CHAPTER 5

Common mistakes chess players make while calculating variations

1. Not being able to visualise the position in the mind

In the many books that have been written about calculation, visualisation is one of the least-understood and primarily-ignored aspects. Surprisingly, nothing much has been written about the importance of improving visualisation skills. It is assumed that since strong players can visualise well and calculate well, everyone else can do so too. The ability to visualise ahead is one of the basic requirements to calculate well. To see much farther ahead, we need to have a good visualisation ability. The farther from the starting position a player can go, the better his calculation skill will be. Without making progress on visualisation skills, it is impossible to make progress in calculation skills.

The player who can see much more ahead than the opponent will have the advantage in the calculation process. Of course, here, a critical requirement is seeing ahead ‘correctly’ without making mistakes!

Imagine the plight of a person who has short-sightedness. For him, the distant objects appear blurry, while nearby objects appear normal. Similarly, a well-trained mind can see much farther while calculating variations in chess. An untrained mind will find it impossible to see beyond a point, as the position becomes blurry with each passing move. It is easy for many players to get confused about where each pawn and piece is placed further along the analysis. After a piece or pawn is exchanged off the board during the analytical process, they still see that piece or pawn in their mind. Such mistakes are widespread at the upcoming player level.

It is essential to understand that we can improve our visualisation with proper training. The better the visualisation, the better the chances of finding a correct move farther down the line.

If I cannot see the position in my mind, what chance do I have to find a correct move in that position? What are the chances that I could calculate longer or accurate variations if my visualisation skills are limited?

Self-test: Take the notation of a game without analysis, read the moves and try to visualise the position in your mind while doing so. We will realise that we cannot visualise the pieces and pawns clearly beyond a certain point. The position becomes blurry and confusing, and we start imagining things incorrectly. For most amateur players, this is a significant problem. They lose track of the position very quickly. If you can visualise without serious difficulties, try to follow a game with few variations and sub-variations in your mind. In this way, you can find out how good or how bad you are at this process. Accordingly, solve puzzles by working out variations in your mind without moving pieces, and making it progressively more challenging in your training.

Visualisation skills are something that can and must be improved with training.

Solution: Solve easy puzzles at first, without moving pieces on the board, and graduate slowly to positions with multiple but easy variations, and finally to more challenging positions with multiple and long variations. Repeating moves verbally in the mind helps to visualise better. Whenever we forget the position or lose track of it while calculating, we can try to start from the beginning of the position, and go one move at a time. We will be able to visualise the final position in our variation better than before. While seeing games, try to analyse a few moves ahead in your mind and then see the game’s move. In this way, you train yourself to see ahead, and it will improve your visualisation skills.

Try to visualise the variations in this game in your head. See for yourself how you fare.

Game 83 Level 3

Ramesh RB 2443

GB Joshi 2305

Kolkata 2000 (4) (analysis)

TASK 1: Find the correct way to continue. Time to think: 10 minutes.

18...♖g6!

18...♖xf8? 19.♘c5 ♕c8 20.♘xe6 ♕xe6 21.♗xc6 ♗xc6 22.♖e3 (22.♖xe5?! ♕g6 23.♖g5 ♕f6⇆) 22...♕g6?! 23.♘h4+-.

19.♘g3!

19.♘eg5? ♘xh3+! 20.gxh3 ♕xh3-+.

19...♖xf8!?

19...♘xh3+!? 20.gxh3 ♕xh3 21.♗c5! (21.♖e4 is not very ambitious: 21...♖xg3+ 22.fxg3 ♕xg3+ 23.♔f1 ♘d4 24.♘xd4 ♕h3+!=, with a draw by perpetual check) 21...♘d4 22.♗xd4 ♖xg3+ 23.fxg3 ♕xg3+ 24.♔f1 ♗xf3.

Now White should be very careful to not get into a worse position, as Black’s pieces are getting active and White’s king doesn’t feel very safe either.

analysis diagram

TASK 2: Time to think: 5 minutes.

25.♖e2! (25.♕d2?? ♕h3+ 26.♔f2 ♕h2+ 27.♔e3 ♕f4+ 28.♔f2 ♕xd2+-+) 25...exd4 (despite his extra rook, it is not easy for White to untangle) 26.♕d2 ♕h3+! 27.♖g2 a5!? 28.♕g5 g6 29.♔g1 h6! 30.♕g3 ♗xg2 31.♕xg2 ♕e3+! 32.♕f2 ♕g5+ 33.♔h2 (33.♔f1?? ♖a6!-+) 33...c5, with a very complex position that the computer feels is balanced.

20.♘xe5 ♘xh3+!?

20...♕d5!? is another approach for Black: 21.♗xc6 ♖xc6! (21...♗xc6? 22.♖e4!) 22.♖e4 ♖f6∞.

21.♔h2!

21.gxh3?! allows 21...♖xg3+! 22.fxg3 ♕d4+ 23.♔f1! ♘xe5 24.♕e2 ♘f3 25.♕f2 ♕xb2! 26.♗b3 g6 White is still under a lot of pressure.

TASK 3: Time to think: 5 minutes.

21...♕d8!

21...♕d6? 22.♘xg6 ♘xf2 23.♘xf8 ♘xd1 24.♖e8! h5 25.♖xd1 h4 26.♘g6+ ♔h7 27.♘xh4+-.

22.♘xg6

22.gxh3!? ♕d4!? 23.♕f3! ♘xe5 24.♕xb7 ♕xf2+ 25.♕g2 ♘f3+ 26.♔h1 ♕xg3 27.♕xg3 ♖xg3 28.♖e3! g5! 29.♗c6! ♖xh3+ 30.♔g2 g4 (the point of 28....g5) 31.♗xf3 ♖xf3 32.♖xf3 gxf3+ 33.♔xf3 and despite the extra pawn, the position is balanced, as Black’s pawns are scattered all over the board and White’s pieces are better coordinated.

22...♘xf2 23.♕e2 fxg6 24.♔g1!

TASK 4: Find the critical continuation for Black. Time to think: 5 minutes.

24...♘h3+!

24...♘d4? 25.♕e7 ♘h3+ 26.♔h2!+-.

25.gxh3

25.♔h1? ♘f4-+.

25...♘d4 26.♕e3 ♘f3+ 27.♔f2!

27.♔f1? ♕h4-+.

27...♘d4+ 28.♔g1=

Crazy variations, but ultimately both sides keep the balance with accurate play. In modern chess, the defensive and calculating skills at the higher level is so good that many of them can play at this level in such complex positions. It makes sense for aspiring players to expose themselves to such complex situations in training, to better equip themselves and deliver when the need arises.

2. The player does not see forcing moves

Many players at the upcoming level begin by analysing quiet moves that are not forced right from the beginning. Such a manner of thinking is one of the most common mistakes lower-rated players make while calculating variations. They start with a modest move, and waste precious time and energy trying to analyse it. None of the following moves will be forced either. Still, they spend a lot of time trying to make sense of the quiet move.

We should not reject forcing moves without a valid reason. Our fears, discomfort, dislike for complications, risk aversion, etc., should not be a reason to ignore forcing moves.

The related problem is stopping the analysis of a variation too early when forcing moves are still possible. This happens due to a lack of proper training in analysing forcing moves. We tend to get carried away by our idea and desperately want to believe we found the correct solution to the problem. As a result, we stop our analysis at the first opportunity and evaluate the position as per our expectations.

Solution:

Keep going until the forcing moves come to an end or the assessment is obvious.

Forcing moves are checks, captures, threats, and pawn breaks (CCTP). Always give preference to seeing and analysing forcing moves while calculating. If none of the forcing moves achieves our objective, we can then consider quiet moves in our analysis. Forcing moves cause our opponent to react in a particular manner. Forcing moves are easier to analyse than subtle moves.

It is imperative to become good at this in the early stage of our chess career. When multiple forcing moves are available, it makes sense to start with the move that tries to exploit the drawback of our opponent’s previous move.

Let’s have a look at a few examples.

Game 84 Level 1

Radoslaw Wojtaszek 2717

Mads Andersen 2585

Germany Bundesliga 2019/20 (4)

TASK 1: Calculate a forced sequence of moves to reach a clearly better position for White. Time to think: 5 minutes.

There are some interesting features to be observed in this position. Castling has happened on opposite sides. This always means that king safety is an even more important feature than usual. In this position, for example, the fact that the g-file is directly open against Black’s king is a very important factor. Black does not have a similar target on the side of White’s king.

Coming to the tactical features of the position, we can observe that the knight on d6 is loose, and it in turn supports the relatively unstable bishop on f5. Apart from this, Black’s queen on h5 can provide tempos for developing an attack.

21.♕c5! (threat)

21.♘g3? ♗xd3 22.♘xh5 ♗xc2 23.♔xc2= (23.♘xg7?? ♗e4-+).

21...♗xd3

21...♖ad8? 22.♘g3+-.

22.♕xd6+ (check) 22...♔g8 23.♘f4 (threat) 23...♕h7 24.♘xd3 (capture) 24...♕xd3 25.♖xg7+! (check) 25...♔xg7 26.♖g1+ (check) 26...♔h7 27.♕f6+- (threat) 27...♕c4+ 28.♔d2 ♕b4+ 29.♔e2 ♕f8 30.♕f5+ ♔h6 31.♕f6+ ♔h7 32.♖g5 ♕h6 33.♕xf7+ ♔h8 34.♖h5 ♕xh5+ 35.♕xh5+

The task of calculation ends here. Note that each of the moves until here were forcing (either a check, a capture or a threat). It is an impressive sight – White started by means of threats and drove Black’s pieces away from his king, and exploited the weakness of Black’s king position to win material and with it the game. Another important feature is to judge this position of queen plus pawns against the opponent’s pair of rooks as winning. The exposed position of Black’s king and the compactness of White’s counterpart play a significant role in this.

35...♔g7 36.♕g5+ ♔f7 37.♕f5+ ♔e7 38.h4 ♔d6 39.h5 ♖e7 40.♔f3 ♔c7 41.♕g5 ♖f8+ 42.♔g4

White’s plan of bringing up his king to help in the task of pawn promotion ultimately decides the game in his favour.

42...♖ee8 43.♔h4 ♖g8 44.♕f6 ♔b6 45.h6 ♖g1 46.♔h5 ♖eg8 47.♕h4 ♖h8 48.f4 ♔c7 49.f5 ♔d7 50.♕h2 ♖f1 51.♕h3 ♖g1 52.f6+ ♔d8 53.♕h2 ♖hg8 54.♕b8+ ♔d7 55.♕xb7+ ♔d8 56.♕e7+ ♔c8 57.♕g7 1-0

White used the tactical and positional features of the position to develop an attack against the opponent’s king and in turn win material. Once he won material, he realised it with good and accurate technique.

Game 85 Level 1

Alexei Fedorov 2645

Narayanan Neelakantan 2230

Kolkata 1999 (3)

TASK 1: Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

In this position, White’s king seems devoid of pawn cover and weak. So, the fact that it is White’s move and he has queen and knight in striking distance against his opponent’s king is important. Also, we note that Black’s queenside is completely undeveloped.

24.♕e8+ (check) 24...♖f8 25.♘f6+! (check) 25...gxf6 26.♕xg6+ (check) 26...♔h8 27.♖g1! (threat) 1-0

27...♕h4+ (27...♕d7 28.♕xh6+ ♕h7 29.♕xf8++-) 28.♔d1+-.

White completely destroyed Black’s pawn cover in front of his king with a series of forcing moves. Added to this, White’s king remained completely open, but Black’s pieces lacked coordination to trouble him even a little, while White managed to weave a mating web!

Game 86 Level 1

Grels Linqvist

Antti Pihlajasalo 2190

Finland tt 1996 (5)

TASK 1: Time to think: 5 minutes.

Black’s queen walks into the firing line of White’s dark-squared bishop. White’s queen, both his bishops and the knight can join in an attack against the opponent’s king using tempo gainers on the queen:

13.♘xd4 (capture) 13...♕xd4 14.♘d5! (threat) 14...♕c5 15.♗xf6! (capture) 15...gxf6

If 15...♗xf6, perhaps the simplest option is 16.♕e4! (threat) 16...g6 17.♘xf6+ (check) 17...♔g7 18.♕xb7 (capture) although also winning is 16.♕h5! h6 17.♘xf6+ gxf6 18.♕xh6 f5 19.♖ae1! ♕c6 20.♗e4! fxe4 21.♕g5+ ♔h7 22.♖e3!+-.

16.♘xe7+ (check)

White cannot afford to play 16.♕h5 f5 17.♘xe7+ ♕xe7 18.♖ae1 ♕f6 19.♖e3 ♖fd8 20.♖h3 ♔f8.

16...♕xe7 17.♕g4+ (check) 17...♔h8 18.♕h4 (threat) 1-0

Black cannot stop mate other than by giving up his queen. This pattern of the pawn on f6 being pinned against a queen on e7 is common and is a key factor for victory here.

