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Collins
need to know?

Tony Gillam

Collins
First published in 2006 by Collins
an imprint of
HarperCollins Publishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London w6 8jB

[Link]

© HarperCollins Publishers, 2006

All rights reserved. No partofthis publication

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior written permission
of the publishers.

A catalogue record for this book is available from

the British Library

Created by: man publishing

Editor: Nina Sharman
Designer: Martin Hendry
Series design: Mark Thomson
Front cover photograph: © Getty Images
Back cover photographs: © Corbis
Photograph on pageg by permission of the British
Library

ISBN-10: 0-00-720595-3
ISBN-13; 978-0-00-720595-0

Colour reproduction by Colourscan, Singapore

Printed and bound by Printing Express Ltd, Hong Kong
 Contents

Getting started 6
N Next moves 66
Winning pieces 82
Some simple games 108
Ways to avoid losses 126
More ideas 138

VN
W
&
OW Leading players 158

Glossary 182
Need to know more? 187
Index 190
Acknowledgements 191

SB
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1 Getting started

Chess is one of the most widely played games

on earth. It is also one of the oldest and is still
going strong, having kept people fascinated
over thousands of years. This is your chance to
find out just what it is about chess that has
captivated so many but be warned, once this
game has you in its grip, it will never let you
go. In this chapter you will learn about the
fundamental aspects of the game - the chess
board, the pieces and the moves.
The birth of chess
The first written evidence ofa game resembling chess appears in
about aD 600 in Indian writings, but some historians believe that
chess goes back several thousand years before that date.

Origins of the game

Chess almost certainly began in what is today India
and developed from a game that was a battle
‘between two armies, both led by their king. The
moves and names of the chess pieces have changed
over the centuries but there is enough information
ww :
NK available to make it possible to follow the game’s
SSLTSTESIEES SSSSS SSS SSS NS

development over the last 1,400 years.

asove: An illustration from The Chess was keenly played in the Arab World
Game and Playe of the Chesse.
towards the endof the first millennium. The earliest
The board has the correct number
of squares but it is the wrong way manuscripts on chess that we have date from that
round (see page 13). Notice too time and we even know the names of some of their
that the king is allowed to sit
when playing but his opponent best players.
is not. The first chess book to appear in the English
language was The Game and Playe of the Chesse
(probably in 1476), which was reprinted in 1480 and
a number of times since then up until the 1970s.
This was one ofthe first books to be printed in the
English language.
The coming of chess books was an important
development in the game as, not only did books

opposite: A miniature painting,

spread knowledge, but they also helped to fix the
dated 1437, from a manuscript of rules by eliminating local methods of play.
an epic poem, entitled Shahnama.
‘About 1500’ is the date generally given for the
The illustration depicts the Kayd
of Hind in India presenting beginning of modern chess; however, there wasn’t
Anushirvan with a chess set. final agreement on the rules until c.1880.

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1 Getting started

Buying a chess set and board

There is a huge range of sets and boards on the market, which
come in many sizes and styles, so a word of advice on what to
buy and where to buy,it may be helpful.

Choosing and using

If you are intending to play with the set, as opposed
to looking at it or displaying it, then you should avoid
the various ornate ones that are for sale in gift
shops. Some decorative pieces tend to break easily
and are not suitable for regular use.
Chess sets are made in a variety of materials,
BELow: An attractive, traditional most commonly in wood or plastic, and are
chess set and board ready for
the start of a game. Wooden sold according to the height of the king. Most
sets like this were used for competitive chess is played with kings that measure
hundreds of years but most
competitive games are now 75-90mm (3-3%in) high. Plastic sets are less
played with plastic pieces. expensive, more durable and easier to clean. It is

10 | Need to know? Chess

 LEFT: Wooden boards are usually
brown and cream. These colours
are softer on the eye than black
and white but they also need
brown and cream chess pieces to
look right.

best to avoid coloured sets where it isn’t clear which

side is black and which is white.
It is also possible to buy sets that are ‘felted’ and
‘weighted’. Both of these extras add to the price a
little but you may consider it to be worth it. A ‘felted’
set has felt on the bottom of the pieces to make
moving them quieter (this is more important if you
are using a wooden board than a plastic one).
‘Weighting’ is the name given when lead is inserted
into the bottom of the pieces in order to make them
heavier and so harder to knock over.
Wooden boards are expensive. They can cost
more than the set! Competitive chess is often played
with a plastic board that can be rolled up for carrying
about and wiped clean. There are also better quality
plastic boards that are more rigid. ABOVE: These two wooden
pieces are ‘weighted’ with lead
Pieces with 75mm (3in) kings require a board
that would have been inserted
with 45mm (1%in) squares; sets with 95mm (3%in) into the bases prior to them
being covered over by felt.
kings should have a board with somm (2in) squares.
ng set and board | 11
achess
Buyi
ABOVE: This computerised chess It’s a good idea to start with something that is
set is useful if you wish to practice
not too costly; if you enjoy the game and intend to
your skills and you have no
opponent. However, today many keep playing, you can consider something more
people have access to a computer,
expensive at a later date. When buying a set, check
which offers a similar opportunity.
to see if it comes in a bag or a box. If not, it is worth
buying a plastic box with alid that snaps shut, rather
like a food container.
For a wide selection of boards and sets, at the
most competitive prices, buy from a specialist chess
dealer - take a look on the internet. Unless you
intend to play competitive chess, it is not necessary
to buy a chess clock (this is used to time the moves
of both you and your opponent). They are expensive
and you simply do not need one.

12 |. Need to know? Chess

Getting to know the board
A chess board is divided up into 64 equally sized squares that are
alternately coloured light and dark (white and black). The boards
commonly used are between 40 and 56 cm (16 and 22 in) square.

Columns, rows and colours

The vertical columns of squares running from player
Board direction
to player (or top to bottom) are called ‘files’. The In nearly all diagrams in chess
horizontal rows running from left to right’are called books, including this book, White
‘ranks’. ‘Diagonals’ are straight lines of squares that is shown playing up the board
and Black plays down the board.
are the same colour.
» Right way round For a proper
No matter what the colours of the chess pieces game of chess to be played, the
in your set are, the light coloured pieces are always board must be placed so that
called ‘white’ and the dark coloured pieces are there is a white square in the
bottom right hand corner - follow
always called ‘black’.
the rhyme ‘White on the right’.
Getting the board the wrong way
round is a very common mistake.

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1 Getting started

First moves
In every chess game, White 8| as ZosZ cB ZasZ es Zhs
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makes the first move. Next
Black makes a move and then
White makes a second move
and so on. When it is your turn,’
you must move. No ‘passing’ is
allowed. You can never have
more than one piece on the
same square at the same time.

The names of the squares

Every square has aname, making it easy to write
down any chess move (see page 72). The files
(vertical columns) are lettered a-h, from left to right.
The ranks (horizontal rows) are numbered 1-8, from
White’s side of the board. When referring toa
square the file is noted first, followed by the rank.
For example, the queens begin the game on
squares di and d8 and the kings begin on e1 and e8
(see the diagram opposite).
The white pawns begin on the second rank,
squares a2 to h2, and the black pawns on the
seventh rank, squares a7 to h7 (see the diagram
opposite).

14 | Need to know? Chess

 Setting up a chessboard
- Each side has 16 pieces - eight pawns, two rooks,
Walk tall
two bishops, two knights, one queen and one king. | The two tallest pieces in every
When you set out the pieces on the board, make chess set are always the kings.
sure that you place the queens on their own colour Symmetry of pieces
Note that both sides have a rook
squares - the white queen on a white square and
on the a- and h-files; a knight on
the black queen on a black square. the b- and g-files and a bishop
As you can see in the diagram below, the queens on the c- and f-files.
start on the d-file and the kings on the e-flle.

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the chess pieces

Pawn Rook Knight

See pages 16-24 See pages 30-4 See pages 40-5

Bishop Ww Queen King

See pages 35-9 See pages 46-50
See pages > 9

Getting to know the board | 15

1 Getting started

The pawn
Pawns are the equivalent of foot soldiers in an army. Foot
soldiers are expected to advance towards the enemy and not
to retreat, so pawns cannot move backwards.

The weakest link

The pawns are the smallest and weakest of the
chess pieces. White pawns start on squares a2-h2;
black pawns on squares a7-h7. Each side has eight
pawns and below the photograph you can see how
they appear in the diagrams in this book.

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16 | Need to know? Chess
 How pawns move
~ Pawns may only move straight down afile. They
Forwards only
may move one or two squares (your choice) on pias ttOe iN
their first move but, after that, only one square at backwards and they cannot
atime. jump over another piece.
The white pawn on b2 can move to b3 or b4
_ (because this Is its first move), but after this move
it can only advance one square at a time. The black
pawn on ds can only move to d4 (because it has
already moved, it may only advance one square ata
time). The pawn at f2 can move to f3 or f4 and the
pawn at h6 may only advance to hs.

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The pawn | 17
1 Getting started

Capture and attack 8)

b> When you take an |

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opponent's piece you are said
to ‘capture’ it. You choose
whether or not to capture. You |
are not obliged to capture if Y *

you don’t want to. This is true

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for all pieces, not just pawns.
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How pawns capture

Pawns may only capture other pieces by moving
diagonally one square.
In the above diagram, if it is White to move, then
the white pawn on b3 may capture the black knight
on c4. This is done by picking up the pawn from b3
and putting it on c4 and removing the knight. If it is
Black to move, then the black pawn on ds could take
the white rook on e4. The pawns on g4 and gs block
one another. Neither can move forwards nor can
they capture.
Pawns can usually attack two squares. For
example, the b3 white pawn attacks squares a4 and
c4 and the g4 white pawn attacks fs and hs.

Which four squares do the black pawns attack?

The ds5-pawn attacks cq (so it defends the knight)
and e4. The g5-pawn attacks fa and hg.

18 | Need to know? Chess

 Practice with pawns
' What moves and captures can each of the Recap on the pawn
pawns make? ; Pawns can only move straight
forwards along their file. They
In this example, the a2-pawn can move to a3 or a4
can never move backwards.
(but cannot capture). The c3-pawn can move to c4 Pawns can only capture
or capture the black knight on d4. The e2-pawn and diagonally one square.
_ Z4-pawn cannot move or capture at the moment.
The a7-pawn can move to a6 or as, or capture
the bishop on b6. The c5-pawn can move to c4 but
cannot capture. The e4-pawn can do nothing. The
gS-pawn can capture the white knight on f4 but
cannot otherwise move .

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Which two pawns can only attack one square

each and why?
The a2-pawn can only attack b3, and the a7-pawn
can only attack b6. This is because they are positioned
at the side of the board.

The pawn | 19
1 Getting started

Excercises with pawns

Defenders
What moves and captures can each of the
A piece is defended if, should it white pawns make?
be captured, the capturing piece The b4- and bs-pawns cannot advance. The
can itself be taken.
bs5-pawn cannot capture, however, the b4-pawn can
take the black pawn on cs. The e4-pawn can move
to es or take the black pawn on fs. The f3-pawn
can move to f4 or take the black pawn on g4. The
g2-pawn can move to g3 but cannot capture.

What moves and captures can each of the

black pawns make?
The b6-pawn cannot move or capture. The c5-pawn
can move to c4 or take the white pawn on bq. The
e6-pawn can move to es but cannot capture. The
fS-pawn can move to fq or capture the white pawn
on e4. The g4-pawn can move to g3 or capture the
white pawn on f3.

20 | Need to know? Chess

Pawns are good defenders
In the diagram opposite there are ten pawns, five of Pawns as defenders
them are defended or protected and five aren’t. The pawn makes a very good
defender because it is the
The pawn on cs is defended because, if White
lowest value piece (see page
takes it with the b4-pawn, Black can then recapture 68). Try to use your stronger
with the b6-pawn. The f5-pawn is also defended pieces to attack with, not for
because if White captures it with the e4-pawn, defending.

Black can then recapture with the e6-pawn.

If White takes the g4-pawn with the f3-pawn,
then Black can recapture with his f5-pawn.
If Black takes the white pawn on e4, the f3-pawn
can recapture, and if Black takes thewhite pawn on
f3, then the g2-pawn can recapture.
The bs, g2, b6 and e6 pawns are not defended,
but at the same time they are not under attack. The
b4-pawn is not defended but it is attacked by the
cS-pawn.

Your targets
Keep your own pieces defended and keep an eye open for
any of your opponent's pieces that are not protected. These
are the ones to try to capture, because your opponent
cannot recapture!

21
1 Getting started

Pawn promotion
Sometimes a pawn can
become a much more
important piece. This happens
when a pawn reaches the
far end of the board and Is
immediately promoted to, or
transformed into, a knight,
bishop, rook or queen (your
choice). Most players choose a
queen because it is the most
powerful piece (see page 68).
Promotion happens in
one move as in these two
examples.

From pawn to queen

| Even if you still have your first
| queen on the board, you are
| allowed to promote a pawn to
| make another queen. Either
use a queen from another
chess set or, if you don’t have
another set, use acoin - but
| remember
it isa queen. In
theory, you could have lots of
) queens, but you should be able
| to win the game without
| promoting very many pawns.

22 | Need to know? Chess

 En passant-a special pawn capture
_ French for ‘in passing’, en passant is the name given
to a particular way in which pawns can occasionally . °
take other pawns. The opportunity to capture in this
way does not happen very often, but it is important
to keep the possibility in mind. For White, it happens if:
_ 1) awhite pawn is on the fifth rank;
2) a black pawn on an adjoining file advances two
squares to draw level with the white pawn;
3) on the next move, the white pawn takes the black
pawn asif the black pawn had only moved forward
one square (the pawn takes diagonally). ;
If White wishes to capture en passant, he must do so
immediately, or he loses his chance.
How this works on the board is shown below.

Vi

The pawn | 23
1 Getting started

Black pawns can also take en passant under the

same rules as for White except that black pawns
have to be positioned on the fourth rank.
These three diagrams show how en passant
works for Black.

It’s your choice

You don’t have to capture en passant. If the chance arises, it
is your choice whether or not to capture in this way.
But remember, you can only take en passant:
> if your pawn Is on the fifth rank for White (fourth for
Black);
> if the enemy pawn on an adjoining file advances two
squares;
> if you capture on the following move.

24 | Need to know? Chess

The bishop
Each side has two bishops - one on a white square and one ona
black. Between them, a pair of bishops can attack every square
on the chessboard but one alone can only attack half the squares.

Starting positions
White bishops start on b1 and g1; black bishops on b8 and
g8. If an enemy piece stands on a black square then a white-
squared bishop will never be able to threaten it and vice versa.

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The bishop | 25
1 Getting started

No promotion
When a bishop moves to the far
end of the board, it cannot be
promoted. Only the pawn can
change itself into another piece.
a a 7 Vi

How bishops move

The bishops move along the diagonals (lines of one
colour). This means that each side has one bishop
that moves only on white squares and another that
moves only on black squares. Bishops can move
forwards or backwards to any empty square on the
diagonals on which they stand, unless they are
blocked, but they cannot jump over other pieces.
As you can see in the diagram above, the
bishops attack many more squares than the pawns,
which is why they are more powerful. The white
bishop attacks (can move to) 11 squares and the
black bishop attacks 13 squares. The black bishop
is more powerful because it is in the centre of
the board.
Bishops and knights are called minor pieces
because they are worth less (see values on page 68).

26 | Need to know? Chess

 _must know

Half the squares

Each side has a bishop that only
moves on white squares (the
white-squared bishop) anda
bishop that only moves on black
squares (the black-squared
bishop). Each bishop can
therefore only occupy, attack

fl
or defend half the squares on
the board.

7 2
How bishops capture eee
When a bishop takes an
enemy piece, it replaces the
captured piece on the same
square. Unlike the pawn,
which moves forwards but
captures diagonally, the
bishop captures in the same
direction that it moves.
1 Getting started | yi oe

Practice with bishops

What captures and moves can the white
bishop on cs make?
The bishop can capture the a7-pawn or the bishop
on f8. It can move to b6 (but would risk being taken
by the a7-pawn), d6 and e7 (although both of these
squares are attacked by the f8-bishop) and d4. The
bishop on cs and the pawn on b4 protect one
another.

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What captures and moves can the white

bishop on e4 make?
The bishop can take the c6-pawn or the h7-pawn
(both unprotected). It can move to d3, ds (although
it risks being taken by the c6-pawn), f3, fs, g2, g6
(risking being taken by the h7-pawn) and h1. The
white pawn on c2 prevents the e4-bishop from
taking the b1-bishop.

28 | Need to know? Chess

 Both directions
Bishops can move forwards and
a : — = | backwards along the diagonals.
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that cannot move backwards.

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_ What captures and moves can the black bishop
on bs make?
The bishop can capture the c4-pawn (which is
unprotected) or move to a6, c6 (where it can be
taken by the e4-bishop), d7 or e8. If this bishop
_ stays where it is, it can be taken next move by the
c4-pawn.

What captures and moves can the black bishop

on f6 make?
The bishop can capture the b2-pawn or h4-pawn
(both are unprotected) or move to C3 (where it can
be taken by the b2-pawn), d4 (risking being taken by
the e3-pawn), es (where it can be taken by the f4-
bishop), d8, e7 and gs (where it can be taken by the
f4-bishop and the h4-pawn).

The bishop | 29
1 Getting started ay

The Rook
The rook is one of the ‘heavyweight’ pieces of the chessboard. It
is classified as a major piece and one of the key tasks for a player
is to get their two rooks into action.

Starting positions
Each player has two rooks; they begin the game on
the corner squares alongside the knights. White
rooks start on a1 and h1; black rooks on a8 and h8.
Despite its appearance, no serious chess player
ever refers to it as a ‘castle’.

30 | Need to know? Chess

How rooks move
Rooks move along files and ranks, forwards,
The rook’s power
backwards or sideways (in straight lines) byas many | : When placed on an open board,
squares as they wish, unless they are blocked. They each rook attacks 14 squares.
cannot jump over other pieces. The problem for the rook is that
it is often blocked by other
A rook attacks as many squares as a bishop but
-pieces. As the game progresses
it is the stronger piece because it can attack squares and pieces are exchanged, rooks
of both colours. A rook can attack any square on the have more scope to move and
board but a bishop can only attack half of them. so become more powerful.

Your two rooks will work very well together, in

both defensive and offensive play.

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The rook | 31
1 Getting started

White to move
How rooks capture
When the rook takes, it
replaces the captured enemy
piece on the same square.
The rook cannot jump over
any other piece.
Practice with rooks
What captures and moves can the white rook
Protected or unprotected
on b6 make? Not all captures are good moves.
This rook (protected by the a5-pawn) can capture If you take a protected piece
the a6-pawn (unprotected), the b7-rook (unprotected) your opponent will often
recapture and you may lose out.
and the g6-pawn (protected by the f7-pawn). It can
It is usually safer to capture an
move to b1, b2, b3, b4, bs (attacked by the a6-pawn, unprotected piece. (See the
d7-bishop and also by the b7-rook), c6 (attacked by value of the pieces on page 68.)
the d7-bishop), d6, e6 (attacked by three enemy
pieces) and f6.

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What captures and moves can the white rook
on f1 make?
This rook (protected by the e2-bishop) can only take
the f7-pawn (protected by the e7-rook). It can move
to a1, b1, c1, di, e1, g1, h1, fa, f3, f4 (attacked by the
e5-pawn), fs (attacked by the g6-pawn and the d7-
bishop) and f6.

The rook | 33
1 Getting started

Working together
Rooks work very well in pairs. 7 «
a
When both rooks occupy the
same file, a player is said to
have ‘doubled rooks’. Such
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rooks are very powerful and
can easily penetrate the
opponent’s position.

What captures and moves can the black rook

on a4 make?
The rook can capture the a1-rook (protected by the
b2-bishop) or the b4-pawn (unprotected). It can
move to a2, a3, a5 (which is attacked by the b4-
pawn), a6, a7 and a8, but on all of these squares it
can be taken by the a1-rook. On a4 this black rook is
protected by the bs5-pawn and on a8 it would be
protected by the c6-bishop.

What captures and moves can the black rook

on d6 make?
This rook can capture the d3-pawn (protected by the
f3-rook) or the g6-pawn (protected by the hs-pawn).
It can move to dq (attacked by the b2-bishop), ds
(attacked by the e4-pawn), d7, d8, e6 and f6 (attacked
by the f3-rook but protected by the g7-pawn). On d6
the c7-pawn protects it and it is not attacked by White.

34 | Need to know? Chess

 The queen
Wherever the queen is placed, it will have a tremendous
influence. It is the most powerful piece on the chessboard
and, along with the rook, is the other ‘major’ piece.

