with Qe2 is the natural choice. A sto rm i s b rew i n g .
Analysis Variations and Notes Exercise 2

1 1 . Rf3 f5 1 2 . N x d 7 Bxd 7 was the g a m e Last Moves: 9.N bd2 Bb7 1 0.NeS N d 7
c o n t i n u a t i o n a n d i s eq u a l . A d ra w w a s
ag reed u pon 30 moves l ater.
11 ••• N b6
Black co u l d j u st move h i s Kn i g ht back,
but that i s rather a n a d m i ssion that two
1 19
fi repower to m a ke Bxh 7 + wo rk, but the

th reat of mate does force Black to a d m it
h i s last move was more or less a wa ste of a
tem po. White can then p u l l Black' s pieces
to poor places a n d tra i n more pieces on
the K-s i d e with 1 2 . . .fS 1 3 .Nxd 7 (1 3 .Qe2
tra nsposes to the text l i ne, which i s a l so
good fo r Wh ite.) 1 3 ... Qxd 7 1 4.dxcS BxcS
l S .Rf3 .
1 2 .Qe2!
Best Move: 1 1 .f4 A shad owy ha lf-move. Wh ite sets h i m
self u p to use the e-fi le i n case it ever g ets
Commentary o pen, a n d vacates the d l -sq u a re.
White does not have enough piece 1 2 ... Nf6
transport to allow a single-Bishop sacri Th i s is a n a m biti o u s try, bel ievi n g that
fice, and the double-barreled sac cannot he ca n settle back i nto his configuration
work because the f-pawn is still at home. (a n d probably try for ... Ne4) with o u t the
It is prob ably not a great idea to play two te m p i he u sed to g et .. .fS making a
Nxd7 i mmediately since the Queen has difference.
good lateral play along the 7th rank and 1 2 ... cxd4 1 3 .Nxd 7 Qxd 7 1 4.exd4 lets
the Bishop on d6 m ight become useful Wh ite ta rget the e-pawn.
for Black. Exchanging on c6 would likely 1 3 .c4 Ne4
lead to a small advantage that is hard to 1 3 ... Be 7 th reatens to take o n eS, cl os
make anything of. White's best hope is i ng u p the e-fi l e, a n d i s proba b l y Black' s
to allow Black to do whatever he is go best o pt i o n . T h o u g h o bv i o u s l y i t a l s o
i ng to do with his f-pawn and prepare m ea n s B l a c k i s th rowi n g a n other tempo
multiple problems for the future. Wh ite overboa rd, Wh ite has to t h i n k hard to fi n d
ends up preparing threats to Bl ack's the best conti n uation. Let's look at what
K-side and along the e- and d-files. m i g ht h a p pen then.
1 4.dxcS NxeS l S .fxeS Ng4 1 6.b4 bxcS
Analysis Variations and Notes 1 7.cxd S B g S 1 8.d6 Bxe3+ 1 9.Kh l a n d
1 1 ... f5 I ' m m o re t h a n h a p py t o t a ke W h i t e ' s
1 1 . . .f6 1 2 .Q h S . T h e re ' s n o t e n o u g h position.
1 20
1 4 . N xc6 Bxc6 1 5 . N f3 g i ves W h i te a Commentary

safe, sma l l a dvanta g e since B l a ck' s Bish- The Rook on e7 should make White
ops a re m i l d ly m i s p l a ced . th ink twice about simply planning to
1 4.cxd 5 ? ! N x e 5 l S .dxeS N x d S 1 6.e4 pressure e6. If Bl ack pl ays f6 or f5, the
fxe4 1 7 .Bxe4 Rxf4 is messy. Taki n g with e6-pawn would remain quite safe. On
the f-pawn i n stead doesn't hel p: l S .fxe5 the surface, it looks like a single- Bishop
NxdS 1 6.e4 fxe4 1 7.0xe4 g6 l B.RxfB+ BxfB sac would work fine, especially with the
1 9.0g4 Bh6 and White has l o st control. extra help of the Bishop on c 1 . But the
1 4.cxd S exd S 1 S .BbS NxeS 1 6.dxeS a6 Rook on e7 manages to thwart that as
1 6 ... Nxd2 1 7.0xd 2 Be7 l B.Be2 l eaves wel l . Since the Rook on e7 is the odd
t h e d S - p a w n h a r d to h o l d w h i l e t h e feature o f this position, and the aspect
eS-pawn is d a ngero u s . that's stopping the sacrificial options, it
1 6 . . . B e 7 1 7. Nxe4 d xe4?? l B.Rfd l +-; makes sense to seek to capital ize on its
1 6 . . . B c 7 1 7 . N xe4 fx e4 (1 7 . . . d x e 4 ? ? placement.
l B. Rfd l and Black' s O u een ca n n ot defend I ndeed, the Bishop on d6 h as few
a g a i n st both Rd 7 a n d O h S + e6) l B.Og4 p l aces to go, and that m ight i m p e l
With e6 100m i ng . you to move the Kn ight so Black can-
1 7 .Nxe4 fxe4 1 8.exd6 axbS 1 9.BeS not s i mply get rid of this cooped-up
W h i t e h a s a d efi n i t e p o s i t i o n a l Bishop with Bxe5 . The mass of Bl ack
advanta g e. pieces might also lead you to find the
alternative attacki ng option Ng5, which
Exercise 3 Edgar Colle himsel f pl ayed in this very
Last Moves: 1 1 .NeS Re7 1 2 .Ndf3 N d 7 position.
Analysis Variations and Notes

1 3 . B x h 7 + ? ! Kx h 7 1 4. N g S + (1 4 . N xd 7
Bxd 7 l S . N g S + Kg6! a n d we have some
t h i n g c l oser to a n o r m a l G reek sac, but
Wh ite d oes not have the crucial pawn o n
eS.) 1 4 . . . KgB l S.0hS (l S . N x d 7 f6!) l S . . . Nf6
1 6.0h4 BxeS 1 7.Re3 a n d after 1 7 . . . Bxh2
B l a ck w i l l a d va n ce t h e e-p a w n and be
q u ite safe.
Best Move: 1 3 .Nxc6
121
13 ••• bxc6 17 ••• Nxe5

1 3...Qxc6 1 4.cS B bB ( 1 4...Bc7? As fa r a s l know, no one has sugg ested
l S . B b S !+-) l S . b4 a n d Wh ite is th reate n- t h i s d efe n s e befo re . It's ra t h e r a m o o t
i n g t o p u s h B l ack o ff the boa rd . p o i nt, s i n ce eve ryo n e a g rees 1 7 . . . f6 i s
1 4.c5 Bf4 1 5 .Bxf4 Qxf4 a l so s u ffi c i e n t to effect a d ra w b y per
W h ite enj oys extre m e l y good boa rd pet u a l c h ec k . However, c o m m e n tators
contro l . have va ried widely o n their vi ews of other
•
d efe n ses, a n d I'd l i ke to th row m y two
L e t ' s t a ke a l o o k a t C o l l e ' s a c t u a l pesos i n .
m ove, w h i c h i s o n l y good t h e o retica l l y 1 7 . . .g6 1 B.Qh6 BxeS (Pa l l i ser i n d icates
fo r a d ra w b u t d efi n i t e l y p u t s p re s s u re that . . . fS i s the best d efense here, when
on Black to d efend accurately. We' l l con Wh ite ca n only end a pawn u p i n a messy
sider this a secon d main l i n e (with bol ded position after 1 9. R h 3 BxeS 20.dxeS QxeS
notation) to m a ke it easier to fol l ow the 2 1 .Qxg6+ Qg 7 2 2 . Q h S N e S 2 3 . R g 3 N g 4
a n notation. 24.h 3 , but d oesn't 23.Bh6!, w i t h the t h reat
1 3 . N g 5 Nf8 of a later BfB!, win outright?) 1 9.dxeS Rd 7
1 3 ... N dxeS yiel d s Wh ite a very p rom foreseei n g the need fo r h i s King to esca pe
ising attack: 1 4. B x h 7 + KfB l S .dxeS BxeS if t h e Q u ee n i nva d es. 20.f4! a n d B l a ck's
1 6. B d 3 g 6 1 7.Qg4! Black d oe s n ot h a ve tro u bles a re not over. (A note on that last
t i m e to go g ra b b i n g a pawn i n t h i s l i n e move: I p refer adva n c i n g the f-pawn over
with 1 6 . . . . Bxh2+ i n stead beca use Q h S has the Rook s l i d e beca use after 20. Rh3 QxeS
to be sto p ped. 2 1 .Qh7+ KfB 22.Bh6+ Ke7 1 d o n 't see a ny
1 4.Nxh7 Nxh7 1 5.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 knock-out b l ow a n d it seem s fi n d i ng the
1 6.Qh5+ K g 8 1 7. Re3 right attacking moves i s not much easier
than fi n d i n g the best d efe n se.)
1 7 . . . R e B ? ? wa s t h e m ov e i n C o l l e ' s
g a m e, g o i n g fro m a d ra w n p o s i t i o n to
a forced mate i n 6: 1 B. R h 3 KfB 1 9. B g S f6
20.Bxf6.
1 7 . . . BxeS 1 B.dxeS NxeS 1 9.Rh3 f6 a n d
n o w Pa l l i se r c l a i m s W h ite h a s n ot h i n g
better t h a n a perpetua l c h eck, b u t I d i s
ag ree. After 20.QhB+ Kf7, Wh ite can s i m -
1 22
ply play 2 1 . R g 3 !, forc i n g 21 . . . Ng6. At that Commentary

point both 22.Q h 5 a n d 22.Q h 7 a re g ood I n the module I mentioned that a
for Wh ite. The fi rst restores materi a l w h i l e pawn on f4 was all it took for the Bishop
a l lowi ng Wh ite to reta i n the i n itiative with sac to work in this situation. This exer
22.Q h 5 Qxg 3 23.fxg 3 dxc4 24.Bg 5 with Rfl cise shows why.
to fo l l ow. The latter mai nta i n s the attac k
a n d te n s i o n w i t h 2 2 .Q h 7 N fB 2 3 . Rx g 7 + Analysis Variations and Notes
KeB 24.Qh5+. 14 ••• Kxh 715 . N g 5 + KgS
1S.Rh3 1 5 ... Kh6 1 6.Qd 3 N f6 1 7. N g4+
l B.dxe5 Bxe5 l ets B l a c k safe l y g et a 16.Nxd7
s m a l l a d va ntage. W h ite's atta c k ca n n ot 1 6.Q h 5 ? ? th rows t h e g a m e away
w o r k as l o n g as B l a c k ' s d a r k - s q u a r e d beca u se neither atta c k fo r W h i te works.
B i s h o p i s a l ive. Ta ki ng the B i s h o p now a l B l a c k's Q u ee n ends up with both move
l ows B l a c k t o pick u p the c-pawn. m e n t d o w n t h e c-fi l e a n d a c r o s s t h e
1S ••• f6 7th ra n k. 1 6 . . . N f6 1 7 .Qh4 g 6 l B. Rf3 N e 7
l B . . . N g 6 1 9. Q h 7 + KfB 20.QhB+ N x h B 1 9. R h 3 N h 5 20.Rc l (20.g4 Qxc2) 20 . . . Nf5
2 1 .RxhB# 2 1 .Qg4 Nf6 22.Qf3 N e4 is a "Knig ht Ma re"
19.dxe5 Bxe5 20.Qh7+ Kf7 21.Qh5+ fo r Wh ite.
KfS D rawn 16 ••• Qxd717 .Qh5 RfeS 1 S.Qh7+ KfS
1 9.f5
Exercise 4 A n d now the f-pawn shows how very
La st Moves: 12 .0-0 N d 713 .Ndf3 RaeS powerfu l it rea l l y i s i n these attac ks.
19 .f6
••
1 9 ... Ke7 20.fxe6 fxe6 2 1 . Rf7+

20.fxe6 Rxe6 21.Rae1 Rxe1 22.QhS+!
Exercise 5
Last Moves: 10.f4 ReS11.a3 N d 7
Best Move: 1 4.Bxh7+
1 23
1 2 ... NcxeS ca n not be good since Wh ite

wi l l th reaten to open the center a n d g ra b
t h e d-fi l e. B l a c k's pieces a re te m pora ri l y
conta i n ed b y White's pawns. 1 3.dxeS c 4 i s
a n i nteresti ng g a m bit, but Black d oes not
get e n o u g h activity. Anyth i ng else a l l ows
Wh ite to play c4 a n d ta ke advantage of
Black's poorly placed pieces. 1 4.bxc4 NcS
(1 4... dxc4?! l S. N xc4 with Rfd 1 to fol l ow.)
l S .Bd4 Nxd3 1 6.cxd 3 .
Best Move: 1 2 .Qe2 1 2 . . . N dxeS 1 3 .dxeS w i t h a p l a n s i m i l a r
t o t h e other Knight captu re l i ne. White wi l l
Commentary play Rad 1 a n d c4.
With no open e-file, no reasonable 1 2 ... Qc7 a l lows an i nteresti n g maneu
Bishop sacrifices available, and Black's ver where Wh ite fei nts at a d o u b l e-Bishop
Bishop on e7, White's cho ice of plan sac a n d then u ses h i s Queen's placement
should be easy. H e wil l put his heavy o n e2 to bump Black's Bishop back with
pieces on the c- and d-files and let Black powerfu l effect. I wou l d recommend play
play "hide the Queen. " i n g t h ro u g h t h i s attac k a n d a d d i n g it to
you r kit bag. 1 3 .Nxd 7 Qxd 7 1 4.dxcS BxcS
Analysis Variations and Notes l S . b4! Bd6 (l S ... Be 7 a l lows a sta n d a rd Kite
12 •.• f5 attac k) 1 6.QhS fS 1 7.Rf3 Qf7 1 8.Rg3 QxhS
1 2 .. .f6 1 3 . N xc6! is t h e r i g h t ca pt u re 1 9.Rxg 7+ Kh8 20.RgS+ BeS 2 1 .BxeS+ NxeS
here. The Queen o n d8 i s more hemmed 22.RxhS Nxd 3 2 3 .cxd 3.
i n than s h e wou l d be o n d 7, where she 1 3 .Nxd7 Q x d 7 1 4.dxc5 bxc5 1 5 .Rad 1
cou l d sweep sid eways o n c e the B i s h o p
moved . As i s, t h e f6-pawn i s i n t h e way of Exercise 6
half of Black's a rmy. (1 3.QhS is not as good Last Moves: 1 0.f4 NfS 1 1 .0-0 N 6d 7
in this positi o n beca use it i s White who
l oses a tempo after 1 3 . . . fS . The Queen is
better placed on e2 than it i s o n h S .) 1 3 ...
Bxc6 1 4.Rf3 fS l S.Rg3 and White has pros
pects of a K-side attack.
1 24
1 S ... b6 1 9.BhS
Exercise 7
Last Moves: 1 0.NeS Qc7 1 1 .N df3 N d 7
Best M ove: 1 2 .Qh S
Commentary
This move is even better when Black's
Queen has flown the coop, leaving the Best M ove: 1 2 .Bxh7+
Ro ok on e8 u nguarded . H owever, i n
any Cavalier Defense situation, Qh5 i s a Commentary
strong candidate if White can play it. White's Bishop can see g5, and that
is general ly all that is needed for the
Analysis Variations and Notes Bishop sac to work in this situation.
1 2 ... fS 1 3 .Ndf3 Qe7
1 3 . . . N x e 5 1 4 . fx e 5 B e 7 1 5 . g 4 Q d 7 Analysis Variations and Notes
( 1 5 . . . g 6 1 6 . Q h 3 ) 1 6 . Rf2 B d 8 1 7 . R g 2 Qf7 1 2 ... Kxh 7 1 3 .NgS+ KgS 1 4.Nxd7 Qxd7
1 8.Qxfl+ Kxfl 1 9.Rfl . 1 S.QhS RdS
1 4.NgS Nf6 1 S.Qh3 1 1 5 . . . Re8 p re s e rves d 8 fo r a K n i g ht,
The th reats of Ngf7 and Ba3 tog ether b u t t h e n the Q u ee n is st u c k, b l oc k i n g
req u i re B l a c k t o yield h i s good Bishop fo r the Ki n g later: 1 6.Qh7+ KfB 1 7.QhB+ Ke7
one of Wh ite's Knig hts. l B . Q x g 7 N d B ( l B . . . Kd B 1 9 . N xf7 + K c 7
1 S . . . BxeS 1 6.dxeS Ne4 1 7.Nxe4 fxe4 20. N xd6+) 1 9. N h 7.
1 S.Be2 1 6.Qh7+ KfS 1 7.QhS+ Ke7 1 S.Qxg 7
A n u m be r of rea so n a b l e p l a n s p res- QeS 1 9. N h 7
e n t themselves for White, s u c h a s si m p l y For t h e sa ke o f Black's Q u e e n , I hope
d o u b l i n g u p o n the d -fi l e. h e r h u sband had good l ife i n s u ra nce.
1 25
Module 5 : The G ame-Changing Retreat
Exercise 8 N c4 1 5 . N g S Bxg S 1 6 .Qxg S B d 7 1 7 . Q g 3

last Moves: 9.Re1 Qc7 1 0.NeS N d 7 Q a S 1 8 . B h 6 Rf7 ) 1 4 . . . Rf7 l S . R g 3 l o o ks
q u ite p ro m i s i n g for White.
14.Qh6 N b61S.Nf3
With five p i eces on B l a c k' s K-s i d e o r
with i n e a s y tra n s po rt thereto, Wh ite has
to have somet h i n g here.
Exercise 9
last Moves: 11.N df3 Qc7 1 2 .c3 Ne8
Best Move: 1 1 .f4
Commentary
Since the e-file is al ready open and
White has a Roo k on it, there is l ittl e
danger o f B lack advancing h i s f-pawn .
O nce White defends the Knight, the fu
til ity of Bl ack's retreat is evident.
Best M ove: 1 3 . Bxh7+
I d o n o t l i ke s u p p o rt i n g w i t h t h e Commentary
Kn i g ht a s m u c h . I f not h i n g el se, 1 1 . N df3 The single- Bishop sac works here be
N cx e 5 1 2 . d x e 5 N c 5 m a ke s f4 a n e a s y cause e5 is doubly defended by pawns.
m ove t o choose i n stead .
11 ••• N cxeS 1 2.fxeS fS 1 3 .QhS g6 Analysis Variations and Notes
1 3 ... N b6 a l lows the Q u ee n to s h uffl e 13 ••• Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ K g 8 l S .QhS
a l o n g the 7 t h ra n k, but a l so t h reate n s l S . N xd 7 ? d o e s not work, o b v i o u s l y,
... N c4, w hi c h can o bstruct Wh ite's attac k since there a re two Knig hts that can h o p
i n g p l a n s if he is not a l ert. Wh ite m u st get t o f6. l S ... Qxd 7 1 6.QhS Nf6.
in 1 4.Re3 i m m ed i ately before the s q u a re lS ••• N d f6
i s ta ke n over by B l a c k's K n i g ht. ( 1 4 . N f3 l S . . . N e f6 1 6 . Q h 4 B a 6 1 7 . R f3 B e 2
1 26
M odule 5: Solutions
1 B. R h 3 Bhs 1 9.94 Be7. Analysis Variations and Notes

1 6.Qh4 14 ••• Kxh 7 1 S . N g S + Kg8 1 6.QhS N d 8
White wi l l get his materi a l back p l u s 1 7 .N exf7
i nterest beca u se Black h a s no good way
of g u a rd i ng the h B-sq u a re. Exercise 1 1
1 6 ... g6 1 7.Rf3 La st Moves: 1 0.NeS Bb7 1 1 .0-0 N d 7
Beca use Black's Queen ca n slide across
the 7th ra n k but i s blocked d own the c-fi l e,
t h i s i s the i n d i cated play. It turns out that
W h ite has a fo rced win with 1 7 . Q h 6 as
wel l , but he has to know exactly what to
play o r else Black wi l l successfu l l y d efend
with . . . N g 7, . . . RfcB, a n d . . . BfB o r . . . KfB.
17 ••• N h S 1 8.g4
Exercise 1 0
La st M oves: 1 2.N df3 Re8 1 3 .Bd2 N d 7 Best Move: 1 2 .f4
Commentary
No sacri ficial options are go i ng to
work here . With the e-fi l e open, Qe2
is the natural play. H owever, here it al
l ows Black to ru in Christmas by getting
a Knight on cS .

1 2.Qe2 Bxes 1 3.dxes Ncs is someth ing
Best Move: 1 4.Bxh7+ Wh ite genera l l y wa nts to avoid.
1 2 ...fS
Commentary T h i s a p p e a r s to p l a y i n t o W h i t e ' s
Th e single Bishop Sac works here be- h a n d s, but other respon ses tend to g ive
cause B lack's pieces do not defend f7. h i m a n d ea sy, stro ng K-side i n itiative.
1 2 ...f6 1 3 .Qhs fS l ets Wh ite tra n spose
127
at the very least. t i m e kicki ng her off that s q u a re.

1 2 ... NdxeS 1 3 .fxeS Be7 1 4.QhS g6 ( 1 4... A sa m p l e l i n e to see what White ca n
h6 l S . b4! sto ps Black from ki l l i ng Wh ite's do when he d oes not need to worry a bout
B i s h o p w i t h . . . as fo l l o w e d b y . . . B a 6 . h i s d - p a w n i s 1 3 . . . N c x e S 1 4 .fx e S B e 7
Wh ite wi l l try t o p l ay Nf3, Rae l , then Bc l l S .g4 f4 1 6. g S BxgS 1 7.Qg4 Qe7 1 8. N f3
to p u t m o re pressu re o n B l a ck's K-s i d e . B h 6 1 9.a4 Qe8 20.Ba3 Rf7 2 1 . N g S !
[ l S.Qh3. It i s u sefu l t o see h o w t h e K n i g h t 1 4.dxeS
o n c6 m a kes the . . . as- . . . Ba6 play more of O n e "critica l decision" that d i d not
a concern. l S ... a S 1 6.Ra e l Ba6 1 7.c4 Nxd4 m a ke it i nto this book i s the q u estion of
1 8.Bxd4 dxc4] ) l S .Qh3 w h i c h pawn to reca ptu re with after yo u r
1 2. . . N cxeS 1 3 .fxeS B e 7 1 4.QhS g6 ( 1 4... opponent ta kes the K n i g h t o n eS. In t h i s
h6 a l so a l l ows Wh ite a K-si d e attack. Here case, 1 4.dxeS ma kes more sense beca use
t h e c o n ce r n over ... Ba6 i s less. Let's see it fu rthers the plan that ofte n goes a l o n g
w h y . l S . Q h 3 a s 1 6 .Rae l Ba6 1 7 .c4. Th i s with Qe2: the domi nation of the cen
p l a y does n ot work a s wel l when th ere i s tra l fi l e s a n d d i sco mfo rt i n g o f t h e B l a c k
a K n i g h t on c6 t o ta ke o n d4.) l S .Qh3. Q ueen . The text m ove o p e n s t h e d -fi l e .
1 2 . . .Q e 7 i s a c l ever h a lf-m ove, putti ng Ta ki n g w i t h t h e f- p a w n i s not b a d , a n d
a d efender on e 6 without tota l ly comm it- m i g ht work wel l with a strategy based o n
t i n g to p u s h i n g t h e f- p a w n . Th i s m o v e locki ng u p the Q-si d e a n d s l owly b u i l d i ng
l ea d s to a p o s i t i o n t h a t W h i t e p l a y e r s u p a n atta ck on the K-side.
n eed to be fa m i l ia r with, so we will a na- 1 4 . . . Be7
Iyze it sepa rate l y o n the n ext page. 1 4 ... BcS+ l S.Kh 1 and Bl a ck has s i m p l y
1 3 .Qe2 NdxeS cha sed White's K i n g to a better sq u a re.
Most oth er moves l et Wh ite ta rget the l S . Ra d l
e 6 p a w n . Ta ki n g w i t h t h e o t h e r K n i g ht G e n e ra l l y W h i t e p refe r s t o p l a y h i s
removes a l l pressu re o n the d4-pawn. Th i s f-Rook t o d 1 a n d h i s a-Rook t o c l , but here
i s c ritica l beca u se t h e n W h ite ca n foc u s W h ite n e e d s to b e m o re c a r efu l a b o u t
a l l h i s p i eces o n the B l a c k K-side. I n pa r- protect i n g h i s f-pawn si nce Black ca n eas
ticu l a r, the B i s h o p o n b2 i s freed to g o to ily play an a n noyi ng . . . Qh4.
a 3 , l i m i t i n g the p l a cement of B l ack's Rook l S . . . Qc7
a nd Queen a s they d efe n d aga i n st Wh ite's l S ... Qe8 1 6.c4 is an i m porta nt l ever to
attac k. In th i s position, White wants to get remember a ny t i m e yo u can a p ply p res
h i s Q u e e n to g4 s i n c e B l a c k h a s a h a rd s u re to both pawns on d S a n d fS .
1 28
1 6.c4 1 4.Nxd7
It is n ot pa rti c u l a rl y s i m p l e to defe nd If yo u a re h a p py with a d raw a n d wa nt
Black's d-pawn, which i s only d efended by you r o pponent to sweat j u st for that, then
the over-worked e-pawn. you can go in fo r the Bishop sac. The basic
1 6 ... Rad8 1 7.cxd S Rxd S attacking plan i s the sa m e a l most no mat
1 7 . . .exd 5 g ives B l a c k t h e onerous ta sk ter what B l ack d oes: Qh5+, N g 6, Rae l , f5,
of stopping the e-pawn w h i l e m a i nta i n i ng a n d if needed Nf3 a n d B c l .
defense of h i s f-pawn. 1 4.Bxh7+!? Kxh 7 1 5 .Qh5+ Kg 8 1 6. N g 6
1 8.8c4 Q e 8 ( 1 6 ... Qd8 1 7.Rae l R e 8 w i l l a l so h o l d
A n i n t e re s t i n g p o s i t i o n t h a t l o o k s t h e d raw, b u t 1 7 . . . N e 7 ? ! i s n o t nea r l y a s
good for White. c l ea r.) 1 7 .Rae l Ne7 1 8.f5 exf5 ( 1 8 ... N xf5
•
1 9.Rxf5 exf5 20. Rxe8 Raxe8) 1 9. Rxe7 Bxe7
Let' s ta ke a look at the 1 2 . . . Qe7 op- 2 0 . R e l Bd6 2 1 . Rxe8 Rfxe8 2 2 . N f3 R a c 8
t i o n a s a sepa rate m a i n l i n e, creati ng the and it i s proba b l y time for Wh ite to ca l l it
boa rd shown next: a d raw.
1 4 ... Qxd 7 1 S.Rae1 Rae8
P l a y i n g 1 5 . . . Rfe8 cou l d res u l t in the
R o o k s g etti n g d i s co n n ected by a later
. . . N d 8 . That i s frowned u po n i n genera l ,
but i s wo rse here d u e t o the th reat o f a
fut u re Qh4(+).
1 6.b4
B l a c k w i l l n eed to m ove h i s K n i g h t
away from t h e center, a n d then White ca n
b reak with c4.
B l a c k has dealt with the th reat to e6,
but now ta ki ng on e5 is awkward since the Exercise 1 2
e 7-sq u a re i s not ava i l a b l e fo r h i s Bishop. La st Moves: 1 1 .f4 Qc7 1 2 .N df3 N6d7
Hence B l a c k wi l l want to play . . . f6 soon .
1 3 .Qe2 f6
Any more s i l ent d eve l o p ment s h o u l d
l et Wh ite get a g o o d game by adva n c i n g
b4-b5 or c4.
1 29
Module 5: The Game-Changing Retreat
Exercise 1 3
Last Moves: 1 0.0-0 Nc6 1 1 .a 3 N d 7
Best M ove: 1 3 .Ng5
Commentary Best Move: 1 2 .Nxc6

This is definitely the way to go in this
Cavalier Defense position, freeing the Commentary
Queen and preventing . . . f6 . H e r e w e h a v e a g o o d e x a m p l e of
White n ot havi ng a Kite formati o n but set
Analysis Variations and Notes ting up the possi b i l ity for a d o u b l e-Bishop
13 ••• f5 s a c w i t h o u t g i v i n g B l a c k m u c h in t h e
1 3 .. .f6 1 4.Qh5 !+-; way o f pleasant a l ternatives. It i s a l so a n
1 3 ... Re7 coops up Black's Bishop. 1 4.c4 exa m p l e o f h o w a position that does n ot
f6 ( 1 4 ... Qb8 1 5 .c5 Bc7 a n d Black's Q u een i s l oo k very d a ngero u s fo r Black ca n ra p i d l y
w a y t o o fa r away from the Ki ng's defen se.) beco m e so.
1 5 . c 5 N x c 5 1 6. d x c 5 B x c 5 + 1 7 . K h 1 fxg 5
1 8.fxg 5 i s fa r too d a n g erou s for B lack. Analysis Variations and Notes
1 4.Be3 12 • • • Qxc6 1 3 .f4 Bb7
As m u c h a s I'd l i ke j u st to b u m r u s h 1 3 . . .f5 1 4. Nf3 and it i s h a rd fo r B l a c k
the K-side, the adva nce o f t h e f-pawn h a s t o fi nd a g o o d p l a c e for h i s Q u e e n . Wh ite
c h a n ged t h e g a m e consid era bly. B l a c k i s ca n o p e n up the c-fi l e a n d/o r the d -fi l e
sti l l i n a b i t of d a n g er, a n d h e k n o w s i t . a n d p u t R o o k s on e i t h e r o n e . W h ite
I s u g g est fei n t i n g a bit at c-fi l e play a n d s h o u l d play a 4 someti me soon t o sto p a ny
i ncrea s i ng the genera l i nfl u e n ce o f yo u r chance of B l a c k cou nter-play there.
pieces. 1 4.dxc5 Qxc5
130
The only move, for it a l l ows the Queen p ro b l e m s. T h e Q u ee n w i l l m a ke a later

event u a l l y to g et b a c k to t h e 7th ra n k. Rook l ift come with tem po. For exa m p l e
Other ca ptu res ea s i l y fa i l t o Bxh7+. 2 1 . R a d 1 B a 6 2 2 . Bxa6 ( 2 2 . . . Qe3+ 2 3 . K h 1
1 5 .Bd4 Qc7 Rxa6 24.Rf3 Qe2 2S.Rg 1 i s n o better) Rxa6
H o p e fu l l y y o u k n o w b y n o w t h a t 23.Rd3 Qb2! 24.c3 RfcB 2 S . N x h 7 !
l S . . . Q c B i s t h e w ro n g retreat beca u se 1 7.g4 Ba6
B l a c k need s h i s Q u ee n o n t h e 7th ra n k Yo u a bsol utely m u st ta ke t h i s option
for d efen se. 1 6.Bxh 7 + Kxh 7 1 7.QhS+ Kg B i nto acco u nt when Black has p l ayed . . . a s
1 B. Bxg 7 f5 1 9. Bd4 Rf6 20. Rf3 BfB 2 1 . R h 3 a n d you r B i s h o p is sti l l on d 3 . Th i s i s one of
B g 7 2 2 . Nf3 R h 6 2 3 . Q g 5 Rf6 24.Qh4 a n d those ea sy-to-overlook d efen ses that ca n
B l a c k i s l eft t h e u n e n v i a b l e ta s k o f t ry turn yo u r bruschetta into sog gy toa st.
i n g to h o l d o n to h i s B i s h o p a ft e r 24 . . . 1 7 . . . N f6 is p roba b l y what Wh ite ex
Kf7 2 S . N g 5 + Ke7 26. N h 7 s i n ce 2 4. . . R h 6 ? pects, after which 1 B.Qh 3 N e4 1 9.Nf3 Bc5
a l l ow s 2 S . Q e 7 a n d o t h e r m ov e s a l l o w 20.gS Bxd4 2 1 . N xd 4 kee p s B l a c k on t h e
Q h 7 (+} fol l owed b y Rg3. h o t seat.
16.Qh5 1 8.g5 Bxd 3 1 9.cxd 3 hxg5
As you proba b l y reca l l fro m t h e l a st 1 9 ... BcS 20.Rac 1 ;
mod u l e, the sacrifice d oes n ot work when 1 9. . .eS 20.g x h 6 g 6 2 1 . B x e S N xe S
the Queen i s o n c7 a n d Black h a s both a 22.QxeS QxeS 23.fxeS RacB a n d Black o n l y
B i s h o p on e7 a n d a Knig ht on d 7 . gets one o f h i s p a w n s back.
1 6.Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 7.QhS+ KgB 1 B.Bxg 7 20.fxg5
Kxg 7 1 9 .Qg4+ K h B 20. Rf3 N f6 2 1 . R h 3 + Wh ite i s o n the verge of wi n n i n g by
N h 7 2 2 . R x h 7 + ( 2 2 . Q h 5 B h 4 2 3 . Rx h 4 f6 s i m ply playing a Rook to h 3 . Black's Queen
a n d Black is safe.) 22 ... Kx h 7 23.QhS+ with i s rather stuck o n c7 to d efend a g a i n st the
a d raw. sti l l poss i b l e sacrifice Bxg 7.
1 6 ... h6 Bl ack's o n l y fea s i b l e way to avoid t h i s
1 6 ...g6 1 7.Qh6 Bf6 1 B.Nf3 Bxd4 1 9.exd4 i g n o b l e d eath i nvolves a com b i nation of
Nf6 ( 1 9 . . . Qc3 2 0 . Ra d 1 RfcB 2 1 .fS [2 1 .g4 . . . eS ( sto p p i n g Bxg 7 a n d h e n ce free i n g
m i g ht be even better.] ) 20. N g S poses a u p B l a ck's Queen) a n d Bxg 5, p u l l i ng the
rea l th reat to B l ack's Ki ng s i n ce h i s Q u een Q u een off the h-fi l e to gain a critica l tem
i s cut-off. The poss i b i l ity of f5 and sacrifi c po. T h e re a re two va riati o n s that m a ke
i n g the Rook afte r ... exf5 is fo rm i d a b l e . Wh ite work fo r h i s poi nt:
Note t h a t 2 0 ... Q c 3 d oes n o t solve Black's 20 ... eS 2 1 . Rxf7 Bxg S ( 2 1 ... Rxf7 22.g6;
131
2 1 . . . N f6 2 2 . R x fB + R x fB 2 3 . g x f6 B x f6 Analysis Variations and Notes

