Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player

Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player demystifies chessboard planning, giving you the practical, game-winning strategic techniques you could spend years gathering on your own. Each idea is explained and illustrated using games carefully chosen for their instructive clarity and power.

"The Comprehensive Chess Course is simply the best chess instruction I have ever seen. I am a player who has been reading chess books for 40 years without getting any better. Lev Alburt taught me basic things about the game that none of the other books ever taught me. He is a brilliant teacher, and his books capture that brilliance."

- Charles Murray, author of What It Means to be a Libertarian

"In the Comprehensive Chess Course, volumes 3 and 4, Grandmaster Alburt boldly promises to deliver the most effective tactics and the best techniques for attack and defense of the king. He has managed to live up completely to his pledge. A truly great work!"

- GM Maxim Dlugy former World Junior Chess Champion and former US Chess Federation President

Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player stands alone. And it is also the fifth volume of the Comprehensive Chess Course, a series that brings English readers the once strictly guarded and time-tested Russian training methods, the key to the 50-year Russian dominance of the chess world. The Comprehensive Chess Course takes you from beginner to tournament expert.

International Grandmaster Lev Alburt, a three-time US champion and former European champion, is called the "grandmaster of chess teachers." This famed teacher, who helps students of all strengths and ages, has spent years translating secret lesson plans used to produce a long line of Soviet world champions. The Comprehensive Chess Course series is the result. His co-author is GM Sam Palatnik, a former captain of the Ukranian squad that recently won the silver medal in the world team championship ahead of Russia! GM Palatnik is renowned for putting into practice many of the brilliant ideas included in this book.

Contents

009Introduction

013Chapter 1: Good and Bad Bishops

014 Game 1: Alatortsev - Levenfish, Leningrad, 1937

018 Game 2: Taylor - Alekhine, Hastings, 1936/37

020 Game 3: Palatnik - Dandridge, Chicago, 1996

029 Game 4: Botvinnik - Kan, Leningrad, 1939

034Learning Exercise 1-1: A "bad" bishop to the defense!

Learning Exercise 1-2: Exchanging the fianchettoed bishop

035 Petrosian - Gheorghiu, Moscow, 1967

037Chapter 2: Bishops of Opposite Color

038 Game 5: Matulovich - Botvinnik, Belgrade, 1970

039 Game 6: Durisch, Han & Hisler - Tarrasch, Nuremberg, 1904

051 Game 7: Rubinstein - Spielmann, Zemmering, 1926

Learning Exercise 2-1: Opposite-color bishop as "top dog"

056 Petrosian - Polugaevsky, 4th match game, 1970

Learning Exercise 2-2: Weak batteries

059 Larsen - Gligoric, Moscow, 1956

061 Game 8: Kaidanov - Palatnik, Asheville, 1995

068Chapter 3: Cutting Off a Piece From the Main Action

068 Game 9: Winter - Capablanca, Hastings, 1919

072 Game 10: Bronstein - Beliavsky, Erevan, 1975

080 Game 11: Anand - Ivanchuk, Las Palmas, 1996

085 Game 12: Hort - Alburt, Decin, 1977

092Chapter 4: When the Bishop is Stronger Than the Knight

092 Game 13: Smyslov - Tal, Moscow, 1964

101 Game 14: Dolmatov - Smirin, Rostov-on-Don, 1993

106Chapter 5: When the Knight is Stronger Than the Bishop

107 Game 15: Lasker, Em. - Cohn, St. Petersburg, 1909

110 Game 16: Savon - Spassky, Erevan, 1962

115 Game 17: Karpov - Taimanov, USSR, 1983

Learning Exercise 5-1: Knights or bishops?

