Books: Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership
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Edward Lasker >> Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership
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8 | | | #Q | | #R | | | #K |
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7 | #P | #P | | | | | #P | #P |
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6 | | | | | | #B | | |
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5 | | | | ^R | | | ^Kt| |
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4 | | | ^Q | | | | | |
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3 | | | | | | | ^P | |
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2 | ^P | ^P | | | | | | ^P |
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1 | | | | | | | ^K | |
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a b c d e f g h
DIAGRAM 42.
White on the move can force the mate by (1) R-d8, a very
surprising sacrifice indeed, for not only can Black take the Rook
with either Queen or Rook but he can also take White's Queen. In
the latter case, however, he would be mated in two moves by (2)
Rxe8+, Q-g8; (3) Kt-f7. This is one example of the "throttled
mate" by the Knight. Another one, which is really the typical
one, occurs if Black takes the Rook instead of the Queen. The
mating process then is: (2) Kt-f7+, K-g8; (3) Kt-h6 double check,
K-h8; (4) Q-g8+, Rxg8; (5) Kt-f7+/-. White could not have played Q-
g8+ right on the second move because then Black would have taken
the Queen with the King, while he could not do so with White's
Knight on h6.
Sacrifices made with the view of a direct mating attack are, as a
rule, the easiest to figure out, as there is no guesswork
connected with them. In those cases the player does not face the
question as to whether the position attained after the sacrifice
will be strong enough to insure a gain of material at least
equivalent to the amount of material sacrificed, a question which
to answer correctly sometimes requires a good deal of instinct
trained by experience; all that is necessary if to ascertain
whether the opponent can be mated in a definite number of moves
or not. If the mate cannot be clearly foreseen, the sacrifice
must not be made. The possibility of a sacrifice with consequent
forced mate is always indicated if a greatly superior force is
available for attack at the part of the board where the opposing
King is located. An example is offered by the position reproduced
on the book cover.
[E-text editor note: The position on the book cover is:
+---------------------------------------+
8 | #R | #Kt| | | | #R | #K | |
|---------------------------------------|
7 | #P | #B | #P | #P | #Q | | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 | | #P | | | #P | #B | | |
|---------------------------------------|
5 | | | | | ^Kt| | | ^Q |
|---------------------------------------|
4 | | | | ^P | ^Kt| | | |
|---------------------------------------|
3 | | | | ^B | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | | | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R | | | | ^K | | | ^R |
+---------------------------------------+
a b c d e f g h ]
This position occurred in a game between Sir G. A. Thomas of
London and the author. Black has just played Q-e7 in order to
protect the mate which was threatened by Ktxf6+ followed by Qxh7.
If in the position of the diagram White played Kt-f6+, Black
would retake with the Pawn, thereby protecting the Pawn h7 with
his Queen. However, White can force the mate with a neat Queen's
sacrifice which drives Black's King right into the arms of the
remaining White pieces. Play continued as follows:
(1) Qxh7+ Kxh7
(2) Ktxf6++ K-h6
The King cannot go to h8 on account of Kt-g6 mate. White now
continually checks Black's King in such a manner that he has only
one square to go to until he is finally driven to the first rank,
all White pieces participating in the chase.
(3) Kte5-g4+
In answer to Ktf6-g4+ Black would play K-h5; (4) B-g6+, K-h4; (5)
P-g3+, K-h3 and there is no mate.
(3) ... K-g5
(4) P-h4+ K-f4
(5) P-g3+ K-f3
(6) B-e2+ K-g2
(7) R-h2+ K-g1
(8) K-d2 mate.
White could have forced the mate in seven instead of eight moves
by playing (6) K-f1, or (6) o-o, for there was no protection
against (7) Kt-h2.
III
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHESS STRATEGY
In reading the chapter on "Elementary Tactics" the beginner will
have obtained a fair idea of the value of the different pieces
and he will have gained an insight into the possibilities of
their cooperation. However, the fundamental principle of Chess
strategy, the method of developing the inherent powers of the men
so that they may be able to do all the work possible for them,
will still be a secret to him.
At the beginning of the game the Knights are the only pieces
which are able to move, and consequently the other pieces are
worthless until openings have been created for them by Pawn
moves. Now, the first thing the beginner should try to keep in
mind is that only such Pawn moves can be good as open lines for
their fellow pieces or obstruct lines of opposing men. The reason
is this:
In any hand to hand fight evidently that player will get the
better of it who has more pieces ready for action on the
battlefield. When examining the typical positions discussed in
the previous chapter the fact will strike the observant reader
that the winning player always has a decided superiority of
forces at his disposal where the actual fight is going on, so
that in some cases he can even sacrifice a great amount of them
and still have enough left for the final onslaught against the
King. The same holds good in combinations where lesser objects
than the King are fought for; the player who has more pieces
ready to take part in the struggle will emerge victorious; the
player who attacks with less pieces than the opponent has on the
spot for defense, cannot hope to succeed.
The important point, therefore, is to place the pieces so that
they will be in readiness for concentration on whatever part of
the board they are needed.
Moreover, it will be important to place the pieces on such
favorable squares in the shortest possible time--meaning with the
smallest number of moves--as wasting moves on maneuvers which do
not further the mobilization of the troops will give the opponent
an opportunity to gather a superior force somewhere on the board
and make an attack with the best chance in the world to succeed
before reinforcements can be brought up.
With this aim in mind the beginner will readily see that it is by
no means immaterial which Pawn moves are made in the opening. The
fact that a Pawn move opens an outlet for a piece is not
sufficient. If possible Pawn moves will have to be found which
enable the development of more than one piece for they will lead
to an advantage in the mobilization unless the opponent, too,
hastens the development of his pieces by equally good Pawn moves.
The only Pawn moves which fit this description are moves with the
King's or Queen's Pawns as they open lines for Queen and Bishop--
apart from an additional square for the Knight--while the other
Pawns cannot free the way for more than one piece. Whether the
move with the King's Pawn or the Queen's Pawn is better when
beginning the game is impossible to say. In neither case can it
be proved that White can obtain an advantage which is sufficient
to win the game. With correct play on both sides it can be only
White who gains an advantage, for he has the first move and so he
is one move ahead of Black in the development as long as he does
not waste any time on maneuvers which do not increase the
mobility of his pieces.
By the mobility of a piece is meant the number of squares
accessible to it. A Bishop or a Rook which stands in an
unobstructed file is obviously worth more than one whose sphere
of action is limited on account of his way being blocked. This
does not mean, however, that a Bishop or a Knight to whom, at a
certain moment, three or four squares are accessible, is more
valuable than a Rook who at the same moment can go only to one or
two squares; for a few moves later the Rook might be in
possession of his full freedom while the action of the Bishop or
the Knight might be hampered. It is, therefore, best to value the
pieces according to their latent strength, that is, the strength
which is likely to show in the ending after all temporary
obstructions have been removed. The comparative values given for
the different men on page 42 will serve as good guide in most
cases. It is not advisable though to give up a minor piece for
three Pawns or two minor pieces for a Rook and one Pawn as long
as Queens and minor pieces are on the board, as with a piece
ahead the opponent mostly succeeds in winning through a direct
attack against the King before the superiority of Pawns becomes
dangerous.
In trying to place the pieces on squares where they have as much
mobility as possible individual thought is required with each new
game as it depends altogether upon the moves of the opponent
which lines can be opened for Bishops, Rooks and Queen and where
a good field of action can be secured for the Knights. However,
it is possible to give a few rules which common sense tells us
must hold good in the majority of games if both players play
well. Of course, if a player makes bad moves in the opening, that
is, moves which do not aim at a speedy mobilization of all
pieces, then the opponent may soon have a chance to win the game
with moves which are not in accordance with those common sense
rules either but which force an immediate issue in a maneuver of
a kind that ordinarily does not occur in an opening but is
characteristic of the middle game. This is a point which the
majority of Chess players overlook. They argue that--granted the
value of general principles of strategy, which will greatly help
to build up a safe position--cases occur in which a move may win
which is not according to principles, and that, therefore,
following the trend of a certain combination which seems
profitable, is advisable even if the general principles are
violated.
Even a Chess master once said, that generalities are of no use in
Chess and that it is necessary to figure out every move in all
variations to which it may lead to make sure that the move is
good. As an example he offered the following opening: (1) P-f3,
P-e5; (2) P-g4. Now, he asks, should Black omit to give the
checkmate with Q-h4 because it is against the general principles
to bring out the Queen at an early stage of the game?
The shallowness of this argument is obvious. The reason for the
general rule that the Queen should not come out too soon is that
she is liable to be attacked by the minor pieces of the opponent
so that she has to move again and again and time is lost which
could be used for the development of other pieces. Of course, if
the opponent does not develop his pieces, the Queen may often
come out without danger and she may do a lot of harm before she
can be driven away.
In formulating general strategical principles it is, then,
assumed that both players will follow them, and it is taken for
granted that if one player deviates from these principles and
thereby weakens himself at some point, the other player is
expected to exact the full penalty for this deviation with any
means at his disposal. It will always be found that these means
are also indicated by the general principles if only their
meaning is intelligently applied to the position in question.
As was stated before, the point of greatest importance in the
opening is to develop the pieces without loss of time, that is,
to place them on squares where they have as much mobility as
possible without making any move which retards this development.
There are different ways in which the development may be
retarded, and which consequently must be avoided. For instance,
no Pawn move should be made which is not absolutely necessary to
open a line for a piece; or, no piece should move twice as long
as there are pieces which have not yet moved at all; or, no piece
should be developed to a square from which the opponent can drive
it away at the same time furthering his own development; or, the
right of castling should not be foregone by moving the King or by
any other way, as castling develops a Rook and places the King in
safety with one move while more moves are required to the same
end if castling is not possible, and so on.
The beginner who makes this great principle of development quite
clear to himself has made the most difficult step on the way to
mastership. The grasp of the far reaching influence of the
mobility of the pieces in the opening upon the further
development of the whole game is really what distinguishes the
master from the average player.
Of course, it would be too difficult for the beginner to find out
for himself what squares are the most favorable for the different
pieces; at any rate, it would take him a long time to gain that
knowledge by experience. Fortunately, the experience of the
masters of several generations is accessible to us and so it is
possible to expedite considerably the process by which the mind
of the student is adapted to the tactics required in every game
of Chess to carry out the principle of speedy development. To a
great extent these tactics, too, can be simply explained from the
point of view of giving the pieces their utmost mobility so that
they will be readily understood by the reader who has followed
the arguments given in the foregoing pages.
There is a considerable difference in the constellation of the
pieces depending on whether the game is opened with (1) P-e4, P-
e5 or (1) P-d4, P-d5. These two openings shall therefore be
treated separately. All other openings are related to one of the
above main branches and need little additional discussion.
KING'S PAWN OPENINGS
After (1) P-e4, P-e5 the only Pawn which both players have to
move to enable the development of all pieces is the Queen's Pawn,
which obstructs the Queen's Bishop. Of course, it would also be
possible to secure an outlet for the Queen's Bishop by advancing
the Queen's Knight's Pawn one step; but in the long diagonal the
Bishop is ordinarily not so well posted as the development of the
Queen's Knight to his most natural square, that is c3 or c6
respectively, would block the way of the Bishop. The Queen's
Knight is best placed in the c-file because on the edge of the
board, in the a-file, he has less mobility; less squares are
accessible to him. In order to place him in the d-file it would
be necessary to move the d-Pawn, and as this would also give an
opening to the Queen's Bishop the move of the Queen's Knight's
Pawn is superfluous.
Before moving the Queen's Pawn the players will have to make sure
that in advancing him they will not block the way of any piece.
Consequently, White will not play P-d3 on his second move. He
will first develop the King's Bishop. Of course, he will not
place him on d3, obstructing the Queen's Pawn and thereby the
Queen's Bishop. Neither will he play B-b5, as Black could drive
him away from there immediately with P-c6, opening another
diagonal for the Queen. The choice between the remaining squares,
e2 and c4, is not difficult. On e2 the Bishop would be in the way
of the Queen and his way would soon be blocked by the King's
Knight, who for similar reasons to those given for the move of
the Queen's Knight will go to f3 in preference to other squares.
Therefore, the only move to be considered in case the King's
Bishop is played at this early stage of the game, is B-c4.
White is not forced to develop this Bishop on the second move by
any means. He could either play (2) Kt-f3 or (2) Kt-c3 or (2) P-
d4. The objection to the latter move, however, is that after (2)
...., Pxd4; (3) Qxd4 the white Queen is exposed to the attack of
the Knight b8, which means loss of time. Kt-f3 or Kt-c3 are
probably preferable to B-c4 on the second move, because it is
certain that the Knights will not find any better squares on
their initial move. The Bishop, however, may have an occasion to
be used on b5 instead of on c4, and it is a good thing, generally
speaking, to keep the option of moving a piece to different
squares as long as it is compatible with the other requirements
of the position.
That the Bishop may be used to advantage on b5 will be seen from
the following variation. Supposing White plays (2) Kt-f3. Then
the Pawn e5 is attacked. The only sensible protection is (2) ...,
Kt-c6; for P-f6 does not come into consideration, as it is a Pawn
move which does not add anything to the development of the
pieces; P-d6 blocks the Bishop f8; B-d6 obstructs the Queen's
Pawn and Q-f6 or Q-e7 hinders the development of the Knight or
the Bishop respectively. Now, it can readily be seen that after
(2) ..., Kt-c6 White may want to place his King's Bishop on b5,
for with this move he repeats indirectly his attack on the King's
Pawn through the threat to remove the protecting Knight. It is
true, that this threat needs no attention as long as White's
King's Pawn is not protected (for instance: (3) ..., Kt-f6; (4)
Bxc6, Pd7xc6; (5) Ktxe5, Q-d4 attacking Knight and Pawn at the
same time and thereby regaining the Pawn) but as soon as White
has defended the Pawn--with P-d3 may be--the Bishop b5 is at work
and Black must seek additional protection for the Pawn e5.
If White, on his second move, plays B-c4, he attacks the Pawn f7.
This Pawn is protected by Black's King and so he need not be
defended any further; but Black must be on the alert against a
concentration of some more white men on f7. White could try (3)
Q-f3 or Q-h5. However, Black would then have time to defend
himself with Kt-f6 or Q-e7 respectively.
Therefore, on the second move, Black may make any developing
move; he could, of course, play (2) ..., Kt-f6, preventing
White's Queen from going to h5, but this is unnecessary, as Q-h5
would be a very bad move, placing the Queen on a square from
which she is bound to be chased away very soon. For instance: (2)
...., B-c5; (3) Q-h5, Q-e7 (not P-g6 on account of Qxe5 attacking
the King and the Rook at the same time). Now, whatever White
plays, he will have to retire again with his Queen as soon as
Black attacks her with Kt-f6, and so he loses his birth-right of
attack; for it will be Black who is a move ahead in the
development instead of White, as it ought to be.
If both players refrain from premature attack the game might
develop as follows: (2) B-c4, B-c5; (3) Kt-f3, Kt-c6; (4) P-d3,
Kt-f6; (5) Kt-c3, P-d6; (6) o-o, o-o; (7) B-g5. This move is the
first one with which White trespasses the "frontier" which may be
said to run in the openings of all games between the fourth and
fifth ranks of the board. The Bishops are the only pieces for
whom there is a field of action in the opponent's camp early in
the game. They pin a hostile Knight and thereby exert a certain
pressure on the opponent who naturally does not like to see any
of his pieces deprived of its mobility. The fact that Black can
drive White's Bishop away with P-h6 does not lead to any loss of
time for White, for the Bishop can retire to h4, still
maintaining the pin, while Black has not furthered his
development by his Pawn move; in fact, he has somewhat
compromised his position and as explained by the discussion of
the position of Diagram 37 the advance of the Pawn g7 to g5
cannot follow without the risk that White will uphold the pin
even at the cost of a piece and obtain an overwhelming attack.
That the move P-h6 creates a weakness even if it is not followed
up by P-g5 will be demonstrated later on in the discussion of the
middle game. The correct answer to White's seventh move is easily
found with the help of the principle of development. If White did
not threaten anything Black would certainly think of nothing else
than the development of his Queen's Bishop, the only minor piece
which has not yet moved. Therefore, the first thing Black should
consider in countering the threat involved in White's last move
is a protection with a move of the Queen's Bishop. White's threat
is (8) Kt-d5, attacking the Knight f6 for the second time.
Although the Knight is twice protected, Black will naturally
endeavor to prevent an accumulation of hostile pieces on the
point f6, and he can do that indeed very easily by playing (7)
...., B-e6 with a view toward capturing the Knight if he should
move to d5.
The exchange (8) Kt-d5, Bxd5; (9) Bxd5 is manifestly not
desirable for White, as it does not improve in any way the
mobility of his men. On the contrary, White loses a move, as the
result of the maneuver is only a change of location of the King's
Bishop who was already developed while the principle of speedy
development demands that no piece should be moved twice in the
opening until ALL pieces are developed.
Unless Black's move involves a threat which needs immediate
attention White should consider only such moves as will secure a
possibility of development for his Rooks, that is maneuvers which
are liable to produce an open file somewhere on the board.
+---------------------------------------+
8 | #R | | | #Q | | #R | #K | |
|---------------------------------------|
7 | #P | #P | #P | | | #P | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 | | | #Kt| #P | #B | #Kt| | |
|---------------------------------------|
5 | | | #B | | #P | | ^B | |
|---------------------------------------|
4 | | | ^B | | ^P | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
3 | | | ^Kt| ^P | | ^Kt| | |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | | | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R | | | ^Q | | ^R | ^K | |
+---------------------------------------+
a b c d e f g h
DIAGRAM 43.
This can only be done by the exchange of a Pawn and as the only
Pawn within easy reach is the Pawn e5 the files which are liable
to be opened first are the d-file and the f-file. In the position
of the Diagram it is not easy to find a way of opening either
file mentioned without elaborate preparation. P-d4 cannot be
played before the square d4 is three times controlled by White
and if White tries to accomplish this by (8) Kt-e2, Black spoils
White's plan by Bxc4 without being bothered by the threat Kt-d5
which existed as long as the Knight was posted on c3. If, on the
other hand, White exchanges the Bishop first on e6 he helps
Black's development by opening the f-file for his Rook. To avoid
these alternatives White could withdraw the Bishop c4 to b3 and
then play Kt-e2 followed by P-c3 and P-d4. But this maneuver
involves two moves with pieces which are already developed and it
is therefore preferable to place the Rook a1, who has to be
developed, right away in the Queen's file and then to proceed as
suggested above. In other words, White does probably best to play
(8) Q-d2 and (9) Ra1-d1.
Black, in the meantime, will of course, also aim at the
development of his Rooks. In the position of the Diagram it is
even less troublesome for him than for White to prepare the
opening of the d-file, as there is no objection to his playing
immediately Kt-e7 with P-c6 and P-d5. The only reason which might
deter Black from playing Kt-e7 is the fear that White might
answer Bxf6 forcing Black to retake with the Pawn g7 and thereby
tearing a hole in the protecting chain of Pawns around the King.
However, as will be explained in the discussion of the middle
game, this maneuver need not be feared.
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7 | #P | #P | #P | | | #P | #P | #P |
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6 | | | | #P | | | | |
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5 | | | | | | | | |
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4 | | | | | ^P | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
3 | | | | | | | | |
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2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | | | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | | | | | | | | |
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a b c d e f g h
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