Chapter 42

Drawing out the king

By this we mean forcing the king to leave its protected place behind its pawns and to come out into the middle of the board, where it can be attacked. Drawing out the king is usually achieved with a sacrifice, attack or threats. Seeing the king fleeing for its life across the board is always a pleasure for the attacker, but the attack needs to be carefully calculated, because it usually involves sacrifices.

244 *

Anatoly Karpov

2740

Veselin Topalov

2640

Dos Hermanas 1994 (9)

When the queen is on e4 and the rook on e8, one naturally wants to be able to fork them. The f6-square is guarded only by the king, and is under an x-ray from the white queen. Thus, we get the following tactical motif:

30.♘f6! ♔xf6 31.♗e5+! ♔xe5 32.♕xe4+ ♔xe4 33.♖e1+ ♔f5 34.♖xe8

As a result of a forcing combination, two black bishops are under attack.

34…♗e6 35.♖xf8 ♗xa2 36.♖c8

Black resigned.

245 *

Sopio Gvetadze

2377

Salome Melia

2422

Tbilisi ch-GEO W 2009 (7)

The correct decision is not to drive the white king further towards the corner, but to draw him out into the centre:

16…♗h3+!

In the game, Black missed the win and chose the quiet developing move 16…♖ad8?. White was not up to the task, and after 17.♖e5? (she could have avoided loss of a piece with the only move 17.♔g1! ♕g5 18.c4 ♗xd5 19.cxd5 ♖xd5 20.♕xa7 ♖d2 21.♕e3 ♕d5 22.♕e4=) 17…♖xd5 18.♕xd5 ♗xd5 19.♖xe7 ♗xh1 20.c4 ♗c6, lost anyway.

17.♗g2 ♕xe1+! 18.♔xe1 ♗xg2

Driving the king into the open.

19.♖g1 ♖ae8+ 20.♔d1 ♖d8–+

246 **

Tejas Bakre

2492

Beata Kadziolka

2298

Pardubice 2004 (6)

We have before us a tabiya from the Dragon Sicilian. The kings are castled on opposite sides and so the fact that Black is currently a pawn down is not really noticed.

16…♖xc2+!!

A brilliant tactical blow. Black starts an operation to flush out the white king from its home on c1.

Before and after this game, Black had tried 16…♗a4 17.♕e3 ♗xb3 18.♕xb3 ♖c7 19.♖he1. Although he has full compensation for the pawn, the position has a non-concrete character and the statistics here are in White’s favour.

After 16…♗xd4 17.♕xd4 ♗a4, the reply 18.c4! is very unpleasant, exploiting geometrical motifs.

17.♗xc2

17.♔xc2? ♗f5+ loses.

But interesting is 17.♕xc2!? ♖c8 18.♕xc8+ ♗xc8 19.♔b1 ♗f5+ 20.♔a1 ♗xd4 (20…h5!? 21.♗xg7 ♔xg7 22.♖he1 ♔f6 23.♖e2 ♕a7 24.♖de1 ♗d3= Miyazmetov-Vakhidov, Tashkent ch-UZB 2009) 21.♖xd4 ♕c5 22.♖hd1 (22.♖c4 ♕f2 23.♖xb4 ♕xg2; 22.♖d2 ♕e3 23.♖hd1 h5) 22…♔g7! 23.g4 ♗c2! 24.♗xc2 ♕xc2 25.♖4d2 ♕c4 26.♖d3 ♕c2 27.♖3d2 ♕c4=.

17…♕xa2

18.♕f2?

A mistake. White overestimates his position. Alternatives were:

A) 18.♕xb4? ♗h6+ 19.♖d2 ♕a1+ 20.♗b1 ♗f5–+;

B) 18.♗xg7? ♕a1+ 19.♗b1 ♖c8+ 20.♗c3 ♗f5–+;

C) 18.b3? ♖c8 19.♗xg7 (19.♕f2 ♗xd4 20.♖xd4 ♕a1+ 21.♔d2 ♖xc2+!!–+) 19…♗f5 20.♗b2 ♕xb3–+;

D) Correct was 18.♕e3! ♖c8 19.♔d2 ♖xc2+! 20.♔xc2 ♕c4+ 21.♔d2 ♗xd4 22.♕xe7 (22.♕d3 ♕xd5 23.g4 ♗b5–+) 22…♗b5. We have a position of dynamic equality, e.g.: 23.♕e4 ♗c3+ 24.♔c1 ♗xb2+ 25.♔b1 (25.♔xb2 ♕c3+ 26.♔b1 ♕b3+ 27.♔c1 ♕a3+ 28.♔b1 ♕b3+=) 25…♕c5!, and White should probably take the bishop, going into the drawn variation. 26.♔xb2 ♕c3+=.

