,this etext was produced by ,john ,mamoun mamounjoumdnj4edu with help from the online distributed proofreaders page of ,charles ,franks4 ,chess and ,checkers3 ,the ,way to ,mastership ,complete instructions for the beginner and valuable suggestions for the advanced player4 by ,edward ,lasker ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,information ,,about ,,this ,e-,,text ,,edition ,,introduction ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,chess ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,checkers ,,part ,i3 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,chess ,i4 ,,the ,,rules ,,of ,,the ,,game ,board and men ,the moves of the men ,special terms ,symbols for moves ,chess laws ,,ii4 ,,elementary ,,tactics ,fundamental endings ,relative value of the men ,how the different men cooperate ,sacrificing ,,iii4 ,,general ,,principles ,,of ,,chess ,,strategy ,king's ,pawn openings ,queen's ,pawn openings ,the middle game ,,iv4 ,,illustrative ,,games ,game ,no4 #a3 ,jackson ,showalter vs4 ,edward ,lasker1 ,lexington1 ,ky41 #aiag ,game ,no4 #b3 ,edward ,lasker vs4 ,jose ,r4 ,capablanca1 ,new ,york1 #aiae ,v4 ,,problems ,,part ,,ii3 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,checkers ,i4 ,,the ,,rules ,,of ,,the ,,game ,,ii4 ,,elementary ,,tactics ,,iii4 ,,the ,,five ,,fundamental ,,positions ,the first position ,the second position ,the change of the move ,the third position ,the fourth position ,the fifth position ,,iv4 ,,general ,,principles ,,and ,,illustrative ,,games ,v4 ,,problems ,,information ,,about ,,this ,e-,,text ,,edition ,the following is an e-text of ,chess and ,checkers3 ,the ,way to ,mastership1 by ,edward ,lasker1 copyright #aiah1 printed in ,new ,york4 ,this e-text contains the #aah chess and checkers board game diagrams appearing in the original book1 plus an extra chess diagram that appears on the front cover of the book1 all in the form of ,,ascii line drawings4 ,the following is a key to the diagrams3 ,for chess pieces1 ,r ,rook ,kt ,knight ,b ,bishop ,q ,queen ,k ,king ,p ,pawn ,black pieces have a symbol to the left of them1 while white pieces have a symbol to the left of them4 ,for example1 ,b is the ,black bishop1 while ,b is the white bishop4 ,kt is the black knight1 while ,kt is the white knight4 ,this will let the reader instantly tell by sight which pieces in the ,,ascii chess diagrams are black and which are white4 ,for ,checkers pieces1 99 black single piece o white single piece 9999 black king oo white king ,those who find these diagrams hard to read should feel free to set up them up on a game board using the actual pieces4 ,,preface ,the present world war has given great impetus to the game of ,chess4 ,in the prison camps1 in the field hospitals1 in the training camps and even in the trenches ,chess has become a favorite occupation in hours of leisure1 not only because it offers a most fascinating pastime1 but mainly because it serves beyond any doubt to develop what is now the most interesting study for every soldier--the grasp of the principles underlying military strategy and the ability to conceive and to carry out military operations on a large scale4 ,frederick the ,great1 ,napoleon and ,moltke1 the great scientists of war1 had a decided liking for the game of ,chess and owed to it many an inspiration which helped them in laying out their military plans4 ,indeed1 no other game exists which offers such complete analogies to war4 ,two armies oppose each other on the ,chess board1 composed of different units which may well be compared with infantry1 cavalry and artillery4 ,the success of the operations on the board1 which represents the battlefield1 does not depend upon any element of chance1 but solely upon the ingenuity and the skill of the players who are the commanders-in-chief of the forces4 ,although a ,chess game differs from a battle in that the material strength of the opponents is equal1 the order of events is the same in ,chess as in war4 ,the troops are first mobilized and made ready for action with utmost speed1 then important positions are occupied which give the troops freedom of action and insure safe lines of retreat and1 finally1 when the formation of the enemy is known1 the strategic plan is made which the generals try to carry out by means of different tactical maneuvers4 ,considering this similarity of ,chess and war it is not surprising that ,chess has gained greatly in popularity among all those whose work or thought is more than superficially influenced by the present war4 ,no special inducement1 however1 would be necessary to learn the game1 were it more generally known that great advantage is to be derived from the study of ,chess1 quite apart from the cultivation of strategic ability4 ,the faculty which is developed by playing ,chess is useful wherever logical thinking and concentration are needed1 and it cannot be denied that these qualities are most desirable in the every day struggle in which mental work has so largely superseded manual labor4 ,the thoughtful playing of the game not only cultivates the logical quality and imaginative power of the mind but also tends to develop strength of character4 ,it teaches us not to be hasty in our decisions1 but to exercise foresight at all times as we must abide by all consequences of our actions4 ,moreover1 we learn from it circumspection which causes us to survey the whole scene of action and does not allow us to lose ourselves in detail2 we also learn not to be discouraged by reverses in our affairs but to hold out and always search for fresh resources4 ,thus1 ,chess serves a good purpose for young and old4 ,the boy will find it a fascinating pastime and1 unconsciously sharpening his wits in playing the game1 will acquire a fine preparation for his calling in life1 no matter what it may be4 ,for the man1 and the woman too1 ,chess is well worth learning1 as it will prove the best companion in hours of leisure4 ,the reason why many people hesitate to learn the game and to teach it to their children is that ,chess has been misrepresented as a game which is very difficult to master4 ,this false impression has been created mainly by the wrong methods of teaching usually employed4 ,the majority of writers on ,chess deal with a maze of variations and they expect the reader to memorize the moves with which to parry the maneuvers of the opponent1 instead of simply developing a few common sense principles which are easy to grasp and perfectly sufficient to make a good player of any one4 ,this is really the great advantage of the game of ,chess over any other board game1 that it lends itself to the application of general principles1 so that any one can grasp and enjoy it without memorizing more than the rules according to which the men move4 ,i have tried to develop these principles in a simple way so that they are sure to be easily understood1 and ,i have been greatly aided in my task by ,miss ,helen ,dvorak and ,mr4 ,eugene ,fuller1 who1 without any previous knowledge of the game1 have learned it in reading through the manuscript of this book4 ,they have given me many valuable hints in pointing out all that did not seem readily intelligible to the mind of the beginner4 ,in explaining the game of ,checkers1 to which the second part of the book is devoted1 ,i have also tried to develop general principles of strategy1 rather than to offer a mere classification of analyzed lines of play1 which the reader would have to memorize in order to be able to compete with experts4 ,i was fortunate enough to secure the collaboration of the ,checker ,champion1 ,alfred ,jordan1 who enthusiastically adopted the new idea of teaching and furnished most of the material which ,i have used in illustrating the vital points of the game4 ,,edward ,,lasker4 ,,introduction ,the ,history of ,chess ,the game of ,chess in the form in which it is played to-day is usually assumed to be of a much older date than can be proved with certainty by documents in our possession4 ,the earliest reference to the game is contained in a ,persian romance written about #fjj ,a4,d41 which ascribes the origin of ,chess to ,india4 ,many of the ,european ,chess terms used in the ,middle ,ages which can be traced back to the ,indian language also tend to prove that ,india is the mother country of the game4 ,we are1 therefore1 fairly safe in assuming that ,chess is about #acjj years old4 ,of course we could go farther1 considering that the ,indian ,chess must have been gradually developed from simpler board games4 ,indeed we know from a discovery in an ,egyptian tomb built about #djjj ,b4,c4 that board games have been played as early as #fjjj years ago2 but we have no way of finding out their rules4 ,the game of ,chess spread from ,india to ,persia1 ,arabia and the other ,moslem countries1 and it was brought to ,europe at the time of the ,moorish invasion of ,spain4 ,it also reached the far ,east1 and games similar to ,chess still exist in ,japan1 ,china1 ,central and ,northern ,asia1 the names and rules of which prove that they descended from the old ,indian ,chess4 ,in ,europe ,chess spread from ,spain northward to ,france1 ,germany1 ,england1 ,scandinavia and ,iceland4 ,it became known with extraordinary rapidity1 although at first it was confined to the upper classes1 the courts of the ,kings and the nobility4 ,in the course of time1 when the dominance of the nobility declined and the inhabitants of the cities assumed the leading role in the life of people1 the game of ,chess spread to all classes of society and soon reached a popularity which no other game has ever equaled4 ,while in the early ,middle ,ages the game was played in ,europe with the same rules as in the ,orient1 some innovations were introduced by the ,european players in the later ,middle ,ages which proved to be so great an improvement that within a hundred years they were generally adopted in all countries including the ,orient4 ,the reason for the changes was that in the old form of the game it took too long to get through the opening period4 ,the new form1 which dates from about #aejj ,a4,d4 and the characteristic feature of which is the enlarged power of ,queen and ,bishop1 is our modern ,chess1 the rules of which are uniform throughout the civilized world4 ,in the ,seventeenth ,century ,chess flourished mostly in ,italy1 which consequently produced the strongest players4 ,some of them traveled throughout ,europe1 challenging the best players of the other countries and for the most part emerging victorious4 ,at that time ,chess was in high esteem1 especially at the courts of the kings who followed the example of ,philip the ,second of ,spain in honoring the traveling masters and rewarding them liberally for their exhibition matches4 ,towards the beginning of the ,eighteenth ,century the game reached a high stage of development in ,france1 ,england and ,germany4 ,the most famous master of the time was the ,frenchman1 ,andre ,philidor1 who for more than forty years easily maintained his supremacy over all players with whom he came in contact1 and whose fame has since been equaled only by the ,american ,champion1 ,paul ,morphy1 and by the ,german1 ,emanuel ,lasker4 ,during the ,eighteenth and ,nineteenth ,centuries the number of players who obtained international fame increased rapidly1 and in #ahea1 due to the efforts of the ,english ,champion ,staunton1 an international tournament was held in ,london to determine the championship of ,europe4 ,it was won by the ,german master ,anderssen1 who maintained his leading place for the following fifteen years1 until he was beaten by the youthful ,morphy4 ,the latter1 at twenty years of age1 was the first ,american master to visit ,europe and defeated in brilliant style all ,european masters whom he met4 ,morphy withdrew from the game after his return to ,america and did not try to match himself with the ,bohemian ,steinitz1 who in the meantime had beaten ,anderssen1 too1 and who had come to ,america4 ,steinitz assumed the title of the ,world's ,champion and defended it successfully against all competitors until #ahid1 when he was beaten by ,emanuel ,lasker1 who is still ,world's ,champion1 having never lost a match4 ,the next aspirant for the ,world's ,championship is the young ,cuban1 ,jose ,raoul ,capablanca1 who has proved to be superior to all masters except ,lasker4 ,he entered the arena of international tournaments at the age of twenty-two in ,san ,sebastian1 ,spain1 in #aiaa1 and won the first prize in spite of the competition of nearly all of ,europe's masters4 ,in the last international tournament1 which was held in ,petrograd in #aiad1 he finished second1 ,emanuel ,lasker winning first prize4 ,the present ranking of the professional ,chess masters is about the following3 #a4 ,emanuel ,lasker1 ,berlin1 ,world's ,champion4 #b4 ,j4 ,r4 ,capablanca1 ,havana1 ,pan-,american ,champion4 #c4 ,a4 ,rubinstein1 ,warsaw1 ,russian ,champion4 #d4 ,k4 ,schlechter1 ,vienna1 ,austrian ,champion4 #e4 ,frank ,marshall1 ,new ,york1 ,united ,states ,champion4 #f4 ,r4 ,teichmann1 ,berlin4 #g4 ,a4 ,aljechin1 ,moscow4 ,other players of international fame are the ,germans1 ,tarrasch and ,spielmann1 the ,austrians1 ,duras1 ,marocy and ,vidmar1 the ,russians1 ,bernstein and ,niemzowitsch1 the ,frenchman1 ,janowski and the ,englishman1 ,burn4 ,up to the time of the outbreak of the war the leading ,chess ,clubs of the different countries arranged1 as an annual feature1 national and international tournaments1 thus bringing the ,chess players of all nationalities into close contact4 ,this internationalism of ,chess is of great advantage to the ,chess player who happens to be traveling in a foreign country4 ,there are innumerable ,chess ,clubs spread all over the globe and the knowledge of the game is the only introduction a man needs to be hospitably received and to form desirable social and business connections4 ,it would be going beyond the limit of this summary of the history of ,chess if ,i tried to give even an outline of the extremely interesting part ,chess has played in ,french1 ,english and ,german literature from the ,middle ,ages up to the present time4 ,suffice it to mention that ,chess literature by far exceeds that of all other games combined4 ,more than five thousand volumes on ,chess have been written1 and weekly or monthly magazines solely devoted to ,chess are published in all countries1 so that ,chess has1 so to speak1 become an international1 universal language4 ,the ,history of ,checkers ,the literature on the game of ,checkers 7,english3 ,draughts7 is very limited and there are no certain references to prove that the game was known before the ,sixteenth ,century4 ,two theories are current as to its origin2 one of them claiming it to be a simplified ,chess1 the other explaining it as the result of transferring the ,spanish game ,alquerque de doze to the ,chess board4 ,h4 ,j4 ,r4 ,murray1 the greatest authority on the history of games1 considers it most likely that the game has been evolved from both ,chess and ,alquerque4 ,the method of capturing men and the rule concerning the huffing of a man unquestionably point to the ,spanish game1 while the board1 the diagonal move of the men and the idea of crowning a man are taken from ,chess4 ,in ,france1 ,germany1 ,italy and ,spain the name of the game is still that of the ,queen of ,chess 7,dame1 ,dama7 whose move in the ,middle ,ages was identical with the move of the ,checkermen4 ,checkers has never been able to attain more than national uniformity1 and it is played with different rules in different countries4 ,in the ,united ,states it is more popular than in any other country and a number of players have obtained national fame4 ,the best players at present are considered to be ,newell ,banks and ,alfred ,jordan4 ,,part ,i3 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,chess ,i ,,the ,,rules ,,of ,,the ,,game ,,board ,,and ,,men ,the game of ,chess is played by two armies who oppose each other on a square board or battlefield of sixty-four alternate white and black squares4 ,each army has sixteen men2 one ,king1 one ,queen1 two ,rooks 7or ,castles71 two ,bishops1 two ,knights and eight ,pawns4 ,the ,generals of the two armies are the two players themselves4 ,the men of one side are of light color and are called ,white1 those of the other side are of dark color and are called ,black4 ,the object of the game is to capture the opposing ,king4 ,when this is done the battle is ended1 the side losing whose ,king is captured4 ,to understand what is meant by the capture of the ,king it is first necessary to become acquainted with the laws according to which the different men move on the board4 ,to start with1 the board must be placed so that the players have a white square at their right4 ,then the men take the positions shown in ,diagram #a4 ,the ,rooks occupy the corner squares2 next to them stand the ,knights2 then the ,bishops and in the center the ,king and the ,queen4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,b ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,b ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #a ,the white ,queen must be on the white square and the black ,queen on the black square4 ,these eight1 men are commonly known as pieces in distinction from the ,pawns4 ,the latter occupy the line of squares immediately in front of the ,pieces4 ,the lines of squares now occupied by the men and the other four vacant horizontal lines between them are called ,,ranks4 ,the vertical lines of squares running perpendicularly to the ranks are called ,,files4 ,the oblique lines of squares1 that is1 lines which connect squares of the same color1 are called ,,diagonals4 ,to describe the moves of the men on the board in a simple way it is necessary to indicate every square and every man by a short symbol4 ,for this purpose different systems have been suggested at different times1 but only two of them have been generally adopted4 ,the older one1 called the descriptive notation1 still predominates in the ,english1 ,french and ,spanish speaking countries1 but as leading ,english and ,american writers have lately used the newer algebraic notation which is much more simple1 the latter will be employed in this book4 ,later the former method will be explained for the sake of completeness4 ,in the algebraic notation the files are lettered from a to h1 starting from the file on ,white's left4 ,the ranks are numbered from #a to #h1 starting from the rank on which ,white's pieces stand at the beginning of the game4 ,each square is now easily indicated by naming the file and rank at which it forms the intersection4 ,the ,rook in ,diagram #b1 for instance1 stands on e#d1 the ,bishop on ,c#d1 the ,pawns on h#d and g#g1 the ,knight on f#g1 the ,queen on d#f and the ,kings on c#a and g#c4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,q --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,r ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,k --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #b ,as symbols for the men the first letters of their names are used4 ,thus ,k stands for ,king1 ,q for ,queen1 ,r for ,rook1 ,b for ,bishop1 ,kt or ,n for ,knight and ,p for ,pawn4 ,,the ,,moves ,,of ,,the ,,men ,each of the six kinds of men moves in a different way4 ,to remember the six varieties of moves naturally requires a little more effort than to remember just the one way of moving as in most other board games4 ,but it takes only very little practice to become familiar with the various moves of the ,chessmen and it is soon revealed to the learner that the variety of the moves enables a surprising depth and wealth of combinations which give keener and greater pleasure to this game than to any other4 ,the ,rook ,the ,rook may move forward1 backward or sideways in a straight line along a path not obstructed by a man of the same color4 ,in other words1 he may move to any square of the rank or file on which he stands unless another man of his own color is in the way4 ,if there is a hostile man in the way he may capture him by occupying his square and removing him from the board4 ,in ,diagram #b1 for instance1 the ,rook could move to e#e1 e#f1 e#g1 e#h1 e#c1 e#b1 e#a1 f#d1 g#d1 d#d and c#d4 ,in making the latter move he would capture the black ,bishop4 ,the ,rook may not go to h#d because a man of his own color stands there nor may he go to b#d or e#d because he is not allowed to jump over the ,bishop4 ,he could1 of course1 move to either of these squares on his next move after capturing the ,bishop4 ,the ,bishop ,the ,bishop moves along an oblique line1 that is1 he may move to any square of the diagonals on which he stands unless--as in the case of the ,rook--his way is obstructed by a man of his own color4 ,if there is a hostile man in the way he may capture him4 ,in ,diagram #b1 therefore1 the ,bishop may move to a#b1 b#c1 d#e1 e#f or1 by capturing the ,knight1 to f#g4 ,he may not move1 however1 to g#h1 until his next move after capturing the ,knight4 ,in the other diagonal all squares1 that is1 fi1 e#b1 d#c1 b#e and a#f1 are accessible to him4 ,as the ,bishop is confined to squares of the same color as the one on which he stood at the beginning of the game he has access only to thirty-two squares of the board1 and from this it is evident that the ,rook to whom all squares of the board are accessible is a stronger man4 ,the ,queen ,the ,queen has the power of both ,rook and ,bishop having the choice of moving to any square of the rank1 file or diagonal on which she stands as long as her path is clear4 ,in ,diagram #b the squares to which the ,queen may move are1 therefore1 e#c1 b#d1 c#e1 e#g1 f#h1 f#a1 b#e1 ,c#g1 b#h1 d#a1 d#b1 d#c1 d#d1 ds1 d#g1 d#h1 a#f1 b#f1 c#f1 e#f1 f#f1 g#f and h#f4 ,like the ,rook and ,bishop she has the power of capturing a hostile man by occupying his square4 ,the ,queen is by far the most powerful of the pieces4 ,later it will be seen that ordinarily her strength is about equal to the strength of two ,rooks4 ,the ,king ,the ,king1 like the ,queen1 moves and captures in any direction1 but he is much less powerful because he may move only one square at a time4 ,nevertheless1 he is the most important man1 for1 as said at the beginning1 the object of each side is the capture of the opposing ,king4 ,to save the ,king from untimely death there is a rule that the ,king may not move into any square which is in the direct range of any man of his enemy4 ,thus1 in ,diagram #b the black ,king may move to f#b1 g#b1 h#b1 f#c and h#c1 but he may not move to f#d or g#d nor may he capture the ,pawn on h#d1 for on any of these squares he could be captured by the white ,rook4 ,the white ,king in ,diagram #b has only three squares to which he may go1 namely1 b#a1 b#b and c#b1 as the squares d#a and d#b1 though being in his range1 are commanded by the black ,queen4 ,the ,knight ,the ,knight moves neither in rank nor file nor diagonal and1 therefore1 usually offers a little more difficulty to the beginner than the other pieces4 ,the ,knight's move is perhaps best described as a leap to the next but one square of different color4,footnote3 ,it may be helpful to consider the ,knight's move when completed as having described a letter ,l composed of four squares1 three in one direction and one at right angles to them4 ,for instance1 in ,diagram #b the ,knight may move to d#h1 d#f1 e#e1 g#e1 h#f and h#h4 ,in moving to d#f he would capture the ,queen4 ,his move would be in no way obstructed if some of his own or his adversary's men were occupying the squares next to the one on which he stands4 ,this enables the ,knight as the only one of the pieces to move at the beginning of the game before any ,pawn move has been made4 ,the strength of the ,knight is ordinarily regarded as about equal to that of the ,bishop4 ,the latter's range is larger but the ,knight has the advantage of being able to reach any square of the board regardless of color4 ,the ,pawn ,it remains to describe the move of the ,pawn1 the only man who captures in a different way from that in which he moves4 ,the ,pawn moves ,,forward ,,only in the file in which he stands1 and only one square at a time with the exception of his first move on which he may advance two squares4 ,thus1 in ,diagram #b1 the white ,pawn may move only to h#e while the black ,pawn may move to either g#f or g#e4 ,the ,pawn may capture only diagonally1 only forward and only one square at a time4 ,the privilege of taking a double step on the first move does not extend to the capture4 ,thus in ,diagram #b1 the white ,pawn could capture only a black man on g#e1 the black ,pawn only a man on either f#f or h#f1 but not on e#e4 ,if a man stood on h#e1 the ,pawn h#d would be blocked4 ,likewise would the ,pawn on g#g be blocked by a man on g#f4 ,there is one peculiar rule to be remembered in connection with the move of the ,pawn4 ,if a ,pawn uses his privilege of making a double step to avoid capture by a hostile ,pawn he can be put back one square and captured just the same4 ,for instance1 in ,diagram #b1 if the white ,pawn stood on h#e and ,black moved his ,pawn to g#e1 ,white could put ,black's ,pawn back to g#f and capture him with his ,pawn4 ,this way of capturing is called taking en passant 7,french for in passing7 and can be done only by a ,pawn1 never by a piece4 ,lastly must be mentioned the power of the ,pawn to become transformed into a piece4 ,this is done automatically whenever a ,pawn reaches the extreme opposite side of the board4 ,that is1 the player must remove the ,pawn from the board and put any piece on his place except a ,king4 ,thus it can happen that a player may play with three or more ,rooks1 ,bishops1 ,knights or ,queens4 ,as the ,queen is the strongest ,piece the ,pawns are practically always exchanged for ,queens and for this reason the process of the exchange is called queening4 ,although a ,pawn has comparatively little value as measured by his mobility--his range of movement--he is really a very valuable man because of the possibility of his eventually queening4 ,castling ,only once in a game is a player allowed to move more than one piece at a time4 ,this one move is called castling and is made by the ,king together with one of the ,rooks4 ,in castling the ,king moves two squares toward the ,rook and the ,rook is placed on the square over which the ,king has passed4 ,in the position of ,diagram #c both players may castle either side4 ,white1 in castling ,king's side would place his ,king on g#a and the ,king's ,rook on f#a2 in castling ,queen's side the ,king would leap to c#a while the ,queen's ,rook would take his stand on d#a4 ,likewise ,black would castle by either playing the ,king to g#h and the ,rook from h#h to f#h1 or the ,king to c#h and the ,rook to a#h to d#h4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #c4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #d4 ,castling is permitted only when neither ,king nor ,rook concerned has previously moved1 when none of the squares between the ,king and the ,rook are obstructed and when none of the three squares involved in the ,king's move are controlled by an adverse man4 ,thus if in check 7see page #ag7 the player may not castle4 ,in ,diagram #d1 neither ,white nor ,black may castle4 ,,special ,,terms ,attack and ,defense ,a man is said to ,,attack another man if he moves so that on his next move he could capture the other man4 ,thus1 in ,diagram #e1 ,white could attack ,black's ,bishop by moving his ,rook to d#a or to e#f4 ,a man is said to ,,defend or to ,,protect another man if he moves so that in case the other man is captured by a hostile man he could recapture the latter4 ,thus1 in ,diagram #e1 ,black could defend his ,bishop by moving his ,knight to either e#d or e#h in case ,white attacks with the ,rook from d#a4 ,should ,white attack from e#f1 then ,black would not defend the ,bishop with the ,knight1 for on e#d as well as on e#h the ,knight is unprotected and could be captured by the ,rook without ,white losing anything in exchange4 ,black has a much more simple way to defend the attack of the ,rook from e#f1 that is1 by capturing the ,rook with the ,pawn f#g4 ,for this reason ,white would not have moved the ,rook to e#f4 ,check and ,checkmate ,if a man makes a move which attacks the opposing ,king the ,king is said to be in check4 ,the player whose ,king is checked then has to make a move which gets the ,king out of check --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #e4 or he forfeits the game4 ,this is the only case in which a player is not at liberty to make any move he likes4 ,unless the attacking man can be captured there are only two ways of getting out of check4 ,one of these is to interpose a man between the ,king and the attacking piece1 and the other to move the ,king out of the line of attack4 ,in ,diagram #e ,black could give check by moving the ,bishop to c#e4 ,in answer to this ,white has four moves at his disposal4 ,he may either move the ,king to f#a or h#a or h#b1 or he may interpose his ,rook on e#c4 ,the latter would be very unwise as ,black would simply take the ,rook with his ,bishop1 again checking ,white's ,king4 ,the situation would then not have changed at all except that ,white would have lost his ,rook4 ,white's ,king could not move to f#b1 for this would leave him still attacked by the ,bishop4 ,instead of checking on c#e ,black could have attacked ,white's ,king on h#b4 ,but in this case the ,king would have simply captured the ,bishop4 ,if it were ,white's move he could give check with the ,rook on e#h4 ,but ,black could take the ,rook with the ,knight4 ,he would naturally do this instead of either moving out with the ,king to h#g or interposing the ,bishop on f#h4 ,if a ,king is in ,check and there is no move with which to get him out of it he is said to be checkmate and the game is ended4 ,diagram #f shows an example in which either player can give checkmate on the move4 ,if it were ,white's move he would take the ,pawn on g#f with his ,queen4 ,now ,black's ,king is in check as ,white's ,queen threatens to take him on the next move4 ,the ,king cannot move to either g#g or h#g1 for these two squares are also commanded by ,white's ,queen4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,q ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,b ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,k --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #f4 ,moreover1 the latter cannot be taken by the ,pawn on f#g as the black ,king would be in check by the ,bishop on b#c4 ,the ,pawn is pinned by the ,bishop4 ,black's ,knight cannot take ,white's ,queen either as he is pinned by ,white's ,rook4 ,finally1 there is no piece available which may be interposed between ,white's ,queen and ,black's ,king2 in other words3 ,black is checkmate1 his game is lost4 ,if it were ,black's move he would take the ,pawn g#b with the ,queen4 ,now ,white's ,king is in check as ,black's ,queen threatens to take him on the next move4 ,he may not take the ,queen as he would then be captured by the ,bishop b#g4 ,neither may the ,knight f#d take the ,queen as he is pinned by the ,bishop d#f4 ,moreover1 the ,king may not escape to g#a1 h#a or g#c1 these three squares lying in the rangeof ,black's ,queen2 and so there is no move on the board with which to get ,white's ,king out of check3 ,he is checkmate1 ,white loses the game4 ,stalemate ,if a player1 without being in check1 cannot make any move which would not get his ,king into check1 he is said to be ,,stalemate4 ,in this case the game is considered a draw4 ,diagram #g shows an example4 ,white on the move1 although his forces are much inferior1 can draw the game by checking with the ,rook on f#c4 ,black cannot very well make a move with his ,king in reply1 as then ,white's ,rook would take the ,queen4 ,black1 therefore1 must capture the ,rook with the ,queen and with this move he stalemates ,white1 as the latter has no move left which would not bring his ,king into check4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,q ,k --------------------------------------- #b ,r --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #g4 ,if it were ,black's move he would easily win4 ,in fact he has two different ways of checkmating ,white in three moves4 ,one of them would be to take the ,knight with the ,rook1 attacking the ,king and forcing ,white's ,rook to recapture as the ,king has no square to go to2 then to give check with the ,queen on g#c forcing ,white's ,king to h#a and enabling the mate with the ,queen on g#b or h#b4 ,the