CHAPTER 4

Forcing moves

In this chapter, we will see a few more examples of employing forcing moves in the calculation process.

As we have seen earlier, forcing moves are checks, captures, threats and pawn breaks. Most books exclude pawn breaks from the list of forcing moves. But in my practice, I have seen that including this item will help upcoming players to improve their calculation skills quickly. One of the quickest ways to improve calculation is by learning to calculate forcing moves quickly and correctly.

When there are many forcing moves on our list of candidates, we should try to use the forcing move that meets the drawback principle the most.

Game 65 Level 2

Lars Bo Hansen 2580

Giovanni Vescovi 2465

Copenhagen 1995 (4)

Img

A brief look at the position shows that Black’s kingside is completely deserted for the moment. He has clustered his pieces on the queenside. White could use this moment to attack en masse!

17.xg6! (capture)

17.xh7? is another capture, but one that does not work: 17...xh7 18.h6+? (18.xg6+ g8!Img) 18...g8 19.xg6 f8!-+; 17.h6? f6Img.

17...fxg6

17...hxg6? 18.h6 forces mate.

18.xe6+ (check) 18...g7

Img

19.xh7+! (check)

19.h6+ h8 20.f7 f8 (20...g8 21.xh7+ xh7 22.f8#) 21.f4!+-.

19...xh7 20.g5+ (check) 20...h6 21.h3+ (check) 21...g7 22.h7+ (check) 22...f6 23.f7#

White used his superiority of forces on the kingside to finish Black off with forcing moves, without allowing Black any breathing time.

Game 66 Level 2

Zhu Chen 2539

Viktor Kortchnoi 2620

Schuhplattler 2000 (9)

Img

The loose pieces on b2 and h4 catch the eye!

40...f6 (threat)

As Smyslov has said: ‘Chess is a game of double attack.’

41.h3 f3+ (check) 42.xf3 xb2 (capture) 0-1

Game 67 Level 2

Iuliu Hegedus 2295

Romeo Sorin Milu 2380

Romania 1991

Img

Once again, we see that castling on opposite sides has taken place. As regards the attack against the king, Black already starts out ahead. His queen and rook make use of the semi-open c-file and his bishop on f6 is a fine attacking piece. Apart from this, the fact that White’s king is on c1 leaves certain squares undefended, like a2 and a1.

1...b3!! (pawn break)

A fantastic move, although one that has become standard in such positions.

2.axb3

2.xb3 b8!; 2.c3 bxa2Img.

2...a5! (threat)

White’s king is overloaded. How can he defend both a1 and d2?

3.d1

3.c3 a1+ 4.c2 xe1-+; 3.b1 xd2-+.

3...a1+ (check) 4.c1 xb2 (capture) 5.e2 xc1 (capture) 0-1

Black had very good attacking forces lined up. This and also the fact that White lacked coordination of his pieces, made the position winning for Black!

Game 68 Level 2

Arnd Lauber 2464

David Baramidze 2591

Germany Bundesliga 2011/12 (11)

Img

Black is ahead in development, White’s king is still in the centre. These are the key factors in the position. Black has to use his time advantage based on these factors.

12...xe4! (capture) 13.e5

13.0-0 xd7Img.

13...h4+ (check) 14.g3 xg3 (capture) 15.hxg3 xh1+ (check) 16.d2 xd1+ (check) 17.xd1 f6! (threat)

The critical move.

18.f3 g4 (threat) 19.e2 ad8+ (check)

19...e4, with the idea of ...ae8, wins material.

20.d2 d7 (threat) 21.b1

21.g1 xe2+ 22.xe2 ed8.

21...de7-+ 22.g1 xe2+ 23.xe2 xe2 24.xb7 g2 0-1

Black simply overpowered his opponent with his better development. He did not hesitate to look for intermediate moves and keep strengthening his attack.

Game 69 Level 2

Dmitrij Jakovenko 2710

Magnus Carlsen 2714

Moscow 2007 (3)

Img

How can Black use forcing move tactics and get an advantage? Note that Black can not only exploit the exposed position of White’s king, but also there might be tactics based on the fact that White’s bishop cannot leave d5. A penetration by the rook to d2 is most likely decisive.

32...xc4! 33.xc4

33.xc4 d2-+ (threat).

33...f4+ (check) 34.g3 xd5! (capture)

This tactic works by using the horizontal pin.

35.xd5 xd5 (capture) 36.exd5 c4

Since White’s pieces lack coordination, the c-pawn, with the support from Black’s queen, should win the game.

