The Magic of Chess Tactics

262 Pages·2003·30.09 MB·English

by  Claus Dieter Meyer

The Magic o f Chess Tactics
©
Copyright 2002
Claus Dieter Meyer & Karsten MUller
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 1-888690-14-3
Published by:
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
P.O. Box 30
Milford, CT 06460 USA
http://www.chesscafe.com
[email protected]
Cover design by OutExcel! Corp., Al Lawrence, President; Jami Anson,
Art Director.
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Table of Contents
Foreword by Alexei Shirov 3
Introduction 4
Acknowledgements 6
Code System 7
Photo Credits 7
About the Authors 8
A) Middlegame Tactics
AI) Tactical Motifs
AlA) Pin and Cross-Pin 10
Exercises/Solutions E l.l-I .4 14
A IB) Knight Moves 18
Exercises/Solutions E2.1-2.2 18
AI C) Trapped Pieces/
Loose Pieces Drop Off 19
Exercises/Solutions E3.1-3.2 21
A2) Sacrificial Attacks 22
Exercises/Solutions E4.1-4.7 60
A3) Magic by the Magician 63
Exercises/Solutions E5.1-5.6 66
A4) "ltJ + .£l Duo 69
Exercises/Solutions E6.1-6.2 74
A5) Attack and Defense 76
A6) ConjunctionofTacticalMethods 133
Exercises/Solutions E7.1-7.5 144
A7) The Bishop Pair 147
A8) Pawn Leversand Breakthroughs 150
Exercises/Solutions E8.1-8.2 153
A9)Combinations 155
Exercises/Solutions E9.1-9.8 159
B)Tactical Endgames
BI) Opposite-Colored Bishops
BIA) With Rooks and/or Queens 164
BIB) Pure Opposite-Colored
Bishop Endings 174
B2) Same-Colored Bishops 179
B3) Fortress or Not? 192
Exercises/Solutions EI0.1-10.2 207
B4)The Bishop Pair 228
Exercises/Solutions E11.1-11.3 231
B5) Rook +Minor Piece Endings
B5A)Rook Endings 233
B5B) Rook +Minor Piece Endings 243
Exercises/Solutions E12.1-12.2 247
B6) Three Cunning Queen Endings 249
Bibliography 252
IndexofPlayers 254
Foreword
Still the World ofMagic
When Iwas asked by my good friend OM Karsten MUllerto write aforeword for
his and C.D. Meyer's new book about tactics, I thought that nothing would be
easier. Combinations and tactics, the books ofAlexander Koblentz, the games of
Mikhail Tal- all these were synonymous with my first steps in chess. So, I start
reading throughthepresentbook, which hasalmostsame name astheMagic World
ofCombinations by Koblentz (issued more than two decades ago in the Soviet
Union). And...what a surprise!
It isnolongeramatterofsimpletactical motifs and combinationsbut infact deep
analysis and refutations ofconcepts that seemedto be axiomatic by definition of
tactical play. Suddenly the reader is forced to look at everything with a critical
eye, evaluatingwhich tactics are erroneous and which are good.
Buttimes have changed.The authorstake usfrom theworldofmagicaldreamsto
cruel reality with impeccable analysis by humans and computers.
When Istartedplayingchess, Ibelievedin combinationsand highlycomplicated
tacticalplay.Time wentby,Ibecameastronggrandmasterand some ofmyviews
on chess were changed by down-to-earth players. Computers got involved and
refuted other ideas. However, in the heat ofbattle Iwas able to sometimes find
thingsthatneithercomputersnorhumanscouldrefute.Iamproudofhavingkeptfaith
inmychildhood idealsofcomplicationsandtactics.Andnow having themanuscript
ofthisnewbook infrontofmeIaskmyself-dogenuine tacticsreallyexist?
The answer is Yes! Youneed to seek perfection. Perfection is brilliancy. My move
~h3!againstTopalov(sorryforbeingimmodest)isbrilliantbecause it'sthebestmove
inthepositionandinfactitistheonly movetowin.And when inthisbook Iseethe
analysisofthegameAlekhine-vanMindeno (whichcompletelyshocked meatfirst)I
realise that '§h2! is more brilliant than '§h5 because '§h2! lets White continue his
attackwhile '§h5 even losesagainst Black's best defense.
Ihavecometorealisethattherearebasically twotypesofchesstactics. First,simple
kindsofcombinations you needtoknow when you starttoplaychess. Istillbelieve
they arethebasisofeverything. Things thatcomputers seeinahalf-second. But the
book isnot about them. Forthose simple tactics, old Koblentz books are more than
enough.This book isabout complicatedchess tactics, the kind you sometimes need
hoursofanalysisjusttodiscoverthetruthoftheposition.It'shardtoseeandcalculate
perfectlyontheboard; oneneeds intuition, imagination andprecision.
It's not easy todevelop these qualities but Ibelievethat the present book, full of
examples and high qualityanalyses, will help you achieve that objective.