24.e4!!) 22.RxfB+ RxfB 23 .QxgS Qc2 (23... 13 • • • Qe7
e x d 4 2 4 . Q x d S + Rf7 2 S . Q x d 4 ) 2 4 . B x e S If Black is going to adva n ce the f-pawn,
NxeS 2S.QxeS Qxd2 26.Qxd S+; t h i s a p pears necessa ry.
20 . . . N e S 2 1 . R f4 N g 6 2 2 . R f 3 B x g S 1 3 ... ReB? 1 4.Bxh 7 + Kxh 7 l S .Q h S + KgB
2 3 . Q x g S eS 24. B b 2 Q c 2 2 S . B x e S N x e S 1 6.Qxf7+ Kh7 1 7.Rf3 .
( 2 S . . . Qxd 2 2 6 . B d 4 a n d W h ite's h - p a w n 1 4.Rf3
b e c o m e s a rea l m o n ster!) 26.QxeS RaeB Wh ite th reaten s R h 3 , but h i s rea l p l a n
2 7 .Qd4 Qxd2 2B.Kh 1 ! and Wh ite p l a n s o n i s to p re s s u re t h e e 6 - p a w n aft e r B l a c k
d o u b l i n g u p o n the g-fi le after picking u p dea l s with h i s obvi o u s th reat.
the d-pawn. 14 • • • fS
1 4 .. .f6 l S . R h 3 fS;
Exercise 1 4 1 4 ... g6 l S . R h 3 a n d Wh ite w i l l s i m p l y
La st Moves: 1 1 .Qe2 0-0 1 2.NeS N d 7 play N df3-g S a n d R h 6 i f possible. It's hard
for Black to do anyt hing provocative with
out m a k i n g h i s s i t u a t i o n even worse. A
b i g p ro b l e m i s that m ov i n g t h e f-pawn
removes protection from g6, but l eaving it
there keeps the Queen from helping on de
fense. l S .. .f6 ( l S ... Nf6 1 6.N df3 N h S 1 7.Rxh S
g x h S 1 B. N g S ; l S .. .fS 1 6. N d f3 Nf6 1 7. N g S
N d B 1 B.Nxh 7 N x h 7 1 9.Nxg6) 1 6. Nxg6.
1 S.Nxd7 Qxd7 1 6.93
Re3 i s com i n g soo n .
Best Move: 1 3 .f4
Exercise 1 5
Commentary Last Moves: 1 3 .f4 cxd4 1 4.exd4 N d 7
Th i s exercise features an al ready
open e-file and White al ready having
played Qe2 . These facets allow White to
execute an interesting feint.
1 32
1 5 ... Rfe8? 1 6.Bxh 7+;

1 5 ... Nd8 a rather awkwa rd way to de
fen d e6 if Black is tryi ng to o u st the Knig ht.
1 6.c4 N xe5 ( 1 6 .. .f6 1 7.cx d 5 fxe5 1 8. Ra c l
Nc5 1 9.dxe5) 1 7 .fxe5 Be7 1 8.Qg4.
1 5 . . . f5 1 6 . N xc 6 Bxc6 1 7 .Qxe6+ K h 8
1 8. Ra e l Bxf4 1 9. Rxf4 Qxf4 20.Qxc6 Qxd 2
2 1 . B c 3 R a c 8 2 2 . Bxd 2 Rxc6 2 3 . B b 5 , a n d
B l a c k i s not advi sed t o h o l d onto the Ex
c h a n ge, fo r 23 . . . Rxc2 ? ! is met by 24. B b4
Best Move: l S .Qe2 w h i l e 23 . . . Rc7?! Bf4 i s even less p l ea sa n t.
I n d eed, Wh ite s h o u l d not let B l a ck off the
Commentary hook with 23 . . . N b8 24.Bxc6. I n stead h e
Th is should not have been a hard s h o u l d p l a y 24.c4 a n d ta ke t h e d - pa w n
move to find. The sacrificial options are next.
clearly not on tap here. There is l ittl e 1 6.c4 dxc4
danger of Bl ack taking the e 5 - K n ight Black wo u l d rather not l et Wh ite play
given that the Bishop is on d6, so mov cxd 5 .
ing the Queen to the already-open e-file 1 6 ...f5 g i ves up both the e5- a n d
to pressure e6 is the natural play. From g 5 -sq u a re s . 1 7 .cxd 5 exd 5 1 8. R a c l Q d 8
there White can either open up the c-file 1 9.Qf2 Ne7 20.Ndf3 .
or build up a K-side attack. 1 6 .. .f6 i s c o n s i stent w i t h B l ack's p l ay,
b u t W h i t e i g n o re s t h e t h r e a t . 1 7 . Q h 5
Analysis Variations and Notes f5 1 8 . Ra c l N f6 ( 1 8 . . . d xc4 1 9 . Bxc4 Bxe5
l S ... Rae8 20.fxe5) 1 9.Qe2.
B l a c k d efe n d s the e6-pawn w i t h o u t 1 7 .Ndxc4 NdxeS 1 8.fxeS Be7
g ett i n g h i m se l f i nto a m aj o r j a m . How Wh ite's position i s very p l easa nt.
ever, Black i s not rea l l y able to play f6 or
f5 with adva ntage a nyway, so t h i s m ove Exercise 1 6
is not as u sefu l as it m i g ht oth e rwise have Last Moves: 1 1 .NeS Bd6 1 2 .Re l N d 7
been.
1 5 ... g6 1 6.c4;
1 5 ... Ra c8 1 6.c4;
1 33
Commentary
This position has come up a surpris
ing number of times given that it is ter
rible for Black.

12 ••• Kxh 7 1 1
1 2 .. KfB l ets B l a c k su rvive, but i s o bvi
.
o u s l y not a positi o n h e enjoys.

13 .Q hS+ Kg8 1 4.Qxf7+
Best Move: 1 3 .Bxh7+ Noth i n g can sto p Re3-h3#
Commentary Exercise 1 8
The l ack of defense for f7 and the Last Moves: 8.a3 Qe7 9.NeS Nd7
half-open e-file make the Bishop sac a
lead-pipe cinch.

13 ••• Kxh 7 1 4.QhS+ Kg8 1 S .Qxf7+ Kh7
16. Re3
Exercise 1 7
Last Moves: 10.Qe2 Re8 1 1 .NeS N d 7
Best Move: 1 0.Nxd7
Commentary
White has gone a bit astray, and his
i mprecision has cost him his first-move
advantage. However, it is stil l a good po
sition to practice with . . . because some
times you j ust have to find what small
advantage is there rather than look for
Best M ove: 1 2 .Bxh7+
1 34
a larger one that does not exist. Since f4 1 3 .Nd2 f6

has not been played, there is no hope of 1 3 . . . es i s a bit na·ive a n d ta kes away
a double- Bishop sac. There is certainly his Kn i g ht's o n l y g ood sq u a re . 1 4.c4 e4
not the firepower for a single- Bishop 1 s .Bc2 Be6 1 6.cs Bc7 1 7.f4 and Wh ite sti l l
sac, and Black is already defending the h a s a s m a l l advantage. H e wi l l p l a y N b 3
e6-pawn, so Qe2 is not as likely to be a a n d Q d 2 , a n d fi n d d ecent p l a ces fo r a l l
good choice. h i s p i eces.
It's true that Black is unlikely to ex 1 4.e4 as
change the Knight with the Bishop on 1 4 ... Nes 1 s . Be2 Rac8 1 6.cs Bc7 1 7.Rc 1
d6, but with the e-file closed . . . f6 is no a n d B l a c k's extra c e n t ra l p a w n s d o n ot
longer a bad play for h i m . The idea is q u ite m a ke u p for h i s l i m ited m o b i l ity.
to disorganize Black's pieces and setup 1 S .exd S exd S 1 6.bxaS NxaS
an invisible wall along the m iddle dark I wou l d c l a i m we have chaotic eq u a l
squares, hemming his pieces in. A hid ity here.
den resource here is that Black's d-pawn
does not have any defenders other than Exercise 1 9
the e-pawn . Thus keeping a firm grip on Last Moves: 9.e3 Ne6 1 0.f4 N d 7
d4 and having the ability to hit ds can
hold back Black's entire center.

1 O.f4 f6 1 1 .QhS fS a n d I t h i n k it wi l l end
u p bei ng Wh ite who has wa sted a move.
10 ••• Bxd 7
1 O . . . Qxd 7 wo u l d o n l y m a ke s e n s e i f
B l a c k thoug ht t h a t t h e extra d efense o n
d S wo u l d a l low h i m t o adva n ce . . . eS. It
doesn't q u ite work that way. 1 1 .dxcS BxcS Best Move: 1 1 .b3
1 2. b4 Bb6 1 3 . b S .
1 1 .dxeS BxeS 1 2.b4 Bb6 Commentary
1 2 ... Bd6 1 3 .f4 Rac8 ( 1 3 . . . e S ? ! 1 4. N c 3 ) Th is is the kind of position Colle
1 4.Qf3 g ives Wh ite at lea st t h e h o p e o f a n Koltanowski pl ayers can get into if they
atta ck i n pra cti ca l p l ay. are trying to play a " s l i m med-down "
1 35
repertoire (for example, meeting the Be Exercise 20

noni with e3 or not having a special ized Last Moves: 1 0.Qe2 a6 1 1 .Ne5 N d 7
response for an early . . . b6 by B l ack) .
None of the plans suggested in the mod
ule j ump right out here. The f7 -pawn
is defended and the e-file is not open.
White could play for a K-side attack with
Rf3 or Qhs, and indeed several strong
players have done exactly that. However,
since Black can easily play . . . fs , these
tries are going to be hard fought lines.
I ' m propos i ng another opti o n . I f
White were playing a C-Z here, h e would Best M ove: 1 2 .f4 ( o r Ndf3 )
simply open up the c- and d-files here
- a standard option when Bl ack's e7 Commentary
square is not available to his Queen. I White needn't worry about . . . fS or
say White should j ust do the same thing . . . f6 yet, but does have to defend the
here, getting some use out of his perhaps Kn ight again. White has some reason
m isconceived earl ier Qe2 . H is Queen to hope for a good game since Black's
is already off those files, let's make the . . . a6 is not going to help him defend his
most of it and transform the position K-side and White would be reasonably
into a latent C-Z of sorts. happy for his Knight on es to be taken
since the pawn that would end up there
Analysis Variations and Notes is pretty useful.
1 1 f5
••• White has two ways of putting an ex
1 1 . . . N d x e S 1 2 . d x e S f6 1 3 . Q h S fS tra defender on es, and they both allow
1 4.Qe2 should a l low fo r a s i m i l a r i d ea . for a future K-side offensive. Ndf3 would
1 1 .. .f6 1 2. N xc6 Bxc6 1 3 .e4. likely lead to a situation where White
1 2 .Bb2 Nf6 1 3 .Rfd 1 may play Bgs hoping to exchange it for
Th i s may not yield a n yth i n g to write Black's B ishop, allowing a Bxh7 + sacri
h o m e a bo u t, but at l ea st g ives Wh ite a fice. A sample l ine for that scenario is
reasona b l e p l a n . 1 2 . Ndf3 Ndxes 1 3 . dxes Be7 1 4 . Bc2 Bd7
I s . Bgs Bxgs 1 6 . Bxh7 + Kxh7 1 7 . Nxgs + .
136
Analysis Variations and Notes The motivation for a l l this i s that Wh ite
12 ••• N b6 w i l l l i kely wa nt to play b3 at some poi nt,
If B l a c k i s h o p i n g to a d va n ce t h e l etti n g h i s B i s h o p get to a3 a nd/or locking
f-pawn, t h i s i s one way of d o i n g it. I hope u p the Q-si de. When that h a p pens, Black
you can see w h y 1 2 . . . Re8? is d efi n i tely cou l d ruin the pa rty with . . . N a S . If Black
not the way. i s going to play that move, Wh ite wa nts
B l a c k o b v i o u s l y h a s o t h e r o pt i o n s to fo rce h i m to d o it w h i l e his p i eces a re
here. Two a p pea r somewhat natu ra l . a ro u n d t o s u p po rt b 4 i n respon se.
B l a c k m i g ht p l a y 1 2 . . . N e 7, t h i n ki n g 13 ••• aS
that i t ma kes . . . f6 poss i b l e beca u se n ow 1 3 . . . N a S 1 4. N df3 with Qc2 a n d b4 to
Wh ite ca n n ot p l a y N xc6 w h i l e u n cove r- fo l l ow ta kes the g a m e i n a co m p l etely d if
i n g the Queen's atta ck o n e6. That seems ferent d i recti on, but it i s good fo r Wh ite.
d u bi o u s to me. Ng4 a n d N c4 can both be 1 4.QhS g6 1 S. Qh4 f6 1 6.Ng4 Qg7
pretty powe rfu l u ncovering moves, a nd in 1 7 .N h6+
a n y event it i s not l i ke B l a c k can ta ke the Th i s holds ba ck hS.
Kn i g ht i m mediately a n yway beca use the 17 ••• Kh8 1 8.Nf3 Bd7 1 9.b3
B i s h o p o n d6 wou l d have no p l a ce to g o The Q-si d e i s l oc ked u p n ow, so
after Wh ite reca ptu res fxeS. Wh ite's B i s h o p s can m ove a ro u n d m o re.
B l a c k ca n c h o o s e to s h u t d ow n t h e W h i l e there i s sti l l a fa i r a m o u nt o f work
B i s h o p sacrifi ce by p l ayi n g 1 2 . . . h6. That to be d o n e, Wh ite h a s every rea son to be
a l l ows B l a c k . . . Re8, d efen d i n g e6. How- h a p py with his positi o n .
eve r, after 1 3 . N d f3 Re8 1 4.g4 f6 1 S . B g 6
Re7 1 6. Bf7+ Kf8 1 7 . B h S , B l a c k i s p roba b l y
won d e r i n g what he g o t h i m self i nto.
1 3 .a4!
Col l e P l ayers of a l l st r i p e s wou l d d o
we l l t o c o n s i d e r t h i s m ove befo re t h e i r
K-side attacks, especia l l y when Black h a s a
Kn i g ht on b6. Wh ite i s th reate n i ng to ta ke
the a s-sq u a re away fro m B l a ck's p i eces.
The only way to sto p this i s to play . . . N a S ,
w h i c h m oves t h a t K n i g ht eve n fu rt h e r
away fro m t h e K-s i d e.
137
Module 6: Cqar8e! (WqeIl to play 84 ! 9 )
W
hen it comes to moves that do not
i m mediately gain or l ose mate
rial, few tend to radically transform the
timbre of the game as frequently as the
advance of a g-pawn to the 4th rank.
Let's look at an example of such a play
between two of the strongest American
players of the early 20th century. Sammy
Reshevsky h ardly needs an i n troduc
tion, but Alexander Kevitz may be a new
name to you. Kevitz was ranked third on 1 3 .g41 1 NfS
the first USCF ratings l ist (behind Reu Black makes a hole for his Knight and
ben Fine and Reshevsky) with a rating of puts a defender on the h7-pawn that it
2610. He beat two world champions on is about to abandon. H ad Black pushed
Black in simul play, contributed to the his h- or g-pawns instead, White could
theory of many openings, and won the respond h4, threatening hS or gS .
Manhattan Chess Club championships 1 4.g5 N6d7 1 5 .Nfl Re7 1 6. N g 3 f6
multiple times. He also happened to be
Arthur Bisguier's coach.
Reshevsky-Kevitz
1 936 U.S. Championship
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3 .e3 c5 4.Bd3 d 5
5.c3 N bd 7 6.Nbd2 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd6
S.O-O 0-0 9.Re1 Qc7 1 0.Qe2 b6 1 1 .Ne5
Bb7 1 2 .f4 RfeS
1 39
Module 6: Charge ! (When to Play g4 ! ? )
This move is not bad (though it ap

pears to have been played for the wrong
reason). Black can hope his Queen and
Rook will be usefu l along his second
rank.
1 7 .gxf6 gxf6?!
I t's hard to say whether Bl ack j ust
really wanted the Knight to vacate (per
haps to allow the King to escape via f7 ) ,
or whether he honestly wanted h i s Rook
and Queen to be able to defend the h7- H ad B l ack been a fan o f S a m u e l
pawn. The former is unlikely since Black Tayl or Coleridge, his th oughts m ight
has no real hope of playing . . . Kf7 any have been something like "Air, air, every
time soon, even if White p l ays rather where, and not a drop to b reathe. "
passively on his next move. The l atter 21 ... KhS 22.Bh6 BeS 2 3 . Rf1 Qe7
seems naive. My guess is that Black had Black goes in for a Queen trade, but
something else in mind entirely. his pawns are too hard to hold.
1 7 . . . Nxf6 I B . Qg2 NBd7 1 9 . Bd2 RfB 24.Qxe7 Bxe7 2S.BxeS RxeS 26. RfS
is much better. RdS 27.Nf4 Ng6 2S.Nxd S N h 4 29.Nxe7
l S.Nxd 7 Rxd 7 1 9. N h S! Rxe7 30.Rf4 Ng6 3 1 . Rxf6 RgS 3 2 .Kf1
Th is m ove causes m o re p roblems Re4 3 3 . Rf2 N h 4 34. Bf4 h S 3 S . Bg3 Reg4
than you might think. Black has to rel- 36.Re1 Ng6 3 7 . Rf3 h4 3S.Bf2 Kh7
egate a Rook to defend a lowly pawn in a 39.h3 Rf4 40.Re7+ KhS 4 1 .Rxf4 Nxf4
position where h is Rooks want freedom 42.Re3 RfS 43 .Rf3 Kg 7 44.Be3 [ 1 -0]
to roam.
19 •.• Rf7 That win illustrates many basic ideas,
1 9 . . . f5, all owing White to win the and I would recommend you play through
Exch ange, is probably better. I would it a few times because I'll be referencing it
actually suggest 1 9 . . . KhB, giving away now and again as we explore the question
the p awn, but White probably would as to when g4 is appropriate.
not have been bought off so easily. I do n o t want to give an i m p res
20.fS exfS 21.BxfS sion that the above is a " model game. "
I n d eed, there i s n o such th i n g as a
1 40
Module 6 : Lesson
"model " for how the g-pawn march is For the rest o f this module, when I
supposed to work (an observation the refer to the g-pawn advance, it should be
reader would do well to keep in mind ) . assumed I'm referring to the advance be
Had Black chosen a different 1 3th move, ing played in the early-middle game, in
the game would have looked very differ particular when no more than one pair of
ent. Similarly for move 1 7 . pieces has been exchanged and the c-, d-,
I n additi o n to the many possib le and e- files are not all locked up. Much
eventu a l i ties a g-pawn advancement of what I say becomes less and less appl i
might beget, White may have any of sev cable (or even flat-out wrong) later.
eral possible reasons or goals in mind
when making the play. A casual study of U ndersta n d i n g g4
games involving g4 can leave you hope Before giving more specific guidance,
lessly perplexed, seeing little in the way I want to make sure you have a general
of recurring themes or basic principles. grasp of this tactic.
So, rather than attempt the Hercu
lean task of distill ing guiding principles The Need fo r 94
for playing g4 in all situations, in this What niche does g4 claim in the eco
module we will focus on the use of g4 in system of chess moves? What's its role?
the early-middle game. This makes sense Let's first start with a simple obser
for two reasons. First, the earl ier g4 is vation: Your attacking options are dic tated
played, the greater the risk to your own mos t direc tly by the placement of your oppo
Ki ng. Hence, it is particularly important nent's K-s ide paw ns and the nearby pieces.
to know when not to play g4 during Okay, noth ing earth-shattering there.
this ph ase. Secondly, there is generally But how do we proceed when Bl ack's
only one reason to play g4 in the early defenses do not allow us to mount an
middle game, so it is easier to study that attack on his King?
decision. Later on g4 might be indicated You could simply attack elsewhere,
due to any number of motivations, or where the pastures may be greener. You
some amalgam thereof. Trying to cod may also exchange a defender. This is
ify and understand these systematically especially disruptive for Black if he has
wou l d require a much larger module to retake with a pawn, as in the Bxf6 play
(and likely a desire for self-inflicted psy that figured prominently in the attacks
chosis as wel l ) . of the last module. If the board (or, if we
1 41
Module 6 : Charge ! (When to Play g4 ! ? )
are being honest, our disposition) does I n short g4 leads to both sides hav
not lead us to such choices, we can also ing more K-side space. The expectation
generally coax Black into modifying the is that White's pieces will get there first
structure by targetting certain squares. I f and use that space better. Lo ok at the
you play Rf3 -h3 and then Qe l -h4, you third diagram from the Reshevsky game.
can be reasonably confident that your The entire K-side is open pasture, but
opponent will do something. Bl ack's pieces are all stuck in his home
The trouble is, these piece maneuvers court because sending them out to hit
often take time and generally the p ieces White would be suicide.
you moved were doing something else Th is understanding of the g-p awn
useful earl ier. While you are busy repo advance should clarify why it is such
sitioning your p ieces, Black is l i kely to a useful weapon for Colle players. I t is
cash a big reality check at your ATM . very co mmon for Bl ack to have a pawn
When you are in this situation, when on e6 for a long time while White gener
there are no weaknesses you can feasibly ally can get rid of his e-pawn . White also
assail and no time to make new ones by tends to have an easier time advancing
piece maneuvers, that's when g4 should his f-pawn and moving his Knight from
be considered. I t p rovokes changes in f3 . These all contribute to White being
your opponent's defensive configuration able to transfer pieces to the K-side more
while al l owing your p ieces to maintain easily than Black.
their current duties until such time that
they can shift to more aggressive posts G u ideli nes
without fear of counter-attack. A l ittl e reas o n i ng goes a l ong way
To see j ust one example of th is, look when it comes to formulating some ba
at t h e Res h evs ky g a m e . Wh e n B l ack sic pri nciples describ ing when g4 might
retreated h i s Kn ight, it freed White to make sense and when it is a terrible idea.
m ove his own to fl . P revi o u s l y that Note the U might. u Eventually you have
Knight was needed to patrol e4 . to look hard at the details regardless of
what these principles say.
What g4 Acco m plishes I n particular, there are five questions
The description of what g4 accom you should ask yourself:
pl ishes is much simpler than the above • D oes g4 cause a reactio n ?
discussion of when it is needed. • Does it fi t Black's skeleto n ?
1 42
Module 6 : Lesson
• Are there other options? g4 right after Black had placed his Rook
• Is there a Bishop on d 7 ? on eS, meaning the Knight on f6 had no
• Are my pieces ready? plausible moves.
In this section, we'll discuss each.
Eva l u ate Black's S keleton
Ca using a Reaction The above is probably obvious. But
Playing g4 almost always causes a re what is not so obvious is to consider the
action. Generally your opponent either likely p awn advances Black will make in
has to do something to stop gS or needs reaction. I f those pawn advances have
to make arrangements so that gS is not sign i ficant side benefits, l i ke opening
a problem. We saw this in Reshevsky's up spaces for Black's pieces or increas
game when Kevitz played NfS, which ing the scope of pieces that are already
opened up the d7-square for his other placed, then that is a mild argument ( at
Kn ight. Someti mes it is not gS that is least) against g4 .
the threat but rather fS, supported by the Some examples might clarify what
g-pawn that was j ust advanced. I mean about considering future pawn
It is a bad idea to play g4 if your op moves. Consider the next position:
ponent is not compelled to react. For ex
ample, if you are chasing a Knight on f6
to a square he wants to go to anyway (say
e4), then that's a red flag. Often gS or fS
would only pose a minor inconvenience
for Black - for example he has a satis
factory retreat or he has played h6 or g6
and an exchange on gS or fS would not
allow an immediate rampage by White.
In those cases g4 might stil l be okay so
long as Black cannot quickly dissolve the Pawn Moves M u lti-Purpose
center and attack White's King.
In general, the more awkward it is It does not take much effort to see
for your opponent to deal with the i m t h at B l ack's p awns con strict h i s d e
pending threat of gS (or fS ), the better. fensive p i eces. The f-p awn blocks h i s
In the Reshevsky game, Sammy played Bishop a n d Rook while his g-pawn i s
1 43
on a square where his Knight or Bishop A Ti me for All Th i n g s

might want to be. I f he shifts his pawns As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, "To
in response to g4 (or if those pawns get everything there is a season, and a time
rem oved ) , h i s p i eces wou l d become to every purpose under heaven. " Before
more active and find homes they earlier you play g4, make sure that it is, in fact,
did not have. the season for it.
Thus, rather than g4 (which Bl ack As I d e s c ri b ed e a rl i e r, g4 m a kes
met well in the actual game by playing s e n s e when t h e re are no l e s s - c o m
f6 soon), White should look elsewhere. mittal options to explore. I f you see a
Now consider this diagram: reasonable plan that does not requ ire
g4, you should probably take it. I f you
can easily get to decent squares on the
K-side, there is likely l ittle need to play
g4 in the early-middle game. Note how
Reshevesky p l ayed g4 at a time when
the Knight on f6 was guarding the entry
points for his Queen and his Rook was
unable to lift out.
Don't let this guidel i n e deter you
if the variations that wil l ensue can be
B l ack's K-side p awns do not con seen with a fai r degree of confidence
strain his pieces here. I f Black finds it and those lines are pleasant ones. This is
necessary to move or exchange pawns, especially likely in the case where Black
doing so will not be doing much in the has two pieces on the K-side in front of
way of side benefits. his pawns.
I t is p arti cu l a rly useful if Bl ack's
pawns are pinned or otherwise difficult Bishop o n d7
to advance due to specifics of the posi You should be particularly mindful of
tion. I f Black has to meet a K-side pawn the g4 lunge if your opponent has placed
thrust without being able to move his a Bishop on d7 rather than on b7. The
own pawns, he can run into problems most obvious reason is that this Bishop
very quickly. takes away a retreat square for Bl ack's
Knight on f6 . Furthermore, the Bishop
1 44
Module 6 : Lesson
has a hard time not getting in the way of on f1 ( if that Rook has been moved to
Black's major pieces if it is on d7 when e I , be careful that you do not get hoisted
White plays g4 . Such a Bishop also will on your own petard by Black open ing
require at least one extra move to coun and contro l l ing the f- fi l e ! ) H owever,
ter-attack White's King should the center i f you h ave moved that Ro ok to the
dissolve. Finally, the lack of pressure on h-file al ready, a g-pawn advance can be
e4 can end up ruining what would oth particularly strong. H aving a Rook on
erwise be good defensive resources for h 3 can make up for having less easily
Black. We will discuss that more soon. transferred pieces elsewhere.
Be Ca refu l What Yo u Wish For Ana lysis G u ides

The final gu iding principle for de I'd l ike to offer three bits of advice to
ciding whether g4 makes sense is to ask consider as you are doing the analysis.
yourself whether you are in a position
to benefit from the resulting space. As I Th ree Sta ndard Fo l l ow- u ps
mentioned earl ier, g4 tends to increase Wh i l e there are n o te m p l ates fo r
the space for both pl ayers on the K-side. g-pawn advances, there are three stan
If your pieces are not in a position to dard plans to consider. The first option
make use of that space, then you might i s gS . That is w h at B l ack most com
find you rself staring down the wrong monly must react to. I f h is resp onse
end of your own bayonet. prevents this (or it would be unwise for
Ask you rse l f "which of my pieces some other reaso n ) , the second most
wou l d take more than two moves to common continuation is h4, supporting
hit Bl ack's K-side? " Generally, if more a possible gS while threatening h S . This
than one minor piece or more than one also in creases dramatically the space
maj or piece falls into this category, the you have, a l l owi ng you to reposition
attack is dub ious. You are u n l i kely to and deploy your heavy units.
have enough power to force Black on the Your final alternative is to dominate
defensive and wil l be unable to imme the entire board by appropriate play on
diately util ize the li nes you have broken both fl anks. Th is l ast, boa-constrictor
open and the spaces that will likely form method is most common when Bl ack
as his pawn-structure shifts. holes up on the K-side, using his pieces
It is expected that you have a Rook to discourage further pawn advances.
1 45
Unless one of these three plans looks Th i n k Th ro u g h Centra l Exchan ges

promising, you should probably recon Since White is b anking on claiming
sider g4 . most of the space that opens up on the
K-side, B l ack may find it to his advan
Bewa re the Piece on e7 tage to trade p ieces. If he captures your
As your pawns advance, they can be Knight on eS, you may find your f-pawn
come weak. This may not be a big deal overworked (since normally you would
since you were hoping to exchange them not want to recapture with your d-pawn,
to open up lines, but sometimes these opening the center and a whole new can
weaknesses can ru i n a n attack. S i nce of worms) . If Black plays . . . Ne4, several
Bl ack typically has a p awn o n e6 and pieces can co me off. I f one of them is
White has something ( Knight or pawn ) t h e B/b 7 , t h e n B l ack h a s e s s e n t i a l l y
on e S , the p iece that is most l i kely to traded off an attacker with a p iece that
exploit these weaknesses is whatever is White had hoped would be completely
on e7 (or a Queen/ Bishop on dB should useless.
e7 be vacant) . This latter play ( . . . Ne4) is more dan
I t's a good idea, then, to think care gerous when combined with the former
ful ly about whatever piece is on e 7 . If it ( . . . NxeS ) . To see an extremely common
is a Knight, then think through its sup example of this, consider the diagram:
p o rt of ( and access to ) the fS -square,
especially weak after a l ater gS . If the
piece is a Bishop or Queen, be aware of
the difficulties this might pose in l ater
advancing h4 ( i f need be) or gS . A dose
of . . . QxgS + can deport you from dream
l and to the real m of painful reality very
quickly.
But don't you normally have a pawn on