Game 87 Level 2

Joao De Souza Mendes

Bobby Fischer

Mar del Plata 1959 (4)

Black has the pair of bishops. A keen observer would find that White’s king safety is a bit dodgy as well. This also gives a clue as to the direction in which the play will likely go. Opening up lines is a good way to increase the efficiency of the bishops and rook:

35...a4+! (check)

Inverting the order of moves with 35...♗e3! also works here:

A) 36.♖g2 a4+ (check) 37.♔xa4 b3 (pawn break) 38.axb3 ♗c5 39.b4 ♖xb4+ 40.♔a5 ♖b8 41.♔a4 ♗c4. Although slightly longer, the ideas are similar to the main game and lead to a win as well;

B) 36.♖f3 a4+ 37.♔xa4 b3! (pawn break) (37...♗c2+ 38.b3) 38.axb3 (38.♖xe3 bxa2 39.♖e1 ♗b1-+; 38.a3 ♗b5+ 39.♔xb3 ♗e2+-+ or 39.♔a5 ♗d2+-+) 38...♖a8+ 39.♔b4 ♗d2#. The pawn break also had the added advantage of taking away escape squares from White’s king.

36.♔xa4 b3! (pawn break) 37.axb3

37...♗e3! (threat) 38.♖f3

38.♖g2 ♗c5 39.b4 ♖xb4+ 40.♔a5 ♖b8 41.♔a4 ♗c4-+. As also in the main line, the bishops and rook will checkmate White’s king.

38...♖a8+! (check) 39.♔b4 ♗d2# (checkmate)

A couple of pawn sacrifices magnified the power of the long-range pieces in Black’s camp, namely the bishops and the rook. Combining this with White’s helpless king on the queenside, Black finished the game aesthetically.

In the next example, both sides are going for an attack against their opponent’s king. So, tempo is very important.

Game 88 Level 2

Emil Sutovsky 2651

Andreas Heimann 2428

Kallithea 2008 (7)

White finishes the game without giving Black any time to create any threats of his own:

27.♗xf5+ (check) 27...g6

27...♔h8 28.♕e8+ ♗f8 29.♕xf8#.

28.♕f7+! (check) 28...♔h6

If 28...♔h8, both 29.♗xg6! (capture) 29...♕h6 30.♔xf1 (capture) and 29.♗e6! (threat) 29...♕d8 30.♔xf1 are winning.

29.♗d2! (threat)

A) 29.♕g8?? is not mate, due to 29...gxf5 30.♕h8+ ♔g6-+;

B) 29.♗xg6! reaches the same outcome: 29...♕xg6 30.♗d2+! ♗f4 31.♗xf4+ ♘xf4 32.♕xf4++-.

29...♗f4

29...♘e3 30.♗xg6+-.

30.♕f8+ (check)

30.♗xg6 is more complex, but wins also: 30...♗e3+ 31.♗xe3 ♕xe3+

A) 32.♔h1?? will backfire for White: 32...h3 (32...♕e2? 33.♕h7+ ♔g5 34.f4+! ♘xf4 35.gxf4+ ♔xf4 36.♕xh4++-; 32...♕f2 33.♕h7+ ♔g5 34.f4+ ♘xf4 35.gxf4+ ♕xf4 36.♕h5+ ♔f6 37.♗h7; 32...♕e7 33.♕xe7 ♘xe7 34.♗c2) 33.♕h7+ ♔g5 34.♕h5+ (34.f4+ ♘xf4 35.gxf4+ ♕xf4!-+) 34...♔f6 35.♕f5+ ♔e7, and Black’s king escapes;

B) 32.♔xf1 h3 33.♕h7+ ♔g5 34.♕h5+ ♔f6

analysis diagram

35.f4! (vacating the f3-square to escape to the kingside with the king) 35...♕c1+ 36.♔e2! (36.♔f2? ♕d2+ 37.♔f3 ♕d1+=) 36...♕xb2+ 37.♔f3 (now Black cannot give check on d1 with his queen, and that was the point of the route taken by the white king on the last few moves) 37...♕g2+ 38.♔g4 ♕e2+ 39.♔xh3 ♕xh5+ 40.♗xh5 ♘xc3 41.g4+-.

30...♔h7 31.♗e6! (threat) 1-0

White used forcing moves, like never removing his foot from the accelerator, until he won.

3. Not making a list of candidate moves before or while analysing

Many players start analysing the first move that comes to their mind, their first attraction, and do not look for other alternatives available in the position before having taken a plunge into the analysis of their preferred move. There is nothing wrong with this approach per se. When things do not turn out the way we want them to be in our analysis, we should return to these exact moments to find better alternatives.

The problem with this approach is that once we are deeply committed to a move, we spend significant time and energy trying to make it work. We raise our hopes, only to realise later that our initial presumption was not correct. Under the circumstances, it is not easy to regain our composure and start the process again with a different starting point.

To precisely avoid such a scenario, it makes sense to identify the moments when our moves are forced in our analysis. The moves we are considering for analysis are not forced. We should realise that there could be other possibilities, and, with that realisation, analyse the moves that look promising. When things go wrong, we go back to those exact moments when branches are possible. Now, it makes sense to make a list of candidate moves and then continue our analysis.

Imagine travelling by car from city X to city Y (in pre-Google Maps/GPS days) without knowing the exact route. Imagine we are travelling on the main road. If the road is going straight all the way, there is no way we can make a mistake. But when there are branches on the main road, you can also take a right or left turn; then, at that moment, we should hesitate because we have several options before us. If we choose the wrong road, we might have to come back to this point and try the other options.

Imagine we did not even realise that we could either take a left or right turn or go straight at one point. We went straight ahead and hit a dead end. We realise we made a mistake somewhere, but we have no way of knowing where to correct our error since, in our perception, the road was a straight line without any turns. If we have mentally noticed that we had options at some point, it is possible to go back to that exact place and try other options. Similarly, if we know that we had choices at certain moments, we can go back to those very moments and try different options.

A few important points to remember here are:

a) We should make a list of candidate moves not only for ourselves but for our opponent as well.

b) It is not enough to make a list of candidate moves at the beginning of a variation, but throughout the variation(s) when the moves are neither forced nor the only move.

Game 89 Level 4

Javokhir Sindarov 2537

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa 2602

Moscow 2020 (7)

This is a battle between two promising young players in their early teens and already accomplished grandmasters. Both have huge potential and it remains to be seen how far they can go. Although the game ended in a draw, there were fascinating moments when things could have gone either way.

TASK 1: Calculate as deeply as possible. Time to think: 10 to 15 minutes.

33.♔g1??

In this position, White is much better if he can find the correct continuation, which Javokhir failed to do during the game, probably due to time trouble. He instinctively understood the king had to move, but chose the incorrect square.

A) 33.♕d7?? ♕xg3+ 34.♔h1 ♕f3+ 35.♔g1 ♕g4+ (the active king, rook and the two distant passed pawns give Black a winning advantage) 36.♕xg4+ ♔xg4 37.c5 ♔f3 38.b4 (38.c6 ♖c2) 38...d3-+;

B) 33.♔h1! hxg3 34.fxg3 (34.f4?? ♕h4+) 34...♖a1!? (the critical defensive idea that will demand very accurate play from White; 34...d3? 35.♖f5) 35.♖xa1 ♕xg3. White unfortunately is not able to give any checks and has to find a way out of the threatened perpetual check.

analysis diagram

TASK 2: Find the only way for White to play for a win and calculate the consequences. Time to think: 10 minutes.

B1) 36.♕f6 seems to create hurdles on Black’s path to give checks, or at least the queen may be able to come back and interpose Black’s checks at the right moment. But... 36...♕h3+ 37.♔g1 ♕g3+ 38.♔f1 ♕h3+ 39.♔f2 ♕h2+ 40.♔e1 ♕g3+ 41.♕f2 (if the king tries to go to the queenside, Black’s queen can pursue it successfully due to the pawn on d4. As a result, White has to give back the extra rook and take his chances in the resulting king and pawn ending) 41...♕c3+ 42.♕d2 ♕xa1+ 43.♕d1+. This is the point of White’s play, but... 43...♕xd1+ 44.♔xd1 ♔g5... this is a drawn pawn ending. Black has a protected passed pawn in the centre and his king will block White’s queenside passed pawns. In the resultant position, White cannot make any progress, as his king will be tied to holding back the d-pawn: 45.c5 ♔f6 46.♔c2 ♔e6 47.♔d3 ♔d7 48.♔c4 ♔c6 49.b4 ♔c7 50.b5 ♔b7=;

B2) 36.♕a3!! ♕h3+ 37.♔g1 ♕g3+ 38.♔f1 ♕f3+ 39.♔e1 ♕xe4+ 40.♔d2 ♕e3+ 41.♔c2 ♕e2+ (41...d3+ 42.♔c3) 42.♔b1 d3 (we have reached a position in which Black will soon run out of checks and be completely lost. Before that happens, Black includes one more unit into the action just when White’s pieces are apparently lacking coordination and will need some time to get them to act together; 42...♕d1+ 43.♔a2 ♕d2+ 44.♕b2 ♕a5+ 45.♔b1 ♕e1+ 46.♕c1 ♕e4+ 47.♔b2+-) 43.♖a2 d2 44.♖xd2 ♕xd2, and now comes the critical move: 45.♕c1! (45.♕b2? ♕e3=; the e-pawn will advance and give sufficient counterplay for Black to hold the balance) 45...♕g2 46.c5. This pawn is much faster than Black’s e-pawn and is well backed up by the queen.

33...hxg3

Now it is Black who is in the driver’s seat, but again with very little time on the clock.

33...♖xf2? 34.♖xf2 ♕xg3+ 35.♖g2 will end in a perpetual check draw.

34.f4!?

This is a good way to complicate the game and probably the reason why Javokhir chose to go 33.♔g1, so that Black would not have the possibility to give ...♕h4 check when the king had gone to h1 earlier.

34...exf4 35.♕xd4!?

35.♖xf4 g2-+; 35.♕xf4 ♕xf4 36.♖xf4 d3-+.

The final critical moment in the game. The move Black plays here will decide the outcome, and unfortunately Pragg went astray:

TASK 3: Time to think: 5 minutes.

35...♖e2?

This allows an easy draw.

35...♖a8!! ensures that White will not find it easy to give checks to the black king. Black is doing well for the following reasons: his king is now comparatively safer, and his two passed pawns are more advanced and can advance further at the right moment, creating dangerous threats to White’s king. White’s passed pawns are currently not a worry for Black. White’s rook is not doing much either. Black can slowly create a good cooperation between his pieces and then advance his pawns.

A) 36.♕d7 ♕c5+ (36...♕e5 37.♖d1) 37.♔h1 g2+! (a nice tactic to open up lines around the white king) 38.♔xg2 ♕g5+-+;

B) 36.♔g2 ♖d8 37.♕c3 (37.♖h1+ ♔g4 38.♕c3 ♖d2+!) 37...♖d2+! 38.♔g1 (38.♕xd2?? f3+-+) 38...♕c5 with mate to follow;

C) 36.♕d1+ ♔h4! 37.♕f3 ♕c5+! 38.♔h1 ♕e3! 39.♕xf4+ (39.♕xe3 fxe3, and the rook and pawn ending is completely lost for White: 40.♔g2 ♔g4 41.♖e1 ♖a2+ 42.♔g1 ♔f3 43.♖f1+ ♖f2 44.♖e1 e2-+) 39...♕xf4 40.♖xf4+ ♔h3-+;

D) 36.e5 ♕h4 37.♕d2 f3-+.

36.♕h8+ ♔g4 37.♕c8+ ♔h4 38.♕h8+ ♔g4 ½-½

Game 90 Level 4

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa 2507

Konstantin Landa 2613

Reykjavik 2018 (7)

15.♖e2?!

The knight on d6 is the key defensive piece from Black’s point of view. So, White first takes steps to shake its stability.

A) 15.♕a3!

A1) 15...♘e4 16.♕b3 ♘xg3 17.hxg3 ♘b6 (17...b6 18.♖e2 ♗f6 19.♖ae1 ♕c8 20.g4!? – note how Black’s pieces are stepping on each other’s toes and have absolutely no coordination; White keeps gaining space and has various attacking ideas, such as c2-c4 and g4-g5 and infiltrating along the e-file) 18.a4, and Black faces an uphill task defending the b7-pawn;

A2) 15...♘c8 16.♕b3! ♕b6 (16...♘cb6 17.a4 a5 18.♖e2+-; 16...♘d6 17.♖e2) 17.♕d3! ♕xb2? (17...♕d8 18.♖e2, and White calmly improves by doubling on the e-file now. Importantly, Black lacks coordination because of his knight on c8) 18.♘f5!! (while Black’s pieces are caught napping on the other flank, White uses a sacrifice to get at Black’s king) 18...gxf5 19.♖ab1 ♕a3 20.♕xf5+-.

B) Also possible, though not as strong, was 15.♕b3 ♘b6 16.a4 ♖e8 17.a5 ♘bc4 18.a6 b6;

C) 15.h4 ♘f6 16.♘g5 ♕d7 17.♖e2 ♖fe8=.

15...♖e8 16.♖ae1 ♗f8 ½-½

The presence of the knight on d6 holds Black’s position together.

In this game, Pragg played a move that looked obvious at first sight, but he did not go deeply into the position. As a result, the best move in the position was not found.

A few reasons why upcoming players do not make a list of candidate moves are:

a) An inner fear that making a list of candidate moves could increase the complexity of the whole process.

b) As the complexity increases, the possibility of making mistakes increases too.

c) It could make the whole process time-consuming.

d) A feeling that when I analyse one variation, I make multiple mistakes. If I start seeing numerous variations, I will make many more mistakes. Let me see one variation and try to do this without committing errors.

e) The whole process is too confusing.

f) Some players resist any change; they feel more comfortable with the status quo.

Solution:

Read more about it, try practising it, become better at it until it becomes a subconscious process. It is tough to master something when we are not ready to take the first step of trying to do it ourselves. For further reading on this issue, I would recommend John Nunn’s book Secrets of Practical Chess and the chapter ‘Wandering in the Jungle’ by Michal Krasenkow in the book Attack and Defence by Mark Dvoretsky.

A related problem is that some players forget a move in the list they made some time ago! We need to keep our energy levels and concentration high throughout the game.

Calculate the following positions until the end with all its branches correct.

Game 91 Level 3

Jacek Tomczak 2614

Christian Bauer 2629

Batumi ol 2018 (5)

There are two main ways to train ourselves to improve our calculation.

One way that is very commonly followed by the majority of chess players is to take an interesting position and spend some time to analyse it. Usually, we see some interesting ideas, some interesting variations and sometimes we get the complete solution correctly too!

The only issue I have with this approach is that, many times, the truth is just a consequence and not the quest. The probability of making mistakes in our analysis with this method is much higher. We also limit ourselves to analysis that is lacking in depth at times. But this method has its own merits too. We constantly teach our mind how to calculate, making it stronger in the process.

The alternative method, which is my favourite, is to ruthlessly pursue the truth in the position. This means trying to push ourselves to the extreme, and trying to analyse as many variations as possible, and trying to squeeze every drop of juice out of the position.

For the second method, it will be efficient to do it with the help of a second or a coach. With this method, we analyse one complex position for a few hours, and in the process we improve our visualisation, calculation, concentration and durability.

It is better to use the first method of training on a daily basis and the second method of training once every few days, if finding a helper to assist is tough.

TASK 1: Time to think: 10 minutes.

As we see, Black’s queen on h4 is in trouble.

Black had three forcing moves and an interesting alternative in the initial position.

The forcing moves are 33...hxg4, 33...♗xf1+ and 33...♖xf3, and the interesting fourth alternative suggested by many players is 33...♗e4. In the game, no doubt also due to a shortage of time on the clock, Black could not find the correct solution. But even with sufficient time, the resource is hard to find.

A) 33...hxg4?

analysis diagram

TASK 2: Refute 33....hxg4?. Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

34.hxg4 ♖xf3 35.♖xf3 ♕xg4+ 36.♔f2 ♗e4 37.♕d1! (37.♖hh3 ♗xf3 38.♖xf3 ♕h4+ 39.♔g2 g4 40.♖g3 ♖h7 41.♕g1) 37...♗xf3 38.♕xf3 ♖f7 39.♖h8+!+-, this is the key move in the whole variation!;

B) 33...♗e4? 34.fxe4 (34.♗f2? ♖xf3 35.♗xh4 ♖xc3+ 36.♔h2 ♖xc1-+) 34...hxg4 35.♖xf7! (a relevant sequence of moves needs to be found for White) 35...♖xf7 (35...gxh3+ 36.♔h2 ♖xf7 37.♖g1!+-)

analysis diagram

TASK 3: Find the correct continuation for White. Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

B1) 36.exd5! is one of the two resources available to White. If the player finds any one of them, it is good enough. But the important resources relevant to that choice should be found: 36...♖f3!? (36...gxh3+!? 37.♖xh3 ♕e4+ 38.♔h2 cxd5 39.♕e1!+-) 37.♕e1! (since the ♗f2 resource to control the g3-square is not available as in the 36.♕c2 line, this becomes essential) 37...♕h7 38.♗f2 ♕f5 39.h4 (39.hxg4 ♕xg4+ 40.♗g3 cxd5 41.♖f1+-) 39...♖d3 40.♕e2 and White wins;

B2) 36.♕c2! is a tough move to find. Its purpose is to play ♕g6 check after exd5 and also to play ♗f2, which is very critical as we will see: 36...dxe4!? (36...♖f3 37.♗f2! ♕h5 38.exd5+-) 37.♗f2! ♕h5 38.♕d2!+-, a very important consolidating move that establishes White’s superiority without doubt.

C) 33...♗xf1+! 34.♕xf1 ♖h7! (this is probably the most difficult move to find; without it, finding the solution would not be possible; 34...♖f8 35.♕d1+-; 34...hxg4 35.hxg4 ♕xg4+ 36.fxg4 ♖xf1) 35.♗f2 ♖xf3!= (the second important shot, but many players considered 33...♖xf3 on the first move, so it will not be so hard to find here) 36.♔xf3 hxg4+ 37.♔g2 (37.♔e2?? g3 38.♗c5 ♕e4+ 39.♔d2 ♖f7-+) 37...gxh3+ 38.♔h2 ♕f4+ 39.♗g3 ♕e4∞ (finally Black gets a position he can be satisfied with, after extreme effort no doubt!) 40.♖g1 ♖f7.

33...♖xf3?? 34.♖xf3 hxg4

34...♗e4 35.♗f2 ♗xf3+ 36.♔g1!+-.

35.♖g3 ♗e4+ 36.♔h2

It is all over now for Black.

36...♖h7

36...♗xh1 37.♖xg4+-.

37.♖d1 ♖h5 38.♗c5 gxh3 39.♗e7 ♔f7 40.♗xg5 ♕xg3+ 41.♔xg3 1-0

Here is a study by Yochanan Afek based on his favourite underpromotion theme. A variety of different promotions are seen, and at various points a unique underpromotion works, making the study even more challenging. This is a good exercise in staying alert, apart from the aesthetic viewpoint, of course!

Game 92 Level 4

Yochanan Afek

Study, 1974

White to play and win

1.g3!

1.gxh3? g3=.

1...♔xg3

1...♔g1 loses without any fight after 2.a7 h2 3.a8♕ h1♕ 4.♕xh1+ ♔xh1 5.b4 ♔g2 6.b5 ♔xg3 7.b6 ♔h2 8.b7 g3 9.b8♕ g2 10.♕xe5++-.

2.a7 e4!

2...h2?! 3.a8♗! (the natural move 3.a8♕? does not work: 3...e4! 4.♕xe4 (4.♕b8+ ♔h3!=) 4...h1♕ 5.♕xh1 ends in a beautiful stalemate) 3...♔h3 4.♔f2 g3+ 5.♔f1. White’s king and bishop have stopped Black’s passed pawns, and the passed b-pawn will win the game easily for White.

3.a8♖!!

A typical Afek under-promotion!

A) 3.a8♕? h2 and now:

A1) 4.♕b8+ ♔h3! (4...♔g2?? 5.♕f4 h1♕ 6.♕xg4+ ♔f1 (6...♔h2 7.♕h4+ ♔g2 8.♕xh1+ ♔xh1 9.b4+-) 7.♕e2+ ♔g1 8.♕f2#) 5.♕b5 (5.♔f2 e3+ 6.♔xe3 h1♕) 5...h1♕ 6.♕h5+ ♔g3;

A2) 4.♕e8 h1♕ 5.♕e5+ ♔h4 6.♕e7+ ♔g3;

A3) 4.♕xe4 h1♕ 5.♕xh1=.

B) 3.a8♗? also backfires badly for White: 3...♔h2! 4.♗xe4 g3-+.

3...♔h2!

3...h2 4.♖a1 ♔g2 5.♔xe4 g3 6.♔f4! ♔f2 (6...♔h3 7.♔g5 g2 (7...♔g2 8.♔g4+-) 8.♖a3# is a creative mating pattern!) 7.♖h1! (this comes as a cold shower. It appeared as if Black’s passed pawns were very strong and on the verge of queening, but White shows this is not the case at all!) 7...♔g2 8.♖c1! ♔f2 9.♖c2+ ♔g1 10.♔xg3 h1♘+ 11.♔f3 and this position is won even without any pawns on the board.

4.♖a7!

4.♖h8? ♔g2! 5.♖xh7 h2-+.

4...♔g2!

4...g3 5.♖xh7! g2 6.♖g7 g1♕+ 7.♖xg1 ♔xg1 8.h7 h2 9.h8♕ h1♕ 10.♕xh1+ ♔xh1 11.b4+-.

5.♔xe4!

The right move order is also very important as always. For example, 5.♖a1? does not work after 5...g3! 6.♔xe4 (6.b4 h2 7.♔f4 ♔h3 8.b5 g2) 6...♔f2! and Black wins (but not 6...h2? 7.♔f4+-).

5...g3 6.♔f4! h2

6...♔f2 7.b4+-.

7.♖a1 ♔f2

7...♔h3 8.♔g5+-.

8.♖h1! ♔g2 9.♖c1! ♔f2 10.♖c2

And White wins.

The way the rook and king took care of the opponent’s advanced passed pawns was very admirable. This teaches us something about similar endgames with a rook against pawns. It is very important to see all the variations in our analysis by making a list of candidate moves at each turn for both White and Black wherever the moves are not forced. Otherwise, it is easy to miss some important variations in our analysis.

4. Some players leave out good moves while making a list, and don’t find the main or critical idea behind the position

As a result, the player spends an excessive amount of time analysing moves that do not meet the position’s requirements. Missing unexpected quiet moves and concepts that are too difficult to find are problems many players face. Missing moves in situations where the pieces go back suddenly is also standard even among solid players, for various reasons:

a) a lack of application on the part of the player in the process of identifying moves.

b) the strength of the player is not enough to meet the requirement of the position.

c) a lack of understanding of the position, and missing essential details.

d) in our preparations, we were not exposing ourselves to a wide variety of situations during our practice at home.

e) haste and rushing into the process.

f) a lapse in concentration as a result of tiredness and lack of energy.

g) a lack of time.

Game 93 Level 2

Magnus Carlsen 2847

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2770

chess24.com 2021

TASK 1: Find a powerful continuation for White. Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

24.g4!!

Exploiting the pin along the eighth rank to the maximum. This is basically a prophylactic move that prevents Black from getting out of the deadly pin with a bishop check on h3. Once this possibility is prevented, the bishop will eventually be in big trouble.

Not 24.♕xe5? ♗h3+ 25.♔xh3 ♕xa8 26.♕e6+ ♔g7 27.♕e7+=.

24...e4

24...♖b4!

analysis diagram

25.h3! (the pin exploitation with ♗a6 cannot be stopped, so why not use the time to defend our pawn first?) 25...♖f4 26.♗a6 ♗xa6 27.♖xf8+ ♖xf8 28.♕xe5 ♗b5 29.h4.

25.♗a6 ♗xa6 26.♖xf8+ ♔xf8 27.♕a3+ 1-0

Game 94 Level 4

Nils Grandelius 2691

Michael Adams 2694

Batumi 2019 (3)

1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 ♘f6 4.0-0 ♘xe4 5.♖e1 ♘d6 6.♘xe5 ♗e7 7.♗f1 ♘f5 8.♘f3 0-0 9.d4 d5 10.♘c3 ♘h4 11.♘xh4 ♗xh4 12.♘e2 ♗f5 13.c3 ♕d7 14.g3 ♗d8 15.♘f4

15.♗g2 ♘e7 16.♘f4 c6 17.♘d3 ♖e8 18.♘e5 ♕c8.

15...♘e7 16.♘d3 b6 17.♘e5

Exploiting the drawback of 16...b6. In chess, one important way to think is to exploit the drawback of the opponent’s previous move. When Black played 16...b6, the a6- and c6-squares became weak. With 17.♘e5, White is gaining some control of the c6-square.

17...♕c8

TASK 1: Find a good continuation for White. Time to think: 3 minutes.

18.b3!

The drawback of 17...♕c8 is that the ♘e7 lost one of its protectors temporarily. 18.b3 takes advantage of this. We have seen coaches and authors teach and write a lot about the concept of prophylaxis, which basically emphasises paying attention to the opponent’s next move. But apart from every move having ideas, it also has some drawbacks. This factor unfortunately has not been paid the attention it deserves. When we are playing for the initiative and we can pose continuous threats, exploiting the drawback of opponent’s previous move is a very important tool.

18.♕a4 c6 19.♗a6 ♕c7 20.♗f4 b5 21.♕a3 g5! 22.♗xg5 (22.♘g6 gxf4 23.♘xe7+ ♗xe7 24.♖xe7 ♕b6) 22...f6∞.

18...f6 19.♘d3

Even though White has lost time by going 17.♘e5 and coming back with 19.♘d3, he has driven Black’s queen to a passive position, and weakened the e6-square in the process.

19.♘f3 ♕d7 20.♗a3 was also interesting.

19...♕d7 20.♗a3 ♖e8 21.♘f4 c6

TASK 2: Find the most interesting options available to White and analyse them to your best ability. Time to think: 10 minutes.

22.♕e2?

This is probably based on either a miscalculation, an incorrect assessment of the resulting position or an underestimation of Black’s defensive resources.

A) The prophylactic move 22.♕f3! is mainly aimed against Black’s idea of playing ...♗c7 on the next move. Black’s pieces lack coordination. With 21...c6, Black hopes to play 22...♗c7 and connect the rooks and equalise. Once Black has played ...♗c7, he will move the ♘e7 and start trading the rooks on the e-file. We can see that there is not much White can do to halt this once Black takes the first step with ...♗c7.

