How to Play Chess like a Champion Read online

  Above, in this helter-skelter picture, we miss the purposeful handling of the pieces which is so apparent in master chess. The lack of concentrated effort is really painful. The game suggests very clearly that the amateur must try to understand the intention behind his opponent’s moves; he must look for the best move, not any old move. Get into the habit of making moves with a purpose, and planning will come of itself.

  Here is a second game in which there are less mistakes, although the general picture is about the same.

  White vs. Black Queen’s Gambit

  1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 (D)

  As the game is opened by a move of the queen (d-)pawn, this is known as the Queen’s Pawn Opening. It may often turn into a Queen’s Gambit, as I shall explain later.

  This type of opening generally involves finesses that are beyond the ken of the inexperienced player. For that reason he’s better off to start the game with 1.e4.

  3.c4 ...

  The offer of this pawn is known as the Queen’s Gambit. (A gambit is an opening in which a player offers material, usually a pawn, with the idea of getting an advantage in development.)

  3...d×c4 (D)

  Now White can recover the gambit pawn immediately by 4.Qa4+ and 5.Q×c4. But since the basic rules for opening play include a warning against bringing out the queen too early, White is better off to avoid this maneuver.

  4.e3 ...

  This also wins back the gambit pawn, as any attempt on Black’s part to hold this pawn will fail. Thus if 4...b5 (to protect the pawn) 5.a4! c6 6.b3! and no matter how Black plays, he will have to part with the extra pawn.

  The usual course is, therefore, to return the pawn without a qualm, and that is exactly what Black does.

  4...e6 5.B×c4 c5 6.0-0 a6 (D)

  This move looks mysterious, but it has a purpose. The diagonal of Black’s c8-bishop has been blocked by ...e6. Consequently, in order to develop this bishop effectively, Black intends to play ...b5 followed by ...Bb7. As we shall see this is an efficient placement for the bishop.

  7.Nc3 b5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.d×c5 B×c5 (D)

  Now White has the problem of developing his c1-bishop, which has also been blocked by e3. He therefore imitates Black’s maneuver by playing a3 and b4 to develop the bishop to b2.

  10.a3 Bb7 11.b4 Ba7 12.Bb2 0-0 (D)

  Black castled into safety thus obeying another of the Basic Rules for good opening play as set down in How to Be a Winner at Chess. No doubt about it, the opening play here is on a much higher level than in the previous game. In fact, the opening is good enough for a master game. There is one problem that White must consider in planning for the middle game. How is he to get some initiative out of a position that is more or less symmetrical? (The only difference between White and Black’s position is that White’s king bishop is at d3, whereas Black’s king bishop is at a7.)

  But, as we learned in the previous game, symmetrical positions don’t give much scope for initiative. You can attack when your position is vastly superior. But what prospects do you have when your position is about the same as your opponent’s? Very slight prospects.

  Another matter White must consider is: where will he place his queen and rooks? (The same question applies to Black.)

  Both the d-file and the c-file are open. That means that the rooks should be played to these open files, for the rook is at its best by far on a line where it has freedom of action. (Put a rook behind a pawn and it has no striking powers.)

  Where should the queen be played? To the e2-square (e7 for Black), where it will be posted on a center square and poised for action on either wing.

  The two points just covered are what either player must know in order to work out an intelligent plan for the middle game.

  13.Qc2? ... (D)

  But this is not intelligent. Since it is likely that Black will play a rook to c8, the white queen will be indirectly menaced.

  13...e5

  This is not a mistake, but 13...Rc8 would make the white queen uneasy.

  14.Rad1!? ... (D)

  A good move in that it threatens to win the black queen with 15.B×h7+. Black would have to attend to the bishop check and would thus be forced to succumb to R×d8. With his queen gone he would have a lost game.

  But the rook move is inexact in this sense: it takes away the square that should have been reserved for White’s other rook. The f1-rook should play to the d1-square and the a1-rook to the c1-square.

  As White has played, his king rook has been deprived of its one good square. Thus White has played two inexact moves: 13.Qc2 (instead of 13.Qe2) and 14.Rad1 (instead of 14.Rfd1).

  Of course, moves like these should not be classed as blunders, and they will not lose of themselves; nevertheless, they are symptomatic of a certain unfortunate trend: White’s play is going downhill. His opening play was fine, but his middle game planning is poor, and he is definitely failing to coordinate the efforts of his pieces.

  14...Qe7 (D)

  Now White’s position is becoming subtly uncomfortable. This may seem like a queer expression, but there are slight degrees of change in a position that is imperceptibly deteriorating. The master is well aware of these nuances and takes account of them when he studies the position. They are warning signals and guideposts to him.

  The amateur on the other hand, is not aware of these changes. One flaw is added to another, and though each of them is minor, he realizes the damage only when the house is about to crash down on his head.

  If Black is given enough time, he will play ...Rfd8, threatening ...R×d3, followed by ...e4, winning two pieces for a rook. This possibility is enough to warn us that White has gone wrong. So White goes into a combination. Why? Either he knows something is wrong and wants to change the course of the game, or else he genuinely believes his line of play is very clever.

  15.Nd5! ... (D)

  This looks like a blunder, and it is. However, the reasons for this are less obvious than they seem.

  15...N×d5 16.B×h7+ Kh8 17.R×d5 ... (D)

  On the face of it White has operated very resourcefully. He’s a pawn ahead and has regained the sacrificed piece.

  Black can trap White’s impudent bishop to be sure with 17...g6. We can’t say whether White foresaw this – probably not – but he wouldn’t have come off too badly. White would play 18.B×g6 f×g6 19.Q×g6 with three pawns as ample compensation for the lost bishop. But in the position of the diagram there’s no reason for Black to dally with such unclear possibilities. He has a much more forthright continuation which jars White’s daydreams of triumph.

  17...N×b4! (D)

  A surprise for White, but it shouldn’t have been. What is more obvious than the potential forking move of the knight, attacking queen and rook, in combination with the unmasking of the black b7-bishop’s diagonal? This is a very typical event in amateur games – a rather ingenious but inadequate combination which is generally subject to a stunning refutation.

  18.a×b5 ...

  White has nothing better.

  18...B×d5

  Black has won the Exchange and he has little to fear from White’s attack, as the white pieces are badly scattered.

  19.N×e5 ... (D)

  Though Black is ahead in material, he cannot afford to sit back and let the game win itself. This is something that few amateurs realize. After a player wins material, he tends to relax his efforts, perhaps in the conviction that he is now sure to win.

  This is one of the most dangerous points in the contest, for even good players don’t often find it easy to “win a won game.”

  In the position of the diagram Black should play aggressively. For example 19...Qg5 threatening mate. (The main point is not the mate threat itself, but rather the idea of stopping White’s intended Qf5, which, as you will see, can be very powerful.

  Then when White answers 19...Qg5 with 20.g3 Black can hit the white queen with 20...Rac8. White then has to protect his bishop at h7; consequently there seems to be nothing better than 21.Qb1. (D)

  Analysi
s after 21.Qb1

  In that case Black can be well satisfied with the active position of his pieces.

  19...Bb8? (D)

  This loses. Black’s intention of removing the dangerous knight is laudable. But it would have been far more to the point to prevent the formidable inroad of White’s queen which now takes place.

  20.Qf5! ... (D)

  After 20.Qc2-f5

  With the fearsome threat of Qh5 followed by a mating attack. At first it seems that Black can save himself with 20...Qh4 (preventing White from playing Qh5). (D)

  Analysis after 20...Qh4

  But in that case White has a beautiful win with 21.Ng6+! f×g6 22.Q×f8+ K×h7 23.Q×g7 mate. (D)

  Analysis after 23.Q×g7#

  So Black remains helpless against the coming Qh5, all due to his faulty 19th move.

  20...B×e5 21.Qh5! ... (D)

  Threatening 22.Bg6+ Kg8 23.Qh7 mate.

  21...Bf3 (D)

  A desperate move which doesn’t change the picture.

  22.g×f3 g6 23.B×g6+ Kg7 24.B×e5+ ...

  If 24...f6 25.Qh7 mate.

  24...Q×e5 (D)

  25.Q×e5+ K×g6 26.Kh1 Resigns (D)

  And so, although the opening play here was an improvement over the previous game, the final impression was the same. The play was spotty and inconsistent; both players missed chances and the advantage shifted back and forth.

  As you would expect, when the amateur plays the master these faults of the amateur’s style become particularly glaring – and naturally result in his downfall.

  Just for that very reason the examples in the following chapter are well worth studying. They highlight the amateur’s mistakes so clearly that you know exactly what to avoid!

  Chapter Four

  They Laughed When I Sat Down to Play

  Amateurs vs. Masters

  When you come to think of it, you can see that the amateur is handicapped by more than the gap in playing strength when he sits down to match his wits with a master.

  The amateur is often overcome by awe or stage fright. As far as his chances of losing are concerned, that’s half the battle. He’s so filled with respect for his famous opponent that he can’t possibly put forth his best.

  Almost a century ago Mercure Daniel Conway described how it felt to play against the great Morphy.

  “When one plays with Morphy the sensation is as queer as the first electric shock, or first love, or chloroform, or any entirely novel experience. As you sit down at the board a certain sheepishness steals over you.” Conway expected to lose – and he wasn’t disappointed.

  The master in turn has just the kind of attitude that will help him make mincemeat of the amateur. Chess masters are as conceited as actors; they have to be; their ability is all their own. And so the master is endowed with a sublime egotism that enables him to look at an equally great – or even greater – master and mutter contemptuously: “That duffer!” And he sincerely believes it.

  What does the master think of the amateur? Well, the master is equipped with a kind of magnifying mirror which enhances the amateur’s insignificance. This sounds cruel, but it isn’t really.

  When a master has to give a simultaneous exhibition on forty boards, or so, he would be on the point of collapse if he thought of his opponents as good players. To play an exhibition of this size is an ordeal and the master’s exultant awareness of his superiority helps him through the ordeal.

  What Are the Odds?

  Giving odds is another example of the same problem. How can a man give queen odds and announce checkmate on the tenth move. If your name is Siegbert Tarrasch, it’s a cinch.

  Tarrasch was certainly one of the great masters of all time. His brilliant period extended from 1889 to 1907. Order and method were his gods. When everything went right, he was unbeatable. But he ruled out the personal factors in chess, and that was his undoing. In defeat poor Tarrasch had the longest list of the most curious alibis ever seen in the chess world. In fact some people rudely suggested that his alibis were more ingenious than his chess.

  But when Tarrasch had the inside track and was well aware of it, he exuded confidence and even arrogance so extreme that it was almost likeable. You can be sure that Tarrasch was especially genial when he played this game:

  Tarrasch – Schroeder King’s Gambit (Odds of White’s queen)

  1.e4 e5 2.f4 d6 3.d3 f5 4.Nc3 f×e4 5.d×e4 c6? (D)

  Of course Black can allow himself all sorts of liberties at these enormous odd. But why does he bother with such trifling pawn moves instead of bringing out his pieces? He should be thinking of playing ...Nf6 followed by ...Be7 and ...0-0.

  6.f×e5 d×e5 7.Nf3 Bb4 8.Bg5 ... (D)

  And now Black should simply develop with ...Nf6.

  8...Qd6 (D)

  Feeble, as the queen should not be played out so early in the game. But again it must be noted that at these odds Black can take liberties.

  9.Rd1!? ...

  Very tricky! Tarrasch well knows that his opponent can play 9...Q×d1+ which still leaves him a whole rook ahead – an enormous material advantage.

  But Tarrasch rightly feels that his opponent hasn’t the faintest inkling of what terrors the position holds in store for him.

  9...Qg6?? (D)

  He falls into the trap! Imagine Black falling out of his chair as Tarrasch calmly announces a forced mate in three moves.

  10.Rd8+ Kf7 11.Bc4+ Qe6 (D)

  Or 11...Be6 and White checkmates the same way.

  12.N×e5 mate

  Of course not every man, and not every master, can give odds with the same nonchalance. It’s an art. Zukertort was another master who did it wonderfully well. In his odds games there is a flair and a dash which reminds you of the expert swordsman. Zukertort’s most beautiful game at odds wound up like this: (D)

  Zukertort – Epureano

  White to move

  Zukertort started out by giving odds of a knight and he is still considerably behind in material. But he has build up a promising attacking formation, and all his pieces are in action, while Black’s forces are still on their home squares or otherwise technologically unemployed.

  This difference in the dynamic value of the pieces explains why the master is able to operate successfully against the amateur despite giving him considerable odds. Zukertort has fewer pieces than his opponent but they are all working at maximum energy.

  Zukertort has built up still another component of a winning position. You will note in the diagram that the players have castled on opposite wings.

  But whereas White’s king is perfectly safe, Black’s king is in great danger. Thus White may very well be on the point of winning very quickly, whereas no such possibility is available to Black.

  How did this difference come about? In two ways. In the first place, the activity of White’s pieces is directed against the black king. The black pieces on the other hand are inactive and consequently they cannot menace the white king.

  The second distinction is that White has pushed up his pawns in order to force open lines leading to Black’s king. (Black of course has not undertaken any similar action.)

  Zukertort is now ready to cash in on his advantages – his pieces aim at the black king, and his pawns move up to open the lines for his pieces.

  From this explanation Zukertort’s first move is seen to be a masterpiece of brilliancy rather than a blunder. For his queen is under attack and he ignores the attack.

  1.g×f6 ... (D)

  Opening the g-file so that if 1...N×f6 2.Q×g7 mate, or 1...g×f6 2.Qh6 mate.

  1...N×g6 2.h×g6+ ... (D)

  Now the g-file is closed but the h-file is opened, and with fearful effect.

  2...Kg8 3.Rh8+!! ...

  This new sacrifice crowns the whole combination. Of course Black must take the rook.

  3...K×h8 4.f7!! ... (D)

  After all the fireworks, a little pawn move. And Black resigns! Why? White threatens a quick checkmate beginning with Rh1+. If Black tries 4...Be7
then 5.Rh1+ Bh4 6.f8/Q mate. Or if 4...Qh4 5.f×e8/Q and mate next move.

  The master who won the next game was famous for a rather unusual quality among the masters. He was noted for his laziness. In tournaments he usually finished around fifth place. If he had cared to exert himself throughout these contests he would have been a contender for top honors.

  But there were times when he roused himself from his torpor, and on such occasions he became as formidable as an angry grizzly. As for example, in the following game:

  Teichmann – Amateur Center Counter Game Odds of White’s Queen Rook

  1.e4 d5 2.e×d5 Q×d5 3.Nc3 Qd8 (D)

  Black’s last three moves have added up to a waste of time. As pointed out in the notes to the Tarrasch-Schroeder game, it is possible to take liberties when receiving odds – up to a point. In the end these sins of omission and commission bring on a disaster.