Winning stratagems | TheArticle

I have, for over four decades, been advocating a method of improving your results, by adopting a hero or role model and using that player’s ideas to create your own repertoire and prepared

strategies.

One example is the concept of the rook sacrifice on f7, always a vulnerable square, defended only by the king. In 1968 Botvinnik won a brilliant game against Portisch with this device and

three years later I was inspired to deliver a similar blow against the Austrian Grandmaster, Karl Robatsch.

This line was employed by Geller in his 1965 Candidates’ match with Smyslov, and resulted in easy equality for Black. Here, or on the next move, a recapture on d5 with the e-pawn would

restrict the mobility of Black’s queen’s bishop, though this might not prove serious in view of the foothold Black would gain in the centre.

Smyslov played 12. Rd1, which got him nowhere. The text seems to me logical to me, since White now has the opportunity to place his rooks on d1 and e1, and in addition he has no reason to

fear the central thrust …c7-c5 on account of the following pawn sacrifice.

And not 14… Bxd5 15. Rad1 when Black must lose material. 14… Nf6 would fail to 15. d6 followed by 16. Rad1.

15… h6 is possible, although White could then try 16. Nh2 and Ng4, attacking the weakness on h6.

Hoping to surround White’s d-pawn, but White’s next move thwarts this.

Now Black cannot capture at once on e3 in view of the sensitivity of f7.

After the game Robatsch suggested 18… f6 but this fails to 19. d6! Bxg2 20. Qb3+ c4 21. Qxc4+ Ne6 22. Nxe6 Bxf1 23. Kxf1 etc.; en passant, it should also be mentioned that the variation 18…

Bxd5 19. Bxd4 Bxg2 20. Bxg7! is in White’s favour.

I played this sacrifice after only a few minutes thought. It is clear that both 21… Rxe4 22. Qxe4 or 22. Rxb7 Rg4 23. Qf5 and 21… Kxf7 22. Rf1+ Kg8 23. Nf6+ gxf6 24. Qxg6+ Kh8 25. Qxh6+ Kg8

26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Rxf6 Re7 28. Be4! are inadequate, and I felt that after 21… Kxf7 22. Rf1+ Ke7 there had to be a mate.

It is hopeless to decline. White remains a pawn up with a rook firmly established on the 7th rank.

Now I paused to think for 50 minutes before continuing with the combination. White is winning but some of the variations demand precise calculation.

If 24… Kc8 then 25. Rc7+ Kb8 (or 25… Qxc7 26. dxc7 Kxc7 27. Nd6 Kxd6 28. Qxg6+ Re6 29. Qd3+ Kc7 30. Bxb7 Kxb7 31. Qd7+) 26. Rxb7+ Kxb7 27. Nxc5+ Kb8 28. Na6 mate. 25. Nxc5 also wins easily.

There are two alternatives: a) 25… Bc6 26. Bh3 mate. b) 25… Ke6 26. Qc4+ and now: b1) 26… Kd7 27. Bh3+ Kc6 28. d7 Rf8 29. Qe6+ Kb5 30. Nd6+. b2) 26… Ke5 27. dxe7 Rxe7 (if 27… Qd5 28. Qc3+

Ke6 29. Ng5+) 28. Rf1! and Black’s king is stranded. b3) 26… Bd5 27. Rxe7+ Rxe7 (if 27… Qxe7 28. Nxc5+ Kxd6 29. Qxd5+ etc.) 28. Nxc5+ bxc5 (or 28… Kf6 29. Qf4+ Kg6 30. dxe7 Qxe7 31. Bxd5)

29. Qxd5+ Kf6 30. Qf3+ followed by dxe7 and Qxa8 winning a piece.

27…Qxh3 28 Qxe8+; or 27…Bc6 28 Qxc6+ Nxc6 29 Bxd7+ Kb8 30 Bxc6. Black resigns 1-0

Another ploy is to adopt a system which you have faced yourself and which has caused you difficulties.  Don’t be too proud to borrow a winning strategem from an opponent.