'4 covering g51 This position has occurred in many
games, and White h a s an excepti o n
That l eads us i nto the next specific. ally strong record with 1 l .g4, including
several upsets. B l ack has tried 1l . . . h 6 ,
1 46
Module 6 : Lesson
H . . . g6, and H . . . NxeS here with some 1 4.g4 Qe7

frequency, b u t n o n e h as given good A clever move that does many things.
results. The possible entry of the black Queen
I ronically, Bl ack does not need to to gS is a yellow flag. This also freezes
do anything provocative at all . gS is an White's a-Rook for the moment. White
empty threat. After a developing move still has better placed pieces and should
like l l . . . Rac l ! or H . . . Rad l ! ( H . . . aS ! is take his time building up his position
even better, threatening . . . Ba6) White on both sides of the board.
appears to have noth i ng b etter than 1 4 . . . Rac8 is met by l S . Rf2, which
1 2 .gS NxeS 1 3 . fxeS ( 1 3 . dxeS is asking not only p repares to m ove the Rook
fo r tro u b l e, bo th b ecause B l ack can sideways to the g-file, but also puts cru
open the center, loosing his Bishop, and cial added defense to c2 in case exchang
because he can maneuver h i s Kn ight es on e4 remove defenders fro m that
to cS via d 7 . ) 1 3 . . . Ne4 1 4 . Nxe4 dxe4 square. Of course, the option to double
l S . Bxe4 Bxe4 1 6 . Qxe4 BxgS, and Black's up on the f-file is another benefit.
K-side pawns are still in their virgin state 1 4 . . . Be7 foresees an exchange on
while the minor pieces White had ready eS, but White gets the upper hand with
to leap into action are now in the box. l S . g S N d 7 1 6 . Nxg6 hxg 6 1 7 . Ra e l .
H e has plenty of time to make use of
Practice Problem h i s m ass ive s p ace advan tage on the
I n Zuke 'Em, I suggested g 4 in the K-side. Black's position has almost no
position below. Work out as many of mobility.
the l i nes as you can i n you r p ractice l S .a4
j ournal . Th is allows the possibil ity of Ba3
later, moves the a-pawn from danger,
and shows a willingness to slowly take
advantage of Black's rather defensively
pl aced pieces. As I mentioned in one
of the l ast modu le's exercises, always
consider this move before moving your
pieces from the center to the K-side.
l S .gS allows Black to get equality by
the tactic described in the Think Through
[Solution begins top of next column.}

1 47
Exchanges subsection: l S . . . BxeS 1 6 . fxeS tween two squares. 2 3 . Rae l (23 .dS exdS
( 1 6 . dxeS QcS + ) 1 6 . . . Ne4 1 7 . Bxe4 dxe4 2 4 . Qd4 Qg4 is not what White wants ! )
I B . Nxe4 Bxe4 1 9 . Qxe4 QxgS +. 2 3 . . . RfS 2 4 . QbB RfB 2 S . QeS.
1 5 . . . Rac8 1 6.c3! 1 7 ... Rc7 1 8.Rafl Rfc8
Wh i t e s e a l s o ff t h e Q - s i d e fro m I B . . . Ba3 1 9 . Ba l .
B l ack's p i eces ( t h e b 4 - s qu are i s n o 1 9.95 Bxe5 20.fxe5 Ne4 2 1 .Bxe4 dxe4
longer avail able) and allows Wh ite to 22.Nxe4 Bxe4 23 .Qxe4 Qxg 5+ 24.Kh l
threaten as and BbS (since the Bishop Qe7 25.c4 Qb4 26.Qd 3
no l onger needs to p rotect c2 ) wh i l e White looks good here.
leaving open the option of gS .
I l l u strative Exercise
All exercises for this module come
from actual games where g4 was played.
Determ ine whether you th i n k g4 is a
good move or n ot. Write down you r
reasons a s well a s your analysis. Remem
ber that th is is a complicated tactic, and
there are lots of things to consider. The
exercises are not easy, and you may end
up l ea r n i n g m o re fro m the s o l u t i o n
No Q-side Squares for Black notes than you do from your own ef
forts . . . at least the first ti me. These exer
1 6 ... a6 1 7.Rf2 cises can be revisited again and again.
Now White can dominate the f-file Th e exercises fo r th is module are
and play gS . With the Rooks doubled up special in that I have included the con
and defending the Bishop on b2 later cl usion of each game so you can see
ally, it is no longer a big deal if Black's the aftermath of the g-pawn advances.
Queen gets to play QxgS + Th ink of it as a miniature pack of illus
1 7 .gS BxeS I B . Bxg6 ? ! gives Black a trative games on this topic.
crazy draw by "perpetual check" against
White's Queen ! I B . . . fxg6 1 9 . QxeS Ne4
20. Ba3 Qd7 21 . Nxe4 dxe4 2 2 . BxfB RxfB
and the white Queen i s trapped b e -
1 48
Exercises
Last Moves: 1 4.Rf3 h6 l S .Rh3 Ne8 Last Moves: 1 1 .f4 cS 1 2.c3 Qc7
Last Moves: 1 2 .Qe2 Bc7 1 3 .f4 NfS Last M oves: 1 1 .Qf3 Bd7 1 2 .Qh3 Qe8
1 49
Module 6 : Charge ! (When to Play g4 )
Last Moves: 9.Qf3 cS 1 0.c3 Qc7 Last Moves: 1 7 .Rae 1 Bb8 1 8.Qf2 NfS
La st Moves: 1 3 .c3 Ne8 1 4.Qh3 fS La st Moves: 22.Bb2 g6 2 3 . Re 1 Qc8
1 50
Last M oves:12.Qe2 Ne7 1 3 .f4 Ng6 Last M oves: 1 1 .Be2 cxd412.exd4 N a 5
Last Moves: 2 7.Qc1 Be7 28.Bd3 N f8 Last Moves: 1 4.f4 Qb6 1 5.Qf3 0-0
1 51
Exercise 1 3 Exercise 1 S
La st Moves: 1 3 .Qe2 Qc7 1 4.Rf2 Qb8 Last Moves: 1 1 .f4 a6 1 2.a4 Bd7
Last Moves: 1 3 .f4 Ne7 1 4.Rc1 NfS Last Moves: 22.Nxd 7 Rxd 7 23.Rc1 Bf6
1 52
La st M oves: 1 3 .f4 Ne7 1 4.Qf3 NfS Last M oves: 1 1 .NeS 96 1 2 .f4 Ne8
Last M oves: 1 2 . Rf3 Qc7 1 3 .Rh3 h6 Last M oves: 1 1 .NeS Be8 1 2 .Ndf3 h6
1 53
Solutioqs
Exercise 1 Queen has easy entry to g4 and h5 so

La st Moves: 1 4. Rf3 h6 1 S.Rh3 N e8 long as Black's Knight can be kept from
f6 . The Rook on c1 helps keep the center
stable because dissolution on the c-fie
can turn ugly for Bl ack's Queen given
the possibility of Bh7+, uncovering the
Rook. Finally, even the Bishop on b2 has
a hope of getting i nto the action due to
exchanges along the main diagonal .

1 6 ... NxeS
Verd ict: 1 6.g4! Th i s g ives Black at l east a g l i m me r of
hope that h e can adva n ce his f-pawn.
Commentary 1 6 .. .f5 1 7. N g 6 Rf7 1 8.g5.
The Rook on h3 is the real key here, 1 7.dxeS
and I'm not j ust talking about the pos Wh ite d oes n ot often have this l ux u ry
sibil ities on h7 or h8 should the h-pawn (ta king with the d-pawn) beca u se h i s King
be diverted. I'm also referring to how the safety depends o n sta b i l ity i n the center.
Rook holds the g-pawn back (since the W h i te ca n tha n k h i s Rooks beca u se t h e
g-pawn has to protect the h-pawn) . Add one o n c 1 takes the sti ng from . . . d4 w h i l e
to this the defense of the e3-pawn block t h e one o n h 3 , b y s u p porti ng e 3 , removes
ing possible counter-attacks along the t h e d a n g e r of . . . c4 (after w h i c h B l a c k
a7 -g l diagonal. In addition to the Rook co u l d otherwise g a n g - u p on the e3-pawn
on h3, there are other p ieces in White's a l o n g the a 7-g 1 d iagona l ) .
camp that are better pl aced than you Wh ite d oes wel l kee ping h i s f-pawn to
might imagine for a g4 thrust. White's s u p po rt a n d defend the g5 sq u a re. For ex-
1 55
a m pl e 1 7 .fxe5 ? ! wo u l d a l low . . . Bg5, m a k

i n g Wh ite's attac k s i g n ificantly h a rder.
1 7 . . . f6 1 S.Nf3
I wo u l d say t h i s is a bad m ove except
it's h a rd to see what Black ca n d o to deal
with the th reats to h i s King. White's Queen
can no l o n g e r q u i c k l y get to g4 o r h 5 , b u t
she can n o w g e t t o d 3 a n d d 5 .
1 8 . exf6 h a s to b e g o o d n o m a tt e r
what B l a c k reca ptu res w i t h . N o t o n l y i s
g 5 g o i n g t o h u rt, b u t n ow t h e B i s h o p o n Verd i ct: 1 4.g4?!
b2 may wel l show u p fa s h i o n a b l y l ate, b u t
w i t h a bazooka. Commentary
l S ...f5 White had a rather promising game
Th i s l e a d s to q u i c k d efeat. Pe r h a p s, against his much h igher-rated oppo
t h o u g h , there was a s ma l l c h a n ce Wh ite nent. H owever, all he is doing with this
wou ld d o someth i n g s i l l y a n d a l l ow B l a c k lunge is forcing Black to get a valuable
to s u r v i v e . C o m p a re t h a t w i t h ot h e r outpost on e4 by using the d 6-square
moves that d o noth i n g to stop the th reats Black j ust vacated.
to Black's K-side. The rest of the game shows this rath
1 9.9xf5 BeS er clearly, and I do not have anything to
1 9 . exf5 20.Qxd 5 +
. . add to that.
20.f6 gxf6 2 1 .Rxh6 Rf7 22 .Qfl Rg7+
23 . Kh l f5 24.Q h 3 BfS 25.Qh5 [ 1 -0] Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 4 ... Nd6 1 5.g5 N fe4 1 6.Nxe4 dxe4
Exercise 2 1 7 .Ba6 Bxa6 l S.Qxa6 Nf5 1 9.Qe2 Bxe5
Last Moves: 1 2.Qe2 Be7 1 3 .f4 Nf5 20.dxe5 Qd5 2 1 .Rael e3 22 .e4 Qe4
23.Bel RfdS 24.Bxe3 Rd3 25.Bel Qd4+
26.Qf2 RdS 27.Qxd4 Nxd4 2S.Re3
Nxb3 29.Kf2 Na5 30.Rxd3 Rxd 3 3 1 .Ke2
Rh3 3 2 . Rd l h5 3 3 .gxh6 Rxh 6 34.Rd7
Rxh2+ 3 5. Kd 3 Rh3+ 36.Be3 Nxe4
3 7 . Kxe4 Rxe3 3S.Rxa7 g5 39.fxg 5 Rxe5
1 56
40.Rb7 Rxg S 4 1 .Rxb6 Rg 1 42.a4 Ra 1 Analysis, Variations, and Notes

43.KbS Kg 7 44.a S eS 4S.a6 e4 46.Ke4 1 3 ... e411
f6 47.Kd S e3 4S. Re6 Kg6 49. Rxe3 Rxa6 I d on't see what Black g a i n s by l ocki ng
SO.Rg 3+ KfS S 1 . Rf3+ Kg S S2.Rf1 Ra4 up t h e cente r. G e n e ra l l y B l a c k wants to
S 3 . Ke6 Re4+ S4.Kf7 fS S S . Rg 1 + Rg4 b rea k open the center to cou nter-attack.
S6.Rf1 f4 S7.Ke6 Rg3 SS.KeS Re3+ 1 4.Be2 NeS 1 S .gS fS 1 6.N df3 11
S9.Kd4 ReS 60.Kd 3 Kg4 6 1 .Kd2 f3 Wh ite shou l d be h a p py with
62.Rg 1 + Kh3 63 .Rg7 f2 64. Rf7 Kg 2 exc h a n g i n g .
6S.Rg7+ Kf1 66.Ra7 RgS [0- 1 ] 1 6.gxf6 N xf6 1 7.Qg2 B e B 1 B.Q h 3 a n d
Wh ite sti l l h a s s o m e fu el t o a d d t o t h e fi re
Exercise 3 with no d a n g e r to h i s King.
Last Moves: 1 1 .f4 eS 1 2 .e3 Qe7 1 6 ... bS 1 7.a3 a s 1 S.h4 g611
B l a c k a l l ow s W h i t e to open up t h e
posit ion, w h i c h h a s t o be t h e l a st t h i n g
h e wa nts.
1 B ... BxeS 1 9. N xeS and Wh ite has the
better positi on, but Black can lock t h i n g s
u p.
1 9. Kg211
1 9 . h S g x h S 2 0 . K h 1 a n d W h i te g ets
d efi n ite p l ay d own the g-fi l e by prepa r
i n g g6.
Verd i ct: 1 3 .g41 1 9 ... N g 7 20.Rfb 1 b4 2 1 .Nxd 7 Qxd 7
22.NeS Qe7 23.Ba4 BxeS 24.dxeS b3
Commentary 2S.Qd 1 Qb6 26.Qd4 RfbS 27.Rd 1 Kf7
The perfect way of making some 2S.Bd71
th ing out of the small advantage White Th i s m ove, tryi n g to w i n i n a n eq u a l
has. Notice the Bishop on d7 fai l s to position manages to create a l o s i n g o n e.
support the e4-square and gets in the 2S ... a4 29.Rd2 Qxd4 30.Rxd4 Ke7
way of Black's other pieces. Also note 3 1 .Rad 1 Kxd 7 32.Rxe4 ReS 3 3 .Rb4
how Bl ack's p i eces do not appear to RebS 34.Rbd4 RbS 3 S .e4 ReS 36.exd S
gain much from the K-side pawn moves exd S 37.Rxd S+ Rxd S 3S.Rxd S+ Ke6
Black will end up making. 39.Rd6+ Ke7 40.Rb6 Ra7
157
40 ... Rc8 wo u l d have d ecided matters. checked) . Note how awkward and help
4 1 .Kf3 Ne6 42 .e4 Rd7? less Black's position is due to the Bishop
42 .. .fxe4+ 43 . Kxe4 Rc7. on d7 b locking movement of p ieces.
43 .exf5 N d4+ 44.Ke3 White's King is safe and Black's K-side
44.Kg4! ? d oes n't save White. 44 ... N xf5 pieces get smothered.
45 . h 5 Ne3+ 46. Kf3 N c4.
44 ... Nxf5+ 45.Ke2 Ra7 46.Rf6 Nxh4 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
47.Kd3 Nf5 4S.Kc3 Ne3 49.Rd6 Nc2 13 ••. g6
50.Kd 3 Rd7 5 1 . Rxd7+ Kxd 7 52.Kc4 Kc6 1 3 ... B c 6 sto p s the g - p a w n a d va n ce
53 .e6 Kd6 54.e7 Kxe7 5 5 .Kb5 Nxa3+ by a l l ow i n g fo r . . . N e4, b u t t h e n Wh ite
56.Kxa4 N c4 57.Kxb3 Nxb2 [0- 1 ] ca n s l ow l y d o m i nate the e n t i re b o a r d .
1 4. N xc6 Qxc6 1 5 .c4 B b4 1 6. N f3 Wh ite c a n
Exercise 4 n o w adva nce on the Q-side, play N e5, a n d
Last Moves: 1 1 .Qf3 Bd7 1 2 .Qh3 QeS prepa re f5 .
1 4.N df3 Kg 7 1 5. N g 5 NegS
1 5 ... h6 had to be p layed.
1 6.Qg2
1 6.c4 100ks p retty powerfu l here. Black
ca n n ot affo rd to l et the d ia g o n a l open u p
g iven h i s K-si d e confi g u ration. I t l oo ks l i ke
Wh ite ca n stuff h i m i nto a box!
1 6 ... N h 6 1 7 .h3 b6 l S.Rf3 N h gS
1 9. Rafl
S u bt l e it i s n ot, but wo rk it d oes.
Verd ict: 1 3 .g4! 1 9 ... h6 20.Ngxf7 Rxf7
20 ... N e4 2 1 .f5 .
Commentary 2 1 .Bxg6 Bxe5 22.Bxf7 Kxf7 2 3 .fxe5
B l ack has given h i s Kn ight o n f6 Qe7 24.exf6 Qd6 25.g5 QfS 26.Qg4
no breathing room with his last move. KeS 27.f7+ Kd S 2S.fxgS=Q Qxg S
Th i s i s a great t i m e to stri ke b e fo re 29.RfS+ QxfS 30.RxfS+ [ 1 -0]
Black can untangle his pieces. White's
pawn advance does not help Black do Exercise 5
th i s ( someth i ng that always must be Last M oves: 9.Qf3 c5 1 0.c3 Qc7
1 58
Verd ict: 1 1 .g41! Verd ict: l S .g41!
Th i s is the position I warned you The p rob lem with g4 here i s that
about in the lesson. In all honesty, you Black does not really need to do any
might very wel l do fine in an OTB game thing about it. The space he already has
here since the best move is not easy to around his King lets him defend along
find for Black. White has had very good his 7th rank after the Knight on eS is
practical results here, but there is no get exchanged. gxfS is not a maj or threat,
ting a good position if Black finds the especially if Black is allowed to retake
right continuation. with a Knight. Ndf3 woul d h ave p re
served a promising position for White
Analysis, Variations, and Notes with several possible plans.
11 ••• g6 1 2. Rf2 NxeS 1 3 .fxeS N d 7
1 4.Qh 3 f6 l S .exf6 Rxf6 1 6.Nf3 Rf7 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 7. N g S Bxg S 1 8.Rxf7 Kxf7 1 9.Qxh7+ lS ••• N ef61!
Ke8 20.Qxg6+ Ke7 2 1 .Qxg S+ Kd6 After t h i s one error, Wh ite was a b l e
22 .e4 Qd8 2 3 .Bf4+ Kc6 24.exd S+ exd S to b u i l d u p a n attac k even t h o u g h B l a c k
2S .Re 1 c4 26.Bxc4 NcS 27.Qg6+ [ 1 -0] played very wel l for severa l m oves there
after. Let's look at what co u l d have h a p
Exercise 6 pened if Bl ack had n ot erred here.
Last Moves: 1 3 .c3 N e8 1 4.Qh3 fS 1 5 ... Nxe5!
I t i s i m po rta nt to get t h i s m ove i n be-
1 59
Module 6 : Charge ! ( When to Play g4 )
fore Wh ite can play Ndf3 . As l o n g as Wh ite White now should d o wel l i n all l i nes by
has to reca ptu re with a pawn, B l a ck's de simply excha n g i n g o n e4 a n d then p u s h
fen sive tas k i s ea sier beca u se g6 i s under i n g d 5 or f5 (wh ichever Black's reca ptu re
l ess p ressure a n d the fl-sq u a re beco mes a l l ows) . The g a m e conti n u ed with :
ava i l a b l e for Black's Rook. 20 ••• Bf8 2 1 .Bxe4 dxe4 22 .dxcS Bg7
1 6.fxe5 N g 7, and there i s l ittl e Wh ite 23 .Rd 1 Rd8 24.Rg d 2 Rxd 2 2S.Rxd2
c a n h o p e fo r w i t h f5 d e fe n d e d fo u r bxcS 1
times. 25 ... Bc8 wo u l d have kept B l a c k a l ive.
U nfo rtu n atel y, the rec kless 1 6.dxe5 ? ! 26.Rd7 Qc8 2 7.Qh4 Bc6 28.Rxg7+
i s worse. After 1 6 . . . fxg4 1 7 .Qxg4 N g 7, Kxg 7 29.Ng4 [ 1 -0]
Wh ite wo u l d have to play 1 8.Bxg6? if he
were tryi ng to m a ke a n someth i n g of his Exercise 7
i n itiative. The p ro b l e m fo r Wh ite b e i n g Last Moves: 1 7.Rae 1 Bb8 1 8.Qf2 NfS
t h a t a nyth i n g e l se a l l ows B l a c k to p l a y
. . . N f5 , at w h i c h p o i nt t h e re i s n o h o pe
of a ny attac k, at least n ot a g a i n st B l a ck's
K i n g . 1 8 ... hxg6 1 9.Qxg6 d4 i s j u st too easy
to fi n d to put a ny hope i nto t h i s attack.
Wh ite wo u l d l i ke to g et a Rook o n g 2 so
that h e can play Qxe6+, uti l izing the pin
a ga i n st the K n i g ht. U nfo rtu nate l y, there
i s j u st noth i n g t h e re. 20.e4 B h 4 2 1 . R g 2
Rxf4 c r u s h i n g W h i te's h o p e . 2 2 .Qxe6+
Qf7 2 3 .Qxfl + Kxfl 24.cxd4 cxd4 25.Bxd4 Verd ict: 1 9.941
Bxe4.
Co m i ng back to the actual g a m e . . . Commentary
1 6.gxfS exfS 1 7.Ndf3 Ne4 1 8.Rg2 NxeS This was played in a game between
1 9.NxeS two IMs and is a good reminder that one
N ote the p ressure a g a i n st g6. must always look at the consequences of
19 ••• Rf6 20.c4 immediate chaos in the center.
Both p l ayers have p l ayed we l l s i nce
the m i sta ke o n B l a c k's 1 5t h , b u t B l a c k's Analysis, Variations, and Notes
p o s i t i o n i s b e co m i n g h a rd to d efe n d . 19 ••• dxc4 20.bxc4 BxeS 2 1 .gxfS
1 60
2 1 .fxe5 Nxg4 22.Qf4 Qh4 and Wh ite i s Commentary

n o t d e a d , but p l ayi ng g4 a n d then havi n g As l o ng as White is fully aware of
fo u r of B l a c k's pi eces a l l h i tti n g sq u a res the complexities of this position, the g4
a ro u n d you r King i s a fa i rly re l i a b l e s i g n play is a good one. Note that none of
t h a t s o m eth i n g h a s g o n e wro n g - b e Black's heavy pieces are on the 7th rank,
yo n d " p i c k l e-flavored i ce c ream" wro n g . and it is unlikely for any transformation
M o re l i k e " m a r m a l a d e - a n d -t u n a -fi s h of Black's K-side pawns to significantly
sandwich" wrong. help his pieces defend his King.
2 1 . Bxf5 Bxd4; H owever, Wh ite needs to be a b it
2 1 .Rxe5 Nxg4. cautious. The Rook on eS means that
21 ... Ng4 22 .fxeS Nxf2 2 3 . Rxf2 bS 24.cS advancing the f-pawn is unlikely to work
RxcS 2S .f6 g6 26.h4 Rd S 27.Re4 Kh8 any time soon. Black is also threatening
28. B b 1 Qc7 29.Rh2 Rg8 30.hS gxhS+ the annoying . . . Ba6 . I n the game, White
3 1 .Kf1 Rg S 3 2 . Reh4 Qd8 3 3 .Nf3 RdxeS fi nds the perfect solution to these is
34.NxeS RxeS 3 S .Bc1 QdS 36.dxeS sues, but then does not quite harvest his
Qd 1 + 37.Kf2 Qxc 1 38.Bd3 Qb2+ gains. He allows the focus of the game
39.Kf1 Qa 1 + 40.Kf2 QxeS 4 1 .RxhS to drift to the Q-side, where he has less
Qxf6+ 42.Ke 1 Qc3+ 43.Ke2 Bf3 + [0- 1 ] influence.
Exercise 8 Analysis, Variations, and Notes

Last Moves: 22.Bb2 g6 23.Re1 Qc8 24 ... Nd6 2S.Ba3!
A n exce l l e nt m ove, d ra w i n g B l a c k's
Queen off cS. Th i s removes the i m m ed iate
th reat of ... Ba6, a l l ow i n g Wh ite to m a ke
the K-side the p ri m a ry stage.
2S ... Qc7 26.Bxd6?!
I t h i n k this i s where White went wrong.
I t 's h a rd fo r B l a c k to i m p rove h i s p i ece
p l a c e m e n t w i t h o u t g i v i n g Wh ite s o m e
rea l atta c k i n g c h a n ces, so I th i n k W h i te
s h o u l d m a i nta i n the ten sion h e re.
Verd ict: 24.g4! 26.g 5 ! B g 7 2 7 . R h 3 fe i n ts at Qf2 - h 4 .
Then:
1 61
2 7 . . . B c B , t h reate n i n g . . . e S , i s n o t a
c o n c e r n fo r Wh ite s i nce B l a c k 's Q u e e n
ca n b e a b u sed. (E.g., 2B.Qf2 e S ? ! 29.Bxd6!
Qxd 6 30.fxd 6);
27 ... RacB frees W h i te's Q u e e n s i n ce
now ... Ba6 i s not a n o pti o n . 2B.Qf2 Qd 7
29.Rc l with ... Qh4 soo n.
2 7 ... RadB d efe n d s the K n i g ht, resu r
rect i n g the th reat to c3. 2B. B b l is p rob
a b l y the best way to ma i nta i n the ten s i o n .
(2B.Rc l i s a fi n e response but a l lows Black Verd ict: 1 4.g41!
t o fi n d a d raw: 2B ... NfS 29.Qf2 f6 30.BxfS
exfS 3 1 .Qh4 fxg S 3 2.Qx h 7 + (32.fxg S B h B Commentary
3 3 . Re l , w i t h p l ay d own the e-fi le i s worth Even with two pieces on the K-side
a t r y ) 32 . . . Kf7 3 3 . R h 6 Re6 3 4 . N f3 Qxf4 and a Bishop on d7, this move is dubi
3 S . N e S + RxeS 36.Qxg6+ Kg B 3 7 .dxeS.) ous because Black can force White to let
26 ••• Qxd6 27.g5 Bg7 28.Nf1 Rec8 him open up the center enough to cause
29.Qd2 Rc7 30.Bb 1 1! problems. H owever, the game illustrates
See m s Be2 (su pporti n g h4-hS) makes wel l how even very strong players can
m o re s e n se g iven the q u a rry of g ra n ite h ave p roblems defending against the
the B i s h o p bites o n cu rrently. g-pawn march .
30 ••• Rac8 3 1 . Ree3 Ba6 32.Bd3 Bxd 3
3 3 . Rxd 3 b5 34.axb5 Qb6 3 5 .Ne3 Qxb5 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
36.c4 dxc4 37.bxc4 Qb7 38.d 5 exd 5 14 ••• Bb5 1 5 .c4 dxc4 1 6.bxc4 Bc6
39.Rxd 5 a4 40.Ng4 Qb6+ 4 1 .Qe3 I t m i g ht not seem l i ke m uch, but Black
Qxe3+ 42.Nxe3 Ra8 43.Rd2 Rb7 n ow has e n o u g h access to the K i n g to
44.Ra2 Rb2 45.Rf2 Rxa2 46.Rxa2 Bd4 p rovid e rea l hope of cou nterplay.
[0- 1 ] 1 7 .g5 Bxe51!
1 7 . . . N d 7 ! i s p owerfu l beca u s e n o n e
Exercise 9 o f t h e th ree u n its d i rectl y d efe n d i n g the
La st M oves: 1 2 .Qe2 Ne7 1 3 .f4 Ng6 K n i g ht o n eS co u l d actua l l y reca ptu re if
the K n i g ht were ta ken due to the threats
of QxgS a n d BcS. Wh ite s h o u l d then play
1 62
l S. N xc6 when l S ... Rxc6 1 9.Bxg6 hxg6 is 40.Rf4 Ne3 4 1 .NfS Ng2 42 .Bxe7 Nxf4
eq u a l . 43 .N h4+ [ 1 -0]
l S. N e4 ? ! B x e 5 1 9.fxe5 Bxe4 20. Bxe4
Qxg 5+ 2 1 .Kh 1 N b6 and the b u rd e n i s re Exercise 1 0
a l ly o n Wh ite to show he can d ru m up a n Last M oves: 27.Qel Be7 2S.Bd3 N fS
atta c k w i t h o u t g i v i n g B l a c k d a n g e ro u s
cou nterplay;
l S. N xg 6 ! ? hxg6 1 9. Bxg6 Qc7 20. B h 5
Bxf4 2 1 .Qf2 Bxg 5 2 2 . Bxf7 + K h S 2 3 . R a e 1
Q d S 24 . d 5 exd 5 2 5 . Q f5 d4 2 6 . N e4 B h 6
2 7 . B x d 4 Q h 4 p r o b a b l y fa vo r s W h i t e a
tad ;
l S.Qf2?? i s t h e sort o f move you m i g ht
ma ke to s u p port h4 if yo u d i d not know
the d a n g e r to W h i te's K i n g . l S ... N d xe 5
1 9. d x e 5 ( 1 9.fx e 5 N x e 5 2 0 . d x e 5 Q xg 5 + Verd i ct: 29.g41
2 1 .Qg3 Bc5+ 22. Rf2 Bxf2+ 2 3 . Kxf2 Qxd 2+)
1 9 ... Bc5 20.Qxc5 N xf4 2 1 . Rxf4 Qxg 5 +) Commentary
l S.fxeS N d 7 1 9.Qe3 b S 1! I hope th i s one was a p retty easy
I t i s n ot a n overstatement to say that one for you . Not only are White's pieces
this i s the game e n d i n g m i sta ke, ced i n g poorly p l aced to use wh atever space
t h e centra l pawn m a s s t o Wh ite. I n stead, becomes available on the K-side, but
1 9 ... N b6 restra i n s Wh i te's pawns. Black can more or less ignore this ad
20.eS Nh4 2 1 .Ne4 NfS 22.RxfS exfS vance. On top of all th is, White has an
23.Nd6 Re7 24.BxfS Qe7 2 S .e6 KhS easy way to net a material gai n ! Given
26.Rel fxe6 27.Bxe6 Rf3 2S.Qd 2 QfS the odd nature of the rest of the game,
29.Bg4 I'm assuming one or both players were
29.g6! opens g 5 to White's Queen a n d in time trouble.
wou l d have ended t h e ga me. Instead, 2 9 . Bf4 wins the Exchange.
29 ••• BdS 30.Bel hS 3 1 .gxh6 Qf6
32.Bxf3 Bxf3 3 3 .Qf4 Qg6+ 34.Qg3 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
Qxg 3+ 3 S.hxg3 Nf6 36.Rfl Be6 29 ••• QaS
37.hxg 7+ Kxg 7 3S. Bf4 Kg6 39.BeS Ng4 29 ... e5 i s more tha n adequate.
1 63
30.Bb1 g5 3 1 .Be4 [ 1 -0] 1 3 ... B h 7 1 4.g 5 hxg5 1 5 .fxg 5 N d 7 1 6.g6

I a s s u m e Black's flag d ropped. fxg 6 1 7 .RxfS+ N xfS l S. N df3 N c6 1 9.Qg3
i s eq u a l .
Exercise 1 1 I n t h i s l a st va r i a t i o n , m o v i n g t h e
Last Moves: 1 1 .Be2 cxd4 1 2.exd4 Na5 K n i g ht o n move 1 4 i s not a s good:
1 4 ... NeS 1 5 . g x h 6 Bh4 1 6 . Q d 1 g x h 6
1 7 . K h 1 s h o u l d sti l l h a v e s o m et h i n g fo r
Wh ite.
Th e o t h e r K n i g ht m ove, 1 4 . . . N d 7, i s
worse. O n eS, the K n i g ht ca n reac h both
g7 a n d d6. 1 5 .gxh6 gxh6 ( 1 5 ... Bh4 1 6.Qd 1
gxh6 1 7 . N d f3 th reate n i n g f5 . lf the K n i g ht
h a d been on eS, t h e n ... N d 6 wo u l d sto p
t h i s.) 1 6.Qg 3+ KhS 1 7. K h 1 looks g ood for
the fi rst player.
Verd ict: 1 3 .g4! 1 4.g5 hxg 5 1 5 .fxg 5 N d 7 1 6.Nxd 7
Qxd 7 1 7.Qh4
Commentary 1 7. N xe4 d xe4 l S.Qh4 Q d 5 1 9. R e 1 a l
Th i s m ove m akes a l o t o f s e n s e . l ows Wh ite t o wi n a pawn, but B l a c k wi l l
N o t only are White's p ieces reasonably have some co m p e n sation g iven t h e open
situated to try to make something of the position of his K i n g .
thrust, but it's also rather hard to find 17 ••• Bg6
anything else in this position for White. Th i s i s g ood, but ... Bf5 i s better.
A b-pawn lunge is unl ikely to end well 1 8.Bh5?!
after the dust settles. Wh ite may only I m u st a d m it t h a t I d o n ot s e e w h a t i s
theoretically get equality here, but that wro n g w i t h Rf3 here. I t i s n't wi n n i ng, but I
is better than what he would have with d o n't see what the text does fo r White.
tamer tries. 18 ••• N c6 1 9.Rf3 e5 20.Bg4 f5 ? ?
20 . . . Qd6 2 1 . R h 3 f5 2 2 .g xf6 Bxf6 wo u l d
Analysis, Variations, and Notes have put a n e n d to a n yth i n g rese m b l i n g
13 ••• Be4 an attack.
1 3 ... Bc2!? 1 4. N df3 wo u l d be i n terest- 2 1 .gxf6 Qd6 22 .fxe7 Rxf3 23.Nxf3
i n g to see play out over the boa rd . exd4 24. N g 5 Nxe7 2 5 . Be6+ Kf8
1 64
26.QhS+ NgS 27.Qxg S+ Ke7 2S.Qxg 7+ 1 7.Q h 3 gxf4 1 S.Nxd7 Nxd7 1 9.Qxh6
KdS 29. Bf4 Qe7 30.Qxg6 [ 1 -0] Nf6 20.gS N e4 2 1 .Nxe4 dxe4 22. Bxe4
fS 23 .Qg6+ KhS 24. Rf3 [ 1 -0]
Exercise 1 2
Last Moves: 1 4.f4 Qb6 1 S .Qf3 0-0 Exercise 1 3
Last M oves: 1 3 .Qe2 Qc7 1 4.Rf2 QbS
Verd ict: 1 6.g41!

Verd ict: 1 S.g4! 1
Commentary
At fi rst gl ance th is d i agra m l o oks Commentary
like it has good gS potenti al . There is a While all the general signs point to
Bishop on d 7 and no obvious way for this diagram being one where g4 is a fine
Bl ack to open up the center. Fu rth er pl ay, Wh ite has to be wary of the Knight
more, Wh ite's pieces are in reasonably on e7 m a k i n g use of the fS - s q u a re.
decent positions. However, the Bishop This game gives an excellent display of
on e7 ru i n s thi ngs, much l i ke taking how Wh ite should ( and should not)
your 3-year-old on a first date. proceed .

1 6 ... g S 1 1 S ... Qc7
1 6 . . . N xeS 1 7.fxeS N h 7 a n d not o n l y i s l S ... h 6 i s a l u re. I f Wh ite a m b l e s fo r
Whi te's K-s i d e p l ay stu nted, b u t t h e re i s wa rd, then Black g ets eq u a l ity. H owever,
not m u ch to b e d o n e about Black p l ayi ng if W h i te s h ows m o re fo ret h o u g ht, t h e n
.. .f6, i n c rea s i n g the scope of h i s pi eces. p u s h i n g t h e h-pawn ends u p s i m p l y hel p-
1 65
i n g h i m by provid i n g a hook he ca n u se It's u n d ersta n d a b l e that Bl ack did not

once proper p repa ratio n s a re made. Let's wa nt to put h i s Bishop back i n its coffi n on
look at those two options: d6, but alas it was necessa ry.
1 6.Raf1 Q c 7 1 7. R g 2 . N ote how h a rd 2 1 .b4?
it i s fo r B l a c k to i m prove the p l a cement 2 1 . N xf7! Rxf7 22.Qxe6 Ng6 23.Ne5 Nd6
of a n y of his p i eces. His Knight o n e 7 i s 24. N xf7 N xf7 25 .Bxg6 hxg6 26.Qxg6.
the o n l y t h i n g that i s m a k i n g White t h i n k 21 ••• Bb6 22.Nd2 Nd6 2 3 .QhS NefS
twice a b o u t g 5 . None o f h i s other pieces The position of B l a ck's Knig hts s h o u l d
or pawn s a p pea r to rea l ly h ave u sefu l re g ive Wh ite l ittl e hope fo r a K-si d e attack.
deployments. Wh ite has a l l the time in the 24.Ng4 a s 2S.Rf3 ?1
world to reposition his K-side pi eces. W h i t e s h ow s a l a c k of re s p e c t fo r
1 6 . g 5 h x g 5 1 7 .fxg 5 N e4 ( 1 7 ... B xe 5 ? B l a c k's d efe n si ve res o u rces, pa rtic u l a rl y
1 B .g xf6 Bxf6 1 9. R xf6 g xf6 20.Qg4+ N g 6 h i s Kn i g ht o n f5.
2 1 .Bxg6 fxg6 22.Qxg6+ K h B 23.Qh6+ KgB 25.Re3! i s the m ove. B l ack's entire de
24. K h 1 Kf7 2 5 . R g 1 KeB 26.a4 is actua l l y fense c u rrently depends on his K n i g hts.
q u ite good fo r Wh ite beca u se Black can White offers the exc h a n g e fo r a h ost of
n ot ta ke o n c2.) 1 B . N xe4 d xe4 1 9. B xe4 short- a n d l o ng-term a ssets. 25 ... h6 (25 ...
Bxe4 20.Qxe4 Bxe5 2 1 .dxe5 Nf5 . axb4?? 26. N f6+ gxf6 2 7 .gxf6 Rfd B 2B.Rg2
1 6. Re 1 [o r yo u ca n s h ow off with 2 B . Qx h 7 ! + ] )
1 6.g 5 wea ke n s f5 too ea rly. 26.g x h 6 g 6 2 7 . Q g 5 N xe3 2B. N xe 3 a x b4
16 ••• bS 2 9 . c x b4 Q d B 3 0 . Q e 5 N e B 3 1 . N b 3 B c 7
Th i s i s a bold m ove, b u t i t comes back 3 2.Qg5 g ives Wh ite more than a d eq u ate
to h a u n t B l a c k o n ce W h ite m ov e s t h e co m pe n sati o n a n d a n i nteresti ng g a m e.
K n i g ht o n d 2, a t w h i c h p o i n t h i s h eavy If Wh ite d oes n ot see this move, s i m ply
p i eces can s u p p o r t t h e p a w n t h a t c u r b5 wo u l d g o a l o n g way towa rd d efu s i ng
rently o n l y h i s B i s h o p on d 3 g u a rds. B l a ck's i m med iate Q-side play.
1 6 ... g6 1 7.Qf3 NeB 1 B.Qh 3 f6 1 9. N df3 2S ••• axb4 26.Rh3 h6 27.gxh6?
puts u p good res i sta n ce, but shows o n e 27.Bxf5 N xf5 2B.gxh6 g6 29.Qg5 Kh 7 i s
o f the p ro b l e m s Black h a s b y m a i nta i n i n g n o t nea rly a s bad for Wh ite.
t h a t K n i g h t o n e7. H i s B i s h o p o n d 6 h a s 27 ••• g6 28.QgS bxc3 29.Nf3 Qd8
nowhere t o g o if h e captu res o n e5. 30.Nf6+ Kh8 3 1 .Ba3 c2 32.BxfS exfS
1 7 .gS Ne8 1 8.Ndf3 b4 1 9.axb4 Bxb4 33 .Bb2 BaS 34.Rc1 N e4 3 S .Nxe4 fxe4
20.c3 Ba S ? 36.Qxd8 Rfxd8 37.NeS Rc7 38.Ra 1 Bd2
1 66
39.Bc1 e3 40.Nf3 RaS 4 1 . RxaS+ BxaS played Qe2 i nstead of Re 1 , the situation
42.Nxd2 exd 2 43.Bxd 2 c1 =Q+ 44.Bxc 1 would be drastically different. A related
Rxc 1 + 4S.Kf2 Bc6 46. Ra3 B d 7 47.Ra7 issue is that Black's Kn ights have per
Be6 4S.Kg3 Kh7 49.fS gxfS SO.Kf4 fectly fine squares to j ump to.
Kxh 6 S l .Ra2 Re1 S2.Rd2 Re4+ S 3 . Kf3
Kg S S4.Rg2+ Kf6 S S . Rd 2 f4 S6.Rd 1 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
KfS S7.Rd2 Re3+ SS.Kf2 Ke4 S9.Rd 1 f3 lS .•. Ne7
60.Rd2 Bg4 6 1 .h4 Re2+ 62.Rxe2+ fxe2 1 5 ... N h4 1 6.g5 N e4 1 7 . N xe4 ( 1 7 .Bxe4
[0-1 ] d xe4 1 8. N xe4 Bxe4 1 9.Rxe4 f6) 1 7,..d xe4
1 8.Bxe4 f5.
Exercise 1 4 1 6. Re3
Last Moves: 1 3 .f4 Ne7 1 4.Rc1 N fS Th i s a l l ows B l a c k to use the e4-sq u a re
d u e to the wea kness on f4. White cou l d
t r y re-posi ti o n i n g h i s h eavy p ieces with
Q e 2 a n d Rf1 , but t h a t g ives B l a c k t i m e
t o p u t h i s Q u ee n o n e 7 , at w h i c h p o i nt
exc h a nges i n the center wi l l u n derm i n e
g 5 i f Wh ite ever adva n ces it.
16 .•• N e4 1 7.c4
I n a d d i t i o n to t h reate n i n g t ro u b l e
d own the c-fi l e, t h i s move ta kes away the
d 5-sq u a re, which may beco m e ava i l a b l e
Verd ict: l S .g41! after exchanges o n e4.
1 7 . N xe4 dxe4 1 8.Bxe4 Bxe4 1 9.Rxe4 f5
Commentary 20.gxf5 Rxf5 d oes not work wel l beca use
Don't let the mere existence of two the lack of a d-pawn delays too m u c h the
pieces on the K-side coax you into push- open i n g of the c-fi le.
ing your g-pawn . In this case, Wh ite's 1 7 ... QdS1!
pieces are simply not in good positions B l a c k s h o u l d h ave s i m p l ifi ed by ex
to use the space. The lack of a Rook on f1 c h a n g i n g on e5 a n d d 2 . The text m ove
really hurts White, not only is the f-pawn r u n s h i m i nto pro b l ems.
without protection, but Wh ite cannot l S.Nxe4 dxe4 1 9.Bxe4 Bxe4 20.Rxe4 fS
grab the f-file when it opens. H ad White 2 1 .gxfS RxfS 22.Qe2 Qc7
1 67
Black wo u l d have p referred to be a bl e te rri b l e fo r Wh ite. 3 1 . R d 2 g 5 i s d e c i s ive,

t o p l a y . . .N d 5 . th reate n i n g ... ReB.
23.Rc3 11 29 ••• QgS+ 30.Kh 1 Qg4 3 1 .dS Qd 1 +
White's position i s not stro n g e n o u g h 32.Qg 1 Qf3 + 3 3 .Rg2 Nxg 2 34.Qxg 2
t o a l l ow t h i s l uxu ry, momenta rily m a k i n g Qd 1 + [0- 1 ]
two o f h i s pieces usel ess. Defe n d i n g t h e
f-pawn o r u n locking the B i s h o p w i t h d 5 Exercise l S
wo u l d have mai nta i ned a s i g n ificant a d Last M oves: 1 1 .f4 a6 1 2.a4 Bd7
va ntage. N ow w e s e e a stu d y i n h o w the
i n security of White's K i n g ca n be u sed.
23 ••• BxeS 24.RxeS Rxf4 2S.Rxe6 Ref8
B l a ck's owners h i p of the f-fi l e, a s wel l
a s t h e m i s p l a c e m e n t o f W h i te's c-Rook,
g i ve Wh ite tro u b l e i n all l i nes.
26.Rc2
26.Rg 3 wo u l d be a fi ne move, i n c reas
ing s i g n ificantly the power of two pi eces,
except there is noth i n g sayi ng Black has
to take White's Queen. 26 ... Nf5 (26 ... Rfl + Verd ict: 1 3 .g41 1
2 7 .Qxfl Rxfl + 2 B . Kxfl N f5 29. Rf3 Qx h 2
3 0 . R eB+ Kf7 s h o u l d b e a d ra w ) 2 7 . R g4 Commentary
Rxg4+ 2B.Qxg4 Qf7 29.Qe2 (29.Re l N e 3 ) When Black places his l ight-squared
29 ... N h4 a n d t h i n g s look p retty g r i m once Bishop on d7 instead of b7, it is often
Blac k plays ... Qf5 on h i s next move. particularly appropriate to advance the
26.Rce3 N d 5 ! ! 27.cxd 5 Qf7; g-pawn because it takes away a retreat
2 6 . R d 3 Rf2 2 7 . Q xf2 Rxf2 2 B . Kxf2 square from the Kn ight on f6 . It also
Qxh2+ 29.Ke l Qc2. means Bl ack probably has no real con
26 ••• Qd8 27.Re411 trol over e4 .
2 7 . Rxe7 Rfl + 2B.Qxfl Rxfl + 2 9 . Kxfl
Qxe7 30. Re2 fo rces Black to fi g ht ha rd e r Analysis, Variations, and Notes
for the w i n . 13 ••• g6
27 ••• N g 6 28.Rxf4 Nxf4 29.Qe3 1 3 ... R b d B . We' l l ta ke a l o o k a t t h i s
29.Qe4 Qg5+ 30.Kh 1 Qh5 i s sti l l p retty move (sugg ested b y a powerfu l com put-
1 68
er) to g et a feel fo r what happens if Black Th i s c a u ses too m u c h of a p i n c h i n

d o e s n 't pay m u c h m i n d to t h e g-pawn Black's positio n .
adva n ce. 1 7 . . . Bf6 1 B . N d f3 B g 7 1 9 . N g 5 N e 7
1 4 . g 5 N e B 1 5 . Q h 5 f5 1 6 . g xf6 N xf6 l ooks to be a pretty sol i d d efen se. I f Black
1 7.Qh3 leaves Wh ite with plenty of attack gets h i s Kn i g ht to f5, it s h o u l d ice White's
i n g ideas. attack.
Adva n c i n g the g-pawn i n stea d of the 1 8.fxeS Kg 7 1 9.Rg2 Rh8 20.Nf3 bS
f- pawn (o n m ove 1 5 ) i s worse s i nce h e 2 1 .axbS axbS 22.NgS Bxg S 2 3 .Bxg S
h a s n o w a y o f sto p p i n g Rf3 - h 3 w i t h o u t Rh7 24.Qf3 b4 2 S .Rfl BbS 26.Bf6+ Kg 8
s i g n ifi c a n t concess i o n : 1 5 ... g 6 ? ! 1 6. Q h 6 27.BxbS71
f 5 1 7 . N xg6 hxg6 1 B.Qxg6+ N g 7 1 9.Qh6 27.Bxg6 i s the m ove here.
BeB 20.Nf3. 27 ... RxbS 28.Qd3 Rb7 29.cxb4 Rxb4
1 4.Rf2 30.Rc2 Rc4 3 1 .Rxc4 Qxc4 7
1 4.h4 h 5 1 5 . g x h 5 N x h 5 1 6. Q g 2 BeB Black shou l d not swa p off h i s o n l y ac
1 7 . N d f3 N g 7 1 B . N g 5 i s p r o b a b l y w h a t tive piece.
Wh ite s h o u l d be shooti ng fo r here. 32 .Qxc4 dxc4 3 3 .Be7 Ng3 34.Ra l fS 71
1 4 ... Be8 l S .h4 hS 34 ... g 5 3 5 . Bxg5 N e4 gives Black better
1 5 . . . b 5 ! m i g h t have t u r n e d t h e t i d e chances.
here. In that case, Wh ite wou l d rue h i s Rf2. 3 S .exf6 Rf7 36.Rel NfS 37.Re471
I t ta kes a bit longer to develop the atta ck 37.Rxe6
on the K-si d e si nce B l a c k h a s set up the 3 7 ... Rh7 38. Rxe6 Nxd4
l i g ht-sq uared razor-wi re. 3 B ... R x h 4 B l a c k s h o u l d a c t i vate h i s
1 6.gxhS Nxh S 1 7 .Qg4 Rook a n d l et h i s Ki ng d efend with ... Kf7.
Th i s is a good sq u a re for the Queen i n 39.Re4 NfS 40. Rxc4 Nxe7 41 .fxe7 Rxe7
general, particu larly beca u se the press u re 42.b4 Rel + 7
on e6 m a kes it h a rd to p u s h the f-pawn . Black's Rook does belong beh i n d the
T h e text c ra m ps B l a c k 's position, but he Wh ite pawn, but it wou l d be better for it
can free h i m self using the dark sq u a res. to wind u p on b2, restra i n i n g White's King,
I t a ppea rs a better strategy fo r White than on b 1 .
i s N df3 w i t h Q c 2 a n d R g 2 (so t h a t t h e 43.Kf2 R b l 44.Ke3 Kg 7 4S.Kd4 Kf7
Queen i s t h e 4th piece h itti ng g 6 i n stead 46.KcS Ke6 47.bS Kd 7 48.Kb6 Rfl
of the 3 rd ) . 49 .Rc7+ Kd8 SO.Kb7 [ 1 -0]
1 7 ... Nxe S 7
1 69
Exercise 1 6 tion to a l l owi n g Wh ite to j u st m a rc h the

La st Moves: 22 .Nxd 7 Rxd 7 23.Rc1 Bf6 h-pawn up the boa rd, it wo u l d a l so a l l ow
W h ite t i m e to p l a n t a K n i g ht o n f6 v i a
h 2-g4. M o re d i rec t l y, t h e B i s h o p o n e 7
g ets i n the w a y o f t h ree o f Black's pi eces.
(Th o u g h it s h o u l d be noted that playing
the B i s h o p b a c k to dB d o e s a l l ow t h e
fl a s hy QfS s i n ce t h e e6-pawn i s m o re o r
less a bsol utely p i n ned to eB.)
2 S .g S N e7 26.NeS Rdc7 27.h4 Ng6
2S.Qg3
2B.Nxg6 hxg6 29.Kg 2 ! i s more d i rect,
Verd ict: 24.g41 t h reate n i n g R h 1 .
2S ••• BbS 29.BxbS axbS 30.Ng4
Commentary N otice how B l a c k, half a d ozen moves
At first this looks l ike a b ad play. The l ater, has sti l l not ma naged to m ove a ny
expected change in the pawn formation K-side pawns to a l l ow those major pieces
wou l d a l l ow B l ack to defend beauti to hel p o n d efen se. The threat now i s h S .
ful ly. The o n ly prob l e m ( for B l ack ) is 30 ••• Re7 1
that White's board control makes those Th i s o p e n s c 7 but i s a m i sca l c u lation
pawn moves rather hard to pull off! The a s it rem oves o n e of the K n i g ht's retreat
g7 -pawn has a h ard time moving with s q u a re s a n d b l o c ks t h e B i s h o p's c o m
out dropping the dark-squared Bishop. m u n ication with f6. I f B l a c k i nten d ed to
M oving the f-pawn drops the e6-pawn. d efe n d by atta c k i n g White's Q u een, ... Rc6
i s the m ove needed.
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 3 0 ... h S 3 1 .gxh6 Bxh4 3 2.Qe3 i s q u ite
24 ••• BdS comfo rta b l e fo r the fi rst playe r.
M ov i n g the B i s h o p a l l o w s B l a c k to 30 ... Rc6 3 1 . h S Bc7 3 2 .Qf3 N h4 3 3.Qh 1
play ... g6, but u n less h e can adva n ce the NfS 34.Rce 1 .
f- p a w n as we l l , a l l h i s ot h e r w i s e w e l l 31.f41
p l a ced pi eces wi l l b e u seless o n d efen se. 3 1 . h S i s c r u s h i n g . 3 1 . . . N fB ( 3 1 . . . B c 7
24 ... Be7, tryi ng to re-route the B i s h o p 3 2 .cxb6) 3 2 . N f6+
t o g 7 after ... g6, d oes not work. I n a d d i - 31 ••• Bc7
1 70
Co n s i stent, but sti l l n ot good. cept a d raw as wel l. But it wou l d certa i n l y
32.Rf1 Qb8 3 3 .Bc1 Ree8 34.h S Ne7 b e fu n t o beat a n 1 M w h e n you a re a 2 1 00.
3S.Nf6+ Kh8 36.Nxe8 Rxe8 37.Qd3 18 ••• Re7
bxcS 1 B . . . RfB 1 9 . N x h 7 ! ! i s t h i s t h e m o v e
37 ... N f5 g ives tou g h e r d efe n se. B l a c k d i d not wa nt t o g a m b l e o n W h i te
38.bxcS Qb7 3 9.fS exfS 40.QxfS Bh2+ fi nd i n g ? 1 9 ... Bxe5 ( 1 9 ... Nxh 7 20.Nxg6 RfeB
4 1 . Kxh2 [ 1 -0] (20 .. .fxg6 2 1 . Bxg6 Nf6 22.g5) 2 1 . N e 7 + KfB
2 2 . N x d 5 ) 2 0 . B x g 6 fxg 6 2 1 . N xfB B x d 4 +
Exercise 1 7 22.cxd4 RxfB 23.95 N h 5 24.Qxe6+
La st Moves: 1 3 .f4 Ne7 1 4.Qf3 NfS 1 9.Nxg6 fxg6.
1 9...hxg6 20.Rfl ! and it's surprisingly hard
to do much about the slow Qh4, Rf3, etc.
20.Nxe6
B l a c k has l ittle for h i s pawn.
Exercise 1 8
Last Moves: 1 2 .Rf3 Qc7 1 3. R h 3 h6
Verd i ct: 1 S.g4!
Commentary
We wi l l never know i f the expert
would have upset the 1M here.

1S • • • Nh4 Verd ict: 1 4.g4!
1 5 . . . N e 7 1 6.Qh3 N g 6 tra n sposes.
1 6.Qh3 Ng6 1 7.Ndf3 Rfe8 1 8. N g S Commentary
The g a m e was a g reed d rawn h e re. I Th i s i s a model g a m e with reg a rd to
s u p pose if I were playi n g someone 3 00 the power of a Rook o n h3 in these posi
poi nts a bove me, I m i g ht be wi l l i ng to ac- tions. It's u n clear what Black co u l d d o d if-
1 71
ferently over the n ext 6 moves. Commentary

With the Knight having al ready re
Analysis, Variations, and Notes treated, Black has extra time to deal with
14 ••• Kf8 1 S.gS hxgS 1 6.Nxc6 bxc6 Wh ite's threat. I n this case that means
1 7.fxgS Nd7 1 8.Nf3 Ke7 Wh ite's K-side o ffe n sive can be shut
1 8 ... g6 1 9.Qf2 Ke7 20.R h 7. down simply by freezing all of White's
1 9.96 f6 20.Rh7 e S ? pawns.
Theoreti ca l ly t h i s move loses fa ster fo r
B l a c k, but it i s certa i n ly u n d e rsta n d a b l e Analysis, Variations, and Notes
that he wo u l d try to c reate somet h i n g out 13 ••• fS ?!
of noth i ng . I wo u l d too. 1 3 ... Nd6 with ... f5 to fo l l ow a p pears to
20 ... Kd8 2 1 . Rxg 7 Qb6 22.R h 7 Kc7 d oes s h ut d own the atta ck: 1 4. N d f3 f5 1 5 .gxf5
not g ive B l a c k m u c h to hope for. ( 1 5.Qg2 N e4) 1 5 ... N xf5 .
2 1 .dxeS BcS+ 22 .Be3 Qb6 2 3 . BxcS+ I n stead, Wh ite cou l d try to p l ay o n the
NxcS 24.Rxg7+ Kd8 2 S .Kh 1 Nxd 3 Q - s i d e w i t h 1 4. N b 3 , tryi n g t o g et s o m e
26.Qxd 3 fxeS 27.Qd2 Re7 28.Rxe7 u s e o u t of t h e n o n -sta n d a rd ( b ut effec-
Kxe7 29.Qg S+ Kd 7 30.NxeS+ Kc7 tive) p l acement of the K n i g h t on d6. The
3 1 .Qe7+ Kb8 32.Rf1 a s 3 3 . N d 7+ Bxd 7 i d ea i s that N c 5 m i g ht l ead to someth i n g .
34.Qxd 7 Q c 7 3 S . Rf8+ [ 1 -0] H owever, I d o n't th i n k t h i s l i n e goes a ny
w h e re. 1 4 ... Bc8 1 5 . g 5 Q b6 1 6. N d 2 N xe 5
Exercise 1 9 1 7 .fxe5 N f5 .
Last Moves: 1 1 .NeS g6 1 2 .f4 Ne8 1 4.gxfS exfS 1 S .Qg2
B l a c k's m i sstep h a s a l l owed Wh ite to
g et a rea l i n itiative from his d u b i o u s pawn
a d va n ce. N ote how m ovi n g the f- pawn
w h i l e the K n i g h t i s sti l l o n e8 d oe s n ot
a p p recia b l y i ncrease the scope of Black's
p i eces.
1S ••• Be6 1 6.N df3 Ng7 1 7.Kf2 ?!
The i d ea of moving the King to g et a
Rook on g 1 is good. Th i s execution is not
very ci rcu m spect given the th reat of ...Qb6.
Verd i ct: 1 3 .g4?! Kh 1 wa s m u ch the bette r c h o i ce.
1 72
17 ••• Bf6 Commentary

1 7 ... Q b6 1 8.B b S N xe S 1 9. N x e S (1 9. I t i s p e rfectly acceptab l e to h ave
fxe S ? ! f4!?) shied away from this. H owever, if you
1 8.Rg 1 Bxe5 1 9.fxe5 Qb6? worked out the i mp o rtant vari ations
I t 's too late now! Black need s to vacate and were happy with them, then this is
fS for a piece. a reasonable move. I can see why White
20.Qg5 Rae8 2 1 .h4 might have wanted to play this. He has
Th i s i s a good position to set u p a n d well-placed pieces but Black's h-pawn is
p l a y o n yo u r c o m p u t e r ove r a n d ove r shutting down his play.
a g a i n to work on you r attacking a b i l ity.
2 1 .Q h 6 R e 7 2 2.N g S N h S l o o ks very Analysis, Variations, and Notes
bad for Black as wel l. 13 ••• Bxe5
21 ••• Nd8 1 3 ... N e4 is the myste ry l i n e h e re. I t
2 1 ... B d 7 ! 2 2 . h S N xe S 2 3 . N xe S R x e S looks l i ke B l a c k h a s t o cede s o m e material,
24.hxg6 hxg6 2S.Qxg6 Qxg6 26.Rxg6 Re6 but the cou nterplay he gets shou ld not be
is the best defense I th i n k, but White sti l l u n d eresti mated. F u rthermore, w hatever
has a g reat position. advanta g e White has i s h a rd to convert.
22.h5 Nf7 2 3 .Qh4 g5 24.Bxg 5 Qxb2+ 1 4.Bxe4 dxe4 l S.Qxe4 NxeS 1 6.dxeS (1 6.
25.Bd2 Nxe5 26.dxe5 Qb6+ 2 7.Qd4 N xeS f6 1 7.Nf3 Rf7 a n d it is Wh ite w h o
Qxd4+ 28.cxd4 [ 1 -0] s h o u l d be wo rried a bo u t h i s Ki n g.) 1 6 ...
BcS 1 7.g S is a stra n g e position. Black has
Exercise 20 to g ive up yet a n other pawn it a p pears
Last Moves: 1 1 .Ne5 B e 8 1 2 .N df3 h6 (or else White g ets a powerful attack), but
then White's own pawns get i n the way of
h i s attack and Black ca n m a ke h i s l ife d if
ficult w h i l e g ra b b i n g the centra l files.
P re s s u re o n e6 m a kes t h e ot h e r
va riation g o White's way: 1 3 ... N d 7 1 4.g S
h S l S . N xc6 bxc6 1 6.g 6 N f6 (1 6 .. .fx g 6
1 7. N g S ) 1 7.gxf7+ Bxf7 1 8.Bg S ! with the
idea of Bh4-g 3 a n d slowly ta king over the
boa rd.
1 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 1 5.dxe5 Nd7 1 6.g5
Verd ict: 1 3 .g4! ?
1 73
Module 6: Charge ! (When to Play g4 )
hxg S 1 7.BxgS NxeS 1 8.QxeS QxeS

1 9. RxeS f6 20.Rxe6 fxgS 2 1 .ReS Be6
22 .Rxg S Rf4 23.Re1 Kf7
23 ... Raf8 is better.
24.Re3 Rf8 2S .b4 a6 26.ReeS Rh8
27.BfS ?
Wh ite's g a i n s eva porate beca u se Black
w i l l o bta i n control of too m a n y s q u a res
a l ong White's 5th ra n k, essenti a l l y freez
i n g White's Rooks fo r a w h i l e.
27 ... Kf6 28.Be2 g6 29.a4 Rhh4 30.h3
Rxh 3 3 1 .bS ?
3 1 .Re3 Rxe3 3 2 . Rxg6+ s h o u l d h o l d a
d raw.
31 ••• axbS 32.axbS BxbS
Th i s l ets Wh ite off ea sy. Ba sed o n the
n ext few m oves, I 'd say there wa s s o m e
time tro u b l e here.
3 2 ... Be8.
3 3 . Rxd S Be6 34.Rg 3 ?
34.Rxg6+
34 ••• Rh6 3 S . Rxg6+
3 5 .Rd6+
3S ••• Rxg 6+ [0- 1 ]
1 74
Module 7: Classic Gree� Gifts
I
n our final module we will discuss view of 1 6 . Rh 3 + Nh6 1 7 . Rxh 6 + gxh 6
a decis ive tactic that is so usefu l it 1 8 . Qh7#
merited an entire chapter in Vukovic's Black has allowed White to execute
classic Art of Attack in Chess. Consider one of the most common sacrificial com
the position below, from a 2000 Olym binations in chess: the Greek Gift, also
piad game. known as the G reek Bishop Sacrifice,
Greco's Sacrifice, or Colle's Sacrifice.
You said Black should have known better

than to play KgB??, but it certainly looks
safer than putting the King out in front
of the pawns.
Looks are often deceiving in chess.

