Yusupov, artur chess lessons

ARTUR YusuPov


9
ISBN

783935 748070

3�935748�07�8


Chess Lessons



ARTUR YusuPov

Chess Lessons


Translated and edited by Daniel King

© Chessgate AG

2004

www.chessgate.de

All rights reserved. No part of i:his publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise,
without prior permission.

First published in 2004
Cover design and layout: Art & Satz Ulrich Dirr, Miinchen
Page design and layout : Art.& Satz Ulrich Dirr, Miinchen
Typeset with PDFTE)(
Managing editor : Ulrich Dirr, Miinchen
Preparatory work by Thomas Lemanczyk, Solingen
Printed and bound by Druckerei & Verlag Steinmeier, Nordlingen
ISBN 3•935748-07-8


v

Contents
Preface - VII

8 Zugzwang

1 Back- Rank Combi nations

-

1

Exerc i ses - 3
So l u ti o n s - 11
Sco re tab l e- 14

-

135

Exe rc i se s- 139
S o l u t i o n s - 147
S c o re t a b l e- 152
9 Im proving Piece Position -153

2 Cand idate Moves 15
Exerc i ses- 18
So l u ti o n s - 24
P racti cal exe rc i ses- 29
Score tab l e- 34
-

3 The Wrong-Coloured Bishop -35

Exerc i s es - 45
So l u t i o n s - 52
Score tab l e- 56
4 Exchanging Pieces -57

Exerc i ses - 6o
Sol u t i o n s- 69
Sco re tab l e- 74
5 Passed Pawns i n the
M iddlegame -75

Trai n i ng m ateri a l- 79

6 Double Attack -95
Exerc i se s - 100

So l u t i o n s- 109
Score table- 113
7 The Process of Elimination -115

Exerci ses - 119
Sol u t i o n s- 123
P racti c a l exerc i se s- 126
Score tab l e- 134

Exerc i se s- 158
S ol u t i o n s- 166
S c o re tab l e- 170
10 Trapping a Piece -171

Exerc i ses - 175
S o l u ti o n s - 183
S c o re t a b l e- 186

Appendix -187
I n d ex o f co m p o s e rs a n d a n alysts- 187
I n d ex of g a m e s- 189
Explanation of symbols - 196



VII

Preface
Between 1999 and 2002 I produced and published i n Germany a small series of ten trai ning
booklets, each one covering a partic u l ar chess theme. T h i s experi m ental proj ect proved

quite popular with German-speaking readers, and others too. Many of my chess colleagues
liked this form of i n d ivid ual trai n i ng; and some of them u sed the m aterial in their cl asses
too. This favou rable reaction pro m pted the idea of an Engl ish translati o n .
Although the booklets were aimed at p l ayers of d ifferi ng abil ities, m o s t wanted the
complete set. And that's how these d ifferent themes h ave ended up in one book. You
could also look on this d iversity as a strength if a reader, with chess am bitions, wants to
test his overall ability. Moreover, for chess trainers this book provides several ready-made
lectures, and many usefu l exercises covering d ifferent aspects of the game, al ready sorted
in terms of their level of d ifficu l ty.
There are th ree themes and tests that fal l under the h ead ing 'tactics' : chapter 1 , back­
ran k com b i n atio n s ; chapter 6, d o u b l e attack; and ch apter 10, trapping a p iece. These
chapters are, on the whole, the sim plest, and pl ayers rated below 1500 Elo should probably
start with them .
Two chapters deal with positional themes: chapter 4 , exchanging pieces ; and chapter 9,
improvi ng piece positio n . Two chapters deal with endgame themes: chapter 3, the wrong­
coloured bishop; and chapter 8, zugzwang. These fou r chapters are more challenging and
perhaps s u i table for players w ith an Elo above 1500. H owever, p l ayers of any strength
cou ld profit from studyi ng them .
Two chapters deal w i th the q u estion of calculation: chapter 2, can d i d ate m oves ; and
chapter 7, the process of e l i m i n ation . These themes are more su i table for players with an
Elo rati ng greater than 1800. Less experienced p l ayers s h o u l d go th rough the examples
and try to solve the one and two-star positions.
Chapter 5 deals with a strategical theme, passed pawns i n the midd legame, and contains
many add i tional examples that could also be u sed by c l u b players as exercises. For more
advanced players, i t s h o u l d be e nough to p l ay through these examples carefu l ly on the
chessboard .
How should an ambitious p l ayer work with this book? I suggest two possi bil ities : a
direct approach; and one based on the d ifficu l ty of the exercises.
With the d i rect approach, go thro ugh the examples at the start of the chapter, then
tackle the exercises. The exercises are m arked with stars accord i ng to their d ifficulty.

Accord i ng to you r rati ng, each star gives the fol l owing scori ng and th i n ki ng time:
- Below 1500 Elo, 1 point for solvi ng a position i n under 10 m i n utes.
- Below 1800 Elo, 1 point and up to 7 m i n u tes.
- Above 1800 Elo, 1 point and u p to 5 m i nutes.
So, for example, an exercise with three stars should take a player with an Elo of 1650 a
maxi m u m 21 m i n utes to solve, and gives h i m 3 points. At the end of each chapter you w i l l
find t h e answers, a n d you can see how well you understood t h e theme.


VIII

PREFACE

There are some special exercises i n the chapters o n cal c u lation that you m ust p lay
through move by move. Check the i nstr u ctions before you try these exercises.
I also suggest an alternative method of a p proaching th i s book - accor d i ng to the
d iff i c u l ty of the exercises. Th i s m ethod is suitable for p layers with a n Elo below 1500. I n
each cha pter, wor k through the exam ples, then try to solve the positions u p to the second
level of diff iculty. When you have fin ished the book, come back and consider positions on
level three. If you are comfor table with the res u l ts, ra i se the level aga i n . If you fi nd you
aren't yet ready for the next l evel , put the book back on the shelf, d o some other chess
wor k, but af ter a couple of months come back and try again !
But i n the end, per haps the most i m por tant th ing i s not to ta ke a l l these poi nts too
ser iously. I hope you wil l j u st enjoy the book.
F i nal ly, I wou l d l i ke to tha n k several people who hel ped to make this project possi ble:
my wife Nad ia for her hard wor k on the German version ; my chess teacher Mar k Dvoretsky;
Jurgen Da niel, my p u bl i sher, for encouragi ng the idea of an Engl ish translati o n ; and U l i
Dirr for the layout of the book a n d for correcti ng some m istakes i n the or iginal Ger ma n
ed ition .

Back-Rank Combinations

1

Recogn ising the early o u tl i nes of mating
com b i nations i s a vi tal ski l l . The theme of
the weak back-rank is common, so studyi ng ex­
ercises of this kind shou ld pay off. Although
these com binations are, on the whole, fa i rly
easy, they are sti l l stri king and i m pressive.
Certa i n featu res a re typical of th i s type
of position:
1 ) the lack of an esca pe square for the cas­
tled ki ng;
2) the wea kness of the back-rank;
3) an open fi l e occupied by heavy pieces they are the mai n players i n these combi­
nations;
4) a passed pawn nea r to promotion.

The attacker isn't afraid of sacrificing ma­
terial to get a dead ly check on the back-rank.
Deflection and double attack a re the most
i m portant elements in these combinations.

Ossip Bernstein -J ose Capablanca
Moscow 1914
•
2
a

a

b

c

d

e

f

8

7

7

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2

d

e

h

f

8

7

h

8

c

8

t.I1J

1

b

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Con d i ti o n s a re perfect for a back-ra n k
combination. Capa blanca seizes his chance
with a bri l l iant hit.
1

•

...

Wb6-b2 !

