Chapter 53
The counterattack
A counterattack is an assault launched in response to an attack by the opponent. It is one of the most effective means of defence, because, after all, not for nothing is it said that attack is the best form of defence!
330 *
Vladimir Tukmakov
Josif Dorfman
Leningrad tt 1975
18…g5!
Active prophylaxis. Black defends his king against the threat of e4-e5, and wins an important tempo by the attack against d4.
19.h3 ♘c6 20.♕xb5
On the passive 20.♖d1, Black continues to play on the dark squares with the move 20…♔f8! – the king goes to a safer square and defends the ♖e8, which is necessary for the threat of …♘c6-b4.
20…♖b8!
The dark squares are creaking, and the queen faces a discovered attack.
21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5
22…♕xf3!
This nice exchanging operation ensures Black a decisive advantage in the endgame.
23.gxf3 ♗xf2+ 24.♔xf2 ♖xb5 25.♗e4 ♖xb2+ 26.♔g3 ♗b7 27.♘c3 ♘e7 28.♖b1 ♖xb1 29.♗xb1 ♔g7 30.♘b5 c5 31.♘d6 ♗c6 32.f4 gxf4+ 33.♔xf4
33…♘g6+ 34.♔f5 ♗d7+ 35.♔e4 ♗xh3 36.♔d5 ♗e6+ 37.♔xc5 ♘xe5 38.♔d4 ♘d7 39.♔e4 ♔f6 40.♔f4 ♘f8 41.♘e4+ ♔e7 42.♘g3 ♘g6+ 43.♔f3 ♔f6 44.♘e4+ ♔e5 45.♘g3 f5
0-1
331 **
Efim Geller
Max Euwe
Zurich ct 1953 (2)
White intends to bring the rook to h4 and mate Black. What can the latter do in reply? Black is not ready for a full-scale battle on the kingside, so he must either stabilise the centre or worry White on the queenside.
16…b5!
The strongest. The queen gets the b6-square, from where she forces White to think about defence, because d4 will hang.
A reasonable alternative was 16…e5!? – this is aimed against the white dark-squared bishop developing activity: 17.♖h4 d5! (Black replies to flank play with a blow in the centre) 18.♕h5 dxe4 19.♕xh7+ ♔f7 20.♗xc4+ ♖xc4 – the black king has escaped towards the centre and White is losing d4 as well.
17.♖h4 ♕b6 18.e5
Because she is tied to the defence of d4, the white queen cannot be brought out to h5.
On 18.♗xc4, the strongest move is 18…bxc4! (Black also has an advantage after 18…♖xc4 19.♗e3 ♖c3 20.♗f2, but here the position remains sharp) 19.♗e3 ♕b3!, and White already needs to defend the bishop.
18…♘xe5 19.fxe6
The sharp 19.♕h5 is refuted by the calm 19…♘xd3 20.♕xh7+ ♔f7 21.fxe6+ ♕xe6 22.♕xd3 ♕e1+ 23.♕f1 ♕xf1+ 24.♘xf1 ♘d6, with a winning endgame.
19…♘xd3 20.♕xd3
20.exd7 ♖xc1 21.♖xc1 ♘xc1–+.
20…♕xe6 21.♕xh7+ ♔f7 22.♗h6
Black is better after 22.♗d2 ♕d5 23.♕h5+ ♕xh5 24.♖xh5 ♖c2.
22…♖h8 23.♕xh8 ♖c2
24.♖c1?
In a practical game, it is impossible to find the narrow path that saves the position: 24.d5!!. The bishop is lured to where it will be under attack, and will close off important squares to its own queen. 24…♗xd5 25.♖d1!! ♖xg2+ 26.♔f1 ♖a2 (nothing is achieved by 26…gxh6 27.♕xh6! ♗f3 28.♖d2 ♖xd2 29.♕xd2) 27.♗d2! ♗c4+ 28.♔f2 ♕b6+ 29.♔f3 ♗d5+ (White also saves himself in the variation 29…♖xa3+ 30.♔g2 ♗d5+ 31.♘e4 ♕c6! 32.♕h7 ♖a4 33.♗b4 ♗xe4+ 34.♕xe4 ♖xb4 35.♕xc6 ♖b2+ 36.♔g1 dxc6 37.♖e4 – Black has numerous extra pawns, but his knight is very bad) 30.♔e2 ♗c4+ 31.♔f3, with a repetition of moves.
24…♖xg2+ 25.♔f1 ♕b3!