other way would be to start with the check on g#c4 ,as ,white's ,knight is pinned he cannot capture the ,queen4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,q --------------------------------------- #c ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #h ,interposing the ,rook on g#b would not help either as the ,queen would simply take him at the same time checkmating the ,king4 ,white's only move is1 therefore1 to play the ,king into the corner1 and ,black then mates by first taking the ,knight and then moving the ,queen to g#b or h#b4 ,perpetual ,check ,if a player is able to check the opposing ,king continually and he indicates his intention to do so the game is considered a draw4 ,in the following position1 for instance1 ,white on the move can draw the game by giving a perpetual check on e#h and h#e4 ,black cannot help himself as he has to go back and forth with the ,king on h#g and g#h4 ,without the possibility of this perpetual check ,white would be lost1 for he cannot prevent the ,pawn a#b from queening and with two ,queens against one ,black would easily win as will be seen later from the discussion of elementary endings4 ,exchange ,to exchange means to capture a hostile man when it allows a man of the same value to be captured by the opponent4 ,it is rather confusing that the term exchange is also used for the difference in value between a ,rook and a ,bishop or a ,knight4 ,to win the exchange1 in this sense1 means to capture a ,rook and to lose for it only a ,bishop or a ,knight4 ,double ,pawn ,two ,pawns of the same player standing in one file are called a double ,pawn4 ,three ,pawns in one file are called a triple ,pawn4 ,passed ,pawn ,a ,pawn whose advance to the eighth rank is not blocked by an opposing ,pawn in the same file and who does not have to pass one on an adjoining file is called a passed ,pawn4 ,isolated ,pawn ,a ,pawn is called isolated if there are no ,pawns of the same player on the adjoining files4 ,backward ,pawn ,a ,pawn is called backward if he cannot advance far enough to be protected by fellow ,pawns in an adjoining file4 ,fork ,a ,pawn is said to fork two pieces if he attacks them simultaneously4 ,minor ,piece ,the ,bishops and the ,knights are called minor ,pieces as compared with the ,rooks and the ,queen4 ,sacrifice ,to sacrifice means to give up a man without obtaining for him a man of the opponent or to give up a man for one of lesser value4 ,discovered ,check and ,double ,check ,a discovered ,check is an attack on the ,king caused by a man moving out of the line of a piece which he was obstructing4 ,if the man discovering the ,check also attacks the ,king the ,check is called a double ,check4 ,,symbols ,,for ,,moves ,in addition to the symbols used for squares and men1 as explained on page #e1 the following are used to indicate the moves3 -- means moves to ,x means captures o-o means ,castles ,king's side o-o-o means ,castles ,queen's side means check _/- means checkmate ,thus3 ,r-f#e means the ,rook moves to square f#e4 ,if either ,rook could move to f#e then the original square of the ,rook to be moved must also be shown4 ,kte#cxd#e means the ,knight standing on e#c captures the man standing on d#e4 o-o-o means the player castles ,queen's side and in so doing gives check4 ,footnote3 ,in the descriptive notation alluded to on page #e every square of the board has two different names1 each player counting the ranks from his own side4 ,the files are named after the pieces which stand on them at the beginning of the game4 ,thus1 c#d would be ,,qb#d 7,queen's ,bishop's fourth7 or ,,qb#e depending on whether a black or a white move is described4 ,if a square is referred to without relation to a particular move it is necessary to add from which side of the board the square is counted4 ,it is customary to say in cases of this kind ,white's ,queen's fourth or ,black's ,queen's fourth1 etc4 ,instead of naming the square on which a capture takes place1 the man captured is named1 so that an additional description is necessary in case more than one man of the same kind can be captured4 ,as a matter of comparison the first ten moves of a game are described above in both notations4 6 signifies a good move4 8 signifies a bad move4 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,p-d#e 7#b7 ,p-c#d ,p-e#f 7#c7 ,kt-c#c ,p-c#e 7#d7 ,kt-f#c ,kt-c#f 7#e7 ,pxd#e ,pxd#e 7#f7 ,b-f#d ,kt-f#f 7#g7 ,p-e#c ,b-e#f 7#h7 ,b-d#c ,b-e#g 7#i7 o-o o-o 7#aj7 ,r-c#a ,kt-h#e 7#a7 ,p-,q#d ,p-,q#d 7#b7 ,p-,,qb#d ,p-,k#c 7#c7 ,kt-,,qb#c ,p-,,qb#d 7#d7 ,kt-,b#c ,kt-,,qb#c 7#e7 ,px,q,p ,k,px,p 7#f7 ,b-,,kb#d ,kt-,b#c 7#g7 ,p-,k#c ,b-,k#c 7#h7 ,b-,q#c ,b-,k#g 7#i7 ,castles ,castles 7#aj7 ,r-,b ,kt-,,kr#d ,,chess ,,laws ,if a player having the move touches one of his men he is compelled to move him2 if he touches a hostile man he must capture him4 ,this law is void1 however1 if the man so touched cannot be legally moved or captured4 ,a man may be moved to any square accessible to him as long as the hand of the player has not left him4 ,if an illegal move has been made it must be retracted and if possible another move must be made with the same man4 ,if a player has castled illegally1 ,king and ,rook must be moved back and the ,king must make another move1 if there is a legal one4 ,if a player touches a man with the sole object of adjusting his position1 he must indicate his intention by saying j'adoube 7,french for3 ,i adjust7 beforehand4 ,in castling1 the ,king must be moved first as otherwise a doubt might arise whether castling or a ,rook's move only was intended4 ,a game is void if a mistake has been made in setting up board or men or if in the course of the game the position or number of men have been altered in a manner not in accordance with the rules of play and the position cannot be reconstructed from the point where the error was made4 ,if a player resigns his game before he is actually mated he acknowledges that in the end mate is unavoidable1 and the game is counted as a loss to him4 ,if neither player has sufficient material left to enforce a mate 7compare following chapter7 the game is considered a draw4 ,a draw may also be claimed by either player if the moves are repeated so that the same position occurs three times with the same player on the move1 or if fifty moves have been made without the capture of a man or the move of a ,pawn4 ,,ii ,,elementary ,,tactics ,the beginner who thinks he ought to be able to play a good game of ,chess after learning the moves of the men is like the soldier who is confident that he could lead an army after he has learned how to march4 ,he may have great strategical gifts but he will not be able to use them to any advantage unless he is thoroughly conversant with the tactical possibilities afforded by the cooperation of the different units of which his army is composed and by the topography of the ground on which the battle takes place4 ,the different conditions of the battle ground in war which make some positions more easily accessible to infantry than to artillery and vice versa have their equivalent on the ,chess board in the different ways in which the men move and which make certain squares accessible to some of them which others cannot reach4 ,the first thing1 then1 for the beginner to do is to acquaint himself thoroughly with the characteristic features of each man so that he may know exactly how much work to expect from him4 ,the best way to accomplish this is the study of the elementary problems which are in end games1 that is1 in positions where only a few men are left on each side4 ,,fundamental ,,endings ,considering that the object of the game is the capture of the opposing ,king1 it seems most important to find out whether there are positions in which this capture can be accomplished in the face of the best possible defense4 ,naturally a player must have a certain material superiority to be able to force a mate1 and the first question which offers itself is what ,,minimum force is required to compel the surrender of a ,king whose men have all been captured during the game4 ,it is clear that in order to checkmate the lone ,king it is necessary to attack the square on which he stands as well as all adjacent squares to which he could escape4 ,the most unfavorable position for the ,king is1 of course1 a corner of the board as there he has only three squares to go to while in the middle of the board eight squares are accessible to him4 ,consequently1 in an ending in which one player has only his ,king left the other player will try to drive the ,king into a corner where he needs control over only three additional squares4 ,it can easily be seen that this can be done without difficulty with ,king and ,queen or with ,king and ,rook4 ,supposing1 for instance1 ,white has his ,king on c#c and his ,queen on h#c while ,black's ,king stands on d#f as shown in the following diagram4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,k --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,k ,q --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #i4 ,how will ,white proceed in order to drive the ,king into a corner and checkmate him there8 ,a direct onslaught with the ,queen on e#f or d#g is clearly not advisable as the ,queen would not be protected on these squares1 so that the ,king could simply capture her4 ,a long range attack from h#b1 g#c1 d#c or h#f is not effective either as it would not restrict the mobility of the ,king who could go to either d#e or e#f or e#e1 that is away from the corner to which he is to be driven4 ,the correct way of maneuvering for ,white will be to confine ,black's ,king to a smaller and smaller territory until he finally has to back up against the side or the corner of the board4 ,this consideration indicates the following line of play3 7#a7,q-f#e1 ,k-c#f2 7#b7,q-e#e1 ,k-d#g2 7#c7 ,k-c#d1 ,k-c#f2 7#d7 ,q-e#g1 ,k-b#f2 7#e7 ,q-d#g1 ,k-a#f4 ,white must now be very careful to avoid a stalemate which would result if he deprived the ,king of all mobility without attacking him at the same time4 ,this would be the case if he now moved ,q-c#g4 ,for then ,black could not move the ,king to b#e1 as this square is controlled by ,white's ,king1 and he could not go to any of the other four squares in his range on account of ,white's ,queen attacking all of them4 ,the correct move is 7#f7 ,k- c#e4 ,this leaves only the square a#e for ,black's ,king1 and ,white checkmates by 7#g7 ,q-a#g or 7#g7 ,q-b#e4 ,if1 in ,diagram #i1 ,white had a ,rook on h#c instead of the ,queen1 the mating process would take a few more moves1 but there would be no escape for ,black either4 ,it will again be ,white's aim to confine ,black's ,king to a smaller and smaller number of squares4 ,the best way to start will therefore be 7#a7 ,r-e#c4 ,no matter what ,black replies1 he cannot prevent ,white from driving him to the edge of the board in a similar way to the one shown in the following example3 7#a7 4441 ,k-d#e2 7#b7 ,r-e#a4 ,this is a ,,waiting ,,move4 ,black must leave d#e1 thus enabling either ,white's ,king to advance or the ,rook to occupy e#e4 7#b7 4441 ,k-c#e2 7#c7 ,r-e#e2 ,k-d#f2 7#d7 ,k-d#d1 ,k-c#f2 7#e7 ,r- d#e1 ,k-b#f2 7#f7 ,r-c#e1 ,k-b#g2 7#g7 ,k-d#e1 ,k-b#f2 7#h7 ,k-d#f1 ,k-b#g2 7#i7 ,r- b#e1 ,k-a#f2 7#aj7 ,k-c#f1 ,k-a#g2 7#aa7 ,k-c#g1 ,k-a#f2 7#ab7 ,r-h#e1 ,k-a#g2 7#ac7 ,r-a#e mate4 ,the two examples discussed show that it is not necessary to drive the ,king into the corner but that he can be mated on any square of the edge by ,queen or ,rook4 ,it will be observed that in the mating position three of the six squares at ,black's disposal are controlled by ,white's ,king and the other three by the ,rook 7or the ,queen74 ,if ,white had only a ,bishop or a ,knight in addition to the ,king he could never mate ,black1 for neither ,bishop nor ,knight can attack the ,king and at the same time control a square adjacent to the ,king4 ,this1 however1 is at least necessary to force the mate1 even in the most unfavorable position of the ,king1 that is1 in the corner4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,kt --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,k ,k --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #aj4 ,there are possibilities of a player mating his opponent with only ,king and ,knight or ,king and ,bishop1 but then there must be a man of the opponent blocking the escape of the ,king4 ,diagram #aj is an example of such a case4 ,white plays 7#a7 ,kt-c#e1 ,k-h#a2 7#b7 ,kt-e#d4 ,now ,black cannot continue with ,p-h#b1 as ,white would checkmate with ,kt-g#c4 ,therefore1 he must play 7#b7 4441 ,k-h#b4 ,white then gets the ,knight in such a position as to deprive ,black's ,king of the escape to h#b and to keep the square g#c accessible to the ,knight3 7#c7 ,kt-d#b 7not ,kt-g#c1 which would stalemate ,black's ,king71 ,k-h#a2 7#d7 ,kt-f#a4 ,the only move left to ,black is now ,p-h#b1 and ,white mates by 7#e7 ,kt-g#c4 ,if it were ,black's move in the position of the ,diagram the game would be a draw1 for after 7#a7 4441 ,k-h#a2 7#b7 ,kt-c#e1 ,p-h#b ,black is stalemate unless ,white moves his ,king so as to make the square g#a accessible to ,black4 ,however1 he will not do that as it would enable ,black to queen the ,pawn and to win the game4 ,in the case of ,king and ,bishop against ,king and another man a mate can only occur through a blunder4 ,supposing for instance ,white has the ,king on f#c and a ,bishop on d#e and ,black has the ,king on h#a and a ,bishop or a ,pawn on h#b1 then ,white on the move would mate by ,k-f#b4 ,but it is evident that ,black must have made a blunder1 for on the move preceding the position of the ,diagram he must have either played his ,king into the corner or moved the ,bishop or ,pawn to h#b1 both moves which were in no way forced4 ,to checkmate with ,king and two ,bishops against ,king or with ,bishop and ,knight against ,king offers no difficulty4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a ,k ,b ,b --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #aa4 ,the only thing the player must keep in mind is that he needs his ,king for the drive4 ,the two pieces are not sufficient to confine the opposing ,king to the corner4 ,in ,diagram #aa for instance1 it will be the best policy for ,white to advance right away with his ,king in order to prevent ,black's ,king from escaping into the middle of the board4 ,the following play might then ensue3 7#a7 ,k-b#b1 ,k-b#g2 7#b7 ,k-c#c1 ,k-c#f2 7#c7 ,k-d#d1 ,k-d#f2 7#d7 ,b-f#e1 ,k-c#f2 7#e7 ,b-f#d1 ,k-b#e2 7#f7 ,b-e#d1 ,k-b#d2 7#g7 ,b-d#c1 ,k-b#c2 7#h7 ,b-d#b1 ,k-b#b2 7#i7 ,k-c#d1 ,k-a#c2 7#aj7 ,k-c#c1 ,k-a#d2 #aa7 ,k-c#b 7not ,k-b#b which would stalemate ,black's ,king71 ,k-a#c2 7#ab7 ,b-b#e1 ,k-a#b2 7#ac7 ,b-c#a1 ,k-a#a2 7#ad7 ,b-b#b1 ,k-a#b2 7#ae7 ,b-c#d mate4 ,in the fight of ,king1 ,bishop and ,knight against the ,king the mate can be enforced only in a corner controlled by the ,bishop1 if the lone ,king always makes the best move4 ,diagram #ab may serve as an example of this ending4 ,white has a black ,bishop and so he will have to drive ,black's ,king to either h#h or a#a as it is not possible to mate him in the white corner a#h1 unless he makes a blunder4 ,after 7#a7 ,b-e#e for instance1 ,black must of course not go into the corner as ,kt-b#f would mate him4 ,he will play ,k-c#h and ,white will have to prevent the flight of the black ,king into the middle of the board4 ,it is easy to see1 by the way1 that the ,kt cannot be placed so as to control the square c#h1 thereby forcing the ,king into the corner1 and to threaten the mate on b#f at the same time4 ,for he can control c#h only from a black square while he would have to stand on a white square to be able to reach b#f in one move4 ,after 7#a7 ,b-e#e1 ,k-c#h2 7#b7 ,k-b#f1 ,k-d#g2 7#c7 ,kt-f#d ,black's ,king is confined to the seventh and eighth ranks and it is only a question of time when he will be forced to h#h4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,k --------------------------------------- #e ,kt --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,b --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ab4 ,white's ,bishop being only capable of commanding black squares the ,knight will have to be used to drive the ,king from white squares4 ,for instance3 ,k-c#h2 7#d7 ,k-c#f1 ,k-d#h2 7#e7 ,kt-g#f1 ,k-c#h2 7#f7 ,kt-e#g1 ,k-d#h2 7#g7 ,k-d#f1 ,k-e#h2 7#h7 ,k-e#f1 ,k-d#h2 7#i7 ,b-h#b4 ,a waiting move4 ,white wants to place the ,bishop on c#g so as to make d#h inaccessible to ,black4 7#i7 ,k-e#h2 7#aj7 ,b-c#g1 ,k-f#h2 7#aa7 ,kt-f#e1 ,k- e#h2 7#ab7 ,kt-g#g1 ,k-f#h2 7#ac7 ,k-f#f1 ,k-g#h2 7#ad7 ,k-g#f1 ,k-f#h2 7#ae7 ,b- d#f1 ,k-g#h2 7#af7 ,kt-f#e1 ,k-h#h2 7#ag7 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,k ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,kt --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ac4 ,b-a#c4 ,again a waiting move4 ,white cannot play ,kt-h#f right away as ,black would be stalemate4 7#ag7 4441 ,k-g#h2 7#ah7 ,kt-h#f1 ,k-h#h2 7#ai7 ,b-b#b mate4 ,it is not possible to force a mate with ,king and two ,knights1 for even if a position similar to ,diagram #ac is arrived at1 in which the ,king can be driven into the corner1 the ,knight who prevents the ,king from escaping is never ready to give the checkmate1 and in order to prevent a stalemate the other ,knight would have to let the ,king out of the corner again4 ,if ,black had a spare move1 for instance if he had a ,pawn left1 then ,white would win4 7#a7 ,kt- a#f1 ,k-a#h2 7#b7 ,kt-e#h1 ,pawn moves2 7#c7 ,kt-c#g mate4 ,,relative ,,value ,,of ,,the ,,men ,from the foregoing examples it is possible to form a vague idea of the strength of the different pieces4 ,the ,queen is apparently the strongest piece4 ,on account of her superior mobility she can confine the hostile ,king with a few moves and force him into a mating net4 ,of the other pieces the ,rook is no doubt the strongest for he is sufficient to force a mate in conjunction with his own ,king1 while ,bishop or ,knight cannot do so4 ,two ,bishops apparently are stronger than two ,knights1 while it is not possible yet to say anything about the relative value of one ,bishop and one ,knight4 ,the above valuation1 however1 holds good only on the comparatively vacant board1 where the pieces can make full use of their mobility4 ,it is the mobility alone which decides the value of a man1 and positions often occur in which a ,knight is more valuable than a ,rook or in which a ,pawn might be preferable to a ,bishop and so on4 ,the reason is that sometimes the weaker man occupies a commanding square while the stronger man is obstructed somehow or other so that he cannot be made to work4 ,examples for positions of this kind will be discussed in the ,chapter on combination4 ,although it is impossible to indicate exactly the relative value of the men in each position1 experience enables a fair estimation of their average strength4 ,the ,queen is about as strong as two ,rooks or as three minor pieces 7,bishops or ,knights74 ,a minor piece is about equivalent to three ,pawns1 and a ,rook is consequently equal to a minor piece and one to two ,pawns4 ,the value of a ,pawn is the hardest thing to grasp for the beginner4 ,a ,pawn appears to be of so little use on account of his limited mobility1 that it seems hardly worth while to waste time on saving a ,pawn that is attacked1 as so much greater things are apparently at issue4 ,what he overlooks is the latent value of the ,pawn which lies in the possibility of queening him later in the game4 ,to realize the importance of the ,pawn it is necessary to know exactly under what conditions he ,,can be queened4 ,this knowledge is all the more indispensable to the ,chess player as the vast majority of all games finally resolve themselves into ,pawn endings in which the advantage of one or more ,pawns decides the issue4 ,in most of these cases some pieces are on the board in addition to the ,pawns and sometimes it is only by their exchange that the game can be won4 ,the most elementary example is that shown in the following ,diagram4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,k --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a ,q ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ad4 ,white is a ,pawn ahead and it will be his object to ,queen it4 ,the beginner1 in his haste to advance the ,pawn1 will probably play ,p- e#e at once and lose the ,pawn1 as ,black can answer ,q-d#d check with simultaneous attack on the ,pawn4 ,the correct way to play for ,white is 7#a7 ,q-d#a1 ,k-a#c or b#d2 7#b7 ,qxa#d1 ,kxa#d4 ,now that the ,queens are exchanged ,white need not any longer worry about any interference with his plans to queen the ,pawn except maneuvers of the black ,king1 which might still lead to the capture or the blockade of the ,pawn4 ,a rash advance of the ,pawn would again be the wrong thing4 ,the right way of playing is indicated by a simple calculation4 ,the ,pawn needs four moves to reach the queening square4 ,but the black ,king arrives there in the same number of moves1 so that he can capture the ,pawn the moment he queens4 ,consequently ,white will only be able to enforce the safe queening of his ,pawn if he can gain control of the queening square with his own ,king1 thus protecting the ,pawn at the time of queening4 ,now1 ,white needs three moves to bring his ,king up to his ,pawn on f#d4 ,in the meantime ,black will have reached the square d#f and after ,white's 7#d7 ,k-f#e ,black will block the further advance of ,white's ,king by ,k-e#g4 ,however1 ,white can force ,black to give the way free4 ,the maneuver by which he does this is one which occurs in a similar form in nearly all ,pawn endings and its thorough grasp is therefore essential4 ,diagram #ae shows the critical position4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,k --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,k --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ae4 ,white can win the game only by playing 7#e7 ,k-e#e4 ,the technical term for this move is going into ,,opposition4 ,the ,kings oppose each other in one line on squares of the same color and the one who has to move out of opposition--in this case ,black's ,king--is compelled to allow the advance of the opposing ,king to the next line4 ,if ,black plays ,k-d#g1 ,white answers 7#f7 ,k-f#f1 and if ,black plays ,k-f#g1 7#f7 ,k-d#f would follow4 ,then1 after ,black's ,k-e#h1 ,white repeats the maneuver by taking the opposition with 7#g7 ,k- e#f1 and again ,black must back out with either ,k-d#h or ,k-f#h1 so that ,white can advance to either f#g or d#g4 ,this clears the way for the ,pawn who now advances unimpeded to the queening square4 ,the important role which the opposition of the ,kings play in ,pawn endings is still more strikingly illustrated by the situations which would result if in the position of ,diagram #ae ,white played 7#e7 ,p-e#e instead of ,k-e#e4 ,black would then draw the game by maintaining the opposition himself4 ,he would play ,k-f#g and although after 7#f7 ,p-e#f1 ,k-e#g2 7#g7 ,k-e#e ,white has regained the opposition he cannot keep it if ,black continues correctly4 ,the move which saves the game for ,black is ,k-e#h4 ,k-d#h or ,k-f#h lose1 as then ,white could go into opposition by ,k-d#f or ,k-f#f4 ,the play in these three cases would be this3 ,a3 7#g7 4441 ,k-e#h1 7#h7 ,k-f#f1 ,k-f#h2 7#i7 ,p-e#g1 ,k-e#h2 7#aj7 ,k-e#f and ,black is stalemate1 the game is drawn4 ,b3 7#g7 4441 ,k-d#h2 7#h7 ,k-d#f1 ,k-e#h2 7#i7 ,p-e#g and ,black must move ,k-f#g enabling ,white to obtain control of the queening square by 7#aj7 ,k-d#g4 ,c3 7#g7 4441 ,k-f#h1 7#h7 ,k-f#f1 ,k-e#h1 etc41 similar to the play in ,b4 ,to sum up the investigation of this ,pawn ending3 ,the deciding factor is the opposition of the ,kings on the #fth and #hth ranks4 ,if the weaker party succeeds in obtaining that opposition with the ,pawn on the #fth rank he draws the game4 ,if the ,pawn is not yet advanced to the #fth rank the opposition of the ,kings is of no avail to the weaker party as the ,pawn advancing would force the opposing ,king out of opposition again4 ,suppose1 for instance1 ,white has the ,king on e#f and the ,pawn on e#e while ,black's ,king stands on e#h with ,white on the move4 ,white must get out of opposition by playing ,k-f#f or ,k-d#f and ,black keeps the opposition by ,k-f#h or ,k-d#h4 ,but then ,white has a move to spare which forces ,black out of opposition and thereby wins the game4 ,he plays ,p-e#f and the game ends in the way discussed above4 ,the ending ,king and ,pawn against ,king is one of the most important for every ,chess player to know1 not only because a great number of positions can be reduced to this ending by the exchange of all the other men left on the board1 but also because it gives the first insight into the peculiar maneuvers of the ,king which have to be carried out in connection with gaining or giving up the opposition1 and which1 as will be seen later on1 constitute the essence of the most frequent pawn endings4 ,for the beginner1 of course1 the opposition maneuvers are rather difficult to grasp and it is fortunate for him that the vast majority of pawn endings are of a much simpler form4 ,the winning maneuver in these endings into which most ,chess games resolve themselves1 is easily explained and after understanding it the beginner can readily see the fundamental principle underlying every game4 ,diagram #af shows a typical position on which the winning method should be studied4 ,white is a pawn ahead1 but as demonstrated on the position of ,diagram #ae he cannot queen his passed ,pawn because his ,king is not in front of it4 ,on the other hand1 there cannot possibly be any advantage in advancing the ,pawns on the other side of the board as there ,black has the same number of ,pawns as ,white and consequently there is no reason why one of the white ,pawns should succeed in breaking through4 ,it is all the same very easy for ,white to win and the strategy to be employed will be evident from the following consideration3 ,black's ,king is considerably confined in his movements as he has to be constantly watching ,white's passed ,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #af4 ,white's ,king1 however1 is free to go wherever he likes without any immediate danger4 ,there is consequently nothing to hinder him attacking and capturing the black ,pawns1 for if ,black's ,king tries to stop ,white's advance1 ,white's passed ,pawn marches on and compels the opposing ,king to catch him1 thereby giving the way free to his own ,king4 ,according to this scheme play could proceed like this3 7#a7 ,k-d#c1 ,k-d#e2 7#b7 ,k-e#c1 ,k-e#e2 7#c7 ,p-b#d1 ,p-g#e2 7#d7 ,p- b#e1 ,k-d#e2 7#e7 ,p-b#f1 ,k-c#f2 7#f7 ,k-d#d1 ,kxb#f2 7#g7 ,k-e#e1 ,p-f#d2 7#h7 ,k- f#e1 ,k-c#f2 7#i7 ,kxg#e1 ,k-d#f2 7#aj7 ,kxf#d1 ,k-e#f2 7#aa7 ,k-g#e1 ,k-f#g4 ,now ,white would win even without the ,pawn g#b by playing 7#ab7 ,k-f#e and so on as explained on ,diagram #ae4 ,from the foregoing it will be clear to the beginner that if a player succeeds in winning a ,pawn he can win the game if he is able to exchange all pieces so that only the ,pawns are left4 ,however1 he will not yet see the way in which this exchange of pieces can be forced4 ,it is evident that the player who has lost the ,pawn will try to avoid the exchange1 hoping that he may be able to regain the ,pawn with his pieces4 ,therefore1 he will permit his opponent an exchange only if1 in avoiding it1 he would sustain an additional loss4 ,the position of ,diagram #ag offers a simple example4 ,white on the move will play ,r-e#e1 offering the exchange of ,rooks4 ,if ,black tried to avoid the exchange by playing ,r-b#f1 ,white would capture the ,pawn f#e with the ,rook and after ,black's ,king moves out of check he would take the ,pawn g#d too4 ,therefore ,black has to make the offered exchange of ,rooks1 and ,white then wins by advancing the c-,pawn which forces ,black's ,king over to the ,queen's wing and leaves the ,pawns of the ,king's wing unprotected4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,r ,p ,k --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,k ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,r --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ag4 ,the beginner might think that inasmuch as the loss of a ,pawn in most cases means the loss of the game on account of the final promotion of the ,pawn to the ,queen1 it may be advisable to sacrifice a piece if thereby the loss of a ,pawn can be avoided4 ,however1 this idea1 which is frequently met1 is altogether wrong as the additional piece will easily enable the opponent to gain as many ,pawns as he likes within the further course of the game4 ,the position of ,diagram #ah may serve as an example4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,k --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ah4 ,in the following line of play it is assumed that ,black makes the best moves1 but the method employed is the same for any defensive maneuvers which ,black might try1 with the only difference that ,white would win still more quickly4 7#a7 ,kt-c#e1 ,b-c#f2 7#b7 ,b-f#c1 ,bxf#c2 7#c7 ,kxf#c1 ,p-b#f2 7#d7 ,kt-e#f1 ,p-c#e2 7#e7 ,p-a#d4 ,this move retains the black ,pawns so that the ,knight can attack them with better effect4 7#e7 4441 ,p-c#d2 7#f7 ,kt-c#g1 ,k-g#g2 7#g7 ,kt-b#e1 ,p-a#f2 7#h7 ,kt-d#f1 ,k-f#f2 7#i7 ,ktxc#d1 ,p-b#e2 7#aj7 ,pxb#e1 ,pxb#e2 7n7 ,kt-a#c1 ,p- b#d2 7#ab7 ,kt-c#b1 ,p-b#c2 7#ac7 ,kt-d#d1 etc4 ,often it happens that a player can give up his additional piece to advantage for one or two ,pawns thereby enforcing an ending which is won on account of the ,pawn position4 ,diagram #ai is an example4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b ,k --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,kt ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ai4 ,black is a piece down but his two connected passed ,pawns constitute a dangerous threat4 ,white1 therefore1 does best to sacrifice a ,knight for the two ,pawns1 as he then remains with two ,pawns against one4 ,black must finally give up his ,bishop for ,white's a-,pawn who threatens to queen1 and then ,white wins by capturing ,black's g-,pawn and queening his own4 ,play might proceed as follows3 7#a7 ,ktxc#b1 ,pxc#b2 7#b7 ,ktxc#b1 ,b-d#e2 7#c7 ,kt-b#d1 ,b-a#h2 7#d7 ,p-a#f1 ,k-g#f2 7#e7 ,p-a#g1 ,k-f#f2 7#f7 ,kt-a#f1 ,k-e#g2 7#g7 ,kt-c#g1 ,b-h#a2 7#h7 ,p-a#h 7,queen71 ,bxa#h2 7#i7 ,ktxa#h1 ,k-f#f2 7#aj7 ,kt-c#g1 ,k-g#f2 7#aa7 ,kt-d#e1 ,k-h#f2 7#ab7 ,k-f#e1 ,k-h#g2 7#ac7 ,k-g#e1 ,k-h#h2 7#ad7 ,k-g#f1 ,k-g#h2 7#ae7 ,kt-e#g1 ,k-h#h2 7#af7 ,kt-f#e1 ,k-g#h2 7#ag7 ,ktxg#g1 ,k-h#h2 7#ah7 ,k-f#g1 ,k-h#g2 7#ai7 ,p-g#e1 ,k-h#h2 7#bj7 ,kt-f#e1 ,white could not play ,p-g#f1 as ,black would have been stalemate4 7#bj7 4441 ,k-h#g2 7#ba7 ,p-g#f1 ,k- h#h2 7#bb7 ,p-g#g1 ,k-h#g2 7#bc7 ,p-g#h 7,queen7 mate4 ,the game endings discussed up to now have illustrated the method of winning with a superior force and it is now possible for the beginner to understand that the leading rule for all maneuvers is to ,,avoid ,,the ,,loss ,,of ,,material--no matter how small--as it will ultimately lead to the loss of the game by one pawn or the other queening4 ,the next step will be to find out under what conditions it is possible to gain a man and when it will be possible to avoid loss4 ,to understand the attacking and defensive maneuvers involved it is necessary first to become acquainted with the different ways in which the various pieces can be made to do some useful work1 where their strength lies and where their weakness1 and how they are able to cooperate4 ,not before all this is clear to the beginner--in the outlines at least--will he be in a position to play a sensible game or even to understand the most elementary strategic principles4 ,the reader is therefore urged to study carefully the next chapter in which the characteristic features of the different men are discussed4 ,in this way he will much more quickly arrive at a fair playing strength than by relying on the experience which he may gain in playing a great number of games1 trying to find out everything for himself instead of profiting by the knowledge which has been gathered by others in centuries of study4 ,,how ,,the ,,different ,,men ,,cooperate ,there are two kinds of elementary attack4 ,one when a single man attacks two or more hostile men at the same time2 the other when more men are brought up to attack an opposing man than can be mustered for defense4 ,the beginner1 as a rule1 makes attacks with the sole aim of driving away a hostile piece2 it is clear that these attempts