WHEN IT’S JUST FOR HONOR

In the first article for this arc, I wrote: “It’s the last round. After this, you go home – no more games, no more chances, and if you don’t win, you have no one to kick but yourself. We have all been there: for some there’s money on the line, for others, it’s that last desperate chance to finish the tournament with an even score – But the last round comes to us all.”

Sometimes it’s even worse than I wrote above – sometimes, all you can fight for is to stay out of last place. You’re fighting not for money, not for rating points, but for honor alone. You want to leave with something, even if that something has meaning only to you.

At the end of the November 2003 First Saturday tournament in Budapest, I was holding at next to last, with the Austrian IM Wittmann just a half point behind me. Only a win could guarantee that I would escape the cellar – but in my desperation, I pressed too hard, too early, and my opponent hit me with what old time boxing journalists called a “haymaker.” I reeled, virtually dead on my feet. And then Bent Larsen’s great line came back to me, “Sometimes stubborn defense saves a half point.” Five extremely stubborn hours later, I was a half point richer. Wittmann only drew, so I hung on to my position: next to last, but not dead last.

IM Timothy Taylor - IM Adam Szeberenyi

Budapest, 2003

Gruenfeld Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg5

MY “INVENTION”

This was one of those lines I thought I “invented” since I discovered it completely independently, and the move wasn’t mentioned in ECO or any book I knew on the Gruenfeld. Of course, once I got a computer, I discovered the move had been played by many strong GMs, and there were about 70 games in the database!

The idea is that White pressures Black’s e7 pawn, without allowing the standard counter … Ne4, as in the well-known variation 5.Bg5 Ne4 which is usually seen as an equalizing line for Black.

6…Nxc3

In a later First Saturday game IM Antal tried 6… h6 against me, and after 7.Bh4 c5 8.e3 cxd4 9.exd4 0–0 10.Bc4 Nb6 11.Bb3 Nc6 12.d5 Na5 13.0–0 g5 14.Bg3 Bg4 15.Re1 Rc8 16.Qd3 e6 17.d6 Nac4 18.Ne5 wild and unclear complications arose that eventually turned in my favor, though I would miss a win in the endgame and only draw.

7.bxc3 c5 8.e3 cxd4

WHITE MAKES AN EMOTIONAL DECISION

Black forces White to make a critical choice. Since capturing with the Knight is evidently bad, White can only play 9.cxd4 or 9.exd4. Which is better? Clearly the standard move would be 9.cxd4, capturing toward the center. This gives White a well-shaped, solid pawn structure, while 9.exd4 breaks White’s pawns into three islands.

But now some “off board” factors come into play. Szeberenyi was known as a drawing master in the First Saturday tournaments. In this event alone, he had already racked up seven draws out of the twelve played so far. His previous round game , Szeberenyi vs. Sarakauskas, was this “epic struggle”:  1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bxc4 e6 5.Nf3 c5 6.0–0 a6 7.Bb3 Nc6 8.Qe2 cxd4 9.Rd1 Be7 10.Nc3 0–0, 1/2-1/2 (!).

I could see by the look on my opponent’s face that if I played the correct 9.cxd4, he would instantly play 9… Qa5+. Since my Knight must defend the Bishop on g5, I would be forced to play 10.Qd2, when inevitably would follow 10…Qxd2+ and (ten moves have been played!) a draw offer!

However, White retains some advantage in this Queenless middle game. The White queen-Bishop does its job, pressuring e7, and prevents Black from castling at least for the moment. One can easily see activity for White’s rooks on the b- and c -files. Most important of all, White’s solidly supported center pawn at d4 limits Black’s play.

Both Mr. Fritz and Tigran Petrosian (who commented on a similar position he had against Portisch during the second Piatagorsky Cup) agree that the evaluation is the small but not inconsiderable +/=.

Objectively speaking, I should have taken with the c-pawn, allowed the exchange of Queens, and played the resulting quiet position in a calm, non forcing way, keeping the pressure on Black.

For example, 9.cxd4 Qa5+ 10.Qd2 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2 Nc6 12.Bb5 Bd7 13.Rab1, +/=. Instead, I made the emotional decision to “play for a win” by avoiding the Queen exchange – my mind set was “attack at all costs!”

And this nearly cost me the game.

9.exd4?! 0–0 10.Be2 Nc6 11.Qd2 Re8 12.0–0 Bf5 13.Bh6 Bf6 14.Ng5?!

Better is the solid 14.Rad1 (which defends the Queen) when the game is about equal after 14...Qa5. The Knight move is of course the prelude to White’s “attack” – it did not occur to me that the “drawing master” might attack me!

14...Qa5

Danger Will Robinson! Tactics 101 tells us to beware of undefended pieces like the White Queen here – in fact White is still fine if he continues with the solid 15.Rad1. However, it never occurred to me to defend, and so, oblivious to the danger, I “boldly attacked” with –

15.g4?

My opponent barely missed a beat and dropped this bomb on me:

15... Nxd4!!

DOH!

The haymaker: My opponent’s whole attitude had changed, I could see he was not only looking for the full point, he felt he had it in his pocket! And all I could do was sit there and repeat the barnyard epithet under my breath – I am so busted!

Why does Black’s combination work? First and foremost, the undefended White Queen makes everything possible. Second of all, the “self trapped” White queen-Bishop is another “helpful” item – helpful for Black, that is! Basically I’ve just lost a pawn for nothing, and a valuable center pawn at that.

I think I took about fifty minutes on this move. First, I just wallowed in shock and self-pity. Then I managed to check if Black’s combination was sound – it was. Then more wallowing. Finally, I remembered Bent’s advice: “sometimes stubborn defense saves a half point”.

Clearly I could not win the game, but a draw might still keep me out of the cellar. How could I play on? How could I make it as difficult as possible for my opponent even though (one must be objective) I am in fact dead lost! Finally composed, I played my next (forced) move.

16.gxf5

And Black retorted instantly with the expected:

16...Qxc3!

Now what? White can:

A) Resign

B) 17.Qxc3 Nxe2+ 18.Kg2 Nxc3 is equivalent to A.

C) 17.Qd3 Nxf5 18.Qxc3 Bxc3 19.Rab1 Nxh6 20.Rxb7 Nf5 is just as bad

D) 17.Rad1 Qxd2 18.Rxd2 Nxf5 is hopeless.

What can White play? Is there any hope at all? And then I saw it: so what if White’s Queen is undefended? White can temporarily sac the Queen, as it can be magically supported by the miserable queen-Bishop! White will still be lost at the end, but not “dead lost” and Black’s pawn structure will be damaged. And so –

17.fxg6!

Black can’t play 17…fxg6 as after 18.Rad1! he perishes on account of the weakened a2-g8 diagonal, and he definitely can’t take the Queen in view of the tactical sequence 17...Qxd2? 18.gxf7+ Kh8 19.fxe8=Q+ Rxe8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Bxd2 Nxe2+ 22.Kg2 Kxf7 23.Rad1 and White has won the Exchange and stands better. Therefore, forced is ...

17…hxg6 18.Rad1 Qxd2 19.Rxd2 Nf5 20.Nxf7!

White’s point.

20…Kxf7 21.Bc4+ e6 22.Be3

STILL ALIVE

The dust has cleared, and White is alive. Yes, Fritz gives Black the good old -/+, a full 1 point up, as in one full extra pawn – but Watson, in SECRETS OF MODERN CHESS STRATEGY, notes that statistically White has many chances to draw with the two Bishops.

Of course Black can immediately eliminate one Bishop, but that leaves opposite color Bishops, which have even stronger drawing tendencies! So while I have no chance to win, I can legitimately fight to draw. The stubborn defense begins!

22...b6?!

This is a typical mistake that players in superior or winning positions often make: it’s not terrible, certainly not losing, in fact, Black should still win after this move – but is it the best? Definitely not!

How is Black going to win this game? Clearly, with his extra pawn. And where is his extra pawn? He has a two to one pawn majority on the queenside. Therefore, ultimately, Black wants to make a passed pawn on the queenside, which will win according to all endgame textbooks.

But what about after 22…b6? Now the b-pawn can’t advance any further, and advancing the a-pawn loses the b-pawn! In other words, it will be a long time before Black’s extra pawn becomes threatening.

Correct is the active and accurate 22...Rac8 23.Bb3 (23.Bb5 Red8 24.Rd8 Rd8 25.Ba7 Ra8 also leads to a Black passed pawn) 23… a6! This is the right way to utilized the queenside pawn majority – White can hardly stop …b5, e.g.  24.Bb6 Rc6 25.Be3 b5 -/+ or 24.Rfd1 b5 and the threat of a5 and an eventual outside passed pawn should win for Black.

This is why Bent says “sometimes” (!) you can defend a bad position like this as stubbornly as you want, and sometimes you just can’t hold it. But many times, since our opponents are also human, they get a bit overconfident (I’m playing brilliantly, I’m a pawn up, etc.) and they take the ending just a shade too easy...