Such moments are critical moments. If White can do something about the opponent’s impending plan, he will fight for an advantage. If not, the position fizzles out to equality. In such situations, we should put in extra effort to find that special resource that will meet our aim of fighting for an advantage or at least keeping the pressure on for longer.

Refute 22...♗c7. Time: 2 minutes.

A1) 22...♗c7? does not work, due to 23.♖xe7 ♖xe7 24.♗xe7 ♕xe7 25.♘xd5!+-. Now we can see why 22.♕f3 is helpful for White!

If Black cannot play his intended 22...♗c7, he has to come up with a different way to untangle his pieces. Such sudden changes in the course of a game can also unsettle some players;

A2) 22...♗e4?!

analysis diagram

TASK 3: Find a good continuation for White. Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

23.♖xe4! is an instructive exchange sacrifice, underscoring the numerous light-square weaknesses present in Black’s position and the lack of coordination of his pieces (23.♕e2 transposes after 23...♗f5! (23...♗c7? 24.♗h3 ♗f5 25.♕e6+! ♕xe6 26.♘xe6 ♗b8 27.♘xg7!) 24.♕f3 ♗e4 25.♖xe4!): 23...dxe4 24.♕xe4 (24.♗c4+?! ♘d5 25.♕h5 b5! 26.♗xd5+ cxd5 27.♕xd5+ ♕xd5 28.♘xd5 ♗b6) 24...♘d5 25.♗h3! (the key move behind the exchange sacrifice. We should have seen this as well while considering the exchange sacrifice) 25...♖xe4 26.♗xd7 ♘xf4 27.gxf4 (27.♗xc6 ♘e2+ 28.♔g2 ♘xc3 29.♗xa8 ♖xd4 30.♗b2 ♖d3). Despite being an exchange down, White is exerting enormous pressure on Black’s position: 27...♗e7 (27...♖xf4 28.♗d6 ♖h4 29.♗xc6 ♖c8 30.♗d5+ ♔h8 31.♖e1+-) 28.♗xc6 ♗xa3 and now:

A21) 29.♗xe4 ♖e8 30.♖e1 ♔f8 31.♔f1 ♗b2 32.♖e3 ♗xc3 33.♖xc3 ♖xe4 34.♖c8+ ♔f7 35.♖c7+ ♔g6 (35...♔f8 36.♖xa7 ♖xd4 37.♖b7+-) 36.d5 ♖d4 37.f5+ ♔xf5 38.♖xg7 h5 39.♖xa7 ♖xd5 40.♖a4 b5 41.♖b4 and White retains chances to win, even though it is not going to be easily achieved, if at all;

A22) 29.♗d5+! is an important intermediate move to disrupt the black king’s position. Wherever it chooses to go, there will be some drawback that will favour White:

A221) 29...♔h8 30.♗xe4 ♖e8 31.♗c6 (the black king has been pushed to the corner) 31...♖e2 32.♗b5 ♖c2 33.♖e1 g6 34.♖e8+ ♔g7 35.♖b8 (35.♖a8 a5) 35...♔h6 36.♖b7 ♖xc3 37.♖xa7 ♗d6 38.♖b7 ♗xf4 39.♖xb6+-;

A222) 29...♔f8 30.♗xe4 (now this comes with an attack on the h7-pawn, which is the main reason behind the intermediate move 29.♗d5+) 30...♖e8 31.♗xh7 ♗b2 32.♖d1 ♗xc3 33.♖d3 and White retains good winning chances.

A3) If he tries to unpin the knight with 22...♘g6?, this runs into 23.♖xe8+ ♕xe8 24.♘xd5! ♗e4. It looks like Black has his own trick, but 25.♗c4! completely destroys him: 25...♔h8 (25...♗xf3 26.♘xf6+ ♔h8 27.♘xe8+-) 26.♖e1! cxd5 27.♗xd5 and White wins easily now;

A4) 22...♗g4 is the critical move: 23.♕g2. This looks like a strange place for the queen, but the whole concept behind this will become clearer when we try to find a good reply for Black. Most of the time, the real beauty of a concept or a deep idea lies not just in the strength or the achievements of the move itself, but in denying the opponent the activity he so desires and making him suffocate without any viable alternatives. If we delve a little deeper into the position, we can see that Black is not able to come up with a decent move that improves his position without compromising on some factor or other.

Refute 23...♗c7. Thinking time: 1 minute.

A41) 23...♗c7? 24.♗xe7 ♖xe7 (24...♗xf4 25.gxf4+-) 25.♖xe7 ♕xe7 26.♘xd5!+-;

A42) 23...♖c8

analysis diagram

TASK 4: Thinking time: 5 minutes.

A421) 24.c4!? (since Black’s pieces are passively placed and lacking coordination, it is good if White can open up the position to take advantage of his active pieces) 24...♗c7 25.♖xe7 (25.♗xe7!? ♖xe7 26.cxd5 ♖xe1 27.♖xe1 ♗xf4 28.dxc6 ♕xc6 29.gxf4 and despite White’s pawn structure being what it is, he retains a clear advantage and Black has a long struggle ahead) 25...♖xe7 26.♗xe7 ♕xe7 27.cxd5 ♗xf4 28.gxf4 ♗d7 29.♗a6! (29.dxc6 ♗xc6 30.d5 ♗d7 31.a4) 29...♖c7 30.♗c4 ♔f8 31.dxc6 ♗xc6 32.d5 ♗e8 33.♖d1 ♕d6 34.♕f3 ♖e7 (34...b5 35.♗f1) 35.a4;

A422) 24.♗a6! destroys the coordination of Black’s pieces further: 24...♖b8 (24...♖c7 25.f3 ♗f5 26.g4! – suddenly, the action shifts to the other side of the board – 26...♗g6 27.♘e6+- or 26...♘g6 27.gxf5 ♘xf4 28.♕g4 g5 29.fxg6+-) 25.c4!+–. White’s pieces are well placed to take maximum advantage of such an opening up of the position. The evaluation is an analytical engine’s, not mine!

A43) 23...♖b8 24.c4;

A44) 23...♗f5!? 24.c4 ♗e4 25.f3 ♗f5

analysis diagram

TASK 5: Find a strong continuation for White. Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

26.♕d2! is another prophylaxis to discourage ...♗c7 by Black (26.♕e2? ♗c7= 27.♗xe7 ♗xf4 28.gxf4 ♔f7), e.g. 26...♗c7?! (26...g5!; 26...♘g6? 27.♖xe8+ ♕xe8 28.cxd5) 27.♖xe7 ♖xe7 28.♗xe7 ♕xe7 29.cxd5.

B) 22.♗d3!? is another very strong continuation for White apart from the main move 22.♕f3. The exchange 22...♗xd3 is necessary to untangle Black’s pieces: 23.♕xd3 ♗c7 24.♗xe7 (24.♘e6?! ♘g6 25.♘xc7 ♕xc7=) 24...♖xe7 (24...♗xf4? 25.♗xf6 gxf6 26.gxf4) 25.♖xe7 ♕xe7 26.♘g2 (the evaluation of this position is tricky without computer help. White has interesting possibilities that involve h2-h4-h5, ♘g2-e3-f5, b2-b4/a2-a4/b4-b5, and ♘g2-e3-c4. In all these cases, White increases the pressure on Black, which is not easy to oppose over the board) 26...♕f7 27.♖e1 ♖e8?! 28.♖xe8+ ♕xe8 29.♕a6! ♗b8 (29...♕b8 30.c4+-) 30.♕b7+-.

22...♗c7!⇆

TASK 6: Is 23.♕xe7 objectively good or not? Time to think: 5 to 8 minutes.

23.♕xe7?

White is consistently following up on his plan started on the previous move. From the following analysis, we can see that White is worse off in most of the variations. So either this is a calculation mistake, or White did not evaluate the arising positions very well. As can be seen from this example, playing out of inertia, or, to put it in a more acceptable language, being consistent with our plan, is not always a virtue. We should always go by the changes occurring in the position with each of the opponent’s moves, and understand their influence well before deciding on whether to be consistent or make changes in our plans.

White should have reduced his ambition and settled for a safer continuation like 23.♘g2 (23.♗xe7 ♗d6) 23...a5 24.♘e3 ♗g6 25.c4 ♘f5 26.♗h3 ♕f7∞.

23...♖xe7 24.♖xe7 ♕c8!

It is White who should be careful after this resource by Black. Probably White expected 24...♕d8?! when he played 23.♕e7?: 25.♘e6!? ♕xe7 (25...♗xe6? 26.♖xe6) 26.♗xe7 ♗xe6=.

25.♘h5 ♗g6!

Black is firmly in the driver’s seat.

26.♖xg7+ ♔h8 27.♖e1

27.♗e7? ♗d8-+.

TASK 7: Time to think: 5 to 8 minutes.

27...c5?

This could have thrown away all his advantage had White responded appropriately.

A) Not 27...♗d8?? 28.♗d3+-;

B) 27...♗xh5! 28.♖ee7 and now:

B1) With 28...♕f5!? 29.♖xc7 ♖e8 Black manages to activate his pieces and at the same time goes after the white king: 30.♖xa7 ♖e1 31.g4! (only with this ingenious resource does White barely manage to retain the balance; 31.♖ge7 ♖xf1+ 32.♔xf1 ♕d3+ 33.♔g1 ♕d1+ 34.♔g2 ♕f3+ 35.♔g1 (35.♔h3 ♕f5+ 36.♔g2 ♗f3+) 35...♕d1+=) 31...♗xg4 32.♖gf7. Black’s king is vulnerable and hence he should take the draw: 32...♖xf1+ 33.♔xf1 ♕b1+ 34.♔g2 ♕e4+ 35.♔g1 ♕e1+ 36.♔g2=;

B2) 28...♗g6! 29.♖xc7 ♕g4 (threatening 30...♖e8) 30.♖ge7 ♗e4 31.♖xc6 ♕f3 32.♖xe4 dxe4. 33.♖e6 ♕xc3 34.♗e7 (34.♖xe4 ♕c2 35.♖e3 ♖c8 36.♗e7 ♔g7 37.♖f3 f5) 34...♔g7. There is still a lot of struggle left, but Black will be in the driver’s seat.

28.♖ee7?

A) 28.♗b5 ♗xh5 29.♖ee7 ♕f5 30.♖xc7 ♕b1+ 31.♗f1 ♗g6-+;

B) 28.dxc5 ♗e5 29.♖xe5 fxe5 30.cxb6 axb6 31.♗e7 ♖a7-+;

C) 28.c4! opens the a1-h8 diagonal for his bishop against the ♔h8: 28...♗xh5 (28...♗d6 29.♖xg6 hxg6 30.♘xf6 ♕a6 31.♗c1 ♕xa2 32.♖e6 ♗f8 33.♗g5∞) 29.♖ee7 ♗g6 (29...♕f5 30.♖xc7 ♖e8 31.dxc5 ♖e1 32.♖xh7+ ♕xh7 33.♖xh7+ ♔xh7 34.cxb6 axb6 35.♔g2 d4 36.♗d3+ ♔g7 37.c5 bxc5 38.♗xc5 ♖d1 39.♗e4∞ d3? 40.♗f3!) 30.♖xc7 ♕g4 31.dxc5 ♕f3! (threatening 32...♗e4) 32.♖xg6 hxg6 33.cxd5 ♕xd5 34.c6 (34.♗b2 ♖f8) 34...♖e8 35.h4 ♖e1 36.♖c8+ ♔h7 37.♖c7+= ♔h6 38.♗f8+ ♔h5 39.♖h7+ ♔g4 40.c7 ♔f3! (threatening 41...♖f1) 41.♖e7! (41.♗b4?? ♖xf1+ 42.♔xf1 ♕d1+ 43.♗e1 ♕e2+-+) 41...♕d2 42.♖e3+! ♖xe3 43.♗g2+! ♔e2 44.♗f1+ ♔f3 (44...♔e1!? 45.♗b4! ♕xb4 46.c8♕=) 45.♗g2+ with an amazing draw;

D) 28.♖xg6!

analysis diagram

TASK 8: Analyse the consequences of 28.♖xg6!. Time to think: 5 minutes.

28...hxg6 29.♘xf6 ♕f5 30.♘e8! (the critical move that we should have seen while analysing 28.♖g6) 30...♕f7! (30...♕d7 31.♘xc7=) 31.♘xc7 ♖f8! (this nice intermediate move is a crucial element for Black to fight for an advantage; 31...♕xc7 32.c4!=; once the a1-h8 diagonal is opened, the black king will feel the heat, giving sufficient counterplay for White) 32.♖e2 (blocking the f1-a6 diagonal, which was the point of the intermediate ...♖f8 by Black) 32...♕xc7 33.c4 dxc4 34.dxc5! (34.bxc4 ♔g8 35.dxc5 ♖d8! 36.cxb6 ♕xb6!-+) 34...♖d8 35.cxb6 ♕xb6 36.♗b2+ ♔g8! 37.♖e1 ♖d3! (37...cxb3 38.♗c4+!=) and Black is still trying for an advantage.