will in most cases be futile as they generally allow the attacked piece to move to another square just as or perhaps more favorable4 ,the advantage of attacking two men at once is evident in that probably only one of them can be saved4 ,the advantage of bringing up more men for attack than can be gathered for defense is not less obvious1 but will be found more difficult to carry out4 ,using both methods of attack in conjunction is the secret of the successful cooperation of the men4 ,in the following diagrams simple illustrations are shown of elementary cases of such attacks4 ,these positions often occur in games of beginners on account of their placing the men on unfavorable squares4 ,in studying them the eye of the beginner will become accustomed to dangerous formations of the pieces and he will be able to foresee similar threats in his games4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,b ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bj4 ,this is especially true of the mating positions which are discussed below in connection with attacks instituted by the ,queen in the middle of the game4 ,it is these attacks to which the beginner at an early stage of the game falls victim in ninety out of a hundred cases when playing against an experienced opponent4 ,in the position of ,diagram #bj ,white on the move wins the exchange and thereby practically the game by playing 7#a7 ,kt-d#e4 ,with this move he attacks the ,queen and at the same time the ,pawn c#g4 ,black1 in order not to lose the ,queen1 must move her1 but he cannot move her so that she will protect the ,pawn c#g4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,b ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,q --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,k ,b ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ba4 ,on the next move ,white will1 therefore1 take the ,pawn calling ,check and at the same time attacking the ,rook a#h4 ,the ,king must move and the ,knight takes the ,rook4 ,quite frequently a similar attack with the ,knight is likely to win the ,queen if the opponent is not familiar with situations of that kind4 ,if in the position of ,diagram #ba ,white plays 7#a7 ,kt- d#e1 ,black must protect the ,pawn c#g by ,q-d#h or ,q-d#f1 but not by ,q- c#f2 for in the latter case ,white would continue with 7#b7 ,b-b#e1 ,qxb#e2 7#c7 ,ktxc#g and 7#d7 ,ktxb#e4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,b ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,q --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,k ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bb4 ,sometimes two pieces are involved in the double attack1 the line of one of the pieces being discovered by the other4 ,thus1 in the position of ,diagram #bb1 which could be brought about by the moves 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-d#e2 7#b7 ,pxd#e1 ,qxd#e2 7#c7 ,kt-c#c1 ,q-a#e2 7#d7 ,p-d#d1 ,kt-f#f2 7#e7 ,b-c#d1 ,p-e#f2 7#f7 ,b-d#b1 white threatens to play 7#g7 ,kt-d#e1 uncovering the ,bishop d#b on ,black's ,queen and at the same time attacking the ,pawn c#g1 which ,black cannot keep protected4 ,threats of this kind more frequently occur in connection with a discovered ,check4 ,as an example the following opening will serve3 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-f#f2 7#c7 ,ktxe#e1 ,ktxe#d2 7#d7 ,q-e#b1 ,kt- f#f4 ,black's last move exposes his ,king to a discovered ,check1 and ,white wins the ,queen by playing 7#e7 ,kt-c#f4 ,next to the ,knight the ,queen is most frequently in a position to carry out a double attack4 ,two typical examples are shown in the following diagrams4 ,after the opening moves 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,p-f#d1 ,b-,c#e2 7#c7 ,pxe#e88 the position of ,diagram #bc is reached1 in which ,black wins a ,rook by ,q-h#d4 ,white cannot reply 7#d7 ,k-e#b on account of ,qxe#d mate4 ,his only move is 7#d7 ,p-g#c and then follows ,qxe#d attacking ,king and ,rook simultaneously4 ,this opening offers another opportunity to demonstrate the dangerous mobility of the ,queen4 ,instead of 7#c7 ,pxe#e ,white should have played 7#c7 ,kt-f#c4 ,the game could then have continued as follows3 ,p-d#f2 7#d7 ,b-c#d1 ,kt-f#f2 7#e7 ,pxe#e1 ,pxe#e3 ,again ,white cannot win the ,pawn e#e for 7#f7 ,ktxe#e would be answered by ,q-d#d1 attacking ,knight and ,bishop and threatening mate on f#b4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,b ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bc4 ,diagram #bd shows a typical case of a double threat with the ,queen in conjunction with other pieces4 ,white on the move plays ,b-d#c1 and now ,black cannot castle as ,white would continue with ,q-e#d threatening mate through ,qxh#g and at the same time attacking the ,bishop e#g for the second time who is only once protected4 ,black would have to defend the mate by either ,p-g#f or ,p-f#e or ,q-h#e and ,white would capture the ,bishop4 ,when castling on the ,king side a player must always beware of an attack by the ,queen and another piece on the ,king's ,rook's ,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,q --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bd4 ,in the case illustrated above it was the ,bishop who assisted the ,queen4 ,a ,knight could aid in an attack on h#g from either g#e or f#f4 ,more frequently he does so from g#e as usually the square f#f is not accessible to him on account of the ,pawn g#g protecting it4 ,in the majority of cases the ,knight goes to g#e from f#c1 and the ,queen attacks h#g from h#e1 coming from her original square d#a4 ,then1 if ,black cannot protect h#g by a ,knight from f#f or by the ,bishop1 from f#e for instance1 or from g#f1 the only protection as a rule is to advance the ,pawn to h#f4 ,the position of ,diagram #be may serve as an example4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #be ,black's last move was ,kt-e#g1 while ,kt-f#f1 which protects the ,pawn h#g against future attacks1 is generally preferable in any opening4 ,white can now play ,kt-g#e1 attacking the ,pawn f#g for the second time1 as it is already attacked by the ,bishop c#d4 ,the student will1 at this stage of his development1 not yet know why ,black should be so anxious to defend the ,pawn f#g1 considering that he is a ,pawn ahead so that the loss of a ,pawn would only equalize the forces but would not give ,white a material advantage4 ,however1 later on1 when discussing the strategy of the opening1 it will become evident that in the position of the diagram ,black must1 under all circumstances1 defend the ,pawn f#g as otherwise his game would soon become hopeless on account of the exposed position of his ,king4 ,there are only two ways for ,black to defend f#g4 ,one is to advance the ,queen's ,pawn to d#e1 interrupting the diagonal of ,white's ,bishop2 the other is to castle1 so that the ,rook procures the second protection for the ,pawn f#g which is needed4 ,it would then not be good for ,white to capture the ,pawn because he would have to give up ,knight and ,bishop for ,rook and one ,pawn1 which is not a sufficient equivalent4 ,of the two ways indicated only the first one is feasible4 ,for if ,black castles he gives ,white an opportunity to institute an attack on the weak ,pawn h#g with ,knight and ,queen against which ,black has no satisfactory defense4 ,play would develop as follows3 7#a7 ,kt-g#e o-o 7#b7 ,q-h#e ,p-h#f ,this is the only defense against the threat ,qxh#g mate4 ,but ,white's ,queen's move involved a double threat4 ,it brought up a third attack on the ,pawn f#g1 and the latter now falls1 forcing ,black to give up some more material4 7#c7 ,ktxf#g ,rxf#g ,black has to sacrifice the exchange4 ,if he moved the ,queen1 which is attacked by the ,knight1 he would expose his ,king to a deadly double check1 viz43 7#d7 ,ktxh#f1 ,k-h#h or h#g2 7#e7 ,kt-f#g 7discovered71 ,k-g#h2 7#f7 ,q-h#h mate4 ,after giving up his ,rook for the ,knight on the third move ,black has a lost game1 for as explained in the previous chapter ,white can simply exchange all pieces and force the win in the ending with his superior material4 ,another square which after castling on the ,king side is often the mark of attack for the ,queen in connection with either ,knight or ,bishop1 is the one immediately in front of the ,king in the ,knight's file4 ,diagram #bf illustrates several possibilities of this kind4 ,white1 on the move1 can play 7#a7 ,q-g#e1 attacking for the second time the ,pawn g#g which is only once protected4 ,the threat1 however1 is not only to win a ,pawn1 but to win the game1 for in taking the ,pawn with the ,queen ,white would checkmate ,black's ,king4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,kt ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bf ,the only defense at ,black's disposal is ,p-g#f1 but this move helps only temporarily4 ,white can force the mate within a few moves in different ways4 ,one would be the following3 7#b7 ,kt-h#f ,k-g#g ,if the ,king goes to h#h ,white mates by ,q-f#f4 7#c7 ,q-f#f ,kxh#f 7#d7 ,b-g#e ,k-h#e 7#e7 ,p-h#c and the mate through ,p-g#d cannot be protected4 ,another way would be3 7#b7 ,q-h#f ,pxf#e 7#c7 ,b-f#f and the mate through ,q-g#g cannot be protected4 ,the position of ,diagram #bf enables another mating attack for ,white1 demonstrating the possibility of mating with ,bishop and ,knight in the middle of a game1 which occurs oftener than one would be inclined to think4 ,white can play 7#a7 ,b-f#f instead of ,q- g#e as suggested above4 ,black cannot take the ,bishop as ,white would continue ,q-h#f with ,q-g#g mate4 ,neither can ,black play ,p-g#f as then ,white would mate right away with ,kt-h#f4 ,the latter mate with ,knight and ,bishop ,white can force1 even if ,black does not move the ,pawn g#g but makes some other indifferent move1 as for instance ,qxc#b4 ,white would then make the surprising move ,q-h#f1 allowing ,black to take the ,queen4 ,in doing so1 however1 ,black again enables the mate ,kt-h#f4 ,the only move which ,black could try in answer to 7#a7 ,b-f#f is ,p- h#f1 preventing the ,queen from occupying g#e4 ,now ,qxh#f would not be feasible as after ,pxh#f ,white does not mate with ,ktxh#f1 but leaves the square h#g open to ,black's ,king4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,q ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bg4 ,however1 ,white wins easily through 7#b7 ,ktxh#f4 ,if ,black takes the ,knight1 ,white mates with ,qxh#f and ,q-g#g4 ,if ,black does not take but plays ,k-h#g1 ,white goes back with the ,knight to f#e1 again threatening ,q-g#e and ,qxg#g4 7#c7 4441 ,r-g#h is of no avail1 as 7#d7 ,q-g#e threatens mate of h#e which can only be prevented by either ,p-g#f or a move with the ,rook1 after which ,white mates by either ,q-h#f or ,qxg#g4 ,it remains to show some examples of the cooperation of ,rooks with other pieces4 ,diagram #bg shows one of the positions in which the beginner is frequently caught4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,r --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,k --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bh4 ,white plays 7#a7 ,q-h#e1 and if ,black makes an indifferent move he mates through 7#b7 ,qxh#g1 ,kxh#g2 7#c7 ,r-h#e4 ,black could try to defend himself with 7#a7 4441 ,p-g#f4 ,white can then continue with 7#b7 ,q-h#f and again ,black cannot make an indifferent move such as ,p-d#f for instance1 as ,white would have another mate in two moves1 namely 7#c7 ,r-h#e 7threatening ,qxh#g71 ,pxh#e2 7#d7 ,q-f#f4 ,more frequent than the mate with ,rook and ,knight shown above is one which usually occurs in the end game and which is illustrated in ,diagram #bh4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,kt ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #bi4 ,white plays ,kt-f#f and ,black cannot go with the ,king into the corner as the ,rook would mate him on h#g4 ,after ,k-f#h ,white draws the game through perpetual check2 for after 7#b7 ,kt-h#g1 ,k-e#h2 7#c7 ,kt-f#f the ,king must go back to f#h as on d#h he would be mated by ,r-d#g4 ,consequently ,white can check the ,king indefinitely on h#g and f#f4 ,an example for the cooperation of ,rook and ,bishop is shown in ,diagram #bi4 ,white plays ,b-f#f1 and there is no way for ,black to prevent the mate threatened through ,r-h#c followed by ,r-h#h4 ,it is evident that the force of the ,rooks will increase as the board gets emptier through the exchange of men1 for they will then find more open lines to act in4 ,one of the most important lines for ,rooks to occupy is--especially in the ending --the one in which most of the attackable ,pawns of the opponent are standing1 that is in the majority of cases the second or the seventh rank respectively4 ,if both ,rooks cooperate with each other in this rank they usually decide the victory within a short time4 ,following is an example which is taken from a master game4 ,as far as the material is concerned the players are about even1 as the ,queen is worth as much as the two ,rooks while ,knight and ,bishop are an approximate equivalent of the ,black ,rook and the ,pawn which ,black is ahead4 ,the ,pawn a#d is rather dangerous for ,white1 as he needs only three more moves to reach the first rank where he can be promoted into any piece4 ,on the other hand the ,rooks doubled in the seventh rank give ,white so strong an attack on the ,black ,king that he forces the mate before ,black succeeds in realizing the advantage of his advanced passed ,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,r ,r ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #b ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #cj4 ,it is ,white's move4 ,if ,black's ,queen did not protect the ,pawn f#g ,white would be able to give a mate in five moves1 thus3 7,i7 ,rxf#g1 ,k-g#h2 7#b7 ,rxg#g1 ,k-h#h 7not ,k-f#h on account of ,rc#g-;f#g mate72 7#c7 ,rxh#g1 ,k-g#h2 7#d7 ,r-g#g and ,kt-g#f mate4 ,therefore1 ,white will try to interrupt the diagonal in which the ,queen defends the threat1 and he can do so by 7#a7 ,kt-d#e4 ,black being unable to keep f#g protected1 must defend g#g or h#g1 or he will be mated4 ,in the game in question ,black played ,q-a#a 2 7#b7 ,k-g#b1 ,p-a#c4 ,after 7#c7 ,rxf#g1 ,k-g#h it would not be good for ,white to take g#g1 giving up the two ,rooks for the ,queen1 as he would then have no more attack while ,black still has the dangerous ,pawn in the a-line4 ,if possible he will rather interrupt again the diagonal of ,black's ,queen4 ,this suggests the move 7#d7 ,kt-f#f4 ,after ,pxf#f ,white's ,rooks are at last free to act unmolested in the seventh rank1 and they do it with deadly effect4 ,white forces the mate through 7#e7 ,r-g#g1 ,k-h#h2 7#f7 ,rxh#g1 ,k-g#h2 7#g7 ,rh#g-;g#g1 ,k-h#h2 7#h7 ,b-f#e6 ,now ,r-g#d is threatened followed by ,r-h#g mate1 and ,black has no defense4 ,in the opening and in the middle game the main threat of a ,rook is the pinning of a hostile piece4 ,what is meant by this is illustrated in ,diagram #ca4 ,supposing ,black1 to save his ,knight f#f which ,white has just attacked by ,p-e#e1 plays ,kt-g#d and after 7#b7 ,p-h#c takes the ,pawn e#e with the ,knight g#d1 then ,white wins a piece by 7#c7 ,ktxe#e1 ,ktxe#e2 7#d7 ,r-e#a4 ,this move pins ,black's ,knight to his place as the ,king would be exposed to ,white's ,rook if the ,knight moved4 7#d7 4441 ,p-d#f or ,q-e#g is not a sufficient defense1 for ,white continues with 7#e7 ,p-f#d4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ca4 ,pieces that can be used for pinning a hostile man are1 apart from the ,rooks1 the ,queen and the ,bishops2 in fact pinning is the main activity of a ,bishop throughout the game4 ,right after the first few moves one of the ,bishops1 as a rule1 finds an opportunity to pin a hostile ,knight4 ,for instance3 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#c7 ,b-b#e and as soon as the ,pawn d#g moves in order to give an outlet to the ,bishop c#h1 the ,knight c#f is pinned4 ,or3 7#a7 ,p- d#d1 ,p-d#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-f#f2 7#c7 ,p-c#d1 ,p-e#f2 7#d7 ,b-g#e and the ,knight f#f is pinned1 as the ,queen would be lost if the ,knight moved4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,b ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,b ,kt ,p ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #cb4 ,the disadvantage arising from having a piece pinned is often that the opponent might be able to concentrate more men to attack the piece which is pinned than can be gathered for defense4 ,the position of ,diagram #cb will serve as an illustration4 ,two of ,black's men are pinned1 namely1 the ,knight f#f and the ,pawn e#e1 and of both pins ,white can take advantage4 ,the ,pawn e#e is attacked twice and defended twice4 ,white cannot take ,pawn1 as he would lose ,knight and ,rook but would get for it only ,knight and ,pawn4 ,however1 he can win the ,pawn by playing 7#a7 ,p-d#d4 ,this attacks the ,pawn for the third time and although ,black can defend him for the third time with ,r-e#h1 the defense is not serviceable as ,black would lose ,pawn1 ,knight and ,queen for ,pawn1 ,knight and ,rook4 ,p-e#d in answer to ,p-d#d would not help either2 for on e#d the ,pawn is twice attacked and only once protected as the ,knight f#f cannot be counted as protection on account of his being pinned by the ,bishop g#e4 ,all ,white needs to do is to take the ,knight f#f first and then to capture the ,pawn e#d4 ,it remains to examine whether in answer to 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,black can take the ,pawn with either ,bishop or ,knight4 ,apparently this is possible as the ,pawn d#d is protected only by the ,knight f#c and the ,queen4 ,indeed1 the combination would be correct if the ,bishop d#g were sufficiently protected4 ,as it is ,white wins a piece in the following way3 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,bxd#d 7#b7 ,ktxd#d ,ktxd#d 7#c7 ,qxd#d ,pxd#d 7#d7 ,rxe#g ,pxc#c ,up to this move an even exchange of pieces has taken place1 but now ,black loses the ,bishop which is attacked by ,white's ,rook1 because ,white can remove the ,knight which protects the ,bishop4 7#e7 ,bxf#f ,pxf#f 7#f7 ,rxd#g1 etc4 ,instead of playing 7#a7 ,p-d#d and taking advantage of the fact that the ,pawn e#e is pinned1 ,white can direct his attack against the other ,black man which is pinned1 namely the ,knight f#f4 ,he can play 7#a7 ,kt-d#e and thereby attack the ,queen and at the same time the ,knight f#f for the second time4 ,it will not be evident to the beginner that ,white can derive any advantage from this double attack1 as ,black can answer either ,q-d#f or ,q-d#h keeping his ,knight twice protected4 ,indeed1 ,white does not gain anything on f#f1 the square itself upon which the pin is effected1 but he uses the pin to force an opening into the chain of ,pawns which protects ,black's ,king by exchanging on f#f1 compelling ,black to retake with the ,pawn g#g4 ,the advantage resulting from this break in ,black's ,pawn position will be explained later on when discussing the strategy of the middle-game4 ,,sacrificing ,a player is said to ,,sacrifice if he allows a certain amount of his forces to be captured without recapturing himself an equivalent amount of his opponent's forces4 ,he will not1 of course1 knowingly do so unless he expects to obtain some other advantage which will at least compensate for his loss of material4 ,such compensation can only be afforded by a superiority of the position4 ,in as much as a position can only be considered superior if it enables the mating of the opposing ,king or the obtaining of an advantage in material which will secure a win in the ending1 it is evident that in sacrificing a player really never intends to give up more than he gets1 but that on the contrary he expects to gain more than he loses4 ,in other words1 a sacrifice1 if correct1 is a sacrifice only ,,temporarily1 and very soon yields either the same1 if not more material1 or an attack on the ,king to which the latter falls victim4 ,the less evident the way is in which a player recovers the material sacrificed or realizes an equivalent advantage the more beautiful the sacrifice is considered4 ,if the effect of a sacrifice is a direct mating attack on the ,king1 it is as a rule not difficult to foresee as long as the typical mating positions are known to the player1 most of which have been discussed in the previous chapter4 ,the following diagrams illustrate examples of such sacrifices which occur fairly often in actual games4 ,in ,diagram #cc1 ,white on the move can play for a similar mate as the one explained in the discussion of ,diagram #bi by placing his ,rook on g#c4 ,the best protection against ,rxg#g which ,black has at his disposal is ,p-f#f4 ,but if he does not know the mating position illustrated in ,diagram #bi he is liable to play ,p-g#f1 and then ,white forces the mate by sacrificing his ,queen on h#g4 7#a7 ,r-g#c ,p-g#f 7#b7 ,qxh#g ,kxh#g 7#c7 ,r-h#c ,k-g#h 7#d7 ,r-h#h ,black could have prolonged the agony one move by interposing his ,queen on h#d on the third move4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,r ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #cc ,in the position of ,diagram #cd ,white institutes a mating attack by 7#a7 ,p-f#f4 ,the only move to protect the mate on g#g is ,p-g#f4 ,it will then be ,white's desire to enter with his ,queen on h#f again threatening the checkmate on g#g4 ,he will1 therefore1 play either ,q-f#d or ,q-g#e4 ,black has no other way to defend himself against ,white's threat than by ,k-h#h followed by ,r-g#h4 ,but after ,k-h#h2 ,q- h#f1 ,r-g#h ,white plays ,r-f#c and ,black is unable to prevent ,white from sacrificing his ,queen on h#g and mating by ,r-h#c4 ,if ,black's ,queen were standing on c#e instead of b#e he could avert the mate by moving the ,rook f#h and playing the ,queen to f#h thereby protecting g#g4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,q --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #cd4 ,the mate with ,rook and ,knight demonstrated by the position of ,diagram #bh is liable to occur in several variations of the play which might result from the following situation3 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b ,q ,r ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ce4 ,white starts his mating attack with 7#a7 ,kt-f#f4 ,this threatens the sacrifice of the ,queen on h#f followed by ,r-g#h mate4 ,white's ,knight move can hardly be called a sacrifice as it is quite evident that ,black cannot take the ,knight on account of ,qxh#f1 ,kt-h#g2 ,q-g#g mate4 ,the only way to parry ,white's threat is 7#a7 4441 ,kt-g#f4 ,however1 this helps only momentarily as ,white continues 7#b7 ,r-h#c threatening ,q-g#e1 ,rxh#f and ,qxh#f mate1 a threat against which ,black has no defense4 ,white can very nearly force the mate by sacrificing his ,queen on h#f instead of the ,rook4 ,but after 7#c7 ,qxh#f1 ,pxh#f2 7#d7 ,rxh#f1 ,k-g#g2 7#e7 ,r-h#g1 ,k-f#h2 7#f7 ,r-h#h ,black does not take the ,rook as ,white would like him to do to enable the mate ,r-g#h1 but he goes back to g#g with the ,king and ,white could not do any better than draw by perpetual check on h#g and h#h4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,b ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,kt ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #cf4 ,in the position of ,diagram #cf ,white can make an attack which will recall somewhat the play shown in connection with ,diagram #be4 7#a7 ,kt-g#e would not lead to anything1 as ,black could defend himself by ,p-g#f or ,p-h#f4 ,white has a much more direct way to attack the black ,king4 ,this is by the sacrifice 7#a7 ,bxh#g4 ,after ,kxh#g2 7#b7 ,kt-g#e1 ,k-g#h2 7#c7 ,q-h#e ,black can protect the mate only by sacrificing his ,queen for ,white's ,knight4 ,for 7#c7 4441 ,r-e#h with the view to escape with the ,king to e#g via f#h if attacked by ,q-h#g and ,q-h#h would be rendered futile by ,white through 7#d7 ,qxf#g1 ,k- h#h2 7#e7 ,q-h#e1 ,k-g#h2 7#f7 ,q-h#g1 ,k-f#h2 7#g7 ,q-h#h1 ,k-e#g2 7#h7 ,qxg#g mate4 ,before making the sacrifice of the ,bishop ,white will1 of course1 have to make sure that ,black cannot save himself by evading altogether the attack which is threatened through ,q-h#e4 ,black could1 indeed1 avoid this variation by going with the ,king to g#f on the second move instead of g#h4 ,but in this case too ,white has a winning continuation4 ,he would play 7#c7 ,q-g#d threatening to win ,black's ,queen by the discovered check ,ktxe#f4 ,if ,black moves the ,queen1 then ,white gives the discovered check in any case forcing the ,king to h#g and leading over to the variation which was originally intended4 ,if1 on the other hand1 ,black tried 7#c7 4441 ,p-f#e1 attacking ,white's ,queen and thereby rendering the discovered check ineffective1 ,white would first take the ,pawn en passant and after 7#d7 ,pxf#f1 ,kxf#f the ,queen mates on e#f4 ,frequently a sacrifice is brought to maintain a pin which is bound to yield a piece in return sooner or later4 ,the position of ,diagram #cg is typical for cases of this kind4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #cg4 ,supposing ,black plays 7#a7 4441 ,p-h#f2 7#b7 ,b-h#d1 ,p-g#e to free himself of the pinning ,bishop4 ,then ,white can sacrifice the ,knight f#c for the two black ,pawns and thereby maintain the pin with the threat to regain the ,knight immediately through ,kt-d#e4 ,the ensuing play could be the following3 7#c7 ,ktxg#e1 ,pxg#e2 7#d7 ,bxg#e1 ,bxc#c2 7#e7 ,pxc#c4 ,now ,white threatens to play ,p-f#d and ,pxe#e opening the line of his ,rook and thereby attacking the pinned ,knight for the second time4 ,this threat cannot be effectively countered4 ,black could try to unpin the ,knight by 7#e7 4444 ,k-g#g2 7#f7 ,p-f#d1 ,q-e#h4 ,indeed1 ,black saves his ,knight in this way1 but the exposed position of his ,king leads to a speedy disaster4 ,for instance3 7#g7 ,pxe#e1 ,kt-h#g2 7#h7 ,b-f#f1 ,ktxf#f2 7#i7 ,pxf#f1 ,k-h#g2 7#aj7 ,q-h#e1 ,k-g#h2 7#aa7 ,q-g#f1 ,k-h#h2 7#ab7 ,q-g#g_/-4 ,black could not take ,white's ,queen on the #aath move because the ,pawn f#g was pinned by the ,bishop c#d4 ,if ,black had moved his ,king to g#h or g#f on the #hth move instead of taking the ,bishop f#f1 ,white would have forced the mate by sacrificing his ,rook on f#e1 thereby cutting off the ,bishop c#h and giving his ,queen access to the square g#d4 ,sacrifices with the view to utilizing a pin occur in various other versions which are essentially different from the one illustrated above4 ,following are typical examples of the three most frequent cases4 ,in the position of ,diagram #ch ,black must not take the ,pawn e#d although he can protect the ,knight with ,b-f#e in case ,white pins him with ,r-e#a4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,b --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ch4 ,the way in which ,white would obtain the advantage is this3 7#a7 ,r-e#a ,b-f#e 7#b7 ,rxe#d ,bxe#d 7#c7 ,r-e#a ,through sacrificing one ,rook for the ,knight ,white has freed the square e#a for the other ,rook who now pins the ,black ,bishop without ,black being able to protect it4 ,the position of ,diagram #ci is somewhat related to that of ,diagram #ch1 as far as the possibility of a sacrifice for the sake of a pin is concerned4 ,if ,white plays ,b-b#e ,black must not interpose his ,bishop1 for ,white will give up his ,rook for the ,bishop in order to force the ,rook d#h into a pinned position and then he will win the ,rook by ,r-d#a4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k ,r ,b ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ci4 ,in the position of ,diagram #dj there is also a possibility of a sacrifice with the view to pin a piece that defends a certain threat as long as it is mobile4 ,white plays 7#a7 ,q-d#e1 and ,black dares not take ,white's ,knight with his ,queen for ,white would continue 7#b7 ,qxf#g1 ,rxf#g2 7#c7 ,r-e#h_/-4 ,what ,black could try is 7#a7 ,kt-h#f4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #dj4 ,the ,pawn f#g would then be three times attacked and three times protected so that ,white cannot take him as now the pin of the ,rook resulting from ,ktxf#g1 ,ktxf#g2 ,qxf#g1 ,rxf#g does not lead to anything1 the square e#h being protected by the ,queen4 ,however1 ,white can force the win by 7#b7 ,ra#a- e#a1 threatening again the sacrifice of f#g1 as he now controls the square e#h twice4 ,if ,black replies 7#b7 4441 ,q-f#f1 protecting f#g for the fourth time and thereby making impossible ,white's sacrifice on that point1 ,white continues with 7#c7 ,r-e#h4 ,this threatens ,rxf#h1 ,kxf#h2 ,ktxh#g winning the ,queen4 ,black cannot defend himself with ,q-g#f on account of 7#d7 ,b-d#c followed by ,bxh#g and ,rxf#h1 etc41 nor can he play 7#c7 4441 ,q-f#d on account of ,p-g#c followed by ,qxd#f1 attacking the defenseless ,rook f#h4 ,a sacrifice with the view to enabling a mating attack through the cooperation of ,rooks and ,bishop somewhat similar to the examples discussed in the previous chapter is possible in the position of ,diagram #da which occurred in a ,tournament game in ,london in which the author conducted the black men4 ,black's combination starts with the sacrifice of the ,queen on f#c4 ,after 7#a7 4441 ,qxf#c2 7#b7 ,pxf#c1 ,b-h#c2 7#c7 ,k-g#a ,white's ,king is held in an immobile position by the ,black ,bishop and a check with one of ,black's ,rooks in the g-file would be deadly4 ,however1 ,white can1 for a while1 protect himself against all mating attempts of ,black4 ,if ,black continued 7#c 7 4441 ,r-e#f1 ,white would take the ,pawn d#c with the ,queen thereby defending the mate ,r-g#f4 ,after giving up his ,queen for one of ,black's ,rooks ,white would still have an advantage in material4 ,the correct way to carry on the attack is 7#c7 4441 ,ra#h-;e#h1 as then ,white cannot take the ,pawn d#c on account of ,r-e#a2 ,q-f#a1 ,rxf#a2 ,rxf#a1 ,r-e#f and ,r-g#f mate4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,q --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,r ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #da4 ,the main threat of ,black's third move is ,r-e#f-;g#f mate4 ,another threat is ,p-d#b followed by ,r-e#a4 ,the only way for ,white to defend himself is 7#d7 ,p-f#d4 ,if now ,p-d#b1 then 7#e7 ,p-f#c1 ,r-e#a2 7#f7 ,k-f#b affords a sufficient protection4 ,and if 7#d7 4441 ,re#h-;e#f1 then 7#e7 ,p-f#e prevents the ,rook from going to g#f4 ,however1 by repeating the mating threat with 7#e7 4441 ,re#f-;e#d1 which forces ,white to protect1 g#d by 7#f7 ,p-f#c ,black opens the second rank for a combined assault of the ,rooks similar to the one illustrated by ,diagram #cj4 ,what makes matters worse for ,white is that with 7#f7 4441 ,r-g#b he is forced into the line of the ,bishop h#c so that he is exposed to a discovered check4 ,after 7#g7 ,k-f#a1 ,rxb#b discovered check2 7#h7 ,k-g#a1 ,re#d-;e#b ,white must give up his ,queen for the ,rook immediately1 as otherwise ,black would mate in four moves by ,r-g#b1 ,k-f#a1 ,rxh#b1 ,k-g#a1 ,rb#b-;g#b2 ,k-f#a1 ,rxh#a_/-4 ,although ,white is still ahead in material after 7#i7 ,qxe#b1 ,rxe#b he cannot avoid the loss of the game on account of the continued threat which ,black exerts by the cooperation of his ,rook and his ,bishop4 ,the only move which would save the ,rook a#a from getting lost through ,r-g#b1 followed by a discovered check with simultaneous attack of the ,rook by ,black's ,rook would be 7#aj7 ,r- d#a with the idea of protecting the ,rook with the ,king thus 7#aj7 4441 ,r-g#b2 7#aa7 ,k-f#a1 ,r-d#b2 7#ab7 ,k-e#a2 but this plan fails as ,black checkmates with 7#ab7 4441 ,r-e#b4 ,a mating position which has not been discussed up to now but which occurs frequently enough in the actual game to warrant its special mention is one in which the ,king is deprived of all mobility by his own men who surround him and in which a hostile ,knight can check the ,king4 ,diagram #db offers an example4 --------------------------------------- #h ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b --------------------------------------- #e ,r ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,q --------------------------------------- #c ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #db4 ,white on the move can force the mate by 7#a7 ,r-d#h1 a very surprising sacrifice indeed1 for not only can ,black take the ,rook with either ,queen or ,rook but he can also take ,white's ,queen4 ,in the latter case1 however1 he would be mated in two moves by 7#b7 ,rxe#h1 ,q-g#h2 7#c7 ,kt-f#g4 ,this is one example of the throttled mate by the ,knight4 ,another one1 which is really the typical one1 occurs if ,black takes the ,rook instead of the ,queen4 ,the mating process then is3 7#b7 ,kt-f#g1 ,k-g#h2 7#c7 ,kt-h#f double check1 ,k-h#h2 7#d7 ,q-g#h1 ,rxg#h2 7#e7 ,kt-f#g_/-4 ,white could not have played ,q- g#h right on the second move because then ,black would have taken the ,queen with the ,king1 while he could not do so with ,white's ,knight on h#f4 ,sacrifices made with the view of a direct mating attack are1 as a rule1 the easiest to figure out1 as there is no guesswork connected with them4 ,in those cases the player does not face the question as to whether the position attained after the sacrifice will be strong enough to insure a gain of material at least equivalent to the amount of material sacrificed1 a question which to answer correctly sometimes requires a good deal of instinct trained by experience2 all that is necessary if to ascertain whether the opponent can be mated in a definite number of moves or not4 ,if the mate cannot be clearly foreseen1 the sacrifice must not be made4 ,the possibility of a sacrifice with consequent forced mate is always indicated if a greatly superior force is available for attack at the part of the board where the opposing ,king is located4 ,an example is offered by the position reproduced on the book cover4 ,e-text editor note3 ,the position on the book cover is3 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,kt ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #e ,kt ,q --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,b --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,this position occurred in a game between ,sir ,g4 ,a4 ,thomas of ,london and the author4 ,black has just played ,q-e#g in order to protect the mate which was threatened by ,ktxf#f followed by ,qxh#g4 ,if in the position of the diagram ,white played ,kt-f#f1 ,black would retake with the ,pawn1 thereby protecting the ,pawn h#g with his ,queen4 ,however1 ,white can force the mate with a neat ,queen's sacrifice which drives ,black's ,king right into the arms of the remaining ,white pieces4 ,play continued as follows3 7#a7 ,qxh#g ,kxh#g 7#b7 ,ktxf#f ,k-h#f ,the ,king cannot go to h#h on account of ,kt-g#f mate4 ,white now continually checks ,black's ,king in such a manner that he has only one square to go to until he is finally driven to the first rank1 all ,white pieces participating in the chase4 7#c7 ,kte#e-;g#d ,in answer to ,ktf#f-;g#d ,black would play ,k-h#e2 7#d7 ,b-g#f1 ,k-h#d2 7#e7 ,p-g#c1 ,k-h#c and there is no mate4 7#c7 444 ,k-g#e 7#d7 ,p-h#d ,k-f#d 7#e7 ,p-g#c ,k-f#c 7#f7 ,b-e#b ,k-g#b 7#g7 ,r-h#b ,k-g#a 7#h7 ,k-d#b mate4 ,white could have forced the mate in seven instead of eight moves by playing 7#f7 ,k-f#a1 or 7#f7 o-o1 for there was no protection against 7#g7 ,kt-h#b4 ,,iii ,,general ,,principles ,,of ,,chess ,,strategy ,in reading the chapter on ,elementary ,tactics the beginner will have obtained a fair idea of the value of the different pieces and he will have gained an insight into the possibilities of their cooperation4 ,however1 the fundamental principle of ,chess strategy1 the method of developing the inherent powers of the men so that they may be able to do all the work possible for them1 will still be a secret to him4 ,at the beginning of the game the ,knights are the only pieces which are able to move1 and consequently the other pieces are worthless until openings have been created for them by ,pawn moves4 ,now1 the first thing the beginner should try to keep in mind is that only such ,pawn moves can be good as open lines for their fellow pieces or obstruct lines of opposing men4 ,the reason is this3 ,in any hand to hand fight evidently that player will get the better of it who has more pieces ready for action on the battlefield4 ,when examining the typical positions discussed in the previous chapter the fact will strike the observant reader that the winning player always has a decided superiority of forces at his disposal where the actual fight is going on1 so that in some cases he can even sacrifice a great amount of them and still have enough left for the final onslaught against the ,king4 ,the same holds good in combinations where lesser objects than the ,king are fought for2 the player who has more pieces ready to take part in the struggle will emerge victorious2 the player who attacks with less pieces than the opponent has on the spot for defense1 cannot hope to succeed4 ,the important point1 therefore1 is to place the pieces so that they will be in readiness for concentration on whatever part of the board they are needed4 ,moreover1 it will be important to place the pieces on such favorable squares in the shortest possible time--meaning with the smallest number of moves--as wasting moves on maneuvers which do not further the mobilization of the troops will give the opponent an opportunity to gather a superior force somewhere on the board and make an attack with the best chance in the world to succeed before reinforcements can be brought up4 ,with this aim in mind the beginner will readily see that it is by no means immaterial which ,pawn moves are made in the opening4 ,the fact that a ,pawn move opens an outlet for a piece is not sufficient4 ,if possible ,pawn moves will have to be found which enable the development of more than one piece for they will lead to an advantage in the mobilization unless the opponent1 too1 hastens the development of his pieces by equally good ,pawn moves4 ,the only ,pawn moves which fit this description are moves with the ,king's or ,queen's ,pawns as they open lines for ,queen and ,bishop-- apart from an additional square for the ,knight--while the other ,pawns cannot free the way for more than one piece4 ,whether the move with the ,king's ,pawn or the ,queen's ,pawn is better when beginning the game is impossible to say4 ,in neither case can it be proved that ,white can obtain an advantage which is sufficient to win the game4 ,with correct play on both sides it can be only ,white who gains an advantage1 for he has the first move and so he is one move ahead of ,black in the development as long as he does not waste any time on maneuvers which do not increase the mobility of his pieces4 ,by the mobility of a piece is meant the number of squares accessible to it4 ,a ,bishop or a ,rook which stands in an unobstructed file is obviously worth more than one whose sphere of action is limited on account of his way being blocked4 ,this does not mean1 however1 that a ,bishop or a ,knight to whom1 at a certain moment1 three or four squares are accessible1 is more valuable than a ,rook who at the same moment can go only to one or two squares2 for a few moves later the ,rook might be in possession of his full freedom while the action of the ,bishop or the ,knight might be hampered4 ,it is1 therefore1 best to value the pieces according to their latent strength1 that is1 the strength which is likely to show in the ending after all temporary obstructions have been removed4 ,the comparative values given for the different men on page #db will serve as good guide in most cases4 ,it is not advisable though to give up a minor piece for three ,pawns or two minor pieces for a ,rook and one ,pawn as long as ,queens and minor pieces are on the board1 as with a piece ahead the opponent mostly succeeds in winning through a direct attack against the ,king before the superiority of ,pawns becomes dangerous4 ,in trying to place the pieces on squares where they have as much mobility as possible individual thought is required with each new game as it depends altogether upon the moves of the opponent which lines can be opened for ,bishops1 ,rooks and ,queen and where a good field of action can be secured for the ,knights4 ,however1 it is possible to give a few rules which common sense tells us must hold good in the majority of games if both players play well4 ,of course1 if a player makes bad moves in the opening1 that is1 moves which do not aim at a speedy mobilization of all pieces1 then the opponent may soon have a chance to win the game with moves which are not in accordance with those common sense rules either but which force an immediate issue in a maneuver of a kind that ordinarily does not occur in an opening but is characteristic of the middle game4 ,this is a point which the majority of ,chess players overlook4 ,they argue that--granted the value of general principles of strategy1 which will greatly help to build up a safe position--cases occur in which a move may win which is not according to principles1 and that1 therefore1 following the trend of a certain combination which seems profitable1 is advisable even if the general principles are violated4 ,even a ,chess master once said1 that generalities are of no use in ,chess and that it is necessary to figure out every move in all variations to which it may lead to make sure that the move is good4 ,as an example he offered the following opening3 7#a7 ,p-f#c1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,p-g#d4 ,now1 he asks1 should ,black omit to give the checkmate with ,q-h#d because it is against the general principles to bring out the ,queen at an early stage of the game8 ,the shallowness of this argument is obvious4 ,the reason for the general rule that the ,queen should not come out too soon is that she is liable to be attacked by the minor pieces of the opponent so that she has to move again and again and time is lost which could be used for the development of other pieces4 ,of course1 if the opponent does not develop his pieces1 the ,queen may often come out without danger and she may do a lot of harm before she can be driven away4 ,in formulating general strategical principles it is1 then1 assumed that both players will follow them1 and it is taken for granted that if one player deviates from these principles and thereby weakens himself at some point1 the other player is expected to exact the full penalty for this deviation with any means at his disposal4 ,it will always be found that these means are also indicated by the general principles if only their meaning is intelligently applied to the position in question4 ,as was stated before1 the point of greatest importance in the opening is to develop the pieces without loss of time1 that is1 to place them on squares where they have as much mobility as possible without making any move which retards this development4 ,there are different ways in which the development may be retarded1 and which consequently must be avoided4 ,for instance1 no ,pawn move should be made which is not absolutely necessary to open a line for a piece2 or1 no piece should move twice as long as there are pieces which have not yet moved at all2 or1 no piece should be developed to a square from which the opponent can drive it away at the same time furthering his own development2 or1 the right of castling should not be foregone by moving the ,king or by any other way1 as castling develops a ,rook and places the ,king in safety with one move while more moves are required to the same end if castling is not possible1 and so on4 ,the beginner who makes this great principle of development quite clear to himself has made the most difficult step on the way to mastership4 ,the grasp of the far reaching influence of the mobility of the pieces in the opening upon the further development of the whole game is really what distinguishes the master from the average player4 ,of course1 it would be too difficult for the beginner to find out for himself what squares are the most favorable for the different pieces2 at any rate1 it would take him a long time to gain that knowledge by experience4 ,fortunately1 the experience of the masters of several generations is accessible to us and so it is possible to expedite considerably the process by which the mind of the student is adapted to the tactics required in every game of ,chess to carry out the principle of speedy development4 ,to a great extent these tactics1 too1 can be simply explained from the point of view of giving the pieces their utmost mobility so that they will be readily understood by the reader who has followed the arguments given in the foregoing pages4 ,there is a considerable difference in the constellation of the pieces depending on whether the game is opened with 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p- e#e or 7#a7 ,p-d#d1 ,p-d#e4 ,these two openings shall therefore be treated separately4 ,all other openings are related to one of the above main branches and need little additional discussion4 ,,king',s ,,pawn ,,openings ,after 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e the only ,pawn which both players have to move to enable the development of all pieces is the ,queen's ,pawn1 which obstructs the ,queen's ,bishop4 ,of course1 it would also be possible to secure an outlet for the ,queen's ,bishop by advancing the ,queen's ,knight's ,pawn one step2 but in the long diagonal the ,bishop is ordinarily not so well posted as the development of the ,queen's ,knight to his most natural square1 that is c#c or c#f respectively1 would block the way of the ,bishop4 ,the ,queen's ,knight is best placed in the c-file because on the edge of the board1 in the a-file1 he has less mobility2 less squares are accessible to him4 ,in order to place him in the d-file it would be necessary to move the d-,pawn1 and as this would also give an opening to the ,queen's ,bishop the move of the ,queen's ,knight's ,pawn is superfluous4 ,before moving the ,queen's ,pawn the players will have to make sure that in advancing him they will not block the way of any piece4 ,consequently1 ,white will not play ,p-d#c on his second move4 ,he will first develop the ,king's ,bishop4 ,of course1 he will not place him on d#c1 obstructing the ,queen's ,pawn and thereby the ,queen's ,bishop4 ,neither will he play ,b-b#e1 as ,black could drive him away from there immediately with ,p-c#f1 opening another diagonal for the ,queen4 ,the choice between the remaining squares1 e#b and c#d1 is not difficult4 ,on e#b the ,bishop would be in the way of the ,queen and his way would soon be blocked by the ,king's ,knight1 who for similar reasons to those given for the move of the ,queen's ,knight will go to f#c in preference to other squares4 ,therefore1 the only move to be considered in case the ,king's ,bishop is played at this early stage of the game1 is ,b-c#d4 ,white is not forced to develop this ,bishop on the second move by any means4 ,he could either play 7#b7 ,kt-f#c or 7#b7 ,kt-c#c or 7#b7 ,p- d#d4 ,the objection to the latter move1 however1 is that after 7#b7 44441 ,pxd#d2 7#c7 ,qxd#d the white ,queen is exposed to the attack of the ,knight b#h1 which means loss of time4 ,kt-f#c or ,kt-c#c are probably preferable to ,b-c#d on the second move1 because it is certain that the ,knights will not find any better squares on their initial move4 ,the ,bishop1 however1 may have an occasion to be used on b#e instead of on c#d1 and it is a good thing1 generally speaking1 to keep the option of moving a piece to different squares as long as it is compatible with the other requirements of the position4 ,that the ,bishop may be used to advantage on b#e will be seen from the following variation4 ,supposing ,white plays 7#b7 ,kt-f#c4 ,then the ,pawn e#e is attacked4 ,the only sensible protection is 7#b7 4441 ,kt-c#f2 for ,p-f#f does not come into consideration1 as it is a ,pawn move which does not add anything to the development of the pieces2 ,p-d#f blocks the ,bishop f#h2 ,b-d#f obstructs the ,queen's ,pawn and ,q-f#f or ,q-e#g hinders the development of the ,knight or the ,bishop respectively4 ,now1 it can readily be seen that after 7#b7 4441 ,kt-c#f ,white may want to place his ,king's ,bishop on b#e1 for with this move he repeats indirectly his attack on the ,king's ,pawn through the threat to remove the protecting ,knight4 ,it is true1 that this threat needs no attention as long as ,white's ,king's ,pawn is not protected 7for instance3 7#c7 4441 ,kt-f#f2 7#d7 ,bxc#f1 ,pd#gxc#f2 7#e7 ,ktxe#e1 ,q-d#d attacking ,knight and ,pawn at the same time and thereby regaining the ,pawn7 but as soon as ,white has defended the ,pawn--with ,p-d#c may be--the ,bishop b#e is at work and ,black must seek additional protection for the ,pawn e#e4 ,if ,white1 on his second move1 plays ,b-c#d1 he attacks the ,pawn f#g4 ,this ,pawn is protected by ,black's ,king and so he need not be defended any further2 but ,black must be on the alert against a concentration of some more white men on f#g4 ,white could try 7#c7 ,q-f#c or ,q-h#e4 ,however1 ,black would then have time to defend himself with ,kt-f#f or ,q-e#g respectively4 ,therefore1 on the second move1 ,black may make any developing move2 he could1 of course1 play 7#b7 4441 ,kt-f#f1 preventing ,white's ,queen from going to h#e1 but this is unnecessary1 as ,q-h#e would be a very bad move1 placing the ,queen on a square from which she is bound to be chased away very soon4 ,for instance3 7#b7 44441 ,b-c#e2 7#c7 ,q-h#e1 ,q-e#g 7not ,p-g#f on account of ,qxe#e attacking the ,king and the ,rook at the same time74 ,now1 whatever ,white plays1 he will have to retire again with his ,queen as soon as ,black attacks her with ,kt-f#f1 and so he loses his birth-right of attack2 for it will be ,black who is a move ahead in the development instead of ,white1 as it ought to be4 ,if both players refrain from premature attack the game might develop as follows3 7#b7 ,b-c#d1 ,b-c#e2 7#c7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#d7 ,p-d#c1 ,kt-f#f2 7#e7 ,kt-c#c1 ,p-d#f2 7#f7 o-o1 o-o2 7#g7 ,b-g#e4 ,this move is the first one with which ,white trespasses the frontier which may be said to run in the openings of all games between the fourth and fifth ranks of the board4 ,the ,bishops are the only pieces for whom there is a field of action in the opponent's camp early in the game4 ,they pin a hostile ,knight and thereby exert a certain pressure on the opponent who naturally does not like to see any of his pieces deprived of its mobility4 ,the fact that ,black can drive ,white's ,bishop away with ,p-h#f does not lead to any loss of time for ,white1 for the ,bishop can retire to h#d1 still maintaining the pin1 while ,black has not furthered his development by his ,pawn move2 in fact1 he has somewhat compromised his position and as explained by the discussion of the position of ,diagram #cg the advance of the ,pawn g#g to g#e cannot follow without the risk that ,white will uphold the pin even at the cost of a piece and obtain an overwhelming attack4 ,that the move ,p-h#f creates a weakness even if it is not followed up by ,p-g#e will be demonstrated later on in the discussion of the middle game4 ,the correct answer to ,white's seventh move is easily found with the help of the principle of development4 ,if ,white did not threaten anything ,black would certainly think of nothing else than the development of his ,queen's ,bishop1 the only minor piece which has not yet moved4 ,therefore1 the first thing ,black should consider in countering the threat involved in ,white's last move is a protection with a move of the ,queen's ,bishop4 ,white's threat is 7#h7 ,kt-d#e1 attacking the ,knight f#f for the second time4 ,although the ,knight is twice protected1 ,black will naturally endeavor to prevent an accumulation of hostile pieces on the point f#f1 and he can do that indeed very easily by playing 7#g7 44441 ,b-e#f with a view toward capturing the ,knight if he should move to d#e4 ,the exchange 7#h7 ,kt-d#e1 ,bxd#e2 7#i7 ,bxd#e is manifestly not desirable for ,white1 as it does not improve in any way the mobility of his men4 ,on the contrary1 ,white loses a move1 as the result of the maneuver is only a change of location of the ,king's ,bishop who was already developed while the principle of speedy development demands that no piece should be moved twice in the opening until ,,all pieces are developed4 ,unless ,black's move involves a threat which needs immediate attention ,white should consider only such moves as will secure a possibility of development for his ,rooks1 that is maneuvers which are liable to produce an open file somewhere on the board4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p ,b ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #dc4 ,this can only be done by the exchange of a ,pawn and as the only ,pawn within easy reach is the ,pawn e#e the files which are liable to be opened first are the d-file and the f-file4 ,in the position of the ,diagram it is not easy to find a way of opening either file mentioned without elaborate preparation4 ,p-d#d cannot be played before the square d#d is three times controlled by ,white and if ,white tries to accomplish this by 7#h7 ,kt-e#b1 ,black spoils ,white's plan by ,bxc#d without being bothered by the threat ,kt-d#e which existed as long as the ,knight was posted on c#c4 ,if1 on the other hand1 ,white exchanges the ,bishop first on e#f he helps ,black's development by opening the f-file for his ,rook4 ,to avoid these alternatives ,white could withdraw the ,bishop c#d to b#c and then play ,kt-e#b followed by ,p-c#c and ,p-d#d4 ,but this maneuver involves two moves with pieces which are already developed and it is therefore preferable to place the ,rook a#a1 who has to be developed1 right away in the ,queen's file and then to proceed as suggested above4 ,in other words1 ,white does probably best to play 7#h7 ,q-d#b and 7#i7 ,ra#a-;d#a4 ,black1 in the meantime1 will of course1 also aim at the development of his ,rooks4 ,in the position of the ,diagram it is even less troublesome for him than for ,white to prepare the opening of the d-file1 as there is no objection to his playing immediately ,kt-e#g with ,p-c#f and ,p-d#e4 ,the only reason which might deter ,black from playing ,kt-e#g is the fear that ,white might answer ,bxf#f forcing ,black to retake with the ,pawn g#g and thereby tearing a hole in the protecting chain of ,pawns around the ,king4 ,however1 as will be explained in the discussion of the middle game1 this maneuver need not be feared4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #dd4 ,the advance of the d-,pawn1 besides the possibility of opening the d-file for the ,rooks1 has another very important purpose4 ,it invites1 and often compels the opponent to take the ,pawn with his e-,pawn thereby losing control of the center4 ,what is meant by center in ,king's ,pawn openings will be understood from the analysis of the ,diagram #dd in which only the ,pawn skeleton of a ,king's ,pawn game is given and in which it is assumed that ,black has exchanged the ,pawn e#e for the ,pawn d#d4 ,this ,pawn formation offers an advantage to ,white because the ,pawn e#d1 ,white's center- ,pawn1 controls the two squares d#e and f#e while the two corresponding squares in ,white's camp1 that is d#d and f#d1 are not in the hands of ,black and could be occupied by ,white men4 ,it is evident that it must be advantageous to have pieces placed in the center of the board as there they have naturally more mobility than towards the edge of the board where part of their radius of action is cut off4 ,a ,knight1 for instance1 placed on d#d will possibly have an opportunity later on to go to f#e from where he helps an attack on g#g4 ,the square f#d may be useful for the ,queen in an attempt to reach the ,king's wing speedily1 thus accumulating on that part of the board superior forces4 ,these and other advantages connected with the control of the center will be more readily understood after the discussion of the middle game maneuvers of which the center squares form the basis4 ,it is necessary1 however1 to touch upon this matter at this time1 as in many openings the player is confronted after the very first moves with questions in which the maintenance of the center-,pawn is the point at issue4 ,following are a few examples3 ,supposing ,white1 after 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e1 plays 7#b7 ,p-d#d4 ,then ,black is immediately threatened with the loss of his center-,pawn1 which he cannot defend with ,p-d#f as after 7#c7 ,pxe#e1 ,pxe#e ,white would exchange ,queens and thereby deprive ,black of the possibility of bringing his ,rooks quickly into cooperation through castling4 7#b7 4441 ,kt-c#f is out of question too2 not on account of 7#c7 ,p- d#e1 which merely helps ,black in getting his ,knight over to the ,king's wing via e#g and allows him to maintain his center-,pawn1 but on account of 7#c7 ,pxe#e1 ,ktxe#e2 7#d7 ,pf#d1 which secures the control of the center for ,white and does not leave ,black a chance to advance his ,queen's ,pawn to d#e with the view of depriving ,white of his center-,pawn too4 ,for these reasons ,black has no choice but has to play 7#b7 4441 ,pxd#d4 ,true enough1 ,black gives up his center-,pawn with this exchange1 but ,white cannot prevent ,p-d#e in the long run1 so that he also loses his center-,pawn and has no advantage over ,black in that respect4 ,the following variations are typical for the line of play in cases of this kind4 ,white tries to hold back ,black's ,queen's ,pawn as long as he can1 but finally ,black enforces the advance4 ,i4 7#c7 ,qxd#d ,kt-c#f 7#d7 ,q-e#c ,now ,p-d#e is not possible because of ,pxd#e check4 7#d7 444 ,kt-f#f 7#e7 ,kt-c#c ,b-e#g 7#f7 ,b-d#b ,p-d#e ,threatening to win a piece by ,p-d#d4 7#g7 ,pxd#e ,ktxd#e ,now ,white has no center-,pawn either2 ,black has a perfectly good game4 ,,ii4 7#c7 ,kt-f#c ,kt-c#f ,most players would be tempted to play ,p-c#e instead4 ,but this must be bad as it is a ,pawn move which is not necessary4 ,black does not need to defend the ,pawn d#d as he is a ,pawn ahead2 and the development of the pieces is much more valuable than the advantage of a ,pawn4 ,white would obtain a far superior position with 7#d7 ,p-c#c1 ,pxc#c2 7#e7 ,ktxc#c1 after which ,black cannot hope ever to free his game by ,p-d#e4 7#d7 ,ktxd#d ,kt-f#f ,it would be bad to exchange ,knights on d#d because ,white's ,queen would be brought up into a dominating position from which she could not easily be driven away4 7#e7 ,kt-c#c ,b-b#d ,this attacks again the ,pawn e#d4 ,relieving the pin by 7#f7 ,b-d#b would be no protection as ,black could exchange on c#c and then take the ,pawn4 ,therefore1 ,white must defend the ,pawn with another piece4 ,the ,bishop f#a1 which has to be developed in any case1 offers himself naturally for this purpose1 but ,b-d#c is not possible as long as the ,knight d#d has to be kept protected by the ,queen4 ,hence1 it is necessary first to exchange the ,knight4 7#f7 ,ktxc#f ,pb#gxc#f 7#g7 ,b-d#c ,p-d#e6 ,again ,black has succeeded in advancing his ,queen's ,pawn against the opposing center-,pawn1 and ,white cannot avoid the exchange4 ,to advance to e#e would be against the principle that no ,pawn-move should be made in the opening which is not absolutely necessary4 ,how easily 7#h7 ,p-e#e could get ,white into trouble can be seen from the following variation3 7#h7 4441 ,kt-g#d2 7#i7 o-o1 o-o2 7#aj7 ,pf#d 881 ,b-c#e2 7#aa7 ,k-h#a1 ,q-h#d2 7#ab7 ,p-h#c1 ,q-g#c2 7#ac7 ,pxg#d1 ,q-h#d mate4 ,,iii4 7#c7 ,p-c#c ,with this move ,white invites ,black to lose time in winning a ,pawn or two while the ,white pieces are rapidly developed4 ,if ,black accepts the ,gambit ,footnote3 ,a ,gambit is an opening in which the sacrifice of a ,pawn is offered for the sake of a speedy development of the pieces4 the continuation might be4 7#c7 444 ,pxc#c 7#d7 ,b-c#d ,pxb#b 7#e7 ,bxb#b or 7#d7 444 ,kt-c#f 7#e7 ,kt-f#c ,p-d#f 7#f7 ,ktxc#c or ,q-b#c or o-o ,in all of these cases ,white has by far the freer game and he remains in the possession of his center-,pawn4 ,for this reason it is much more advisable for ,black to decline the ,gambit offered and to hasten his development by immediately advancing his ,queen's ,pawn1 thus3 7#c7 ,p-c#c ,p-d#e6 7#d7 ,pxd#e ,the advance of the ,king's ,pawn would be quite out of place1 as it would not add anything to ,white's development so that ,black need not mind the loss of the move either which he sustains from the developing point of view in gaining a ,pawn by ,pxc#c4 ,the future development of ,black is not any longer endangered as he has a ,pawn in the center and an outlet for his ,queen's ,bishop4 7#d7 444 ,qxd#e 7#e7 ,pxd#d ,kt-c#f 7#f7 ,kt-f#c ,b-g#d 7#g7 ,kt-c#c ,q-h#e and ,black has1 no doubt1 the initiative4 ,if ,white1 instead of playing 7#b7 ,p-d#d as assumed in the above examples1 advances his f-,pawn against ,black's center1 ,black has ample time to make all preparations necessary to maintain his center-,pawn1 for ,white does not threaten ,pxe#e as long as he is not protected against ,q-h#d1 followed by ,qxe#d4 ,black's best move is apparently ,b-c#e1 so that he may be able to reply ,p-d#f to 7#c7 ,kt-f#c without blocking the way of the ,bishop4 ,on c#e ,black's ,bishop is very disagreeable for ,white as he prevents his castling4 ,the natural development of this opening would be about this3 7#b7 ,p-f#d ,b-c#e 7#c7 ,kt-f#c ,p-d#f 7#d7 ,b-c#d ,kt-f#f ,although this move blocks the diagonal for ,black's ,queen1 making impossible a check on h#d1 it does not enable ,white to win a ,pawn on e#e1 because 7#e7 ,pxe#e1 ,pxe#e2 7#f7 ,ktxe#e would be answered by ,q- d#d4 7#e7 ,p-d#c ,kt-c#f 7#f7 ,kt-c#c ,b-g#d ,black has one more piece developed than ,white on account of the ,pawn move ,p-f#d which is a wasted move from the point of view of development1 especially as ,white cannot very well castle on the ,king's side and make use of the open f-file for his ,rooks4 ,the two principles mentioned--namely the development of the pieces without unnecessary ,pawn moves or other loss of time and the maintenance of a ,pawn in the center--are a perfectly sufficient guidance in all ,king's ,pawn openings1 as no particular difficulty exists for any piece to be developed to a favorable square4 ,even if ,black tries to avoid the well-known openings which result from the reply 7#a7 4441 ,p-e#e by playing 7#a7 4441 ,p- e#f for instance1 or 7#a7 4441 ,p-c#e21 or1 in fact1 any other of the twenty possible first moves1 ,white will find the right way to mobilize his men if he strictly adheres to those two principles and resists the temptation to institute an early attack4 ,a few examples will show how simple the application of the principle is4 ,i4 7#a7 ,p-e#d ,p-d#e ,this attacks ,white's ,pawn and ,white has to decide whether to protect1 advance or exchange him4 ,the advance ,p-e#e and the protection ,p-f#c are out of question because these moves are ,pawn moves which do not contribute to the development and are1 therefore1 to be classed as mere loss of time4 ,the protection 7#b7 ,p-d#c is not sufficient either as ,black1 after exchanging on e#d1 would hamper ,white's development by exchanging ,queens so that ,white would lose the right of castling4 ,the protection 7#b7 ,kt-c#c cannot be recommended as ,black could deprive ,white of his center- ,pawn and obtain one for himself by ,pxe#d1 7#c7 ,ktxe#d2 ,p-e#e4 ,for all these reasons ,white cannot do better than exchanges on d#e4 ,at first sight this might seem a violation of the principles1 as ,pxd#e is a ,pawn move which does not further the development of the pieces while ,black1 in retaking the ,pawn1 develops his ,queen4 ,however1 as was already pointed out on several other occasions1 the early development of the ,queen is not desirable as she is sure to be exposed to the attack of minor pieces4 ,indeed1 ,white obtains the better game through 7#c7 ,kt-c#c1 ,q-a#e2 7#d7 ,p-d#d or 7#d7 ,kt-f#c1 followed by ,p-d#d4 ,black cannot get his ,king's ,pawn up to the center 7#d7 ,p-d#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#e7 ,q-h#e and in addition he is bound to lose some more moves with his ,queen as soon as ,white has developed his ,bishop to d#b threatening a discovered attack through a move with the ,knight c#c4 ,,ii4 7#a7 ,p-e#d ,p-e#f ,with this move ,black switches the center from the e-file to the d-file4 7#b7 ,p-d#d ,p-d#e ,now ,white need not hesitate to protect his ,king's ,pawn with ,kt- c#c1 for ,black cannot1 as shown in example #a1 gain control of the center by exchanging on e#d and playing ,p-e#e4 ,the advance 7#c7 ,p-e#e cannot be recommended for the reason explained in example ,i4 ,of course1 ,white1 being a move ahead anyhow1 can afford to make a ,pawn move which does not exactly advance his own development1 if that ,pawn move hampers the development of the opponent to some extent4 ,this would be the case after 7#c7 ,p-e#e1 as ,black could not develop his ,king's ,knight to the most natural square1 namely1 f#f4 ,however1 the ,pawns d#d and e#e1 though forming a strong center1 as long as they