SLOBODAN MIRKOVIC

CHESS SCHOOL 5
 CHESS SCHOOL 5

Author
IM Slobodan Mirkovic, FIDE Trainer, IM-ICCF
E-mail: chess.education@gmail.com

Published by
Pi-Press, Pirot

Introduction
Vladimir Sakotic

Technical editor
Milan Markovic

Contributor
Nevenka Jovanovic

Translated by
Milan Jovanovic

Cover design
Pi-Press

Printed by
Pi-Press Pirot

Copies
1.000

ISBN 978-86-6023-275-7

Budva, September 2013

(Published in Honor of the European Youth Championship

which has been organised in September 2013 in Budva)
 THE WHEEL WHICH HAS NOT STOPPED TURNING
(INSTEAD OF FOREWORD)

n May 2005, a good chess friend of mine Slo­ of the book's contents is the fact that the book
Ibodan Mirkovic invited me for a coffee. is being sold on all important websites and-in­
ternet shops in the world.
"I would like to give you as a present the book
called Chess School" - he said and continued: The story does not finish here. It is well-known
"I would like it to be published in English as that Montenegro is one the European countries
well, I believe that there is a lot of useful mate­ which has introduced chess in schools, and the
rial in it for children who are learning to play author of the textbooks "Chess Basics", "Chess
chess. Can you support me in this?" I" and "Chess 2'', as well as the methodology
for teachers, is again Slobodan Mirkovic. None
�

"Why not? I would be very pleased to do so" - I of this is accidental.

replied in the same way I always do when any
kind of creative chess enthusiasts address me I am very proud and satisfied for supporting
and offer me cooperation. And so it started . . . this initiative from the very beginning and I am
convinced that Slobodan Mirkovic has not said
In 2005 Chess School was the official book of everything he can in his chess work. It will be
the European Youth Chess Championship in enough if his excellent system of chess games
Herceg Novi. The same was the case again in classification starts to be actively used and his
Herceg Novi in 2006 and 2008, followed by name will be mentioned even more frequently.
Alhena (Bulgaria) in 20 l l. This series finishes I believe that "Chess School 5" will easily find
with the year of 201 3 and the fifth sequel. the shortest way to all those who wish to im­
prove their chess knowledge.
In the meanwhile, the book has been published
in Serbian, German and Hungarian. Therefore, Belgrade, 12 September 2012
one could say now that thousands of children
throughout Europe learn about chess from Vladinir Sakotic
these textbooks. The best proof of the quality Executive Director of the European Chess Union

3
 ABOUT THE BOOK

"Chess school 5" represents continuation of the The second part of the book is the chapter
series of books written for young chess play­ "Wonderful world of chess combinations";
ers. This series is a result of author's work here, a new theory of combinations and clas- �
on improvement with a large number of "stu­ sification is presented, one that takes Botvin­
dents" - young chess players, so it was a great nik's definition of a chess combination as the
pleasure for me that the first book of Chess starting point. MQre complex groups of combi­
School series saw the light at European Youth nations in which several pieces and pawns are
Chess Championship in Herceg Novi in 2005. sacrificed are presented here. in several places
That was the first official book in the history of analyses of some classical combinations have
European Youth Chess Championships while been corrected.
Chess School 2 and 3 were also official books
of European Youth Chess Championships in The third part contains strategic motifs. In this
2006 and 2008 which also took place in Herceg part of the book we talk about improvement in
Novi. Chess School 4 was promoted in Alhena the initial phase of the game - in the opening.
Bulgaria, in 2011 as official book of that Euro­ In a variant of Caro-Kann defence we highlight
pean Youth Chess Championship. the unbreakable tie between the opening and
the ending. Particular attention is devoted to
"Chess School" Project consists of five books typical strategic lines in the said opening. We
and the book which the readers have before laid out the basic principles and game plans in
them is the last one in the series. this type of ending based on examples from
practice. We explain that the starting point in
Like the previous books, Chess school 5 con­ studying an opening lies in studying the typi­
sists of three parts. cal endings in that opening.

The first part deals with queen endings. The The book "Chess School 5" continues the co­
system of work and studying of this type of operation with the organizers of European
endings are explained, the basic principles and Youth Chess Championships, which makes the
game plans are laid out. Some analyses and author particularly happy. This time, the host is
evaluations of critical positions often cited in the Montenegro Chess Federation and the town
chess literature have been corrected in a num­ ofBudva.
ber of places.
Author

5
 PART ONE

QUEEN ENDINGS
 HOW TO DO ENDINGS?

ome theoreticians believe that for good command of the theory of chess endings one should
S know as many specific positions by heart as possible. This is a wrong approach. In order to be
in good command of the matter it is necessary to study the general principles of playing endings.
For this reason, it is necessary to systematize the materials to:
l . pawn endings
2. minor piece endings
3. rook endings and
4. queen endings.
This book examines endings in which the queen functions as the main piece (4. queen endings).
How to study endings?
Young chess players are trying to find the answer to this question. In chess literature, there is l ittle
talk about methods of individual studying of the theory of endings. There are two basic ways to
make progress in this area:
I. Studying the theory and
2. Perfecting general technique.

Both ways are closely connected. Progress achieved in one of them automatically means that
progress has also been achieved in the other one.

STUDYING THE THEORY

n order to increase the scope of knowledge, it is necessary to systematically study different
Itypes of endings. The traditional division by the material on the board is appropriate here. End­
ings (pawn, minor piece, rook and queen) are systematically dealt w ith and their specificities are
adopted. All endings can be divided into:
a) clear endings and
b) problematic endings

Chess positions familiar to a chess player whose evaluations and proper game plan he knows in
advance are called - clear endings. These are positions that are known independently of the theory
of endings. Each player has his own clear positions. All other positions fall under problematic
ones in which he does not show his knowledge, but struggles, looks for the best moves, calculates
variants, in short - plays.

PERFECTING GENERAL TECHNIQUE

Perfecting of typical methods and situations and knowledge of those are necessary such as: appli­
cation of the principle 'don't hurry', centralization of the king, play by analogy and so on. Progress
in this area can be achieved by studying special materials.

9
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

THE ROLE OF THE COACH

In order for someone to achieve top results having a chess coach who possesses chess files of all
segments of chess game is a must. These files consist of a large number of classical chess games
and various examples and are permanently updated with new examples. In this book you will find
materials that the author used in working with several generations of chess players, among which
the most prominent are GMs Nikola Sedlak, Milos Perunovic, Bojan Vuckovic and Andjelija
Stojanovic. For each topic, the basic positions which form the basis for further understanding and
development are given.

QUEEN ENDINGS
So far, the books of "Chess School" series have dealt with all kinds of endings except for queen
endings. Queen endings occur less frequently than other types of endings. The representation of
queen endings is best expressed through the words of Grandmaster Milorad Knezevic: "I worked
on queen endings every day for two years, and until I was forty I played only five of them."
.

For chess improvement and expansion of chess knowledge the following method of study is rec­
ommended:
1. Study of basic positions.
2. Introduction of thematic files (fil ing examples according to certain themes).
3 . Study positions which can arise in practical games are put into the files.
The following parameters influence evaluation of a position:
1. Position of queen
2 . Position of king
3. Pawn structure
Queen endings differ from other endings because in this type of endings there is a possibility for
the weaker side to defend by perpetual check or even stalemate.
This book provides the following division of queen endings:
mating with queen
queen versus one pawn
queen versus two pawns
queen versus three pawns
queen versus queen
queen and one pawn versus queen
queen and two pawns versus queen
queen and three or more pawns versus queen
queen and pawns versus queen and pawns
a) material advantage
b) positional advantage
queen versus major pieces
a) queen versus rook
b) queen versus rook and one pawn
c) rook and pawns versus queen and pawns
queen versus two rooks
queen and pawns versus rooks and pawns
queen versus knight
queen versus bishop

10
 S LOBODAN MI RKOVIC

MATING WITH QUEEN

e have seen in mating with two major
Wpieces (two rooks or a rook and queen)
king's help is not needed. In mating with one
major piece, King's participation is a must.
Mating can be carried out only on edge files.
The most difficult part of the task lies in push­
ing the weaker side's king back to the edge of
the board. This pushing can be realized with
queen only or with joint forces of queen and
king. Typical mating positions are presented in
the following diagrams.

PUSHING THE KING BACK

1. Pushing the king of the weaker side back

is carried out with queen.
The queen is placed against the opponent's
king in the shape of 'knight's jump'. In the low­
er diagram we have this position and the way
how to carry out this pushing back.

A position in which instead of queen on h8

square a white rook could stand. A rare case
in which queen and rook have the same value.

White to move and win

11
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

1 .Wfd3 @f4 2 .@f2 @es 3 .Wfc4 from the very

commencement of the operations the queen is
placed against the opponent's king in the posi­
tion of the path of knight's movement. 3 . . . @fS
4.Wfd4 @gs s.\We4 @f6 6.WfdS @g6 7.WfeS
©h6 a.Wits @g7 9 .Wfe6 @ h 7 1 0 .Wff6 @gs
1 1 .Wfe7 @ha

White to move and win

1 .Wfd3 @e6 2.@e2 White king come.s onto

the stage. 2 . . . @es 3 .@f3 @e6 4.@f4 @f6
S .Wfd6+ @f7 6.@gS the queen played an im­
portant role in robbing black king of space.
White king is on the stage again and he liter­
ally chases opponent's monarch, robbing him
of space. 6 ... @g7 7.Wfe7+ the final stage of
Black King is pushed back to the edge of the the plan, black king is forced to retreat to the
board from where he cannot escape anywhere, eighth rank. Mate is near. 7 . . . @ h 8 8.@g6
and he only has two squares left in order for @gs 9 .Wfg7#
stalemate to be avoided. To carry out mating,
white king's assistance is vital .
STALEMATE POSITIONS
1 2 .@gJ @gs 1 3.@g4 ©ha 1 4.©gs @gs
1 S.©g6 @h8 1 6.Wfg7# During pushing the weaker side's king back the
following stalemate positions are possible:
2. Pushing the weaker side's king back is
realized with harmonized activity of king
and queen.

This way of pushing the weaker side's king

back with joint forces leads to mating more
quickly than just pushing with queen (case 1).

Black to move

12
 S LOBO DAN MI R KOVIC

EXAMPLES FROM PRACTICE

M. Carlsen V. Anand
-

Glitnir (blitz), 2006

B lack to move

White to move and win

1 .@g2 A matter of taste, white can push the

opponent's King into the opposite direction in
order to carry out mating on h-file. For the re­
alization of this idea six moves are needed just
as were needed in the game in mating on the
first rank. l .mg3 me4 2 .mf2 mf5 3 .@ f3 @g5
4.�e6 mh5 5 .mf4 mh4 6 .�g4# 1 . . .@e4 If
black plays 1 . . .me2 white mates by two moves
faster than in the game. 2.'1Wd4 @ e l 3.@ f3 @fl
White to move
4.�f2# 2.@g3 @e3 3 .Wi'd 5 ! In relation to the
opponent's king white queen is in the shape
of 'knight's jump'. 3 . . . @e2 4.Wi'd4 The ma­
noeuvre is repeated, '1Wd4 and 'tt>e2 represent
knight's path. 4 . . . @ e 1 5.@f3 @f1 6.Wi'd 1 #

White to move

In order to avoid stalemate it is necessary to

be careful and always leave two squares for the
king.

13
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

V. Kortschnoj - V. lvanchuk G. Kasparov V. Kramnik

-

Roquebrune (rapid), 1 994 PCA (rapid), 1 994

Black to move and win White to meve and

, win
1 . . .%Yf3 Computer suggests centralizing the 1 .%Yg 3+ Computer gives preference to mat­
queen via d3 square. From d3 square the queen ing black king on a-file and gives the following
robs the opponent's King of space more and the variant. l . Wi'e l © c2 2 . © c4 © b2 3.'\:'!!Te2+ ©a3
pushing to the edge of the board is carried out 4. © c3 © a4 5 . 1!fia6# 1 . . . ©e2 2 .©e4 Misses an
faster. l . . . Wi'd3 ! 2 . © f4 © f6 3 . © g4 We3 4.© h4 opportunity to mate faster 2 . © d4! © d2 3 . '!fif2+
© f5 5. ©h5 Wh3# (Rybka). 2.©d4 ©e6 after © c l 4. © c3 © b l 5 . Wi' b2# 2 . . . ©d2 3.©d4 3 . '!fic7
2 . . . © d6 black mates by one move faster than in was also good © e2 4.Wc2+ © e l 5 . © e3 © f l
the game. 3 . © c4 We3 4. © b4 Wi'd3 5 .©a5 '\:'!!T b3 6.Wf2# 3 . . . ©e2 more resilient was 3 . . . ©c2
6. ©a6 © c6 7. © a5 Wa3# 3 .©c5 %Ye4 Black . 4.'\:'!!Tc3+ ©d l 5 . '\:'!!Tb2 ©e l 6.©e3 ©d l 7. '\:'!!Tb l #
can choose between the move in the game and 4.%Yg2+ © d 1 5.©d3 Black resigns.
3 . . . Wd3 and in both cases the queen is in the
shape of 'knight's jump' against the opponent's
king 4. © c6 Wi'd5+ 5 .©b6 ©d6 6.©a7 ©c6
7. ©b8 Wb3+ 8.©c8 Wg8# 4.©b5 ©d6 5.©a5 QUEEN VERSUS ONE
%Yb1 The simplest was 5 ... ©c5 ! 6 .©a6 '\:'!!Ta8#
6.©a4 ©c5 7.©a3 ©c4 White resigns. PAWN
s a rule, queen easily wins versus pawns.
AExceptions are the cases when the pawn,
supported by the king, advanced to the seventh
rank. Positions with the pawn on the seventh
or second rank arise in practical games very
often. The stronger side must apply the right
strategy in order to achieve maximum from the
position.

14
 SLOBO DAN MI RKOVIC

White to move and win

An important moment has come. Queen got
Black threatens to promote the pawn to queen. closer to the pawn but black is still threaten­
White king is far away and currently has no im­ ing to promote the p awn to queen. The solution
pact on the developments. imposes itself.
5.We3+! After this check black king is forced
In which way can white win this position? to stand before the pawn. 5 . . . ©d 1 If 5 <;1:;'fl
. . .

What is white's plan for play? black loses the pawn. 6.�xd2 6 . ©b7 White
king is closer to the opponent 's pawn by a step.
White has to join his forces, queen and king 6 . . . ©c2 the threat of promoting the pawn to
have to jointly attack opponent's pawn and queen is renewed. 7 .We2 white's introductory
capture it. In which way can white king get to move in the next phase of the plan. The aim
d2 pawn when black constantly threatens to is - to make the opponent's king to stand before
promote to the pawn? The plan for play which the pawn again. 7 . . . ©c1 8.Wc4+ ©b2 9 .Wd3
allows white to win is typical for this kind of ©c1 1 0 .Wc3+ © d 1 1 1 .©c6 Significant prog­
endings. This plan consists of several parts: ress, white king is closer to the pawn by one
l . Queen's coming closer to the opponent's more step! 1 1 . . .©e2 1 2.Wc2 ©e1 1 3.We4+
pawn. To carry this out checks are neces­ <i>f2 1 4.Wd 3 ©e1 1 5.Wel+ © d 1 1 6.©d5
sary in order for black not to get a break ©c2 1 7.We2 ©c1 1 8 .Wc4+ ©b2 1 9.Wd3
and a possibility to promote the pawn. ©c1 20 .Wc3+ <i>d 1
2. After a series of checks black king will,
at one moment, be forced to stand on the
promotion square since the pawn would
be lost otherwise.
The stronger side thus gets an important
tempo for his king to get closer to the
battlefield. This manoeuvre is repeated
until the king gets to the pawn.
3 . Capturing the pawn.
Queen and King harmonize their activities and
jointly capture the pawn.
1 .We8+ <i>f2 2.Wa4 ©e2 3 .We4+ <i>f2
4.Wdl ©e1

15
CHESS SCHOOL 5

21 .'ifle4! W hite King timely gets to help his

queen in the battle with the pawn. 2 1 . . . 'ifle2
22.'\!Me3+ 'ii>d 1 23 .'if?d 3 and white wins.
It is clear that white can use the same method
versus the pawn on e- file, then on b and g-fi les.
Accordingly, we can formulate a rule:

The side with queen regularly wins versus the

pawn on the seventh (second ) rank on b, d, e
and gfiles.

The following position represents an exception.

Draw
2. Troicki, 1935
1 .Wb4+ 'ifla1 ! King gets into a stalemate posi­
tion. It is also possible to play 1 . . .© c2 2 .1.We l
©b2 3 .1.Wd2+ ©b l 4.� b 4+ © c2 5 .�a3 ©b l
6 .1.Wb3+ @a l ! Draw. P. Haley - L. Duval CAN
(ch), 1 945. 2.Wc3+ 'ii>b 1 3.Wb3+ 'ii>a 1 ! There
arose the position from the said game P. Haley
- L. Duvai CAN (ch), 1 945. It is obvious that
white has no possibility to play for win.
In the same way, by means of a stalemate, the
weaker side defends, if the pawn is on c or f­
file.

White to move and draw

With checks the queen cannot get closer to the

pawn. The game is saved with:
1 .'ifle6 ! l.©f6? loses 1 . . .©d4 2 .©f7 1.Wfl+
3.©g7 �b5 4.©f8 1.Wf5+ 5 .©g7 �e6 6.©f8
�f6+ 7.©e8 ©e5 8 .©d7 1.Wd6+ 9.©e8 ©f6 and
the pawn is lost. In case of l .©d6? the events
are developing according to the similar sce­
nario. l...©f4 2.©d7 �d l+ 3 .©c7 '!Wh5 4.©d7
�d5 + 5.©c7 '!We6 6.©d8 1.Wd6+ 7.©e8 ©e5 and
white wins. 1 . . . 'iflf4+ if 1 . . .©d4+ then 2 .©d7
2.'iflf7 With a draw. Draw

As for the edge a and h pawns, the above way 1 .Wg4+ 'ii>h 2 1 ... ©h1 2.Wf3+ ©g1 3.Wg3+
of winning cannot be applied because the ©h1 4.Wxf2 Pat. G. Schroll - A. Kargin Bu­
weaker side has an option to get stalemated and dapest, 2005. 2.Wf3 © g 1 3.Wg3+ 'ii>h 1 ! This
thus gives no tempos to the opponent's king to is the point of defence. If White captures the
get closer. pawn after 4.Wf2 it is a stalemate, and he can't
even get a tempo to get his king closer; there­
fore the ending is draw.

16
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

Accordingly when the stronger side's king is QUEEN VERSUS TWO

far enough, queen draws versus pawn on the PAWNS
second or seventh rank, on a, c, f and h files
ndings in which queen battles two pawns
If the stronger side's king is closer to the pawn E can be complicated for the stronger side
then in some cases it is possible to win. only in the cases if the pawns are advanced
ones and if they are supported by their king.

1. PAWNS ARE ISOLATED

• mating attack
It happens sometimes that the weaker side is
handicapped by having a pawn up and that it
loses the game just because of that pawn.

Grigoriev, 1925

Beli na potezu - dobitak

A case of margins. If white King is in the area

marked by files a5-d5-e4-el , the side with
queen wins.
1 .ti'g 2+ ©b1 2.©c4! a1ti' 3.©b3 and re­
gardless of equal material on the board black
cannot prevent mate.

White to move and win

The position would be a draw if black didn't

have the h4 pawn. Thus white wins because of
the possibility to launch a mating attack.
1 .ti'b8+ ©a1 Continuation l . . .©c2 2.'?!ia7 �b2
3 .'?!ib6+ would lead to the same position as in
the main variant. 2.ti'eS+ White's king can­
not get closer, for example 2 .©g4 h3 3 .'?!ib3 h2
for black would achieve a draw then. 2 . . . ©b1
3.ti'e 1 + ©b2 4.ti'b4+ ©a1 5.ti'c3+ ©b1
6.ti'b3+ ©a1 7.©g4! This is the point! 7 . . . h 3
White to move and win 8 .ti'c2 h 2 9 .ti'c1 #
With one pawn on the second rank there often
If white king is in the area marked by files a5- arises the following type of a drawing position.
d5-e4-g4-gl , the stronger side wins.
1 .ti'gS+ ©d1 2.ti'g 1 + ©d2 3 .ti'd4+ ©e2
4.ti'c3 ©d1 5.ti'd3+ ©c1 6.©c4 ©b2
7.ti'd2 ©b1 8.©b3 c1 ti' 9 .ti'a2#

17
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

• The critical square is inaccessible to the 1 .Wfd 1 + I .©c5 was played in the game and
queen after I . . .©g l the opponents agreed to a draw.
1 . . ©g2 2.Wfg4+ ©f1 3.©c5 h 5 ! And here
.

Grigoriev, 1929 we have Grigorjev's position which is a draw.

A. Wojtkiewicz - Y. Shulman
Stillwater (m/7), 2005

Draw

After 1 .©c4 ©g 1 it is obvious that the queen

cannot push black king back to fl , as g4 square Black to move and draw
is inaccessible, due to activity of h5 -pawn. For
example 2.W/e3 ©g2 3.W/g5+ © h 2 4.Y:Yh4+ 1 . . Wff2 2.©g7 Wfg3+ 3.©h7 Wff4 capturing
.

©g2 With a draw. the pawn 3 . . .1Mfxh4+ after 4.©g7 '<Mlg5+ 5 . ©h7
'<Mlf6 6 .©g8 '.Wg6+ 7.©h8 ! leads to a well-known
Kozlov - Kirpicnikov . draw, if black plays 7. . . '.Wxf7 it is a stalemate.
URS, 1 980 4.©g7 Wfg4+ important moment, black queen
cannot get access to g5 square. 5.©h7 Wfd7
6.©g8 Y:Yd 5 7.©g7 Draw.

D. Marovic - V. Sokolov
Yug (ch), 1 963

Draw

The main difference between this position and

the previous one lies in the position of the pawn
on h-file. g4 square is accessible to the queen
and the impression is that it gives white some Black to move and draw
chances to play for a win. Black manages to
cover the critical g4 square with his pawn and
draws.

18
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

1 ... f2 ! 2.Wg8+ Wh2 3 .Wf7 Wg2 4.Wg6+ 2. The queen blocks one pawn
©h2 Draw. If white plays 5.�xhS+ then 3. White King gets closer
5 . . . @g2 6.\Wg4+ @h2 7.\Wf3 @gl 8 .\Wg3+ @h l !
1 .Wh7+ <it>c1 2 .Wc7+ W d 1 2 . . . @b l 3 .'1Wd7
C . Lutz - L . D. Nisipeanu and further on according to the main vari­
Bundesliga, 2005 ant. 3 .Wb7 Wc1 4.Wc6+ Wd 1 5.Wa4+ Wc1
6.Wc4+ <it>d 1 7.Wd3 <it>e1 8.We4+ ©f2
9.Wb1 ! The queen has blocked b-pawn and
threatens '1Wb2 . Black is forced to passively
wait until white king gets closer and decides
the outcome of the battle.

Charon, 1945

Black to move and draw

1 . . . <it>g2 2 .Wg4+ Wh2 3 .Wxh4+ i f 3 .\Wf3 then

¢g 1 and queen cannot get to g3 square. 3 . . . Wg 1
4.Wg3+ W h 1 5.Wxf2 Stalemate.
Problems arise for the stronger side if the iso­
lated pawns are about to promote; at the same
time that is the most dangerous case for the side White to move and win
with queen.
The winning method is the same as in the pre­
Charon, 1945 vious example.
1 .WfS+! 1 .\Wc4+? would be wrong because of
l . . .©d l ! 2 .\Wd4 @e2 3 .\Wg4+ @f2 with a draw.
1 . . . <it> d 1 2 .Wf2 <it>c1 3 .Wc5+ <it>b2 4.Wg 1 !
The blockade is put up and white wins.

If the queen manages to block one of the

pawns and if the weaker side's king stands on
the second rank, that automatically results in
the loss of a pawn.

In cases when the remaining pawn is on a, c,

f or h-jiles, and the stronger side's king is far
White to move and win away and cannot influence the outcome of the
battle, very often that advantage is insufficient
The winning manoeuvre consists of three parts: for a win.
1. The queen gets closer to the opponent's
pawns by means of checks

19
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

Charon, 1950 it can mate the opponent's king or capture one

of the pawns and make a transition to a won
queen versus king and a pawn ending.

Draw

White, although he is to move, is not in posi­

tion to force a win. Black defends by means of White to move and win
a stalemate.
1 .We3+ If l .�c4+ then 'it>d2 2 .�fl b l � ! The diagram shows the central pair of pawns.
3 .�xb l 'it>e2 with a simi lar draw like in the If the stronger side's king stands inside the c2-
main variant. 1 . @d 1 ! 2.Wfd3+ © e 1 3 .Wfb 1 +
. . c3-d4-e4-f4-g4-g3 squares, the position is won
©e2 4.Wxb2+ ©f1 5.©g5 @g 1 A drawing for white. If the stronger side's king stands
position arises. outside the mentioned squares the position is
a draw.
Troicki, 1899 The idea for winnmg is to capture b lack pawns.
1 Wh1 + ©f2 2.Wh2+ ©e3 Interesting is
.

2...lt>fl 3.'it>f3! elctJ+ [If 3...el®' then 4.�g2#]

4.lt>g3 and black is defenceless. 3 .Wf4+ ©d3
4.Wf3+ with �e2 and white wins.

Kling, Horwitz 1851

Draw

Outstanding position, white can try 1 .Wfe4+

©f2 2.Wfd3 ©e1 3.Wf e3+ ©f1 ! After 3 . . . 'it>d l ?
4.'ttix h2 white wins. 4.Wxd2 Stalemate.

2. PAWNS ARE CONNECTED White to move and win

 S LOBODAN M I RKOVIC

2. The pawns are captured

1 .YlYa6+! ©e3 2.YlYe6+ ©f3 2 . . . @d3 doesn't
help because of 3 .\Mi'f5+ ©d4 4.\!;lff4+ ©d3
5.\!;lff3+ and black pawn on e2 is captured.
3.YlYfS+ ©e3 4.YlYf2+ ©d3 5.YlYf3+ with Wie2
and white wins.
If one of the pawns is on either c or f files the
chances for the weaker side to draw increase, as
the loss of the second pawn leads to a draw in a
number of cases.

White to move and win

In situations with edge pawns the winning

zone is considerably wider.
1 .YlYfS+! ©c1 Black king can retreat to the
corner of the board !. . .©a l after 2 . Wie5 white
mates as in the main variant. 2 . . . ©bl 3 . \!;lfe4+
\tic ! 4.Wlc4+ 'it>bl 5 . '1Mrd3+ ©a l 6 . \Mi'd4 ©bl
7.Wid l # 2.YlYf4+ ©b1 3 .YlYe4+ ©c1 4.Bc4+
©b1 5.YlYd3+ ©a1 6.YlYd4 © b 1 7.Bd1#

White to move and draw

White captures d-pawn but that proves insuf­

ficient for a win.
1 .YlYg 1 + ©e2 2.YlYg 2+ ©d3! 2 ... ©e l ? Is wrong
because of 3 .©e3 d l tt:l + 4.@f3 and white wins.
3.YlYe4+ ©c3 4.YlYe3+ ©b2 5 .YlYxd 2 This, as
we know only leads to a draw.

If the stronger side's king stands inside the

marked b2-b3-c4-d4-e4-f3 squares the stron­
ger side wins. If the stronger side's king stands
outside the mentioned squares the position is White to move and win
a draw
1 .YlYfS+! ©c1 2.YlYf4+ © d 1 in case of 2 . . . lt>bl
3 .Wle4+ \tic ! 4.\Mi'c4+ there arises the position
from the main variant. 3 . Y!Ya4+ ©c1 4.YlYc4+
©b1 5.YlYd3+ ©c1 if 5 . . .@ a l then 6.\Mi'd4 'it>bl
7.Wid l #] 6.©e2! b 1 .!LJ the only way to prolong
the battle, if black plays 6 . . . b l vtf then 7.Wid2#
7.YlYd4 ©c2 8 .YlYa1 .!LJc3+ 9.©e1 ©b3
1 0 .©d2 .!LJb 1 + 1 1 .©c1 .!LJc3 1 2.YlYb2+ ©c4
1 3.©c2 Wins.

21
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

If the white King stands inside the marked 4.Wlxe3 there arises a position which is won
a3-b4-c4-d4-e3-f3-f2-fl squares the stron­ for white. The winning principle is explained
ger side wins. in the lesson 'Queen versus pawns'.

U. Boensch - A. Jussupow
Altensteig, 1 993

White to move and win

Black to move and win 1 .<i>f4! <i>e1 2 .Wic3 Computer makes a correc-
tion in the analysis and puts forward a faster
The idea for a win is a mating attack. The in- win 2.©f3 ! d l'\W+ [2 ...e2 doesn't help because
teresting thing is that the mating is carried out of 3.�b4 ©fl 4.'\Wxd2 e ltt:J+ 5.©g3] 3.©xe3
by the black queen only, without help from her (Rybka). 2 . . . e2 3 . <i>f3 <i>f1 Na 3 ...©d l 4.�b3+
king. ©e l 5.�b4 ©fl 6.�xd2 e ltt:J+ 7.©g3 and white
1 . . . �e8+ 2.<i>g7 Wfe7+ 3.@g8 if 3.©g6 then . wins. 4.W!xd2 e 1 Wi 5.Wig2#
'\Wf8 3 . . . Wlg5+ 4.<i>h8 nothing changes in
case of 4.©f7 '\Wh6 5.©g8 '\Wg6+ 6.©h8 '\Wf7
7.g4 '\Wf8# 4 . . . Wf g6 Black resigns. If 5.g4 then
s...'\Wn 6.gs Wf8# QUEEN VERSUS THREE
PAWNS
n this type of endings the outcome of the
I game depends on how far the pawns have ad­
vanced. If they have advanced far and one of
them is about to be promoted, the goal of the
stronger side is to block them. Only after the
blockade does the stronger side's king join the
play. If the pawns are away from the promo­
tion square and do not pose a real threat for the
stronger side, the win is achieved in a simple
way.
White to move and win

The idea for a win is to capture a pawn.

1 .Wif3+ <i>d3 if l ...©e l then 2.'\Wxe3+ 2 .<i>f4
<i>c2 3.Wie2 1 Black loses e-pawn. 3 . . . <i>c1

22
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

K. Sasikiran - E. Bacro M. Carlsen - H. Nakamura

Corsica, 2005 BNbank (blitz), 2009

White to move and win Black to move and win

Black pawns are away from the promotion The plan for real ization of advantage:
square and do not pose a real threat for the 1 . The Queen gets closer to f-pawn which poses
stronger side. The typical plan which leads to a the biggest danger for white and through pre­
win consists of two parts: cise checks white king is forced to go to f-pawn
I. The queen blocks the pawns and prevents promotion square.
their advance 2. Black king gradually gets closer to oppo­
2. The stronger side's king gets closer to the nent's f-pawn and whenever white king is on
pawns and in coordination with the queen cap­ f8 square promotion of f-pawn to Queen is not
tures the pawns. possible.

1 .Wb3 ! c5 2.Wd 5 ©a4 3.Wc4! ©as black 3. White pawns are captured.
king must retreat, for if black plays 3 . . . a2 1 . . .�f5 2.©g7 �g5+ 3 . © h 7 �f6 4.©g8
white captures the pawn 4.�xa2+ 4.©d7 a2 if �g6+ now white is forced to put his king on
4 ... ©a4 then 5.©c6 and in the next move black f8. 5.©f8 if 5.©h8 then 5 ... �xf7 5 ... ©b4
gets mated; And in case of 4 . . .©b6 there fol­ 6.h4 leads to a fast outcome. More resilient
lows 5.©d6 with attack on c- pawn. 5.�xa2+ was 6.©e7 �g7 7.©e8 �e5+ 8 .©d7 �f6 9.<iie 8
©b5 6.�d5 ©a4 7.�xc5 b3 8.�c3 ©a3 �e6+ 10.©f8 ©c5 l l .©g7 �e5+ 1 2.<iig8
9.Wa1 + Black resigns. �g5+ 1 3 .©h7 �f6 14.©g8 �g6+ 1 5 .© f8 <iid6
and black realized the aforementioned plan.
6 . . . ©c5 7.h5 �xh 5 8.g4 �xg4 9 .©e7 �g7
White resigns

23
 CHESS SCHOOL 5

After 1 .�d7+ <i>g2 2 .�d2+ f2 3 .�d 5+ <i>g 1

white has nothing better left but to resign.

White to move and win

In this position white queen manages to carry

out blockade of the pawns. White to move, black to win
1 .�f1 +! <i>g4 l . . .g2 is weak because of 2 .'Wf3+
lt>h4 3 .'Wxg2 2 .�e2+! <i>h4 3.�f3 black is I n this case three connected pawns are placed
not in position to move his pawns. White gets on the same horizontal . The result, to a large
closer with his king and captures the pawns. extent, depends on the position of the kings.
3 . . . h 1 � 3 ... lt>g5 4.lt>c6 \t>f5 5 .lt>d5 @g5 6 .@e4 White king is far away and cannot help his
4.�xh 1 + <i>g4 5.�e4 <i>h3 6.�f3 With an queen, while black king actively supports
easy win. his pawns which protect him from perpetual
Blockade is the principal method of fight ver­ check. Although white is to move, his position
sus connected pawns. If the queen fails to is lost.
block the pawns then the task for the stronger 1 .�a2+ f2 2 .�a8+ <i>g 1 3 .�a7 h2 4.�e3
side is much more complex. The stronger side g2 And black wins.
can even lose if the opponent's king succeeds
in avoiding perpetual check. Berger, 1922

Berger, 1922

White to move and win

White to move, black to win This example is different from the previous
ones only in the position of black king. His po­
Black king supports the advance of the pawns. sition behind the pawns proves unfavourable
White is powerless. and white manages to win.

24
 S LOBODA N M I R KOVIC

1 .Y!Yd7+ ©h4 l . . .'it>f4 doesn't help because of

2.�xh3 f2 3 .'it>b2 'it>f3 4.'it>c2 'it>e2 5 .'?fig2 'it>el
6 .'?fixg3 wins. 2 .Y!Yd4+ ©gs 3 .Y!YeS+ ©g4
4.Y!Ye4+ ©gs S .Y!Yxf3 g2 6 .Y!Yg3+ And white
wins.

Berger, 1914

Draw

Pieces on both sid�s are sufficiently centralized

so that there are no possibilities for either side
to achieve anything more than a draw.

Lolli, 1763
Whites to move and win

The stronger side manages to put up a blockade

of the opponent's pawns.
1 .©b2 ©g3 Other continuations aren't any
better: l . ..h2 2 .'?fig2 g3 3 .'?fif3 , l . . .g3 2.'?fif3
l!<g5 3 .'it>c2 g2 4.Y!Yf2 'it>g4 5 .'it>d2 f3 6.'it>e3 ,
l . ..f3 2 .Y!Yb8 'it>g5 3 . Y!Yg3 'it>f5 4.'it>c2 2 .Y!Yh 1 !
The only move, the threat was f3 . Thanks to
this manoeuvre only, white achieves success.
2 ... @f2 3 .© c 2 g3 4.Y!Yxh3 f3 S.©d2 g2
6.Y!Yh4+! ©g1 7.©e3 And white wins.
White to move and win

Black pieces occupy unfavourable corner posi­

tion, mating attack decides.
QUEEN VERSUS QUEEN 1 .Y!Yd 1 + ©b2 another option is l . . .'it>a2 which
after 2.'\Wa4+ 'it>b2 3 .'?fib4+ loses faster than
in the main variant. 2 .Y!Yc2+! ©a3 3 .Y!YcS+
his type of position is almost always, with­ ©a2 4.Y!Yc4+ ! 4.'?fia5+? 'it>b l = ; 4.'?fid5+ 'it>b l =
T out further fight, immediately agreed upon 4 . . . © a 3 S.Y!Ya6+ © b 2 6 .Y!YbS+ © c 1 7.Y!YcS+
as a draw. The exceptions are cases where one ©b2 8 .Y!Yb4+ In the game V. Anand - P. M .
side is in unfavourable corner position which Thipsay, Coimbatore, 1 987 black resigned i n
can be used for mating play, or for a forced cap­ this position. 8 . . . © a 2 8 . . . 'it>cl 9.'?fffd2+ 'it>b l
ture of the opponent's queen, which has a bad I O.'\Wc2# 9 . © c2 And white wins.
position on the horizontal, vertical or diagonal
behind her own king.

25
CHESS SCHOOL 5

Martens - Grabczewski G. Ravinsky - V. Smyslov

Lund, 1 969 URS, 1 946

White to move and win White to move and win

Black king's position is bad and because his 1 .%Yg7+! © h 3 2.%Yh6+ ©g2 3.%Yg 5+ © h 3
queen is away he has to defend on his own. The 4.%Yh5+ © g 2 5.%Yg4+ Black resigns, if 5 . . .
win is achieved through a direct mating attack. ©h2 then 6.©f2.
White forces mate in the following way: Corner position of king and queen doesn't
1 .Wfe3+! © h 7 If 1 . . .©h5 then 2 .�h3# 2 . %Yh3+ always have to end in a loss. There are cases
©gs 3.'!Wg4+ ©ta 4.%Yc8# however, in which everything ends in a draw.
The following examples illustrate such possi­
bilities.

W. E. Napier - F. Marshal
New York (m/4), 1 896

White to move and win

Bad array of black pieces is taking its toll .

White wins after a fe w precise checks.
1 .'!Wa7+! ©h2 2.%Yc7+ © g 1 Alternative is Black to move and draw
2 ... ©h3 3 .�h7+ ©g2 4.�g6+ ©h3 5.'\Wh5+ ©g2
6.�g4+ ©h2 7.©f2 and white wins. 3.%Yc5+ Black found unexpected salvation.
©h2 4.Wfe 5+ © g1 5.%Yd4+ ©h2 6.%Yh4+ 1 . . . %Ye3 1 + 2 . %Yxe3 Stalemate.
©g2 7 .%Yg4+ ©h2 8.©f2 Wins.

26
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

Grigoriev, 1936 Kantorovic, 1952

White to move and draw Black to move, white to win

Only 1 .'i!.>g8 ! draws; I .@t7? loses after Although it is his move, black cannot save him­
l . ..�c7+ 2 .@f8 \Wd8+ 3 .lt>g7 \We7+ 4.'it>g8 'it>g6 self. White threatens lt>g2 and <j';ig3 with mat­
(Grigoriev). 1 . . . �d5+ or 1 . . .\Wc4+ 2 .'it>h7 �h4+ ing in both cases.
3.lt>g8 with the same outcome as in the main 1 ... 'i!.>g 1 1 . . .�h4 2 .\Wa l +, l . . .�fl+ 2 .<j';ig3 + lt>g l
variant of the game .. 2.'i!.>h7 �h 1 + 3.'i!.>g8 3 .�a7+ @h i 4.\Wh7+ lt> g l 5.�h2# 2.�a7+
Draws. 'i!.>h 1 3.�h7+ © g 1 4.�g6+ 'i!.>f1 5.�b 1 +
In rare cases mating attack can be carried out With mating.
despite the fact that in the starting position
the opponent's king is not in the corner of the
board.
QUEEN AND A PAWN
Mandhaim
VERSUS QUEEN
or a very long time in relation to this type
F of ending, theoreticians had been unable
to provide a precise answer to a simple ques­
tion: Is it possible to realize minimal material
advantage? First, this ending is very rare to see
in practical games and that is why it does not
attract attention of theoreticians; second, re­
gardless of minimal material advantage on the
board, this ending is very difficult to research.
Queen is a piece of high mobility and in the lab­
White to move and win yrinth of variants one can easily lose one's way.
The side which is on the defensive has a very
1 .%Yf7+! 'it>c8 Black king has to retreat to the large number of checks at its disposal. For this
corner, if he plays l . . .'it>d8 after 2 .�f8+ the reason it is difficult to advance with the pawn
queen on a8 square is not defended. 2 .�e8+ to 7th or 2"d rank. Theory generally considers
©b7 3.�d7+ 'i!.>b8 3 . . . @a6 4.\Wb5+ 'it>a7 structures in which the stronger side achieved
5.�b6# 4.'i!.>b6 And white wins. ideal position for itself - the one in which the
pawn has advanced to the 7th (2"d) rank.

27
CHESS SCHOOL 5

Averbakh, 1962 white pawn and makes it immovable. How to

escape the pin and make the pawn mobile?

Moravec, 1964

Black to move, white to win

White wins here regardless of his king's po­

sition; the reason for this is centralized white
queen. Black queen pins opponent's pawn along the
1 . . . ehs+ 2.<it>f7 ehs+ 3.e9s 'eds+ 4.@91 file. White wins by means of a typical manoeu­
Wd7 5.Wf7! eg4+ 6.©f8 Wb4 7.<it>g8 vre.
1 .Wh41 Wb7 If black plays l . . .'e'd7 then
2 .�f6+ and in case of l . ..�a7 then 2 .�e l + lt>b2
3 .lt>g8 �a2+ 4.lt>h8 2.Wf6+ <it> b 1 3 .Wf7 Wb2+
4.<it>g8 Wg2+ 5 .<it>f8 And white wins.

7 ... Wg4+ 8 .Wg7+ With exchange of queens.

Creation of analogous position is the leitmotiv
in this ending. The main problem the stronger
side encounters lies in file and diagonal pin­ Black to move, white to win
ning. Both types of pinning represent defensive
ideas of the weaker side . . Typical plan for realization of advantage:
1 . White queen gets to e3 from where it sup­
1. Pin along a file
ports advance of the pawn.
The aim of pin along a file is to prevent the
2. Stronger side's king returns to the first rank
pawn from promoting to queen. For example,
at the moment when black king is on the second
if white king is on g7 square and the pawn on
rank.
e7 square, black queen from c7 square pins the

28
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

This means that black has limited possibilities I. Queen transfers to f2 square
for giving checks because of the threat of ex­ 2. White king goes to either g2 or gl square.
change of the queens. Which square the king gets onto depends
1 . . .�c7 Alternatives are: 1 . . .'\Wb3+ 2 .'itif8 on how the weaker side defends:
�b4 3 .'\We5 ! Quiet move which puts black into - I f black King steps on the third rank
Zugzwang 3 . . . 'itib3 4.'\We6+ and white wins. white King goes to g2.
If black plays 1 . . .'itia3 then 2 .'\Wf4! '\Wa7 3 .ltie6
- If black King steps on the second rank
�a8 4.'\Wd6+ 'it>b2 5.'\We5+ ltic2 6 .'\Wc5+ and
white King goes to g l .
white wins 2 .�e4+ ©b3 The only move. Af­
ter 2 . . . ltia3 3.'\Wd4 'itib3 4.'itif8 the pawn cannot I n both cases black would not b e able to give
be stopped. 3 .Wfe3+ The text move explains an any more checks because of exchange of the
important idea which should be remembered. queens. In the end the pawn would promote to
It is necessary to mention that there are other Queen and the game would end in white's fa­
ways which lead to a win. 3 . . . ©c2 4.©g6 vour.
white king starts his journey to the first rank. 1 .'Wg3 ! ©a1 2.©g7 Before white starts the
4 . . .Wfc6+ 5.©g5 Wfg2+ 6 .©f4 'Wh2+ af­ realization of the plan, some smal ler prepara­
ter 6 . . .'\Wfl + 7.'it>g3 black has no more checks. tions are necessary. Immediate 2 . '\Wg l+ 'itib2
7.©f3 Wfh5+ 8.©g2 Wfg6+ 9.©f1 'Wea giv­ 3 .'\Wf2+ ltia3 4.ltig7? would be of no use for
ing checks, for example 9 . . .'\Wf7+ after 1 0.'\Wf2+ black could stop white king's movement with
leads to exchange of the queens. 1 0. © e 1 ! And 4 . . .'\Wg5+ 5.'itif8 '\Wd8+ and would achieve a
white wins. draw by perpetual check. 2 . . . Wfd4+ 3 . © h 7
�e4+ 4.©h6 Wfc6+ After 4 . . . '\We6+ 5 .'it>g7
1. Pin along a diagonal '\Wd7 6.'\Wg l + ltia2 7.'\Wf2+ white wins as in
The idea of pin along a diagonal is to prevent the main variant. 5.©g7 �b7 6.Wfg 1 + © b2
advance of the pawn. For example if white 7.Wff2+ ©a1 if black plays 7 . . . ltia3 then 8 . 'itih6
king is on g8 square and the pawn on f7, black and king transfers to g2 square. 8 .Wff1 + © b2
queen from d5 square prevents promotion of
the pawn. How to escape this pin and promote
the pawn?

9.©h6! Black cannot prevent white king's

travel to g l square. 9 . . .�c6+ 1 0.©gS �d5+
White to move and win 1 1 .©g4 We4+ 1 2 .©g3 Wfg6+ 1 3.©h2
�h6+ 1 4. © g 1 �f8 no more useful checks,
This is a favourable position for the stronger if black plays 14 . . .Wfg7+ there follows 1 5 .'\Wg2+
side in this type of ending. White's plan is sim­ with exchange of the queens. 1 5.�f6+ ©a2
ple and efficient. 1 6. ©f1 ! With 1Mi'e6 - e8 and white wins.

29
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

In this position there are also other plans for Many years had passed and Keres's conclusion
play which lead to White's win, but the one we was practically checked in the game Botvinnik
demonstrated is the most instructive. - Minev, Amsterdam (ol), 1 954. Minev played
according to Keres and lost in a forced manner.
Analogous positions with pawns on central It turned out that the position of the king on a4
files c, d, e, fare generally won for the stron­ makes the task of the stronger side easier.
ger side. In that game Botvinnik was the first to ap­
ply the method which can be called 'King on
King'. He left the pawn and with his king went
towards the opponent's monarch.

On the basis ofdetailed studying it was con­

cluded that in this position the decisive role
is that of the queen and the level of her cen­
tralization.

M. Botvinnik - G. Ravinsky
URS (ch), 1 944

Black to move and draw

Pieces of the stronger side are positioned badly.

Black draws by means of a perpetual check.
1 . . %Yc6+ 2.�f7 %Yf3+! 3 .�g7 %Yc3+ 4.�g6.
.

'l!Mg3+ 5.�h7 %Yh3+ 5 . . . W/h4+ is also possi­

ble 6.'it>g6 W/g3+ draws. 6.�g7 'l!Mc3+ 7.�f7
\!ff3+! A clear draw.

Cases with g (b) pawn

Around 70 years ago knowledge on this end­ White to move and win
ing was superficial and consisted of several
positions from the time of Phillidor. Gradually, The idea for a win lies in pushing the black
step-by-step, theoreticians started to study this queen away from the blocking square g8. That
difficult ending. can be achieved by the arrival of white Queen
on f7 or f8 square. Black king's position is
Initial point in this study was the position bad and the transfer of white queen to critical
from the game Botvinnik - Ravinsky, URS squares f7 and f8 is achieved in a forced man­
(ch), 1 944 in which the pawn was on the sev­ ner with checks.
enth rank. Keres analyzed this ending in detail 1 . �g61 Bc8 if black plays 1 . . .'it>a3 there fol­
and tried to discover its secret in the following lows 2.V!fe7+ with V!Jf7, if he plays 1 . . .'it>b3
way: he divided the ending into several aux­ 2.V!fe3+ 'it>b4 3 .V!if4+ with V!Jf7 and white wins.
iliary positions which he analyzed in detail. 2 .Bf4+ Black resigns, if 2 ... 'it>b5 then 3 .V!ff5+
Keres didn't manage to find the general method
of play; however, he concluded that when the
white pawn is on g7 the best square for black
king is a4.

30
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

E. Sveshnikov - E. Sutovsky A. Aleksandrov - J . Hjartarson

Bled, 1 997 FIDE Wch, 1 997

Black to move and win White to move and win

Black wins after a forced exchange of the Position of the black king is bad because he is
queens. White king's position on h4 square is exposed to checks. White wins after exchange
bad. of the queens.
1 . . . ©c2 ! 2 .Wfa4+ ©c3 3 .Wfa3+ Wi'b3 White 1 .Wf7! Wfa7+ if 1 . . .1.Wfl + then 2 .\Wf6+ 2 .©f6
resigns, 4.1.Wc5+ is followed by 1.Wc4+ Wf a1 + 2 . . .1.Wf2+ doesn't help 3 .\Wf5 1.Wb6+ 4.'iiif7
Wa7+ 5.'iiig6 and white wins. 3 .Wfe5 Wff1 +
A. Morozevich - V. Topalov 4.©g6 Wfb1 + 4 . . .iWd3+ 5 .Wf5 \Wc4 6.\Wf8+
Morella I Linares, 2007 'iiic 7 7.Wf7+ 5.Wf5 Wa2 6.Wf8+ ©d7 7.Wff7+
Black resigns.

B. Socko - E. Rozentalis
Athens, 2004

White to move and win

l . By means of checks white improves position

of the queen.
2. The pawn promotes to queen White to move and win
1 .'11N g 1 + ©a2 2.Wfh2+ ©a1 if king retreats
to the third rank after 2 . . . 'iiia 3 3 .'iiih 8 the pawn The idea for a win: white queen exerts control
promotes to queen. 3 . © h 8 ! Wfe4 4.g8Wf Black over g8 square and enables promotion of the
resigns. pawn.
1 .©g5! Wfa8 2 .Wfd6+ ©a4 3 .Wff4+ 3 .We6!
was stronger 3 ... Wd8+ 4.'iiih 5 \Wd l+ 5.Wg4+

31
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

and white wins. 3 . . . c!>bS 4.ftf1 + c!>b6 S. Reshevsky - W. Lombardy

5.ftf2+ c!>bS 6.fte2+ or 6 .ftf5+ ©a4 7.Vf!e6 New York, 1 95 6
6 ... c!>b4 7.fte6 ftd8+ 8.c!>hSI Black resigns.
If 8 . . .1fl!d l+ then 9.Vf!g4+ w ith exchange of the
queens.

M. Botvinnik - N. Minev
Amsterdam (ol), 1 954

White t o move and draw

White took advantage of bad position of the

opponent's queen and announced perpetual
check.
1 .ftc6 1 + c!>b3 2.ftb6+ c!>a2 3 .fta6+ c!>b1
B lack to move, white to win 4.ftg6+ ftc2

In this game Botvinnik was the first to apply

the method 'King on King'. He left the pawn
and with his king went towards the opponent's
monarch. The idea is to exchange the queens
1 ... fth 1 + 2.c!>d4 ftd 1 + 3.c!>cs ftc1 + 4.c!>d6
I f4.Wd5 there follows 4 ... Vf!c8 4 ... ftd2+ in case
of 4 . . . Vffh 6+ White has a strong reply at his dis­
posal 5.Wd5 ! and now if 5 . . . Vffh l + there follows
6.Vf!e4+ with exchange of the queens. s.c!>e6
fta2+ 6.ftd S fte2+ 7.c!>d6 fth2+ 8 .c!>cSI
Black resigns, after check if black plays 8 . . .
Vf!g l+ there follows 9.Vf!d4+ and queens will b e
exchanged. Convincing play from white!
5.c!>h 8 1 Clever defence. 5 . . . c!>c1 in case of
5 . . . Vf!xg6 it is a stalemate. 6.ftg 1 + c!>d2 If
6 . . . Vf!dl then 7.Vf!c5+ Wd2 8 . Vf!a5+ ©c2 9.Vf!c5+
©bl 10.Vfff5+ Vf!c2 l l .Vf!g6 ! And black didn't
make any progress. 7.ftf2+ c!>c3 8.ftcS+
c!>b3 9.ftb6+ c!>a3 1 0 .ftd6+ Draw.

32
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

Lolli, 1763
QUEEN AND TWO
PAWNS VERSUS QUEEN
he ending with two pawns up, naturally,
T gives better chances for a win than the end­
ing with just one pawn up. It depends on a con­
crete. position whether a win can be achieved
easily. In any case it requires high precision be­
cause the weaker side may have a possibility to
achieve a draw by perpetual check.
The plan for winning is similar to that in the
Black to move and draw ending with one pawn. The king of the stron­
ger side has to escape perpetual check after
An old position which should be remembered! which one of the pawns is promoted to queen,
To achieve a draw black plays 1 . . .ti°h4+ ! while the other can serve as a good shield from
2.ti'h7 If 2 .'iiig 8 then 2 . . .\ltfd8+ 3 .'iiit7 \lt!d7+ checks.
4.lt>f6 \lt!d4+ 5 .'iiig 6 \lt!g4+ with perpetual
A) CONNECTED PAWNS
check. 2 . . .ti'd8+1 3 .g8ti' W hite promoted the
pawn to queen, it seems that the battle is over. In cases with connected pawns the win is
3 . . ti'f6+ Or 3 . . .\ltld4+ 4.ti'hg 7 ti'h4+ 5.ti°8h7
. achieved relatively easily.

B. Larsen - P. Keres
San Antonio, 1 972

Original position ! White is a queen up but he

can no longer win. 5 . . . ti'd8+ With perpetual Black to move and win
check.
Typical winning plan: black advances with his
pawns towards promotion squares with king's
help. Checks of the weaker side are not dan­
gerous because black king is protected by the
pawns. An important condition for successful
realization of the advantage is centralized posi­
tion of black queen. Centralized queen controls
important squares and neutralizes defensive

33
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

capabilities of the weaker side connected with E. Bareev H. Olafsson

-

the possibility of perpetual check. Hastings, 1 990

1 . . . g5 2.Wf7+ ©h4 3 .ti'f8 if white plays 3 .Wi'a2
then 3 ... @g3 is possible with We4 3 . . . ©g3
4.Wa3+ Wf3 5.Wd6+ ©g2 5 ... ©h3 was more
precise 6.Wi'd7+ g4 6.Wd2+ © h 3 7.Wd7+ f5
or 7. . . g4 with the same result as in the game.
8.Wg7 g4 9 .Wh8+ ©g3 1 0.WeS+ f4 white
doesn't have any checks left, the outcome is
near. 1 1 .Wb8 We3+ 1 2 .©d1 If 1 2 .@fl then
Wlf2# 1 2 . . . ©g2 White resigns.

P. Leko - A. Shirov
Tilburg, 1 996
White to move and win

Plan for realization of material advantage for

white consists of three phases:
1. Pushing black king to a less favourable po­
sition by means of checks
2. Advance of d-pawn to d7 square
3. White king escapes checks on c7 square
from where he supports promotion - the
pawn to queen.
2 .We6+ ©b5 3 .Wc6+ ©as 4.c4 © b4 checks
Black to move and win don't help, for example 4 . . . Wh6+ 5 .©e7 W/g7+
6.©d8 Wf8+ 7.©c7 Wg7+ 8 .©b8 Wf8+ 9.©b7
In the position on the diagram black carried out and white king is safe from checks from the
the following plan: opponent's queen, now 9 . . .W/g7+ doesn't work
1. The pawn is placed on e4. This is important because of 1 0.Wc7+ and exchange of the
because of control of f3 square and possible queens guarantees victory for white. 5.d6
check on that square in order to push white Wh7 6.Wb5+ ©a3 7.d7 Wh6+ 8.©e7 Wh4+
king to a less favourable position. 9.©d6 Wd8 1 0.cS Wf6+ 1 1 .©c7 Black re­
signs.
2. Black king transfers to g2 square from
where it supports further advance of the
pawn

1 . . . e4! 2.Wc3+ ©g6 3.Wc6+ ©gs 4.Wc5+

©g4 5.Wca+ ©g3 6.Wcs ©g2 7.Wd5 If
white plays 7.Wi'b4 then black can play 7. . . f5
8.@dl Wi'f3+ 9.©cl e3 7 . . .Wf3+ 8.©e1 We3+
White resigns.

34
 S LOBOOAN M I R KOVIC

Holzhausen - Samisch Fine, 1941

Magdeburg, 1 927

Black to move, white to win

White to move and win
The idea for a win is for king to get to c7 square.
1 .We7! White doesn't fear checks because king If black queen gives check along the seventh
can take shelter behind the pawns. 1 . . .Wc2+ rank white protects with his queen and then by
2.©f6 Wc3+ 3.©g6 Wd 3+ 4.©g7 Wd4+ moving his king gives a discovered check. The
5.Wh7 Wd3+ 6.g6 ©b1 makes the winning best defence is:
easier but even after 6 . . . ©dl 7.�e8! White king 1 . . . We8+ 2 .©c4! We2+ 3.©c5 We7+ 4.Wd6
goes to h8 with g6-g7. 7 . © h 8 1 Wd4+ 8.g7 Wg5+ black can try to defend the seventh rank,
©a1 after 4 . .�f7 5 .Wb6+ lt>a8 6.�c6+ lt>a7 7.lt>b5
.

�g7 8 .Wb6+ lt>a8 9.�a6+ lt>b8 10.�d6+ lt>a7

l l .a6 Wf7 1 2 .Wb6+ lt>a8 1 3 .Wc5 �fl+ 14.lt>b6
white wins (Fritz). 5.©c6 Wg2+ 6.©c7 Wg7+
7.Wd7 Wc3+ 8.©d6+ ©b8 if 8 . . . lt>a6 then
9.Wc6+ 9.Wb5+ With exchange of the queens
and an easy win.
The weaker side can draw only in exceptional
situations by means of stalemate motifs and
perpetual check. The following example illus­
trates such possibilities.

White needs to make the final step. It is neces­

sary to prepare transition to pin along the hori­
zontal and then occupy one of the squares on
al-h8 diagonal with the queen.
9.Wf7 ! ©b2 1 0 .©h7 We4+ 1 1 .Wg6 We7
1 2 .WfS ! Wc7 1 3.Wf6+ ©b1 1 4.©h8 Black
resigns.

35
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

Lolli, 1763
QUEEN AND TWO
PAWNS VERSUS QUEEN
he ending with two pawns up, naturally,
T gives better chances for a win than the end­
ing with just one pawn up. It depends on a con­
crete position whether a win can be achieved
easily. In any case it requires high precision be­
cause the weaker side may have a possibil ity to
achieve a draw by perpetual check.
The plan for winning is similar to that in the
Black to move and draw ending with one pawn. The king of the stron­
ger side has to escape perpetual check after
An old position which should be remembered! which one of the pawns is promoted to queen,
To achieve a draw black plays 1 ... Wh4+! while the other can serve as a good shield from
2.Wh7 If 2 .lt>g8 then 2 . . .�d8+ 3 .lt>t7 �d7+ checks.
4.lt>f6 �d4+ 5.lt>g6 \Wg4+ with perpetual
A) CONNECTED PAWNS
check. 2 . . . Wd8+! 3.g8W White promoted the
pawn to queen, it seems that the battle is over. In cases with connected pawns the win is
3 . .Wf6+ Or 3 . . .�d4+ 4.Whg7 Wh4+ 5.W8h7
. achieved relatively easily.

B. Larsen - P. Keres
San Antonio, 1 972

Original position! White is a queen up but he

can no longer win. 5 ...Wd8+ With perpetual Black to move and win
check.
Typical winning plan: black advances with his
pawns towards promotion squares with king's
help. Checks of the weaker side are not dan­
gerous because black king is protected by the
pawns. An important condition for successful
realization of the advantage is centralized posi­
tion of black queen. Centralized queen controls
important squares and neutralizes defensive

33
 S LOBODA N M I R KOVI C

B) PAWNS ARE ISOLATED

Isolated pawns protect the king of the stronger

side from checks and gradually advance to­
wards promotion squares. An important con­
dition for a win is centralized position of the
stronger side's queen.

P. Morphy - A. Anderssen
Paris (m/2), 1 85 8

1 0 . . . ©c2 ! Combination with pawn sacrifice.

1 1 .Wfa7 if white takes the offered pawn after
l l .'Wffx c5+ 'Wffc 3+ 1 2 .'Wffxc3+ ©xc3 1 3 .©d l a3
14.©c! a2 black wins. 1 1 . . . Wfc3+ 1 2 . ©e2 a3
1 3.Wfa4+ ©b2 1 4.Wi'bS+ Wi'b3 ! White resigns.
In this example white did not defend in the best
way. He should have kept his king as far from
the pawns as possible.

Black t o move and win J. Polgar - E. Rozentalis

Groningen, 1 993
Black easily realizes large material advantage.
Plan of realization consists of two phases:
I. Centralization of the queen
2. Advance of pawns which protect the king
from checks.

1 . . .Wi'd4+ ! 2 . ©f1 a4 3.Wff5+ ©c6 4.Wfc8

©b5! 5.©e1 Pawn cannot be captured be­
cause of exchange of the queens 5 .'Wffxc7 'Wffc4+
6.'Wffxc4+ ©xc4 7.©e l a3 8 .©d2 a2 and black
wins. 5 . . . c5 6.Wi'b7+ ©c4 7 .Wff7+ ©c3
8.Wff3+ Wi'd3 9 .Wi'f6+ ©b3 1 0 .Wi'b6+
White to move and win

Plan for winning:

1. White brings his king to a safe zone on h8
square.
2. Free pawns advance.

1 .© d 3 Wi'd 1 + 2. ©e4 Wfc2+ after 2 ... 'Wffe2+

3 .©d5 Wi'd l + 4.©e6 Wi'g4+ there arises the same
position as in the game. 3.©d5 Wi'b3+ 4.©d6
Wi'b4+ if 4 ... Wfb6+ then 5.©e7 'Wfff2 6.Wi'g6 Wffc 5+

37
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

7.@f6 �f8+ 8.�f7 �h6+ 9.'it>e7 �e3 J O.e6 variant is possible 6 .�f7+ 'tt> d 8 7.�f6+ �e7 !
�c5+ l l .'tt> d7 �b5+ 1 2 .'tt> d 8 �a5+ 1 3 .'it>e8 8 .�b6+ [8 .�xf5 �d7+ 9.�xd7+ @xd7] 8 . . . @e8
�a8+ 14.'it>e7 �b7+ 1 5 .@f8 �a8+ 16 .'it>g7 and black continues with the realization of his
�g2+ 17.'it>h7 and white wins. (Fritz). S.@e6 plan. 6 ... ©d7 7.'i!Ya7+ ®e6
Wg4+ 6.®e7 Wb4+ 7.®f6 Wf4+ 8.®g7
WgS+ 9.©h7 WfS+ 1 0 .®h B @gs 1 1 .®g7
Black resigns.

Y. Seirawan - A. Beliavsky
Barcelona 1 989

8.Wb6+ Capturing the pawn with 8 .�xa3

would lead to a lost pawn ending for white.
8 . . .�b7+ 9.@c4 �d5+! IO.@b4 �d6+ 8 . . . ©f7
9.Bc7+ Y!Ye7 1 0 .'i!Yc4+ Y!Ye6 1 1 .'i!Yc7+ ©f6
Black to move and win 1 2.'i!YdB+ 1 2 .�c3+ �e5+ and here is exchange
of the queens. 1 2 . . . @g6 White has no more
The plan which black carried out: - useful checks. 1 3.'i!Yd 1 a2 1 4.'i!Yg 1 + ©f6
l . Centralization of the queen 1 S.'i!Yh 1 Bes+ White resigns.
2. Transfer of black monarch to king's side in Y. Averbakh - I . Boleslavsky
order to avoid checks URS, 1 95 3
3. Promotion of a-pawn to queen.
1 . . .Wd3+ 2.®b4 Retreat of the king to the sec­
ond rank is interesting 2 .'it>a2 �c3 ! The threat
of mate on b2. 3 .�e6+ @c5 in order to avoid
checks black king transfers to king's side, or
to be more precise to g2 square. In this case
white queen's checks along the second rank are
not dangerous because black protects with his
queen and exchanges the queen. This motif is
achievable because of the bad position of white
king on a2 square. 4.�e7+ @d5 5 .�d7+ @e5
6.�b5+ @f4 7.�fl+ �f3 8 .�c l + @g3 9.�c7+
'it>g2 White has no more useful checks. 1 0.�d7 White t o move and win
f5 and black f-pawn irresistibly advances to-
wards the promotion square. 2 ... fS 3 .Be6+ 1 .aS 'i!Yb4 black can look for salvation in
®c7 4.®cS If 4.�e7+ then 4 . . . @c6 5 .�c5+ checks, however, after l . . .�a8+ 2 .@b5 �e8+
@d7 4 . . .Y!Yc2+ S.@bS Y!Ye4 6.'i!Yb6+ checks 3 .@b4 �b8+ 4.�b6 �f8+ 5 .c5 �f4+ 6.@b5
from king's side don't help, the following white has made significant progress and his

38
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

king transfers to a7. 2 .°%Yd5 °%Yb3 3 .°%Yd6+ <i>h3 V. Topalov - V. Anand

4.W/d7+ <i>h2 5.c5 '%Yc4+ 6.°%Yb5 '%Yg8 7.©a7 San Luis, 2005
W/d5 giving checks would only be to white's
advantage. A possible variant is 7. . .'%Yf7+ 8.Wfb7
�f2 9.Wfb6 \!;!ff7+ 1 0.©a8 Wfd5+ l l .c6 8.°%Yb6
Wld7+ 9.©a8 <i> h 3 If 9 . . .Wfe8+ then 10.Wfb8+
with exchange of the queens. 1 0 .c6 °%Yd5
1 1 .©a7 Black resigns.
Winning is interesting in the cases when the
pawns are edge pawns.

Black to move and draw

White queen's position on edge file is bad and

she cannot protect her own king from checks.
Through a series of precise checks black draws
the game.
1 . . .'%Ye 1 +! 2 .<i>g4 °%Yd 1 + 3.<i>g5 repetition of
the position occurs after 3 .©f5 V;!fd5+ 4.©g4
Wfd l+ 3 . . . W/d8+ 4.ci>h5 W/d5+ 5.°%Yg5 °%Yh 1 +
Black to move and win 6.°%Yh4 i f 6.©g4 then 6 . . .Wfg2+ 7.©f5 Wfd5+
6 ... W/d 5+ 7.<i>g4 °%Yd 1 + 8.<i>g3 '%Ye 1 + Draw.
Black sacrifices his h - pawn and threatens to
exchange the queen. His opponent has no ad­ V. Ivanchuk - M. Carlsen
equate defence. Moscow, 2007
1 ... h4! 2 . <i> h 1 h3 the threat is Wfg2 mate.
White's reply is forced. 3 .°%Yxh 3 '%Yc1 +! 4.<i>h2
©b1 and the pawn is promoted to queen. If
white plays 5 .V;!fb3+ there follows 5 ... Wfb2+
with exchange of queens.
The weaker side can look for salvation by per­
petual check.

PERPETUAL CHECK
Draw by perpetual check is possible if the piec­
es of the stronger side are badly placed:
•
King is exposed to checks Black to move and draw
•
Stronger side's queen is not in the centre of
Through a series of precise checks Carlsen
the board and is not able to protect her own
draws the game.
king from checks.
1 . . . Wlb2+! 2.<i>c4 after 2 .©c5 Wfe5+ 3 .©c4
Wfe6+ they transit to the position which arose
in the game. 2 . . . '%Ya2+ 3 .ci>c5 if 3 .©b5 then

39
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

3 . . . \Wd5+ 3 . . . Wa7+ 4.©b5 nothing changes

in case of 4.©c4 as there follows 4 . . .W/a2+
4 . . . Wd 7+ 5.©c4 We6+ 6.©c3 Wes+
7.©c2 We4+ 8.©b3 Continuation 8 .W/d3
\Wxb4 9.\Wf5+ ©h4 brings white only a draw.
8 We3+ 9.©b2 ti'd2+ 1 0 .©a3 Draw.
. . .

An unusual thing happened in the following

game.

XY - Haeker
Jena, 1 93 6

White to move and win

The typical plan which allows white to . win

consists of several stages:
1. Centralization of the queen with gaining
control over h2-b8 diagonal
2. White king avoids perpetual check by
transferring to the opponent's king's
side. Due to bad position of black mon­
arch and constant threat of exchange
of the queens, white avoids perpetual
Black to move, white t o win
check.

In totally won position for white there followed: 3. Promotion of the pawn to queen and
1 . Wg 1 + 2 .©h4? A blunder, which unexpect­
. .
achievement of decisive material advan­
edly led to a loss. The right move was 2 .© f4! tage.
Wd4+ 3 .©f5 W/d5+ 4.©f6 '1Wd6+ 5 .W/ce6 ti'f8+ 1 . ©a61 Freeing himself from pin along the
6.©e5+ and white mates (Fritz). 2 . . . We 1 + ! seventh rank. 1 . . .Wf8 2.ti'h5+ ©g2 3 .ti'e5 !
3.ti'g3 We7+ 4.©g4 Wg5# White queen has occupied a n important central
Observers of this game were astounded. The square. 3 . . .Ba3+ 4.©b5 Bbl+ 5.©c6 Wc4+
player who so unfortunately played with the weaker than the move in the game was 5 . . .Wc2+
white pieces was asked by someone present: 6 .©d6 W/g6+ 7.©e7 ti'h7+ 8 .©f8 ! W/xb7 9.Wig7+
'Master, how many queens up should you have and white wins. 6.©d6 V!ib4+ 7.<lJd7 Bg4+
in order not to lose the game?' 8 .©e7 Bh4+ 9.©f7 Bc4+ 1 0.©g7 Bg4+

c) Doubled pawns
Array of pawns in this type of ending most fre­
quently influences the choice of plan. The most
complicated cases arise when the pawns are
doubled. The following position i llustrates the
main characteristics and the plans for play in
positions with doubled pawns.

40
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

1 .gl ©gs 2.Wds+ © h 7 3 .Wd7+ ©gs

4.Wd 5+! Centralization of the queen. 4 . . . ©g7
5.©h3 We2 6.Wd7+ ©g6 7.Wd6+! ©g7
If 7. . . 'it>g5 then 8 .Wd8+ 'it>h6 9.Wh8+ 'it>g6
10'.Wg8+ 'it>h6 1 l .g5+ 'it>h5 1 2 .Wh7+! 'it>xg5
1 3 .Wh4+ 'it> f5 14.Wf4+ with Wg4 and ex­
change of the queens. S.©h4 We4 9.Wd7+
©h6 1 0 .Wd2+! © h 7 1 1 .Wc1 ! An impor­
tant move, the queen controls h i and prevents
check on that square. 1 1 . . . WdS 1 2 .gS We4+
1 3 .Wf4 Wh 1 + 1 4.©g4 Wd 1 + 1 5.Wf3 Wa4+
1 6.©hS! Transfer of the king to a better posi­
tion. 1 6 . . . WeS+ 1 7.© h4 © g s
1 1 .©h6! Decisive manoeuvre. The aim is to
avoid checks from opponent's queen with the
threat of exchange of the queens. Besides,
white takes advantage of black king's bad po­
sition on g-file. White plans to play 'it>g6 and
1/f!g5. 1 1 . . . Wh4+ 1 2.©g6 and white wins. If
black continues 1 2 ... Wg4+ after 1 3 .Wg5 ex­
change of the queens occurs.

S. Reshevsky - E. Geller
Sousse (izt), 1 967

1 S.g6! Pawn sacrifice which leads t o a fast

outcome. 1 S . . . We7+ if black accepts the sac-
rifice, after 18 . . .Wxg6 1 9.Wg4! 'it>g7 20.Wxg6+
'it>xg6 2 1 .'it>g4 white wins because he controls
the opposition. 1 9.©g4 We6+ 20 .WfS We2+
2 1 . © h 3 ! Black resigns.

White to move and win

A classic case, white pawns have not advanced

and for realization of the advantage superb
technique is needed. Reshewsky carried out a
characteristic plan:
I. Centralization of the queen
2. Advance of the pawn to g6
3. Exchange of the queens and transition to a
won pawn ending

41
CHESS SCHOOL 5

Z. Azmaiparashvili - E. Bareev
FIDE World cup, 2000

5.©d21 Key manoeuvre. 5 . 9h2+ Capture of

. .

Black to move and win the pawn leads to mating, for example 5... �xh5
6.�e2 �xh6+ 7.©c3+ ©a3 8.Yfb2+ ©a4
The advance off-pawn decides the outcome of 9.�b4# 6.9e2 9c7 7.h71 9g7 If 7...Yfxh7
the game. then 8.©c3+ ©a3 9.Yfb2+ ©a4 10.Yfb4#
1 ...Yff5! The queen simultaneously supports 8.9c4+ Black resigns.
the advance of the passed pawn and protects
her own king from checks. 2.9c7+ 'itd1
3.Yfd6+ ©e2 4.9e7+ If 4.Yfa6+ then �d3
and now it is not possible to play 5.Yfa2+ be­ QUEEN AND THREE OR
cause of 5 . �d2+ with exchange ofthe queens.
. .

4.. Yfe5 5.Yfb7 f2 White resigns.

. MORE PAWNS VERSUS
L. Barczay- J. S.Vilela de Acuna QUEEN
Decinl978
n endings in which the stronger side has three
I or more pawns up, the game most frequently
ends as a win for materially stronger side. The
win is achieved in a simple way with minimum
of effort; however, one should always take
into account the threat of stalemate, perpetu­
al check or even mate in case when pieces and
pawns occupy unfavourable positions. In this
lesson we will provide you with the said excep­
tions in which materially weaker side manages
to draw or even win in some special cases.

White to move and win

PERPETUAL CHECK

In this position white applies Botvinnik's An interesting case in which queen with three
method 'King on King' and regardless of the connected pawns didn't manage to achieve a
pawns being edge pawns he manages to win. win versus queen happened in the following
1.�e1! 9b7 2.9f2+ ©a1 3.9d4+ ©a2 game. The weaker side saved a draw by per­
4.9d31 9h1+ petual check.

42
 SLOBODAN M I R KOVIC

Smajovic - M. Babic 1 .§'d4+! iie6 in case of 1 . . .lt>c6 there fol lows

Yugoslavia, 1 949 2 .W/c3+! lt>d7 [If 2 . . . lt>b7 then 3 .Wb2+ Wxb2
stalemate, or 2 . . . lt>d5 3 .'&d2+ lt>e6 4.Wa2+!
'&xa2 also with stalemate.] 3.'&d4+! lt>c8
4.'!Wh8+ lt>b7 5.'!Wb2+! §'xb2 stalemate. 2.Wc4+
iif6 3 .§'c6+ iie5 4.§'cS+ iie4

White to move and draw

1 .W/c5 nothing is gained with l .W/b7+ '!Wxb7+

2.axb7 because black is in a stalemate; white
doesn't have a wide selection of goods moves .
l .a7+? would even l o s e because of l . . .'!Wxa7# ;
l .c5? would also lead to mate '!Wd8+ 2 .'!Wc7+ 5.§'c2+! §'xc2 Stalemate.
Vflxc7#; l .W/d5? also loses to '!Wc7# ; the only
move left is the one which was played in the Unfavourable positions ofpieces and pawns
game: 1 . . . '!Wd8+! A precise check and white's of the stronger side
reply is forced: 2 .iic6 Wea+ 3 .iid6 after
3 .lt>d5 Wf5+ we transit to the position which Bad position of pieces and pawns of the stron­
arose in the game.3 . . .'!Wf8+ 4.iid5 §'f5+ ger side can lead to a loss of the game. These
5.©d4 §'f2+! Draw. cases are rarely met in practice and they mostly
represent an interesting field for research in
Defence by stalemate studies.

Prokop, 1927 Ojanen, 1943

White to move and draw White to move and win

43
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

Black is four pawns up, however his king's po­ with the cases in which both sides have more
sition is bad. White achieves unexpected suc­ than two pawns. The aim is to present the basic
cess. ideas and plans for play which are c� aracteris­
1 .�c4+! �b4 2 .�c6+ �b5 If 2 . . . b5 then tic for this type of ending.
3 .Wfc2+ Wlb3+ 4.W/xb3# 3.ti'xe4+ �b4 Endings with material advantage can be divid­
ed into four groups depending on the array of
the pawns:
l. The stronger side has or can create an ad­
vanced passed pawn
2. The stronger side has or can create a
passed pawn in the center
3. Pawns are on the same flank
4. Both sides have passed pawns
Plans for play and their creation are affected
by the following characteristics of queens end­
ings:
a) Queen is a piece which is capable, with­
out help from her king, to promote a
4.ti'd 3 ! Because of mate threat black is forced pawn if only one opponent's piece is
to play with his pawn. 4 ... g 6 4 ... b5 leads to a fighting it.
mate 5.�c2+ �b3+ 6.W/xb3#; after 4 . . . g5 the
b) The side which is defending itself can,
game transits to the main variant. 5.ti'd7+ �b5
under certain conditions, carry out an at­
If 5 ... b5 then 6.Wfd l + 6.�d4+ �b4 7.Wd 3 1
tack on opponent's king and force a draw
Again black has to play with his pawn. 7 . . . g 5
by perpetual check.
Queen's movement leads t o a mate, fo r example
7...W/c5 8.W/b3# 8.Wd7+ Wb5 9 .Wd4+ Wb4
1 0 .Wd3 ! g4 1 1 .Wd7+ Wb5 1 2.Wxg4+ Wb4 1 . THE STRONGER SIDE HAS OR CAN
1 3.Wd7+ WbS 1 4.Wd4+ Wb4 1 5.Wd 3 1 Not CREATE AN ADVANCED PASSED
allowing the opponent's king to escape, white PAWN
had eliminated the main threat - black g-pawn.
Now black is in Zugzwang and cannot avoid
defeat.

QUEEN AND PAWNS

VERSUS QUEEN AND
PAWNS
A) MATERIAL ADVANTAGE

he side that is a pawn up should win in most

Tof the cases, however there are a number of White to move and win

exceptions and the road to win can be long and White has an advanced passed pawn and his
complicated. In this part of the book we deal king is protected from the checks of opponent's

44
 S LOBODA N M I RKOVIC

queen by his pawns. Black doesn't have any Lj. Ljubojevic - D. Stellwagen
counter play. The plan for a win: Amsterdam, 2008
1. White places his queen on b8 square. The
queen has a double role:
- It controls h2-b8 diagonal and prevents
checks and attack on her King
It supports the advance of the passed
pawn on b-file
2. The pawn advances to b7 square
3. White queen leaves b8 square and supports
promotion of the pawn.

The best option is that it be a square which lies

on h2-b8 diagonal, for example c7. Control of
Black to mbve and draw
the said diagonal is important because in that
way attack on white king is prevented. In position on the diagram black gains control
1 .�b8+ ©h7 black king can go toward the of the critical h2-b8 diagonal. The outcome is a
passed pawn, for example l . . .'itif7 2 .b5 ltie7 draw by perpetual check.
3 .Wc7+ '1Wd7 4.'1Wxd7+ ltixd7 5 .ltig3 ltid6 6.ltif4 1 . . . �d6+! After 1 . . . Wxa5? 2 . W xf7 W e5+ 3 .g3
and the pawn ending is won for white 2.b5 g 5 We2+ 4.'itig l We3+ 5 .Wf2± white is a pawn up.
3.�c7+ © h 8 4.b6 g4 5 . b 7 g 3 + a desperate 2.©g1 �d 1 + 3 .©f2 �d2+ also enough for
attempt. 6.©xg3 �g5+ 7.©h2 And white perpetual check was 3 . . .W d4+ 4.©f3 �d3+
wins. 5.©f2 5.ltig4 W d4+ 6.ltig3 Wfd6+ 5 ... �d2+
6.©g 1 �d 1 + 7.©h2 Wfd6+ Draw.
G. Kasparov V. Salov
-

Dortmund, 1 992 J. Plachetka - K. H. Podzielny

Trnava, 1 984

White to move and win

White to move and win
1 .�b8 ! Black resigns. White queen prevents
checks along h2-b8 diagonal. Passed pawn 1 .a5 © h 7 2.Wfb1 + g6 after 2 . . . ltih6 3 .'1Wb6+
advances toward the promotion square unhin­ an exchange of the queens occurs. If black
dered and decides the game in white's favour. plays 2 . . . ltih8 then 3 .Wb8+ 'itih7 4.a6 promotion
of the pawn decides. 3.�a1 the best place for
the queen from where she supports advance of

45
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

the passed pawn. At the same time, the queen S. Mirkovic - J. Vukovic
from al protects the first rank and prevents Nova Pazova, 1 974
checks and attack on her own king. 3 . . .Wd6+
4.@g1 Wa6 forced position of the strongest
black piece. Blockade of the passed pawn is
necessary. 5.We5 Wa7+ 6.i>h2 h4

White to move and win

White King is safe and there is no way for him

to be threatened by the checks of the opponent's
queen. With precise play, material advantage of
white is enough for a win. Through a planned
7.@h1 ! An outstanding move by its logic play white creates an advanced passed pawn on
and depth. Black is left without useful con­ a-file first, after which that passed pawn, sup­
tinuations and is in Zugzwang. 7 . . .Wa6 now if ported by the queen, advances to the promotion
black plays 7 . iig8 there follows 8 .Wf6 Wxa5
. . square and becomes queen.
9.�xg6+ iif8 10.�f6+ ©g8 l 1 .Wxh4 and 1 .i>f3 1 i>g7 l . . .©h7 2 .Wb7 ! <±>g7 3 .We4 and
white has large material advantage; If 7. . . @h6 there arises the same position as in the game.
then 8.�h8+ <±>g5 9.�d8+ @f5 1 0 .Wb6 and the 2 .We4 in case of2 .Wd4+ iih7 3 . a4 �c6+ white
pawn advances towards the promotion square. king's position is not so stable. 2 . . .Wd7 3.i>g21
8.Wc7+ i>h6 9.i>h2 Wb5 1 0.Wf4+ i>g7 King returns to his shelter among his pawns. If
1 1 .Wd4+ i>g8 if l l . . .©f7 then 1 2 .Wa7+ ©g8 white plays 3 . a4 bxa4 4.bxa4 Wh3 his king's
1 3 .�c7 1 2 .Wd6 i>g7 capture of the pawn af­ position would be weakened. 3 . . Wd6 black
.

ter 1 2 . . .�xa5 1 3 .Wxg6+ @f8 14.Wf6+ <±>g8 could have tried to weaken the position of the
1 5 .�xh4 leads to a lost ending. 1 3.a6 Was opponent's king by a pawn sacrifice, after 3 . . . f5
1 4.We7+ Black resigns. 4.Wb4 Wd5+ 5.©h2 f4 6.gxf4 Wf3 7.We7+ ©g8
8 .W/e3 white wins. 4.a4 bxa4 5.bxa4 passed
pawn has been created. 5 ... Wa6 6.We5+ i>g8
7.a5 Wc6+ 8.i>h2 Wc2 9.We3 Wa2 1 0 .Wb6
i>g7 1 1 .a6 f5 1 2 .Wb7+ i>h6 1 3.i>g2 f4
1 4.a7 fxg3 1 5.i>xg3 Wa3+ 1 6.i>g2 Black
resigns.

46
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

P. Ostojic M. Bertok
- 1 8 . f4 @g4 1 9.@e4 · @xh4 20.@ f3 ! and white
Yug, 1 969 wins. 1 4.i>g3 i>g6 1 5.i>f4 i>f6 1 6.f3 ! Black
is in Zugzwang, the trouble is that he has to
worsen his position. 1 6 . . . i>e6 1 7.i>gS i>eS
1 8 .i>xhS Black resigns.

M. Taimanov S. Gligoric
-

Santa Fe, 1 960

White to move and draw

Centralized position of the black Queen can

make up for the lack of a pawn. Black combines
two motifs, attack on f2 square and prevention
of the creation of a passed pawn on Queen side
after a4. White to move and win
1 .Wf6 Vfld3 2 .Wc6 Wf1 ! 3 .Wg2 We2 4.Wa8+
'itig7 5.i>g2 i>h7? Decisive mistake, 5 ... \Wd3 ! White manages to triumph here as well. Ad­
was drawing 6 . a4 bxa4 7.Wxa4 We4+ 8 .@fl vanced passed pawn has a decisive role be­
�hi+ 9.@e2 We4+ 1 0 .@d2 Vfld4+= (A. Ador­ cause it deflects opponent's queen from the
jan). 6.a4 bxa4 7.Wxa4 We4+ 8.i>h2 We 1 defence of the king's side. White captures the
9.�a2 Wxb4 1 0 .Wxf7+ i>h6 pawns on the king's side and achieves decisive
material advantage.
1 .Vfld4+! Takes advantage of the threat of ex­
change of the queens. 1 . . . i>e6 If L..@f7 then
2 .\Wf4+ decides, if l . . .@g5 then 2 .\We5+ @h6
3 .\Wf4+ and the pawn ending is won for white.
2 .We4+ i>d7 3.i>h4 Vfld2 4.We5! White sac­
rifices a-pawn in order to penetrate the enemy
camp with his king. 4 . . . Wxa2 5.i>gS Vflf2
6.Vflf4 Vflb6 If6 . . . Vflc2 then 7.Vflf7+ @d8 8 .Vflxg6
and white wins. 7.Wf7+ i>c8 8 .Wxg6 Vfld8+
9.i>xh5 the outcome of the game has been
decided. 9 . . . Wd5+ 1 0 .i>h4 i>b8 the pawn
is indirectly defended, if 10 . . .VJJ.xf3 l 1 .Vflg4+
Vflxg4+ 1 2 .@xg4 and white wins. 1 1 .VflgS Vfld 1
1 1 .Wf4+! Transition to a pawn ending rep­ 1 2 .Vflf4+ i>a7 1 3 .We3+ i>a6 1 4.g4 Vfld6
resents the fastest way of realization of the 1 5.f4 Wh6+ 1 6.i>g3 i>bS 1 7.Vfld3+ 'it>a4
advantage. 1 1 . . .Wxf4 1 2 .gxf4 i>g7 1 3 .fS ! 1 8. g S Black resigns.
Without this move it is not possible to win. Problems for the stronger side can arise if the
13 ... gxfS interesting was 13 ... @f6 14.fxg6 position of the king is weakened. If the stronger
l!ixg6 1 5 .@g3 @f5 1 6 .@f3 @e5 1 7.@e3 @f5 side's king is weakened chances for perpetual

47
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

check increase. In that case the stronger side's main idea lies in exchange of the queens an.d
queen loses in view of her activity because, due transition to a won pawn endgame which is
to the prevention of perpetual check, it partially seen from the following variant: 1 1 . . .1Wg7+
obtains a defensive function, thereby the power 1 2 .©e8 ! 'l&xa7 1 3 .°l&f8+ 1Wg7 14.'\&xg7+ ©xg7
of the queen in the attack decreases. 1 5 .©e7 ©h7 16.©f7 ©h6 l 7.©g8 1 2.Wd4
Wb7+ 1 3.Wd7 Wb4+ 1 4.Wf7 Wc4+ 1 5.cbfS
M. Dlugy - J. Benjamin Wes+ 1 6.Wg8 Black resigns.
USA (ch), 1988
A. Alekhine - S. Reshevsky
Amsterdam 1938

Black to move, white to win

1 ... °l&a2 I . . .1Wb2+? is wrong because of 2 .©c5 White to move and draw
1Wc2+ 3.l!id6 \Wd l + 4.©e7 and white wins.
2.°l&d3 Wg7 3 .Wc5 white king goes to sup­ · White has an advanced passed pawn which
port the passed pawn. 3 . . . Wa5+ 4.Wc6 Wh6 represents a big capital. Still, white cannot
5.°l&b5 'l&c3+ 6.Wc5 Wf6+ 7.Wd6 Wf5 If achieve success here, weakened position of the
7... \Wal there follows 8 .©d7 8.a71 We4+ king enables the weaker side to draw.
9.Wc7 Wc4+ 1 0.Wd8 Wg8+ 1 .Wa2 Wg8 2.a4 Wc6 3.a5 Wa6 1 Blocks
the pawn and keeps an eye on the opponent's
king. 4.g4 How to strengthen the position? If
the play continues 4.1Wd5 ©g7 5 .W/d4+ ©g8
6.1Wb6 then black plays 6 . . .W/e2+ in the game
white tried to improve the pawn structure. 4 . . .
g5 5 . Wf2 if 5 .1Wd2 W/b5 black is waiting fo r the
moment to attack white king. 5 . . .Wd6 6.Wf1
Not of course 6.a6? because after 6 . . .W/xh2+
white loses. 6 . . .Wa6+ 7.Wg2 Wg7 8 .Wb2+
Wg8 9 .Wb8+ the following variant gives noth­
ing realistic to white 9.W/e5 W/c4 10.Wib8+ ©h7
l l .1Wb6 W/e2+ 1 2 .Wif2 W/a6 9 . . . Wg7 1 0 .Wes+
Wg8 1 1 .Wf2 Wa7+ 1 2.we2 Wa6+ 1 3.Wd2

1 1 .©e7! Because of a large number of checks

and the lack of defence, white king changes
his route and starts the victorious campaign
against the opponent's king. 1 1 . . .WaS white's

48
 S LO BODAN M I RKOVI C

ter 7 . . .Wfc7 8 . f6 a 2 9.We4+ 'i!.ih8 IO.Wfe8+ 'i!.ih7

l l .Wfe4+ with perpetual �heck. 8 .Wig2+ ©f6
9 .Wc6+ Draw. If black plays 9 . . . @xf5 there
follows l 0.Wff6+! 'i!.ie4 [if l0 . . . @xf6 it's a stale­
mate.] l l .Wfd4+! @f3 l 2 .Wff2+! With a draw,
even if black captures the queen, for example
1 2 . . . ©xf2 it's a stalemate.