Welcometo the magical world oftactics!
Alexei Shirov, Riga
October 2002
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Introduction
"Chess is 99 percent tactics." This opinion ofthe German chess master Richard
Teichmann (1868-1925) is certainly contestable, but every chess friend knows
thatpermanenttacticalvigilanceatanystageofthegameisofdecisiveimportance.
But what doesthe term 'tactics' actually mean'!Ina modern dictionary ofchess
you may read a definition like this: "Tactics is the theory ofthe realisation of
specific aims by short term operations based on concrete and clear variations."
(quoted from Meyers Schach Lexikon by Otto Borik and others)
TheEnglishGrandmaster Dr.John Nunn defines itmorecomprehensivelythereby
emphasizingthe calculation ofvariations inendgames: "Tactics issomething far
moregeneral than suchmethods like forks,pins, discoveredattacks,skewersetc.,
which are more properly described as combinations,would indicate.Wecan say,
thatan ideaistacticalifitisnecessarytocalculatespecificvariationstoensure its
correctness. With this definition, it is clear that tactics can occur at any stage of
thegame. Indeed,simplifiedendgames areespeciallypronetobetactical,sincein
such positions itis possibleto calculate every worthwhile variationand hence to
be absolutely certain which is the best move." (from Nunri's Tactical Chess
Endings).
But,inchess,mattersarerarelysimpleand cIearcut. Inpracticetacticsoftenexist
in close conjunction with technique and then these elements cannot do without
each other. Todetermine which element is prevalentat one particularmoment is
rarelypossible.
Ontheother hand itis difficulttodefinethe term 'technique' inchess as ittends to
containbothstrategicalandtacticalelements.Let'sstartwithtwodefmitions:'Technique
istheknowledgeandexperiencethatenablesaplayertoachieveawinmechanically
and without undueexertion.The possession oftechnique isone ofthe fundamental
differences between theexpert and theamateur." (fromAn illustratedDictionary of
ChessbyEdwardR.Brace).'Techniqueistheawarenessofthefunctionsofthepieces
andoftheirpeculiarresources ... andmethodsofexploitingthesethingsinrecurring
situations."(from TechniqueinChessbyGerald Abrahams)
Generally the subjectoftechniqueconsistsofmethodical treatments and linesof
direction in order to exploit material/positional advantages or to prevent them.
TheGerman master KurtRichter(1900-1969)once wrote: "Technique inchessis
the art ofwhat can be learned," which seems to be a good attempt to define the
term. Furthermore, if there is an area in chess where concrete knowledge and
experience are most significant,then itiscertainlythe endgame.
Many examples in this book are ofboth a tactical and technical nature and what
dominates at any particular moment may be a matter of opinion, but plenty of
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tacticalideasandcombinations-"theheartofchess"(A. Alekhine)-alwaysmake
thingslively.
"It is simply not sufficient only to play - you have to train yourself always to
develop qualities and abilities which help you to come to decisions during the
course ofagame." (from Moderne Schachtaktik by Mark Dvoretsky). By means
ofthorough analysiswe learn to estimatepositions integrally andmore often we
willfind themovesthat the postion demands.Inadditionwe developan"instinct
or feelingforpositionand danger"(whichtheGermanscall Positionsgefiihiy.The
more complicated the position, the greater the importance of combining this
"instinct" and analyticalskills.
The great Emanuel Lasker wrote: "For some romantic enthusiasts the game of
chess has been promoted to a science or anart. In fact chess does not stand that
high.Itssubstantialcharacteristicisthatwhichthehumannaturetakes mostdelight
in it: the fight." (from Gesunder MenschenverstandimSchach)
There is still an awful lot to discover and the borders between knowledge,
experience, calculation and intuition are fluid. But in over-the-board-play, the
horizonisnotso wide; here nervous energy isrequired and theelements offight
with all its peculiarities dominate. Often a player has to trust his intuition, no
mattertheprice.And inasharp,complexposition,whenthe variationsgrow hazy
orthe arithmetic fails, theadventure starts.
Inthisbook, theauthors presentamanifoldcollectionoftacticaldiscoursesonthe
middle- and endgame. It shows such a dramatic sharpening, but also hidden
resources and astonishing new turns. Last but not least this work is about chess
errors,theirdetectionandrefutation,sincepeoplelearn bestfrom mistakes.Atthe
critical points the readers may sharpen their tactical vision, test their ability to
calculateconcrete variations and to evaluate positions.Besidesallthis it'salso a
wonderfulthing to taketime andjust playoverand enjoy theexamples.
Primarily this book is aimed at aspiring players from club to master level who
seriously want to improve their chess understanding. Here the readers will not
find a logical progressionfrom the beginningto theend;theexamples havebeen
selected for entertainment and, above all, for instructional and training value.
Although we have grouped the games and fragments in chapters, sometimes the
arrangement seems arbitrary because there is a considerable variety within the
examples. Short exercises - easy and difficult - are added to help the readers to
improveanalyticalabilities.
