35 Street Fighting Chess

An attacking guide
STRIITF'I6HTIN6
H E ~ v s
Streetfighting Chess is a practical guide to attacking chess
for club-strength players. Its primary aim is to show how an
aggressive approach to all aspects of the game can and will gain
points. Moreover, it is designed to instil in the reader a new sense
of adventure and, importantly, increased enjoyment of the game.
Andrew Burnett is a 3-time East of Scotland champion and
winner of numerous weekend congress Opens. His most recent
success was a 1st equal finish at the Bardejov Open in Slovakia.
With a degree in journalism and a background in travel writing,
Streetfighting Chess is his first foray into writing chess books.
www.streetfightingchess.com
Published in the UK by Trinity Knights Publishing
UK
EUR
US/CAN
15.99
19.99
$30.99
BIBU06 PHY
Books
Dearing, E., Play the Sicilian Dragon, 2004, Gambit Publications, London.
Informator 1-90, Sahovski Informator, Belgrade.
Kasparov, G., My Great Predecessors Volume2, Everyman Chess, London.
Larsen, B., Larsen's Selected Games of Chess 1948-69, 1976, G. Bell & Sons Ltd, London.
Pachman, L., Complete Chess Strategy 1, 1975, Batsford, London.
Pachman, L., Decisive Games in Chess History, 1975, Dover Publications, New York.
Rowson, J., The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, 2000, Gambit Publications, London.
Speelman, J. Tisdall, J. & Wade, R., Batsford Chess Endings, 1993, Batsford, London.
Tal, M. , The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, 1976, RHM Press, New York.
Tal, M., Tal Botvinnik 1960. Russell Enterprises Inc., 2003, Milford, CT, USA.
Ward, C., Winning With the Dragon, 1994, Batsford, London.
Magazines
Chess Monthly
New in Chess
Scottish Chess
Weekend Chess
Newspapers and Periodicals
Bryson, D.M. , Scotland on Sunday
Henderson, J.B. , Scotsman
Motwani, P ., Scotsman
Pritchett, C., Herald
RCO DING
Emms, J. , The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess, 2007, Everyman Chess, London.
Webb, S., Chess for Tigers, 2005, Batsford, London.
LeMoir, D., How to be Lucky in Chess, 2001, Gambit Publications, London.
Golz, W & Keres, P., Chess Combination as a Fine Art, 1989, Crowood Press, Wiltshire, UK.
Bosch, J. (editor), Secrets of Opening Surprises (S.O.S.), New in Chess, Alkmaar.
AC LE NT'S
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the following for aUowing them to reproduce
extracts of their work.
Helen Milligan- photo ofPaul Motwani, p142
Thorbjorn Rosenlund- photo of Bent Larsen, p28
Richard Shorman- photo of Mikhail Tal, p92
Hanon W. Russell Inc.- Tal extract on p114-115
Everyman Chess - quotes from Sosonko and Tal , pp94-97
Dover Publications - quotes from Pachman, pp94-97
Batsford - quotes from Pachman, pp 106-107
As the author I am personally indebted to a great many people, without whom this book
would never have seen the light of day.
First and foremost my good friend, physics teacher and chess coach Walter Pearson. His
advice on chess and life have been invaluable over the years, and his ability to infuse long
journeys with interesting tales on any subject imaginable is unparalleled.
To my brother Walter Burnett, who at every stage of this book was my unwavering advocate,
and who showed me how chess really ought to be played.
To Aaron Straub, Geoff Chandler and John B. Henderson whose initial enthusiasm,
support and advice helped turn my scribblings into what you are about to read.
Special thanks to Paul Motwani, whose help (both witting and unwitting) has made this book,
and my chess, infinitely richer.
Sam Collins, formerly of Chess Suppliers Scotland, deserves a serious round of applause for
much-needed technical assistance, and for championing my cause at every turn.
To John B Henderson, Kerry Lawless and Eric Hicks for helping me to track down
photographs (listed above).
To Kevin 'Sarge' Ross for all the graphics used in this book, and to Vlado Novak for the
back cover photograph.
In the time-honoured tradition of Scottish chess players/writers, a mention and thanks also to
my girlfriend, Jaroslava Pentekova, for spending (too) many weeks staring at a computer
screen filled with 'chess nonsense' , and never once hitting me or leaving me for a non-chess-
player (or both).
co
Introduction
1. The King Must Die!
2. In a Material World
3. Streetfighting Heroes #1
4. In the Beginning ...
5. Middle-game Matters
6. Mind Games
8. Something New, Something Old ...
9. Losing it and Using it
10. Mind Games Re-visited
11. More Middle-game Matters
13. The End is Nigh!
14. Walking the Walk
Test your Streetfighting

VI
1
17
28
33
51
67
92
99
113
121
133
142
149
161
171
INTRODUCTION
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
-Albert Einstein (attrib.)
elcome to Streetfighting
Chess, and what, for many of
you out there, will be a
journey into uncharted territory - a non-
theoretical chess book written by someone
who is neither a Grandmaster, nor an
International Master, nor even a FIDE
Master. Fret not, for these titles are not so
important as one might think.
To begin at the beginning, the basic
premise behind this book arises out of a
confession I will now share with you: I will
never become World Champion!
Sad, but true, this realisation has no doubt
been shared by 99 .9/o of chess-players the
world over. And yet still we battle on;
turning up for club matches on cold,
winter nights; spending endless weekends
sampling the delights of non-descript
towns to play congresses, and shelling out
small fortunes on books, magazines and
computer software - all in the hope of one
day playing our very own 'immortal
game' or raising aloft that sought after
league or championship trophy.
As a firm believer in the adage 'Every dog
has his day', I want to share with you the
secrets of the Streetfighting approach to
chess, a rigorous practical guide which
will transform you from the chess-playing
journeyman happy to simply push wood,
into an aggressive (in the chess sense only)
fighter at the board; a never-say-die risk-
taker whose name on the pairings will
make even the strongest of opponents
nervous - in short, a Streetfighter!
Although primarily aimed at raising the
game and results of players rated roughly
between 1500-2000, I think that players of
all standards will find something positive
in this book, be it an interesting opening
idea, a novel approach to the psychology
of practical chess or simply the enjoyment
of playing through the many exciting
games it contains. If nothing else, the
quote attributed to Einstein above should
motivate many of you to read on!
Of the games themselves, I should mention
that the vast majority come from my own
experience. This isn't a case of self-
aggrandisement (I have tried very hard to
be objective and honest in my annotations)
but rather it makes eminent sense to me
that sharing my approach to the game can
only be sensibly achieved by using my own
examples.
That being said, I have included games by
some of the world's most interesting
masters from whom I have borrowed
ideas or been influenced by in their
creative approach to chess. Indeed, any or
all of these inspirational players could
write their own 'Streetfighting Guide for
Grandmasters' but that is, as they say,
another story.
'Our' story begins with a primitive notion,
but one which is all too readily forgotten
by the average player. So read on and,
most importantly, enjoy!
Andrew Burnett, Scotland, 2007
Streetfighting Chess
STEERING
Burnett, A- Nolan, G
French Defence
.
Marymass Open 1998
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 4.e5
llJe4!?
The first decision awaits-how to respond to
this unusual knight move? Having never
encountered 4 ... lt:J e4 previously in practice,
and quickly realising that my theoretical
knowledge of the move was also non-
existent, my immediate thoughts were that
5. ltJ xe4 ought to be the critical line (captures
so often are), while 5.Jid3 looked like the
most natural response (as developing moves
so often do) .
I had to assume, though, that 4 ... ttJ e4 was
my opponents speciality, and that he'd
therefore be likely to know these lines
'inside- out' . So, we need to look elsewhere
if we're going to engineer a position which
suits us while wrong-footing our opponent.
ask a question of the advanced black steed
which has no safe retreat square, while the
white knight can later be re- routed towards
the kingside via f4 or g3 .
5 ... f6 6.f3 fxg5 8.h4!
With the last 2 moves White has taken the
initiative, intending, at the cost of a pawn, to
build a classical pawn centre ( d4/e5/f4)
which Black can no longer undermine with
the ... f6 break.
It may have looked natural to simply chase
the knight on g5 further with 7 .h4, but from
it's retreat square on f7 the knight would be
performing two useful functions; namely
defending the future castled king's position
and helping to put pressure on the white
centre.
In countering this, White has given up a
bishop which may have proved useful in the
future (e.g. on e3 to strengthen the white
centre) but not necessarily so.
8 ... gxh4 9.f4 0-0!
Black is playing sensibly, but this move is
5.lt:Jce2!? also making a very loud statement; "I have
faith in my solid position and extra pawn, so
This strange- looking move is designed to come and have a go if you think you're hard
2
The King Must Die!
enough!" This is exactly the kind of 1 2 ~ d 3 g6 13.0-0-0 c5 1 4 ~ d 2
response that we, the Streetfighters, want to etJc6?!
provoke in our opponent.
We haven't played some messy gambit on
move 2 or 3 - hacking and slashing so early
that our opponents guard is up from the
outset.
What we have done is inveigled our way
into a position which offers very good
attacking prospects, and in which the lack of
immediate threats is actually a bonus for us
as we will soon see.
ll.g3 hxg3
Black knows he will come under some kind
of pressure down the h- fil.e regardless, so
decides that he should have an extra pawn
for his troubles-a perfectly legitimate and
logical reaction as White must now prove he
has at least a pawn's worth of compensation.
Also, as we shall see many times in this
book, having an excess of material can often
allow for some of it to be returned to break
or disrupt an attack. In chapter 2 we will
look more closely at material considerations
as they are hugely important, not only in
chess as a whole, but more specifically to
the Streetfighting approach I am advocating.
3
This entirely natural- looking move is quite
possibly an error and it is here, combined
with the next move, that Black loses the
game because he allows White to realise his
ideal attacking formation.
It's not that it is a bad move from Black's
own point of view with regard to
development and attacking the centre, but
simply that it doesn't hinder White's
strategy in any way. Black has to realise that
if he doesn't react not only quickly, but also
accurately, to thwart White's ambitions on
the kings ide, then he will be squashed flat by
the entire white army.
As Black I would almost certainly have
thrown in 14 ... g2 here, blocking the queen's
route to h2, clogging up the g- file with an
extra piece and deflecting the bishop from
it's t1ue attacking home on d3. After all, it's
the extra pawn that he'd be returning- a
small price to pay for the tempii gained.
15.l2Jxg3
Why is it that defence seems to be so much
more difficult than attack? Well, in this case
(and it is a fairly representative example) we we be restricting our opponents
can answer this logically. development where at all possible?
White has set out his stall; he will play his
queen to the h-file, develop the bishop to
d3, put the d- rook on gl , and then look to
infiltrate or breakthrough depending on
Black's chosen defensive set- up. Very
straightforward, but also very difficult to
counter!
The question as to whether there is a forced
win or not at this point for White isn't
strictly relevant. Black, on the other hand,
has committed himself to defence first and
foremost, with the intention of sneaking in a
counter-attacking move whenever the
opportunity arises . Herein lies the
quandary: -
J5 . l/!j7 is a useful prophylactic move, but
then again it could just as easily be left until
White forces his hand couldn't it?
15 Vffa5 is a counter- attacking move (and
aren't we always being told that attack is the
best form of defence?) but maybe the queen
will be required for defensive duties on the
kingside?
15 ... c4 prepares not only for a pawn- storm
(with .. . b5- b4 and a5- a4) but also prevents
which would be the best attacking
square for the white bishop - and shouldn't
4
15 ... tJxd4 is also a dual-purpose move as
after exchanges on d4 the c-file is opened
towards the white king and White has one
less piece for his attack - and doesn't it
make sense to reduce the number of
attackers?
The answer to all these questions is yes, and
so we have (at least partly) the answer to the
conundrum. The defender will often have
too much choice, but too little concrete
evidence to base that choice on!
Which move is best? Which plan the most
accurate? The nitty- gritty hand- to-hand
combat hasn't begun yet, so it' s impossible to
calculate far enough ahead to be definite.
15 ... ttJxd4?! 16.VNh2 17.ttJxd4
cxd4
White was threatening to blast though with
(following which the queen and rook
would deliver a swift mate) so this was
forced, but after White's next move we can
see that all his forces are massed in
preparation for the final attack.
20.VNh6 Wff7
The King Must Die!
Here, with the pieces optimally placed, is The problem is that, after 21. Cbh5 gxh5
White's decision- time. In contrast to Blacks Black can play 22 ... f8
dilemma a few moves ago, this decision can
be reached mathematically-that is, when
everything is in place, then pure calculation
takes over. Of course, accurate calculation is
by no means an easy task, but is nevertheless
more palatable than the judgement call faced
by Black earlier. Importantly, it is a facet of
the game which we can work on in a logical
and methodical way.
21.gh2?!
Here I calculated the immediate 21. Cbh5
gxh5 22 . .ih7+ h8 gh7 24.!xh7
xh7 26. gxh5#,
Analysis diagram
and in this line I also found a neat mating
combination after 24 ... with 25
h7 27.gxh5

Analysis diagram
5
Analysis diagram
when I couldn't see a clear win. This was my
reason for playing - in this position
I would now have exploiting the pin
on the black rook on g7.
Away from the heat of the battle, of course,
it is fairly clear that I have time to double
the rooks in this fashion after the knight
sacrifice, since the black king cannot escape
the deadly pin. Naturally, Fritz (and other
engines) now come into their own and throw
up 21. Cbh5 immediately as being good for
White, but this shouldn't overly concern us:
we are humans with human foibles, and
although it may seem unfair that the attacker
should be able to get away with the odd
inaccuracy whereas the defender can't, in my
experience fortune almost always favours
the brave!
21 ... !d7?!
Last- chance-saloon here was the incredible
21 ... h8!
It looks completely ridiculous to put the king
back on the open h-file, and I have to say
that it is a pure computer move - no human
would be likely to even consider it while the
queen-side pieces are still languishing at
home.
It doesn't tum the tables exactly, but it would
have forced a rethink of White's attack and
is important because it highlights the need to
be vigilant to the last, and try to exploit each
and every loose move from your opponent.
After the text move 21 ... the white
attack cr.ashes through as intended.
win. Far safer to play the one you've seen
originally - after all you still only get the 1
point.
25 ... i>g8
i>xf7 i>e8
30.gxf8+ i>xf8 31.gh8+
and here Black threw in the towel, perhaps a
little prematurely, although there is little
22.lbh5! gxh5 hope of saving the game- the d4- pawn will
fall, the bishop is horrible and White's rook
Ignoring the knight would involve giving up can easily defend f4 if required.
the exchange and still facing a strong attack.
It's a tough call, but when faced with such a
horrible choice of moves you have to decide
whether to face the mating attack and hope
your opponent gets it wrong, or struggle on
with virtually no hope of escape.
1-0
GEARING
If the previous example highlighted an 'over
i>h8
25.gxh5!?
the board' solution showing how to steer
25.ixh7 wins as given in a previous note,
but the text move was the first winning line I
had calculated.
I've seen many a game blown by players
(including myself, naturally, though I hope
I've rid myself of this bad habit for good)
searching for a quicker, or more spectacular,
6
positions into our preferred style of play,
then the following encounter witnesses a
'home- grown' set- up where once again the
king is targeted from early on.
If you are a l.e4 player, the Sicilian Defence
in one or other of its various guises is almost
certainly the most popular response you will
meet. In many ways this is good news for us
because it generally involves a sharper game
than many other openings.
The downside though is that there is just so
much theory surrounding it, which is rapidly
expanding every day. Learning this amount
of theory - by which I mean understanding, -
memorising and constantly updating it - is a
thankless task for all but the top players in
my opinion. For the average player it's
simply not a viable option, limited as we are
in the amount of time we can devote to
playing the game itself, let alone studying
and preparing for it.
One way around this, and a very common
one at that, is to play an Anti- Sicilian:- the
A lapin with 2.c3, the Closed Variation with
2. ltJc3 and 3.g3 or the Grand Prix Attack
with 2.ltJ c3 and 3.f4 amongst others.
This is all very well, but opponents soon get
wise to these dangerous but limiting side-
lines. As mentioned in the first game we
don't want to raise our opponent's suspicions
too early, far better to let them think they
know what they're doing and then blind-side
them. Let's see how this approach can work
in practice.
Burnett, A- Roberts, P
Sicilian Defence
National League 1997
l.e4 c5 e6 Cbc6 4.ib5
d6 5.d4 cxd4 6.'2Jxd4 id7 7.0-0 'lJf6
8.ig5 YNb6 9.ie3 V!ic7 10.f4 ie7
a6 12.id3
The move order employed to reach this
position isn't hugely important. The black
position is a generic set-up which can arise
from the Scheveningen, Classical and Kan/
7
The King Must Die!
Paulsen variations, as well as the modish
early .. . Wb6 systems and the hybrid idea
seen in the game.
Now, I'm almost sure that there is a perfectly
valid reason why the bishop doesn't come to
this square more often. However, none of
my opponents have (as yet!) shown me what
the defects of this approach to the opening
are. Nor does established theory shed any
real light on the matter; my various
databases find only 6 examples of this
position from 4 million plus games!
Imagine the bishop having just come to d3
from e2 (rather than b5). We then have an
almost direct transposition into the mainline
Scheveningen system, where ltJb3 and i d3
together are rarely played, White usually
preferring a slower approach involving a4,
and Wel-g3, or with Wd2.
This is the realm of established theory at the
very highest level with the Karpov-
Kasparov and Anand- Kasparov world title
matches debating the relative merits for
Black and White.
What we have to remember is that we're not
sitting opposite Gary Kasparov and trying to
pick a fight! There's absolutely no point in
allowing our opponent to play Kasparov's
game by proxy either - it's far more sensible
to set the opposition some independent
problems.
This is why I think it is better to approach
the opening from what I call a 'semi-
theoretical' perspective. That is, we enter (or
in this case transpose) into a mainline
version of the Sicilian, but at the earliest
sensible opportunity we diverge from the
established approach and find an aggressive
alternative, which may not have the GM seal
of approval (in this instance) or perhaps has
been forgotten as theory moves on
(examples of which we will encounter
throughout this book), but which once again
will allow us to focus our thoughts on attack.
What benefits will this bring us? Firstly, we
will be playing a position we have either
studied at home or played before - one
which we have tailored to our style. This
should mean that we have a decent idea of
the strategy we have to follow and some of
the tactical and positional themes the
position contains.
Our opponent will more often than not be
facing it for the first time and have to work
everything out over the board - very hard to
do accurately with the clock ticking.
Secondly, we are not playing dubious lines
(merely less- well- investigated ones) but
our opponents may not be aware of this.
Watching your opponent sink into thought
the rules' is possible and when it's not.
At club level, not castling kingside here, or
not castling at all, is simply not a viable
option (as we will see all too clearly in a
later chapter). Nevertheless, the point has to
b e made that 1 2 . .. b 5 renders th e s e
alternative considerations moot as the
queen-side is now an unsuitable safe haven.
13.a3!
This exclamation is not given for any
inherent strength in the move, but mostly for
psychological considerations. Black's ... b5 is
an aggressive thrust and White's response
seems somewhat timid - is Black therefore
attacking? No! White would like Black to
castle so he can launch the attack, w bile
Black now wants to castle so he can exploit
White's 'slow' play with a3.
looking for the 'refutation' of what is no 13 ... 0-0 14.g4!?
more nor less than a perfectly valid
alternative is often worth the entry fee alone!
12 ... b5!?
Why should this perfectly normal move in
the Sicilian receive any attention at all? No
reason at all I would have said, until I started
to investigate similar positions, and found
that Black would often delay or omit
kingside castling altogether, preferring
instead sometimes to send the king
westward after White launches his attack on
the kingside. Of course, these games I
discovered were played by strong
grandmasters who know a thing or two
about the game, particularly when 'breaking
8
.!.

I

____ ..
1..1.. i
..
i
l!i)i

i
.
I
-
...,_
1-

"'

-
:!J
It

liV-
.:

With White's knight having retreated earlier
to b3, it is now not so simple for Black to
clear the log- jam of minor pieces.
Moves such as 14.g4 are often labelled
'crude, attacking rubbish' , generally by those
players who have forgotten that checkmate
ends the game! Looked at objectively, this
approach is again just one of a number of
ways to play the position - just as dicey for
the attacker (who has weakened his king's
protection) as the intended victim.
On a subjective, practical level though it can
prove nightmarish to face such an attack,
requiring strong nerves and achieving an
accurate balance between what you have to
play to defend, and what you want to play.
14 ... h6!?
At first sight this appears to be a basic error
which merely provides a target for the
further advance g5 exposing the black
kingside.
Well, yes, in a way it is, but it should always
The King Must Die!
somehow strange or unexpected, we will
improve our overall chess ability
considerably.
15.g5 hxg5 16.e5!
This is a crucial move for White to get in. It
not only unleashes the white bishop sitting
on d3 (hopefully justifying the lengthy spiel
I subjected you all to on move 12 !) but also
prevents Black from using the e5 square to
blockade with his knight (a very common
strategic theme for Black in the Sicilian) and
furthermore allows the white knight on c3 to
find a quick and effective route towards the
kings ide.
be remembered that our opponents will 16 ... h
doubtless have ideas behind their choice of
moves too! I have a good friend who quite
regularly fails to appreciate that his
opponent also has plans and ambitions for
his forces, consequently often overlooking
tactical ripostes and positional frailties
because they didn't fit into his grand scheme
for domination!
Of course, I'm probably guilty of this just as
much as you the reader, or anyone else, but
if we can learn to question more closely any
move of our opponent which seems to be
9
It should be noted that 16 .. . dxe5 most
definitely does not help Black's cause. After
17 .fxg5 Black will have no time to access
the e5 square and White will, as mentioned
previously, readily use the e4 square as a
springboard for the knight to reach f6 with
unstoppable threats.
Don't forget, we should continually be
searching for ways to bring reserves up for
the attack. General ideas - what lines will be
open for the bishops; how do the knights
participate; is there a way to include the
rooks? - are just as relevant as the specific
calculations which follow.
17.exd6
At first I thought this move was simply a
good way to drag one or other of the black
pieces to a more vulnerable square (and to
avoid losing the pawn after fxg5) but it also
paves the way for a cute tactical shot which
never even entered my head.
20 ... Cbe7!?
Black had a difficult choice to make here
and, as you've discovered yourself I'm sure,
defensive tasks such as these are no fun at
all - far more enjoyable to be the aggressor
in these situations.
Should the knight go to e5? Perhaps the
black bishop needs this square to defend h8
after ... g6? The bishop could go to e5
immediately, but then c5 becomes available
to the white bishop or knight, e.g. 20 .. .
17 ...
!?

g6
i>xh7 liJ e7 25.liJ e4 when 26.liJ f6 is a killer.
As with the previous game, the practicalities
of defence are troublesome and time-
This is the natural attacking choice and most consuming, with no clear guidelines to
definitely the square which was envisioned follow.
for the white queen from several moves
back, but the computer choice here is
followed by 1, not
bothering with the king at all but exploiting Grabbing the c2 pawn would be met by the
the bishops doubled on the d- file! This kind same measured response as in the game.
of thinking outside the loop doesn't come
naturally to human chess-players, but would 22.ctJ bd2!
be priceless if we could master it. In any
event, it's the king we're after.
19 ... i>g8 20.fxg5
10
This very strong move preserves all of
White's threats. It is imperative not to snatch
at moves when you're sure you are winning.
Rely on your own judgement and check if
your opponents move changes the reason
why you're winning.
In this instance it's the rook lift to f3 then h3
which will finally overpower Black -
reinforcing the knight on e4 ensures that
these threats are still valid and there's no
need to dive in prematurely with 22. 4Jf6+,
for example, which throws the win away
after 22 ... gxf6 23 .gxf6
22 ... 23J;f3

I refuse to give this a question mark even
though there is a much quicker win since
this time around 25.l2J f6+ does win. As I
stated in the previous game, if you see a win
and you're sure about it, then play it - don't
waste time looking for the crowd- pleasing
version, you'll only end up with egg on your
face if it backfires!
25 .. JMfxd6
Forcing Black's reply by threatening Vlih7+
The King Must Die!
This is the killer blow, utilising the pin on
the g- pawn (29 ... gxh6 allows 30.Vlixf7#)
and planned well in advance.
These kind of tactics are really only
difficult if you haven't encountered them
before - it's often merely a case of pattern
recognition. If you solve enough problems
and puzzles at bedtime, you'll quickly start
seeing these possibilities during your games!
Karpov was once asked by some club-
players how best they might improve their
chess. On hearing that they concentrated
their time on studying openings, sometimes
middle- games, he told them, "Endgames,
study endgames instead"!
Needless to say (but say it I will) I couldn't
disagree more. Club players should
concentrate most of their efforts on
improving their tactical awareness by
assimilating mating patterns and
combinations into their chess memory, so
that they can eventually recognise
opportunities and possibilities just as readily
as they do their own face in the mirror!
followed by Vli xg6 exploiting the pin on the 29 ... 30.VNxg7 VMe6
f- file.
With the king-side pawn cover finally
27 ... e5 breached the end is nigh for the black king.
11
31.%Vg8+
and here Black resigned as
34.gc7+ will pick up at least the knight on
g6.
1-0
This aggressive, semi-theoretical system has
brought me numerous victories and I can't
emphasise enough just how useful it is to
build up even a small arsenal of such ideas.
Don't be suckered into thinking that only the
most up-to- date theory is valid, or
conversely, the complete avoidance of
theory.There is a huge untapped or simply
forgotten body of chess ideas out there and
over the course of this book I'm going to
introduce you to as many of them as
possible (or at the very least point you in
their general direction).
INTERFERING
Anyway, back to the here- and- now, and
before delving into the next game, I'd like
you to consider the following fairly well-
worn variation which occurs in the Sicilian
Dragon.
l.e4 c5 2.1:fV3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.1!iJxd4
l!iJf6 5. 4:Jc3 g6 7.j3 0-0
8. WI d2 l!iJc6 9.g4 I 0. 0-0-0 I:Jxd4
II.hd4 Wfa5 12.a3 '8fc8 13.h4
gab8 14.ltiJd5!?
Just when it seemed as though the game
would come down to whoever could get
their attack going first, White defuses
matters by offering this queen swap which
Black can hardly refuse ( e7 is attacked and
White also threatens to destroy the black
pawn- structure by a double exchange on
12
f6). Naturally there is still plenty of play left
in the resulting queen- less position, but after
being teased by White, Black's aggressive
intentions would have to take a back seat
and the 'antenna' would need re- tuning to
deal with the new situation.
This kind of frustration can be overcome,
but it does require a special brand of
speculative play as the following exciting
encounter shows.
Burnett, A - McGowan, D
French Defence
Hamilton Open 2005
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.1:Jc3 dxe4 4.1!iJxe4
tLJd7 5.1!iJf3 I:Jgf6 6.1!iJxf6+ l!iJxf6
8.Wfe2 0-0 9.c3 b6
11.0-0-0 aS 12.h4 a4
As with the Dragon snippet, it appears that
the game will be decided by a direct attack
on the king in favour of one side or the
other.
The more I analysed this position though,
the more it seemed to me that Black wasn't
'attacking' my king with a view to mating me
(his a- pawn, rook and perhaps the bishop on
e7 won't be enough to trouble me alone).
Rather, he is trying to provoke a slight
The King Must Die!
weakening of my queenside, so that if my
attack (which can possibly include the 2
bishops, knight, queen and h 1-rook and h-
pawn) appears too threatening, he can play
perhaps ... !xf3 followed by ... (hitting
a2 and thereby forcing the queens off), or
possibly .. . a3, when the natural reply b3
allows ... ttJ d5 (hitting c3 and again offering
to exchange pieces).
Since this game was the second of the day,
with a further round to follow almost
immediately afterwards, I had no real desire
for a protracted struggle, and although the
English players among you might laugh at
the description of this '3- quicker- games-a-
day format' as tiring, the stamina levels of
we Scot's was discussed almost as much as
the actual chess being played over the
weekend!
Anyway, I had no intention of allowing my
opponent to tease me a la the earlier Dragon
position, and began to see the germs of a
forcing continuation which, though not
100% clear, would interfere with my
opponents intentions and at the very least
assure me of a game more in the spirit of my
aggressive mood.
You might well ask if this is really a valid
approach to the game of chess? I had similar
reservations many years ago, but then I
came across the fantastic game between Tal
and Larsen (lOth match game, Candidates
1965) and never felt the urge to ask the
question again! This incredible fight is
featured in the second of the Streetfighting
Heroes chapters on page 93.
Meanwhile, back to the main game, where I
have decided I want to attack, therefore I
shall!
13

This 'Greek Gift' sacrifice has been seen
countless times and has had entire articles
written about it. Sometimes winning,
sometimes not depending on the specific
details, it is an option which should never be
dismissed out of hand.
However, I would personally be loathe to
allow even the possibility of a sacrifice like
this next to my king, since the resulting
positions are almost always easier for the
attacking side to play in practice- an
important consideration for the Streetfighter.
This is the first critical position, as Black
must now choose whether to slip his king
back with 15 .. . @g8, or venture out into the
unknown with 15 ... h6. In the game Black
chose the latter option, but let's see what
might have happened had he tried to hide
with 15 ... g8.
White now cont i nues with 16.Wh5
threatening mate on h7. When I spoke to
Daniel briefly after the game it transpired
that he had only considered 16 ...
17.hxg5 (intending mate) 17 ... f6 18.g6
leading to this position:-
Analysis diagram
... which does indeed lose (and is a basic
mating pattern that everyone MUST learn),
but the move I was more concerned about
was 16 ...
Analysis diagram
This kind of move tends to fall off the radar
as, although it avoids the immediate mate on
h7 (the king can now run to f8 and e7), it
gives up f7 with check and so ceases to be
an option in normal thinking!
14
I felt this might be Black's best chance when
considering the bishop sacrifice back at
move 13. However, I was also aware that
there might be more than a draw available.
This is because Black can never challenge
the white W on f7 by playing vt1 or to e7,
since then he has blocked his king's escape
route and the sequence Wh7+ and
Wh8 would mate.
In view of this factor, White has several
moves he can make before settling for a
perpetual, and it would be a brave player
indeed who would want to enter such a
position as Black.
Back to the game continuation and Black
preferred instead to introduce his king to the
world.
15 ... @h6!?
Now, as is the case with many sacrifices,
this position was also unclear to me, but I
found it difficult to believe that the black
king could survive on the open road.
Nevertheless , it requires consistently
aggressive play to prove such general
assessments and I now spent a good 10
minutes deciding on the best move order
before finally settling on the most forcing
move.
16.We3!
This threatens a deadly discovered check
which, even if it doesn't win the black
queen, will at the very least decimate the
protection around the black king.
I was under the impression that Black's reply
was therefore forced, but it may just be
possible to play 16 ... here (a move
mentioned in Weekend Chess magazine) -
in effect asking White to do his worst - but
it would require nerves of steel to leave the
knight on g5.
16 ... ixg5 17.hxg5+

' '

t!J
8
8
8
1!
18.d5!!
This was the move I was pinning my hopes
on, but as one of my friends pointed out he
might well have seen the idea of the
sacrifice but it's this kind of follow-up
which he can't find - particularly from the
initial position.
So let's look at the position logically and
from a more general standpoint.
Firstly, we know that we are playing to mate
the black king (that much I hope is obvious!)
and to do this we must expose it to the white
.
p1eces.
15
The King Must Die!
Secondly, how can this be achieved? By
sacrificing all the kingside pawns which
are blocking the rooks from the attack!
However, the advance f4- f5 is hard to
achieve because of Black's pawn on e6, and
the immediate thrust g4 would drop the rook
on hl which we will need for the mate.
Now 18.d5 becomes much clearer - the
bishop is blocked off allowing for g4, and
should he capture with 18 ... .ixd5 then 19. c4
pins and wins it, after which the g4 idea
wins. Also, should Black capture with
18 .. . exd5 then of course f5 is unprotected
allowing for perhaps f4- f5 exposing the
black king, and any hope it had of fleeing
the scene is now prevented because of the
open e-file. It's not so terribly important for
us to see every detail in advance, but it is
essential that we see the general strategies
which underpin them.
Does Black have alternative defences
available here? Well, it should be noted that
18 .. 19.f4 20.g4! again shows the
thematic idea in action since now 20 ...
loses the queen to 21 .gdg 1.
After some considerable thought my
opponent, clearly fazed, played ...
18 ... e5?!
This is based on the hope that White will
allow the exchange of queens, after the weak
reply However, the bishop
is now to all intents and purposes out of the
game and with the rook on a8 also playing
no part White has essentially a material
advantage.
This is a very important concept for the
prospective Streetfighter and will be
examined in detail in the next chapter, but if
you think back to the first game we have
already seen the damage that can be inflicted
if all the remaining pieces work together.
19.Wfe4+ f5 20.gxf6ep+
.i.
,w,
.i. 1-

f-

1- [:'
'

"' ..
tt

i .