2. STRONGER SIDE HAS OR CAN

CREATE A PASSED PAWN IN THE
CENTRE OR ON KING'S SIDE
n this type of endings creation of a passed
Ipawn is mostly connected to the weakening
1 3 . . .Wc41 Centralization of the queen is the of pawn shelter of one's own king. Therefore,
safest way to achieve a draw. 1 4.WfS Wd4+ the important issue is where the king should
white king is exposed to checks. 1 5.@e2 go. In a large number of cases king managed to
'9'b2+ 1 6.@d3 Wb3+ 1 7 .@e2 Wb2+ Draw. find shelter deep inside the enemy camp where
the enemy pawns served either as good capture
V. Kortschnoj - Lj. Ljubojevic or excellent defence from perpetual check. Be­
Tilburg 1 985 sides, through king's penetration there often
arises the motif of a mating attack. Therefore,
through king's penetration, two ideas can be
realized:
- capture of pawns
- creation of mating threats

H. N. Pillsbyry - A. Byrne
Vienna, 1 898

Black to move and draw

Black king's position is weakened and there

arises a possibility that the weaker side can
defend by perpetual check. Besides, there is
another motif present which is not easy to no­
tice at this moment. It is a defence by original
stalemate position.
Grandmaster Ljubojevic saw his chance for a
win in fast advance of the passed pawn. Black to move and win
1 ... a4 2 .We2 a3 3 .Wa6 Wb8+ 4.�g4 Wb4+
5.@h5 Wf4 ifblack plays 5 . . .Wfb2 after 6.f6 Wfc2 The plan of play which enables black to achieve
7.�a8+ 'i!.ih7 there follows effective 8 .Wle4+! a win generally consists of several parts:
After 8 . . .�xe4 it is a stalemate. 6.Wa8+ @h7 I. Activation of the king
7.Wd5 @g7 the outcome is not changed af-

49
CHESS SCHOOL 5

2. Creation of a passed pawn in the centre

3. Penetration of black king into enemy
camp
4. Creation of decisive material advantage

1 . . . WfdS 2.@g2 ©f6 3.Wfc3 Wies 4.Wfd3 ©e7

S.Wfd2 Wfd4 6.Wfe2 fS 7.WfbS e4 8 .fxe4 fxe4
the first two phases of black's plan have been
successfully realized, however, a serious defect
appeared in black's position - weak pawn on
g6. White is trying to tie the enemy king to that
pawn. 9.WfgS+ ©f7 1 O.Wff4+ ©e6 1 1 .WfgS
Wfb2+ 1 2 .©h3 Wff6 1 3 .Wfe3 ©dS! 1 4.Wfd2+
Wfd4 1 S.�gS+ 28 . . . b3 simpler was 28 . . .'?9e2+ 29.'it>g l e3
29.Wf cS+ ©a2 30.aS b2 3 1 .Wf dS+ Wfb3
32 .Wd2 Wf d3 33 .Wf2 e3 34.Wf7+ Wb3
White resigns.

J. Lautier V. Topalov
-

Linares, 1 994

1 S . . . WfeS! Important accuracy 1 6 .Wfe3 if

16.Wxg6 then 16 . . .We6+ 1 7.Wxe6+ ©xe6 with
transition to a won pawn ending for black.
1 6 . . . ©c6 1 7.©g2 Wfb2+ 1 8. W h 3 Wfc2 Black
has improved the position of his queen but White to move and win
white achieves counter play. 1 9 .Wfg S Wfe2 !
Brilliant solution. Black sacrifices a pawn and Ideal position for the stronger side. White king
activates his king. 20 .Wfxg6+ ©cs 2 1 . b4+ is safe and the queen supports advance of the
desperate attempt if 2 1 .Wf5+ then ©b4 22.g4 passed pawn on d-file.
hxg4+ 23 .Wxg4 Wxg4+ [23 . . .'?9d3+! 24.'it>g2 1 .WffB+ ©gS active defence is more resilient
'it>c3-+ (Fritz).] 24.'it>xg4 'it>c3 ! 25.h5 e3 26.h6 l . . .'it>e4 2 .d6 '?9d2 3 .'?9a8+ 'it> f5 4.Wc8+ 'it> f6
e2 27.h7 e lW 28.h8W+ 'it>xb3 29.'?9g8+ 'it>a3 ! 5 .Wf8+ 'it>e6 6.We7+ 'it>d5 7.'it>g2 Wb4 8 .Wf7+
and black wins. 21 . . . axb4 22.Wf gS+ Wd4 'it>c6 9.'?9e8+ 'it>d5 1 0.'?9a8+ 'it>e6 l 1 .Wg8+ 'it> f6
23 .Wff6+ ©c4 24.Wxb6 Wf3 2S.We6+ ©c3 1 2 .Wf8+ 'it>e6 1 3 .'?9h6+ 'it>d7 14.Wg7+ 'it>e6
26 .WeS+ ©b3 27.WfdS+ 27.Wa l e3 28.W bl + 1 5.d7 '?9e4+ 1 6 .'it>h2 Wd4 1 7.d8lli+! Wxd8
'it>xa4 29.Wc2+ b 3 and black wins. 27 . . . ©a3 1 8 .Wxg4+ 'it>f7 l 9.'?9f5+ and white wins (Fritz).
28.©h2 2.d6 Wd2 3 .Wg7+ ©ts 4.Wf7+ ©gs If
4 ... 'it>e4 then 5.d7 S.d7 Wd4 6.Wg7+ W h S

50
 S LOBODA N M I R KOVIC

7.Wh7+ @gs Black resigns 8.d8�+! �xd8 C. Alexander - S. Reshevsky

9.'!Wh4+. Nottingam, 1 936

B. Gelfand - M. Gurevich
Linares, 1991

Black to move and win

In position on the diagram black has problems

Black to move and win related to the realization of minimal material
advantage. Through her active position, white
1 . ..WcSI 2 .Wb2 more resilient was 2 .©e2 Queen limits the mobility of enemy pieces and
\Wc4+ 3 .©f2 �d5 4.�cl ©f6 black has good in a way compensates for being a pawn down.
chances to play for a win. 2 . . . @f6 3.cbe2 1 . . . h4! The best moment for creation of a passed
�c4+ 4.cbd2 @gs s.Wa3 We6 6.Wb4? pawn. At the same time the position of white
Move which quickly leads to a loss. 6.©d l ? was king is being opened. 2 .gxh4 @ h SI 3 .�d7
also bad because of 6 . . .�e3 ! . The right move aS 4.Wd 1 + @xh4 S.Wh 1 + after 5.�e l + ©h5
was 6.h3! The following variant is possible 6.�d l + ©h6 7.�h l+ ©g7 black king is protect­
6 . . . ©h6 7.�d3 �d5 8 .©dl �e5 9.�d2+ ©h5 ed from checks. S . . . @gS 6.Wd 1 cbh6 7.Wh 1 +
l0.f4 �e4 l l .�e2+ ©h6 1 2 .©d2 ©g7 King is cbg7 8.Wc1 Wd8 ! I n this ending manoeuvres
being centralized via f7-e6-d5 squares. White of black queen make strong impression 9 .Wc2
queen enjoys limited activity because she has through the exchange of white g-pawn, black
to defend pawns on king's side. Position is won queen got a chance to manoeuvre on two sides.
for black. 6 . . . We3+ 7.cbc2 Wf2+ 8.@c1 tran­ Now black manages to activate his pieces.
sition to a pawn ending doesn't help. 8 .�d2+ 9.b3 ! ? deserved attention 9 ... WgS+ 1 0 . © h 3
'!Wxd2+ 9.©xd2 © f6 l0.©e2 ©e6 black wins. We3+ 1 1 .cbg4 �f4+ 1 2 .@h3 Wf3+ 1 3 .©h2
8 ... Wg 1 + 9.@c2 Wxh2+ 1 0.cbd3 Wxg3 after l 3 .©h4 ©h6 14.�c6 [ 1 4 .�d2+ �f4+ (S .
1 1 .We7+ or l l .�xd4 �xf3+ 1 1 . . . cb h 6 White Reshevsky)] 14 . . . �f2+ 1 5 .©g4 �xb2 and black
resigns. would capture another pawn.

51
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

3. PAWNS ARE ON THE SAME SIDE

In situations when all the pawns are on the

same side, realization of material advantage
is more difficult and depends exclusively on
whether the stronger side's king can make the
penetration into the enemy camp. In that case
the king becomes a strong attacking piece . .

S. Gligoric Y. Averbakh
-

Titovo Uzice, 1 966

1 3 . . . i>h6! The king goes into the attack.

1 4.Wc6 Wf2+ 1 5.©h3 © h 5 if 1 5 .\Wxb2? then
. .

16 .\Wf6! and black activates his queen. 1 6.Wb7

We3+ 1 7.©g2 Wd2+ 1 8 .©g3 Wd3+ 1 9.i>f2
Wd6 ! The queen came back to defence in or­
der to wait for the activation of her own king.
Only when that happens does she take an ac­
tive role in the forthcoming attack again. Dur­
ing that time white queen is forced to defend e­
pawn which limits her activity. 20.©g3 ©g5
21 .©f3 %Vd8 ! 22.©g3 Wf6 23.WdS Wf4+ White to move and draw
24.©g2
1 .We7+ i>h6 2 .Wf8+ i> h 7 3.Wf7+ i>h6
4.We7! 4.Wa 1 ? Imprecision that spoils the
position. The correct move was 4 . . .\Wd5 ! 5.g4
hxg4 6.%Vg5+ %Vxg5+ 7.fxg5+ ©g7 8 .©xg4 i>f7
9.h4 @f8 1 0.i>f4 i>f7 with a draw. 5.Wf8+
i>h7 6.Wd6! Robs the opponent's queen of
important squares. 6 . . . Wa5 if black plays now
6 . . .%Ve l there follows 7.\We5 %Vb4 8 .i>g5 '1Wb7
9.f5 and white wins. 7.We7+ ©g8 8 .We8+
i>h7 9.Wf7+ i>h6 1 0 .Wg8 Wa1 1 1 .Wd8

24 ... ©h4! Decisive attack of the king which

plays an important part in the creation of a
mating net. 25.Wc6 25 .'1Wd8+? doesn't help be­
cause of \Wg5+ 26.\Wxg5+ ©xg5 and the pawn
ending is won for black. 25 . . . Wg3+ 26.i>f1
Wf3+ 27.©e1 We3+ 28 .i>f1 if 2 8 .i>d l then
28 . . . g5 28 . . . gS 29.©g2 Wd2+ White resigns.

52
------ - DAN M
SLO B�O�:.!..!. ..:..: I R KOVIC
--

-
-------
� tw �
little m re resilient was
=
a 4 . . . ©g8 howevtr, a ft er
�
f3 and h5 white plays g6 and creates a mat-.
ing net. 5 . f3 5 . Wf7+ ©h6 6. l!Y16 1 The threot
.
IS.�h8 mate. 6 . . . © h 7 7.©g5 Wd2+

1 1 l!Yg 71 Black made a blunder in the game

•.• .

w<th 1 1 . . .11'c3? 1 2 .l!Yg5+ l!ih7 1 3 �e7+ ©h6

14 · g4 ' hxg4 1 5 · hxg4 g5+ 1 6 x 5+ l!ig6
17. 11'ffi+ black re'1gn>. 1 2 l!Yg5+ h 1 3.l!Ye5
.j,f �
.;;
YlYd7 1 1 4.f5 gxf5 1 5. x hS l!Yf7 + 1 6. l!i g 5
.

a draw. (
�
YlYg6+ 1 ©f4 Wh6+ 1 8. l!i xf5 l!Yxh3+ W uh
· Averbakh)
8 . f41 This is the p oint of white 's strategy. 8 · · ·
exf4 pawn end mg "
·

after 8 �xf4+ 9. �xf4 exf4

· · ·

,;.., fi:.:u:
: �; �
�
f ©h6 l l .©e5 >=tg 5 1 2 . "1 e6 ©h4 13 \,;,'
. ;._
'::i
y Averbakh - A. Suetm � 4 g5 is lost o b 9 �f7+ 'l:!:{ h8
� � :��
• URS (ch), 1 954 �h6 Black resign . f
1 0 .'l:!:f' + ;hen 1 L g5

·- 1��.•
A . Karpov - V: TopaIov
·

� •-0 w..
�. ,
Las Palmas, 1 996

..
. �•·· · ·­
�
�0 • •• . •0
,,,,, �

• •w..
�.
•n� ,11,
-'. -
m..w1 �'� %
, � �
.
m
. , , , , ,� ··
� �� � ���= �'
�-
.
White to move and wm

Winning p Ian-.
1 White king penetcates into th e enemy camp.
·
Bl ack to move and draw
- White P 1ays accor d 1" ng to the sc heme .
g4-. ©g3- ©h4- © g 5 Necessary conditions w h.tc h the wea ker side
. _ orde r to achieve a draw..
must mee t m
2 . Creation of a mating net
.
- Centralization o f the queen
. . t he queen
- White kmg gets to h6 while
operates along the seventh ran k · - Avoiding e xchang of the queens be-
: _
cause the Pawn en ing is won for whi te
1 .g 41 ti'd2 2. 'it> g 3 ti'c3+ 3 ©h4 "" s d4 · .

4.ti'f5+ g 6 makes the task for white east·er. A

53
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

- Prevention of white king's penetration

among black pawns.
1 . . .Wf6 2 .Wd7+ <!> gs 3 .Wc7 We6 3 ... �d4!?
was also playable 4.Wf4 Wc6+ 5 .i>f1 We6
6.We3 Wc4+ 6 . . . �d5 ! ? was good as well
7.i>e1 Wc2 7 . . . c;f;>h7 ! ? was checked in prac­
tice 8 .c;f;>d2 �d5+ 9.�d3 �e5 1 0 .�e3 �b5±
P. Leko - R. Huebner, Chess Classics (rapid)
1 996. 8.i>f1 Wd 1 + 9.i>g2 WdS+ 1 0 .f3 If
I O .�f3 then �e5 with a similar position as in
the game. 1 0 ...Wa2+ 1 1 .i>h3 l l .�f2 �d5
1 1 . . . Wb1 1 2.g4 h xg4+ 1 3.fxg4 or 1 3 .c;f;>xg4
�f5+ 14.c;f;>g3 �d5 and white's advantage is
only of academic nature. 1 3 . . . Wf1 + 1 4. <!> g3 5 ... Wd3+! 5 ... �xf5? is wrong because after
Wf6 1 5.Wc5 We6 1 6.Wc3 We4 Draw. 6 .�xf5 gxf5 7.c;f;>f4 c;f;>g6 8 . h5+! c;f;>xh5 9.c;f;>xf5
c;f;>h4 l O .c;f;>f6 c;f;>g4 l 1 .c;f;>xf7 white wins: 6.Wf3
V. Kortschnoj - A. Matanovic Wd4 7.f6+ i>h7 8 .We2 Wg 1 + white's mate­
Belgrade, 1 956 rial advantage is only symbolic. 9 .®f3 Wh 1 +
1 0 .i>g4 Wg 1 + 1 1 .®f4 Wd4+ Draw.
In situations when the stronger side has four
pawns versus three, chances to play for a win
increase. Typical idea in realization of the ad­
vantage consists of the creation of a passed
pawn.

N. Gaprindashvili - J. M. Bellon Lopez

Biel, 1 98 8

Black to move and draw

White king cannot make a penetration among

enemy pawns. Active black queen is threaten­
ing perpetual check.
1 . . . Wb1 ! 2.We3 if 2 .c;f;>g3 then 2 . . . �g l+
2 ... Wf1 + 3 . <!> g3 <!> g7 4.Wf2 Wb1 5.fS

White t o move and win

Winning idea:
1. Creation of a passed pawn on e- file.
- White plays �e2 , f4-e5
2 . Transition to a won pawn ending.

54
 S LO BO DA N M I R KOVI C

1 .We2 i>h6 2 .f4! Wc1 2 . . . g4+ doesn't help 1 . . . b2 2 .We4+ ©d2 3 .Wf4+ i>c2 4.WfS+
because of 3 .©h4 \Wc5 the threat is \Wg5 ! fol- Wd3 S.Wf2+ ©c3 6.WcS+ Wc4 7.We3+
lowed by fg5 mate. 4.�a6! ©g7 5 .'!Wb7+ ©h6 ©c2 8 .Wf2+ ©b3 9.Wf3+ ©a2 1 0 .WaS+
6.'!Wd5 and white wins. 3.eSI Wc6 4.fxgS+! ©b1 1 1 .Wf3
Attractive but wrong is 4.e6? 4 . . . g4+ is possi­
ble 5.©h4 �d5 ! 6.�e3 �g2 7.f5+ ©g7 8 .\Wa7+
<;!;>h6 9.\We3+ with a draw. 4 . . . fxgS S.e6 g4+
6.©h4 Wes threatening �g5 mate. 7.Wd2+
©g6 8.Wd8 WfS 9 .We8+ ©h6 1 0.We7 Wes
1 1 .WfS+ i>h7 1 2.Wf7+ i> h 6 1 3.Wf4+ Black
resigns.

4. BOTH SIDES HAVE PASSED PAWNS

In positions in which both sides have passed

pawns the stronger side manages to triumph
if it blocks opponent's pawns -and at the same
time enables the unhindered advance of its own
pawns. The important thing here is not mate­ 1 1 . . . ©a1 ! Decisive manoeuvre. 1 2 .Wa3+ if
rial advantage but the level of advance of the 1 2 .�a8+ then \Wa2 1 3 .�e4 �a7 ! l4.�c6 �a5 !
pawns and possibility to fight them. and the pawn is promoted to queen. 1 2 . . . Wa2
1 3.�c3 Wa4 threatening �f4 with Wc l .
M. Tai - Lj. Ljubojevic 1 4.©h 1 after 14.e6 there follows l 4 . . \Wf4+
.

Milan, 1 975 l 5 .©h3 '!Wg4+ l 6 .©h2 Wg3+ 1 4 ... ©a2 1 S.Wd2

We41 1 6.WaS+ ©b3 1 7.�bS+ ©c2 White
resigns because of l 8 .Wc5+ ©d l l 9.Wd6+ ©e l
The importance of advanced passed pawn i s
expressed in the following position .

Black to move and win

Black b-pawn is closer to the promotion square

than the opponent's passed pawn on e-file. That
proves decisive. Blacks minimal material ad­
vantage is not the important thing here. Win­ White to move and draw
ning plan:
1 . Manoeuvring in order to evade p e rpetu­ If materially weaker side has a dangerous
al check passed pawn which cannot be blocked success­
fully, material advantage loses its importance.
2. Promotion of b-pawn to queen

55
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

The level of advance of the pawn has a decisive M. Euwe - S. Reshevsky

impact on evaluation of the position. Nottingham, 1 936
1 .a6 The best thing for black now is to resort to
perpetual check because a-pawn is close to the
promotion square.

B) POSITIONAL ADVANTAGE
In this part of the book we analyze situations
in which one of the sides has positional advan­
tage. We formulate the principles and meth­
ods of realization of the advantage as well as
typical plans for play. During analysis we par­
ticularly emphasize evaluation of the position
which depends on two factors:
Wh ite to move and win
- position of pieces (queen and king)
White king is safe. Black is a pawn up but
- position of pawns
white has a decisive advantage because'a-pawn
Positional advantage is often made up of a irresistibly advances towards the promotion
number of small advantages. Selection of plan square.
for play depends on the evaluation of the posi­ 1 .a6 �a3 black can try to weaken the posi­
tion . In this chapter we consider the basic posi­ tion of the opponent's king after 1 . . .Wa2 2 . a7
tions with typical plans for play for both sides. e4 3 .Wb7 e3 4.a8\W white pays no attention
The following elements impact evaluation of to the threats 4 . . . Wxf2+ 5 .©h3 Wf5+ 6 .©h2
the position in this type of ending: Wf2+ 7.Wg2 and white wins. 2.a7 e4 3 .�b8
a) Passed pawn or potential possibil ity to fff3+ 4.©g 1 �d 1 + If4 . . . e3 then 5 . a 8\W exf2+
create one [5 . . . Wxf2+ 6 .©h l We i + 7.©h2] 6 .©fl Wd l+
7.©xf2 \Wd2+ 8 . © g l \Wd l + 9.©h2 Wc2+ 1 0.Wg2
b) Better position of pieces
and the battle is over. 5 . © h 2 �e2 6.�e5+
Black resigns. 6 . . . ©h7 7.Wf6 !

a) Passed pawn or potential possibility to

P. Keres - A. Alekhine
create one
Dresden, 1936
Passed pawn is advantage in many endings in­
cluding queen endings.

If King of the more active side is safe and

cannot be exposed to perpetual check, passed
pawn represents a great force.

Black to move

56
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVIC

Possibility of creation of a passed pawn on

king's side and permanent threat of attack
and capture of the pawns on queen's side give
black the advantage. However, the said advan­
tage cannot be realized easily because of black
king's exposure to permanent checks.
1 ... ©f7! 2 . ©g2 pawn ending which arises after
2.�h7+? �g7 3 .�xg7+ rtlxg7 4.g4 rtif6 5 .rtlh4
hxg4 6.rtlxg4 rtle5 is won for black. 2 . . . tfb2+
3.©h3 ti'a1 ! Evades the trap 3 ...�xa2? 4.�h7+
l!ie8 5 .�xg6+ rtid8 6.�g8+ rtid7 7.�e6+ with
perpetual check. 4.ti'f4+ ©g7 5.'iff3 ti'f6
5 ...�c l ! ?+ 6.ti'e2 © h 6 7.©g2 g 5 8 .b4 ti'e5
9.�f3 ©g6 25 ... @g5? Maybe it is time trouble? Black
misses an easy win after 25 . . . rtlg3 ! 26.tfgS+!
©f4 27.ti'e6 © g 5 2 7. . .�f8 2 8 .�g6= 28.e5?
Decisive mistake, the correct move was
28 .�g8+! �g6 29.Wi'd8+ rtif4 30.Wi'f8+ rtlg3
3 1 .rtid4 it seems that black has lost the advan­
tage. Chances are equal. (Fritz) 28 . . . 'ifxeS
29.ti'xe5+ dxe5 an interesting pawn ending
arose. The course of the game and subsequent
analysis showed that the position is won for
black. 30.©e4 ©f6 3 1 .©e3 @f5 32.©f2 e4
33.©e2 g3 34.©e3

1 0.g4? Leads to material losses. l 0.�e2 ! ? is

better 1 0 ... h xg4 1 1 .ti'xg4 ti'b2+ 1 2.©f3
�a3+! 1 3.©e2 ti'xa2+ black managed to co­
vert positional advantage into material advan­
tage. He captured the pawn. 1 4. ©d3 ti'b3+
1 5.©d4 ti'b2+ computer provides an interest­
ing variant 1 5 . . . a6 ! ? 1 6 .�d7 �d l + 1 7.rtle3 �cl+
18 .rtid3 �fl+ 1 9.rtid4 �f6+ 20.rtid3 �f3+
2 1 .rtid2 �f4+ 22 .rtid3 g4-+ (Fritz). 1 6.©d3
�f6 1 7.b5 ti'f41 1 8.ti'e6+ ©h 5 1 9.ti'h3+
�h4 20 .ti'f3+ If 20.�c8 then �g3+ 2 1 .rtlc2
�f2+ 22 .rtlb3 g4 23 .�h8+ rtlg5 24.�g7+ rtlf4 34 ... ©g4 another path to v ictory is 34 ... rtle5
25 .�xc7 �e3+ 26.rtib2 �c5 and black wins. 35.rtle2 rtid6 36.rtle3 rtlc7 3 7.rtle2 rtlb7 38 .rtle3
20 ... ti'g4 2 1 .ti'f7+ ©h4 22 .ti'xc7 ti'f3+ a5 39.bxa6+ rtl xa6 40.rtle2 rtlb7 41 .rtle3 rtlc7
23.©d4 ti'f6+ 24.©d3 g4 25.ti'h7+ capture 42 .rtle2 rtid6 43 .rtle3 b5 44.cxb5 rtixd5 45.�e2
of the pawn after 25 .�xa7? leads to white's rtlc5 46.rtle3 rtlxb5 (Fritz) 35.d6 g2 36.©f2
loss. 25 . . . g3 26 .�xb6 g2. ©h3 37.d7 if white plays 37.rtlg l a beauti-
ful mating position can arise 37 . . . e3 3 8 .d7 e2
39.rtif2 g lti'+! 40.rtlxg l e l Wi'# 37 . . . e3+ 38.©f3

57
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

g 1 Wf 39.dBWf Wff2+ 40 .©e4 e2 41 .Wfd7+ 7.c5 Wfd4 8 .Wfc8+! ©e4 9.©g2 ©d3 if
©g2 42 .Wfg4+ <ii f1 White resigns. black captures the pawn after 9 ... Wfxb4 then
fast advance of the pawn on c-file decides.
P. Keres L. Aronin
-
10.c6 �b3 l l .c7 �f3+ 1 2 .<ii g l Wfd l + 1 3 .<ii h 2
URS, 1 9 5 1 �c2 14.�b7+ @d4 1 5 .@g2 and white wins.
1 O .Wfa6+ ©d2 1 1 .�d6 simpler was l l .�xf6
�xb4 1 2 .�xe5 �b5 1 3 .Wfd6+ and white wins.
1 1 . . . ©e2 1 2 .'!Wxd4 exd4 1 3.c6 d 3 1 4.c7 d2
1 5.cB� d 1 �

White t o move

Better pawn structure guarantees white a sig­

nificant positional advantage. Besides, white
king is safe and is not exposed to checks from
the enemy queen .
The plan for realization of the advantage lies 1 6.Wfe6+! 1 6 .�e8+ was also good @d3
i n advance of the passed pawn on c-file. The 1 7.�xg6+ ©c4 1 8 .�xf6 @xb4 1 9.Wfe7+ @b5
passed pawn deflects enemy forces which · 20.�b7+ @c4 2 1 .�xa7 and material advantage
leaves space for white queen to attack the decides. 1 6 . . . ©d3 1 7.Wfd7+ ©e2 1 8 .Wfe7+
weakened king's side and a7 square. ©d3 1 9.�xa7 the situation cleared up, white
1 .g3! Wfd 1 + 2.©g2 white king is safe from is a pawn up. No doubts about the outcome.
enemy checks. 2 . . . Wfd7 3 . h4 Wfb7+ 4.©h2 1 9 . . .�g4 20.�e3+ ©c4 2 1 .�c5+ ©d3
Wfd7 5.Wff8 22 .�e3+ ©c4 23 .�c5+ repetition o f the po­
sition because of lack of time. 23 . . . ©d3 24.b5
Wfe4+ 25.©h2 Wfa8 26 .Wfc6 Gaining control
over important diagonal . 26 . . . �a2 27.©g2
g5 28.b6 gxh4 29 .Wff3+ Black resigns. If
29 ... @c4 then 30 . b7 �b2 3 1 .�f4+ and black
cannot prevent promotion of the pawn.

5 ... h5? A blunder. 5 . . . f5 was correct although

white still keeps the advantage. 6.Wfg8+ ©f5

58
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

E. Bogoljubow G. Stalhberg
- little better. (Fritz). 9.@h2 a2 1 0 .YlYfS+ @h7
Kemeri, 1 939 1 1 .YlYfS+ g6 1 2.'%Yd7+ @ h a 1 3.cSYlY+ Black
resigns.

B) BETTER POSITION OF PIECES

Better position of pieces as a rule can repre­
sent a solid positional advantage and very of­
ten ,it can be decisive. Activity of a piece can
be affected by the existence of weaknesses. It
often happens that a piece is forced to protect
a weakness and because of that loses a part of
its activity.

A. Karpov J Timman
-

Buenos Aires, 1 980

White to move and win

Position in which both sides have passed pawns.

c6 pawn is closer to the promotion square and
that is why white has a decisive positional ad­
vantage.
1 .'l!Mc2 ! YlYxh S if black plays l . . .'<Mfc7 white
plays 2.'<Mfc4 with ©g2 and �d5-d7 2 .YlYc4 If
2.c7? then �h2+ 2 . . .tvfS+ 3.@g1 '%Yc8 4.@h2
YMc7 s.@g2 tvca

Black to move and win

Black pieces occupy strong positions in the

centre of the board. Black's plan lies in ad­
vance of queen's side pawns and later in attack
on white king.
1 . . . b6! 2.YlYh7 if white forces play with 2 . h4
the following Timman's analysis is interest­
ing 2 . . . gxh4 3 .g5 h3 4.g6 h2 5.'<Mf e3+ 'Wf3
6.'<Mfg5+ ©f2 7.'<Mfd2+ �e2 8 .'<Mff4+ ©g2 9.'Wg5+
©h3 1 0 .'Wh6+ ©g4 1 1 .g7 '<Mfd l+ l 2 .©a2 \Wd5+
6.c7? A blunder caused by lack of time. l 3 .b3 'Wg2+ and black wins. 2 . . .'%Yd4 3 .'%Yh6 if
6.'<Mfd5! was winning '<Mfc7 7.�d7 �e5 8 .© f3 3 .'<Mfxa7 ©xh3 4.'We7 'We3 and black has decisive
\!!fc3+ 9.©e4 �c4+ 10.©eS �c3+ l 1 .©e6 �e3+ advantage. 3 . . . '%Yd 1 + 4.@a2 '%Yd5+ 5.@a1
1 2 .©f7 'l!Mb3+ 1 3 .©e8 '<Mfe3+ 14.©d8 (Fritz). as 6.YlYh7 if white plays 6.©bl then after 6 ...
6 ... a4! 7.'%Yc6 a3 8.'%Yd6 '%Yb7+? After this b5 7.©cl b4 8 . axb4 axb4 there arises a similar
move black definitely loses. The correct move position as in the game. 6 . . . '%Yd4 7.'%Yh6 '%Yd 1 +
was 8 . . . ©h7 ! 9.'<Mfd3+ g6 10.�d8 �b7+ 1 1 .©f2 a.@a2 '%Yd5+ 9.@a1 b 5 1 0.h4 desperate at­
l!!f b2+ 1 2 .©f3 �g7 ! 1 3 .c81Mf a2 with an inter­ tempt to achieve counter play. After 1 0.©b l
esting position in which black's chances are a b4! 1 1 . axb4 axb4 1 2 .©c2 �c4+ 1 3 .©d2 'Wd4+

59
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

14.\t>c2 �e3 ! white doesn't have any useful ci>g7 3 . h 5 h6 4.g5! Creation of a passed pawn
moves. 1 O . . . gxh4 1 1 .g 5 b4! 1 2 .axb4 axb4 on h-file. 4 . . . �e2 4 . . . hxg5? is a weak move
because of 5 . h6+ \t>g8 6 .�f6 ! and white wins.
5.�f6+ @f8 if 5 ... \t>g8 6 .gxh6 �g4+ 7.\t>h2
�xh5+ 8 .\t>g3 �g6+ 9.�xg6+ fxg6 1 0.\t>f4 and
white wins.

1 3 .b3 advance of the pawn after 1 3 .g6 will

enable black to launch an attack on the king.
13 . . . b3 ! 14.�e3+ \t>g4 1 5 .�g l + \t>h5 would fol­
low and because of bad position of the king
white would lose. 1 3 . . . �e5+ 1 4.ci>a2 �e2+ 6.ci>g 3 ! �d 1 capture of the pawn doesn't help
1 5.©b1 �e3 White resigns. 6 . . .�xh5 after 7.gxh6 \t>e8 8 .\t>f4 �f3+ 9.\t>e5
and white wins. 7.ci>f4 �f3+ 8.ci>e5 hxg5
B. Larsen B. Parma
-
9 . h 6 �xf6+ 1 0.ci>xf6 ci>g8 1 1 .ci>xg5 Pawn
Vinkovci, 1 970, ending is won for white. 1 1 . . . ci> h 7 1 2 .ci>f5
©xh6 1 3 .ci>xe4 ci>g5 1 4.f3 ! Black resigns.
I f 14 ... \t>h4 then 1 5 .\t> f4 \t>h3 1 6 .e4 \t>g2 l 7.e5
\t>f2 1 8 .\t>e4 \t>g3 19.f4 \t>g4 20 . f5 \t>g5 2 l . f6
\t>g6 22 .\t>d5 \t>f5 23 .\t>d6 \t>g6 24.e6 \t>xf6
25.e7

M. Misojcic S. Mirkovic
-

Belgrade, 1980

White to move and win

White realized the following plan:

l . Creation of a passed pawn on h-file
2. White king's penetration into the enemy
camp via g3 -f4-e5 squares
3. Transition to a won pawn ending
1 . b4! White fixes pawns on queen's side and
prevents black's possible counter play which Black to move and win
could happen after a5-a4. 1 . . . �c4 2 .�d6+

60
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

Beter position of his pieces allows black to car­ i f 4.c6 bxc3 5.c7 c 2 6.c8\W c l\W+ 7 . ©h2 \Wch l#
ry out the following plan for realization of ad­ or 4.cxb4 c3 5 .W/a4 ©g4 6 .W/a l c2 7.Wfd4+ ©h3
vantage. White king's position is weakened and also with mate. 4 . . . @h4 4 . . . ©xg4 was also win­
black uses that opportunity to threaten mate ning 5 .W/d4+ ©h3 6 .Wi'e3 W/xe3 7.fxe3 bxc3 8 .c6
with his king via h5-g4-h3 squares. Possibil­ c2 5.cxb4 c3 6.Ba4
ity of pawn penetration on queen's side afte r b4 •

creates another weakness in white's position.

Finally the Principle of two weaknesses comes
into play which decides the game in black's
favour. White has only practical chances for a
draw because of the passed pawn on c-file.
1 ... Bf3 ! Natural 1 . . .W/xe5? leads to a loss
for black 2 .Wi'f8+! ©xh5 3 .W/xf7+ ©h6 4.c6.
l . . .©xh5? is also bad 2 .\Wg8 ! W/xc5 3 .\Wxf7+
©h6 4.W/xe6+ ©h5 5 .©h3 and white wins.
2.©g 1 After 2.c6 W/xf2+ 3 .©h l ©xh5 4. c7
©g4 5 .W/g8 h6! 6 .c8W/ ©xg3 black wins faster
than in the game. 2 . . . @xhS 3 .Bd7 White con­
trols dl square and clears the way for his pawn.
If 3 .W/g8 then 3 ... h6! 4.c6 ©g4 5.c7 ©h3 The 6 . . . Bxg4+ More effective than the move in
move in the game was played because of this the game is play for a mate. 6 ... ©h3 ! 7.1!/fl
variant which emphasizes the weaknesses of W/d3 + 8 .1!/e l c2 9.\Wa l l!?g2 ! 1 0 .\Wc l l!? f3
white squares; the idea is prevention of mate l l .Wi'd2 c l'IW+! 1 2 .\Wxc l \We2# 7.@f1 Ylrc4+
on d l . 8.@g2 Be4+ 8 . . . c2 was also winning 9.\Wa3
g4 10.W/g3+ ©h5 l l .Wi'h2+ ©g5 1 2 .\Wxh7 W/d5+
9 . c;ti h 2 c2 White resigns.

A. Kharitonov V. Ivanchuk
-

URS, 1 9 8 8

3 . b41 Black opens the front on queen's side. It

. .

will show that white cannot prevent threats on

both sides. Black played according to the fol­
lowing plan: White t o move and w i n
a) Penetration of the king via white squares
1 .Ylre71 h S I f l . . . a5 then 2 .\Wd8+ and the pawn
b) Advance of the passed pawn on b-file.
is lost; In case of 1 . . .\Wc8 there follows 2 .g4
If black plays 3 ... ©g4? then 4.c6 ©h3 5 .©fl and with h5. 2 @ g 2 Black is in Zugzwang because
.

white escapes mate. 4.g4+ Desperate attempt, of bad position of his pieces. 2 . . Ylrc8 If black
.

61
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

attempts 2 . . . @h8 then white combines attack on 1 . ©g4! White increases his advantage by ac­
opponent's king and weak pawns. Epilogue is tivating his king. l .mh2 is passive and in that
winning of material. 3 .'1Wf8+ mh7 4.'1Wf7+ mh6 case realization of material advantage would
5.'1Wg8 '1Wc3 6.'1Wxe6 and white wins. 3 .b4 Y!'lc6 be more complicated. 1 . . . Y!'ld2 2 .©f5 King
4.a3 Y!'lc8 5.a4 Y!'lc6 5 . . . mh8 6 .'.Wf7 ! 6.Y!'lf6 ! penetrates into enemy camp. 2 . . . Y!'lg5+ 3.©e6
©h7 7.Y!'lf7+ ©h6 s.Y!'lgs Y!'lc3 Wfxh 5 4.©d6 Wfe8 In the game they played
4 . . .'IWd l + 5.'1Wd5+! '1Wxd5+ 6.@xd5 Because of
more active king the ending is won for white.
6 . . . @f7 7.mc6 me6 8 .mxb5 g5 9.mc6 h5 l 0 .b5
h4 l l .b6 g4 1 2 .b7 and black resigned. 5.Y!'ld5+
Wh8 [If 5 ... mf8 then 6.mc7 ! ] 6.e6 Y!'lb8+
7.©d7 or 7.mc5 '1Wc7+ 8 .mxb5 7 ... Wfa7+
8.©e8 Y!'lb8+ 9 .Wi'd8 Wi'b7 1 0 .©fS Wfa7 Cap­
ture of the pawn after l0 ... 1.Wxg2 leads to a mate
l l .mf7+ mh7 1 2 .'1Wg8# 1 1 .e7 Wff2+ 1 2 .©es
Y!'ff5 1 3 .Wi'd7 And white wins.

QUEEN VERSUS MAJOR PIECES

A) QUEEN VERSUS ROOK

9.b5! Creation of a passed pawn which de­
cides the game in white's favour. 9 . . .Y!'lf6 9 . . . Queen versus rook regularly wins. The plan
axb5 doesn't help IO. axb5 '1Wf6 l l .b6 '1Wf3+ for winning lies in simultaneous attack on op­
1 2 .lii g l 'IWd l+ 1 3 .lii h 2 and black can lay down ponent's king and rook. If, in initial position,
his weapons. 1 0 .©g1 White had a pleasant king defends the rook, the winning consists of
choice. IO .bxa6 ! ? was winnning also Y!'ff3+ several phases:
1 1 Wg l 'IWd l+ 1 2 .mh2, as well as l 0.b6 ! ? 1 0 . . .
.
a) By joint activity of king and queen,
axb5 1 1 .axbS d4 1 2 .exd4 Y!'lxd4 1 3.Y!'lxe6 opponen'ts pieces should be pushed back
ti°d 1 + 1 4. Wh2 Y!'ff3 1 5.Y!'lb6! Black resigns. from the m iddle of the board to the cor­
ner. While retreating, the weaker side is
S. Mirkovic - M. Dzuvarovic trying to keep the rook very close to the
Belgrade, 1 974 king.
a) When the stronger side has pushed the
opponent's pieces to the corner of the
board, it then tries to put the opponent
into Zugzwang, so that he has to separate
the rook from his king.
b) As soon as the rook is separated the
stronger side tries to capture it by means
of checks.

White to move and win

62
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

Philidor, 1777 In the position o n the diagram white carries out

a different winning plan. We are talking about
an indefensible mating attack.
1 .f!lfeS l .Wi'd4 is also winning l . . .©b8 2.©b6
gb7+ 3 .©a6 'i1,c7 [in practical game was played
3 . . . ©c8 4.\Wh8+ 1 :0 Z. Lanka V. lotov, Ham­
-

burg 2008.] 4.\Wd8+ (Berger) 1 .. J'fa8 if l . . .©a8

then 2 .\Wd5+ ©b8 3 .©b6 or l . . .©c8 2 .iib6 'i1,b7+
3 .©c6 and white wins in both cases. 2.Wfe4+
©a7 3.f!lfe7+ ©b8 4.©b6 And white wins.
In the following position through precise play
white achieves success.

White to move and win

1 .f!lfd4+! ©as 2 .Wfh8+ ©a7 If 2 ... gb8 then

3.Wfa l # 3.Wfd8 this is the point. White's queen
made a triangular manoeuvre d8-d4-h8-d8 ,
in order to lose one tempo. We get the initial
position with the difference that it is black's
move now. What should black play? It wouldn't
be good if he played king on a6 because after
Wc8 the rook is lost. So black is forced to play
with his rook. He can't get to b8 because of the
mating threat on a5 square, therefore black will
have to separate the rook from his King. After White to move and win
a few checks the rook will be lost. This is where

we see the importance of Zugzwang. 3 .. J�.h7 1 .f!lff3+ ©es 2 .We4+ ©d6 3.©d4 for white
4.f!lfd4+ ©b8 5.W/f4+ ©a7 6.f!lff2+ ©b8 to achieve a win a coordinated action of king
7.f!lfg3+ ©a7 8.Wg 1 + ©b8 9 .Wb 1 + And the and queen is necessary in order to push black
rook is captured. monarch to the edge of the table. 3 . . . gcs
4.WfeS+ ©d7 5.©dS gc7 5 . . . 'i1,a6 6 .\Wg7+ ©d8
Berger, 1889 7.\Wf8+ iid7 8 .\Wf7+ ©d8 9.©c5 ©c8 1 0.Wfe7
ga3 l l .\We8+ ©c7 1 2 .'l'tff7+ ©c8 1 3 .©b6 black
resigns. R. Dautov - G. Mohr, Dresden (zt)
1 998. 6.f!lfe6+ ©d8 7.f!lfg8+ 7.@d6? 'i1,c6+
8.©xc6 stalemate. 7 . . . ©e7 8 .Wfg7+ ©d8
9.Wf8+ ©d7 1 0 .Wf4 ©ca 10 ... 'i1,b7 l l .'!Wf7+
©c8 1 2 .\We8+ ©c7 1 3 .©c5 'fl.a7 l 4.\We7+ ©b8
1 5.\Wd8+ ©b7 1 6 .©b5 black resigns. P. Leko -

F. Caruana, (ol) 2008. 1 1 .©d6 ©b8 1 2.WfeS !

gb7 1 2 . . . 'i1,c2 1 3 .'l'tfb5+ ©a7 14.\'t!a4:t_j;> b7
1 5.\Wxc2 1 3.©c6+ ©a8 1 4.'l'tfa1 + ©b8

White to move and win

63
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

5.tlfe6+ ©b7 6.t!f d7+ '1lb6 if 6 . . . 'it>b8 then

7.Wfd8+ 'it>b7 8 .'it>b5 and white wins. 7.t!fd8+
'1lb7 8.'1lb5 g37

This is the position from the game B. Socko -

A. Graf GER, 2006 which was continued in the

following way.
1 5.t!faS! Philidor's position from 1777 which
was explained in the introduction of the les­ 9.t!ld4! Quiet move which allows fast win­
son. 1 5 . . . gb3 1 6 .tlfd8+ ©a7 1 7.t!ld4+ ©b8 ning. 9 . . . @b8 if black plays with his rook, for
1 8 .t!lf4+ Here black resigned. example 9 . . . 'IJ.a3 after 1 0 .Wfd7+ lt>a8 1 1 .Wfc8+
On the basis of theory and practice we can say 'it>a7 1 2 .Wfc5+ white captures the rook. 1 0 .'1lb6
that the best thing for the weaker side is to keep gb7+ 1 1 .'1la6 And white captures the rook in
its rook on the sixth rank. Such system of de­ a forced manner.
fence is resilient but with precise play of the
stronger side the game cannot be saved. Queen THE SIDE WITH THE ROOK DRAWS
triumphs in the end.
The weaker side can draw only in exceptional
situations:
a) Defence by stalemate
b) The 50 move rule

a) Defence by stalemate

Berger, 1889

White to move and win

1 .t!fd5+ @c7 2.t!le41 2 .Wff7+ is weaker

2 . . . 'it>b8? [The correct move is 2 . . . 'it>d8 ! and
here is the initial position, white made no prog­
ress.] 3 .'it>b5 'IJ.a7 4.Wff8+ 'it>b7 5 .Wfd8 black re­
signs L. Samkovich - D. Janosevic, Lone Pine
1979. 2 . . . gas+ 3.'1lb4 gas 4.t!fe7+ @c6
Black to move and draw
64
 7 , , ,gh7+! 8 . © g 6 capture of the cook w·it h
8 .Wxh7 lead ' to a stalemate 8 J'� h 6+ !
· · ·

9 .'>!<'Xh6
� Stal emate.

.
8 gh6+! The pomt of the defence. 9 .'>!<'Xh6
... A..
Stalemate.

Ponziani, 1782

65
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

gbs 3 .�d6+ gds 4.�f4+ 4.\Wb4+ was also

good 4 ... Wd3 5.We6 4 . . . @c3 5.<i>e6 gbs noth­
ing changes if black plays 5 . . . l"l:d4 another pos­
sible variant is 6 .'1Wf3+ l"l:d3 7.\Wc6+ Wd2 S .Wf5
6.�e3+ <i>c4 7.<i>d6 gds+ 8.<i>c6 gd3
9 .�c5+ <i>b3 1 0 .<it>bS <i>b2 1 1 .<i>a4 gel if
l l . . .l"l:d2 white continues 1 2 .Wb4 1 2 .�d4 <i>c2
1 3 .<i>b4 gb3+ 1 4.<i>c4

5J�f2+! �xf2 Stalemate.

B) THE 50 MOVE RULE

If the side with the queen does not win the
game within 50 moves, the game will be pro­
claimed a draw upon the claim of a draw from
the weaker side.
This can happen only in cases when the stron­
ger side doesn't play precisely.. 1 4 . . . gaJ black is trying to organize de­
Practice records several examples in which the fence by placing his rook on the third rank.
weaker side saved a draw. 1 5.�f2+ <i>d1 if black plays 15 ... Wb l white
The following positions present unsuccessful can play 1 6 .\We2 Wc l 1 7.Wb4 l"l:a8 1 8 .'1Wfl + Wd2
attempts of salvation by means of the 50 move 1 9.'1Wg2+ and the rook is captured. 1 6 .�b2
rule. gf3 1 7.<i>d4 <i>e1 1 8.�c1 + <i>e2 or 18 ... Wf2
1 9.We4 1 9 .<i>e4 gh3 20 .�c2+ <i>e1 2 1 .<i>f4
M. Lazic S. Mirkovic
-
gh4+ ifblack plays 2 1 . . .Wfl computer suggests
YUG (ch), 1 992 22 .'1Wa2 Wg l 23 .'1Wd2 <i>fl 24.Wg4 l"l:h8 25.\Wc l +
We2 26.'1Wb2+ and black loses h i s Rook (Fritz).
22.@g3 gd4 23.�f2+ Black resigns.

Black to move, white to win

1 . . . ges+ l . ..l"l:e2 ! ? is also possible but the out­

come of the game would not be changed. 2.<i>f6

66
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

I. Radulov L. Kavalek
- F. Gheorghiu A. Bisguier
-

Bulgaria, l 979 Buenos Aires, l 970

Black to move and win White to play and win

The game was continued in the following way: 1 .We4 gg6+ 2.©f5 gf6+ 3 .©g5 gf7 4.'\We8
1 . . .Wc3 2.©b5 or 2. gb5 Wd6 2 . . . ©d5 3 .©a4 gfs if black plays 4 . . . ga7 then the game con­
'i!Yd3 4J�b5+ ©c4 tinues with 5.'Wg6+ Wf8 6.'Wd6+ Wf7 7.'W'f4+
We6 8 .'We3+ and the rook is lost. 5.'Wg6+ more
precise is 5 .'We5+! Wf7 6.Wf5 ggs 7.'Wc7+ Wf8
8 .Wf6 black resigns. R. Miedema - M. Tissir,
Bethune 2006. 5 . . . ©h8 6.©h6 gf7 7.'\We4!
Evades the trap 7.'Wxf7? Stalemate. 7 . . . gf6+
8.©g5 gf7 or 8 . . . Wg7 9.°We5 9.©g6 gg7+
1 0.©h6 Black resigns.

B) QUEEN VERSUS ROOK AND A

PAWN
Endings in which queen fights rook and a pawn
fall in the most difficult category. Not only
does their evaluation depend on mutual array
of pieces but also which vertical the pawn is on
s.gb7 white is forced to separate his rook and how advanced that pawn is.
from his king. If he plays 5.gb4+ there follows A small change in the position can have a de­
5 ...Wc5 6.gb2 We4+ 7.Wa3 We3+ 8 .Wa2 Wc4 cisive impact on the outcome of the game. To
and with every move black strengthens his po­ treat this type of ending in a correct way one
sition according to his plan. 5 . . .Wd 1 + 6.©a5 should, besides knowing the general principles,
'i!Yd6! This is an important move which limits also know a certain number of typical positions
the possibilities of the weaker side. The queen and the ways how to realize them. The history
controls b4 square and prevents a check from of this type of ending starts in the 1 8th century
the rook. 7J�.h7 We5+ 8.©b6 8 .Wa6 Wal+ in analytical works of great French chess player
9.Wb7 Wb l + and the Rook is lost. 8 . . .Wd4+ Phillidor who, in 1777, published his first anal­
9.©a6 Wa1 + White resigns. ysis. His work was continued by theoreticians
Guretzky and Comitz in 1868.
In the middle of the 20th century a famous
theoretician Cheron discovered a large number

67
CH ESS SCHOOL 5
.

of new positions and made corrections in the 1 .Wfg5+ There is another path to a win l .©d5
works of his predecessors. All endings of this e4 2 .©d6 e3 3 .©d7 e2 4.1!tfg4+ ©f8 5 .1!tff3+
category can be divided into three groups: ©g7 6.1!tfg3+ ©f7 7.1!tff2+ and the rook is lost.
l. The Rook defends the pawn from behind 1 . . . @f8 l . . .©f7 2.�h5+ @f8 3 .©f5 e4 4.©f6
2.Wff6+ ©g8 3 .Wfg6+ i>f8
2. The Rook defends the pawn sideways
3. The King defends the pawn
One should bear in mind that during the game
some positions can transit from one group to
another.

I .THE ROOK DEFENDS THE PAWN

FROM BEHIND
The main rule is this: the closer the pawn to the
promotion square the harder to achieve a win
and in some cases it is not even possible to win.
The basic method of defence for the weaker
side is to tie the forces of the stronger side on
account of the threat of pawn advance so that
they lose a part of their activity. 4.©f5 ! Direct play for a mate is justified by
The stronger side is forced to block the pawn lack of stalemate possibilities of the weaker
with its queen or, which happens more often, side and the large distance between the pawn
with its king. At a convenient moment king and the promotion square. 4 . . . e4 5.i>f6 �e7
or queen leaves the blocking square and cre­ 6.Wfh5 And white wins.
ates mating threats. The result depends on the
square on which the pawn was as well as on Ifthe pawn is on the fourth horizontal white
mutual array of pieces. has a few tempos less compared to the previous
case and the path to win is much more complex.
In the pawn is on the fifth horizontal (suppos­
ing that white is the stronger side) the win is Berger, 1921
achieved always and without much trouble.

Cheron, 1926, Khenkin,1962

White to move and win

White King leaves the blocking square e3 and

White to move and win allows the enemy pawn to go forward. The aim
of such strategy is attack on black king. The

68
 S LO BO DA N M I R KOVIC

attack is executed by joint forces of the queen M. Konopka - B. Madeja

and the white king. Ohrid, 2001
1 .©f4! It would be wrong to play l .'it>d4? e3
2.'it>d5 'it>t7! 3 .ti'c8 ges 4.ti'f5+ 'it>g7 5 .ti'g4+
lt>f6 6.ti'e2 @f7 with a draw. 1 . . . e3 l . . .'it>d7
2.ti'd5+ 'it>e7 3 .'it> f5; l . . .'it>f7 2.lt>f5 ge7 3 .ti'd5+
lt>g7 4.ti'd6 'it>f7 5 .ti'g6+ @f8 6.'it>f6 e3 7.ti'h5
2.©f5 ge7 I f 2 ... e2 3 .ti'c8+ and the rook is
lost. 3 .<!>f6 g17+ 4.<!>e6 And white wins.

I. Radulov E. Cobo Arteaga

-

La Habana, 1 969

Black to move and win

1 ... Wfg6! 2.©g2 Wfe4+ 2 ... lt>e4 is weaker

3 .gg4+ lt>e3 4.gg3+ 'it>e2 5 .lt>g l ti'b6+ U. Jahr -

U. Adianto Liechtensten, 1 992. 3 .<!> h 2 if3.'it>g l

then 3 . . .ti'd4+ 4.lt>g2 \t>f4 5 .g6 ti'd2+ 6.'it>h3
ti'el 7.gg4+ @f3 and black wins. 3 . . .ti'h4+
4. <!>g2 <!>f4 White resigns.

In cases when the pawn is on the third (sixth)

White to move and win rank, chances for a draw of the weaker side
are high. Exceptions are positions with edge
1 .ti'f8+ <!>es it is possible for the king to re­ pawns on a and h files in which, as a rule, the
treat to g-file, for example l .. .'it>g5 2 .ti'f7 weaker side is lost.
l''ff6 3 .ti'd5+ and black would lose the pawn.
2.ti'c5+ <!>f6 3 .<!>f4! An important moment, Berger, 1921
white allows the pawn to advance. 3 . . . <!>f7 it
turns out that the advance of the pawn leads to
a loss of the rook. 3 . . . e3 4.ti'f8+ lt>g6 5.ti'f5+
4.ti'c4 <!>f6 5.ti'd4+ <!>e7 6.<!>f51 gd6 ad­
vance of the pawn again leads to a loss of the
rook. 6 . . . e3 7.ti'a7+ 'it>d6 8 .ti'a6+ 7.ti'xe4+ And
white won.

White to move and draw

Basic drawing position. White king is tied to

the opponent's pawn and the queen cannot
achieve Zugzwang.

69
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

1 .Wi'c8+ or l .Wi'c7 "§.e7 1 . . . ©e7 2 .�c7+ ©es Berger, 1889

3.Wi'g7 if 3.Wi'h7 then 3 .. . E�e7 3 ... ge7 4.Wi'g8+
©d7 5.Wi'f8 ge6 the rook is always placed
near the king 6.�f5 ©e7 7.Wfg 5+ ©es With
a draw.

Kling, Horwitz, 1851

White to move and win

Black king is in the corner of the board a·nd his

mobil ity is limited. All conditions for Zugz­
wang are met.
1 .© h 1 ! It would be wrong to play l .Wi'f7? be­
White to move and draw cause of 1 . .."§.g6+! 2.mh l "§.g l+! 3.mh2 "§.g2+
Black to move, white to win 4.mxh3 "§.g3+ s .mh4 l"l.g4+ 6.mhs l"l.g5+ 1.mh6
l"l.g6+! with effective draw. 1 . . . ©g7 black loses
Just once white can put the opponent into Zug­ even if he plays other moves 1 . ..l"l.h7 2 .W/g5 h2
zwang, which is done by king's manoeuvre. 3 .'Wfg6 "§.g7 4.'Wff6, 1 . ..mh1 2.'Wfn+ mh8 3 .mh2!
1 .©f1 e2+ 2.©e1 ges 3 .Wi'd6+ white king 2 .�9s+ g9s 2 ...mh1 3 .mh2 ! l"l.g6 4.Wi'fs mg7
is immobile because of the pawn on the sec­ 5 .mxh3 3 .Wi'e7+ ©ha if 3 ... mh6 then 4.mh2;
ond rank 3 . . . ©cs 4.Wi'c6+ ©dB White can't 3 ... mg8 4.Wi'e8+ mg7 s .'Wfd7+ 4.©h2 ghs
achieve any progress, the position is a draw. 5.Wi'f7 And white wins because if black plays
If it is black's move, black cannot avoid defeat. 5 . . . . l"l.h7 there follows 6.'Wff8#
1 .. J�.e8 2 .�d6+ ©cs 3 .©f1 e2+ 4.©e1 And
white wins because it's a Zugzwang, for exam­ If the pawn of the weaker side has advanced
ple 4 . . . mb7 5.Wi'd7 or 4 . . . l'l:e3 5.W/c5 and in both to the second (seventh) rank, chances for
cases the rook is lost. achieving a draw are higher than in previous
cases because the pawn ties the queen or the
king so that the stronger side cannot launch
a decisive attack.

In cases when the pawn is an edge pawn and

the queen is the blocking piece the game is
a draw.

70
 S LOBODAN M I RKOVIC

Khenkin, 1962 Cheron,1957

Draw White to move and w i n

White cannot untie the queen from the oppo­ a) 1 .'1Wf4+ ©g6 if I . . .c;t>g7 then 2 .Wf5! I n
nent's pawn because of the pawn's promotion. case o f I . . .<;!;>g8 2 .'1Wf6 gh8 3 .Wg6+ <;!;>f8 4.Wf5
An attempt to bring the stronger side's king to there arises the position given in the b vari­
al and thus free and activate the queen fails ant) 2 .'!We4+ ©g7 3 .'1Wf5! :S.h6 4.'!Wg5+ ©h7
because as soon as the king steps on b2 black 5.'1Wg4 ©h8
rook gives check along b-file and the pawn is
untouchable because of the check by the rook
on a-file and the loss of the queen. There isn't
any other attempt to play for a win. The queen
can leave the blocking square only in case there
is a mating threat, however, such position can­
not be reached. Black manoeuvres his king on
a7 and b7 squares, keeps his rook on a6 and
always has the option to use checks and drive
the white king away when he gets closer.
As one can see, queen is a bad blocking piece.
What happens if king blocks the pawn? You
can find the answer in the following example.

6.'!Wg 3 ! :S.h5 if black plays 6 c;t>h7 white plays

. . .

7.�g5 and black is in Zugzwang. 7 .�g6 E?.h7

8.�g5 And white wins.
b) Black also loses i f he is to move in the i n itial
position.
1 . . . :S.h8 2.°1Wf5 ©g7 if black plays 2 . . c;t>g8
.

white plays 3 .'1Wf6 ! gh3 4.'1We6 and the rook

is lost. 3.'!We5 ©g8 4.'!Wf6 ! :S.h7 5.©g6 ©h8
6.�g5 :S.f7 7 .�d8 And the pawn is lost.
Other pawns, apart from the edge ones, on
next-to-last horizontal, blocked by queen or
king, secure draw with precise play. The cor­
rect defence is not to allow the stronger side to

71
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

disrupt the coordination of the pieces; also it

is not recommended to get closer to one's own
pawn with the rook or the king.

2. ROOK DEFENDS THE PAWN

SIDEWISE
Positions which fall in this group are not fa­
vourable for the weaker side. If the pawn is
on the third rank (black is the weaker side) the
queen wins as a rule. Exceptions are some cas­
es with edge pawns.

Rinck, 1906
6.©e1 ! i'U3 7.@e2 gh3 8 . @f1 gh1 + 9.@g2
gb1 1 0 .�es+ ©h6 1 1 .�f6+ @hs 1 2.�fS+
And the rook is lost.
The method of winning in similar positions, as
we have already pointed out, lies in limiting the
activity of opponent's pieces, which disrupts
their coordination and leads to the loss of the
rook or the pawn.
If the pawn is on the second rank winning
is more complicated because the promotion
square must be under the control of the pieces
of the stronger side. In that way the pieces lose
White to move and win a part of their activity without the possibility
to exert maximum activity in attack on the op­
In this case white strengthens the position of ponent 's king.
his king by getting closer to the rook in order to
drive him away from the third rank. Khenkin, 1962
1 .�dS+ @f4 2 .�d4+ @ts 3.@b2 gf3 4.@c1
gg3 if the rook leaves the third rank, playing
for example 4 . . . E!:f4 after 5 .'\Wd5+ the pawn is
lost. s.©d1 ©gs

White to move and win

1 .�e 1 gf3+ 2.@d2 gf2+ 3.@d3 @f3 4.�g 1

gg2 S.�e3+ a characteristic moment: if white
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVIC

plays 5 .\Wh l black can respond with 5 . . . Wf4! Khenkin, 1982

s . Wg4 6.'i:t:?e4
..

Draw

In this example both kings are positioned badly.

6 i::!.f2 ! The best defence, if 6 . . . Wh4 then
... 1 .tvh3+ <i> g 1 2 .Wh6 gf2 ! 2 . . . gh2? 3 .\We3+
7.\t>f5 gh2 8 .\Wf4+ Wh3 9.\Wg4# 7.tve 1 i::!. g 2 Wh l 4.@n gg2 5 .'1Wh3+ gh2 6.'1Wf3+ gg2
7...\t>g5 8 .\Wg l + Wh5 9.We3 gg2 1 0 .\Wh l + Wg4 7.W xg2# 3 .Wg5+ l'!g2 4.Wf4 <i> h 1 And white
1 1 .\Wxg2+; 7 . . . gh2 8 .\Wg l + Wh3 9.Wf3 8 .tvf1 cannot make any progress so that the position
gf2 9.tvg 1 + 'tt:? h 3 1 0 .'i:t:?e3 i::!. g 2 1 1 .tvf1 'i:t:?h2 is a draw.
1 2.tve1 ! 'i:t:?h3 1 3.'i:t:?f3 'i:t:?h2 For analogous cases a rule can be formulated:
the weaker side d raws only ifthe opponent's
king is cut off on last horizontal.
If the pawn is on b or g file, the stronger side
wins as a rule. Chances for a d raw are m i n i­
mal.

Khenkin, 1962

There arose the famous Phillidor's position the

winning method of which was dealt with in
the lesson "Queen versus Rook" the only dif­
ference being that black doesn't have c-pawn
which, essentially, is of no significance.
14.tveS+! 'i:t:? h 1 1 5.Wa 1 + <i>h 2 1 6.We 1 And White to move and win
black is in Zugzwang, white wins.
The winning plan lies in pushing the oppo­
nent's pieces to the edge of the board which can
be achieved by the manoeuvre of white king on
a2 and bl squares. This manoeuvre is repeated

73
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

several times and in the end the side with the ©e3 3 .Wff5 ! gf2 3 . . . !!g2? is weak because af­
rook finds itself in Zugzwang. ter 4.'\Wh3+ ©f2 5.©xb2 black loses the pawn.
1 .© b 1 ! l'!h2 I f 1 .. .©h4 then 2 .'\Wf3 !!h2 3 .©a2 4.Wfg4 ge2 5.Wfg3+ ©e4
and black is in Zugzwang. 2 .Wfe4+ ©g3
3 .'\We5+ ©h3 4.'\Wf4! gg2

In comparison with the initial position black

pieces have been moved by one vertical to the
5.©a2! gh2 6.'\Wf3+ ©h4 7.©b1 And black left, the next is tempo move with the king.
loses either the pawn or the rook. 6.©b1 ! gd2 7.We 1 + ©d3 8 .Yfe5 ge2
9 .'iff4! gd2 1 0 .'iff3+ ©d4 1 1 .©a2! gc2
Khenkin, 1960 1 2.'ifd 1 + ©c3 1 3.Wd5 gd2 1 4.Yfe4 gc2
1 5.Yfe3+ ©c4 1 6.'ifb3+ And the rook is lost.

Khenkin,1960

Black to move, white to win

Although it is his move, black cannot avoid

defeat. Strategy of the stronger side is to drive White to move and win
opponent's pieces, the rook and the king next to
the pawn: this is achieved by means of a wait­ 1 .Yfg4! gd2 if 1 . . .©el then 2 .'\Wg l + and in case
ing move ©a2-b1 . The final phase of the plan of 1 . . .!!e2 white wins in the following way:
is capture of the rook. 2 .'\Wf3+ ©el 3 .©b l !!d2 4.'\We3+ ©di 5 .'!We4
1 . . , ge2 1 . . .©e4? is wrong because after 2.'!Wg4+ l"!.h2 6.'\Wf4 !!e2 7.Wfl + 2 .Yfe4 ©f2 3.'iff4+
©e3 3 .'\Wg3+ it leads to a loss of the pawn and ©e1 or 3 . . . ©e2 4.©b l ©e l 5 .'\We3+ ©di 6.'!We4!
in case of 1 . . J'k2 2 .'\Wfl + ©e3 3 .'\Wf5 ! !!f2 4.Yfe3+ ©d 1
4.'\Wg4 we arrive at the main variant. 2 .'iff1 +

74
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVI C

special theme in the theory o f endings. Posi­

tions of this type are full of subtle manoeuvres
and great finesse.

Philidor, 1777

5.We4! 5.'it>b l would be weaker 5 m2 ! . . .

5 .. Jk2 6 .Wd3+ ©c1 after 6 :gd2 7.�fl+

. . .

'tt> c2 8 .�bl+ 'it>c3 9.�e4! we arrive at the previ­

ous example. 7.Wf1 + ©d2 8.©b3 And white
wins. Draw
In cases with b or g pawn when the weaker
side's king cannot support the rook from the Black's defence is simple and lies in not allow­
squares gl-g2-g3, hl-h2 or h3 white wins ing white king to move via the sixth rank (this
without assistance from his own king which is is done by rook's manoeuvre via defended c6
on a2 or bl squares. and e6 squares) and it is vital that black king
If black king protects the rook from the said exert control of d8 square (if white queen ar­
squares the win is achieved i11 another way, rives at d8 square white wins), and that the
with the queen controlling bl square, while pawn doesn't leave the seventh rank.
the king transfers to the other side where en­ 1 .Wh8+ <Jie7 2 .Wc8 l'!.c6 3 .Wb8 l'!.e6 4.Wg8
emy pieces are. l'!.c6 With a draw.
A question is raised: what happens if white
3. KING PROTECTS THE PAWN
king "jumps over" the sixth rank? The answer
Positions of this group are most difficult and lies in the following positions.
are met most often in practical games. Ana­
lytical studies started very early, as early as the Khenkin, 1982
18th century. With time, evaluations of a large
number of positions have changed and have
been enriched with new knowledge, although
even today we do not have a definite opinion on
positions in a large number of cases.
The result and the method of play depend on a
number of factors: an important detail can be:
which pawn the queen fights, or on which file
the pawn is, then how advanced the pawn is
and on which rank it is.

a) The pawn is on the first rank

Cases in which the pawn is on the starting rank Draw
(the second and the seventh rank) represent a

75
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

1 .�g7+ the attempt to get closer to the pawn In situations in which the weaker side has
gets nowhere because l .'it>c7 is followed by the pawn on c or f file, its defensive capabili­
1 . . . El.c6+ 1 . . 'it>e8 l . . .'it>d8? is wrong because
. ties considerably increase. The side with the
of 2 .�f8+ ges 3 .'\!!lff6+ ge7 4.'\!!l!g 5 and so is queen doesn't have an adequate attack at its
l . . .'it>d6? 2 .�f8+ ge7 3 .'it>c8 'it>e6 4.'it>d8 El.f7 disposal. Manoeuvring possibilities of the
5.'&h6+ with white winning in both cases. stronger side are decreased due to the lack of
2 .�g5 �k6 And black successfully defends. space (files) so it cannot bypass black pieces
on an edge file.
Khenkin, 1981

Black to move, white to win Draw

The threat of mate on f8 square allows the Basic drawing position. The rook on the sixth
queen to get hold of d8 square. rank has three defended squares: e6, g6 and
1 .. J'fo6 if black plays 1 . ..gd6 white will play the square on which it is placed is defended by
2.'\!!l! b4 'it>e6 3 .'it>f8 and white wins. 2 .�f8+ the black king. The length of the board doesn't
©e6 3.�f6+ 'it>d5 make it possible for the queen to carry out an
attack from the king's side, which allows the
weaker side to successfully defend.
If the king of the stronger side manages to get
to the pawn, some stalemate possibilities arise.
In the following example a draw is achieved
through subtle play.

4.�d8! Decisive manoeuvre of the queen

which gets hold of d8 square. 4 . . 'it>d6 5.'it>f7
.

gcs 6.�b6+ gcs 7.�b8+ 'it>d5 8.'it>e7 The

king got to the pawn, white wins.

76
 S LO BO DAN M I R KOVI C

A. Lillienthal, 1962 I n the pawn i s o n b o r g files the most com­

mon outcome is a draw. The stronger side
can win only in exceptional situations.

Khenkin, 1967

Wh ite to move and draw

Black threatens to drive away the opponent's

king after giving check on e6. If it is white's
move he may be able to occupy f8 square with Draw
his king. Defence of the weaker side is based on
stalemate motif. Basic drawing position. Black manoeuvres
1 .1Wd4+ @9a 2 .W!da+ @91 3 .Wlfa+ @ h 7 with his king on h6 and g6, and if the queen
4.©d7 the pawn is untouchable, if 4.Wi'xf7+ leaves g8 square then f7 and h7 squares are va­
then 4 . . . :1%g7, and in case of 4.'it>xf7 then cated.
4 . .. :gf6+! 5.'it>xf6 stalemate. 4 . . . gg 5 ! 5.@d6 if
5.©e7 :1%g8 5 .. ,gg6+ 6.@e5 ge6+ 6 .. JJ.g7? is a Khenkin, 1981
blunder because after 7.'it>f5 white wins. 7.@f5
The variant 7.'it>d5 :1%f6 8 .Wi'e7 'it>g6 9.Wi'e4+
Wg7 ! gives a draw.

Black to move and draw

Black must play carefully.

1 . . . gf1 ! Now l . . .'it>h6? would be followed by
2 .Wi'h8+ 'it>g6 3 .Wi'h5# 2 .Wfd5 gg 1 + 3.@h3
7 . .!'l.f6+! Tactical strike based on stalemate
. @h7 4.@h4 @ h a s.@hs @h7 6 .Wfe4+ @ha
motif. 8.@g5 if white accepts the sacrifice, And white cannot strengthen his position.
after 8 .'it>xf6 it's a stalemate. 8 .. ,gg6+ 9 . @ h 5
�f6 1 0 .Wfe7 g h 6 + 1 1 .@gs gg6+ 1 2 .@fs
©g7 With a draw.

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

Khenkin,1981 !!a7+ 1 2 .'it>g6 and black loses. 1 1 .Wd4 ge1 +

1 2 .©dS gc1 1 3 .©d7 © h S 1 4.Wd3 ©gS
1 5.We4

Draw

Analogous position with black pawn on f-file

is won for white because he has more space for
attack via king's side. 1 s . . . ga1 1 6.©es ©hS 1 7.Wh4+ ©gs
1 .Wb4 ga1 l . . .l'k7? is wrong 2 .'1Wc5 ! 'it>f7 1 S.Wc4+ ©h7 1 9 .©fS gas+ 20 .©f7 ga7+
3 .�f5+ 'it>e8 4.\Wg5 and white wins. 2.©e6+ if 2 1 .©e6 ga1 A draw, the initial position arose.
2.'1Wd4 then ga6+ 3 .'it>d7 gf6 4.\Wc4 gf7+ 5 .'it>d8 If the weaker side has an edge pawn chances
g6 ! Black goes on to use another system of de­ for a draw are minimal This is the most unfa­
fence in which the pawn is on the sixth rank. vourable position for the weaker side.
6.'1Wb4+ 'it>g7 7.'it>e8 Eff5 8 .�d6 with a draw.
2 . . . ©gS 3.Wc4 Berger, 1921

White to move and win

3 . . . Wh7! The only move that leads to a draw. Unlike in previous cases the rook has only one
Alternatives would lead to a defeat: 3 . . . 'it>h8 defended square. Besides, black king's con­
4.'it>f7 ga7+ 5 .Wg6 and 3 . . . ga3 4.'it>e7+ 'it>h7 fined position creates additional mating motifs.
5.\We4+ lt>g8 6.'1Wd5+ 'it>h7 7.'it>f8 4.We4+ If 1 .WdS+ ©bS 2 .Wd7 gh6 if black plays with
4.lt>f5 gas+ 5 .'it>e6 !!al 6.'1Wd3+ lt>g8 with his rook along h-file, for example 2 . . . !!b2 after
a draw. 4 . . . ©gS 5.©e7 ga7+ 6.©eS ga1 3 .�e8+ 'it>b7 4.�e4+ 'it>a6 5 .'1Wd3+ 'it>b7 6 .'1Wf3+
7.Wc4+ ©h7 S.We4+ ©gs 9 .WdS+ ©hS 'it>b8 7.�f8+ 'it>b7 8 .�g7+ and the rook is lost.
1 O.Wd3 ©gS! 1 0 . . . !!a8+? is bad l l .'it>f7 3 .WeS+ ©b7 4.Wi'e7+ ©a6

78
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

N . Rossolimo S. Tartakower
-

Venice, 1 949

5.Wg7! r!e6 if black plays 5 .. J'!h5+ then

6.i;!;ic6 wins, while after 5 . . . Ei:h3 checks follow
White to move and win
6.'Mff6+ i;!;ib7 7."fffe7+ and the rook is lost. 6.�d7
!::!. b6 7.�c8+ ©as 8.�c7 ©a6 9.�d7 :ab2 The winning idea is the creation of a position
9 . . Ei:f6 l O ."fff b 5# 1 o .�d3+ ©b7 1 1 .�f3+ ©c7
. in which the rook has to move away from the
1 2 .Wf7+ ©b8 12 . . . i;!;ic8 1 3 ."fffg 8+ i;!;ic7 14.1Mi'g7+ king and the pawn. When that happens the rook
and the rook is lost. 1 3.�f8+ ©b7 1 4.�g 7+ is captured by means of a double attack by the
And white captures the rook. queen.
1 .�f8+ © h 5 2.©d4 King's assistance is nec­
Lasa, 1865 essary. 2 . . . © g 5 3.©e5 © h 5 4.�e7 © h6

White to move and win

1 .Wd 5+ l ."fffc7 also w i n s 1 . . . ©b8 2 .�d7 5 .©f5 black is forced to move the rook away
!::!. h 6 If 2 . . i;!;ia8 a possible variant is 3 .1Mi'c8+
. from the king and the pawn. 5 . . . :ag2 6.�e3+
l'!b8 4."fffc 6+ Ei:b7 5 .i;!;ia6 i;!;ib8 6 ."fffxb7# 3 ."fffe 8+ ©g7 7.�c3+ ©f8 8 .�c8+ ©g7 9 .�b7+
©c7 4.�f7+ And white wins. ©h 8 1 0 .�xg2 Black resigns.

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

Sande - Bernstein ROOK AND PAWNS VERSUS QUEEN

Malta (ol), 1 980 AND PAWNS

Counter play

If the passed pawn is defended by rook from

behind, queen loses some of its activity be­
cause it is forced to block the pawn. Advance
of the passed pawn with support from the rook
gives counter play to the weaker side. There
are several examples from practical games in
which the side with rook triumphed.

D. Sahovic A. Strikovic
-

Cetinje, 1 993
Black to move and draw

The system of defence for the weaker side: at

a convenient moment white plays his pawn to
h3, places his rook on g4 and keep his king on
h l ,h2 or g l . White rook mustn't leave g-file.
1 . . . Wlb 1 + 2.©g2 Wle4+ 3.©g 1 Wie 1 + After
3 . . .Wff4 black makes no progress, there follows
4.©g2 ©e5 5.h3 Wfd2+ 6.©h l ©f4 7.i!g2 with a
draw. 4. ©g2 ©f5

Black to move and win

1 ... ©d5+? Black misses the win at a criti­

cal moment. l .. .©f4+? is not good because
of 2 .©d7 '\1ff b 4 3 .©c7 '\1ffc 5+ 4.©b7 d5 5.i!a6
d4 6.©a8 d3 7.b7 with a draw. l . . .©f6+! was
winning 2 .©d8 '\1ff b 4 3 .©c7 Wfc5+ 4.©b7 ©e6!
5.i!a6 ©d7 6 .©a8 '\1ffc 6+! [If 6 ... Wfb5? then
7.i!a7+ ©e6 8 .b7 Wfc6 9Jfa5 with 9 . . . ©a7 and a
draw] 7.©b8 d5 8 .i!a7+ ©d6 wins. 2 J�e71 ti'b1
the following alternatives do not give anything:
5.h31 Key moment. Playing 5.i!f3+? would 2 . . .Wfb4 3 .b7 Wfxg4 4.©d8 ©c6 5 .b8Wf '\1ffg 8+
be wrong for after 5 . . .©e4 6 .i!g3 Wie2+ 7.©gl 6.i!e8 Wfg5+ 7.i!e7 with a draw, or 2 . . .Wfh4 3 .b7
©f4 black wins. 5 . . . ©f4 6J�g4+ ©e3 7. ©h2 Wfh8+ 4.©f7! with g5 and draw can't be avoid­
@f3 8J�g1 ti'f2+ 9 . © h 1 ti'c5 1 0J!g2 With ed. 3.b7 ©c6 4.©d8 one can easily make a
a draw. mistake with 4.g5? Wfg6+ 5 .©f8 '\1ffx g5 ! 6.b8Wf
Wff6+ 7.©g8 '\1ffxe7 with a won queen ending.
4 . . .ti'b2 5.:E!.c7+ ©d5 6.:E!.e71 Draw.

80
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

S. Nyman H. Rittner
- 1 .©g2! :8.c8 2 . f7 ©c2 3 .'!Wd7 ! Decisive at­
corr. 1 9 7 1 tack on the rook 3 . . . :8.h8 it turned out that the
rook has no safe square on the eighth rank . I f
3 . . d l'IW then 4.1Mfxc8+ Wb2 5 . f8'1W wins. 3 . . . El.f8
.

doesn't help because of 4.1Mfc6 Wb2 5.'!Wd6

and white wins. 4.\Wc6+ 'it>b1 5.\We4+ ©c1
6 .\Wc4+ Black resigns. I f 6 . . . Wb l 7.1Mrd3+ Wei
8 .1Mfc3+
If both sides have passed pawns, queen, as a
rule, develops a great force because it simulta­
neously manages to support her own and block
the opponent 's pawn while carefully watching
the opponent �.. rook and its movement.

J. Speelman - L. Alburt
Black t o move and win
London (mi l ), 1 986
Black's plan is clear and lies in the creation of
a passed pawn on queen's side, however white

has a passed pawn on g-file supported by rook

from behind. This means that queen will have
to take the role of the blocking piece.
1 ... \Wd4+ ! I f black plays l . . .1Mfg7? then after
2.h4 a5 3 . h 5 b4 4. axb4 axb4 5 . h6 1Mrxh6 6 .g7
�cl+ we have a perpetual check because the
queen cannot occupy the blocking square g8.
2.'it>h2 if white plays 2 . W f l 1Mrg7 3 . h4 a5 4.h5
b4 5.axb4 axb4 6 . h6 1Mrxh6 7.g7 iWc l + 8 .Wf2
�c2+ 9.Wg l iW b l + 10.wh2 1Mfh7+ 1 1 .Wg l '!Wg8
black wins. 2 . . . \Wg7 3 . h4 as 4.h5 b4 5.axb4 White to move and win
axb4 6.©g 1 b3 7.h6 \Wd4+! 8 . ©h 1 b2
White resigns. The plan is clear, white advances with his
passed pawn on h file and achieves decisive
L. Christiansen J. Fernandez
-
material advantage. Despite that, one shouldn't
Caracas, 1 976 forget that in case of imprecise play black
passed pawns in the centre can create serious
counter play.
1 . h4! :8.e4+ 2.'it>d2 :8.d4+ 3 .©c2 :8.c4+ if
black plays 3 . . . e4 the following variant is inter­
esting 4.h5 e3 5.'!Wg7 e2 6 .1Mf g2+ El.e4 7.1Mrxe4+!
fxe4 8 .Wd2 and white wins. 4.©b1 e4 5.\Wh6
©d5 6.h5! :8.d4 7.\Wc1 7.'!Wg5 is also good. 7 . . .
:8. d 3 8 .\Wh 1 ©c4 9 . h 6 e3 1 0 .\Wf1 f4 1 1 .©c2
Black resigns.

White to move and win

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

P. Dubinin - L. Aronin L. Aronin - D. Bronstein

URS (ch), 1 947 Moscow, 1 95 1

White to move and win White to move and win

In this position advance of h-pawn decides. Al­ The passed pawn decides the outcome of the
though stronger in material, black is powerless. game. Black cannot prevent its promotion to
1 . h4! b5 an interesting Zugzwang position can queen.
arise in case of I . . .@c7 2 .l'!fl @d7 3.h5 @e7 1 .l'!.d1 ! ©f7 2J�d8 'ff b 5 3 .c8'ff Black resigns.
4.@al ! b5 5.<ii b l a5 6.'ii a l b4 7.a4 b3 8 .@b l
'�x f7 9. l'!xf7+ @xf7 10.@c l and the pawn end­ M. Adams - B. Gelfand
ing is won for white. 2 . h 5 ©c7 Black king gets Chalkidiki Afitos, 1 993
closer to f-pawn in order to replace the queen
on f8 square.

Black to move and win

1 . . . 'fff3 ! ? Computer gives preference to the

move l . . .'fff5+ providing the following vari­
3 .:at1 ! The rook defends the first rank from ant 2 .@c7 'ffc 2+ 3 .@xb7 'ffx b3+ 4.@c7 'ffc4+
potential attack from the opponent's queen. 5 .@d8 W/xa4 6 .d7 @e6 7.l'!.c7 'ffe 4 8 J�a7 @f7
3 . . . a5 advance of the pawns on queen's side is 9.@c8 'ffc 6+ IO.@d8 a4 1 l .l'!.c7 'ffa 8+ 1 2 .l'k8
aimed at weakening the position of white King. W/a5+ 1 3 .:t=k7 a3 14.@c8 'ffa 8# (Fritz). 2 Jfo1
4.h6 b4 5.a4 ©d7 6.h7 ©e7 7J�e 1 + ©d7 'ffe 3 3 JU1 + ©g7 4.©d8 ftb6+ 5.©e7
8.l'!.h1 ! Black resigns. fte3+ 6.©d8 ftg5+ 7.©d7 bS a .ga1 ftfS+
9 .©c6 ftc2+ 1 0.©b6

82
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

G. Barcza L. Prins
-

Saltsjobaden (izt), 1 952

1 0 ... '!Wd3? At this moment black misses 1 0 . . .

bxa4! for after I l .d7 Wxb3+ 1 2 .@c7 \Wc3+
Black to move and draw
1 3 .@b7 1Wd4 14.@c7 Wxa l 1 5 .d8\W \Wc3+!
16.@b7 \Wf3+ 17.@a7 Wf7+ his position would Black king is placed at the edge of the board and
be won. 1 1 .d7! Black must have overlooked this there is a danger of attack from white rooks.
move. 1 1 . . . '!Wxd7 1 2 .gg 1 + ©h6 1 3 J'�.h 1 + The safest path to a draw in similar situations
©g5 1 4.axb5 '!Wd8+ 1 5.©a7 '!Wc7+ 1 6.©a6 lies in giving checks. The queen gives checks
%Yc8+ 1 7.©a7 '!Wc7+ Draw. looking for a chance for perpetual check.
1 . . .'!Wf2+ Alternatives are: l . . .\Wd2+ 2 .@e4
QUEEN VERSUS TWO ROOKS We2+ and i . . .\Wh2+ 2 .@f5 \Wh5+ in both cases
In endings in which Queen fights two rooks, we have a position similar to that in the game.
the most common outcome is a draw. In an 2 .©e5 white king is exposed to checks and is
evaluation of the position one should always looking for a shelter on a7 square. 2 ... '!We3+ it
bear in mind that two rooks can mate without is possible to play 2 . . .�c5+ 3 .@e6 �c8+ 4.@d6
assistance from the king while queen cannot �d7+ 5 .<;t>e5 �g7+ 6J�f6 �g5+ 7.<;t>e4 \Wg4+
mate on her own. and white has made no progress. 3.©d6 Wf4+
For that reason the side with queen should 4.©c6 Yfc4+ 5.©b7 Wd5+ 6.©a7
avoid putting its king in dangerous position on
the edge of the board. The following examples
from practical games confirm this evaluation.

White king has managed to take shelter from

checks on a7 square. However, it is insufficient
for a win. The game continued:

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

6 . . . <i!id7! After 6 . . .\Wd7+ 7.gb7 black king is In this position white used the opportunity and
still in an unpleasant situation at the edge of the forced a draw by perpetual check.
board. 7 .gd6+ �xd6 8.gxd6+ <i!ixd6 Draw. 1 .�e1 + <i!ih2 2 .�h4+ Draw.

D. Godes A. Vaisser
-
QUEEN BEATS ROOKS
URS, 1 978 The basic condition for the side with queen to
triumph is poor coordination between rooks,
which can negatively affect the safety of the
king.

Salvioli, 1887

Black to move and draw

White king's corner position seems dangerous.

In the game white understood the dangers he
can be exposed to and he evacuated his king
from dangerous zone. White to move and win
1 J:�gd6 2 ©g7 gab6 if 2 . . . gd7+ 3 .©f8 gc6
.. .

solution should be looked for in checks 4.�a5+ In the position on the diagram white wins
@b7 5.\Wb5+ @c7 6.\Wa5+ @b7 7.\Wb5+ with a thanks to good cooperation of the queen and
draw. 3.�a4+ ©b8 4.<i!if7 ©c8 5.�g4+ <i!id8 the king.
6.�h4+ <i!ic7 7.�f4 gb7 8 .©e8 Draw. 1 .�c41 Threatening mate in a few moves.
The side with queen should use the first op­ 1 ga3+ if black plays l .. .gd2 there follows a
...

portunity for perpetual check and a draw. forced mate 2 .�fl+ gdl 3 .�f4+ @b l 4.�b4+
@cl 5 .�b2# 2.�b4+ <i!ib2 3 .�e2+ and black
J. Ganser - F. Braemigk loses the rook.
Nickenich, 1 996

White to move and draw

84
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

Rinck, 1916 Rinck, 1916

White to move and win White to move and win

1 .Wg 1 +! 'it>fS if black plays l . . .@t7 white 1 .We7+! 'it>gS+ 2.'it>g5 gas Black is in Zugz­
plays 2 .'!Wg6+ and after 2 . . . @e7 3 .'\We6+ @f8 wang 2 . . . :gf8 3 .@g6 :gh6+ 4.@xh6 m6+ 5.@g5 !
4.'\Wf6+ one of the rooks is captured. 2 .Wc5+ with a win. I f 2 . . . :gc l then 3 . We8+ @g7 4.'\We5+
©gS continuation 2 . . . @t7 leads to the position @gs 5 .'!Wb8+ @h7 6 .'!Wh2+ @gs 7.Wa2+ @g7
from the previous analysis 3 .'!Wc7+ @e8 4.'\Wc6+ 8 .'!Wb2+ and white wins. 3 .We6+ 'it>g7 4.Wf6+
E1.d7 5.'\Wc8+ l"M8 6 .We6+ @ f8 7.'1Wf6+ and black 'it>gS
loses one of the rooks. 3 .We7 gd3 4.WeS+
©g7 5.We5+ 'it> h 7

5.©g6! King goes for a decisive attack. There

is no defence now. 5 . . gh7 6.We6+ 'it>fS
.

6.We4! The point o f white's strategy. There 7.Wf5+ ©gS S .Wd5+ And the rook is lost.
threatens a discovered check after 6 . . . @f6 .
6 . . J�hdS 7.'it>f6+ a forced mate follows. 7 . . .
©hS s .Wh4+ 'it>gS 9 .Wg4+ 'it>fS 1 0 .Wg7+
©eS 1 1 .We7#

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

Rinck, 1916 King is badly positioned if it is on the eighth

rank (the first or edge file), cut off by rooks.
In this situation due to frequent mating threats
the queen is forced to take the role of a defen­
sive piece. In this way the original attacking
potential of the strongest piece is diminished
and vanishes.

Rinck, 1916)

White to move and draw

Uie1 I It would be wrong to play l .l'!d l ? Yfe2

2.l'!d8 Yfel+ 3 .©g2 Yfe4+ 4.©g l tfg6+ 5.©fl
tfa6+ 6.©e l tfal+ 7.l'!d l Yfc3+ 8.l'!d2 Yfc l+
9.l'!d l tfe3+ 10.©fl tff3+ for black would win.
1 . . .tfd2 2.©f1 ©g3 if 2 . . . tfd3+ then 3 .©f2
\Wf3+ 4.Wg l ©g3 5.l'!h2 with a draw.
White to move and win

1 .:!:Ih7+1 cbg8 2.:!:Ihe7 cbh8 if the queen stays

on the first rank and plays 2 . . .tfc8 there follows
3 . l'!g7+ Wf8 4.l'!bf7+ ©e8 5 . l'!g8+ 3.:!:Ibc7 af­
ter 3 . l'!f7? tfd6 the queen activates, which is
enough for a draw, or 3 .l'!a7 Yfg8 4.©f2 tff8+
5 .©gl tfg7 !+ 6 .l'!xg7 and it's a stalemate.
3 . . . cbg8 after 3 . . .tfg8 white continues with 4.
©fl tff8+ 5.l'!f7 tfg8 6.©f2 tfd8 7.l'!h7+ ©g8
8 .l'!cg7+ ©f8 9.l'!h8+ and wins 4.:!:Ia7 ci>h8
5.:!:If7 Yfe8+ 6.d?f2 cbg8

There follows a combination with double rook

sacrifice. The aim is to achieve a draw by
means of a stalemate. 3J�.e3+1 Yfxe3 if black
declines the rook sacrifice and plays 3 . . . ©f4
after 4J�hh3 there is no danger for white any
longer. 4.:!:Ih3+ cbxh3 Stalemate.

ROOKS BEAT QUEEN

The side with rooks can win only in special
cases which primarily refers to bad positions of
the king and the queen.

86
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVI C

7Jig7+! Famous manoeuvre which captures white wins b y bringing h i s king t o g l . Only
the queen for white. 7 . . . ©f8 8J�h7 ©g8 if then are the rooks ready for mating attack.
8 �e5 then 9.1'fa8+ 9 J::tag7+ ©f8 1 0.ghs+
... 1 .E!g2+! ©f8 2.©gs+ ©g7 3 .©f4+ ©f6
and white wins. 4.©g3+ ©gs s.©f2+ ©t4

Centurini, 1858

Black to move and win 6.©g 1 +! King goes back to castling and
doesn't obstruct his own rooks in the attack.
1 . . ghs 1 . . .l'!g6!? is possible 2 .�bl l:'i:h8 and
. 6 ©e3 7.ge 1 + And the queen is captured.
. . .

white king is in mate which can be avoided

only by suffering material losses. l . ..l:'i:g5 ! ? Kling, 1849
wins, too. 2 .�bl+ :!! 8 g6 3 .�b7+ <;!;ih 6 (Kaspar­
ian). 2 .ffa2 ©g6+ 3.©g2 ©JS+! King joins
the attack. 4.©f3 gh3+ 5.©f2 gh2+ And the
queen is lost.

