With king hunters around every chess corner, I’ve learned to accept that many players will find a way to go for a kingside attack no matter what the position is! For these modern day cavemen, the subtleties of chess will forever be hidden from view UNLESS they make a concerted effort to train their palate so they can enjoy the many different flavors that real positional understanding offers.

In the diagrammed position, we are faced with a fairly quiet game that will demand something far more intricate than simple one-move threats. This is your chance to show off your strategic skills – all you have to do is correctly answer the following questions: What are the imbalances? Who is better (if anyone)? What are the plans for both sides? And what’s the best move?

I SOKOLOV-N SHORT, BLED OLYMPIAD 2002
WHITE TO PLAY

ANSWER:

WHAT ARE THE IMBALANCES? White has a space advantage on the queenside and also a queenside majority of pawns. Black has a passed d-pawn (and this will turn into a protected passed pawn once Black plays …e6-e5) but it’s not going anywhere as long as White retains a firm grip on the d3-square. This means that neither side has any play in the center (unless White decides to target d4 for assassination). There isn’t anything happening on the kingside for either side. White hasn’t castled, which means that his King is in the center. However, this isn’t of great importance if the center remains closed.

WHO IS BETTER (if anyone)? White has a significant advantage because he has all the queenside play while the center and kingside offer nothing for Black.

WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR BOTH SIDES? Based on the comments about White’s queenside advantages, White wants to expand in that area. However, Black really can’t stop this from happening, so White doesn’t have to rush anything. White’s other idea (and it’s an important one!) is to make sure the d-pawn never becomes active. This means that a blockade should be set up on d3.

If White can successfully freeze the d-pawn, Black won’t have any active play.

WHAT IS THE BEST MOVE? Though White can try a few things (1.f4 gains kingside space, 1.0-0 gets the King to safety, 1.b5 attacks Black’s Knight in the hope that d4 can be surrounded and eventually won, and 1.e5 stops Black from defending his passer by …e6-e5), I generally like to stay faithful to two ideas: Be patient if the positions allows it and remain true to the dictates of the imbalances. Since Black is passively placed, White can patiently place all his pieces on their very best squares. This game is really all about Black’s d-pawn and White queenside play. Therefore, I would mix the two and patiently improve the offside position of my a4-Knight by 1.Nb2-d3. Once that is done, I can’t see any active possibilities for Black at all. This means that I will then be free to calmly win on the queenside by making use of my pawn majority and queenside spatial plus.

1.Nb2!

This Knight can’t wait to live on the dream d3-square. Is White worried about Black’s passed pawn? Not when it’s blockaded! In fact, owning a firmly blocked passed pawn is often a major disadvantage. Why? Because it acts as a traitor: Black’s Rooks and Queen can’t do anything along the d-file since the d4-pawn is killing that file, and Black’s Knight can’t jump to d4 since the silly pawn is already occupying that square. The ideas behind White’s move are now clear: he is not only improving the positioning of a wayward Knight, and he’s not only turning Black’s passed pawn into an obstacle to it’s own forces – he’s ultimately leaving Black without active play! This means that White can follow up on the queenside without fear of any kind of retribution.

WHITE’S GOAL: Win on the queenside in a completely no-risk fashion. You don’t get the gift of a no-risk position that offers high winning chances too often. When you do, grab it by not taking unnecessary chances.

1…Nd7 2.Nd3

On this square the Knight blocks the pawn and also hits keys squares on b4, c5, e5, and f4.

2…Bh4

Black is trying to give himself more room to move about in by swapping off Bishops. However, the open h-file proves to be very useful for White.

3.c5

Since Black hasn’t found any way to annoy White, why not quietly go about your plan of queenside expansion? This move gives the d2-Knight access to c4, which in turn allows it to hop into d6.

3…Bxg3 4.hxg3

Suddenly Black is in mortal danger. The d6-square is calling for a White Knight, and Black’s King is uncomfortable due to the opening of the h-file.

4…Nde5

The losing move (it allows a tempo-gaining b4-b5 in some lines), after which Black can’t stop his opponent from overrunning the position. He had to try 4…Nce5 5.f4 Nxd3+ 6.Bxd3 e5, though Sokolov feels that White has an almost winning plus after 7.Nf3.

5.f4 Nxd3+ 6.Bxd3 h6

Now 6…e5 is met by 7.Nc4! when 7…exf4 8.gxf4 is absolutely horrible, while 7…Qc7 8.Qe2 promises Black nothing but misery.

7.Nc4

Like a Siren, the d6-square is calling out to this Knight.

7…Rc8 8.Nd6 Rc7 9.e5

BLACK COULD QUIETLY RESIGN HERE

9…f6 10.Qe2 a6 11.Qe4!

A nice move. By forcing Black to play …f6-f6, White’s e-pawn (and his d6-Knight) is turned rock-solid and Black is left waiting helplessly for White to play g3-g4-g5 with a winning attack.

11…f5 12.Qe2 Re7 13.g4 fxg4 14.Qxg4 Kh8 15.g3

Not a necessity, but why leave anything loose when your opponent is helplessly wallowing about in despair?

15…Bf7 16.Ra2

Heading for h2 and bringing the last piece into the attack.

16…Bg8 17.Rah2, 1-0. There’s no defense. A move like 17…Bh7 loses to 18.Bxh7 Kxh7 19.Qg5 when Black can’t deal with the threat of Rxh6+ with a quick mate.

LESSONS FROM THIS GAME:

1) Follow the imbalances and you’ll be rewarded.
2) Patience is a real attribute in chess.
3) Why give the opponent counterplay if you can snuff him out in complete safety.

Now that we’ve seen the correct way to handle the position, let’s take a look at the input of our readers. Their comments and my reactions to them are very instructive, so don’t miss out on this chance to go deeper into their minds and into the position in general.

THOSE THAT CORRECTLY ANSWERED 1.Nb2

Congratulations to Mr.Chris Burns (who used 1.Nb2 in two games against ChessTiger15 and won both!). He did an excellent job breaking the position down, though there was one comment that I deemed incorrect.

He said:

“Right now White is better, only because of his space advantage, which is a temporary entity.” This isn’t true. Other factors that led to White’s advantage where his majority of pawns and Black’s inability to generate active play. Also, a space advantage is a static plus, meaning it’s long term, not temporary.

Congratulations are also owed to Howard Witterman (1400), who said:

“Black’s passed pawn is a liability that acts as a shield for a White Knight.”

This is a very perceptive and instructive comment.

The only other person who recommended 1.Nb2 was Mr. James Hamilton (1750). I liked his following comment, since it showed what White must avoid:

“The dominant feature of this position is clearly Black’s pawn on d4, which lays claim to c3 and e3 deep in White’s territory. Black's plan should be to create a fluid pawn center by playing ...e6-e5 and …f7-f5. If he could succeed in locking up the queenside pawns and establishing a second center pawn at e4, his advantage would be crushing. “White’s main asset is his queenside majority. His plan should be to blockade the center, thwart Black’s kingside possibilities, and then get the queenside pawns rolling in an effort to claim more space and/or create a passed pawn.”

Though Mr. Hamilton’s comments were good, the analysis he offered was not up to snuff:

“My preferred move would be 1.Nb2, intending to post the knight at d3 to blockade the center. From there the fight for control of the e5 square might continue 1…Bd6 2.f4 e5 3.0-0 exf4 4.Bxf4 Bxf4 5.Rxf4 followed by 6.Nd3.”

Do you see the flaw with these moves? White has allowed Black to isolate his e-pawn and, as a result, create a hole on e5 that will become a nice square for the Black forces to live on. In our beginning position Black was hard pressed to create anything positive for himself. White’s series of moves were self-destructive and gave the opponent far more than he deserved. After 1…Bd6, the calm and consistent 2.Nd3 would have been good.