I :,._ ;
,,, ....
'

-;:-
'

fj
-
'

:-"

-
'

, .
,:
21.f4!
Now it's clear that the king will be brutally
exposed since 2l .. . 22.fxe5
23 + wins the queen. The possibility of
running with 21 .. . was also mooted
(again in Weekend Chess) but I don't believe
this saves Black since after the simple
22 .fxe5 his king is still too vulnerable.
21 ... exf4 22.Wfxf4+
And here there is a useful pattern to
remember after 22 ...
Analysis diagram
16
when either king move gets mated by

23.Me4+ grs 24.g4 and here Black
resigned.
He should try 24 ...
(although it is still losing) but as you'll no
doubt discover yourself soon enough, the
Streetfighting style has a way of
disheartening even the best of opponents!
1-0
So what have we learned from this opening
chapter?
Hopefully two major concepts of
Streetfighting chess: Attacking is effective
and fun - defence is difficult and, unless you
are a sado- masochist, no fun at all!
Adopting this mind-set is only the first step,
but it is a crucial one. Once you have
donned the garb of the swashbuckling hero
with the devil-may- care approach to chess,
it becomes much easier to play the more
aggressive opening, the active- but- unclear
plan, or the speculative sacrifice.
You will soon discover that any fear you
may have of entering sharp positions is
nothing compared to that which your
opponent will be feeling as your pieces
swarm around their king!
But enough sabre-rattling, it's time to move
on and challenge that most limiting feature
of amateur play - the love of all things
material!
In this respect, one of the best pieces of
chess advice I was ever given came from my
former High School physics teacher, chess
coach and friend, Walter Pearson, and went
along the lines of, "Don't count the pieces
off the board, concentrate on those left on
it!"
Quite often during the lunch- time chess
club Walter could be seen blatantly
pocketing various pieces belonging to his
opponents (most often rooks still
languishing on their original squares long
into the game) , and answering their
protestations with the classic line, "What are
you complaining about? You weren't using it
anyway!"
These daily occurrences sparked within me a
healthy disregard for material considerations
and a desire to use all of my remaining
pieces lest they be swiped by Walter!
Note the phrase 'healthy disregard' , which is
completely different from the 'mad hackers'
school of chess where half- crazed sacrificial
assaults often result in an attempt to deliver
mate with little more than a knight, a pawn
and some cleverly disguised belly- button
fluff!
Seriously though, we should not shy away
from investing a pawn, the exchange, even a
full piece (or more!) if the resulting position
sees the rest of our army combining in the
attack.
Let's take a look first at an extreme example,
played at 30 minutes per player, where
holding the initiative counts for a great deal,
and where the normal rules regarding
material considerations can therefore be bent
more readily.
18
Rattray, G - Burnett, A
Czech Benoni
Stewarton Allegro 1994
l.d4 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 d6
5.e4 g6
This position will appear quite a few times
in this book and will be looked at in more
detail later. What we can quickly see is that
the central pawns are blocked and that most
of the action will have to take place on the
wings; White can attempt to play b4 or f4 to
undermine Black's pawn structure, whereas
Black obviously has the mirror moves ... b5
and ... f5 in mind for his middle-game
strategies - so there is already a distinct
imbalance in the position.
6.f3 a6 h6
A useful little move which prevents any
rapid attacks with Bh6 and h4- h5. It's
important not to castle too soon here as
Black (otherwise White might launch a
quick kingside pawn storm), and with the
centre so firmly blocked this is not a
problem.
10.g4 h5!
Refusing to be cowed by White's seemingly
aggressive play on the kingside. The loss of
tempo playing .. . h6, followed so soon
by ... h5, is again a luxury afforded by the
locked pawn chains in the middle of the
board.
11.gxh5 12.0-0-0 b5 13.<j{b1
b4 15.b3
id717.ig2
Out of the opening we can see that neither
side has too much scope for their pieces
owing to the blocked pawn chains. Black's
last move, though, indicates his intention to
In a Material World
initiative to White, Black embarks on a very
speculative idea, but one which is far more
in keeping with the original strategy of
attacking on the queen- side.
18 ...
This prelude is necessary to activate the g7-
bishop, otherwise Black will never have
enough fire-power to trouble the White
king.
exf4 20.ic1 a5! 21.etJd3
a4!
play ... a5, .. . a4 with a direct attack on the These exclamation marks are not for any
White king down the a-file. inherent strength in the moves, merely for
consistency of purpose. If you commit to
18. el! such an idea, you have to see it through to
the end.
White is the first to realise that the Black
queen will be seriously short of squares once
the pawn reaches a4, and so retreats his
queen to allow the bishop to come to c I .
Black now faces a bit of a dilemma; does he
retreat the queen from a3 to a5, then the
knight from b6 to c8, then the queen again,
so that he can finally push the a-pawn?
In view of this unattractive and time-
consuming plan which hands over the
19
22.ixa3 bxa3 0-0 24.h4?!
Although this move isn't completely
irrelevant to the position (it does allow the
rook to defend along the 2nd rank via h2, as
well as perhaps pushing further with h5 to
deflect Black into defending his own
kingside ), it is a sign that White doesn't
sense the dangers facing him.
The immediate was superior, lending 27 ... c4! 28.ifl ic3!
additional support to the pawn on c4.
24 ... axb3 25.axb3 'LJxc4!
More material is offered in order that the
remaining pieces have open lines towards
the white king. The knight, however, is
immune to capture in view of the following
variation 26.bxc4 a2 28. ttJ d3
i a4+ 29. @d2 i xdl al =\W 31.\Wxal

26.si>a2 ttJe3
The only advantage in having an excess of
material in such situations (as mentioned
briefly in our opening game) is that you can
afford to return some of it to break the
attack.
Here White reasons that he can save the
rook and defend g2 simultaneously, but the
resulting lack of co- ordination (how bad is
his queen now?) is a heavy price to pay.
Perhaps he hoped that Black would rush to
play ... i c3 and grab the rook this way, but
the bishop is unopposed on the long
diagonal and shouldn't be traded for a rook
with little or no scope without a very good
reason.
20
White is tied in knots and soon every Black
piece will be contributing to the cause.
30.Wff2?!
Last chance was again by returning material
with 30.i xc4 ttJ xc4 31 .Wdl when White
might be able to hold, but by now he was
very short of time. Players often argue that
lack of time is no excuse for losing a game
(meaning that they ought to have played
more quickly earlier) but the aggressive and
practical Streetfighting approach rarely
allows for quick responses- your opponents
will be in time- trouble more frequently.
30 ... cxb3+ 3l.ttJxb3 ia4!
B!b2+ axb2 34.si>bl
would limit the damage to a piece
but the text move allows for a beautiful
fmale to the game.
34 ... 35.ctJxc2 +
And now White resigned as he realised that
36.lt:J xa 1 bxal actually mate!
0-1
The black pieces left on the board more than
made up for the queen's early departure, and
again this game highlights just how difficult
it is to defend against such attacks, even
with a huge material plus.
Quite recently I showed this game to one of
my friends, rated about 1600 strength, and
his view was that, yes, he could understand
why I played what I did, he could even see
many of the moves and ideas himself, but
that he couldn't imagine himself actually
playing such a game because the results of
the attacking ideas were not immediately
clear enough to him. He claimed that he
wouldn't 'trust' such positions because they
couldn't be calculated to a definitive end.
This is a very common reason why many
players shy away from playing more
aggressively, and it is a valid point, but I
21
In a Material World
would counter it by saying that whatever
style of play you prefer you won't have
complete control. Put another way, trying to
play like Karpov or Kramnik is MUCH
more difficult than attempting to emulate
Tal or Shirov!
Anyway, I think the following game will
help to allay these reservations somewhat; a
delve into the real - time mind of the
Streetfighter!
Burnett,A- MacDonald,C
French Defence
Edinburgh Premier 2005
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Cl:Jc3 dxe4 4.C2Jxe4

This move heralds in the 'Fort Knox'
variation of the French Defence, so- called
as it is designed to give Black a super- solid
defensive position.
I had never faced this variation before, but
many years ago I had played through a
wonderful game played by Alexei Shirov as
White in this same opening.
Since we obviously can't prepare ourselves
in any great depth for every possible
variation and opponent, it is extremely
useful to choose a game which really
appeals to you, and tuck it away in the
memory banks.
When eventually faced with the opening (in
this case 12 years after the Shirov game)
simply follow the general ideas of the game
which so appealed to you.
The specifics will doubtless be lost in the
mists of time, but they are not as important
as you might think in the majority of games.
Here then is Shirov's creation, without notes,
which will serve as an appetiser for the main
game.
Shirov,A- Chernin,A
French Defence
Groningen PCA 1993
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.CiJc3 dxe4 4.CiJxe4
5.CiJf3 ic6 CiJd7 7.0-0 CiJgf6 8.CiJg3
ie7 9.h3 0-0 hf3 11.Wlxf3 c612.c4
E!e8 13.E!fe1 if8 14.f!ad1 f!a5 g6
16.h4 Wlc7 18.h5 h5 19.h6
ixh6 20.d5
20 ... cxd5 21.ixf6 bxc4 cxb3
23.CiJh5 f5 24.&d5 gxh5 25.&f5 CiJf8
26.&h5 bxa2 27.ixa2 28.f!g4 @h8
29.ixg7+ f!xg7 30.E!g5 CiJg6 Wlc3
32.f!d1 Vlif6 33.'Bd7 CSe7 34.&e7 ffxe7
35.ixg6 f!g8 36. ffd4+ E!g7 37.f!h5 e5
1-0
22
A cracking game played at a very high level
and well-worthy of an hour or two of
anyone's study time.
7.0-0

It is this simple knight retreat which caught
my eye, rather than a more obviously
aggressive move such as 8.ttJ eg5, which has
just a bit too much in the way of theory
behind it. It is in White's interests to keep
the knights on the board as Black is the one
with a space disadvantage.
8 ... 9.c4
As I re-discovered afterwards, Shirov
played here the immediate 9.b3 intending to
put the bishop on the long diagonal, later
following up with c4, but as I mentioned, the
specifics are not too important here, it's the
general strategy which is the key.
9 ... b6?!
This curious move goes against Black's
normal strategy in this opening, which as we
have seen is to exchange the bishop for the
knight on f3 and then to play c6.
With my logical head on, I reasoned that
Black was instead intending to slip the
bishop back to b7 but the 'laws' of chess
state that taking 4 moves to play what could
have been achieved in 2 moves (simply ... b6
and ... i.b7 immediately) is , generally
speaking, bad.
I immediately set about looking for a sharp
way to take advantage of what has to be a
mistaken strategy from Black, but eventually
decided that simple development in the
Shirov mode was strongest.
10.b3! c5!?
This move irked me somewhat. My
intentions were to develop the V!f to e2, play
the to d 1 and e 1 and then prepare the
pawn push d5 as in the Shirov game. Now,
however, I won't have a d-pawn to thrust
into the black position as he intends to
exchange it off!
But something started to bug me about this
whole position. I have developed my pieces
quickly onto good, active, well coordinated
squares. I've castled, and attempted to
control the centre by playing pawns to c4
and d4.
Black, on the other hand, has developed
more passively, wasted time with his light-
23
In a Material World
squared bishop and hasn't bothered to castle
before challenging the centre with his last
move.
Hmmm. Surely White has some way to take
advantage of this failure to follow the
normal rules of opening play?
And then it hit me - Shirov's middle- game
idea is playable immediately! Of course,
playing 12.d5 will involve giving up a pawn
so it requires some thought and analysis in
case this is one of those infuriating positions
where the 'exception to the rules' applies, so
let's take a look at what I had to consider.
OK, if I play d5 immediately I am
threatening to take on e6 creating a serious
weakness in black's pawn structure for
which he will have no compensation. The
only way to avoid this disruption is by
playing 12 ... ltJf8, but that's just too horrible
to contemplate as he'll never get castled.
So, he must take on d5. Fine. Now the e- file
is opened for the white rook and the f5-
square is available to the ltJ on g3, which
combined will attack e7. Black must
therefore get his king out of the way by
castling and either defend or move the i on
e7.
The natural way to defend it is by
developing the from f8 to e8. But look at
the relative worth of these moves: White
develops his and ltJ aggressively into
attacking positions eyeing up pieces and
squares close to the black king, while Black
develops his in defence and puts
his king to where it really ought to have
gone anyway!
In addition the i on b2 will have a huge
diagonal to exert pressure on towards the
black king. There are also some very
specific details which I will clarify over the 1 7. 5 lLJ xh5 1 8 .ltJ h 6+ gx h 6
next few moves, but suffice to say I was 19 7#
soon won over by the potential contained in
the white forces.
And remember, all this is for the price of
one pawn. I always console myself with the
thought that if a pawn sacrifice doesn't work,
at least I know how to vs @!!
12.d5! exd5 13.ctJf5 0-0 14.E:el E:e8
15.cxd5
This is the frrst critical position. Black must
decide whether he really wants to take the
pawn or not?
If he doesn't, then the pawn could easily
become a serious thorn in his side as it is
passed and advanced in the heart of his
position.
Taking it, on the other hand, is the
equivalent of calling your opponent in poker
- in effect 'show me what you've got!'
In his Scotland on Sunday newspaper
column, International Master Douglas
Bryson states, "Black must try 15 ...
Well, that's fair comment if you've seen the
rest of the game, but Black doesn't have that
luxury as of yet! Let me just show you one
variation I had calculated - totally unforced,
but beautiful nonetheless. 15 ... 16 .lLJ g5
24
Analysis diagram
As I said, totally unforced, but the fact there
are such wonderful tactical possibilities in
the position is often a good guide as to how
healthy the position is and where your pieces
might prove most effective.
I will discuss this idea of fantasy variations
again later, but for now let's get back to the
game where Black faces a major decision,
not the least of which is how to avoid
horrors like the previous diagram. As we
have seen in previous games, defensive
choices may be plentiful in number but in
practice it will be incredibly difficult (not to
mention tiring and time- consuming) to find
what is often a single path to safety through
a very scary forest!
15 ...
This move was unexpected, I think, since the
appeared to have a useful eye on the black
king as we have just seen. It is a very strong
move though as it sets up yet another pin on
the black pieces which are now very loose
indeed.
The ttJ f6 is pinned to the g7 pawn and to
defence of both the on d5 and the ltJ on
d7; the ttJ d7 is now pinned to on e8 (as
is the on e7) and he is faced with the
immediate threat of winning material.
I have been rather fortunate in that this game
has been analysed and annotated not only by
the afore- mentioed Dougie Bryson, but also
by International Master Craig Pritchett in his
Herald chess column (and subsequently in
Weekend Chess). Both mention the
possibility here of 16 ... a6!?, forcing White
to carry out his threats.
Bryson (with his trusty Fritz 8 running
alongside) found the long forcing win
beginning 1 7 1 8. 1
21. ttJ e7+,
with the further 2l .. . 22 .ttJ g5 g6
In a Material World
In any event, I was fairly sure Chris would
try the text move, which looks like it solves
most of these problems, but Black is in for a
shock.
16 ...
23.ctJ xf7+ 24.ttJg5! 25.ttJ e6+ h6 17.Ct:Jxg7!!
xd7 mating soon.
Craig Pritchett, working without Fritz,
missed 24. 4J g5 and wondered how much of
this the players saw over-the- board?
I don't know about my opponent Chris, but I
stopped at
Analysis diagram
and figured my active pieces and initiative
should be too strong to withstand. Again it is
the initial calculation and assessment which
is important-not an unrealistic definitive
analysis of every eventuality. That way
madness lies!
25
I had the impression that Black's position
was hanging by a thread (or 2 threads rather)
and this logical knight sacrifice is the first
cut.
Why is it logical? Well, it exposes the black
king to the full power of the on b2 (much
as in the earlier Shirov game) and
undermines the knight on f6 which as
already mentioned had a shaky defensive
role guarding d7 and d5.
This was not a difficult move to play as I
had to justify my previous play. If I can't
break through in this or a similar way, then
it calls into question the entire concept of the
pawn sacrifice - and my sense of natural
justice on the chessboard was telling me the
pawn sac was correct!
With reference to the introduction to this
game, the problem my friend faces with
such assaults is lack of faith.
Faith in the logic of chess and faith in his
own ability to fmd the key moves to unlock
the secrets of the position. Having seen
some of his games he shows good
judgement in most other areas of the game,
but somehow, as with most other club-
players, this judgement falters or self-
destructs when the stakes are immediately
higher; as here, a tactical battle involving
material investment for an attack.
But, again, the bare bones of my contention
is that it's still only one point if you get it
wrong occasionally, just as it's only one
point if your protracted positional struggle
doesn't pan out as intended.
In addition, how much more enjoyable does
this present game seem compared to the
dour riskless brand of chess we often see? I
would much rather lose a game such as this
having created something interesting, than
win some 4- hour siege of a weak pawn
followed by an endgame grind which has
sent even the proverbial one man and his
dog off in search of drying paint to watch!
17 .. /tlxg7
There goes the other 'thread' and now the
18 ... fxe6
This threatens the obvious fork on e6
winning the black queen, but also allows the
white queen access to the white squares on
the kingside (g4 and h5) which the l2J f6
would cover were it not for the pin on the
long diagonal.
Black could consider 19 .. . here, but
20 .l2J xe6 attacks the queen and changes the
focus of attack onto the dark squares by
threatening followed by or
mating.
19 ... 20.\WhS!
The f7 square cannot be defended now
(except by 20 ... l2J g6, when 21.Wxh7 mates
next move) and I have to admit that the
possible weakness of this square was a
factor when weighing up the respective
moves at move 14.
Again, it's not so important to see the exact
details of an attack, but what is hugely
important is to find the themes and general
options available to the pieces.
black king finds himself subjected to a brutal 20 ... e5 21.Wff7+ <;t>b8?!
assault. His remaining forces are in no real
position to cover the necessary squares. It's not really fair to criticise this move as
26
Black has been run ragged over the last 8 or
9 moves, but nevertheless 21 ... would
have forced White to find some accurate
moves to end the game.
I was considering both 22.ttJ f3 and 22. l2J h3
(the latter being best) but rather amusingly
had condemned 22.i cl as losing in view of
22 ... \Wdl mate (!), not realising that I could
block with 23 .i fl !).
After the text move Black has no defence.
h6
and here Black resigned as 24.\Wg8 mate is
threatened utilising the eternal pin on the
itJ f6, while 23 ... ttJ8d7 allows 24.\Wh7 mate,
again exploiting the pin.
1-0
How easy is it to play a game such as this
one? Well, I would be lying if I said it was
simple! Its obviously not.
However, if we can see past the
conventional piece- counting approach to
chess we all learned when we started playing
chess, then it becomes much easier.
The knight on f5 wasn't merely a lump of
wood or plastic worth 3 points - it was a
warrior able and willing to sacrifice itself to
27
In a Material World
expose the black king! The rook on el was
likewise a brave soldier destined to remove
the enemy's best defender.
Thinking in abstract ways such as this may
seem a little unorthodox, even downright
cheesy, but can be a useful mechanism to
break free from the ingrained attitudes and
misconceptions towards materialism we
have built up over the years.
In his excellent book, The Seven Deadly
Chess Sins, Scotland's top player and 3-time
British Champion GM Jonathan Rowson
describes the pieces as not only having mass
(the material value we are accustomed to
giving to each piece), but also energy. I can't
do justice to Jonathan's idea here (it would
take us too far afield, so read it yourself!),
but sacrificing one bundle of energy (and
therefore relative mass) in order to increase
the energy (mass) in 2 or 3 other bundles is
exactly what we are doing when we give up
material for an attack, or to gain the
initiative allowing our attack to progress
fust or faster - nothing more - but it is so,
so important to our Streetfighting approach
to chess.
The next game is a real treat, and introduces
one of my all- time favourite players. His
approach to not only materialism and the
initiative, but the entire game of chess, puts
him firmly in the top echelons of
Streetfighting Masters. Enjoy!

