No single square wins a chess game. But seizing a battleground square is a good start.
Carlos Cuartas White
Patrick Wolff Black
New York 1997
Nimzo-Larsen Attack A04
1 ♘f3 c5 2 b3 d5 3 e3 ♘f6 4 ♗b2 e6 5 ♘e5
If White can maintain a knight on e5 he stands better, e.g. 5 ♗b5+ ♘c6?! 6 ♘e5 and 7 f4. But 5...♘bd7! 6 ♘e5 a6 or 6...♗d6 is balanced.
5...♘bd7! 6 ♗b5 ♗d6! 7 f4 ♕c7
Now 8 ♕f3 0-0 9 ♕g3 would threaten 10 ♘xd7! ♗xd7 11 ♗xf6 and wins. But Black gets the upper hand with 9...♘e4! and 10...♘xe5.
8 0-0 0-0 9 ♗xd7?
White should admit he is only equal (9 ♘xd7 ♘xd7 10 ♕h5 f5).
9...♘xd7 10 ♕h5 f5 11 ♘xd7 ♗xd7
Now if 12 d3, with the idea of 13 ♘d2 and 14 ♘f3, Black can foil that with 12...d4 or 12...♗c6 13 ♘d2 e5!.
12 c4?! d4! 13 exd4 ♗xf4 14 dxc5 ♗c6 15 ♕h4 e5 16 ♕f2 ♕f7
The tide is turning but 17 g3 ♕h5 18 ♘c3! is unclear (18...♗xg3! 19 ♕xg3 ♖f6 20 ♔f2 – but not 18 gxf4 ♖f6! and ...♖g6+).
17 d4? ♕h5 18 g3
Question 405: What if 18 h3 ?
18...♗xg3! 19 ♕xg3 f4 20 ♕c3 exd4 White resigns.
In view of 21 ♕d2 ♕g4+ 22 ♔f2 ♖ae8!.
Arpad Vajda White
Yuri Averbakh Black
Budapest 1949
1 ♘f3 d5 2 b3 ♘f6 3 ♗b2 e6 4 e3 c5 5 ♘e5 ♗d6 6 ♗b5+ ♘bd7 7 f4 0-0 8 0-0 ♕c7 9 ♗xd7 ♘xd7 10 ♘xd7 ♗xd7 11 ♘c3 f6 12 ♕e2 a6 13 ♕f3 ♗c6 14 ♕h3 ♖ae8 15 d3 b5 16 ♖ae1 e5 17 f5 b4 18 ♘e2 e4 19 ♘f4 ♗xf4! 20 ♖xf4 exd3 21 ♖h4 (21 cxd3 ♕xf4!) d2! 22 ♖d1 d4 23 ♖xh7 ♖xe3 24 ♖h8+ ♔f7 25 ♕h5+ ♔e7 26 ♖xd2 ♕e5 White resigns.