THOSE THAT WANT TO PLAY 1.f4

Mr. Curtis Fisher (1800) is our first supporter of 1.f4. He said some pretty good things, but the following is the most important since it’s the cause of his missing 1.Nb2:

“Getting down to the specifics: As White, my first concern would be to ensure Black is not permitted to push his e-pawn safely to e5. If Black can manage that, he can develop something of a stronghold in the center.”

This statement handcuffed Mr. Fisher. He was hampered by two misconceptions: “The d-pawn is a weakness that should be attacked. And …e6-e5 must be prevented since the d-pawn would then be as solid as a rock.” As it turns out, …e6-e5 wouldn’t bother White at all since the first player isn’t interested in the d-pawn! The real game continuation showed the Black passer to be ineffective. In fact, it blocked his own pieces. So why fear it or stop Black from protecting it?

Next up is Mr. Armin Namini, who possesses a hefty 2117 ELO rating. This gentleman sent lots of interesting analysis and really made quite an effort to find the truth. In the interests of space, we’ll settle for a couple of his comments, which I found very interesting:

“In my opinion, the fate of the d-pawn is most important. If White can deprive Black the luxury of defending it by e5 (or …Bc5, or possibly …Nc5 with other ideas), it will become a weakness and White can hit it with say Rfd1 and Nf3/Nb3. The space on the queenside will make it hard for Black to break free. Black might try to protect it by means of …Nd7, …e5, or if White plays b5 prematurely at some point maybe Black can play …Nc5/Bc5. It is imperative that White hinders these plans because after Black has achieved …e5, he will most likely play …f5 and free his Rook and his light squared Bishop with …Bg6, whereas if White plays f4 directly after Black plays …e5, Black merely exchanges pawns and obtains a nice square on e5 for his Knights. Therefore, I dismiss any ideas with a direct Na4-b2-d3, f4 and Nf3 after allowing a black …e5.”

I like the fact that he’s trying to play forcefully, and that he has a clear target. This is impressive (and d4 as a target is a theme of several of our readers), but another comment he makes explains why this isn’t a great idea:

“It doesn’t matter even if all the tactics work for White. The point is that if you have a clear positional static advantage, you shouldn’t play dynamic chess and enter a risky tactical struggle (especially with your King in the middle of it) if there is a sound, quiet approach that surely gives you the advantage.”

VERY well said! But why didn’t he follow his own advice? Instead he gave analysis that left White many ways to go wrong, and allowed Black’s pieces a great deal of activity. Let’s look at a bit of what he gave:

“1.f4 Nd7 (1…Nb8 2.Nb2 a5 3.b5 Qc7 4.Qd3) 2.Nf3 Rc8 3.0-0.”

Note that after 1…Nb8 2.Nb2 a5 3.b5 Qc7 4.Qd3 White might be better, but even after the d-pawn drops I’m left wondering why White wanted to give up the c5-square (with the accompanying backward pawn on c4) for this small material gain. More interesting is 1.f4 Nd7 2.Nf3 Rc8 3.0-0 when Black can mix things up with 3…b5! 4.cxb5 Nxb4 5.Qd2 d3. Does Black really deserve this kind of activity?

BLACK HAS TOO MUCH ACTIVITY!

Sometimes you should play with verve, and sometimes you can smother your opponent and leave him flopping about like a fish out of water (knowing when to do what is far from easy!). In the present case, White should ignore the lure of the d-pawn snack and calmly make use of his long-term static plusses. I want to thank Mr. Namini for the important comments he’s shared with us.

Next up to bat is Mr. Douglas Staples who always gives us useful feedback on these tests. Mr. Staples is another fan of 1.f4 (which is indeed a well founded move, even though 1.Nb2 is superior). I would like to draw attention to two of his comments:

“Black’s main imbalance has already reached its maximum potential – the creation of a passed d-pawn. With this already accomplished, it will be difficult for Black to do anything proactive.”