3f)STRTF16HTIN6 HRO I 1
BENT'
II pieces are attacking pieces!" If
ever there was a single motto
required for Streetfighters, these
words of the 'Great Dane' Bent Larsen
would be perfect.
His aggressive, uncompromising style
proved to be a major headache for the
world's strongest players and, until the
rise of Fischer, it was left to Larsen alone
to provide the western world's challenge
to Eastern Bloc dominance. His desire to
win every game, regardless of how good,
bad or indifferent his position or form or
tournament situation, should serve as a
stellar example to each and every one of
us.
Flohr, Salo - Larsen, Bent
Czech Benoni
Copenhagen.J966
l.d4 ~ f 6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5!? 4 ~ c 3 d6
5.e4
Larsen's most famous book, 'Selected
Games of Chess 1948-1969', is a
wonderful read, a collection of his most
memorable battles which affords not only
an insight into the development of a great
master, but also inspires the average
chess-player in ways that so many
modern books fail to do.
The following game shows Larsen at his
best, experimenting with a non-
theoretical opening which forces his
illustrious opponent to deal with difficult
problems early on, and thereby realising
his goal of, as the great man himself puts
it, "providing the public with what it
wants - sharp play!"
The Czech Benoni, which the observant
reader will notice is a firm favourite of my
own, wholly owing to this very game!
As Larsen states, "This solid Black system
often leads to exciting games. Maybe the
greatest danger for Black is really of a
psychological nature. If he becomes so
fascinated by his fire- proof construction that
he forgets to do something active, then he
will probably be slowly strangled. As I see
it, playing this system means that I force
myself to play aggressively!"
Just what the doctor ordered as far as we are
concerned, and, importantly, this unusual
system avoids the well- trodden theoretical
pathways at an early stage.
5 ... g6!?
It looks strange to play the bishop to a
square with such a prospect-less view, so
more common here is 5 ... ile7 intending in
due course to play the fl to g5 with a view to
exchanging it off, but in choosing g7 Black
is intending to force a route along the
diagonal as soon as possible.
7.li.Jge2 li.Jbd7 8.h3 a6
9 liJ h5!
The timing of this move demonstrates an
excellent understanding of the system.
Larsen has avoided castling in order to
answer the aggressive push g4 with the
counter- blow .. . h5, and has waited for the
w bite bishop to come to e3 before playing
ttJh5 so that when the knight jumps to f4
White will have to use an extra tempo with
the bishop as we will see in the game
continuation.
The practical value of playing non-
theoretical openings becomes apparent in
such situations: Larsen knows these move-
order tricks inside- out (it's 'his' system)
whereas Flohr will have to expend time and
energy to suss out Black's intentions.
Now if White castles short then so will
30
Black, who can then follow up with ... f5 ,
whilst castling queen- side is unappealing in
view of the .. . b5 pawn sacrifice which 8 ... a6
allowed for.
Flohr eventually settles on the most
principled continuation which wins a pawn,
but hands Black the initiative and releases
the g7-bishop.
Larsen forces himself to play aggressively,
and forces his opponent to allow him to!
10.1Wd2 0-0 ll.g4!? li.Jf4 12.'tJxf4
exf4 li.Je5
White could hardly contemplate 14.ilxe5
giving black's bishop free- reign over the
dark-squares, so he retreats to cover f3 and
hopes eventually to chase the dominant
knight on e5.
14 ... b5! 15.cxb5 axb5 16.li.Jxb5
Sheer impudence! Black has given up two
pawns for the initiative and since 'necessity
is the mother of invention', Larsen finds a
novel role for his rook.
It's impossible to know what Flohr was
thinking at this stage, but at the very least he
would probably be hoping he'd soon get a
chance to make a move 'of his own accord' .
Larsen's energetic follow-up soon dispels
that idea.
17.ttJc3 18JWe3
18 .. . f5 looks like the natural way to include
the second rook in the game, but after
19.gxf5 gxf5 !, White would provide
Black with a timely (and important)
reminder that there are two players at the
board and two kings on it!

Well-intentioned as it removes the queen
from its awkward position on the e- file and
further dissuades Black's ... f5- break, but as
Larsen says, "my answer was an unpleasant
surprise!"
19 ... g5!
Streetfighting Hero #I
Flohr evidently didn't much fancy
cxd4 22.'tJb5 ::xe4 23.ltJ xd6, since Black
has the 'trick' 23 ... ::xe2+ 24. ltJ f4+
followed by available.
Even less appealing was 21 .0-0 because
after 2l .. . ltJh4 23 the white
queen is less than impressive!
What I love most about this game is Larsen's
relentless quest for activity. In seizing the
initiative (and ensuring that he doesn't lose it
again) he has played two separate pawn sacs
and offered two successive exchange sacs.
He has given Flohr no time to implement a
coherent strategy of his own, and the one
'free' move Flohr managed, turned
out to be a mistake!
So far Larsen has opened the queen-side
and the centre to his advantage, and the next
phase will bring the kingside into play - a
A move which only a very strong - or very remarkable full-court press which cannot
weak - player would make! Larsen steps fail to impress.
outside the loop here and swaps his plans
for ... f5 with one designed to dominate the 23.0-0!?
dark-squares, even if that plan involves
further material investment.
31
"Psychologically easy to understand. In such
a position everybody wants to get the King
out of danger". So says Larsen here, but his
idea of what constitutes White's best defence This is forced since now that has been
would be unlikely to appeal to many players, prevented, the rook really is hanging on b4.
viz. 24. <j{fl lt:J f4
ia6+ lt:J e2+ 27. <j{h2 lt:J xg3 28.i>xg3 36 ... h6!

Flohr's deci s ion to castle seems
understandable in light of this variation and
he was no doubt hoping to weather the storm
without giving up his queen.
23 ... Cbh4

See how quickly the kingside has turned
into a minefield for White? 27 ... is
threatened but the obvious shoring- up move
27 .f3 is unplayable because, after 27 ...
the new vista of the 7th rank leads to ruin as
any move to block it drops the rook on al.
27.a3 C2Jf3+ 28.<;t>g2
No respite! White must after all part with his
queen to avert the mating threats and the
following forcing line favours Black.
29.axb4 30.<;t>gt
cxb4
33J3a8+ 33 ... <;t>g7
Cbf3+

32
Now ... f5 will call up the reserve infantry -
a tad ironic that the middle- game break
which never came threatens to destroy
White in the ending.
Instead Flohr chooses a different sword to
fall upon.
f6 and here
White called it a day as there is no defence
to the manouevre ... followed by the
other pawn advance ... h5 ... h4, ... h3 .
0-1
A perfect example of controlled aggression
by Larsen and one of my all-time favourite
games which taught me so much about the
relative value of the pieces, and the art of
gaining and sustaining the initiative for
attacking purposes.
A close study of Larsen's ideas, particularly
in the opening phase of the game, could
prove extremely useful to players as an
antidote to the 'new-age' approach of theory
and databases.
It is very important to realise that preparing
for specific opponents need not be the
preserve of the IM or GM plying their trade
around the globe, Fritz-powered laptops
constantly searching for specific tactical
weaknesses in the opening repertoire of their
next opponent.
While the likes of Fritz and CbessBase are a
fact of chess life nowadays - and extremely
useful tools to have on occasion - at the
less- exalted level of the weekend congress,
club championship or local league match
there is still plenty of scope for the
Streetfighter in us to hatch devious plans!
To this end one of my favourite 'hobbies'
during tournaments is to take a quick-but-
close look around the other boards about 2 0-
30 minutes into a session. It is usually
around this time that the opening is coming
to an end and the players sink into thought,
planning their middle- game strategies, quite
unaware that beady Streetfighting eyes are
watching them, scanning score- sheets for
move- orders and taking (mental!) notes for
future reference.
It may seem of little importance that Joe
Bloggs plays 2.4Jc3 against the Sicilian and
enters the Closed Variation, whereas Jane
Bloggs plays 2.ltJc3 followed by 3. lbf3
hoping to trick you with her move- order and
enter one of the mainlines, but little nuggets
of information such as these are incredibly
usefuL Given that most of us play our chess
within a limited pool of opponents, there is a
distinct possibility that we will meet the
same players time and again in congresses,
local leagues, national club competitions,
etc. and knowing where to begin our
preparation is half the battle. To wit:-
34
Burnett, A- Buchanan,W
French Defence
Grangemouth Premier 1992
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 4.e5

Petrosian's patent I believe, which has
enjoyed sporadic bouts of popularity but has
never gained widespread acceptance ,
probably because of the good- standing of
the mainline alternatives 4 .. . c5 and 4 ... ltJ e7.
However, we know already that uncommon
or unpopular cannot be readily equated with
bad or dubious, so it won't do to play just
anything against it.
Nor do we really wish to delve into the most
popular response to this system, namely
5 .Vfi g4, because that would be fighting on
our opponent's territory where they will
doubtless be well-versed in whatever theory
there is and likely have a good few (or even
a few good!) ideas up their sleeves.
Remember, they will probably be playing
4 ... Vfid7 almost every time they meet 3.ltJ c3,
whereas we will normally meet with .. . c5
or ... ltJ e7 as mentioned, so they will also
have experience on their side.
Instead, having noted Walter's predeliction
for this side- line on one of my walks a few
In the Beginning
months previously, I had prepared an 6.i.e2 he won't really want to play the
unusual reply which I hoped would throw further ... g6 (since his dark-squares on the
him out of his usual stride. king-side would be very weak) and
otherwise he must sacrifice the h- pawn.
5.h4!
If Black can take a few liberties with his
development ( 4 .. . Wd7 hardly follows the
natural rules of opening a chess game) then
surely White can also?
The idea behind the thrust of the h- pawn so
early is two- fold; a general attempt to gain
some extra space on the king-side being the
first idea, and the second more specific aim
will soon be revealed. Where do such ideas
come from in the opening? Well, this one I
noted from a game of Nigel Davies which I
happened upon in an old magazine and
decided to borrow. I prefer to fill my chess
memory with odd snippets from newspapers,
magazines, etc. rather than cram it with vast
reams of theory which are often out-dated
as soon as they are played.
Such is the speed of travel in the information
age that, for example, a novelty employed
by Judit Polgar, can be analysed and
transmitted automatically to your home
computer before her opponent has had time
to consider a reply!
In any event, 5.h4 may not be brand new,
but it is definitely aggressive, less- well
investigated, and by no means inconsistent
with the general aims of White in many lines
of the French Defence.
6.h5
Now Black must ponder whether he should
get on with his own plan of exchanging the
light-squared bishops immediately with
6 ... i.a6, but in doing so allow the disruptive
7.h6, or take a move out to prevent this
audacious advance?
6 ... h6
Opting for the safer response since 6 .. . i.a6
7 .h6 would present Black with yet another
decision; to play 7 ... g6 leaving a serious
hole on f6, or to try 7 ... gxh6 or. .. lt:J xh6 when
both the h- pawns might well fall in the long
run.
7.'1Ng4!
If the advance of the h-pawn seemed
5 ... b6 slightly extravagant early on, then this
delayed version of the W g4 idea shows its
Black could consider the response 5 ... h5 merits more clearly.
here, but it is unappealing because after Now the reply 7 ... f5 (which is how Black
35
regularly answers 5.\Mfg4) would leave a
glaring weakness on g6 which the white
knight's natural routes e2-f4 or h3-f4 would
seek to exploit.
It is practical problems such as these which
are so difficult to meet over the board, and
which we should be aiming to set our
adversaries in every game.
Already we have asked questions of Black
on tnoves 5, 6 and 7, rather than allow him
to follow the theoretical recommendations
under- pinning Petrosian's system.
So the bishop has been forced to declare its
intentions without White having spent a
tempo on the usual a3 - the first small
victory in the game.
And with this move White aims to prove
that Black will run out of constructive ideas
first, and will be forced at some point to re-
develop White's knight towards the king-
side for him by exchanging on e2.
9 ... /JfJe7 10.b4 c6 11./JfJf3

Envisaging the opening of the b- file (as
Black will probably have to play ... c5
eventually in an attempt to relieve his
cramped position), when the rook will be
well-positioned.
Never forget how important it is to seek out
your opponent's possible plans for counter-
play, no matter how difficult their position
36
may appear at first sight, and see if you can
find a way to increase the activity of your
. .
own pteces 1n response.
12 ...
What else? If 12 ... i e7 then 13.a4 (intending
b5) , or 13 .\Mfh3 (threatening to win the
knight with g4) puts the ball firmly back in
Black's court.

