by Tim Taylor
Dr. Gonzo was telling Raoul Duke how he handled things: “I said, ‘I’d come back here and rip his lungs out.’”
Duke replied, “That’s good. You can’t be subtle in this town.” (From Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S.Thompson)
Remember last month? The game where I overlooked an elementary fork? Then I played an oh-so-subtle opening, and managed to both obtain a small positional advantage – and blunder a piece! I mentioned then that subtlety is not exactly a virtue when you are playing four hundred points down – you need those sometimes mythical weapons of mass destruction! After all, your opponent is not strong enough to appreciate your subtlety, so such play will only confuse yourself!
How then should one go about defeating the weaker player? I think there are four basic ways:
- Attack.
- Opening knowledge.
- Experience.
- Endgame.
We’ll take a look at the first of these today, though elements of two and three also appear.
Now the reader may ask, “Are you saying, just decide to attack your opponent unilaterally?”
And I say, “Why not? After all, take a look at it this way: I’m sitting here with my high rating, and he’s nervous anyway. I attack him – I pressure him – I cut off the ring and I hit him with Hilary Swank rights and lefts – he panics, he drops his guard, he tries to run – I knock him out.
It’s brutal – but chess can be brutal. And it’s a simple truth that many games between mismatched opponents can be won by nothing more than direct attack against the king.
Here’s a first round encounter where I did nothing very complicated; where I did not hide my plans; where I did not always play the best move – but from move six on I attacked relentlessly until my opponent cracked.
Timothy Taylor, IM (2420) - Karim Seada (2060)
Century West Open, 2004
Benoni Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6
The normal move is 3… e6, while Benko’s 3… b5 is also playable. The less forcing text gives White more options.
4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Bg7
The first critical moment: it’s perfectly possible to play here (and I have often done so) 6.Bd3 0-0 7.h3 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.exd5 with a slight edge for White, a line favored by the late Lev Polugayevsky.
This is the way you might play against a GM: little or no risk, nagging pressure, a solid position. But against a weaker opponent, this makes no sense: he wouldn’t even realize you had nagging pressure! He would just be happy you weren’t mating him! And so he would calmly defend, not trying to extend himself, and it would be hard to convert the opening +/= into a win. As Bonin might say, “You shouldn’t have to work so hard!”
All this explains my next move.
6.f4!
This gets his attention while preparing an attack.
6…0–0 7.Nf3 Bg4
Black should play 7… e6, transposing to normal Benoni or King’s Indian lines – the text is a typical inaccuracy.
8.Bd3!
Since the pin means nothing (White can eliminate or drive off the black Bishop at any time with h3), I seize the opportunity to get my light-squared Bishop to a better square than the usual e2.
8...Nbd7 9.0–0 a6 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Qc7 12.Bd2 Rab8?!
As expected, the second player makes some inaccuracies. Correct here is 12...b5 with the idea 13.cb5?! c4 with counterplay, but I would have simply played 13.b3 maintaining the space advantage, e.g. 13… bxc4 14.bxc4 Qa5 15.Rab1 with a small edge. But black would have that “play” I’m always talking about – now he gets nothing.
13.a4 b6 14.Rae1 Ne8
15.g4!!
I’m not giving the exclamation marks for the move, but rather for the plan.
Look what has happened so far: the lower rated player has defended solidly: his last move prevented any central breakthrough with e5. There is no contact, not even any possible pawn exchanges in the position.
Clearly, my opponent is not going to do anything, so I have to make it happen – so I just decided to mate him! What my move lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in terrorizing effect!
15...Qd8 16.Qg3
One square closer to the kingside – after all, the h-pawn will soon be mobilized too.
16…Kh8 17.g5 Rb7 18.h4 Bd4+ 19.Kg2 Kg8 20.h5!
Not even Fritz is willing to take this pawn!
20...e6
Loses by force, but there’s no reason for criticism: the Black position is essentially lost.
How did this happen so quickly? Yes, my opponent made a few opening inaccuracies, but now his whole position is collapsing! And the reason is so simple (but not subtle!), and that reason is this: I just went after him. Forceful attacking play can transform positional advantage into mating advantage! (That is, if you’re paying attention!).
21.Rh1?
Why this big fat question mark for a logical, prepared move that keeps White’s advantage? Because there is a stronger move! One should recall Lasker’s adage: “If you see a strong move, WAIT! Don’t play it! Look for a stronger one!”
Here I should notice the potential double attack on h7 and e6 (which was not there a move ago, but positions do change every move!) and play the accurate 21.hxg6! hxg6 (forced since 21...fxg6 22.dxe6 Nb8 23.f5+- is too horrible to contemplate) 22.Qh3 Ng7 (22...exd5? 23.Rh1 forces mate) 23.Rh1 Nh5 24.dxe6+- White has an extra pawn and a raging attack. This would have shortened the game – now I have to work some more!
21...Qe7 22.Rh3 Ng7 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.Reh1 Nh5 25.Rxh5
Alekhine, commenting on a similar Exchange sacrifice, said something to the effect that the experienced player does not have to calculate such moves, he just knows they’re correct!
So here: I knew I would shatter Black’s King position, while picking up a pawn for the Exchange. My attack continues vigorously, but the most important thing is this: I keep my opponent under pressure.
25...gxh5 26.Rxh5 Rf7
A better defensive try is 26...Ne5! (exploiting my hanging Bishop on d2), but I would keep the edge with 27.dxe6 Nxd3 28.Qxd3 Qxe6 29.Rh6.
27.dxe6 Qxe6 28.f5 Qe8 29.Nd5 Rg7 30.Rh6
The white pieces “flow” toward the Black king: this is what I mean by “play!”
30…Be5 31.Qh4 Nf8
32.Rxd6!?
What should I say about this move? In the game, this “shocking blow” completely shatters my opponent, and I win quickly: that’s the exclamation part of my annotation.
On the other hand, objectively, this move gives Black counterplay with 32…Qa4! So that’s where I deserve the question mark.
Let’s go to Fritz: the machine says I should simply play 32.b3 with decisive advantage. It’s not hard to see why. Black can do absolutely nothing, while I can calmly play my King off the g-file and prepare the deadly Be2-h5 with f6 and g6 to come! Ah, these lovely machines!
But as a human, I relish the shock effect of a move like Rxd6! And my human opponent, shocked, made an immediately decisive error.
32…Bxd6? 33.Nf6+
Decisive: the two Rooks will be unable to fight against the Queen and two extra pawns.
33…Kf7 34.Nxe8 Kxe8 35.Bc3 Rge7 36.Qh6 Be5 37.Bxe5 Rxe5 38.Kf3 Ree7 39.Qf6 Red7 40.Ke3 Rd4 41.e5
Now the pawns are mobilized, White only has to choose which way to win.
41…Rbd7 42.Be4 b5 43.e6 Rc744.Bc6+! Rxc6 45.Qf7+ Kd8 46.e7+, 1-0. Two Queens can definitely beat two Rooks!
What are the lessons of this game? First, it’s possible to defeat many weaker players by direct attack. After 15.g4, he knew I was coming , but the ever increasing difficulty of the position – the strain of defending when one false move could allow mate – was more than my opponent (or your lower rated opponent) could handle.
In other words, my plan was suited both to the position and the opponent – but where I deserve censure is in the execution. I should have noticed the “random tactic” on move 21 which would have ended the game almost instantly, and – though it pains me to say it – I should have played the boring, safe, but absolutely winning 32.b3 instead of the “shocking” Rd6!