It is very often the case that . . . Kg6 or
even . . . Kh6 is the critical move in these
After 1 0 . . . 0-0 l i nes . For example after 1 2 . . . Kg6 ! the
game would likely continue 1 3 . Qg4 fS
Different people see different things 1 4 . Qg3 f4 I S . Qh4 (threatening Qh7+ ! )
in this position. What do you see? Rh8 1 6 . Qxf4 Raf8 1 7 . Qg4 Qb8, when
H arpa Ingol fsdottir, playing White, Bl ack's King is not exactly safe, but is
saw I l . Bxh 7 + ! , a n d after 1 1 . . . Kxh 7 also not yet in the box.
1 2 . N gS + , B l a c k re a l ly s h o u l d h ave As common as this sacrifice is, it's
known better than to p l ay 1 2 . . . Kg8 ? ? pretty uncommon for a master to get
1 3 . QhS (threatening mate o n h 7 ) 1 3 . . . mopped up l ike this with one. It's more
Rfc8 1 4 . Qxf7+ Kh8 I S . Re3 (threatening common at higher levels for Black's King
Rh3 # ) I S . . . Ng8 and Black resigned in to be flushed out where White can hope
1 75
Module 7 : Classic Greek Gifts
to bring more pieces to bear on him. For 2 2 . Q h 8 + Ke7 2 3 . Qxg 7 + Kd6 2 4 . Kh 1

example, consider th is position from a Bd7 2 s . Nf7+ Kc7 26 . Qes + Kc8 2 7 . Rac 1 +
Norway team championship i n 2006 Nc6 2 8 . Rg 1 , when B l ack resigned i n
view of Rg8 #.
I t's also rather frequent for Wh ite
si mply to come out of the sortie with
a net material gain as seen in another
2 1 00+ game, th is time from the 2007
Slovakian team championsh ip:
After 1 5.g3
With his Knight and e6-pawn both

under attack, Bl ack p l ayed 1 5 . . . Nxf2
here. I assume he had in mind 1 6 . Kxf2
Nxd4 1 7 . Nxd4 Qxd4+ 1 8 . Kg2 Qxb 2 + .
Instead White played 1 6. Bxh7+ ! , and After 1 5 . . . Rxf6
after 1 6 . . . Kxh7 1 7 . Ngs + Kg8 1 8 . Qhs,
B l ac k w a s fo rce d to p l ay 1 8 . . . Rxf4 After 1 6 . Bxh 7 + Kxh 7 1 7 . Ngs + Kg8
since White is threatening mate on h7 1 8 . Qhs Ne7 ?, White picks up two Ex
18 . . . Rd8 could be answered by 1 9 . Q f7 + changes with 1 9 . Q h 7 + Kf8 2 0 . Q h 8 +
K h 8 20. Ng6#. N g 8 2 1 . N h 7 + K f7 2 2 . N x f6 N x f6
After 1 9 . 9xf4 , Wh i te i s th reate n 2 3 . Qxa8 . Black soon resigned .
i n g Qe8#, so Black had t o throw some H ad Black played 1 8 . . . Qxd4 things
more material overboard- 1 9 . . . N h 3 + would not be so clear since trying to win
2 0 . Q x h 3 Nxd 4 , t h o u g h 2 0 . . . Q x d 4 that a-Rook allows Black to put White's
would have been a l ittle better, allowing Queen under lock and key: 1 9 . Qh7+ Kf8
the Queen to transfer to the K-side and 20.Qh8+ Ke7 2 1 . Qxa8 Nd8 !
protect g7 for a b it. 1 8 . . . Rf4 ! ? also casts m o re than a
The game concluded 2 1 . Qh 7 + Kf8 l ittle doubt over White's operation.
1 76
Module 7 : Lesson
In this final module we will discuss

the ins and outs of this classic sacrifice.
When Ca n Black Retreat?

As I re marked earl ier, after Wh ite
plays NgS +, often . . . KgB is not the best
move. The first thing to understand is
when and why this retreat fails.
Nowhere to Run
Who Did What?

Clearly the White Queen and Knight
do most of the wo rk, as they wreak
havoc on the f7 and h 7 squares.
What roles do the other men play?
Th e eS p a w n h a s o n l y o n e j o b ,
Classic Sac Model Position stopping the King from going to f6 o r
d 6 . Th i s means a Wh ite Ro ok on a n
The diagram shows a p ared-down open e-file would d o the same j ob due
version of the standard sacrifice setup. to the option of Rxe6 ( so long as e6 is
The e6-pawn does not actually need to undefended ) .
be there, but it often is, so I put it in the The B i s h o p on c l 's only purpose
diagram. here is to protect the Knight, any other
Play th rough the following moves meth od of protecting gS works. h4 is
several times, noting the importance of common but has some problems [ see
the f7- and h7-squares. later discussion. ] Obviously, if gS is not
1 . Bxh 7 + Kx h 7 2 . N g S + K g S 3 . Q h S under attack, no support is needed.
ReS 4.Qxf7+ K h S S . Q h S + K g S 6.Q h 7 + If you don't understand the role of
KfS 7.QhS+ Ke7 S.Qxg 7# the B ishop on d3, perhaps you should
take up tic-tac-toe.
But Black's men also play a role. In
1 77
particular, the Rook on f8 takes away a What if not 01/ 6 are true?
fl ight square fro m the King ( meaning
Bl ack has to use a move to push it to e8 All is not lost. I t generally j ust means
to avoid mate on f7 ) . that you will need one or two more men
The Black pawns also played a role. to help you in the assault.
In p arti cu l a r the f7 - p awn m e a n t t h e Even i n these cases, these guidel ines
R o o k o n l y h a d o n e p l ace to go a n d will help because you will know what
could n o t stay on the f-file. to watch for.
I t turns out that the Queen's being
o n d8 simply made the mate quicker. Ta ki ng Acco u nt of Defects
H ad the queen not been on the board, If Bl ack's Roo k starts off on e8 i n
Wh ite wou l d stil l h ave gotten B l ack's stead of f8, he'll get o n e extra move, but
King with his Queen and Knight. it only really matters if he can use that
move to protect f7 or g7 .
Critica l Elements I f the fifth bullet fails, you know you
So, what was important about this can concentrate on lines where Black de
position ? fends h 7 instead of moving the Rook.
• White can safely get a Knight t o gS If the fourth bullet fails, you know
and a queen to h S . you can concentrate on options where
• White controlled f6 and d 6 . Bl ack bl ocks check from Qh8+ by inter
• Bl ack has a pawn o n f7 . posing a piece on g8 .
• Black h as no p iece t o put o n g8 . I f the third b u l l et fails ( l i ke in the
• B l ack had n o way to defend the second exa m p l e o f this secti o n ) , you
h7 -square . know you have to consider the option of
• Black h a d t o u s e a tempo t o move Black moving the Rook along the f-file.
his Rook. I f the second bullet is the only one
These l ast three points are important that fai l s , you know you can at l east
and intertwined. If Bl ack had a way of flush the King out to the center and at
defending h7, he would not h ave need tack him there.
ed to move his Rook.
I f a l l 6 b u l l e t s are true B l a c k i s
doo med i f he retreats with . . . Kg8 . That
is very useful information to know !
1 78
Module 7 : Lesson
Stabled Horses That's okay, neither did Elia Liitiain

Since Zukertort players typically end en, a Finnish 2200+. In 1 9 9 6 he took the
up with their dark-squared B ishop on black pieces against Olli Hyvarinen.
b2, they often lack any way to support a 1 . e4 e6 2. d 3 d S 3 . N d 2 Nf6 4. Ngf3
Knight on gS . For this reason, a special N c6 S. eS N d 7 6. d4 B b4 7. Bd3 0-0 S.
opportunity is presented if Black plays a c3 BaS 9. 0-0 Ne7 1 0. b4 Bb6
Knight to e7, transferring it from c6. The i mportant aspects of the posi
This has particular relevance not only tion now match the model d i agram
because it allows the Zukertort player to above.
contemplate the sac in the early middle
game, but also it makes the option of
retreat particularly dubious.
1 1 . Bxh 7+ Kxh 7 1 2 . N g S+ KgS?

Of course, it is quite possible that
Elia saw what was coming . . . it is not like
A Very Badly Placed Knight 1 2 . . . Kg6 is any picnic.
1 3 . QhS ReS 1 4. Qxf7+ KhS 1 S. Nxe6
Why? Doesn 't the option of . . . Ng6 Note that if Wh ite had continued
help? with the standard procedure, the fact
that Bl ack has . . . Ng8 available m ight
In addition to the obvious b locking be important ( it wouldn't have saved
of the Queen, the Knight ends up get Black in this particular game, more on
ting in the way of both the Rook and that later) .
the King !
Sorry, I still don't see it.
1 79
Steinitz played 1 4 . NgS and went on

to win 4S moves later while 1 4 . Bxh7 + !
i s far stronger because after 1 4 . . . Kxh 7
I S . NgS+, the retreat I S . . . Kg8 ? allows
1 6 . QhS Re8 1 7 . Qh7+ Kf8 1 8 . Qh8#.
Of course, this whole motif would
work any time the e6-pawn has no pro
tection. It's j ust particularly common if
Black has played . . . Ne7 .
H owever, even i f t h e e 6 - p awn i s
The Knight Blocks the Rook protected, the Knight on e7 can cause
problems if White can get his Bishop to
White has forked the Queen and the gS . The reason is that when White gets his
mating square g7 . White could also have Queen to h8, Black's only available move
pushed the King to f7 and forked him is . . . Ng8. At that point Nh7+ followed by
and the Queen by playing I S . Qh S + Kg8 BgS+ (hitting the King who likely ran off
1 6 . Qh7+ Kf8 1 7 . Nxe6+ to e7) is a real crusher if White still has a
Even if there is nothing valuable to pawn on eS . An example of that shows up
be forked, the Knight on e7 takes away in the next section.
a retreat square for Bl ack. Th is is par
ticularly useful if White has played Ba3, Why . . . Kg6 Ra rely Wo rks
pinning the Knight to the f8-square. The vast maj ority of the time, White
An example of this showed up in a has a winning position if Black chooses
game by Steinitz when the World Cham to advance his King to g6 rather than
pion did not catch the combination ! retreat it to g8 . Taking a look at the po
sition after White plays Qg4 gives some
clues as to why.
1 80
Module 7 : Lesson
generally has the option of Qxg7 + im

med i ately after he p l ays Nxe6 + . The
b l ack K i ng o ften takes th e Kn ight i n
response a n d then White ( if h e controls
f6 and Black does not) can play Qf6 + . If
Black survives this, then e6+ is a further
option, etc.
To see an example of th is in action,
let's take a look at a 1 9 7 9 game.
No entry to the f-file Bellucco G Longo M, Italy J 979

-
1 . e4 e6 2. d4 dS 3. eS cS 4. c3 Qb6 S.
The most i m p o rtant p o i n t i s that Nf3 Nc6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7 . cxd4 B b4 8. Nc3
B l ack's K i n g c a n n o t m a ke it to t h e Bd 7 9. a 3 Bxc3 1 0. bxc3 Nge7 1 1 . 0-0
f-file. Since any movement t o the h-file 0-0 1 2 . Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 3 . NgS+ Kg 6
typical ly all ows Wh ite to play Qh4+ fol 1 3 . . . KgB ? ? loses because of the BgS +
lowed by Qh7+, pushing the King up the idea mentioned earl ier. 1 4 . QhS RfbB
board to be ground into Monarch-burg I S . Q h 7 + KfB 1 6 . Q h B + NgB 1 7 . N h 7 +
er by Wh ite's pawns. This means White Ke7 I B . BgS + .
w i l l al most always get to p l ay Nxe6, 1 4. Qg4 f S 1 S . Q g 3 Rh8??
discovering an attack on the King while White normally has to coax Black
hitting the g-pawn with two pieces. into doing this, which removes protec
This leads into the next layer of un tion from the f6 square.
derstanding about th is position. 1 6. Nxe6+ Kf7 1 7. Qxg 7+
H ere Bl ack resigned since 1 7 . . . Kxe6
The I m porta nce of f6 allows I B . Qf6#
Black al most always dies if he loses
control of f6 .
In other words, if White has some
thing hitting f6 and Black has nothing
but his King defending it, most of the
ti me it is curtains for Black.
O n e reason fo r this is that White
1 81
immediately after White plays Qg4 . The

b iggest exception is . . . NxeS ( p o ssibly
played as a sacrifice) .
G u idel i nes Tips a n d Tricks

U n l i ke the . . . Kg8 l ine, there is no
standard maneuver for kil l ing the King
in this line. H owever, the fol l owing wis
dom should help you bri ng home the
ful l point most of the time.
Cooped u p
Base Decisions on Health of eS
Now, this sequence does n o t occur You can get a g o o d fee l fo r h o w
in master l evel games very often because much you should expect from the attack
masters know better than to l et the f6 by how solid your center pawns are . If
square go . your opponent has 2 or 3 pieces bearing
The importance of the f6 square in down on your pawns, he very wel l may
this variation has two side-effects sacrifice one to destroy your eS pawn.
• U n l i ke in the . . . Kg8 variation, a I n this case, not only should you keep
rook on a half-open e-file is not quite a such sacrifices in mind when analyzing
perfect substitute for a pawn on eS . the position, you should also consider
• B lack may wel l sacrifice a Knight doing something unorthodox or ignore
on f6 to pull the pawn off e S . much of what I have to say here. Once
Bl ack's 1 4th move i n the Bellucco eS goes, everything changes.
Longo game should n ow make sense .
H e is opening up the f7 -square so the Patience and Imagination
King does not have to go to the h-file af I n the . . . Kg6 l i ne, you are p ract i
ter Nxe6, and the pawn advance all ows cally assured two pawns for t h e p iece,
the Rook on f8 to see the f6 square. s i nce you w i l l get to take on e6 with
This fS advance is practically a Pav your knight, uncovering a check by your
l ovian response after Qg4 . I n l iterally Queen. I t is generally a b ad idea to sim
90 percent of all games featuring . . . Kg6 ply take this pawn and assume you have
after the B ishop sac, B l ack p l ays . . . fS an attack as compensation.
1 82
Module 7 : Lesson
Find a way to b ring another piece . . . KgB is not going to work. Coric cer
into the battle if you cannot find a way tainly knew it wouldn't work, and in
of getting a satisfactory advantage with stead played 22 . . . Kg6.
j ust the Knight, Queen, and eS pawn. There followed 2 3 .Qg4 f5 24.Qh4!
I would even say not to settl e for (threatening Qh7+, which Black really
picking up merely the exchange (giving cannot stop) QdS 2 5 .Qh7+
you a Rook and one or two pawns for
the Bishop and Knight) . There is almost
always some way of getting more out of
the attack.
h-file Assassination
I f your opponent's f-rook does not
have support along the Bth rank from
either his Queen or his other rook, you
can almost always kill h i m by simply
threatening Qh7 +. His Kingdom for a Horse
For illustration, consider the posi-
tion after 22.Nxg5+ in a game between 25 . . . Kxg 5 26.h4+! Kg4
CM Yemelin and 1M Coric from 200 1 : H ere Black resigned.
Often Black will i m mediately p l ay
the sacrificial . . . Nf6 when White threat
ens this plan.
Note: Even when B l ack has con
nected maj or pieces, playing Qh3 [ in
stead of Qg3 ] can lure the f-Rook over
to hB, and then you can play Qg3 . Now
Black has to decide whether to push the
f-pawn (which has no support) or take
a move to defend the now undefended
. . . Kg8 Not an Option f6 square. I would not recommend this
if Black can use it as an opportunity to
H opefully you can quickly tell that get . . . Qg7 or . . . Qe7 in.
1 83
Consider Qd3 Instead of Qg4

Frequently, Wh ite p l ays Qg4 i m
mediately after B l ack p l ays . . . Kg6 a s
a knee-j erk reaction. I n reality, giving
check from d3 is often better. I f Black
responds with . . . f5 then White can get
back to the l ine he would have had any
way with Qg3 .
This option is particularly useful in
two situations.
• Bl ack has a useful alternative to Fro m here White pl ayed 1 8 . Qg4 ? !
. . . f5 (e.g., . . . Nxe5 ) that you do not want and a draw was agreed on move 3 1 .
to allow. Since Qd3+ is a check and Qg4 Instead, White should have played
is not, Black has fewer legal options. 1 8 . Qd3 + !
• The e6-pawn is not defended by
anything other than the f-pawn . Doesn't that just allow Black to take the
The usefulness of Qd3 + in this sec Knight?
ond instance is pretty straightforward
and more or less formulaic. As in the last game (Yemel in - Gor
H ere's an il lustration from the 1 9 82 ic), the King j ust cannot survive after
Welsh Championship between a pair of 1 8 . . . Kxg5 ? 1 9 . Qh7 !
2 3 00+s.
FM Williams - 1M Cooper, 7 982

1 . d4 d 5 2 . c4 e6 3 . Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5.
e3 N bd 7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7 . Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. 0-0 b4 1 0. N e4 Be7 1 1 . Nxf6+
Nxf6 1 2. e4 0-0 1 3 . e5 N d 7 1 4. Be4
Qb6 1 5. Bg5 Bxg 5 1 6. Bxh7+ Kxh 7 1 7.
Nxg5+ Kg6
Based on the principles from earlier
in the chapter, you should be able to tell Do You See the I nvisible Fence?
that . . . Kg8 fails. ( Can you ? )
1 84
Module 7 : Lesson
I know it sounds odd, but even with Consider h4 Before Qg4

his center pawns under attack and no If your dark-squared Bishop can hit
pieces to the help the Queen, White is h6 after your Kn ight moves consider
totally winning here. playing h4 before Qg4, particul arly if
Th e biggest reason for th is is that you have not yet castled and/or Black's
Bl ack cannot get back to safety without Queen is no longer on the back rank.
taking on es, which walks into f4 and a This can easily present Black with a
whole new mess of pain. problem for which there is no good so
As an exercise, I would suggest you lution. He will want to stop the h-pawn,
take Bl ack in the ab ove di agram and but doing so generally means playing
play a bunch of quick games agai nst a . . . Rh8 ( and even that won't work if you
computer over and over again to get a have a Rook on the h-file. )
feel for the difficulty even when White But playing . . . Rh8 means giving up
seemingly has noth ing to attack with . control over the crucial f6-square. Here's
Back to the position after 1 8 . Qd3 + ! an i l l ustration where a strong j u n i o r
beat a stronger o n e in 1 9 9 5 :
Fro m h ere W h i te p i cks u p t h e

e6-pawn without losing any attacking After 1 3 • • • Kg6
force, and most of the time can pick up
more due to some variation on: 1 8 . . . fs The ga me co ntinued 1 4 . Qg4 ? ! fS
1 9 . Nxe6 Rae8 2 0 . Qg3 + Kf7 2 1 . Ngs + l s . Qg3 f4 1 6 . Qg4 Kh6 ? ?
Ke7 2 2 . Nh7 W h a t p o ssessed B l ack, a l ready a
master-level player, to make this move is
beyond me. Had she played 1 6 . . . Nxd4 ! ,
1 85
weakening the key eS-pawn, he would this position, such as 2 0 . Qh4 or 20. Bd2 .
have easily survived the attack after, say I f you want to come out with a clean
1 7 . Nf3 + Kh7 I B . Nxd4 NfS 1 9 . Nf3 KgB . material advantage, the move fo r you
White's 1 4th move should have been is 2 0 . Rb3 (threatening Rg3 ) . This more
1 4 . h4 ! , when 1 4 . . . RhB is the only move or less forces 2 0 . . . Nxd4. After 2 1 . Nxf3 +
that stops h S +, but it allows a pretty easy Kh6 2 2 . Nxd4 . White is a clear pawn up .
round-up: I S . Qg4 fS 1 6 . Qg3 f4 1 7 . Qg4 Th i s e a rly h - p awn m a rch i s even
RafB ( Bl ack has to keep f6 under con- stronger when White h as a Ro o k on
tro l l I B . hS + ! when I B . . . Rxh S ? all ows h I , since then there is no stopping the
1 9 . Nxe6 + Kf7 2 0 . Qxg7 + Kxe6 2 1 . QxfB . h-pawn . You should stil l only do this
Thus B l ack would h ave to go with i f you have your d ark-squared Bishop
l B . . . Kh6, which is never pleasant when around, otherwise playing h4 is gener
White sti l l has his Bishop on c l . After ally very bad, as the Black King can be-
1 9 . Bxf4 , B l ack h a s to p l ay 1 9 . . . RhgB come quite safe-ish on h 6 .
to adequately deal with t h e threats o f
Nxe 6 + a n d Nxf7 + . Beat i n g . . . Kh6
The . . . Kh 6 option is the l east com
mon possib ility, and generally comes up
i n only one specific type of position:
After 20 . . . Rhg8
At that point I would o nce again not

suggest White " cash in " with 2 0 . Nxe6 + Standard . . . Kh6 Situation
K h 7 2 1 . NxfB + RxfB .
With so many of Black's p ieces tied What's going on here? Why is this the
down, there are several better moves in only position where ... Kh6 matters?
1 86
Module 7 : Lesson
It's possible for . . . Kh6 to work in Sta ndard Plans

other cases, but very rarely. Let's look Wh ite will practically always push
at why this is generally the only time his h-pawn, even if it means giving up
. . . Kh6 comes up. his Kn ight tem p o rarily. H e wants to
The h4 pawn is more or less critical. open the h-file to flush the King out.
Playing . . . Kh6 if White has not played Black has a straightforward way of
h4 is almost always a fatal error because surviving (with his material advantage
Qg4 threatening Q h 4 often wins the intact) . H e will play g6 and then mosey
game i mmediately. toward the left, generally by way of the
The exception to this is if the crucial f6 square. If he can pull this off, White
f6-square is open for Black's King. If f6 is going to have a hard time even getting
is open ( meaning that White does not a draw.
control it and there is no piece on it), Here is an illustration how this can
then the threat of Qh7+ is much less. work for Black. We'll start with the posi
It is also typically suicidal for Black tion after 1 3 . . . Kh6 from the 1 9 9 1 GM
to try to play . . . Kh6 if White still has h is clash in H ungary between Czebe and
dark-squared Bishop. Zagrebelny.
Finally, it is important that Wh ite
has not castled. So long as White has a
Rook on h I , the h4 pawn by itself can
support a NgS + move because Bxh 7 +
Kxh7; NgS + BxgS ? ?; hxgS + KgB; Q h S is
likely fatal .
Th e m o s t c o m m o n w ay fo r t h i s
variation t o come up i s for Wh ite to
exchange a Bishop for a Knight on f6 .
This could happen, for example, if you
are one of those players who use a Torre Not Good for White
against certain move orders. I ndeed, if
there is not a Bishop on f6, White has 1 4.Qg4 g6 l S .hS Bxg S 1 6.hxg6+
to strongly consider the option of . . . f6 These are pretty standard moves, and
by Black at some point. now Zagrebelny makes a very common
error by playing 1 6 . . . Kg 7 1
187
Black's position, even after this error,

is still better theoretically, but it's harder
to play. After 1 7.Rh7+ Kxg6 1 8. QhS+ Kf6
1 9 . f4 Ke7 20.fxgS Ke8 2 1 . Kd2 Qe7 (this
is often a good square for the Queen in
these positions, even with the Rook on
h7. Black wants his Rooks free to sweep
the b ack row in case the g-p awn ad
vances. I n other variations he may also
want to exchange Rooks without having
to recapture with his Queen . ) White Lacks Fi repower
2 2 . Rfl Rc8 2 3 . RfS cxd4 24.exd4 Rc4
2 S . Nb S Rc6 2 6 . Rf2 th reate n i ng Re2 . After 1 7 . f4 Kg7 we have a position
And here Black did not find . . . Qe4, the like in the 1 6 . . . Kg? ? ! l ine, but without
point being that 2 7 . Re2 can be met by the Rook on h7. Black is hard to get to
27 . . . Rc2+ ! because he can play . . . Rh8 and . . . Kf8 .
That is what I meant about Black's
position being better but hard to play. Why White's Attack F a i l s
He j ust has to be concerned about too The game in the l ast secti on il lus
many things. trates White's problems i n t h i s l i n e .
I nstead, Bl ack should have pl ayed Black's safety depends o n 2 things:
1 6 . . . Kxg6 . Most of the time Bl ack can • White did not control f6
afford to take this pawn because White • Wh ite can not hit gS with a piece.
j ust has too much trouble getting to Change either of these, and Wh ite
h i m . I n this case, after 1 6 . . . Kxg6 we easily ki lls Black.
have the following position: If Black cannot move his King to f6,
then QhS+ at some point spells disaster.
The pawn that appears on gS after White
takes the Bishop allows Black's King to
roost on g7 for a while until Black can
shuffle his Rooks over. H ad White been
able to take that pawn off the board,
things would have turned out different.
1 88
Module 7 : Lesson
Too l s, Ti ps, and Tricks gS with a piece rather than a pawn .

I f everything i s set u p to use the
. . . Kh6 l ine at all, it is general ly a pretty No Dark-Squared Bishop?
tough nut to crack. Often it just comes If Black is missing his dark-colored
down to how good a defender Black is. Bishop as wel l, stro ngly consider sup
H owever, here is a l i st of items to porting the gS Knight with f4 and then
leverage, in order of lethalness. playing h S . Of course, you'll have to
consider the option of . . . f6 by Bl ack,
Missing f7-pawn si nce there won't be a Bishop blocking
I f B l ack i s m i s s i n g h i s f7 - p aw n , that pawn.
White often has a quick kill b y playing
Qc2, threatening Qxh7 +. If Black plays Pri nci pa l Va riation
. . . g6, then hS should end th ings. When considering a Bh7+ sacrifice,
you'll have to give some consideration
Knight to e4 to all options, but it helps a lot to know
If you can safely get a Kn ight to e4, beforehand which one needs the most
hitting both gS and f6, look to sacrifice calcul ation.
your other kn ight and mate the King by You can normally dismiss . . . Kh 6 as
opening up the h-file. an opti on unless you have pl ayed h4
and you h ave l ost your dark-squ ared
Moving Queen to Dark Squares Bishop. There are exceptions of course,
I f the e3 -square is clear, consider in particular if Bl ack can play . . . NfS and
playing your Queen to d2 (or another the f6 square is available to his King.
square along the dark diagonal ) , th is If . . . KgB will lead to a quick kill, then
sets up a d i scovered check when the the l ine to look hardest at is . . . Kg6 .
Knight moves away and puts more pres If . . . KgB is not going to lead to obvi
sure on Black to do someth ing. ous checkmate, it is probably the one to
look deepest at unless Black has tons of
Knight to f3 pressure against your pawn center (or if
A pretty standard option is to play you do not have a pawn center) . I f Black
your Queen to g4 and Knight to f3 . I n has Knights on d7 and dS, . . . Kg6 can be
addition to the Kn ight possibly going to particularly hard to refute.
eS , you have the ab il ity to recapture on
1 89
M odule 7: Classic Greek G ifts
Exerci ses
I have assembled 6 0 ( ! ) examples of
practical play where the B ishop sacrifice
was used. Decide in each case whether it
was a good sacrifice and defend your an
swer with appropriate analysis. Weaker
p l ayers s h o u l d focus on determ i n i n g
which of t h e three defenses is t h e most
important to consider.
1 90
Exercises
Last Moves: S .h4 0-0 6.eS N d S Last Moves: 8.h4 Bb7 9.eS Be7
Last Moves: 1 4. RxcS 0-0 1 S.Bd3 Nfe7 La st Moves: 1 1 .Ba3 Ne7 1 2.0-0 0-0
1 91
Module 7 : Cl assic Greek Gifts
La st Moves: 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 1 0.Bd3 ReS La st M oves: 1 1 .0-0 c5 1 2 .dxc5 Nxc5
Last Moves: 1 7.Nxd5 exd5 1 S.Bxe7 Nxe7 Last Moves: 1 2 .dxe5 Nd7 1 3 .Nf3 ReS
1 92
La st Moves: 9.Bd3 ReS 1 0.h4 c5 Last Moves: 7 . Nf3 Nge7 S.Bd3 0-0
Last Moves: 1 2. Bxe4 Bd7 1 3 .Re l 0-0 Last Moves: 1 O.Nxe4 Nxe4 1 1 .Bxe4 cxd4
1 93
Module 7: Cl assic Greek Gifts
La st Moves: 1 7. Ra e 1 Nxe3 1 8.fxe3 8g3 Last Moves: 1 0.c5 dxc5 1 1 .e5 Nd5
La st Moves: 1 4.axb4 dxc3 1 5 .bxc3 Qc7 Last M oves: 1 1 .Nfl cxd4 1 2. N g 3 8 b4
1 94
La st M oves: 1 1 .Bd2 0-0 1 2.Bd3 Ba6 Last M oves: 1 0. Re 1 0-0 1 1 .bS N a S
La st Moves: 1 2 .Bd3 Q a S + 1 3 .c3 d 4 Last Moves: 2 1 . R b 1 N a 4 22.Rc2 Qxa 3
1 95
Last Moves: 1 3.exd6 Nxc3 1 4.bxc3 Bxd6 Last Moves: 1 7.BxfS cxd4 1 8.Nxd7 Nxd7
Last Moves: 1 3 .Qe2 0-0 1 4.eS NfxdS Last Moves: 1 4.Nf1 cS 1 S.dxcS BxcS
1 96
Last Moves: 20.b3 Nxa3 2 1 .Bxa 3 Bxa 3 Last Moves: 1 3 .Re 1 Nc6 1 4.Bc2 Ne7
Last Moves: 1 3 .Qe2 N a 5 1 4.Bg5 Bxg 5 La st Moves: 1 1 .Qe2 0-0 1 2 .e5 Ne8
197
Module 7: Classic Greek Gifts
Last Moves: 1 2 .Nb3 Ba7 1 3 .Re1 Bb7 La st Moves: 1 2 .Bd3 Nf5 1 3 .Ngf3 Ne3
Last Moves: 1 1 .Nf3 b 6 1 2.h4 Ba6 Last Moves: 1 7.Be3 Qc7 1 8. Bxc5 Bxc5
1 98
Last Moves: 1 4.e5 N d 5 1 5 .Bg5 Bxg 5 La st Moves: 1 1 .b5 bxc5 1 2.dxc5 Bxc5
La st Moves: Q d 6 24.b3 N a 3 2 5 .c4 Qb411 Last Moves: 1 3 .Re1 0-0 1 4.Re3 RfdS
1 99
La st Moves: 1 8.Nxd7 Nxd7 1 9.dS Re7 La st Moves: 1 2 .eS dxeS 1 3 .fxeS N d S
Last Moves: 9.0-0 Bd7 1 0.Rel 0-0 Last Moves: 1 4.Re 1 Rfd 8 l S .exd6 Bxd6
2 00
Last Moves: 1 6.eS NcS 1 7 .exd6 Bxd6 La st Moves: S.Bd3 d6 9.exd 6 0-0
Last Moves: 6.Nf3 Ne7 7.Bd3 0-0 Last Moves: 1 3 .Nf3 QcS 1 4.h4 Ba6
201
Module 7: Classic Greek G ifts
La st Moves: 1 3 .Bd3 d6 1 4.h4 N d 7 Last Moves: 1 4.bxc3 0-0 1 S .eS N d S
La st Moves: 1 1 .Na3 0-0 1 2 . N b S Qb8 Last Moves: 9.0-0 Bb7 1 0.Bf4 cS
2 02
Last Moves: 9.Bd2 0-0 1 0.Bd3 N d 7 La st M oves: 6.Nf3 0-0 7 . B d 3 c 5
Last Moves: 1 2.Nf3 B b 7 1 3 .Bd3 N c4 Last Moves: 1 5 .Bf4 Nc5 1 6.Bc2 Ne7
2 03
Last Moves: 1 0.Rbl 0-0 1 1 .Bd3 Rd8 La st Moves: 1 0.exf6 Bxf6 1 1 .Qe2 dS
Last Moves: 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 1 0 . h 4 c S La st Moves: 1 3 .eS N d 7 1 4.Bxe7 Nxe7
2 04
Last Moves: 9 . B d 3 N d 7 1 0.0-0 0-0 Last Moves: 7.Bd3 N e6 8. Bf4 0-0
Last Moves: 1 S.Re1 Qb8 1 6.eS N d S La st Moves: 1 6.Bd3 Bd7 1 7.Bf4 Na6
2 05
50lutio115
Exercise 1 p l ayer in th is game, G reco, l iteral ly

La st Moves: S.h4 0-0 6.eS N d S "wrote the book" on this sacrifice.