For players who are working hard and trying to improve their chess strength, learning to fight for more in positions that are close to a draw by taking risks is very important. Most players settle for a draw in positions where they can fight for more only by taking some amount of risk. This could easily be a lost opportunity. The quality of fighting for more is more valuable than the ‘worst-case scenario’ of losing a few Elo points in a practical game. When we fight for more in almost equal positions, it also improves our confidence. We are banking on ourselves, rather than on the opponent’s skills.

38.♗xd3 cxd3 39.♗c1 ♕c5 (39...♕a5 40.♖d1) 40.♗e3 ♕c2 41.♖c1 (41.a4 ♕xb3) 41...♕xa2 42.b4 ♕b2 43.♖c8+ ♔f7 44.♖c7+ ♔e6 45.♖xa7 d2 46.♗xd2 ♕xd2 47.h4 with a fortress.

28...♗d6

Now Black is completely winning, and he hauled in the point after a few more moves.

29.♖b7 ♕f5 30.♗e2 ♖e8 31.♗g4 ♕xg4 32.♖xh7+ ♗xh7 33.♖xh7+ ♔xh7 34.♘xf6+ ♔g6 35.♘xg4 ♖e2 36.♔g2 ♖xa2 37.♗c1 ♖c2

And White resigned.

Game 95 Level 4

Leonid Kubbel

Study, 1918

White to play and win. Time to think: 15 to 30 minutes.

Let us try to understand the position well before getting into the specifics. White has two extra pieces, but the black pawn on d2 is the real key to the position. To win the game, White should either do something about the d2-pawn, weave a mating net against Black’s king, or gain a huge material advantage.

1.♖g8+

A) A direct attempt to stop the pawn does not work, as can be seen after 1.♘e3? ♖xd3+ 2.♔c2. It looks like White has everything under control, because the trick 2...♖e3 does not work anymore. But with the intermediate move 2...d1♕+! 3.♘xd1 ♖xg3, Black escapes easily;

B) 1.♔a4?, trying to weave a mating net around Black’s king, does not work either: 1...d1♕ 2.♖g8+ ♔a7 3.♖a8+ ♔b6 4.♖b8+ ♔a7 5.♖a8+ (5.♖b7+?? ♔a6-+) and White gets nothing more than a draw.

1...♔a7 2.♘e3!

There is a big difference between playing ♘e3 one move earlier and now, and we shall see what it is.

A) Even at this point, trying to create a mating net around Black’s king does not work: 2.♔c4? d1♕ 3.♖a8+ ♔b6 4.♖b8+ ♔a5! (4...♔a7?? is very convenient for White: 5.♖b7+ ♔a6 (5...♔a8 loses to 6.♖b1+) 6.♘b4+ ♔a5 7.♖a7+ ♔b6 8.♖a6#; in this line, we can see the usefulness of having an advanced king) 5.♖b5+ ♔a4! (this is the most accurate retreat; if Black’s king goes to the corner with 5...♔a6??, the white bishop will be able to contribute to the attack, i.e. 6.♘b4+ ♔a7 7.♖a5+ ♔b8 8.♖a8#, so it makes sense for the king to get away from the influence of the white bishop) 6.♖b4+ ♔a5 7.♖b5+ and White has nothing better than to take a draw;

B) 2.♖a8+? loses control of the critical g3-square, which can be used by the black rook to escape, in comparison to the main line: 2...♔b6 3.♖b8+ and now:

B1) 3...♔a7?? 4.♖b7+ ♔a6 (4...♔a8 loses in multiple ways: 5.♔c4 d1♕ 6.♖b1++- or 5.♖b6+ c6 6.♖xc6 d1♕ 7.♖xd6+ ♔b8 8.♗e4+-) 5.♘b4+ ♔a5 6.♔c4 (6.♔c2, stopping the d2-pawn, also wins easily) 6...♖d4+ 7.♔c5 ♔a4 8.♘c2 ♖d6 9.♖b4+ ♔a5 10.♖b3 and Black will soon be checkmated;

B2) 3...♔a6?? 4.♘b4+ ♔a5 5.♔c4, and Black will be checkmated shortly;

B3) 3...♔a5 4.♗f3 ♖xd3+ 5.♔c4 ♖xf3 allows Black to save the game;

B4) 3... ♔c5 4.♘e3 ♖xd3+ 5.♔c2 ♖xe3 6.♔xd2= leads nowhere.

2...♖xd3+ 3.♔c2!

3.♔c4? ♖xe3=.

3...♖xe3

3...e4 4.♘d1+-.

Most players will reject this line at this point, concluding that Black has equalised by winning back one minor piece. There is nothing wrong with this kind of thinking. We have to analyse all the important options before us in the initial position. After analysing all the options, if we come to the conclusion that none of them leads us to our aim, we have the following options:

1. Possibly the aim we had for the initial position was wrong (example: we wanted to win, but the position is not winning). In this case, we have to reduce our aim and analyse accordingly to achieve the new aim.

2. Possibly we made some mistake in our analysis, and we are not able to achieve our aim as a result. After doing the first round of analysis, we should understand that the conclusions we reach are not final. We should realise that it is only the preliminary analysis.

3. Checking our analysis objectively for mistakes is a very important part of analysing a position. Care should be taken to spot hidden resources for ourselves and our opponent, which can have a big impact on the outcome of our analysis and, subsequently, on the game.

4. Once we realise that the first round of analysis did not deliver what we wanted, we should do a second round of analysis, but this time we should slow down deliberately and consider carefully each move for White and for Black in our variation.

5. We should try different moves for ourselves in the analysis that we did not consider in the first round of analysis, and should try to make them work, basically redoing the candidate moves list with a fresh set of eyes.

6. We should try to consider special kinds of moves (sacrifices, pieces suddenly moving back, long-range moves with the pieces, intermediate moves, a sudden quiet prophylactic move, etc.) in the analysis. Most players miss these kinds of moves while making a list of candidate moves.

7. It is possible that our ideas and moves were correct, but we did not pay sufficient attention to the move order in which it was being implemented. Try to implement your idea with a different sequence of moves and see if it works. This will solve the problem in many cases. There is not one correct solution available that can be applied every time we are not able to find the correct solution in our analysis. We should understand that there are many approaches possible, and should become good at applying them in our analysis. All this should be learnt during our home training. That is why, in my view, the quality of the training we do at home, either on our own, with coaches, or with training partners, should be done with utmost seriousness.

If we analyse one move further:

4.♔xd2

... we suddenly realise that the black rook finds itself in a difficult spot. Bautiful domination on an open board!

Changing the move order with 4.♖a8+?. changes the outcome completely: 4...♔b6 5.♔xd2 ♖g3 and the black rook escapes.

4...♖b3 5.♖a8+ ♔b6 6.♖b8+ ♔c5 7.♖xb3 1-0

In the initial position, when our opponent’s passed pawn was on d2, we might be tempted to go for checkmate by allowing the pawn to queen. This is a fancier and perhaps seemingly more aesthetic option. But by carefully analysing the possibilities, we find that with correct play by our opponent, we cannot enforce a checkmate. This leads us to continue analysing in a position that we might have earlier concluded as promising only equality. Then it dawns on us that the opponent’s rook is dominated and gives us a winning material advantage.

5. Sometimes we incorrectly evaluate the resulting position at the end of the analysis

This is not necessarily a calculation mistake, but rather a mistake in evaluation or a lack of understanding.

Game 96 Level 2

Vladimir Kramnik

Viswanathan Anand

Bonn 2008 (5)

Time to think: 8 minutes.

The moves for both White and Black were more or less forced until this point. There will generally be different ‘starting points’ in our analysis. Sometimes, they come in the initial position, and at other times they come at different points in our analysis. By the starting point, what I mean is that from that moment on, if our analysis is correct, we will get the truth about the position in our analysis as the preceding moves leading to the starting position do not have an impact in our analysis. They have either been checked thoroughly for mistakes or cannot be changed, as they have been played already in the game.

The question is: can White play 29.♘xd4 or not?

29.♘xd4 ♕xd4

Some of us, most Level 1 players, for instance, will reject 29.♘xd4, thinking it is a blunder, and miss:

30.♖d1

This is the main idea behind 29.♘xd4. Some of us who went ahead with 29.♘xd4 ♕xd4 30. ♖d1 will stop at this point and will be convinced that the idea works in our favour, as we see that once the black queen moves, White can take the knight on d7 with check. Those who see this idea are likely to stop at this point in their analysis.

Let us identify the problems with regard to calculation faced by players around this level using this position and the analysis made:

1. They do not see the main tactical idea in the position (unless given a prompt, and sometimes not even after that!). Many of us simply reject moves like 29.♘xd4 from our thought process, because it looks like a blunder.

2. After seeing an attractive idea, they stop the analysis at the first opportunity and draw hasty and mostly incorrect conclusions. They stop the analysis too early without taking it to its logical conclusion, because of hastiness and carelessness.

3. They don’t check the analysis for possible mistakes, believing their preliminary analysis and resultant conclusion, because of naivety in analysis.

4. They miss the opponent’s resources (best defence) to our moves or ideas, because of a lack of attention and alertness.

5. They are not curious enough to see whether our idea is good or not, which is a psychological failure.

6. They are not able to visualise the position in their minds beyond this point.

30...♘f6!

It is quite possible that most players miss this clever, but not so tough to find, resource for the opponent at this level. We should tell ourselves to watch out specifically for such not so obvious resources for our opponent. Such autocorrection instructions are very essential to help us learn from our mistakes and avoid making them in the future. Merely accepting our mistakes will not make us accountable for making them.

30...♗f3. Such tactical resources are very tough to spot for Level 1 players. In this particular instance, it doesn’t work, but sometimes such crazy-looking moves could prove to be the only solution to the problem at hand. We should learn to consider all kinds of crazy moves in our analysis and develop the capability to analyse them to come to correct conclusions: 31.♕h4+ (31.♖xd4?? ♖c1+! 32.♗f1 ♗xg4) 31...♘f6 32.♖xd4 ♖c1+ 33.♗f1 and White remains with an extra queen.

31.♖xd4 ♘xg4

Some of us might conclude here that Black is winning with the extra piece, and miss the following possibility for White:

32.♖d7+ ♔f6 33.♖xb7 ♖c1+ 34.♗f1

Most likely, Kramnik stopped at this point and concluded that White’s connected pawns on the queenside would be more than enough compensation for the pin along the first rank. It is not obvious how the knight on g4 can find a way to attack the bishop in the near future.

34...♘e3!

Many of us will not be looking for more than one tactical shot in a puzzle. We could be thinking that we must find only one tough move. Once that is done, we relax our alertness for further tactical possibilities, either favouring us or our opponent. We have to teach ourselves to be constantly on the alert for tactical possibilities throughout the game (or during analysis while training).

35.fxe3 fxe3

QUESTION: After 35...fxe3, is there any way White can try to put up some form of defence to prolong the fight or not? Time to think: 2 minutes.

With 36.♖c7! ♖xc7 37.g3, White could have given back his extra material and created some chances for survival. Without the e3-pawn, White will have decent practical chances to save the game. It is important that we are always looking for hard-to-find resources in apparently losing positions also. Who knows, sometimes we may find just that!

TIP: Finding clever unexpected resources when in trouble is a quality to be acquired and cherished in our journey towards excellence.

Most likely, Kramnik went for the line starting with 29.♘xd4 because he evaluated the resulting position after move 34.♗f1 in his favour, and missed 34...♘e3 completely. Here, the assessment went wrong due to missing the opponent’s subsequent trick.

Reasons:

Carelessness, haste, letting emotions get the better of us, not being objective, the position is too complex to evaluate correctly, lack of adequate chess strength/understanding, missing an essential resource in the position resulting in incorrect evaluation, etc.

Game 97 Level 3

Chernikov

Ertuk

Sarajevo 1968

TASK 1: Time to think: 10 minutes.

At first sight, it looks like White is hopelessly lost, with Black’s queen and rook combining to create what looks like a mating attack against the white king.

1.b8♕+? ♔h7, and the black king finds a safe haven on h7. White can try to give up material in the hope of getting a perpetual check, but it does not work, as can be seen in the following variation: 2.♕xg7+ ♔xg7 3.♖xf7+ ♔xf7 4.♕b7+ ♔g8 5.♕a8+ ♔h7 6.♕b7+ ♔h6 and White runs out of checks.

1.♕d8+! ♕xd8 2.♖a8 ♖d1

At this point, it looks like Black can give up his queen for the b-pawn and his extra exchange will ensure he is better, but...

3.♖c8!

A fantastic move, ensuring that the b-pawn is out of danger when it promotes. The resulting complications also work in White’s favour.

3...♔h7 4.b8♕ ♖xf1+!

From this point onwards, White should calculate accurately to walk out of the checks with pointed moves.

5.♔xf1 ♕d3+!

Many players will see either 5...♕d1+ or 5...♕d3+ only, but not both, or will not appreciate that they could lead to different positions in the analysis.

5...♕d1+? 6.♔g2 ♕f3+ (6...♕d5+ 7.♔h2 g3+ 8.♔xg3 ♕d3+ 9.f3 g5 10.h5+-) 7.♔g1 ♕d1+ 8.♔h2 g3+ 9.♔g2! (9.♔h3? g5!-+) 9...♕d5+ 10.♔xg3 (at this point, we can appreciate the white queen’s position, which defends the e5-pawn and at the same time creates dangerous threats against Black’s king) 10...♕d3+ 11.f3, and the checks come to a stop.