Excellent! He’s telling us that the energy of White’s queenside majority (which dreams of becoming a passed pawn) is far greater than the d4-pawn. This is much the same as a 12 year-old having far more energy than an 80 year-old. The old-timer has wisdom, but the kid’s life is still ahead of him, with all the energy and power that this entails. This very insightful statement is followed by a bit of mistaken identity:

“Here I would recognize one tactical possibility of the position – if White plays an obvious move like Nb2, Black will no doubt play …Bd6 seeking the trade of the dark-square Bishops so that, once these Bishops are traded, the e5-square will become weak and he can plant a Knight there to challenge White’s blockading piece.”

In the actual game, Black did indeed exchange Knights by playing a horse to e5. However, this didn’t help his cause. Nevertheless, the e5-square is NOT weakened by the trade of dark-squared Bishops because White can always play f2-f4 if he feels it’s useful to do so. Why commit to f2-f4 so early? Only prevent something that you know is a threat, and only prevent it when it becomes necessary to do so.

Now we move on to Mr. German Gieczewski. German understood that White had a queenside majority, but he ultimately decided that surrounding the d4-pawn by f4 with Nf3, Bf2, Rd1, and Qd3 to follow was correct. This is fine, since this plan is worthwhile. However, one comment is worth addressing:

“White has the edge because his pieces have somewhere to look at (d4), although his Na4 is no good.”

He noted the unfortunate placement of the a4-Knight but ignored it, instead deciding to begin active play against d4. I think it’s very important to deal with poorly placed pieces. Accepting their misery is rarely a good idea and often leads to unfortunate consequences.

Mr. James Turner (1500) was high on 1.Nf3 originally, but then sold himself on 1.f4. He said:

“Black would have serious problems defending the pawn after that, because he simply doesn’t have enough pieces to put on the defense (e.g. the Be7 would need the Nf6 to move to defend, but then the N would block the Q and R on the d file).”

He’s right, but as we saw in the earlier letter from Mr. Armin Namini, there’s more going on than that. Does White really want to start a fight with his King in the center? Does White really want to win a pawn at the risk of activating the Black forces? Is White willing to give up his iron control of the game for one measly pawn? Even a player as strong as Mr. Namini failed to properly appreciate the ramifications of these questions, so anyone who picked the very logical 1.f4 (or who wanted to attack d4) has nothing to be ashamed of.

Ken (USCF 1775) wasn’t able to completely understand this position because he was afraid that the passed pawn would prove strong if it was protected (via …e6-e5).

“If I were White I wouldn’t want Black to be able to support his d4-pawn with a pawn at e5 because then he has a long term favorable imbalance (protected passed pawn).”

Now that he has learned that a protected passed pawn can be a liability instead of an advantage (my books go into this in great detail), he’ll have a far better chance of solving such positions in the future.

THOSE THAT WANT TO PLAY 1.e5

The people that favored 1.e5 often did so for the same reasons that the 1.f4 group did – to prevent …e6-e5. Mr. Collin Kroen (1250) is a common case:

“Black’s greatest positional feature is that passed pawn on d4, and if he could protect it with …e5, I think it would be a dominating positional asset. Because of this, I think if White plays e5, he has isolated the pawn and can then attack it.”

The vast majority of tournament players (even highly rated ones) fear passed pawns. So it’s critical to come to terms with the truth: passed pawns are often a bad thing to have! There are techniques to use them, and techniques to defeat them. To quote from my book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHESS STRATEGY: “Most players take it for granted that passed pawns are advantageous to own. Though often true (especially in the endgame), passed pawns an also be a disadvantage!

“To decide when a passed pawn is useless or useful, you must take two things into consideration:

1) If both sides have play elsewhere that has nothing to do with the passer, a passed pawn, even one that isn’t doing anything, can prove useful as an endgame insurance policy.
2) Can the passed pawn be firmly blockaded? If it can, then the pawn may end up acting as a traitor; its very existence may block files and diagonals (and thus its own minor pieces and Rooks) and give the opponent access to a key square (the one in front of the passer) that wouldn’t be available if the pawn where not there.”

A little knowledge really does make life easier!