Starting positions
Each side has one queen. The white queen begins
i bl Queen’s file
the game on di (a white square) and the black queen Fee Pic ao knowaes the
begins the game on d8 (a black square). This means queen’s file, because that’s the
that the queens begin the game facing orie another file where the two queens begin
the game.
. (but with two pawns between them) and on a
[Link] the same colour as themselves.

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The queen nos

1 Getting started

- How the queen

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The queen moves in the

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sideways or along a diagonal

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- any number of squares.
Wi; While the queen cannot
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it is the strongest piece
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‘ squares than any other.
a ae aes TeoSe Because the queen is the
most powerful piece on the
board, it is also the most
valuable. Consequently,
when it is attacked, it will
usually have to retreat - it is

oi i
Yj -s& s ~ too important to lose!

4 ‘ae :
"ee
me
oe

36 | Need to know? Chess

How the queen captures
In these three examples both the white and black queens
: : A powerful leader
can take any of the other pieces shown. The queen __ hous aracls
captures in the same way as a bishop or a rook, by more squares than
replacing the captured enemy piece on its square. any other piece. A
queen can attack
between 21 and
ee 27 squares at once,
depending on
whether it stands:
on acorner square

or closer to the

“« ¢
ne y
“ofi centre of the board.

At

The queen | 37
1 Getting started

Practice with the queen

What captures and moves can the white queen
Queen power
make?
Like the rook, the queen is often
blocked by other pieces and its The queen can capture the a5-pawn (which is
power reduced. In theory, the protected by the a8-rook), the a8-rook (which is
more squares a piece can reach, protected by the d8-rook), the d6-pawn (protected
the easier it is to block. A queen
by both the d8-rook and f8-bishop), the f5-pawn
near the centre could move to a
maximum of 27 squares but (protected by the g6-pawn) and the f7-pawn (which
there are almost bound to be is unprotected).
other pieces, of either colour, The queen can move to bs, b7, c4, cs (which is
standing in the way. The queen
attacked by the d6-pawn), c6, d1, d2, d3, d4, e4
doesn’t get blocked like a rook, it
just gets blocked. However, the (which can be attacked by the f5-pawn), e5 (which is
longer the game goes on and attacked by the d6-pawn), e6 (which is attacked by
pieces are exchanged, the more
the f7-pawn) and f3.
the power of the queen grows.
Positioned on ds, the queen is not protected but
neither is it be attacked.

38 | Need to know? Chess

 2 a
om
aoe
a8 @
7

, aFA
te 77,2
49-0, V7
a7 a
This chessboard is more crowded than the one
opposite. There are more pieces and they block
some of the queen’s moves. The black queen could
be taken by the white queen, but the c8-rook could
then recapture.

- What captures and moves can the black queen

make?
The black queen can capture the c3-queen (protected
by the b2-pawn) or the e5-rook (protected by the d4-
and f4-pawns). The queen can move to a7, b6, b7, b8,
c4 (protected by the bs- and d5-pawns, as well as by
~ the c8-rook), cs (attacked by the c3-queen and the d4-
pawn), c6 (protected by the c8-rook), d6, d7 and d8.
Notice that the black queen is the only defender
of the a5-pawn, which is attacked by the white
queen. It is also the only defender of the c8-rook and
e7-bishop (which are not under immediate threat).
The queen | 39
1 Getting started AP oth

The knight
The knight is the chess piece most commonly used to represent
the game of chess in photographs and advertisements because
it is the most distinctive-looking chess piece.

Starting positions
Each side has two knights that begin the game standing
next to the rooks. White knights start on b1 and g1; black
knights on b8 and g8. The knight has an unusual way of
moving around the board.

40 | Need to know? Chess

 How knights move
The move of the knight consists of two parts - one
Moving backwards
- square alongafile or rank, forwards, backwards or For some reason that no-one
sideways, and then one square diagonally. If there is . can explain satisfactorily, it is
a piece in the way, white or black, the knight Jumps more difficult to foresee a
backwards knight move.
over it without capturing it.
A knight is roughly the same value as a bishop
- but it is avery different piece. It can reach any
square on the board but it is a short-range piece and
so will take several moves to cross the board.
The closer a knight is to the centre of the board,
the more squares it attacks and that makes it much
more powerful.
The knight, like the bishop, is a minor piece.

ne
Lata
nana
rt ew

The knight | 41
1 Getting started

How knights
‘capture
A knight only captures

ma when it lands on the

same square as an
enemy piece. It jumps

Coat
aa
.‘of
RANG
over pieces in between
without affecting them.

a iie Ls
ate
The knight’s move is

Me Aa
so unusual that it takes
a little getting used to,
which is why there are

ne
aaa
some examples over the
next few pages. You
~ should use a board and
set and work through
them carefully, to try to
get used to this singular
chess piece.

Mae
wey

37 .— ie_
: a Le

42 | Need to know? Chess

 i, Ua. a_s
Fe | ante
7
oe
| i,Za

- Because it can jump

over any other piece,
the knight cannot be

i “. _" Y Y,
4 crowded positions | Yj Yj

ee A Se i,
~ two armies. moh ee
iwl a

The knight | 43
1 Getting started

Practice with knights

What are the quickest ways for the white
knight on b2 to take the g6-pawn?
There are three ways of doing it in three moves:
1) d3, €5, 86; 2) d3, f4, g6; 3) c4, €5, g6

What are the quickest ways for the white

knight on b6 to take the g6-pawn?
There are six ways of doing it in three moves:
1) CA, e5, 6; 2) c8, e7, 26; 3) ds, f4, g6; 4) ds, e7, g6;
5) d7, 5, 6; 6) d7, £8, g6

ae What are the quickest

ways for the black knight
on bs to take the gs-

“/ Mc pawn?
There are six ways of doing it
in Yba7 in three moves:

wag @Mi // BG | 1) C3, €4, 85; 2) c7, e6, gs; 3)

d4, e6, g5; 4) d4, f3, 25; 5) d6,
YY e4, 25; 6) d6, f7, g5

Up What are the quickest

Yy ways for the black
| knight on gq to take the
Lid g5-pawn?
There are five ways of doing it
in three moves:
1) €5, f3, 5; 2) eS, f7, 85; 3) f2, e4, 5; 4) f2, h3, g5;
5) ha, f3, g5. If you begin with f6 or h6, then the
pawn can take the knight!

44 | Need to know? Chess

What captures and moves can the white knight on
c3 make?
Tricky knights
‘The knight can capture the b5-pawn (defended by the a6-pawn). It takes practice to
It can move to a4 (which is attacked by the bs5-pawn), a2, b1, d1, get used to the
ds, e2 and e4. knight’s move.
However, It’s
important to be
What captures and moves can the white knight on completely at ease
fs make? with it and its
The knight can capture the d6-pawn or the g7-pawn (both are oddities. Try
inventing some
undefended). It can move to d4 (which is attacked by both black
exercises of your
knights), e3, e7 (which is attacked by the c6-knight), g3 and h6 own similar to
(which is attacked by the g7-pawn). ; those on page 44.

What captures and moves can the black knight on

c6 make?
The knight can capture the a5-pawn (which is undefended). It
can move to a7, b4, b8, d4 (which is attacked by the f5-knight
and is defended by the f3-knight), d8, e5 and e7 (which is
attacked by the f5-knight).

What captures and moves

fm.
8&

A
ij,
can the black knight on

wagenee|
f3 make? oh

The knight can capture the

fia) 712 0%
Va
d2-pawn (which is
undefended), the g5-pawn LM

(defended by the h4-pawn) i] Y “«

an.
or the h4-pawn (defended G7777 !

by the f5-knight). The 3 | ms a

f3-knight can move to d4 Y,
(which is attacked by the
fs-knight but is defended
by the c6-knight), e1, e5, 31
‘ome
and h2.

The knight | 45
1 Getting started
¥

The king
Not only is the king the most important and the tallest piece on
the chessboard, but also the weakest! Interestingly, the entire
game of chess is centred around the weakest piece.

Starting positions
Each side has one king and they begin the game
standing opposite one another on e1 and e8. The
e-file is also called the king’s file for this reason.

LEY

46 | Need to know? Chess

 How the king moves
The king can only move one square in any direction,
. backwards, forwards, sideways or diagonally, but it
can never move on to a square where it is attacked.
In addition, the king cannot move on to a square
that is next to the other king.
In the diagram, the black king can move to any
of the eight squares which surround it. However,
the white king only has seven possible moves. It is
not allowed to move to d4 because that square Is
attacked by the black pawn on cs.

a“/.
“
nah
i Jf
aacot
a oe

Preserve your king

You must always look after your king! This is the most
important rule of chess. So much so, that a king is never
allowed to move to an attacked square and must be
rescued immediately if it is threatened by your opponent.

The king | 47
1 Getting started

How the king

‘captures
Vi The white king cannot

ee take the c3-pawn

because it is defended

Mi by the b4-pawn (see

fm must know opposite).

The king can take the
b4-pawn.

: _™

The black king cannot

take the bishop
because it is defended
by the rook. The king
can take the
undefended rook.

48 | Need to know? Chess

Practice with the king
What captures and moves can the white king
Forbidden!
make? Because a king
The white king can take the b4-pawn but not the d4-pawn cannot move toa

(which is defended by the bishop and by the rook). The square where it is
attacked, it can
king can move to bs or d3. It cannot move to c3 (where
never take a
it is attacked by both black pawns); cs (where it is defended piece
attacked by the bishop) or ds (where it is attacked by the because the
black rook). defender would .
then be attacking
the king.

<a
.
Aga
AS
me Be
Gon Gy

Mf

What captures and moves can the black king make?

The black king can take the rook but not the pawn (which
is defended by the rook and by the knight) or the knight
(which is defended by the rook and by the bishop). The
black king can only move to g6. It cannot move to f5
(which is attacked by both rook and pawn), hs (where it
is attacked by the pawn and knight) or h6 (where it is
attacked by the bishop).

The king | 49
1 Getting started

What captures and

moves can the white
Game over
king make?
The king is the
weakest piece The white king can take the
because it is the black knight and nothing
head of the army. else. The white king can
If it is captured,
the battle is over. Yj only move to b1. The black
queen attacks a1, a2, a3, b3
and c2. The black knight
Y
attacks both a2 and b3,

LV
CTATAL
Yj while the black pawn stops
the king moving to either
a3 or c3.
Yk

What captures and

moves can the black
king make?
_ The black king has no
captures and only one
move: to hs. The white
rooks defend one another
and the pawn defends the
bishop. fs and f6 are
attacked by both rooks
(and f6 by the bishop as
well). The f7-rook is
attacking g7 and h7. The
bishop is attacking h6.

50 | Need to know? Chess

 Check
A check is any move that attacks a king. It is such an important
move that it has its own name. A check cannot be ignored.
The attacked king must get out of check immediately!

Chess etiquette
If you play a move that attacks the enemy king
King rule
(threatens to capture it), it is polite to warn your Pervembenne line cannoutke

opponent by saying ‘check’ (quietly). a defended piece because that

; would mean moving into check.

_ What white moves put the black king in check?

The queen can move to b1 or b3; the rook can move
to d7; the bishop can move to c6; and the pawn can
move to 6. The knight cannot put the king in check.

: om "a a :
; “i TU
ieee
27
7 “e “ ‘=
|
Z 78

Check | 51
1 Getting started

- What black moves put the

white king in check?
The queen can move to f2, f4
or hs; the rook can move to
h8; the bishop can move to
es; and the knight can move
to fi or g4.

What white moves put the

black king in check?
The queen can capture the
a5-pawn (the queen will be
protected by the bishop) or
move to b6, b7, b8, cs (the
queen will be unprotected on
cs and the black king could
take it) or d4; the rook can
move to b1; the bishop can
me
capture the a5-pawn (the
bishop will be protected by
the queen) or can move to d6;
the knight can move to d3;
and the pawn can move to a3.

52 | Need to know? Chess

 What black moves put the white king in check?
The queen can capture the f3-pawn (but the white
| king could then take the queen) or take the rook
on g6; the black rook can move to g4 (but both the
f3-pawn and the g6-rook could then take the black
rook) or h2 (but the white king could take the rook);
the bishop can move to h3; and the knight can check
from f4.

“a mwve
a aeas

‘atatate

Get out of check

Not only should a king not move into check, it must get
| out of check, immediately! In addition, you are not allowed
to play any move, with any piece, that puts your king
into check.

Check | 53
1 Getting started

More about check

When a king is checked, it must get out of check on
its next move. There are no exceptions and there
can be no delay.
There are three possible ways out of check: take
the piece giving check, move the king to a square
that is not under attack, or block the check with
another piece by putting it in between the checking
piece and the king (but you cannot block a check
from a knight, because the knight can jump over
any blocker).

What white moves get the

king out of check?
The queen can take the rook
on as; the king can move to
b4, c4 or d6 (all four other king
moves would leave the king in
check, which is not allowed);
the bishop can move to bs,
“yy
ee Lo
which would block the check.

No choice
Don’t forget, you are not allowed
to make any move, with any
piece, that will put your king into
check. If your opponent attacks
your king, you must get out of
check immediately.

54 | Need to know? Chess

 What black moves get the
king out of check?
— The king can take the bishop
By on g7 or it can move to hs.
; The king cannot move to g6
i. Z aw as it would be in check from
the f5-pawn; the king cannot
take the knight on gs because

|
wh ‘o YY :
it would be in check from the
rook on g1. The king cannot
Vi We ; move to h7 as it would then
be in check from the knight.
There are no ways of blocking
the check.

- What white moves do not place the king

in check?
The king on b1 can only move to a1 (which
leaves the c1-rook unprotected). The king
cannot go to c2 because it would be in check
oe
from the d2-rook. The b2-pawn cannot take
the a3-pawn as that would leave the white
king in check from the black queen. The
b2-pawn may, however, move to b3 or b4 (but
it will be unprotected on b4). The c1- (white)
rook cannot move along the c-file as that
~ would leave the white king in check from the
d1- (black) rook, but the c1-rook is allowed to
take the d1-rook (even though it could then be
taken by the d2- [black] rook).

Check | 55
1 Getting started ee

What black moves do not

place the king in check?
The f7-pawn cannot take the
g6-pawn as that would leave
the black king in check from
the e7-rook. The f6-knight Is
not allowed to move as that
would leave the black king in
check from the bishop. The
black king cannot move to f8,
g8 or h8 as that would leave
it in check from the e8-rook.
Neither may the king move to
h7 (because it would be in
check from the g6-pawn) or
take the g6-pawn (which
would leave it in check from the knight). The only king move and,
in fact, Black’s only possible move in this position, is to h6.

What black moves put the

white king in check?
The knight can put the king in x 7
check by moving to a6 or d3.
The rook can check by moving
Y,
to a4 (protected by the knight)
W7177

or b8.

G7
- =;

56 | Need to know? Chess

 What white moves put the
black king in check?
The knight can check by moving
to f4 or f8. The bishop can check
by moving to e4 and the pawn
can check by moving to hs (but
the king could then capture it).

ae ol
What black

check? ‘ , ie
A
The knight can i
6 | Yy
take the a2-pawn
és |e“a
or move to d3.
The rook can . “—
move to c8.

ne
“yy Mi
aes :

“t

vm Z,
What white moves put the
black king in check?

“i. The rook can move to f3 or

g1. The queen can move to f2,

aS f3, f4, 4 (but is undefended

2 “al
here, which means the
king could take it), g5 (here,
the f6-pawn could take it),
g6 and h3 (but again it will
be undefended).
Check | 57
1 Getting started

Discovered check
When a piece moves and doesn’t give check itself,
but opens up a check from
another piece standing
behind it, this is known as
Sa
eat om a discovered check.

iawo.
B |18&
Yj LY,a YY
Yj AWY, What — white
whi move reveals
a discovered check?
Z
WY Y Y Y Yj re Thewhite rook is on the
i4 | Y Wy yy Yj; | same the black king,
fileas
which means that when

7petz“a Srocacwcsnoad
The pawn doesn’t give
check, but the rook does.
Black must get out of check
next move.

What black move reveals

a discovered check?
Any move by the black knight

eaten A,
“i
6 |
Ma“a “a
Y) Y Y Y,
bishop. The knight doesn’t

1,7477
ee eee, J Yi Vi Yi
check next move.

em mae
aa aa

58 | Need to know? Chess

 Double check
In a discovered check, if the piece that moves also
Eyes open
-gives check, then the king will find itself in check It is quite common for beginners
from two pieces. to have an illegal position on the
board because they have not

What white move puts the black king in ee : he pea vie

check. Always keep your eyes
_ double check? open for
ee
possible checks.
Any move by the white bishop will mean that the
king is in check from the queen, but if the bishop
moves to da, then it will also be in check from the
bishop - double check!

WV Aw 28
: ‘— Vi on
YU i
ooo
aVi Yi.|
-YTZ7TZ
Wo

Check | 59
1 Getting started

Powerful moves
Double checks are very powerful
because the attacked king must
.
pera
get out of both checks on the
next move. The only way to do
this is with a king move. The

paa
other two ways out of check, ‘
taking the checking piece or

oe <
blocking the check, are not
possible when there are two

Pe
checks. But taking one checking
piece is possible if that also gets
the king out of the other check,
as in the example on the right.

What black move puts the white king in

double check?
If the g5-pawn captures the f4-pawn it leaves the
king in check from both rook and pawn - double
check!
The only way out ofa double check is to move
the king, sometimes taking one of the checking
pieces. For instance, in the above example, after
Black plays g5-pawn takes f4-pawn (double check),
White could reply with king takes Black’s new
f4-pawn, getting out of both checks.

60 | Need to know? Chess

Checkmate
When a king gets into a position where it cannot avoid capture,
it is ‘checkmated’ and that is the end of the game. That’s why
the king is the weakest piece. It must be protected at all times.

The aim in chess

The object ofa game ofchess is not to take all of
your opponent’s pieces, it is to attack his or her king
and reach a position in which the king cannot avoid
capture.
, Here are some checkmate positions. In all of
these positions, a king is in check and there is no
way to get out of check. It is checkmate, the battle is
over and it is the end of the game.
Work out which enemy piece is attacking the
king (giving check) and why all of the moves
available to the king will leave it in check.

Checkmate | 61
1 Getting started Stam

Try to checkmate
Which white move gives checkmate in each position? Try each of
the checks until you find one that Black cannot get out of.

In the left-hand diagram, all

of the queen checks allow
the black king to move, but
if the bishop moves to d6 it
is checkmate.

2a i
ueD

jj, a
ByeZG

In the right-hand diagram, the

pawn check from fs and the
knight check from h4 can both
be answered by the black king
moving to f7, but if the knight
moves to ¢€5, It is checkmate.

62 | Need to know? Chess

 Stalemate
In the left-hand diagram, if
Take care
White moves the queen to Players must move

mom
a6, Black has no legal move alternately. When
(every possible move with it is someone’s
turn to move and
his king will be a check, so
they don’t have a
they are not allowed). legal move (and
However, It is not they aren’t in

“a checkmate - it is not even

check. Because Black
check), then the
game cannot
continue. This is

a*
cannot move, the game is called stalemate
over and because it isn’t and the result of
checkmate, no-one has the game is a draw.

won - it’s a draw.

oom
In the right-hand diagram, if
Ma Ja
White moves his knight it will
- be stalemate, because the aS 444

white rook will prevent the

black king moving to g8, and
that was Black’s only move.

Checkmate | 63
1 Getting started *

Castling
Along with en passant (see pages 23-4), castling is another
strange move in chess. It is a way of getting the king away from
the centre of the board where it could get into danger.

Protecting the king

At the same time as protecting the king, castling is a way of getting a
rook away from the corner and more into the action - all in one move!

First let’s look at castling

on the king’s side of the
board (see left). The king
moves two squares
towards the rook and
the rook jumps over the
king to land next to the
king - all in one move!
Like the king, the rook
has moved two squares.

Now castling on
the queen’s side.
The king moves
two squares
towards the rook
and the rook
jumps over the
king to land next
to the king. Here,
the rook moves
three squares.

64 | Need to know? Chess

You are not allowed to castle if either the rook or the king
has previously moved, even if they have moved back to their
"starting positions. In addition, castling is not avowed in the
following three situations:
a) to get out of check;
b) if you end up in check;
c) if the king moves across an attacked square (if it goes
‘through’ check).

It is okay for White to castle in the following two positions as

the rook is allowed to cross an attacked square and you are
permitted to castle when the rook is attacked.