Rinck, 1917

White to move and win

This is an exception. Black king is active and

attacks the rook; besides, the threat £al mate
shouldn't be neglected. White manages to con­
nect his rooks and everything ends with a well­
White to move and win known motif - capture of queen.
1 .ga4! f!c8 if the queen captures the rook af­
An interesting manoeuvre of white king de­ ter l . . .�xa4 there follows 2 .l'!h3+ <;!;if4 3 .l'!h4+
cides in this position . The rooks cannot carry and the queen itself is captured. 2 .gh3+ fixh 3
out a mating attack because their activity is ob­ now capture o f the rook is forced. 3J:Ia3+ And
structed by their own king. Believe it or not, the queen is captured.

87
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

QUEEN AND PAWNS VERSUS ROOKS

AND PAWNS

In cases when both sides have several pawns

on the board, the evaluation of the position is
mostly affected by pawn structure. In the fol­
lowing examples from practical games we ana­
lyze positions in which the side with rooks has
an advanced passed pawn. Such positions are
not favourable for the side with queen. Queen
can hardly deal with a passed pawn supported
by one rook while the other rook manoeuvres
sideways and pushes the strongest piece back.
6.g5! Pawn sacrifice aimed at enabling ad­
A. Alekhine - A. Lilienthal vance of the pawn on h-file 6 . . . tvxg 5 7.h6
Hastings, 1 934/35 Wi'g2 8J"!ee1 Wi'g6+ 9.©a1 tvh7 1 0J:teg 1
©e6 1 1 .:!'!g7 ti'e4 1 2 .:!'!hg 1 ti'h4 1 3. h 7 b5
l3 ... c5 was better l4.E!.xb7 Wd5;t 1 4.:!'!xc7
ti'h5 1 5.:!'!e 1 + ©d5 1 6.©a2 ! ©d4 16 . . . b4
doesn't help l 7.axb4 �h3 1 8 .E!.dl+ We6 1 9.i'!d3
Wi'h5 20.b5 d5 2 l .b6 Wd6 22.E!.dc3 and white
wins 1 7.:!'!d 1 + ©e4 capture of the rook af­
ter 1 7. . .ti'xd l 1 8 . h8ti' Wi'b3+ 1 9.Wb l Wi'd3+
20.1"k2 leads to a defeat for black.1 8.:!'!xd6
'fe8 1 9.:!'!xf6 fth8 20.:!'!h6 the best posi­
tion for the rook. The other rook has the task
to push the queen away from h8 square. 20 . . .
©f4 2 1 .:!'!cS? Alekhine makes a mistake,
White to move 2 1 . i'!h l ! with 2 l . . .gc8 was winning 21 . . .ftxcS
22.:!'!h4+ promotion of the pawn to queen af­
1 .g41 Also good is l .h 5 ! ? Wd7 2 . g4 f6 3 .i'!hfl ter 22.h8�? Wi'c4+ 23.Wb l Wi'd3+ 24.Wc l Wi'fl+
with a position similar to the one in the game. 25.Wc2 �f2+ 26.Wdl Wi'fl + leads to a draw.
1 .. . @d8 the following variant is interesting:
l . ..�g6+ 2 .Wal �xg4? 3.h5 �g7 4.h6 Wi'h7
5.i'!dfl ! Wd7 6.i'!xf7+ �xf7 7.h7 and white
wins. 2J:tde1 a5 3 . h 5 a4 4.a3 f6 4 . . . b5 was
also possible 5.g5 Wi'xg5 6.h6 Wi'f5+ 7.Wal Wi'h7
8.i'!eg l We7 9_gg7 Wi'e4 10.i'!fl Wi'h4 1 1 .ggxf7+
We6 1 2 . h7 c5:t 5J:te6 ©d7

88
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVI C

Theory of endings hasn't spent much time

dealing with this position. There prevails an
opinion that this position is won for white. In a
magazine "Sahovski fornal", 2003, the author
of this book provided an analysis showing the
path to a draw. Where to put the king? In the
game black continued
22 . . . @g5? and lost quickly. 22 ...©f3 ! was
drawing. The idea is for e3 square to be defended
and available to the queen. After 23.h81Mf '<Mfe6+
24. ©b l '<Mfe l+ 25.©c2 1Mff2+26.©d3 '<Mfe3 ! This
move couldn't be played in the game because
black king was on g5 and in that case the queen
wouldn't be defended. 27. © c2 '<Mff2 black draws I n this position Anand found a safe way for re­
by perpetual check. 23. h81Mf �e6+ 24.Wb1 alization of the advantage.
%Ye1 + 25.Wc2 1Mfe2+ 25 . . .\Wxh4 doesn't help I . Transfer of the rook to g5. The saf­
26.\Wxh4+ ©xh4 27.©c3 ©g4 28 .©b4 pawn est position for the other rook is along
ending is won for white. 26. ©c3 Black resigns. the eighth rank from where it prevents
checks from the queen and protects its
A. Shirov V. Anand
-
king.
Linares, 1 998
2. Execution of the pawn move f5 which
destroys white position on king's side
3. Capture of white pawns on king side
achieving decisive material advantage.
5 . . . ga5! 6.�c6 gfa 7.Wb6 gg5 8.Wb3 Pre­
vents f5, but only for a moment. 8 . . . Wh8 9.�b4
gee 1 0 .�a4 gda 1 1 .We4 f5 ! 1 2.gxf5 gfa
White resigns.

W. Steinitz H. N. Pillsbyry
-

Nuremberg, 1 896

Black to move and win

Black's advantage raises no doubts, however,

realization of the advantage is not easy at all.
The first task which Anand successfully ac­
complished was the capture of the enemy pawn
on a-file.
1 . . JU8 ! ? 1 . . .gd8 ! ? could be played 2 .Wh 3
Different kind o f defence from the one in the
game is possible after 2 .1Mfc5 yet after 2 . . . gd7
3.g4 gas 4.g5 hxg5 5 . h6 gxh6 6.1Mfc6 gd2+
7.lt>g3 gad8 8 . a7 ga2 black has a won position. Black to move
2 .. Jfa7 white pawn on a file is lost. 3.g4 �Ua8
4.©h4 gxa6 5.Wb7 The winning plan:

89
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

1 . Advance of the passed pawn on a-file. A. Miles N. Short

-

The goal is to deflect black queen's at­ Manchester, 1 982

tention from king's side.
2 . Combined attack of black rooks on white
king and the pawn on g-file.

1 .. J:Ud8 ! 2.Wa6 h 6 3.h4 gfs 4.i>hl if 4.g4

�f2+ s.\t>g3 �df7! 4 . . . i> h 7 5.Wc6 gd3+ 6.g3
after 6 .\t>g4 gfd8 white king would be exposed
to attack. 6 . . . ge3 7.Wc2+ i>h8 8 . h 5 ges
9.i>h4 a5 1 0 .Wa4 gbs 1 1 .g4 ggs 1 2.Wc6
ggs this passive move was probably played
in time trouble.1 3.Wa6 i>h7 1 4.Wdl+ i>h8
1 5.Wa6 gds 1 6.Wc6 ggd5 1 7.Wa4 1 7.'\1;lfa6
doesn't help because of 1 7. . . g[8 1 8 .'\1;lfe6 gd4
White to move and win
1 7 . . . gas 1 8.©hl gd3+
Black king is exposed and has no pawns near
him to protect him appropriately. The rooks de­
velop a great force along open files and attack
the opponent's monarch with a decisive effect.
1 .ghf3 1 i>g4 2.gcd3 b5 the following vari­
ant is interesting 2 . . .We2 3 .\t>g2 We4 4.\t>fl
Wxf3 5.gxf3 <±>xf3 6 .<±>e l the pawn ending is
won for white. 6 .. <±>e4 7.<±>e2 <±>d4 8 .<±>f3 <±>c3
.

9.\t>xf4 <±>xb3 1 0.\t>e5 <±>xa4 l l . f4 b5 1 2 . f5 b4

1 3 .\t>d4! b3 14.<±>c3 <±>a3 1 5 . f6 b2 1 6 .f7 b l '\1;lf
1 7.f8'\1;lf+ <±>a4 1 8 .Wa8+ <±>b5 1 9.Wxb7+ and the
queen is captured (Fritz). 3.axb5 b6 4.gc3
Wxb5 5.gfd3 We5 6.f3+ i> h4 1.gc2 Wf5
s.gcd2 Wh3+ if 8 . . . b5 then 9.<±>h l ! and due to
1 9.©h4? Speeds up the outcome. More re­ bad position of the opponent's king white wins.
silient is 1 9.\t>g2 gd6 20.@f3 gb6 2 1 .<±>g3 and 9.i>g1 i>g3 1 0.gf2 b5
white could fight for a long time although in
the end he wouldn't be able to avoid defeat.
1 9 . . . gel 20.Wc6 gfs White resigns.

90
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

1 1 .gda ! The right idea which leads to a fast R. Fischer I. Bilek

-

outcome. The threat is gg8 . 1 l .b4? would be La Habana, 1 965

wrong because of effective queen sacrifice.
1 1 . . '.Wh2+! after J 2 . gxh2 it's a stalemate.
.

1 1 . Wh7 1 2 .gg8+! Black resigns. If l 2 .. \Wg8

..

1 3 . gg2 .

M. Chigorin, Zeibot E. Schiffers, A. Levin

-

St. Petersburg, 1 900

White to .move and win

I. Passed pawn on h-file limits the activity

of the rook on g5 and ties it to h-file due
to a constant threat of advance.
2. Through queen's activity in the centre
with assistance of f3 pawn, white creates
White to move and win connected passed pawns on e and f files.
3 . Passed pawns supported by the queen
White wins in a mating attack during which he
decide the game in white's favour.
makes use of a Zugzwang position.
1 .g7f3 ! Wh6 in case of l .. .'.Wd2+ 2.mf2 Wh6 1 . h 7 ! gh s 1f l . . .Wg7 then 2 .Wd8 leads to a win
3.l!th3 we arrive at the same position as in the 2 .Wd5+ ge6 2 . . . cii f8 3 .Wg8# 3.f4! Decisive
game. 2 . © h 3 ©g7 3.gg3+ ©h 8 manoeuvre, the threat is f5 3 . . f5 4.fxe5 gxh7
5.Wd7+ ge7 6.Wxf5+ connected passed
pawns supported by the queen triumph. The
rooks are powerless. 6 . . . ©e8 7.f4 ©d8 8.e6
Black resigns.

4.gf7! A brilliant idea. Black is in Zugzwang.

4 . . b5 original position emerges in case of 4 . . .
.

b 6 5.gf5 b 5 6.ggg5! b4 7.gf7 bxc3 8 .bxc3 and

black is in Zugzwang 5.gg5 Black resigns, it's
a Zugzwang.

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CH ESS SCHOOL 5

A. Miles - Lj. Ljubojevic efficient is l l . . .'1Wb2 ! 1 2 . l3a7 e3! 1 3 .l3xa2 \Wxa2

Linares, 1 985 14.l3xe3 \Wal + 1 5 .©g2 \Wxd4 and black wins.
1 2.'BaS tfd3+ 1 3.'8e2 Yfd 1 + 1 4.'8e1

Black to move and win

Activity of white rooks is decreased because

the rooks have to carefully watch the black 14 ... Yfb1 1 White is in Zugzwang. 1 5.'8a8
pawn on a-file in order to prevent its promotion 1 5 . h4+ doesn't help because of 1 5 . . . ©f6!
to queen. Black's chances to play for a win are 16.l3a8 ©xf5 and activity of black king will
on king's side. The plan of realization of the soon bear fruit. Weak white pawn on h4 will
advantage: become prey. 1 5 . . .ci>xfS 1 6JU8+ ci>gS deci­
I. Advance of the pawns on king's side with sive action of the king, target of the attack is
the support of black king. The goal is to opponent's pawn on h-file. 1 7J�.a8 because
create new weaknesses in white camp. of a possible promotion of the pawn white is
forced to bring his rook back to a-file. 1 7 ...
2. Execution of pawn move f5 -f4. The con­
cbh4 1 8.'8a3 Yfb2 1 9 .'8a8 ci>xh3 success­
sequence of this is the creation of a weak
ful completion of king's campaign. The pawn
pawn on h3. f3 and f4 squares become
is captured. 20.cbg 1 Yfb1 21 .'8a3+ cbg4
accessible to black king.
22.'8f1 h4 23.'8a8 h3 White resigns.
3. Creation of a Zugzwang position with
the penetration of black king into enemy D. Janowski - J. R. Capablanca
camp. New York, 1 9 1 8
4. Winning of material and achieving deci-
sive material advantage.
1 ... gSI 2.g3 Yfb1 3J::la 8 ci>g6 4.h3 fS 5J�.a6+
cbhS 6J::la8 h6 7.'8a7 If 7J::la 5 then '1Wd3+
8 .l:'te2 \Wd l + 9.l:'tel %!/b l and black executes the
same plan as in the game. 7 . . . f41 Important
link in black's plan. The opposite side cannot
prevent creation of weaknesses on king's side.
8.exf4 gxf4 9.gxf4 cbh4 1 0.'8a3 after 10.f5
there follows an effective strike 10 . . . e3 ! After
l l .fxe3 ©g3 1 2 . l3g7+ ©f3 1 3 . l3a7 \Wc2 white
cannot prevent mate. 1 0. . . hS 10 . . .'1Wb2 ! was
faster l l .l3a7 e3 ! 1 2 . fxe3 ©g3 and white can­
Black t o move and win
not prevent mate. 1 1 .fS cbgS faster and more

92
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

Black's advantage raises no doubts. Capablan­ Berger, 1890

ca executed the following plan:
I. Creation of a Zugzwang position
2. Fast advance of passed pawn on c-file

1 ... %'/e2 ! White is in Zugzwang position.

2.E!h2 if 2 .'kt>h3 then 2 . . .1Mff3+ 3 .'kt>h4 Vfig2 and
mate can be avoided only after large material
losses. If white tries w ith 2 . :1%c5 there follows
2 ... Vfie3+ 3 .'kt>g2 1Mfxf4 4.'kt>h3 Vfif3+ 5.'kt>h4 Vfig2
and because of mate threat on h2 black wins.
2 . . . %'/e3+ 3.©h4 c5 4Jk2

White to move and win

I. Centralization of white king

2 . Queen and king jointly push black pieces
to the edge of the board.
3 . Creation of a mating net or capture of the
knight.

1 .©b2 ©d5 2.©c3 tlie4+ 3.©d3 tlic5+

4.©e3 tlie6 5.%'/f5+ ©d6 6.©e4 tlic5+
7.©d4 tli e6+ 8 .©c4 tlic7 9 .�c5+ ©d7

4 . . . c4! Capablanca is demonstrating subtle

technique during realization of the advantage.
5.E!a2 the pawn is indirectly defended, if white
plays 5.:1%xc4 '<Mle l + 6.'kt>h3 Vfifl+ the rook is
lost. 5 . . . c3 6.�g2 'ffe4 7.�g 1 if 7J�a2 then c2
8 .:1%c5 Vfihl+ 9.'kt>g3 Vfig l+ and white loses the
rook. 7 . . . %'/e2 it's interesting to note that black
plays with his strongest piece only along e-file.
8.E!g3 c2 White resigns.

QUEEN VERSUS KNIGHT

Queen versus knight always wins. The win­
ning plan is to push the king of the weaker side The stronger side joined its forces. Black king
to the edge of the board. This push is achieved will easily be pushed to the edge of the board.
through joint activity of the queen and the king. 1 0.%'/b6 ! l 0.'kt>d4? is a blunder because of 1 0 . . .
The stronger side should play carefully. A large tt'le6+ and the queen is lost. 1 o . . . tli e 6 1 1 . ©d5
number of blitz games were drawn due to care­ tlic7+ 1 2 .©es tlie8 1 3 .�e6+ ©dB 1 4.%'/f7
lessness, because the stronger side overlooked tli c7 1 5.©d6 tli b5+ 1 6.©cs tlic7 1 7.©c6
knight's fork. With indefensible mate.

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

White to move and win

8 ... ©fS! Typical king manoeuvre. If 8 ... ©d5
Typical mistake of the stronger side is then 9.tll f6+ 9.©d8 ti'c6 1 0 .©e7 If 1 0.tLlb8
1 .©e3? The right move is either l .'i!id3 or �b6+ l l .'i!ic8 'i!ie6 and if white plays 1 2 .tild7
l .'i!if3, after 1 . . . tLldS+ The queen is captured after 1 2 . . .�c6+ the knight is lost 1 0 . . .ti'c7
and the game ends in a draw. 1 1 . ©es ©e6 1 2.tLlfB+ ©d6 1 3. tLl g 6 ti'g7
White resigns.
G. Milos E. Bareev
-

World cup, 2000 B. Iversen - M. Moe

Copenhagen, 1 968

Black to move and win

White to move and win
Queen and King jointly push the king of the
weaker side to the edge of the board. Due to the 1 .ti'b7! l .'i!i f6? tll d5+ 1 ... ©f7 2 .ti'd7 ©f8
lack of manoeuvring space at one moment the 3 .©f61 tLlgB+ 4.©e6 tLl h 6 5.ti'h7 Black re­
knight will be trapped and captured. signs.
1 ... ©d41 2.tLlf6 ti'b8+ 2 . . .�a6+ is also good
3 .'i!ie7 'i!ie5 4.tll d7+ 'i!if5 3.©e6 ti°d8 4.tLid7
QUEEN VERSUS KNIGHT
ti'e8+ 5.©d6 ti'g6+ 6.©e7 If 6.©c7 �h6
AND A PAWN
7.tll b 6 �cl + 8.'i!ib7 ©c5 9.tll a4+ 'i!ib5 10.tll b 6 If the weaker side also has a pawn, the outcome
�c6+ with capture of the knight. 6 . . . ©dS of the game doesn't change, the queen tri­
7.tLJf6+ ©es 8.tLld7+ umphs. If the pawn is on next-to-last horizontal
and threatens to promote to queen there may
arise certain difficulties on the road to victory.

94
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVI C

In that case the first thing to do is to capture with check. 2 . . . © b 2 l . c!ll dl+ © b l 4.c!ll c5+
the pawn. ©c2 5.©d5 ©cl 6.©d6 ©c4 and black wins.

V. Cekhover, 1962 M. Krasenkov A. Volokitin

-

POL, 2008

Black to move and win

White to move and win
The winning plan lies in capture of the pawn
and in order to do that it is necessary to get to White's first goal is to capture the pawn. After
c6 with the king and drive the knight away. that idea has been real ized, the queen triumphs
1 . . . ©g6! l . . .iif6? is a blunder because of versus the knight. The winning method was ex­
2.tlid7+ and black would even lose. 2 .©c4 plained in the previous lesson.
©f7 l.©d4 ©e7 4.©d5 Wd6+ 5.©c4 ©d8 1 .©e4! c!ll h4 2.©el here computer gives
6.©b4 ©c7 7.©b5 Wb6+ 8 .©c4 ©c6 And preference to 2 .\Wfl ! and provides the variant
black wins. 2 . . . 'i!?g4 3 .iie3 iig3 4.\We l + iig4 5 .iif2 tt:lg6
6 .\We4+ i>g5 7.iig3 and the pawn is lost (Fritz).
V. Cekhover, 1962 2 . . . c!ll f5+ l.©e2 c!ll h6 If 3 . . . tt:ld4+ 4.iifl
tt:l f3 5.\Wg2+ 'i!?f4 6.'i!?f2 4.Wfl+ ©h4 5.©f2
c!ll g4+ 6.©g2 ©gs 7.©gl c!ll e 5 8.Wf4+ ©g6
9.©xh2 Black resigns.

V. Cekhover, 1962

Black to move and win

Even in this position black can get to c6 with

his king, however, much faster win is achieved
if the king gets to c4.
1 . . .Wb5! 2.©d4 if 2 .iid6 2 . . . iib4! is possible Black to move and win
and if white plays 3 .b8\W black plays 3 . . . \Wxb8+

95
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

If the weaker side has the pawn on bishop file, V. Cekhover, 1962
chances for a draw increase, however, even in
that case the side with queen triumphs.
1 .. :�cs 2.<be4 <bc2 3.c!De3+ <bc3 4.c!LJdS+
©d2 5.<beS ci>d3 6.ci>e6 ci>d4 And black
wins.

V. Anand - Wang Yue

Amber (rapid), 2009

Draw

An inaccessible position has arisen. Black king

is limited in his activity because he is forced to
prevent the promotion of e7 pawn.
What happens if the pawn on e7 is controlled
by the queen and white king tries to penetrate
into enemy camp? It is easy to see that this plan
White to move and win is difficult to execute.
For example, if the queen is on e6, and black
1 .©fS l .'1Wd6+ is also good l . . .©c4 2 .�d2 king steps on a7 or b6, there follows ltJd6 and if
ltJd5 3.@f5 e3 4.1We2+ ©d4 5.�d l + ©c5 6 .©e5 black plays �e7, white plays .!Dc8 with capture
(Fritz). 1 ... e3 2.<bf4 �e2+ if 2 ... e2 then of the queen. It is a positional draw.
3.1We3+ ©c4 4.©e5 ©b3 5.©d4 3.<bf3 �d4+
4. ©g2 �c2 if black plays 4 . . . e2 the follow­ V. Cekhover, 1962
ing variant is edifying 5.@f2 ©c4 6.�g3 ©d5
7.©e l ©e4 8 .©d2 ©d5 9.©d3 s.<i>f1 c!Dd4
6."�e8 �c2 7.Vg6+ Black resigns.

QUEEN AND PAWNS VERSUS

KNIGHT AND PAWNS
In this ending the side with queen triumphs in
most of the cases. Exceptions are rare and are
mostly employed in studies and less in practi­
cal games. Here are a few examples.

White to move and draw

1 .©c1 Va1 + 2.�b1 1 Exclusion of the queen

from play. 2 . . . ©c4 3.©c2 Va2 by sacrific­
ing the queen black can destroy the blockade
3 . . .\Wxb l +? 4.©xb l ©d3 5 .b4 axb3 6.a4 ©c4
7.©b2 ©b4 8 . a5 ©xa5 9.©xb3 ©b5 1 0 .©c3

96
 S LO BO DAN M I R KOVIC

@c6 l l .@d3 @d6 1 2 .e4 and white wins. 1 .Bf8+1 l .�d8 ? is wrong because of l . . .dl�+
4.�d2+ ci>bS S.<i>c1 Draw. 2 .�xd l lbxd l 3 . f5 lbb2 4 . f6 lbc4 and black
Because of pawns' proximity to the promo­ wins. If white plays 5 . f7 there follows 5 . . .lbe5+
tion square and permanent threat of promotion, and the pawn is lost. 1 . . . <i>xa4 2.Ba8+ ci>b4
the side with queen is, in some cases, forced 2 ... @xb5 ! is interesting 3 .�e8+ Wb4 4.�e7+
to fight for a draw. The idea is to draw by per­ @b3 5.�e6+ @c2 6.�g6+ @cl 7.�xb6 d l�+
petual check. 8 .@g3+ Grandmaster Ljubojevic estimates that
black's advantage is insufficient to play for a
A. Morozevich - P. Leko win and forces a draw by repetition of the
Wijk aan Zee, 2005 moves. 3.9f8+ <i>a4 4.Ba8+ ci>b4 5.Bf8+
Draw.

Ilyn, 1947

Black to move and draw

White pawn on e- file is about to promote.

Black draws by perpetual check. Black to move and win
1 ...Bd 1 + 2.<i>c6 Bf3+ Draw
Black King decides the outcome of the game.
J. Smejkal - Lj. Ljubojevic By queen's manoeuvre the knight is pushed
Milan, 1 9 75 away from e7 square and black king joins the
attack on white monarch.
1 . . .Bg41 2.<i>c7 Bd41 3.ci>c8 Bd6 And black
wms.

White to move

The pawn on d-file is about to promote. To fight

for a draw white needs to give checks.

97
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

Ilyn, 1947

Black to move and draw 7 ... @d6! Activation of the king. The goal is to
attack white pawns. 8.©g8 Wd5 9 . g 6 ©e7
A small change in queen's position enables Queen and black king harmonized their activi­
white to save a draw. ties. White pawns become easy prey for well
1 . . . We4 2.©d7 Wes 3.©d8 We6 4.©e8 mobilized enemy pieces. 1 0 .©h7 W d 8 White
Wd6 5.©f7 Wd7 6.©f8 Wd8+ 7.@f7 With resigns.
a draw. There follows an outstanding position in which
the side with knight triumphs.
L. Van Wely - N. Short
Wijk aan Zee, 1 997 Liburkin, 1939

Black to move and win White to move and win

1 ... Wa6+ 2 .©e7 Wb7+ 3 .©e6 h 6 4.f7 Wea+ 1 .c!li c4+! ©b5 2.©f4! 2 .rtlg4? would be wrong
5.©e7 hxg5 6.hxg5 Promotion of the pawn because of 2 . . . �c8+ and black would win or
doesn't help 6.f8� �xf8+ 7.©xf8 gxh4 and 2 .rtle4? f5+ 3 .rtlf4 c5 also won for black. 2 .. .f5
black wins. 6 . . .Wb7+ 7.©f8 if 7.rtle6 then 3.©g5! f4 4.f3 c S 5.dSI The position which
�c6+ 8 .rtle7 �d6+ 9.rtle8 �e6+ 1 0 .rtlf8 rtld6 arose here falls into science-fiction category!
l 1 .rtlg7 �e5+ 1 2 .rtlh7 �f5+ with capture of Black is in Zugzwang because the queen has no
white pawns. safe squares to go to. Black king is in stalemate.
3 . . .Wc8 6.c!Li d6+ And the queen is captured.

98
 S LO BODAN M I RKOVIC

QUEEN VERSUS BISHOP G. Rinck, 1923

In endings in which queen fights bishop the

outcome is clear. The side with queen always
triumphs. Win is achieved by pushing the en­
emy king to the edge of the board where a mat­
ing position is created. Bishop cannot defend
its own king.

V Cekhover, 1962

Black to move and win

Strategy of the stronger side l ies in play along

squares of the colour opposite to the colour of
opponent's bishop's movement. Bishop cannot
help with the defence of the king because it
moves along empty diagonals on which there
are no pieces of the stronger side.
l . Black king comes to h6 and jointly with the
White to move and win queen pushes the enemy king to the edge of
the board.
Typical winning plan:
- This pushing is carried out by manoeu­
l. Queen and king of the stronger side push vres of the queen and king via black
black king to the edge of the board. squares
- This pushing is carried out by manoeu­ Bishop cannot help with the defence be­
vres of the queen and king via black cause it moves along white squares on
squares. which there are no enemy pieces.
- Bishop cannot help with the defence 2. Creation of a mating net
because it plays along white diagonals
which black pieces bypass in their ma­ 1 . . . ©f41 2 ..ib1 ©gs 3 ..ic2 ©h6 4 ..id3
noeuvres. lYg7+ 5.©e6 more resilient than 5.We8 Wg5
2. Creation of a mating net 6.Wd8 Wf6 7.©c8 ©e5 8 .©b8 Wd6 9.i.e4
�f8+ l 0.Wb7 �f7+ l l .Wa6 �c4+ 1 2 .Wa7 ©c7
1 .lYbSI ©d6 2.©d4 .ie6 3.lYb6+ ©e7 1 3 .h8� �a4# 5 . . . ©gS 6.©dS if white king
4.©es .if7 5.lYd6+ ©es 6.©f6 J.a2 7.lYe7 retreats to queen's side the strategy remains
Mate. the same. A possible variant is 6.i.c2 �f6+
The defence is not strengthened even if the 7.©d7 ©f4 8 . i.b l ©es 9.i.c2 ©d5 10.i.b3+
weaker side has a pawn. Even in positions with ©c5 l l .i.c2 �f7+ l 2 .©c8 Wb6 1 3 .Wd8 ©c6
the pawn on next-to-last rank, if the promo­ 14.i.e4+ Wd6 with mating. 6 ... lYf6 7.©e4
tion square is inaccessible to the bishop and lYe6+ 8.©d4 tfe8 9 .ic2
.

the queen controls it, the position is won for the

stronger side. In such cases the road to victory
is longer.

99
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

M. Illescas Cordoba J. Polgar

-

Las Palmas, 1 994

9 . . . i>f4! Pushing white king back contin­

ues. 1 0 ..ig6 '%Ye5+ 1 1 .i>dJ '%Yd5+ 1 2 .i>cJ
Black to move and win
'%Yd8 1 3 . .ib 1 @eJ 1 4 ..ifS '%Yd4+ 1 5.©c2
'%Yf6 1 6.@bJ ©d4 capture of the bishop af­ During realization of material advantage the
ter 16 ... �xf5? 1 7.h8� leads to a draw. 1 7.©b2 queen and king use white squares in their ma­
'%Yb6+ 1 8 .©c2 '%Yc7+ 1 9.©b2 '%Yc3+ 20.i>a2 noeuvres. King of the weaker side is pushed to
©e3 21 ..ig6 or 2 1 .@b l @d2 22.@a2 @cl the edge of the board where mating is carried
23 .ig6 �b2# 2 1 . . . @d2 22.©b1
. out.
1 . . . '%Yd3 ! 2 .i>e6 it turned out that 2.f5 is not
good because of 2 . . . �d8+ 3 .@e6 �xg5 and
white loses the pawn. 2 . . . i>g6 3 ..ieS '%Yf5+
3.,.�c4+ is also good 4.i>dS 'it>f7 5.©d4 ©e6
6.i>e3 i>dS 7.©f3 or 7.@d2 @e4 7 ... '%Yh3+
white resigns. If 8 .@e2 a possible variant is
8 . . . @e4 9.@d2 �d3+ 10.@cl �e2 1 1 .@bl @d3
1 2 . h7 �el+ 1 3 .<;!/a2 @c2 14.i.b2 �e6+ 1 5 .@al
�a6+ 1 6.i.a3 �xa3#
In positions where the weaker side has a pawn
on b or g files the winning principle is the same.

22 . . .'%Yb3+ creation of a mating net. 23.i>a1

©c1 24.h8'%Y '%Ya3#.

100
 SLOBODAN M I R KOVI C

V. Cekhover, 1963 S. Dvoirys - P. Svidler

RUS (ch), 1997

White to move and win

Black to move and win
Queen and king of the stronger side manoeu­
vring via white squares push the enemy king to Black king is stalemated and cannot join the
the edge of the board and create a mating net. attack. The winning lies in creation of a Zugz­
1.9c2+ �e3 2.�c4 .ig7 if 2 ... @f4 then wang position. Black queen pushes white king
3.\!f/d3 3.9d3+ �f2 4.�d5 it is also possible to the corner of the board and after it is stale­
to play 4.@b3 .ih8 5 . @c2 @g2 6.'1Wh7! and the mated there arises a situation in which Bishop's
bishop is lost. 4....ih8 5.cbe4 .ig7 6.9e3+ move leads to material losses.
@g2 7.9f3+ �g1 8.9g3+ �f1 1...9b1+1 2.cbc4 it is possible to play 2 . @a3
�c2 3.c4 �c3+ 4.@a4 '1Wb2 5.c5 \We2! 6.@b3
'1Wd3+ 7.@b2 �b5 8.@c3 a5 and black wins (P.
Svidler). 2...9c2 3.�d4 9e2 4.c4 if 4.@c5
then 4 ... \!f/d3 5.c4 �a3 and we arrive at the
same position as in the game. 4...9b2+ 5.�c5
9a31 Threatening a5. 6.cbb6 9xb4+ 7.cbxa6
9c5 8.cbb7 9d6 9.�c8 9e7 White resigns.
It could be continued with l0.@b8 �d7 l l .@a8
\Wc7 and because of a Zugzwang white loses
material.
Positions in which the side with bishop wins
are very rare and usually emerge as final posi­
tions of the outcome.

9.cbf31 Creates a mating net. 9 ...b1910.9f2#.

10 1
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

A. Shirov - G. Kasparov In position on the diagram Kasparov finds a

Tilburg, 1 997 brilliant solution!
1 . . .©f6 ! Combination with a rook sacrifice.
2.\Wxd6+ Wg7 White resigns, 3. �c5 is fol­
lowed by 3 .. �h2. Original position!
.

Black to move and win

102
 PART TWO

WONDERFUL WORLD OF COMBINATIONS

 WONDERFUL WORLD OF COMBINATIONS

his part of the book represents a continuation of presentation of a new classification of com­
Tbinations the basis of which is Botvinnik's definition of a combination. The aim is to present
a new method of systematization of combinations according to the piece(s) sacrificed and accom­
plished objective, which can greatly facilitate chess players' preparation for this segment of chess
game.
In the first book, "Chess school", which was published in 2005 (the first official book of European
Youth Chess Championship in the history of the competition), there was an introduction to the new
theory and we presented the first set of combinations in which a piece is sacrificed in a pure form­
queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn.
The second book, "Chess school 2", which came out in 2006 (official book of European Youth
Chess Championship), provides examples in which a piece is sacrificed along with one or more
pawns, for example: knight and a pawn, bishop and a pawn, rook and a pawn and queen and a
pawn.
The third book "Chess school 3" saw the light at the European Youth Chess Championship in
Herceg Novi in 2008 (official book of the championship) and it deals with more complex groups
of combinations. Here we have combinations in which several pieces are sacrificed: two knights,
bishop and knight, two rooks, rook and knight, rook and bishop, queen and knight, queen and
bishop.
The fourth book "Chess school 4", was promoted at the European Youth Chess Championship in
Alhena (Bulgaria) in 2011 and was the official book of this European youth championship.
In this book we presented the fourth set of systematization of material which included the cases
where pieces and pawns are sacrificed. Six groups of combinations are dealt with.
"Chess school 5'', the latest book in the series deals with eight group of combinations:
l . Combinations with rook, bishop and knight sacrifice (gG)
2. Combinations with double rook sacrifice (gI)
3. Combination with queen and rook sacrifice (ftG)
4. Combination with queen, rook and pawn(s) sacrifice (ftH)
5. Combinations with queen and double knight sacrifice (ftI)
6. Combinations with the sacrifice of:
a) queen, rook and knight (ftK)
b) queen, rook and bishop (ftK)
7. Combinations with queen, rook, knight and pawn(s) sacrifice (ftL)
8. Combinations with queen and double rook sacrifice (ftM)

The material and given examples are more difficult than in the previous books so we recommend
that students and all others interested in their own improvement first master the material presented
in the previous books and only then start studying this chapter of the book.

105
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

For easier improvement we recommend compiling a thematic file (database), e.g. a database with
combinations in which a pawn, queen, queen and rook etc. are sacrificed. This method facilitates
chess players' preparation and enables better understanding and defining of new principles.
Grandmasters Nikola Sedlak, Bojan Vuckovic, Milos Perunovic and Andjelija Stojanovic have
achieved best practical results utilizing the suggested system of preparation.
Traditional approach in which combinations are divided into groups according to themes, for ex­
ample deflection, decoy etc., has been discarded due to overlapping of elements and lack of pos­
sibilities to make a clear distinction between different categories of combinations during system­
atization of the material.
The said division of combinations according to the objective was the official classification of
"Chess Informant" for about 10 years.
Classification of combinations saw the light as early as 1 996 in "Anthology of chess combinations"
published by "Chess Informant" from Belgrade. It is a book that gained great popularity around
the world and of which there were several editions. The book had been prepared for years. An in­
teresting detail is that this book has been the most commercial edition of "Chess Informant" so far.
Work on the book coincided with Mikhail Botvinik's visit to "Chess Informant" and Belgrade.
Botvinnik was aware that his definition of combination served as the basis for the new theory and
systematization of the material. Above all, I wanted to meet him and talk to him about this new
theory. The meeting had been arranged, but, unfortunately, it fell through, although Mikhail Moi­
seyevich was very pleased that his definition served as the starting point for the new theory.
As the author of systematization of the material in the said book, I was disappointed - about 35
percent of the examples in the book were incorrectly coded. These were trivial mistakes; it seems
that the idea was not well understood. For about ten years in various issues of "Chess informant"
the classification mistakes were repeated.
What were these classification mistakes?
After two years of use of classification in "Chess informant", at a meeting of the editorial board it
was decided that my basic idea should be changed and used in a different form.

Ihe introductory move of a combination always had to be a sacrifice!

This is a wrong approach because in that way we eliminate a large number of combinations which
start with a forced manoeuvre and in which only later does a sacrifice appear. This disrupts the
entirety of a combination and its basic idea. So the forced manoeuvre at the beginning of a combi­
nation is discarded which is not in line with Botvinik's definition.
Nobody in "Chess informant" did anything in regard to my warnings and remarks related to the
way of coding. The epilogue was that I finally banned the use of a new system of classification of
combinations in "Chess Informant".

106
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVI C

DEFINITION OF A COMBINATION

n the former USSR mid-20th century, there In this case the moves were forced for both
Iwas a lot of dispute among chess theorists re­ sides. Of course, it is a combination too, be­
garding definition of a combination. Opinions cause it stems from Romanovsky's definition.
differed. P. Romanovsky in his capital book
"Middlegame" defined a combination in the J. R. Capablanca - F. Yates
following way: New York, 1 924
"A combination is a variant (or group of vari­
ants) in which both sides playforced moves and
which ends in an objective advantage for the
active side".
A detailed commentary and analysis of this
definition were at one time provided by former
world champion Mikhail Botvinnik.
This formulation of Romanovsky's covers a
large number of combinations, for example:

C. Cozio, 1766

White to move

1.tllc 31 gcs 2.tlle4 gbs 3.tlle d6 3_ga 1 was

a possibility and white would have captured the
pawn on a5. 3...gcs 4.tllb7 gc7 5.tllb xaS
and white has captured the pawn.
The variant was forced for both sides and end­
ed in decisive advantage for white. According
to Romanovsky's definition it is a combination,
too, but of course there is no combination here
since black carried out a manoeuvre. Another,
White to move and win even more convincing example, is a study by
Czech grandmaster Richard Reti.
After 1.b61 cxb6 if 1 ...axb6 then 2 .c6 bxc6
3.a6 with promotion of the pawn. 2.a6 bxa6
3.c6 black king is out of the quadrant and can­
not stop the pawn. White promotes to queen
and achieves decisive advantage.

107
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

R. Reti, 1922 there being any sacrifice in the game. One can
correctly conclude that it is a terminological
mistake.
One doesn't perform combinations in chess
only to move the pieces or because of "elegance
of the game", but in order to achieve some ob­
jective. Even before a combination is carried
out the player sees that objective and only af­
ter he has accomplished it can we see the true
meaning of his play.
Let us, for a moment, remember Botvinnik's
definition of a combination: "A chess combi­
nation is a forced manoeuvre or manoeuvres
White to move and draw combined with a sacrifice as a result of which
the active side gains an objective advantage".
1 .©g7! h4 2.<;f:?f6 h3 3.<;f:?e7 h2 4.c7 <;f:?b7 In this definition two things are important, sac­
5.©d7 h 1 � 6.c8�+ With a draw. rifice and objective. The objective directs the
There is no combination here; actually it's a course of a combination from the beginning
very effective manoeuvre so that Romanovsky's to the end; it affects each individual move and
definition does not uncover the essence of the presents itself as a decisive factor in a combi­
matter. The answer to the question what makes nation.
the difference between a combination and the The objective of a combination just as objec­
manoeuvre is - a sacrifice! tive of any action is unique and undivided; it
A sacrifice 1 s characteristic for a combination. is a factor which puts all parts of an action into
From the very first moves a chess player learns one. Just because of that, we start the analysis
that in strength a pawn is equal to a pawn, a of Botvinnik's definition from the objective.
bishop is worth approximately 3 pawns, a rook Division of the objectives of a combination is
is stronger than a knight etc... In a combination, based on whether the accomplishment of the
this ratio is drastically disturbed. The strength objective at the same time decides the outcome
of the pieces changes to a certain degree be­ of the game or it represents a condition for
cause of the presence of a sacrifice. And, as some further action, namely represents just a
a result of a combination again, when things link in a chain of actions. Accordmgly, there
settle down, the values of pieces return to their are two kinds of actions:
original status and a pawn is again equal to a a) actions which decide the outcome of the
pawn, etc. game, namely lead to a mate or a draw
There are two types of manoeuvres:
b) actions which do not represent a final so­
a) positional manoeuvre, when opponent's lution, but only meet the requirements for
moves are not forced further operations.
b) forced manoeuvre, e.g. Reti's study.
Division of the objectives of a combination is
So how does a combination then differ from a based on whether the accomplishment of the
forced manoeuvre? objective at the same time decides the outcome
A forced manoeuvre is manoeuvre without a of the game or it represents a condition for
sacrifice; its characteristics are obvious as the some further action, namely represents just a
pieces (or groups of pieces) are repositioned. link in a chain of actions. Accordingly, there
Often in commentaries of games one can see are two kinds of actions:
the phrase "a beautiful combination", without

108
 SLOBODAN M I R KOVI C

a) actions which decide the outcome of the Objectives under I and II represent, a t the same
game, namely lead to a mate or a draw time, the final outcome of the game. These
b) actions which do not represent a final so­ combinations are final and uncompromising,
lution, but only meet the requirements for so essentially they are more reliable than oth­
further operations. ers. For their realization it is necessary to fulfil
a number of conditions which is much more
From all this there follows a division of objec­ difficult than fulfilling conditions for material
tives into four groups: or positional combinations of groups III and
mating combinations; IV.
As one can see from the above, the objective
II combinations for achieving a draw
represents just a part of a complex mechanism
III combinations for achieving material advan­ of a combination and shows it just from one
tage and side. The other part, as has already been said,
IV combinations for achieving some positional is the sacrifice. The objective and the sacrifice,
characteristic. although broken down in a way, together make
the whole of the mechanism of a combination.

109
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

AN OUTLINE OF THE THEORY OF COMBINATIONS

n this part of the book we present a new the­ Elements of tactics can be divided into sixteen
Iory of combinations. The basis for it is Bot­ groups:
vinnik's definition: "A chess combination is a
forced manoeuvre or manoeuvres combined I. Double attack
with a sacrifice as a result of which the active
2. Discovered attack
side gains an objective advantage". Each com­
bination consists of a sacrifice and an objec­ 3. Pinning
tive. 4. Deflection
5. Decoy
As for sacrifice, division can be made into five 6. Interception
groups:
7. Annihilation of defence
I. combinations involving pawn sacrifice
8. Clearance
2. combinations involving knight sacrifice
9. Blockade
3. combinations involving bishop sacrifice
10. X-ray attack
4. combinations involving rook sacrifice
1 1 . Overloading
5. combinations involving queen sacrifice
1 2 . Intermediate move
1 3 . Pawn breakthrough
There are four kinds of objectives: 14. Passed pawn
I mating 15. Demolition of pawn structure
II achieving a draw 16. Perpetual pursuit
III winning material
IV all others Elements more closely explain the contents of
a combination. For many years the elements
Elements of tactics more closely explain the have been wrongly used as a classification.
contents of a combination, they fall under the This approach has led to confusion and seemed
general theory of combinations and cannot be confusing. For example, in his book Igor Bond­
used as a classification. arevski says:

"Chess is so complex that in practice one can

always see such combinations in which various
tactical ideas overlap forming a whole. Some­
times in this set of ideas it is difficult to give

111
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

preference to one idea and take it as the main

one. But it should also be noted that it is not al­ R. Vaganian A. Planinec
-

ways possible to set a clear distinction between Hastings, 1 974

two different ideas".

Black to move and win

White to move and win 1 . . ..if5! 2.tvxa8 %Yd6+ 3.@c1 � a 1 ! 4.%Yxb7

%Yc7+! White resigns.
1 J:ixh7+! @xh7 2.%Yh 5 Mate. In the game Vaganian - Planinec blockade and
Here, black castling position is destroyed but deflection overlap.
there is also the motif of decoying king to h7. The said examples in a convincing way reveal
One can say that at minimal destruction of the weaknesses of classification by themes.
king's position this idea overlaps with the idea The main disadvantage of this method lies in
of decoying. overlapping of themes because, as shown in the
examples, there are a number of cases that can
be double, even sometimes triple coded. This
approach leads to confusion and misunder­
standing, without contributing to the advance
of the theory of combinations.
The development of chess science and art dic­
tates changes. It is the right moment for these
changes to happen, and it is the right moment
for the systematization by themes to be sent to
oblivion in order to make way for a different
method of classification of combinations.
The new classification removes ambiguities
and inaccuracies which may arise during sys­
tematization of the material.

1 12
 S LO BO DA N M I R KOVIC

CLASSIFICATION OF DEFINITION OF A COMBINATION

COMBINATIONS
"A chess combination is a forced manoeuvre
8 8A 1,2,3118 or manoeuvres combined with a sacrifice as
a result of which the active side gains an ob-
.!Li c!LJA .!Li jective advantage".
c!LJB .!Li+1,2,3 II8 (Botvinnik)
.!Li e c!Lic!Li
.!Li o c!Lic!Li + 1 ,2,3 II8 This definition in systematization removes any
c!LJE II .!Li inaccuracies in classification which is conditio
sine qua non. In the example:
.i .iA .i
.iB .i + 1,2,3118 8A (code) 1, 2, 3 II8 (sacrifice) the word is
.iC .ic!Li about combinations in which only pawns are
.iO il sacrificed .
.iE .ic!Li + 1,2 ,3 II8
.iF il + 1,2,3 II8 Here are a few more examples:
.iG II i.
c!LJA (code) .!Li (sacrifice), combinations with
g gA g sacrifice of just one knight.
ge g + 1,2,3 II8
gc gc!LJ .iC (code) .ic!Li (sacrifice), combinations with
go u sacrifice of just one bishop and one knight.
ge g c!LJ + 1,2,3118
gF U + 1,2,3118 g G (code) Uc!Li (sacrifice), combinations with
gG gc!LJ.!LJ I U c!Li I RU sacrifice of just one rook, one bishop and one
gH gc!LJ.!LJ I U c!Li I RU + 1,2,3 I8
I knight.
m II g
This classification is not based on the charac-
V!J V!JA V!J ter of the position or some of the motifs which
V!JB V!l + 1,2,3118 found their place in chess theory. The purpose
V!JC V!Jc!Li of a combination can be:
V!JO V!J.i I Combinations with mating attack
V!JE V!Jc!Li + 1,2,3 II8
II Combinations for achieving a draw
V!JF V!J.i + 1,2,3 II8
V!JG V!Jg
III Combinations for achieving material ad-
V!JH V!Jg + 1,2,3118 vantage
V!JI V!Jc!Lic!Li I V!J.ic!Li I V!Jil IV Other combinations
V!JJ V!Jc!Lic!Li I V!J.ic!Li I V!Jil + 1,2,3 II8
V!JK V!Jg.!LJ I V!JU
V!JL V!Jg.!LJ I V!JU + 1,2,3118
V!JM II V!JA

1 13
 COMBINATIONS WITH SACRIFICE

OF ONE ROOK, ONE BISHOP AND ONE NIGHT

�+ +CLJ
 SLOBODAN M I R KOVIC

I Mating combinations Serzanov - Nikitin

URS, 1 978
B. Damljanovic M. Suba
-

Renedo, 2004

Black to move and win

White to move and win Through a sacrifice of knight, rook and bishop
white pieces are forced to move to inferior po­
White carried out an attack on the king which sitions. The consequence of this is the weak­
is in the castling zone. This idea is realized in ening of white king's position. Epilogue is
two phases: a mating net white king falls into. 1 ... tL!f2+!
l. Through a sacrifice of a rook, a night and 2 ..ixf2 If 2 .gxf2 there follows 2 . . . \Wxe4+
a bishop, black king's defence is weakened. 3_gg2 \Wxg2# 2 . . . gd 1 + 3 . .ig 1 If 3 .ll:ie 1
then \Wxe 1 + 4 . be 1 gxe 1 + 5J�f1 gxf1 #
2. Creation of a mating net around black king.
3 . . . gxg 1 +! 4.@xg 1 .id4+1 4 . . . \Wd 1 + 5.@f2
1 Jlxd7! §'xd7 2 . tLl d 5 @h8 the knight is un­ Wd2+ 6 . @f3 i.g2+ 7 . @g4 \We2+ 8 . i.f3
touchable, if 2 . .. exd5 there follows 3.bd7 We6+ 9 . @h4 i.f6+ 1 0 . gxf6 Wxf6+ 1 1 .Wg4
and black is left without the queen. 3J�if31 h5# 5.tL!xd4 5 . W h 1 leads to mating Wd 1 +
White decided to play effectively. To the victo­ 5 . . .§'e 1 + White resigns.
ry also led 3JU7 §'xf7 4 .\Wxf7 exd5 5 . \Wh5+
@g8 6 . exd5 3 . . . .id4 If 3 . . . ma then 4.be6 V. Tsarev - V. Malaniuk
\Wxe6 5. gxf8+ and black can resign. 4 . .if5! URS, 1 989
Unexpected strike which clears the square h3
for the rook. 4 ... exf5 5.tL!f6 1 The threat is
\Wh7 checkmate. Black's reply is forced. 5 . . .
gxf6 6.gh3+ Black resigns.

White to move and win

1 15
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

1 .hh6! .ixh6 if black doesn't accept this Kraicer - Dyment

bishop sacrifice and plays 1 ...@g8 there fol­ corr. 1 952
lows 2..bg7 li:Jxg7 3.l'!.xg7+ ! \Wxg7 4.li:Jf6+
Wf8 5.li:Jxd7+ \Wxd7 6.\Wg8+ @e7 7.\Wg7+
and white wins. 2J'�g8+ @h7 3.ll)f6+! knight
sacrifice aimed at deflecting black queen
away from the defence of g8 square. 3 . . . 'ffxf6
4.gh8+! ©xh8 If 4. . .\Wxh8 then 5.\Wg6#
5.'ffg 8#

Balk - Barnes
New Zealand, 1 926

White to move and win

1 .ll)gS! fxg5 2 .hh7+! ©xh7 If 2...©f7

then 3.\Wh5+ g6 4.Wxg6# 3. hxg5+ ©g8
Even king's leaving the castling wouldn't help,
if3 . ..@g6 a forced mate follows: 4.\Wh5+ @f5
5.l'!.h4 li:Jxe5 6.l'!.f4# 4.gh8+! Black resigns.
4... @xh8 5.\Wh5+ Wg8 6.g6 li:Jf6 7.exf6 l'!.xf6
8.Wh7+ ©ta 9.\Wh8#

Black to move and win G. Kallai C. Radulescu

-

HUN, 1 980
Typical situation! White king got stuck in the
middle of the board. Effective finale follows.
1 . . ll)xc3! 2. bxc3 If 2.Wc2 there follows the
.

same as in the game 2...l'!.xe3+ ! 3.fxe3 .ig 3 + !

4.hxg3 Wxg3# 2 . . . gxe3+! 3.fxe3 .tg3+!
4.hxg3 'ffx g3#

White to move and win

1 .ll)xf7 ! ©xf7 2 .hf6 Wxc7 if 2...gxf6 there

follows a forced mate 3.\Wh5+ @98 4.\Wg6+
©ta 5.Wxh6+ @g8 6.Wh7+ @f8 7..ig6 Wxc7
8.\Wf7#; even 2... @xf6 doesn't help because of
3.\Wf3+ @g5 4.\Wg 3+ @h5 5..ig6# 3.Wh5+
Wf8 if 3 ... @xf6 4.\Wg6# 4.hg7+! ©xg7 or
4...@ga 5.Wg6 5.Wlg6+ ©ta 6.Wixh6+ ©f7

1 16
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVIC

If black king retreats to g8 there follows a mate 1 . llih S! gxhS computer found a better solu­
in the castling zone 6 . . . @ga 7..ih7+ @fl [or tion, after 1 .. .f5 ! 2.E?.xe5 ! l2lxe5 3 . l2lt6+ @ha
7 . . . @ha a . .ig6+ @ga 9 . Wih7+ @f8 10.Wifl#] 4.l"l:e 1 l2lc6 5.E?.e3 d4 6 . ltJxea E?.xea 7.cxd4
8 .Wig6+ @ta 9 . Wiga# 7 .ig6+ 'it>f6 8 . .ihS+
. Wid7 a. .it6+ ®ga 9.h3± (Fritz), battle would
@ts 9.Wig6+ 'it>t4 1 0 .Wg4# go on. 2.gxe S ! l2lxe5 if 2 . ..Wixe5 then 3 . .it6
decides 3 .ixh7+! 'it>xh7 if 3 ... ®g7 there
.

Hamilton Haygarth
-
follows 4 . .it6+ Itta 5 .Wig5 and black cannot
ENG, 1956 prevent mating. 4.Wxh5+ 'it> g8 5 .it6 llig4
.

6.Wih8#

III Combinations for achieving material

advantage

E. Vasiukov Y. Rantanen
-

Belgrade, 1 988

Black to move and win

1 . . .llixg4! 2.tx g4 2.E?.h1 l2lh2 [2...Wxc4

was also winning] 3J:1.xh2 E?.xh2+ 4.'it>xh2
E?.ha+ 5 .�g2 .ih3+ 6.�h1 . .it1 +-+ (Fritz).
2 . . .hg4! 3 Wx g4 If 3.Wt1 there follows
.

3 . . . .ih 3+ and black captures the queen while

in case of 3 . Wd 3 E?.h2+ ! 4.'it>xh2 Wt2+ 5.�h1 White to move and win
l"l:ha+ ends with mating. 3 . . . gh2+! 4.'it>xh2
�t2+ White resigns. 1 .llixf7! 1 .gxc5 ! ? 1 . ,gxf7 it would be
.

wrong to play 1 ... l2lxa4? because of 2.Wig6 !

Karpacev - Lyrberg l'!xfl 3.l2lxh6+ @ha 4.l2lxf7+ @ga 5 . l2lg5
Gausdal, 1 993 with mating. 2 .gxcS ! hes if 2 ...Wixc5 then
3 ..ib3 ttJda 4.Wig6 and black cannot defend
3.Wig6 'it>t8 an interesting attempt to defend
is 3 . . . E?.xt5 4.ext5 ma 5 . .ixh6 Wic7 6 . .ib3+
@ha 7 . .ig 5 and white wins (E. Vasiukov).

White to move

1 17
C H ESS S C H O O L 5

1 . h 5 ! hxg5 2.gxf6 ! l'!xf6 3.l'!xf6 '119xf6

4 .ixg5 '119d 6 if 4...'119f8 then 5..ih6+!, In case
.

of 4...'�c6 then 5.Wxe5+ <ii>h7 6.We7+ lllf7

7.Wxf7+ <ii> h 8 8.h6 and black cannot defend
from Wg7 mate. 5 . .ie7! Black resigns, 5...
Wf6 6.h6+ <ii> h 7 7.Lf6

I. Bondarevsky V. Zagorovsky
-

URS, 1 943

4 . .ixh6! gee7 i f black accepts bishop sacri­

fice computer then announces a forced mate.
4 ... gxh6 5.�xh6+ 'iig 8 6 . .ib3 .if8 7.�g6+
iih8 8.tlld6! '!J,g7 9.�h6+ l:l:h7 10.li:lf7+ 'iig 8
l 1 .tllg 5+ 'fl,f7 12 . .ixf7# (Fritz). 5.'119 h 7 <it>e8 or
5... 'il,xf5 6.�h8+ iif7 7. .ib3+ and black can­
not defend. 6.'119g 8+ <it>d7 6 . . . '!J,f8 doesn't help
either 7.lllxg7+ l'!xg7 8.�xg7 and white wins.
7.l:iJxe7 ©xe7 lf7 ... l'!xe7 then 8 . .ig5 ! 8 .i.g 5+ White to move and win
Black resigns.
1 . lll xh6+! 1 .lllf 6+? is wrong because of
A. Minasian Duguesnoi
-
1 ... <ii> h 8! 1 . . . gxh6 2 .'119x h6 �g6 In case of
Val Thorens, 1 992 2 ..lllx d3+ then the activation of white rook
.

from h l decides 3.'tl,xd3 hh4 4.'tl,g 3+! This

exchange sacrifice is motivated by the open­
ing of h-file. 4.. . hg3 5.hxg3 with mating . If
2... f5 then 3.Wxf4 and white win s . 3 . .ixg6
fxg 6 4.Wxg6+ ©ha 5.Wh6+ 'itigB s.gd3
hh4 7.Wg6+ or n:o:g3+ hg3 8.Wg6+ 'tti h 8
9.hxg3+ with mating . 7 ... 'tti h 8 8.l'!g 3 ! Black
resigns. 8... .ig5+ 9.8:xg5 WxgS+ 1 0.WxgS
gf7 11.8:d1 .id7 12.8:d4

White to move and win

1 18
COMBINATIONS WITH DOUBLE ROOK
SACRIFICE

+
CH ESS SC HOOL 5

I Mating combinations 5.Wh4+ @es 6.Wixd4+ Black resigns, 6 ...

@fS is followed by 7.g4#
A. Khalifman - G. Serper
St. Petersburg, 1 994 E. Geller - H. Liebert
Kapfenberg, 1970

White to move and win

White to move and win
By double rook sacrifice white destroys the
pawns protecting the opponent's king. 1 .g4f5 ! gxf5 if black doesn't accept rook
1 .l'�xb7+! Interesting move is 1 .E!:xc7!? after sacrifice and plays 1 .. ..ib7 then 2.E!:xhS+!
1 ... @xc7 2.Wixa7 E!:b8 3.d6+ E!:xd6 4.E!:xb7+! gxhS 3.Wid2 follows and white wins. 2.gh6+!
:gxb7 S.Wixb7+ 'ttixb7 6.ll'ixd6+ @c6 7.ll'ixe8 @xh6 3.Wih8+ @g6 4.exf5+ Black resigns, if
in knights' ending white is two pawns up. 4... 'ttixfS then S.WixhS+ @f6 6.WgS#
(Fritz). 1 . . . @xb7 2 . gxc7+! @xc7 forced, if
2...@b8 then 3.Wixa7# 3.Wfxa7+ @cs 4.d6 S. Mirkovic - Jeremie
Black resigns. Vrnjacka Banja, 1 976

W. Steinitz - M. Chigorin
Havana (m/4), 1 892

White to move and win

The threat :agl mate forces white to pursue

White to move and win more energetic play.
1 .ges+! @f6 capture of the rook would lead
U�xd4! tlJxd4 After 1 ...E!:e7 2.E!:dh4 :gef7 to a forced mate, a possible variant is 1 ... @xeS
3.g3 black's position is difficult to defend. 2.eBWf+ @ds [2...@fs 3.E!:f7+ @gs 4.Wes+
2.gxh7+! @xh7 3.Wih 1 + @g7 4 . .ih6+ @f6 @g6 s.Wf6#] 3.:gd7+ @cs 4.Wc8+ @b4

120
 S LO B O DAN M I RKOVIC

5.E:b7+ 'it>a4 6.Wc4+ 'it>as 7.Wb4# 2.:!:'!b6+

Wg7 if2 . . . Wxe5 then 3.e8W+ 3.:!:'!g6+! 'it>xg6
3...'it>h7 is interesting and now the way to win
is 4.E:xh5+! 'it>xg6 5.e8W+ 'it>f6 6.We5+
©f7 7.E:f5+ 'it>g8 8.We6+ 'it>h8 9.E:f8+ ©g7
10.:1!.f?+ 'it>h8 11.We8# 4.e8YN+ 'it>g7 5.:!:'!g5+
Wf6 6.We5+ ©f7 7.:!:'!g7+ Black resigns.

J. R. Capablanca H. Ste iner

-

Los Angeles 1 933

8.:!:'!xc6+! '1Wxc6 9.Wb4#

A. Alekhine - G. Levenfish
St. Petersburg, 19 12

White to move and win

Capablanca carried out a combination made up

of three parts.
1. Getting black king out of the castling
zone. - realized by rook sacrifice on f6
square.
White to move and win
2. Pursuit of black king - achieved with
queen and rook.
1 . tlJ b S ! YNxa 1 + If 1...axb5 then 2..ixbS+
3. Creation of a mating net-realised by rook 'it>d8 3.:1!.d1+ .id? 4.0-0 and white has a won
sacrifice on c6 square. position 2 .©f2 ti'xh 1 3 . tlJ c7+ i>d8 4.YNd2+
1 .:!:'!xf6 ! i>xf6 2 . :!:'!f1 + tlJfS 3 . tlJ xfS exf5 .id7 5.exd7 Black resigns, if 5... e5 then
4.:!:'!xf5+ 'it>e7 5.YNf7+ 'it>d6 6.:!:'!f6+ i>cs If 6.tiJe6+ 'it>e7 7.d8W+ :1!.xd8 8.'1Wxd8+ 'it>f7
6...Wxf6 then 7.'1Wxf6+ 'it>d7 8.Wf5+ and white 9.tiJxf8+ @g7 10.We?#
wins 7.YNxb7 there is a pause from checks
which black cannot use for salvation. There is a
threat of mate on both b4 and c6 squares, there
is no defence. 7 . . . YNb6

12 1
C H ESS SC HOOL 5

R. Reti M. Euwe
- Black resigns, if 2...rtixh7 then 3.Wf7+ rtih8
Amsterdam (m/2), 1 920 4.Wg7#

L. Vizantiadis - B. Spassky
Siegen (ol), 1 970

White to move and win

1 .lll x d5! 1.E!.xb2? would be wrong because

of �c3 2.Wxc3 lllxc3 and black is better. Black to move and win
1 . . .Wfxb 1 + 2 .@f2 Wfxh 1 3 . .ixe7 d6 A seri­
ous attempt of defence is 3...Wa 1 Idea is to 1 ... g8xf3 ! White resigns. Spassky's idea can
get queen back to defend her own king; after be seen in the variant 2.gxf3 E!.xh2+ 3.rtixh2
4..id6 .id4+ 5.cii g3 lllc6 6.Wf4 .ic3 7.lllgS Wh4+ 4.rtlg2 .ih3+ 5.<iih2 .if1#
We1+ 8. <iih3 black is defenceless. 4 . .ixd6
lll c6 5 . .ib5! i.d7 6 . .ixc6 bxc6 7.Wfe2+ G. Pfeiffer - M. Blau
Black resigns, mate cannot be avoided. 7...rtif7 SVI-GER Luzen, 1 952
8.l/Jg5+ cii g8 9.llle7+ rtlta 10.lllxg6+ rtlg8
11.Wc4+ .ie6 12.Wxe6#

A. Brinckman - R. Keller
GER (ch), 1 93 9

White to move and win

1 .gxg6+! fxg6 Alternatives are 1... .ig7

and 1 ... rtif8 and both lead to mating 1 .. .ig7
.

2.E!.xg7+! rtif8 3..icS+ rtlxg7 4.Wh7+ rtif6

White t o move and win 5.E!.h6#, 1...rtif8 2.E!.h8+! �h8 3..icS+
E!.e7 4.E!.g8+! rtixg8 5.Wh7+ rtif8 6.Wxh8#
1 .gd8! Rook sacrifice aimed at enabling white 2 .Wfxg6+ i.g7 If 2...rtif8 then 3..icS+ with
queen to occupy g7 square. 1 . . . gxd8 2.gh7+! mating. J.gh8+1 Black resigns 3...rtixh8
4.Wh7#

122
 S LO B O DA N M I RKOV I C

Lohmer - Karkner Muratov - Marosi

Nemeko, 1 940 corr. 1 963

White to move and win Black to move and win

Black perishes along h-file. 1 . . . gh2+! 2 . ©xh2 gxh4+! 3.gxh4 "*1xh4+

1 .gxh7+! ©xh7 2.gh 1 + i.h6 3.gxh6+! 4.gh3 "*1f2+ White resigns, if 5.1:'1.g2 then
Second rook sacrifice destroys the last defence "*1xg2#
along h-file. 3 . . . ©xh6 4."*1f4+ g5 If 4... ©h7
then 5."*1h2+ with mating; 4...'Wg5 doesn't M. A. Quinteros - R. W. Hanley
help because of 5.'Wh2+ and black loses mate- Lone Pine, 1 976
rial. 5.Wh2+ white's last major piece takes over
h-file along which it carries out a decisive at­
tack. 5 . . . ©g6 6 .Wh5+ ©f6 7.Wf7#

Horowitz - Stephens
USA, 1 944

White to move and win

1 .gxg6+! fxg6 2 . gxg6+! ©xg6 If 2...@h7

then 3.'Wf5! .bb2 4.1:'1.f6+ 'lt>h8 5.1:'1.xf8+ 'lt>g7
6.Wf7# 3 . .ie4+ ©g7 4.Wc7+ Black resigns.
4... @g8 5.'Wh7#
White to move and win

1 .gc8+! hc8 a situation in which there is no

defence from mating. If 1...@f7 then 2.Wc7+
i.d7 3.'Wxd7#; or 1... ma 2.'Wxg7# 2."*1e8+
gfs 3.gxg7+! ©xg7 3...©h8 4.1:'1.h7+ 'lt>g8
5.Wg6# 4.'Wg6+ Black resigns.

123
C H ESS SC HOOL 5

Brinck Claussen - Johannessen G. Tunik L. Bazhin

-

Oslo, 1 978 Cheliabinsk, 1 99 1

White to move and win White to move and win

1 .gxh7+1 ©xh7 in case of 1 . . . ©ga there is a 1 .gxe4! gxe4 2.gxb6! ge1 + If2 . ..Wfd5 then
strike on g7 2 .l:'!gxg7+! tlixg7 3 . l:'!xg7+ ©ha 3 . ;gba+ ma 4_;gxfa+ ©xfa 5.Wff3+ and white
4.Wfh6# 2.gxg7+! �xg7 2 . . . ©ha 3 .Wih6# wins. If black accepts rook sacrifice, after
3.Wh6+ ©gs 4.Wxg7# 2 . .. Wfxb6 3 .aaWI+ ma 4.Wfd 5+ m7 5 . .ixe4
white wins. 3.©h2 Wxb6 4.aSW+ ©h7
D. Barbulescu - B. Andonov 5.Wh4+ ©g6 5 . . . ;gh6 doesn't help because
Dubai ( ol), 1 986 of 6 . .ie4+ ;gxe4 7.Wfaxe4+ ©ga a . Wea+
.ifa 9.Wfxh6 with mating. 6 . .ie4+ gxe4
7.Wfaxe4+ ©f7 S .Wh5+ ©gs 9.WeeS+ Black
resigns, 9 . . . .tta 1 0 .WfgS+ ©h7 1 1 .Wfxf6 Wlb 1
1 2.Wfef?+ .ig7 1 3 .Wf7xg7#

III Combinations for achieving material

advantage

L. Bruzon Bautista E. Perelshteyn

-

Yerevan, 2000

Black to move and win

1 . . . gxg4+! 2 .fxg4 more resilient was 2.©f2

l:'!g5! 3 . b7 hb7 4 .Wlxb7 Wfh4+ 5.©e3 Wfe 1 +
6 . .ie2 l:'!g2 7 .;gc2 ;gxf3+! a.©xf3 Wif2#
2 . . . gh 1 +1 Tactical strike after which white
cannot prevent mating. 3.©xh 1 If 3.©g2
Wfxf1 + 4.©g3 ;gh3# 3 . . .Wxe4+ White re­
signs.. 4.i.f3 Wfxf3+ 5 . ©h2 Wfg2#

White to move and win

124
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVI C

1 J�xb7! gxb7 interesting is 1...tt:Jxb7 2.tt:Jxe6 1 . . .gxh3+! 2 . g x h 3 If 2.Wg1 then Wg3! and
\Wg6 3.tt:Jxg7! c;t>xg7 4.'\Wb2+ c;t>h6 5.i.e3+ white has no defence. 2 . . . Wxh3+ 3.Wg1 gc2 !
'it>h5 6.g4+ fxg4 7.:8.d5+ 'it>h4 8.i.f2+ g3 White resigns. 4.Wxc2 i.xd4+ 5.'\Wf2 '\Wg3+
9.�d4+ c;t>h3 10.i.f1+ g2 11.'\Wh4# ( Fritz) .
2J�xd6! gbb8 After 2...:8.xd6 3.'\We8+ i.f8 0. Duras - E. Cohn
4.�xf8+ Wg8 5.'\Wxd6 white wins material. Karlsad, 1 9 1 1
3.gxd8+ 3.'\Wxc5 3 . . . gxd8 4.Wxc5 Black re­
signs.

N. Sehner - S. Kindermann
Deutschland, 1 994

White to move and win

1 .gxh7+! Wxh7 Here computer announced

mating in 14 moves! 1... c;t>g6 2.'\We8+! c;t>xh7
3.'\We7+ 'it>g6 4.:8.g8+ 'it>f5 5.Wc5+ 'it>e6
White to move and win 6.Wc8+ We5 7.:8.e8+ Wd6 8.:8.d8+ We5
9.Wc5+ 'it>e6 10.Wc4+ Wf5 11.'\Wd3+ tt:Je4
1 .gd 1 ! 1.hf5!? was also good 1...i.xf5 12.Wd?+ Wg6 13.:8.98+ Wh6 14.Wxh3#
2.'\Wxf5 f6 3.'\Wg4+ Wh8 4.:8.e6 Wc7 5.We4 ( Fritz) . 2 .We7+ Wg 6 3.gga+ Wf5 4.gxg5+!
:8.d7 6.tt:Je5! and black is defenceless. 1 ... Wxd 1 Effective solution. Computer prefers playing
2.gxe7 Wd6 3.gxf7! gxf7 4.Wg 5+ Black re- for mate. 4.Wc5+ We6 5.Wc8+ c;t>e5 6.ge8+
signs. If 4... Wg6 then 5.Wxd8+ ma 6.'\Wxd7 Wd6 7.:8.d8+ 'it>e5 a.Wes+ c;t>e6 9.Wc4+ Wf5
and white's material advantage is decisive. 10.'\Wd3+ tt:Je4 11.Wd7+ c;t> g6 12.gg8+ c;t>h6
13.Wxh3# ( Fritz) . 4 . . . c;t>xg5 4... fxg5 5.Wd7
0. Sick - S. Gorelov 5.Wg7+ Black resigns.
Budapest, 1 989

Black to move and win

12 5
COMBINATIONS WITH QUEEN AND ROOK
SACRIFICE

(�G)
 S LO B O DAN MIR KOV I C

I Mating combinations E. Del Rio, 1750

F. Stama, 1737

White to move and win

White to move and win 1 .'i'd6+ @as If 1.. :@c8 then 2.1!fffd8# 2 .Wc6 !
Wes After capturing the queen with 2...hc6
1 J�a5+! ©xa5 If 1...@b6 then 2.Wxc5# the game is decided by the weakness of the
2.Wxc5+! dxc5 2...tt:lb5 3.tt:lc4# 3 . tlJ c4+ eight rank. 3.:gd8+ "\Wc8 4.Ei:xc8# 3J'! d S !
©b5 4Jl:b6# WxdS or 3...hc6 4.Ei:xc8# 4.Wxb7#

F. Stama, 1737 A. Anderssen J. Dufresne

-

Berlin, 1 852

White to move and win

1 .i.e4+ gb7 2.WbS+! gcxbS 3.gxa7+!
i.xa7 4.tlJ c7# 1 J�xe7+! tLixe7 Critical is 1... @d8 2.Ei:xd7+!
@c8 3.Ei:d8+! @xd8 [ if 3...tt:lxd8 then
4.Wd7+ ©xd7 5..if5+ �c6 6..id7#] 4 ..if5+
[Weaker is 4..ie2+ tt:ld4 5.:gxd4+ hd4
6.hf3 hf3 7.Wxd4+ ©c8 8.Wd3 hg2 9.f3
hf3+ 10.©f2 .ic6"'] 4 ..."\Wxd1+ 5.Wxd1+
tt:'ld4 6..ih3 and white wins. 2 .Wxd7+! @xd7
3.i.f5+ @es If 3...�c6 then 4..id7# 4.i.d7+
@ts 5.i.xe7#

12 7
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

M. Vidmar - M. Euwe M. Borscak S. Mirkovic

-

Karlsbad 1 929 Bjelovar 1 986

White to move and win Black to move and wm

1 J:!xf8+! ©xf8 2.llifS+ Here black resigned. 1 . . . i':txf4! 2.gxf4 Mate can be avoided, after
2...\t>ga 3."\Wf8+! wxta [3...\t>h7 4."\Wg7#J 2..ia2 �xf1+ 3.Wxf1 "1Wd6 black's material
4.�d8# advantage would decide. 2 . . .ti'xg2+! 3 . Wlxg2
i':tc1 + 4.gf1 gxf1 #
A. Anderssen - B. Suhle
Breslav (mil ), 1 859 D. Bronstein - P. Keres
Budapest (ct), 1 950

White to move and win

White to move and win
1 .ti'xg7+! llixg7 2J:txg7+ @h8 3.i':tg8+! It
would be wrong to play 3.�xf7+? because of 1 .ti'h6 ! Black resigns. 1 . . . ti'xb 1 + 2 . @ h 2 Be­
3...llixb2 and black wins. 3 . . . @xg8 4.i':tg 1 + cause of a mating threat on g7 square, blacks
ti'gS 5.i':txgS# is forced to play 2 . . . i':tg8 but after effective
3 .ti'xh7+! @xh7 it ends with a mate 4.gh4#

128
 S LO B O DAN M I R KOVIC

P. Harikrisna - L.Van Wely Polvin - Krejcik

Wijk aan Zee, 20 1 3 Vienna, 1 954

White to play and win Black to move and win

U;f7+! The position is electrified, 1.\Wxg6+ 1 . . . \Wxh2+! Tactical strike after which black
was also leading to mate 1... llixg6 [1. .\tixg6
. gets mated in a forced manner. 2 .©xh2 llig4+
2..te4#] 2.:gf7+ \tig8 3.:gg7# 1 . . . � xf7 3 . © h 1 gh3+! 4.gxh3 gh2#
2.\Wxg6+! Black resigns, 2... \tixg6 3.Ae4#
G. Fontein - M. Euwe
Popov - Riumin Amsterdam, 1 93 9
Moscow, 1 925

B lack t o move and win

Black to move and win
1 . . . gc1 ! Here white resigned, if2 .gxc1 2.:gb1
1 . . .gxf3 ! 2 . .ixf3 �xf3+! 3.©xf3 if 3.\tig1 doesn't help because of 2...Wxf1# 2 . . . �d 1 +!
then llixd4! 4.hd4 �g2# 3 . . . �xd4+ 4.©g4 3.gxd 1 gxd 1 # White's weak first rank de-
.ic8+ 5.©h4 �f3# cided the game.

129
CH ESS SC HOOL 5

A. Chudinovskikh - Muravev A. Miles - M. Nedobora

URS, 1 990 Sevilla, 1 97 4

White to move and win White to move and draw

1 J�.h8+! A rook sacrifice after which black White king is in stalemate position, in order
suffers a disaster in just a few moves along h­ to achieve a draw he needs to get rid of ma­
file. 1 . . . �xh8 2.Wh7+! Queen sacrifice forces jor pieces in a forced manner: 1 .gf8+! gxf8
black king to go to h7 square where he will be 2 .gxf8+ ©xf8 3.Wf7+! ©xf7 Stalemate.
exposed to fire from white rook and bishop.
2 ... @xh7 3J�h5+ @g8 4 ..ih7# M. Walter G. Nagy
-

Gyor, 1 924
II combinations for achieving a draw

Lolli, 1763

Black to move and draw

By consecutive sacrifices of rook and queen

White to move and draw black executes the following stalemate combi­
nation.
1 J;f8+! ©a7 2.gas+ there was another path 1 . . . gxh3+! 2.©xh3 Forced, king's retreat to
leading to a draw. 2.Wc5+!? Wxc5 3J:fa8+ either g l or g2 loses because black captures the
©b6 4.l"1.xa6+! bxa6 stalemate. 2 . . . ©xa8 bishop with his rook. 2 . . .We6+ ! Black loses
3.Wf8+ ©a7 4.WcS+! WxcS Stalemate. If his last active piece. 3.Wxe6 Stalemate.
4... Wb8 then 5.Wf8+!.©a7 6.Wc5+

130
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVIC

H. Reefschlaeger - R. Seppeur S. G. Joshi - M. Muralidharan

BRD, 1 983 India (ch), 1 993

Black to move and draw Black to move and draw

In order to create a stalemate position it is nec­ 1 . . . gg 1 +! 2 .ltixg 1 the only solution for white
essary for black to get rid of his unnecessary which is sufficient to make a draw. 2.Wxg1?
pieces, which is achieved by consecutive sacri­ loses because of 2...E!.xd2+ 3.'itih1 lLixf3 and
fices of rook and queen. white has no defence from the threat :B:h2.
1 . . . gh 1 +! If 1...�xb1? then 2.Wa7+ with 2 . . . gxd2 3.%Ve3 3.Wxd2? lLixf3+-+ 3 . . . %Ve5 !
mating; or 1...Wxb1? again 2.Wa7+ with mat­ 4.%Vxe5 if 4.Wb3+? then 'itih8 and black wins.
ing. 2 .gxh 1 %Vg2+! And draw because after 4 ... .lLixf3+ the knight is working miracles and
3.ltig2 there is a stalemate. announces perpetual check. 5.<i>f1 .lLixh2+
6.<i>e 1 .liJf3+ 7.<i>f1 Draw.
Enik - Eiffel ·

corr. 1 957 III Combinations for achieving material

advantage

R. Letelier Martne - R. Fischer

Leipzig ( ol), 1 960

White to play and draw

1 .ga8! gxa8 if. 1...Wg3+ then 2.'itih1! [Or

2.Wxg3 E!.xa8 3.Wh4 lLid5 with equal posi­
tion.] 2...Wxg6 3.�xc8+ mh7 4.Wa2 Wh5+ Black to play and win
5.ltig1 Wg6+ with perpetual check 2 .Wa2+!
gxa2 Stalemate. 1 . . . gxe3! 2.gxe3 gxe3 3.<i>xe3 %Vxf4+!
White resigns. If 4.'itif2 then lLig4+ 5.ltig2

13 1
CH ESS SC HOOL 5

tlle 3+ 6 . cj;>f2 tlld4 7.\Wh1 tllg4+ 8.'if?f1 tllxf3 G. Cabrilo - A. Zontakh

and black's material advantage will decide. Arandjelovac, 1993

M.Matijasevic S. Mirkovic
-

Karatas 1975

White to play and win

1 Jk1 ! ge7 If 1 . . . Ei:xc 1 then 2 . Ei:xg7 Ei:c7

Black to play and win 3 .Ei:xc7 ct?xc7 4 . \We7+ and white wins.
2.gxg 7 ! ? More energetic than the move in the
1 . . . �xc3 ! 2.bxc3 gxb 1 3.�c2 gsb2 4.�a4 game was 2 . Ei:c6 ! Ei:xe6 [2 . . . Wxc6 3 . \Wxe7+
�bf1 +! Also winning was 4 . . . tllx g3+!? ct?xe7 4.Ei:xg7+ Ei:f7 5.Ei:xf7+ 'if?xf7 6 . dxc6+-]
5.l':1xg3 Ei:xf1 + 6 . Ei:g 1 Ei:ff2 7.Ei:g 3 .txe3! 3 . Ei:xa6 Ei:e7 4 . Ei:a8+ 'if?c7 5.Ei:a7+ and white
8.'!We8+ 'if?g7 and black is going to mate. wins. 2 . . . gxg7 Interesting was 2 . . . Ei:xe6
5Jbf1 �xg3+ 6.'if?g 1 .be3+ White resigns. 3 . dxe6 dS 4.e7+ 'it>e8 5.Ei:c7 e4 6 . i.f1 \Wd6+
If 7.Ei:f2 Ei:xf2 white can escape mating only 7.'if?h 1 Wxc7 8 . ixbS+ \Wd7 9 . .bd7+ 'it>xd7
after 8.\We4 [if 8.\We8+ then 'if?g7 9 . WxeS+ 1 0 .exf8\W+ and white wins. J.gc6 �a8
dxeS 1 0 .d6 Ei:e2#] 8 . . . Ei:e2+ 9.\Wxe3 Ei:xe3 4.gxd6+ @c7 s.gb6 gxg2+ 6.@xg2 gds
and black would achieve large material advan- 7.�e7+ gd7 7 . . . 'if?c8 8 . Ei:c6+ Wxc6 9 . dxc6
tage. 8 .�c5+ Black resigns.

132
COMBINATIONS WITH QUEEN, ROOK AND
PAWN SACRIFICE

(l!MH)
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

I Mating combinations 1 .�xf7! �xf7 2 .i.xg7+ ©g8 after 2...W!xg7

black gets mated 3.l:!e8+ W!g8 4.l:!exg8#
R. Berzins - Hanouna 3 . .ie5+ ©f8 if 3... W!g6 then 4.l:!xg6+ hxg6
Barcelona, 200 1 5.hd6 and white wins. 4.i.xd6+ .ie7
s.gxe7 �xa2 or prosaic 5...W!xe7 6.he7+
c.t>xe7 7.:B:g7+ and white wins. 6.gc7+ c.t>eB
7.ggB+! Black resigns, 7... W!xg8 8.l:!xc8+

S. Mirkovic - A. Milicevic
Beograd, 1 973

White to move and win

1 .%'/xh6+1 ©xh6 2J�.h3+ ©g5 after 2...c.t>g7

3.:B:h7# black is mated. 3 . g 3 ! Quiet move,
threatening f4 mate. 3 . . . gc1 + 4.©g2 g1 c2
4...l:!xb1 5.f4# 5.tLih7+ ©xg4 6.gh4+ Black
resigns, if6... c.t>f5 then 7.l:!f4# White to play and win

III Combinations for achieving material 1 .tLl b4! �xd4 Black accepted pawn sacrifice.
advantage In case of 1...W!b7 there would follow 2.d5
2 . gxe4! gc1 + 2...W!xe4 doesn't help because
M. Matulovic V. Simagin
-
of3.W!xe4 l:!xe4 4.l:!a8+ with mating. 3.©g2!
Kislovodsk, 1 966 Black resigns.

White to move and win

134
COMBINATIONS WITH QUEEN AND DOUBLE
KNIGHT S ACRIFICE

(Y!i I)

�+ +
CH ESS SC HOOL 5

I Mating combinations 8.l/Jxe4+ l/Jxe4 9.m3# Many years after this

game was played, Rajkovic told the author of
In the category of combinations in which queen the book this: "I wanted to give a mate after
and two knights are sacrificed, typical plan of double knight sacrifice although it was lon­
the more active side consists of three parts: ger by a move, compared to the analysis. It's
1. Decastling of the king by means of a sacri­ more beautiful and more effective". 6 . . . �e4
fice of one or more pieces. 7.h3+ ©g3 8 .tlle f5+1 gxf5 Queen sacrifice
2. Pursuit of the king of the weaker side. Most can't help, after 8 ...�xf5 there follows 9J"U3#
often this is realized through checks. 9.tllxf5+ �xf5 1 o.gfJ#
3. Creation of a mating net. Grandiose combination, a pearl of chess art!

D. Rajkovic - S. Radonjic A. Alekhine - Feldt

Yugoslavia 1 95 8 Odessa, 1 9 1 6

White t o move and win White to move and win

1 .�xh7+1 ©xh7 2.ghJ+ ©g6 If 2...©g8 1 .tllf7 1 ©xf7 If 1 .. .hf3 then 2.�xe6+-,
then 3.l/Je7# 3.l/Je7+ ©gs 4.f4+ ©g4 and in case of 1 .. .Wfc8 there follows 2.Wfxe6
l/Jf8 3.l/Jh6 + ©h8 4.Wfg8+! l/Jxg8 5.l/Jf7#
2.�xe6+1 ©g6 Capture of the queen leads
to a nice mating position 2 . ©xe6 3.l/Jg5#;
. .

if 2 ...©f8 then 3.l/Jg5 decides 3.g41 .ie4 or

3 ....hf3 4.hf5# 4.tll h 4#

5.gh71 g6 6.tlld 4 During the play grand­

master Rajkovic saw a mate faster than the
one in the game. After 6.l/Jc3 the only way
to prolong the game was 6...�e4 7.h3+ ©g3

13 6
 S LOBODAN M I RKOVIC

Adeler Choinatzky
- III Combinations for achieving material
Berlin, 1 936 advantage

Hsu Li Yang - J. Nunn

Manila ( ol), 1 992

White to move and win

1 . lll xf5 ! exf5 2. lll f6+! �xf6 if 2...hf6 then

3.i.b5# 3.�d8+! Black resigns. 3. . hd8 .
Black to move and win
4.i.b5#
1 . . . lll x g3! 2.@xg3 �h4+! 3.@h2 If black
accepts queen sacrifice, there follows an ef­
fective finale. 3. 'it>xh4 f4 4. 'it>g5 �ff8! [Or 4...
h6+ 5.'it>xg6 ms! 6.h4 �cf8 7.exf5 i.e8# (J.
Nunn) .] 5.b4 h6+ 6.@xg6 i.e8# 3 . . . �xe 1
4.lll f1 fxe4 5.lll g3 exf3 6 . .ixf3 lll xc4!
White resigns, 7J'!xc4 l'!xf3 black wins mate­
rial.

13 7
COMBINATIONS WITH SACRIFICE OF:
a) QUEEN, ROOK A ND KNIGHT
b) QUEEN, ROOK A ND BISHOP (V!/ K)

a) WI + g + ttJ
b) WI + g + �
 S LO BO DAN M I R KOVIC

a) (!' + � + llJ )
I Mating combinations

B. Gelfand - V. Kramnik
Berlin, 1 996

1 O . .!Li b6+! Black 's reply is forced. 1 O . . axb6

.

1 1 .l:'!.a 1 #

P. Schmidt - Richter
Heidelberg, 1 946
Black to move and win

1 ... .!Lic3! 2 . .!Lixd4 if 2.Wxa7 then l'l:3b7 and

black wins. 2 . . . gxb2 ! 3.gxb2 Wa2+! White
resigns. 4.Ei:xa2 Ei:b1#

Aleksandrov - A. Zaitsv
URS, 1 973 .

White to move and win

1 .�h6+! ci>xh6 if 1...ci>h8 then there de­

cides 2.Wxh7+! ci>xh7 3.hxg6+ ci>g7 4.Ei:h7#
2 . hxg6+ ©gs 3.l:'!.hS+! ci>xhS 4.f4+ .!Li xe2
black can look for salvation in an interest­
ing queen sacrifice. 4...Wf3+ 5.�f3+ tt:lxf3
6.Ei:h1 + tt:lh4 7.tt:lf6+ ci>h6 8.Ei:xh4+ ©g7
White to move and win and now there arises a critical position for the
soundness of the combination. 9.tt:le8+! Excel­
1 .Wxc7+! ci>xc7 2 . .!Li bS+ ci>b8 3J''td 8+! lent solution, now black gets mated in a forced
Deflection of black rook from the activity on manner. 9...Ei:xe8 10.Ei:xh?+ ci>f8 11.Ei:xf?#
e5 square. Playing 3. .if4+? would be wrong S . .!Lif6+ ci>h6 6.l:'!.h1 + ci>g7 this position re­
because of 3...Ei:e5-+ and white could re­ minds us of the one from our previous analy­
sign. 3 . . . l:'!.xd8 4 . .tf4+ .!Lies S.heS+ ci>a8 sis. The solution is identical, knight's sacrifice
6 . .!Li c7+ ©b8 7 . .!Lixa6+ ci>a8 8 . .!Li c7+ ci>b8 leads to the outcome again. 7 . .!Lie8+! gxe8
9 . .!LidS+ ci>a8 8 .l:'!.xh7+ ©f6 9J�.xf7#

139
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

G. Mac Donnell - S. Boden II Combinations for achieving a draw

London 1 869
Ormos - Betazki
Budapest, 1 95 1

Black to move and win

1 . . .?Nxf3 1 2.gxf3 .ih3+ 3.@g1 ge6 4.?Nc2 Black to move and draw
gxd4! Also winning was 4 . . . tt'le5 5 . We4
[5 .dxe5 :1'1.xd1 + 6.Wxd 1 :1'1.96#) 5 . . . :1'!.96+ 1 .. ,gh 1 +! 2.@xh 1 lll g3+! 3.fxg3 After
6.W94+ :1'1.x94+ 7.fx94 tt'lf3# S ..ixd4 if 5 .:1'1.c1 3 .@h2? tt'lxf5 4..ixf5 Wxf5 black would have
then tt'le5 [5 . . . :1'1.96+ 6 . Wx96 hx96 7.f4 tt'le5 good chances to play for win. 3 . . .?Nxg2+!
8.f3 :1'1.d2 9.:1'1.c3 :1'1.92+ 1 0 .@f1 :1'1.c2+ 1 1 .@e1 4.@xg2 Stalemate.
:1'1.xc3-+] 6.Wf5 .ixf5 7 .hd4 tt'lxf3+ 8.@92
tt'lxd4 and black wins. 5 . . �xd4 White re­
.
V. Goldin - S. Ryabov
signs. 6.Wd3 :1'1.96 + 7.Wx96 lll xf3# URS, 1 972

Koskinen - Kasanen
Suomi, 1 968

White to move and draw

1 .lll d6+1 ?Nxd6 1 ... @a 7? is a blunder for af-

Black to move and win ter 2 . Wf7+ black gets mated.; After 1 . . . @b8!?
2 . Wc6 ! black has perpetual check. 2 . . . tt'la2+
1 . .?Nxb4+1 2 ..ixb4 gd2 ! 3.?Nxd2 Alter-
. 3 . @d 1 tt'l c3 + 4.@c1 = 2 .ge7+1 ?Nxe7 if
natives lead to mating, for example 3.:1'1.xd2 2 . . . Wb8? then 3.W98+ and white mates black
axb4#; or 3 . tt'l bxd2 axb4# 3 . . . �c2+1 Knight in two moves. 3.?Nc7+! Draw, 3 . . . Wxc7 Stale­
sacrifice aimed at deflecting white queen's ac- mate.
tivity from b4 square. 4.?Nxc2 axb4#

140
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVI C

III Combinations for achieving material B. Miljanic - S. Velickovic

advantage Yugoslavia, 1986

N. Sedlak - S. Kustar
Budapest, 2002

Black to move and win

1 . . . lll xf4! 2 .YNxf4 gxb2 3.!'!xb2 dxe5 4.%Vf2

White to move and win I f 4.'Wxe5 then .1c5 5.'Wb8+ 'tt> g7 6.!'!c2
hd4+ 7. 'tt> f1 .ig2+-+ (S. Velickovic) . 4 . . . .icS
1 .lll f6+! Wf7 if 1... gxf6 then 2.exf6 hf6 5.lll c4 bxc4 6. bxc4 YNxb2! White resigns.
3.'Wxf6 and white wins. 2 .YNhS+ g6 3.YNxh7+!
Quiet 3.'Wh6 .ixf6 4.exf6 Wxf6 5.c5! was also b) (ti' + g + i)
winning 3 . . . lll xh7 4.gxh7+ c.t>ts s.ghs+
I Mating combinations
©f7 6J'!.h7+ c.t>ts 7.lll d7+ @gs

G. Rotlewi - A. Rubinstein
Lodz, 1 907

8J'!.xe7! 8. ll'ixb8? 'tt> xh7 9.ll'ixc6 hc6

8 . . . gxe7 8... ll'ixe7 would be weaker 9. ll'ixb8 Black to move and win
!'!exb8 10.exd6 wins. 9.lll xb8 !'!xb8 1 0 .exd6
!!d7 1 1 .cS it's all over now, white realized the 1 . . . !!xc3 ! After this brilliant Rubinstein's
advantage in the following way: 1 1 . . . lll e7 move fantastic variants arise in which black de­
12 ..id4 .idS 1 3 . lt:\ as lll c8 14 . .ieS !!a8 cides the game to his own advantage.. 2.gxh4
1 5 ..ic4 Wf7 1 6 . .ixd S exd 5 1 7.lll c6 Black continuation 2.hc3 leads directly to mate
resigns. 2...he4+ 3.'Wxe4 'Wxh2#; if 2.hb7 !'!xg3
3.!'!f3 !'!xf3 4 .hf3 ll'i f2+ 5.'tt> g1 ll'ie4+ 6.'tt> f1

14 1
C H ESS SC H O O L 5

tt:ld2+ 7.'it>g2 tt::l xf3 8.'it>xf3 Wih5+ black cap­ large material advantage decides the outcome
tures the queen. 2 . . . gd2 1 3.Wixd2 Alternatives of the game. 3.gd 8 ! Threatening Wd6 mate
lead to mate 3.i.xc3 he4+ 4.Wfxe4 E!.xh2#; 3 . . . Wfa6 3...E!.xd8 doesn't help because of
Or 3 ..bb7 E!.xe2 4..ig2 1%h3! 5 . .bh3 E!.xh2# 4.Wfxc7+ 'it>e8 5.1%xd8+ Wfxd8 6.Wfxb7 Wfd2+
3 . . . he4+ 4.Wfg2 gh3! White resigns. 7.Wg2 and the queen ending is easily winnable
for white. 4.Wic5+1 Black resigns. 4... E!.xc5
Gdanski J. Wallace
-
5.1%1d7#
Goteborg, I 996
M. Euwe A. Speijer
-

Nederland (ch), 1 924

White to move and win

Ubf6! gxf6 if 1...Wfe7 then 2.E!.xf8+! Wixf8 Beli na potezu - dobitak

3J�f1 Wfg8 4.Wfxg7+! Wfxg7 5.E!.f8# 2 .hf6+!
Wfxf6 3.Wfg8+1 Bolt from the blue. Black's re­ 1 .gxe7! Computer found another win 1.E!.c7!?
ply is forced. 3 . . . <i>xg8 4.i.d5+ Black resigns. ixf3 2.Wxf3! [2.E!.exe7? hd1 3.E!.xf7+ 'it>g8
If4... 'it>h8 then 5.1%98# 4.E!.xg7+ 'it>f8 5.1%gf7+=] 2...Wxd2 3.E!.cxe7
Wxb2 4.Wfb7 'it>g8 5.E!.xf7 tt::l h5 6.E!.f8+!
Cabrera D. Ibanez
-
'it>xf8 [6...E!.xf8 7.Wfd5+ E!.f7 8.E!.e8#] 7.We7+
Cuba, 1 998 'it>g8 8.Wixd8+ <i>f7 9.Wixh8 and white's ma­
terial advantage decides the outcome of the
game.(Fritz).] 1 . . .hf3 In case of 1... 'it>xe7
then 2. .ia3+ 'it>e8 3.We1 + tt::l e4 4.E!.c7 1%d7
5.1%xd7 Wfxd7 6.tt::l xe4 white has a won posi­
tion. 2.h3! Wia6 if 2...hd1 then 3.E!.e3+
Wd6 4.i.xd6+ <J;>ga 5.�e7 and white wins.
3J �cc7 Wfxa3 4.gxf7+ <i>e8 5.Wie 1 + Black
resigns.

White to move and win

1 .hb6! axb6 2 .Wixb6 ghc8 lf2...Wfc8 then

3.Wfd6+ <i>e8 4.Wfd8+ Wfxd8 5.l�xd8+ 'it>e7
6.1%xh8 E!.d7 7 J�xd7+ 'it>xd7 8.b5 white's

142
 S LO BODAN M I R KOVI C

II Combinations for achieving a draw III Combinations for achieving material

advantage

J. H. Zukertort J. H. Blackburne
-

London, 1 883

Black to move and draw

White to move and win
1 . . .ixg 5! 2J�xg5 Interesting variant is
.

2.lllxe5 l"!.f8! 3.Wg2 Wg7 4.l:!xg5 l:!h8+ 1 .Wb41 gacs if black accepts queen sacri­
5.Wg4 l:!h4+ 6.Wf3 Wxe4+ 7.Wf2 Wd4+ fice the remaining white pieces come down
8.Wf1 Wd1+ 9.Wf2 Wd4+ with perpetual hard on his king. 1...Wxb4 2..ixe5+ Wxh7
check. 2 . . . gf8 ! 3.'%Yxf8 3.l:!h5+!? is possible 3 J:�h3+ Wg6 4.l"!.g3+ Wh6 5.l"!.f6+ Wh5
to play 3...gxh5 4.Wxh5+ Wg7 5.'\Wxe5+ 6.l"!.f5+ Wh6 7. .if4+ Wh7 8.l"!.h5# 2 J U8+!
'it>h7 6.Wh5+ Wg7 and white draws by per­ ©xh7 If 2...Wxf8 3. .ixe5+ Wxh7 4.Wxe4+
petual check.; If 3.Wg2? th� n l:!f2 4.l:!xe5 Wh6 s.Wh4+ Wg6 6.Wg4+ Wh7 7.fi:h3+
:B:xg2 5.Wxg2 We2+ black wins. 3 Wi'h1 + . . . Wh6 8.Wg7# 3 .Wi'xe4+ ©g7 4 . .ixe5+ ©xf8
Draw. 4.Wg3 Wg2+! 5. Wh4 Wh3+ ! 6. Wxh3 5 . .ig7+! ©g8 6.Wxe7 Black resigns.
Stalemate.
C. Schlechter -J. Mieses
St. Peterburg, 1 909

Black to move and win

1 . . . .ixe5! 2.dxe5 '%Yh4 2...lllxe5!? was also

good 3.Wc3 lllxf3+ 4.Wxf3 Wb8 and black has

143
CH ESS SC HOOL 5

a won position. 3.gg3 Bxh2+ 4.©f1 gxd 1 +! 3 . . . Wd8 then 4. Wd6+ ©g8 5.c7 the outcome
s.gxd 1 Bxg3! White resigns. of the game is decided by promotion of the
white pawn on c-file. 4.ge7 gfs 5 . .ie6 Bxe7
J. Sunye Neto G. Cabrilo
-
5 . .. fxe6 would only put black out of his mis­
Novi Sad, 1 983 ery as there would follow 6 . Wxg7# 6.Bxe7
fxe6 The outcome cannot be changed in case
of 6 . . . lt:lxe6 as with 7.f5 black would have a
lost position. 7.c7 hS 8.Bxf8+1 Black resigns.

M. Euwe H. G. Weenink
-

Amsterdam, 1 923

Black to move and win

1 ....b:f4! 2 . .!Lixf4 Nothing changes in view

of the outcome of the game if white continues
2.l'!xf4 for black plays 2 . . . l'!xf4 and there aris­
es the same position as in the game. 2 ... gxf4
3.gxf4 gxf4 4.gxf4 Bxf4! White resigns, if White to move and win
5. Bxf4 then lt:le2+
1 .gxa6! bxa6 2.b7 gbs 3.Bxa6 Although
M. Chiburdanidze - S. Dvoirys black is a rook up his position is lost. Weak
URS, 1 980 position of his king has a decisive impact on
evaluation of the position. Besides, the pawns
on b and c files irresistibly advance towards
promotion squares. 3 . . .Be7 [If 3 . . . mda then
4.c6+ ©e8 5. Wb6 and the threat c7 cannot
be prevented.] 4 ..igS I Bxg S If 4. . lt:lf6 then
.

s .gb6 5.Bd6+ ©es 6.Bxb8+ ©f7 7.Bxf8+1

©xf8 8.b8B+ Black resigns.

White to move and win

1 .gxe71 ©xe7 2.ge 1 + ©f8 Attempt to or­

ganize defence along e-file meets effective
refutation. 2 . . . lt:le6 3 .he6 fxe6 4.Wg7+
'kt>d6 s.gxe6+ ! and black loses his queen and
finds himself in a lost position. 3.Bxf6 ©g8 if

144
 SLOBODAN M I RKOVI C

Balla Sterk
- Ubb7! 'it>xb7 if 1 . . . Wi'xb? then 2 . .ixc6 and
Budapest, 1 924 black loses his queen. 2 .'f!Yb5+ 'ii> c 8 3.i.h3+
li:ld? 4.Y!Yxa6+ 'ii> d 8 4 . . . c;i;ib8 doesn't help be­
cause of 5 ..ixd7 Wi'xd? 6 . �d 1 and white wins.
5.li:ld 1 li:le8 or 5 . Wi'b? 6 .Wi'c4! black has no
. .

defence. 6 ..ixa7! Y!Yxa7 7.li:lxd61 Y!Yxa6 af­

ter 7 . . . �xd6 8 .Wi'xa? black lost his queen.
8.li:lxd7+ Black resigns. 8 . c;i;ic8 9 . �a?+
. .

White to move and win

1 45
COMBINATIONS WITH QUEEN, ROOK,
KNIGHT A ND PAWN SACRIFICE

(Wi L)

a) � + g + ttJ + �
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

I Mating combinations Collier - Coopersmith

USA, 1 978
J. Showalter - G. Gossip
New York, 1 889

Black to move and win

Black to move and win 1 . . . tLJe3+1 2 .�xe3 after 2.fxe3 Wxe4 black
loses. 2 . . . �xh3+! Queen sacrifice which em­
1 . . . h41 2 . .ixh4 2 .he5 doesn't help because phasizes the weakness of white position along
of 2 . . . fxe5 3.b5 .if3 4.bxc6+ .ib6 and black h-file. 3.©xh3 gh7+ 4.©g4 Forced, white
wins. 2 . . . tLJf3+! The idea behind knight sacri­ king has to leave the castling. If 4. ©g2 then
fice is opening of g-file. 3.gxf3 if White tries 1:!h2# 4 . . . tLJ h2+ s.©gs
to defend without opening of g-file and plays
3.©h 1 then the target of the attack changes; af­
ter energetic play along h-file black effectively
wins. 3 . . . 1:!h8 4 . .ig3 tLJxh2! 3 . . ..ixf3+ 4 . .ig3

5 . . . ©g71 Quiet move by means of which king

joins the attack. 6.g4 6 . dxc7 1:!h5# 6 . . . gfS+!
7.gxfS ghs#

4 . . .�xg3+! New sacrifice, this time it is

queen as black wants to open g-file at any cost.
5.hxg3 gxg3+ 6.©h2 .ixf2 Quiet move af­
ter which everything becomes clear, the threat
is 1:!h8 mat. 7 . .ih3 gxh3+! White resigns.
8 . ©xh3 1:!h8#

147
C H E S S SCHOOL 5

Cruz Lima - A. C. Hernandez III Combinations for achieving material

Cuba, 1 993 advantage

D. Byrne - R. Fischer
New York, 1 956

White to move and win

1 .lll x f7! 1 .i.bS wins also 1 . @xf7 2.Wxe6+!

. .

@xe6 if 2. . . ©g7 then 3.i.c4 decides 3.i.c4+ Black to move

@ts 4.!!.d5+ lll es
More resilient was 4. .. ©f4 but after 5.g3+ 1 . . lll a4! By means of an effective tactical
.

©t3 6. Ei:e1 �xc3 7. Ei:d3+ ©g4 8.Ei:xc3 i.xe? strike young Bobby Fischer puts his opponent in
9 .dxe? 'll f6 10 .i.f? white wins. a critical position. 2.Wa3 After 2.'ll xa4 lllxe4
3.Wc1 [3.Wxe?? loses because of 3... Wa5+
4.b4 Wxa4 5.Wxe4 mes 6.i.e? i.xt3 7.gxf3
i.f8 and white suffers a disaster along e-file.]
3...WaS+ 4.lllc3 i.xf3 5.gxf3 lllxg5 black
got the piece back and remained a pawn up.
2 . . . lll xc3 3.bxc3 lll xe4 black bravely engag­
es in complications. 4.he7 Wb6+ 5.i.c4 if
white accepts exchange sacrifice 5.i.xf8 then
after 5...i.xf8 6.Wb3 lllxc3! + black achieves
large advantage. 5 . . . lll x c3 6.i.cS 6.Wxc3
Ei:fe8 7.i.xf7+ ©xf? 8.lllg5+ cJlxe7 9.0-0
i.xd1 10.Ei:xd1 Wb5-+ 6 . . . !!.fe8+ 7.cJdf1

5.!!.xe5+! ©xe5 6.!!.e 1 + @f4 7.g3+ @g4

8.i.e2+ ©h3 9.f3 ! Black resigns.9.. Wxc3
10.i.f1#.

148
 SLOBODAN M I RKOVI C

7 ..ie61 If 7 . . . li'i b5? White came up with a

.. For sacrificed queen black got a rook and
counter-combination 8 . .ixf7+! <lixf7 9 .Wfb3+ two minor pieces - advantage sufficient to
ie6 1 0 .liJgS+ and white wins 8 . .ixb6 there win. 1 6. h 3 '3.xa2 1 7.'ifJh2 lll xf2 1 8 .'3.e 1
is no better answer, if 8 .he6 then Wfb5+ '3.xe 1 1 9.WfdS+ .if8 20.lll x e 1 .idS 2 1 .lll f3
and white gets smothered mate 9.<Jdg 1 li'ie2+ lll e4 22 .WfbS bS 23.h4 hS 24.lll eS 'ifJg7
1 0 .©f1 lll g 3+ 1 1 .<Jdg 1 Wff1 + 1 2.!%xf1 li'ie2#; 25.'ifJg1 .icS+ 26.©f1 lll g3+ 27.'ifJe1 i.b4+
8.Wfxc3 is met with 8 . . . Wfxc5 ! 9.dxc5 hc3 now black could have finished the game with
1 0 .he6 l:!xe6 and black wins. 8 . . ..ixc4+ the move 27 . . . .ib3 ! and there is no defence
9.©g 1 lll e2+ 1 0 .'ifJf1 lll x d4+ 1 1 .'ifJg 1 Noth- from mating. 28.©d 1 .ib3+ 29.©c1 lll e2+
ing changes in case of 1 1 .;gd 3 axb6 1 2 .Wfc3 30.©b1 lll c3+ 3 1 .'ifJc1 '3.c2# White resigns.
tll xf3 black wins. 1 1 . . . lll e 2+ 1 2 .©f1 lll c3+
1 3 .©g 1 axb6 1 4.'l!Yb4 E!a4 1 5.'l!Yxb6 lll xd 1

1 49
COMBINATIONS WITH Q UEEN AND DOUBLE
ROOK SACRIFICE

(WM)

+ 2�
 SLOBODAN M I R KOVI C

I Mating combinations

G. Kasparov 7r.- Com

Ba� 980

7 . . .Wc3 1 The essence o f excellent strategy!

8.gd1 if 8 . Wfx c3 then lll e2# 8 . . . �xf3+ White
resigns. After 9 .Wfxf3 Wfxf3 mate is inevitable.
White to move and win
VI. Naumov - Petrushansky
1 .�f5 1 �f7 if black accepts rook sacrifice and URS, 1 978
plays 1 . . . lll xf3 after 2 . lll h6# he gets mated.
2J�xh71 Black resigns. 2 .. Wxh7 3 . gh 1 +
Wg8 4.gh8+! Second rook sacrifice. 4 . . . lll x h8
5.gxh8Wf+ <tfif7 6 .Wfg7#

Wagman - Grassi
Lago d Orta, 1 979

Black to move and win

In position in the diagram black uses the weak­

nesses of white squares in his opponent's po­
sition. 1 ... gxe3! 2 .fxe3 .ie4 threatening f2.
3.gf2 if 3 .Wfe7 f2+ 4 .Wfxe4 f1 Wf the outcome
of the game is decided by black's material ad­
Black to move and win vantage. 3 ... gxa21 4.ggf1 4 . gxa2 f2+ 5 . gg2
f1 Wf# 4 ... Wfxf1 + ! White resigns. 5.gxf1 f2#
1 .. Jbf3 ! ? Computer gives preference to pro­
saic. 1 . . . J.xf3 ! 2.gxf3 lll d 4 3 .Wfxh 7 ge5 and
black wins (Fritz). 2.gxf3 Wfa5+ 3.�f1 .ih3+
4. � g 1 gd2 5.Wfe4 gxe2 1 6.Wxe2 �d4
7.We3

151
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

Gy. Horvath - Eperjesi II Combinations for achieving a draw

Budapest, 1 97 1
I. Kuznecov - Kotkov
Rossia, 1 993

��-�.:�
-�- -!�
� �

- - - 3- - - - ��
:m-' - �'°iY•
----- -----
'Zi-'//N ,Z.///N
w�/,
� � �

'k � � �
x:.·.-.!.
White to move and win
� lim ,- - ,l:.
1 .i:!d7! .ixd7 if black doesn't accept the sac- White to move and draw
rifice and plays L ,Wlc5 there follows a fan-
tastic strike on g7 square! 2 ,Wxg7+! E?.xg7 By its external contours, the position in the
[capturing by the knight also leads to mating, diagram resembles a study, The solution is fan-
2 , , , lllxg7 3 ,lllf6+ mh8 4.lllxf7#] 3.E?.xg7+ tastic. U :!hB+! lll x hB if black plays 1 ... 'kt>c7?
lllxg7 4.lllf6+ mh8 5.lllxf7# 2.Wfxg7+! he loses because of 2.El.b7# 2.'kt>c6! After this
l:!xg7 after 2... lllxg7 black would get a simi- move it turned out that black's possibilities are
Jar mate as in the game. 3.lllf6+ 'kt>h8 4.lllxf7# limited. 2 . . J':!xd 5 there is no better move as the
3.l�.xg7+ lll x g7 3... @h8 4.lllxf7# 4.lll f6+ threat was Wd7 mate. 3.i:!b8+! 'kt>xbB Stale-
©h8 5.lll xf7# mate.

1 52
THE THIRD PAR T

S TRATEGIC MOTIFS
 SLOBODA N M I R KOVI C

INTRODUCTION

n this part of the book on examples of variants taken from Caro-Kann defence we provide ex­
Iplanation for improvement in the area of the theory of openings. How to prepare and learn any
opening and successfully apply it in practical games?

A number of generations of chess players have tried to answer this question.

In the opening, pawn structure which influences the choice of the game plan in the further course
of the game is formed; this pawn structure is inextricably linked to the ending. The basic position
in the considered variant arises after introductory moves:

1 .e4 c6 2.d4 d 5 3 . tlJ c3 dxe4 4.tlJxe4 tlJf6 5.tlJxf6+ exf6 doubled black pawns on f-file influ­
ence and determine game plan for both sides.

The plan which white is trying to execute is exchange of pieces and transition to a pawn
ending.

Because of a centralized position of pieces and stable situation in the centre, black is trying
to direct the play towards middle game.

What is the balance of power in the ending of the said variant? Who has the advantage?

In order to provide an answer, in this chapter of the book four strategic lines of play are consid­
ered:
I. Pawn endings
2. Knight endings
3. Bishop versus knight
4. Bishops of the same colour

We highlight typical game plans for both sides and evaluation of important positions.
In order to encourage creativity and imagination during play, in the second part of the chapter we
present chess combinations which occurred in Caro-Kann defence (code B l 5).

155
CH ESS S C H OO L 5

ON THE THEORY OF OPENING

t is a wide-spread opinion that for good managing of play in the initial stage of the game one
I needs a good memory. In preparation for a chess competition, a chess player goes through a
large number of games played by top players and he literally learns some of them by heart.
During a chess game chess player remembers the games that he has seen and on the basis of his
memory he chooses which variant to apply. We can assume that the chess player's memory is good
and that he successfully remembered moves from the game which he had learned by heart

At one moment the opponent will deviate and play his own move. By exiting a famous game a
chess player encounters a problem. What to do next, which way to go? Which plan to apply?

That is a situation in which most frequently one loses his way in a sea of variants and makes a
mistake. The consequences are painful for that chess player.

One case from a European Youth Chess Championship which the author witnessed is instructive.

The first minutes of the game between two juniors in the U l O group attracted attention of coaches
and observers. They played fast, after only three minutes there appeared a position on the board
from the then relevant game Topalov - Anand.

For his 17th move white thought for a long time and by the expression on his face it was evident
that he was confused. He forgot the move which white played in the said game. The consequence
was painful, he made an oversight and lost a knight in one move!

However, the story didn't end here. Now black was the one who spent a lot of time thinking and
instead of capturing the enemy knight he literally placed his bishop to be taken by a pawn. Mutual
oversights occurred several times and finally white somehow managed to win the game.

Conclusion: Approach of the players in the said game was wrong! They learned by heart the game
Topalov - Anand, which at that time they were not able to grasp and understand. Complete method
of improvement was wrong.

The right approach to improvement is to go from simpler and easier to more complex and
difficult. Learning openings should start from endings!

The basic principle of pedagogy is fully applicable in chess.

The answer to the question how to study openings is illustrated in one variant of Caro - Kann
defence (code BI S).

Introductory moves are:

156
 SLOBODAN M I R KOVI C

1 .e4 c6 2.d4 d 5 3 . tli c3 dxe4 4.tlixe4 tlif6 in White gravitates towards exchange o f pieces
practical games we find these variants 4 ... .if5 and a pawn ending in which he will have ad­
and 4... tlid7 5.tlixf6+ exf6 vantage in the number of pawns on queen's
side.

Ideal situation for white in the variant of Caro

- Kann defence is presented in the following
diagram.

Position on the diagram was evaluated as static

one for a long time. Pawn advantage on queen's
side was exaggerated and doubled pawns on
the f-file were considered a serious shortcom­
ing in black position. Dynamic possibilities of
black pieces were not taken into account. Basic position white gravitates towards in
the opening phase.
Over time, theory and practice have reconciled
opinions on the said position. Pawn advantage Pawn ending is won for white. How? The win­
on queen's side undeniably represents a certain ning plan:
quality. However, certain pluses of the oppos­ I. Creation of a passed pawn on queen's
ing side were discovered and these are: side.
- Black can quickly and flexibly develop 2. Advance of the passed pawn which en­
pieces in the center and castle short. joys king's support.
- Castling is resilient and doubled pawns 3. At one moment white sacrifices that
along f-file control important squares. passed pawn in order to deflect the en­
- It is difficult for white to launch an attack emy king from king's side.
on castled black king. 4. White king's penetration into enemy
What is the game plan for white? camp, among king's side pawns.
5. Winning of material and realization of
What is the game plan for black? the advantage.

Game plan for white is based on the utili­

zation of pawn advantage on queen's side
where he is a pawn up.

157
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

1 . STRATEGIC LINE - PAWN ENDINGS

umerous examples from practical games confirmed the difficulties black encounters in a
N pawn ending. Can black achieve compensation for white's pawn advantage on queen's side?
In some special positions he can.

Active black king can sometimes compensate for pawn advantage on the flank.
2. Active defence which lies in black king's
A. Strikovic - M . Saltaev
attack on enemy pawns g3 and f4, in
Canarias, 2004 which process the advance of the passed
pawn on a-file is neglected. Black ap­
plied this plan in the game but it turned
out that he is a few tempos short because
of which he lost the game.

1 . @b3 ! @d4 black King is blocking the passed

pawn by placing himself in front of it, plan a).
l . ..©b5 2.a4+ ©c5 3 .©c3 h5 4.©b3 ©c6 5.©c4
©d6 6.a5 ©c6 7.a6 ©b6 8 .©d5 ©xa6 9.©e6
and black loses his king's side pawns. 2.a4
@e4 3.a5 @f3 black's counter play is belated.
4.a6 @xg3 5.a7 And white won.
White to move and win U. Kersten J. Boguszlavszkij
-

Passed pawn on a-file has a decisive impact on Budapest, 2001

evaluation of the position. White wins by ap­
plying a typical game plan:
1. By advancing his passed pawn on a-file.
Black can organize defence in two ways:
a) Blocking the passed pawn with his king.
In this option white sacrifices the passed
pawn aiming at deflecting black king
from the king's side. When that hap­
pens then there are no more obstacles for
white king and the game is decided by
his penetration on king's side and cap­
ture of enemy pawns.
Black to move and draw

1 58
 S LOBODAN M I RKOVIC

Active black king fully compensates for op­

ponent's pawn advantage on queen's side. The
position is balanced.
1 . . . ©c4! Counter play on king's side is belated
J . . .@e4? 2 .b4 @xf4 3 .b5 @e3 4.b6 f4 5.b7 f3
6.b8'1W f2 7.'!Wb5 and white wins. 2.©b6 ©b3
3. ©cs ©xb2 4. ©d5 ©c3 5. ©e6 ©d4 which
pawn to capture? 6. ©xf5 the same outcome is
with 6.@xf6 @e4 7.@g5 h6+ 8.@xh6 @xf4
9.@g6 @e4 l 0.h4 f4 l l .h5 f3 1 2.h6 f2 1 3 .h7
fl'IW 14.h8'1W= 6 . . . ©e3 7.h4 h 5 8.©g6 ©xf4
9.©xh5 ©g3 Draw.

E. Matsakanian G. Moehring
-
7 ... h6! After this move it turned out that black
Stary Smokovec, 1 979 pawns are untouchable. Any attempt on the
part of white king to capture the enemy pawns
means his leaving the said quadrant. 8 .©g4
in case of 8 .@ f6 then 8 . . . g4 9.@f5 f3 decides
and the pawn is promoted 8 . . . @xa4 9.©h5
f5 1 O . h 3 or l 0.@xh6 g4 l l .@g5 f3 and black
wins. 1 0 . . . © b4 1 1 . ©xh6 g4 White resigns.

P. Ostojic B. Stanojevic
-

Pula, 1 980

Black to move and win

In position on the diagram active king enables

black to achieve a win.
White is threatening @b6-b7 with irresistible
advance of the pawn on a-file. How can black
oppose this idea? Counter play on king's side is
belated because black pawns are far from pro­
motion squares. However, black has a way to
win! The key for a win lies in the first move. Whites to move and win
Black king goes to queen's side along the route
@d3-c4-b4-a4 and captures the enemy pawn White applied a classical plan:
on a-file. In the end the advance of king's side 1 . Creation of a passed pawn on queen's side
pawns wins the game for black.
1 . . . ©d3! 2.©b6 ©c4 3 .©xb7 if 3 . a5 then This part of the plan is not easy to realize be­
@b4 4.@xb7 @xa5 and black applies the same cause black has certain defensive resources at
plan as in the game. 3 . . . ©b4 4.©c6 f5 5.©d6 his disposal. In this game black organized de­
f4 6.©es g s 7.©fs fence by means of a temporary pawn sacrifice
(2 ... c5).
2. Advance of passed pawn supported by king
1 59
C H ESS SCHOOL 5

3. Winning of material and realization of the M. Pfeifer J. Lechtinsky

-

advantage Klatovy, 2000

1 .c3 ! f6 2.b3 cs+ attempt to disrupt the
rhythm of the game by sacrificing a pawn.
Black concluded that after 2 ... g6 3.c4 g5 4.g3
g4 5.'it>c3 'it>e6 6.cxd5+ mxd5 7.'it>d3 c5 8.dxc5
'it>xc5 9.'it>c3 'it>c6 10.'it>c4 'it>d6 l l .b4 'it>c6
1 2 .b5+! axb5+ 13 .'it>b4 'it>c7 14.'it>xb5 white
wins. 3.dxcS+ ©c6 4.g3 g6 S.c4 5.'it>a3 also
wins with a possible variant 5 ... 'it>xc5 6.'it>a4
'it>c6 7.b4 'it>b7 8.b5 rila7 9.bxa6 mxa6 10.'it>b4
s . . . d4

Black to move and draw

Tactics in the function of strategy! By a combi­
nation in which he sacrifices the pawn on a-file
black pushes the enemy king to the edge file.
The idea is to block white king on a-file in front
of his pawn. In that way promotion of the pawn
is prevented. Black king, manoeuvring on c7
and c6 squares takes the role of the blocking
piece.
1 . . . a6+! 2 .©xa6 the outcome doesn't change
in case of 2 .©b6 as there follows 2 . . . c4 3 .'it>xa6
6.©a3! White gets a pawn back and transfers 'it>c6 with a position similar to that in the game.
his King into the centre on d3 square. 6 . . . ©xcS 2 . . . ©c6 White king is blocked on a-file and
7.©b2 ©b4 8.©c2 gS now 8 . . . mxa5 is met prevents advance of the passed pawn. 3.©a7
with 9.'it>d3 'it>b4 10.'it>xd4 a5 l l .c5 'it>xb3 1 2 .c6 ©c7! 4.h3 c4 S.©a6 ©c6 Draw.
and white wins. 9.©d3 gxh4 1 0 .gxh4 ©cs
if 10 ... 'it>xb3 then l l .'it>xd4 1 1 . b4+! The final G. Kasparov A. Miles
-

finesse. 1 1 . . . ©xb4 1 2 . ©xd4 ©xaS 1 3 .cS Internet, 1998

Black resigns. If 1 3 . . . 'it>b5 then 14.'it>d5 a5
1 5.c6 'it>b6 16.'it>d6 a4 17.c7
Black demonstrated an original defensive idea
in the following game.

White to move

160
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

In this case white doesn't have pawn advantage 0. H. Krause - 0. Loewenborg

on queen's side. Doubled pawns on f-file pose Nordic, 1 9 1 6
no problem for black. Position is within the
boundaries of a draw.
1 . ©e2 ©d7 in order to maintain the balance
l ...c5 !? was enough 2 .@d3 ©c7 3 . a4 b5 4.axb5
axb5 5.©e3 ©d7 6.f4 ©e6 7.©d3 g5 8.©e3
gxf4+ 9.©xf4 f6 useful exchange of a doubled
pawn. 10.exf6 ©xf6 I l .g3 ©e6 with a draw.
2.©d3 ©e6? A blunder which could have had
far-reaching consequences. 2 . . . c5! was neces­
sary 3 .©e3 ©e6 4.f4 f6 5.exf6 ©xf6 6.a4 ©e6
and chances are equal. 3. ©d4 b6

Black t o move and draw

Position is equal. White cannot create a passed
pawn on queen's side because of doubled pawns
on b-file.
1 . . . cSI 2 .dxcS+ ©xcS 3.©d2 aS A good
move which fixes the white pawn on b3. 4.©d3
fS S.©d2 g S 5 ... ©d5 is possible 6.©d3 ©c5
with equal chances. 6. � d 3 h S 7.h3 h4 or
7. . . ©d5 8 .©d2= 8.©d2 �dS 9.©e2 ©cs

4.b4? Kasparov misses a win. The right move

was 4.a4! computer provides the following
variant 4 . . . ©d7 5.©c4 @c7 6.b4 g5! 7.©d4 ©d8
8.f3 ©c7 9.g4 fxg4 10.fxg4 ©d7 l l .©e4 ©e6
1 2.a5 b5 l 3 .©d4 ©d7 14.c4 bxc4 1 5 .©xc4 ©d8
16.©d3 ©e7 17.©e3 ©d7 1 8 .©d4 ©d8 1 9.©e4
©d7 20.©f5 and white wins (Fritz). 4 . . .f6
gets rid of a doubled pawn. S.exf6 ©xf6 6.f4
©e6 7 .c4 ©d6 8.cS+ bxcS+ 9. bxc5+ ©e6
1 0 .©c4 a5 1 1 .gl ©f6 l l ...©e7 ! ? deserved
attention 1 2 .©c3 ©d7 1 3 .©d3 ©e6 14.©d4
©f6 1 5 .©c3 the play is equal. 1 2.©bl ©e6 An inaccessible position has been created in
1 3.©c4 ©f6 1 4.©d4 ©e6 And the game which kings cannot penetrate enemy pawns.
soon ended in a draw. 1 0. ©d2 ©dS 1 1 . ©d3 ©es 1 2 . ©d2 Draw.

16 1
C H ESS S C H O O L 5

M. Zupe - M. Elber
Nuremberg, 1990

9.d5+!? An interesting pawn sacrifice. If

9.'it>c3 then 9 ... 'it>d6 and chances are equal. 9 ...
White to move and draw
cxd5 1 0 .c5 ©d7 1 1 .©c3 ©c7! Black king
The situation on the diagram resembles the pre­ took a distant opposition. l l .. .'it>c6? would be
vious case. Both sides have doubled pawns, the wrong because of 1 2 .'it>d4 g3 1 3 .h3 and black
position is balanced. is in Zugzwang. 1 2 .©d3 ©d7! 1 2 . . . 'it>c6? los­
1 .©e3 h5 2.f4 if 2.g3 then 'it>e6 3 .'it>d3 'it>d6= es because of 1 3 .'it>d4 1 3 .©e3 ©c7 1 4.©d4
2 . . g4 3.©d3 3.b5 is of no use to white be­
. ©c6 1 5. h 3 g3 Draw.
cause in that case black continues with 3 . . . cxb5 We can reach a conclusion which goes for posi­
and after 4.cxb5 h4 5.d5 'it>d6 6.'it>d4 f6 7.b4 tions similar to the previous ones:
iid7 the position is a draw. 3 . . . ©d6 4.©c3
h4 5.b3 f6 6.Wb2 ©e6 7.©a3 b5 or 7 ... 'it>d6 If white has doubled pawns on b-file, the op­
8.'t!ia4 a6 9.'it>a3= 8.©b2 a6 posing side achieves a draw without major
problems.

1 62
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVIC

2. STRATEGY LINE - KNIGHT ENDINGS

night endings in the variant of Caro - Kann (code B I S ) are rather similar to pawn endings.
KThis similarity primarily lies in an evaluation of the position.
If a chess player, due to a complex position, is not able to evaluate a knight ending it is recom­
mended that in his mind he remove the knights from the board and then evaluate the arisen pawn
ending. The evaluations coincide in most of the cases.
Strategic plan for white lies in the utilization of pawn advantage on queen's side. Black tries to
block queen's side and seeks his chance in the centre and on king's side.

H. Kramer H. Golombek
-
for the knight. 4.a4 if 4.b4 then lii d 7 4 . . . lii d7
Bad Pirmont (zt), 1 95 1 5.b4 tLlf6 6.a5 Nothing changes in case of
6.b5 a5 position is equal. 6 . . . tLl h 5 7.tLle2 tLlf6
Draw.

P. Popovic R. Antonio
-

Thessaloniki (ol), 1 988

White to move and draw

In the position on the diagram black timely
manages to block the passed pawn.
Plan of defence:
1. Black king gets to d6 and blocks the Black to move
passed pawn.
White played according to the following plan:
2. Via d7 square the knight transfers to f6
(previously f5 has been played) and care­ 1. Creation of a passed pawn on queen's side.
fully watches the enemy pawn on d5. - Black didn't defend in the best way and
weakened the pawns on king's side
In that case white knight loses a part of its ac­
tivity because it has to defend d5 pawn. 2. Through combined threats and pressure on
1 . b3 ©e7 2.©e3 ©d6 3.©d4 f5! An impor­ both sides white achieves material advan­
tant move in black's plan which clears f6 square tage.

1 63
C H E S S SCHOOL 5

- White's main threat on queen's side lay the pawn is promoted to queen. 1 9 .tll xf6+
in pawn breakthrough after c6 c!>e6
- Weak black pawns on king's side became
excellent target for white knight's attack
3. Realization of material advantage
- White is two pawns up
1 . . . f5 2. tll d 3 g5 2 ... md6!? is possible 3 .a4
©d6 4. b4 tt:lf8 4 ... b6!? 5.a5 mc7 6.f4 f6
7.d5 bxa5 8.bxa5 c5t 5.f4 f6 6.b5 tll e6 so
far black has successfully defended. Now he
makes a mistake and his position worsens af­
ter each move. He should have tried 6 ...tt:lg6!
7.fxg5 fxg5 8.g4 fxg4 9.hxg4 h6t 7.c5+! c!>d7
7... md5? is bad because of 8.tt:lb4+ me4 9.bxc6
bxc6 IO.fxg5 fxg5 l l .li:Jxc6 and white wins.
8.fxg 5 tt:lxg5 if 8 ... fxg5 then 9.mc4 and after 20. hxg4! Deflection of black king from
d5 white creates a passed pawn in the centre. queen's side is the idea behind the knight sac­
However, this was a better solution than that rifice. 20 . . . tll e 2+ Capture of the knight af­
in the game. ter 20 ... mxf6 is met with 2 1 .c6! bxc6 22.b6
and the pawn is promoted to queen. 2 1 .c!>c4
c!>e7 2 1 ...mxf6 22 .c6 bxc6 23.b6! 22.b6
c!>d8 22 ... @xf6 23.c6 23.tt:lxh7 white is two
pawns up. 23 . . . tll f4 24. tll f6 tll g6 25. c!>dS
tll e7+ 26.c!>d6 tll c6 27.gS tll d4 28.g6 tll f5+
29.c!>e6 tll d4+ 30.c!>es tll f3+ 3 1 .c!>dS Black
resigns.

E. Vasiukov Y. Gusev
-

URS, 1 964

9.d5! Energetic strike in the centre after which

black's position becomes critical. 9 . . . cxd 5
1 0. ©d4 tll e4 in case of IO ... li:Je6+ white con­
tinues with l l .mxd5 b6 1 2 .g3 h6 1 3 .c6+ me7
14.mc4± 1 1 .tll f4 a6 1 2 . tll x d5 axb5 1 3 .axb5
c!>e6 if 13 ... h5 then 14.li:J f4 li:Jg3 1 5.md5 and
black doesn't have any useful moves. 1 4.tt:lf4+
©d7 1 5.g4 tt:lg3 1 6. tll dS c!>e6 1 7.tt:lf4+
misses a win by means of a pawn break­ White to move
through. After 17.c6! bxc6 1 8 .b6 tt:le2+ 1 9.mc5
and white wins. 1 7 . . . ©d7 1 8.tll dS repetition Black pieces are centralized and passed pawn
of the moves caused by lack of time. 1 8 . . . fxg4 on d5 is successfully blocked. However, a hid­
or 18 ...me6 19.c6! bxc6 20.b6 cxd5 2 1 .b7 and den tactical strike gives white some initiative.

1 64
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVIC

We are talking about pawn breakthrough on 7.©g2? In this interesting position white
king's side. didn't find the best solution. The following
1 .g4! hxg4 2 . h 5 gxf3+ 3.©xf3 �f7 analysis is interesting 7.©g3 ! lll h 6 8.lll c 3 f4+
4.�xb5+ ©xd5 5.�c3+ ©e5! 5 ... ©c4? ! is 9.©g2 lll f5 l0.a4 f3+ l l .©f2 ©f4 1 2 .lll d 5+
dubious and a possible variant is 6.lll xa4 ©b3 ©e4 1 3 .lll xf6+ ©f4 14.lll xg4 ©xg4 1 5.a5 ©f4
7.lll b 6 f4 8.a4 ©b4 9.b3 ! lll e 5+ l0.©f2 ©c5 16.a6 lll e 3 l 7.a7 lll g4+ 1 8 .©el ©e3 l 9.a81Mf f2+
l l .a5 ©b5 1 2 .lll c 4 lll f7 1 3 .b4! White is better 20.©fl lll h 2+ 2 1 .©g2 fliMf+ 22.©xh2 fff4+
and has good chances to play for a win (Fritz). 23 .©h3 fff5+ with perpetual check (Fritz).
6.�xa4 g4+ 7 . . . f4! 8 . � c3 � h6? The right continua­
tion was 8 ... f5 ! 9.lll d l f3+ l0.©g3 lll h 6 l l . a4
f4+ 1 2.©f2 lll f5 1 3 .a5 lll d4 and black wins.
9.a4 �f5? Black missed a win in the previ­
ous move, now he fails to draw. The road to
a draw was with 9 ... f3+! l0.©f2 ©f4 l 1 .lll d 5+
©e5 1 2 .lll e7 ©f4 1 3 .lll g 6+ ©e4 14.lll h4 ©f4
with repetition of moves. 1 O.a5! The wheel
of fortune has turned, now it is white the one
that is winning. 1 0 . . . � h4+ l0 ...lll e 3+ doesn't
help because of 1 1 .©gl 1 1 .©f1 f3 1 2.a6 g 3
1 3.a7 �g2 1 4.�dS! Black resigns. 14 ... ©xd5
1 5 .a8ff+

1 65
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

3 . STRATEGIC LINE - BISHOP VERSUS KNIGHT

V night is a piece suitable for fight in confined space. Unusual movement radius allows, at the
� ame time, blocking of enemy pawn and attack into several directions. Knight is stronger
than bishop if the position is blocked and is the play goes on in confined space
Bishop develops a great force in open positions when the pawns are arrayed on two flanks.
Bishop can, at the same time, support its own pawn and control and prevent advance of the enemy
pawn.
A) KNIGHT IS STRONGER
J. Plachetka - J. M . Bellon Lopez
D. Gross - D. Donchev Metz, 1 987
Pardubice, 1 994

White to move and win

White to move and draw
Black king is out of play and cannot participate
In positions of this type it is better to have a in the defence of the weak b7 square. Plan for
knight. Bishop is obstructed by queen's side realization of the advantage:
pawns and its movement radius is decreased. I . Centralization of white King
Knight performs two important functions:
2. Capture of weak b7 pawn.
it blocks the passed pawn on d-file and at the
same time exerts activity on central squares. 1 .@g3! g5 if 1 ...g6 then 2 .tll d 6 �c6 3 .c4 2 .@f2
Black's position is, academically speaking, h4 3.@e3 .ic6 4.c4 .id7 5.llJd6 .ie6 5 . . . �c6
nicer; however, a draw is a logical outcome. doesn't help because of 6.b5 axb5 7.cxb5 �d7
1 . .id3 a5 Draw. 8 :;!/d4 and white wins. 6.@d4 f5 7.llJ xb7
Black resigns.

166
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVIC

L. Vogt - G. Moehring 1 2 .�dS? Jeopardizes victory. The right move

DDR _,)
; 1 978 was 1 2 .ltJe2! We6 1 3 .ltJ d4+ We5 14.ltJb3 i.el
1 5 .Wd7 i.f2 16.c6 i.b6 1 7.ltJc5 Wd4 1 8 .ltJb7 f6
l 9.ltJd6 i.a5 20.ltJe8 We5 2 l . h4 g5 22.ltJd6 and
black can resign. 1 2 . . . @d4? Misses an excel­
lent drawing chance 12 . . . h4! 1 3 .ltJ e3 Wf4 and
because of the threat l!ig3 with attack on white
king's side, black has counter play. 1 3.i>d61
After this move the situation becomes clear,
white is winning, no doubt about it. 1 3 . . . i.dS
1 4.�e7 i>e3 1 5. � c6 i.h4 1 6.�e5 i>e2
1 7.c6 i.d8 1 8 .@d7 Black resigns.

J. Plachetka - P. Dely
Tatran cup, 1 972
White to move and win

l. Creation of a passed pawn on c-file

- White gets to c4 with his king and plays
d5
2. Advance of passed pawn with the support
from king and knight
1 . i>d31 i.c7 2. i>c4 i.h2 3.dS i.g 1 4.f3 there
is another road to victory 4.dxc6+!? ©xc6
5.ltJb4+ ©d7 6.ltJd3 ©e6 7.©b5 ©d7 8 .ltJe5+
Wc7 9.f3 and black loses the pawn. 4 ... cxdS+
if 4 ... i.f2 then 5.ltJd4 cxd5+ 6.Wxd5 and on
as in the game. 5.@xdS i.h2 6 . � d4 i.g3 if Black to move
black keeps his bishop on h2-b8 diagonal, then
the following variant is possible 6 . . . i.c7 7.ltJc6 1 . . . c5! 2 . dxc5 �xc5 2 . . . ©c6 3 .c4 ltJxc5
f6 8.ltJd4 i.e5 9.c6+ Wc8 1 0.ltJe6 h4 l l .ltJf8 g5 4.i.d2 ltJd3 5.b3 ltJc5 6.b4 ltJd3 7.i.c3 Wd6
1 2 .ltJg6 i.b2 l 3 .ltJe7+ 7.�c6 i.e 1 8.�eS+ 8.i.d2 b6 9.i.e3 ltJxb4 l O.i.xb6 ltJd3 l l .Wfl
i>e7 9 . � d 3 i.aS 1 0 .i>c6! i>e6 1 1 .ltJf4+ ltJe5 1 2.c5+ l!ic6 1 3 .We2 it:Jd7 14.We3 ltJxc5
@es 1 5.i.a5+ (Fritz). 3 .i.d2 i>c6 4.c4 4.Wfl Wb5
5.We2 Wc4+ 4 . . . � d 3 5.b3

1 67
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

4 . . . ttJxa2 s.<;t>d3 ttJ b4+! Knight's manoeu­

vre decides the game. The idea is to attack
white pawns on king's side. 6.<;t>xc3 ttJ d 5+
7.Wd4 ttJf4 white loses the pawn. 8.g4 here
8 .g3 doesn't help for after 8 . . .4Jxh3 9.me3 ttJg5
black has large material advantage. 8 ... ttJxh3
9.gxf5 g5! White resigns.

B) BISHOP IS STRONGER

M. Darbanvaig hani - S. Asani

Fagr op, 2005

5 . . . b5 5 ...ttJc5! 6.b4 4Jd3 7.�c3 md6+ with

transition to the position which was analysed
after black's second move. 6.cxb5+ Draw. If
6 ... mxb5 then 7.mfl 4Jc5 8 .b4 4Jb3 9.�el 4Jd4
10.�d2 mc4 l l .h3 tDc2 1 2 .me2 4Jxb4 1 3 .me3
4Jd3 14.g4 tDc5 15.h4+

F. A. Kuijpers - S. Flohr
Amsterdam, 1 963

White to move

Typical position in which bishop is stronger

than knight.
White completely realized his strategic plan.
The idea is:
1. Creation of a passed pawn on queen's
side
2. Advance of the passed pawn supported
by long-range bishop and king
Black to move and win 3. Winning of material and realization of
The main strength of black position lies in the material advantage.
passed pawn on c-file. In order to stop advance 1 . b3 ttJd6 2.<;t>d3 <;t>e7 here 2 ... f5 !? deserved
of that pawn white king is forced to get out of attention 3 .�f3 md7 4.c4t 3.c4 f5 4.i.f3
its shelter and go towards the pawn. At a con­ <;ties if 4 ... 4Je8 then 5.b4 4J c7 6.d5 4J a6 7.a3
venient moment black, with his knight, wins cxd5 8.�xd5 b6 9.g3 4J c7 1 0.md4 and white
material on his opponent's king's side. has solid advantage. 5.b4 g 5 6 . h 3 a6 7.a4 f6
1 . . . c4! 2.Wg1 the only way for white to con­ 8.c5 ttJe8 8 ...4Jc8 doesn't make defence easier
front advance of the opponent's pawn on c-file. 9.mc4 tDe7 1 0.b5 and white has large advan­
2 . . . c3 3.Wf1 ttJ b4 threatening c2. 4.<;t>e2 if tage. 9.b5 axb5 1 0.axbS <;t>d7 IO . . cxb5? is
.

white plays 4.a3 then 4 . . . c2! decides 5.�xc2 bad for after l l .�xb7 connected passed pawns
ttJxc2 6.a4 tDe3+ 7.me2 4J c4 and black wins. on central files would emerge.

1 68
 S LOBODAN M I RKOVI C

with 1 2 . �xc6! bxc6 1 3 .b7 and white promotes

to queen. 1 2 .dS h5 12 . . . cxd5 wouldn't help
because of l 3 . �xd5 ©c8 14.©c4 1 3 .ci>c4 a
pleasant choice for white, apart from the move
in the game 1 3 .dxc6+ was also winning 1 3 ...
bxc6 14.©c4 g4 1 5 .b7 ©c7 16.�xc6 f4 17.hxg4
hxg4 1 8 . �e4 1 3 . . . g4 1 4.dxc6+ bxc6 1 5.b7
ci>c7 1 6.hc6 the pawn is captured. 16 ... .!Lie6
if 16 . . . ©xc6 then 17.b8� 1 7 . h4! Consistently
to the end, white fixes the enemy pawn on h5
square where he can become bishop's prey.
1 7 . . . .!Lif4 1 8 .i.d S .!Lig6 1 9 .ci>bS .!Lif4 black
could have taken the pawn on h-file, but af­
1 1 .b6! Fixes black pawn on b7 preparing d5. ter 1 9 . . .ll'ixh4 20.©a6 ©b8 2 1 .©b6 with c6 -
1 1 ... .!Lig7 if black king steps on e- file then c7 white mates. 20.ci>a6! Black resigns. 20 ...
pawn breakthrough decides, l l ...©e6 is met ll'ixd5 2 1 .©a7.

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

4. STRATEGIC LINE - BISHOPS OF THE SAME COLOUR

n this type of endings also white's plan lies in utilization of pawn advantage on queen's side. In
Isome situations black can block the pawns on queen's side by placing his king on the square op­
posite to the opponent's bishop's colour.

L. Stein - U. Andersson
Las Palmas, 1 973

Black executed his plan. The king on c6 blocks

the passed pawn on c-file and prevents its ad­
White to move and draw vance. White cannot push the opponent's king
from that white square. The position is bal­
White's only realistic attempt to achieve ad­ anced.
vantage lies in the creation of a passed pawn 6.g3 i.b6 threatening i.f2. 7 .@e2 i.d4 8 .i.b4
on c-file, after 'it>e2-d3 and c4. The idea of @d7 9.g4 the exchange of black doubled pawn
defence for black is simple. It is necessary to doesn't influence evaluation of the position. 9 . . .
place the king on white square c6 from where it fxg4 1 0 .hxg4 g6 1 1 .@dl i.b2 1 2 .@e4 i f
cannot be driven away. In that way the passed 1 2 . a4 then 1 2 . . . f5 i s possible 1 2 . . . @c6 1 3 .fS
pawn loses its power. i.a1 Draw.
1 .@e2 Centralization of the king and prepara­
tion for the creation of a passed pawn on c-file.
1 . . .©d5 2.@d3 i.c7 computer analyses 2 ...
b4? 3.c4+ bxc3 4.'it>xc3 'it>e4 5.b4 .txf4 6 . .txf4
'it>xf4 7.a4 'it>e5 8.'it>c4 'it>d6 and black wins
(Fritz). 3.c4+ bxc4+ 4.bxc4+ @cs 5.a3
©c6

1 70
 S LOBODAN M I RKOVI C

J. Rowson - S. Konquest Creation o f a passed pawn o n queen's side and

BCF, 1 998 king's activity gave white advantage. However,
It's a fact that black didn't defend well.
1 ... f5+ If l .. .�e7 2.g4! is strong 2.©e5! Al­
ternative is 2.Wd3 ! ? after 2 ... �c7 3.h3 h5 4.b4
b5 ! t black has good chances for a draw. 2 . . .
b5 here 2 . . . �e7 ! ? 3 . f3 b 6 t deserved attention
3.cxb5+ axb5 4.h3 h5 5.a4 5.�b4!t 5 . . .
bxa4 6. bxa4

Black to move and draw

An ideal position for black. Passed pawn on
c-file is successfully blocked. Neither side can
play for a win, the position is equal. The game
continued
1 . . . ©b5 2.i.d2 i>a4 transition to a pawn
ending doesn't bring much, after 2 . . . �xa5
3 . �xa5 iixa5 4.iic3 iob5 5 .iob3 f4 6.ioc3 a5
7.iib3 a4+ 8 .iib2 Wa5 9.Wa3 Wb5 regardless 6 . . . h4? correct solution of the problem in this
of black's material advantage the position is position lies in centralization of the king, af­
a draw. 3 .i.e 1 © b 5 4.i.d2 ©a4 if 4 ... �xa5 ter 6 . . . Wc5 ! chances are equal. 7.i.b4 'it>d7?
then 5.�xa5 Wxa5 6. W c 3 with a draw. 5.i.e 1 This move loses, there were some chances to
'it> b 5 6.i.d2 i.g 3 7 . .tc3 i>c6 Draw. fight for a draw after 7 . . �g5 ! ? 8 . © d 5 ! After
.

this move black is powerless. 8 . . . i.b6 9.f3 f6

C. A. Martinez N. Hirota da Silva
-
1 O . a5 the passed pawn decides the outcome of
Sao Paulo, 1996 the game. 1 0 . . . .ta7 1 1 .a6 g5 1 2 . .ic5 i.b8
1 3.a7 .ixa7 1 4 . .txa7 white captured the
bishop. 1 4 . . . 'it>e7 1 5 .i.c5+ i>f7 1 6.i.b4 'it>g6
1 7.i>e6 g4 1 8 .i.d2 Black resigns.

Black to move

1 71
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

S. Mannion - P. Motwani The plan of realization of the advantage:

SCO (ch), 2001 1 . Centralization of black king
2. Advance of passed pawns supported by
the bishop.
3. Winning of material.
-At one moment, in order to keep the pawns,
white will have to sacrifice the bishop.
1 . . . @f8 ! 2 . © d 3 b5 3.@d4 @e7 4.f3 a5
5.if4 a4 6 . @ d 3 id 6 6 . . . i!.a3 ! ? deserved at­
tention, after 7.'it>c3 b4+ 8 .'it>c4 b3 9.'it>c3 id6
1 0 . i!.e3 i!.e5+ l l .'it>d3 'it>d6 l 2 . f4 ii,a l 1 3 .i!.d2
'it>xd5 1 4 . ib4 i!.b2 1 5 . g4 a3 bl ack wins. 7.id2
b4 8.@c4 b3 9 .ic3 ie5 1 0 .ib4+ @d7
1 1 .@d3
Black to move and win
Black successfully blocked opponent's queen's
side. The winning idea lies in capturing white
pawns on a3 and b2 .
1 . . . ib2 ! 2.©e2 ©c4 3.ie7 .ba3 4.i.xf6
.ixb4 5.©d 1 if 5.i!.g5 then i!.c3 with advance
of the passed pawn on b-file. 5 . . .ic3 6.ig5
©d3 here 6 ... 'it>b3 ! was winning faster 7.f3 b4
8.ie7 'it>b2 7.©c1 id4 8.f4 @e4 9.@c2 ie3
1 0.©b3 .bf4 1 1 .ie7 id2 White resigns.

D. Mikicic - S. Mirkovic
Belgrade 2008

1 1 . . .fS l l .. .i!.d6 was winning as well 1 2.i!.c3

i!.a3 1 3 . i!.xf6 'it>d6 14.'it>c3 'it>xd5 and white can
resign. 1 2 ..icS @c7 1 3.@d2 1 3 .g4 wouldn't
help 13 . . . fxg4 14.hxg4 'it>d7 1 5.i!.b4 i!.d6
16.i!.c3 a3 and black wins. 1 3 . . . .ib2 White re­
signs.

Black to move and win

1 72
 S LO B O DA N M I R KOVIC

TYPICAL COMBINATIONS

n the variant of Caro-Kann being considered (Bl5) almost all kinds of combinations can occur.
I The goal can be:
1. Mate
2. Draw
3. Winning of material
4. Other

COMBINATIONS IN BLACK'S SHORT 5.�xg7#] 4.�g8+! l'!xg8 5.CiJf7# Smothered

CASTLE AREA mate. 3 .Wf g4+ Black resigns. lf3 . . . il..g 7 4.�xf6
and black cannot prevent mating.
n this group of combinations white is the side
Iwhich attacks enemy king in the short castle A. Planinec - S. Puc
area. Cacak, 1 969

Majority of the combinations are mating com­

binations.

A. Khalifman - Y. Seirawan
Wijk aan Zee, 1 99 1

White to move and win

1 .i.xc4! .ata if l . . .�xc4 then 2.�f6 with mat­

ing. And in case of l .. .�e7 there follows 2 .�xe7
l'!xe7 3 .�d2 �xc4 4.�h6 also with mating.
2 .Wfb3 Wfc7 3.hf7+! Black resigns. If 3 . . .
White t o move and win �xf7 4.l'!h8+! ill x h8 5.�xf7 l'! e 6 6.�xf8+ ill h7
7.l'!h l # (Rybka).
1 .gxe8 ! gxe8 2.� h6+ gxh6 if black de­
clines the knight sacrifice, after 2 . . . ill h 8 there
follows 3 .�xf7 �d6 [or 3 . . . gxh6 4.�xf6+ �g7

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CH ESS SCHOOL 5

R. Huebner - R. Dzindzichashvili Y. Lechtinsky I. Novak

-

Tilburg, 1 985 CSSR (ch), 1 972

White to move and win White to move and win

1 .tlixh7! @xh7 2.Wxf6 @gs 3.d5 ges 1 .gxe6! fxe6 2.Wg4 i.d6 2 . . . g6 doesn't help
4.i.f1 Wa4 s.gd4 Black resigns. because of 3 .ixg6! 3.tlixf6+ @ h 8 4.tlixe8
.

gxe8 5.hh7! Black resigns.

B. Spassky - H. Pfleger
Munich, 1979 V. Djokic S. Jovic
-

Nis, 2008

White to move and win

White to move and win
1 .hf7+! ©xf7 2.Wh5+ g6 if 2 . . . Wf8 then
3.\Wxh7 It turned out that black is defenceless. 1 .hf4! hf4 2.Wxf4 Wxc5 if 2 ... tt:lxf4 then
3.Wxh7+ @f8 4.h4 even stronger than the 3 .�xe7 3.gxe6 ! g5 if black plays 3 . . . fxe6
move in the game was 4.\Wxg6! (Rybka). Black 4 . .ixe6+ Wh7 5.\Wh4+ Wh5 6.'1Wxd8 white wins.
resigns. 4.We3 here 4.�e8+! was even a stronger move
4 . . . Wh7 5.\Wxf7 \Wei+ 6.Wh2 (Rybka). Black re­
signs.

1 74
 S LO B O DAN M I R KOVIC

A. Fuderer J. H. Donner
- V. Ragozin I. Boleslavsky
-

Beverwijk, 1 952 URS, 1 942

White to move and win White to move

1 .lll h 5 ! gxh5 2 . .bh7+ ©h8 3 . .ig6+ ©g8 1 . .ih6 ! ? I .tll f5 l'!e8 2 . l'!fl i.f8 3 .'!Wf3=
4.Wfh7+ Black resigns. If 4 ... 'it>f8 then 5.i.h6+ 1 . . . Wfd7? [ l .. .gxh6! 2 .lll f5 'it>h8 (2 . . . i.f4
'it>e7 6.1Wxf7+ 'it>d8 7.1Wxe8# 3 .1Wg4+ i.g5 4.h4 'it>h8 5.hxg5 hxg5 6.1Wh3±)
3 .\Wxh6 l'!g8 4.l'!e8 ! i.f8 5.l'!xd8 i.xh6 6.l'!xg8+
R. Felgaer A. Bauza
-
l'!xg8 7.lll x h6 l'!e8 8.lll xf7+ 'it>g7 9.b3 'it>xf7
Mar de! Plata, 2001 10.bxc4 l'!e2 1 l .c5 l'!xc2 1 2 . l'!b l b6 l 3 .cxb6
axb6 14.a4;!;] 2 . .bg7! ©xg7 3 .lll f5+ ©h8
4J�e4 .ixh2+ 5. ©h 1 Black resigns.

A. Kapengut V. Tarasevich
-

URS, 1974

White to move and win

1 .lll xf6+! Black resigns. I .. . . gxf6 2.i.xg6

fxg6 Ul:xe6 l'!xe6 4.l'!xe6

White to move and win

1 .lll xf6+! gxf6 2 .Wfxf6 .id 5 2 ... lll c7 3 .1Wxh6

lll d 5 4.i.xd5! i.xd5 5.l'!e5 l'!e6 6.l'!xe6 i.xe6
7.l'!e4 \We7 8 .l'!h4+- 3.ge7 simpler was 3.i.xd5
l'!xe3 4.i.xf7+! \Wxf7 5.1Wxd8+ and white wins.
3 . . . lll c7 4.g1 e5! Black resigns.

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C H ESS SCHOOL 5

V. Varadi - J. Dovzik 2 .dxe6+ l"!xe6 3.l"!xd7+ ©g8 4.Wxb7 white

Miskolc, 2004 has decisive material advantage. 4 . . .Wxa2 if
4 ... � h7 then 5.h3 and black can resign. 5.Wd5
Black resigns.

M. Tai - V. Simagin
Moscow, 1 963

White to move and win

1 .Wg2 ! Wc7 2.l"!xd6! Black resigns. If black
plays 2 ... Wi'xd6 then 3.i.g7+ � g8 4.i.xf6+ � f7
5.Wi'g7+ � e8 6.il.xe7 Wfxe7 7.Wi'h8+
White to move
COMBINATIONS IN THE CENTRE 1 .lll xc2 ! lll x c2 2.c7 l"!e1 +? Rook's leaving
AND ON QUEEN'S SIDE the eighth rank proves to be fatal for black. The
only chance for defence was 2 ...Wfc3 ! 3 .Wi'f4 in
pen lines along which major pieces exert this position, regardless of being a piece up, it
O their activity as well as diagonals for bish­ is difficult for black to find a way to play for
ops and queen play an important role in these a win. 3 ... � f8 is possible 4.Wi'h6+ � g8 5.Wi'f4
combinations. with repetition of moves and a draw (Fritz).
3.l"!xe 1 Wxe 1 + 4.©h2 lll d4 if 4 .. .!'!f8 then
A. Matanovic - W. Lange 5.gd8 Wf e5+ 6.Wi'g3 Wfe7 7.Wi'd6! and white wins.
Hamburg, 1 955 5.Wf6 lll f3+ 6.©g3! Evades the trap 6.gxf3?
Wfxf2+ 7. � h3 Wfxf3+ 8. � h2 Wff2+ with per­
petual check.
Black resigns.

White to move and win

1 .h5! Wxa5 after l ...b6 2 .dxe6+ � xe6

3.gxd7 Wi'xd7 4.gxd7 � xd7 5.Wfa4+ white wins.

1 76
 S LO BO DA N M I R KOVIC

M. Matulovic - I. R. Johannsson 1 .d5+! Black resigns. If 1 ... l!id6 then 2.lll xb7+
Halle (zt), 1 967 l!id7 3 .c5 and material advantage decides the
outcome of the game. If black accepts the sac­
rifice and plays I . ..l!ixc5 after 2.d6! the pawn
irresistibly promotes to queen.

J. Hector - C. Hoi
BSF, 201 0

White to move
1 .llJ d S+! cxd5 here l . ..'1Wxd5 is stronger but
after 2.11*'xf3 f5 3 . �b4 white is better. 2 .�xf3
�b8 more resilient was 2 . . .'1Wb7 3 .�h5 a faster
win was with 3.l'he4+! dxe4 4.'IM!xe4+ l!if8
5.d5 '1Wb6 6.l!ib l �xa3 7.'1Wxc4 fi.e7 8 .'1Wxa4 White t o move and win
(Fritz). 3 . . . i.f4+ 4.© b 1 ©e6 5.gf1 computer
corrects the opinion of grandmasters and sug­ 1 . b6! here Uk7?! is weaker because of
gests 5.'IM!g4+! f5 6.l'he4+! dxe4 7.d5+ l!ixd5 1 . .lll g 3+! 2 .l!ih2 lll f l+! 3 .'IWxfl 'IM!xc7. White
.

8 .'1Wxf5+ l!fc6 9.'IM!xe4+ l!i.d7 1 0 .'IM!xc4 and is better but the road to victory is not clear
white wins (Fritz). 5 . . . i.d6 the move 5 . f5!
.. enough. 1 . . � e 7 if black accepts the sacrifice,
.

gave some practical chances in fight for a draw after l ...'IM!xb6 there follows a mate by force.
6.�h6! i.fS 7 .©a2 'IM!g8 8 .i.b4 �g3 after 2.'IM!xt7+ lll g7 3 .'IM!g8+ l!ih6 4.'1Wh8# 2 .�xf7+!
8 ... i.xb4 9.axb4 the position is won for white. Black resigns. If2 ... '1Wxt7 then 3.l'!c7; 2.'IM!c3+­
9 .�h8 Black resigns. (Rybka).

U. Andersson B. E. Horberg
-

SWE (ch), 1 969

White to move and win

CH ESS SCHOOL 5

COMBINATIONS IN WHITE'S SHORT 1 . . .Yl1fxe 3 ! ? Computer gives preference to the

CASTLE AREA move I . . .tll g4! After 2.tll xg4 :B:xd l 3.llie3 8:bl
black wins. 2 .Yl1fxe3 !!xd 1 3.Yl1fb6 if 3 .'l'Nc3
hess practice records a large number of then mg7 3 . . . c!l:ig4! 4.g3 .ixf1 White resigns.
C combinations in which almost all pieces D. Antic - S. Mirkovic
are sacrificed. The largest number of combina­
tions are mating combinations. Belgrade, 1 988

M. Bluemich - A. Alekhine
Krakov/Warsaw, 1 941

Black to move

1 . . . .ixh3! 2 .Ad6 if white accepts the sacri­

Black to move and win fice of the bishop, after 2.gxh3 �xh3 3 . .ifl
llif3+ 4.�xf3 �xf3 5 . .ig3 f5 black wins. The
1 ... f4! 2.gxf4 if 2 .tll c 2 then 2 ...tll h4! wins 3.g4 best solution was 2 . .ifl ! and black would con­
'l'Nb5 2 . . .YlYb5 3.c4 if the king defends the rook tinue with 2 ... .ie6 and would be a pawn up.
there follows sacrifice of the queen, after 3.me2 2 . . ..txg2 3 .he7 9xe7 here 3 ...'l'Nh3 ! was
'l'Nxd3+! 4.mxd3 tll e l+ black's material advan­ winning faster than the move in the game; pos­
tage decides. 3 . . .Yl1fxc4! 4.�xf3 capture of the sible variant is 4.llixf6+ mh8 5.f4 .if3 6.�d2
queen leads to a mate 4.llixc4 :B:e l # 4 . . . Yl1fxd3+ �g3+ 7.mn .ig2+ 8 .me2 �f3# 4.!!e3 ts
5.@g2 Yl1fxd4 6.f5 gxf5 White resigns. 5.c!l:ic5 9c7 6.!!g3 Af3 7.9d2 here 7.8:xf3
is met with 7 ... 8:el+ 8.�xel llixf3+ and white
L. Astalos - A. Nimzowitsch loses his queen. 7 . . .f4 7 ... .id5! ? also led to vic­
Bled, 1931 tory 8.!!h3 g 5 And black won.

Black to move and win

1 78
 S LOBODAN M I R KOVIC

COMBINATIONS EXECUTED BY 1 ... Wfxd 5! White resigns. If 2.Wxd5 then

BLACK IN THE CENTRE AND ON 2 ... gal + with mating.
QUEEN'S SIDE
G. Laketic - S. Mirkovic
pen lines and diagonals are of crucial im­ Budva, 2002
O portance here. The motif which is fre­
quently met is the weakness of the starting
rank.

Perez - A. Alekhine
Caracas, 1 939

Black to move

1 . . . c4! 2 .!ic7? Decisive mistake, 2.g3d2

should have been tried; after 2 ... Wc6 black
is slightly better. 2 . . . cxd3 3 . .ixb6 Wfg 5+
4.© b 1 if 4.gd2 then 4 ... ge l # 4 . . . a6 5 . .bd8
Black to move and win Wfd2 ! White resigns.

1 ... tL!xdS! 2 . cxd5 Wfxc1 +! 3 . .bc1 .bf2+ Leo. Forgacs - 0. Duras

4.©xf2 .bd5 the combination is finished, St. Petersburg, 1 909
black achieved material advantage. 5.tLle2 .ic4
5 . . . gc8 !? was also good 6 . .ie3 gd 1 7.tLlc1 a4
8 . .ic2 gf1 + 9.©g3 .ib5 White resigns.

A. Sznapik - J. Lechtinsky
Decin, 1 979

Black to move and win

1 . . ge2 ! 2 . .ie5 if 2 . .ixe2 then 2 .. .lhe2 and

.

after 3 .\Wfl Wa3 black wins. 2 . . . Wfxe5! White

resigns. 3 . .ixe2 Wxe2 4.\Wxe2 gxe2 5.mg2 ge4

Black to move and win

179
CH ESS SCHOOL 5

E, Solozenkin - S. Mirkovic E. Mnatsakanian V. Simagin

-

Mataruska banja, 1 997 Kiev, 1 965

Black to move Black to move and win

1 ... .txa2 ! 2.tlif5 if white plays 2.l'l'.xa2 there 1 . . . gxc3 ! 2 . bxc3 .ixc2+! White resigns. If
follows 2 ... �e6+ 3.i.e2 �xa2 and black has 3.'kt>cl then lt:lxa2+ 4.'kt>d2 i.xb3
large material advantage. 2 . . . We6+ 3.tlie3
i.b3 3 ... f5!? is interesting 4.�f3 l'l'.e8+ 4.'ifd3
i.dS stronger than the move in the game is
4 . a5+ 5.i.e2 i.e4 5 ... tlid7 is also good 6.0-0
..

tlib6+ 6.Y!Yd2 tlid7i

A. Nimzowitsch - R. Reti
Berlin, 1 928

Black to move and draw

1 ... .txcS! 2.gxcS 2.i.xc5!? deserved atten-

tion 2 ...�f4+ 3.'kt>gl 1;Wxd2 4.l'l'.d l �a5 5.i.e3
i.b5:t 2 ... gxc5 3 ..txcs 'iff4+ 4.cbg 1 Wxd2
Draw.

180
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Slobodan Mirkovic

tarted playing chess at the age of seven. Since 1 984 he has held the title of lnternational chess
S master. He has taken part in a number of international chess tournaments. Since 1 990 he has
taken part in fewer tournaments and his predominant activity has become chess coaching. He has
the title of International Chess Master, he is a FIDE coach and he is also International Master of
Correspondence Chess.

As a professional coach of "Partizan" Chess Club he worked with young players of different ages
in the period between 1 988 and 1 999. He is the architect and one of the founders of the School of
Champions of "Rad" Chess Club which started its work in 1 996.

His students have won a total of 14 youth championship titles of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Mon­
tenegro, Serbia and 6 youth championship titles of Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the titles were
won at the time when the author worked individually with the players. Of numerous students we
should single out grandmasters Nikola Sedlak, Milos Perunovic, Bojan Vuckovic and Andjelija
Stojanovic.

Slobodan Mirkovic has systematized around five thousand games from the practice of world's top
chess players and created a card file, which makes the basis for work with young players. He is
the author of a classification of chess combinations, which was a part of the information system of
"Chess Informant" for more than 1 0 years as well as of a unique system "Sirius" which represents
a complete systematization of chess game.

He wrote a series of five books titled "Chess school" in English language. The books "Chess
School", "Chess School 2", "Chess School 3", "Chess School 4" and "Chess School 5" were of­
ficial books of Youth Chess Championships In Herceg Novi in 2005, 2006 and 2008, in Alhena,
Bulgaria, in 201 1 and in 201 3 in Budva. The first three books from this series "Sakkiskola l",
"Sakkiskola 2" and "Sakkiskola 3" have been translated into Hungarian. In June in 201 3 , the book
"Schachschule 1" was published in German language. All to.

He is the author of the book "From Steinitz to Topalov" as well as chess textbooks "Chess basics'',
"Magic of the game", "Masterstrokes on 64 squares" and a co-author of "Teachers' manual" for
chess as an optional subject in primary schools in Montenegro.

He is a co-author of the official book of European Individual Women Championship 20 1 3 in Bel­

grade "Chess Queens combinations".

18 1
 INDEX

A Berger 24, 25, 63, 64, 68, 69, Cheron 19, 20, 68, 71
Adams M. 82 70, 78, 93 Chiburdanidze M. 144
Adeler 137 Bernstein 80 Chigorin M. 91, 1 20
Alburt L. 8 1 Bertok M. 47 Choinatzky 1 37
Alekhine A. 48, 5 6 , 88, 121, Berzins R. 134 Christiansen L. 81
136, 1 78, 1 79 Betazki 140 Chudinovskikh A. 130
Aleksandrov A. 31, 139 Bilek I. 91 Cobo Arteaga E. 69
Alexander C. 51 Bisguier A. 67 Cohn E. 1 25
Anand V. 13, 39, 89, 96 Blackburne J. H. 143 Collier 147
Anderssen A. 37, 1 27, 128 Blau M. 1 22 Com I. 1 5 1
Andersson U. 170, 177 Bluemich M. 178 Coopersmith 147
Andonov B. 1 24 Boden S. 140 Cortlever 36
Antic D. 178 Boensch U. 22 Cozio C. 107
Antonio R. 163 Bogoljubow E. 59 Cruz Lima 148
Aronin L. 58, 82, 82 Boguszlavszkij J. 1 5 8
Asani S. 168 Boleslavsky I. 38, 175 D
Astalos L. 178 Bondarevsky I. 1 18 Damljanovic B. 1 1 5
Atanasov P. 36 Borscak M. 128 Darbanvaighani M. 168
Averbakh Y. 28, 38, 52, 53 Botvinnik M. 30, 32 Del Rio E . 127
Azmaiparashvili Z. 42 Braemigk F. 84 Dely P. 1 67
Brinck Claussen 124 Djokic V. 174
B Brinckman A. 1 22 Dlugy M. 48
Babic M. 43 Bronstein D. 82, 128 Donchev D. 166
Bacro E. 23 Bruzon Bautista L. 1 24 Donner J. H. 175
Balk 1 16 Byrne A. 49 Dovzik J. 176
Balla 145 Byrne D. 148 Dubinin P. 82
Barbulescu D. 124 Dufresne J. 1 27
Barcza G. 83 c Duguesnoi 1 18
Barczay L. 42 Cabrera 142 Duras 0. 1 25, 179
Bareev E. 34, 42, 94 Cabrilo G. 132, 144 Dvoirys S. 101, 144
Barnes 1 16 Capablanca J. R. 92, 107, Dyment 1 16
Bauza A. 175 121 Dzindzichashvili R. 174
Bazhin L. 1 24 Carlsen M. 13, 23, 39 Dzuvarovic M . 62
Beliavsky A. 38 Cekhover V. 95, 95, 95, 96,
Bellon Lopez J. M. 54, 166 99, 101 E
Benjamin J. 48 Centurini 87 Eiffel 1 3 1

183
Elber M. 162 Hirota da Silva N. 1 7 1 Kling 20, 87, 70
Enik 131 Hjartarson J . 3 1 Konopka M. 69
Eperjesi 1 52 Hoi C. 177 Konquest S. 1 7 1
Espig 143 Holzhausen 35 Kortschnoj V. 14, 49, 54
Euwe M. 56, 128, 128, 129, Horberg B . E. 177 Koskinen 140
142, 144 Horowitz 1 23 Kotkov 1 52
Horvath Gy. 1 52 Kozlov 18
F Horwitz 20, 70 Kraicer 1 1 6
Feldt 1 3 6 Hsu Li Yang 137 Kramer H . 163
Felgaer R . 175 Huebner R. 174 Kramnik V. 14, 1 39
Fernandez J. 81 Krasenkov M. 95
Fine 35 Krause 0. H. 161
Fischer R. 91, 1 3 1 , 148 Ibanez D. 142 Krejcik 1 29
Flohr S. 168 Illescas Cordoba M. 100 Kuijpers F. A. 168
Fontein G. 129 Ilyn 97, 98 Kustar S. 141
Fuderer A. 175 lvanchuk V. 14, 39, 61 Kuznecov I . 1 52
Iversen B . 94, 33, 60
G L
Ganser J. 84 J Laketic G. 179
Gaprindashvili N. 54 Janowski D. 92 Lange W. 176
Gdanski 142 Jeremie 1 20 Lasa 79
Gelfand B. 51, 82, 139 Johannessen 124 Lautier J. 50
Geller E. 41, 120 Johannsson I. R. 177 Lazic M. 66
Gheorghiu F. 67 Joshi S. G. 131 Lechtinsky J. 1 60, 1 79
Gligoric S. 47, 52 Jovic S. 174 Lechtinsky Y. 174
Godes D. 84 Jussupow A. 22 Leko P. 34, 97
Goldin V. 140 Leo. Forgacs 179
Golombek H. 163 K Letelier Martne R. 131
Gorelov S. 1 25 Kallai G. 1 16 Levenfish G. 1 2 1
Gossip G. 147 Kantorovic 27 Levin A. 9 1
Grabczewski 26 Kapengut A. 175 Liburkin 98
Grassi 1 5 1 Karkner 1 23 Liebert H. 1 20
Grigoriev 17, 18, 27 Karpacev 1 17 Lilienthal A. 88, 77
Gross D. 166 Karpov A. 53, 59 Loewenborg 0. 161
Gurevich M. 5 1 Kasanen 140 Lohmer 1 23
Gusev Y. 164 Kasparov G. 14, 45, 102, Lolli 25, 33, 130
151, 160 Lombardy W. 32
H Kavalek L. 67 Lutz C. 19
Haeker 40 Keller R. 1 22 Lyrberg 1 17
Halberstadt 65 Keres P. 33, 56, 58, 128
Hamilton 1 17 Kersten U. 1 5 8 Lj
Hanley R. W. 1 23 Khalifman A. 1 20, 173 Ljubojevic Lj . 45, 49, 55,
Hanouna 134 Kharitonov A. 61 92, 97
Harikrisna P. 1 29 Khenkin 68, 71, 72, 73, 74,
Haygarth 1 17 75, 76, 77, 77, 78 M
Hector J. 177 Kindermann S. 1 25 Mac Donnell G. 140
Hernandez A. C. 148 Kirpicnikov 1 8 Macieja B. 69

184
Malaniuk V. 1 1 5 0 Riumin 1 29
Mandhaim 27 Ojanen 43 Rohacek I. 36
Mannion S. 172 Olafsson H. 34 Rossolimo N. 79
Marosi 1 23 Opocensky K. 36 Rotlewi G. 141
Marovic D. 18 Ormos 140 Rowson J. 171
Marshal F. 26 Ostojic P. 47, 159 Rozentalis E. 3 1 , 37
Martens 26 Rubinstein A. 141
Martinez C. A. 171 p Ryabov S. 140
Matanovic A. 54, 176 Parma B. 60
Matijasevic M. 132 Perelshteyn E. 1 24 s
Matsakanian E. 159 Perez 179 Sahovic D. 80
Matulovic M. 134, 177 Petrushansky 1 5 1 Salov V. 45
Mieses J. 143 Pfeifer M. 160 Saltaev M. 1 5 8
Mikicic D. 172 Pfeiffer G. 122 Salvioli 84
Miles A. 90, 92, 130, 160 Pfleger H. 1 74 Samisch 35
Milicevic A. 1 34 Philidor 63, 75 Sande 80
Miljanic B. 141 Pillsbyry H. N. 49, 89 Sasikiran K. 23
Milos G. 94 Plachetka J. 45, 166, 167 Schiffers E. 9 1
Minasian A. 1 18 Planinec A. 1 1 2, 173 Schlechter C. 143
Minev N. 32 Podzielny K. H. 45 Schmidt P. 139
Mirkovic S. 46, 60, 62, 66, Polgar J. 37, 100 Sedlak N. 141
1 20, 128, 1 3 1 , 134, 172, Polvin 1 29 Sehner N. 125
178, 179, 180 Ponziani 65 Seirawan Y. 38, 173
Misojcic M. 60 Popov 129 Seppeur R. 1 3 1
Mnatsakanian E. 180 Popovic P. 163 Serper G. 1 20
Moe M. 94 Prins L. 83 Serzanov 1 15
Moehring G. 1 59, 1 67 Prokop 43 Shirov A. 34, 89, 102
Moravec 28 Puc S. 173 Short N. 90, 98
Morozevich A. 31, 97 Showalter J. 147
Morphy P. 37 Q Shulman Y. 1 8
Motwani P. 172 Quinteros M. A. 1 23 Sick 0 . 125
Muralidharan M. 1 3 1 Simagin V. 1 34, 1 76, 180
Muratov 123 R Smajovic 43
Muravev 130 Radonjic S. 1 36 Smejkal J. 97
Radulescu C. 1 16 Smyslov V. 26
N Radulov I. 67, 69 Socko B. 31
Nagy G. 1 30 Ragozin V. 175 Sokolov V . 18
Nakamura H. 23 Rajkovic D. 136 Solozenkin E . 180
Napier W. E. 26 Rantanen Y. 1 17 Spassky B . 1 22, 174
Naumov V I . 151 Ravinsky G. 26, 30 Speelman J. 81
Nedobora M. 130 Reefschlaeger H. 131 Speijer A. 142
Nikitin 1 1 5 Reshevsky S. 32, 41, 48, 5 1 , Spiridonov N. 36
Nimzowitsch A. 178, 180 56 Stalhberg G. 59
Nisipeanu L. D. 1 9 Reti R. 108, 122, 1 80 Stama F. 127
Novak I. 174 Richter 1 39 Stanojevic B. 1 59
Nunn J. 1 37 Rinck G. 72, 85, 86, 87, 99 Stein L. 170
Nyman S. 81 Rittner H. 8 1 Steiner H. 1 2 1

185
Steinitz W. 89, 120 Topalov V. 3 1 , 39, 50, 53 w
Stellwagen D. 45 Troicki 16, 20 Wagman 151
Stephens 1 23 Tsarev V. 1 1 5 Wallace J. 142
Sterk 145 Tunik G. 124 Walter M. 130
Strikovic A. 80, 158 Wang Yue 96
Suba M. 1 1 5 v Weenink H. G. 144
Suetin A . 53 Vaganian R. 1 1 2 Wojtkiewicz A. 18
Suhle B. 128 Vaisser A. 84
Sunye Neto J. 144 Van Wely L. 98, 1 29 y
Sutovsky E. 31 Varadi V. 176 Yates F. 107
Sveshnikov E. 31 Vasiukov E. 1 17, 164
Svidler P. 101 Velickovic S. 141 z
Sznapik A. 179 Vera 143 Zagorovsky V. 1 18
Vidmar M. 128 Zaitsv A. 139
T Vilela de Acuna J. S. 42 Zeibot 9 1
Taimanov M. 47 Vizantiadis L. 1 22 Zontakh A. 1 32
Tai M. 55, 176 Vogt L. 167 Zukertort J. H. 143
Tarasevich V. 175 Volokitin A. 95 Zupe M. 162
Tartakower S. 79 Vukovic J. 46
Timman J. 59

1 86
 CONTENS

The wheel which has not stopped turning (instead of foreword) 3

About the book 5
Part one
Queen endings
How to do endings? 9
Studying the theory 9
Perfecting general technique 9
The role of the coach IO
Queen endings IO
Mating with queen 11
Pushing the king back 11
1 . Pushing the king of the weaker side back is carried out with queen. 11
2. Pushing the weaker side s king back is realized with harmonized activity of king
and queen . 12
Stalemate positions 12
Examples from practice l3
Queen versus one pawn 14
Queen versus two pawns 17
1. Pawns are isolated 17
• Mating attack 17
• The critical square is inaccessible to the queen 18
2. Pawns are connected 20
Queen versus three pawns 22
Queen versus queen 25
Queen and a pawn versus queen 27
1. Pin along a.file 28
1. Pin along a diagonal 29
Cases with g (b) pawn 30
Queen and two pawns versus queen 33
A) connected pawns 33
B) pawns are isolated 37
Perpetual check 39
C) doubled pawns 40
Queen and three or more pawns versus queen 42
Perpetual check 42
Defence by stalemate 43
Unfavourable positions ofpieces and pawns of the stronger side 43
Queen and pawns versus queen and pawns 44
A) material advantage 44

187
 1 . The stronger side has or can create an advanced passed pawn 44
2. Stronger side has or can create a passed pawn in the centre or on king's side 49
3. Pawns are on the same side 52
4. Both sides have passed pawns 55
B) positional advantage 56
A) passed pawn or potential possibility to create one 56
B) better position ofpieces 59
Queen versus major pieces 62
A) queen versus rook 62
The side with the rook draws 64
A) defence by stalemate 64
B) the 50 move rule 66
B) queen versus rook and a pawn 67
I .The rook defends the pawn from behind 68
2. Rook defends the pawn sidewise 72
3. King protects the pawn 75
A) the pawn is on thefirst rank 75
Rook and pawns versus queen and pawns 80
Counter play 80
Queen versus two rooks 83
Queen beats rooks 84
Rooks beat queen 86
Queen and pawns versus rooks and pawns 88
Queen versus knight 93
Queen versus knight and a pawn 94
Queen and pawns versus knight and pawns 96
Queen versus bishop 99

Part two
Wonderful world of combinations
Wonderful world of combinations 105
The introductory move of a combination always had to be a sacrifice! 106
Definition of a combination 107
An outline of the theory of combinations 111
Classification of combinations 113
Definition of a combination 113
Combinations with sacrifice of one rook, one bishop and one night (l!G) 1 14
I mating combinations 115
III combinations for achieving material advantage 1 17
Combinations with double rook sacrifice (g I) 1 19
I mating combinations 1 20
III combinations for achieving material advantage 1 24
Combinations with queen and rook sacrifice (WIG) 1 26
I mating combinations 1 27
II combinations for achieving a draw 130
III combinations for achieving material advantage 131
Combinations with queen, rook and pawn sacrifice (ti'H) 1 33

1 88
 I mating combinations 1 34
III combinations for achieving material advantage 1 34
Combinations with queen and double knight sacrifice (�I) 1 35
I mating combinations 1 36
III combinations for achieving material advantage 1 37
Combinations with sacrifice of a) queen, rook and knight, b) queen, rook and bishop 138
A) ( � + g + lll) 1 39
I mating combinations 1 39
II combinations for achieving a draw 140
III combinations for achieving material advantage 141
B) (� + g + �) 141
I mating combinations 141
II combinations for achieving a draw 143
III combinations for achieving material advantage 143
Combinations with queen, rook, knight and pawn sacrifice (�L) 146
I mating combinations 147
III combinations for achieving material advantage 148
Combinations with queen and double rook sacrifice ('�M) 1 50
I mating combinations 151
II combinations for achieving a draw 1 52

The third part

Strategic motifs
Introduction 1 55
On the theory of opening 156
Basic position white gravitates towards in the opening phase. 1 57
1. Strategic line - pawn endings 158
2. Strategy line - knight endings 1 63
3. Strategic line - bishop versus knight 166
A) knight is stronger 166
B) bishop is stronger 168
4. Strategic line - bishops of the same colour 170
Typical combinations 173
Combinations in black 's short castle area 173
Combinations in the centre and on queen 's side 176
Combinations in white 's short castle area 1 78
Combinations executed by black in the centre and on queen 's side 179

About the author 181

Index 1 83

189
CIP - KaTarrorn3aQttja y rry611ttKaQttj tt
HapOAHa 6tt611ttoTeKa Cp6ttje, fieorpaA

794. l

MIRKOVIC, Slobodan, 1 958-

Chess School. 5 I Slobodan MirkoviC ;
[ introduction Vladimir Sakotic ; translated
by Milan JovanoviCJ . - Beograd : Pi- Press,
20 1 2 (Pirot : Pi- Press ) . - 1 89 str. : ilustr.
; 24 cm

Prevod dela: Skola saha. 5. - Tiraz 1 .000. -

Tekst stampan dvostubaeno. - The Wheel Which
Has Not Stopped Turning: str. 3. - About the
Author: str. 1 8 1 . - Registar.

ISBN 978-86-602 3 - 2 7 5 - 7

a) III ax
COBISS.SR-ID 20 1 2 1 9084