A d o u b l e attack o n q ueen and rook. At
the same time the wh ite q ueen i s deflected
f ro m protecti ng the i m portant bac k-ra n k
a
b
c
d e f g h
square d 1 . Natural ly, t h e black q ueen ca n­

Here both ki ngs are i n danger. The pawns not be ca ptu red beca use of mate. I n stead,
prevent White's king from leavi ng the back­ it wou l d have been a m istake to play 1 . ...
ra nk. Although Black's king has an escape "W b6-b1 + ? 2. "We2-f1 �d8-d1 ?? because of 3.
square, it is occupied by the q ueen . In addi­ �c3-c8+ ( Black also has a bac k- ra n k prob­
tion, both back-ra n ks a re insufficiently pro­ lem! ) .
tected . White can mate i m med iately with 1 .
2 . gC3-C2
18'd4-d8# , or i n two moves, starting with 1 .
Or 2. "We2-e1 18' b2 x c3 ! ( d eflectio n ) 2.
a7-a818' + . Black t o play wou l d wi n i m medi­
18'e1xc3 �d8-d1+ and mate.
ately by 1 . . . . Ek1-c8+ or 1 . . . . 18' h7-b1+.


C H A PT E R I BACK-RANK C O M B I N AT I O N S

2

2. ... Wb2-b1 3. We2-f1 Wb2x c2
and Wh ite resigned .
Xie J u n - N ana l oseliani
Groningen 1997
•

3
a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

7

7

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Th is was one of the m ost d ra matic a n d
im portant ga mes of t h e whole tou rnament.

Black's pos ition is tota l ly lost, but the for­
mer World Cha m pion Xiej u n evidently un­

derestimated her opponent's th reats . Sud­
denly the Georgian losel iani got a brea k to
wi n the gam e a n d with it last m i n ute q ual­
ifi cation to the can d i dates' fi na l . H owever,
she was sl ightly short of ti me and played 37·
. . . cs-q ?, m iss ing her big chance. What's
so s pecial here ? Looking more deeply i n to
the position, you can see that Wh ite's back­
ra n k is only protected by the q ueen, which
a lso guards the rook on f1. l os e l ia n i could
have played

37· ··· 'Wd4xa4 1! ,
exploiting the wea kness of the back- rank.
Aga i n , White can not accept the q u een
sacrifice. H owever, even after 38. � b5-e2
.§ d 1 xf1+ 39 . �e2xf1 Wa4xc2 40. a6-a7 .§b8d8 41 . a7-a8� .§ ds xas 42. Ab7xas cs-q,
Black's win wou l d j ust be a matter of time.


EXERCISES

�

3

Exerdses (sol ut;ons p . 11-13)

•

E 1-1

[1]

*
a

b

c

d

e

f

g

E 1-3

h

a

8
7

•

*

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

a

b

c

d

E 1-2

e

f

g

h

•

*
a

b

c

d

a

c

d

E 1-4

h

e

b

e

f

g

h

[1]

*
a

b

c

d

h

e

8

8

8

7

7

7

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


4

CHAPTER I BACK-RANK COMBINATIONS

E 1-5

11

*
a

b

c

d

E1-7

h

e

[1]

*
a

b

c

d

e

8

8

8

7

7

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

a

b

c

d

E 1-6

e

f

e

f

g

h

g

h

11

*

8

8

2

a

b

c

d

a

b

c

d

E 1-8

e

f

e

f

g

h

[1]

*

h

8

7

8
7

7

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

6

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


EXERCISES

s

E 1-9

[1]

*
a

b

c

d

E 1-11

e

a

8

8

7

[1]

**

b

c

d

e

8

8

7

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

a

b

c

d

E 1-10
a

e

f

g

h

c

d

a

•

*

b

e

f

g

6

b

c

d

E 1-12

h

a

e

f

g

h

[1]

**

b

c

d

e

8

8

8

8

7

7

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

CHAPTER I BACK-RANK COM BINATIONS

6

E 1-13

11

**

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

E 1-15

h

I1J

**
a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

7

7

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

E1-14
a

e

f

g

b

c

d

a

11
e

f

g

2

h

**

8

b

c

d

E 1-16

h

a

e

f

g

h

[1]

