Which Recapture?

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Here’s an interesting position. White has just played 21.Rxd8

Take a minute and ask yourself which way you would recapture as Black. 21…Rxd8, or 21…Kxd8 and why.

To me, the instant answer was 21…Rxd8. I didn’t even give it any thought.  Somewhere in the back of my mind some trope about taking the open d file was probably rumbling around.

Yet in the game, Mitrabha recaptured with the King, playing 21…Kxd8. After a moment’s thought I realized that this makes perfect sense since White has a queenside pawn majority and so Black would want his king on that side of the board.

Out of curiosity I checked with the engine. 21…Kxd8 is equal. 21…Rxd8 is +1.2 for White.

There should be no “automatic” recaptures without thinking.

Here is the entire game:

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Excellent Conversion at the U18 World Youth

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I’ve been trying to do a better job of following more live events and recent games. I’ve not always done a great job with the total immersion concept, but I’m making a push to be better at it now. I need to see more games in a setting that forces me to draw my own conclusions about them rather than just read someone’s publish analysis.

One thing I’ve started to do is to play through every game in TWIC between two players of at least 2400 strength in the Caro-Kann and the Slav since those are openings that I play.

Another thing that I’ve been doing is following more live events. So a bit ago I opened up Follow Chess and I clicked on the U18 Open section of the World Youth and I saw this position.

Many times we are taught that opposite-colored bishops are usually a draw. Yet immediately this struck me as a position where White could easily convert. White did so, putting on a nice demonstration of technique. Yes, there was nothing overly difficult about this, yet it still serves as a nice example of a technical conversion.

Here is the game:

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Targets: Taimanov – Bronstein 1953

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In reading Enqvist’s book 300 Most Important Chess Positions I came across this one from Zurich 53.

I want you to stop for a moment and take a look at the position. It’s Black to move, and you are Black, so what would you play?

If you are like me, you are tempted by 18…Rxa2, which wins back your pawn. Ah…the security-blanket-feeling of material equality! If you are like Bronstein, you realize that after 19.Rxa2 Rxa2 20.e5 Black will have no targets on the queenside, while White’s attacking chances in the center are very real.

On the other hand, if you are like Bronstein, you realize that after 18…Bxc3 19.bxc3 you have some tasty targets with the a and c pawns.

Here is the game. Go find your inner Bronstein!

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Nice Puzzle From Sherlock’s Method

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Here’s a nice puzzle from Sherlock’s Method by GM Elshan Moradiabadi and WGM Sabina Foiser.

To see the solution, contained within the game, click here. The position is after Black’s 26th move.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

 

Positional Pawn Sac: Smyslov-Euwe Zurich 53

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Here is a game that I was looking at this morning in 300 Most Important Chess Positions which is one of my four books for 2022.

In this position Black has just played 6…h6, which allows White to open the game immediately with a pawn sac with 7.e4 which gains the initiative.

My pgn editor isn’t working currently, so here is a link to the game.

Vasily Smyslov vs Max Euwe (1953) (chessgames.com)

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

How Active Reading is Making a Difference

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Earlier I sent out this tweet:

As soon as I went downstairs to the laboratory and picked up the book I found a great example of what I was talking about.

Take this position from the game Atalik – Hickl 2003

Here White has just played 23.a5, which sacs a pawn. This move is given in the opening section to the game in which the first 28 moves are given without comment in order to get to the position the author finds relevant to the topic being covered (knights on blockading squares). So I make the move. Then I ask “Why would he play that? What’s the point?”

I don’t see the answer right away, so old habit kicks in and I immediately just start making the next few moves to get to the point of the book. Then I stop. I think.  I realize that this is exactly the bad habit I am working to overcome.

So I go back to the position above, and I really ask myself why would White make that move? After all, Suat was rated 2599 at the time of this game, so there is clearly a very clear reason for this move.

I spent a few minutes really thinking about this position. The obvious idea has to be that White can take control of the b file, but how? After all, after 23…cxb4 24.Rxb4 bxa5 White can’t just double rooks as his rook is under attack.

After White moves the rook to safety, Black just moves one of his rooks to the b file, and White has nothing. The it hit me. White can leave the rook en prise and play 25.Qb6, counterattacking the Black queen, giving him time to double on the file!

I rushed over to the computer to pull up the game and check with an engine, but to my delight I found that Suat has an annotated version of this game in the database! Enjoy!

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Alekhine in San Remo 1930 – Round Seven

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In round seven Alekhine faces Hans Kmoch. While he later became famous as the author of Pawn Power in Chess, at this time Kmoch was a fierce competitor over the board.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Alekhine in San Remo 1930 – Round Six

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As we learned from George Harrison, all things must pass.

For Alekhine at San Remo, round six saw the end of his winning streak to start the event, though with the draw his undefeated streak remained intact.

Coming out of an Exchange French, the players quickly trade down most of their pieces in just a few moves, showing that neither feels like overly pressing.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Alekhine in San Remo 1930 – Round Five

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Once again, in round five we are treated to a display of Alekhine’s will to win as he gets off to a 5-0 start in the event.

After emerging from the opening in an equal position, the world champion maneuvers back and forth, increasing his advantages in the tiniest ways per the teachings of Steinitz, until eventually he is able to convert his advantage.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Alekhine in San Remo 1930 – Round Four

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Today we look at the round four game in San Remo between Vidmar and Alekhine. After winning this game, the world champion was off to a 4-0 start.

This is a game that should be required learning material for an serious student who is just starting out.

Alekhine has a nice middlegame position, which he exchanges for an endgame with an outside passed pawn, eventually trading that down into a rook and two vs knight and three ending with all the pawns on the same side of the board.

From here the good doctors technique is quite educational.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott