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You are here: Sample Game
Answers to TAL-ZILBERSTEIN
What does the gambiteer hope to achieve with his superior development? Having more men out and ready represents an accumulation of force which is
often sufficient to overwhelm the enemy before he can deploy his own army.
In the present case, the capture of the b-pawn also opens the b-file for White as a future attacking avenue. Score yourself 3 pts. also for the solid 8.Nb3.
8…Qxb2
b) Black takes up the challenge posed by White and captures the pawn. In doing so, he believes he can escape with his Queen, and once he does so,
he can proceed with his development and later take advantage of White’s weakened Queenside (isolated a- and d-pawns, the latter on a half-open file
which Black plans to dominate with his Rook, …Ra8 –c8). He will also be a pawn up, a distinct endgame advantage, though he still has a lot of
skirmishing to do before the endgame is reached.
9.Nb3
c) Take 3 pts. also for 9.Rb1, which is also good, as it develops a piece on the half-open file with tempo, that is, by attacking the Queen and forcing
Black to lose time with its retreat, rather than matching White’s developing move with one of his own. Another immediate effect is to tie up the c8-Bishop,
at least for the time being, to the defense of the b-pawn. This open file, a potential avenue of attack at a later stage, also constitutes compensation for
the lost pawn.
The disappearance of pawns opens up attacking lines for the pieces behind them, so the capture of pawns must be weighed very
carefully.
Here are some consequences of 9.Rb1: 9…Qa3 10.f5 Nc6 (10…b5!?) 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.e5 dxe5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Be2 ?! (an inaccuracy
Black should have exploited with 15…Qd6 inviting a Queen exchange and the endgame: 16.Bh5+ Ke7) and 15…h5? allows White to win: 16.Ne4 Be7 17.
Rb3 Qa4 18.c4 f5 19.Nd6+! Bxd6 20.Qxd6 (in a dominating position) Qa5+ 21.Kf2, Glauser-Goetgeluck, Ybbs, 1969. Or 15.Ne4! (better than 15.Be2)
Be7 16.Be2 h5 17.c4 f5 18.Rb3 Qa4 and now the positional sacrifice 19.O-O! strands the King in the center: 19…fxe4 and White began assaulting the
triple weaknesses on the King file and using the open b- and f-files to harass Black – Lilloni-Butler, correspondence game, 1972.
The text move aims to enclose the Queen in a net by taking away a5 and c5 away from her. Black should now worry about getting trapped.
9…Qa3 10.Bxf6 gxf6
d) With this exchange, White dislocates Black’s Kingside pawns. Black now has two “pawn islands”: one group on the a- and b-files, the other on the d-,
e-, and f-files. With such a pawn structure, Black’s castling on either side does not look so appetizing. The doubled f7 and f6 pawns are now particularly
weak, and so is the isolated h-pawn (no mutual protection).
“A pawn island is a group of pawns belonging to one player that are separated from other friendly pawns by an empty file. Generally, the
more pawn islands, the harder it is to defend them. The fewer islands, the better.”
-Bruce Pandolfini
On the other hand, Black may later benefit from the half-open g-file. White has also conceded to Black the advantage of the two Bishops, whose power
may become irresistible once the position, especially the diagonals, are opened. But since Black’s weaknesses are more immediately exploitable, White’s
position is preferable.
11.Be2 h5
e) Black sees this as necessary to stop the intended 12.Bh5 sniping at the f7 pawn.
12.O-O Nc6 13.Nb1
f) White can also choose to simply centralize his Queen, 13.Qe3. Give yourself 3 pts. for this, which may bring 13…Bg7 14.Qg3 O-O 15.Qh4 Qb4. Credit
3 pts. also to your score for 13.Rfd1 (13…Be7 14.Bf3 Bd7 15.Qe2 Qb4 16.Nb1 or 15…h4 16.Nb1 Qb4 17.c3 Qa4). 3 points is also awarded for 13.Kh1,
anticipating the line of play described in note K.
13…Qa4
g) After 13…Qb4, 14.Qe3 f5 15.exf5 d5 and the Bishop at least has scope along the a3-f8 diagonal.
14.c4!
h) Played to prevent the attempt to open the position (for the benefit of the two Bishops, of course) by …d5 as in the above variation.