123 Lputian - Gufeld, USSR, 1983

Learning Exercise 5-2: Well coordinated effort

125 Kasparov - Nunn, Brussels, 1989

Learning Exercise 5-3: Getter's pawn sac

126 Pilnik - Geller, Goteborg, 1955

127Chapter 6: The Bishop Pair

127A. Two bishops as an advantage in the middlegame

129 Game 18: Alekhine - Wennik, Prague, 1931

131 Game 19: Bogoljubov - Janowsky, New York, 1924

134 Game 20: Ivanchuk - Anand, Buenos Aires, 1994

141B. How to play against the two bishops

142 Game 21: Brinkman - Nimzovich, Denmark, 1922

144 Game 22: Psakhis - Tukmakov, Rostov-on-Don, 1993

148Chapter 7: Fighting on the Long Diagonals

148 Game 23: Instructive Example

150 Game 24: Barczay - Mikhalchishin, Keckemet, 1983

151 Game 25: Rutkovsky - Neff, Krasnojarsk, 1992

153 Game 26: Reti - Yates, New York, 1924

157 Game 27: Palatnik - Stohl, Tallinn, 1986

163 Game 28: Palatnik - Mestrovich, Albena, 1977

168 Game 29: Geller - Velimirovich, Havana, 1971

Learning Exercise 7-1: Open or closed?

173 Hartloub - Aficio, 1887

174Chapter 8: Open Files and Diagonals

174 Game 30: Korchnoi - Sokolov, Wijk-aan-Zee, 1993

175 Game 31: Chiburdanidze - Larsen, Vienna, 1993

176 Game 32: Botvinnik - Larsen, Palma de Majorca, 1967

178A. Exploitation of open and half-open files

178 Game 33: Meduna - Palatnik, Frunze, 1979

182 Game 34: Botvinnik - Boleslavsky, Moscow, 1945

185 Game 35: Nimzovich - Capablanca, New York, 1927

189 Game 36: Kramnik - Kozlov, USSR, 1989

190B. Open files and the attack on the king

190 Game 37: Keres - Capablanca, Amsterdam, 1938

193 Game 38: Lempert - Tiviakov, St. Petersburg, 1993

194C. Outpost on the open file

195 Game 39: Fine - Botvinnik, Amsterdam, 1938

197 Game 40: Tarrasch - Blackbume, Manchester, 1890

199 Game 41: Karpov - Timman, Zwolle, 1993

202D. The 7th (2nd) rank

202 Game 42: Vasiliev - Zilberstein, Ukraine, 1993

206 Game 43: Gelfand - Anand, Biel, 1993

208 Game 44: Vokach - Van der Wiel, Dortmund, 1989

Learning Exercise 8-1: Open lines of attack

210 Geller - Novotelnov, Moscow, 1951

Learning Exercise 8-2: 7th rank advantage

210 Serper - Nicolaides, St. Petersburg, 1993

Learning Exercise 8-3: Winch continuation?

