From time to time, we all find ourselves in a position where the opponent has the advantage. There are several ways to deal with this, but one of the more practical approaches is to shed a little material, for example a pawn or two, for piece activity. In these instances, the admonition that the best defense is a good offense comes to mind.

The following game is a successful example of sacrificing a little material for piece activity. White reacts incorrectly to black's opening of the center and loses the initiative. Rather than accepting a passive defense, however, he sacrifices a pawn for counterplay. In the end, the piece activity helps restore material equality and bring victory.

Randy Bauer (2240) - Jim Dean (2140)

1996 Midwest Amateur Team Championship

Leningrad Dutch

1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d4 0-0 6.Nf3 d6 7.0-0 Qe8

By a roundabout method we have reached one of the more important positions in the Dutch Defense. Black's queen move helps prepare the pawn thrust e7-e5, and she can also emerge on the kingside via f7, g6, or h5.

8.e4!?

My opponent is a strong young player who likely knew the ins and outs of this topical line better than I did. The text is rarely mentioned in Leningrad books, but there is some logic to it. Often if white can achieve e4, the black queen will not feel real comfortable on the e-file. The downside is that white must lose a bit of time recapturing the pawn, and black gets pretty active play on the light squares.

8...fxe4 9.Ng5 Nc6 10.Be3 Bf5!?

The game that's usually cited in this line is Afifi-Yusupov, Tunis, 1985, which continued with 10...Bg4 11.Qd2 Qd7 12.Ngxe4 Nxe4, when 13.Nxe4 would have given white a slight advantage.

The advantage of 10...Bg4 is that it gives black the time to set up his queen/bishop battery on the light squares. Now white can attempt to contest the kingside light squares.

11.h3 h5

While this move maintains the bishop's position and is no doubt the critical continuation, white is happy that the g5-square is now "his" for good. Both sides have kingside weaknesses that may be exploitable.

12.Ncxe4 Qd7 13.Kh2 Rae8

A case can be made that black should strike immediately in the center, before white has time to discourage the ...e7-e5 thrust. After 13...e5, if white seeks to exchange the central pawns, the black knight can effectively recapture on e5.

14.f4!?

NOT PLAYED LIGHTLY

This wasn't a move that white played lightly, but a 10-minute think led to the conclusion that if black achieved an easy ...e7-e5, white would likely find himself on the defensive. There are imbalances galore after white's move: the kingside is further loosened, and the dark square bishop is a bit of a problem, since it's no longer protected by the f-pawn and now blocked by two white center pawns. On the other hand, if white can consolidate, for example with Qd2 and Nf2, he would have a nice grip on the center.

14...Nxe4

The move that I first considered was 14...h4!?, since 15.g4? Bxg4! exploits the undefended white bishop after either 16.Nxf6+ exf6 or 16.hxg4 Nxg4+. Still, things are far from easy for black after 15.d5! since 15...Na5 16.Bd4! now threatens an effective 17.g4, and 16.hxg3+ 17.Nxg3 doesn't solve black's problems.

15.Nxe4 e5

Perhaps black would do better to avoid the queen trade with 15...Qc8. As played, white can feel much safer about his king.

16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Qxd7 Bxd7 18.Bc5?!

White would do better to simply seize the open file with 18.Rad1, when I would rate his chances as slightly better, since his bishops are threatening havoc on the queenside. Black cannot effectively utilize d4 either, since 18...Nd4 19 Nc5 favors white.

18...Rf5!

MISSED IT!

For some reason, I overlooked the fact that the rook could settle on this useful square. Now the position of white's dark squared bishop is a bit ticklish, since black threatens to play ...exf4, followed by ...Rxe4 and ...Rxc5, winning two pieces for the rook. White could try to hang tight with something passive like 19.Ba3?!, but after 19...exf4 white will be left with a weak pawn on f4 and, after the black knight lands on d4, a real poor piece placement.

Complicating the matter somewhat was the fact that this was a team tournament, and our fourth board was already losing. As a result, I wasn't particularly interested in playing 40 moves of perfect defense to achieve a draw.

Given that set of circumstances, white's next is understandable: white's play is based on his bishop's activity and chances against black's king. In particular, the square g5 is key.

19.Ng5(!) exf4 20.Bd5+ Kh8

Black doesn't profit from 20...Rxd5 21.cxd5 Re2+ 22.Rf2 when white has the better chances.

21.gxf4 Re2+

21...Bxb2 22.Rb1 Re2+ 23.Rf2 Rxf2+ 24.Bxf2 Be5 looks good except for 25.Nf7+ - a common theme over the next few moves.

22.Rf2!

KING SAFETY FIRST!

One thing that I've learned over time is that sometimes you have to put safety first, even when you're trying to justify a pawn sacrifice. My first inclination here was 22.Kg3, but white's king is then walking into a mating net. After, for example, 22...Bd4 the white king would find itself in a difficult position.

By contrast, the text accepts the trade of a set of rooks and the win of a pawn by black, but white's remaining pieces become very active.

22...Rxf2+ 23.Bxf2 Rxf4 24.Bg3

Not 24.Be3? Be5!.