This is a serious misjudgement, but Walter
had already used an hour on the clock to thi s
point dealing with White's opening plan.
He had to try the immediate 13 ... c5 here, but
the following game shows that even with an
extra tempo in this position Black is
struggling:
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.1ltJc3 1UJ4 4.e5 V!id7 5.h4
b6 6.h5 h6 7. V!Jg4 ij8 8.ild2 ila6 9.ile2
/fjje7 JO.b4 lltJf5 ll.l!lbl he2 12.1ltJcxe2 c5
13.bxc5 bxc5 14.1ltJf3 lltJc6 15.0-0 ile7
16.1ltJg 3 t'iJcxd4 17. t'iJxd4 t'iJxd4 18. Vfixg 7 0-
0-0 19.Vfixj7 ih4 20.Vfig6 l!lhg8 21.Vfid3 Vfic6
22.c3 hg3 23.cxd4 Slh4 24. Wfh 7 Vfid7
25.Vfic2 c4 26.Vfib2 V!ic6 27.i.a5 @d7
28.Vfib7+ V!ixb7 29.r!!:xb7+ @c6 30.l!lfbll!ldj8
3J.rgc7# 1-0
Burnett,A - Farrell,N
(Edinburgh 1994)
Back to the main game, where Black
threatens to go a- hunting for pawns on the
queen-side. With the majority of his forces
still undeveloped this is tantamount to
suicide, however facing pressure both on the
board and the clock often leads to the
adoption of dubious plans - a key idea
behind the Streetfighting ethos.
14.0-0 VNa6 15.'bg3 l2Jxg3
15 ... ltJ e7 presents White with a simple plan
of 16.ltJ h4 with the intention of f4-f5
cracking open the black king's cover, while
the text move obviously hands White the
open f-file.
It is already hard to offer Black any advice
as 15 ... \W c8 would be a rather ignominious
retreat in light of his previous 2 moves.
16.fxg3 c5
The alternatives are less challenging;
16 .. . ltJ d7 puts the knight on the wrong
circuit as it must attempt to reach d8 to be
37
In the Beginning
useful in defence, while 16 .. . \Wxa2 17 .tt:Jh4
Wxc2 shows exactly why 'pawn-
grabbing with a queen' gets such bad press.
17.bxc5 bxc5
With Black planning the afore -
mentioned ... ltJ d8 manouevre defending the
vulnerable e6 and f7 squares, it is imperative
that White strikes while the iron is hot.
As I have said before (and doubtless will
again in the future!) there is no need to be
scared of giving up material in positions
where your opponent's pieces are
languishing at home and contributing
nothing to the cause.
White could even consider an immediate
19 here, such is the relative superiority
in activity his pieces hold over Black's, but a
sacrifice of lesser value is often safer if both
alternatives look equally promising in other
respects.
19 ... fxg6
Black may as well accept the proffered
knight as the alternatives (after 19 ...
20. lLJxf8) of 20 .. 21.\Wxg7 or 20 ... <J?x8
21. Wxe6 are in any event extremely
unappealing.
Stree(fighting Chess
ie7
If Black tries 20 .. . then 21 .i a5+! either
wins the queen or mates.
We should learn to always consider such
moves (despite the bishop being en- prise to
leading the black queen on a merry dance
away from her protection of the king.
25.:gb5 26.e6 27.if4
28.:gb7
two pieces) when we are attacking. Taking on d5 was also possible, as was the
Almost all manuals on tactical chess state computer-inspired mating sacrifice g5!
that 'checks and captures' should top the list
of candidate moves in any given position
and it is important that we incorporate this
into our way of thinking at the board.
i>d8
:ges
White has gained several pawns for the
sacrificed knight, a useful safety net should
things go awry. It should, though, only take
a few prods and pokes in the right places to
expose the black king and finish the game
with a mating attack.
24 ... cxd4
24 ... lZJ xd4 is inadvisable because of 25.i a5+
and mating, while 24 .. allows
25 lZJ xb8 [25 ... also
wins] 26.i a5+ again with mate on d6.
Now the b 1 rook enters the fray, intent on
38
28 ... 29.:gd7+ i>c8 30.:gc7+ i>d8

and now Black resigned since 31 ... 7 is
mated by 32. 1Wf8 +
and 35.\Wxd8, so he must give up
his queen after which the white queen,
bishop and h- pawn are an unstoppable
force.
1-0
Of course, this type of prepared surprise in
the opening isn't immediately winning (as
opposed, for example, to a computer-
inspired refutation of a sharp line in the
Sicilian or Benoni) but its advantages are
clear: firstly, the opponent has to deal with
immediate problems at the board, with the
clock ticking and an opponent (us!) who has
already discovered some or many of the
tactical and positional threats.
Secondly, these ideas can be re- used several
times before anyone cottons on to their
worth (the 5 .h4 systetn has so far brought
me 6 wins and 2 draws against very decent
opposition).
We obviously won't necessarily re- use the
same idea next time we meet the same
opponent, which brings me on to the
important concept of 're- cycling'.
Using the game just shown to highlight this
idea, imagine that a few tournaments later
we are paired again as White against the
same opponent. Now, what do we play
against his French Defence?
We have to assume he has in the meantime
found an interesting counter to the 5 .h4 plan
.
and is looking forward to playing it and
gaining revenge, switch from 3.Nc3 to
3.Nd2 and use the sharp 6.c4 idea we will
encounter on page 52.
A couple of months later we meet again and
our opponent is ready to meet both these
ideas, but in the meantime we have prepared
4.Qd3 in the Winawer (featured on page 57).
This constant wrong- footing of an opponent
in the opening works excellently in practice
- think about it, 3 pieces of preparation
recycled against 3 different players of the
French can cover 9 games, and is the chess
equivalent of 'hit and run'.
And whatever we may lose, with respect to
playing and knowing a system inside out, we
more than make up for in the experience
gained playing these variations on a theme.
And of course this idea is not exclusive to
the French Defence - these sharp sidelines
exist in all openings, and for both colours.
How much more effective and practical does
this approach sound compared to trying to
39
In the Beginning
learn, remember and update all the mainline
theory?
Time to move on to some even more
specific preparation now.
At some point in their chess career everyone
will have been caught out by an unusual or
quirky opening (that is, even more quirky or
unusual than the ones the Streetfighter will
be employing!).
This is only to be expected since we can't
possibly learn everything, but it's not enough
to simply write- off openings such as the
Sicilian Wing Gambit (l .e4 c5 2.b4?!) or the
Grob (l .g4?!) - we have to prepare an
answer for when we next meet these dodgy
variations .
The amount of time we can spend studying
chess at home may well be limited, but its
preferable to invest a comfortable hour or
two there, rather than a nervy 15 minutes or
so over the board if we get caught unawares
in the opening! The following game
highlights the practical value of this
approach to less- well- charted openings.
Burnett, A- Minnican, A
Sicilian Defence
Glenrothes Premier 1998
l.e4 c5
This is the Nimzowitsch Variation of the
Sicilian Defence, Alan's pet line with which
he had surprised me a few year's previously,
winning quickly and cleanly after the
unambitious 3. tt:Jc3, when 3 ... d5! is already
pleasant for Black.
Since that game, however, I had managed to
dig up a very interesting and highly
energetic idea buried deep in the bowels of
an old copy of Informator (being the
archetypal 'stingy' Scotsman, I tend not to
buy Inforrnators until they are several years
old and going for a fiver in the bargain bin
of the bookstall!).
That being said, the theory of 10 or 15 years
ago is the ideal searching ground for us,
while our opponents are 'booking-up' on
Shirov's latest novelty or one of Topalov's
ground-breaking innovations. Not likely,
granted, in this particular variation, but the
premise still holds.
3.e5 etJd5 4.etJc3 e6!?
Black's other option here is 4 ... ltJxc3, but
that allows White simple and speedy
development after 5 .dxc3 .
Alan's choice of 4 ... e6 is a specialty of
players at his former club Glasgow
Polytechnic (he's now a team-mate and
friend of mine at Wandering Dragons Chess
Club in Edinburgh, so I'd best be careful
how I annotate this game!).
The idea is 5.ltJxd5 exd5 6.d4 tt:Jc6 7.dxc5
ixc5 8.'Mixd5 d6 9.exd6 ~ b 6 a very
dangerous double- pawn sacrifice which
White would have to be either very brave or
very well- prepared to accept.
It's not the kind of position we should really
40
be aiming for as it concedes the initiative
very early on, but fortunately I had been
fore-warned of this idea by one of Douglas
Bryson's Scotland on Sunday columns, in
which Douglas mentioned a 20-move defeat
he himself suffered at the hands of
Polytechnic player lain Swan in this line.
Fore- warned is fore- armed as they say, and
so my next move avoids these 'tricks' and
instead sensibly targets the dark squares at
d6 and f6 .
5.tiJe4 etJc6 6.c4 ~ b 6 7.b4!?
White gets in his own pawn sacrifice
designed to aid quick development and
deflect black from his central control. If he
takes on b4 with the pawn, then 8.d4 gives
White a massive centre and the push d5 is
already a threat. The text move is safer but
the knight will take time to reposition, time
which White hopes to use for quick
development, though probably not in the
manner you might expect!
This is a very important position in this line
as Black must now choose how to continue
his development. The game which had so
attracted me to this line appeared in
Infomator 27 (1979!) and continued:
8 ... Wfc7 9.a4 aS 10. ga3 flc6 11. fibl h6
13.0-0 0-0 hf6
15.exf6 d6 16.fxg7 ges 17.11Jg5 f5 18.gh3
e5 19.fixh6 @xg7 20.gh7+ @g6 21.f4
@j6 23.r;Jj7# 1-0 Jekabsson-
Shabalov (USSR 1978)
A very attractive game, and although Black
should surely have a better defence available
somewhere, specific improvements are hard
to come by.
Douglas Bryson suggested 8 .. .'Wffc7 9.a4 'Wc6
10. lt:Jg3 d5! as being in Black's favour.
Entirely true, but the knight doesn't belong
on g3 . Far superior is 10.4J c3! when 10 ... d5
is unplayable immediately because of
11.cxd5 followed by 12.Bb5 winning the
queen, while White threatens to win the b6
knight with 11.a5. If Black prevents this
with ll. .. a5, then White simply plays 'lNb 1,
d4 and 'Ll b5 with an excellent position.
1 O ... d6! is better, but Black would still have
to play extremely accurately to achieve a
playable position. In conclusion, Black
clearly has enough to think about here and
the text move can hardly be the losing error.
8 ... cie7 9.a4
41
In the Beginning
Forcing Black's reply since allowing the
further pawn thrust 1 O.a5 is obviously
unpalatable. However, the inclusion of these
seemingly innocent rook- pawn moves will
prove beneficial to White only.
9 ... a5 10.h4! h6
This is absolutely necessary in order to
prevent ct:J fg5 followed by 'lNh5, but again
the respective rook pawn moves are in
White's favour. Why? Well, we shall see
soon enough!
V!fc7
Both rooks are developed in beginners
fashion! Although at first sight it looks
somewhat amusing (if not downright
ridiculous), it is also completely logical as
the 3rd rank is the only route available for
the rooks to reach useful open lines.
Of course, these exclamation marks are not
given for any genius on my part -they
belong rightfully to Jekabsson or
Gurgenidze or whoever it was who first
devised this development plan.
Knowing that I was to play Alan the
following morning, however, I had this
position set up at home the previous evening
(and not, as John Henderson claimed in his 13JWbl!
daily Scotsman column, the position after
White's 26th move!)
The clock times alone tell the story:-White
had used 5 minutes while Black had
consumed 40, with another 12 minutes
lapsing before his reply.
12 ..
This doesn't work out too well, although
perhaps the follow-up is the real culprit.
Personally I would rather not defend Black's
side of this particular argument at all since
his pieces lack any of the vitality and scope
that I hope you have come to appreciate as a
necessary part of aggressive and attacking
chess.
Relatively best was 12 .. . Wc6 when Black
can indeed win the a4 pawn, but as we saw
in the previous game, pawn hunting on the
queen- side is not a viable game- plan when
the storm clouds are beginning to gather on
the opposite wing, as the following game
continuation shows:-
12 .. Wfc6 13. Wfb1 CfJxa4 14.1l.a1 CfJb6 15.ile2
a4 16.@fl E:a5 17.E:g3 @j8 18.CfJd6 !la8
19. CiJxf7 !lg8 1-0 Gurgen idze} B -
Mnatsakanian)E (Tbilisi 1977)
42
This sly little queen move came as a surprise
to Alan, but we have already seen the idea
twice!
It shows quite clearly that preparation
doesn't have to work out move-perfect to be
successful. An understanding of where the
pieces work best and why - exerting the
most influence on the game - is where the
real skill lies when 'doing homework'.
13 ... l2Jc6 14.E!g3
Suffering on both the board and the clock,
Black decides to offload some material to
ease his constricted position.
It may have been more dogged to shuffle the
king over with 14 .. . to lend extra
protection to g7, but I doubt if it changes the
assessment of the position. White has a
simple plan then of playing ttJ d6 followed
by Wh7.
15.'i.Jxd4 cxd4 E!a6
It hardly seems fair to criticise this move; as
Kasparov once said, "In a bad position all
moves are bad!"
Probably Alan should have chanced his arm
here with 17 .... ixa3, and although there is a
'mathematical' win here for White, it is
entirely possible that Black's best hope is
that White will mess up the calculations. As
played, White can develop a very strong
attack without investing material.
17.c5 ltJd5 18.ltJd6+ i>f8 f5
bxa6
I'
.t

I'
c
<.
ii'it
'
'

I'&

'
:
....
[j

1
,J!
' .. ""

[j
[j
-
VJ/1.
I
2l. ttJxf5 wins also, but generally speaking a
knight as dominant as the one on d6 will be
at least as useful as a rook for the final
attack. Black's king is now brutally exposed
and with a complete lack of co-ordination
between his forces there is no defence.
21 ... exf5 23.exf6
24.fxg7+ i>e8 i>d8

j.tl
,,

'
I'

'
I
. .tl

0
'
,.8
, I ,-
fl'".O
[j ,
8
-
--
:

,

'',
43
In the Beginning
and here Black resigned since 26 ... ie7
27.i xe7+ (j;jxe7 28.g e3+ 29.\Mf f6 is
mate.
1-0
Well, that piece of preparation went
swimmingly, but this will obviously not be
the case all of the time.
As Scotland's much- loved poet Rabbie
Burns once wrote,
11
The best laid plans of
mice and men gang aft agley!
11
(For those of
you not conversant with Burns and the old
Scots tongue, perhaps the ancient Hebrew
proverb - Man plans, God laughs - will
clarify matters)
Before the main game, which shows the
truth of Burns' statement and will hopefully
provide us with a few ideas of how to
overcome unexpected adversity at the board,
we will have a quick look at an amazing
game - a savage encounter between two
Grandmaster 'Streetfighters' , Dragoljub
V elimirovic and Mihai Sub a.
Velimirovic is a fearless attacking player, no
respecter of reputation and a man who is
never happier than when he is blasting his
way through to the opposition's king. His
opponent, the Romanian GM Suba, is
considered by many to be one of the most
original thinkers that chess has seen and an
unsung expert on practical chess
psychology.
Since I was looking for an interesting line to
play as White against the Sicilian Najdorf
the game stuck in my mind.
Velimirovic, D- Suba, M
Sicilian Najdorf
Pinerolo 1987
l.e4 c5 2. l!iJj3 d6 3.d4 &iJf6 4.1:i.Jc3
cxd4 5.1!i.Jxd4 e6 6.ibe3 a6 7.ibc4 b5
8.1lb3 1lb 7 9.f4 l:i.Jbd7
~
- .t _____ _
'
Somewhat amusingly, this move was given
as 9 .. . ttJ fd 7 (or rather KN- Q2 in the old-
fashioned parlance of the pre-Maxwell
CHESS magazine) which I thought to be
very strange even for the likes of Mihai
Suba. Only many years later (last year to be
exact) did I notice this game in Informator
with the more likely - and as it turns out
correct - 9 ... tt:J bd7 given as the game
continuation.
This notational error rather bizarrely (though
also in a way fortunately) worked out in my
favour as we will see later in the main game.
10.0-0 b4!?
An extremely risky decision and Black will
now have to play very accurately. White's
lead in development could quickly turn into
a strong attack.
JJ.I:iJa4 ixe4 12.f5 e5 13.&iJe6!?
44
Perhaps not fully correct, but it is the logical
and consistent continuation with the black
king stuck in the centre of the board.
13 . fxe6 14.fxe6 l:i.Jb8?!
Well, I said Black would have to be very
accurate - but it appears he wasn't listening!
Probably he was afraid of playing 14 .. . ttJc5
in view of something like 15 ~ x f 6 but the
tactics seem to favour Black after 15 .. . ttJxb3
(according to Deep Fritz 8 that is, who tends
to get it right when the pieces are flying all
over the shop!).
I don't find it too surprising that a human
player gets it wrong in such situations ,
particularly when defending - whenever it
happens to me it seems that every second
variation I calculate ends with me being
check-mated, and every other one contains
something much worse!
15.1:tJb6 ibe7 16.1Ml4+!
This is a key move which prevents Black's
king from fleeing to anything resembhng
safety.
In his notes to this game V elimirovic gives
Black's next move the thumbs down, but if
16 ... f 8 (given as best) has to be played
In the Beginning
then I wouldn't be remotely happy playing 23.CLJc7+ 24.lif2+
Black here.
16 ... VNc8
19.l!lxf6!
We wi 11 be seeing this move again very
soon! Note how White strikes from both
sides of the board simultaneously.
19 ... hc2
A last desperate lunge by the look of things
since 19 .. . gxf6 gets mated by and
19 ... i xf6 loses quickly to with the
intention of 21. lLJ c7+.
20.E!cl!
Velimirovic's play is very impressive in this
game. Suba was undoubtedly aware of his
Yugoslav opponent's reputation as a skillful
attacker, so why he even contemplated
entering such a hairy position is beyond me
- very bad chess psychology (especially
from someone I've just labelled an expert),
1-0
Not a bad little starter before the main
course I think you will agree!
If you see a game such as this one, which
really appeals to you, then save it. Within a
few months you'll have a neat collection of
fantastic combinations, interesting opening
ideas and various other weapons which you
can turn to every now and again for
inspiration.
We saw earlier how useful even the basic
ideas of the Shirov - Chernin game turned
out to be, and it was by no means an isolated
case as we are about to see.
Burnett, A- Willetts, S
Sicilian Defence
Dundee Major 1988
l.e4 c5 2.Ci:Jf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ltJxd4
5.ct:Jc3 a6 e6
.I .t if .i.
' '''
i i
but we all have to learn our lessons from This move is relatively unusual in
somewhere! conjunction with 6.i e3 when played against
the Najdorf move order. The development
20 ... hf6 21. l!lxc2 VNb7 22.Vf!xd6 planappealedtomeatthetimeas it avoided
45
the large, and rapidly expanding, body of
theory surrounding the 'English Attack' with
7.D and 8.g4 which was being popularised
at the time by the likes of N unn, Short and
Chandler - hence the English tag.
7 ... b5 8.ib3 ib7 9.f4 ie7 10.0-0