210 Botvinnik - Szabo, Moscow, 1956

Learning Exercise 8-4: Use the open files

210 Pillsbury - Wolf, Monte Carlo, 1903

Learning Exercise 8-5: Rooking your opponent

211 Study, XIII century

Learning Exercise 8-6: A rare double attack

211 Barbeli - Kovach, Bucharest, 1948

213Chapter 9: Weak and Strong Squares

214 Game 45: Botvinnik - Flohr, Moscow, 1936

217 Game 46: Tarrasch - Lasker, Em., Dusseldorf, 1908

220 Game 47: Milner-Barry - Znosko-Borovski, Tainby, 1928

224 Game 48: Rubinstein - Salwe, Lodz, 1908

228 Game 49: Oil - Woitkevich, New York, 1994

233Chapter 10: When a Complex of Squares is Weak

234 Game 50: Keres - Guti, Tel Aviv, 1964

235 Game 51: Instructive Example

236 Game 52: Nikolayevski - Geller, USSR, 1966

238 Game 53: Stahlberg - Stein, Erevan, 1965

241 Game 54: Tukmakov - Palatnik, Odessa, 1970

248 Game 55: Mukhin, M. - Palatnik, USSR, 1974

252 Game 56: Letelier - Smyslov, Havana, 1967

253 Game 57: Kapengut - Tukmakov, USSR, 1963

Learning Exercise 10-1: Virtual Zugzwang

255 Ranniku - Grinfeld, Riga, 1975

Learning Exercise 10-2: Re-charge your battery

255 Kalegin - Obodchuk, Moscow, 1993

Learning Exercise 10-3: Queen for a tempo

255 Mizzto - Kloza, Poland, 1935

Learning Exercise 10-4: Exploiting the weaknesses

255 Liapunova - Manukian, Erevan, 1960

Learning Exercise 10-5: Opening the diagonal

256 Korchnoi - Bellotti, Novi Sad, 1990

Learning Exercise 10-6: Tactics to the rescue

256 Van Vely - Steinegrimsson, Novi Sad, 1990

Learning Exercise 10-7: Lust to expand!

256 Shirov - Kramnik, Linares, 1993

Learning Exercise 10-8: Exploiting the file

256 Kremenetski - Kholmov, Moscow, 1987

Learning Exercise 10-9: Dominant square

257 Gelfand - Anand, Linares, 1993

Learning Exercise 10-10: Pseudo-sacrifice

257 Euwe - Keres, Netherlands, 1939

Learning Exercise 10-11: Direct assault

257 Lautier - Karpov, Dortmund, 1990

Learning Exercise 10-12: Setting up the double attack 257 Arakhamia - Epstein, Novi Sad, 1990

259Chapter 11: Weak and Strong Pawns

259A. Pawn islands

260 Game 58: Averbakh - Taimanov, Moscow, 1948

261 Game 59: Gligoric - Keres, Zurich, 1953

262B. Doubled and tripled pawns

263 Game 60: Smyslov - Stahlberg, Zurich, 1953

264 Game 61: Malanjuk - Andrianov, USSR, 1982

266 Game 62: Botvinnik - Kan, Moscow, 1939

269C. Backward pawn on the half-open file

269 Game 63: Lilienthal - Makogonov, Moscow, 1936

271 Game 64: Smyslov - Denker, USA-USSR radio match, 1946

272D. The passed pawn

273 Game 65: Miles - Rodriguez, Riga, 1979

278 Game 66: Spassky - Petrosian, Moscow, 1969

281E. Isolated pawn in the center

281 Game 67: Rubinstein - Marshall, Breslau, 1912

284 Game 68: Botvinnik - Vidmar, Nottingham, 1936

287 Game 69: Antoshin - Palatnik, USSR, 1979

292Chapter 12: Significance of the Center

292A. Pawn center

293 Game 70: Keres - Fine, Ostende, 1937

296 Game 71: Furman - Lilienthal, Moscow, 1949

298 Game 72: Lputian - Epishin, Rostov-on-Don, 1993

300 Game 73: Keres - Geller, Moscow, 1962

303B. Undermining the pawn center

303 Game 74: Letelier - Fischer, Leipzig, 1960

309 Game 75: Botvinnik - Petrosian, Moscow, 1963

312 Game 76: Instructive Example, Alekhine's Defense

314C. Pieces against the pawn center

315 Game 77: Nezmetdinov - Tal, Moscow, 1957

318D. Center and wing operations

319 Game 78: Rodriguez, A. - Tringov, Buenos Aires, 1978

320 Game 79: Botvinnik - Smyslov, Moscow, 1954

322E. Opening the game in the center

323 Game 80: Alekhine - Eliskases, Podebrad, 1936

Learning Exercise 12-1: Chipping away the king's pawn cover

328 Nimzovich - Salwe, Karlsbad, 1911

Learning Exercise 12-2: Counterattack in the center

328 Browne - Keres, Vancouver, 1975

Learning Exercise 12-3: Creating threats

329 Suetin - Malikh, Berlin, 1965

Learning Exercise 12-4: Whose attack is first?

329 Hort - Schauwecker, Biel, 1987

332Index of Games