7 ••• Kxh 7 8.NgS+ Bxg S
B ... Kh6 9.Nxe6+;
B ... Kg6 9.h S+;
B . . . K g B 9 . Q h S N f6 1 0 . e x f6 g x f 6
1 1 .Q h 7 #
9.hxg S + Kg 6
9 ... Kg B 1 O.Q h S fS 1 1 .g6.
1 O.QhS+ KfS 1 1 .Qh 3 + Kg6 1 2.Qh7#
Verd i ct: 7.Bxh7+!
Exercise 2
Commentary Last Moves: 1 4. RxcS 0-0 1 S .Bd3 N fe7
The only differences between this
and the standard setup are the Bishop
on e7 and the pawn on h4. The pawn
on h4 only hurts White if Black plays
. . . K h 6 , but that vari ation fai l s s i n ce
White still has his Bishop on c l . The
Bishop on e7 cannot help Black in any
other variation since taking the Knight
on gS opens the h-file. So we see that the
. . . KgB and . . . Kh6 defenses will not work.
Playing . . . Kg6 with the pawn already on Verd i ct: 1 6.Bxh7+!
h4 makes little sense. Note, the White
207
Commentary could make use of your dark-colored

We fi rst do a quick check to see if Bishop by p l ayi ng h4 afterward . The
. . . KgB is a possible defense. Black has a King just has no way to meet the threat
way of moving a piece to the gB-square, of h5 given the l o o m i n g Bc l ! I n the
so we wi l l h ave to consider that l i ne actual game, Wh ite played Qg4, giving
more closely. When Black has the . . . NgB Bl ack the opportunity to equal ize im
move available, the first thing to look for mediately with .. . f6 .
is the ability to play Bg5 in one move.
White does not have that, but if you look Analysis, Variations, and Notes
deeply enough you will find another way 1 6 ... Kxh 7 1 7 .NgS+ Kg6
to deal with this variation. It is important 1 7 ... Kg B 1 B . Q h 5 Rfd 8 1 9 .Qxf7 + K h 8
that you look for it BEFORE committing 20.Rc3.
to the sacrifice, though. 1 8.Qd3!
S i n ce t h e h - p aw n h a s n o t b e e n 1 B . Q g 4 ? f6 ! 1 9 . N x e 6 + Kf7 2 0 . N x c 7
pushed, . . . K h 6 looks l ike i t cannot go Bxg4 2 1 . N xa 8 Rxa8 l eaves B l a c k s l i g htly
anywhere. What about the . . . Kg6 op better. In the actu a l game B l a c k re p l ied
tion? White has very good control of f6, 1 8 . . . f5 ? and l ost after 1 9.Qg 3 Qc8 20.Rc3
so this line looks promising. H owever, f4 2 1 .Qg4 Nf5 2 2 . R h 3 Rh8 2 3 . N xe6+ Kf7
there are two minor warning signs. First, 24.Qxf5+ Ke7 25.Qg5+ Kxe6 26.Qg6+ Ke7
White has not castled and has no way 2 7.Qxg 7+
of quickly moving a Rook to the e-file. 1 8 .. .fS 1 9.h4!!
Secondly, even th ough Nxe 6 h its the 1 9.Qg3 f4 20.Qg4 Q b8±;
Queen on c7, it also all ows a sel f-pin 1 9. Q h 3 ! Rh8 20.Qg3 f4 2 1 .Qxf4 Raf8
against White's own Queen due to the 22.Qg4 Qb8 23 .h4.
Bishop on d7.
Th ese two warn i n g s i g n s s h o u l d Exercise 3
cause Wh ite t o real ize that the . . . f6 ! ? Last Moves: 8.h4 Bb7 9.eS Be7
option ( instead of the more normal . . . f5
play) might b e a real concern . Wh ite
should thus be drawn to consider Qd3+
instead of Qg4 in the . . . Kg6 line because
Qd3+ forces f5 .
Bonus p o i nts i f you real ized you
2 08

1 O . Kxh 7 1 1 .NgS+ Kh6
. .
1 1 ... Kg8 1 2.Qh5;

1 1 ... Kg6 1 2 . Q d 3 + f5 1 3 . e xf6 + Kxf6
1 4.Qf3 +
1 2 .Qd2 Qc8
1 2 ... Qe8 1 3 . Nxe6+ Kh 7 1 4.Nxc7;
1 2 ... Bxg 5 1 3 . hxg5+ Kg6 1 4.Qd 3 + Kxg 5
( 1 4 .. .f5 1 5.gxf6+) 1 5 .Q h 7 .
1 3 .0-0-0!
Verd i ct: 1 0.Bxh7+! 1 3 .Nxe6+ Kh 7 1 4. N xf8+ Bxf8 ;!;
Commentary Exercise 4
You should be able to tell immedi Last Moves: 1 1 .Ba3 Ne7 1 2.0-0 0-0
ately that Black has no hope of surviving
after . . . KgB ? ? With the h-pawn advanced
and the Rook still on h I , playing . . . Kg6
is also fatal (though that was the game
continuation, but White did not react as
he should have ) .
Two th ings p o i n t t o Wh ite having
an advantage after . . . Kh 6 . First, the lack
of an e3-pawn all ows White to cause
threats with Qd2 . Second, controlling
f6 with a pawn removes many options Verd i ct: 1 3 .Bxh7+!
that wou ld otherwise a l l ow Bl ack to
come out with an advantage. Still, White Commentary
should real ize he has the King cooped The Kn ight on e7 normally puts a
up, but cannot i m mediately kill h i m . wrinkle in the . . . KgB line, but in this case
I n stead of cash i n g i n , Wh ite s h o u l d the Knight is pinned to the fB-square, so
maintain the tension. the Knight will not be able to hop to gB
later. The . . . Kh6 option obviously makes
no sense as h4 has not been played.
2 09
When looking at the . . . Kg6 option,

you should note that the e6-pawn will
have no protection after Black pushes his
f-pawn, but the real problem is that the
black Queen has no good place to go .
On dB she will be in danger after White
plays Nxe6. On eB she wil l be in danger
after a l ater Nxg7 . On any other square,
she cannot protect the e7-Knight.
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Verd ict: 1 1 .Bxh7+!

1 3 ... Kxh7 1 4.NgS+ Kg6
1 4 . . . K g B l S . Q h S R e B 1 6 . Q h 7 + Kf8 Commentary
1 7.Qh8# The Bishop on fB norm a l ly spells
l S .Qg4 fS 1 6.Qg3 QeS doom for Black in these situations be
1 6 ... Qc8 1 7. N xe6+ Kf7 1 B.Qxg7+ Kxe6 cause it defends the wrong square and
1 9.Qxe7# can block up Black's King. In this case,
1 7.Nxe6+ Kf7 l S.Nxg7 though, White is missing the pawn on
1 8.Qxg 7+? Kxe6-+ eS, so we have to be extra careful about
My d a ta b a s e s a y s B l a c k l o s t a ft e r the . . . Kg6 option. H owever, White has
1 B.Qxg 7 ? I a s s u m e t h i s h a d t o b e d u e to one trump, the B ishop on c 1 . To make
t i m e s i n ce he wou l d be wel l ahead after this work you have to use the early h4
1 8 . . . Kxe6. trick. White missed this and Black could
l S ... RgS 1 9.NxeS Rxg 3 20.Nd6+ h ave escaped because White does not
control f6 .
Exercise 5
Last Moves: 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 1 0.Bd3 ReS Analysis, Variations, and Notes
11 .•• Kxh 7 1 2 .NgS+ Kg6 1 3 .h4!
1 3 .Qg4? fS 1 4.Qh4 d S l S .Qh7+ Kf6=;
1 3 .Qd 3+ fS 1 4.d S ! ( 1 4.Qg 3 Bd6 l S .f4
Qe7=) 1 4 ... N e S l S . Q h 3 Be7 1 6. Q h 7 + Kf6
1 7.Qh S g6 1 8.Q h3±
1 3 ...fS
21 0
1 3 .. .f6 ? ? 1 4. h S + Kh6 l S .Qd 3 . Analysis, Variations, and Notes

1 4.hS+ Kf6 l S .d S! 19 ••• Kxh 7 20.N g S + Kg6
l S .h6? Kg 6 + 2 0 . . . K g B 2 1 . Q h S RcB 2 2 . Q xf7 + K h B
lS ••• NeS 1 6.f4+- 2 3 . N e6.
2 1 .Qg4 fS 22 .exf6!
Exercise 6 22.Qg3 is a l so q u ite stro n g : 22 . . . N c6
Last Moves: 1 7.Nxd S exd S 1 8.Bxe7 Nxe7 2 3 . Re l o r 22 . . . N h B 2 3 . N f3 + . The text i s
fa ster, tho u g h .
22 ••• gxf6
22 ... Rxf6 2 3 . N e6+ Kfl 24.Qxg 7+ Kxe6
2S .Re l ++-;
22 ... Kxf6 2 3 . R e l +-;
22 ... NfS 2 3.fxg 7 Kxg 7 24.Re l +-
23.Ne6+ Kf7 24.Qg7+! Kxe6 2 S . Re 1 ++-
Exercise 7
Last Moves: 1 1 .0-0 cS 1 2 .dxcS NxcS
Verd ict: 1 9.Bxh7+!
Commentary
This is an odd position due to the
vast amount of space Black has to run
around i n . Normally there are m o re
squares blocked up by his own pieces.
Th e Knight on e7 can get to gB, but
b ecause the e 6 - square is u nguarded,
Wh ite should have no problem in the
. . . KgB l ine. Verd ict: 1 3 .Bxh7+?
White is running short on attacking
pieces in the . . . Kg6 l ine. To make that Commentary
line work, White needs to play the rather Capablanca must not have thought
uncommon exf6 to allow his Rook to much of his opponent when he made
work on the open e-file. th is m ove . Without the p awn on e S
21 1
o r an open e - fi l e o r rea l l y a nyth ing Commentary

else to help the attack, it's j ust overly Th e sacrifice does not work here.
optimistic. Because the Rook has al ready moved,
Bl ack gets one free move to save h i s
Analysis, Variations, and Notes hide. The strong . . . NfB manages t o put
1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.Ng5+ Kh6! support on both h7 and f7 .
With n o d a rk B i s h o p s o n the boa rd
and noth ing b l ocki ng movement t h rough Analysis, Variations, and Notes
f6, this i s actua l l y best beca use Black g a i n s 1 4 ... Kxh 7 1 5 .Ng5+ Kg8
a m o v e s i n c e W h i t e h a s to s h u ffl e h i s l S ... Kg 6 ? ? 1 6.Qd 3 + fS 1 7 .exf6+ Kxf6
Q u een back a n d fo rth to g et a t the black l B.Qf3 + Kg 6 1 9.Qf7+ Kh6 20. N xe6+
monarch. 1 6.Qh5 Nf8 +
1 4 ... Kg6 l S .Qg4 fS 1 6.Qg3 Kf6 1 7 . b4
N d 3 ! ? ( 1 7 ... N e4 l B . N cxe4+ Bxe4 1 9.Qf4! Exercise 9
NdS 20. Nxe4+ Kf7 (20 ... Ke7 2 1 .Qh4+ Kd 7 La st Moves: 9.Bd3 Re8 1 O.h4 c5
2 2 . N g S±) 2 1 .Qf3 Kg B 22. N g 3 Nxb4 � ; 1 7 ...
N d 7 ? wa s p l ayed in the actua l ga me, los
i ng.) l B.Rcd l QbB!oo
1 5 .Qg4 Nd5 1 6.Qh4 Kg6 1 7 .Qh7+ Kf6
1 8. Rfd 1 Qb8 1 9. N ce4+ Nxe4 20.Nxe4+
Ke7 2 1 .Qxg 7 Rg8 22.Qd4 +
Exercise 8
Last Moves: 1 2 .dxe5 N d 7 1 3 .Nf3 Re8
Verd ict: 1 1 .Bxh 7+?
Commentary
With fB open, Black has a free move.
An extra tempo plus al ready controlling
g7 should give Wh ite pause. Here Black
can also defend f7 with his Bishop, so
the sacrifice is quite unreliable.
Verd ict: 1 4.Bxh7+?!
212
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 1 5 ... Kg 8? 1 6.0h 5 Oc2 1 7. Re4!

11 •.. Kxh 7 1 2.NgS+ Kg8 1 6.h4
1 2 ... Kh6?? 1 3 . N xf7+ 1 6.0g4? Bxh2+ 1 7.Kh l f5-+
1 3 .QhS Be6 + 1 6 ... Bh2+ 1 7.Kh l Bf4 +
La st Moves: 1 2 .Bxe4 Bd7 1 3 .Rel 0-0 Last Moves: 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.Bd3 0-0
Verd ict: 1 4.Bxh 7+? Verd i ct: 9.Bxh7+!
Normally a Queen on an open c-file The only aspect of this position that
is troub le fo r White b ecause she can is different from the standard version is
get to c2 to defend h7. It turns out that the Kn ight on e7. That Knight can block
White has a way of stopping that. How a later Queen check on h8 by moving to
ever, White cannot counter the effect of g8 . H owever, any time Wh ite can play
the Queen-Bishop battery along the dark his Bishop to g5 in one move, you can
squares. Of course, White should expect be assured Bl ack is toast in that line.
probl ems with the . . . Kg6 l ine because he Th at leaves . . . Kg6 to consider. The
has no pawn on e5 . key there is to play an early h4, which
is always someth ing to consider when
Analysis, Variations, and Notes your Bishop is sti ll on cl and can "see "
1 4 ... Kxh 7 1 S .NgS+ Kg6 the h6-square through the g5-Kn ight.
213
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Black wil l h ave one extra move in
9 ... Kxh7 1 O.Ng5+ Kg6 the ... Kg8 l i ne because his Rook is al
1 0 . . . K g 8 1 1 . Q h S R e 8 1 2 . Q h 7 + Kf8 ready on e8 . He has 3 ways to defend
1 3 .Qh8+ N g 8 1 4. N h 7+ Ke7 1 S .Bg S++- critical squares ( . . . Qf6, . . . NeS, . . . BeS ) ,
1 1 .h4!+- so you should have thought through
1 1 .Qg41 fS 1 2.Qg3 f4 1 3.Qg4 � each one.
11 ••• Nxd4 1 2.Qg4 f5 1 3 .h5+ Kh6
1 4.Nxe6+ g 5 1 5 .hxg6# Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 2 ... Kxh 7 1 3 .Ng5+ Kg8
Exercise 1 2 1 3 ... Kg6 1 4.h4 fS ( 1 4 ... Rh8 l S.Rxe6!!++
Last Moves: 1 O.Nxe4 Nxe4 1 1 .Bxe4 cxd4 N f6 1 6 . h S + K h 6 1 7 . Rx d 6 Q a S 1 8 . N xf7+
Kh 7 1 9. N g S + Kg8 20.Q b 3 + ) l S . h S + Kf6
1 6.Qxd4 BeS 1 7.Qh4!+-
1 4.Qh5 Qf6
1 4 . . . N e S l S . RxeS BxeS 1 6.Qxf7 + Kh8
1 7 .Q h S + Kg 8 1 8. b 3 !+-;
1 4 ... BeS l S .Qxf7 Kh8 1 6.Re4+-
1 5 .Qh7+ Kf8 1 6.Ne4 Qe5 1 7.cxd4=
Exercise 1 3
La st Moves: 1 7.Rae1 Nxe3 1 8.fxe3 Bg3
Verd i ct: 1 2.Bxh 7+!
Commentary
Stri ctly s p e a k i n g, B l ack c a n sur
vive (with equality) if he finds perfect
defense.
Colle won the brilliancy prize for this
game. You should notice first the lack of
any eS-pawn; that means the . . . Kg6 l ine
is going to be a bit tricky. However, since
White still has his Bishop on e l , he can Verd ict: 1 9.Bxh 7+!?
use the early h4 idea.
214
Th e sacri fi ce does n o t wo rk, b u t La st Moves: 1 4.axb4 dxc3 1 S.bxc3 Qc7
White was in trouble. I personally find it
strange someone as good as Cecil Purdy
did not find the correct defense here !
The prob l e m with the sacrifi ce i s
pretty obvious. Black h a s a free move
and is already defending the f7 -pawn.
With his free move, he will want to de
fend one of the other pawns ( and make
sure that the open f-file does not give
White any options he might not other
wise have ) . Verd ict: 1 6.Bxh7+!
Note there are several ways for Black
to use his free move to defend the im Commentary
portant squares, make sure you look at The sacrifice is not absolutely win
each one. ning, but even with perfect defense it
leaves White wel l off. H owever, it does
Analysis, Variations, and Notes require a fair amount of analysis.
1 9 ... Kxh 7 20.NgS+ Kg8 Black has two pieces hitting the criti
20 ... Kg6? 2 1 .Qg4 B h 2 + 22.Kh 1 Q g 3 ? ? cal eS-pawn. This means the . . . Kg6 l ine
(22 ... Bxg 2+ 2 3 . Kx g 2 Qg 3 + 24.Qxg 3 Bxg 3 takes extra care. White needs to make
2 S . Kx g 3 K x g S 2 6 . R x f7 ;J; ) 2 3 . Q f S + K h S sure Black cannot destroy the e-pawn .
24. N xf7+ The . . . Kg8 l ine does not lead to an ob
2 1 .QhS Bd S!-+ vious win, but it should be easy to see
2 1 ... R d 7 ? ? 22.Qh7+ Kf8 2 3 . Q h 8+ Ke7 that White easily gets his material back
24.Rxf7+; with a good position. Because the Rook
2 1 . . . f6 ? 2 2 . Q h 7 + Kf8 2 3 . Q h 8 + K e 7 is stil l on f8, the only defense for Black
2 4 . Q x g 7 + K d 6 2 S . Qxf6+ Kd 7 2 6 . Q fS + involves defending h7 with . . . Be4 .
Kc6oo;
2 1 ... g6?? 22.Qh7+ Kf8 2 3 . Rxf7+; Analysis, Variations, and Notes
21 ... Re7?? 22.Qh7+ Kf8 23.Qh 8#; 1 6 ... Kxh 7 1 7 .NgS+ Kg8
21 ... Be4? 22.Nxf7 B h 7 ! + 1 7... Kg6 1 8.Qd 3+! ( 1 8.h4? QxeS=;
215
1 8 . 0 g 4 ? N x e S = ) 1 8 . . . fS 1 9 . 0 g 3 O x e S 1 6.0h4 e S 1 7.Rac 1 b 6 t
20.Bf4!+- 1 4.Qc2+
1 8.QhS Be4 1 9.Nxe4 QxeS 20.Qf3 ± 1 4 . 0 g 4 fS l S . 0 g 3 ( l S . 0 h4 ? T h i s i s
typica l l y a ve ry strong move when Black's
Exercise 1 5 maj o r pi eces a re not co n n ected o n the
Last Moves: 1 0.cS dxcS 1 1 .eS N d S back row, but h e re it fa i l s beca u se not
only does Black have two Knig hts tra i n ed
o nto f6, but h i s O u een ca n sweep across
the 7th ra n k to hit the crucia l h 7-sq u a re
a l l owi n g B l a c k to re s p o n d to 1 4 . . . N f6 !
l S . N xf6 ? ! w i t h l S . . . exf6 ! i n stead of t h e
m o r e n o r m a l . . . N xf6 . ) l S . . .f4 1 6 . 0 g 4
( 1 6 . 0 h 3 N 7f6 t ) 1 6 . . . N 7f6 1 7 . exf6 N xf6
1 8.N xe6+ Nxg4t
1 4 ...fS
1 4 ... Kxg S ? ? l S .0h 7+-
Verd ict: 1 2 .Bxh 7+! 1 S .exf6+ Kxg S
l S ... Kxf6 1 6.0 h 7±
Commentary 1 6.fxg7 Kh6 1 7 .gxf8=Q+ Nxf8
With Kn ights o n d S a n d d 7 a n d
a Queen bearing down on e S , Wh ite Exercise 1 6
should not expect to get a forced win Last Moves: 1 1 .Nf1 cxd4 1 2 .Ng3 B b4
out of the sacrifice. Black can easi ly give
back the material by playing a Kn ight to
f6 . H owever, White does come out with
a good position in all lines. As you play
through these l ines note how White's at
tack j ust loses its pep once the exchange
occurs on f6 .

1 2 ... Kxh 7 1 3 .NgS+ Kg6
1 3 . . . K g 8 1 4 . 0 h S N 7f6 l S . exf6 N xf6 Verd ict: 1 3 .Bxh 7+!1
21 6
The sacrifice doe not "work, " but it is Last Moves: 1 1 .Bd2 0-0 1 2 .Bd3 Ba6
the best option White has. With perfect
defense Black keeps an advantage, but
not a decisive one.
Th e Kn ight on g3 makes anything
other than . . . Kg8 impossible. There are
several ways fo r Bl ack to use his free
move (since the Rook is al ready on e8 )
to defend the various squares. The key is
for Wh ite to figure out how to best use
his extra Kn ight on the K-side.
1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg8 Commentary
1 4 ... Kg6?? l S .0hS#; White probably should have real ized
1 4...0xg S ? ! l S .BxgS Bxe 1 1 6.0xe 1 his extremely stro ng opponent ( Boris
NdxeSoo Gulko) would not have left hi mself open
1 S.QhS NdxeS to an easy kill. Black has an often-over
l S ... N fB 1 6.0xf7 + KhB 1 7 . 0 h S + KgB looked way of putting a piece on h7.
1 B.Of7+=;
l S ... N cxeS 1 6.0h7+ KfB 1 7.0hB+ Ke7 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 B.NfS + Kf6 1 9.0xg 7+ KxfS 20.g4++-; 1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg8 1 S.QhS Qxc2-+
l S ... Nf6 1 6.0xf7 KhB 1 7.Re4+-; 1 6.g4 Qd3
l S ... Re7 1 6.0h7+ KfB 1 7.0hB#
1 6.RxeS NxeS 1 7.Qh7+ Kf8 1 8. N h S Exercise 1 8
1 B.OhB+?! Ke7 1 9.0xg 7 Kd 7 20.N xf7 Last Moves: 1 2.Bd3 QaS+ 1 3 .c3 d4
N xfl 2 1 .0xf7+ Kc6 2 2 . B g S Od 7 2 3 . 0f6+
Re6 24.0xd4 BcS-+
1 8 ... Ke7 1 9.Qxg 7 Kd 7 20.Nf6+ Kc6
20 ... Kc7? 2 1 . Bf4.
2 1 .Nxe8 Qxe8 22. Bf4oo
21 7
Module 7 : Cl assic Greek Gifts
Verd i ct: 1 4.Bxh 7+? Verd ict: 1 2.Bxh 7+?
I h o p e this exercise d i d n o t catch I must admit that I don't know what
you . It is true that Black's Roo k is stil l White, a 2 3 00+ player, thought he was
on f8 and he h a s no way of defending going to get here. I hope you saw that
h7 in one move, but you have to check Black can easily defend h 7 .
for checks !
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 12 ••. Kxh 7 1 3 . N g S + Kg8 1 4.QhS BfS-+
14 •.• Kxh 7 1 S.QhS+
1 5 . N g 5 + ? Kg8 1 6. Q h 5 Qxe5+ 1 7 . Kfl Exercise 2 0
Qf5-+ Last Moves: 2 1 .Rb 1 N a 4 22.Rc2 Qxa3
lS •.. Kg8 1 6.0-0 f6
Exercise 1 9
Last M oves: 1 0.Re1 0-0 1 1 .bS N a S
Verd i ct: 2 3 .Bxh7+!?
218
Commentary
This sacrifice is theoretically broken,
but B l ack has a formidab l e and easy
plan of advancing his connected passed
pawns, so Wh ite had to try something.
Plus, he's a whole pawn down .
I'm putting the actual game l ine here
so you see for yourself how even very
strong players can lose won games when
they have to defend. Note that Black is
around 2400 and White is around 2 1 00 Verd ict: 1 S.Bxh 7+?
Elo.
Commentary
Analysis, Variations, and Notes B lack has ful ly viab l e ways of de
23 ••• Kxh 7 24.N g S + Kh6 fending his h7-square, so this sacrifice
24 ... Kg 8 ? ? 2S.QhS Qd3 26.e4+-; cannot be good. White has a perfectly
24 ... Kg6 2 S .Qg4 fS 26.Q h4. Th i s tri c k good game and should have just contin
d o e s n o t work a s wel l w h e n f6 i s ava i l a b l e ued with c4 here.
for the b l a c k K i n g . 26 . . .Qe7-+. In the actual game, Black decli ned
2S .Qg4 Qe7 26.Qh4+ Kg 6 2 7.f4 the sacrifice ! !
27.Qh7+ Kxg S 28.Qxg 7+ KfS-+
27 ••• fS Analysis, Variations, and Notes
B l a c k i s t h e o re t i c a l l y safe a n d w e l l 1S ••• Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ Kg8 1 7.QhS Bd3-+
a h ead, but he has to be ca refu l .
Exercise 22
Exercise 2 1 Last Moves: 1 3 .Qe2 0-0 1 4.eS NfxdS
Last Moves: 1 3 .exd6 Nxc3 1 4.bxc3 Bxd6
219
Verd i ct: l S .Bxh7+! Verd ict: 1 9.Bxh 7+?
It's easy to tell there is no hope i n Wh ite has no pawn on e5 or Rook
the . . . KgB line. Th is game sh ows well on e 1 , so he lacks the basic setup for
the usefulness of playing an early h4 in this sac. Furthermore, Bl ack can defend
the . . . Kg6 line when you have a Bishop h7 via Be4 . Worse, Bl ack can easily bring
that can "see " h 6 . his queen in after . . . Bxh2+ and . . . Qg3, so
this sacri fice is very poor.
l S . . . Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ Kg6 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 6 ... KgB 1 7.Qh5 Qxg 5± 1 9 ... Kxh 7
1 7 .h4 Rh8 1 8.hS+ Rxh S . I n the a c t u a l ga me, B la ck d ec l i ned t h e
Now w e s e e t h a t Q g 4 wou l d h a v e j u st sa cr ifi ce ! My a s s u m pt i o n i s that he o n l y
been a wa sted m ove. ca l c u l a ted ... Kg 8 rath e r t h a n t h e ot h e r
1 9.Qe4+ f S 20.exf6+ Kxf6 2 1 .Qf3+ o pti o n s.
Ke7 20.N gS+ Kh6!
21 ... Kg6 22.Qf7 Kh6 2 3 . N xe6+ The sta n d a rd way of d ea l i ng with t h i s
22 .QxhS fa i l s m i sera bly.
20 ... Kg6 i s safe a s wel l , but not q u ite a s
Exercise 23 good. 2 1 .Qg4 7 1 B x h 2 + 22.Kh 1 f5;
Last Moves: 1 7.BxfS cxd4 1 8.Nxd 7 Nxd7 20 ... Kg 8 ? 2 1 .Q h 5 B x h 2 + 2 2 . K h 1 Be4
2 3 . N xe4 Qc6 24. N g S Qh6 2 S .Qxh6 gxh6
22 0
26.Kxh2 hxg 5 27.exd4 g ives White a good 1 9 ... Qxg 5

position. I n t h e g a m e , 1 9 . . . R e B wa s p l a ye d ,
2 1 .Qg41 which you s h o u l d recog n ize a s mate i n 5 .
2 1 . N xf7+ Rxf7 2 2 . Rxf7 B x h 2 + 2 3 . Kfl It i s i nterest i n g t o see w h y B l a c k can not
Qg 3-+ get his material back.
21 ... Bxh2+ 22.Kh 1 Qg3 1 9 ... ReB 20.Qxf7+ KhB 2 1 . Q h 5 + Kg B
22.Qh7+ KfB 23.QhB+
Exercise 24 20.Bxg 5 Bxe 1 2 1 .Bf6!! gxf6
Last Moves: 1 4.Nfl c5 1 5 .dxc5 Bxc5 2 1 ... N xf6 2 2 .exf6 g xf6 2 3 . Rxe l RaeB
24.Qg4+ KhB 2 5 . RxeB RxeB 26.Qd7.
22 .exf6 Nxf6 2 3 .Qg5+ Kh7 24.Qxf6-+
Exercise 25
La st Moves: 2 0 . b 3 N x a 3 2 1 .Bxa3 Bxa 3
Commentary
Th e o n ly va riati on that has to be
l o o ked at is the possib i l i ty of Bxf2 + ,
which might throw a spanner into the Verd ict: 22 .Bxh7+?!
works.
Commentary
Analysis, Variations, and Notes White is not in a very good position,
1 6 ... Kxh 7 1 7 .Ng5+ Kg8 1 8.Qh5 Bxf2 but he should have known th is sacrifice
1 9.Kh 1 would not work. Bl ack has two ways of
1 9.Kxf2? Qb6+ a l l ows Black to get his defending the h7 -square. H e can play
Queen to g6 or h6, after which there is no Nf6 or Qxc2, either of which would al-
attack. low adequate defense.
22 1
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 1 6 . . . K g 6 1 7 . Q g 4 fS 1 8 . Q g 3 ( 1 8 . Q h 4

22 ••• Kxh 7 2 3 . N g S + Kg8 24.QhS Nf6 N f6 ) 1 8 . . . Q e 7 1 9 . N xe6+ Kf7 . N o rm a l l y I
2 S .Qh4 Qxc2-+ d o n ot s u g g est ca s h i n g i n l i ke t h i s, b u t
here Wh ite can merc i l essly t i e u p Black's
Exercise 26 pieces ba sed o n the pin d own the d-fi l e.
Last Moves: 1 3 .Qe2 NaS 1 4.BgS Bxg S 2 0 . N x d 8+ Qxd 8 2 1 . R d 1 Be6 2 2 . Qf3 Q d 7
2 3 . N c3 R d 8 24. R d 3 N c 6 2 S . R a d 1 N ce7
26.N e4 Kf8 2 7 . N d 6.
1 7.Qh S + N b3 1 8.Qh7+ Kf8 1 9.Qh8+
Ke7 20.Qxg 7 Rf8 2 1 .Nc3 Nxc3 22.bxc3
Nxa 1 2 3 . N h 7
T h e n B l a c k c r a c ke d , n o t wa n t i n g a
d raw.
23 ••• Bd7? 24.QgS+ Ke8
I n t h e a ct u a l g a m e , W h i t e p l a y e d
2 S . N f6 + , l ea d i n g to a n e q u a l p o s i t i o n
Verd i ct: l S .Bxh7+! h e l a t e r l o st . 2 S . R d 1 W i t h N f6-d 7-f8 t o
fol l ow.
Commentary
The sacrifice does not b ring a win- Exercise 2 7
n i n g position, b u t it a l l ows Wh ite to Last Moves: 1 3 .Rel Nc6 1 4.Bc2 Ne7
move his poorly pl aced Queen (poorly
placed due to the threat of . . . Nb3-c l . )
Because B l ack's Ro o k a n d Q u e e n
have b oth moved, B l ack h a s plenty of
time to s ave h i s king, but he stil l has
to be carefu l . In the actual game, Black
blundered and White missed his oppor
tunity to win.

l S .NxgS h6 1 6. N h 3 N b3 . Verd ict: l S. Bxh 7+! ?
lS ••• Kxh 7 1 6.Nxg S+ Kg8
222
Commentary he accepts the sacrifice and then retreats.

Black can put double defense on h7, H owever, given the fragility of the eS
but White can foil that defense i n the pawn, White has to be careful that . . . Kg6
. . . KgB l ine. H owever, the . . . Kg6 l ine does not save Black.
leads to an unclear position. In the actual game, Black simply al
lowed White to keep the pawn.
lS ••• Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ Kg6! Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 6 ... Kg B ? 1 7 . Q h S Bxf2+ 1 B . K h 1 Q c 2 13 ••• Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg6
1 9. N d e4 Bxe4 20.Rxe4 RfcB 2 1 .Qxf7+ K h B 1 4 ... Kg B l S . Q h S N f6 1 6.exf6 is mate
22.Q h S + K g B 2 3 . Q h 7 + (23. Be3 i s n o t q u ite i n six.
as g ood s i n ce Black cou l d p l a y ... NfB a n d l S .Qd3+!
p ray.) 23 . . . KfB 24.QhB+ N g B 2 S . Be3 l S .Qg4 Qc6 forces Wh ite to be satis
1 7 .h4 Rh8 1 8.Qg4 fS 1 9.exf6 Bxf2+ fi ed w i t h a m i n o r m a t e ri a l a d v a n t a g e :
20.Kxf2 QcS+ 2 1 .Kf1 QfS+ 2 2.QxfS + 1 6 . N xe 6 + K h 7 1 7 . N d B Qxg 2 1 B . Qx g 2 +
NxfSoo Bxg2 1 9.Kx g 2 .
lS fS 1 6.Ne2 QxeS 1 7.Nf4+ Kxg S
•••
Exercise 28 1 7 ... Kf6 1 B.Bc3.

