By Larry Christiansen

The pin is one of the first tactical themes that players learn to appreciate and fear. Pins come in all types and sizes but the most deadly is the absolute pin where material is pinned against the King. If the pin is not easily broken, the defender is in for a long and torturous struggle.

Everyone knows the following basic example:

WHITE TO MOVE & DRAW

1.Rxe5! Rxe5 2.Kf4! and Black cannot shake the pin without losing a full Rook.

One of the great examples of the power of the pin is the following old classic:

Alekhine - Nimzovich

San Remo, 1930

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Ne7 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 0–0 8.c3 b6 9.f4 Ba6 10.Nf3 Qd7 11.a4 Nbc6 12.b4 cxb4 13.cxb4 Bb7 14.Nd6 f5 15.a5 Nc8 16.Nxb7 Qxb7 17.a6 Qf7 18.Bb5 N8e7 19.0–0 h6 20.Rfc1 Rfc8 21.Rc2

21...Qe8?

Black has a horrific position but this leads to a pin that will not go away. Black should at least  try 21...Nd8.

22.Rac1 Rab8 23.Qe3 Rc7 24.Rc3 Qd7 25.R1c2 Kf8 26.Qc1

Creating the dreaded “Alekhine’s Gun” formation of major pieces.

26...Rbc8 27.Ba4

Threatening to win a piece by b4-b5.

27…b5

This gives Black just enough time to swing his King over so it can defend c7. That takes care of the pin along the c-file, but it fails to deal with the pain along the a4-e8 diagonal.

28.Bxb5 Ke8 29.Ba4 Kd8

Has Black managed to defend everything?

30.h4!

No, it turns out that Black is in zugzwang. At the moment his c6-Knight can’t move due to Bxd7, his e7-Knight can’t move due to Bxc6, his King can’t move due to b5 (when c7 is no longer adequately guarded), his Queen can’t move due to b5, and his Rook on c8 can’t move due to Bxc6. That only leaves Black with pawn moves.

30...h5 31.Kh2

White just bides his time until Black runs out of moves.

31…g6 32.g3, 1–0. Heavy material losses can’t be avoided.

I have both been the victim and perpetrator of nasty pins. The most memorable example of pinning in my career came in the following game.  We reached a position with no less than four pins.

Christiansen - I Gurevich

Philadelphia, 1989

1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Nf6 6.Nf3 e6 7.h3 0–0 8.Bd3 Na6 9.0–0 Nc7 10.a4 e5 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bd2 Nh5 13.Qc1 g5 14.Ne2 Nf4 15.Nxf4 gxf4 16.Kh2 f5 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.Bxf5 Rxf5 19.Qc2 Qd7 20.Rab1 Raf8 21.b4 Ne8 22.Rfe1 b6 23.a5 Rh5 24.bxc5 bxc5 25.a6 Qg4 26.Rb7 Rff5 27.Qd3 Nf6 28.Rxa7 Qg6 29.Kg1 e4 30.Rxe4Rxh331.Rxg7+Kxg7 32.Bc3 Re5

As promised, there are no less than four pins working now if you include the pin along the a1-h8 diagonal.

33.Bxe5 dxe5 34.a7 Nxe4 35.Qe2!

Not falling for 35.a8=Q? Rh1+ 36.Kxh1 Nxf2+ followed by 37…Nxd3.

35…Rxf3 36.a8=Q Rxf2 37.Qb7+ Kg8 38.Qc8+ Kh7 39.Qd7+ Kh8 40.Qdg4! Rxe2 41.Qxg6 Ng3 42.Kh2 Nf1+ 43.Kh3 f3! 44.Qxh6+ Kg8 45.Qe6+ Kg7 46.Qg4+ Kh6 47.Qxf3! Re3 48.d6, 1–0.

Another pinning example:

Christiansen - Shabalov

Seattle (U.S. Ch), 2000

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 e6 4.d4 d5 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.0–0 Nge7 9.Nbd2 0–0 10.Nb3 Bb6 11.Re1 Bg4 12.Bd3 Ng6 13.Be3 Bc7 14.Nbd2 Qd6 15.Qa4 h5 16.h3 Bd7 17.Qc2 Rae8 18.Bf5 h4 19.Rad1 Re7 20.Nc4 Qf6 21.Rxd5

21...Nce5 22.Rxe5!

This sets up a decisive pin.

22…Nxe5 23.Bh7+ Kh8 24.Ncxe5 Bxe5 25.Bg5 Bh2+ 26.Kxh2 Qd6+

27.Ne5! Rxe5

27...f6 28.f4 fxg5 29.Rd1 Qc7 30.Rxd7 Rxd7 31.Ng6+ Kxh7 32.Nxf8+ Kg8 33.Nxd7 Qxd7 34.fxg5 Qd6+ 35.Kh1 wins.

28.Bf4 Rfe8 29.Rxe5 Rxe5 30.Be4! g5 31.Qd3! Qe7 32.Bxe5+ Qxe5+ 33.Kg1 Bb5 34.Qd5! Qf4 35.Qd4+ Kg8 36.Bxb7 Qxd4 37.cxd4 f5 38.f4! g4 39.g3, 1–0.

The following amazing example must be one of the longest continuing pins in the annals of modern chess.

Lputian - Fressinet [D47]

Petrosian Memorial (ICC tourney), 2004

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7

It seems like about 10% of all games in modern top-level chess involve the Semi-Slav.