**

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

7

7

7

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


EXERCISES

7

E 1-17
a

•

**

b

c

d

e

f

g

E 1-19

h

8

a

8

7

111

***

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

7

6

6

6

6

s

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

b

c

d

E 1-18
a

e

f

g

h

g

h

e

a

111

***

f

8

2

8

c

d

b

c

d

E 1-20
a

7

b

e

f

g

h

g

h

111

***
e

f

8

8
7

6

6

5

6

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3
2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


8

CHAPTER I BACK�RANK COMBINATIONS

E 1-21
a

11]

***

b

c

d

e

f

g

E 1-23

h

a

•

***

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

8

8

7

7

7

7

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

6

2

a

b

c

E 1-22
a

d

e

f

g

h

c

d

a

11]

***

b

2

8

a

8

7

c

E 1-24

h

e

b

d

e

f

g

h

11]

***

b

c

d

e

8

8

7

6

6

6

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

6

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


EXERCISES

9

E 1-25
a

11

***

b

c

d

e

f

g

E 1-27

h

a

rn

***

b

c

d

e

f

g

h
8

8

8

8

7

7

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

a

b

c

E 1-26
a

d

e

f

g

h

rn

***

b

c

d

a

a

8

c

E 1-28

e

8

b

d

e

f

g

h

rn

****

b

c

d

e

8

8
7

7
6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


CHAPTER 1 BACK·RANK COMBINATIONS

10

E 1-29
a

•

*****

b

c

d

e

f

g

E 1-30

h

a

Ill

******

b

c

d

e

f

h

8

8

8

8

7

7

7

7

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


SOLU T I O N S

El-I

TO

EI-17

II

Solutio n s
0 E1-1

0 E1-10

Minic - Honfi, Vrnjacka Banja 1966
I. Wa7 ! +- (1. . . . '/:1 x a7 2. l'! x dS+ ; 1. . . . l'! x a7
2. HxdS+ ; 1. . . . '/:1c8 2. l'!xdS+ '/:1xd8 3· l'!xdS+
Yxds 4· g3 + - ; 1. . . . l'!dcS 2. '/:1 x c7 l'! x q 3
bl.dS + ) I-o
·

Djaja - Staudte, 1958
W x e 6 !! -+ (1. . . . l'!ci+ 2. l'!fi l'! x fi + 3·
'/:1 x f1 '/:1 x e6 +; 1 . . . . gxf6 ? 2. '/:1 x f6 + 't!;>gs 3·
1:/:16+ = ] 0-I

I•

• • •

0 E1-11
0 E1-2

Fontein - Euwe, Amsterdam 1939
I
.E1.cJ! 2. .E1. x ci Wdi + o-I
.

• • •

•

Alekhine - Bernstein, Vilnius 1912
(variation from the game)
I .E1. xg7+ tb xg7 2.. Wf7+ �hs 3· Wfs+ .E1. x fs
4· .E1. x f8#.
•

0 E1-3

Mikenas - Aronin, Moscow 1957
.E1.ds ! -+ o-I

0 E1-12

Selyavkin - Belousov, 1973
I. CDe4 ! ( 1. h3 ? '/:1e6! ) I-o

Janowski - Burn, Oostende 1907
I. Wxd7 !! (1. l'! x e8+ l'!xeS 2. '/:1 x d7 ? '/:1 x d7 3·
l'! x d7 gel+ 4· Gt:lfi GLJe2+ - + ; 1. l'! xd7? l'! x d7
2. '/:1 x d7 '/:1 xd7 3· l'! x d7 l'!e1 + - + ; 1. '/:1xd7!!
'/:1 xd7 2. l'!dxd7 +-] I-o

0 E1-5

0 E 1-13

Shirov - Yusupov, Bundesliga 1995/96
(variation from the game)
2.2.
Wxfi + ! -+.