Only from this square can the queen join in the attack with decisive effect.
26.♔e1 ♕f3
White resigned.
332 ***
Frank Marshall
Akiba Rubinstein
Lodz 1908 (7)
The game Karpov-Kasparov, Moscow 1985 (match/5), that we examined in Chapter 18, shows how dangerous White’s attack on the b1-h7 diagonal can be in such a position. To avoid such a scenario, Black needs to find a way to change the character of the battle. In this case, he can take the bait on h4, exploiting his well centralised pieces:
16…♗xh4!?
An interesting, though not wholly one-sided, decision.
Black also had the possibility of bringing his last piece into play, since White has not yet castled: 16…♖ac8, and the queen alone is not going to give mate: 17.♕d3 ♘e5 18.♕h7+ ♔f7 19.0-0 ♕d6!, freeing the e7-square for the king. Black has sufficient counterplay here, but psychologically, a position with some weakened squares and his king in the centre is not especially pleasant.
17.g3 ♗xg3
17…♗f6 18.♕d3 ♖fc8 allows Black to win a pawn, but leaves the initiative with White.
18.fxg3 ♕g5 19.♕d3
The most natural – White defends his central pawn and creates his own threats.
Objectively, the strongest move is 19.♘e2, provoking exchanges and a transition into an endgame that is somewhat better for White. Finding such a move in a real game is very difficult, because it seems that after 19…♘e5 (19…♕xe3 20.♕d3 ♕xd3 21.♗xd3
– Black faces a fight for a draw), the threat of a check on f3 is unstoppable. But in fact, there is no need to stop it, and White should just calmly defend e3: 20.♖c3!. Now, it turns out that the check on f3 gives Black nothing, since White escapes to f2 and then g2, or closes the f-file with the knight from f4. One hardly need say that finding another such defensive super-resource is not very realistic, but even in this case, the position retains its sharpness, and the battle is for three results.
Now, so that the counterattack has chances of success, it is essential to include the knight, all the more so because when landing on e5, it will gain a tempo. But for the moment, a check is threatened on h7, and so Black must close the diagonal.
19…♖f5!
In the game, Black departed from the correct course with 19…♕xg3+?, which only drives the white king to where he will be impossible to get at: 20.♔d2 ♖f2+ 21.♘e2 ♘e5 22.♕h7+ ♔f7? (more tenacious was 22…♔f8, when after 23.♕h8+ ♔e7 24.♕xa8 ♘c4+ 25.♖xc4 ♖xe2+ 26.♔xe2 ♕g2+ 27.♔d3 dxc4+ 28.♔c3 ♕xh1 29.♗c2, Black can still put up some resistance) 23.♖c7+ ♔f6 24.♖xh6+, and Black resigned.
20.♘e2 ♘e5
Another possibility was 20…♖af8, bringing up the last piece.
21.♕b3 ♖f3
Now, after both 22.♕xb7 and 22.♖c3, there follows 22…♖af8, in both cases with more than sufficient compensation for the piece.
333 ***
Alexander Beliavsky
2645
Garry Kasparov
2750
Belfort 1988 (11)
The relative value of any of White’s pieces is greater than their opposite numbers, but his king is already exposed, and Black’s pawns attack with tempi:
17…b5! 18.♕h4
18.♕xb5 ♘c7 – a fork!
18…♘b4 19.♗xg6?
This tempting blow meets a nice refutation.
The path to salvation was a narrow one: 19.♖d6 c4 20.♗e4 c3!
analysis diagram
21.♖1d4!! (the only reliable defence against 21…c2) 21…cxb2+ 22.♔xb2 ♕c5 23.a3 ♖ac8 (nothing is changed by 23…♖fc8 24.axb4 ♕c1+ 25.♔a2, since the attempt to find employment for the rook on the a-file does not succeed: 25…a5? 26.♖d8+ ♗f8 27.♖xc8 ♖xc8 28.♕g5! – and Black does not even have perpetual check) 24.axb4 ♕c1+ 25.♔a2 ♖c3 26.♖a6!, and Black is forced to give a perpetual after 26…♖c2+ 27.♗xc2 ♕xc2+.
19…fxg6
19…hxg6? 20.♘g5 ♖e8 21.♖d7+–.
20.♖d7
White is attacking, but it is his own king, forgotten by everyone, that dies:
20…♕e8! 21.♖e7
21.a3 ♘c6–+.
21…♗h6+! 22.♔b1 ♖d8!