6.♔g1!

6.♔g2? g5! (6...♕e4+ 7.♔h2 g3+ 8.♔xg3 g5!, which is the same idea with a different move order, also works) 7.h5 ♕e4+ 8.♔h2 g3+ 9.♔xg3 (9.fxg3 ♕e2+=) 9...♕f4+=. This check is possible due to the earlier 6...g5!.

6...g5!

It’s very important for us to find this move. I am afraid many of us would have missed it completely, or underestimated its importance in the whole analysis.

7.h5!

It is time for Black to worry about his own king, and there is no clear solution in sight.

7...♔h6

7...♕d1+ 8.♔h2 g3+ 9.♔g2! ♕d5+ 10.♔xg3 ♕d3+ 11.f3, and White wins.

8.♖h8+ ♖h7 9.♕f8+ ♔xh5 10.♕xf7+ ♔h6 11.♕xe6+ ♕g6 12.♖xh7+ ♔xh7 13.♕xg4

Finally, after the dust is settled with a series of forcing moves for both sides, White emerges with an extra pawn. The engines agree that the position deserves nothing more than the typical 0.00! Despite White ‘not getting any advantage’, he managed to emerge with an extra pawn from the initial position that looked quiet hopeless for him. This is a good example to show the importance of possessing the ability to calculate well. Good calculation skills can help a player come out of difficult positions, increase our advantage, put the opponent under tremendous pressure and out-calculate our opponents in complex situations – in short, to bring the best out of us and the position in front of us. When I tried to find this position in Mega Database, I was unable to do so. I do not remember how I got introduced to the position, but I have been using it for many years extensively with my students for calculation training, and it has had a positive impact on imparting very good values to the students. Hence, I am reproducing this position in this book.

6. Rushing too quickly into variations without deliberate checking invites mistakes and oversights

Some players genuinely do not know how to slow down their thinking process. A lack of proper training in the analytical process can also be a possible reason. In our training at home and in classes, we should always try to analyse the variations ourselves first and only then refer to the book move. It takes months and years to grow stronger in the analytical process. Hence, it makes sense to start this process early in our chess career.

Some players are impulsive and cannot control themselves to slow down while thinking. As soon as they see an interesting move, they feel the urge to play it immediately. Such players also rely on their opponent not replying with good moves. They secretly hope that their opponent makes a mistake and justifies their decision to play quickly without deliberate thinking.

Some players play quickly to hide their insecurities and nervousness, and playing quickly provides them (in their mind) a mask to project a confident personality to their opponent. Another reason why some players play quickly is the expectation that their opponent will also play quickly in return. Some players play quickly to project an image to their opponent: ‘I perfectly understand what is going on. My brain can work just as quickly as yours can, and probably quicker and better’. Some players play quickly to cover up the fact that they lack sufficient confidence in their analytical abilities. Instead of slowing down and coming up with sub-standard moves, it makes sense to play the moves that our mind believes in confidently and quickly.

The analogy I give to my students is as follows. Imagine a scenario where we must cross a river at night with only moonlight aiding us. Also, imagine we have an iron rod in our hand. There are both big rocks and crocodiles in the water. Both are not moving and are completely still, of course! The best way for us to cross the river is to poke at the first solid-looking object with our iron rod. If it does not move, we step on top of it. If the solid object moves, we know it is a crocodile and try the next solid-looking object. We repeat the process until we reach the other side of the river.

Here, the rocks are the correct moves in our analysis; the crocodiles are the incorrect moves. The iron rod is the analysis we make to find if our move is correct or not. The other side of the river is the decision we make at the end of the analytical process. While crossing the river, if the object moves, we eliminate it and poke the following solid-looking thing. Similarly, in our analytical approach, we analyse a move, and if it does not work, we eliminate it. Then, we move to the next correct-looking move to analyse, and so on.

Just because the first object we poked turned out to be a rock does not mean our next object will always turn out to be a rock. Similarly, suppose the first move we consider in our analysis turns out to be correct. In that case, the rest of the moves in our analysis do not have to be accurate. We should learn to eliminate the moves that do not work and move to the next move in our list of possibilities.

Solution:

Do not rush to the next move before reasonably making sure the current move is the best option.

Game 98 Level 3

Leonid Kubbel

Study, source and date unknown

White to play and win

1.d5+!

1.♗g3? d5 2.c4 ♘f4= unfortunately does not work for White.

1...♔xd5

1...♔c7 2.♗g3 ♘f4 3.c4! (3.cxd6+? ♔xd6 4.♗xf4+ ♔xd5=) 3...h5 4.cxd6++-. A 1900 USCF student found this along with the main line in 15 minutes.

2.e7 ♘xf2 3.e8♕

It is possible that many players stop at this point in their analysis and conclude that White is winning. Stopping the analysis too early as a result of missing our opponent’s main defensive ideas if they are not that obvious or forcing, is a very common problem with upcoming players.

3...♘d3!

A) 3...♘d1 4.♔b3;

B) 3...♘e4 4.♕h5+ (4.♕g8+ ♔xc5 5.♕g1++-; 4.c4+? ♔d4 5.♕h8+ ♔xc5 6.♕a1 ♔xc4=) 4...♔c6 5.♕h1 d5 6.♔b2+-.

4.c6!

A very important move. A 2040 USCF student took a long time to find it. Taking away this escape square for the black king is essential.

A) 4.♕xe2? ♘c1+-+;

B) 4.c4+? ♔xc5 5.♕e3+ ♔b4= (5...♔xc4? 6.♕xe2+- was the suggestion by the 2040 USCF student);

C) 4.cxd6? ♔xd6 5.♕g6+ ♔c5 6.♕h5+ ♔c6=.

4...bxc6 5.♕h5+

5.c4+?? ♔d4-+.

5...♔c4 6.♕xe2 1-0

7. Missing or underestimating the opponent’s defensive resources

Missing good moves for our opponent is a widespread problem. It is one of the main reasons why many players do not make sufficient progress in their calculation abilities, despite regularly solving puzzles. How successful a player is in finding good moves for his opponent while analysing determines whether he is making progress in his analytical skills. Finding good moves for the opponent is in no way an overestimation of our opponent’s skill. Instead, it is being objective and doing our job correctly. We must believe that most positions have sufficient resources, either hidden or obvious. Only our ability to analyse accurately will decide if we successfully bring these resources out in the open or not.

It is widespread at the upcoming players’ level that they usually stop their calculation with a threat. As a result, if there is a simple or a good defence to their threat, they will miss it altogether.

Reasons:

a) One of the main reasons is a subconscious fear that if we find good moves for our opponent, it might refute our idea, and we will have to start all over again. For players who do not regularly work on improving their game, their self-confidence will be very low. They will have doubts about their capabilities. In such a scenario, it is easy for a player to play a reasonably good-looking move and hope their opponent will make mistakes and he will benefit as a result.

b) A player’s inherent laziness and lack of genuine interest to improve his skills before expecting significant results, leads to the making of a careless player. Such an attitude will not allow a player to be alert to finding their opponent’s defensive resources.

c) They are relying on their opponent’s mistakes for better results, rather than depending on their own strength.

d) Carelessness and analysing too quickly can also lead to this kind of mistake in analysis.

Solution:

Working on improving prophylactic thinking, solving positions with rich resources for the opponent at different stages, while making a list of candidate moves for the opponent carefully and not casually.

Once we find a good defence for the opponent, a related problem is that we should try to give up immediately on that idea, instead of trying to overcome the defensive idea.

Game 99 Level 2

Ramesh RB 2345

Jha Sriram 2360

India tt 1998 (2)

TASK 1: Find the best continuation for White. Time to think: 3 to 5 minutes.

23.♖d4!?

was played confidently in the game, missing the queen sacrifice that comes later on move 25.

23.♖a1! was completely missed during the game. Black loses material by force: 23...♕f5 24.f3 or 23...♘c4 24.♘xd2 ♖xd2 25.e4+-.

23...♖2xd4

23...♖8xd4 24.exd4 ♘d3 25.♕xd2 ♘xe1 26.♕h6!+- (26.♕xe1 f5).

24.exd4 ♘d3 25.♕h6

TASK 2: Find the best continuation for Black. Time to think: 5 minutes.

25...♕f5?

Not the best way to defend. We both thought White was completely winning. Nowadays, most players will go for 25...♘xe1! as their first option; back then, we were naive and trusted our opponent’s ideas readily, or our calculation skills were simply not up to the mark! 26.♘xf6+ ♕xf6 27.♕xf6 ♖e8 28.f4 (28.♕g5+ ♔h8 29.♕d2 ♘d3 30.♗g2 ♖e1+ 31.♕xe1 ♘xe1 32.♗xh3 ♘f3+ 33.♔g2 ♘xd4 34.♗c8 ♘b3 35.♗xb7 ♘xa5 36.♗xa6; 28.f3 ♘d3) 28...♘d3!=. The king no longer has the escape square f2 and White has to take a draw by perpetual check.

26.♖d1! ♘xf2?

A) 26...♖e8!? 27.♕e3! (27.♖xd3 ♖xe4 28.♗xe4 ♕xe4=) 27...♘xf2 28.♕xf2 ♖xe4 29.♕xf5 ♗xf5 30.♗xe4 ♗xe4 31.♖e1 f5 32.♖e2+-;

B) 26...♖xd4 27.♘xf6+ ♕xf6 28.♕xf6 ♘f4 29.♕d8++-.

27.♘xf2 ♗g4 28.♗e4 ♕h5 29.♘xg4 1-0

Game 100 Level 1

Ernest Pogosyants

Study, 1963

White to play and win

1.a7 ♖a8 2.♗b8 ♔d2 3.b4!

3.♔d7? ♔c3=.

3...♔c3 4.b5

It is possible that most players will have stopped analysing at around this point, assuming that the pawn cannot be stopped by the black king. It is very important to anticipate tricky defensive resources from the opponent until the end. It will keep us alert throughout, and we can lose the habit of relaxing too early.

4...♔c4 5.b6 ♔c5 6.b7 ♖xa7 7.♗xa7+ ♔c6 8.b8♖! 1-0

8.b8♘+ ♔b7. The main point of the study comes on the very last move! I hope we have learnt the important lesson of keeping vigil until the end and not relaxing too early.

Game 101 Level 2

Yochanan Afek

Study, 1983

White to play and win

White’s advantage lies in his advanced passed f-pawn and the inactive placement of Black’s rook. The pawn structure on the kingside restrict Black’s pieces quite a bit, and this in turn gives rise to a scenario in which White can even afford to sacrifice his knight to achieve a won pawn endgame or promote his passed pawn.

1.f7 ♖h7 2.♘h6! ♔xh6

2...♖xh6 3.f8♕+-.

3.♔e8 ♖h8+

3...♔g6!? 4.f8♘+! is another important defensive variation for Black that should be seen by the player while solving (4.f8♕? ♖h8!=).

4.f8♖!

4.f8♕+?. I would not be surprised if many players concluded here that they had the correct solution! 4...♔g6 5.♕xh8, stalemate. Ideally, the player should find this stalemate defence for Black, avoid this pitfall and then find the correct solution.

4...♖h7 5.♖f6+ ♔g7 6.♖f7+

With a won pawn endgame. Even in a seemingly simple position, Afek creatively demonstrates his signature underpromotion.

Game 102 Level 3

Tigran Gorgiev

Study, 1930

White to play and win

1.h7!

If 1.hxg7?, 1...♘f6 saves the day for Black.

1...g3+! 2.♔xg3 ♖g4+

2...♖h4 3.♔xh4 ♘f8 will transpose to the main line.

3.♔h3 ♖h4+!

It is very much possible that many players will miss this defensive idea for Black.

3...g5 4.h8♕ ♖h4+ 5.♕xh4 gxh4 6.♘xd7+-; 3...♖g1 4.♔h2+-.

4.♔xh4 ♘f8!

The best practical defence. While solving studies, puzzles and complex positions, it is extremely important to find good practical defensive resources for the opponent and then refute them for good measure.

4...♘e5?! 5.♔h5 ♘f7 6.♔g6 ♘h8+ 7.♔xg7; the knight is dominated and the pawn queens.

5.♘c8+!

5.h8♕? ♘g6+ 6.♔g5 ♘xh8 7.♘c8+ ♔b7 8.♘d6+ ♔c6 9.♗b4 e5=; there is no way to trap the knight on h8.

5...♔b7

5...♔b8 6.♗f4+! ♔b7 7.♘d6+ ♔c6 8.h8♘!.

6.♘d6+ ♔c6 7.h8♘!

This usually happens in Afek’s studies!

7...♔xd6 8.♗b4+

And White wins.

Game 103 Level 4

David Gurgenidze

Study, 1974

White to play and win

A crazy-looking position, but for those who have solved many studies in the past, it will not come as a surprise.

Black has many more pieces than White, but they are not ideally placed, and White has many advanced pawns – all the ingredients for an interesting fight! We should be curious about one thing though: what are the pawns on the queenside doing when the scene of action appears to be on the kingside?