La st Moves: 1 1 .Qe2 0-0 1 2.eS N e8 1 8.Qg3+ Kf6 1 9. N h S + Kf7 20.QxeS
Exercise 29
La st Moves: 1 2 .Nb3 Ba7 1 3 . Re 1 Bb7
Verd ict: 1 3 .Bxh7+!
Commentary
Black is too cooped up to survive if Verd ict: 1 4.Bxh7+!
223
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 1 6 . . . K g 6 1 7 . Q g 4 fS 1 8 . Q g 3 ( 1 8 . Q h 4

22 ••• Kxh 7 23.NgS+ KgS 24.QhS Nf6 N f6 ) 1 8 . . . Q e 7 1 9 . N xe6+ Kf7 . N o rm a l l y I
2S.Qh4 Qxc2-+ d o not s u g g est ca s h i n g i n l i ke t h i s, b u t
here Wh ite ca n merc i l essly t i e u p Black's
Exercise 26 pieces ba sed o n the pin d own the d-fi l e.
La st Moves: 1 3 .Qe2 NaS 1 4.BgS Bxg S 2 0 . N x d 8 + Qxd 8 2 1 . R d 1 Be6 22.Qf3 Q d 7
2 3 . N c 3 R d 8 24. R d 3 N c6 2 S . Ra d 1 N c e 7
26. N e4 Kf8 2 7 . N d6.
1 7.Qh S + N b3 1 S.Qh7+ KfS 1 9.QhS+
Ke7 20.Qxg7 RfS 2 1 .Nc3 Nxc3 22.bxc3
Nxa 1 2 3 . N h 7
T h e n B l a c k c ra c ke d , n o t wa n t i n g a
d raw.
23 ••• Bd7? 24.QgS+ KeS
I n t h e a ct u a l g a m e , W h i t e p l a ye d
2 S . N f6 + , l ea d i n g to a n e q u a l p o s i t i o n
Verd ict: l S.Bxh7+! h e l a t e r l o st. 2 S . Rd 1 W i t h N f6-d 7 -f8 to
fol l ow.
Commentary
The sacrifice does not b ring a win- Exercise 27
ning position, but i t a l l ows White to Last Moves: 1 3 . Re 1 N c6 1 4. Bc2 Ne7
move his poorly pl aced Queen (poorly
pl aced due to the threat of . . . Nb 3 -c 1 . )
Because B l ack's R o o k and Queen
h ave b oth moved, B l ack has plenty of
time to save h i s ki ng, but he stil l has
to be careful . I n the actual game, Black
blundered and White missed his oppor
tunity to win.

l S .NxgS h6 1 6. N h 3 N b3 . Verd i ct: l S.Bxh7+!?
lS ••• Kxh 7 1 6.NxgS+ KgS
222
Commentary he accepts the sacrifice and then retreats.

Black can put double defense on h 7, H owever, given the fragility of the eS
but White can foil that defense in the pawn, White has to be careful that . . . Kg6
. . . Kg8 l ine. H owever, the . . . Kg6 l ine does not save Black.
leads to an unclear position. In the actual game, Black simply al
lowed White to keep the pawn.
l S ... Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ Kg61 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 6 . . . Kg B ? 1 7 . Q h S Bxf2+ 1 B . K h 1 Q c 2 1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg6
1 9. N d e4 Bxe4 20.Rxe4 RfcB 2 1 .Qxf7+ K h B 1 4 ... Kg B 1 S . Q h S N f6 1 6.exf6 is mate
22.Q h S + KgB 2 3 . Q h 7 + (23.Be3 i s n o t q u ite i n six.
as good s i n ce Black cou l d p l a y ... NfB a n d l S .Qd3+1
p ray.) 23 . . . Kf8 24.QhB+ N g B 2 S . Be3 1 S .Qg4 Qc6 forces Wh ite to be satis
1 7 .h4 Rh8 1 8.Qg4 fS 1 9.exf6 Bxf2+ fi ed w i t h a m i n o r m a t e ri a l a d v a n t a g e :
20.Kxf2 QcS+ 2 1 .Kf1 QfS+ 2 2.QxfS+ 1 6 . N xe 6 + K h 7 1 7 . N d B Q x g 2 1 B . Q x g 2 +
NxfSoo Bxg2 1 9. Kxg2.
l S ...fS 1 6. N e2 QxeS 1 7.Nf4+ Kxg S
Exercise 28 1 7 ... Kf6 1 B.Bc3.
La st Moves: 1 1 .Qe2 0-0 1 2.eS N e8 1 8.Qg3+ Kf6 1 9. N h S + Kf7 20.QxeS
Exercise 29
La st Moves: 1 2 .Nb3 Ba7 1 3 . Re 1 Bb7
Verd ict: 1 3 .Bxh7+1
Commentary
Black is too cooped up to survive if Verd ict: 1 4.Bxh7+1
223
This was played by the Norwegi an I f Wh ite had followed up correctly,
w u n d e r k i n d M a g n u s C a r l s e n . Th e he would have had an interesting game,
Kn ight on e7 more or less means the but it is not clear that even then the sac
. . . KgB option is not going to work wh ile rifice is worthwh ile. I n any event, the
the poor placement of the Queen and ab ility fo r B l ack to defend h7 should
lack of protection of e6 means . . . Kg6 is have made him calcul ate deeply before
simil arly doomed (since Nxe6 will hit doing th is.
the Queen . )
Obviously, . . . Kh6 i s not hard to beat Analysis, Variations, and Notes
either, though it represents Black's best 1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg8 1 S .fS
option. l S .Qh S ? Bd 3 +
1 S ... Bd3 1 6.f6 gxf600
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Th i s l e a d s to r i c h p o s i t i o n s d efy i n g
1 4 ... Kxh 7 1 S .NgS+ Kg6 clea r eva l uati o n .
l S . . . KgB 1 6 . Q h S R e B 1 7 . Qxf7 + K h B 1 6. . .dxeS 1 7.fxe7 (1 7.fxg7 Kxg7 1 B.Qg4
1 B.QhS+; KhB a n d Black i s stra ngely safe.) 1 7 ... Qxe7
l S ... Kh6 1 6 . Bf4 Q b6 1 7 . N x e 6 + Kh 7 1 B.Qf3 Bc4 (l B ... e4 1 9. Nxe4 Bxe4 20.Qxe4
1 B.NgS+ N d 7 100ks a l ittle better for Wh ite.) 1 9.QhS
1 6.Qg4 NxeS 1 7.BxeS fS 1 8.Qg3 f4 (1 9.QxaB?? BdS) 1 9 ... Bd 3 20.Qf3 Y2-Y2.
1 9.Qg4 NfS 20.Nxe6+ 1 7 .exf6 Bxf6 1 8.Qf3 Qc4
1 B ... BfS 1 9.94.
Exercise 30 1 9 .Qxf6 N d 7
La st Moves: 1 1 .Nf3 b 6 1 2 .h4 Ba6
Exercise 3 1
Last Moves: 1 2 .Bd3 NfS 1 3 .N gf3 Ne3
Verd i ct: 1 3 . Bxh7+?!
224
Verd i ct: 1 4.Bxh7+! Verd ict: 1 9.Bxh7+!
Th is position is abnormal in that the It should not be too hard to see that
Queen is already on the K-side, which the sacrifice should work here, even if
gives Wh i te an o p t i o n he n o rm a l l y some of the l i nes that come out of it
would not have. are longish. Black has no way to defend
the important K-side squares. Whatever
Analysis, Variations, and Notes small help is given by the Queen having
1 4 . . . Kxh 7 1 S .QhS+! vacated dB is more than cancelled by the
There i s n o n eed to play Ngs+ if t h e open f-file and the extra Knight Wh ite
Queen can g e t t o h s w i t h o u t it. has on the K-side. Thus . . . KgB should
1 s . N g s + White can sti l l g et an attack not work. . . . Kg6 is the natural defense
here, but it i s by no mea n s co n c l u sive. 1 5 ... but once again the extra Kn ight is too
Kg6 1 6.Qg 3 Nfs 1 7.Qf3 with a pawn storm much to handle.
com i n g .
l S . . . Kg 8 1 6.NgS+ QxgS 1 7.Qxg S f6 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 8.exf6 Rxf6 1 9.Nf3 1 9 ... Kxh 7 20. N g S + Kg6
Black cannot get enough for his Queen. 20 ... KgB 2 1 . Q h s + RfcB 2 2 .Q h 7+ Kf8
2 3 . N xe6+! The fa stest way to victo ry, but
Exercise 32 there a re severa l others.;
La st Moves: 1 7.Be3 Qc7 1 8.BxcS BxcS 20 ... Kh6 2 1 . N g4+ Kg6 (21 ... Kxg s 22.Nf6
gxf6 2 3 . h4+ Kxh4 24. Rf4+ Kg s 2 s .Qg4+
225
Kh6) 2 2 .Qe4+ fS 2 3 .exf6+ Kxg S 24. h4+ the e6 pawn change all that.
KhS 2S.Qh7+ Kxg4 26.Qg6 Kxh4 27.Rf3 .
2 1 .Qe4+! Analysis, Variations, and Notes
S i n c e B l a c k c a n d e st r o y e S , t h i s i s 1 6 ... Kxh 7 1 7.Nxg5+ Kg6
m u c h better than Qg4. 1 7 . . . KgB 1 B . Q h S N 7f6 1 9 . exf6 N xf6
21 ... f5 22.exf6+ Kxg 5 2 3 . N h 3 + Kh6 20.Qh4 a n d the th reat of Ra3-h3 ca n n ot
24.Qh4+ Kg6 25.Nf4+ be m et.
1 8.Qd3 +
Exercise 3 3 1 8.Qg4 N 7f6 1 9.exf6 N xf6 20.Nxe6+
Last M oves: 1 4.e5 N d 5 1 5.Bg5 Bxg 5 1 8 ...f5 1 9.Qg 3 f4 20.Qd3+ Rf5 2 1 .Nxe6
Nxe5 22.dxe5 Qf7 23.Nc5
Exercise 34
Last Moves: Qd6 24.b3 Na3 25 .c4 Qb41!
Commentary
Generally speaking, this position
does not look like one where the sac Verd ict: 26.Bxh7+!
rifice works. The Knights on dS and d7
generally suggest . . . Kg6 will prove an Commentary
okay defense, and ( if that proves insuf This position is from a GM clash in
ficient), Black can at least get material the 2006 Russian championships.
equality after . . . Kg8 by sacrificing on f6 . Black's Bishop on f8 takes away a
However, the ability to play Ra3, the un fl ight square, as a Rook there typically
fortunate placement of the black Queen, does. The protection given to g7 is irrel
and the under-defended condition of evant. ( I t might be relevant if the Bishop
22 6
were on f6 instead. ) However, to make would have gotten much more out of
certain the . . . KgB option fails, White has it since after Bl ack replies . . . NxcS, the
to check that Black's ability to protect h7 . . . KgB is no longer an option. I nstead,
with his Queen does not spoil things. Black has a more difficult time defend
The extra Knight on g3 should make ing after . . . Kg6 .
t h e . . . Kg6 o p t i o n i m p o s s i b l e, eve n 1 3 . N x c S N x c S 1 4 . B x h 7 + Kx h 7
though White has no pawn on eS. l S . NgS + KgB 1 6 . QhS and Black has to
give up his Queen for the Knight.
26 ... Kxh 7 27.NgS+ Kg8 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
2 7 ... Kg6 28.Q h S + Kf6 29.Qxf7+ Kxg S 1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg8 1 S .NxcS Nf6 ;';;
30.QfS + B l a c k fa i l ed to see what s h o u l d have
28.QhS Qxe 1 + 29.Kh2 Q b 1 30.Qxf7+ b e e n o bv i o u s d a n g e r h e re . I n st ead of
Kh8 3 1 .NfS ... Nf6, h e p layed ... NxcS?
l S ... NxcS? 1 6. Q h S .
Exercise 3 5
La st Moves: 1 1 .bS bxcS 1 2.dxcS BxcS Exercise 36
La st Moves: 1 3 .Re1 0-0 1 4. Re3 Rfd8
Verd ict: 1 3 .Bxh7+?!

Verd ict: 1 S.Bxh7+!
Commentary
This sacrifice should give White only Commentary
a small (but definite) advantage. H ow The sacri fice wo rks here, but you
ever, had White played NxcS ! first, he have to play some i n-between moves
22 7
to prevent monkey wrenches. You also Commentary

have to calcul ate the l ine where Bl ack It's hard to resist the sacrifice here,
can put protection on the f7 -pawn with and it certai n ly makes good p racti ce
his Queen . This game illustrates a useful chess (even at very high levels . . . in this
sacrifice in the . . . Kg6 l ine that is avail game Alexander Baburin, the I rishman
able when the e-file is open . who has taught countless people how to
play with I Q P and hanging pawn posi
Analysis, Variations, and Notes tions, was playing Wh ite. )
1S ••• Kxh 7 1 6.exd 6 It is worth noti ng, if only as a les
1 6. N g S + ? Bxg S . son in prudence, that the sacrifice is not
16 ••• Bxd6 1 7.NgS+ Kg8 totally sound, even with the powerful
1 7 ... Kg6 1 B . N xe6 fx e6 1 9 . 0 g 4 + Kf7 Bishop on b2 and open f-file. Anytime
20.0xe6+ KfB 2 1 . R h 3 . the stock conditions are not met (as is
1 8.Bxd6 Qxd6 1 9.Qh S Qf4 the case here - the Kn ight on d7 can
1 9 ... Nf6 20.0xf7+ KhB 2 1 . R h 3 + h o p to f8 without prep aratio n ) , you
20.Qh7+ Kf8 2 1 . Rxe6 must take i nto consideration all your
opponent's resources.
Exercise 3 7
Last Moves: 1 8.Nxd7 Nxd7 1 9.dS Re7 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
20 ••• Kxh7+ 2 1 .NgS+ Kg 8
2 1 .. Kg6? i s s u i c i d e g iven the open a 1 -
.
hB d ia g o n a l a n d the open f-fi le.

22.QhS Nf8 2 3 . Rf3 Bxh2+ 24.Kh 1 Rd6
2S .Bxg 7 Kxg7 26.Rcf1 fS!!
26 ... Bf4 wa s played i n the actua l ga me,
but with B l ack's pieces enta n g l ed, Wh ite
has time to tig hten the noose. 27.Rh3 Ng6
2B.Rxf4 Nxf4 29.0hB+ Kg6+-
27.Rh3
Verd ict: 20.Bxh 7+I? 27.RxfS ? ! Bf4 + with ... Rh6 to fo l l ow.
27 ••• Ng6 28.Rxh2
I t ' s a n yo n e ' s g u e s s w h i c h s i d e i s
better.
22 8
Exercise 38 1 3 . . . 0 c 8 1 4 . h 5 + K h 6 1 5 . 0 g 4 N f5
Last Moves: 9.0-0 Bd 7 1 0.Re1 0-0 1 6. N xf7+ K h 7 1 7 .0g6+ Kg8 1 8. N g 5 .
1 4.Qg4 f S 1 S.exf6 eS 1 6.Ne6+ Kf7
1 7 .dxeS
Exercise 39
Last Moves: 1 2 .eS dxeS 1 3 .fxeS N d S
Verd i ct: 1 1 .Bxh7+!
Commentary
It should be obvious that Black can
not survive after . . . Kg8 .
For the . . . Kg6 l i ne, the interesti ng Verd i ct: 1 4.Bxh7+!
thing about this diagram is the presence
of the Bishop on d2. This suggests that Commentary
playing h4 before Qg4 has more than a Th e sacrifice wo rks, but there are
little bite. many places for White to go wrong.
In the . . . Kg6 line, White must avoid
Analysis, Variations, and Notes playing the standard Qg4 . In the . . . Kg8
1 1 ... Kxh 7 1 2 . N g S + Kg6 l ine, he has to throw everyth ing at Black
1 2 . . . Kg 8 1 3 . 0 h 5 Rfc 8 1 4 . 0 xf7 + and use all his resources. If you man
Kh8 1 5 .Re3 N g 8 1 -0 wa s the g a m e aged to see the entire critical line in that
conti nuation. variation, you should go buy yourself a
1 3 .h4! chocol ate sundae.
1 3 .0g4 f5 ± is not q u ite as good fo r (Note: If you are allergic to chocolate
Wh ite. sundaes, ignore that last part. I won't be
1 3 ... Rh8 held responsible for any harm caused by
my dietary advice. )
229
Analysis, Variations, and Notes Commentary

1 4 ... Kxh 7 1 S .NgS+ KgS Th e sacrifice does n o t wo rk here
1 5 ... Kg6 1 6.Qd 3 ( 1 6.Qg471 N 7f6) 1 6 ... because Black can safely protect f7 with
f5 1 7.exf6 Kxf6 1 B. Rf1 + his Queen.
1 6.QhS NfS
1 6 . . . N 7f6 1 7 . Qxf7 + K h B 1 B . R e4 Bf5 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 9.Rh4+ B h 7 was the g a m e conti n uation, 16 ..• Kxh 7 1 7.NgS+ KgS 1 S.Bxd6 Qxd 6
w h e n Wh ite p l ayed 2 0 . exf6 i n st e a d of 1 9.QhS Qf4 20.Qh7+ KfS 2 1 .QhS+ Ke7
20.Qg6I, w i n n i n g a piece without opening 22 .Qxg 7 +
the e-fi l e.
1 7.Qxf7+ KhS 1 S.QhS+ KgS 1 9. Rf1 Be6 Exercise 4 1
20.RxfS+ KxfS 2 1 .QhS+ BgS 22.Bd2 Last M oves: 1 6.eS NcS 1 7 .exd6 Bxd6
Qd7 23 .e6
23.Rf1 +? Ke7 24. N e4 Kd B 2 5 . B g 5 + Nf6
26. N cd 6 Bxd6 2 7 . N xd 6 Kc7 2B.exf6 Kb6!!
29.NxeB Qxd4+ 30.Kh 1 RxeB.
23 .•• Rxe6 24.Rf1 +
Exercise 40
Last Moves: 1 4.Re1 Rfd S 1 S .exd 6 Bxd6
Verd ict: 1 S.Bxh 7+!?
Commentary
This position requires a certain de
gree of perseverance.
Bl ack's King starts off with a little
extra space, and the f7 -pawn is already
defended once. The problem is that it is
Verd ict: 1 6. Bxh 7+? hard to keep it defended given the pres
sure of White's Rooks down the central
files. The threat of a Rook lift is the straw
23 0
the breaks the camel's back. Exercise 42

It's good to keep in mind the power Last Moves: 6.Nf3 Ne7 7.Bd3 0-0
of the p i n on the e-pawn here fo r a
critical move or two (when White has
the prospect of Qh8 # ) . White's f-pawn
throws a maj or wrench into Black's hope
of playing . . . Kg6 because it stops his
own f-pawn march ... f5-f4.

lS ••• Kxh 7 1 9.NgS+ KgS
1 9 ... Kg6 20.Qg4 f5 2 1 .Qg 3 .
20.QhS N d S Verd ict: S.Bxh7+1
20 . . . Kf8 2 1 . N d 5 ! exd 5 22.Qh8#;
20 .. .f5 2 1 . N d 5 . Commentary
2 1 .fS I G iven t h a t Wh i t e c a n p l ay B g 5 ,
Th i s m a kes use of two sepa rate p i n s. Black's Knight on e7 more or less spells
The h i d d e n point to t h i s move is actu a l l y doom in the . . . Kg8 variation. That same
t o g e t pawn s u p po rt o n e 6 beca use even Bishop means . . . Kg6 can be met with h4
though Black has th ree pieces h itti ng that (especially since White has not castled)
sq u a re, one of them (th e pawn o n fl) i s and . . . Kh6 is out of the question.
p i n ned t o t h e R o o k o n e8, a n other (th e
K n i g ht o n d 8) i s needed t o p rotect f7. Analysis, Variations, and Notes
2 1 .Qh7+?! Kf8 22.Qh8+ Ke7 23 .Qxg 7 S ••• Kxh 7 9.NgS+ KgS
Kd 7 24.b4 s h o u l d n ot l ea d to a nyth i n g 9 ... Kg6 1 0.h4.
g reater tha n a sma l l adva ntage for Wh ite 1 0.QhS ReS 1 1 .Qh7+ KfS 1 2 .QhS+ NgS
so long a s Black plays a wel l-ti med . . . Qxc2 1 3 . N h 7+ Ke7 1 4.BgS+
o n ce the Knig hts l eave the c-fi le.
21 ••• Qc6 Exercise 43
21 ... e5 22.Re3 Kf8 (22 ... N d 7 2 3 . R h 3 Kf8 La st Moves: S.Bd3 d6 9.exd6 0-0
24.N e6+) 23.N h 7+ Ke7 24.f6+ gxf6 25.Nxf6
Qb8 26. N c d 5 +
22.Rf3
23 1
Commentary
With no pawn on eS ( or a surrogate
Ro o k o n an open e-fi l e ) and Bl ack's
bishop already on f6, defending g7, I
can o n ly assume that Wh ite thought
his pawn storm would smother Black.
No such luck. Black's King has plenty of
time to simply move toward the center.

Verd ict: 1 0.Bxh 7+? 1 S ... Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ KgS
1 6 ... Kh6 1 7.Qc2 96 i s fi ne fo r B l ack as
Commentary wel l .
The sacrifice does not work here at 1 7 .Qc2
all because Black can defend h 7 easily. 1 7 .Q h 5 B d 3 .
1 7 ... ReS 1 S.g4 cxd4 1 9.Qh7+ KfS
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 20.cxd4
10 .•• Kxh 7 1 1 .NgS+ KgS 1 2 .Qd3
1 2.Qh5 Bf5 . Exercise 45
12 ..• g6 1 3 .Qg3 ReS+ 1 4.Kf1 Qa S Last Moves: 1 3 .Bd3 d 6 1 4.h4 N d 7
1 S .Bf4 QbS+ 1 6.Kg 1 Nd4
Exercise 44
Last Moves: 1 3 .Nf3 QcS 1 4.h4 Ba6
Verd ict: 1 S.Bxh7+!?
Verd ict: 1 S.Bxh7+?
232
This is not a real sacrifice since Black The sacrifice fails for three reasons.
has to give back the material immedi Th e b i ggest p ro b l e m is t h a t t h e
ately. The Bishop on d2 makes . . . Kh6 es-pawn i s undefended and under at
i mpossible. Furthermore, that Bishop tack. The fact that Black's Queen is safely
plus the advanced h4-pawn plus White's out of the range of a Kn ight hitting e6
Rook on h I mean . . . Kg6 is equally im plus the option for Black to . . . NfS mean
possible. So the only defense is . . . KgB that B l ack c a n d e fe n d even t h o ugh
followed by . . . Be4 . White still has his Bishop on c 1 .

1 S ... Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ Kg8 1 3 ... Kxh 7 1 4.NgS+ Kg6
1 6 ... Kg6 1 7. h s +; 1 4 ... Kg B ? ? was p l a yed i n t h e g a m e.
1 6 ... Kh6 1 7. Nxe6+ l s . 0 h s R d B 1 6. 0 h 7+ KfB 1 7 . 0 h B + N g B
1 7 .QhS Be4 1 8.exd6 Qxd 6 1 B. N h 7+ Ke7 1 9.Bgs+
1 B ... Bxd6 does not g ive Black m uch for 1 S .Qd 3 +
h i s materi a l . l s .h4 i s genera l ly a good play when
1 9.Nxe4 Qc6 yo u r d a rk-s q u a red Bishop i s sti l l o n the
Black has active play for the pawn. c 1 - h 6 d i a g o n a l . H owever, w i t h the e s
20.Qf3 p a w n s o wea k, i t d o e s n ot w o r k h e re .
l s . . . RhB 1 6.0g4? ( 1 6.hs+?! R x h s 1 7. Nxf7
Exercise 46 Nxes!) 1 6 ... N xes;
Last Moves: 1 1 .Na3 0-0 1 2 . N b S Qb8 l s . N d 6 ? ! is an i nteresti n g i d ea , b u t
Black h a s a sacrifice o f h i s o w n that m a kes
t h i s l i n e n o better t h a n the text. l s .. .f6
1 6.Ngfl Nxes 1 7. N xes+ fxes 1 B.Og4+ Kh7
1 9.0 h4+ KgB 20.0xe7 Rxf2 ! 2 1 . Rxf2 OfB
22.0f7+ Oxf7 2 3 . N xf7 RfB.
1 S ... NfS 1 6.g4 NxeS 1 7.gxfS+ exfS
Exercise 47
Last Moves: 1 4.bxc3 0-0 1 S.eS N d S
233
Verd ict: 1 6.Bxh 7+! Verd ict: 1 1 .Bxh7+!
Black has ways of defending h7, but The "stabled horses " on d7 and e7
they i nvolve too much material loss. m e a n that . . . KgB c a n n o t work. Th e
And ... Kg6 ends up failing due to the h4 . . . Kg6 l i n e requ i re s s o m e t h o u g h t,
idea. The key to White's success i n the though.
. . . Kg6 l ine is that none of Black's p ieces
are hitting the undefended e5-pawn. Analysis, Variations, and Notes
11 ••• Kxh 7 1 2 .Ng5+ Kg6
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 1 2 . . . K g B 1 3 . 0 h S R e B 1 4 . 0xf7 + K h B
16 ••• Kxh 7 1 7.Ng5+ Kg6 1 8.h4 Qe7 l S . Nxe6.
1 B . . . R h B 1 9 . h S + R x h S 2 0 . 0 d 3 + f5 1 3 .Qg4
2 1 .exf6+ Kxf6 2 2.0f3+ 1 3 .h4?! i s n o t a s g ood a s it n o r m a l l y
1 9.h5+ i s w h e n White sti l l h a s h i s d a rk-sq u a red
1 9.0g4 f6 20.h S + Kh6 2 1 . N xe6+ Kh 7 B i s h o p . S i n ce B l a c k has t h ree p i eces h it
2 2 . N xfB+ OxfB 23.0e4+ t i n g f6, he ca n afford to m ove h i s Rook
over to hB. 1 3 ... R h B 1 4.0g4. Th i s i s espe.;.
Exercise 48 cia l l y potent with a piece o r pawn o n f4 to
Last Moves: 9.0-0 Bb7 1 0. Bf4 c5 sto p Black fro m playing .. .f4-f5, 1 4 .. .f5 .
1 3 .f5 1 4.Qg3
••
T h e th reat of ... N xe6 ca n n ot b e a d

eq u ately m et.
234
14 ••• Qc8 1 5 .Nxe6+ Kf7 1 6.Nxg7 1 3 .h4

e6 looms. 1 3 .Qg4. The i d ea of Qg4-h4 can work
a s wel l, but if Black plays accu rately, Wh ite
Exercise 49 h a s to be very ca refu l . 1 3 ...f6 ( 1 3 .. .fS was
La st Moves: 9.Bd2 0-0 1 0.Bd3 N d 7 t h e m o v e p l a ye d i n t h e a ct u a l g a m e ,
which a l lows Wh ite t o ca rry o u t h i s p l a n .
1 4 . Q h 4 f4 1 S . Q h 7 + K x g S 1 6 . h 4+ K g 4
1 7 .f3+ Kg 3 1 B. Kf1 ) 1 4. N xe6+ Kf7 1 S .cxd S
Qxd S 1 6.Nc7 NxeS 1 7.QhS+ N 7g6 1 B.NxdS
B g 4 1 9 . Q h 7 N d 3 + 2 0 . Kf1 RhB 2 1 . Q x h B
RxhB 2 2 . N e 3 .
13 f5
•••
P roba bly the best d efen se. At least it

keeps Wh ite's Q u een off g4.
1 3 .. .f6 1 4.Qc2+ fS 1 S . h S + Kh6 1 6.Qd 3;
Verd ict: 1 1 .Bxh7+! 1 3 ... NfS 1 4. h S + Kh6 1 S .Qg4.
1 4.Qf3 !
Commentary A u sefu l ta ctic to rem e m be r, it g ives
Black has all sorts of problems here. Wh ite's Queen access to the g-fi l e and the
White stil l has his dark-squared Bishop, d 3 -sq u a re.
Black's maj or pieces are not connected
along the back-rank, the d7-Knight cuts Exercise SO
off protection from e6, White still has Last Moves: 1 2.Nf3 B b 7 1 3 .Bd3 N c4
h i s Ro o k on h I , and B l ack's Q u e e n
coul d c o m e under fire should Wh ite
switch to the Q-side.
In short, Black is toast.

11 ••• Kxh 7 1 2.Ng5+ Kg6
1 2 . . . KgB 1 3 . Q h S R d B 1 4 .Qxf7+ K h B
1 S .Nxe6 ( 1 S .Qxe7 i s better, b u t t h e text i s
more thematic.) 1 S ... NfS 1 6.QxfS .
235
Commentary . . . KgB (with a later . . . NgB ) nor the . . . Kg6

H ere we see a good example of the options are going to suffice.
p rob l e m s caused by a Kn ight on e 7
when the e6-pawn is not defended . Analysis, Variations, and Notes
S ... Kxh 7 9.NgS+ Kg6
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 9 . . . K g B 1 0 . Q h S R e B 1 1 . Q h 7 + KfB
1 4 ... Kxh 7 1 S.NgS+ Kg6 1 2.QhB+ N g B 1 3 . N h 7+ Ke7 1 4.BgS+
l S . . . KgB 1 6 . Q h S ReB 1 7 . Q xf7 + K h B 1 0.h4 QeS 1 1 .Qg4 NfS 1 2 .hS+ Kh6
l B.QhS+ KgB 1 9.Qh7+ KfB 20.Nxe6+ 1 3 .Nge4+ Kh7 1 4.h6 g6 1 S .Nf6+
1 6.Qg4 fS 1 7.Qg3
1 7.exf6 works a l so, showi ng the fel ici Exercise 52
tou s placement of the K n i g h t o n bS i s not Last Moves: 1 S .Bf4 NcS 1 6.Bc2 N e 7
req u i red for the sacrifice to be va l i d .
1 7 ... Qd7 1 S.Nxe6+ Kf7 1 9.Qxg 7+ Kxe6
20.N d4#
Exercise 5 1
Last Moves: 6.Nf3 0-0 7.Bd3 cS
Verd ict: 1 7.Bxh7+1
Commentary
Th is is a textb ook example of the
problems in the . . . Kg6 l ine when Black's
maj or pieces are not connected on the
Verd ict: S.Bxh 7+1 back row. He si mply has no good way
to meet Qg4-h4 unless he can take on eS
Commentary or defend h7 somehow.
S i nce Wh i te's B i s h o p h i ts gS and It also sh ows the thematic use of
h6, he can be pretty certain neither the BgS whenever Black's only hope in the
23 6
. . . Kg8 variation is an eventual Ng8 play Th e an alysis of the . . . Kg6 l i ne shows

to block a check from a Queen on h 8 . how resilient the black position can b e
b y simply destroying the White central
Analysis, Variations, and Notes pawn center.
1 7 Kxh 7 1 8.NgS+ Kg6
••• Normally the Bishop on c8 (cutting
1 8 . . . K g 8 1 9 . Q h 5 R d 8 2 0 . Q h 7 + Kf8 commun ication along the back rank of
2 1 .Qh8+ Ng8 22. N h 7+ Ke7 23.Bg5+ Bl ack's maj or pieces) would mean that
1 9.Qg4 fS 20.Qh4 the Qg4-h4 plan works, but here Black
can sacrifice on e5 to muzzle it. Simi
Exercise S 3 larly, the Bishop on c1 plus the Rook on
Last Moves: 1 0. R b 1 0-0 1 1 .Bd3 Rd8 hI would normally mean that simply
pushing the h-pawn would defeat the
. . . Kg6 option, but the pawn on f4, block
ing the co mmunication of the Bishop to
h6, means that knee-jerk tactic must also
be rethought.