The white king is getting mated.
23.♖d6
An elegant smothered mate follows after 23.♖e1 ♕c6 (23…g5–+) 24.♕xh6 ♖d1+ 25.♖xd1 ♕e4+ 26.♔a1 ♘c2+ 27.♔b1 ♘a3+ 28.♔a1 ♕b1+ 29.♖xb1 ♘c2#.
Is Black’s queen trapped? No!
23…♕c6! 24.a3
24.♕xh6 ♕e4+–+.
24…♖xd6 25.exd6 ♕xd6 26.axb4 cxb4 27.♕e4 b3
0-1
334 ***
Vladimir Akopian
2703
Evgeny Bareev
2734
Aix-les-Bains 2003 (1)
Black’s position causes some concern – the h6-pawn hangs, and there is also a threat of g2-g4-g5. In such positions, attempting to defend one’s weaker flank is usually doomed to failure – one does not have enough space, and it is easier for White to bring up additional forces for the attack. Against a flank attack, the traditional remedy is a counter in the centre, especially when the black pieces are all pointing at that sector:
22…c5! 23.dxc5 ♘xc5 24.♗xh6
Here, the bishop is out of play for a long time.
More consequential was 24.g4!, trying to prepare g4-g5. After a line such as 24…♔h7 25.♖g1 (the straightforward 25.g5? is not good due to 25…hxg5 26.♗xg5 ♗xe5 27.♕xe5 f6) 25…a6 (retreating the knight to c5 could lead to a somewhat inferior endgame, but 25…♕b4!? is also interesting) 26.♖b3 ♕a5 27.♖c3 ♗xe5 28.♗xe5 f6 29.♗d4 ♘a4 30.♖b3 (30.♖a3 ♖d7! 31.b3 ♕d8=) 30…e5 31.♕e4+ ♔h8 32.♗e3 ♘c5 33.♗xc5 ♕xc5 34.♖xb7 ♕xf2 35.♖c1 ♕c5 36.♖xg7 (risky is 36.♕g6 ♖g8 37.g5 fxg5 38.♕xa6
– the black passed pawns look no weaker than White’s) 36…♔xg7 37.♕g6+ ♔h8, the game could end in a draw.
24…♗xe5!
Ignoring the bishop standing on h6, Black creates his own play, directed at taking total control of the d-file:
25.♕xe5 f6 26.♕e3
26…♖d7!
Very calm. Black prepares to double rooks, and at the same time defends g7, ‘just in case’.
With the same idea, 26…♖f7 27.♕c1 ♕c6 28.♗e3 ♘d3 29.♕d1 (29.♕c2 ♘b4 30.♕g6 f5
) 29…♕xg2 30.♖g1 ♕e4 31.♕g4 could lead to unclear play.
27.♗f4?
Now, the bishop ends up further out of play on g3, from where it cannot help defend the weakened queenside.
It was essential to play 27.♕c1!, intending to return the bishop to e3. 27…♘d3 (27…gxh6 28.♕xh6+ ♔g8 29.♖g3+ ♔f7 30.♖g7+ ♔e8 31.♕g6+ ♔d8 32.♖xd7+ ♘xd7 33.h6 ♕c5 34.h7 ♖h8 35.♕g8+ ♕f8 36.♕xe6 ♕g7 is a more complicated path to equality) 28.♕c2 ♘xb2 29.♕xb2 gxh6 30.♕xb6 axb6 leads to an equal rook ending.
27…e5 28.h6 g6 29.♗g3
The bishop cannot remain en prise for ever, but now it is cut off from the queenside, which is also weakened – Black’s attack now develops of its own accord.
29…♖fd8 30.h7?
Rather more tenacious was 30.♖c3, returning one of his pieces to the defence of the king.
Dynamics – ‘quiet’ moves / prophylaxis in the middle of an attack
analysis diagram
However, the calm 30…♔h7! blockades the h6-pawn, and deprives White of all combinational motifs connected with taking on e5 with the bishop. Black retains all the advantages of his position and a mating attack is not far away.
30…♖d2 31.♗xe5 ♕e6!
Black had foreseen earlier this possibility of bringing over the queen, whereas White had missed it.
32.♗xf6+ ♕xf6 33.♕c3 ♕xc3 34.♖xc3 ♖xf2 35.♖c2 ♖dd2
0-1
Additional material
Karpov-Kasparov, Moscow Wch match/2 1985
Kasparov-Karpov, New York Wch match/4 1990