1.hxg7 ♖g2+!

A fantastic resource from Black. There is a constant yearning in-built in humans. We are always looking for something that can fill the void in us, a constant companion, despite the fulfilment of our current needs. What makes chess so exciting and addictive is the seemingly endless opportunities it provides for human intelligence to develop resources that can be found only with an extraordinary effort.

2.♔f1!!

The point of the next few moves will become obvious after a few more moves.

Let’s see what happens after the more obvious move: 2.♔xg2? ♖xh2+ 3.♔xh2 ♗xf7 4.♘xd7! (4.gxf7? ♔xf7 5.♘xd7 b3 6.axb3 a3! 7.♘c5 a2 and the b3-square is blocked by our own pawn; this is why White loses) and now:

A) 4...b3 5.f5 (5.gxf7? ♔xf7 6.axb3 a3-+; 5.♘e5? ♔f6! 6.axb3 a3 7.gxf7 ♔xg7-+) 5...bxa2 (5...♗g8 6.axb3 – Black has to be accurate now – 6...axb3! (6...a3?? 7.f6+ ♔e6 8.f7 ♗xf7 9.♘c5+! ♔f6 10.gxf7 ♔xf7 11.b4+-, vacating the b3-square for the knight) 7.f6+ ♔e6! 8.f7 ♗xf7 9.gxf7 ♔xf7 10.g8♕+ ♔xg8 11.♘f6+ ♔f7 12.♘d5 b2 13.♘c3=; on time!) 6.f6+ ♔xd7 7.gxf7 a1♕ 8.f8♕ will lead to a perpetual check;

B) 4...♗xa2 5.♘e5 (5.f5? ♔xd7 6.f6 ♔e8-+), and White should make a draw without trouble: 5...♔f6 6.♘d3= or 5...♗g8 6.♘c6+ ♔f6 7.♘xb4=.

2...♖f2+!

Both White and Black are persisting, with Black giving rook checks and White avoiding the generous offer.

3.♔e1 ♖e2+ 4.♔d1 ♖d2+ 5.♔c1

5.♔xd2 ♖xh2+ 6.♔d3 ♗xf7 7.♘xd7 ♗xg6+.

5...♖c2+ 6.♔b1 ♖b2+ 7.♔a1!

White has to go all the way to the corner of the board and give up the rook pawn. The reason will become apparent towards the very end.

7...♖xa2+

8.♔b1!

White walked all the way just to give up the a2-pawn!

8...♖b2+ 9.♔c1 ♖c2+ 10.♔d1 ♖d2+ 11.♔e1 ♖e2+ 12.♔f1 ♖f2+ 13.♔g1

White has come back to the initial position, with the only difference being that he has lost the pawn on the a-file. Why take so much trouble?

13...♖g2+ 14.♔xg2!

White finally captures the rook at the most appropriate moment.

14...♖xh2+ 15.♔xh2 ♗xf7 16.gxf7 ♔xf7 17.♘xd7 b3

17...a3 18.♘c5+-; 17...♔xg7 18.♘c5+-. White’s knight stops the queenside pawns and he will win with the f-pawn helped by the king.

At this point, there is no pawn on a2. This is the reason why White wins the game. He had to visualise this at the very beginning. A pawn on a2 would have led White to lose a crucial tempo that would have lost the game.

18.♘e5+! ♔xg7 19.♘c4 b2 20.♘a3! 1-0

Of course, not 20.♘xb2?? a3 and it is Black who wins.

Game 104 Level 4

Anish Giri 2780

Ding Liren 2816

Shenzhen 2018 (1)

33...♖f1??

This is a blunder that misses White’s reply completely. Luckily for Black, Anish did not play the refutation and returned the compliment.

33...♗c5 34.♖e1 ♖a2 35.♖e2 ♖a1= is one likely variation, although not forced!

34.♖h2?

A) 34.e6+? ♔e8 (34...♔f6 35.♖e1 (35.♘xd4 ♗d6 36.♘f3=) 35...♖xe1 36.♘xe1 ♔xe6= 37.♘f3 ♔f6 38.♘xd4 ♗c5=) 35.♘xd4 ♗d6⇆;

B) 34.♖e1! was the refutation of Black’s 33rd move: 34...♖f2 (34...♖xe1?? 35.♘xe1 ♗c5 36.♘f3 ♗b6 37.♘g5+ and White wins by pushing f4-f5 at the right time) and now:

B1) 35.e6+ ♔e8! 36.♘xd4 (36.♖a1 ♗f6) 36...♗d6! 37.♘e2 (37.♘f3) 37...♖h2! 38.♔g3 ♖h8! (38...♖h6 39.♘d4 g5 40.♘f5) 39.♖a1 (39.♘d4 ♖f8!) 39...♔e7 40.♘d4 ♗c5⇆;

B2) 35.♖c1 ♗c5 36.♔g3 ♖e2=;

B3) 35.♔g3 ♖xc2 36.e6+ ♔e8 37.♘xd4 ♖a2 38.♖h1 ♗f8!;

B4) 35.♘xd4 ♗c5 (35...g5!? 36.fxg5 ♖g2+ 37.♔f4 ♗xg5+ 38.♔f3 ♖h2 39.e6+ ♔e7 40.♘f5+ ♔e8 41.e7+-) 36.e6+! – both players probably missed this – 36...♔f6 (36...♔e7 37.♘c6+ ♔e8 38.♖a1+-)

analysis diagram

37.♔g3! (37.♘c6 ♗e7; 37.♘b5 ♖g2+ 38.♔h3 ♖g1 39.♖e2 ♖h1+ 40.♔g3 ♖g1+ 41.♔h2 ♖d1; 37.e7 ♗xe7) 37...♖d2 38.♔f3! (prophylaxis; 38.♖e5 ♗xd4 39.e7 ♗xe5 40.e8♕ ♗d6 41.♕d7 ♗e7 42.♕c6+ ♔f7 43.♕xd5+ ♔f8; 38.f5 gxf5; 38.♘c6 ♗f2+; 38.♔h3 ♖f2) 38...♖h2 (38...♗e7 39.♘b5! ♖xc2 40.♘c7) 39.♘c6 ♗e7 (39...♖h8 40.e7 ♖e8 41.♖e5 ♗xe7 42.♘xb4+-) 40.♘e5+-.

34...♖c1 35.♖g2 ♗c5 36.♘g5+ ♔e7 37.♘f3 ♔f7 38.♘g5+ ♔e7 39.♘f3 ½-½

8. Some players spend too much time while analysing

It can otherwise be called poor time management. Over-thinking happens primarily due to checking the same variation multiple times and to the inability to trust our decisions. When we think more than necessary, we are spending more than the essential energy/effort/time. Some players spend a lot of time on one idea and find it difficult to switch to another viewpoint. This happens because they feel compelled to make their original idea work at any cost.

Getting distracted by fancy variations and not checking the answers thoroughly is also related to this ailment. Some players never stop their analysis of a particular variation and go into many unnecessary variations in their excitement. We should see only what is required and not go on a wild goose chase. A player should learn to use his time and energy efficiently through proper practice. Compare this with an out-of-shape person and an in-shape person running at the same time. One gets tired soon because he is ill-trained. With a trained mind, we learn to focus our energy and complete our job with minimum resources.

Solution:

Keep moving from one idea to another if an idea does not seem to work. While checking your analysis, do it thoroughly. By doing a quick preliminary analysis of our possibilities, we can catch mistakes early, rather than being misled into a long variation unnecessarily.

9. Wrong move order

Sometimes, our idea is correct, but our move order is not. We should try making our idea work with different move orders. The analogy I usually give my students goes as follows:

In the process of brushing our teeth, there are two steps involved:

a) Take the brush and apply toothpaste, and

b) Brush your teeth with it.

Now, imagine reversing the order in practice. First, we brush our teeth, and then we apply toothpaste to the brush. The outcome will be completely different! Some players have this ‘everything is the same; both moves are the same’ attitude when they see two similar-looking options.

Game 105 Level 3

Ian Nepomniachtchi 2784

Magnus Carlsen 2863

chess24.com 2020

TASK 1: Find the correct continuation for White. Time to think: 5 to 8 minutes.

23.♕h3!

23.♕h4? ♕xb5+ 24.♔g1 f6! 25.♖h8+ ♔f7 26.♕h7+ (26.♖h7+ ♔e6-+ is one of the points of 23.♕h3!) 26...♔e8 27.gxf6 ♕b7! 28.♖xf8+ ♔xf8 29.♗h6+ ♔e8 30.♕g8+ ♔d7

A) 31.f7??

analysis diagram

TASK 2: Black to play and win. Time to think: 5 to 8 minutes.

31...♕b4!! (first lure White to play 32.c3, and only then take the b2-pawn; here, we can see the importance of getting the move order correct while calculating to meet our objective; 31...♕d5?! 32.f8♘+! ♔c6 33.♕xd5+=; 31...♕xb2? 32.♕e8+ ♔c7 33.f3! ♗xf3 34.♕e7+ ♘d7 35.♔f2! (this is possible since the white pawn is on c2!) 35...♗d5 36.f8♕ ♕xc2+, Black will be forced to give perpetual check and be satisfied with a draw) 32.c3 ♕xb2! 33.♕e8+ ♔c7 34.♕e7+ ♘d7 35.f3 ♗xf3 36.f8♕ ♕g2#; this is possible since the white pawn is not on c2!;

B) 31.♕f7+! ♔c6 32.♕xb7+ ♔xb7 33.f7 ♘e6 34.f8♕ ♘xf8 35.♗xf8=.

23...♕xb5+

23...♗g2+ 24.♕xg2 ♕xb5+ 25.♔g1 ♕d7 26.♕f3+- or 25...♕xb2 26.♕h3+-.

24.♔g1 f6!? 25.♖h8+ ♔f7 26.♖h7+!

26.♕h7+? ♔e8 27.♖xf8+ ♔xf8 28.gxf6 ♕b7 29.♗h6+ ♔e8 30.♕g8+ will transpose to 23.♕h4 lines.

26...♔g8

26...♔e6 is no longer possible thanks to 23.♕h3!; 26...♔e8 27.♕c8#.

27.♕h6

27.gxf6 ♖xf6 28.♖h8+ ♔f7 29.♕c8!+-.

27...♘e6 28.gxf6! ♖xf6 29.♖h8+ ♔f7 30.♕h7+ ♘g7 31.♕g8+ ♔e7 32.♗g5! 1-0

The following position was given to my students for training purposes. It could have arisen from a game in an open tournament. I was with the Indian team as a coach, but do not remember the players involved. I remembered the position and analysed it subsequently.

Game 106 Level 3

Training game position

TASK 1: White to play and win. Time to think: 10 minutes.

2.f7

2.♗f5?! does not work: 2...♗h2+ 3.♔xh2 ♕xd2 (double attack) 4.♖c2 ♕d8! 5.f7 ♔g7 6.♗e1! (the bishop is going to the critical diagonal) 6...♕c7+ 7.g3. Now Black has to be accurate to hold the balance: 7...♖cd8 8.♗c3+ ♖d4! 9.♗xd4+ ♘xd4 10.♖xc7 ♘xe6 11.♗xe6 ♔f6, and it will be a draw soon.

2...♔g7

The critical moment. White has multiple interesting continuations, but only one sequence works:

3.♕e4!

A) 3.♖xc6? enables ♗d4 check, but Black has his own tricks: 3...♗h2+! 4.♔xh2 ♖xc6 5.♕e5+ (5.♕e4? ♗g6 6.♗d4+ ♔h7 7.♕e5 ♖xf7-+) 5...♕f6 and Black survives;

B) 3.♕f5? looks tempting, but does not deliver what White wants: 3...♖h8 4.♖xc6 (to get in ♗d4 check as before, but here Black has to react differently) 4...♖xc6! (4...♗h2+? does not work now: 5.♔xh2 ♖xc6 6.f8♕+! – Black’s queen and rook are guarding the critical d4- and h7-squares – 6...♖xf8 7.♕h7+ ♔f6 8.♕xh6++-) 5.♗d4+ ♔f8 6.♗xh8 ♗f4!? (6...♖c1+ 7.♗f1=) 7.♗g7+! ♔xg7 8.♕h7+ ♔f6! 9.♕f5+ and White has nothing more than perpetual check (9.♕xh6+? ♔e7-+);

C) 3.♗g6? and now:

C1) 3...♗h2+? 4.♔xh2 ♕xd2 5.♗xh5 (threatening mate in two with 6.♕g6+) 5...♕f4+ 6.♗g3 ♕f6 7.♕xf6+ ♔xf6 8.♗d6 ♖xf7 9.♖f1+ ♔e6 10.♖xf7+-;

C2) 3...♕e7!? 4.♕xe7 ♘xe7 5.♖xc8 ♖xc8 6.♗xh5 ♖c1+ 7.♖d1 (7.♗d1 ♗f4=) 7...♖xd1+ 8.♗xd1 ♔xf7 9.♗f3. White still keeps some pressure, and Black has a lot of defending to do to survive;

C3) 3...♗xg6? 4.♖xd6 is the point of White’s previous move;

C4) 3...♘e5! is a nice resource: 4.♖xc8 (4.♗xh5?? ♖xc1+-+) 4...♕xc8 5.♕xc8 ♖xc8 6.♗xh5 ♖c1+ 7.♖d1 (7.♗d1 ♘c4=) 7...♖xd1+ 8.♗xd1 ♔xf7=.

