Chapter 31

The seesaw

The seesaw (called ‘Zwickmühle by Aron Nimzowitsch) is a typical combination involving a series of checks and discovered checks by the attacking side. With each discovered check, he takes an enemy unit. For the side that manages to set up a seesaw, there is a perpetual check at a minimum, but usually such a construction will win, as the defender can only watch while all or most of his pieces are taken, one by one, whilst his king just shuffles from one square to the other and back again.

178 *

Carlos Torre Repetto

Emanuel Lasker

Moscow 1925

White exploits the weakness of g7 with a striking combination:

25.♗f6! ♕xh5 26.♖xg7+ ♔h8 27.♖xf7+ ♔g8 28.♖g7+ ♔h8 29.♖xb7+ ♔g8 30.♖g7+ ♔h8 31.♖g5+ ♔h7 32.♖xh5

The rook has taken the greater part of the black army. Realising the material advantage is elementary.

32…♔g6 33.♖h3 ♔xf6 34.♖xh6+ ♔g5 35.♖h3 ♖eb8 36.♖g3+ ♔f6 37.♖f3+ ♔g6 38.a3 a5 39.bxa5 ♖xa5 40.♘c4 ♖d5 41.♖f4 ♘d7 42.♖xe6+ ♔g5 43.g3

Black resigned.

179 **

Tamaz Gelashvili

2535

Rustam Kasimdzhanov

2652

Deizisau 2004 (6)

In all probability in time-trouble, White missed that his queen still had a chance to hide from attack.

32.♗xd6?

Allowing a seesaw, a serious mistake. White could retain an obvious advantage with the brave 32.♕a7! ♗xg2 33.♕xb6 ♗xf1 (33…♗b7 34.a3 ♘d5 (34…♘e4 35.♘h2!) 35.♕b3) 34.♔xf1 ♗xg3 35.♕xf6 ♗xh4 36.♕c6 ♖d2 37.♖c2.

32…♖xg2+ 33.♔h1 ♖xf2+ 34.♔g1 ♖g2+ 35.♔h1 ♖xb2+ 36.♔g1 ♖g2+ 37.♔h1 ♖xa2+ 38.♔g1 ♖g2+ 39.♔h1 ♖f2+ 40.♔g1 ♖g2+ 41.♔h1

Black has eliminated all the white pawns on the second rank with his seesaw, and now it is time to take something bigger!

41…♖c2+! 42.♕xb7 ♖xc1 43.♕xb6 ♘e4 44.♔g2 ♖xd6 45.♕b7 ♖f6 46.♕xe4 ♖cxf1

The position has simplified and Black has a decisive material advantage.