An example from my own practice was the opening of the following game, where my opponent was a Soviet grandmaster, soon to become Garry Kasparov’s second in his world championship matches

against Karpov.

After the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O, Dorfman tried the relatively unusual 6. Bg5. Whereupon I steered the game into well established Modern Benoni contours with

6…. h6 7. Be3 c5 8. d5 e6 9. Qd2 exd5 10. cxd5 Kh7 11. Nge2 Ndb7 12.Ng3 a6 13. a4 Ne5 14. Be2 Bd7 15. O-O Rb8 16. h3 b5 17. f4 Nc4

It seemed that I had played all the right Modern Benoni moves, but after, 18. Bxc4 bxc4 19. e5, White was winning and I only escaped by a miracle.

It therefore seemed to me that if Dorfman could gain such a crushing advantage so quickly against natural play by Black, then it was worth trying Bg5 myself. I did so — and the results were

spectacular. Here are two examples:

Adolph Anderssen won the Immortal Game, played at Simpsons in the Strand 1851. Nimzowitsch won the Immortal Zugzwang game in 1923. I like to think of this as my Immortal Retreating Game,

based on my hammer blow backwards manoeuvres on moves 21-23.

In the USSR Championship the previous year, Gulko vs. Kasparov had gone 14 … Bd7 15. a5 Rb8 16. Na4 Nh5 17. Nb6 Bb5 18. 0-0 0-0 19. b4! +/- (1-0, 37). Lund tries to improve Black’s play.

White’s control of the open bfile gives him a strategic win on the queenside. Black is therefore forced to hurl all his resources into a do-or-die attack on the other wing.

The first move in a chain of retreats which, paradoxically, leave Black in dire straits.

Black’s attack appears to be on the point of crashing through but White has so many pieces defending his king that he can expose all such aggression as futile.

A counsel of despair. In order to save his queen Black has to give up his last few attacking units.

31.Qxe2 Bxg3 32. hxg3 Qxg3+ 33. Bg2 Rxf5 34. Qe6+ Rf7 35. Nde4 Qf4 36. Rf1 Qf5 37. Nxd6 Qxe6 38. dxe6 Rg7 39. Nf5 Rg5 Black resigns 1-0

If 9… h6!? then 10. Be3! (10. Bxh6 Nxe4! 11. Nxe4 Qh4+ gives Black good chances). Play could then develop along the lines of my game with Dorfman.

I decided to avoid 16. Bxc4 Qc5+ 17. Ne3 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rad1 Nb6 20. Bb3 Bd7. Whether as White or Black in the Kings Indian I hated giving up my dark squared bishop if my opponent

retained his one.

Black should play 18… Bxd4 19. Qxd4 Qc5, and if 20. Qxc5 (20. Qd2!) then 20… Nxc5 21. a5 (or 21. Ne3 Nb3 22. Rad1 Nxa4 23. Nxc4 Rd8) 21… Nb3 22. Ra2 Nc1 23. Ra1 Nxe2 24. Nxe2 Nxd5!

Better than 20. Qd4+ f6! 21. Bxc4 Nxc4 22. Qxc4 Bd7 23. Ne3 Rac8.

If 24… Qxc3 then 25. e5! dxe5 26. Nhf6+ Nxf6 27. Nxf6+ Kf8 28. Nxe8 Kxe8 29. d6.

Or 26… Nxf6 (26… Rf8 27. Qh6!) 27. Nxf6 Re5 (if 27… Rf8 or 27… Re7, then 28. Qh6! anyway) 28. Qh6 Qxf6 29. Qf8 mate.

37… Rb7 38. Qa8 Rc7 39. Raxb2; or 37… Qxf4 38. Nfl Rb7 39. Qa8 Rc7 40. Raxb2 Nc5 41. Rb8.

So good luck copying your opponents’ most dangerous ideas and using them yourself!

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