24...Rf5

Black needs to use this square or white can consider the drawing method with Nf7+ and Ng5+. With the rook on f5, of course, Ng5+ is just a hanging piece.

25.h4

This move has advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it maintains the knight's offensive position. The downside is that black can now play his knight to its own strong post at g4. White sees, however, that this will take time that allows him to aggressively post his rook.

25...Ne5!?

The move that I expected - black has been nothing if not aggressive in this game. The alternative 25...Bxb2 26.Rb1 Bd4 27.Rxb7 Bb6 runs into 28.Bxc7 when black's light squared bishop is a problem. This will become a recurring theme during the rest of the game.

Black's move envisions the knight settling in on g4 and also prepares to eject the bishop from d5 with either ...c6 or ...Bc6.

26.Re1

White gets his rook onto an open file and envisions penetrating to the seventh or eighth ranks. This also sets up ideas of capturing twice on e5 followed by Nf7+, winning material. This is a common tactic in these types of positions that every player should be on the look-out for.

26...Ng4+

Black can't afford a move like 26...Nd3, which allows the white rook into his position with 27.Re7.

27.Kg2 Bf6

This subtle move accomplishes a number of things: it threatens to remove the annoying knight, keeps the rook out of e7, and, as a consequence, prepares to play ...c6. The immediate 27...c6 is playable, since 28.Re7 cxd5 29.Rxd7 dxc4 (or even 29...d4) gets the pawn moving very quickly.

Better for white is 28.Be4 Rf6 29.Bf3, when white envisions Re7.

28.Bxb7!?

This looks like a materialistic approach, but it is more than that. First, we must recognize that black is getting ready to force the bishop back.

The first line I considered was 28.Be4, but black could play 28... Bc6, and after 29.Bxc6 bxc6 30.Re8+ Kg7 31.Rc8 Bxg5 32.Rxc7+ Kh6 33.hxg5+ Kxg5 with an advantage in a still very unbalanced endgame.

Black could also play 31...Ne3+ since 32.Kh3 Rf1 threatens mate and white probably has to bail out with perpetual checks on the seventh and eighth ranks. Likewise, 32.Kh2 Nf1+ 33.Kg2 Ne3+ is just a repetition, and 33.Kh3!? Bxg5 34.hxg5 Rf3 34.Rxc7+ Kg8! 35.Kg2! Rxg3+ 36.Kxf1 Rxg5 favors black since the h-pawn is very dangerous.

One of the key points about these lines is that black's poorest minor piece, the white squared bishop, is off the board. Right now that piece is a liability that is subject to attack, and white doesn't want to eliminate those opportunities.

28...c6!?

Black seeks to keep the bishop out of play. White's last had set a trap, since 28...Bxg5 29.hxg5 Rxg5?? 30.Re7! wins material, because 30...Bf5 31.Bf4 embarrasses the rook.

29.Ne4

The knight move seeks to get the bishop to give up defense of the e7 square, which white needs to get his rook to the seventh rank. The alternative route, via the d-file, isn't possible because Rd1 runs into Ne3+. White is hoping for 29...Bxb2 30.Nd6 Rf6 31.Re7 when white is again a pawn down but has powerful threats.

29...Bd4

Both sides are angling to get at the opponent's weaknesses. In this case, black wants to play ...Ne3+, which blocks the e-file and also threatens to weave a mating net around the white king. In white's favor at this point is the fact that black has just 14 minutes to get to the time control at move 50, while white has 36 minutes.

30.Nd6 Rf6?!

In this slugfest it's not surprising that the player that made the retreating move ends up losing. Black should probably block the e-file immediately. After 30...Ne3+, the powerful knight holds white at bay. Probably 31.Rxe3 would be necessary, and after 31...Bxe3 32.Nxf5 gxf5 (otherwise the c6 pawn falls) 33.Be5+ Kg8 34.Kf3 white probably has some advantage in the ending based on his more advanced king and better pawn structure, but black can probably draw.

31.Re7!

ACTIVE WHITE PIECES

Now the white pieces are very active, and black should recognize that it's time to bail out.

31...Ne3+??

Black misses a tactic. It's fitting that black can survive if he keeps the proper focus on the white king. With 31...Be6!, black restores the threat of ...Ne3+. Now, on ideas like 32.Ne4 black can play 32...Ne3+. 33.Kh1 Rf1+ 34.Kh2 Ng4+ 35.Kg2 Ne3+ is perpetual check. On 33.Kh2 Ng4+ 34.Kh1 Rf1+ 35.Kg2 Ne3+ leads to the same thing. It's notable, however, that black probably shouldn't try for more with 35...Rg1+ since 36.Kf3 lets the king out of the box.

32.Rxe3!

Now it's over. White wins a piece due to the unfortunate placement of his king and rook.

32...Rxd6

32...Bxe3 33.Be5 Kg7 34.Ne4 also wins a piece. Now black hopes for 33.Bxd6?? Bxe3, which throws away the win.

33.Rd3!

Both the rook and bishop are under attack and they both cannot be saved.

33...Bf5

Again hoping for 34.Bxd6?? Bxd3.

34.Rxd4!, 1-0.

34...Rxd4 35.Be5+ finally garners the doomed piece.