Mr. Elgin Zeppenfeldt made many excellent comments, but let’s just focus on the following:

“White is better due to the fact that his majority can move up the board, while Black’s passed pawn and/or central majority is stuck right now; Black’s minor pieces are also doing very badly in this position.”

He also said:

“White should keep a close eye on tactics based on a …d3 advance and subsequent fork (not to mention the fact that his King is still in the center).”

All good stuff, and one would think this line of reasoning would take him to 1.Nb2. Instead he concludes:

“Therefore I like 1.e5. Yes, this move does block the Bishop on g3, but this move also isolates the pawn on d4, which will become a target for White.”

As I’ve said before, isolating a target is a fairly advanced concept, so (because they all seem to be going after d4 like piranha to flesh) many of the participants in this forum appear to be quite strong. However, since he already said that Black’s d-pawn isn’t doing anything, and since he also noted the potential strength of White’s queenside majority and the possible weakness of having his King in the center, why not calm down the play and make use of the majority, while leaving Black’s “dead” d-pawn alone? I think it’s very hard for players to reconcile to a “non-energetic” plan. They seem to think action is always called for, when sometimes it’s actually counterproductive.

Mr. John Tobisch was also in favor of e5 (followed by Qe4, Bd3 and perhaps Ne4). Clearly, the desire to “do something powerful” is a primal chess urge! Instead of listing the imbalances and simply making use of them, he couldn’t resist lunging at his opponent in an aggressive manner. As it turns out, 1.e5 Nd7 2.Qe4 fails completely to 2…Ndxe5! 3.Bxe5 f5 4.Qf4 Bg5. Why takes chances when there’s no need to do so?

By the way, this is why chess mastery is so hard to achieve. I might tell a student, “Why are you playing so passively?” Then, during the next lesson (when he tries hard to be more energetic), I’ll say, “Why are you playing like a buffalo on Spanish Fly?” The game’s many mixed signals make us want to throw our hands up in despair and leap off the nearest cliff!

Other people who favored 1.e5 (hoping to go after d4) were Mr. Jan Pottie and one my site faithfuls, Java Joe. Nothing to feel bad about. 1.e5 is a well-intentioned, forceful move that would likely do quite well in an over the board contest.

Finally we come to Mr. Jim Mongiardo (1500) who worked hard on the position and, after falling in love with the Black idea of swapping dark-squared Bishops by …Bd6, finally decided that 1.e5 (stopping that exchange) might give White an edge. He said:

“Black’s main area for play is in the center since that is where his slight space advantage lies and where his two Knights and Queen aim. If Black could trade off White’s strong dark-squared Bishop, that would leave him firmly in control of the central dark squares.”

I’m left wondering why the trade of Bishops gives Black a “firm control over the central dark squares.” Also, since he sees that Black would like to generate central play, it should make perfect sense that blocking the d-pawn (via Nb2-d3) closes off the center and leaves Black bereft of activity.

THOSE THAT WANT TO PLAY 1.c5

A couple players were very much aware of White’s queenside chances and wanted to get it on in that sector as quickly as possible. Seth, a 14 year old who has been playing for two years, made a very impressive effort. Here’s some of what he said:

“White’s dark squared Bishop is better than Black’s Bishop on e7. White’s Knight on a4 is out of play at the moment, but could reposition itself, like Na4-b3-d3 to block Black’s passed d-pawn. “The only plan for Black I see, is to attack White’s queenside with 1...a5 and if 2.b5, Black answers with 2…Na7! (If 2...Nb8? 3.c5! and Black cannot place a Knight on either b6 or c5, and White has even more space) which makes 3.c5 unplayable due to b5 hanging. Black would then continue …Nf6-Nd7-c5 and then …Na7-c8-b6 with total dark square domination on the queenside. “White has nowhere to play on the kingside, the center is a wasteland (1.e5 Nd7 and Black can choose to attack e5 with a later ...f6) so the queenside is where to play. The g3-Bishop is aimed there, White controls more space in that sector, and the d6-square is weak. Also, as Black’s plan is ...a5 with control of the dark squares, I find 1.c5!! clearing c4 for a Knight and ...a5 is no longer good (1.c5 a5? 2.b5 and the queenside pawn roller is going and the b6-square is also now in White’s hands). And to add to all that, White makes a bid for d6 as Nc4 is part of the plan. After 1.c5, Black cannot play 1…a5 due to b5 winning e5.”