Castling | 65
2 Next moves

My rook is attacked; should | move it to safety

or defend it? | can take his knight, but then
| will lose my piece. Is that a good exchange
or a bad one? In order to answer these
questions you need to know the values of the
pieces and why they have those values. In
chess the values of the pieces are not fixed;
they vary slightly all the time according to
the number of squares that each piece is
attacking and also the importance of those
squares. In this chapter we will help you to
answer those questions.
2 Next moves

The values of the pieces

Some pieces are more powerful than others and ‘more powerful’
means ‘more valuable’. But just how valuable are they? The
points table below gives the answer.

values at a glance
Points for pieces
The approximate values of the pieces for most of the
ae > Pawns game are shown in the table, left. The point score for
a 1 point
_ each piece is given on the right-hand side.
Dy oy > Knights This table illustrates that two rooks are worth
3+ points more than a queen. A knight and a pawn are worth
less than a rook but a knight and two pawns are
Q a > Bishops
3+ points worth more.

= = > Rooks
Why these values?
5 points
The values of the pieces are strongly connected to

NW ere
the number of squares that the pieces can attack.
9 points

GB lan
The pawn
0 points Pawns standing on the a-file and h-file only attack
one square but other pawns, nearer the centre,
attack two squares.

68 | Need to know? Chess

 The knight
-Aknight positioned in
the corner can only Yj Yj Yj,
attack two squares. Vy Ww Yj
As the knight moves Vi Ve
closer to the centre of Uy VY “yy
the board, the number wa Z
of squares it can C Wi;
attack increases, up to WY
eight. The knight is a
short range piece but,
_ given time, a knight
can attack any square
on the board.

The bishop
A bishop in the corner
Yj Uy qV Yj attacks 7 squares

Uda Gh
I,7i
a Soot’
Yr Y qV “y Yj 13 squares. The big
Z | rawback of th
] Yi Yj 2 Wy Y ae ie a
Y >» “y a Y YY only attack squares
Y of one colour.A
Vj »
Yj, yy Yj, Yj nen a ce
>»= s. yy 4 a on asquare of the
YY other colour is
Ze
perfectly safe from it.
2 Next moves

Problems for rooxs 3 ie > Uy

To become effective pieces, G Z
rooks must get outof the Uy Yj “y Yj
corner of the board and into
z A Do Y A Y Yy
play and they are often the last
piece to do this. It is usually | G4
y UY
best to move them along the C yy <q by Ff
g”
a’, >
Vi
Rah ce , AY IxWZ 7
svcd | ;Uy Y
iyvyizyZ
eee ies ia a
Ls Yj
Be” ~*Y-U-Z
The rook
A rook attacks 14 squares no matter where it stands
on (an empty) board.

The king
Usually a king has to be protected and so is worth
nothing. Sometimes, when there are no longer
enough pieces left to threaten checkmate, the king
emerges and acts as an attacking piece. Under
these circumstances the king, which can attack a
maximum of eight squares, is worth about four
points. The king is a good defender of other pieces.

70 | Need to know? Chess

 The queen
“Aqueen in acorner attacks
Uy
21 squares. As the queen
gets closer to the centre, the
number of squares it attacks i “: “i “
increases to 27.
AT, Ui
All pieces become
stronger as they approach a a - a
the centre of the board,
because they can attack
aeoe
more squares.
Bishops, rooks and
queens are long range pieces
but they are often blocked by
other pieces and so they are
not worth quite as much as
might first appear. As pieces
are exchanged, those left are
less likely to be blocked and

vil ae
so become more powerful
and valuable.
; Knights can only attack
half as many squares as
“a Ws V
«4 jy > me
bishops. Knights cannot
cover the whole board
a i+ Yi)
UV 0*
quickly but they cannot be

a
blocked.
it generally works out
»7/ -
that knights and bishops are
worth about the same, but
7/5
as the game progresses,
bishops are less likely to be
blocked and so may become
more powerful than knights.

The values of the pieces | 71

Reading and writing moves
Writing down the moves makes it possible to replay the games of
the great players of the past and of today. It also makes it possible
for you to write down and play over your own games.

How to write the moves

As we have seen, every square has a name. Add a capital letter
to show which piece is moving and you have a move.
The initial letters are: N = knight (K is reserved for the king);
B = bishop; R = rook; Q = queen; K = king. A move without an
initial is a pawn move.

Notation
There are two ways of writing down the moves:
> the short form (which is used in this book): by giving the
piece and the finishing square, for example, Bc4
> the long form: by giving the piece, the starting square and
the finishing square, for example, Bf1-c4. The move number
is written first, followed by White’s then Black’s
move:
P 14 e5 Is acomplete move (move number, white
Comments on moves
Punctuation marks are often
move, black move). 1...e5 is a black move (‘...’
used to give a writer's opinion shows that the white move is not given).
ofa move. The commonest
marks and their meanings are:
Key to symbols
> -= ‘moves to’ (used in the long form)
> x= ‘captures’ (1 Nxeq = a white knight takes
! = good or surprising move whatever piece is on e4)
Vv
VY
VV '= strong and surprising >
+ = ‘check’ (2...Re2+ = a black rook has moved to

v !2 = interesting move
c2 and placed the white king in check)
?! = dubious move with P 0-0 = ‘castles king’s side’
some positive points P 0-0-0 = ‘castles queen’s side’

72 | Need to know? Chess

 In the above diagram Black is
threatening 1...Qa2 or 1...Qa1
mate, so White must act he
immediately:
oe Vi ay
UV EV
1 Rh8+ Kxh®8 (forced)
2 Qhi+ Kg8 (forced) -—
3 Qh7 mate! - which
U,V a
Y
7
produces the position in the
diagram on the right. a Ao
‘Forced’ means that the
j&7, 1
Ao ws
_ move is the only one possible.
~ Black must get out of check!
&ey
tS
2 Next moves

Good and bad moves

Now we know the values of the pieces, it is possible to
recognise that some moves are good and some are bad. Moves
that gain value are good and those that lose value are bad.

Exchanges
Sacrifice
In the example below, the capture 1 Rxf6 would be
A move which deliberately gives a bad move because Black could recapture either by
away value, in order to gain an 1...xf6 or 1...Bxf6 and White would have lost the
advantage is known as a
rook for a knight, which is known as ‘the exchange’.
sacrifice. A ‘gambit’ is a sacrifice
made early in the game and is If1 Bxe6, Black could recapture by 1...fxe6 or
explained on page 145. 1...Qxe6 and White would have ‘exchanged’ bishops
with no obvious advantage to either side.
White could also play 1 Bxf6. But after the reply
of1...gxf6 or 1...Bxf6, White would have exchanged
a bishop for a knight, again with no advantage.

74 | Need to know? Chess

 Exchanges or ‘the exchange’
In the diagram on this page, if
Black plays 1...Nxes and White
recaptures, then they have
exchanged pieces. If Black plays
1...Bxe5 and White recaptures,
then they have exchanged a pair
of minor pieces. If Black plays
1...Rxe5 and White recaptures,
then Black has lost ‘the
exchange’. ‘The exchange’ is the
difference between a rook and a
knight or a rook and a bishop.

Here Black has seven possible captures - three

pieces threaten the d4-pawn and four pieces can
take the knight on es.
1...cxd4 would lead to a pawn exchange after
the recapture 2 cxdq. If the black knight or queen
captured the d4-pawn it would lead toa loss after
2 cxd4.
If the e5-knight was captured by the e7-rook or
the black queen, this would also lead to a loss after a
recapture by either the d4- or f4-pawn. 1...Nxe5 and
1...Bxes are both possible without losing anything;
‘they would be ‘exchanges’ of approximately equal
value.
This position shows how useful it is to have your
pieces protected by pawns - they cannot normally
be taken by enemy piecesof greater value.

Good and bad moves | 75

2 Next moves

Protect or move?
When one of your pieces is under attack, you have to
Writing the moves
decide whether to protect it, or move it. In the
If both rooks (or knights) can
move to the same square, then diagram below consider those options.
you indicate which one is
moving by adding the letter of , What are Black’s choices after 1 Rab1?
the file on which it stands. If
How can you defend the b7-bishop and where can it
they are both on the same file,
then add the number of the rank move to?
instead. Here,1 Rab1 is short You could defend the bishop by 1...Rab8 (getting
fora Rat-biand net therefore, this rook into play); by 1...Rfb8? (blocking in the
Rf1-b1.
ae as other rook); by 1...c6? (defending with the queen,
but blocking the bishop); by 1...c5? (perhaps losing
this pawn); by 1...Qc8? (putting the queen out of
play); 7...Qc6; or 1...Qds5 (losing the queen!).
You could move the bishop to a6 (losing it to the
c4-bishop); to c8 (where it would be out of play); or
to c6, ds or e4. The bishop could also take the knight
on f3 (1...Bxf3).

What are Black’s choices

after 1 Bbs?
If a piece is attacked by
something of lower value
then you must end the attack
by taking the attacker,
Ve, blocking the attack or moving
LNG | the attacked piece
— Y GY | If the queen captures
LeelaWe
LS, ee the bs-bishop, it would be
oo Pe Gg captured by the a4-pawn; c6
Y Yy WLM, is possible but blocks the
bishop on b7; the queen can
safely move to c8, ds, d6, d8,
e6, e7, fs or ga.

76 | Need to know? Chess

 Protect and recapture
If one of your pieces is being threatened, try to } Pieces matter
protect it and make a counter-attack in one move. You need to keep your pieces
See the diagram below and consider the various protected so that you can
options for White. recapture when yo Pepota
takes one of your pieces. While
you are learning, it may not
What are White’s choices after 1...Bg4? matter too much if you fall
The black bishop is threatening to take the f3-knight behind in the piece count,
(the g2-pawn cannot recapture because White Bub ripe is betes
losing the game.
would then be in check from the g8 rook). White
could move the f3-knight to h4 or d4 or protect it by
_ Re3, Qd3, Qe2 or Qe3 (the last
two moves attack the e7-
knight as well).

What are White’s choices

after 1...Qb6?
How can White defend the
b2-pawn?
White can move the pawn
to b3 or b4 or protect it by
Na4 (which also threatens
the queen), Rb1 (but this
takes the rook out of play)
or Qc1. |
If Black tries 1...d4, trying
to force the c3-knight to
“move, White can reply 2 Nxd4
but that is risky, putting the knight between the
black rook and the white queen. Moving the c3-
knight is simpler - 2 Neg attacking the undefended
f6-pawn looks good.

Good and bad moves | 77

2 Next moves

Protected enough?
Sometimes a piece can be under attack and
Mind your king
defended more than once. At such times, you have
A check, or a possible check,
is always an important to count the attacking and the defending pieces!
consideration. So, when you In the diagram below, the white e5-knight is
are calculating captures, attacked by the queen and e8-rook but defended by
always remember to keep an
the e1-rook and da-pawn. To be able to win a piece,
eye open for an exposed king.
a player usually needs to have more attacking pieces
than there are defenders.
If Black plays 1...Bd6, he has an extra attacker
_and is threatening: 2...Bxe5 3 dxes (or 3 Rxes Rxe5
4 dxes Qxes, winning a pawn) 3...Rxe5, winning a
pawn. White must move the
knight or protect it once
more. The retreat 2 Nf3 is
possible or the defences
Y
Ve 2 f4 (the simplest and maybe
KY

the best), 2 Qe2, 2 Qe3,

2 Qf4 (all three put the queen
in a dangerous position) or
2 Qgs.
The es-knight is very well
placed and so, naturally, Black
wants to remove it. Black
could also try 1...Nd7 with
similar ideas to those above
but also threatening 2...f6,
forcing the knight to move.

78 | Need to know? Chess

 Calculating exchanges
' Sometimes it isn’t enough just to
have more attacking pieces than
your opponent, as we can see in
these examples.
In both of the positions shown,
_ White has two pieces attacking the
knight to Black’s single defender and
yet, taking the knight will lose
material. In the left-hand position,
after1 Rxb6? axb6 2 Rxb6, White has
_ lost a rook for a knight and a pawn. In
the right-hand position, 1 Qxg5??
Bxgs 2 Rxgs and White has lost his
queen for knight and bishop.

Here White has three pieces

attacking the knight to Black’s
one defender, but both 1 Rxf6?
and 1 Qxf6?? are bad moves,
ae
‘ -. Y losing material.

La. “
a
Lba,
‘oos ence i

Good and bad moves | 79

2 Next moves

Another two examples to

show that counting pieces
* alone is not enough.

eae j This time White can win

Ca oo a
a pawn because he has four
attackers aimed at c5 and

I 47 Black has only three

defenders (don’t forget the

BD BH black queen). 1 bxcs bxcs

wae
2 Nxcs (or 2 Bxcs) and even
if Black takes again, White

oO gas Y
will still have a defended
piece on cs, so the black
LI
queen must not capture.
White has won a pawn.

This position is similar but

different in important ways.
White still has four attackers
aimed at cs and Black has
only three defenders. 1 bxcs
bxcs 2 Nxcs5? Bxc5+?? 3 Qxcs
and White has won a pawn,
but after 2...Rac8! the knight
is pinned, and lost.

80 | Need to know? Chess

 Threats of checkmate
~ Athreat of checkmate is nearly
as strong as a check - it’s
something that can rarely be
ignored. It’s another thing you
have to keep in mind when
making your calculations.
The knight is attacked twice
and defended only once but
White cannot win a pawn by
1 Bxd4 cxd4 2 Rxd4?? because Vii aae
of 2...Re1 mate! The position
6 aie
ae
| of the white king in the corner
isa strong clue to the risk of
mate.

Once again, a black knight

is attacked twice and only
defended once, but any
attempt to win a pawn by
capturing twice on f6

ca meets with a nasty surprise

een - 1 Bxf6?? gxf6 mate!

Geac &
eae
SO a gee
mg moms
3 Winning pieces

To win a game you will almost certainly have

to win some of your opponent’s pieces.
Beginners often give their pieces away, but
later when they become more used to how
everything moves, this is less common. At
this point you will have to employ some of
the many devices for winning pieces by force.
It’s fun, as you will see from the explanations
and examples given in this chapter.
3 Winning pieces

Forks
The idea of a fork is simple, you attack two or more pieces at
once. Your opponent can save one of them, then you take the
other. Here are examples of forks for each of the pieces.

A pawn fork
White plays his pawn to attack both rook and knight.
Black can choose which one to move to safety
(probably the rook because it is more valuable) and
White takes the other.
The moves are: 1 b4 Rbs 2 bxcs Rxcs. White has
won a knight for a pawn. °

4.

84 | Need to know? Chess

 A bishop fork
_ When two enemy pieces are on the same diagonal, a .
Family forks
bishop fork is possible. Knights and queens (and very
If the white bishop moves to bs it can attack occasionally rooks and bishops
both black pieces. Black’s queen cannot sensibly can attack more than two
- enemy pieces at the same time.
take the bishop or the pawn because they protect
These are called ‘family forks’.
one another. Black will save the queen but cannot
move it to protect the knight which White will take
next move. So Black moves the queen to a square
from which it will be able to take the white pawn
(a2, b3, b4 or c2).
The moves, as shown below, are: 1 Bbs Qb4
2 Bxc6 Qxc4. White must now save his bishop and
he will then have won a knight for a pawn.

Forks | 85
3 Winning pieces

A rook fork
Two unprotected enemy pieces on the same rank or
file must beware of a rook fork. You can foresee such
possibilities by being aware of undefended pieces.
The rook moves to bs, attacking both white
pieces. White chooses to save the bishop by moving
it to c2 and Black then takes the knight.
The moves are: 1...Rbs 2 Bc2 Rxb8 and Black has
won a knight.

Yi

ae

Alternative moves
In chess you often have a choice of more than one
move. In the above example, White could choose to
save the knight instead of the bishop. The moves might
be: 1...Rbs 2 Nc6 Rxb3.

86 | Need to know? Chess

 A queen fork
~ Queens are always on the lookout for undefended
pieces. Because of their great attacking powers,
they have frequent chances to win stray pieces.
Black’s queen moves to b2, attacking the
rook and the knight. White moves the rook away
and the queen takes the knight.
The moves are: 1...Qb2 2 Rag Qxb6. Black has
won a knight.

Queen power
A queen in the centre of the board can attack up to 27
squares - nearly half the board! This means that very
few undefended pieces are safe from the queen, even if
it stands in the far corner of the board.

Forks | 87
3 Winning pieces

A knight fork
The knight is a close rival to the queen for the title of
Those strange knights
The unusual move of the knights
champion when it comes to playing forks. The
takes time to get used to. One knight’s unusual move seems especially designed
tip to help you spot knight forks for this manoeuvre.
is that a knight can only fork
The white knight is attacked by the queen but
pieces that stand on the same
colour square. A knight always
after it moves to c4 it forks both black pieces. Black
moves from a square of one saves his queen by moving it to a square where It
colour to a square of the other defends the rook. The knight takes the rook and the
colour. So a knight on a white
queen will then take the knight.
square can only attack pieces on
black squares and vice versa. The moves are: 1 Nc4 Qa6 (1...Qa7, 1...Qb4,
1...Qb3 and 1...Qc5 also work, but not 1...Qa5 or
1...Qb2 because those squares are also attacked by
the knight) 2 Nxa3 Qxa3. White has won a rook for a
knight (this is called ‘the exchange’, see page 75).

move

i Y

88 | Need to know? Chess

A king fork
Forks by the king are unusual but they occasionally _
happen, especially if the king is used aggressively
when there are few pieces left.
The king moves to b2, attacking both rook and
pawn. White moves the rook away and the king
takes the pawn.
The moves are: 1...Kb2 2 Rd1 Kxa2. Black has
won a pawn.

The attacking king

Remember, late in the game, when it is safe for him to
emerge, the king is an important attacking piece.

Forks | 89
3 Winning pieces

Skewers
A skewer is a different way of attacking two opposing pieces
at once. The skewer is a long range threat along a rank, file or
diagonal, so it is not available to pawns, knights or kings.

Attacking with skewers

The rook moves to b8 (left), placing the
bishop under attack, but if the bishop moves,
then the knight is lost. White wins a piece.

The bishop moves to f8 (above),

placing the g7-pawn under attack. If
that pawn moves, then the h6 pawn is
lost. White wins a pawn.

If the queen moves to d2,

Or e2 (left), then the
pawns are skewered. If
White moves the g-pawn,
the h-pawn is lost. Black
Wins a pawn.

go | Need to know? Chess

Double attacks
Another way of threatening two enemy pieces at once, using two
of your pieces, is a double attack. One piece moves with a direct
attack and, at the same time, reveals an attack by another piece.

Double attacks In action

The white rook, white bishop and black knight are
The latent threat
all in line. If the bishop moves, then the rook will be Double attacks are powerful
attacking the knight. So, the idea is to find a bishop and often win pieces. The best
_ move that will attack a second enemy piece, as way to see them in advance is
to be aware of latent threats -
there will then be two black pieces under attack - a
dangerous alignments of
‘double attack’. pieces, for example, the rook
If White plays 1 Bg8 or 1 Bd3 then Black will and the knight in the diagram
move the attacked knight and the bishop will take on this page. Of course, if the
knight was protected, the
the h7-pawn.
double attack wouldn’t work.

Mi,Ma
re tea

Double attacks | 91
3 Winning pieces

Another double attack

Look for a white piece that is lined up against a black
Seeing the danger
piece.
An experienced player would
avoid having his queen on the The white bishop is on the same diagonal as the
same diagonal as the enemy black queen. Any move by the white rook will leave
bishop, as in the diagram below. the black queen under attack. Notice that the white
,
As soon as the position arose,
knight protects the white bishop. Which is the best
he would assess the danger
and make plans to move his square for the white rook?
queen somewhere safer. If White plays 1 Rc7 then, after the black queen
moves to safety, White can take the b7-pawn. The
moves are: 1 Rc7 Q moves 2 Rxb7, winning a pawn.
However, White has a much better move: 1 Rc8!
Black could take this rook in three different ways,
but in doing so Black would lose the queen. If Black
moves the queen, then White plays 2 Rxa8 and wins
a rook. Black could play 1...Rxc8 2 Bxf6 gxf6 or
1...Qxb2 2 Nxb2 Rxc8 when White has won a queen
for a rook and a bishop.

92 | Need to know? Chess

Winning ways with check
All of the methods (forks, skewers and double attacks) of
threatening and winning enemy pieces can also be played
with an attack on the enemy king - a check.

More powerful
Checks are an even more powerful way of using these tactical
ideas because your opponent must get out of check and this
means less choice of moves.

ma WY

"|
a!
2 oe i eae
“aaa LQ

White plays 1 Rb1+ (skewer) Black plays 1...Nh3+ (fork) and

and will win the black pawn will take the rook next move
on b7 after the king moves after the king moves out of
out of check. check to f1 or g2 (from where it
still defends its rook). 2...Nxf2
3 Kxf2 and Black has won the
exchange (a rook for a knight).

Winning ways with check | 93

3 Winning pieces

Above: 1 Qc1+ and 1 Qc2+ - Above: 1...g5+ (fork) attacks

are just checks, but both king and knight. The
1 Qc3+ (fork) also attacks pawn is protected by the
the rook and wins it. The h6-pawn. White must reply
moves are: 1 Qc3+ Kb7 2 Kg3 and play continues,
2 Qxas. 2...gxf4t+ 3Kxf4, but Black
has won a knight for a pawn.

Above: White plays the

bishop fork1 Bb4+ and
after the black king moves
out of check, 2 Bxa3. After Left: Black wins a pawn by
2...Rxa3, White has won a
playing 1...Ng¢3+ (fork) and
rook for a bishop (called
after the king moves out
‘the exchange’).
of check, then 2...Nxeq.

94 | Need to know? Chess

 More about double checks.
The only way out ofa double check is a king move because you
Take care
cannot take two checking pieces at once, nor block two checks at All checks can be
once. That’s why a double check is so powerful. It is a special form dangerous, so be
of the double attack. especially careful
whenever an
enemy piece is
lined up on your
king, even when
there are other
pieces in between.

“White plays 1 Nxc6+, a double Black plays 1...Nxf3+, again a

check from rook and knight. double check, this time from
Black can only play 1...Ka8 or knight and bishop, forcing the
1...Kc8 and in both cases White white king to move. Black can
replies 2 Rb8 mate! 1 Na6+ then continue with 2...Nxg1.
_ gives exactly the same result. This shows just how powerful
the double check is.

Winning ways with check | 95

3 Winning pieces

Pins
As the name suggests a pin is a tactic that ‘pins down’ one piece
to another. If a piece is pinned to the king, you are not allowed to
move it because any move would place the king in check.

A pinned pawn
The a2-pawn cannot take the bishop
(1 axb3) because that would leave the white
king in check from the black rook. The pawn
can move to a3 (or a4, but then it would just
be taken). In this situation the a2-pawn is
said to be ‘pinned’. The white rook on c1 is
also pinned by the black rook on d1. The
white rook can take the black rook or move to
b1 but it cannot move along the c-file as that
would put the white king in check.

The black knight cannot move.

The white bishop pins it
against the black king. In the
same way, the black bishop is
pinned against the king by the
white queen. The black bishop
also cannot move.

96 | Need to know? Chess

Another kind of pin
_In these cases, it is legal to move the pinned piece because the pin is
against an ordinary piece not the king. However, ignoring the pin is
not a good idea as you will see.

NS DD SS
\Y
AN
Y
\
Y
WN Ce
Va Y
N

~
Bxa SSN

N
KASS
N
~L>
Ik
WS
ie

_The black rook on c8 pins the The white queen pins the
white c3-pawn because of the knight on f7 because of the
unprotected rook on c2. If unprotected rook on f8. If
White played 1 cxb4 then Black plays 1...Nxes, for
Black would reply 1...Rxc2 and example, then 2 Qxf8 is mate!
win the exchange. The pawn The knight move is legal, but is
capture is possible (legal), but not advisable.
it is a bad move because it
loses the rook for the bishop.

Pins | 97
3 Winning pieces

Why pins are important

Anything which restricts your choice of moves is bad. It makes
things harder for you and easier for your opponent. Let’s see
what can happen toa pinned (restricted) piece.

WY)

| “yy

Me

The black rook and king are on The white queen and king
the same diagonal. After are in line. After Black plays
White plays1 Bds, the black 1...Rf1 the white queen cannot
rook cannot move because it move because it is pinned to
is pinned to the king. The fact the king. This enables the
that the rook is protected by black rook to capture it next
the knight does not help. move. Even though the white
White will take the rook next king can then take the rook,
move and will have won the Black will have won a queen
exchange (a rook for a bishop), for a rook.
if the bishop is then taken by
the black knight.

98 | Need to know? Chess

Attacking pinned
pieces
The white bishop is pinned by
_the black rook, but the bishop
is protected twice by the
f3-pawn and the king.
‘However, the protectors
cannot help the bishop after
1...f5. Because it cannot move,
it will be lost, for example:
2 Kxg6 fxg4 and Black has won
a bishop for a pawn.

Pinned pieces
cannot defend
White can play 1 Rxb4 and
Black cannot recapture
because the c6-knight is
pinned by the ds5-bishop.

ee us
Pin priorities
Y ma > One of the unofficial ‘rules’
a of chess is always attack a
| Yj Yy pinned piece.
|« Yy » If one of your pieces is
Y
Te Zi pinned then getting out of the
pin is usually a high priority. It
is even better to avoid the pin
in the first place.

Pins | 99
3 Winning pieces

Winning in the middlegame

In this book you will find plenty of examples of how to go about
winning your opponent’s pieces. These examples form avital
part of the game. They are also one of the most enjoyable and
understandable parts of chess.

Attacking and exchanging

If you are under attack, try to exchange pieces. If you
_ are attacking, avoid exchanging pieces if you can.
If there is no attack, then exchange if you have
more pieces. It is generally better to have two pieces
against one rather than five against four.
Bring all of your pieces into play. Move them
towards the centre of the board where they are
more powerful. Always be on the look-out for
better squares for your pieces.

The a1-rook is still not

YY GE, YA, part of the game in the
UY oY diagram on the left, so if you

|
A ae
%on gaa
ere.
rook into the game, defends
my oaYj | Hees and puts the
‘ os #a
am am WY y |
icon=apoebiein sem
te th

Wy, br Yj Z ZG | black knight.

(msm we
Ve

7,272
VTTT7,

Va
T

100 | Need to know? Chess

 Yn

YG
La
a
Pe YI111774
Yi, Ly

aa
aAe 3Pn ada

In the above diagram White’s rooks are definitely in

the game. They illustrate the power of doubled
rooks. White can continue 1 Rxe8+ Rxe8 2 Bd6+
(forcing away the king) 2...Kg8 3 Rxe8+. White has
won a rook.

Improving your rooks

Watch out for ‘the lazy queen’s rook’. It isn’t really the
queen’s rook that’s lazy, it’s you who forgets to bring it
into the game. Rooks love open files (files without pawns)
and they work together very well (two rooks on one file
are called ‘doubled rooks’).

Winning in the middlegame | 101

Winning in the endgame
Every beginner needs to learn how to checkmate the enemy king
with just his king and one major piece. The big danger is giving
Stalemate instead of checkmate!

Forcing checkmate
How can you force checkmate with king and queen
There are dangers ; .
:
When checkmating with king
against king? You need to:
and rook, keep your rook _ a) use your queen to force the enemy king to the
protected. Always watch out side of the board;

ME SU CIO) Ae) b) bring up your king to help force checkmate;

c) beware of stalemates!

In this situation White could play: 1 Qca

White to move
Kd6 2 Qbs Ke6 3 Qcs Kf6 4 Qds Ke7 5 Qc6
Kf7 6 Qd6 Kg7 7 Qe6 Kh7 8 Qf6 Kg8 9 Qe7.
White has now achieved stage ‘a’, above.
The black king can only move between g8
and h8. Stage ‘b’ is for White to march his
j j king to f6 and then play Qg7 mate.
Y j j j Note that the white queen did not give
check in achieving stage ‘a’. On every
move the black king gave way and the
queen moved to create a smaller space for
the king.
Now put a white rook on c2 instead of
the queen. The big difference is that the white king
must stay with the rook in order to protect it.
1 Req Kds 2 Kc3 Kes 3 Rdg Kfs 4 Kd3 Kes 5 Ke3 Ke6
6 Keq4 Kf6 7 Rds Ke6 8 Kd4 Ke7 9 Kes Kf7 10 Rd6 Ke7
11 Kds Kf7 12 Re6 Kg7 13 Kes Kf7 14 Kfs Kf8 15 Kg6
Kg8 16 Re8 mate.

102
Winning with bishops
Checkmating with two bishops is more difficult and needs
practice. The steps are:
a) keep your bishops together and close to the centre of the
board;
b) force the enemy king into a corner of the board using
your king;
c) beware of stalemates!

1 Bb4+ Kf 2 Bc4+ Kg1 3 Kg3

Kh1 4 Bbs (This is just to waste

: in which
a move. You want a position
the white king isn’t
7 V4 *
a
Y;
-— Mi
blocking the key diagonals and 2 UY Y Y ]
you can play a check forcing Y By Y a.
the black king into the corner, 4 Y Yj YY
as on move 5.) 4...Kg1 (this is 3 72 Yj o
the position you need) 5 Bcs+ 2 yy Vi fa 4|
Kh1 6 Bc6 mate. Y Kyiy
ci

Now try to force mate in the

left-hand diagram, following
the general principles set out
above. It isn’t easy!
It is possible to
checkmate with king, bishop
and knight against a lone
king, but it hardly ever crops
up, is extremely difficult and
very few players know how
to do it. Some things we can
leave alone.

Winning in the endgame | 103

3 Winning pieces

Winning
by promoting pawns
Neither side has the pieces to checkmate so both
Kings and pawns only
players must play to promote a pawn.
Endings with only kings and
pawns are quite rare. If the Look for a part of the board where you have
enemy king is close enough to more pawns and try to advance a pawn that does
your advanced pawn to stop it
not have an enemy pawn in front of it.
promoting, then you will need
to advance your own king to
keep your pawn protected.

Vi

1.5! xcs 2 bxcs (White now hasa ‘passed pawn’,

that is, a pawn that doesn’t have to get past another
pawn in order to queen, see page 148) 2...g4 (the
black king cannot get to the c-pawn before it
queens, so Black tries to make a queen of his own)
3.¢6 h4 47 g3 5 c8Q+ and White will win easily
by stopping the black king’s side pawns (for
example, 5...Kg7 6 hxg3 hxg3 7 Qxe6 g2 8 Qg4t
wins the g-pawn).

104 | Need to know? Chess

More winning ways
This example shows the difference between the
powers ofa knight and a bishop. The knight is a
short distance piece but it can attack all squares,
whereas the bishop is a long distance piece that can
attack squares of only one colour. Black’s bishop
cannot defend its pawns on the queen’s side and
the king is too far away to do the job. The bishop
must attack the white queen’s side pawns instead.

ym

saa a, wo
S444,

aa i Yy

1 Nds (a good central square for the knight which

maximizes its strength; Black cannot defend the
pawn on b6)1...Bc2 (if Black attacks the c4-pawn by
1...Bd3 or1...Bf7, the result is similar) 2 Nxb6 (and
the knight defends both the a4- and c4-pawns)
2...Kf7 3 Nd7 Bxa4 4 Nxcs Bc2 5 b6 and there is no
way for Black to stop the advance of the b-pawn.

Winning in the endgame | 105

3 Winning pieces

Forcing mate
‘Never miss a check, it might be mate!’ is a famous chess maxim.
It does not mean that you should play every check that arises, but
consider every one in case it leads to something even better.

Examples
Chess talk
The world of chess has a
language of its own. One of its
peculiarities is that no-one
uses the word ‘checkmate’. It is
usually abbreviated to ‘mate’.

The king is trapped on Another trapped king on

the back rank. 1 Rc8+ the back rank. 1 Rf8+
forces 1...Bb8 and then gives Black no choice -
2 Nc7 is mate (the 1...Rxf8 and then 2 Rxf8
bishop is pinned). is mate.

The black king cannot

move. 1 Rxe5+ would
allow the king to
escape, but 1 Bb5+ Nc6
2 Bxc6 is a forced mate.

106 | Need to know? Chess

Checks that lead to mate
Black has not seen the threat to f7 from
the bishop and the queen. 1 Qxf7+ Kd7
(forced) 2 Be6 mate! 1 Bxf7+ (hoping for
1...Kd7? 2 Qfs5 mate) is not as good
because there is no forced mate after
1...Kf8 2 Bd6+ Nf6.

et ng The c6-knight could take the black

bat
\\
2 SXRANG
queen, but 1 Ne7+ Kh8 (forced) 2 Rxf8

2 \
\ SS

[Si
bo! Be
\ mate Is better!

b> \
\ £ x\
2 i
iW

of @ @
io XQ
gG Y \VF
WW"

{IB
Le
>

1 Nd6+ forces Black to reply 1....Kd8 or

1...Kf8 and then 2 Nxe6 is mate.

"Y
Aas
neLEY
Y;

Forcing mate | 107

4 Some simple
games
Having learned the moves and the basic ideas,
it is now time to see some action. In this
chapter there is a collection of very short games
with elementary mistakes by one side and good
play by the other. The mistakes are punished
severely and the play is instructive and
entertaining. The examples demonstrate many
chess tactics and strategies - developing pieces,
playing to control the centre and avoiding
exposing your king. Enjoy these games and try
to avoid the mistakes in your own efforts.
Short and sweet
None of the following games last very long because one player
makes an basic error. In the opening the most important thing
is to get your pieces into play.

Fool’s Mate
This is the shortest possible checkmate:
Actual moves
In the games in this section, the
1g¢4e5 2f3Qh4 mate
moves played are given in bold _ The diagram shows the final position.
(heavy) type. Other moves in There are three ways to get out of check:
normal type are alternatives
1) take the piece giving check;
that could, and sometimes
should, have been played. Such 2) move the king out of check;
‘discussions’ about the moves 3) block the check by putting a piece between the
help to give the reader a clearer piece giving check and the king.
idea of what is happening on
Surprisingly, White cannot do anyof these, so it
the board.
is checkmate.

Final position - checkmate

110
 Scholar’s Mate
- Another quick checkmate, Scholar’s Mate, is often
Avoid blunders
seen in school chess - hence its name. e ;
The ‘??’ shows that a move is a
1e4e5 2BcqNc6 3 Qhs5 Nf6?? 4 Qxf7 mate very serious mistake - known
The diagram below illustrates the final position. as a ‘blunder’ (see page 72).
Make sure you understand why this position is
checkmate. The king cannot take the queen to get
out of check because then the c4-bishop would be
giving check.
Instead of the blunder on move 3, Black should
have played g7-g6 to block the queen’s attack on f7,
or protected the f7-pawn by Qe7 or Qf6.

Final G7 ‘checkmate
Playing tips
» Do not expose your king;
oslL
oe
& wy
ms protect your weak point at f7
Gt ee, Yj or f2 (see below) if it is attacked
» Do not bring your queen out
aaYi a too early
Y
Wi
ZX Y pm After you have castled, do not

“/ 27 - e
fan ‘WY weaken your king’s protection.

Y Y eak points
The squares f2 and f7 are the

Vi YU
YY YY weakest squares on the board at
AEG & a, WA ni the start of the game. This is
i TITTUE Uitttt Looe
“y
me because they are only protected
ES GEE 4 E by the king. All the other squares
a b c d e i g h in each sides’ position are
t defended by a stronger piece.

111
 Some simple games

Setting about winning

In general, there are three ways of achieving checkmate:
Players
Waenlexperionced king ((this may y not p produce a
1) adirect attack on the enemy king
players get into a checkmate but if it enables you to win an enemy piece, then
very bad position, switch to option 2 below);
Ui yectgerstic 2) improve the position of your pieces and try to win enemy
‘resign’ the game, ; d
ee < Eon pieces, so that you have a bigger army, and then attack your
their opponent will opponent’s king;
not make a mistake 3) if you don’t have enough pieces to force a checkmate, try to
eT Oa ‘queen’ (promote) a pawn and then attack the enemy king.
Your opponents
will not be that
Let’s look at the kinds of mistakes that can happen early.
good and you don’t
gain experience Your opponent exposes his king
in that way. Play on 1d4fs 2Bgs h6?
until mate! ; F
After this a queen check on hs will be very dangerous.
3 Bhq g5??
Black can trap the bishop but doesn’t see the danger to his king.
4 Bg3 f4
The bishop is lost. Is the game over? Well, nearly!
5 e3!
Threatening Qhs mate!
5..-h5
pe ee ae developing a Riese aul bea
: " ey ‘ Wy Kid, ee akWhite can win a pawn
kabal Lee
ae
as Cae
Y See even better is:ic:
O°

0007 GY W107. yy Yat77 ‘YW

1oeVB :
Ue Key 6 Bd3!

a — “4 Threatening Bg6 mate! Black must make

Ui me some space around his king, by Bg7 or e6.
Y Ui
YY iy Y ;
Y Y x Y 6...Rh6?? (see diagram)
3 Wy we -_ Black has everything defended, but now
2| 8% YE &Y
& Vig A comes the big surprise.
HO 7we Fe] b din iee Veet
roms
What a shock. Black has no choice.
7..-Rxhs 8 Bg6 mate!
J
== N
Endangering the king by
After3-oe
exposure
1eqges5 2Nf3Nf6 3 Nxes Nxeq?
(see diagram)
Black should play 3...d6 to drive back the
white knight which is in a dangerous
attacking position. After 4 Nf3, Black can
safely take on e4. ‘aA
4.Qe2
White immediately attacks the enemy
knight and, by occupying the e-file,
threatens the black king.
4...Nf6?? (see diagram)
This sets up a discovered check for White.
Black needed to play 4...d5 and then, if
5 d3, he could reply 5...Qe7 on a ‘you
attack my knight and I'll attack yours’
basis. It doesn’t get him out of trouble
because of 6 dxe4 Qxes 7 exd5 winning a
pawn because the black queen is pinned,
but it’s better than the discovered check!
Now, wherever the knight goes, it will
be check. So what do you want to win?
5 Nxf7+? is no good because of 5...Kxf7.
5 Ng6+ wins the rook on h8 but, even loo
iy
v, ‘Y G
better is: G11

5 Nc6+! (see diagram)

af
The knight attacks the queen and if
5...Qe7, the knight is still attacking the
queen. Opening the e-file has cost Black
his queen.
4 Some simple games

Black surrounds his king

Sometimes the e-file can be fatal even
when it still has a pawn on it.
1e4c6 2d4d5 3Nc3 dxeq4
4 Nxeq4 Nd7? (see diagram)
The last move is poor because it leaves
NX
SQS8s \ the black king surrounded. Black thinks

\ \S\ that the king must be safe so early in the

prNNUY,
x>
\
WY
KX SX X
b>WN
S&S
NS
x »
game. 4...Nf6 would be a much better

ee| aw Yi,
KAY ZG
move.
BS Ta

5 Qe2
This isn’t a good move because the queen
blocks the f1-bishop, but it does set a
simple trap and Black falls right into it,
this time.
5.--Ngf6?? (see diagram)
Black doesn’t see what’s coming.
6 Nd6 mate!
The e-pawn is pinned to the king by the
white queen and the black king cannot
breathe.
The same idea can come about by 1 e4 es
2 £4 exf4 3 Nf3 (to stop Qh4+) 3...d5
4 Nc3 dxe4 5 Nxe4 Bga 6 Qe2 (Black
must now play a move that prevents the
discovered check, such as 6...Be7, but
thinks it’s good enough to attack the
white queen) 6...Bxf3?? 7 Nf6 mate! It’s
double check, so the attack on the queen
does not matter. Note that 7 Nd6+ isn’t
good enough because the king can
escape to d7.

114 | Need to know? Chess

 White surrounds his king
_ This example of a player surrounding the
king is quite bizarre.
1e4ge6 2d4d5 3Nd2
This seems odd as it blocks the bishop,
but White can get away with it. 3 es, 3 WY

WYS\N
N~*

~ exds and 3 Nc3 are all good moves.

3---€5
\
[>
SS
Because White’s last move was rather SY

K\\
Ww"
quiet, Black can afford to attack the
ASS
centre instead of rushing to get his pieces LN|
WNiy

into play.
4 exds exds (see diagram) N

5 dxcs? a 2 AW se 2 ESx)WSS
Wy, y
Wy X
This is poor because it helps Black to pe
Vs
Wg
Y Y Y
71 Wa a

_ develop his bishop to a good square,

attacking the weak point f2. Y ge Yi

5...Bxc5 6 Ne2?? (see diagram) Y Li,

Y
Look what he’s done to his king (and his
bishops)!
6...Qb6! (see diagram)
- Black threatens Bxf2 mate and White
~ cannot defend that pawn. White must
move a knight to make space for his king.
-
If he moves the d2-knight or tries Nc3,
Nfa4, Ng3 or Ng, then 7...Bxfa+ 8 Ke2
~ Qe3 mate is the answer. White can only | a aots
Yi Y, J,|
“oe
Hat
- play 7 Nd4 Bxd4 8 Qe2+, but has lost a
piece in the process.
72 A
Ae a
AMAA &
2 gwaas)

Short and sweet | 115

 yames
A. SO me sim DIE Sallie.

Va
v's;

ree
ole
White fails to develop his

3)
After a=

This example illustrates a very clever

ae

finish by Black, but poor play by White.

jag
<<
SS 1e4e5 2f4exf4 3 b3?
\ys S =uo cVvVvUv W
a)
° a2)vu>VU OoQa Qa. OVv W oO e O°
UT aus)

a
~

prevent Black’s next move. 3 Nf3 would

Hic eet be an advisable move.
3.--Qh4+ (see diagram)
White is suddenly in trouble. If the king
moves, White will not be able to castle,

After 5 h3? tefe BONO

SO:
ey

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6 Ke2
Now Black finds a very neat way to finish.
6....Qxe4+ 7 Kf2 gxhiN mate!
(see diagram)
In this game White has not developed a

ie a single piece, unless you count his king.

‘a
om
 Black fails to develop his
After 3...g6?
s pieces
Here, Black doesn’t fail entirely to develop
his pieces, but certainly does not put
them in useful places.
1e4d6 2Bcq4
Threatening the weak f7.
2...Nd7
The knight is not as active here as it would
be at c6 and it is blocking the c8-bishop.
3 Nf3 g6? (see diagram)
Now f7 Is going to be in serious trouble.
4Ng5
Moving a piece twice in the opening is
often bad, but here it works.
4...Nh6?? (see diagram)
Black has to play 4...e6 or perhaps even
4...Nes. Now White finishes off things
very neatly.
5 Bxf7+! Nxf7 6 Ne6 (see diagram)
A more miserable black queen is hard to
imagine. Black’s strongest piece is
completely powerless.

ARMADA
sWee
Advice on development
Move each of your pieces once. Put it on YY Z
AD Y/ WY
and leave it there (unless it’s Y), Y Y 7
eer

ce
aft&Yi Vi
va oon

| 117
 Don’t develop your queen
too early
Deciding when to develop your queen is a
very important decision. If you develop
your queen too soon, there is a danger
that it will be attacked and even lost.
1d4cs 2dxcs Qas5+ 3 Nc3 Qxcs
Black has recovered his pawn but his
queen Is very exposed to attack.
4e4e5
Perhaps d6 or Nc6 would have been
better. Now White has a very good square
for his knight at ds.
i as
4 5 Nf3 d6

ae a
Another move that does not develop a

we
piece.
6 Nds (see diagram)

a BO
Setting a trap.
6...Ne7
At last a developing move, but a poor one.
eis He doesn’t see the trap. 6...Nc6 would
allow 7 Nc7+ (fork), winning the a8-rook.
6...Be6 would allow the black queen to
retreat to c8 next move.
7 bg! (see diagram)
Stay at home Out of the blue. It is now clear that the
Leave your queen at home until you are sure
queen has only one square.
where best to place it.
7--Qc6 8 Bbs!
Pinning the queen to the king and leaving
Black no choice.
8...Qxb5 9 Nc7+
This knight fork wins the black queen.

118 | Need to know?

 White develops his queen
too early After 6...Bxc5

Here, White is forced to bring his queen Vt,

into play only to find it has no safe square. Yj jh a
Ly
1d4Nf6 2c4e6 3Nf3d5 4 33 Y Y

The last move is rather slow - 4 Bgs or mm

4 e3 would be better for White. 4
4...dxc4 5 Nbd2
White could recapture the pawn by
5 Qa4+ and Qxc4 but prefers to delay
developing his queen.
5---¢5 6 dxcs
This helps Black to develop, but White’s
d4-pawn was attacked.
6...Bxc5 (see diagram)
Placing the f2-pawn under attack, which
White had underestimated.
7 Bg2? Bxf2t! (see diagram)
Black has worked out the rest of the
game.
8 Kxf2 Ng4+ 9 Ke1
lf White played 9 Kg1 Black would play
g...Qb6+ 10 e3 Qxe3+ 11 Kf1 Qf2 mate. If
White tried 9 Kfa then g...Ne3+ forks the iG
Vy
q
king and queen.
g...Ne3 10 Qaqt+
This is the queen’s only safe move.
~ 10...Bd7 (see diagram)
se
a Vi

Now, if White plays either 11 Qb4 or

11 Qa3, he will lose his queen when Black
WY
responds 11...Nc2+.

| 119
 Weakening your opponent's
After 7
7
castled position
The three pawns in front of the castled
king are an important line of defence.
They should be moved as little as
Y WA possible. If you can force your opponent
eae Y to weaken these pawns, then your

V/ ASM chances of a successful attack have

iG, L %A improved.
1eqge5 2Nf3Nc6 3 Bc4Bcs
VEY We
4Nc3Nf6 5d30-0
This move is castles, king’s side.
6Bgs d6 7Nds5
Now there is nothing Black can do to
prevent White from taking on f6 and
SS
QSWY RW
SG . forcing the reply gxf6, which weakens the
WV king’s position.
7...Bd7 (see diagram)
8 Nxf6+ gxf6 9 Bh6 Re8 10 Nhq4
(see diagram)

Y 4S Making it possible for the white queen to

d join the attack via f3 or hs. This position is
very difficult for Black.
10...Na5
Now, if White plays 11 Qhs, attacking f7 a
second time, Black can reply 11...Nxcq.
11 Qf3 Nxcq4?
Black’s only defence was 11...Kh8 (ready
to play 12...Rg8), but then 12 Bxf7.
12 Qg3+ Kh8 13 Qg7 mate
(see diagram)

120
Your opponent weakens his
own castled position After 8 g4??

A little bit of help from your opponent is

always welcome.
1ege5 2Nf3Nc6 3Bcq4Bcs5 4Nc3 =
man
7
UK
oe
Nf6 5d3d6 60-0 Bg4 7h3 Bhs
8 g4?? (see diagram) V4
In the previous game White played 7 Nds
and forced checkmate by taking on f6,
exposing the black king. Here White is
afraid that this will happen to him if
Black is allowed to play Ndq.
8...Nxg4 9 hxg4 Bxgq (see diagram)
Now Black can choose to play Nd4 or

a eae
Qf6, both of which attack the pinned

4’ ko
knight on f3.

20.030
10 Nds
This stops Qf6 but not Nd4.
10...Nd4 11 Be3 Ws ae.
11 Bgs loses at least a piece after Oe 2m G
11...Nxf3+. ZN), 8
11...Nxf3+
Now 12 Kg2 loses the queen after
12...Nh4+, so...
12 Kh1 Qhg+ 13 Kg2 Qh2 mate
(see diagram)

Short and sweet | 121

 Black develops badly
After 4...Bb6
This game was played nearly 500 years
8| 2 Ay2 77/27) AE
7, ih 7
ago between unknown players.
A -txrtirste 1ege5 2Nf3
Yi, Y BAS Y
(| w@ Zl wh 7 Developing towards the centre.
2...Qf6
This protects the e5-pawn but it is too
Agr Y/ OTFT7,

| TAG soon to develop the queen. 2...Nc6 would

|B Wi FURR be a better move.

TL aes 3¢3
An unnecessary pawn move. 3 Nc3 or Bc4
Coediae
is simpler. White intends to play d4 as
Final Ao after 8esmate!
soon as possible.
3..-Bcs ;

& anaee
iam oe
A poor developing move as this bishop is
going to be attacked by White’s d-pawn
MiUe G7
Y
Ag s ‘y
Yoo and so will have to move again.
4 d4 Bb6 (see diagram)

Min, It was important to play 4...exd4 as White

BO BMS can now win a pawn.

Ni Be 5 Be3
White could have taken the e5-pawn.
5do
Black Is preparing to develop his c8-
bishop, but the bad position of his queen
is about to become very important.
6 dxes
Attacking the queen which must not
recapture.
6...dxes 7 Bg5
Again attacking the queen. Now 7...Qd6
is vital.
7---Qg6?? 8 Qd8 mate! (see diagram)

122 | Need to know? Chess

How to develop faster
wea
After 3...Bxd6
14
This doesn’t help White to develop his
pieces. mals
1...€5 d,s
This is a ‘gambit’. Black gives away a pawn
in order to develop his pieces quickly.
2 fxe5 d6 3 exd6 Bxd6 (see diagram)
Now the idea can be clearly seen. Black
has already developed
one piece and the
others can also appear very quickly.On_ .
the other hand, White has made no
progress at all and his king is open along
the e1/ha diagonal, which is dangerous.
4Nc3?? i neh.
Developing,
but a blunder. White should ‘ea ae
play 4 Nf3 to prevent Black’s next move.
Ay
eal
Y
4...Qh4t+ 5 g3 (see diagram) Wa?
White’s only move! Black now has two : %
U7,
wy “Up

ways to force checkmate. Let’s choose Yl

the spectacular way.
5.--Qxg3t!
The other way to win was by s...Bxg3+ 6
hxg3 Qxg3 mate, but it’s nice to sacrifice
your queen. veak
6 hxg3
oe
sik Gas

Again theonly legal move.

7...Bxg3 mate! (see diagram)
This is very similar to Fool’s Mate (see
page 110).
 Black exposes his king
After 4...Ke7
1eges5 2Nf3 f6?
yy ZZ Loree
Tem) This is not a good move because it does
Ye
Yl @ Ula |
Lahn
ere7 V0) & not help Black to develop any pieces and
it also opens the h4/e8 diagonal,
iy Zs, “yy Up
exposing the black king.
Ma aM Y
3 Nxes
WY White takes immediate advantage.
Ue
Uf 3...fxe5 4 Qhst Ke7 (see diagram)
If Black plays 4...g6 then White continues
5 Qxe5+ and 6 Qxh8.
5 Qxes5+ Kf7 6 Bcq4t
Now White has two pieces in his attack.
6...Kg6 7 Qf5+ Kh6 (see diagram)
8 d4+
The c1-bishop joins the attack.
8...25
The only sensible move.
9h4
Now the white rook joins in. White is
threatening to play 10 hxgs5+ Kg7 11 Qf7
mate.
g...Kg7 10 Qf7+ Kh6 11 hxgs mate
(see diagram)
a It’s double check. White’s sacrifice on
move 3Is justified because he can play
checks on moves 4-8, bringing pieces
into his attack. At the end, White isn’t so
much a piece down as four attacking
pieces ahead!

124 | Need to know? Chess

 Exploiting f7
After 2)Ee
- The pawns at f2 and f7 are special - they
are the weakest on the board. This is
because they are only protected by their eer
king. All the other pawns are protected by m “a aie
at least one strong piece. Vi ‘a 8
Anything that is weak is going to be mma
attacked, as we saw in Scholar’s Mate (see ae MR
w EAE
page 111) and as we see again here.
1e4ge5 2Nf3d6
Black’s move blocks the f8-bishop.
2...Nc6 would be a good move,
developing a piece.
3 Bc4 Bg4 4Nc3 g6? (see diagram) YZay iy ZA

Another move that doesn’t help Black’s ey wana

development. 4...Be7 would be better. jh mam
5 Nxes! V7 \45
Very surprising. If Black takes the knight j ee
on es, then White plays Qxg4 and has I ne
won a pawn. But can’t Black take the
wiBs
white queen?
5...Bxd1 6 Bxf7+
The weak pawn disappears, leaving Black
with only one move.
6...Ke7 7 Nds mate! (see diagram)
Targets -f7 and f2
Of course, White had everything worked Attacks on f7 and f2 are themes which
out at move 5 or he would not have dared occur again and again, particularly in the
to give away his queen. opening. This shows just how sensitive
these squares are.

ort and sweet | 125

5 Ways to avoid
losses
By now you should be aware of some of the
main ways in which you can set about
winning your opponent’s pieces, but what do
you do when you get into difficulty yourself?
This section includes some tactics and
techniques that may get you out of trouble.
There is no shortage of ways for you to try to
save yourself, but they won’t always work!
5 Ways to avoid losses

Unprotected Pieces
We have already seen how important it is to protect your pieces
if there is any danger of them being attacked. Any piece that isn’t
protected could present your opponent with an opportunity.

Two simple examples

The rook is unprotected. 1 Qd4+ wins
the rook by a queen fork.

aa
5

‘
’
'
-

The white rook and black king are in line

and the black rook is unprotected. 1
Kb6+ is a discovered check that wins the
black rook.

128 | Need to know? Chess

 Find the unprotected piece
_ Which black piece isn’t protected?
1 Qa2 wins the rook on g8 which has
nowhere safe to go. Black cannot block
with the d-pawn because it is pinned.

—
Wj

L C

The d6-bishop is unprotected. This

means that the ds-knight is pinned -
attack it by1 e4. If the knight stays,
then 2 exds, and if it moves, then
2 Rxd6.

The knight is unprotected. 1 Re8+ Kg7 Yj, ie

2 Re7+ is a rook fork that wins the Wheae *« Al
knight. : 7 a7 a7
Y/ -

| ...i, i. Ua
} ,aaa
Vjae)
: a mm YW
jaa)

Unprotected pieces | 129

5 Ways to avoid losses

Simple defences
Of course, the best idea is not to get into trouble but,
unfortunately, we all find ourselves in difficult situations

[a7
from time to time. The important thing is not to panic.
NN?

x ie om
Block the check
<0
— |
“ ;

White plays the queen fork 1 Qe6+,

|

threatening to win the d7-rook. List the

ways to get out of check and try to find
1 st ws3:

one that saves the rook. 1...Rf7 does

Bee

the trick.
ans
.
we
»
xy

White plays 1 Qaq4+ - another queen fork

that threatens the undefended bishop
on e4. List the ways out of check.
You will find that if Black plays
at 1...Bc6, he saves the bishop.

i:
“ae
“4

130 | Need to know? Chess

Defend with check
If you have two pieces that are being attacked, sometimes
you can move one to safety with a check and then, when your
opponent has moved out of check, move the other.

Defensive examples
White plays 1 Nc4 and forks the two
rooks. 1...Rd1+ isn’t possible because of
“2 em
2 Bxdi, but 1...Ra1+ works - 2 Kh2 and a7 VA.“f=ai
& y
Black moves the d6-rook to safety. - = ee, Vy
Wi
__ wt
"a Me yy
aa! 277!A|
218
af in

Here, White plays 1 Nxe6 (double attack).

White is attacking the rook and
_ threatening the knight fork - 2 Nxf7+. YY
Black plays 7...Rd2+ and then fxe6. The aa aae
check on f7 is no longer important.
2 WA,
Al Fe
UU FB
tecmen“a

Defend with check | 131

Defend with a mate threat
A move which threatens mate is very powerful and can rarely be
ignored. It can get you out of trouble because your opponent has
to respond to it instead of carrying on with his own plans.

Black threatens mate

White to move
In playing 1 Bxf6, White removes the
defender of the e8-rook and threatens
Qxe8+. Black responds with 1...Re2!,

Kk
saving the rook and threatening mate
YG

TTF V7 by Qxg2.

1 Qe4 (queen fork) is answered by 1...Rd8

so that if White plays 2 Qxg6??, Black can
Ma Va play 2...Rd1 mate. White plays 2 b3 and
ETT
% Black saves his knight.

132 | Need to know? Chess

Defend with a pin
You should look for ways to use a pin to prevent losses; not
always a pin against the king, it can sometimes be a pin against a
major piece or even an undefended minor piece.

Reply with a pin

White to move
1 Bd6 (skewer) looks strong. Take
advantage of the position of the white
queen. 1...Rd8 threatens to win the . Vi, Van
bishop and forces 2 Bxe7 Rxd2. Black A
mS) yy
could also avoid loss with 1...Qd8 or a d, MA,
1...Qd7, pinning the white bishop. ZG UTZ
mK “Y
Ze
Y

1 Bgs is an unpleasant fork on the knight

and the rook. Black replies 1...Bh6,
pinning the white bishop against his ey
king, so White can then only play 2 Bxh6
and Black replies 2...Rxh6. a Vy
a SB Mi,

Ae
A Si ms

| 133
5 Ways to avoid losses

Further detente
Over the next few pages we will see examples of Black using
every trick in the book so as to avoid losses, and there
are plenty of tricks!
wo Pe

a
Defend with a fork
aC
ol oe7
oe

The e5-pawn seems to be unprotected,

_
ind<4

but if1 Nxes, then 1...Qd4+ will win

the knight.
g “a
a <3 4

“ak Sie

aoe
waa -

NG
:

If White plays 1 Rd1 it is a skewer, but

also a blunder. Black replies 1...Nf2+

oa Sa (fork) and wins the rook.

ed
SSN

=:
am he
\ Tay
\a: ~ \
Sh \ <\ XS

e \N
al:

134 | Need to know? Chess

 Defend with a skewer
_ White’s move 1 Rxc6 looks good, 7s j/827/ ®WV my
expecting 1...bxc6 2 Qxc6+ (fork)
winning the a8-rook. But Black plays mse. Bake
1...Bd7 (skewer) and can then win the 6 ek
white rook. WA

meme

The white queen is under attack from

the b3-pawn. If White plays 1 Qxca, to
win a pawn, then 1...Ba6 (skewer)
forces 2 Qc1 (the queen’s only safe
square), 2...Bxe2, winning a bishop.

Counter attack 3 (me j/,

When you have pieces under attack, 7 msisrn a|
look for a move that will threaten one a7 yy Y) a 7
of your opponent's pieces that is as am Y/ YY |
valuable, or more valuable. There are a yy U2]
two undefended black pieces, on the LY Y a
fourth rank. 1 Re4 (fork). Black can reply aa
: 2a = He
4...Nc2 (attacking the a1-rook) and after
2 Rai, Black can play 2...Bfs saving the a kenees a z
bishop and defending the knight.
Further defences | 135
5 Ways to avoid losses

Defend with a double attack

oa
. g|
at
we 1 Rxd4? The rook on d8 should have
PSs

warned White that this move is

WSS
ae 0

dangerous. Black can play 1...Bh2+

(double attack) 2 Kxh2 Rxd4 or1...Bc5
2a

(pin) 2 Rxcs Rxd4.

Be
SS}

8
a

..
aaa
‘3a
:a

eit
z|‘ui =a i
1 Qxa6?? White is about to find out

1
0a a
es
that this pawn is protected. Look for
* i

checks. 1...Ba3+ 2 Kb1 Qxa6. Defences

ici
along the ranks are hard to spot. Vat _
ea
a.

<J.\\*
.
iSL

,
a
it

828.
a
y

fze\ ze c

The f7-pawn is pinned, so White tries

1 Qxg6. But White’s back rank is weak -
a 4a

1...Rd1+! 2 Bxd1 (forced) and now the

f7-pawn is not pinned, so 2...fxg6.
“
i

SS
|dO

p
2
y

136 | Need to know? Chess

Defend in other ways
z to move
In these two examples, Black gets out of
trouble by driving away a defender in
order to win a piece.
White’s queen is threatened. After
1 Bxcs? Rxa7 2 Bxd6+ Kxd6 White has
lost a bishop for a pawn. So instead,
White plays just to win a pawn - 1 Qxcs,
but is met by 1...Rxh2+! 2 Bxh2 (forced)
2 AXES,

White
to move

EZ ye, Mx The e4-pawn is attacked twice and Is

Bahay)
"tg 949 be Yj
ZF
only defended once. 1 Nxe4? After
1...h5, the white queen must move to
a square from where it does not
Wi, 4,
manaawe defend the knight and allow 2...Bxe4.

Think ahead
Despite these many clever ways to help
you get out of trouble, most of the time
when you find yourself in difficulties, there
is no way out. The best advice is to try to
see the problems coming and avoid them.

es | 137
6 More ideas

You can play chess just for fun or you can

play competitively. Those readers who
want to go beyond the ‘fun’ stage will find
that chess can be an immensely technical
and complicated game, rich in ideas. This
chapter will give you the merest glimpse of
a few of these ideas, as well as explaining
some of the more technical terms that
have crept into this book.
Key ideas
The three interlocking ideas of the centre, the development
and the initiative underpin all chess games. They are important
because of the design of the board and the competitive nature
of the game. The other topics here will explain some of the more
complex ideas and round off your knowledge of the basics.

The centre
The importance of the centre is a key idea in chess.
Basic to chess
The fight to control the centre By the centre, we mean the four squares in the
is one of the key themes in middle of the board, d4, ds, e4 and es. There is also
most chess openings and is a ‘central zone’ of 16 squares with c3, c6, f3 and f6
essential in nearly all games.
at the corners.
Developing (see page 142)
quickly and sensibly is the We have already seen that most of the pieces
main way of going about this become stronger as they get closer to the centre of
fight. Seizing and maintaining the board because they attack more squares. But as
the initiative is about
they come closer to the centre, they also attack
stamping your authority on
the game and making things more important squares. From the centre they are
go your way. more likely to create threats and more likely to
reduce the scope ofthe enemy pieces. If you occupy
the centre, then not only will your pieces become
stronger but your opponents’ pieces will probably
become weaker.
Remember, your opponent also knows the
importance of the centre, so he isn’t going to just
give it to you. You will have to fight for it!
The battle for the centre often has three stages:
a) establish a pawn in the centre to aid your
development
b) increase your control of the centre squares
c) occupy the centre with your pieces.

140 | Need to know?

 2
ake

a b c e f g h

In the opening 1 d4 ds 2 c4, Black usually replies

2...e6 or 2...c6 in order to be able to recapture with a
pawn if White should play 3 cxds. In this way, Black
will maintain his pawn centre.
The moves 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c3 are called the
Ponziani Opening after an 18th century Italian
player/author. The idea is for White to play d4 and to
be able to recapture with his c-pawn if Black plays
exdq, which would be a mistake because it would
leave White with pawns at d4 and e4 and with
control of the centre.
After1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4? 4 Nxd4
White’s pieces will be able to develop freely, whereas
Black’s will be obstructed by his d6-pawn. White has
more space and the better game.

| 141
 Development
This is the name given to the process of getting your pieces
into play early in the game.
It is of vital importance for you to develop, both in
quantity and also in ‘quality’. By quality, we mean by putting
your pieces on to good squares rather than on to any old
square and, as your play and knowledge improve, by placing
them so that they work together to pursue a plan.
You have to make pawn moves to get your pieces into
play, but every extra pawn move Is a piece you haven’t
developed.
After1 e4 es you can develop your knights or the f1-
bishop (not your queen!). It isn’t clear where your bishop
should go but the knights are almost certain to go to c3 and
f3, so develop a knight.
‘Knights before bishops’ is an old saying.
After 2 Nf3 (attacking the e5-pawn) 2...Nc6 (developing
and defending the pawn), you
can chose between 3 Bbs or

\
Waa Se Za 4GATETA
3 Bc4. Both are good moves.
White can also ignore old
MX sayings and play 1e4 es
2 Bc4 (aiming at the weak

OG ay‘a
point f7) or1 e4 es 2 d4 which
also helps his development.

reer
Wi =
Another old saying is

oom
eos ‘move each piece once, put

ama
A
a C=
wise>oR,
om
oe
\ it on its best square and leave
it there’ (while you develop

mwa mx other pieces).

toms LV LG
UY

After1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nc6 3

Tee f g A Bc4 Bcs look at the
possibilities (see diagram).

142 | Need to know? Chess

Here White has several choices:
a) 40-0 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 d3 and develop quietly, or 4 a-o d6
Key ideas
5 ¢3 Bg4
6 Qb3 not so quiet at all. |
The centre, the
b) 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 d3 is again quiet development; but 5 Nds development and
Nxe4 6 Qe2 Nf6 7 d4 is more difficult. the initiative are
three ideas that are
c) 4d3 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 Bgs is another quiet way, but Black
tied together.
can choose 4...d6 5 Be3 Bg4. Between them
d) 43 (to attack the centre by d4) 4...Qe7 (to stop d4 they tell you to get
because ofthe possibility of Qxe4+) 5 o-o d6. Can White your pieces out
quickly. Do itina
play 6 d4? Look at his undeveloped queen’s side!
way that helps you
e) 4 b4 - White goes on to the attack! He plans 4...Bxb4 to fight for control
5 c3 Bcs 6 dg attacking the centre and developing quickly. of the centre. Try
Is it worth a pawn? to dictate the
course of play and
Quiet development is sound but easy to defend against.
develop an attack.
Always look to attack!

The initiative
Who decides what is happening on the board? Who is
dictating the course of the game? The answer is the player
with the initiative!
The initiative is the power to make threats that are
more powerful than the threats of the opponent. The
player with the initiative is the player who is advancing his
plans whilst his opponent has to respond rather than
advance his own plans.
Because it is usually easier to attack than to defend,
having the initiative is very important. That is why some
players are happy to give up material to order to obtain, or
to keep, the initiative.
But this is also a matter of taste. Some players are
happy to take any gifts and to weather the attack with the
intention of counter-attacking later. It’s a difficult art, but
some players specialise in it!

| 143
 At the beginning of the game, White has the
initiative because he has the first move. His job is to
Still important
keep it and to try to build on it. Black’s job is to try to
The centre, the development
and the initiative are also cancel it out (to ‘equalise’) and then to assume the
important throughout the initiative himself.
game. Once you have
Your initiative is growing if:
developed your pieces, you
need to consider how hard
a) your lead in development is growing
they are working. Can you b) your opponent’s king gets into difficulties
find better squares for them c) you saddle your opponent with a weakness - a
so that they can become
backward pawn, an isolated pawn, a bad bishop
more powerful?
d) you increase your control of the centre
e) you increase the power of your pieces.
If you win material and keep the initiative, you
should have a won position.

Some of the most interesting,

After Bxb2
and difficult, questions in
CPTTE
chess arise when one side
gives up material in order to
increase their initiative into
an outright attack. After the
moves 1 €4 es 2 d4 exd4 3 ¢3
dxc3 4 Bc4 cxb2 5 Bxb2
White has a wonderful
attacking position, but is it
worth two pawns?
Black has done nothing

mw
77OTTT
EY
wrong so he should be able
to equalise.

144 | Need to know? Chess

Gambits
In some chess openings, one side gives up material in order to gain time for
the development of pieces. Such openings are called ‘gambits’.
Here are some examples:
Queen’s Gambit Accepted: 1 d4 ds 2 cq dxc4
Queen’s Gambit Declined: 1 d4 ds 2 c4 e6 (or 2...c6)
Albin Counter Gambit (Albin was a late nineteenth century player): 1 d4 ds5
2c4e5
King’s Gambit Accepted: 1 e4 es 2 f4 exf4
King’s Gambit Declined: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 Bcs (or other second moves)
Falkbeer Counter Gambit (Falkbeer was a famous nineteenth century
player):1e4e52f4d5
From’s Gambit (From was a nineteenth century Danish player): 1 f4 e5
2 fxes d6 3 exd6 Bxd6. It is easy to see in this position that Black will be
able to develop his pieces much faster than White.

Open file/half-open
file

i 2aie
faa es
An open file is one without GIAAITE 0 Ahad

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pawns. On a half-open file
only one side has a pawn.

Open file
The c-file is open and White
controls it and has a big
mae i
advantage. If both sides have
rooks on an open file, then
3 nf a
‘2
a
there are usually exchanges. Le
a7

a Z,
LLL L4,
Wes

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leas | 145
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146 | Need to know? Chess

a wa
ia 88 a
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6 More ideas

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walk.
The Exchange
‘The Exchange’ is the difference between a rook and
Combination
a knight or a rook and a bishop. A player who wins a The name given to a series of
rook for a knight (or bishop) is said to have ‘won the moves linked by an ideais a
exchange’. ‘combination’. This usually
involves some forcing moves
- captures, checks, mate
White to move
threats or other threats. See

|X] 27], Be]

@
a0 “a
the example under Sacrifice
on the opposite page.

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WOT E?

V777777

ii ‘a tmom,
|B aS Yi FOE
73 ee
GaxG SEG,

1 Bd6 forks the black queen and f8-rook and ‘wins

the exchange’ after Black moves his queen and
White plays 2 Bxf8 Kxf8. Black must not play
1...Qxd6 because of2 Bxh7+ Kxh7 3 Qxd6 and Black
has lost his queen.

Blunder
A blunder is a mistake so serious that the player who
has made it will lose the game (or perhaps turn a win
into a draw) if his opponent replies correctly.

| 147
 Passed pawn
A pawn which doesn’t have
an enemy pawn in front of it
or on an adjoining flle is a
‘passed pawn’.
White’s pawns at e7 and
h6 are passed pawns and very
dangerous. 1 Rxc6 (vacating
f6 for his knight) 1...bxc6 2
Nf6+ Kh8 3 Nxe8 and the e-
pawn will promote.

The h-pawn is a passed

pawn. It has potential but
isn’t dangerous yet. Black
would prefer to have his rook
YAO7 7.
behind the pawn so that it
G11 17
supports the pawn as it
advances. Black’s problem
C1007
Lrqigag is that if he moves the rook,
White may be able to play
V1777070
Nxhs.
V77T7

44/04,

NST(t
LWS
|| Sy ay ‘Ce

148 | Need to know? Chess

Isolated pawn
An isolated pawn is one which doesn’t have a pawn
Pawn problems
which can protect it.
Because pawns are less mobile
than the other pieces and
initiate wibee cannot move backwards, they
Me often become weaknesses
and have to be defended by
Z eS)
VY «& ha
stronger pieces. This isa
wasteful use of the stronger
Oa
‘« pieces, so the pawns must be
_ used with great care to avoid

a7]i
a7 "9 them becoming weak.

2
a /
Donan
“— &
Yo

White’s b-pawn and Black’s d-pawn are both isolated

pawns. These are usually weaknesses because they
have to be protected by a piece, which is not a good
way to use your forces.
White could attack the d-pawn from as or by
playing Raz and Rd7.

Doubled pawns
Two pawns on the same file are ‘doubled pawns’.
They might be a weakness if they make it harder to
create a passed pawn in an ending. On the other
hand they can be a strength because they guarantee
an open (or half-open) file - for the rooks.

| 149
6 More ideas

Backward pawn
A pawn behind other pawns, of the same colour, on
Under promotion
adjoining files, is said to be ‘backward’. It is generally
On the rare occasions when a
pawn promotes to something weak because it has to be defended by a piece.
other than a queen, it is said If it is on a half-open file then it is even weaker.
to under promote. This can
The best remedy is to advance the pawn or to try to
happen so as to avoid
stalemate or, if promoting
exchange it, perhaps both.
to a knight, to give check.

7
a7

NR <Q
Ne

Black has two backward pawns at d6 and f6 (which

is also a doubled pawn). The d6-pawn is especially
weak because White has no d-pawn and so is likely
to attack down the d-file. If you move White’s knight
from a3 to e3, he would have control of the ds and
fs squares, giving Black serious trouble.
In the diagram, from a World Championship
match, Black played 11...d5 and after 12 exds5 Bxa3
13 bxa3 Qas 14 Qd2 0-0-0 (castles queen’s side -
pinning the pawn!) his position was okay.

150 | Need to know? Chess

 United passed pawns
~ Two (or more) passed pawns on adjoining ranks are called
‘united passed pawns’. Such pawns are frightening things,
when properly supported. Enemy pieces cannot easily
stand in front of them because, as the pawns advance,
they push everything out of their way. The further
~ advanced they are, the stronger they become until, by the
time they reach the sixth (or third) rank, combinations
become possible to force them through to promotion.

SN

a te
im

wr

Vi
ieas
a YY
» N MN N MS

On files b and c are well-supported passed pawns which

-- cannot be approached by the enemy - very strong. On
files f and g is another pair showing them at their
weakest. Even then they are still strong because it takes
2 pieces to stop them. White will try to exchange the
black pieces and advance the pawns. Black will try to
attack the backward g-pawn or create play somewhere
else on the board.

Key ideas | 151

 Protected passed pawn
A passed pawn which is protected by
another pawn is known as a ‘protected
passed pawn’.
It is along term asset whose strength
will normally only be apparent in the
endgame. In this position White would
like to exchange rooks on the f-file,
advance his king into the centre and
eventually push the passed e-pawn.
The existence of the passed pawn
will serve to restrict the movement of
Black’s pieces.

Pawn majority
The diagram shows each side with a pawn
majority - more pawns than your
opponent in one area of the board.
The importance ofa pawn majority is
that you can create a passed pawn, if you
play the pawns correctly.
White has two pawns to one on the
queen’s side while Black has 3 against
two on the king’s side. White should be
able to create a passed pawn quicker than
Black because he has fewer pawns to
advance and that takes fewer moves.
The general rule is to advance the
pawn which doesn’t have another pawn
on its file. See the example on page 104.

152| Need to
Doubled rooks
Open files are natural places to put rooks.
Straight line pieces are often blocked by
other pieces, so it is natural to place a rook
AA, i.
on an open file, to increase the power of the
rook. By placing both rooks on an open file
(doubling rooks) further power for the rooks
Af
eat
is secured. 2g
Both sides have powerful bishops and
White’s knight is very well placed for the
attack. The main difference between the,
sides lies in the rooks. White’s are doubled
and threatening to penetrate the black
position, whilst Black’s rooks are passive and one is undeveloped.
White needs to use his control of the e-file to advance his rook to
e7 but he must be careful. 1 Ne7 Nxe7 2 Rxe7 (if 2...Bf8 - skewer
- 3 Bb2+ Kg8 4 Rxb7).

Rook on the 7th (2nd) rank

To maximise the power of your rooks, you
need to help them to operate along ranks as
well as files. Your opponent’s second rank is "a ow
ae 2
By
usually full of his pieces, so that’s a good
place for your rook. So, Step 1 is to put your i aaa ‘a:
a
WY
rooks on an open file; Step 2 is to advance a a ow y
Ba
rook to the 7th (2nd) rank. The alternative is 3 He YY & yy ply
to D
>,
y
Z &W
“. Ba
to go for your opponent’s back rank and
d. , a Oe a
attack his pawn s from behin
ce an
White controls the c-file and can easily
play Rc7 (protected by his queen as well as
his rook). The black queen and king are both
on the 7th rank. White’s problem is that his bishop is threatened.
1 Bxg7! Qxg7 2 Rc7 (pin) 2...Re7 3 Rxe7 (pin!) 3...Qxe7
4 Rc7 (pin) wins the queen.

y ideas | 153
6 More ideas te eg

Doubled rooks on the 7th

(2nd)
When one side has both rooks on his
opponent’s 2nd rank, he has a ferocious
attack, strong enough to make most
players resigned to their fate. This is
especially true if the defending king is
trapped on its back rank.
Instead of just grabbing one of the
available black pawns, White plays
1 Rdd7 after which everything on the
Black second rank is under threat as well
as the fs and hs pawns. If Black plays
1...Nes5, White get out of the fork by 2 Rxc7+.

Opposite coloured bishops

When each side has only one bishop and they move
on different coloured squares, they are said to have
‘opposite coloured bishops’. In the middle game,
this helps the attacking side as the defender finds it
hard to compete on the squares controlled by the
attacker’s bishop. In the ending, opposite
coloured bishops make a draw more
likely, especially if they are the only pieces
left. This is because the defending bishop
can blockade a passed pawn and it is
difficult to force it away.
White is two pawns ahead but he
U Y j | cannot win because he cannot queen
oY either pawn. Black has only to move his
2 Y j j YY, bishop along the h2/b8 diagonal to
prevent the pawns from advancing. If the
white king goes to b7, then the black king
moves to prevent the advance c6-c7.

154 | Need to know? Chess

 Bad bishop
A bad bishop is one that is restricted by its
~ own pawns because they stand on
squares of the same colour as itself. Even
worse, when the pawns of the two sides Ce a7? GY

are locked together, then the opponent’s y

pawns will be on the other colour and the AY
eum:
bishop will not be able to attack them.
lf you have a bad bishop, or one that is
likely to become bad, then try to exchange
it or, failing that, try to get it outside its
own pawns when it will have more scope.
Black has a bad bishop because of the
pawns on cs, es and f6. White’s knight is a much better
piece especially if White can manoeuvre it to ds.

Back rank mate

This is one of the commonest checkmates. Here are four
typical ways in which it occurs.

me oa 3
ou GD ek
fea a
YY
e 4A

TC

Mi
a ie
ULUfth, . Yl

I, aUe
| lla, OY i” Te

a7 “a Ube
ae
— VW, i. I “_ om W
“ue‘20 oa as
as | 155
6 More ideas a a)

Smothered Mate
This is the name given to [Link] specific checkmate.
More examples
If you want to see howa
We have already seen some Smothered Mates from
Smothered Mate can come a knight where the defending king is surrounded by
about in a game, then have a his own pieces. There is a famous Smothered Mate
look at page 114.
which is similar but more attractive because it ends
On page 117 you will finda
similar idea where the queen fs
with a sacrifice.
the victim.

This mate is sometimes called ‘Philidor’s Legacy’

but this position is from 1497! That’s more than
200 years before Philidor was born (see page 160).
White forces mate by 1 Qe6+ Kh®8(if1...Kf8
then 2 Qf7 mate) 2 Nf7+ Kg8 (setting up a
discovered check) 3 Nh6+ (double check!) 3...Kh8
(again if 3...Kf8 then 4 Qf7 mate) 4 Qg8+!! Rxg8
5 Nf7 mate!
This is very rarely seen but it does occur from
time to time as a threat and has to be avoided.

156 | Need to know? Chess

 Perpetual check
One of the ways in which a game can be drawn is if
Another way to draw
~ one player achieves a position in which he can keep What happensif you exchange
checking. This will usually only happen if the so many pieces that there isn't
checking player is in danger of losing and a draw is enough material left on the
board to force mate? It isn't
the preferable alternative.
possible to mate with a king
and aknight oraking anda

i; cwk
bishop, or even with a king and
two knights. You might have
aking and a pawn against a
Gl la lone king, but not be able to

‘ere
promote the pawn.
In all of the above

UY Oaaa
)
circumstances, the game is a

Vi draw. If you can't mate. you

7 ee
can't win.

Vi oie ae |
am. fil A
LOL,
—
= ee

White is a rook to a pawn down and so plays for the

draw. 1 Qxh6+ Kg8 2 Qg5+ Kh8 3 Qh6+ and so on
(forever). It’s a draw.

Repetition of moves
_ This is yet another way of drawing a game. If the
same position occurs 3 times, with the same player
to move each time, then the player about to move
and repeat the position, may claim a draw. This
really only applies to games in competition.

Key ideas | 157

7 Leading players

The names of a few early leading players, and

some examples of their skill, have come down
to us through their books. This thin trickle of
information increased enormously in the 1830s
when chess magazines began to appear, and by
1886 we had the first match for the World Chess
Championship. The World Chess Federation
(FIDE) was formed in 1924 and this organisation
arranged the World Team Championship and
Women’s World Championship from 1927. It is
now also responsible for the (men’s) World
Championship.
 »

Best players and champions

The top players of the early 19th century are sometimes referred
to as World Champions, but in those days no-one thought in
such terms. In fact, the first World Championship was in 1886.

Ruy Lopez de Segura

The most famous early chess player lived in Spain from about
Chess moves
Spain was the first 1530 until 1580. His name was Ruy Lopez de Segura and we
top country for know of him because he wrote a book on the game. He played
modern chess. chess at the court of the King of Spain and was one of the
Superiority then
leading players of his time.
moved to Italy
and afterwards
to France. By the Frangois-André Danican Philidor
mid-19th century, (1726-95)
England was the
Philidor was probably the best chess player of the 18th
centre of chess and
then Germany. By century. He wrote a famous book on the game that appeared
the 1930s, the USA in several languages and many editions. About 70 of his
was Carrying all games have survived, but all from late in his life.
before it and after
Philidor came from a well-known family of musicians and
1945, Soviet Russia
became top dog.
chess players who were partof the French royal court. He was
a composer who specialised in comic opera. He learned to play
chess at the age of about 14 and quickly became one of the
best players in Paris.
During the last 25 years of his life, he made over 20 trips
to London, often staying for several months at a time, and
earned his living by giving chess lessons and playing games
for wagers.
His ability to play two games at once without seeing the
board (so-called ‘blindfold chess’) was greeted with awe.

160| Need
Howard Staunton (1810-74)
The Englishman, Howard Staunton, became
a leading player in about 1840. In 1843, he
beat the Frenchman, Pierre St-Amant
(1800-72), and for a few years Staunton
was the strongest player in the world.
He was the editor of several chess
magazines, a famous chess column in
the //lustrated London News and he
helped to organise the first international
tournament in London in 1851. There he
lost to the German, Anderssen (see page’
162), and finished only fourth.
The design of chess pieces used today are
known as the Staunton Pattern and have become
the standard. Other designs were too ornate asove: Howard Staunton,
5 : : the world’s best player in
and impractical for regular play. The editor ofa hegsaon
well-known edition of Shakespeare, Staunton was
widely admired but equally widely disliked. Many
hundreds of his games survive.

White: H. Staunton
White to move
Black: an unknown player
(see diagram)
Black probably should have
played 14...Be6. 15 Qxg6!!
5 mr
7i — This wonderful sacrifice sets
4 Y/, a sa up a double check. 15...fxg6
3 FT 16 Ne7+ The king must move.
a GC A Ze 16...Kh8 17 Nxg6 mate.

gz
2 & yy
thy, 4
a7 Ky

Best players and champions | 161

7 Leading players

Adolf Anderssen (1819-79)

Anderssen was recognised as the world’s
leading player after he won an international
chess tournament in London in 1851. He
was a mathematics teacher from Breslau
(now Wroclaw, Poland, but then in
Germany). He was a quiet, shy man who
dominated German chess in Berlin and
Leipzig with his brilliant attacking play.
He lost a match against Paul Morphy
(see opposite), a player on a different level
altogether, but after Morphy’s retirement
from play, Anderssen again became the
leading practising player.

above: Adolf Anderssen, mathematics White: A. Anderssen

teacher and attacking genius.
Black: B. Suhle
1e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bbs Nge7 Thisisa
developing move but not a good one as it
blocks the bishop. 4 d4 exd4 5 0-0 Ng6
6 Nxd4q Be7 7 Nfs As the attacking player,
White wishes to avoid exchanges. You
need pieces to attack with! 7...0-o
After 10...Qe8? 7
8 Nc3 Bcs 9 Qhs This move would not be
Wy possible if the black knight had developed
Ly
to f6 on move 3. g...d6 10 Bgs White now
Cer
7

Be
\\
SRE)
a8
has five pieces developed to Black’s three,
with three white pieces around the black
king. 10...Qe8? 10...f6 was better. (diagram)
N
\
11 Nxg7 Kxg7?? Black should play 11...Qes,
. D>
WWWL. attacking the knight and pinning the
NS
S bishop. 12 Qh6+ Now Black must play
12...Kg8 and after 13 Bf6 there is no way to
prevent 14 Qg7 mate. White resigned.

162 | Need to know? Chess

Paul Morphy (1837-84)
Paul Morphy was a child chess prodigy, born in New
Orleans to arich family. He is one of the greatest
players of all time and, for the brief period when he
was active as a player, he demonstrated that he was
head and shoulders above all his contemporaries by
displaying an insight into the game which no-one
else would have for several decades.
He emerged from the South to play in the first
American Championship in New York in 1857, which
he easily won. Morphy then embarked on a
prolonged visit to Europe during which [Link] ABovE: Paul Morphy, ‘the pride
and sorrow of chess’, had a brief
every player of note, except Howard Staunton (see pit
but brilliant career.
opposite) who never played against him.
By 1860 Morphy had given up competitive chess
and wished to practice law, but no-one would give
legal work to a mere chess player.

White: P. Morphy
White to move
Black: Count Issard and the
Duke of Brunswick
(see diagram)
10 Nxbs! cxbs 11 Bxb5+! 11 Bds would
also win the game. 11...Nbd7 Now both
black knights are pinned. 12 0-0-0
threatening to take the d7-knight, for
nothing. 12...Rd8 13 Rxd7 Rxd7 Now
the rook is pinned instead. Attack it!
14 Rd1 Qe6 Unpinning the knight and
hoping to exchange queens. But White
has a brilliant finish. 15 Bxd7+ A bishop
fork. 15...Nxd7 16 Qb8+! Opening the
d-file. 16...Nxb8 The only move.
17 Rd8 mate.

Best players and champions | 163

 Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900)
Born in Prague, Steinitz went to study in Vienna in
1858 and travelled to London to play in the
international tournament of 1862. He remained in
London, which was then the centre of the chess
world. He defeated Adolf Anderssen (see page 162)
in 1866 and Zukertort in 1886 and this latter match
was the first for the Championship of the World. He
lost the championship to Emanuel Lasker (see
opposite) in 1894.
Steinitz moved to the USA in 1882. He wrote a
_ number of books on the game and edited the
ABOVE: Wilhelm Steinitz, the International Chess Magazine from 1885-91.
first World Champion and a major
One of the most profound thinkers on the game,
contributor to the theory of
the game. Steinitz used his magazine to propound his views
and explain his ideas. It is still an illuminating read.

White: W. Steinitz
White to move
Black: Holstein
(see diagram)
Ve 13 e5+ Neither of the bishop checks
Z, work. 13...Ke7 If the king goes forwards,
it is sure to be checkmated. 14 Ba3+ d6
14...c5? is answered by 15 bxc6+ (en
passant with discovered check!) 15...d6
16 Bxd6+ Ke8 17 Qf8 mate. 15 exd6+
White can ignore the threat to his queen.
Now the e-file is open. 15...Ke8 After
15...cxd6, 16 Re1+ finishes the game
quickly. 16 d7+! This opens the diagonal
for the bishop. 16 Re1+ would win but not
so quickly. 16...Qxd7 17 Qf8 mate.

164 | Need to know? Chess

Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941)
Born in a suburb of Berlin, Lasker entered
‘the international arena in 1889 and won
the World Championship only five years
later. He dominated the chess world until
the First World War in both tournament
and match play. He lost his world title to
Capablanca (see page 166) in 1921 but was
successful in three more tournaments
between 1923-25, after which he retired.
He returned to competitive play in
1934-36, competing in four major
tournaments with good results.
Lasker was one of the greatest players
of all time - a fighter, both subtle and ABOVE: Emanuel Lasker, the second World
Champion, was a fierce competitor who
profound, and capable of playing with dominated the chess world from 1894-1914.
great power. He edited a number of chess
magazines, wrote chess columns and
books and led a wandering life, living in
turn in Germany, England, the USA,
Germany, the Soviet Union and the USA.

White: Reif
White to move
Black: E. Lasker
(see diagram)
This is the earliest international game
we have of Lasker’s. Black’s knight is

Mi
‘YW
attacking the white rook and knight - a

ne sort of knight fork, and also setting a trap

nak for White. 12 Nxh2 Bxh2+ This check

forces the king to desert the rook.
13 Kxh2 Qxf1 and Black is the exchange
ahead and won.

pions | 165
7 Leading players

José Raoul Capablanca y Graupera

(1888-1942)
Born in Cuba, Capablanca was a chess prodigy but
his parents didn’t allow him to play much until 1901.
He went to school in the USA in 1904 but spent most
of his time playing chess. He beat the American
Champion, Frank Marshall, in a match in 1909 to
become a master and won his first international
tournament in Spain in 1911. In 1913 his government
employed him in their Foreign Office but with few
duties, relieving him of money worries and enabling
ABOVE: ‘Capa’, the third World _ him to play chess whenever he wished.
Champion, one of the most gifted
In 1921 he defeated Lasker (see page 165) to win
players of all time.
the World Championship which he held until 1927
when he lost to Alekhine (see opposite). He
continued to play but could not secure a return
match. He died in New York ofa stroke.
Capablanca’s style was direct and classical. He
had a phenomenally quick sight of the board,
faultless judgement and excelled in the ending. His
chief fault was laziness.

White: Capablanca
White to move
Black: A. Pulvermacher
(see diagram)
White could play 1 Bxe8, winning the
exchange but losing his e-pawn and his
attack. He prefers his attack. 1 Rxa6! Bxa6
2 Rb1+ Bb7 3 Bc6 (winning the black
bishop) 3...Rxe7 4 Rxb7+ Kc8 5 Raz!
and there is no way to prevent 6 Ra8 mate.

166 | Need to know? Chess

 Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine
(1892-1946)
Alekhine was born in Moscow into a rich family and was
taught chess by his mother at the age of seven. He was
obsessed with the game for the rest of his life. He
began playing international chess in 1908, won the
Russian Championship in 1914 and qualified to play
in the top class tournament in St Petersburg in the
same year.
He survived the First World War and Russian
Revolution, but his family lost their money. He managed
to leave the Soviet Union in 1921, never to return. apove: Alexander Alekhine
_ Steadily improving his results and reputation throughout Seen er tac a
the 1920s, he qualified to meet Capablanca for the World pronounced ‘Alekin’) was the
Championship in late 1927 and won. fourth World Champion.
He was clearly the world’s best player for the next
few years but his liking for drink cost him the
Championship in 1935. He sobered up and regained the
title in 1937 and retained it until his death, in poverty, in
1946. The extent of his collaboration with the Nazis is
still argued about.

White: Alekhine
White to move
Black: A. Fletcher
(see diagram)
The white queen is under attack. 1 Qxeq!
fxeq 2 Bxeqg+ (White has a mating attack
by 2...Kh8 3 Ng6+ Kh7 4 Nxf8+ Kh8
5 Ng6+ Kh7 6 Nes+ Kh8 7 Nf7 mate and
so Black resigned. A good demonstration aa Y &

of the power ofdiscovered and double “is a

checks. 4
payee

t players and champions | 167

 Machgielis (Max) Euwe (1901-81)
Euwe (pronounced ‘Erva’) was born in Amsterdam
and was taught chess by his mother when he was
four. He began to play in tournaments when he
was ten and became Dutch Champion in 1921.
He was a mathematics teacher and therefore an
amateur and his opportunities to play were
restricted to school holidays. However, he made
steady progress throughout the 1920s and early
1930s and played Alekhine for the world title in
1935, and won. He granted Alekhine (see page 167)
. areturn match in 1937, and lost. His play had
declined by the end of the Second World War,
when international chess resumed.
He was the author ofa huge number of chess
books, director of the Netherlands Research
ABOVE: Max Euwe, the fifth Centre for Information Sciences (1958-64), a
World Champion, was active in
university professor on the same subject
many spheres of the game.
(1964-71) and president of FIDE (the world
chess federation, 1970-78).

White: Euwe
White to move
Black: R. Reti
NeWN
SOO
~ (see diagram)
ON
es & Z White’s king is wide open,
Y so he must do something
immediately. The rooks are
x powerful but the check on a8
FATAL
leads nowhere. However, he
SS

a NG
has the seventh rank to work
on. 1 Re7+! Nxe7 2 Rd7+
>i Ka8 (or 2...Kb8 3 Bd6+ Kc8
4 Nxb6 mate) 3 Nxb6+ Kb8
4 Bd6 mate.
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik
(1911-95)
When Alekhine (see page 167), the reigning World
Champion, died in 1946, responsibility for the title
was taken over by FIDE. In 1948 they organised a
tournament of leading players to decide who would
become Champion. The winner was Leningrad’s
Mikhail Botvinnik. He learned chess at the age of 12
and, under the encouragement of the Soviet State,
made rapid progress. By the mid-1930s he was
playing successfully at the top level.
Undoubtedly talented, he was also a tremendously
hard worker, studying the game for many hours. He above: Mikhail Botvinnik was the
first Soviet World Champion and
is said to be responsible for players adopting a ; ; the last champion who was not a
;
professional attitude towards chess - diet, exercise, fulll-time player. He was also an
study, preparation for each game, and so on. He has engineer.
several discoveries in the openings to his credit.
Intense competition from other Soviet players caused
him to lose the Championship three times between
1948-63, but he regained it twice.

White: Botvinnik
White to move
Black: A. Havin
s| 7727] ,Y
y & UF ,
(see diagram)
Y
7 Ay Vi ye"ma! y& White wishes to attack e7 but must first
remove the black knight and queen that
ssn es
2 4 7a Yi
are defending it. 1 Nas! (the black knight

on @ @ S

is pinned!) 1...Bd7 2 Nxc6 Qxc6 (if

mom 7],mmBae
A
it
2...Bxc6 White has the knight fork 3 Nfs)
3 Qgs! Rh6 4 Qe7+ and White mates
2\340 HAY4
by 4...Kg8 5 Qd8+ Be8 6 Rxe8+ Qxe8
ly Z Uy
g By
c Homes Se ch 7 Qxe8 mate.

| 169
 Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov
(born 1921}
Smyslov was the son ofa Moscow chess
player of some skill. He learned to play
aged six and studied his father’s chess
books. He developed rapidly in the period
1935-38 and continued to improve during
the Second World War. In the international
arena during 1945-46, he showed himself
to be a world class player.
Smyslov qualified to play Botvinnik
for the world title in 1954 and drew. He
qualified again in 1957 and won the title,
only to lose the return match unexpectedly
in 1958. He was never quite as good after
this disappointment although he has
continued to play in international events,
with slowly declining success, well into
ABOVE: Vasily Smyslov, World Champion old age.
1957-58; the outstanding player throughout
the 1950s. He has edited a chess newspaper and
written an autobiography and a ‘best
games’ collection.

White to move
White: Smyslov
Black: |. Boleslavsky
(see diagram)
White’s rooks are all powerful while
Black’s king has been deserted by his own
pieces. White must organize amating
position. 1 Rg7+ Kh8 2 R7g6 (threatening
Rxh6 mate) 2...Kh7 3 Ba3! (White brings
up his reserves) 3...exd4 4 Bea! and
Rxh6 mate will follow.
 Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal (1936-92)
Born in Riga, Latvia, Tal was the son of a doctor and
- first encountered chess when he saw it played in his
father’s waiting room. He joined a chess club when }
he was eight and made steady progress. After
winning the Latvian Championship in 1953 he made
rapid progress in the many very strong Soviet events,
winning the prestigious USSR Championship in 1957.
He continued his meteoric rise and qualified to play
Botvinnik (see page 169) for the World Championship
in 1960. He won, only to lose the return match in 1961.
Tal had a deformed hand, said to be the result
ofawar-time accident. His health was always poor; in aBove: Mikhail Tal,
World Champion
particular he had kidney problems and this probably led to 1960-61; a tactician of
his loss of the title in 1961. He was a tactical genius and in amazing ability whose
poor health prevented
certain types of position was virtually impossible to play him from achieving
against. His record in international events was excellent even greater success.

especially when he was in good health. A prolific chess

journalist and enthusiast , Tal was well-liked but his bohemian
lifestyle was not appreciated by the Soviet authorities.

White: Tal
White to move
- Black: Leonov
(see diagram)
White has four pieces close to the black king.
Black has four defenders with little or no
space. 1 Nf6+! Nxf6 (1...gxf6 is answered by
2 exf6 Rc7 3 Rg4+ Ngs 4 Rxg5t hxgs
5 Qh7 mate; orif3...Kh8 then 4 Rg7 and all ares
is lost) 2 exf6 Rez(if2...gxf6 then 3 Rxf6 Panene
followed by Rxh6 and Rh8+) 3 fxg7 Kxg7 EE
EY,
(after 3...Qxg7 4 Rg4, Black’s queen is lost)
4 Qes¢ (this fork wins the c7-rook and also
mates - 4...Kg8.5 Rg4+ Qg7 6 Qxg7 mate).
ons | 171
 Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (1929-84)
An Armenian from Tbilisi, Petrosian learned chess when he
was young. He was orphaned before he was 16 and sought
solace in chess. By 1952 he had fought his way up to the top
class in chess. After that his progress was slow but steady,
and by the early 1960s he qualified to play Botvinnik (see
"page 169) for the World Championship. In 1963 he defeated
Botvinnik and won the title and this time there was no
return match.
Petrosian beat the next challenger, Boris Spassky (see
page 173), in 1966 but lost to him the next time round in
1969..He was not a successful World Champion as he had
difficulty in demonstrating his superiority. While he was
champion, he played in seven tournaments and won only
ABOVE: Tigran Petrosian, two (equal first in both).
the ‘solid’ World Champion
After losing the Championship, Petrosian’s record
between 1963-69. His
style of play was not improved. He played in 23 major tournaments in the period
popular with the fans.
1969-80 and achieved eight first and nine second prizes.
His style of play was non-committal, seeking to improve the
positions of his pieces rather than seeking tactical chances.
This led to many draws.

White: Petrosian
White to move
Black: L. Schmid
(see diagram)
White dominates the centre and has four
pieces attacking the black king. The black
queen and rook are out of play. White
removes an important defender. 1 Rxg7!
Kxg7 2 Qe7+ Kg6 (2...Kh8 3 d6 Ng8 4
Bxg8 Kxg8 5 Bh6 and mate on f8 or 87)
3 d6 Black resigned. After 3...Qb7 4 Qe3
(threatens mate) 4...Kg7 5 Qh6+ Kh8
6 Qf8+ and mate next move.
 Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (born 1937)
Born in Leningrad, Spassky learned chess while living in
the Urals during the Second World War, but returned
home after the war and began playing regularly in 1947.
A product ofthe intensive coaching system in Soviet
Russia, Spassky was World Junior Champion and a top
class grandmaster by the age of 18. He studied journalism
at university and had many interests outside chess.
Spassky was uncomfortable within the Soviet system
and later moved to France, but his main downfall in the
late 1950s was a lack of ambition. He was, perhaps, a
little lazy. He overcame these problems in the early
_ 1960s and scored a string of successes that led to a
world title match against Petrosian (see page 174) in apove: Boris Spassky, World
Champion between 1969-72,
1966, which he lost by a very narrow margin. was a product of the Soviet
They met again in 1969 and Spassky won. He was a system but uncomfortable

popular and successful World Champion but could not within it.
withstand the onslaught from Bobby Fischer (see page
174) in 1972 and lost his title. He continued to play in
international events and his last tournament victory
was in 1983.

White: B. Larsen Black to move

Black: Spassky
Y, Ui OP yy
(see diagram) 3 I
a; Z y
14...Rh1! 15 Rxh1 g2 16 Rf1. White will
aa a we,

be happy to give the rook back if he can

get rid of the g2-pawn. If 16 Rg1 Qh4+ a
17 Kd1 Qhi forces mate. 16...Qh4+
17 Kd1 gxf1Q+ White resigned. After
18 Bxfi Bxg4+ he is mated quickly.
 Robert James (Bobby) Fischer (born 1943)
Soviet control of the world title was sensationally broken at
Reykjavik in 1972 when Fischer beat Boris Spassky (see page
173). Bobby Fischer was born in Chicago but raised in
Brooklyn, New York. He obtained a chess set when he was
six and was immediately absorbed by the game. He made
‘rapid progress and by 14 was both junior and senior
champion of the USA. At 16 he left school and became a
professional player.
Fischer, probably the best player the world had seen
(up to that time), was difficult to deal with and was probably
his own biggest obstacle to becoming World Champion.
Delicately assisted by an American organiser, he smashed
all the other challengers in 1971 and was kept on track toa
world title match in 1972. Thematch, in Reykjavik, captured
the world’s attention and despite Fischer's own attempts to
ABOVE: Bobby Fischer, jeopardise his chances by eccentric behaviour, he won easily.
World Champion between
Fischer didn’t play again for 20 years. His title was
1972-75, was the most
famous and popular removed in 1975 when he failed to agree terms for the
player of his day.
match against his challenger, Anatoly Karpov (see opposite).
Fischer came out of retirement in 1992 to play a return
match against Spassky, which Fischer
won. He was clearly no longer playing at
White to move
the same standard and since then, he
\ SX Ug has not played. He is currently living in
W
\ N
XX
Qs Iceland.
\\
o>
NH,§ W
\ De
[int A
IKWV » RWS White: Fischer
le
Wpwr Black: A. di Camillo
\N aS
S KW (see diagram)
\Y
b> 1 Bc7! (double attack, threatening the
queen and the fork Re8+) 1...Nfq+
(hoping for a miracle) 2 Kf1 (there are no
Satie more checks) Black resigns.

174 | Need to know? Chess

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov
(born 1951)
Born in Zlatoust (a small town in the Urals), Karpov learned
to play aged four and was only a reasonable player at 13.
He was tutored by correspondence and in summer
school, and made progress. By 16, he had won ajunior
international tournament. At 18, he was an easy winner
in the World Junior Championships, and then made very
rapid progress, winning three strong tournaments out of
seven in 1970-73.
In 1974 he became the official challenger for the World
Championship and was awarded the [Link] April 1975.
Over the next two years he won seven tournaments. He
defended his title in 1978 and 1981 and was almost
unbeatable in tournaments, establishing an outstanding
record. He eventually lost the title to Kasparov (see page
176) in 1985, but was still able to improve his play, even asove: Anatoly Karpov
regained the World
though he could not match the new ‘boy wonder’. Championship for the
Karpov plans his game according to strategy and logic, Soviet system in 1975 and
held it for ten years.
regardless of his opponent. He continues to play but in
recent events his results have begun to decline.

White: Karpov
White to move
Black: N. Krogius

‘!
mike
(see diagram)
Black’s king is clearly in trouble but at
a il the moment, White only has a check. He
does, however, have another approach,
a) o based on getting the rook into the attack.
4 Ne6! Black resigned as the only way to
a HY, . GY prevent checkmate is 1...fxe6 and after
Yj 2 Qxg6+ and 3 Rxe6 Black is three pawns
down and likely to be mated.

3 | 175
 Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born 1963)
Garry Kasparov was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, USSR
with the name Harry Weinstein. The Soviets
changed his name to the Russian sounding Kasparov.
He followed the Soviet training system and at the
age of 12 he was Azerbaijan Champion and the USSR
Under 18 Champion. He won his first international
tournament in 1979 and in 1980 the World Junior
Championship. A string of successes followed
resulting in him becoming the official challenger for
the World Championship, which he won in 198s.
Kasparov is probably the strongest player of all
time with a huge list of successes to his name.
Something of a rebel, he was not considered reliable
by the Soviets who preferred the steady Karpov (see
page 175), but Kasparov prevailed anyway. Their
ABOVE: Garry Kasparov was World personal rivalry continued, but Kasparov managed
Champion from 1985 until 2000.
to hold his title until 2000 when he lost to Kramnik.
Perhaps the best player of all
time, he has dominated the chess Kasparov had predicted that Kramnik would
world for over 25 years.
succeed him and it is possible that this put him in
the wrong frame of mind to play the younger
Russian. Kasparov has recently
announced his retirement from
Black to move
international chess.

White: J. Ehivest
Black: Kasparov
(see diagram) White’s queen is pinned,
but so is the black rook! White’s king is
exposed and Black is to move, which is all
Kasparov needs. 1...Qd1+ (double attack).
White cannot play Qxd1 because his
queen is pinned, so 2 Kg2 Qxg4+ cannot
be prevented. White resigns.
 Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
(born 1975)
~ Kramnik was born in Moscow and learned chess
at the age of five. By the time he was 12 his talent
was obvious and he was being encouraged. He
made good progress and won the World Junior
Championship at 16.
As early as 1992, Kasparov said that Kramnik
was a ‘brilliant talent’. He has a long list of
tournament and match victories to his credit and
he succeeded in winning the world title from
Kasparov at the end of 2000. He has continued to
be successful, but has not shown the dominance
over his peers that Kasparov demonstrated. His ABOVE: Vladimir Kramnik (right),
World Champion from 2000 to the
style is quieter; he is more likely to draw, but he is present day, receives a trophy from
exceptionally difficult to defeat. British grandmaster, Ray Keene.

These characteristics are more suited to

match play than to tournaments and that will
make it hard for anyone to take the title from him.
He defended it successfully in early 2005.

White: A. Kveinys
Black to move
Black: Kramnik
Woe (see diagram)
oy
s i Positions like this are difficult because
there are too many moves to choose
between. Here, the odd position of the
white king is the key. Kramnik finds a

a[a simple and clear path to mate. 1...Qh5+

White resigned because of 2 Ke6 Qxe5+
3 Kf7 Qe7 mate.

| 177
 First ladies
The Women’s World Championship was first played in London in
1927 when Vera Menchik gave it status. After her, the standard
declined but has made a major leap forward in recent years.

Vera Francevna Menchik (1906-44)

Vera Menchik was the first Women’s World Champion.
She won the title in London in 1927, held the title on
every occasion until 1939 and was killed by a bomb in
1944. She dominated women’s chess in that period.
Born in Moscow to a Czechoslavakian father and an
English mother, she learned to play at the age of nine. In
1921 Menchik came to live in-England, where she was
coached by the Hungarian grandmaster Maroczy, who
was living temporarily in Hastings.
She was a positional player who competed in men’s
ABovE: Vera Menchik was international events but with only modest success. She
the Women’s World
Champion front toty 47 married the Englishman
g a Rufus
us Stephenson in 1937 and
is sometimes known by her married name.

White: Menchik
White to move
Black: [Link]
(see diagram)
18 Nfs+! Nxfs 18...Bxfs was slightly
better. 18...gxfs5 19 gxf5+ would leave
the black king too exposed. 19 gxfs a3
20 f6+! Kh®8 If 20...Kxf6, 21 Qgs is mate.
21 Qh6 threatens Qg7 mate. 21...axb2+
22 Kb1 This is simplest. If 22 Kxb2, Black
has checks. 22...Rg8 23 hxg6 fxg6
24 Qxh7+! Black resigns because of
24...Kxh7 25 Rh1+ Bh3 26 Rxh3 mate.

178 | Need to know? Chess

Judit(h) Polgar (born 1976)
Judit Polgar is the youngest of three
Hungarian sisters, the daughters ofa
chess master who brought them up to
be chess players. For most of their
careers, their father refused to allow
them to play against other women,
believing that they needed the tougher
practice they would get against male
players. It seems to have worked.
The oldest sister, Zsuzsa (Susan;
born 1969) did eventually play against
other women and won the Women’s
World Championship. Judit has
continued to play only against men and
is now a formidable player, having
recently been ranked tenth in the world.
She is significantly better than all ABOVE: Judit Polgar is easily the best woman
player of all time, but has never played for the
other current women players and is a Women’s World Championship.
threat to any opponent. Unlike many
women players, she has an aggressive,
tactical style.

White to move
White: J. Polgar
Black: V. Anand
(see diagram) A truly remarkable Ti

2a
Z
aa!—
combination finishes the game. The
white queen is attacked. 55 f4! exf4
Now the long black diagonal is open.
56 Rh8+ Here, Black resigned. He might hm WARS
have allowed the spectators to see the
rest! 56...Kg7 57 Qd4+ Bf6 58 Qxf6+!!
Cc
SI
OY
SS
UR
NG)
i mae
Rxf6 59 Rh7+! Kxh7 60 Nxf6+ Kg7 See
61 Nxd7 and White wins easily. Magic!

lies | 179
Grandmasters
There are a few words connected with chess that everyone
has heard - check, checkmate and grandmaster are the most
common. The first two have already been explained.

In 1838, a correspondent to an English newspaper described

a British chess writer as a ‘grand master’. Some years later,
other writers, looking back on the career of Francois-André
Danican Philidor (see page 160), also referred to him by
that title.
In the early 20th century, some of the top international
tournaments were called ‘grandmaster events’ and it is
probably from this period that the name became more
common and its usage was settled as meaning ‘the top
BELOw: Boris Spassky players’. In 1950, the World Chess Federation-(FIDE) began
(right) begins his fight for
the World Championship
awarding titles to players. They created two titles for players,
against Tigran Petrosian. International Master and International Grandmaster and
 LEFT: Garry Kasparov defends
his title unsuccessfully
against Vladimir Kramnik.

Viadimir
KRAMNIK

World Chess
SET ye ionships

they have since’added a third, FIDE Master, extending

the lower end of the scale.
Later, FIDE adopted an international grading system
which calculates player’s performances in international
events and which also sets qualification standards for
achieving the three FIDE titles. Under this system a FIDE
Master is a player who achieves results of approximately
2,300 grading points. The International Master level
is 2,400 points and International Grandmasters are
expected to play at the 2,500 standard.
The number of grandmasters has risen sharply in
recent years and now stands at over 200. Those who
achieve a rating over 2,600 are considered to be world
class players; the small number rated over 2,700 are the
world elite. Only three players (Fischer, Karpov and
Kasparov) have managed to achieve results averaging
over 2,800 in a year and maintaining such a standard
seems to be almost impossible.

| 184
Glossary
Attack: an attacking piece threatens to take an enemy piece
Back rank mate: a mate delivered by a rook or queen along
the 1st or 8th rank (see page 155)
Backward pawn: any pawn which is behind its own pawns on
adjacent files; such a pawn is weak because it can only be
protected by a piece
Bad bishop: a weak bishop with reduced mobility because it is
blocked by its own pawns
Bad move: a move which gives away material without
adequate compensation or which leads to a worsening of the
position
Bishop: the piece which moves on ‘diagonals and is worth
between 3 and 3+ points
Board: a chess board has eight rows of eight squares, coloured
alternately black and white - the board must be placed so
that there is always a white square in the bottom right-hand
corner
Capture: when apiece is taken and removed from the board
Castling: a move with the king and rook, simultaneously,
designed to remove the king from the centre, where it is often
in danger, and to bring the rook into more active play
Centre: the four squares in the middle of the board which are
important because most pieces are at their strongest when
placed there
Check: any move which threatens a king
Checkmate: a check from which a king cannot escape that
wins the game
Defend: a piece is defended if, should it be captured, the
capturing piece can itself be taken
Development: bringing pieces into active play
Diagonal: a line of squares on the board of the same colour

182 | Need toknoy oy) Chess

w?
faa osetes
 Discovered check: when one piece moves, revealing a check
from another piece
_ Double attack: when a piece moves and attacks an enemy
piece and the move also reveals a second attack, from another
piece, on a different enemy piece
Double check: when a piece moves, giving check, but also
revealing a check from a second piece
Doubled pawn: two pawns on the same file; they are usually
weak, especially when they are isolated, doubled pawns and
particularly if they are on a half-open file; it is possible to have
tripled pawns but this is very rare
Doubled rooks: when one side has both of its rooks on the
same file; this is often very powerful
Doubled rooks on the 7th (2nd) rank: when one side has
both rooks deep in the enemy position on the 7th or 2nd rank,
they usually have a won game
En passant: a special pawn capture that is explained on
pages 23-4
The exchange: the difference between a rook and a knight or
a rook and a bishop - a player who wins a rook for a knight (or
bishop) is said to have ‘won the exchange’ (i.e. the piece of
higher value)
Exchanges: when one side captures and the other recaptures,
they are said to have ‘exchanged’ pieces (the term implies that
the captured pieces are of equal value)
Felted pieces: chess pieces with cloth (felt) on the bottom to
make them quiet when moved
FIDE: the international ruling body of chess - Fédération
Internationale des Echecs
FIDE Master: the lowest category of international player (see
page 181)
File: a line of squares on a chess board which runs from one
player to the other; such lines are lettered a-h from White’s left
Fool’s Mate: the shortest mate possible in chess (see page 110)

ary | 183
 Fork: a simultaneous attack on two or more pieces
Gambits: a name given to openings where one side gives up
material in order to gain some other advantage such as an
attack, control of the centre, faster development, etc.
Good move: a move which gains material or which improves
the position
Grandmaster: the highest rank of international player (see
pages180-1)
Half-open file: any file which has a pawn or pawns on it from
one side only; such a file will often be occupied by the other
side’s rooks
Initiative: the side that is dictating the play has the initiative,
which can range from the very small to something large enough
to win the game
International master: the middle ranking of international
players (see pages 180-1)
Isolated pawn: a pawn which does not have a pawn ofthe
same colour onan adjacent file - it is usually weak as it must
be defended by a piece
King: the weakest piece on the board; usually with no value;
the object of the game is to attack and capture it
King’s side: the half of the board on which the kings begin the
game - files e-h
Knight: the chess piece with the strangest way of moving and
worth between 3 and 3+ points (see pages 40-5)
Minor pieces: knights and bishops
Major pieces: queens and rooks
Open file: any file which has no pawn on it; these are
important because they are potential highways into the
Opponent’s (or your!) position
Opposite coloured bishops: when each side has only one
bishop and they move on different coloured squares, they have
‘opposite coloured bishops’; when only those bishops and
pawns are left, the chance of a draw is very high

184|
 Passed pawn: a pawn that does not have to get passed an
opponent’s pawn in order to promote; they are potentially
| very dangerous
Pawn: the weakest attacking piece, usually worth 1 point
Pawn majority: this occurs when a player has more pawns
than his opponent in one area of the board
Pawn promotion: when a pawn reaches the far side of the
board it is ‘promoted’; it immediately becomes a queen, rook,
bishop or knight as its player chooses
Perpetual check: a series of checks which can continue
forever - a way of drawing a game
Pieces: this term is used in two different ways; sometimes it
refers to queens, rooks, bishops and knights, but sometimes
the pawns are also included
Pin: something which restricts the movement of a piece, either
partially or totally (see pages 96-9)
Protected passed pawn: a passed pawn which benefits from
the protection of another pawn; potentially very powerful in
the endgame
Protection: when one piece defends another, it ‘protects’ It
Queen: the strongest piece on the chess board, worth about
9 points
Queen’s side: the half of the board on which the queens begin
the game - files a-d
Rank: aline of squares which runs across the board between
the players - ranks are numbered 1-8
Recapture: when one side takes an enemy piece and the
opponent captures back on the next move
| Repetition of moves: a method of drawing a game in which
both sides repeat their moves; a sort of perpetual check without
the checks
Rook: the chess piece which moves along ranks and files and is
worth about 5 points
Rook on the 7th (2nd) rank: a rook which has penetrated the
Glossary
| 185
 Opponent’s position almost to their back rank; such a rook is
usually a very powerful piece
Sacrifice: giving up material in order to gain an advantage in
position, such as a strong attack
Scholar’s Mate: a simple checkmate often seen in school
chess (see page 111)
Skewer: an attack by one piece on two enemy pieces that
stand on the same straight line - this can lead to a gain in
material
Smothered Mate: a checkmate delivered to a king which is
surrounded by its own pieces (see page 156)
Stalemate: when the side to move does not have a legal move
and is not in check, it is stalemate and the game is drawn
Threat: the intention to play an advantageous move if the
opponent doesn’t prevent it
United passed pawns: two or more passed pawns on adjacent
files - they are very powerful
Weighted pieces: chessmen with a piece of lead inserted into
their base to make them harder to knock over, are said to be
‘weighted’ or ‘loaded’

186 | Need to know? Chess

Need to know more?
Now you have read this book and learned how the pieces move
and what the game is about, you may have some Idea how
important chess will be to you. So far you have only taken the
first few steps and need now to decide what to do next.
Knowing how the pieces move is barely even an
introduction to the game. The important thing now is to play
and play and play. You need to become so familiar with the
moves of the pieces and the ideas behind threats, captures,
check and checkmate that they become instinctive.

Practice
Find an opponent, preferably someone who will be around often
enough for you to play them regularly and get playing. Plenty of
people watch the top players compete against one another, but
most players prefer to play.
If you cannot find an opponent, then a chess playing
computer is the next best thing. This can be a piece of software

LEFT: Outdoor play

with giant-sized
chess pieces and
board can be found
in parks and public
places throughout
the world.
 that runs on your normal computer or it may be a dedicated
chess playing machine. In both cases, you will usually be able
to set them to play at different levels. Choose the lowest level
and start playing. Once you can beat the ‘machine’ most of the
time, move it up a level and try again.

Books
Another approach, which has worked for generations of
players, is to turn to chess books. It is important to choose
a book which was first published in the last ten years or so.
English language chess books before that were often
published with a different method of writing the moves
to the one given in this book. You won't find them easy to
understand.
You should choose a book on tactics or on miniature
games (these are games with 25 moves or fewer). If they
aren't available, then a collection of games will probably suit
you. Ignore the comments on the moves and concentrate
on playing through the games. Most libraries have a good
selection of chess books.

Correspondence play
For many years, chess has been played by post. There is now
an international body, the International Correspondence
Chess Association (ICCA) which organises competitions for
the correspondence world championship and world team
championship. There are several correspondence chess
clubs in the UK and you can find them via links on
[Link]. This is not a suitable form of chess for
beginners but some ofthe clubs may offer competitions for
relative novices, once you get that far.
Correspondence chess is especially useful for players who
live in isolated places, work difficult hours or who cannot get
to ordinary chess clubs for other reasons.

188 | Need to know? Chess

 Clubs
One of the problems that beginners face is that chess clubs do
- not generally cater for them (except school chess clubs). Your
local library may have alist of chess clubs in your area and
once you have got past the novice stage, they will be very
pleased to see you.

Magazines
The major chess magazines in English are:
British Chess Magazine ([Link]) based in
London
Chess ([Link]) also based in London
Chess Life ([Link]) published by the United States
Chess Federation
New in Chess ([Link]) published in the
Netherlands.

The internet
There is also a web publication, The Week in Chess (TWIQ),
which can be accessed through the [Link] site.
TWIC covers the international chess scene, giving huge
collections of games played in major international events
from all over the world. Of course, all of these sites have links
to other chess sites. You can visit sites run by the organisers of
major tournaments and watch the tournament being played
via your computer, in real time. The site is updated every time
someone makes a move. There are usually between five and
eight games being played at once, so there is quite a lot to
~ keep up with.

w more? | 189
 Index

Index
A D G
Alekhine, Alexander de Segura, Ruy Lopez gambits 145
Alexandrovich 167 defending (tactics) 130-7 Game and Playeof the
Anand, V. 179 defend with a double Chesse, The 8
Anderssen, Adolf 162 attack 136 grandmaster 180-1
defend with a fork 134
B defend with a mate threat H
back rank mate 155 132 Havin, A. 169
backward pawn 150 defend with a pin 133 Hostein 164
bishop 25-9 defend with a skewer
bad bishop 155 135 I
Boleslavsky, |. 170 defend with check 131 Illustrated London News 161
Botvinnik, Mikhail development 142-3 initiative, the 143-4
Moiseyevich 169 di Camillo, A. 174 isolated pawn 149
diagonal 13
C discovered check 58 K
Capablanca y Graupera, double attacks 91-2 Karpov, Anatoly
José Raoul 166 defend with a double Yevgenyevich 175, 181
castling 64-5 attack 136 Kasparov, Garry Kimovich
centre, the 140-1 double check 59, 95 176, 181
champion players doubled pawns 149 king 46-50
160-79 doubled rooks 153 knight 40-5
check 51-7 doubled rooks on the 7th Kramnik, Vladimir
defend with check 131 (2nd) rank 154 Borisovich 177
discovered check 58 Duke of Brunswick Krogius, N. 175
double check 59, 95 163 Kveinys, A. 177
winning ways with
check 93-4 E L
checkmate 61-2 Ehlvest, J. 176 Lasker, Emanuel 165
forcing checkmate 102, en passant 23-4 Leonov
106-7 endgame 102-3
checkmate threats 81 Euwe, Machgielis (Max) 168 M
chess boards 10-12 Exchange, the 147 Maroczy 178
board direction 13 exchanges 74-5, 79-80 Menchik, Vera Francevna
setting up the board 178
15 F
middlegame 100-1
size of board 13 file 13 Morphy, Paul 163
chess etiquette 51 Fischer, Robert James
chess punctuation marks (Bobby) 174, 181 N
72: Fletcher, A. 167 notation 72-3
chess sets 10-12 Fool’s Mate 111
combination 147 foot soldiers 16 O
Count Issard 163 forks 84-9 open file/half-open file
counter attack 135 defend with a fork 134 145-6

190 | Need to know? Chess

 opposite coloured bishops R Staunton pattern 161
154 rank 13 Steinitz, Wilhelm 164
origins of chess 8-9 reading and writing chess Suhle, B. 162
ee)
p Reif 165 i
pawn 16-21 repetition of moves 157 Tal, Mikhail Nekhemyevich
isolated pawn 149 Reti, R. 168 171
passed pawn 148 rook 30-4 Thomas, G. 178
pawn majority 152 rook on the 7th (2nd) rank
pawn promotion 22, 153 U
104 united passed pawns 151
perpetual check 157 Ss unprotected pieces 128-9
Petrosian, Tigran sacrifice 146
Vartanovich 172 Schmid, L. 172 Vv
Philidor, Francois-André Scholar’s Mate 111 values of the pieces 68-71
Danican 160 short games 110-25
Pierre St-Amant 161 simple defences 130 WwW
skewers 90 weighted pieces 11
_ Pins 96-9
defend with a pin 133 defend with a skewer 135 Women’s World
Polgar, Judit(h) 179 Smothered Mate 156 Championship 178-9
protected passed pawn 152 Smyslovy, Vasily Vasiliyevich World Chess Championship
protecting pieces 76-8 170 159
Pulvermacher, A. 166 Spassky, Boris Vasilyevich World Chess Federation
173 (FIDE) 159, 180
stalemate 63 World Team Championship
°]
queen 35-9 Staunton, Howard 161 159

Acknowledgements
The chess equipment used in the original Thanks also to the following for providing
photography was kindly loaned by photographs for the book:
BCM Chess Shop ([Link])
British Chess Magazine 161, 162,163, 164,
165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173,
Picture credits 174, 177, 179, 180, 181
All original studio photography by British Library 9
George Morse (Oman publishing) Chessgraphics 8
Corbis 178
Getty Images 175, 176
Laima Barkus (Oman publishing) 187
Lee Sharman (Oman publishing) 12

Index | 191
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Want to play chess but aren't su

of tactics? Can’t tell your pawns =
your rooks? Collins need to know: es
Chess gives you all the moves you need
OM EC mie See tale ae a
your opponent.

Includes:
m i-Mate ele aeCem
fo) dae at
Peace RoR Col aL
your opponent
- Game play and strategy
- Glossary of terms

Collins. Do More.
£8.99
ISBN O0-00-720595-3

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[Link]
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Getty
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Cover