are both in place1 are liable to become subject to disagreeable attacks which ,black can institute with ,p-c#e and ,p-f#f1 and if ,white cannot maintain his center1 then the advance to e#e is mere waste of time4 7#c7 ,kt-c#c ,kt-f#f ,again ,white's ,king's ,pawn is attacked4 ,the first continuation for ,white to think of would be 7#d7 ,b-d#c1 developing another piece4 ,however1 ,black can then simply exchange twice on e#d and play ,p- c#e1 so that ,white loses his ,pawn center4 ,p-e#e does not seem very good either4 ,it does not lose any time1 as ,black too has to lose a move retreating with his ,knight4 ,but the latter is well posted on d#g from where he assists the contemplated advance ,p-c#e against ,white's center4 ,the best continuation is apparently 7#d7 ,b-g#e1 which develops a piece and protects the ,pawn e#d through pinning the ,knight f#f4 ,after 7#d7 ,b-g#e ,b-e#g ,white finally has to either advance the ,king's ,pawn or exchange him4 ,the latter seems preferable4 ,the drawbacks to the advance have been discussed before4 ,after the exchange ,white can develop his ,king's ,bishop to d#c where he is considerably better posted than the corresponding ,black ,bishop4 ,,queen',s ,,pawn ,,openings ,the same two leading principles apply to ,queen's ,pawn openings which were discussed in connection with the ,king's ,pawn openings2 but there is one great difference between the two kinds of openings which is not obvious to the beginner4 ,this is the fact that in ,queen's ,pawn openings1 in most cases1 neither player has a chance to open a file in the center of the board through the exchange of one of the center-,pawns1 and that1 therefore1 an additional ,pawn move is necessary in the opening stage to provide for an open file in which the ,rooks later on may have an opportunity of entering the battle4 ,in addition1 it is in most variations not easy to find a good place for the ,queen's ,bishop without further ,pawn moves1 and it is here where the beginner is bound to err in the plan of his mobilization unless he has adequate instruction4 ,in trying to open a file for the ,rooks it will be advisable--just as in the ,king's ,pawn openings--to aim at the same time at the clearing away of the opponent's center-,pawn1 and this can only be done by the advance of the c-,pawn4 ,therefore1 it would mean loss of time if the ,queen's ,knight were developed into the c-file before the c-,pawn has moved2 the ,knight would have to be moved away again in order to enable the opening of the c-file4 ,this consideration furnishes the key for the understanding of the most popular ,queen's ,pawn opening1 which is 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,p-d#e 7#b7 ,kt-f#c ,kt-f#f 7#c7 ,p-c#d ,white offers a ,pawn to induce ,black to give up his center-,pawn1 hence the name ,queen's ,gambit4 ,if ,black could actually hold the ,pawn he would be justified in accepting the ,gambit unless it can be demonstrated that ,white's advantage in development yields a winning attack4 ,however1 ,white can easily regain the ,gambit-,pawn1 and so there is absolutely no reason why ,black should give up his ,pawn-center4 ,the way in which ,white regains his ,pawn in the accepted ,gambit is this3 7#c7 4441 ,pxc#d2 7#d7 ,p-e#c1 ,p-b#e2 7#e7 ,p-a#d1 ,p-c#f 7if ,black takes the ,pawn a#d1 ,white captures the ,pawn c#d and then regains the a-,pawn4 7#e7 4441 ,p-a#f1 cannot be played on account of ,pxb#e1 opening the a-file for ,white's ,rook so that ,black cannot retake the ,pawn74 7#f7 ,p-b#c1 ,pxb#c2 7#g7 ,pxb#e1 ,pxb#e2 7#h7 ,bxb#e and ,qxb#c4 ,now ,white is far ahead in the development and in addition he has an open file for his ,queen's ,rook in which the black ,pawn is bound to be lost in the long run4 ,moreover1 ,black has no compensation for ,white's strong ,pawn-center4 ,for this reason the ,queen's ,gambit is hardly ever accepted and the following defense played instead3 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,p-d#e 7#b7 ,kt-f#c ,kt-f#f 7#c7 ,p-c#d ,p-e#f 7#d7 ,kt-c#c ,black has now the choice between either advancing his c-,pawn right away or first developing the pieces of his ,queen's wing4 ,in the latter case he cannot place the ,queen's ,knight on c#f as this would block the way of the c-,pawn4 ,he must develop him to d#g4 ,this appears to be a bad move as it blocks the way of the ,queen's ,bishop1 but this ,bishop will have to be developed in a different diagonal anyway as the ,pawn e#f cannot advance opening the diagonal c#h-;h#c4 ,i4 7#d7 444 ,ktb#h-;d#g 7#e7 ,b-g#e ,the fact that ,white can develop his ,queen's ,bishop without difficulty while ,black cannot do so has made the ,queen's ,gambit one of the most popular openings4 7#e7 444 ,b-e#g 7#f7 ,p-e#c o-o 7#g7 ,b-d#c ,p-b#f 7#h7 o-o ,b-b#g 7#i7 ,pxd#e ,pxd#e 7#aj7 ,r-c#a ,white is two moves ahead in the development1 as ,black has still to move his c-,pawn before he can get his ,queen's ,rook into play4 ,in the meantime ,white can mobilize his ,king's ,rook with ,q-e#b and ,rf#a-;d#a1 with a view to opening the ,queen's file by ,pd#dxc#e4 ,,ii4 7#d7 444 ,p-c#e ,if ,white now ,plays ,p-e#c1 holding his ,pawn-center1 a symmetrical development follows on both sides4 ,if1 however1 ,white takes his opportunity to develop the ,queen's ,bishop1 a game of entirely different character ensues4 ,the following variations show typical examples of the way these two variations are liable to develop3 ,a4 7#e7 ,p-e#c ,kt-c#f 7#f7 ,p-a#c ,if ,white played 7#f7 ,p-b#c before castling he would get into trouble because ,black could pin his ,queen's ,knight with ,pxd#d and ,b-b#d4 ,for this reason the maneuver ,p-a#c1 ,pxc#e1 ,p-b#d and ,b-b#b is usually adopted to develop the ,queen's ,bishop4 ,it is true that this maneuver involves two ,pawn moves1 which mean a loss of time1 instead of only one1 as for instance when playing 7#f7 ,b-d#c1 7#g7 o-o1 7#h7 ,p-b#c1 7#i7 ,b-b#b4 ,but ,black can hardly avoid a similar loss of time4 ,for if he plays 7#f7 4441 ,b-d#f1 he loses two moves with his ,bishop through recapturing on c#e 7after 7#g7 ,pxc#e7 and going back to d#f2 and if he first exchanges on d#d and then develops the ,bishop to d#f1 ,white has an open diagonal for his ,queen's ,bishop and need not make any more ,pawn moves to develop him while ,black still must move his ,queen's ,knight's ,pawn to get his ,queen's ,bishop into play4 7#f7 444 ,p-a#f 7#g7 ,pxc#e ,bxc#e 7#h7 ,p-b#d ,b-d#f 7#i7 ,b-b#b ,pxc#d 7#aj7 ,bxc#d ,p-b#e 7#aa7 ,b-d#c ,b-b#g ,b4 7#e7 ,pxd#e ,pxd#e ,the idea of this exchange is to create a weak ,pawn on d#e against which later on an attack can be instituted4 ,however1 it is very doubtful whether the ,pawn on d#e is really weak4 ,experience has shown that ,black wins just as many games as ,white in this opening2 the reason is probably that ,white1 in order to open the ,queen's file for attack on d#e1 has to give away his center-,pawn so that ,black has more freedom for his pieces in the center4 7#f7 ,p-g#c ,kt-c#f 7#g7 ,b-g#b ,b-e#f 7#h7 ,b-g#e ,b-e#g 7#i7 o-o o-o 7#aj7 ,pxc#e ,bxc#e 7#aa7 ,r-c#a ,b-e#g 7#ab7 ,kt-d#d or ,q-a#d followed by ,r-f#a-;d#a4 ,instead of developing the ,king's ,bishop to g#b ,white can just as well play 7#f7 ,b-g#e or f#d1 7#g7 ,p-e#c and 7#h7 ,b-d#c4 ,in either case the success depends rather on clever maneuvering in the middle- game than on an advantage inherent to the opening4 ,what has been said of irregular replies which ,black may try in ,king's ,pawn openings holds good in ,queen's ,pawn openings too4 ,there is no series of opening moves which needs to be memorized4 ,the principles of speedy development and of the maintenance of a ,pawn center lead the right way in all novel openings which a player might try to avoid the well-known paths which have been studied out by the masters of many generations4 ,following are again a few examples which show the application of the principles3 ,i4 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,p-c#e 7#b7 ,p-e#c ,with ,pxc#e ,white would give away his center-,pawn1 and ,black would regain the ,gambit-,pawn easily after 7#b7 4441 ,p-e#f4 ,white could play 7#b7 ,p-d#e1 thereby depriving ,black's ,queen's ,knight of his best developing square4 ,but in doing so he would lose time with a ,pawn move which does not improve the mobility of his own pieces1 and consequently 7#b7 ,p-e#c is preferable4 ,,ii4 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,kt-f#f 7#b7 ,kt-f#c ,the advance ,p-c#d1 which1 as explained1 is customary in ,queen's ,pawn openings1 serves its original purpose only if ,black has a ,pawn on d#e so that ,white can open the c-file4 ,therefore1 it is better for ,white to wait until ,black shows what intentions he has with his ,queen's ,pawn4 7#b7 444 ,p-d#f 7#c7 ,kt-c#c ,black's last move clearly indicates that he intends playing ,p-e#e and not ,p-d#e1 and so ,white has no reason to expect that he will be able to open the c-file for his ,rooks4 ,consequently there is no objection to his developing the ,queen's ,knight to c#c1 blocking the c-,pawn4 7#c7 444 ,ktb#h-;d#g 7#d7 ,b-f#d ,this prevents ,p-e#e for the time being1 and ,black has to make rather complicated preparations1 such as ,p-c#f and ,q-c#g before he can advance the ,king's ,pawn two squares4 ,in other words1 ,white completes his development more quickly than ,black and he has consequently the better winning chances1 provided1 of course1 he knows how to maintain his advantage in the middle game and in the end game4 ,,the ,,middle ,,game ,it is not possible to draw a distinct dividing line between the two stages of the game which are called the ,,opening and the ,,middle ,,game4 ,strictly speaking the opening comprises only such moves as are ,,necessary for the development of the pieces1 and any move which a player--without being compelled--makes with a piece that is already developed1 ought to be regarded as a ,middle-game move4 ,to give an example3 ,if after 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt- c#f2 7#c7 ,kt-c#c1 ,kt-f#f2 7#d7 ,b-b#e ,black plays ,kt-d#d1 he deviates from the ,opening and embarks on a ,middle-game maneuver2 for the ,queen's ,knight was already developed4 ,this does not mean that it is bad under all circumstances to make a ,middle-game move during the opening stage of a game4 ,but only such moves should be considered in cases of this kind as a player is fairly sure to make at any rate within the further course of the game with a view to increasing the mobility of the piece in question4 ,this is the main point4 ,a second move made with a piece must improve its position1 otherwise1 common sense tells us1 it is surely bad4 ,for instance3 ,after 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#c7 ,b-b#e1 ,kt-f#f2 7#d7 o-o1 ,b-e#g there is no objection to ,white's playing 7#e7 ,r-e#a as the ,rook will very likely want to get into action in the e-file in any case1 as soon as the development has progressed with ,p-d#d1 ,kt-c#c1 ,b-g#e1 etc4 ,but if in an opening like 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#c7 ,b-c#d1 ,kt-f#f ,white plays 7#d7 ,kt-g#e for instance1 or 7#d7 ,b-d#e1 it is evident that he merely wastes time1 for in the first case he places the ,knight on a square from which he is sure to be driven away again as soon as the direct attack involved in his move has been warded off1 and in the second case he moves the ,bishop to a square which does not afford him any more mobility than the one on which he stood before4 ,as a rule only ,rooks or ,knights are in a position1 during the opening1 to add to their mobility by a second move2 the ,rooks by occupying a file which is liable to be opened by an exchange of ,pawns1 and the ,knights by occupying a square in the center of the board4 ,the ,knights are really more often under the necessity of making several moves in succession than any other piece1 because they can never pass over more than one line at a time1 and they may be required to hasten from one wing of the board to the other just as often as the other pieces4 ,this is the reason why the most favorable spot for a ,knight is a square in the center of the board2 there he is always ready for an excursion to either wing4 ,the establishment of a ,knight in the center can more readily be effected in ,queen's ,pawn openings than in ,king's ,pawn openings4 ,this will be evident from the following consideration3 ,in ,queen's ,pawn openings the squares e#e and e#d are the ones which are aimed at by the respective ,knights4 ,if the opponent exchanges the ,knight with either his ,queen's ,knight or his ,king's ,bishop1 the ,pawn which takes the place of the ,knight in recapturing1 gains control of two squares in the heart of the hostile camp4 ,to illustrate this by a case which often occurs3 ,if after 7#a7 ,p-d#d1 ,p-d#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-f#f2 7#c7 ,p-e#c1 ,p-c#e2 7#d7 ,b-d#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#e7 o-o1 ,p-e#f2 7#f7 ,p-b#c1 ,b-d#f2 7#g7 ,b-b#b1 o-o2 7#h7 ,ktb#a-;d#b1 ,p-b#f2 7#i7 ,kt-e#e ,black plays ,bxe#e1 ,white in retaking drives ,black's ,king's ,knight away depriving the ,king's wing of an important protection and also creating a weakness on d#f1 where ,white might be able at some later stage of the game to establish his ,knight4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,b ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,b ,p ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #de4 ,another advantage of the position for ,white is that he can get his ,king's ,rook into play by ,p-f#d and ,r-f#c-;h#c1 while ,black's ,rook cannot get to f#f as long as ,white has his ,pawn on e#e4 ,in ,king's ,pawn openings the situation is different4 ,here the squares d#e and d#d respectively are the aim of the ,knights which normally are posted on c#c and c#f4 ,however1 as long as the opposing ,king's ,knight can exchange himself for the advancing ,queen's ,knight there is no advantage in occupying the center4 ,the position of ,diagram #df is a typical example4 ,if ,white plays ,kt-d#e he loses practically a move1 as after ,ktxd#e1 ,pxd#e he has in no way improved the mobility of his men while it is ,black's turn to move4 ,in addition1 ,white1 by transferring his ,pawn to d#e1 gives up his ,pawn-center and blocks a diagonal which his ,bishop could use1 while ,black1 in retreating with his ,knight to e#g1 gains a move towards the efficient use of the ,knight on the ,king's wing4 ,all the same1 the advance of the ,queen's ,knight in the center is one of the most important maneuvers in ,king's ,pawn openings when it is properly prepared1 and its consequences need thorough discussion4 ,the proper preparation consists in first fixing the object at which the ,knight aims4 ,this--from ,white's1 the attacker's point of view--is the ,knight f#f4 ,the developing move ,b-g#e serves this purpose in the most natural way1 and a position arises similar to the one shown in ,diagram #dc where ,black prevented any further accumulation of white forces on f#f by ,b-e#f4 ,in the present case this move is of doubtful value as ,white1 by ,p-d#d1 can force ,black to give up his center-,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #df4 ,if ,black is ready to admit that ,kt-d#e is a disagreeable threat he will either exchange the ,knight for his ,bishop b#d or he will play ,kt-e#g in order to take ,white's ,knight should he go to d#e4 ,ordinarily ,black plays first ,bxc#c and then ,kt-e#g4 ,the reason is that this maneuver enables ,black to get his ,queen's ,knight over to the ,king's wing while ,white's ,bishop b#e is rather out of action1 so that ,black has a good chance to enter the battle on the ,king's wing with one piece more than ,white4 ,of course1 ,white can get his ,bishop into play again by placing him on c#d4 ,but he has to spend a move in doing so1 which does not add to the completion of the development4 ,in the position of ,diagram #df ,black would not take any steps to prevent ,kt-d#e unless a threat is involved in this move which cannot be counteracted by the most natural continuation1 which is the development of the ,bishop c#h4 ,indeed1 there seems to be no reason why ,black should not answer 7#a7 ,b-g#e with ,b-g#d and 7#b7 ,kt- d#e with ,kt-d#d2 for the ,knight f#f1 who after ,kt-d#e is attacked twice1 is defended twice1 and there is no possibility for ,white to attack the ,knight again4 ,on the other hand1 the attack on the ,bishop b#d is balanced by the attack on the ,bishop b#e1 and if ,white were to withdraw his ,bishop to c#d ,black could withdraw his to c#e4 ,however1 in the position resulting after these moves 7,diagram #dg7 ,white gets the upper hand because he is one move ahead in the attack on the opposing ,king's ,knight4 ,the danger of the concentration of two pieces on this ,knight lies in the fact that ,black is obliged to retake with the g-,pawn in case ,white exchanges on f#f and that thereby the squares f#f and h#f lose their natural protection4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,kt ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,kt ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #dg4 ,thus weak points are created of which ,white may find an opportunity to make use in a manner similar to the one illustrated by the discussion of ,diagrams #bf and #bi4 ,on the other hand1 ,black gains an open file for his ,rooks as soon as the g- ,pawn is out of the way1 and the exchange on f#f should therefore not be made until preparations for the occupation of the resulting weak spots are completed4 ,the following variations will throw some light on this rather complex problem4 ,supposing ,white wants to try the immediate exchange on f#f1 hoping that somehow or other he will be able to take advantage of the weakness resulting on f#f and h#f4 ,in exchanging he can give up either his ,knight d#e or his ,bishop g#e4 ,in both cases there are promising possibilities for attack1 but ,black1 with correct play1 can sufficiently defend himself and even get the better4 ,if ,white plays 7#a7 ,ktxf#f he has to lose a move before he can bring up other pieces to help in the attack1 for after ,pxf#f he must first move the ,bishop g#e4 ,the only good square for the ,bishop is h#d from where he maintains the pin on f#f which would become very dangerous for ,black if he could not prevent ,white's ,queen from entering on h#f or render the double threat on f#f ineffective in some other way4 ,the logical continuation for ,black is to answer 7#b7 ,b-h#d with ,k-h#h in order to occupy the g-file with his ,rook as soon as possible4 ,indeed1 this is at the same time the best defense against ,white's threat1 for if ,white now plays 7#c7 ,q-d#b2 ,black replies ,ktxf#c2 7#d7 ,pxf#c1 ,bxf#c2 and he is the first to take advantage of the open g-file as his ,king has already made room for the ,rook4 ,it would be dangerous for ,black to play 7#c7 4441 ,bxf#c instead of ,ktxf#c4 ,for ,white would continue 7#d7 ,q-h#f and the only way for ,black to prevent the disaster threatened on f#f is to give back the piece he just won3 7#d7 4441 ,kt-e#b2 7#e7 ,k-h#a1 ,bxg#b2 7#f7 ,kxg#b1 ,r#d-;g#h2 7#g7 ,k-h#a1 ,r-g#f2 or 7#f7 4441 ,kt-f#d2 7#g7 ,k- h#a1 ,kt- g#f4 ,in either case ,black's defense is very difficult4 ,the play outlined in the last variation suggests a better method for ,white to institute the attack in the position of ,diagram #dg4 ,this is the preparatory move 7#a7 ,q-d#b4 7#a7 ,bxf#f is obviously not as good1 as ,black can soon drive away the ,knight d#e by ,p-c#f1 relieving f#f of all pressure4 ,in answer to 7#a7 ,q-d#b1 which threatens 7#b7 ,bxf#f1 7#c7 ,q-h#f1 7#d7 ,ktxf#f and 7#e7 ,qxh#g mate1 ,black has three replies1 namely3 ,bxf#c or ,ktxf#c or ,p-c#f4 ,that 7#a7 4441 ,bxf#c is not sufficient can easily be seen4 ,white continues 7#b7 ,bxf#f1 ,q-d#g2 7#c7 ,kt-e#g_/-1 and ,black must give up the ,queen for the ,knight as 7#c7 4441 ,k-h#h would be followed by 7#d7 ,bxg#g1 7#e7 ,q-g#e and 7#f7 ,q-f#f mate4 ,it is interesting to note that it is just the one move which ,white is ahead in the development that gives him the win4 ,if he tried to checkmate ,black by 7#c7 ,q-g#e1 ,p-g#f2 7#d7 ,q-h#f he would be checkmated himself by 7#d7 4441 ,kt-e#b followed by ,bxg#b and ,q-g#d1 etc4 7#b7 4441 ,pxf#f would not be of avail either4 ,the consequence would be3 7#c7 ,q-h#f1 ,kt-e#b2 7#d7 ,k-h#a1 ,bxg#b2 7#e7 ,kxg#b1 ,kt-f#d2 7#f7 ,ktxf#d1 ,pxf#d2 7#g7 ,k-h#a1 ,k-h#h2 7#h7 ,r-g#a1 ,r-g#h2 7#i7 ,rxg#h1 ,qxg#h2 7#aj7 ,r-g#a and the mate can only be averted by the sacrifice of the ,queen for the ,rook4 ,the second defense which ,black could try is 7#a7 4441 ,ktxf#c2 7#b7 ,pxf#c1 ,bxf#c4 ,now 7#c7 ,bxf#f1 ,pxf#f2 7#d7 ,q-h#f would be fatal for ,white as ,black plays ,k-h#h and there is no protection against the threat ,r-g#h4 ,but ,white can again make a preparatory move which secures for him the victory4 ,this is 7#c7 ,p-h#c1 with the view to make room for the ,rook by ,k-h#b4 ,the only way to counter ,white's threat is now ,p-c#f4 ,however1 after 7#d7 ,ktxf#f1 ,pxf#f2 7#e7 ,b-h#d1 ,k-h#h2 7#f7 ,k- h#b1 ,r-g#h2 7#g7 ,r-g#a1 ,q-e#g2 7#h7 ,r-g#c ,black is unable to stave off defeat any longer4 ,whatever he plays1 ,white succeeds in attacking f#f for the second time while ,black has no second protection at his disposal4 ,for instance1 7#h7 4441 ,b-h#e2 7#i7 ,q-h#f1 ,b-g#f2 7#aj7 ,r-f#c--or 7#h7 4441 ,rxg#c2 7#i7 ,pxg#c and 7#aj7 ,rf#a4 ,the most interesting line of defense is the third one mentioned1 that is 7#a7 4441 ,p-c#f4 ,after 7#b7 ,ktxf#f1 ,pxf#f2 7#c7 ,b-h#d a situation arises similar to the one discussed in the line of play commencing with 7#a7 ,ktxf#f1 but with the big difference that ,white is now one move ahead in the attack4 ,this is the move ,q-d#b in answer to which ,black was forced to make the move ,p-c#f which does not improve the constellation of the ,black pieces in any way4 ,this one move is sufficient to secure for ,white an easy victory4 ,after 7#c7 4441 ,bxf#c2 7#d7 ,q-h#f1 ,kt-e#b2 7#e7 ,k-h#a1 ,bxg#b2 7#f7 ,kxg#b1 ,kt-f#d2 7#g7 ,k-h#a1 ,kt-g#f the position of ,diagram #dh is reached in which ,white can force the mate1 or win ,black's ,queen in a most ingenious manner4 ,if ,white tried to win by 7#h7 ,r-g#a1 threatening mate in four moves through ,rxg#f1 ,qxg#f1 ,q-h#f and ,r-g#a ,black could sufficiently defend himself with 7#h7 4441 ,p-d#e1 unpinning the ,pawn f#g and enabling ,b-e#g1 which would supply the much needed protection for the square f#f4 ,however1 ,white can frustrate ,black's intention by playing 7#h7 ,p-d#d66 ,if ,black takes with the ,pawn1 7#i7 ,p-e#e follows forcing ,pd#fxe#e after which ,black cannot any more intercept the diagonal of the ,bishop c#d so that there remains no defense against 7#aj7 ,r-g#a4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p ,p ,kt ,q --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #c ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #dh4 ,if1 on the other hand1 ,black takes the ,pawn d#d with his ,bishop1 ,white continues with 7#i7 ,p-c#c1 ,b-c#e2 7#aj7 ,ra#a- d#a1 again preventing the interception of the ,bishop c#d and threatening ,r- g#a4 ,the consequence could then be3 7#aj7 4441 ,k-h#h2 7#aa7 ,r-g#a1 ,q- e#g2 7#ab7 ,r-d#c1 ,r-g#h2 7#ac7 ,r-h#c1 ,ktxh#d2 7#ad7 ,qxh#g and 7#ae7 ,rxh#d mate1 or3 7#ac7 4441 ,r-g#g2 7#ad7 ,r-f#c1 ,ra#h-;g#h2 7#ae7 ,bxf#f1 ,q-d#g2 7#af7 ,r-h#c and the mate on h#g can only be avoided by the sacrifice of the ,queen for the ,rook4 ,the foregoing variations show conclusively that the position of ,diagram #dg is lost for ,black4 ,the attack which ,white obtains after creating a weakness on f#f by the removal of the ,pawn g#g cannot be effectively countered4 ,the question arises1 whether ,black was at fault when disregarding ,white's threat to place his ,knight on d#e and developing his ,queen's ,bishop or whether he had a chance to improve on one of the two following moves which led to the position of ,diagram #dg4 ,indeed1 it lies near to try the same attack which ,white threatens to initiate by ,q-d#b one move earlier by playing ,q-d#g instead of ,b-c#e4 ,the fact1 however1 that this ,bishop is not cooperating with the pieces on the ,king's wing makes a big difference and the most ,black can obtain is apparently a draw4 ,the continuation could be3 7#a7 ,ktxf#f1 ,pxf#f2 7#b7 ,bxf#f1 ,p-h#f2 7#c7 ,p-c#c1 ,ktxf#c1 7#d7 ,pxf#c1 ,b-h#e2 7#e7 ,k-h#a1 ,k-h#g2 7#f7 ,r-g#a1 ,r-g#h2 7#g7 ,r-g#c4 ,if ,black's ,bishop were on c#e instead of b#d1 ,white could not play ,r-g#c on account of ,bxf#b4 ,he would have to make the preparatory move ,q-e#b and he would be lost after ,r- g#f1 just in the same manner which was demonstrated in one of the above variations with attack and defense reversed4 ,as it is ,black cannot enter on h#c with his ,queen without exchanging ,rooks and so he is unable to take advantage of the weakness on f#c4 ,after 7#g7 4441 ,r-g#f1 7#h7 ,b-h#d1 ,b-a#e or c#e1 7#i7 ,p-d#d and ,q-d#c the game probably ends in a draw as it is unlikely that ,white can realize an advantage from the doubled ,pawn which he is ahead4 ,to the beginner the lines of play discussed in connection with ,diagrams #dg and #dh will have appeared rather complicated4 ,this they are1 indeed1 even for the experienced player2 but it is by no means necessary to memorize any of the variations4 ,the important thing to realize is the fact that in a position where both players have castled on the ,king's side1 a dangerous weakness is created if the g-,pawn is forced to move1 and if pressure can be brought to bear upon the two squares which through the move of the g-,pawn have lost their protection2 moreover1 that a method to create such a weakness is the pinning of the hostile ,king's ,knight and the advance of the ,queen's ,knight in the center4 ,another important point that the variations discussed will bring out to the observant reader is the order in which the different pieces take their turn in the battle4 ,first come the minor pieces1 then the ,queen and then the ,rooks4 ,this1 of course1 is not a rule that has to be adhered to under all circumstances1 but in most games it is a good rule to follow4 ,the reason is obvious4 ,the ,rooks have no opportunity of making themselves useful until a file has been opened1 while the ,queen often finds an occasion to enter the battlefield on a diagonal4 ,only in such games can the ,rooks be made to work at a comparatively early stage of the game1 in which the players have not castled on the same sides of the board4 ,for then the advance of the ,pawns in front of the ,rooks does not create weakness which endangers their own ,king4 ,the following middle game from a match of two masters furnishes an example4 ,after ,white's seventh move the position of ,diagram #di was reached1 in which ,black continued with ,p-b#e with the view to playing ,b-g#d and ,kt-d#d4 ,white replied 7#h7 ,b-b#c1 ,b-g#d2 7#i7 ,kt-e#b4 ,better would surely have been ,b-e#c1 which develops a new piece4 ,to allow the exchange of f#c which forces the g-,pawn out is dangerous because ,black may castle on the ,queen's side and storm with the ,pawns of his ,king's wing4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #di4 ,from ,black's next move1 ,q-d#g1 it is indeed apparent that he has decided on a maneuver of this kind4 ,the game continued3 7#aj7 ,p- c#c1 ,bxf#c2 7#aa7 ,pxf#c1 ,q-h#c2 7#ab7 ,kt-g#c1 ,p-h#e2 7#ac7 ,b-e#c4 ,he cannot play ,r-e#a on account of ,bxf#b followed by ,qxh#b and ,qxg#c4 7#ac7 4441 ,p-h#d2 7#ad7 ,kt-h#a1 ,r-h#f and wins1 for if ,white takes the ,rook1 ,pxh#f opens the g-file and the other ,rook occupies it with deadly effect4 ,in the last example it was easy for the ,rooks to take an active part in the battle because a file was open which enabled them to bear down on the opposing ,king4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,kt ,p ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k ,r ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ej4 ,in the majority of cases no open file is available on the wing and the attack with the ,rooks is then much more difficult4 ,there is little use in advancing the ,pawns on the wing on which the hostile ,king has castled unless one of them can be exchanged so that a line is opened which the ,rooks can occupy4 ,as a rule such an exchange is only possible in case one of the ,pawns in front of the ,king has moved4 ,in the position of ,diagram #ej for instance1 ,white is able to open the h-file by advancing the h-,pawn and exchanging it against ,black's g-,pawn1 while ,black1 who would like to use his ,rooks in an attack on the ,queen's wing1 has little hope to open a file on that side of the board4 ,if ,black's g-,pawn were still on his original square1 the advance of ,white's h-,pawn would be of no avail4 ,black would simply wait until the ,pawn has advanced to h#f and then he would play ,p-g#f so that ,white's own ,pawn would block the h-file for the ,rook4 ,in the above position1 which occurred in one of six simultaneous games played by the author in a blindfold-exhibition1 the attack developed as follows3 7#a7 ,p-h#d ,p-b#e 7#b7 ,b-b#c ,kt-a#e 7#c7 ,p-h#e ,ktxb#c 7#d7 ,pa#bxb#c ,q-a#e ,black has succeeded in opening a line also1 but he cannot get his ,rooks working in it4 ,his last move threatens mate in two moves by ,q-a#a2 ,kt-b#a1 ,bxb#b2 but ,white simply defends himself first against this threat and then proceeds with his attack on the ,king's wing which is irresistible4 7#e7 ,k-b#a ,kt-c#f 7#f7 ,pxg#f ,pf#gxg#f 7#g7 ,b-h#f ,r-f#g 7#h7 ,bxg#g ,rxg#g ,with this exchange ,white has weakened the defense around ,black's ,king who has now only the ,rook and himself to rely on for protection4 7#i7 ,kt-g#e ,p-d#e ,black opens the seventh rank in the hope that it will enable his ,queen's ,rook or his ,queen to come to assistance4 ,but so great is the advantage afforded ,white by the open h-file that he can sacrifice his ,knight to break through ,black's chain of defense and force the mate before ,black has a chance to touch his ,queen or his ,rook4 7#aj7 ,ktxh#g ,rxh#g ,if ,q-c#g or ,ra#h-;a#g1 ,white continues 7#aa7 ,q-h#f6 ,rxh#g82 7#ab7 ,qxg#f1 ,k-h#h2 7#ac7 ,q-e#h1 ,k-g#g2 7#ad7 ,rxh#g1 ,kxh#g2 7#ae7 ,r-h#a1 etc4 7#aa7 ,rxh#g ,kxh#g 7#ab7 ,r-h#a ,k-g#g 7#ac7 ,q-h#f ,k-f#g 7#ad7 ,q-h#g ,k-f#f 7#ae7 ,q-h#h ,k-e#g 7#af7 ,r-h#g ,k-d#f 7#ag7 ,q-f#h ,k-e#e 7#ah7 ,p-f#d ,k-d#d 7#ai7 ,q-f#f ,k-e#c 7#bj7 ,r-h#c ,k-d#b 7#ba7 ,q-h#d and ,black resigns as there is no defense against ,q-f#b4 ,diagram #ea shows a similar example1 the only difference being that it is not the advance of the ,black ,knight's ,pawn but that of the ,rook's ,pawn which gives ,white an opportunity of opening a file for his ,rooks4 ,he will accomplish this by advancing his ,knight's ,pawn to g#e and exchanging him against ,black's ,rook's ,pawn4 ,if he does not want to play ,p-g#d on the first move1 because ,black could take the ,pawn with his ,knight1 he can prepare the advance by ,r-g#a4 ,but he need not really fear the loss of the ,pawn1 because in taking him ,black would himself open the g-file for ,white's ,rook and ,white is sure to obtain an overwhelming attack4 ,it would1 of course1 be futile for ,black to try and stop the advance of ,white's g-,pawn by ,p-g#e1 as ,white would then simply open the ,rook's file by ,p-h#d and ,pxg#e1 quite apart from the fact that he could sacrifice his ,bishop e#c for two ,pawns1 thereby depriving ,black's ,king of all protection4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,kt ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,b ,b ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k ,r ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ea4 ,the play might proceed like this3 7#a7 ,p-g#d1 ,p-g#e2 7#b7 ,bxg#e1 ,pxg#e2 7#c7 ,qxg#e1 ,k-h#h2 7#d7 ,q-h#f1 ,k-g#h2 7#e7 ,p-g#e1 ,kt-e#d2 7#f7 ,ktxe#d1 ,pxe#d2 7#g7 ,p-g#f1 ,pxg#f2 7#h7 ,qxg#f1 ,k-h#h2 7#i7 ,r-g#a1 etc4 ,ordinarily both players castle on the same side of the board so that neither of them can advance his ,pawns in an attack against the opposing ,king without weakening his own ,king's position4 ,only if a player holds more territory and has a greater number of pieces on the ,king's wing than the opponent he can embark on an attack which involves an advance of the ,pawns in front of his ,king4 ,diagram #eb offers a typical example4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,q ,b ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,b ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,kt ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #eb4 ,black has a preponderance on the ,queen's side1 while ,white has more mobility for his pieces on the ,king's side4 ,considering that ,black cannot easily throw his men over to the ,king's wing1 ,white can risk to loosen his ,pawns on this wing without fearing that ,black will be able to obtain a foothold on the weak points which are necessarily created by the advance of the ,pawns in ,white's camp4 ,white will start the attack with 7#a7 ,p-g#d and 7#b7 ,kt-g#c4 ,then he threatens to occupy the dominating square f#e with his ,knight1 and ,black has hardly any other move than ,p-g#f2 for if he permits ,kt- f#e with the view to exchanging the ,knight with his ,bishop1 he opens the g-file for ,white's ,rooks4 ,p-g#f on the other hand enables ,white to open the h-file by advancing the h-,pawn after the necessary preparations such as ,k-g#b1 ,r-h#a1 ,p-g#e1 etc4 ,in the vast majority of games files for the ,rooks are not opened on the side but in the center of the board1 as was explained in the discussion of the openings4 ,the many advantages arising from the control of a center-file by the ,rooks will be more fully analyzed in the illustrative games4 ,generally speaking it is easier to get the two ,rooks into cooperation in the center than on the side of the board4 ,this cooperation--usually effected by doubling in one file--is naturally very important and it is the main reason why it is desirable to castle as early as possible4 ,between the ,rooks of a player who is prevented from castling there are1 so to speak1 no natural lines of communication and it takes so long to create artificial ones that in most cases the opponent can1 in the meantime1 force a victory through the combined efforts of his ,rooks4 ,diagram #ec gives an example4 --------------------------------------- #h ,q ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,r ,p --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,q ,b ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ec4 ,it is ,white's move1 and he will naturally think of a ,rook's move as all the other pieces are already developed4 ,the best move is probably 7#a7 ,rf#a-;d#a4 ,ra#a-;d#a comes also into consideration but this ,rook might be needed later on the c-file while the ,king's ,rook certainly will have no chance to be developed in any but the d-file as long as the ,white e- and f-,pawns are still on the board4 ,black1 in the game from which the above position is taken1 replied ,b-c#e1 and ,white continued with 7#b7 ,q-c#c1 attacking the ,bishop c#e and the ,pawn g#g at the same time4 ,black has only the choice between returning with the ,bishop to f#h or capturing on e#c4 ,naturally1 he chooses the latter move as he cannot improve his position by a retrogressive play which still further retards his development4 ,after ,bxe#c17c7 ,qxg#g1 ,bxf#b27d7 ,kxf#b1 ,r-c#b2 7#e7 ,k-g#a1 ,r-f#h2 there is not much hope for ,black to bring his ,king's ,rook in contact with the other pieces1 while ,white may be able to double his ,rooks in the ,queen's file1 which would decide the victory as ,black has no possibility to counter the threat ,r-d#h in the long run4 ,white played 7#f7 ,kt-e#e with the intention to sacrifice the ,knight on f#g in case ,black should move his ,bishop4 ,rxf#g would then be followed by ,q-g#h and ,qxb#h or ,qxe#f mate4 ,therefore1 ,black had to withdraw his ,rook with 7#f7 4441 ,r- c#g and ,white simply played 7#g7 ,r-d#b threatening to double4 ,black prevented this by ,b-a#d1 at the same time threatening ,p-f#f1 but after7#h7 ,kt-g#d1 ,r-c#b2 7#i7 ,r-d#d1 ,q-c#h2 7#aj7 ,kt-f#f1 ,k-e#g2 7#aa7 ,q- g#e he resigned as now the square c#a is sufficiently protected while the threat ,kt-g#h cannot be parried4 ,the foregoing examples show that generally several moves are necessary in the middle game for ,knights and ,rooks to reach positions favorable for an active part in the attack4 ,with the ,bishops it is different4 ,they can usually be developed on their first move to the square on which they are needed in the middle game for either attack or defense4 ,in ,king's ,pawn openings as well as in ,queen's ,pawn openings ,white's ,queen's ,bishop is1 in the majority of cases1 used for pinning ,black's ,king's ,knight on g#e and ,black's ,king's ,bishop is placed on e#g to relieve the pin4 ,the pinning of the ,king's ,knight1 however1 is not advisable in positions in which the opponent has the option of castling to the ,queen's side4 ,after 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#c7 ,b-c#d1 ,kt-f#f2 7#d7 ,kt-c#c1 ,b- c#e2 7#e7 ,p-d#c1 ,p-d#f2 for instance ,white should wait with ,b-g#e until ,black has castled on the ,king's side4 ,if he plays 7#f7 ,b-g#e1 ,black will answer ,b-e#f2 7#g7 o-o1 ,q-d#g2 and now ,white would only hurt his own game by exchanging on f#f as the open g-file is bound to aid ,black1 who will castle on the ,queen's side1 in an attack on the ,king's side4 ,in ,queen's ,pawn openings the move ,b-g#e is always good as ,black cannot very well castle on the ,queen's side on account of the open c-file in which ,white would soon obtain an overwhelming attack4 ,another good square for the ,queen's ,bishop is in ,queen's ,pawn openings b#b from where the ,bishop supports the advance of the ,king's ,knight to e#e4 ,in this case the ,queen's ,knight should be developed to d#b instead of c#c so as not to obstruct the line of the ,bishop4 ,the same holds good for the development of ,black's ,queen's ,bishop4 ,in ,king's ,pawn openings it is dangerous for the ,queen's ,bishop to leave the long diagonal in which he is originally posted as the opponent might threaten to gain a foothold in the f-line with a ,knight1 provoking a weakening move with the g-,pawn4 ,the position of ,diagram #ed1 which occurred in a game between ,teichmann and ,rubinstein in the ,karlsbad ,tournament1 #aiaa1 furnishes an instructive example4 ,white played 7#a7 ,p-a#d1 trying to make use of the advanced position of ,black's b-,pawn for opening the a-file for his ,rook1 and ,black replied ,b-b#g4 ,this crosses ,white's plan1 as after 7#b7 ,pxb#e1 ,pxb#e2 it would not be ,white but ,black who would gain control of the a-line4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,b ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ed4 ,however1 ,black should not have withdrawn the ,bishop from the ,king's wing1 for ,white can now play his ,queen's ,knight via f#a and g#c or e#c to f#e unless ,black weakens his ,pawn position by ,p-g#f4 ,the proper way to answer ,white's first move would have been either ,b-e#f or ,p-b#d4 ,the latter is a ,pawn move1 but in the present case it cannot be considered a loss of time as ,white1 too1 has made a ,pawn move which does not further his development4 ,the game went on as follows3 7#b7 ,kt-f#a1 ,q-c#g2 7#c7 ,kt-g#c1 ,p-g#f2 ,white's aim is accomplished4 ,he has provoked a weakness which furnishes a mark for his attack4 ,the way to conduct the attack-- after completing the development by ,b-g#e1 will be to open the f- file for the ,rook by advancing the f-,pawn4 ,this advance can be prepared by ,p-h#c and ,kt-h#b4 ,of course1 ,white would prefer to do without the move of the h-,pawn2 but h#b is the only favorable square for the ,knight f#c1 as neither from d#b nor from h#d he has an opportunity to help the attack while from h#b he may go to g#d1 bearing on both of the weak squares f#f and h#f4 ,black has little chance for counterattack4 ,the only thing he can do is occupy the ,queen's file with his ,rooks and opening it by ,p- d#e and ,pxe#d4 ,his ,queen's ,bishop1 however1 is badly placed in any case as he has no open diagonal to work in1 and he will have to get back into play via his original square c#h4 ,white's ,king's ,bishop is not well placed either and is practically condemned to play the role of a ,pawn by protecting the square d#c without1 at the same time1 attacking anything4 ,there is1 of course1 a chance for him to be useful in the diagonal a#b-;g#h4 ,it may be said that in ,king's ,pawn openings ,white's ,king's ,bishop comparatively seldom has an opportunity to take an active part in the battle4 ,he is mostly exchanged at an early stage of the game for ,black's ,queen's ,knight or ,queen's ,bishop4 ,in ,queen's ,pawn openings1 however1 he finds a great field of action in the unobstructed diagonal b#a-;h#g4 ,in this diagonal he can also be used in all openings starting with ,p-e#d in which ,black does not advance his ,king's pawn to e#e1 as ,white can open the diagonal at any time by playing ,p-e#e4 ,generally speaking1 ,bishops should not be placed in diagonals which are obstructed by ,pawns of their own army1 and ,pawns moves should be avoided which close a diagonal formerly open to a kindred ,bishop4 ,a striking illustration of the importance of this rule will be found in the play which developed in the position of ,diagram #ee in a game between ,teichmann and ,dus ,chotimirski in the ,prague ,tournament #aijh4 ,black1 on the move1 played 7#a74441 ,kt-e#e1 disturbing the symmetry of the position to his advantage by opening the diagonal of his ,queen's ,bishop without allowing ,white to make a similar maneuver4 ,after 7#b7 ,ktxe#e1 ,bxe#e2 7#c7 ,q-e#b1 o-o2 7#d7 ,ra#a-;d#a1 ,q-e#g2 ,white yielded the temptation to drive away the disagreeable ,bishop e#e by 7#e7 ,p-f#d1 a move which had to be followed up with the advance of the e-,pawn who otherwise would have remained very weak1 not being protected by another ,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,b ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,kt ,b ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ee4 ,the game went on as follows3 7#e7 4441 ,b-c#g2 7#f7 ,p-e#d1 ,b-b#f2 7#g7 ,k-h#a1 ,rf#h-;d#h2 7#h7 ,b-b#a1 ,ra#h-;c#h2 7#i7 ,rxd#h1 ,qxd#h2 7#aj7 ,r-d#a1 ,q-e#g2 7#aa7 ,p-e#e4 ,this opens again the diagonal of the ,king's ,bishop1 but it closes that of the ,queen's ,bishop1 and it is the advantage of the work done by his ,queen's ,bishop in the unobstructed diagonal which secures ,black the victory1 7#aa7 4441 ,kt-d#e2 7#ab7 ,ktxd#e1 ,bxd#e2 7#ac7 ,q-g#d1 ,q-b#g2 7#ad7 ,p-f#e1 ,r-c#d2 7#ae7 ,q-g#c1 ,r-f#d64 ,white cannot capture the ,rook on account of ,bxg#b mate4 7#af7 ,p-f#f1 ,p-g#f4 ,there is now no defense against ,r-f#b which attacks g#b and b#b at the same time4 7#ag7 ,b-a#b1 ,r-f#b2 7#ah7 ,bxd#e1 ,qxd#e6 and ,white resigns as he loses his ,bishop on account of the mating threat4 ,it remains to examine typical middle-game maneuvers with the ,queen and with the ,pawns4 ,little is to be said about the ,queen4 ,on account of her tremendous mobility she is liable at any time to initiate a dangerous attack in conjunction with one or more of the other pieces1 and most of the examples given for the typical ,rook's1 ,bishop's and ,knight's maneuvers have also shown the methods by which the cooperation with the ,queen can be effected4 ,the main field of action for the ,queen is the side on which the opponent has castled4 ,in games1 in which both players have castled on the same side of the board1 and which1 as stated previously1 constitute the vast majority of cases it is dangerous to make excursions with the ,queen to distant regions away from the ,king1 as her retreat might be cut off1 making impossible an adequate defense against an attack which the opponent might be able to initiate on the ,king's side with the help of his own ,queen4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,b ,b --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,q --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ef4 ,in the position of ,diagram #ef for instance1 it would be very risky for ,white to take the ,pawn a#f4 ,black would play ,p-c#d1 cutting off the retreat of ,white's ,queen1 and then start a violent attack with his ,queen in conjunction with the two ,bishops4 ,another example is the position of ,diagram #eg which occurred in a game between ,capablanca and ,bernstein in the ,san ,sebastian ,tournament #aiaa4 ,white played 7#a7 ,kt-e#b and ,black1 in view of the threatening accumulation of white pieces on the ,king's wing1 should not have risked to capture the ,pawn a#b1 getting his ,queen quite out of play4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,b ,p ,p ,k --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,kt ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #eg ,he underestimated the danger and lost the game very quickly4 ,the attack developed as follows3 7#a7 4441 ,qxa#b2 7#b7 ,kte#b-;g#c1 ,qxc#b4 ,in taking the second ,pawn ,black loses another move4 ,he might have tried ,q-a#e1 threatening to exchange ,queens with ,q-b#f4 ,but it is doubtful whether he would have been able to save the game4 ,white would1 of course1 have avoided the exchange by playing his ,king into the corner4 7#c7 ,r-c#a1 ,q-b#b2 7#d7 ,kt-h#e2 this prevents the ,queen from getting back into play via f#f4 ,the threat is now ,r-c#c1 cutting ,black's ,queen off from g#g1 and then ,kth#exg#g and ,qxh#f4 ,black defends himself against this threat by 7#d7 4441 ,r-h#h with the intention to answer ,r-c#c with ,k-g#h2 but ,white's position involves so many threats that ,black cannot provide a satisfactory protection4 7#e7 ,r-e#b1 ,q-e#e2 7#f7 ,p-f#d1 ,q-b#e2 7#g7 ,ktf#exg#g 6 and wins1 as ,ktxg#g is followed by 7#h7 ,kt-f#f1 7#i7 ,ktxd#g and 7#aj7 ,p-f#e or ,p-e#e with overwhelming attack4 ,the most difficult problem in the conduct of the middle-game is the timely maneuvering with the ,pawns4 ,although it is impossible to give a general rule which will apply to all cases it is a good principle to avoid ,pawn moves in the middle- game just as carefully as in the opening1 at least in the early stages of the middle-game4 ,in the opening the argument against ,pawn moves was the time loss connected with them from the point of view of development4 ,in the middle-game it is mainly the weakness created by the ,pawn move on the squares which were protected by the ,pawn before he advanced4 ,a square may be termed weak if it can be safely occupied by men which help the opponent in his attack1 and this is generally possible if the square in question cannot any longer be defended by a ,pawn4 ,the great danger involved in the occupation by hostile pieces of such weak squares is evident if they are situated near the ,king1 and examples of how the attack develops in cases of this kind have been discussed in connection with ,diagrams #dh1 #di1 #ej and #eb4 ,it is less apparent why a ,pawn move should create a weakness if a center-,pawn or a ,pawn on the ,queen's wing is concerned4 ,in the latter case1 the possibility of deriving an advantage during the middle-game is rare1 indeed2 but the weakness produced by the ,pawn moves invariably shows itself in the ending4 ,in the position of ,diagram #eh for instance1 ,white wins on account of the weakness of the squares a#f1 c#f1 d#e and b#e from which his ,king can attack the ,black ,pawns as soon as the ,queen and the ,rook are exchanged4 ,the following play may ensue3 7#a7 ,r-e#h1 ,rxe#h2 7#b7 ,qxe#h1 ,q-f#h2 7#c7 ,qxf#h 1 ,kxf#h2 7#d7 ,k-d#c1 ,k-e#g2 7#e7 ,k-c#d1 ,k-d#g2 7#f7 ,k-b#e1 ,k-c#g2 7#g7 ,k-a#f1 ,k-b#h2 7#h7 ,p-a#d1 ,k-a#h2 7#i7 ,p-a#e1 ,pxa#e2 7#aj7 ,kxa#e and wins the c-,pawn4 ,or3 7#e7 4441 ,p-a#f2 7#f7 ,k-d#e1 ,k-d#g4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,k ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #eh4 ,for the time being ,black has the opposition so that ,white's ,king cannot advance any further2 but ,white has so many more ,pawn moves at his disposal than ,black that the latter is soon forced to move his ,king allowing ,white to break in with his ,king at one or the other side4 ,for instance3 7#g7 ,p-a#d1 ,p-a#e2 7#h7 ,p-f#d1 ,p-f#f2 7#i7 ,p- g#d1 ,p-h#f2 7#aj7 ,p-h#c1 ,p-g#e2 7#aa7 ,p-f#e2 ,king moves1 and ,white wins either the f-,pawn or the b-,pawn4 ,this example brings out another reason why it is advantageous to keep the ,pawns of the wings back4 ,in the ending positions frequently arise in which it is important to have some moves to spare in order to be able to maintain the opposition of ,kings2 and the player whose ,pawns are farther back naturally has more spare moves4 ,a disadvantage which is liable to make itself felt in the middle game as well as in ,rooks' endings as a consequence of ,pawn moves on the wing is the opening of an adjoining file for a hostile ,rook1 as illustrated by the play in the positions of ,diagrams #ej1 #ea and #ed4 ,in the middle-game this is also true of certain ,pawns1 as for instance in the following position which arises after the opening moves 7#a7 ,p-e#d1 ,p-e#e2 7#b7 ,kt-f#c1 ,kt-c#f2 7#c7 ,p-d#d1 ,pxd#d2 7#d7 ,b-c#d1 ,kt-f#f2 7#e7 o-o1 ,b-e#g4 ,the proper continuation is 7#f7 ,r- e#a1 protecting the center-,pawn4 ,the advance of this ,pawn is entirely uncalled for4 ,not only does it enable ,black to open the f-file for his ,rook by advancing his f-,pawn1 but it gives up the greatest advantage connected with the possession of a center- ,pawn1 that is the control of two center-squares4 ,as long as ,white has his ,pawn on e#d1 the two squares f#e and d#e are inaccessible to black pieces2 as soon as the ,pawn advances1 however1 he does not do ,black any further harm1 as the two squares which he controls after the advance are firmly in ,black's hands on account of the two ,pawns f#g and d#g4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ei4 ,a game played with this opening proceeded as follows3 7#f7 ,p-e#e1 ,kt-e#d2 7#g7 ,b-d#e1 ,kt-c#e2 7#h7 ,ktxd#d1 ,ktxd#d2 7#i7 ,qxd#d1 o-o2 7#aj7 ,kt- c#c1 ,p-d#f2 7#aa7 ,b-e#c1 ,p-c#f2 7#ab7 ,b-b#c1 ,p-d#e2 7#ac7 ,ra#a-;d#a1 ,k-h#h2 7#ad7 ,q-f#d1 ,p-f#f4 ,this decides the middle-game in ,black's favor4 ,not only will he have superior mobility with his ,rooks1 but his two ,bishops are much stronger than ,white's two minor pieces1 especially as ,white's ,bishop is shut in4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,b ,kt ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fj4 ,moreover1 ,black has the better chances even in the ending1 as he has a majority of ,pawns on the ,queen's wing4 ,after all pieces have been exchanged1 these ,pawns would finally result in a passed ,pawn1 which ,white would have to stop with his ,king while ,black can leisurely attack the ,pawns of the ,king's side4 ,a disadvantage due to ,pawn moves which up to now has not yet been discussed is the weakness of so-called backward ,pawns4 ,a backward ,pawn is one whose adjoining kindred ,pawns have advanced while he is unable himself to advance far enough to obtain their protection from a frontal or diagonal attack4 ,in the position of ,diagram #fj1 for instance1 ,black would make his ,queen's ,pawn backward if he played ,p-c#e2 for if ,white handles the game right ,black will never be able to advance the ,queen's ,pawn beyond d#f1 making him an easy mark for an attack in the d-file or in the diagonal h#b-;b#h1 and also hampering the mobility of ,black's pieces in the center4 ,the correct way for ,white to arrange his men would be to play ,p-c#d and after the development of the minor pieces to double the ,rooks in the d-file4 ,white's ,queen's ,bishop will be placed best on f#d from where he helps pressing on d#f4 ,diagram #fa shows a position which occurred in one of the match games played between ,emanuel ,lasker and ,s4 ,tarrasch for the ,world's ,championship in #aijh1 and which furnishes a good illustration of the difficulties arising from a backward ,pawn4 ,the game proceeded as follows3 7#a7 ,ktxd#f1 ,pxd#f2 7#b7 ,ra#a-;d#a1 ,q-f#f2 7#c7 ,p-c#d1 ,rf#h-;e#h2 7#d7 ,q-g#d 7threatening ,q-d#g7 ,b-c#f2 7#e7 ,r-e#b2 ,r- e#d2 7#f7 ,q-g#c1 ,q-e#f 7threatening ,r-g#d72 7#g7 ,p-h#c1 ,r-d#h4 ,black cannot protect the ,pawn d#f as many times as ,white can attack him4 ,it looks as if he could have taken the ,pawn c#d with his ,queen1 but he was probably afraid of the weakness ,white would have provoked with ,b-h#f1 7#h7 ,re#b-;d#b1 ,re#d-;e#e2 7#i7 ,b-h#f 6 ,black cannot take the ,bishop on account of ,qxe#e4 7#i7 4441 ,q-g#f2 7#aj7 ,b-f#d and wins1 as the ,pawn d#f as well as the ,pawn c#e are doomed4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,b --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fa4 ,in a position like that of ,diagram #de on ,white could play ,p-f#d without making his ,king's ,pawn backward1 as neither a frontal nor a diagonal attack on e#c is possible4 ,of course1 he would have to see that the possibility of such an attack does not arise later on4 ,for instance1 he would not be in a position to take the ,pawn c#e with the ,pawn d#d1 as this would enable ,black to use the diagonal a#g-;g#a for operations against e#c4 ,the player who endeavors to adhere in all positions to the principles of ,chess ,strategy outlined in this chapter will rapidly improve his strength and acquire within a short time a much more intimate grasp of the game than others who have had years of practice without making clear to themselves the general laws which govern the outcome of every combination on the ,chessboard4 ,the illustrative games analyzed in the following chapter do not teach anything new4 ,they are merely examples of the application of the general principles to the continuous series of combinations which constitute a game of ,chess4 ,the author has chosen games from his own tournament practice as this naturally enabled a more thorough annotation than would have been possible to offer for games of other players4 ,,iv ,,illustrative ,,games ,,game ,,no4 #a ,played in the ,championship ,tournament of the ,western ,states1 #aiag1 at ,lexington1 ,ky4 ,white ,black ,jackson ,showalter4 ,edward ,lasker 7#a7 ,p-e#d ,p-e#e 7#b7 ,kt-f#c ,kt-c#f 7#c7 ,b-b#e ,p-a#f ,as explained previously this move cannot be regarded as loss of time as ,white has to either retreat with the ,bishop1 adding nothing to his development1 or exchange on c#f1 helping ,black's development by opening a line for the ,bishop c#h4 7#d7 ,b-a#d ,kt-f#f ,the move ,b-c#e which ,black might consider instead of ,kt-f#f is not to be recommended as ,white would reply ,p-c#c and then force the exchange of ,black's center-,pawn by ,p-d#d4 ,the complete control of the center which ,white would gain in the further course of the game would soon give him an overwhelming attack4 ,for instance3 7#d7 4441 ,b-c#e2 7#e7 ,p-c#c1 ,kt-f#f2 7#f7 o-o1 o-o2 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fb4 7#g7 ,p-d#d1 ,pxd#d2 7#h7 ,pxd#d1 ,b-b#f2 7#i7 ,p-e#e1 ,kt-e#h2 7#aj7 ,p-d#e1 ,kt- e#g2 7#aa7 ,p-d#f1 ,pxd#f2 7#ab7 ,pxd#f1 ,kt-g#f2 7#ac7 ,b-g#e1 etc4 7#e7 ,p-d#c ,it is customary for ,white to castle at this point4 ,p-d#c is certainly a good move as it enables the development of the ,queen's ,bishop1 but o-o is very likely better as it reserves the option of advancing the ,queen's ,pawn either one or two squares4 ,when advancing the ,pawn two squares ,white has to avoid the following trap3 7#e7 o-o1 ,b-e#g2 7#f7 ,p-d#d1 ,p-b#e2 7#g7 ,b-b#c1 ,pxd#d 7not ,ktxd#d on account of 7#h7 ,bxf#g and 7#i7 ,ktxe#e 72 7#h7 ,ktxd#d 881 ,ktxd#d2 7#i7 ,qxd#d1 ,p-c#e followed by ,p-c#d winning the ,bishop4 ,what ,white can try in this variation is the ,pawn sacrifice 7#h7 ,p- c#c1 ,pxc#c1 through which he obtains a considerable advantage in the development of the pieces4 ,after 7#e7 o-o ,white threatens to win the ,pawn e#e by 7#f7 ,bxc#f and 7#g7 ,ktxe#e1 as now ,q-d#d2 7#h7 ,kt-f#c1 ,qxe#d is not possible on account of 7#i7 ,r-e#a4 ,black has various ways to counter this threat4 ,he can either defend the ,pawn by ,p-d#f or play ,b-e#g with the view to capture the ,pawn e#d in case ,white should take the ,pawn e#e1 or1 finally1 he can capture the ,pawn e#d at once4 ,all of these three variations are playable for ,black although it appears that ,white obtains a slight advantage however ,black continues4 ,this opening is consequently a great favorite in modern ,tournament play4 ,footnote3 ,following are the two main variations which have been adopted in the practice of the ,masters3 ,a4 7#e7 o-o1 ,b-e#g2 7#f7 ,r-e#a 7protecting the ,pawn e#d so that ,black has to defend himself against ,bxc#f and ,ktxe#e71 ,p-b#e2 7#g7 ,b- b#c1 ,p-d#f2 7#h7 ,p-c#c 7preserving the ,bishop against the exchange threatened with ,kt-a#e71 ,kt-a#e2 7#i7 ,b-c#b1 ,p-c#e2 7#aj7 ,p-d#d1 ,q-c#g4 ,now the ,pawn e#e is sufficiently protected and ,black threatens to exert pressure on d#d by playing ,b-g#d and ,kt-c#f4 ,it might seem that ,white can ignore this threat and as soon as d#d attacked either exchange the ,pawn on e#e or advance him to d#e4 ,however1 the former maneuver would open the d-file for ,black's ,rooks and the latter would not be very good either before ,black has castled2 for the advance of the d-pawn closes the center-files permanently for the ,rooks so that ,black's ,king is safe in the center while ,white may have to face an attack on the ,king's wing which ,black might initiate by storming with the h and g ,pawns4 ,for all these reasons ,white is justified in making the waiting move 7#aa7 ,p-h#c1 which safeguards the square d#d against the indirect attack ,b-g#d and at the same time prepares an attack along the lines of the one discussed in connection with ,diagram #eb4 ,after 7#aa7 4441 ,kt-c#f2 7#ab7 ,b-e#c1 o-o2 ,white can safely advance the ,queen's ,pawn and then launch the attack referred to above4 ,b4 ,the second variation arising from the position of ,diagram #fb is 7#e7 o-o1 ,ktxe#d4 ,it seems rather dangerous for ,black to take the ,pawn as long as his ,king is in the e-file which ,white can occupy with his ,rook2 but after 7#f7 ,r-e#a1 ,kt-c#e2 7#g7 ,ktxe#e1 ,ktxe#e2 7#h7 ,rxe#e 1 ,kt-e#f1 ,white has not much attack and for this reason the opening is generally treated in a different way4 ,as the strongest move is considered 7#f7 ,p-d#d4 ,black can hardly take this ,pawn as ,r-e#a and ,ktxd#d would follow threatening to win a piece2 but he may try to maintain his ,knight on the dominating square e#d by 7#f7 4441 ,p-b#e2 7#g7 ,b-b#c1 ,p-d#e4 ,after 7#h7 ,pxe#e1 ,b-e#f2 7#i7 ,p-c#c 7again providing a retreat for the ,bishop71 ,b-e#g2 7#aj7 ,ktb#a-;d#b1 ,black's best continuation is probably ,ktxd#b2 7#aa7 ,qxd#b 7not ,bxd#b on account of ,b-g#d72 ,kt-a#e or o-o4 ,the maneuver 7#aj7 4441 ,kt-c#e2 7#aa7 ,b-c#b1 ,p-d#d1 which was tried in several recent tournaments1 is of doubtful value as ,black loses control of the important center-square e#d4 ,white can use this square for an attack on the weak point c#f as follows3 7#ab7 ,kt-e#d1 ,pxc#c2 7#ac7 ,ktxc#e1 ,bxc#e2 7#ad7 ,b-e#d1 ,q-d#g2 7#ae7 ,q-c#b1 ,b-d#e 7in order to answer ,r-d#a with ,bxe#d72 7#af7 ,b-g#e1 and ,black does not seem to have a satisfactory defense4 ,for instance 7#af7 4441 ,b-b#f2 7#ag7 ,ra#a-;d#a1 ,bxe#d2 7#ah7 ,qxe#d1 ,q-e#f2 7#ai7 ,r-d#f or 7#af7 4441 ,bxe#d2 7#ag7 ,qxe#d1 ,pxb#b2 7#ah7 ,ra#a-;d#a1 ,p-b#a 7,q72 7#ai7 ,rxb#a followed by ,r-c#a4 7#e7 444 ,p-b#e ,the simplest and probably best way to defend the ,pawn e#e against the threat ,bxc#f and ,ktxe#e is ,p-d#f without ,p-b#e4 7#f7 ,b-b#c ,p-d#f ,the alternative was ,b-c#e4 ,white could then not have captured the ,pawn e#e by 7#g7 ,b-d#e1 o-o2 7#h7 ,bxc#f1 ,pxc#f2 7#i7 ,ktxe#e on account of ,q-d#d1 threatening mate on f#b and attacking the ,knight4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,b ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fc4 7#g7 ,kt-g#e ,this attack with two pieces in the early stage of the opening is contrary to the general principles of strategy4 ,white wins a ,pawn but this cannot be considered an adequate equivalent for the time he loses in doing so4 ,he neglects his development and he is bound to suffer for that sooner than he can make the weight of his extra-,pawn felt4 7#g7 444 ,p-d#e 7#h7 ,pxd#e ,black cannot recapture the ,pawn as this would give ,white an occasion to initiate a violent attack starting with the sacrifice of the ,knight on f#g1 thus3 7#h7 4441 ,ktxd#e2 7#i7 ,ktxf#g1 ,kxf#g2 7#aj7 ,q-f#c1 ,k-e#f 7the ,knight d#e has to be protected72 7#aa7 ,kt-c#c1 ,ktc#f-;e#g2 7#ab7 o-o1 followed by ,r-e#a1 ,p-d#d1 etc4 ,the exposed position of ,black's ,king is well worth the piece which ,white has sacrificed4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,q ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fd4 7#h7 444 ,kt-d#d ,with this move ,black crosses ,white's plans by exchanging the ,bishop who was to play the main part in the attack1 and1 as a consequence1 the ,knight g#e does not have a chance to do any useful work either4 7#i7 ,p-d#f ,opening again the diagonal of the ,bishop and getting rid of the advanced ,pawn by exchange before ,black has an occasion to capture him4 7#i7 444 ,ktxb#c 7#aj7 ,pxc#g ,qxc#g --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k ,b ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,q ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,kt ,b ,q ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fe4 ,black could regain his ,pawn by ,q-d#e2 7#aa7 ,pa#bxb#c1 ,qxg#b2 7#ab7 ,q- f#c1 ,qxf#c2 7#ac7 ,ktxf#c1 ,b-b#g2 7#ad7 ,k-e#b1 ,b-d#f and ,bxc#g2 but in doing so he would give up his advantage in development1 which1 as the further course of the game proves1 is much more valuable4 7#aa7 ,pa#bxb#c ,b-b#g 7#ab7 o-o ,p-h#f6 ,if ,black proceeded to develop his pieces indiscriminately1 his advantage would soon vanish4 ,white needs only two moves--,r-e#a and ,kt-e#d--to paralyze the effect of ,black's powerful ,queen's ,bishop and to regain control of the center where at present ,black has the upper hand on account of his center-,pawn4 7#ac7 ,kt-f#c ,b-d#f 7#ad7 ,r-e#a o-o 7#ae7 ,ktb#a-;d#b ,ra#h-;d#h 7#af7 ,p-c#c ,white does not risk ,kt-e#d as ,black1 after ,ktxe#d2 7#ag7 ,pxe#d1 can uncover the ,rook by ,b-b#d attacking ,white's ,queen and ,rook at the same time4 ,white's only defense would be 7#ah7 ,b-d#b or ,kt-d#b1 but he would pin himself badly in either case and ,black would obtain an overwhelming attack by ,p-f#e1 which enables his ,king's ,rook to join the fray4 ,with ,p-c#c ,white protects himself against ,b-b#d and now actually threatens to interrupt the diagonal of ,black's ,queen's ,bishop4 ,black will naturally try to prevent this and the first move which presents itself for the purpose is ,p-e#d1 opening a line for the ,bishop d#f and the ,queen at the same time4 ,at first sight the move does not seem playable as on e#d the ,pawn is three times attacked and only twice defended2 but ,white cannot withdraw both the ,knight d#b and the ,pawn d#c from the ,queen's file on account of the threat ,bxh#b winning the ,queen for ,rook and ,bishop4 ,black can1 therefore1 safely advance the ,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,b ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,b ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,q ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ff4 7#af7 444 ,p-e#d 7#ag7 ,pxe#d ,ktxe#d 7#ah7 ,q-c#b ,now that the ,queen has left the d-file1 unpinning the ,knight1 something must be done for the ,knight e#d who is twice attacked and only once protected4 ,two moves come into consideration4 ,one is ,p-f#e which maintains the ,knight in the dominating center- position1 as ,white cannot take him without opening the f-file for ,black's ,rook and losing the ,pawn h#b who needs the protection of the ,knight f#c4 ,the other is ,ktxd#b1 winning the ,pawn h#b right away no matter whether ,white retakes with the ,bishop or with the ,knight4 ,which of the two moves is the better is difficult to say and is more or less a matter of temperament4 ,a player who prefers a slow and sure advance will choose ,p-f#e4 ,a player who likes a faster pace will start the hand-to-hand fight without delay by ,ktxd#b4 ,it is the latter move on which ,black decides4 7#ah7 444 ,ktxd#b ,white now faces the dilemma whether to recapture with the ,bishop or with the ,knight4 ,if he takes with the ,bishop ,black exchanges on f#c1 breaking up ,white's chain of ,pawns1 and he regains his ,pawn by ,bxh#b4 ,if he takes with the ,knight1 ,black also wins the ,pawn h#b1 but the other ,pawns in front of the ,king remain intact4 ,the drawback to the latter continuation is1 however1 that ,white's development is delayed for another two moves1 as the ,queen's ,bishop is shut in4 ,for this reason ,white decides on ,bxd#b1 probably also hoping that he will be compensated for the broken ,pawn position by an attack in the g- or h-file which ,black's maneuver opens4 --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,b ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,q ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,b ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fg4 7#ai7 ,bxd#b ,bxf#c ,the fact that ,black has