37.d1 c3 38.d6 c2 39.d3

Img

39...c4

39...c1 40.d7 c2 41.d8+ h7 42.h4+ h6 was also winning, as Carlsen wrote in his comments.

40.e3 c6

40...c1 41.d7 d2.

41.d3 c5 0-1

An accurate finish! Black used tactical themes, like a pin and an overloaded piece, to win material, and accurately converted once he got there.

Game 70 Level 2

Ruslan Ponomariov 2705

Evgeny Tomashevsky 2646

Khanty-Mansiysk 2007 (3)

Img

A cursory look at the position shows the huge disparity in the strengths of the minor pieces. The knight on a6 is no match for the bishop on d4. Combined with this, White’s rooks are also more actively placed than Black’s. So it is little wonder that there would be tactical opportunities to crown White’s advantage. Find a series of forcing moves to win for White.

32.c8! (threat) 32...e5

32...xc8 33.xg7+ e8 34.g8++-.

33.xg8 (capture) 33...xg8 34.xe5 (capture)

White has won a pawn and has a winning position.

34...c5 35.d4

This is an easy win for White, as he has a material advantage and a positional one, in the form of a better pawn structure and the rook+bishop versus rook+knight tandem. A tactical idea flowed from a positionally much superior position.

Game 71 Level 2

Mikhail Tal

Arthur Feuerstein

Stuttgart sim 1958

Img

There are many pieces hanging here. Tal was usually in his element in such positions. Also, an important feature is the proximity of White’s g-pawn to promotion. In such positions, of course one has to calculate non-standard captures and intermediate moves:

16.gxf6! (capture) 16...xd1+ 17.xd1! (capture) 17...xd2 18.fxg7!! (capture)

The brilliant point of the previous move. White just captures the bishop after giving up his queen. He can afford to do this because his pawn is also quite close to becoming a new queen!

18...e6 19.g8+ (check) 19...e7 20.g7! 1-0

White used the tactical ideas based on loose pieces and pawn promotion to win the game!

20.xc8! xd1+ 21.xd1 would have won as well.

Game 72 Level 2

Veselin Topalov 2804

Peter Svidler 2743

Sofia 2006 (6)

Img

TASK 1: Find a way for Black to make use of his passed pawn effectively using forcing moves. Time to think: 5 to 8 minutes.

Black’s pawn is very near the promotion square. This always gives additional tactical possibilities. Perhaps not that obvious a feature in the position is that White’s bishop on g3 is running short of squares and Black is able to harass it using tactical means.

41...f4! (threat) 42.e1

After 42.xf4? c3+ (check) 43.xc2 xf4 (capture), Black wins the bishop and the game.

42.f2? c3+! (check) 43.xc2 b2+ (check) 44.d3 xf2 (capture) also loses the bishop for White.

42...b1!

Threatening to promote the c-pawn.

Not 42...c3+?! 43.xc2 xe1 44.d7 h4 45.c8!, and White escapes.

43.xc4 d1+ (check) 44.xc2 xe1 (capture)

And Black gets a winning position.

45.xf4 e2+ 46.d3 e5 47.g4+ f7 48.a4 d5+

And Black won easily.

Game 73 Level 3

Rustam Kasimdzhanov 2690

Anatoly Karpov 2670

Vitoria Gasteiz 2007 (9)

Img

TASK 1: Find a series of forcing moves to increase the advantage for White. Time to think: 5 minutes.

The positions of the kings in the current position do not present a rosy picture. Black has not been able to castle, although it should also be mentioned that White has opened his king’s castled position a little bit. Black’s pieces are clustered around the kingside and it feels that they are lacking space. The uncastled black king also means that there is no connection between his rooks. These features lead White in the direction of using Black’s lack of coordination and doing something quickly.

21.b8!! (threat)

21.d6+?, the other tempting move, turns out to release White’s pressure; for example, after 21...g8 22.f4 g5 23.h4 xh4 24.xe6 fxe6 25.g5 e8 26.d7 xd6 27.xe6+ f7 28.fxe4 g3+ 29.h1 h4+=.

21...d5

A) 21...xb8?! 22.d6++-;

B) 21...d7?! 22.f4 h6 23.d6+ g8 24.c4 exf3 25.e7 e8 26.d6+-;

C) 21...e8 22.d8+-.

22.f4! (threat) 22...h6 23.xe6+ (check) 23...xe6

23...fxe6 24.fxe4+ (check) 24...g8 25.d7! (25.xh6 gxh6 26.e5) 25...xb8 26.exd5.

24.d6+ (check) 24...g8

24...e7 25.e1+-.

25.c4 (threat) 25...exf3 26.xd5 (capture) 26...xg4+ 27.h1 axb4 28.xf3+- (capture) 28...c4 29.g2 h5 30.d5 g4 31.xf7+ h7 32.c2+ g6 33.xg6+

Black resigned; mate will follow soon.

White vigorously attacked Black and finished him off using his better-placed pieces and his pair of bishops.

Black struggled to cope with this until the very end because of his complete lack of coordination. This was especially evident with the stranded rook on h8 contributing to his demise.

Game 74 Level 3

James Plaskett 2515

Nigel Short 2683

4NCL tt 1999/2000

Img

Even a cursory look shows that Black’s pieces are clustered on the queenside and his kingside is largely defenceless.

23.xd5! xd7

23...exd5 24.f6+ h8 25.xh7#.

24.xe6! (capture)

The main idea. White needs to crown his attack without giving Black any time to bring his pieces back to the defence of his kingside.

24...fxe6

24...c8 25.xg6+! hxg6 26.xg6+ f8 (26...h8 27.h5+! g7 28.h6+! (28.g4+!+-) 28...h7 29.g5+ g7 30.h6+ g8 31.f6+-) 27.h6+! e8 28.g8+ e7 29.xf7+ d8 30.g5+ e7 31.f8+ c7 32.f4+! (32.c1+! b8 33.f4++-) 32...d6 33.c1++-.

25.xe6+ (check)

25...h8 25...f7 26.f4+– (26.xf7+ xf7 27.xh7+ f6 28.xb7+-).

26.xc3 (capture) 26...d8

Img

27.f4! (threat) 1-0

If 27...f8 28.d5+! (check).

A fine finish. White used several tactical themes, such as a pin, an overload, a double attack, etc., to crown his positional advantage into a win.

28.xf8++– was suggested here by 1785, 1900 and 2150 USCF players. All of them missed 28.d5+!. Winning material while attacking is so tempting, but should be overcome! Focus on the attack!

Game 75 Level 3

Boris Gelfand 2720

Alexander Morozevich 2788

Moscow 2008 (9)

Img

Here, White repeated moves:

13.c1

and the players agreed a draw. But White could have played for win by exploiting the unfortunate position of the black queen. It is easy to miss this non-standard feature in the position. But as in many other positions too, this is the key feature that had to be visualised to work out the coming variations:

A) 13.b1? xd4 14.c2 a6 15.c1 b4∞;

B) 13.h4!, a threat with the idea of h3, speaks for itself when one observes the unfortunate position of Black’s queen on a3:

B1) 13...xd4 14.h3 (threat);

B2) 13...d5 and now:

B21) 14.e5 (the 1785 player did not see this resource for a long time. Not knowing where to correct our analysis when a mistake has been made is a problem) 14...xa4 15.xa4 (capture) 15...xa1 16.b3 (threat) and White should eventually win in this position;

B22) 14.c5 was suggested by the 1785 player, but he didn’t see 14...h6 (14...e6 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.b1+- or 15...exd5 16.c5 b6 17.h3+-). Missing good resources for the opponent is another problem: 15.xh6 xh6 16.b1 e6 17.xb7 (17.c5 b5) 17...d7 18.h3 f8 19.cxd5 exd5 20.c1+-. In this line, Black’s queen was not trapped, but he is completely decimated otherwise. None of his pieces can move sensibly!

Game 76 Level 3

Michele Godena 2548

Alik Gershon 2499

Israel tt 2011/12 (9)

Img

There is a slight discoordination among Black’s forces, especially with the queen on c8. White uses this in conjunction with his already existing superiority of forces trained on the kingside to develop a quick attack:

24.xh7! (capture)

24.xg7? fxg5, and Black wins.

24...xh7

24...xh6 25.xh6 xh7 26.xf6++-.

25.xg7+ (check) 25...xg7 26.xf6+ (check) 26...g8

26...h6 27.d3+-.

27.xg6+! (check) 27...g7

27...f8 28.d3! and the rook will join with decisive effect.

28.f6+ (check) 28...f8 29.h7+ g8 30.f6+ f8 31.h6! (threat)

With Black’s pieces stuck on the queenside, White has time to bring in the rook and win the game.

31...e6

31...f5 32.h5 h7 33.xg7+ xg7 34.xg7 xg7+-; White has a rook and too many pawns for the two minor pieces.

Img

32.d3! (threat)

The simplest idea is to add more force to the attack.

32.d6 xd6 33.h7+ e7 34.xg7+ d8 35.g5 d7Img.

32...e7 33.h7+ f7 34.f3+ 1-0

White perfectly timed and coordinated his forces into a swift attack. Black, being a little lacking in coordination, could not manage to shake this off.

Game 77 Level 3

Thomas Henrichs 2473

Robert Fontaine 2552

Bremen 2012 (10)

Img

Black has a space advantage, and once again, as we have seen in a few other games, White’s pieces are stuck on the queenside, leaving the kingside defenceless for the time being. The only new feature is the relatively closed nature of the position. Black needs to use tactical features to open up the position:

20...f3! (threat)

Exploiting the fact that the queen on c2 gives a tempo for Black to execute knight jumps.

20...d4 21.exd4 xe4 22.xe4 exd4 was another way to play for an advantage.

21.xf3

21.xf3 xf3! 22.xf3 d4! (22...xb4! 23.xg5+ hxg5 24.axb4 f3! 25.f1 h3+ 26.e1 f8-+) 23.fxd4 exd4 24.exd4 f3! 25.f1 h3+ 26.e1 e8, and Black wins comfortably.

These lines illustrate the power of the bishop on the long diagonal, especially without its counterpart on the board.

21...xf3 (capture) 22.xf3

22.d4!? f7 23.dxc5 d8!Img 24.xb7 xb7 25.e1 dxc5-+.

Img

22...xb4 (capture) 23.xb7

23.axb4 xf3 24.f1 h3+ 25.e1 xh2.

23...xc2 (capture) 24.e4

White is also doomed after 24.xc8 xc8 25.b2 d4 26.exd4 exd4 27.e1 h3!. White has a decisive weakness on the kingside light squares. Black is going to use this with an impending ...e5, followed by jumps to f3 or g4.

24...xa3 (capture) 25.b3 a4 (threat) 0-1

Another fine double attack crowns the game for Black. Black used White’s lack of coordination to develop a swift attack. There were tactical opportunities on both sides of the board.

Game 78 Level 3

Niclas Huschenbeth 2510

Evgeny Postny 2622

Germany Bundesliga 2011/12 (11)

Img

56.g6?

This is the move played in the game, which is not correct.

A) 56.a8? f2 57.a1 h5 58.g7 e3 59.h8 xh8 60.xh8 e2 61.g7 f1 62.xf1 xf1 63.f6 e2 64.e5 d3 65.d6 c4 66.xc6 xb4=;

B) 56.g8!! (threat) looks counter-intuitive, as when Black plays ...f3-f2, White’s rook cannot go to the first rank. In this sense, it would appear logical to go to a8 or d8, as the rook can then go to the first rank to stop the pawn. But 56.g8!! has a deeper idea behind it:

B1) If 56...f5+ 57.e6 f2 58.g4+! d3 59.h8 f1 60.d4+ (60.h7+-) 60...c2 61.e4++– picks the rook up with checks;

B2) 56...f2 57.g4+! (check) 57...e3 (57...d5 58.f4 – rook behind the passed pawn! – 58...h5 59.g7+-) 58.xe5 (capture) 58...f1

Img

analysis diagram

59.e4+! (check) (59.h8?? a1+, oops!) 59...d3 60.d4+! (blocking the a1-h8 diagonal with the rook before promoting the pawn) 60...e3 61.h8 and White wins with the extra rook, as Black does not have the ...a1 check anymore.

56...e6+! 57.g5

57.g7 f2 58.f8 e7+ 59.g6 xh7 60.xh7 e3=.

57...e5+! 58.g6

58.g4 e7!=. White’s rook is imprisoned.

58...e6+ 59.g5 e5+ 60.g6 ½-½

Game 79 Level 3

Rainer Polzin 2469

Oleg Boguslavsky 2467

Germany Bundesliga 2011/12 (11)

Img

28.e3! (threat)

Such moves are tough for many players, as it involves pieces going back from apparently strong forward positions.

A) 28.f4? xf4 29.xg6 h5-+;

B) 28.xg7+? xg7 29.g5 f4 30.h6+ g8 31.xg6 hxg6 32.xg6+ f8 33.h6+ g7-+. As can be seen here, this variation also involved all forcing moves, but it did not work in White’s favour. It is still essential to see such forcing variations and eliminate them from the list of possibilities. Forcing moves are comparatively easier to analyse to a clear-cut conclusion.

28...c7

28...d4 29.d1! is an intermediate move with great power (29.xf6 xf6 30.xc5 dxc5 and even though White is still certainly better, it will require considerably more effort to convert this) 29...xe3 30.xf6+-.