23.Rd7+ Re7 24.Rfd1 Rc8 25.Bb3 Nxe3

THE JOY OF OPPOSITE COLORED BISHOPS

I can’t recommend this, even though objectively Black is still winning. The opposite colored Bishops are a permanent drawing factor. An intangible comes into play here: with opposite colored Bishops on the board, I simply have more hope! Now I can look forward to a drawing position if I can just exchange Rooks – I might even draw two pawns down, with only opposite Bishops on the board!

Much simpler was 25...Rc3.

26.fxe3 Rc3 27.Kf2 Bg5 28.R7d3 Rec7 29.Rxc3 Rxc3 30.Rd7+ Kf6 31.Rxa7

I am happy to trade off any pawns I can! The general rule applies here: when material down, exchange pawns, not pieces. Normally, when material up, one should exchange pieces, not pawns, but in this exceptional position, Black is simply unable to exchange Rooks, as most of the pure opposite colored Bishop endings are drawn.

31…Bxe3+ 32.Kg2 Rd3 33.h4 Bc5 34.Rh7 Rd2+

Black still has good winning chances – but the following line shows how difficult and narrow that winning plan might be! Best in my opinion is 34...b5 35.h5 gxh5 36.Rxh5 e5 37.Rh4 Kg5 38.Re4 Kf5 39.Rh4 Rd2+ 40.Kf1 Bd4 41.Ke1 Bc3 42.Kf1 e4 43.Rh5+ Kf4 44.Rxb5 e3 45.Bc4 Rf2+ 46.Kg1 Bd4 47.Rb4 Rb2! –+ with the idea of  48.Rxb2 (or  48.Bb3 Ke5 49.Rb5+ Kf6 and the pawn queens) 48...e2+ 49.Kg2 e1=Q winning!

Not so easy to find over the board!

35.Kf3 Rh2 36.Rh8 Kg7 37.Re8 Kf7 38.Rh8

And not 38.Rxe6?? Rh3+ followed by 39…Rxb3!

38…Bd4 39.Rh7+ Kf6 40.Rd7!

I deliberately undefend my h-pawn, and set a little trap!

40…Rxh4 41.Rd6

Now Black should play 41…g5 retaining good winning chances, but I was hoping he would try to cling to his extra material – and he does!

41…Rf4+?? 42.Kxf4! Be5+ 43.Ke4 Bxd6

OBJECTIVELY DRAWN

Black is up two solid, passed pawns, but I believe the position is now objectively drawn. The first factor is there are no more Rooks, so Black can only use his King to try to push his pawns onto White squares, while I can meet such maneuvers with both Bishop and King.

Perhaps even more important is the fact that Black’s pawns are too close. To quote Reuben Fine from Basic Chess Endings: “Here there is a general rule which is applicable to all cases: if the pawns are two or more files apart, they win; if they are only one file apart, they draw.”

Evidently Szeberenyi did not know the rule – but I did! The defense is still difficult, but I was getting more stubborn by the moment – I was not about to lose this thing now!

44.Bc4 e5 45.Bb5 Bc5 46.a4 Bd4 47.Be8 Bb2 48.Bb5 Bc1 49.Be8 Bf4 50.Bb5 Ke7 51.Bc4 Kd6 52.Bf7 g5 53.Bh5 Kc5 54.Bd1 Kc4 55.Kf5 Kd3 56.Bf3 Kd4 57.Bc6 Bc1 58.Bb7 Bf4 59.Bc6 Ke3 60.Bb7 Kf2 61.Kg4 Ke2 62.Bc6 Kd3 63.Kf5 Kd4 64.Bb7 Bc1 65.Ba8 g4

Black can find no way to break the blockade, and so sacrifices a pawn to move his e-pawn forward – but I am able to head it off at the pass!

66.Kxg4 e4 67.Bc6 Kd3 68.Kg3 Ke3

Since 68… e3 69.Kf3 e2 70.Bb5+ draws easily, Black tries to shut the White King out – but White sneaks around like a crab and finds a new blockading square.

69.Kg2 Bd2 70.Kf1 Bb4 71.Bb5

Now I could breathe a huge sigh of relief: the Bishop and King cover the same square in front of the passed pawn: there are no more defensive problems.

71...Kd2 72.Bc6 e3 73.Bb5 Bc5 74.Ba6 Kc3 75.Ke2 Kb4 76.Bb5, 1/2-1/2.

The tournament is over. I came in next to last, but I was so happy I saved that draw!!

The next time someone hits you with a haymaker, don’t go down! Take fifty minutes if you have to, clear your head – And fight. You’ll need a hell of a lot of stubbornness, and a little luck, but you might save that precious half point, and you will feel infinitely better than if you had caved and resigned.