I•

I.

. ••

0 E1-4

•

• • •

Mikenas - Bronstein, Tallinn 1965
.E1. x a3 !! (2. l'! xa3 V:1ei + ; 2. '/:1 x a3 V:1ei + 3·
l'! x e1 g x e1#; 2. bxa3 '/:1 x a i + 3· l'!b1 l'!e1 + 4·
g xe1 '/:1xe1+ -+] o-I
• • •

0 E1-6

Alden - Nilsson, Sweden 1972
• Wc6 !! - + (1. . . . gxf6 2. '/:1xf6#; 1 . . . . bl.d1+
2 . Hf1) o-I

0 E1-14

0 E1-7

0 E1-15

Rovner - Kamyshev, Moscow 1947
I. Wa7 ! Was ( 1 . . . . l'! xd2 2. '/:1 x c7 bl. x d 1 + 3·
Axd1] 2.. Wxa6 ! Wc7 3· Wa7 ! +- I-o

Alekhine - Kohnlein, Dusseldorf 1908
(variation from the game)
I. Wxd6 ! cxd6 2.. CDf7+ .E1. x f7 3· .E1.e8+ +

0 E1-8

0 E1-16

Paulsen - Anderssen, Leipzig (m5) 1877
.E1.f2.! +- I-0

Alekhine - Reshevsky, Kemeri 1937
1 .E1. x b8 + ! �xbs 2.. Wxes+ ! I-o [ 2 . . . . fxes
l'!fS+ +-)

I.

••

I•

NN - NN, Yugoslavia 1949
I
.E1.cs !! o-I
•

• • •

.

0 E1-9

Smyslov - Lilienthal, Leningrad/Moscow 1941
Wxd6 ! +- I-o

I.

0 E1-17

Torre - Timman, Hamburg 1982

-.

3·


I2

SOLUTIONS

1. . . . lD(J+ z. �gz [2. exfJ1il' x fi + J. � x fi Ah3+
4· �gi Eiei#) z. . . . Wxft+! -+ o-1

E I-I8 T O E I-29

tDfs + o-1
0 E1-26

0 E1-18

Reti - Bogoljubow, New York 1924
1. Af?+ �hs z. Aes! 1-o

Lepek- Kohnen, 1962
1. g cz! Wxd4 z. l!c4! Wb6 [2 . . . . �d2 J. Eic8+
Eid8 4· �xd2 +- 1 3· l!cS+ g ds 4· Wbs! +- •-o
[ 4· . . . \31d4 S· \31e8+ 1

0 E1-19

Alekhine - Frieman, New York (sim) 1924
1. Axf6 Wxf6 [I . . . . gxf6 2. �h6 �f8 3· Eie8 +-J
z. ge8+ tDfs 3· tDh6+! Wxh6 4· g xfS+ �xfs
S· Wds# 1-o

0 E1-27

Crouch - Speelman, Hastings 1992
z6. g x d7 :: [26 . .El.b8! Etas 27. Eia1!! \31 xai (27.
. . . Eidxb8 28 . .El. x a2 +-) 28. Ei x d8 + !! x ds 29.
\3fxai] z6
l!fs z7. l!bz g xes %-%
•

.. .

0 E1-20

Alekhine -Johner, Trinidad 1939
1. l!cs! [I. Eic7 g6 2. 1il'd6 \31 x d6 J. exd6 �g7 J
1
l!xcs [I . . . . \3fxd7 2. \3ff8 + ! +-J z. We7!
Wxe7 [2. . . . !!g8 J. d8�J 3· dxcSW+ 1-o
• •••

0 E1-28

Sliwa - Stoltz, Bucharest, 1953

•· Wxc6! bxc6 z. b7 Wds 3· bsW [3 . .El.ai 6h3,
.El.a8J 3·
l!dt+ 4· l!xd• W x bs S· eDb7! +­
•-o
. ••

0 E1-21

Vidmar - Euwe, Karlsbad 1929
•· l!e8+ Afs [1. . . �h7 2. �dJ+ +- J z. g x fS+
�xfs 3· tDfs+ •-o [J . . . . �g8 4· �f8+ � x f8 s.
i!d8#J
.