Just as in the Velimirovic- Suba game, Black
decides to grab the pawn and hopes to
weather whatever storm is coming his way.
Dangerous tactics, but with ll.e5 on its way
otherwise, there are no easy 'outs' for Black
in this line and he is faced with some tricky
decisions at every move.
ixe4 12.f5 e5 13.llJe6!?
As we have seen before also, but White
himself with his previous play. You have to
be consistent when you are playing super-
sharp openings - suddenly getting cold feet
halfway into a line is a sure-fire way to lose
a game. Be bold, be brave, and should things
get a little sticky, well, we'll find a way to
deal with that when it happens!
13 ... fxe6
Naturally Black can't decline the offer since
the pawn on g7 is hanging. He has to grab
whatever material he can in order to be able
to throw some of it back at White at some
point during the ensuing attack.
14.fxe6 ltJc6 15.Wfg4 ig6 16.id5
Unbelievably I had reached this exact
position when analysing the Velimirovic-
Suba game!
As I hardly expected anyone to follow
Suba's play with 9 ... ltJ fd7 (which I now
know was a typo!), the moves to this point
had seemed eminently plausible given the
forcing nature of the play. However. ..
16 ...
obviously forced this continuation on ... unfortunately I had only reckoned on the
46
pin-breaking 16 ... at this point, upon
which 17 .i e4 is devastating in view of
17 .. . il.xe4 followed by

----.--
X
Analysis diagram
You can therefore imagine my horror when I
suddenly realised that my opponent's move
16 . .. would, after 17 .il. e4 i xe4
allow the completely winning
18 ... 0-0-0!
Analysis diagram
As stated in the introduction, "the best laid
plans of mice and men ... " indeed!
Now, when faced with this kind of nasty
surprise several things can happen:- firstly,
we can completely overlook the extra
possibilities available to our opponent and
quickly play 17 .il.e4? anyway, only realising
too late the disastrous consequences.
The best way to avoid such embarrassing
and wasteful debacles (remember, we will
47
In the Beginning
have spent at least a little time and effort
preparing our 'weapons') is to take some
time over every move - prepared or not.
Secondly, we can panic at such a tum of
events and snatch at the first threatening
move we see (e.g. and then fall to
pieces (after e.g. 17 ... when we fail to
find a decent follow- up.
Sometimes bluffing your way through such
problems will actually work, but in general,
playing quickly or angrily will only help us
to overlook whatever redeeming chances
there might be hidden in the position.
Which brings us on, finally, to the best way
of dealing with such problems.
That is, we can look at the new position
objectively, see it as a challenge, and then
us e logic or imagination (often a
combination of the two) to help us find the
most effective solution.
Of course, in the heat of the battle, a reverse
such as 16 ... will lead to many different
emotions running riot within us. We can
curse our bad luck or kick ourselves for
having overlooked such a simple move, but
these negative reactions won't help one iota.
What we have to learn to do is to develop a
more philosophical attitude to our chess!
We have to accept that chess is such a
difficult game that we will never be able to
see or predict everything - we are always
going to miss tactics, mis- evaluate plans
and come up against weird and wonderful
opponents whose thoughts run along
completely different tracks to our own.
This in part is why we all love the game, is it
not? If we can learn to accept this from the
outset, we are part of the way to solving the
problem. It may well transpire that there is
no saving clause in the given position, but if
there is one, then a cool, clear head is far
more likely to find it.
In this specific instance the logical approach
proved to be the most effective. I asked
myself what was preventing my intended
17 .ie4 from working, and the simple
answer is that Black can castle queen- side.
So, can I prevent this resource? Well, not
directly, but there is a mini-plan which will
certainly make Black think twice about
castling long, so .. .
17.a4!
17 ... b4
Attempting to keep the queen-side closed
and planning, should White try the further
18 .c3, to push again with 18 ... b3 not
worrying about returning a mere pawn.
However, White has a more powerful move
at his disposal.
18.a5!
A very annoying move to meet since Black
must now worry about White's pieces
streaming in on both sides of the board.
If now 18 ... 0-0-0, White plays 19 .i b6 and
48
after the forced 19 .. . White doesn't grab
the passive rook on d8, but rather targets the
king (as usual!) with and has all the
fun e.g.,: 20 ... 21 .gf7! (21 .. .
tying black
in knots, e.g. 23 .. . i xf7 24.i xc6 25.i.d7

Analysis diagram
18 .. J:!c8?!
And so it turns out that Black hadn't fully
understood White's predicament in the first
place! He ought to have challenged White's
dominance of the f- file before White could
introduce specific threats. It must be said,
though, that moving the rook out of the pin
seems like a very natural move (hence the
trouble I found myself in at move 16 with
my preparation!).
19.ib6 20.ie4!
In the Beginning
The plan to prevent queen-side castling has 23
worked better than could have been hoped
for and now, with the crisis over, the
'prepared' move works as initially intended.
20 ...
Of course we have seen already that
20 .. . ! xe4 wins since ... 0-0-0 is
unavailable, but 20 ... !!c7 is better, although
it's just about the ugliest move imaginable
and unlikely to enter into too many human
heads as a defensive try (it is of course a
computer suggestion). It doesn't particularly
do anything - or threaten to do anything -
constructive anyway. White could simply
take on g6 and then play !!D and !!afl with
an overwhelming position.

Unfortunately Black can't recapture on g6
since 22.Wg6+ mates next move.
Winning the pawn isn't impotiant in itself,
but gaining the g6 square is the quickest way
into the black king-side. The bishop is
immune to capture as attacks both the
rook and threatens mate on n, a recurring
thetne throughout the tactical play.
22 ... tlJd8
The knight retreat looks natural as it
defends f7, attacks the pawn on e6 and
releases the black rook to take on c2, but
White has a pretty break-through available.
49
This kind of move should eventually
become second nature to the Streetfighter -
the bishop was the only thing holding
Black's position together and must be
removed.
23 ..
23 ... @xf6 loses quickly to + and mate
in two, while 23 ... gxf6 loses the rook to
24.Wxg7+.

Nor was 24 ... !!xd8 any better since
e8 26.Wg6 will mate in short order.
27 Y!lg6 mates very quickly, but I played the
first clear win that I saw.
and because the vulnerable rook on h7 is lost
Black called it a day.
1-0
An attractive and exciting game to be sure, 17 ... i xf7 18 .exf7+ 19 .i h6 gxh6??
but most important to us is its value from the leading to mate next move!
viewpoint of practical play.
If we go back for a moment to the critical
position at move 17, we can look at what
might have happened had there not been
such a logical strategy available to White.
Then the imaginative approach to problem-
solving might well have thrown up the move
1 7 here.
Analysis diagram
Analysis diagram
Though this is not forced, the fact that there
is such a possibility in the position at all
should give us hope and inspiration. 1 have
great faith in the power of fantasy variations
to lead us out of difficult situations, and in a
later chapter we will investigate this concept
more thoroughly (as well as various other
methods of retrieving lost positions). After
If we indulge White for a few moves we all, 1 got you into this mess, so I guess Ill
might get the following continuation, have to help you to get out of it too!
50
In this chapter, for example, one of the ideas
we will look at is the relationship between
exchanges and the initiative - which you
might have expected to find along with the
materialism and initiative section.
However, it was important to keep that
concept separate within the learning process
so as not to confuse one of the most
important Streetfighting tools.
Anyway, with that little explanation out of
the way, we can get on with the study of the
various methods available to help us deal
with that huge expanse known as the
middle-game. Some of the ideas will be
familiar to you, others not so familiar; some
will relate to tactics, some to positional ideas
and some to the purely practical aspect of
chess. All, however, are extremely
important, so pay attention!
LOW-LEVEL TACTICS
The Streetfighting approach to chess, as we
have seen, places a fairly heavy
responsibility on tactical awareness.
For the majority of players, the mere
mention of tactics evokes visions of high-
level game- winning combinations; pawns
and pieces are won and lost through forks
and skewers, while rooks and queens are
sacrificed to mate the enemy king or
promote a passed pawn.
What is often over-looked is that low-level
tactics exist too - threats and nuances
designed to simply 'sort out' your position,
allowing your pieces to reach their desired
squares for example.
We have to adopt the mind-set that all these
different tactics are there to serve us, not
52
intimidate us - and if we can master them
then we can support our strategic aims with
extra weaponry.
The next game shows how utilising the little
tactics can lead to big gains.
Burnett, A- Norris, A
French Defence
Richardson Cup Final 1998
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.li:Jd2 ~ f 4.e5
~ f d 7 5.li:Jgf3 c5 6.c4!?
A curious move which is designed to
unsettle the opponent early on.
It rather goes against the recommended
strategy in this type of position, which
involves playing c3 to support the pawn
chain in the centre.
White's spearhead pawn on e5 is normally
the basis for his middle- game strategy;
White will hope that it cuts the black
position in two, controlling key defensive
and developtnent squares and separating the
queen- side pieces from the soon to be
castled king - the idea being to launch a
middle- game attack around this positional
factor.
However, there are two sides to every story,
and players of the French Defence are well
Middle-game Matters
aware that they must attack this pawn chain 9.0-0
at every opportunity. Playing ... c5, ... ltJ c6
and often .. . to attack the foundations of
it, and ... f6 to put the head of it under
pressure.
So, if Black has such an easy strategy to
follow (though I'm not saying it's easy to
play), why should we indulge him? The
move 6.c4!? asks Black comp1etely different
questions, namely, "Do you know how to
handle this early assault on the centre?" and
furthermore, "If not, can you come up with
a decent answer over the board with the
clock ticking?"
6 ... ctJc6
A perfectly sensible move but one which
cost Black 12 minutes on the clock, no doubt
wondering if he should capture on c4.
7.cxd5 exd5 cxd4!?
Black follows the strategy outlined above
and undermines the white central pawns.
What sparse theory there is on this line
recommends 8 ... g6 here. It is indeed a very
logical move, since White hasn't built a c3/
d4/e5 chain which would nullify the effect
of a bishop on g7. In addition, a pawn on g6
would restrict the action of White's bishop
on d3 . However, Black wants to play the
French, not some strange, unfamiliar
position!
This wrong-footing of opponents is an
important factor in our style of play, gaining
time on the clock, forcing the opposition to
fight on our tenitory and generally hassling
them at each and every tum.
53
Moving a piece twice in the opening is often
frowned upon, particularly when there are
other developing options available (here for
instance ll .El: e 1 or Nonetheless,
since Black has made it clear that he's not
p l anning to capture on d3 (thereby
deve l oping the white queen and
rendering ... nonsensical) it is in White's
interests to use the bishop more effectively
in the fight for the central squares.
What is White's overall strategy here? Well,
it's clear that if he can win back the pawn on
d4 while defending his own on e5, then the
black one on d5 will be weak. Hopefully
White can tie his opponent to defending this
weakness, and then switch his attention to
greener pastures, as ever the black king!
ll ... 12.VNc2!
Here then is the frrst 'low- level' tactic of the
game. If there is something annoying you in
a given position (here the pin from the
bishop on g4, which prevents the immediate
recapture on d4 (e.g. 12. ctJ bxd4 ltJ exd4
13 .Wxd4 i.xf3 disrupting the kings ide
pawns , or 12 ... i.xf3 13 .ttJ xf3 i.c5 with
strong pressure on the centre) then look for a
tactical resolution. Here the double attack on
c6 prevents 12 ... i.xf3 (since 13 .i.xc6+
would win) so White escapes from the pin.
12 ...
very strong. Entering such positions with the
king stuck in the centre is an invitation to
disaster.
15 ... bxc6
Recapturing with the bishop instead would
have led to an even worse version of the
game continuation. With White having
contra 1 of the d4- square the bishop on c6
would be little more than a 'big pawn' , only
with fewer prospects.
17J;adl!
Again the pressure on c6 meant that taking

on d4 was not an option. ._
And yet another tactical nuance comes into
play allowing White to develop quickly. If
Black plays 15 ... ttJxd4, then 16.! xd7+ drags
the black king into open play with 16 ... @xd7,
whereupon recovers the knight
since it is pinned to the queen.
A further point is that the pawn snatch
15 ... ltJ xe5 fails to either exploiting
the pin on the i.d7 to attack the loose knight,
or again 16.! xd7+ tt:Jxd7, when is
54
This is probably the best and most important
move of the game.
This may seem to be an excessive
description of a simple rook-to-the- centre
tnove to defend a knight, but let's look at
what White needs to do in this position.
Ideally he wants to have rooks on fl (to
support the f4- pawn push), on dl (to bolster
the d4-square), and also on cl (to pressure
the backward c- pawn and bishop at c5)!
As this triple- rook play is unfortunately
impossible, White must play patiently and
re-organise his position - with Black
lagging in development there is time for
such an approach.
17 ... 0-0 18.a3 aS 19.l1Mc3!
Note that by playing 19 .. Black doesn't
actually threaten to take the b2- pawn as the
bishop on c5 would be hanging, and if he
first exchanges on d4 then the white bishop
would be indirectly defending b2 anyway.
These are small but significant tactical
details to pay attention to since many
positions are blown by excessive caution
and fear of 'ghosts'.
The immediate 20.f4 is now playable, but
with the black rook eyeing up the ! e3 along
the e- file it would involve some
unnecessary mental arithmetic after, e.g.
20 ... f6.
Working back from the game continuation
might suggest that Black ought to have
played the unwieldy 19 ... here, but then
the rook on f8 would be lost after
i xd4 21.i xd4, followed by i c5.
22.f4
Finally the time is ripe to advance the f-
pawn.
It is common knowledge that opposite
colour-bishops can often lead to drawn
positions even when the defending side has a
serious material disadvantage, but what is
55
Middle-game Matters
not so well- known amongst club- strength
players is that when the major pieces are still
on the board the side with the initiative has a
massive advantage.
The reason for this is that the defending side
finds it incredibly difficult to challenge for
the opposite- coloured squares to his bishop.
Here, for example, Black would dearly love
to prevent the further advance of the f- pawn
by 22 ... g6, but the dark- squared weaknesses
it would create around his king are too
horrible to contemplate, hi s own bishop
helpless in their defence.
Black needs to realise just how much trouble
he is in here, bite the bullet, and play
22 ... i f5 leaving the sickly c- pawn to its
fate.
After 23 .Wixc6 he would at least have a
strong, invulnerable bishop to console
himself with, and if White were to continue
as in the game with 24.f5 ? then 24 ... Wig5
would create real counter- play.
22 ... VNh4 23.f5 VNg5 24.e6!
24 ... fxe6 25.f6
This simple but highly effective pawn-
sacrifice exposes the frailties in Black's
kingside. The threat of advancing on with
f7 forces the game reply since 25 ... potential of each and every piece which will
26.fxg7 would win even more quickly. set the prospective Streetfighter apart from
25 ... gxf6 26.ixf6
Yet another rook- lift, an extremely common
device when the opponent's king is so
exposed.
27 ... e5
30.!9:g5
and here Black resigned as either mate or
loss of his queen is imminent.
1-0
This was a deceptively simple game. From
move 12 onwards White utilised a series of
'low- level' tactics - threats and
combinations rarely more than a couple of
moves deep - to put his pieces on their most
effective squares, thereby forcing
concessions and eventually leading to a
vicious attack on the black king. In the final
position the relative activity of the opposing
forces paints a very clear picture.
Along with effective, practical opening
preparation and tactical nous, it is this
constant striving to unleash the full attacking
56
the rest. Virtually all the ideas and concepts
we will explore in this book are designed
with this express intention in mind
EXCHANGES AND
THE INITIATIVE
Knowing which pieces to exchange, and
when, is one of the most troublesome
problems faced by club- players on a regular
basis.
Often exchanges are demanded by a
particular pawn structure (the most easily
recognisable example of this is leaving your
opponent with a bad bishop stuck behind
pawns on the same colour), or the necessity
to defend the king's position from attack, or
simply to ease a constricted position where
you haven't enough space to manouevre all
.
your pieces.
However, a very common occurrence at
club- level is exchanging just to get rid of
some pieces (I didn't know what else to do
with it?), and the opposite extreme of
keeping pieces on the board just for the sake
of it (it might carne in useful sometime!)
In a logical game such as chess, though,
there has to be rhyme and reason behind
every such decision, otherwise your
opponent may be given a clear initiative for
free.
As we will be constantly striving to call the
shots in each and every game, it is important
to understand exactly when exchanging
pieces will be to our advantage, and also to
recognize if and when an opponent has
erred in their choice of exchanges.
Burnett, A- MacKintosh, I
French Defence
TAFCA League 1992
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Cbc3 4.W'd3!?
This move is designed simply to avoid well-
trodden paths.
4 ... dxe4
This exchange is fine since Black will be
able to develop the g8-knight with tempo
against the white queen. White also has no
problems with it as it allows the queen to
take up an active post on the kingside, not
unusual in many lines of the French
Defence.
5.Wlxe4
Middle-game Matters
White (he might prefer to use that square for
the dark-squared bishop).
More common, and better, for Black is to
play 5 ... ttJf6 followed by challenging the
centre with 6 .. . c5 or 6 ... ctJ c6. Again, though,
we see the practical value of playing a lesser
known idea to set awkward early
problems.
6.bxc3 7.W'h4 l!Nd5
'
--..t-... "-- Wi ......

Now Black is looking to exchange the
queens off as well, but in doing so he falls
behind in developrnent. Chess is not such a
simple game that we can consider one
component (White's pawn disruption with
queens off the board) as being definitively
more important than another (getting all
your pieces into active and useful positions).
Another misconception among club-players
But this exchange is ill-advised at this is that swapping- queens guarantees a safe
juncture. Black probably wanted to disrupt game- it ain't necessarily so!
the white pawn structure while he had the
opportunity. However, as White's only 8.c4! Wle4+ 9.V9xe4 ltJxe4
sensible way to avoid this disruption is by CtJ f6
the solid but uninspiring there was no
need to rush matters.
It is normal for Black to wait for a3 before
exchanging, thereby gaining a useful tempo,
since having a pawn on a3 is no gain for
57
Black has to lose time with the knight
because 1 O ... f5 is unpalatable owing to the
weakness it leaves on e6, which White could
seek to exploit along the semi- open e-file.
12.0-0 b6 13.if4 c5 16.ixg6!
14.d5!
X
l

11
Now we can see the first problem arising out
of Black's desire to exchange pieces at the
earliest opportunity. White's subsequent
quick development (both bishop moves
gained a tempo against the knight and the c-
pawn respectively) allows for this pawn
offer designed to open lines against the un-
castled king.
If now 14 ... exd5?, then White gains another
tempo with 15 1 +, and the lack of queens
doesn't prevent him from launching a strong
attack, e.g.l5 ... @f8 16.cxd5 and the pawn is
taboo since i d6+ and is mate, or
alternati vely 15 ... d8 16.ttJ g5 17.i d6
picking up the exchange.
14 ...
Thi s move is well-intentioned since it
avoids disruption to his own pawn structure,
but of course it loses more time. He had to
bite the bullet here with 14 ... 0-0, when after
15.dxe6 fxe6 there is no real reason why the
e6- pawn should be weaker than the trio on
a2, c2 and c4. Black's failure to get to grips
with the different exchanges on offer here
will cost him dearly.
58
'

ttJ

11
The knight on g6 was not only threatening to
take the bishop on f4, but also curtailing the
view of the other bishop on d3, so this
exchange is necessary. However, it is also
strong as it allows the d- fi1e to be used
effectively by the rook and, once again,
gains a tempo.
We have to see past the 'little rules' such as
bishops are worth more than knights; what is
important is what a particular piece can do
in a given situation.
16 ... hxg6 0-0 18.gadl!
Simple development bringing the final piece
into the game.
The exchange on e6 was tempting, e.g.
18 .dxe6 i xe6 19 .ltJ xg6 looks good, but
Black can simply play 19 ... and
suddenly it is the weak white pawns on the
queen- side which become the centre of
attention.
It is important to remember the theme of our
play (quick development and using our
initiative to cause the opponent problems)
and not to get distracted from this unless
there is a decisive gain in sight.
18 ... 19.,ict
This is the best square for the bishop as it
doesn't interfere with the action of the other
pieces and can always venture out again
later if or when required.
19 ... exd5
Black is finally forced into this exchange as
he has few, if any, sensible alternatives
available, but now the passed d- pawn is
very strong supported by 2 rooks and the
active knight.
20.cxd5 ,ia6 2l.ctJc6 ,ic4 22.g4!
This aggressive lunge appears very strange
Middle-game Matters
combination wins as in the game, but Black
spots the opportunity to ease his suffering
somewhat by exchanges. There is, though, a
rather nasty (though far frorn obvious) sting
in the tail.
23 ... l2Jxd5 ,ixd5
c>h8
Now the obvious 26.tt:Jxd5 would give
White a small material advantage & ttJ v
& LS) but after 26 ... the ugly white
pawns would leave matters very unclear.
However, stepping outside of the simple and
thematic course the game has taken so far..
,ie6
but contains an insidious little trap which Covering the mate threatened on h3 .
Black fails to appreciate. White's general
plan is to force through the d-pawn and it
would be useful to side- line the knight 'in
perpetuity' so that it won't be able to aid the
defence in any way.
22 ... Cbf6 23.g5!
Of course, if the knight hops back to h5 it
won't have a single square available to it. If
instead it retreats to d7, then the same
59
Street.fighting Chess
Now that the bishop has left it's defence of
e4, the mate simply moves up the board to
h4 against which there is no defence, so
Black resigned.
1-0
Of course, if your intention - or rather desire
- is to play like Karpov or Kramnik, then
study their games as they are probably the
best in the world at deciding which pieces
are best to exchange and which are best kept
on the board. But realistically, and certainly
from the Streetfighting perspective, we can
set ourselves simple rules governing
exchanges.
Firstly, don't be scared to exchange pieces if
in doing so it either a) gives you, or
increases, a lead in development, b) brings
your remaining pieces to active and
aggressive squares, or c) gains you tempi to
develop the initiative or attack.
Secondly, avoid exchanges if they a) swap
off necessary attacking units, b) cost you
time in development or for progressing the
attack, or c) ease an opponent's constricted
position.
Not all- encompassing rules, but certainly
enough to be getting on with as you bring
your all- new aggressive style to the board!
SIGNALS AND FATAL
FLAWS: PART 1
One of the most important facets of chess is
being able to spot when our opponent has
made a serious error, and then capitalising
on it.
60
Our intuition will develop through practical
experience and the assimilation of more and
more patterns over the course of time, but
there are more obvious tell- tale signs we
should constantly watch out for.
The most easily recognisable of these occur
in positions we know or understand quite
well (our favourite openings or those we
have most recently studied) whereupon our
opponent uncorks a move which just doesn't
ring true, doesn't follow the logic of the
position as we know it.
Although taken out of context, whenever my
opponent plays such a move I am reminded
of my friend and club- mate Tommy
Thomson's classic rejoinder when faced with
an illegal move in the National League some
years ago.
He jumped straight out of his chair and
bellowed, "You can't f* * * * * * do that!" I
think his opponent (and the rest of the hall)
got the message!
Getting back to the point, let's look at a few
examples, the first arising from the deadly
Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence -
my opponent none other than the no-
nonsense Tommy Thomson.
Thomson, T - Burnett, A
Sicilian Defence
Khan Trophy 1992
l.e4 c5 d6 3.d4
cxd4 g6 6.i,e3 i,g7 7.f3
l2Jc6 8.Wfd2 0-0 9.i,c4 i,d7 10.0-0-0
ll.i,b3 12.h4 h5 13.i,g5
!!c5 14.bl b5 15.g4 a5 16.gxh5 a4
17.hxg6 axb3 18.gxf7+ gxf7
So far so theory, as they say. Actually I was
on my own now since Tommy had twice
previously played 17 .h6 against me with
honours being shared. The text move
17 .hxg6 is a known piece sacrifice with
White hoping to exploit the absence of pawn
cover around the black king.
With the natural recapture 19 .lt:J xb3 looking
very bad on account of 19 ... ttJxf3
(intending 2l ... ttJxe4) I fully expected
Tommy to play instead 19.cxb3 when
White's queen- side will be a tough nut to
crack. However. ..
19.axb3?
Middle-game Matters
19 ... Wfa5 20.Wfg2
A logical move which combines possible
threats along the g- file with defence of the
weak f3-pawn. However, White fails to
realise just how dangerous this position is
for him. Had he done so he would have
opted for 20 i xf6 2l .ttJ d5! forcing the
exchange of queens when, although he
would stand worse, he would at least be safe
from immediate mating threats.
20 ... b4 21.lLJce2
21 ...
And I instantly thought, "You can't A move I was very pleased to have found
f* * * * * * ... " during my long think on move 19, the more
Well, exactly! Usually Black has to sell his
soul to Satan to get a completely open a- file
like this. Dragon expert Chris Ward often
mentions the adrenaline rush he experiences
when an opponent takes him on in the
sharpest lines of the Yugoslav Attack, and
this rush is doubled after a move such as
19.axb3.
Settling down after the surprise I sank into
thought and looked for ways to tum the a-
file into the 'Highway from Hell' for White.
The first move is simple enough.
61
so since it would be more usual to look for a
way to put a rook on the a8 square. The text
move, however, has spotted a fatal flaw in
the white ranks.
22.h5?!
This move actually adds an extra dimension
to Black's idea, but remarkably enough the
white position is already bust.
22 ... 23. c;t>cl
Had White recaptured earlier with the c-
. pawn then he could now play lLJ cl defending
I
The minor consequence of White's 22.h5 is
revealed as now the knight is pinned to the
queen and the rook on a5 prevents 26.'Wxg5. a pawn on a2 which is a fairly common idea
for White in many variations of the Sicilian
where he has castled queenside.
Unfortunately the a- pawn has already left
the building, and it is little factors such as
these - variations from what we know or
26.h6
and now White resigned since a combination
of .. . l2J xf3+, ... ! f5+ or. .. 'We4+ will mate in
have seen - that we must use to guide us in very short order.
our play. 0-1
23 ...
This is a standard kind of sacrifice in these
positions but is striking nonetheless. Now if
White plays 24.'Wxf3, then the point of
2l. .. 'Wa8 (rather than ... 'Wa7 or .. . 'Wa6) is
revealed - in order to continue with
24 ... lt:J xe4 the knight had to be protected on
this square.
24.tlJxf3
As the knight now covers the d2 escape
square White is forced into irreparably
weakening his king's position to avoid the
threatened mate on a 1, after which there will
be no hope of saving the game.
25.c4 tlJxgS
62
As a quick recap, we know in general that
White cannot play as he did with axb3, so
when he does just that we must find the
correct solution - 'Black to play and win' is
flashing in bright purple neon and we must
learn to pay attention to these signs!
The next example doesn't follow quite such
a well-defined path and it is only a
combination of curious moves which signal
the thematic weak point in Black's game.
Burnett, A - Reid, G
Ruy Lopez
Greenwood Major 1989
l.e4 e5
4.C!Jxd4 exd4 5.0-0 6.d3 c6
dS 8.exd5 cxdS
"Oooooh!" I thought in my best Kenneth
Williams voice, "that looks very peculiar,
very peculiar indeed?!" It's just a thought at
the moment, but is Black's king going to be
safe? And what does his h8 rook have to say
about matters?
ll.ia4
Well , if Black isn't going to exchange the
light- squared bishops, then I'm going to find
another role for mine, although it was also
possible just to develop normally.
ll ... h5!?
Ok, it looks a bit loose but it does
'threaten' ... ! g4 so ...
12.b3 a5?!
Now I was completely mystified! Isn't Black
taking just a few too many liberties here?
Sceptical as I was about black's
'development' plan, I was reminded of the
time I played Boris Spassky (!)on TV (!!)to
publicise a blitz tournament being held in
my home town of Glenrothes (This doesn't
give an indication of my playing strength,
merely that 1 was a) a local player and b) the
63
Middle-game Matters
proud possessor of a seriously dodgy
'Mohican' hairstyle - hence good TV
fodder) .
I opened l .e4 and Spassky (bless his cotton
socks) replied with the child- like 1 ... a5
("Oooooh!" I thought in my best Charles
Haughtrey voice, and continued .. . ) 2.d4,
upon which my buddy Boris tried the
theoretically interesting 2 .. . a4 after which I
played like a wet fish and lost miserably.
Of course, I blame it on the pressure of
playing in front of the cameras with an
elaborate lead- and-glass 'fancy-pants'
chess set, and to be perfectly honest Herr
Spassky played the entire game while
simultaneously conducting a conversation in
rapid Russian with my other pal Mickey Tal!
Not sure whether they were suggesting
moves to each other or simply wondering
who my hairdresser was and why I hadn't
shot him!
To conclude this little aside I should
mention that a few years later I won 7 ( 1
per game) from a Latvian guy called Sergei
in a caravan in an Irish apple orchard! Sergei
claimed to have studied at Tal's academy in
Riga, but I seriously questioned this when he
replied to my l.e4 with, yes, you've guessed
it, 1 ... a5! Obviously it was Spas sky's
Academy he had been attending!
Anyway, back to the game where
Black's ... h5 and . .. a5 make a
impression, so let's just develop the white
pieces on their natural squares for the time
being and see what else Black turns up.
13.ig5 f6?!
Sid James anyone?
'
If it wasn't obvious beforehand, then the
black knight's abandonment of the defence
of d5 signals the time for action. It's the
white squares, with the black king exposed
to attack, which will prove to be the fatal
flaw.
16.ib3! fxg5
16 ... fails simply to 17 followed by
E!: e 1 +, i xd5 and Wxf5 - a sure sign that all
is well in the white camp.
17 .g4 hxg4 18.hxg4 i>g6 19.gxf5+
ixf5 20.ixd5 W!c7?!
A mistake which falls prey to a very
attractive combination, but Black's position
was beyond repair by this point anyway.
64
ixe6 22.ie4+! i>h6
23.Nh1+!
The exclamation marks are for the unusual
backward mating pattern and serve to
highlight the thematic white-squared
weakness which caused Black's downfall.
Now my opponent graciously allowed the
rnate to appear on the board which doesn't
often happen!
23 ... ih3
1-0
A whole series of moves by Black, each
eliciting an ever- increasing chorus of
disbelief, pointed White towards the correct
strategy.
After the game I asked my opponent Gordon
why he played 9 ... <;t> f8, rather than the more
obvious 9 ... i d7, and his answer was that he
didn't want to weaken his light squares too
much! Fair play to him though for having
the guts to experiment in the last round
when half-a-point clear of the field, and
apologies for the Carry On ... style
commentary.
The third and final example on this theme of
signals takes us back into the realms of the
Sicilian Dragon. Many players are put off
playing either side of this super- sharp
opening because of the vast amount of
theory it has accumulated, but an
understanding of the positional themes is
just as important to work your way through
the minefield it often resembles.
Saxton, G - Burnett, A
Siclian Defence
Kirkcaldy Club Championship 1997
l.e4 c5 d6 3.d4 lbf6 4.!iJc3
cxd4 g6 6.ie3 ig7 7.f3
8.\Wd2 0-0 9.ic4 id7 10.0-0-0
lLJe5 ll.ib3 gcs 12.ih6 tlJc4
13.ixc4 gxc4 14.lLJde2 b5
15.h4?!
This move, to the uninitiated, may look like
a perfectly normal attacking move in the
spirit of the Yugoslav Attack. Well, yes, it
is, but White has already decided in part to
play the 'Yugoslav Defence' with 14. ltJ de2!
What we have here is a case of White
wanting to have his cake and eat it - the
knight retreat shores up the other knight to
prevent Black's disruptive exchange
sac .. . while pushing the rook pawn
65
Middle-game Matters
declares his intention to blast through on the
-side.
Admittedly there are variations where this
combination of ideas is playable. A famous
encounter between Karpov and Korchnoi
showed this strategy working perfectly
(although perhaps Korchnoi's play could be
considered a bit limp) but this isn't one of
those variations since Black has already
made some headway on the queen-side,
having exchanged off the defensive light-
squared bishop and advanced . . . b5
unchallenged.
Now, as a theoretical move was
new to me, but my general understanding is
that White is playing positionally here, and
should be chasing the active rook on c4 with
pawn to b3 followed by g4 to harass the
black knight on f6.
One possible continuation highlighting this
strategy might be 15 .b3 iixg7
17.g4 b418. ctJ d5 ttJ xd519.exd5 'Mia5 20.iibl
g8
Analysis diagram
and only now is White ready to play h4 with
aggressive intentions (although Black too
can attack with ... 'Mi c7, ... a5, ... a4, so the
position here is finely balanced).
In this instance it wasn't necessary for me to
know all of the theory to realise 15 .h4 was
inexact - it was enough to understand the to play h4 instead of g4 and increasing the
respective strategies involved. pressure on the white king.
15 ... b4 tLJxd5 17.exd5 23.al b3!
17 .. Wfa5!?
Probably Black could strive for more here
with 17 ... i f5 (immediately exploiting the
omission of g4 from White), but if you have
seen one way of clearly and safely punishing
a lapse then it can be difficult (and often
counter-productive) to search for quicker or
more spectacular wins.
18.ixg7 xg7 19.bl
Now White has no time for 19.b3 hitting the
rook. as Black can ignore it and play
19 ... Wxa2 threatening mate on al .
19 ... i!fc8 20.h5
Still with the plan of delivering mate on the
kingside but it is clear that Black already has
a huge head-start on the opposite flank.
20 ... 2l.Wfd4+ f6 22.hxg6 if5!
Finally taking advantage of White's decision
66
As ever, there has to be a tactical solution
which exploits the positional errors White
has made. Hopefully by now the reader has
learned this and will constantly be on the
lookout for such hammer- blows.
If now 24.a4 then 24 ... wins as a4 falls
with mate, but the real beauty comes after
24.a3 when 24 ... Wxa3+ 25.bxa3 fg, a2# is
mate!
Analysis diagram
24.i!xh7+ xg6
With no way to get at the black king, and
unavoidable mate on the cards, White
resigned.
0-1
So the signs are all there, from the word go,
and as long as we have suspicious minds
and question everything then there's a good
chance we can learn to exploit opportunities
we might otherwise be oblivious to.
'
..
TEMPTATION: ACT 1
Lang, H - Burnett, A
Sicilian Defence
Perth Championship 1993
.
l.e4 c5 2.lbc3 lbc6 3.g3 g6 4.ig2
ig7 5.d3 d6 6.ie3
The last decade or so has seen this early
bishop development in the Closed Sicilian
superceding the old-fashioned 6.f4, which
was popularised by Spassky during his rise
to the chess Olympus in the 1960's.
One idea behind is to threaten an early
Wd2, followed by to remove Black's
'Dragon' bishop, while White reserves the
option of castling queen-side.
However, as stated several times already, we
don't want our opponents calling the shots so
early on, so we immediately take the fight to
White.
6 ... b5!
Having played this move many, many times
in the past, the usual reaction is one of initial
bemusement, occasionally amusement, then
at least 5 minutes thought followed by
68
playing 7 .W d2 transposing into more
traditional channels- but with Black already
ahead on the clock.
Even in these more traditional lines ,
however, we can fmd ways to surprise or
out- fox our opponents viz:
l.e4 c5 2.Ci:Jc3 C2Jc6 3.g3 g6 4.ig2 ig7 5.d3
d6 6.ie3 b5 7. Wld2 b4 8./fjjdJ rab8 9. C2Je2
id7 10.0-0 e6 ll.f4 C2Jge7 12.g4 f5 13.gxf5
exf5 14.e5 dxe5 15.hc5 0-0 16.fxe5 /fjjxe5
17.d4 Ci:Jg4 18.h3 ih6 19.fid3 l2Jf6 20.Ci:Jj2
ibS 2J.W!b3+ 22.Ci:Jd3 Ci:Jed5 aS
24.Ci:Je5? ie3+ a4
26.C2Jxj7 27.c4 axb3 28.axb3 ic6
29.cxd5 Ci:Jxd5 30./fjjg3 Wld7 31. Ci:Je4
32.CfJd6 /fjjf4 33.flxf4 hg2+ h/4
35.CfJc4 0-1 (Neave,G -
Bumett,A. Glenrothes Premier 2003)
Occasionally though, the more principled (or
sometimes simply more curious) players will
decide that since 6 ... b5 is 'never' seen, then
there must be a way to exploit it. Having
played Heather previously it came as no
surprise that she took this principled/ curious
path.
7.e5!?
This is the most sensible way to attempt to
punish Black for his audacity. Grabbing the
pawn on b5 here merely allows the rook on
a8 to enter the game with tempo after ...
and also increases the power of the g7
bishop aiming at b2.
7 ... ib7 8.exd6 exd6 9J&d2
My original inspiration for this game had
come from the late Tony Miles, a
wonderfully creative grandmaster who
firmly believed in taking the battle to the
opponent as early as possible and regardless
of what colour he was playing. His most
famous single victory came in 1980 against
Anatoly Karpov (who was then at the height
of his powers) when Miles introduced l.e4
a6!? - an excellent ploy since Karpov was
noted for 'playing it safe' when confronted
with new ideas over the board.
The scope for psychological choices in chess
- presenting the opponent with what for
them are uncomfortable decisions - should
never be underestimated.
Witness the rapid debacle Yugoslav super-
GM Ljubojevic suffered at Miles' hands with
this same Closed Sicilian variation .
. Instead of the we see in the main
game, Ljubojevic decides to grab the pawn
now that Black's bishop on b 7 blocks the b-
file somewhat: 9. Ci:Jxb5 Ci:Jge7 10. CfJc3 Wib6
JJ.rgbJ CfJe5 12.CfJj3?
69
Mind-Games
A serious blunder as White will find his
defences on both sides of the board stretched
too far. However, Ljubojevic was noted for
his so mew hat reckless approach to the
opening, and Miles' choice of the
provocative 6 ... b5 reaped its just rewards.
12 ... Ci:Jxj3+ 13.hj3 hc3+ 14.bxc3 hj3
15. 'Wixj3 'Wixbl+
And suddenly a whole rook has gone west,
although White staggered on for a few more
moves before calling it a day.
Wib8 17.'gbJ Wid8 f6
19.hf6 0-0 20.'Bb7 'Bc8 2J.fu:a7 'Bc7
22.rga6 'Wid7 23.g4 W!e6 0-1 (Ljubojevic,L-
Miles,A, London 1982).
Back to the main game where White has just
played 9JWd2.
9 ... b4
i
i
----
At this point White plunged deep into
thought. It soon became apparent to Heather
that the opening of the e- file was
advantageous to Black only.
Also, the unopposed g7 bishop is a monster,
and the temptation to punish Black's 'cheeky'
opening by exploiting the other long
diagonal backfires badly after the natural
ll.l2J e2 viz: 'De5! 12.0-0 is
also a horror story on f3 for White.)
12 .. . 13 tbf3!!
Analysis diagram
This incredible move is actually supremely
logical! Black wants to exploit the weakness
of the long diagonal a8-h 1, but since
13 ... Wb7+ meets with 14.f3 we have to find
a way to prevent this defence.
Finding these sort of tactical opportunities is
made much easier by the fact that the stem
game involved Miles' exploitation of a
tactical weakness on f3. Therefore at every
move we should be looking at the possibility
of a knockout blow.
In this instance the knight is invulnerable on
f3 since 14.@xf3 Wb7+ drags the white king
out of hiding and 15 ... Wg2 will prevent it
from sneaking back in again via h3 !
It is almost unnecessary to calculate the
follow- up in advance. With the king
roaming the board and with Black
difficulties, but in so doing creates some
new ones.
ll.f4 12.c3?!
This only chases the knight to another
excellent square, but in fairness the white
position has already become very difficult
and unpleasant to play.
In a 'normal' Closed Sicilian at move 12
things would usually be moving a little more
sedately, but the ambitious Black pawn-
thrust at move 6 has put White firmly on the
back foot - both psychologically and on the
board. It is also worth noting that by now
Black was 15 minutes ahead on the clock.
12 ... ltJf5
bxc3 15.bxc3
having ... f5 , ... h5, ... l2J h6, ... tt:J f6 and also 15 ...
various bishop and queen checks at his
disposal, there is no way White can survive.
Additionally, should White ignore the initial
knight offer by playing then Black
has 14 . . . Wb7 threatening a deadly
discovered check which can only be avoided
by sticking the king out on h3 (with the
same problems outlined above).
The text move attempts to avoid all these
70
This is really a rather silly move as, although
the idea behind it is correct, there was
obviously no need to rush the exchange of
such a fine knight for the prospectless White
bishop.
The immediate 15 ... @f8! intending to stick
the rook on e8 would have been a far more
efficient route to victory as White would
Mind-Games
then have to find a defence to not only the 23.g4 llJxg4 24.l2Jxg4 fxg4
generic e-file problems, but also the specific
tactics aimed against the i on e3 .
Again, though, we see the attacker getting
away with slight inaccuracies - a luxury not
often afforded the defender. Life has a way
of being cruel with little justification - the
best we can do is aim to be on the right side
of it!
18.l2Je2
C2Jh6
20 ... llJf5!?
Perhaps this is not the most accurate either
since 20 ... ltJg4 is very strong, exploiting the
f2- knight being tied to the rook on h 1, but
since both moves are winning it doesn't do
any real harm. In any event, it is impossible
to play an entire game without making some
kind of error or inaccuracy-a fact of life for
players of all levels.
f5!
This strong move clamps down on White's
Now the bishop will come to h4 with
decisive effect. With the white king stuck in
the centre it's not too surprising that Black
still has tactical shots up his sleeve, so if you
feel you have played an inaccurate move or
two then don't despair -there will often be a
plan B (or even C!) available.
gxf3
After 27. @d 1 :gxe2 the white queen is
actually trapped, although it happens in such
a strange way that it takes a bit of seeing.
27 ... fxe2+ 29.f5 g5
Not strictly necessary, but it's useful to keep
as many lines closed as possible near the
black king since White's only hope will be to
land a perpetual.
Now 30. :gel is hopeless since after
30 ... i xel the eventual entry of the
h8- rook will prove decisive.
only sensible claim for space with g4, and 30.d4 32.Wffd3
her next is a desperate attempt to break the
bind created by the monstrous knight on e3. White struggles valiantly over the next few
71
moves but it's really a case of Black
mopping- up and taking care not to fall into
the aforementioned perpetual.
32 ... ci>g7 33.dxc5 dxc5 34.Y;Vd7+ i>
f6 35.Y;Vxa7 36.fl
38.gl
E!e6 40.Y;Vd8+ 41.Y;Vf8+
42.Y;Vd6+ ci>g7 43JWd4+ h6
Finally Black's king is secure and so White,
either by accident or design, commits hara-
kiri.
44.c4
0-1
A clear example of how easy it is to come
unstuck early through 'falling into
temptation'.
In this instance White might have been
well - advised to play 7.V9d2, heading into
more familiar territory, and having a closer
look at 6 ... b5!? in the comfort of her home,
but her principled nature wouldn't allow it.
In practice, though, things are never so
simple and clear- cut; the surprising ... b5
thrust may not apply huge pressure on the
board, it's intrinsic value being no more or
less than other moves. However, most
importantly, in the mind of our opponent
weird and wonderful things will likely be
taking place!
The next example shows how this idea can
have almost the opposite effect - but the
same result!
72
TEMPTATION: ACT 2
Lawson, G- Burnett, A
Sicilian Dragon
Paisley Open 1995
l.e4 c5 d6 3.d4
cxd4 g6 7 .f3
8.Y;Vd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 tLlxd4
ll.bl flc7 12.g4
E!fc8 13.h4 Wfa5 14.Wfg5 b5 15.Wfxb5
Wfc7
Before delving into the why's and
wherefore's of the present game, a slight
digression seems appropriate since a
previous game of mine had reached the same
highly theoretical position.
The setting is crucial to the play which
followed as it was the final round of the
1995 Scottish Championships and my
opponent as White was IM Steve Mannion
who required a win to have an excellent
chance of tying for the title.
For my part, it was my first assault on
Scotland's highest chess accolade. This
'assault' had taken the form of 4 gruesome
defeats from the first 4 games!
Despite pulling myself together to reach 3/8,
I desperately needed a win here too, to avoid
the (admittedly relative) ignominy of the
wooden spoon.
In the diagram position above, Steve now
played 16.g5?! (a move which he had tried
successfully against my younger brother
Walter some months previously), to which I
replied with the perfectly reasonable
16 ... hitting the queen and taking aim at
b2 (this is the positional justification for
the ... b5 pawn sacrifice).
However, by the by, GM Chris Ward
suggests here 16 ... ltJxe4! (which is just plain
good for Black since 17.fxe4
! xd4 19 leads to an extremely
good endgame for Black as white's pawns
on the kingside are weak), but somehow
this standard Dragon move managed to
escape the attentions of both Steve and
myself, IM John Shaw who annotated this
game for Scottish Chess magazine, John
Henderson who did the same for Chess
magazine, whoever wrote the New in Chess
Yearbook survey on the Dragon, and both
Schneider and Gufeld in their respective
works on this line!
Not a bad Who's Who - and we all missed
the same thematic idea of ... ltJ xe4!
Meanwhile, getting back to the point, my
game with Steve continued with us both
blissfully unaware of this possibility, and
after 16.g5?! l2Jd7!
(Strangely given a ?! by Schneider in his
Experts Guide to the Dragon CD, since it
seems a perfectly sensible idea to me to re-
route the knight) 18 . .ixg7 @xg7 19JWd4+
@g8 20.@al \WaS 21.\Wa4
73
Mind-Games
This is a critical position. Facing a strong
attack, White offers to return the pawn (on
c2) to get the queens off the board. Here is
where 'psychology' took over (the clock
times should be noted also; White had used
1 hour 15 minutes , Black merely 7
minutes!).
In a 'normal' game I would have probably
played something like 21 ... followed
by ... and .. . ltJ c5 continuing the attack.
Instead I decided to exchange queens and
regain the pawn since after 21 ...
22.l2Jxa4 23 . .id3
I either win another pawn or White must
repeat moves - which he can't do can he?
Steve has to find a way to play on and win,
even at the cost of a pawn, because
otherwise he can't become Scottish
Champion!
So, I happily played 23 .. J;f2 and there then
followed gf2
27.ghl
Now the only way for me to avoid the draw
is by playing 27 ... E!xh 1, which I eventually
did, but the clocks now showed White
having used 1 hour 25 minutes and Black 1
hour 30 minutes! So, naturally, after all
these shenanigans I went on to lose an
instructive but very painful ending and Steve
shared the title after all!
But the question arises, did Steve play a
dicey game of bluff (knowing that the
'nature of the beast' - my dislike of
premature draws - would prevail), or was it
my mistake in projecting my own win-at-
all- costs philosophy onto an opponent who
approaches chess differently (if the position
is drawn with best play then so be it)?
Whatever the answer, it becomes clear that
there is far more to the game of chess than
simply 'pushing wood'! Anyway, time to get
back to the main gan1e Lawson- Burnett.