18…♖c8 19.♔d2?

The decisive mistake. The king leaves his home, but mistakenly. His many pieces will not manage to protect him.

It was still possible to save the game, but it involves the king tiptoeing through a minefield. All of White’s moves in the following variation are forced: 19.♗xg7 f6!! (19…♗f5 20.♗d4 b3 21.♔d2 ♖xc2+ 22.♔e1 ♖xf2 23.♔xf2) 20.♔d2 ♕xb2 21.♖c1 b3 22.♕a7!! ♕c3+ (22…♖xc2+ 23.♖xc2 bxc2 24.♖c1 ♕b4+ 25.♔xc2 ♗a4+ 26.♔d3 ♕a3+ 27.♔d4 ♕xc1 28.♕xe7 ♕c5+ 29.♔e4 ♗c2+ 30.♔f4 ♕d4+ 31.♔g3=) 23.♔e2 ♗b5+ 24.♔f2 ♕d2+ 25.♔g3 b2 26.♗xf6! bxc1♕ 27.♖xc1 exf6 28.♗xg6 ♕g5+ 29.♔f2 ♕h4+ 30.♔e3 ♖f8 31.♕b7 hxg6 32.♕xb5 ♕h6+ 33.f4 ♕xh2 34.♔f3=.

19…♖xc2+!

The second sacrifice on c2, this time decisive.

20.♔xc2 ♕c4+ 21.♔d2

21.♗c3 ♗f5+–+; or 21.♔b1 ♗f5+ 22.♔a1 ♕a6#.

21…♗xd4 22.♕e2

22.♕f1 ♗c3+–+.

22…♗c3+! 23.♔e3 ♕c5+ 24.♔e4

24.♔f4 ♗e5+ 25.♔g5 f6+ 26.♔h4 g5+ 27.♔h5 ♕c8 28.♕d3 ♔g7–+.

24…♗f5+ 25.♔f4 ♗e5+ 26.♔g5 f6+ 27.♔h4

Could the white king, when it sat on c1, have ever thought he would face such a long journey?

27…g5+

White resigned, because of 28.♔h5 ♗g6+ 29.♔h6 (29.♔g4 ♕c8#) 29…♕c8, and there is no defence against mate.

247 **

Konstantin Landa

2642

Sergei Yudin

2548

Russia tt 2013 (3)

Black has a whole extra exchange, but White has the advantage.

26.f5! exf5 27.♗xf7+!

A tempting blow.

27.exf5 ♕b4!∞.

27…♔xf7 28.♕c4+ ♔f6

He loses after 28…♔g6? 29.♗xe7 ♖xe7 (29…h6 30.exf5+ ♔h7 31.f6 ♘g6 32.♕f7+–) 30.♘xc6 ♖xe4 31.♖d6+ ♔h5 32.♕f7++–.

Now, White could win with

29.♗e5+!

In the game, he erred with 29.e5+? and the game was drawn after various adventures.

29…♔g6

29…♔xe5 30.♘f3+ ♔f6 31.♖d6+ ♘e6 32.♕xe6#.

30.♘xc6!

This move, freeing the d6-square for the rook with tempo, is what White had missed in his calculations.

30…♖ad8

On 30…♘xc6, there follows the beautiful mate 31.♖d6+ ♔g5 (31…♔h5 32.♕e2++–) 32.♕c1+ ♔h5 33.♕d1+ ♔h4 (33…♔g5 34.♗f4+ ♔xf4 35.♕f3+ ♔g5 36.♕xf5+ ♔h4 37.g3#) 34.♖h6+ gxh6 35.♗f6#.

31.exf5+ ♘xf5 32.♕g4+ ♔f7 33.♘xa5+–

248 **

Training position

Konstantin Landa

White can mate with a series of fireworks:

1.♕h6+!! ♔xh6 2.hxg6+ ♔g5 3.♖h5+!! ♔xh5 4.f4+ ♘xe2

4…♕f3+ 5.♗xf3+ ♘xf3 6.♖h1+ ♘h4 7.♘f6+ ♔h6 8.♖xh4+ ♔g7 9.♘e8+ ♖xe8 10.♖xh7+ ♔f6 11.♖xf7#.

5.♘f6+! ♔h6 6.♖h1+ ♔g7

7.♘e8+!!

Deflecting the rook from f8.

7…♖xe8 8.♖xh7+ ♔f6 9.♖xf7#

249 ***

Michal Krasenkow

2668

Hikaru Nakamura

2648

Barcelona 2007 (2)

White had been counting on exploiting the tactical motif of the X-ray of the ♖b1 on the black queen. However, he failed to appreciate the vulnerability of the f2-square, a pawn defended only by the king.

20…♖xc6! 21.♗xf6

Black wins equally attractively after 21.♖xe7 ♖xe7 22.♗a3 c3!! (22…♖e5 23.♖xb6 ♖xb6 24.♕a1 still allows White to resist) 23.♖xb6 cxd2 24.♖xa6 ♖c1 25.♗f3 ♖xd1+ 26.♗xd1 ♖e1+ 27.♔g2 g6 – the passed pawn brings Black victory.

21…♕xf2+!

The sacrifice of a bishop on this square is a typical idea, but it is rare to get a chance of doing so with the queen. The white king is forced to undertake a journey across the board, which will end in his death.

22.♔xf2 ♗c5+ 23.♔f3 ♖xf6+ 24.♔g4 ♘e5+ 25.♔g5

On 25.♖xe5, the inclusion of the bishop with 25…♗c8+ is decisive.

25…♖g6+ 26.♔h5 f6 27.♖xe5 ♖xe5+ 28.♔h4 ♗c8

The trap closes. White resigned.

250 ***

Emanuel Berg

2550

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

2699

Gibraltar 2012 (10)

We have a position from one of the very sharpest lines of the Sicilian Najdorf, the so-called Poisoned Pawn Variation, where Black takes the b2-pawn with his queen. What should White do? After all, if he takes on e6, the black knight jumps to e5 with tempo. But even so…

16.♘xe6! ♘e5 17.♘xf8 ♘xd3 18.♘g6+ ♔h7

18…♔g8 19.♘xe7+ ♔f7 20.♘cd5+–.

19.♗xd3!

Suddenly, it turns out that to win material, the black king has to go for a walk in the fresh air.

19…♔xg6

The black king did not last long in the following encounter: 19…♗d8 20.♘d5 b5? (20…♘xd5 21.exd5 ♗xh4 22.♖b3 ♕a4 23.♘e7+ ♗f5 24.♗xf5+ ♔h8 25.♘g6+ ♔g8 26.♖xb7↑) 21.♘ge7! ♗xe7 22.♘xe7 ♗b7 23.♗xf6 gxf6 24.♖xf6 ♕xa2 25.♖bf1 ♔g7 26.♖g6+ ♔h8 27.e5, and Black resigned, Bobras-Maksimenko, Germany Bundesliga 2011/12.

20.e5+ ♔h5

White also has a deadly attack after 20…♔f7 21.exf6 gxf6 (21…♗xf6 22.♘d5+–) 22.♘d5 ♕c5 23.♘xf6+–.

21.exf6 ♗xf6

The pawn fork also does not save the game: 21…gxf6 22.♖b3 ♕c5 (22…♕a5 23.♘e4 d5 24.♗e2+ ♔g6 25.♖g3+ ♔f7 26.♘xf6+–; 22…♕xb3 23.cxb3 ♔xh4 24.g3+ ♔g4 25.♘d5 ♗d8 26.♔g2 ♗d7 27.h3+ ♔h5 28.h4 ♖c8 29.♖xf6+–) 23.♘e4 ♕a7 24.♘g3+ ♔xh4 25.♖b4+ ♗g4 26.♖f5 ♕c5 27.♖xg4+ ♔xg4 28.♗e2+ ♔h4 29.♖f4+ ♔g5 30.♖g4#.

22.♗xf6 gxf6 23.♖b3 ♕a5 24.♖xf6 ♗d7 25.♘e4 ♗g4 26.h3 ♖g8 27.hxg4+ ♖xg4 28.♗e2 ♕e1+ 29.♔h2

Black resigned.