29.f4! (threat)

Loss of material is inevitable for Black.

29...xf4

29...xf4? 30.xf6+-.

30.xf4 (capture) 30...xf4 31.xg6 (capture) 31...c5+ 32.g2 h6 33.f6 (threat) 33...g5 34.e8+ (check) 1-0

Game 80 Level 3

Irina Krush 2461

Fabiano Caruana 2767

Reykjavik 2012 (3)

Img

34...g4! (threat) 35.f1!?

A) 35.5a2 xe2 36.xb2 xd3-+;

B) 35.f1 h3!-+ (threat).

35...xe2! (capture)

A) 35...xe2?! 36.xf2 xf2 37.xe2 fxe2 38.a1 xg2 and Black has nothing more than sufficient compensation;

B) 35...xe2? 36.xf2 fxf2 37.h4! (clearing the back rank and getting ready to launch a counterattack on the black king with the major pieces; 37.xe2? xe2 38.d8+ f8) 37...d2! 38.a8+ h7 39.c4 h5 40.g8+ h6 41.e8 (threatening 42.e7) 41...d1+ 42.h2 d7Img. Black has been put on the defensive;

C) 35...b6? was seen in the game, when 36.a6! could have equalised.

36.xf8+

36.xe2 xe2! (capture) (36...xf1+ 37.g1 bb1 38.e3, and White is completely tied up) 37.xf8+ xf8-+.

36...xf8 (capture) 37.xe2 xe2!-+ (threat and capture) 38.e3 b1+ (check) 39.g1 xg1+ (check) 40.xg1 d3

40...d6-+.

41.xe5 d6 42.e8+ g7 43.f2 f7 44.a8 xe4 0-1

Game 81 Level 3

Vasif Durarbayli 2543

Chanda Sandipan 2595

Cappelle-la-Grande 2012 (8)

Img

49.xc6! (capture)

49.xg5?! xg5 50.xc6 d5 51.a3 h8; 49.fxe6?! xd2 50.xc6 (50.e7 xc1+ 51.xc1 h8 52.g4 e8-+) 50...xe6∞.

49...xd2?

49...d5 50.fxe6! (capture) (50.f3?! f6+; 50.xg5?! xg5 51.a3 h8! or 51.xa6 f6!∞) 50...xd2

Img

analysis diagram

51.f7!, with the threat of 52.d6, winning lots of material and cutting off the black rook from a counter-attack: 51...xb4 52.f3 (threat) 52...e7 53.b6+! (check) (53.xa6?!Img) 53...c7 (53...c8 54.e4; Black is completely paralysed, and White can gradually bring the king up) 54.b7+ check 54...c8 55.a7!+-.

50.b6+ (check) 50...a7 51.b7+ (check)

51...a8 52.f3! (threat) 52...d4 53.h1 (threat) 1-0

Game 82 Level 3

Michael Oratovsky 2521

Lazaro Bruzon 2691

Catalunya tt 2012 (7)

Img

The position appears complicated at first glance, with threats on both sides of the board. But upon closer inspection, we can see that there are no minor pieces in front of White’s king, which in most cases is an open invitation for a frontal attack from the opponent.

21...xh4! (capture)

21...xc5 22.xc5∞.

22.xb7

22.f1 xf2+! 23.xf2 h4+ 24.g1 f6, and Black’s attack is just too strong; 22.g3 f4 opens up the kingside completely.

22...xf2+! (check)

22..g5 is too slow and allows White to put up a fight with a counter-sacrifice: 23.e4! f3+ 24.f1 g4 25.xf8! (White just removes as many units as possible from the attacking side) 25...h2+ 26.g1 f3+ 27.f1 and Black has nothing more than a draw.

23.xf2 h4+ (check) 24.g1 g3 (threat)

24...xg2! 25.xg2 f6 also leads to the same conclusion; White is horribly exposed on the kingside.

25.e4

Desperate measures, but it’s too late.

25.e4 fxe4 (25...f3+ 26.f1 fxe4 27.xf8 exd3-+) 26.xf8 e3-+.

25...fxe4 (capture) 26.e1 g4! (threat) 27.dxe4

27.xf8 e3-+.

27...e2+ (check) 28.xe2 xe2 (capture) 29.xf8 xd2 (capture) 30.exd5 d4+! (check) 31.h2 xa1-+ 32.d6 d4 33.e7 e4 34.a5 e5+ 35.g1 e3 0-1