Try to keep the position closed if your opponent has the two Bishops.
14…Qb4 15.Qe3
i) Since White is a pawn down, it would be dubious to exchange Queens. A decrease in material will make it difficult for White to generate the necessary
pressure on Black’s position, and if he has any hopes to regain the pawn, he must keep up that pressure. The diminished amount of material brings the
battle closer to the endgame where Black’s material advantage may prove decisive.
When behind in material, avoid exchanges; when ahead, seek to trade.
15…Bg7
j) At g7, the Bishop has little influence on the game, since its diagonal is blocked. Credit this to White’s restrictive 14.c4! which prevented the liberation of
this particular Bishop. Besides, the Bishop is in a vulnerable position in this half-open file, where it is even now momentarily undefended. Furthermore, it
lets go of the defense of d6. Better for Black is 15…Na5! confounding White’s b-Knight which is making life miserable for the Queen. Incidentally, it also
threatens the c-pawn. The game might continue: a) 16.Nxa5 Qxa5 17.Rd1 Bd7 18.Nc3, or b) 16.N1d2 Bg7 17.Nd4 Bd7 18.Rab1 Qc5.
16.a3 Qa4 17.Qg3
k) Nope. After 17.Nc3?! Qxb3 18.Rfb1 Qc2 19.Ra2, Black has the riposte 19…f5! threatening to skewer White’s Queen and King by 20…Bd4! On 20.e5
Qxa2 21.Nxa2 dxe5 Black has Rook, minor piece and two pawns for the Queen – a level exchange of material. But the critical factor is Black’s resultant
mass of central pawns, which looks menacing.
17…Kf8 18.Nc3
l) For the simple reason that the White Queen has moved off the same diagonal as the King, the skewer is no longer possible.
18…Qxb3 19.Rfb1 Qc2 20.Ra2 h4
21.Qe1
m) If 21.Qf3? Nd4! saves Black: 22.Qe3 (22.Qd3 is even worse) will be answered by 22…Nxe2+! (23.Nxe2 loses the Rook; 23.Qxe2 loses the Knight). On
the “best” move 22.Rxc2 Nxf3+ White merely loses a piece. Deduct 10 points from your score if you blundered this way.
21…Qa2 22.Nxa2 f5 23.exf5
n) Many things are accomplished by this capture: after …exf5 1) it opens up the e-file for the Queen, 2) it opens up the a8-h1 diagonal for the Bishop, 3)
it further weakens Black’s pawns – the d6, f7, f5 and h4 pawns are all isolated and scattered, 4) the square d5 becomes a strong outpost for the Knight
(Na2-c3-d5). In summary, White has a decisive advantage in position and a pawn’s worth of extra material, mathematically speaking (Black has Rook [5
pts.] and minor piece [3 pts] for the Queen [9 pts.]), of course, Black’s …exf5 will level the score, but his pawn weaknesses ensures that White will at
least be able to pick up another pawn in the ensuing play. Black’s pieces can only remain passive: after …exf5, the Queen Bishop remains bottled up.
The Knight has no good square either on the center or on the flanks. The Rooks are hard pressed to challenge White on the only fully open file (e1-e8).
Well, the King Bishop finally gets a clear diagonal, so clear, unfortunately, it doesn’t have worthwhile targets!
23…exf5
o) At least Black should not have allowed his pawns to scatter: 23…Nd4 and the play may continue 24.fxe6 Nxe6 25.Qd2 Nd4 26.Nb4, blockading.
24.Bf3
p) The Bishop commands the fine diagonal, focusing particularly on the strong square d5. It also unblocks the Queen’s view of the e-file.
24…Bd4+ 25.Kh1 Nd8
q) Black plans to neutralize the Bishop’s hold on the diagonal by Bc8-d7-c6, but first he has to defend b7. The Knight also has the option of blocking the
e-file with …Ne6, also putting pressure on the f-pawn. Or, he can choose to blockade the c-pawn …Ne6-c5 from where he is within reach of the outpost
e4.
26.Nc3 Bd7 27.Nd5
r) Knights are short-range pieces. To project their power into the enemy camp, they necessarily have to be at close quarters. Thus, the principle is
Outposts are ideally for Knights rather than Bishops.
Outposts on the opponent’s half of the board are excellent stations for Knights to penetrate enemy lines. The Bishop, on the other hand, is a long-range
piece, and can exert its influence across the board even from the flanks, provided it has clear diagonals.
In the present case, the Knight approaches enemy lines with an instant threat of 28.Qe7+ winning the Bishop. It also blockades the isolated d-pawn,
nailing it down so that it can be destroyed where it stands (White’s 29th move).
27…Ne6 28.Qb4
s) White has carried out Nimzovich’s prescription: restrain, blockade, destroy! The d-pawn had been effectively restrained from advancing (and liberating
Black’s position) on the 14th move (14.c4) and blockaded on the 27th (27.Nd5). The logical ultimate step is destruction. White achieves this by a double
attack.
Double attacks are the basis of winning material. Keep your eyes open for two or more undefended or poorly defended units which can
be attacked simultaneously. The opponent cannot defend both at the same time.
28…Bc6 29.Qxd6+ Kg7
t) 29…Ke8?? 30.Qe7++ is mate, of course, while 29…Kg8 loses to 30.Ne7+ Kh7 31.Bxc6 and the Rook thereafter zooms in on the seventh rank. Or,
even better might be 31. Nxc6 bxc6 32.Qe7 Rc8 33.Qxh4+ Kg8 also winning for White.
30.Nc7
u) This is the most forcing (so as not to give Black a chance to get his act together – with …Rad8, for instance) and loses more material for Black.
30…Nxc7 31.Qxd4+ Kg6 32.Rg1 Rad8 33.Qe5 Resigns
often sufficient to overwhelm the enemy before he can deploy his own army.
In the present case, the capture of the b-pawn also opens the b-file for White as a future attacking avenue. Score yourself 3 pts. also for the solid 8.Nb3.
8…Qxb2
b) Black takes up the challenge posed by White and captures the pawn. In doing so, he believes he can escape with his Queen, and once he does so,
he can proceed with his development and later take advantage of White’s weakened Queenside (isolated a- and d-pawns, the latter on a half-open file
which Black plans to dominate with his Rook, …Ra8 –c8). He will also be a pawn up, a distinct endgame advantage, though he still has a lot of
skirmishing to do before the endgame is reached.
9.Nb3
c) Take 3 pts. also for 9.Rb1, which is also good, as it develops a piece on the half-open file with tempo, that is, by attacking the Queen and forcing
Black to lose time with its retreat, rather than matching White’s developing move with one of his own. Another immediate effect is to tie up the c8-Bishop,
at least for the time being, to the defense of the b-pawn. This open file, a potential avenue of attack at a later stage, also constitutes compensation for
the lost pawn.
The disappearance of pawns opens up attacking lines for the pieces behind them, so the capture of pawns must be weighed very
carefully.
Here are some consequences of 9.Rb1: 9…Qa3 10.f5 Nc6 (10…b5!?) 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.e5 dxe5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Be2 ?! (an inaccuracy
Black should have exploited with 15…Qd6 inviting a Queen exchange and the endgame: 16.Bh5+ Ke7) and 15…h5? allows White to win: 16.Ne4 Be7 17.
Rb3 Qa4 18.c4 f5 19.Nd6+! Bxd6 20.Qxd6 (in a dominating position) Qa5+ 21.Kf2, Glauser-Goetgeluck, Ybbs, 1969. Or 15.Ne4! (better than 15.Be2)
Be7 16.Be2 h5 17.c4 f5 18.Rb3 Qa4 and now the positional sacrifice 19.O-O! strands the King in the center: 19…fxe4 and White began assaulting the
triple weaknesses on the King file and using the open b- and f-files to harass Black – Lilloni-Butler, correspondence game, 1972.
The text move aims to enclose the Queen in a net by taking away a5 and c5 away from her. Black should now worry about getting trapped.
9…Qa3 10.Bxf6 gxf6
d) With this exchange, White dislocates Black’s Kingside pawns. Black now has two “pawn islands”: one group on the a- and b-files, the other on the d-,
e-, and f-files. With such a pawn structure, Black’s castling on either side does not look so appetizing. The doubled f7 and f6 pawns are now particularly
weak, and so is the isolated h-pawn (no mutual protection).
“A pawn island is a group of pawns belonging to one player that are separated from other friendly pawns by an empty file. Generally, the
more pawn islands, the harder it is to defend them. The fewer islands, the better.”
-Bruce Pandolfini
On the other hand, Black may later benefit from the half-open g-file. White has also conceded to Black the advantage of the two Bishops, whose power
may become irresistible once the position, especially the diagonals, are opened. But since Black’s weaknesses are more immediately exploitable, White’s
position is preferable.
11.Be2 h5
e) Black sees this as necessary to stop the intended 12.Bh5 sniping at the f7 pawn.
12.O-O Nc6 13.Nb1
f) White can also choose to simply centralize his Queen, 13.Qe3. Give yourself 3 pts. for this, which may bring 13…Bg7 14.Qg3 O-O 15.Qh4 Qb4. Credit
3 pts. also to your score for 13.Rfd1 (13…Be7 14.Bf3 Bd7 15.Qe2 Qb4 16.Nb1 or 15…h4 16.Nb1 Qb4 17.c3 Qa4). 3 points is also awarded for 13.Kh1,
anticipating the line of play described in note K.
13…Qa4
g) After 13…Qb4, 14.Qe3 f5 15.exf5 d5 and the Bishop at least has scope along the a3-f8 diagonal.
14.c4!
h) Played to prevent the attempt to open the position (for the benefit of the two Bishops, of course) by …d5 as in the above variation.
Try to keep the position closed if your opponent has the two Bishops.
14…Qb4 15.Qe3
i) Since White is a pawn down, it would be dubious to exchange Queens. A decrease in material will make it difficult for White to generate the necessary
pressure on Black’s position, and if he has any hopes to regain the pawn, he must keep up that pressure. The diminished amount of material brings the
battle closer to the endgame where Black’s material advantage may prove decisive.
When behind in material, avoid exchanges; when ahead, seek to trade.
15…Bg7
j) At g7, the Bishop has little influence on the game, since its diagonal is blocked. Credit this to White’s restrictive 14.c4! which prevented the liberation of
this particular Bishop. Besides, the Bishop is in a vulnerable position in this half-open file, where it is even now momentarily undefended. Furthermore, it
lets go of the defense of d6. Better for Black is 15…Na5! confounding White’s b-Knight which is making life miserable for the Queen. Incidentally, it also
threatens the c-pawn. The game might continue: a) 16.Nxa5 Qxa5 17.Rd1 Bd7 18.Nc3, or b) 16.N1d2 Bg7 17.Nd4 Bd7 18.Rab1 Qc5.
16.a3 Qa4 17.Qg3
k) Nope. After 17.Nc3?! Qxb3 18.Rfb1 Qc2 19.Ra2, Black has the riposte 19…f5! threatening to skewer White’s Queen and King by 20…Bd4! On 20.e5
Qxa2 21.Nxa2 dxe5 Black has Rook, minor piece and two pawns for the Queen – a level exchange of material. But the critical factor is Black’s resultant
mass of central pawns, which looks menacing.
17…Kf8 18.Nc3
l) For the simple reason that the White Queen has moved off the same diagonal as the King, the skewer is no longer possible.
18…Qxb3 19.Rfb1 Qc2 20.Ra2 h4
21.Qe1
m) If 21.Qf3? Nd4! saves Black: 22.Qe3 (22.Qd3 is even worse) will be answered by 22…Nxe2+! (23.Nxe2 loses the Rook; 23.Qxe2 loses the Knight). On
the “best” move 22.Rxc2 Nxf3+ White merely loses a piece. Deduct 10 points from your score if you blundered this way.
21…Qa2 22.Nxa2 f5 23.exf5
n) Many things are accomplished by this capture: after …exf5 1) it opens up the e-file for the Queen, 2) it opens up the a8-h1 diagonal for the Bishop, 3)
it further weakens Black’s pawns – the d6, f7, f5 and h4 pawns are all isolated and scattered, 4) the square d5 becomes a strong outpost for the Knight
(Na2-c3-d5). In summary, White has a decisive advantage in position and a pawn’s worth of extra material, mathematically speaking (Black has Rook [5
pts.] and minor piece [3 pts] for the Queen [9 pts.]), of course, Black’s …exf5 will level the score, but his pawn weaknesses ensures that White will at
least be able to pick up another pawn in the ensuing play. Black’s pieces can only remain passive: after …exf5, the Queen Bishop remains bottled up.
The Knight has no good square either on the center or on the flanks. The Rooks are hard pressed to challenge White on the only fully open file (e1-e8).
Well, the King Bishop finally gets a clear diagonal, so clear, unfortunately, it doesn’t have worthwhile targets!
23…exf5
o) At least Black should not have allowed his pawns to scatter: 23…Nd4 and the play may continue 24.fxe6 Nxe6 25.Qd2 Nd4 26.Nb4, blockading.
24.Bf3
p) The Bishop commands the fine diagonal, focusing particularly on the strong square d5. It also unblocks the Queen’s view of the e-file.
24…Bd4+ 25.Kh1 Nd8
q) Black plans to neutralize the Bishop’s hold on the diagonal by Bc8-d7-c6, but first he has to defend b7. The Knight also has the option of blocking the
e-file with …Ne6, also putting pressure on the f-pawn. Or, he can choose to blockade the c-pawn …Ne6-c5 from where he is within reach of the outpost
e4.
26.Nc3 Bd7 27.Nd5
r) Knights are short-range pieces. To project their power into the enemy camp, they necessarily have to be at close quarters. Thus, the principle is
Outposts are ideally for Knights rather than Bishops.
Outposts on the opponent’s half of the board are excellent stations for Knights to penetrate enemy lines. The Bishop, on the other hand, is a long-range
piece, and can exert its influence across the board even from the flanks, provided it has clear diagonals.
In the present case, the Knight approaches enemy lines with an instant threat of 28.Qe7+ winning the Bishop. It also blockades the isolated d-pawn,
nailing it down so that it can be destroyed where it stands (White’s 29th move).
27…Ne6 28.Qb4
s) White has carried out Nimzovich’s prescription: restrain, blockade, destroy! The d-pawn had been effectively restrained from advancing (and liberating
Black’s position) on the 14th move (14.c4) and blockaded on the 27th (27.Nd5). The logical ultimate step is destruction. White achieves this by a double
attack.
Double attacks are the basis of winning material. Keep your eyes open for two or more undefended or poorly defended units which can
be attacked simultaneously. The opponent cannot defend both at the same time.
28…Bc6 29.Qxd6+ Kg7
t) 29…Ke8?? 30.Qe7++ is mate, of course, while 29…Kg8 loses to 30.Ne7+ Kh7 31.Bxc6 and the Rook thereafter zooms in on the seventh rank. Or,
even better might be 31. Nxc6 bxc6 32.Qe7 Rc8 33.Qxh4+ Kg8 also winning for White.
30.Nc7
u) This is the most forcing (so as not to give Black a chance to get his act together – with …Rad8, for instance) and loses more material for Black.
30…Nxc7 31.Qxd4+ Kg6 32.Rg1 Rad8 33.Qe5 Resigns
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2
a) White deliberately invites Black to capture the so-called “poisoned pawn”. He thereby hopes to lure the enemy Queen into a sector where she may be
attacked and possibly even trapped. Black will have to lose the time needed for his development in order to escape the threats to his Queen. Meanwhile,
White can simply develop his pieces at the same time as they attack the Queen. Gambits involve the sacrifice of pawns, occasionally even pieces, to
compel the enemy to waste time which can otherwise be used in straight development in capturing the gambited material. This method will win for White
several development tempi and this advantage in development is worth the sacrificed pawn.
The exchange of material for time is the basic idea behind gambit play.
attacked and possibly even trapped. Black will have to lose the time needed for his development in order to escape the threats to his Queen. Meanwhile,
White can simply develop his pieces at the same time as they attack the Queen. Gambits involve the sacrifice of pawns, occasionally even pieces, to
compel the enemy to waste time which can otherwise be used in straight development in capturing the gambited material. This method will win for White
several development tempi and this advantage in development is worth the sacrificed pawn.
The exchange of material for time is the basic idea behind gambit play.
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