When pawns on adjacent files can’t defend one another, the more advanced pawn can be vulnerable.
Gyula Sax White
Ljubomir Ljubojevic Black
London 1980
Sicilian Defense B40
1 e4 c5 2♘f3 e6 3 c3 d5 4 e5 d4 5♗d3!?
If White can prompt ...dxc3, then dxc3! improves his pawn structure and his c1-bishop’s future.
5...♘c6 6♕e2♘ge7!
The e5-pawn is artificially isolated because White can’t play d2-d4. Black will attack it three times and also threaten the annoying ...♘g6-f4.
7 0-0 ♘g6 8 ♕e4
Since Black refuses to play ...dxc3?, White will attack the d4-pawn three times.
8...♗e7 9 ♘a3 0-0 10 cxd4 cxd4 11 ♘c2 ♕c7 12 ♖e1 ♖d8!
And 13 ♘cxd4? ♘xd4 14 ♘xd4 loses to 14...♕d7! (15 ♘-moves ♕xd3).
13 h4?!
White goes desperate because he also faced 13...♖d5 and 14...♘cxe5.
13...h5 14 g4 hxg4 15 h5
Now if 15...♘f8 16 ♕xg4, White’s e5-pawn is secure and the d4-pawn isn’t. Not bad is 15...gxf3 16 hxg6 f5 but Black has better.
15...♘cxe5! 16 ♘xe5 f5!
Here 17 ♕h1 ♘xe5 and ...♘f3+ is hopeless.
17 ♕e2 ♘f4 18 ♕f1 b5! White resigns.
Question 322: Why resign?
James Cobb White
Colin Crouch Black
Hastings 2004
1 e4 c5 2 ♘f3 e6 3 c3 d5 4 e5 d4 5 ♗d3 ♘c6 6 ♕e2 ♘ge7 7 0-0 ♘g6 8 g3? f5 9 ♘a3 a6 10 ♘c2 b5 11 b3 ♗b7 12 ♖e1 ♗e7 13 ♔f1? 0-0 14 ♗b2 f4! 15 cxd4 fxg3 16 hxg3 cxd4 (16...♘b4!) 17 ♗e4? (17 ♗xg6) d3! 18 ♗xd3 ♘b4! 19 ♘fd4 ♘xd3 20 ♕xd3 ♕d5 21 ♕e3 ♖xf2+ 22 ♕xf2 ♖f8 23 ♘e3 ♕h1+ White resigns.