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Pieces in Motion
The Isolated Queen Pawn
Many beginning and
intermediate players are scared of having weaknesses. So, they learn a
few openings and hope for a middlegame that is free from defects. The
sad news is "modern chess is full of defects. The trick is to make
these defects playable." In more chessic terms, we have to trade some
positional weaknesses for dynamic attacking potential.
Today, I have chosen
to demonstrate a game that has a pawn structure weakness, a weak central
pawn. However, by centralizing his pieces White obtains a dynamic
position full of attacking potential. I am hoping that if you see a
real game played out by grandmasters, instead of being scared and going on
the defense, you might look to make your pieces active and counter balance
the weakness in your camp.
| In the diagram, the (d4) pawn is weak because it has
no other pawns on neighboring files. However, during the
middlegame, the pawn can be used to control central squares during an
attack or used as a battering ram for central expansion. The general
rule of thumb against the player with the weak pawn is to:
- restrict the pawn from advancing by attacking the d5 square with
pieces;
- blockade the pawn by moving a piece onto the d5 square;
- reduce the material on the board by trading pieces;
- attack and win the pawn.
|
|
This diagram shows us a placement of pieces that was
supported by the great grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch (1886-1935) in his
book My System. He put the bishop on (e3) supporting the
weak (d4) pawn. However, a piece on the defense is an unlikely
attacking piece. In modern chess, the bishop is not weighed down
to defense but takes up an active post on (f4) or (g5). He
recommended rooks to be placed on the c- and d-files to engage the enemy
rooks on those files. If you engage the enemy then you will most
likely make trades, and help your opponent reach a stronger endgame
position. Remember your pawn weakness, which is exploited in the
endgame. So, in modern chess, the rooks have been moved to the (d)
and (e) files to avoid trades.
|
|
| Here we have modern chess pieces in action. All
the pieces take up active roles attacking central squares. During
the middle game, the weak (d) pawn can support outposts on the (c5) and
(e5) squares. Or it can be used as a battering ram by pushing it
forward to the (d5) square. When it is supported by pieces, in the
middlegame, it becomes an attacking weapon. So here is the trick:
Attack in the middlegame before the pawn becomes weak in the
endgame!!! The reason why it will be weak in the endgame is
because your pieces will have to come over and support the weak pawn,
leaving other areas unguarded. This will give your opponent more
things to attack. Who needs problems like that? |
|
Paul Keres vs. Henrique Mecking
San Antonio, TX USA November, 1972
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 c5
3.e3 e6
4.Nf3 d5
5.Nc3 Nc6
6.a3 dxc4
7.Bxc4 cxd4
8.exd4 Be7
9.O-O O-O
10.Bf4 b6
11.Qd3 Bb7 |
|
12. Rad1 Rc8
Since White has
his rooks connected. He wastes no time in bringing them to the center
files to support an attack. Black activates his (a8) rook to the open
(c) file.
13. Ba2 Nb8
Step #1: Black
tries to restrict the weak (d) pawn from advancing by moving his (c6)
knight out of the way of his (b7) bishop which is indirectly attacking the
(d5) square!
14. Rfe1 Nd5 [diagram]
Step #2: Black
centralizes his knight and blockades the weak (d4) pawn. Now,
all Black has to do is simplify the game by trading pieces and he will have
an endgame advantage.
|
|
However, the (d5) knight has wandered away from
protecting the king. White takes advantage of this by launching an
attack against the kingside with the moves: 15. Bb1 g6
White forces Black to advance a pawn shielding (h7) from attack. Once
you have a weakness you must invade on the holes that result and White
has his bishop ready!
16. Bh6! [diagram] |
|
|
See how the (f4) bishop can attack the center on the
(h2-b8) diagonal and also be ready for a flank attack on the (c1-h6)
diagonal. As for the (d5) knight, it could come back to the (f6)
square to protect the h7 pawn. But then the black knight will be
overloaded protecting two things at one time, the h7 square and
the d5 square.
Since checkmate will have to be prevented, White would be allowed to
advance his (d4) pawn easily to (d5). This central expansion is
key to the attack as you will see. |
This bishop
barrier through the hole on (h6) is crushing. Even though we are far away
from an endgame you can deduce something. It means that Black will always
have to guard his 8th rank. For instance, imagine all the Black pieces off
of the board leaving only the Black Pawns. Now place a White rook on the 8th
rank checkmating the Black Monarch. This visualization gives you a plan. It
will keep Black on the defense instead of on the offense and this is key. If
we can only find a way to put pressure on the 8th rank. White does that with
central expansion by finding a way to push the (d4) pawn.
In Chess, attackers have to be aware of attacking weapons: Moving the White
bishop from (c4) to (a2) and then down to the (b1) square so that it forms a
battery with the queen on the (b1-h7) diagonal is a subtle trick to learn.
The attack it generates can be hard to overcome without producing some other
kind of weakness for the opponent. I call this trick "Putting the piece in
motion". Have you ever seen American Football when a player is allowed to
move , behind the offense, before the football is snapped. The player is
said to "be in motion". Well, it is just like that.
16 ... Nxc3
17. bxc3 Re8Black saddles White with a backward pawn on the
(c3) square. Since the (c) pawn has no other pawn to protect it,
it must be protected by pieces. The trick for the opponent is to
get his pieces to camp themselves in front of these pawns. This is
called the blockade.
18. c4 Qd6 [diagram] |
|
Once the pawns are
sitting side by side, for example on (c4,d4) they guard each other and
protect the squares in front of them from being occupied by the opponents
pieces. They are also much harder to attack because each one can move
forward and protect the other depending on the situation. However, the
opponent finds a new weakness by attacking the weak pawn on (a3) with his
queen on (d6) and his bishop on (e7).
19. Re3 Bf6
White protects the
(a3) pawn with a rook lift to the (e3) square forming a queen and rook
battery along the third rank. Rook lifts are great because they allow your
pieces to "go in motion" on a file. For instance, now another rook can move
to the (e1) square forming a rook battery down the (e) file.
20. d5
[diagram]
|
|
Knowing when to "make your move" can be terribly nerve
racking. How do you know when the time for attack, is the right
time? Well, you have to count how many attackers and defenders
there are in the area and try to visualize what the position will look
like two or three moves from now in your head. To keep things simple,
having a concept in your head is very important. Here, White only
wants to make a passed pawn on the (d) file. Once the passed pawn
has been made, White will follow the concept put forth by Aaron
Nimzowitch which states that "passed pawns must be pushed". |
So the idea is
simple, make a passed pawn and push it. Even though calculations are
necessary for winning squares and material, ideas can guide you to take a
lot of the unknowing out of the position. But, you know as well as I
do, nothing takes the nerves away. That's where the fun is! But
only when you win.
|
20... exd5
21. cxd5 Nd7
22. Ba2 Nc5 [diagram] |
|
The pawns are
traded and White receives his valuable passed (d) pawn. But, now that there
are no more White pawns on (c4) and (d4), the opponent's outpost on
(c5) is no longer guarded by White. So, Black is no sloucher, he moves right
into his outpost square on (c5). This can make things doubly nerve racking.
When you advance your pawns like White did, everything that they used to
defend becomes undefendable like that outpost square on (c5). Once you move
forward with pawns, you can never retreat.
If you noticed,
White guarded his newly passed (d) pawn with his bishop moving to (a2). When
you see things like this, it usually means that the opponent is going to
move whatever was defending that pawn to other squares. This is another
subtlety of grandmaster chess that you can use to make your games rock
solid. Protect with a piece that will not be involved in the action, like
the bishop moving to (a2), and then move your pieces, like the queen and
rook on the (d) file, to active squares for an attack!
|
23. Qd2
Rxe3
24. Qxe3 Na4
25. Re1 [diagram]
Black knows
that if White can put a piece in motion and double up on the (e) file
then White will have a strong attack down that file. So, Black trades
rooks. |
|
|
Can you sense
the build up now on the 8th rank at the (e8) square? This was seen
moves ago all because the bishop sets a barrier on the (h6-f8) diagonal.
So, the Queen and rook move off of the (d) file and over to the (e)
file. The pressure is so great that the black queen is forced to
retreat to stave off checkmate and when she retreats, White will just
advance the pawn...
"Passed
pawns must be pushed!"
25 ... Qd8
26. d6 Nc3 [diagram] |
|
| Now that the (d) pawn has moved forward, the (a2) bishop
comes to life through the center of the board. This teamed up with
the attack down the center (e) file and the bishop barrier on the
(h6-f8) diagonal screams combination! Can you see the win of a
pawn? 27. Bxf7+ Kh8
The king can not take the bishop because he will be checkmated by the
White queen on the (e6) square! The barrier of the (h6) bishop
truly shows its strength. All this because Black was forced to
make a pawn weakness in front of his king by White putting pieces in
motion.
28. d7 !!! [diagram] |
|
| So the lowly pawn, moves to d7, and the opponent
resigns. It is a testament to courage and only fitting that it
tips the scales and wins the day! Do you see the win? The
winning threat for White is: 29. Qe8+ Qxe8
30. Rxe8 Rxe8
31. dxe8(queens)++
The pawn's position makes the 8th rank so weak that checkmate is
unavoidable, unless the pawn is taken. So Black must take the
sacrificed pawn with 28. ... Qxd7. When he does, White
responds 29. Be6 [diagram] with a skewer against the
black queen and rook on the (e6-c8) diagonal! |
| |