TheMagicofChess Tactics is based onanalysis,articlesand training sessionsof
theGermanchesstrainerandjournalistFM ClausDieterMeyer(Bremen).Several
positions were analysed during the period 1989 to 1998, when he worked at the
Hamburgtrainingbasewhere(thenfuturegrandmaster)KarstenMuller,FMStefan
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Sievers and other young Candidate Masters regularly participated. GM Muller
also acts now as co-author ofthis book withsome originalcontributions.
Combinations(1980-1993)andTacticalDiscourses(1993-1998)were two rubrics
ofCD.Meyerpublished intheGermanSchoch Magazin 64.Atthat time hewas
constantlyon the lookout for fresh material appropriate for bothjournalistic and
training purposes. However when detailed analytical work had to be done, this
wasjusttheverythingfortheambitiousHamburg traininggroup.Andsosomeofthe
extraordinarilydense anddifficultmaterialinthisbook likeKunnemannvsNN and
theNever-EndingStOlY hasitsorigininthevery productiveHamburgperiod.
Many articles were published in Schoch Magazin 64 and ChessBase Magazine,
but agreatdeal ofthe material,mostly taken from German Bundesliga praxis,is
new.Theoldremarkshavebeenthoroughlyrevised,improvedand translatedinto
English.Duetothelargeamountoforiginalanalysis,eagle-eyedreadersmayfind
mistakes,for whichwe apologise inadvance.
As the contrast between practice and analysis sometimes is striking, we would
like to remind the readers ofthe words of Mikhail Tal, the unforgotten chess
magicianfromRiga(1936-1992):"Yearsofanalysisandafewminutesinapractical
game-they are absolutelynot oneandthesame."
Theauthors hope,thatfansoftacticswilldive intoandenjoy TheMagic,and,last
but not least, learn a lot.
Claus Dieter Meyerand Karsten MUlier
Bremen/Hamburg
October 2002
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank many people for the analytical support and some original
contributions,especiallytheHamburgtraininggroupandseveralchess colleagues
of the SV Werder Bundesliga team. ChessBase deserves special thanks for
developing the programs that made this book possible and allowing us to use
photos from their archives. Thanks also to Alexei Shirov for his Foreword and
EdwardWinterfor hiskindpermission to usephotosfromhis excellentgalleryat
ChessCafe.com.IngolfStein scanned severalphotosand caricatures. Finally we
thank the publisher Hanon Russell for his friendly attitude towards the whole
project.
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Code System
+ check
# checkmate
x capture
! good move
!! excellent orbeautiful move
'I bad move
')'1 blunder
I? interesting move
'/1 dubiousmove
+- White hasadecisive advantage
± White has the upper hand
~ White stands slightlybetter
theposition is equal or drawn
-+ Black hasadecisive advantage
+' Black has theupperhand
+' Blackstandsslightlybetter
1-0 the game endsin awin for White
Y2-Yi the game ends inadraw
0-1 the gameendsin awin for Black
Ch championship
01 chess olympiad
zt zonaltournament
simul simultaneousdisplay
mem memorialtournament
CBM ChessBase Magazine
COM Claus Dieter Meyer
KM Karsten MUlier
Photo Credits
Chessllase:Vlastimil Babula (12) andAlexei Shirov (165)
Edward Winter Collection: Wilhelm Steinitz (35), Mikhail Tal (63), Rudolf
Spielmann (76), A.A.Lilienthal (86), Bobby Fischer (92), Anthony Miles (131)
and Tigran Petrosian (153)
CD.Meyer:Zbynek Hracek (99),Rainer Knaak (142),AlexanderKhalifman(160),
Loek vanWely(183),JanTimman(204),SvenJoachim(237),GerlefMeins(241),
thecaricatures(page 8)byan unknown artistonthe MoscowArbatand by Alfred
Hennsdorfer (210, 227).
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Claus DieterMeyer
Es irrt der Mensch, solang er strebt.
(Man will err while yet he strives.)
JohannWolfgang vonGoethe,Faust1(1808)
About the Authors
Claus DieterMeyerwas bornAugust I, 1946 inBremen,Germany. Formerlyan
insurancebrokerbytrade, then achess-journalistand FIDE-Master (1983), heis
now well known in Germany as analyst and chess trainer. C.D. Meyer is the
author of1mSpiegel der Analyse (1987) and Die Jahrhundert-Meisterschaft im
Schach (200I, with Robert Hubner and others) and has also translated several
chess books into German from English. He is the official chess trainer of SV
Werder Bremen and long-time captain ofWerder's Bundesligachess team.
Karsten MUllerwas born November23, 1970 inHamburg,Germany. Heearned
the grandmaster title in 1998 and is the co-author with Frank Lamprecht ofthe
highlyacclaimedSecretsofPawnEndings (2000) andFundamentalChessEndings
(200I).Hispopularcolumn EndgameCorner hasappearedatwww.ChessCafe.com
since January 200I.
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