6.Bd3

An incredible theoretical duel involving the sharp line 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4!? came about in Onischuk - Becerra, U.S. Championship 2004 which continued 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 b6 9.e4 Bb7 10.e5 c5 11.exf6 Bxf3 12.fxg7 Rg8 13.Qxh7 Nf6 14.Bb5+ Ke7 15.Bg5 Bf4! 16.Qh3 Bxh1 17.Bxf4 Qxd4 18.Qg3 Ne4 19.Qh4+ Qf6 20.g5 Qxg7 21.0–0–0 Rad8 22.g6+ f6 23.Rxh1 Rh8 24.Qg4 Nxf2 25.Qf3 Nxh1 26.Bd6+!  Kxd6 27.Qc6+ Ke5! 28.Qe4+, 1/2-1/2. Jeremy promises to do a full analysis of this wild game by sometime in 2007. See also Gelfand-Shabalov, Bermuda 2003.

6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.e4 b4 10.Na4 c5 11.e5 Nd5 12.Nxc5

Recent attention has returned to the gambit line 12.0–0 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Nxe5 14.Bb5+ Nd7 15.Qg4.

12...Nxc5 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Ng5!?

A move first played in a game Vehre - Dinan, 1982 and recently adopted by GM Gregory Kaidanov.

14...Qc7 15.0–0 Rd8

Kaidanov - Gelfand, Ashdod (Israel) 2004 continued 15...Qxe5 16.Qa4+ Ke7 17.Nxf7 Kxf7 18.Qd7+ Be7 19.Qxb7 Rhc8 (Vehre - Dinan continued 19...Rhb8? 20 Qa6 with a clear plus for White) 20.Qa6 Bc5 21.Rb1 Bb6 22.Bd2 Kg8 23.b3 Qd4 24.Rbe1 Rd8 with chances for both sides (0–1 in 42).

16.Qh5

16.Qe2 is a calmer way to play this. Play might then continue 16...h6 17.Ne4 Be7 18.Ng3!? intending a subsequent Bd2 and Rac1.

16...g6 17.Bb5+

White begins a forcing sequence that should lead to perhaps a small advantage.

17...Kf8! 18.Qf3!

18.Nxh7+?? Kg7 19.Qh6+ Kg8 wins for Black with our theme of pin and win.  

18...Kg7 19.Be3!

This strong developing move forces open the f-file. But White must back this up with accurate play.

19...Bxe3 20.fxe3

20...Rdf8!

Not 20...Rhf8?? 21.Qh3 h6 22.Rxf7+ and wins.

21.e4!

21.Qg3 fails to 21...Qb6 – double attacking the Bishop and e3.

21...Qxe5 22.Nxf7 Qd4+

23.Rf2??

Mark this spot. This move leads to intense suffering later. 23.Kh1! is surprisingly strong, as seen in the cute variation 23...Ne3 24.Qf2! (White does the pinning) 24…Bxe4 25.Rad1! Bxg2+ 26.Kg1 and wins. Black should instead play 23...Qe3! 24.exd5 (24.Qg4!? Rxf7 25.Rxf7+ Kxf7 26.exd5 Bxd5 27.Rf1+ Kg7 28.Qxb4 Qg5, =) 24…Qxf3 25.Rxf3 Rxf7 26.Rxf7+ Kxf7 27.d6 Rd8 28.Rf1+ Kg7 29.d7 Bd5 30.b3 (30.a3 Bc4 31.Rf4 Bb5, =) and White has what looks like the better of a draw.

23...Ne3! 24.Ng5 Bc8 25.Nf7

Sadly forced.

25...Ng4 26.Qxg4 Rxf7

Black has squelched all the threats and now the pin on the f-file becomes decisive.

27.Qe2 Rhf8

This pin will not go away. Black now sits back and enjoys himself.

28.Raf1 a6 29.Ba4 Bb7 30.e5 a5

Threatening ...Ba6.

31.Bb5 Rf5 32.Qd2 Qc5 33.Bd3 R5f7

Naturally Black wants more than 33...Rxf2 34.Rxf2 Rxf2 35.Qxf2 Qxe5 which is winning, but with such a juicy pin why not go for more?

34.h3 Bd5 35.b3 Rf4 36.Qc2 Qe3 37.Qe2 Qd4 38.Bb5 R4f5

Black comes tantalizingly close now to making a 3-time repetition of position.

39.Qd2 Qb6 40.Bd3 Rf4 41.Qe2 Qd4 42.Bb5 Kg8

Throwing this move in eliminates 3-time headaches.

43.Qd2 Qb6 44.Bd3 Qc5 45.Qe2 Qd4 46.Bb5 R8f5 47.Qd2 Qb6 48.Bd3 Rf7 49.Qe2 Kf8!

Fressinet now sadistically marches the King over to the queenside.

50.Qd2 Ke7! 51.Qe2 Kd8 52.Qc2 Rf8

White must relinquish his temporary control over the c-file, letting the Black King continue his stroll.

53.Qe2 Kc7 54.Qd2 Kb8 55.Qe2 Ka7 56.Qc2 R8f7 57.Qd2 Qc5 58.Qc2 Qd4 59.Bb5 Kb6!

At long last Black decides to cash in.  

60.Bd3 Rxf2 61.Rxf2 Rxf2 62.Qxf2 Kc5

The pin has been maintained now in various forms for 30 moves. Anyone know of similar examples?

63.g4 Qxf2+ 64.Kxf2 Kd4 65.Ke2

White is a glutton for punishment.

65...Bg2 66.Bc4 Bxh3 67.Kf3 h5 68.Bxe6 Bxg4+ 69.Bxg4 hxg4+ 70.Kf4 Kd5, 0–1.