0 E1-22
Capablanca- Fonaroff, New York (casual) 1918
•· tDh6+ �hs z. Wxes!! Wxes 3· � xf7+ 1-o
0 E1-23

Vodopyanov - Kanzyn, 1974
1. . . . \Mgt+!! z. �xg• fH 3· �hi fxe1W o-1
0 E1-24

Shampouw - Silalachi, Indonesia 1971
•· WxeS! W x hs z. eDe7+! eD x e7 3· W x fS+
�xfs 4· g ds# 1-o
0 E1-25

Sokolov - Yusupov, Riga (m3) 1986
19 . . . tiJ xes!! zo. tDxes [20. Eixd8l2Jx6+ -+ J

zo
Wq! z1. Wez [21. Eixd8 �xc2 22. Eixf8+
�xf8 23. Eib8+ CLJc8 -+ J z1. . . . Wxes u . Ae3
.

•

...

0 E1-29

Lowcki - Tartakower,Jurata 1937
Black has to try to exploit the weakness of the
back-rank by deflecting the white queen from its
defence. The best way to achieve this aim is the
double attack on queen and rook.
•·
Wcs+!
(I . . . . �b6+ 2. �hi \3ff6 3· h4)
z. �hi Wc4!
[2 . . . . 1il'e3�� 3· �XeJ .El.fi + 4. \31gi +-J
3· �g• \Md4+ 4· c;;,h 1 We4!
Nothing else works :
[ 4 . . . . \3fd2� S· .El.xes; 4· . . . \31eJ �� s. \3fxeJ +- ;
4· . . . \31h4� S· !! x es ; 4· . . . \3fd3 S· �gi 1il'd4+ ;
4· . . . \3ff4 S· h4 1
The white queen was well placed on ei. This
deflection forces it to leave its best position.
S· We•
[s. fi x es \31 xes -+ ; s. 1il'di 1;31f4 - + ; s. 1il'g1

1il'e2 -+ 1
'i!fd3!
S·
A crucial move. The queen has to control the im­
portant fs square. s . . . . 1;31e2 was worse because
•••

•••


SOLU T I O N EI-30

of the deflecting sacrifice 6. l"!.f5 ! (Black also has
back-rank problems!).
6. �g1 'Afd4+ 7· �hi Wdz! -+
Now the double attack works. You may only
award yourself the points if you found this move.
0-I

0 E1-30
Adams - Torre Repetto, New Orleans 1920
In this celebrated example, both sides have back­
rank weaknesses. But White has the possibility
of deflecting Black's queen from its main task, the
protection of the rook on eS.
1. Wg4! Whs
[1. . . . @ds 2. @ xes @ xes (2. . . . l"!. xe2 3· @ x dS+

13

A xds 4· l"!. xe2) 3· .§ xeS+ ]
2.. Wc4!! 'Afd7
(2 . . . . l"!. x c4 3· l"!. xeS+ @ xeS 4· .§. x eS#]
3· Wc7!! Wbs 4· a4!!
The key move, and the only one to get points.
The immediate 4· 1i:t xb7? would have been a
mistake, because of the counter 4· . . . @ xe2! ex­
ploiting the weakened back-rank: 5· El.xe2 El.ci+.
4· . . . Wxa4
[4 . . . . l"!. xe2 5· @ xeS+ ; 4· . . . @ xe2 5· El. xe2]
S· i!e4
Now White threatens 6. @ xeS.
S· ... Whs
Black can no longer play 5· . . . 1i:t x e2!
6. Wxb7! 1-o


CHAPTER

I4

I

BACK-RANK C O M B I N AT I O N S

Score tab l e
N�

Points

1

11

2

1

3

N�

Points

1

Your Points

Your Points

N�

Points

2

21

3

12

2

22

3

1

13

2

23

3

4

1

14

2

24

3

5

1

15

2

25

3

6

1

16

2

26

3

7

1

17

2

27

3

8

1

18

3

28

4

9

1

19

3

29

5

10

1

20

3

30

6

total

Points

Playing Strength

less than 5 points

beginner

5-10 points

ELO

800 - 1000

11-20 points

ELO 1000 - 1500

2 1-30 points

ELO 1500 - 1700

31 - 40 points

ELO 1700 - 1900

41 - 54 points

ELO 1900 - 2 100

55 - 58 points

ELO 2 100 - 2 200

59 - 6 3 points

ELO 2 2 0 0 - 2 300

more than 6 3 points

ELO above 2 3 00

69

Your Points

15

2

Candidate Moves

Before we sta rt to ca l c u late, we have to
identify the most l i kely poss i b i l i ties: these
are the cand idate moves. All ca lculation be­
gins with the selection of can d i date moves.
Someti mes we are l i m ited to one si ngle pos­
si bi lity, but more often we can choose be­
tween two or three m oves. I n some rare
cases we may fi nd even more a l ternatives
than this. Wh i l e a computer wi l l calcu late
all possi ble l i nes in a positio n , we d e l i ber­
ately l i m i t our choice to the mai n lines. Th is
is our strength , but u nfortu nately it can also
turn out to be the ma i n wea kness of human
thi n king: if we l i m it o u r choice too m u c h ,
we can s i m ply m i ss t h e strongest contin ua­
tion.
Peter Svi d ler - Eric lob ron
Yerevan (ol) 1996
4
•

6o

• •.•

fs 61 . .ab6

(The other poss i b i l ity 61. q, leads to a
s i m p l e theoretical d raw: 61 . . . . @g2 62. cs
h1� 63. � x h1 @xh1 64. c6 f4 65. q f3 66.
c8� f2)
The t i m e control had been reached, so
E ric cou ld ca l m ly consider the position . Our
team captai n , G randmaster Darga, was de­
l i gh ted to see a si m p l e way to d raw. H e
glanced at E ric, looking tired af ter the long
struggle, and rea l i sed that h e was prepa r­
i ng to resign. Sadly, the ru les of chess don't
perm it any prom pting, so our team lost an
i m portan t half poi nt. B lack only has two
can d i date m oves (or rather, two candidate
ideas) : 61 . . . . f4 and advancing the pawn ; or
61 . . . . 'i!?g2 to wi n the rook for the pawn first.
Lobron satisfied h i mself that after 61 . . . . f4 ?
62. @cs @g2 63. @d4 f3 64. @e3 f2 65. @e2
the w h i te king returns i n ti m e to stop the
passed pawn, and he resigned . The other
idea was either not considered by Black, or
he rej ected it too ea rly i n h i s ca l c u lations.
He cou ld have drawn easily with 61 . . . . @g2 !
62. @cs h1� 63. � x h1 @xh1 64. @d4 @g2
65. @es 'i!?f3 66. @xfs @e3 67. 'i!tes @dJ.
* * *

The selection of candidate moves has a cru­
cial i nf l u ence on the accu racy of calculation,
a
b c d e f g h
and therefore determ i nes the strength of a
Th i s ga me was played at a critical mo­ chess p layer. O n e ca n say that ca n d i date
ment: the German team faced R u ssia, the m oves a re central to ca l c u lati o n , and the
tournament favourites. For the whole ga me search for can di date m oves is the soul of
E ri c Lobron had had to defend an a l m ost th i s ca l c u la ti o n . If the strongest conti n ua­
lost position. His stu bbornness finally pa id tion fa l l s i nto the master's m i n d , then i n
off : i n the diagram position Black has a sav­ the majori ty of cases f u rther ca lcu lation i s
u n necessa ry.
ing resou rce. There fol lowed :