12 ..• Kxh 7 1 3 .NgS+ Kg6
1 3 . . . K g 8 1 4 . Q h 5 N f8 1 5 . Qxf7 + K h 8
V2-Y2.
Verd ict: 1 2 .Bxh 7+?! 1 4.Qg4
1 4. N dxe6! ? is an i nterest i n g way of
Commentary h a rvesti n g a m a t e r i a l a d va n ta g e . 1 4 . . .
Whether th is is a desirable sacrifice N dxe5 ( 1 4 .. .fxe6?? 1 5.Qc2+ K h 5 1 6.Qh 7+)
or not depends on your aims. If you are 1 5 .Qc2+ f5 1 6.Nxd8 N g4 1 7.h3 Nf2 1 8.Rfl
happy with a draw, the sacrifice is good N e4;
since you can get your material back in 1 4.h4 N xd4 1 5 .h5+ Kh6 1 6. Nxf7+ Kh7
the ... Kg6 line and the ... Kg8 looks like 1 7.cxd4 Qb4 ( 1 7 ... Bxd4 1 8.Qd 3+±) 1 8.Qd 2
a forced draw. Qxd 2+ 1 9.Bxd 2 Be7 20.Nxd8 Bxd8=
I n t h i s g a m e , Wh i t e h a d g o o d 14 ••• fS
prospects and was a more highly rated 1 4 . . . N cx e 5 1 5 .fx e 5 N x e 5 1 6 . Q g 3 f6
player, so the sacrifice is not a good idea. { 1 6 . . .f5 1 7 . N g x e 6 + N g 4 1 8 . N x c 5 R e 8 +
23 7
1 9. Kd 1 } 1 7. N gxe6+ Kf7 1 B.Qxg 7+ 1 9.94 fxg6 20.Qxg6 Qf6 2 1 .Qh5-+

l S .Qh4 NdxeS 1 6.fxeS NxeS 1 7.g4 RfS 1 9 ... Qf6-+
l S.QhS+ Kf6 1 9.Ne4+ Ke7
1 9 ... dxe4?? 20.Bg5# Exercise 5 5
20.BgS+ Kd7 2 1 .NxcS+ QxcS 22.Qh 7 Last Moves: 1 0.exf6 Bxf6 1 1 .Qe2 d S
Rf7 23 .gxfS exfS±
Exercise 54
La st Moves: 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 1 0.h4 cS
Verd ict: 1 2 .Bxh7+1
Commentary
This diagram shows the problems
Verd ict: 1 1 .Bxh 7+? Black has in the ... Kh6 l ine when he is
missing his f7-pawn.
Commentary
Everything is set up for Black to be Analysis, Variations, and Notes
safe i n the . . . Kh6 l ine, so there is really 12 •.. Kxh 7 1 3 . N g S + Kh6
l ittle hope that White will convert his 1 3 . . . Kg B ca n n ot be good si n ce B l a c k
initiative against the b lack King i nto has t o ta ke o n g5, g i v i n g White a Q + R bat
anything. Note how safe the black King tery d own the open h-fi l e;
is, even without pawns. 1 3 ... Kg6 1 4.Qd 3 + mate i n 3 .
1 4.Qd3 g6 1 S . h S Ne7 1 6.Nf7+ Rxf7
Analysis, Variations, and Notes 1 7.hxg6+
11 ••• Kxh 7 1 2 .NgS+ Kh6 1 3 .Qc2 g6
1 4. h S Kxg S l 1 S .f4+ Kh6 1 6.hxg6 Kg7 Exercise 56
1 7.Rh7 KgS 1 S.0-0-0 Bg7 1 9. Rd h 1 La st Moves: 1 3 .eS N d 7 1 4.Bxe7 Nxe7
23 8
Exercise 5 7
La st Moves: 9.Bd3 N d 7 1 0.0-0 0-0
Verd ict: l S .Bxh 7+?
Commentary Verd ict: 1 1 .Bxh7+! ?

Th e u n d e fe n d e d n a t u re o f t h e
e6-pawn makes the . . . KgB option impos Commentary
sible, but the . . . Kg6 defense is another Th e K n ights on e 7 a n d d 7 make
thing entirely. . . . KgB s u i ci d e , but . . . Kg6 h a s to be
Even with the pawn on f4 (typically looked at carefu lly. White should be
an element in White's favor since it stops fine here since Black's Queen is not on
. . . f5-f4 ) , the control Black exerts on f6 a good square. Furthermore, after she
and the pressure on e5 prove more than vacates ( to avoid being hit when White
adequate for Black's defense. plays Nxe6 + ) , Black's heavy pieces will
be disconnected. Also, White's control
Analysis, Variations, and Notes of e5 and f6 is pretty solid.
l S ... Kxh 7 1 6.NgS+ Kg6 Even with all these fundamentals
1 6 ... Kg B 1 7 . Q h 5 RfeB 1 B. Qxf7 + K h B going White's way, he still has to know
1 9.Qh S + Kg B 20.Q h7+ Kf8 2 1 . Nxe6++- how to play this position. In the actual
1 7.Qg4 fS 1 8.Qg 3 dxeS 1 9.Ne2 game, Wh ite made a natural m istake
P roba b l y t h e best Wh ite h a s, n e a r l y costing him the game.
reta i n i ng eq ual ity. But it i s n o t pa rtic u l a rl y
thematic o r d a n gero u s. Analysis, Variations, and Notes
1 9. N xe6 Kf7 20.N xf8 (20. N g S Kg 8); 11 ..• Kxh 7 1 2 .NgS+ Kg6 1 3 .Qg4 fS
1 9.fxeS f4 20.Rxf4 NfS . 1 4.Qg3
239
1 4.exf6 ? wa s p l ayed i n t h e g a m e . I t Com mentary

i s s o tem pti n g t o do t h i s, b u t it i s a l most With the Bishop on f8 , Bl ack h as
n ever good to rel i n q u i s h pawn control no hope of surviving if he pl ays . . . Kg8 .
of f6 without a knock-out punch i n m i nd . The . . . Kg6 l ine looks interesting because
1 4 . . . N xf6 1 S. Bxf6 Kxf6 1 6. Rfe 1 NfS + Bl ack has Kn ights on both dS and d7
1 4 ... f4 1 5 .Qg4 Qb6 1 6.Bd4 and a wel l - p l aced Quee n . H oweve r,
Once Black's Queen ca n n ot defend e6, Wh ite has a firm grip on f6 . The analysis
Wh ite has the option of Qxe6+! ( i n a d d i here shows the plan of playing Nxe6+
tion t o the more normal N xe6+) Kf7, NgS +, allowing the advance of the
1 6.Qh4. Ta king adva ntag e of the u n e-pawn .
co n n ected m aj o r p i eces works h e re a s Bl ack is about 400 Elo points higher
wel l . 1 6. . . NfS 1 7.Qh7+ Kxg S 1 8.g4!! than Wh ite, who could have scored an
1 6 ... Qxb4 upset over a 2400+ pl ayer had he better
1 6 ... Qxd4 1 7. N xe6+; understood the critical motifs.
1 6 ... Qc6 1 7.bS.
1 7 .c3 Qc4 1 8.Qxe6 Kxg 5 1 9.Qxe7 Kg 6 Analysis, Variations, and Notes
20.e6 Nf6 2 1 .Qxf8 [0- 1 ] 1 7 ... Kxh 7 1 8.Ng5+ Kg6 1 9.Qd 3 +
Th i s i s the move Wh ite wants to m a ke
Exercise 58 h e re. B l a c k h a s too m a n y a n n oyi n g op
Last Moves: 1 5.Rc1 Q b 8 1 6.e5 N d 5 tions (e.g., .. .f6, ... dxeS) he c o u l d play after
the sta ndard Qg4.)
1 9.Qg4?! f6! 2 0 . N xe6 ? ! was the c o n
tinuation played i n the game, a n d Black is
a l ready o kay. Black correctly attacked the
eS-pawn a n d fou g ht for control of f6. Play
conti nued 20... Kf7 2 1 .Nxg7 Bxg 7 22.Qxd 7+
Re7 a n d W h ite d i d w h a t m a n y p l ayers
wou l d d o, assume 4 pawns for a piece was
a good enoug h reason to exchange down
towa rd an endgame. After 23 .Qxd6? Qxd6
Verd ict: 1 7.Bxh 7+! 24.exd6, Wh ite had a terri ble position and
l ost 27 moves later.
240
Wh ite c o u l d have p u l l ed out of h i s Analysis, Variations, and Notes

tai l sp i n by pl ayi ng 20.Qe4+. 9 ... Kxh 7 1 0 . N g 5 + Kg 6 1 1 .Qd3+
1 9 ... f5 20.Qg3 dxe5 2 1 .dxe5 N 5f6 1 1 .Qg4? Th i s, the m ove played i n the
2 1 . . . N 7 f6 2 2 . N d f3 + - t h r e a t e n i n g g a me, a l l ows Black to spend a move on
N h4+ d e s t royi n g W h i t e ' s pawn c e n te r . 1 1 . . .
22.Nxe6 Kf7 2 3 . N g 5 Kg S N cxeS 1 2.Qg3 fS 1 3 . N xe6+ N g4 1 4. N xcS
2 3 . . . Kg6 24. N d f3 Bxf3 2 S . N xf3 + Kf7 Qe 7 + l S . Kf1 QxcS 1 6. h 3 RhB 1 7 .Rg 1 Qxf2
26.e6 Kxe6 (26 ... Rxe6 2 7 . N g S+) 2 7.Qg6. 1 B.Qxf2+ N xf2 1 9.Kxf2 Nf6 20.Rad 1 Be6;
24.exf6 Nxf6 2 5 .Qh3 Re7 26.Qxf5 QdS 1 1 .h4 N dxeS +
27. Bxf6 gxf6 2S.Nge4+- 1 1 ... f5 1 2 .Qg3 Ndxe5 1 3 .Nxe6 Ng4
1 4.NxdS Bxf2+ 1 5 .Qxf2 Nxf2 1 6.Nxc6
Exercise 59 Nxh 1 1 7 .Ne5+±
Last Moves: 7.Bd3 Nc6 S. Bf4 0-0
Exercise 60
La st Moves: 1 6.Bd3 Bd7 1 7.Bf4 Na6
Verd ict: 9.Bxh7+!?
Commentary Verd ict: 1 S.Bxh7+!

Th e un der-defended nature of the
e - p awn ( a s we l l as the u n fo rtu nate Commentary
pl acement of Black's Queen ) all ows the Th e B i shops will end up smother
sacri fice to wo rk, but Wh ite h as to be i ng the Ki ng if Bl ack retreats. The . . . Kh6
very accurate due to the pressure on eS. variation should go White's way because
Black cannot viably defend h7, so the there is no f-pawn .
. . . Kg8 option is easy to dismiss.
24 1
Module 7: Cl assic Greek G ifts

1 8 ... Kxh 7 1 9.NgS+ Kh6
1 9 . . . B x g S 2 0 . h x g S Kg8 2 1 . Q h S Rxf4
2 2 . Q h 8 + Kf7 2 3 .g6+ Ke7 24.Qxg 7 + K d 8
2 S .gxf4±;
1 9 . . . Kg 8 2 0 . Q h S B x g S ( 2 0 . . . RfS ? ?
2 1 .Qh7+ Kf8 22.Qh8#) 2 1 .hxgS tra n s poses
to the a bove l i ne.
20.Qd3
Th i s a l m ost a l ways works when Black
h a s n o f-pawn.
20 ... RfS
20 ... g6 2 1 .h S+-
2 1 .Ne2±
P rotect i n g the c e n t ra l p a w n m a s s .
Wh ite wi l l fol l ow u p with g4.
242
BOllUS Tracts
1: �Ilti-Colle Lilles
2: Tile Piloellix Jdtacl{ - � New C-I{ Lille

BOllUS Tract 1: �llti-Colle Lilles
Much of Zuke 'Em was devoted to solutions to various pet defenses and challenging
deviations Bl ack can use to avoid the Colle. These recommendations are generally
equally useful to C- K and C-Z players, and I am providing a digest of these antidotes
here. The interested reader can decide if it is worth buying a copy of Zuke 'Em to
read the analysis, side variations, and reasoning behind them.
Early Bishop Deviations

1 .d4 d S 2.Nf3 BfS 3.e4 e 6 4.exd S exdS S .Qb3 N e6 6.Ne3
6 . . . Bb4 7 . a3 Bxc3 8 . Qxc3 Nf6 9 . Bg5
6 . . . Nf6 7 . e4 ! ? ! ( 7 . Bg5 for those with high blood pressure)
1 .d4 dS 2. Nf3 Bg4 3.NeS

3 . . . Bh5 4 . Qd3 ! Qc8 5 . Nc3 ! ( 5 . c4 f6 6 . N f3 for more cowardly types)
3 . . . Bf5 4 . N c3 ! Nf6 5 .g4 ! ! ? ( 5 . f3 for cal mer spirits)
1 .d4 d S 2.Nf3 Nf6 3 .e3 BfS 4.e4 e6 S.Ne3 e6 6.Nh4

6 . . . Bg6 7 . Nxg6 hxg6 8 . Qb3 Qc7 9 .g3 Nbd7 1 0. Bg2 Be7 1 1 . 0-0 0-0 1 2 . cxd5
exd5 1 3 . f3 planning to push e4
6 . . . Be4 7 . f3 Bg6 8 . Qb3 Qb6 ( . . . Qc7 9.g3 ) 9 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 0. Kf2 !
6 . . . Bg4 7 . Qb3 and play g4-g5 at a time when there are no central squares
available to the Kn ight on f6
1 .d4 d S 2.Nf3 Nf6 3 .e3 Bg6 4.h3

4 . . . Bh5 5 .g4 Bg6 6 . Ne5
4 . . . Bxf3 5 . Qxf3 e6 6 . c4 c5 7 . cxd5 Qxd5 8 . Qxd5
2 45
The Moment of Zuke
Queen's I n d ia n Defense
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3 .e3 c5 4.Bd3 b6 5.0-0 Bb7
Two Options
6 . c4 Be7 7 .Nc3 cxd4 B.exd4 ds 9 . cxdS NxdS 1 0. Bb S + Bc6 1 1 . a4 !
6 . Re l Nc6 7.c4 Be7 B . Nc3 ds ! ? 9 . cxdS exds 1 0. dxcs bxcs 1 1 .e4
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3 .e3 b6 4.Bd3 Bb7

Two Options
5 . 0-0 Be7 6 . c4 0-0 7 .Nc3 ds B.b3
s . Nbd2 cs 6 . 0-0 Nc6 7 . c3 Be7 B . e4 ! ?
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3 .e3 c5 4.Bd3 N c61! 5 .0-0

S . . . b6 6.c3
s . . . Be7 6.dxcS Bxcs 7 . a3 with a reversed Meran (two moves up) in mind
Modern Ben o n i
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c 5 3.e3 96 4.dxc5 Qa 5+ 5 . N c3!! B 9 7 6.Qd4 N c 6 7 .Qc4 N e4 8.Bd2
Nxd2 9.Nxd2 d 5 1 0.Nxd 5 Bxb2 1 1 . R b l
1 1 . . . Bg7 1 2. Qbs
1 1 . . . Bes 1 2 . Be2 0-0 1 3 . Rb S QdB 1 4 .Nf3
1 1 . . . Be6 ? ! 1 2 .e4 ! ?
Sneaky G ru nfeld
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d 5 3 .e3 9 6 ! 4.c4! B97 5 .cxd 5 N x d 5 6.e4
6 . . . Nf6 7 . Nc3 0-0 B . Be2 b6 9 .0-0 Bb7 1 0. Qc2
6 . . . Nb 6 7 . a4 ! !
The Queen's Gam bit Reversed

1 .d4 d 5 2.Nf3 c5 3 .c4! 1
3 . . . e6 4 . cxds exdS s.g3 ! ( heading for a Tarrasch flummoxed by White de
laying Nc3 )
3 . . . dxc4 4 . ds !
3 . . . cxd4 4 . cxds
246
The Moment of Zuke
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 dS 3 .e3 cS! 4.c4 e6 S.a3!

s . . . Nc6 6 . dxcs Bxcs 7 .b4
s . . . cxd4 6 . exd4 Be7 7 . Nc3 0-0 B . cs ! ? Ne4 9 . Bd3 ! ! is my improvement over
theory in what has now become a Caro-Kann. The point here is that the obvious
threat of 9 . . . Nxc3 ? is nothing to be concerned about because after 1 0 .bxc3 b6
I l . h4 ! , White has a monster attack.
The E rrot
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d S 3 .e3 c6 4.c4 B94 S.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 e6 7.Nc3 N b d 7 8.Bd2
B . . . Bd6 9 . cs !
B . . . Bb4 9 . Bd3 0-0 1 0. a3
The Anti-Anti-Slav a n d Anti-Anti-Errot

These lines are played with the idea of omitting . . . Nf6, which spoils certain
antidotes to early Bishop plays.
1 .d4 d S 2 .Nf3 c6 (with the idea of answering 3 . e3 with . . . Bg4 or . . . Bfs ) 3 .c4
Now 3 . . . BfS is known to be dubious, 3 . . . Bg4 is worse, 3 . . . Nf6 will transpose
back to a normal Slav, and White can answer 3 . . . e6 with 4 . Nbd2 ! (which Kasp
arov beat Deep Blue with and some other nose-bleed-high ELO types have also
played) .
The . • . a 6 Slav
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d S 3 .e3 c6 4.c4 a6 S.Qc2! B94 6.Nbd2 e6 7.Bd3 N b d 7 8.h3!
B . . . Bhs 9.b3 Bd6 1 0. Bb2
B . . . Bxf3 ! 9 .Nxf3 Bb4+ ! ? 1 0. Bd2 Bxd2+ 1 1 . Nxd2 0-0 1 2 .0-0 es 1 3 .cxds cxds
1 4 .Nb3 !
The Black Lion

Lion players should be at a loss when . . . es is prevented:
1 .d4 d6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3 . N c3 N b d 7 4.Bf4!
4 . . . c6 s . e4 Qc7 6 . es
4 . . . g6 s . e4 Bg7 6 . Qd2 0-0 7. 0-0-0
247
The Moment of Zuke
K-Side Fianchetto
Zuke 'Em contained no antidote to an early fianchetto. Instead I recommended
the 1 5 0 and Barry Attacks. H owever for those looki ng for something novel, I pro
visionally suggest:
1 .d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3 .e3 Bg7 4.c4 0-0 (4 . . . d5 transposes to the Sneaky Griinfeld)
S.Be2 d6 6.Nc3 N bd7 7.0-0 eS 8.Qc2!
In a typical KI D variation (where Wh ite has not pl ayed e3), Black could ex
change on d4, opening up the diagonal . But here, Wh ite could recapture with a
pawn, making the exchange rather poor for Black. White's plan is to exchange on
e5 and play Rd l . For example: B . . . ReB 9 . dxe5 Nxe5 1 0. Nxe5 dxe5 1 1 . Rd l Qe7
1 2 . Nd5 !
Black may go with 7 . . . c5 instead, leading to an interesting game, but not one
that White should fear.
248
BOllUS Tract 2: Tile Plloellix AJtacl{ - � New C-I{ Lille
The Col le-Koltanowski mainline needs sponds . . . Ng4, he is actually add i ng
rethinking. Let me explain why. two attackers to the battl e for eS, not
After 1 .d4 d S 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 just one.
cS S.c3 Nc6 6.N bd2 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.dxcS
BxcS White is fi nally able to play 9.e4, What are you talking about?
and after 9 . . . Qc7 1 0.Qe2, he has freed
his dark-squared Bishop ( kinda) and is When the Kn ight ju mps to g4 , he
th reatening to play eS ( kinda ) . is clearly in a position to hit eS . Th e
deeper point is that the Kn ight on g4
allows the Bishop on cS to have a say in
th ings because now White cannot add a
defender to eS via Re 1 due to the threat
of . . . Bxf2 !
So, White's "freeing" move has really
done nothing at all to free his position.
In fact, if anyth ing, it is even more re
stricted since the pawn on e4 blocks the
prize Bishop on d3 . No wonder Colle
What do you mean " kinda"? h i mself enj oyed the simple l O . exdS ? !
once upon a time. Unfortunately, that
Well, Wh ite "kinda" frees his c- Bish move gives Black too much activity.
op because the e-pawn is no longer in
its way, but the Kn ight still is. And that But if . . . Ng4 adds two attackers to the
Kn ight is stuck for now defending the fight for eS, why doesn 't White just play
e 4 - pawn . Second ly, he only " k i n d a " h3 to stop it?
th reate ns eS because when B l ack re-
249
The M oment of Zuke
Certainly a reasonable idea, but once might not b e s o bad. The Colle System,
h3 is played, the Bishop on cS ends up e s p e c i a l ly t h e C o l l e - K o l t a n o w s k i , i s
gaining importance for another reason often billed a s o n e where White some
- the pin on the f-pawn . Bl ack can play times settles for comfortable equal ity in
a wel l-timed . . . NhS threatening to hop a position they understand. U n fortu
to the g3 -square (quite p ossibly forki ng nately, it turns out that 1 0 . . . h6 ! ( a good
a Rook on f1 and a Queen on e2 ) . Kh 1 is move to be sure) is not even needed.
no solution either since the other Knight Wh ite's attack is hampered by Bl ack's
hop ( . . . Nf4 ) can also be rather painful . Queen coming immediately to eS, the
l ac k of an e S - p awn or Ro o k on t h e
But can't White take advantage of the e - fi l e ( recal l from the last module how
Knight's vulnerability on g4? Doesn 't important those co mponents generally
that just mean the "Colle Sacrific e " are ) , and the fact that Wh ite's Queen
(Bxh7+) is n o sacrifice a t all? first must take a move to recapture the
Knight ( Qxg4 ) rather than going imme
Q u i te s o . W h i t e d o e s get Bxh 7 + diately to h S .
" for free " after, for example, 1 0 . . . ReS ? ! In particular, Black can get away with
l 1 . e S Ng4 1 2 . Bxh 7 + ! Kxh 7 1 3 . NgS + simply playing 1 0 . . . b 6 ! ! , and White is
KgS 1 4 . Qxg4 QxeS . White gets an attack al ready worse. In the obvious l i n e, l l .
on Bl ack's King without having to pay eS Ng4 1 2 . Bxh 7 + Kxh 7 1 3 . NgS + KgS
the B ishop as a fee. And that is why p re 1 4 . Qxg4 Qxe S , B l a c k ' s d e fe n s e s a re
p ared pl ayers began p l aying 1 0 . . . h 6 ! , adequate. P a l l iser quotes an alys i s by
a d e fense fi rst a n a lyzed by Reyn o l ds Broznik that goes l S . QhS QfS 1 6 . Ndf3
and l ater popul arized by Silman. Theo B a 6 ! ( o n ly avai l ab l e due to 1 0 . . . b 6 )
retical ly, B l ack gets equal ity here, but 1 7 . Rd 1 ( attempting t o remove a bunch
in practice he has been crushing White. of s q u a re s fro m B l a c k ' s Q u e e n a n d
Among games played by 2000+ p layers, then play . . . g4, forcing a n exchange on
Bl ack has scored 64% and won outright g6 that leaves the e6-pawn vul nerable)
over hal f! ( I t must be admitted, though, 1 7 . . . Be2 l S . Re 1 Bxf3 1 9 . Qxf3 Qxf3
that often practical results are unfair to 2 0 . Nxf3 , saying the position is " about
the Colle side since more often than not even . " Th at might be so, but I th i n k
the Colle player has the l ower rating. ) White is on t h e wrong s i d e o f " ab out
I f this were the whole story, things even " and perhaps Black has better ways
250
The Moment of Zuke
of responding to the threat of g4 . For . . . a4, but B l ack's a-pawn keeps h i m

example, 1 7 . . . Bd3 threatens Bc2 while from executing a key b-pawn lunge and
allowing for the Bishop to retake on severely constricts his play in the corning
g6 instead of the pawn . 1 7 . . . Rae8 may middlegame.
be best si nce then Black would l o o k I n retrospect, it should not be so sur
forward t o 1 8 .g4 ? ! Qg6 1 9 . Qxg6 fxg6, prising that White runs into a brick wall
when . . . Be2 ! is a real threat. here. Knowing what we know now, one
For th is reason, Bronzni k has sug has to wonder whether 1 0 . Qe2 really
gested Wh ite consider I I . b 3 i nstead, makes much sense. After all, White is
reasoning that after the natural 1 1 . . . Bb7 preparing a "freeing" e-pawn march that
1 2 . B b 2 , he is p repared fo r wh atever i nitially ( e4 ) man ages to restrict h i m
Black may attempt. This would at least instead. And then it turns o u t there i s
put Wh ite b ack in the " c o m fo rtab l e n o advantage t o playing es . I ndeed, the
equal ity" category. The problem i s that savvy opponent can even punish him for
Black does not need to play nice. I nstead doing so. Finally, Qe2 represents a loss
of 1 1 . . . Bb7, he could play 1 1 . . . as ! of a tempo if White is banking on the
Bxh7+ attack, for the Queen can reach
Threatening to open the a-file with g4 or hs j ust as easily from d l as she
. . . a4? can from e2 .
I believe it is time for Colle players
N a h , t h a t ' s a th reat, o f c o u r s e . to put 9 . e4 on the burn pile, allowing a
B u t 1 1 . . . a s causes a more profou nd new Colle Attack to rise from its ashes.
problem. It comes back to that blasted
Bishop on cs again. I n the l i nes that What do you have in mind?
wou l d naturally arise after the m o re
tame 1 1 . . . Bb7 1 2 . Bb2, White depends Well, I've hinted a bit at what I see
on the disrupting b4 ! -bs ! pawn incur as an underesti mated facet of Bl ack's
sion to displace Black's well-positioned setup. I believe players have not given
Q-side pieces. This can be rather power due respect to the power of that Bishop
ful if White does it after getting a pawn on cs . I've given some examples so far,
on es, removing the d6-square from the and there are more I haven't mentioned,
Bishop. So, not only does Wh ite have as to why that Bishop is really a thorn
to consider his response to a possible in White's side. The key is for White to
251
The Moment of Zuke
put the question to this Bishop before he can match White's threat of e4 with his
plays e4 and commits his Queen . In fact, own e-pawn march . H owever, putting
in the new attack I'm proposing White the two together favors White because
delays devel o p i ng h i s Queen, wh ich the dissolution of the center makes the
can be rather well-placed on her home c4-break (when it finally comes) more
square. Furthermore, if Black chooses to deadly.
play his Queen to c7, Wh ite' ability to I'm writing a book devoted to this
play f4 (supported by the pawn stil l on new attack, but I wanted to put it out
e3 ) can be pretty critical . there early for the Colle community to
Let's go back to the position after try out a bit. To give some idea of the
8 . . . BxcS: l atent ferocity of th is attack, let's step
through what has typically occurred in
practice:
9 . . . Bd6
I h ave n o t fo u n d a s i n g l e ga m e
where a strong p l ayer put h i s B i shop
anywhere else. 9 . . . Bb6 allows White to
cramp Black's position with 9 .bS wh ile
9 . . . Be7 looks passive.
1 0.Bb2 eS
Th is natural m ove was chosen by
I nstead of 9 . e4 , Wh i te should i n - GM Sakaev, GM Karlsson, 1 M Sax, 1 M
stead play. . . Raif, and the strong German D i rk Se-
9.b41 bastian all with in the last decade. It is
White p l ans on turn i ng the posi more frequent than all other moves here
tion into something closer to a reversed combined.
Meran. It is actually not too far off from 1 1 .e4 dxe4
the solution I proposed for fixi ng the 1 1 . . . Bg4, the other move seen in
Colle-Zukertort mainline. Rather than practice, is met well with 1 2 . h 3 .
play solely for an e4-break, White will 1 2 .Nxe4 Nxe4 1 3 . Bxe4 fS 1 4.BdS+ Kh8
put his Bishop on b2 and threaten both
c4 and e 4 . Black can make it difficult
to pull c4 off any time soon, and he
252
The Moment of Zuke
In general, White should respect the

strength of Bl ack's elf-pawn phal anx.
H owever, in th is particu lar situati on,
Black is kept too much on his heels to
do much with it. Wh ite has a couple
promising possibil ities. Simply playing
c4 is strong, or he could go with Bc 1 ,
threatening NgS . I n some rel ated varia
tions (where there is no Bishop on dS),
White can often play NgS ! without hav
ing played Bc 1 , since the Queen is tied
down to defending the Bishop on d6.
1 3 . . . Be6 has also been seen. After
1 4 . Q d 3 ! fS l S . Bd S , Wh i te p l ans o n
maki ng use o f the relatively under-de
fended Bishop on d6.
Of course, there are plenty of other
ideas and plans in this line, but I sincere
ly believe that 9 .b4 ! , which I'm dubbing
The Koltanowski- Phoenix Attack, is the
battlefield upon which the C- K players
must wage war in the coming decades.
253
David Rudel is a prize-winning problem solver in math
e m atics and p hysics, winn ing multiple sch o l astic and
collegiate state-level competitions as a youth in Iowa and
Texas. He was also on the highest ranking team (among un
dergraduate institutes) in the 1 9 97 national collegiate math
championship (the Putnam Competition) and shared win
ning honors in the "world championship " of mathematical
modeling in 1 9 9 9 , captaining one of the winning teams in
the international MCM competition.
He works as a senior editor for ExploreLearning, a lead
ing math & science software company. When not support
ing the development of the Colle, he writes on Christian
theology and church reform.
Coloplloll
The Moment of Zuke was typeset in ITC Giovanni, Myriad
Pro, and TPi's c. R. H orowitz® diagram font.
Layout and design : Bob Long &. David Rudel

Cover: Rob Long
Editing: John Wright, Graham Stevens &. Bob Long
Proofing: John Wright, Graham Stevens, David Rudel &.
Bob Long
Thank Yous
Th e auth o r wou l d l i ke to t h a n k G reg D e l a n ey, D a l e
Mclemore, Terese &. David H atch, Victor Spear, Srikanth
Bangalore, Franz Bisson, and James Smith for their help in
previewing The Moment of Zuke.
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Critical Positions and Pivotal Decisions for Colle System Players

Tl}illl{ers' Press. IllC. Bool{s

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

First Published June 2009

Contact the author David Rudel at: [email protected]

Requests for permissions and republication rights should be directed to:

1 Move Order Quandaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2 Slaying the b7-Monster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3 Putting Down an Errant Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

4 A Kite of Doom - Double-Bareled Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

5 The Game-Changing Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

6 Charge ! (When to Play g4 ! ? ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 39

7 Classic Greek Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Bonus Tract 1 : Anti-Colle Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Bonus Tract 2 : The Phoenix Attack - A New C-K Line . . . . 249

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

• Promote the Colle-Zukertort and help those who play it.

Usi ng G u idel i nes

A Note on the Sol utions

C-z versus C-K Coverage

I hope to see you at the Colle-Zukertort Players Forum ( www .zuke-dukes.com/

want to prevent. Prioritizing as I have to eS .

Okay, I get that you have to prioritize,

Fai r enough. Let's step through the Black is already in trouble.

1 .d4 N f6 2.Nf3 d5 3 .e3 e6 4.Bd3 c61!

Black Wishes He Had Castled.

7 . . . eS ? drops a pawn to 8 .e4 regard­

Best Move: 5.b3 or 5 .c3 (or 5.0-0) Best M ove: 7.Nbd2

Best Move: 6. 0-0 Best Move: 7. Bb2

Best Move: 7. Re1

Best Move: 7.c3 or 7.b3

tage of this weakness. White would like The P l a n

Okay, enough generalities. Show me

Fine. We really only need to look at

. . . b 6 b e fo re deve l o pi n g his Q u e e n' s 7 . Qe2!, when Bl ack should know better

eS-square and stops his positi on from

Sa m p le Exercise There are three chief candidates: e4,

W h ite Adva nces

not take back wi th a pawn, l eading to

Best Move: 7.Bd 3 ! Best Move: S.NeS

Best Move: 7.Qe2 Best Move: 7.0-0

Best M ove: 7.e4

suggest playing Ne5 ea rlier. 1 0... b5 1 1 .exf6.

Best Move: 7.e4 Best Move: 7.0-0

after Bxf6. Not h i ng else puts u p much of a fight

7 ... Be 7 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 1 0.Bxe4 Commentary

Best Move: 9.e4

Commentary Exe rcise 1 1

Analysis, Variations, and Notes

Best Move: 6.e41

Analysis, Variations, and Notes

U g ly, Arroga nt, and An noyi ng.

P r i m a ry Ta rgets One target for White is always the

2. The Anti -Stonewall Assault

The Lo ng Dista nce Bishop

Thi s c o n figurati o n b o d e s p o o rly

head should have been Don 't retake with

N otes on Com p leting the

7 . . . eS ? drops a pawn to 8 .e4 regard

Th is sacrifi cial maneuver is an ex

is restrained and stil l has troub le get Spec i a l Case: