Counteracting Gravity

The center of the chessboard is a magnet, which pulls to itself all the pieces.  Therefore the most beautiful and amazing moves, for me, are those with which a piece, counteracting the gravitational force of the center, suddenly fly to the edge of the board.

Today I would like to share with readers some most memorable (to me) examples.

Nigel Short - Vassily Smyslov
Subotica Interzonal Subotica, 1987

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 f6 7.Be3 Ne7 8.Nc3 Ng6 9.Qe2 a5 10.h4 Ba6 11.Qd2 h5 12.0-0-0 Qc8 13.g3 Rb8 14.dxe5 dxe5

White to move

White is better here thanks to his structural advantage.  Black has some compensation in the form of an initiative on the queenside.  Smyslov has the open "b-file" and four potentially dangerous (for the white king) pieces: queen, rook and two bishops.

Nigel Short knows it very well.  Remember his famous quote?  "Modern chess is too concerned with things like pawn structure.  Forget it, checkmate ends the game."  So he finds a brilliant way to neutralize the danger.

15.Ba7!!

What a move!  White understands that if he can exchange his opponents black-colored bishop, he will not only provide safety for the king but also enable him to get the queen to c5.  From c5 it can attack Black's weak pawns.

15...Ra8 16.Qe3!

The point of White's unusual maneuvre.  There is no defence from the coming 17.Bc5.  The same move would follow in case of 15...Rb7.

16...Qb7 17.Bc5 Rb8 18.b3 Bxc5 19.Qxc5 Qb6 20.Qxb6!

It looks strange as White is improving his opponent's pawn structure, but he could not comfortably hold the c5-square with 20.Na4?? because of 20...Qxc5 21.Nxc5 Be2.

20...cxb6 21.Rd6!

Black no longer has double and isolated pawns, but their position is still bad since White firmly holds the only open file in the position.  Short confidently went on to win.

21...Ne7 22.Rhd1 Kf7 23.Ne1 Bc8 24.Ng2 Bg4 25.R1d3 Rhc8 26.Ne3 Bh3 27.Ne2 Rc7 28.f4 exf4 29.Nxf4 Bg4 30.Nxg4 hxg4 31.Kd2 Re8 32.Ne6 Rcc8 33.c4 Ng6 34.Nd8+ Kf8 35.Nxc6 Rxe4 36.h5 Nh8 37.Nd8 Rb8 38.Ne6+ Kg8 39.Rd8+ Rxd8 40.Rxd8+ Kh7 41.Re8 Re5 42.Nf8+ Kh6 43.Rxe5 fxe5 44.Nd7 Nf7 45.Nxb6 Nd6 46.Ke3 Nf5+ 47.Kf2 g6 48.hxg6 Kxg6 49.Nd5 Nd6 50.Nc3 Kf6 51.Ke2 Ke6 52.Kd3 Nf5 53.Ne2 Kd6 54.a3 Kc6 55.Ke4 Nd6+ 56.Kxe5 a4 57.Nd4+ Kd7 58.Kd5 Nf5 59.b4 Nxg3 60.Nc6 Ne2 61.Ne5+ Kc7 62.Nxg4 Nc3+ 63.Kd4 Nb1 64.Ne3 Nxa3 65.Kc3 1-0

Rubens Filguth - Arturo De la Garza
WchT U26 Mexico, 1980

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6 7.d4 Nc6 8.Nf3 h6 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.0-0 Be7 11.Rb1 b6 12.Qe2 0-0 13.Re1 Rfe8 14.g3 Bf8 15.Bf4 Rac8 16.h4 Na5 17.Ne5 Ba4 18.Qe4 Qf5

White to move

White can comfortably exchange twice on f5.  But he saw something better...

19.Qh1!!

Very beautiful!  The queen unexpectedly moves to the corner and hides in ambush.  Black immediately resigns, since after the only move, 19...Qf6, White will deliver the kill-shot: 20.Bg5!! either winning queen or checkmating the king.

Boris Gelfand - Anatoly Karpov
Vienna Millenium Vienna, 1996

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 Bb7 4.Bg2 e6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Re1 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.d4 Na6 10.Bf4 c5 11.dxc5 Nxc5 12.Rc1 a6 13.a3 Re8 14.Nd4 Bd6 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.Qd2 Rad8 17.Red1 g6 18.Qf4 Qxf4 19.gxf4 Kf8 20.e3 Rd6 21.b4 Ne6 22.Nce2 Re7 23.a4 Nd8 24.a5 Bc6 25.Nc3 Be8 26.Bf1 bxa5 27.bxa5 Rb7

White to move

White is better here thanks to superior pawn structure.  Actually White's pawn structure itself is not all that much better than Black's, but the presence of white-colored bishops on the board clearly shows who is the boss of this position.

The majority of chessplayers would now think about how to remove the c3-knight in order to make the most of the open file and in particular to penetrate to c8.  But look at next Gelfand's "beginners" move.

28.Ra1!!

Gelfand writes, "The most difficult move in the game.  Again I followed Nimzovitch's principle and over-protected the a5 pawn, which is the key to White's success."  Fantastic understanding of the position!

28...Rc7?!

In case of 28...Ne4 White had prepared 29.Ndb5!!+-  But Black should have played either 28...Ke7 or 28...Ne6 with a slight advantage to White.

29.Na2!

Another great move to the edge of the board.  White's knight is aiming for the b4-square from it can attack both the d5 and a6-pawns.

29...Rb7 30.f3 Ne6 31.Rdb1!

Yet another decentralization.  Look at the triangle of White's pieces on a1, a2, and b1!

31...Re7

Ftacnik gives the following line: 31...Rxb1 32.Rxb1 Nxd4 33.exd4 Re6 34.Rb6 Bb5 35.Bxb5 Rxb6 36.axb6 axb5 37.Nb4 and White is winning.

32.Nb4 Nc5

In case of 32...Nxd4 33.exd4 Black cannot hold the a6-pawn.  For example 33...Ra7 34.Nxa6 Raxa6 35.Bxa6 Rxa6 36.Rb6! and White wins.

33.Rc1 Rb7 34.Rab1 Nfd7 35.Nbc6 Rc7 36.Ne5!

White is totally dominating.

36...Ke7

If 36...Nxe5, then 37.fxe5 Rd8 38.Rb6.

37.Rc3 f6 38.Nxd7 Kxd7 39.Rb8!

White has a big advantage and went on to win the game.

39...Ne6 40.Rxc7+ Nxc7 41.Kf2 Ke7 42.f5 g5 43.Ke1 Bb5 44.Bxb5 Nxb5 45.Nxb5 axb5 46.Rxb5 Rc6 47.Rxd5 Rc3 48.Kd2 Ra3 49.Kc2 Rxe3 50.Kb2 Re2+ 51.Kb3 Rxh2 52.a6 Rh1 53.Kb4 Ra1 54.Ra5 Rb1+ 55.Kc5 Rb8 56.a7 Ra8 57.Kc6 h5 58.Kb7 Rxa7+ 59.Kxa7 Kd6 60.Kb6 h4 61.Rc5 h3 62.Rc2 Ke5 63.Rh2 Kxf5 64.Rxh3 Kf4 65.Kc5 f5 66.Kd4 g4 67.fxg4 fxg4 68.Rh8 Kf3 69.Kd3 1-0

D. Blundell (1995)

White to move and win

White's last pawn is in danger and it seems he must play 1.Kc1 and quickly get his king to d3.  But after 1.Kс1? Kg4 2.Kd2 f3 3.Ne3+ Kf4 4.Kd3 f2 5. Nf1 Kf3 6.Nd2+ Kf4!

Analysis Diagram: after 6...Kf4!

White is unable to improve.  For example: 7. Ke2 f1Q+! 8.Kxf1 Ke3 9.Ke1 Kd3 10.Kd1 Ke3 with a draw.

Also not winning is 1.Na3 f3 2.Nc4 Kh4!! 3. Kc2 Kg4! 4.Kc3 Kg3!

Analysis Diagram: after 4...Kg3!

A very subtle defence to avoid zugzwang!

Now let's look at the actual solution.  First, here is the diagram again:

1.Na1!!

Yes, dear reader, 1.Na1.  It is not a typographical error.  What a incredible move!  White must place the knight not on c4 but on b3!  In that case the king will have important c4 square.

For example:

1...f3 2.Nb3 Kg4 3.Kc2 Kg3 4.Kc3! Kg4 5.Kc4! Kg3 6.Kd5 f2 7.Nd2 Kf4 8.Nf1

Analysis Diagram: after 8.Nf1

and White wins.

Or:

5...Kf4 6.Kd3 f2 7.Nd2 Kg3 8.Ke2 Kg2 9.Nf1 Kg1 10.Ne3

Analysis Diagram: after 10.Ne3

...with the same result.

I hope this small article will encourage readers to pay more attention to the moves on the edge.  Sixty-four squares is a small territory and we must use it with maximum effect and not ignore any part of it.

With warmest regards, Ashot Nadanian

Ashot Nadanian

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