He’s only been playing for two years? His reasoning is great, but you must mix strategy with tactics. In the case of 1.Nb2 a5 2.b5 Na7, White will likely pick up the d4-pawn in a favorable way by 3.e5 Nd7 4.Nf3. More importantly, the 1.c5 move is also tactically flawed: 1…b5! 2.Nb2 (2.cxb6 axb6 isn’t what White had in mind) 2…a5! 3.Bxb5 Nxb4 4.axb4 Bxb5.

THIS REFUTES 1.c5

Mr. Gary Kegan (he did so out of worry about a possible …b7-b6) and Mr. Chris Doyle (he wanted to prevent …Bd6) were two other fans of 1.c5. Both missed the 1…b5 reply.

THOSE THAT WANT TO CASTLE

Mr. Shawn Williams (1700) had trouble deciding on moves like 1.Nb2, 1.e5, and 1.0-0. All are tempting. He did notice that d6 could fall into White’s hands after an eventual c4-c5 and Nd2-c4-d6, but the urge to get to King to safety prevailed and 1.0-0 (a very reasonable move!) was his final choice. Getting the King out of the center is a VERY wise thing to do, but sometimes there are more important fish to fry. I think our earlier discussions about this game will prove very helpful to Mr. Williams (and to countless others as well!).

Mr. Tim Spanton (2000) looked at a lot of stuff. Here’s what he said:

“White has a queenside pawn majority. Black has a central pawn majority and has a protectable passed pawn. White is yet to castle but is otherwise ahead in development. White’s a4-Knight is awkwardly placed but has a natural redevelopment route via b2 to the blockading square d3. “White's long-term plan is to use his pawn majority to gain more space and ultimately create a passed pawn of his own. At some stage he should castle short. This is not urgent at present but should be played soon as it is important to connect Rooks in case the queenside suddenly opens up (Black has two pieces eyeing b4). Black’s plan is to create more space for his pieces and to activate his central/kingside pawn majority. He should be trying to play ...e5 to both secure his passed pawn and create space. Black will attack on the kingside, perhaps by ...e5, ...Nd7, ...f5. “WHO IS BETTER? I am not sure. It may be one side has a slight edge, but for practical purposes it is probably better to describe it as a position with chances for both sides.”

His points were clear and logical. The one thing that he (and others) agonized over was Black’s kingside attack by …e6-e5, …Nd7, and f7-f5. Nobody realized that this allowed White to take on f5 when the e4-square would fall into White’s hands (imagine White Knights on d3 and e4!). Personally I don’t see any chances for a Black kingside attack. This is the beauty of the position: I don’t see what Black can do to achieve real play! Mr. Spanton then analyzed various options. He took a serious look at 1.Nb2 but didn’t like 1…a5. He didn’t realize that this would likely lead to the quick demise of the d4-pawn after 2.b5 Na7 3.e5 Nd7 4.Nf3. When there is a move you want to play and you think you’ve found a good reply for the opponent, make sure you are not talking yourself out of a good deal. In fact, you should insist on making your move work (part attitude and part hard work…but giving up on 1.Nb2 at the first sight of 1…a5 won’t get the job done). Ultimately he felt that many tactical situations wouldn’t work for White if the Rooks were not connected, hence his desire to play 1.0-0 (which isn’t a bad move!). His instincts were good, but (I’ll belabor this point) I think he gave up on 1.Nb2 a bit too easily. If he develops the habit of insisting on making a logical idea work, he’ll find himself making real inroads into chess improvement.

I would like to thank everyone for participating! Please do so again when I post a new tournament player’s problem next week.