3...♖h8

3...♖xf7? 4.♕h7+ ♔f8 5.♕xh6+ ♔g8 6.♕xh5+-.

TASK 2: Time to think: 3 minutes.

4.♗d4+!

4.♖xc6? is a tempting move that was suggested by many, but it does not work: 4...♖xc6 5.♗d4+ ♔f8 6.♗xh8 ♖c1+ 7.♔f2 (7.♗f1 ♗xf7=) 7...♗xf7 and Black survives again.

4...♘xd4 5.♖xc8!

5.♕xd4+? ♕f6!-+.

5...♕xc8

5...♕b6 6.♖g8++-.

6.♕xd4+ ♔xf7 7.♗c4+ 1-0

Game 107 Level 5

Rustam Kasimdzhanov 2695

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2725

Nalchik 2009 (13)

25.♖c8!

This was missed by White in the game. The exact move order should be found by White.

A) 25.♕xd5?! ♘b6 26.♕b7;

B) 25.♖c6? was played in the game, which threw all White’s advantage away. It soon ended in a draw: 25...♘c4 (25...♘b6 26.♘b7 ♕a8 27.♖xb6 ♕a7=) 26.♕xd5 ♘db6 27.♕e4 ♘d2 28.♕g4 ♘xf1 29.♔xf1 ♘c4 30.♖xa6 ♕e7 31.♔g2 ♖d8 32.♕e4 ♕xe4+ 33.♘xe4 ♗xd4 34.♘d6 ♘xd6 35.♗xd6 ♗g7 36.♖b6 ♗d4 37.♖a6 ♗g7 38.♖b6 ♗d4 39.♖a6 ♗g7 ½-½;

C) 25.♖e1 ♘b6! 26.♖e8 ♖xe8 (26...♕d7 27.♗h3 ♕xe8 28.♘xe8 ♖xe8 29.♗e5!+-) 27.♕xf7+ ♔h8 28.♘xe8 ♕d7!∞.

25...♕e7

25...♕e7 26.♖c6.

26.♖c2!!

26.♖c7?!

analysis diagram

26...♘e5! and now:

A) 27.♕c3?! ♘f3+! (27...♕xd6 28.♗xe5∞) 28.♔h1 (28.♕xf3 ♕xc7 29.♘c4 ♕a7 30.♘xb2 ♕xd4) 28...♗xd4 29.♖xe7 ♗xc3 30.♗g2 ♘xh2 31.♘xf7! ♘g4 32.♗xd5⇆;

B) 27.♗xe5 ♕xc7 28.♘e8 ♕e7 29.♘xg7=.

26...♘c4

A) 26...♘a4 loses to 27.♖e2 ♕d8 28.♖e8;

B) 26...♗xd4 and now:

B1) 27.♖e2! ♘e5 (27...♗e5 28.♕xd5+-) 28.♕xd5 ♘bd3 (28...♖d8 29.♖xe5) 29.♔g2! (29.♕xd4?! ♘f3+ 30.♔h1 ♕xe2!∞) 29...♖d8 30.♕xd4 ♖xd6 31.♕e4! (31.♖xe5 ♘xe5 32.♕xe5 ♕xe5 33.♗xe5 ♖d1) 31...♖e6 32.♕a8+! ♔g7 33.♕d5!;

B2) 27.♕xd5! ♗g7 (27...♗e5 28.♗xe5; 27...♘e5 28.♗e2) 28.♖e2 ♘b6! (28...♕d8 29.♖e8) and now:

B21) 29.♕c6!? ♕d7! (29...♕a7 30.♘e8+-; 29...♕d8 30.♘xf7!; 30.♘b7 ♕d4) 30.♕xb6 ♕g4+ 31.♗g3 ♗d4

analysis diagram

32.♘e4! (32.♘f5 gxf5 33.♕d6 ♘d3 34.♖d2 ♘e1 35.♗g2 ♗c3) 32...♕xe4! (32...♗xb6 33.♘f6++-) 33.♕xa6! (33.♕d6 ♕g4∞) 33...♕g4 34.♔g2;

B22) 29.♕b3 ♕d7 30.♖xb2 ♗xb2 31.♕xb2.

27.♖e2! ♕d8 28.♖e8!

A brilliant geometry by the white rook to trap the queen on its original square. Harikrishna found this idea pretty quickly while solving the position.

10. A materialistic or greedy approach

Not seeing sacrifices for the opponent, not seeing sacrifices from our own side for short- or long-term gains. Some players simply can’t consider any kind of sacrifices in their analysis. They are very attached to material, and playing with equal material gives them a safe feeling.

Game 108 Level 2

Henri Rinck

Study, 1904

White to play and draw

Since it looks almost impossible to stop the opponent’s pawn from queening we need to look at forcing moves. White has to use various available tactical themes to stop Black’s pawns from queening:

1.♖e5+! ♔xd4

1...♔f3 2.♖xe3+! fxe3 3.♘e5+ ♔g2 4.♘d3 ♔f1 5.d5 e1♕ 6.♘xe1 ♔xe1 7.d6 ♔f1 8.d7=. Both sides promote, and the game ends in a draw.

2.♖xe3!

Players who are materialistic in their approach tend to miss sacrifices by their opponent or for themselves. They value material more than keeping their king safe or keeping their pieces active.

2...fxe3 3.♘d2!

The final nuance; the threat of a fork stops the danger of queen promotion.

3...e1♕

3...e1♘+ 4.♔d1 ♔d3 5.♘f1, and White saves the game just in time.

4.♘f3+ ½-½

White used the forking theme at various points to deal with Black’s idea of queening his pawn. He was able to draw because he was willing to sacrifice material to achieve a higher objective. Some players simply cannot bring themselves to do this.

11. Not using the elimination technique properly

Some players analyse an idea, and then realise that their idea does not work after a round of analysis. They try to make their idea work again and again, and are not willing to accept that their idea was wrong to start with. They are not willing to even consider that their idea could be bad. Instead, the player gets upset. The other version of this is Eliminating the right move for the wrong reasons.

Solution:

Accept that not all our moves or ideas are going to work in our favour at all times; when they do not work, simply consider other ideas seriously.

Game 109 Level 2

Leonid Kubbel

Study, 1909

White to play and win

Both sides have passed pawns, and it seems that a race is going to be the decider in this position. White is up an exchange, but Black’s passed pawn is more advanced, so this seems to be a balancing factor. Victory may depend on a solitary tempo, and this gives the position an energetic character.

1.♖h4+!

A very important nuance, driving Black’s king to a worse square and in the end gaining the vital tempo that is needed for victory.

A) A direct approach like 1.g7? doesn’t work due to 1...♗b3+ 2.♔xb3 d1♕+-+;

B) 1.♖f1 d1♕ 2.♖xd1 ♗xd1 3.g7 ♗g4 4.g8♕ ♗e6+ 5.♕xe6 dxe6 6.g4 e5 7.g5 (7.♔b2 e4 8.♔c2 e3 9.♔d3 ♔g3=) 7...e4 8.g6 e3 9.g7 e2 10.g8♕ e1♕=;

C) 1.♖d4 transposes to the 1.♖f1 lines.

1...♔g1

1...♔g3 2.♖d4 d1♕ 3.♖xd1 ♗xd1 4.g7 ♗g4 5.g8♕ – pinning the bishop against the king is a key point of White’s important first move.

2.♖d4 d1♕ 3.♖xd1+ ♗xd1 4.g7 ♗g4 5.g8♕ ♗e6+ 6.♕xe6 dxe6 7.g4 e5 8.g5 e4 9.g6 e3 10.g7 e2 11.g8♕+ 1-0

Queening with check is another fine point that had to be visualised on the very first move! Some players will keep trying to make 1.♖f1 or 1.♖d4 work for a very long time, without accepting at some point that they do not work. Not being willing to eliminate bad ideas from the list of possibilities is a common problem for many upcoming players.

12. A player sees one move with a particular piece and goes to another piece or pawn without seeing other essential or relevant moves with that piece when it does not work

We should complete all good moves with a piece and then move on to another piece in such situations.

13. Sometimes, our mind goes blank and cannot recollect the position we saw earlier

At some point, we get stuck and don’t know what to do. This could be due to low energy levels, lack of proper rest, poor concentration, etc.

Solution:

While making candidate moves, do it properly, so you will always have some other idea to fall back on when this happens. Solve more positions in training and teach yourself the need to keep a high alertness level for a long time, improve your concentration and take adequate rest between games.

14. The position is simply too complex to analyse and come to a correct conclusion

In such situations, a confident player may either choose to intuitively take a confident decision by quickly trusting his instincts. Alternatively, a player can delve deeply into the position and struggle to find his way through the complications. The second approach is a risky proposition for players who tend to get into time trouble. However, this is the approach they are more likely to take. This is not because they believe in their analytical skills, but more about their inability to trust their instincts and their fear of making mistakes while making their decision.

Game 110 Level 4

Veselin Topalov 2796

Gata Kamsky 2725

Sofia 2009 (7)

Black’s a-pawn is quite advanced, but White has a good central piece placement and a formidable central passed pawn as well. The presence of opposite-coloured bishops with major pieces remaining on the board usually signals an advantage for the side who can create attacking chances.

28.♖ec1?

White stumbles and goes in the wrong direction.

A) 28.♕xf5!?=;

B) 28.♖xa3!. Getting rid of Black’s passed pawn is a front runner among the candidate moves. However, there are lots of nuances in the follow-up: 28...♗b3 (28...♗c6 29.♗f6!!+-). Perhaps White rejected this line, thinking the d-pawn would fall, but he has a very surprising way to keep the initiative going: 29.♗f6!! gives up a piece to open up Black’s castled king position: 29...gxf6 30.♕xf6+ ♔g8 31.♖xa8 (31.♕g5+ ♔h8) 31...♖xa8

analysis diagram

B1) 32.h4!. White needs to make luft for his king, and at the same time uses the h-pawn as a participant in his future attack:

B11) 32...♕a6 33.d6 ♗f7 (33...♕c6 34.♖e3 ♗f7 35.♖g3+ ♗g6 36.h5+-) 34.♕g5+ ♗g6 35.d7+-;

B12) 32...♕xd5 33.♖e7 (33.♖e3? ♕d1+ 34.♔h2 ♗f7! 35.♖g3+ ♗g6=; the h5-square is under control) 33...♕d1+ 34.♔h2 ♕g4 35.♖e3! ♖f8 (35...f4 36.♖e5+-)

analysis diagram

B121) 36.♕h6. In this line, White’s queen is somewhat less mobile on h6 compared to a more central square, and this may be enough for Black to equalise the game: 36...f4! (36...♕b4 37.♖g3+ ♔f7 38.♕g7+ ♔e6 39.♖e3+ ♔d5 40.♖xb3 ♕xb3 41.♕xf8 ♕c2 Sutovsky) 37.♖xb3 (37.♖e5 ♖f5 38.♖e8+ ♔f7) 37...♖f7! 38.♖b6! f3! 39.g3 ♕d4=;

B122) 36.♕e7! (centralisation!) 36...♖f7 37.♕d8+ ♖f8 38.♕c7! f4 39.♖xb3 ♖f7 (39...♕xh4+ 40.♖h3+-; 39...f3 40.g3+-) 40.♕b8+ ♔g7! (40...♖f8?? 41.♕xb7+-) 41.♕e5+. Black’s king is still open and with only major pieces left on the board, he has to solve a lot more problems in defence, despite material equality and relatively little material remaining on the board.

B2) 32.h3 is not as good because it does not use the h-pawn as an attacking unit: 32...♕a6! (32...♕c7 33.♖e3+-) 33.d6 ♕c6 (33...♗f7 34.♕g5+ ♔h8 35.♕xf5+-) 34.♖e3 ♗f7!=. Compare this with the 32.h4 line where White had the option of ♖g3 followed by h4-h5 !

28...♗c2! 29.♕d7?

It does not make sense to let Black’s a-pawn live.

29.♕e3 ♖ad8 30.♕xa3 ♖xd5.

29...a2 30.d6 b5 31.♕b7

31...♖eb8?

31...b4 32.d7 ♖eb8, and Black is winning.

32.♕c7 ♖c8?

32...♗d3! 33.♖xc4 bxc4 34.♕xb8+ ♖xb8 35.h4 ♖b1+ 36.♔h2 ♖xa1 37.d7 ♖h1+ 38.♔g3 f4+ 39.♔xf4 h5 40.d8♕+ ♔h7 41.♗f6! would have led to a draw.

33.♕xc4 ♖xc4 34.d7 ♗b1 35.♖d1!

35.♖xc4 bxc4 36.d8♕+ ♖xd8 37.♗xd8 c3 38.♗a5 c2 39.♗d2+-.

35...♔g8 36.d8♕+ ♖xd8 37.♗xd8 ♗c2 38.♖dc1 b4 39.♖xa2 b3 40.♖a8 ♔f7 41.♖b8 ♔e6 42.♖e1+ ♔d5 43.♗e7 ♖a4 44.♗f8 ♖a7 45.h4 1-0