to exchange his well placed ,queen's ,bishop in order to win the ,pawn h#b was very likely another reason which induced ,white to retake with the ,bishop4 7#bj7 ,pxf#c ,bxh#b 7#ba7 ,k-g#b --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,q ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,q ,b ,p ,k ,b --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fh4 ,a general survey of the position shows clearly that ,black has the advantage4 ,his ,rook d#h is ready to take part in the battle while ,white has to make several preparatory moves with his ,rooks before he can make use of them on the ,king's wing1 the only part of the board where they have a chance to be effective4 ,in the e-line which ,white's ,rook controls at present1 there is no tangible object for an attack4 ,moreover1 ,white's ,king is rather exposed while ,black's ,king is safely entrenched behind his ,pawns4 ,a good continuation for ,black1 which presents itself at first thought1 is ,r-d#f1 enabling the doubling of the ,rooks in the d- line or the participation of the ,rook d#f in a fight on the ,king's wing4 7#ba7 444 ,r-d#f 7#bb7 ,r-e#d ,white cannot take the ,bishop h#b as ,rxd#b would win the ,queen4 7#bb7 ,p-f#d would not be good either as ,black would reply ,q-d#g1 threatening ,rxd#b as well as ,q-g#d2 ,kxh#b1 ,r-g#f and mate in two moves4 ,with ,r-e#d ,white attempts to protect his ,king by ,r-g#d against attacks in the g-file1 and ,black naturally tries to foil this attempt4 7#bb7 444 ,p-f#e 7#bc7 ,r-h#d ,black has now to decide whether he should withdraw his ,bishop to e#e or counterattack ,white's ,bishop by ,q-d#g or ,q-d#h or ,rf#h-;d#h4 ,the counterattack looks better as it threatens to force an entrance for the ,rooks in the second rank1 displacing ,white's ,queen and attacking the ,king from the flank4 ,the withdrawal of the ,bishop would give ,white time to play his ,queen's ,rook over to the ,king's wing4 ,the most forcible of the three moves available for the counterattack is ,q-d#h1 which attacks the ,rook h#d too1 thereby depriving ,white of the possibility to save his ,bishop by flight4 7#bc7 444 ,q-d#h 7#bd7 ,rxh#b ,rxd#b 7#be7 ,q-c#a ,white's ,queen has now hardly any mobility and in addition she shuts off the ,queen's ,rook from the ,king's wing4 ,black1 on the other hand1 can easily get his ,rooks to cooperate by doubling them either in the d-file or in the second rank4 ,he decides on the former alternative because the control of the ,queen's file keeps ,white's troops separated in two parts which have little or no communication with each other1 while ,black's pieces are ready for concentration on the ,king's wing at any moment4 7#be7 444 ,q-g#e 7#bf7 ,k-h#a ,rf#h-;d#h 7#bg7 ,q-e#a ,with the intention to play ,q-e#f1 thereby gaining time to swing over the ,queen's ,rook to the ,king's wing4 7#bg7 444 ,k-h#g 7#bh7 ,q-c#a --------------------------------------- #h ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,k --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,r ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,q ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #fi4 ,the ,queen cannot leave the first rank on account of the threat ,r- d#a4 ,it lies near for ,black to try to force her out by attacking the square d#a once more with the ,queen1 thereby threatening to win the ,queen for a ,rook by the check on d#a4 ,he can accomplish this by playing the ,queen into the d-file behind the ,rooks4 7#bh7 444 ,r-d#f 7#bi7 ,p-c#d ,apparently ,white does not recognize ,black's intention1 or he would have played 7#bi7 ,q-f#a in order to answer ,q-d#h with 7#cj7 ,r- e#a1 ,r-dl2 7#ca7 ,k-g#b4 ,but ,black would then also have had an easy win by playing 7#bi7 4441 ,rxb#b and doubling the ,rooks in the second rank4 7#bi7 444 ,q-d#h 7#cj7 ,q-c#c ,the only alternative to save the ,queen was ,k-g#b1 but then ,r-d#a would have won a clear ,rook4 ,black now enforces a mate in ten moves3 ,r-d#a2 7#ca7 ,rxd#a1 ,rxd#a2 7#cb7 ,k-g#b1 ,q-g#e2 7#cc7 ,k-h#c1 ,r-g#a2 7#cd7 ,q-d#d1 ,q-h#e2 7#ce7 ,q-h#d1 ,qxf#c2 7#cf7 ,q-g#c1 ,rxg#c2 7#cg7 ,pxg#c1 ,p-f#d2 7#ch7 ,k-h#d1 ,qxg#c2 7#ci7 ,k-h#e1 ,q-g#e mate4 ,this instructive game was not lost through a faulty combination but on account of loss of time in the opening which could not be regained4 ,,game ,,no4 #b ,played in the ,new ,york ,masters' ,tournament #aiae ,white ,black ,edward ,lasker ,jose ,raoul ,capablanca 7#a7 ,p-d#d ,p-d#e 7#b7 ,kt-f#c ,kt-f#f 7#c7 ,p-c#d ,p-e#f 7#d7 ,kt-c#c ,ktb#h-;d#g 7#e7 ,b-g#e ,b-b#d ,ordinarily the ,bishop is developed to e#g as on b#d he is out of place as soon as ,white has castled4 7#f7 ,p-e#c ,p-c#e ,with this move ,black threatens ,q-a#e1 attacking the ,knight c#c for the second time and unpinning the ,knight f#f who is then free to cooperate with the ,bishop b#d and the ,queen by advancing to e#d4 ,in trying to counter ,black's threat ,white will seek to do as much as he can for the development of his pieces so as to combine the attack with defense4 ,the ,king's ,bishop is not yet developed1 and his most natural developing move happens to cover the square at which ,black is aiming with his ,knight4 7#g7 ,b-d#c ,q-a#e 7#h7 ,q-b#c --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,kt ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,p ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,q ,kt ,b ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,k ,r --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gj4 ,white has to be very careful on account of the various exchanges possible in the center4 ,black threatens for instance to exchange first on d#d and then to play ,kt-e#d so that the ,bishop g#e is attacked by the ,queen in case ,white takes the ,knight with his ,bishop1 allowing the ,pawn d#e to clear the fifth rank4 ,or he might play ,kt-e#d first and then exchange on d#d4 ,considering that all these threats are based on the fact that the ,knight c#c is pinned as long as ,white has not yet castled it lies near for ,white to try 7#h7 o-o4 ,it is true that ,black can then win a ,pawn by taking twice on c#c2 however1 in doing so he would retard his development and ,white is bound to obtain a strong attack by getting all of his pieces quickly into action1 while ,black's ,queen is separated from the rest of her troops4 ,white's eighth move1 ,q-b#c1 has several drawbacks4 ,first of all ,black could play ,p-b#e6 winning a piece for three ,pawns as ,white cannot do better than play 7#i7 ,pxb#e or ,pxd#e allowing ,p-,c#d4 ,secondly1 ,black can make the combination indicated above which tends to open the fifth rank so that the ,queen attacks g#e4 ,the same combination would be possible if ,white played 7#h7 ,q-,c#b4 7#h7 444 ,kt-e#d 7#i7 o-o ,offering the ,pawn sacrifice ,ktxc#c2 7#aj7 ,pxc#c1 ,bxc#c with the view to attacking by 7#aa7 ,r-c#a1 etc41 as previously indicated4 ,black prefers to direct his attack against g#e4 7#i7 444 ,ktxg#e 7#aj7 ,ktxg#e ,pxd#d 7#aa7 ,kt-b#e 7#aa7 ,pxd#d would lose a piece on account of ,pxc#d1 attacking the ,bishop on d#c and the ,knight on g#e4 ,black could now win a ,pawn by taking on d#c1 but this would be very dangerous as it would open the f-file for ,white's ,rook4 7#aa7 444 ,kt-c#e --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,kt ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,q ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ga4 ,the position is getting very complicated indeed4 ,the first possibility which ,white will consider is 7#ab7 ,kt-d#f2 but after ,k-e#g there seems to be no satisfactory continuation4 ,for instance3 7#ac7 ,q-,c#b1 ,ktxd#c2 7#ad7 ,ktd#fxf#g1 ,r-f#h winning two ,knights for the ,rook4 ,or3 7#ad7 ,ktxc#h 81 ,ra#hxc#h2 7#ae7 ,qxd#c1 ,pxc#d winning a piece4 ,therefore1 ,white has no alternative but to retire the ,queen4 7#ab7 ,q-c#b ,ktxd#c 7#ac7 ,qxd#c ,p-a#f --------------------------------------- #h ,r ,b ,k ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,q ,kt ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,q ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gb4 ,it is not easy for ,black to retain tide ,pawn which he has won4 ,if he plays 7#ac7 4441 ,b-e#g2 7#ad7 ,kt-f#c1 ,pxe#c2 ,white can continue 7#ae7 ,pxd#e with good attacking chances on account of the open files in the center of the board1 of which ,black cannot yet make any use as he has not yet castled4 ,by ,p-a#f ,black opens again the fifth rank in order to operate against the ,knight g#e4 7#ad7 ,ktxd#d ,pxc#d 7#ae7 ,qxc#d ,b-d#g 7#af7 ,kt-b#c ,a very bad move1 as it violates the general principles of strategy4 ,in withdrawing the ,knight from the dominating center square ,white decreases his mobility instead of increasing it4 ,the logical continuation would have been ,rf#a-;d#a or ,ra#a-;c#a1 developing one of the ,rooks4 7#af7 444 ,qxg#e 7#ag7 ,qxb#d ,b-c#f ,black would not have been able to occupy this favorable square with his ,bishop1 had not ,white withdrawn his ,knight from d#d4 7#ah7 ,p-e#d ,p-a#e ,this forces the ,queen out of the diagonal a#c-;f#h as the ,pawn e#d has to be kept protected4 7#ai7 ,q-d#b ,qxd#b ,black demonstrates in a very simple manner that the exchange of ,queens is disadvantageous for ,white1 a fact that ,white should have foreseen as the unprotected ,knight on d#b enables ,black to gain control of the d-file by castling on the ,queen's side4 7#bj7 ,ktxd#b o-o-o 7#ba7 ,kt-c#d ,white cannot play ,r-d#a on account of ,r-d#d1 threatening ,rh#h-;d#h4 7#ba7 444 ,bxe#d 7#bb7 ,rf#a-;c#a ,this merely drives the ,black ,king to a safe place4 ,ktxa#e was indicated4 ,r-d#b could then have been answered by 7#bc7 ,r-c#a and 7#bd7 ,r-,c#d4 7#bb7 444 ,k-b#h 7#bc7 ,p-f#c ,again a move which helps the opponent as it drives the ,bishop where he wants to go4 7#bc7444 ,b-d#e 7#bd7 ,ktxa#e ,r-c#h 7#be7 ,p-b#c ,this situation furnishes an instructive example of the importance of the rules governing ,pawn formations as previously discussed4 ,by attacking the ,knight with the ,king ,black can force the exchange of the ,bishop for the ,knight on c#d4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k ,r ,r --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,kt ,b --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,r ,r ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gc4 ,this leaves ,white with a ,pawn on c#d who is weak on account of his advanced position4 ,black can attack him with the ,king and ,white's ,king is consequently compelled to stay on the ,queen's wing guarding the ,pawn1 while ,black is at leisure to secure a passed ,pawn on the ,king's wing4 ,these maneuvers are1 of course1 possible only with the ,rooks off the board4 ,that is why ,black tries to force their exchange and why ,white should endeavor to prevent it4 7#be7 444 ,rxc#a 7#bf7 ,rxc#a ,r-c#h 7#bg7 ,rxc#h ,in view of the hopeless ,pawn ending it would have been best to give up a ,pawn by 7#bg7 ,r-d#a1 ,p-b#f2 7#bh7 ,kt-c#d1 ,bxc#d2 7#bi7 ,pxc#d1 ,rxc#d2 7#cj7 ,r-d#b in order to keep a ,rook on the board1 thus obtaining a drawing chance4 7#bg7 444 ,kxc#h 7#bh7 ,k-f#b ,k-c#g 7#bi7 ,k-e#c ,k-b#f 7#cj7 ,kt-c#d ,bxc#d 7#ca7 ,pxc#d ,k-c#e 7#cb7 ,k-d#c ,p-e#e ,black's strategy in this ending is clearly indicated4 ,he will play ,p-f#e and advance the e-,pawn as soon as ,white plays ,k-c#c4 ,instead of the latter move ,white could play ,p-a#c which would also keep ,black's ,king from b#d2 but he would soon run out of spare moves with his ,pawns necessitating a ,king's move4 ,for instance1 7#cb7 ,p-a#c1 ,p-f#e2 7#cc7 ,p-g#d1 ,p-g#f2 7#cd7 ,p-h#c1 ,p-h#f2 7#ce7 ,p-h#d1 ,p- h#e2 7#cf7 ,p-g#e1 ,p-b#f62 7#cg7 ,k-c#c1 ,p-e#d2 7#ch7 ,p-f#d1 ,p-e#c2 7#ci7 ,k- d#c1 ,p-e#b2 7#dj7 ,kxe#b1 ,kxc#d2 7#da7 ,k-e#c1 ,p-b#e4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gd4 ,black needs now only six moves to queen the ,pawn b#e while ,white in the meantime cannot do more than capture the g- and h-,pawns1 and ,black's ,queen can naturally stop the ,white passed ,pawns without difficulty4 ,the game proceeded as follows3 7#cc7 ,p-g#d ,p-f#f 7#cd7 ,p-h#d ,p-g#f 7#ce7 ,k-e#d ,k-d#f ,black could just as well have captured the ,pawn c#d and permitted 7#cf7 ,p-g#e1 ,pxg#e2 7#cg7 ,pxg#e4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,k ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,k ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,p --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ge4 ,he would then have had a ,queen in another eight moves while ,white could not get farther with his ,pawn than to g#g1 so that ,black easily wins4 ,to march against the ,pawn b#g instead of the ,pawns on the ,king's side would not help ,white either1 as he does not get back to the ,king's wing in time to protect his f- and g-,pawn4 7#cf7 ,p-f#d ,pxf#d 7#cg7 ,kxf#d ,k-c#e 7#ch7 ,p-h#e ,kxc#d 7#ci7 ,k-e#d ,p-b#e 7#dj7 ,p-a#c ,k-c#e 7#da7 ,resigns4 ,v ,,problems ,to offer an exhaustive treatise on the manifold varieties of ,chess problems is not within the scope of this book4 ,the intention of the author is merely to make it quite clear to the reader that the ,chess problem1 apart from the moves of the men1 has no relation to the game and to illustrate the vast difference between ,,problem combinations and positions and ,,game combinations and positions by a few typical examples from the works of master composers4 ,the mating methods and mating positions in the actual game very rarely embody an element of surprise4 ,they are all known from previous experience and the question is merely whether the player concerned is familiar with them4 ,with the problem it is altogether different4 ,here the mate must be accomplished in a certain number of moves from a given position in some ingenious way which is not known from game practice1 or1 if the mating ,,method is not extraordinary1 the mating ,,position must be surprising and unlooked for4 ,moreover1 a number of laws must be obeyed in problem composition1 which by the general consent of problemists1 or rather by natural evolution of a more refined taste1 have become the standards by which the merits of a problem are judged4 ,there is first of all the law of economy in material which demands that the idea of the problem should be expressed with the least possible number of men1 and that no pieces should be added for the mere sake of increasing the number of variations4 ,then1 of course1 a problem should have only one solution4 ,a position which has more than one key move is not considered a problem1 because the main point at issue in a problem is not the ,,number of moves in which the mate is accomplished but the ,,method in which it is accomplished1 and of two possible solutions one will always be prettier so that the existence of the other must necessarily appear a blemish4 ,a very important law is that the first move of ,white 7who by general consent has always the attack7 must not deprive the black ,king of a flight square1 as this would be too brutal1 too obvious a procedure4 ,the more possibilities of defense are left to ,black the more surprising is the solution and the finer is the problem4 ,many problem solvers are under the false impression that the first move in a problem must not be a check4 ,this argument is valid only when by the check the number of defensive moves is limited1 but this is not necessarily the case1 as can be seen for instance in problem ,no4 #b1 in which ,black has to move his ,king anyway1 there being no other black piece on the board4 ,the position of ,diagram #gf is an example of how a problem should ,,not be constructed4 ,there is a tremendous number of pieces on the board which have nothing to do with the idea of the problem4 ,the latter is one of the most primitive ideas used in problem composition and has been expressed by many composers in charming forms1 so that there was no need for the above monstrous addition to the problem literature4 ,the key move is ,q-h#g so as to pin the ,rook f#e in case ,black plays ,k-d#c and to enable the mate 7#b7 ,rxf#c4 ,however1 if ,black replies 7#a7 4441 ,p-d#c or ,bxe#a1 neither the ,queen nor the ,rook f#d are necessary1 but the mate is accomplished by some of the other white pieces which are lavishly distributed over the board4 --------------------------------------- #h ,q --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #d ,b ,p ,p ,r --------------------------------------- #c ,p ,k ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #b ,p ,b ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k ,kt ,r ,b --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gf4--,mate in ,two ,moves ,a striking contrast will be found in the following problem which is based on the same idea but in which all unnecessary material is dispensed with4 ,the key move is ,b-c#a1 in order to mate with the ,queen on b#c in case ,black takes the ,rook a#c4 ,if ,black moves the ,rook1 ,white mates by ,qxb#f1 and if the ,pawn b#f advances 7#b7 ,qxe#g is mate4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #e ,p --------------------------------------- #d ,k --------------------------------------- #c ,r ,b --------------------------------------- #b ,r --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gg4--,problem ,no4 #a4 ,mate ,in ,two ,moves4 ,in problem ,no4 #b the mating maneuver does not involve a special trick2 the idea of the composer was merely to arrive at an extraordinary mating position1 and he added considerably to the value of the problem by producing the same mating position in several variations4 ,the key move is ,b-b#c4 ,black has three moves in reply4 ,if ,k-e#d1 ,white mates by 7#b7 ,q-f#b1 ,k-d#c2 7#c7 ,q-f#c4 ,if ,k- c#f1 the mate is accomplished by 7#b7 ,b-b#d1 ,k-b#e2 7#c7 ,q-b#g2 and if ,k-d#f1 ,white answers 7#b7 ,b-c#d1 ,k-c#f2 7#c7 ,q-c#g mate4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,q --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,k --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c ,b --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a ,b --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gh4--,problem ,no4 #b4 ,mate ,in ,three ,moves4 ,a favorite trick with composers is to provide a stalemate which they relieve by obstructing the way of one of the pieces involved in the stalemate4 ,the move which is thereby allowed ,black's ,king exposes him to a discovered mate4 ,the key move of problem ,no4#c is ,p-g#h 7becomes ,knight74 ,after ,p-b#e ,black is stalemate1 but ,white relieves the stalemate by 7#b7 ,kt-e#g1 allowing ,black to take the ,knight on b#d1 and then mates by ,kt-c#f4 ,in trying to solve a problem it is a good method to examine ,black's moves first4 ,often it will be found that whatever ,black moves ,white can mate in reply so that all that is necessary is to find a first move for ,white1 which leaves the position unchanged as far as the different mating threats are concerned4 ,if ,black has one or more moves at his disposal in reply to which there is no mate1 the way is indicated in which to provide for these defenses4 --------------------------------------- #h ,b --------------------------------------- #g ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,k --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #gi4--,problem ,no4 #c4 ,mate ,in ,three ,moves4 ,in problem ,no4 #d for instance1 it is evident that ,black has to keep the two squares b#h and b#d guarded on which the ,knight a#f threatens mate4 ,of course1 ,black can take the ,bishop f#e1 relieving the mating threat but ,white can move the ,bishop to some other square in the diagonal h#c-;c#h4 ,still1 ,black would have the defense ,q-f#h4 ,this suggests as ,white's first move ,b-c#h1 interrupting the line from f#h to b#h4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,k ,kt --------------------------------------- #f ,kt ,p ,k --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,p ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,q --------------------------------------- #c ,p --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #hj4--,problem ,no4 #d4 ,mate ,in ,two ,moves ,the only square for ,black's ,queen from which to guard both b#d and b#h is then d#f2 but there the ,queen blocks a flight square of the ,king1 freeing the ,knight b#g and enabling the mate ,kt-a#e4 ,the most difficult problems1 of course1 are those in which no mate is threatened in the initial position and in which ,black can apparently foil all attempts to build a mating net4 ,an example is the following position which illustrates the so-called ,roman idea4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g ,kt ,b --------------------------------------- #f --------------------------------------- #e ,b --------------------------------------- #d ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #c ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #b ,q --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #ha4--,problem ,no4 #e4 ,mate ,in ,four ,moves4 ,black's ,king is stalemate so that any check with the ,knight would settle him4 ,however1 ,black's ,bishop guards the squares c#e and d#f from which the ,knight could threaten a mate1 and if ,white makes a waiting move with the ,queen in the second rank to force ,black's ,bishop from his defensive position1 ,black replies ,b-g#e and takes the ,pawn e#c on the following move1 relieving the stalemate4 ,the same maneuver would foil ,white's attempt to checkmate by 7#a7 ,q- e#b1 7#b7 ,b-d#c and 7#c7 ,q-c#b1 and the position really does not betray any other mating possibility4 ,the key of this exceptionally fine and difficult problem is 7#a7 ,kt-d#f1 forcing ,bxd#f4 ,the idea of this sacrifice is to change the line of defense of the black ,bishop from the diagonal h#d-;d#h to the diagonal h#b-;b#h1 so that he is compelled to defend the threat ,q-e#b1 etc41 indicated above by moving to f#d1 that is to a square on which he can be taken4 ,after 7#b7 ,q-e#b1 ,b-f#d2 7#c7 ,pxf#d the stalemate is relieved and ,black can take the ,pawn d#d4 ,but a most surprising mate is now possible1 which could not possibly have been foreseen in the original position1 namely3 7#d7 ,q-e#e4 ,problems in which no definite number of moves are stipulated for the mate are usually called ,,studies or ,,endings4 ,they are nothing but game positions in which a maneuver forces the win that is so well hidden that it would probably not be found by a player in an actual game4 ,the following two positions are examples of this class of compositions4 ,the first move is evident4 ,white must play 7#a7 ,p-c#g1 as otherwise ,black retreats with the ,rook in the d-file and occupies the c- file so that he can be sacrificed at any time for ,white's dangerous ,pawn4 --------------------------------------- #h --------------------------------------- #g --------------------------------------- #f ,k ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,r --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #hb4--,,white ,,to ,,play ,,and ,,win4 ,after 7#a7 4441 ,r-d#f ,white can neither go to b#g on account of ,r- d#g nor can he play ,k-c#f or c#e on account of ,r-d#a followed by ,r-c#a whereby ,black would draw4 ,the only way to win is3 7#b7 ,k-b#e1 ,r- d#e2 7#c7 ,k-b#d1 ,r-d#d2 7#d7 ,k-b#c1 ,r-d#c2 7#e7 ,k-c#b4 ,at last ,white has succeeded in guarding his rear1 and it seems as if ,black could not any longer prevent the ,pawn from ,queening4 ,however1 ,black plays 7#e7 4441 ,r-d#d and if ,white queens the ,pawn he gives check on ,c#d forcing ,qxc#d which would stalemate the ,king4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k --------------------------------------- #g ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,b ,b --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c --------------------------------------- #b ,kt ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #a ,k --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #hc4--,white to ,move and ,draw4 ,this is the point where the problem-trick enters the game4 ,white does not promote the ,pawn to a ,queen but to a ,rook1 avoiding the stalemate and threatening mate on a#h4 ,black's only defense is ,r- a#d and now ,white wins by 7#g7 ,k-b#c attacking the ,rook and threatening mate on c#a at the same time4 ,in the position of ,diagram #hc ,black threatens to queen either of his ,pawns4 ,white can play 7#a7 ,kt-e#c ,k-e#b2 7#b7 ,bxh#b1 but after ,kxe#c there seems to be no way of stopping the ,pawn f#b4 --------------------------------------- #h ,k ,b ,q --------------------------------------- #g ,p --------------------------------------- #f ,p ,p --------------------------------------- #e ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #d ,p ,kt --------------------------------------- #c ,k --------------------------------------- #b --------------------------------------- #a --------------------------------------- a b c d e f g h ,,diagram #hd4--,sui-,mate in ,six ,moves ,again an ingenious trick is available which leads to an unexpected finish4 ,white plays 7#c7 ,k-h#h threatening to ,queen his ,pawn and forcing ,b-d#e4 ,then he gives up his ,pawn by 7#d7 ,p-g#h 7,queen7 and after ,bxg#h he saves the game by 7#e7 ,b-g#a 66 ,if ,black takes the ,bishop promoting the ,pawn to a ,queen or a ,rook ,white is stalemate4 ,otherwise the draw is forced by either ,kxg#h or ,bxf#b4 ,it remains to explain the meaning of the so- called sui-mates4 ,a sui-mate is a problem in which ,white has to play so as to force ,black to checkmate him 7,white7 in a certain number of moves4 ,one of the most beautiful examples in the literature is the above six mover1 the solution of which runs as follows3 7#a7 ,kt-b#e1 ,pxb#e2 7#b7 ,kt-a#f1 ,pxa#f4 ,one should not think that ,white can force ,black to checkmate in four more moves2 but3 7#c7 ,k-d#d1 ,k-b#g2 7#d7 ,q-d#e1 ,k-c#h2 7#e7 ,p-b#g1 ,k-c#g2 7#f7 ,k-c#e and ,black has no other move except ,b-a#g1 checkmating ,white4 ,,part ,,ii ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,checkers ,i ,,the ,,rules ,,of ,,the ,,game ,the game of ,checkers 7,english3 ,draughts7 is played on the #cb black or white squares of the ,chess board by two opponents1 each of whom has twelve men of the same kind4 ,the object of the game is to capture all opposing men or to block them so that they cannot move4 ,the original position of board and men is shown in ,diagram #he4 ,it will be seen that the board is placed in such a way that the players have a vacant square at their lower right hand corner4 ,this corner is called the ,,double ,,corner because two men are located in its immediate neighborhood while the left hand corner1 the ,,single ,,corner1 is occupied by only one man4 ,the squares of the ,checker board are usually described by numbers as shown in ,diagram #hf4 ,this is a rather crude method when compared with the simple notation by means of a system of coordinates as used in ,chess1 but as it is universally employed in ,checker books and ,checker columns in daily papers it will be adhered to in the following explanation of the game4 ,the black men are placed on the squares #a to #ab1 the white men on the squares #ba to #cb4 ,the first move must invariably be made by the player of the black men4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o o o o --------------------------------------- o o o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #he4 ,the move of the ,checker men is a diagonal step forward1 one square at a time4 ,if a hostile man is in his way and if the square beyond the hostile man is vacant1 he must capture him by jumping over him on to the vacant square1 and he must continue capturing from the square on which he lands as long as this is possible according to the above rule4 ,captured men are removed from the board4 ,,white --------------------------------------- #cb #ca #cj #bi --------------------------------------- #bh #bg #bf #be --------------------------------------- #bd #bc #bb #ba --------------------------------------- #bj #ai #ah #ag --------------------------------------- #af #ae #ad #ac --------------------------------------- #ab #aa #aj #i --------------------------------------- #h #g #f #e --------------------------------------- #d #c #b #a --------------------------------------- ,,black ,,diagram #hf4 ,if a man reaches the opposite edge of the board he automatically becomes a ,king and must be crowned by the opponent1 who must place another man on top of him4 ,a ,king may move and capture backward as well as forward4 ,a man1 who reaches the ,king row in capturing1 cannot1 however1 continue capturing on the same move with the newly made ,king4 ,the position of ,diagram #hg may serve to illustrate the above rules4 ,white1 on the move1 plays #ad-i4 ,black must capture this man with the man on #e who jumps on to #ad4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 99 o --------------------------------------- o o 99 #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- 99 o o #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #hg4 ,white then sacrifices another man by #bc-ah forcing ,black to reply #ad-bc4 ,now ,white captures the three men on #bc1 #ae and #g with his man on #bf1 and ,black1 before making his next move1 must crown ,white's man who has just reached the ,king's row4 ,he will naturally move his man #h1 as otherwise ,white would capture him with the ,king on #c4 ,if a player overlooks the possibility of a capture his opponent has the right to remove the man who should have made the capture1 from the board4 ,this procedure is called huffing and does not constitute a play4 ,instead of huffing a player may ask the opponent to retract his move and to make the capture4 ,when neither player can force a win the game is considered a draw4 ,when one side appears to be stronger and refuses to accept a draw offered the player of the weaker side can require the win to be demonstrated within #dj moves2 otherwise the game is drawn4 ,,ii ,,elementary ,,tactics ,the first thing a ,checker player has to know is what superiority in material or position is required to ,,force a win in the ending4 ,the most elementary case is the one shown in ,diagram #hh1 in which ,white wins by playing #cb-bg4 ,with this move ,white takes the opposition or as most ,checker players call it1 ,white has the move4 ,whatever ,black replies he is forced to the edge of the board and finally he is obliged to let ,white capture his ,king4 ,supposing ,black plays 7#b7 #bf-bb1 in order to reach the double corner1 where he would be safe as he could indefinitely move from #e to #a and from #a to #e1 then ,white continues with 7#b7 4441#bg-bc1 preventing 7#c7 #bb-ah which would gain the road to the double corner4 ,after 7#c7 #bb-ag1 #bc-l#h2 ,black has to retreat to the edge by #ag-ac or #ag-ba1 and ,white1 by playing #ah-ad1 or #ah-bb pins the black ,king so that he cannot move without being captured4 ,if it had been ,black's move in the position of the diagram1 he would have gained the opposition by #bf-ca and ,white would have been compelled to retire to the double corner and to draw by #cb-bh1 #bh-cb1 etc4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- oo #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 9999 --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #hh4 ,with one ,king entrenched in the double corner it takes two ,kings to force the win4 ,in the position of ,diagram #hi for instance ,white would win as follows3 ,black ,white 7#a7 444 #ai-bd 7#b7 #cb-bh #bc-ai 7#c7 #bh-cb #bd-bh 7#d7 #cb-bg #bh-cb 7#e7 #bg-ca #ai-ae 7#f7 #ca-bf #ae-ah 7#g7 #bf-ca #ah-bb ,in the ending ,,three ,,kings ,,against ,,two ,,kings the most favorable spots for the weaker player are the two double corners2 but the three ,kings will always win when handled right4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- 9999 #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- oo #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #hi4 ,the method which has to be employed will be evident from the play in ,diagram #ij4 ,in order to win ,black must exchange one ,king2 the position is then reduced to that of ,diagram #hi4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh oo --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 9999 --------------------------------------- 9999 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 9999 oo --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ij4 ,if it were ,white's move1 ,black would easily win2 for after 7#a7 4441 #bg-cb2 7#b7 #ai-bd1 #i-e2 7#c7 #aj-f1 ,white cannot avoid the exchange4 ,for instance3 7#c7 4441 #e-a2 7#d7 #bd-ai4 ,the problem reduces itself therefore to changing the move from ,black to ,white4 ,this is accomplished by3 ,black ,white 7#a7 #ae-ah #bg-cb 7#b7 #ai-bd #i-e 7#c7 #aj-ad ,threatening #bd-bg4 ,white can only reply 7#c7 444 #cb-bh 7#d7 #bd-bg #e-a 7#e7 #ad-i1 etc41 as above4 ,if the weaker side does not control both double corners the exchange can be forced much more easily1 as an experiment will quickly show4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- oo #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 9999 oo --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 9999 --------------------------------------- 9999 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ia4 ,sometimes the stronger side has an occasion to give up two ,kings for one thereby forcing a position similar to that of ,diagram #hh4 ,diagram #ia offers an example3 ,black on the move wins in #e moves1 thus3 7#a7 #af-ai #bg-ca 7#b7 #bj-bd #cb-bg 7#c7 #bh-cb #bgx#bj 7#d7 #ai-bd #bjx#bg 7#e7 #cbx#bc and ,white is pinned4 ,with three ,kings against four a player can sometimes offer prolonged resistance4 ,but finally the stronger player will always be able to force an exchange which secures the victory4 ,in the position of ,diagram #ib for instance ,black will proceed as follows3 7#a7 #ah-ae #ai-bd ,it would not help to play #bg-bd1 as ,black would reply #ad-ag and exchange on the next move by #aj-ad4 7#b7 #aa-af limiting ,white's mobility4 7#b7 444 #bc-bf ,in answer to #bd-bj ,black would play #ae-ai4 7#c7 #af-ai #bd-bh 7#d7 #ad-ah #bf-cj 7#e7 #ai-bc #bh-cb 7#f7 #ae-ai #bg-ca #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh oo --------------------------------------- oo #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo 9999 --------------------------------------- 9999 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 9999 9999 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ib4 ,not #cj-be on account of #ah-bb4 7#g7 #aj-ad #ca-bf 7#h7 #ad-ag #bf-ca 7#i7 #ag-bb #ca-bg 7#aj7 #ai-af #bg-bd 7#aa7 #af-ai and wins4 ,if1 on the #ajth move1 ,white played #bg-ca instead of #bg-bd1 the game might proceed as follows3 7#aa7 #ah-ae #cb-bh 7#ab7 #ae-ai #bh-cb 7#ac7 #bb-bf #cax#bb 7#ad7 #bc-bg #cbx#bc 7#ae7 #aix#ag ,these possibilities of exchanging two for two should always be looked for as they often occur1 enabling a win within a few moves4 ,,iii ,,the ,,five ,,fundamental ,,positions ,while in the examples of elementary endings given in the previous chapter1 the correct method of play was comparatively easy to find1 positions with few men often occur which look very simple but which require considerable thought to be handled in the right way4 ,the knowledge of these positions1 of which there are five distinctly different types1 is essential for any one who desires to become a fair player and they are1 therefore1 thoroughly explained in the following five characteristic examples4 ,,the ,,first ,,position ,it does not make any difference in the method of play whether the ,black man is located as shown in ,diagram #ic or on #c1 #d1 #g1 #h1 #aj1 #aa #af1 #bj or #bd4 ,the essential point is that he must not be able to march to the ,king row without being intercepted by ,white4 ,the winning maneuver is this3 ,white turns the ,black ,king out of the double corner in the manner shown in the play from the position of ,diagram #hi and thereby compels the ,black man to advance1 finally forcing an exchange which secures the opposition4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 9999 --------------------------------------- oo #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 9999 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ic4--,white to ,move and ,win4 ,this maneuver1 as will be evident from a careful study of the position1 is possible only in case ,white has the move4 ,if ,black has the move the ending is a draw4 ,black ,white 7#a7 444 #bc-bg 7#b7 #bh-cb #ai-bc 7#c7 #cb-bh ,black cannot play #ab-af1 as #bg-bd would win a piece4 7#c7 444 #bg-cb 7#d7 #bh-bd ,again #ab-af is not possible on account of #cb-bg winning a piece in three moves4 7#d7 444 #bc-ah #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- oo #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- 9999 #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #id4 ,white played #cb-bh ,black would exchange by five #bd-ai and draw the game4 ,in the position of the ,diagram ,black has the choice between #bd- #bj1 #ab-af1 #bd-ai or #bd-bh1 but he loses1 no matter what move he makes as demonstrated below4 7,a7 7#e7 #bd-bj #cb-bg 7#f7 #bj-af #ah-ae 7#g7 #af-bj #ae-ah 7#h7 #ab-af #ah-ae 7,b7 7#e7 #ab-af #ah-ae ,now ,black cannot play 7#f7 #af-ai because of the exchange #cb-bg2 7#f7 #af-bj would also lose quickly through #ae-ah1 7#g7 #bd-ai1 #cb- #bh1 7#h7 #ai-af1 #ah-bc4 ,the best try is 7#f7 #bd-bh4 ,against #ae-ah ,black would now draw by 7#g7 #af-ai1 #cb-bg2 7#h7 #ai- #bc4 ,the only way to win is 7#f7 444 #ae-aa after which ,black can do no better than 7#g7 #af-ai #cb-bg 7#h7 #bh-cb #bg-ca 7#i7 #cb-bh #aa-af 7#aj7 #ai-bd #af-ai1 etc4 7,c7 7#e7 #bd-ai #cb-bh 7#f7 #ab-af #bh-cb 7#g7 #ai-bd #ah-ae and ,white continues as shown before4 7,d7 7#e7 #bd-bh #ah-ae 7#f7 #bh-bd #cb-bh 7#g7 #bd-bg #ae-ah 7#h7 #ab-af #bh-cb 7#i7 #bg-bd #ah-ae and wins as before by #ae-ah in reply to 7#aj7 #af-bj or #ae-aa in reply to #bd-bh4 ,,the ,,second ,,position 7,see ,diagram #ie7 ,white's advantage is that he can crown his two men while ,black remains with only one ,king and two men4 ,the reason why ,black cannot use his two men to advantage is that they are pinned on the side of the board while ,white's men are located in the center where they have much more mobility4 ,all the same ,white must have the move in order to win1 just as in first position4 ,black ,white 7#a7 444 #cj-bf 7#b7 #i-ad #bf-bc 7#c7 #ad-aj #bc-ah #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- oo 99 #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 99 --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 9999 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ie4--,white to ,move and ,win4 7#d7 #aj-f #ah-ad 7#e7 #f-a #ad-i 7#f7 #a-e #i-f 7#g7 #e-i #f-b 7#h7 #i-e #b-f 7#i7 #e-a #f-i 7#aj7 #a-e #i-ad 7#aa7 #e-a #ad-ah 7#ab7 #a-f #ah-ae 7#ac7 #f-i #ae-ai 7#ad7 #i-ad #bg-bc 7#ae7 #ad-aj #bc-ah 7#af7 #aj-f #ah-ad 7#ag7 #f-a #ad-i 7#ah7 #a-e #i-f 7#ai7 #e-i #f-b 7#bj7 #i-e #b-f 7#ba7 #e-a #f-i 7#bb7 #a-e #i-ad 7#bc7 #e-a #ad-ah 7#bd7 #a-f #ah-bc 7#be7 #f-aj #bc-bg 7#bf7 #aj-ad #ai-bc 7#bg7 #ad-aj #bc-ah 7#bh7 #aj-f #ah-ad 7#bi7 #f-a #ad-i 7#cj7 #a-e #bb-ag ,at last ,white has a position in which he can reduce the ending to one of the fundamental cases by exchange4 7#ca7 #e-ad #ag-aj 7#cb7 #ba-be ,it will be noticed that through the exchange ,black gained to move4 ,white regains it by a second exchange4 7#cb7 444 #aj-ae 7#cc7 #be-cj #ae-ai 7#cd7 #cj-bf #bg-cb 7#ce7 #bf-bb #ai-bd 7#cf7 #bj-bg #cb-bc and wins4 ,second position as a rule results from a ,bridge position like the following3 ,black men on #bj1 #ba1 #bc1 ,black ,king on #bf4 ,white men on #cj and #cb1 ,white ,kings on #ae and #ai4 ,black to move3 7#a7 #bf-ca #ai-bf 7#b7 #ca-bb #cb-bg and ,white wins by second position4 ,,the ,,change ,,of ,,the ,,move ,by the exchanges of men in the foregoing example the move was altered in each case4 ,however1 exchanges of pieces often occur which do ,,not change the move1 and as win or loss in a great number of endings depends upon which player has the move1 it is necessary for the beginner to obtain a clear insight into the questions involved4 ,an exchange always alters the move if the capturing piece is recaptured in turn4 ,if a different piece is recaptured1 it depends upon the relative position of the captured pieces1 whether the move has remained with the same player or gone over to his opponent4 ,for the purpose of calculating the move and its changes it is useful to imagine the ,checker board as being composed of two systems of squares--the ,black system containing the ranks starting with the squares #a1 #i1 #ag and #be1 and the ,white system containing the other four ranks4 ,if each of the two systems contains an ,,even number of men1 the player whose turn to play it is1 loses the opposition1 that is3 his opponent has the move4 ,if the number of men in each system is ,,odd1 the player whose turn to play it is1 gains the opposition1 that is1 he has the move4 ,as the calculation of the move enters only into such positions in which both players have the same number of pieces1 it is sufficient to correct the number of men in one of the systems to obtain the desired information4 ,diagram #if furnishes an example4 ,counting the men of a system1 the ,black one1 for instance1 shows their number to be odd4 ,therefore1 the player whose turn it is to play1 has the move1 which in the present instance #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 --------------------------------------- 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #if4 secures the win for ,white and a draw for ,black1 thus 7,a7 ,black to move ,black ,white 7#a7 #h-aa ,this is apparently ,black's best move2 if he plays #b-g1 ,white replies #ai-ae1 obtaining a very strong position4 7#a7 444 #ca-bf 7#b7 #b-f #bf-bb 7#c7 #f-aj #bb-ah 7#d7 #aa-af #ah-ae ,draw4 7,b7 ,white to move ,black ,white 7#a7 444 #ca-bf 7#b7 #b-f #bf-bb 7#c7 #h-aa #bd-bj 7#d7 #f-aj #bb-ai ,block4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 99 o --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ig4 ,from the above explanation it is evident that in the case of an exchange the move remains unaltered if the captured pieces were located in the same system1 and that the move changes if the captured pieces belonged to different systems4 ,exceptions to the rule sometimes occur due to a piece having no mobility1 as for instance in the position of ,diagram #ig where ,black1 on the move1 loses because his man on #bh is blocked4 ,,the ,,third ,,position #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo 9999 --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab oo 9999 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ih4--,white to ,move and ,win4 ,white being a man ahead appears to have an easy win2 but owing to the difficulty of getting the man crowned he has a hard task before him4 ,if the ,kings on #aa and #ab were removed ,white would not be able to win at all1 as the ,black ,king would go back and forth between #ai and #bc4 ,it is1 therefore1 clear that in forcing a win from the position of the diagram the ,king on #ab must cooperate4 ,another point to be borne in mind is that the following position would be a draw with ,white to move4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o oo oo --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 9999 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d 9999 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ii4 ,white is unable to make any headway because he cannot threaten an exchange4 ,the method in which ,white threatens the exchange of the ,king on #ai in the example of third position given in ,diagram #ih is the following3 ,black ,white 7#a7 444 #bj-bd 7#b7 #aa-ae #bd-bg #ab-h would be of no use as #ai-bc would force #h-ab again4 7#c7 #ae-aa ,if #ae-ah ,white wins by #bg-ca 7#c7 444 #bg-cb #bg-ca would admit of a draw by 7#d7 #ai-bc1 #bh-bd2 7#e7 #bc-bg1 #bd- #bj2 7#f7 #bg-bc1 #ab-af2 7#g7 #aa-ae1 etc4 7#d7 #aa-ae #ab-h 7#e7 #ae-ah #cb-bg 7#f7 #ah-ae #bg-ca 7#g7 #ae-ah #h-aa 7#h7 #ah-bc #aa-g 7#i7 #ai-ae ,this is better than allowing the ,kings to get together4 7#i7 444 #bh-bd 7#aj7 #bc-bg #bd-bj 7#aa7 #bg-bc #g-b 7#ab7 #ae-aa #b-f 7#ac7 #bc-ai #f-aj ,if he moved the other ,king1 ,black would draw by #ai-af4 7#ad7 #ai-bc #aj-ad 7#ae7 #bc-ai ,black would lose easily if he allowed the man to advance 7#ae7 444 #ad-ah ,threatening to exchange 7#af7 #ai-bd ,the only move to avoid the exchange4 7#af7 444 #ah-bc 7#ag7 #bd-bh #bc-ai 7#ah7 #bh-cb #ca-bf 7#ai7 #cb-bh #bf-bc 7#bj7 #bh-cb #bc-ah 7#ba7 #cb-bh #ai-ae 7#bb7 #aa-h #bj-af and ,white cannot be prevented from getting another ,king4 ,an earlier setting of third position is shown in ,diagram #ajj4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajj4 ,white wins by 7#a7 444 #ai-bd 7#b7 #bg-ca #cb-bh 7#c7 #bc-bg #cj-bc 7#d7 #bg-cb #bc-ah 7#e7 #cb-bg #bd-bj 7#f7 #bg-bc #ai-ae1 etc4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,position ,although ,white is a piece ahead he has great difficulties in winning on account of the weak position of the man on #ab4 ,black's man on #c holds #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- oo #ac --------------------------------------- #ab o oo oo --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 9999 9999 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aja4--,white to ,move and ,win4 him in check without being impaired in his effectiveness towards the center of the board4 ,if ,black had the move1 ,white could not win at all1 as he would be unable to dislodge ,black's ,kings4 ,as it is1 he wins by means of a sacrifice which often occurs in endings with #d ,kings against #c4 ,black ,white 7#a7 444 #ad-i 7#b7 #a-e #i-ac 7#c7 #e-a #aa-ae 7#d7 #b-f #aj-ad 7#e7 #a-e #ae-ah 7#f7 #e-a #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- #ba --------------------------------------- #bj oo --------------------------------------- oo oo #ac --------------------------------------- #ab o --------------------------------------- 9999 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 9999 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajb4 ,it would not help ,black to play #f-b on account of #ac-i2 7#g7 #e-a1 #i-e2 7#h7 #b-f1 #ad-ag2 7#i7 #f-b1 #ag-ac2 7#aj7 #b-f1 #ah-ae2 7#aa7 #f-b1 #ae-aj1 etc4 7#f7 444 #ad-i 7#g7 #f-b #i-e 7#h7 #b-f #ah-ae 7#i7 #f-b #ae-aj ,this is the important move1 which forces the win4 7#aj7 #b-f ,if #b-g1 ,white exchanges by #ac-i 7#aj7 444 #aj-g ,only with this pretty sacrifice can ,white win the game4 ,after 7#aa7 #c-aj ,white plays #e-i and should ,black answer 7#ab7 #f-b1 ,white would get two for one by #i-f4 ,therefore1 ,black can do no better than play 7#ab7 #aj-ae1 #i-b2 7#ac7 #ae-ai1 etc41 and get a ,king in each double corner4 ,white then wins as explained in the chapter on elementary endings4 ,fourth position results in a draw only when the man is held on #ab or #ba1 according to whether the weaker side is ,black or ,white4 ,in third position it is useless to hold the man on the above squares1 but sometimes a draw is obtained by holding him on #bj or #ac4 ,in defending a game with two ,kings against two ,kings and a man1 the weaker side must have the move in the system in which the man is pinned4 ,the following position for instance is drawn with ,white on the move4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh oo --------------------------------------- oo #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- 9999 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d 9999 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajc4 ,black1 on the move1 would win by 7#a7 #ac-ag1 #bb-ac2 7#b7 #ad-i4 ,in ,diagram #ajd the drawing move is #bg-ca4 ,the game ought to run like this3 7#b7 #bj-bd #bc-bg 7#c7 #bd-bh #bg-cb 7#d7 #cj-bf #ca-bg 7#e7 #bb-ah #bg-bd #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- 9999 #bi --------------------------------------- #bh oo --------------------------------------- oo 9999 #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 99 --------------------------------------- #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajd4--,,white ,,to ,,move4 7#f7 #bf-bc #bd-bj and ,white moves back and forth between #bd and #bj4 ,in the position of ,diagram #aje ,white draws by3 7#a7 444 #bc-ai 7#b7 #bh-cb #ai-bd 7#c7 #g-b #bd-ai 7#d7 #b-f #ai-bd 7#e7 #f-i #bd-ai 7#f7 #i-ad #ai-bd 7#g7 #ad-ag #ae-ai #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh 9999 --------------------------------------- oo #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- oo #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 --------------------------------------- 9999 #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aje4--,,white ,,to ,,move4 ,changing the guard 7#h7 #ag-bb #ai-bc and ,black can make no progress4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,position ,white is on the move1 and it is evident that he loses if he moves the man on #bg permitting black to reply #aa-ae4 ,the only way to save the game is to sacrifice the man on #bj by #bj-af4 ,the following play would ensue4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o o --------------------------------------- 99 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajf4 7#b7 #aa-b,o #bg-bc 7#c7 #bj-bd #bb-ah 7#d7 #bd-bg #ah-i 7#e7 #aj-ad ,preventing #bc-ah 7#e7 444 #i-f 7#f7 #bg-ca #f-b,k 7#g7 #ca-bg #b-f ,white cannot save the piece and so he runs his opponent4 7#h7 #bg-ah #f-i 7#i7 #ac-ag #ai-ae 7#aj7 #ah-aa #i-ah 7#aa7 #ag-bb #ah-be 7#ab7 #aa-ae #be-bb ,drawn4 ,white would lose by #ba-ag1 as after 7#ac7 #ae-ah1 #ag-ac2 7#ad7 #ah-ad1 #be-bb2 7#ae7 #ab-af he cannot gain the double corner4 ,the following has been suggested as a suitable problem to be called ,,sixth ,,position4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- oo #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- o 9999 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab o --------------------------------------- 9999 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajg4--;,,black ,,to ,,move ,,and ,,white ,,to ,,draw4 ,black plays 7#a7 #g-b threatening 7#b7 #c-g and 7#c7 #ae-aa4 ,white can prevent this only by 7#a7 444 #bd-bj ,now #c-g would only draw on account of #af-aa4 7#b7 #b-f #bj-bd 7#c7 #f-aj #bd-bj ,again #c-g had to be prevented4 7#d7 #aj-ad #bj-bd 7#e7 #ad-ag #bd-bg ,this time #bd-bj would have lost1 as ,black would have replied 7#f7 #ag-ac1 #bj-bd2 7#g7 #c-g1 #ab-h2 7#h7 #ae-aa4 7#f7 #ag-ac #bg-cb ,avoiding #bg-bd which would lose by 7#g7 #c-g 7#g7 #ac-i #cb-bg 7#h7 #i-ad #bg-bd 7#i7 #ad-ah #bd-bg ,drawn4 ,white has to watch #c-g and to take care to play #bd-bj at the right time so as to exchange #af-aa if #c-g is played4 ,at the same time he must beware of playing #bd-bj when the ,black ,kings are on squares #ae and #e or #ae and #ac1 as otherwise ,black would reply #e-i1 #bj-bd2 #c-g1 #ab-h2 #ae-aa4 ,,iv ,,general ,,principles ,,and ,,illustrative ,,games ,it is possible to apply general strategic principles to the game of ,checkers1 just as well as the game of ,chess1 even though there is not the scope in ,checkers for strategic maneuvers on the grand scale on which they can be carried out in ,chess4 ,again it is naturally the principle of greatest mobility which should govern the plan of mobilization in any opening1 and it is consequently more desirable to have the men work in the center of the board1 than on the edge1 where part of their range is cut off4 ,the advantage of center squares over side squares is not so marked in ,checkers as it is in ,chess4 ,there is no doubt that a piece has more mobility in the center1 where there are two or four moves to choose from1 than on the side where only one or two moves are possible2 but a man on the side has an advantage in so far as he is backed up by the edge of the board so that he is safe from being captured until he moves4 ,however1 a player who keeps his men in massed formation in the center will in almost all cases be able to make them protect each other and to win the upper hand against an opponent whose army is divided into two parts1 one on the left and the other on the right side of the board4 ,when playing with the white men1 it is advisable to occupy such squares as #ad1 #ah1 #ai1 #cj1 #ca and #cb1 and it is not advisable to occupy #e and #ab whenever the opponent has a man on #a or #c respectively1 as in that case the men have a tendency to act as supports for the enemy instead of helping their own side4 ,in the position3 ,black #a1 #g and #i2 ,white #e1 #ad1 #ah and #bb2 for instance1 ,white's man on #e supports ,black's man on #i and ,white1 on the move1 has to surrender a piece by #bb-ag1 to which ,black replies #i-ac4 ,it is naturally a good thing not to touch the men of the back row mentioned above1 as they will prevent the opponent from getting ,kings4 ,white's man #bi and ,black's man #d1 however1 are better off in the middle of the board1 as the squares #be and #h are adequately guarded by #cj and #c respectively4 ,moreover1 there is danger of the first position arising from openings in which a player keeps his man in the single corner4 ,a formation which very often occurs in the middle game is the so- called elbow4 ,it consists of three men arranged like the white pieces in ,diagram #ajh4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 99 o --------------------------------------- 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #ajh4 ,when adequately supported an elbow forms a solid position which cannot easily be attacked4 ,an example of a strong elbow will be found in the following game3 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o o --------------------------------------- 99 o #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aji4 ,black ,white 7#a7 #aj-ae #bc-ai 7#b7 #f-aj #bb-ag 7#c7 #a-f #be-bb 7#d7 #aa-af #ag-ac 7#e7 #af-bc #bf-ai 7#f7 #g-aa #bi-be 7#g7 #aa-af #bb-ag 7#h7 #af-bc #bg-aa 7#i7 #h-ae #bd-ai 7#aj7 #ae-bd #bh-ai 7#aa7 #d-h #be-bb 7#ab7 #h-aa #ca-bf 7#ac7 #c-g #bb-ah 7#ad7 #i-ad #ah-i 7#ae7 #e-ad ,the men on #f1 #aj1 #ac1 #ad1 #ag and #ba form the elbow1 the strength of which becomes apparent on the #aith move4 7#ae7 444 #bf-bc 7#af7 #aa-ae #cb-bh 7#ag7 #ae-bd #bh-ai 7#ah7 #g-aa #cj-bf 7#ai7 #b-g #ai-af 7#bj7 #ab-ai #bc-af 7#ba7 #aa-bj #bf-bc 7#bb7 #g-aa and wins4 ,the danger involved in an elbow1 which is not sufficiently backed up1 is shown in the following game4 ,black ,white 7#a7 #aj-ae #bc-ai 7#b7 #g-aj #bb-ag 7#c7 #c-g #be-bb 7#d7 #i-ad #bi-be 7#e7 #e-i #ag-ac 7#f7 #a-e #bb-ag 7#g7 #aa-af #bf-bb 7#h7 #af-bc #bg-aa 7#i7 #g-l#f #ca-bf 7#aj7 #h-aa #bd-ai 7#aa7 #af-bc #bf-ai 7#ab7 #aa-ae #cj-bf and ,white wins through the threat to get two for one by #ai-ae after the exchange4 ,black cannot help the loss of a man4 ,the reader1 who has thoroughly acquainted himself with the fundamental endings1 will have no difficulty in playing a good game of checkers1 if he follows at every move the general principles discussed in this chapter4 ,when playing over the countless variations1 which are offered in the majority of checker books1 he would find that they are merely illustrations of the application of those principles to the various openings4 ,following are two examples from master play1 the careful study of which will do more good to the student than the perusal of a great number of games that lack adequate annotation4 ,black ,white 7#a7 #i-ad ,the best opening move is probably #aa-ae1 as this enables a speedy development of the man on #d1 who1 as previously explained1 should not be kept in the back row4 ,the variations resulting from #aa-ae have been so thoroughly analyzed that it is practically impossible to defeat a player who chooses this opening and knows the possible variations by heart4 ,it has1 therefore1 been found necessary to restrict the players in matches and tournaments by balloting the first move of ,black and ,white1 in order to avoid too many draws4 ,this is a serious drawback1 as it curtails the freedom of decision1 to which a player should be entitled in any game4 7#a7 444 #bb-ag 7#b7 #aa-ae ,it is hard to tell whether this move of #aa-af or #e-i is the best4 #f-i and #aj-ae are considered weak4 7#b7 444 #be-bb ,more aggressive than #bc-ai1 which can safely be played4 7#c7 #ae-ai #h-aa or #ag-ac or #bc-ai are also good moves4 ,black ,white 7#c7 444 #bd-ae 7#d7 #aj-ai #bc-af 7#e7 #ab-ai #ag-a,o 7#f7 #f-ae #ba-ag 7#g7 #e-i #bi-be 7#h7 #h-ab #be-ba 7#i7 #g-aj #ag-ac 7#aj7 #a-f #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o o o --------------------------------------- o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 99 --------------------------------------- 99 o #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aaj4 ,at first sight1 it might seem unwise to break up the ,king row1 when #i-ad could be played2 but the advantage of holding the man on #ac1 instead of allowing him to complicate matters by #ac-i1 more than counterbalances the disadvantage of moving a back man4 ,black could also play 7#aj7 #b-f1 but this admits of the following strong attack3 7#aj7 #b-f1 #bg-bc2 7#aa7 #d-h1 #bc-af2 7#ab7 #ab-ai1 #cb- #bg2 7#ac7 #i-ad1 #bg-bd2 7#ad7 #c-g 7#h-ab would lose71 #bb-ag2 7#ae7 #ad- #ah 7again #h-ab would lose71 #ag-ad2 7#af7 #aj-ag1 #ba-ad2 7#ag7 #a-e1 #ca-bg2 7#ah7 #f-aj1 #bd-bj2 7#ai7 #aj-ag1 #bf-bb2 7#bj7 #ah-be1 #cj-ad2 7#ba7 #g-aa 7,probably the only move to draw--#h-ab would lose on account of #bj-af74 ,black ,white 7#aj7 444 #bg-bd 7#aa7 #d-h #cb-bg #bb-ah could also be played4 7#ab7 #i-ad #bg-bc or #bb-ag or #bd-bj4 7#ac7 #c-g #bc-af 7#ad7 #ab-ai #bb-ag 7#ae7 #g-aa #bf-bc #ca-bg would lose through 7#af7 #h-ab1 #bf-bb2 7#ag7 #aa-af1 #bd-bj2 7#ah7 #ai-bd1 #bj-aa2 7#ai7 #bd-ca1 #aa-h2 7#bj7 #ad-ah4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- o o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 99 o --------------------------------------- 99 99 o #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aaa4 7#af7 #ai-bf #cj-bc 7#ag7 #h-ab #bd-bj 7#ah7 #ae-ah #bc-ai #bj-af cannot be played on account of 7#ai7 #bj-bg1 #af-g2 7#bj7 #b-aa1 #ca-bd2 7#ba7 #ab-af4 7#ai7 #aa-ae #bj-af ,white can1 of course1 draw here by #ca-bf2 but #bj-af also draws in spite of ,black's seemingly invincible elbow4 ,black ,white 7#bj7 #ae-bd #bh-ai 7#ba7 #b-g #ca-bf 7#bb7 #ah-bc ,if #ah-bb1 ,white draws by #ai-ae2 7#bc7 #ab-ai1 #ac-i4 7#bb7 444 #bf-bb #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- 99 o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o o --------------------------------------- o 99 o #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aab4 ,playing for a brilliant finish4 ,he could also draw by #af-aa2 7#bc7 #g-af1 #bf-bb2 7#bd7 #ad-ah1 #bb-ae2 7#be7 #bc-bf1 #ag-ad4 ,black ,white 7#bc7 #bc-bg #af-aa 7#bd7 #g-bc #bb-ah ,drawing1 although two men down4 ,the following game illustrates first position3 ,black ,white 7#a7 #aa-ae #bb-ah ,this move is not considered as strong as #bc-ai4 7#b7 #ae-bb #be-ah 7#c7 #h-aa #ab-af can also be played4 7#c7 444 #bi-be 7#d7 #d-h #be-bb #bd-bj is another good move4 7#e7 #ab-af ,if #aj-ae1 ,white obtains a strong game by #bc-ai4 7#e7 444 #bd-bj ,considered best4 #bd-ai or #bb-ag are also playable4 7#f7 #h-ab ,he could lay a trap by 7#f7 #aj-ae4 ,if ,white replies #bg-bd or #bh- #bd1 ,black wins by 7#g7 #ae-ai4 #bd-ae2 7#h7 #af-ai1 #bc-af2 7#i7 #i-ad4 ,black ,white 7#f7 444 #bg-bd 7#g7 #aj-ad #bd-ai #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o o --------------------------------------- o o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o o o --------------------------------------- 99 99 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aac4 ,in answer to #ca-bg1 ,black would win by 7#h7 #g-aj1 #bd-ai2 7#i7 #i-ac1 #ah-i2 7#aj7 #e-ad1 #bh-bd2 7#aa7 #ac-ag1 #bb-ac2 7#ab7 #c-g or 7#aj7 4441 #bg-bd2 7#aa7 #a-e1 #bb-ah2 7#ab7 #c-g4 7#h7 #g-aj #bh-bd #cb-bg or #ai-ae are considered stronger4 7#i7 #c-g #cb-bh ,this loses4 ,the only drawing move is #cj-be4 ,black ,white 7#aj7 #i-ac #ah-i 7#aa7 #e-ad #bb-ah #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- o o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o o 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aad4 ,four variations are possible here4 ,if #ca-bg or #cj-be1 ,black wins by 7#ab7 #ac-ag1 #bb-ac2 7#ac7 #ad-ah1 etc4 7#aa7 4441 #bb-ag loses on account of 7#ab7 #ac-bb1 #bf-ag2 7#ac7 #ad-ah4 ,the sacrifice 7#aa7 4441 #ba-ag2 7#ab7 #ad-ba1 #bb-ah is met by 7#ac7 #aj-ad1 #ah-i2 7#ad7 #a-e1 #bf-bb2 7#ae7 #e-ad1 #ca-bf2 7#af7 #ac-ag4 ,black ,white 7#ab7 #ac-ag #ah-i 7#ac7 #f-ac #ba-ad 7#ad7 #aj-ag #bf-bb ,in answer to #cj-be ,black wins by 7#ae7 #g-aj1 #be-bb2 7#af7 #b-f2 but with #ca-bg ,white can offer prolonged resistance1 thus3 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o o --------------------------------------- o o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o o o --------------------------------------- 99 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aae4 7#ad7 4441 #ca-bg2 7#ae7 #ag-bb1 #bf-ag2 7#af7 #ac-bb1 #ai-ae2 7#ag7 #aa- #ah1 #bc-ad2 7#ah7 #a-f1 #bj-aa2 7#ai7 #g-af1 #bg-bc2 7#bj7 #af-ai1 #bc-af2 7#ba7 #ab-ai1 #bd-ae2 7#bb7 #f-aj1 #ae-f2 7#bc7 #b-ah1 #bh-bd2 7#bd7 #ah-bc1 #bd-ai2 7#be7 #bc-bg1 #ai-ae2 7#bf7 #bg-cb4 #ae-aj2 7#bg7 #cb-bg1 #aj-f2 7#bh7 #bg-bc1 #f-a2 7#bi7 #bb-bf1 #a-f2 7#cj7 #bf-ca1 #f-i2 7#ca7 #cj-bf1 #i- #ac2 7#cb7 #bf-bb1 #ac-i2 7#cc7 #bc-ah4 ,black has now received first position and wins4 ,black ,white 7#ae7 #ag-bf #ca-bb 7#af7 #g-aj #cj-be 7#ag7 #b-f #be-ba 7#ah7 #f-i #bb-ah 7#ai7 #a-e #ah-ae ,white must give up a piece to get through1 and ,black can then exchange at his leisure and win without difficulty4 7#bj7 #aa-bg1 etc4 ,v ,,problems ,checker problems1 unlike the ,chess problems1 are intimately related to the game itself and do not enable combinations different in kind from those which occur in the actual fight over the board4 ,,problem ,no4 #a4 ,,white ,,to ,,move ,,and ,,draw4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o --------------------------------------- o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj --------------------------------------- 99 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab --------------------------------------- #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aaf4 ,they usually represent an end game and are distinguished from ordinary endings only by an unexpected initial move1 mostly embodying a sacrifice of several men4 ,diagrams #aaf1 #aag and #aah furnish some examples3 ,,problem ,no4 #b4 ,,white ,,to ,,move ,,and ,,win4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- 9999 #bi --------------------------------------- #bh --------------------------------------- oo o o #ba --------------------------------------- #bj o --------------------------------------- 99 #ac --------------------------------------- #ab 99 --------------------------------------- 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aag4 ,if1 in ,diagram #aaf1 ,white tried to reach the ,king row with his man #bg1 ,black would win by first position thus3 7#a7 4 4 41 #bg-bc1 7#b7 #af-bj1 #bd-ai2 7#c7 #bj-bd1 #ai-ae2 7#d7 #bd-bg1 #bc-ai2 7#e7 #bg-bd1 #ai-af2 7#f7 #bd-ai1 etc4 ,the only way to draw is to sacrifice first the man on #ba by #ba-ag2 and then to continue as above4 ,this enables ,white to play #bc-ah1 instead of #ai-ae1 exchanging the ,king for a man4 ,the first move in ,diagram #aag is #bd-bh1 to which ,black must reply 7#b7 #bi-be4 ,white then sacrifices his three men by #ag-ad and after 7#c7 #be-bg 7or #i-bg7 plays #bh-cb4 ,black must take the third man1 and ,white recaptures two men by #cb-ad1 pinning both of the remaining black men4 ,,problem ,no4 #c4 ,,black ,,to ,,play ,,and ,,win4 #cb #ca #cj --------------------------------------- o o o #bi --------------------------------------- #bh o o o --------------------------------------- o o 99 #ba --------------------------------------- #bj 99 o 99 --------------------------------------- 99 o o #ac --------------------------------------- #ab o 99 99 --------------------------------------- 99 99 99 #e --------------------------------------- #d 99 99 99 --------------------------------------- #c #b #a ,,diagram #aah4 ,this is the longest stroke known to have occurred in actual play4 ,the game from which the above position arose went as follows3 ,black ,white 7#a7 #ab-af #ba-ag 7#b7 #af-bj #ag-ac 7#c7 #aj-ad #bc-ai 7#d7 #ad-ag #ai-af 7#e7 #ag-ba #af-ab 7#f7 #aa-af #bb-ah 7#g7 #h-aa #be-bb 7#h7 #g-aj #bf-bc 7#i7 #aj-ad #bd-ai 7#aj7 #ad-ag #ca-bf 7#aa7 #d-h #ai-ae ,now the position of the diagram is reached1 in which ,black wins by 7#ab7 #ba-be #cj-ad 7#ac7 #af-ai #bc-g 7#ad7 #c-ai #ab-c 7#ae7 #ai-bd #bh-ai 7#af7 #b-g #c-aj 7#ag7 #f-ca #ac-f 7#ah7 #a-ag #bb-ac 7#ai7 #ca-ae ,completing a stroke1 which removes #ah pieces from the board4 7#ai7 444 #cb-bg 7#bj7 #ae-aj #bi-be 7#ba7 #e-i ,to get the move 7#ba7 444 #ac-f 7#bb7 #aj-a #be-bb 7#bc7 #a-f #bb-ah 7#bd7 #f-aj #bg-bc 7#be7 #bj-bd #bc-ai 7#bf7 #bd-bg #ah-ae 7#bg7 #aj-g #ai-af 7#bh7 #bg-ca #ae-aa 7#bi7 #g-c #af-b 7#cj7 #ca-bg #aa-h 7#ca7 #bg-bd #h-d 7#cb7 #bd-ai #d-h 7#cc7 #ai-ae #h-d 7#cd7 #ae-aa and wins4