74
Instead of the dubious Graeme plays

the critical theoretical move.
16 ...
In contrast to the Mannion- Burnett game,
this knight manouevre is decidedly dodgy
here. However, although I was well aware of
its shortcomings in this specific position, I
wanted to at least test its practical value
before consigning it to the dustbin.
Black has several other options at this point,
but I don't really want to enter any deeper
into the theory of this position (it's not the
reason for including this game), suffice to
say that recent opinion favours either the
little move 16 ... a6 or the more immediately
combative 16 ... 8!ab8.
17 .CL\d5?!
The most obvious response here would be
17 .txg7 which allows White to reposition
his queen with tempo after 17 ...
18.Wd4+. This is a far superior version of
the previous game since the inclusion of the
moves g5 and E!ab8 was beneficial only to
Black whose rook was now well- positioned.
The problem White faced here was mainly
psychological in nature. Having played the
opening moves quickly and confidently, it
was reasonable to assume that I was either
following the most recent theoretical
developments or that I had invested
countless hours 'cooking-up' the novelty
16 .. .lL3 d7 at home.
Graeme is a strong player and knew fine
well that 17 .t xg7 was critical, but wouldn't
it be better to try something a little different
here to take me out of my preparation? This
is a tempting approach, and truth be told it's
often a very sensible idea, but nevertheless a
strong move is a strong move and in the
Dragon especially there will be very little
room for error.
So, whereas in the previous game we saw an
opponent who was tempted to exploit an
error which didn't really exist, here we have
an opponent refusing to exploit a move he
was fairly sure was an erroi:!
Hopefully by now it is becoming apparent
that posing awkward problems and
questions, as often as we can, reaps
dividends in practical play.
17 ... 18.exd5 ct:Jb6 19.1Wb3?!
Now White's queen will soon be awkwardly
placed opposite a black rook and he will
have to recapture on d4 with his own rook.
This is not a problem if the queens are off,
but it proves to be a serious problem when
they are still on owing to the attacking
possibilities at Black's disposal.
White had to bite the bullet here and play
19.Wc6 offering to return the extra pawn and
admitting he is a bit worse in this position
(the black knight is superior to the white
bishop because of the pawn structure).
75
Mind-Games
Worrying about the protection of c2 and the
rook's loose position on d4, White overlooks
a very pretty combination. The curious-
looking is perhaps the best way to
put obstacles in Black's way, but the simple
plan of ... a5, ... a4 looks good in any event.
All Black's pieces have taken up strong
posts aimed at the white king, while White's
only developed pieces are on vulnerable
squares - this should serve as a 'signal' to
Black that the time is ripe for a tactical
execution. We have already touched upon
this idea in the previous chapter, and will
return to it later in the book.
21 ... ttJa4!!
22.1Wxa4
There was little else to be done since
lt:J c5 (hitting both the and
the shows just how exposed the white
forces are to attack.
22 ... Wfc3 23.cj{ct
The true point of the combination as now the
twin threats of ... with mate on b 1,
and ... gb4 with mate on al, cannot be
adequately met.

It seems a little harsh to criticise this move,
but it highlights just how torrid a time the
poor white rook has had, and all because
White allowed the exchange of bishops on
d4 rather than doing so himself on g7 back
at move 1 7. Now it is simply mate.
24 ... 25.d11Mfa1#
0-1
Time for an amusing anecdote before
moving on to the next game
Both these Dragon games were played in
1995, but moving swiftly through the next
decade, we find ourselves at Christmas
2004, where Santa Claus (my brother Walter
again in fact) presented me with Gambit
author, and Scottish internationalist, Eddie
Dearing's new offering 'Play the Sicilian
Dragon'.
Ignoring the family (as you do when you get
a new chess book) I quickly checked out
what he had to say on my favourite lines.
76
Lo and behold, dear little Eddie had seen fit
to name a variation after me! Fame at last,
the 14 ... b5 line we have just seen was
christened the Burnett Variation! Of course
my brother Walter should share the
accolades, since he lost with it to Steve
Mannion some months before I lost with it
to Steve Mannion!
Anyway, not long after (March 2005) I was
playing at my local congress in Glenrothes
and sharing a laugh or two about my
description in Eddie's book (apparently I am
a "mild- mannered, eccentric Scot") with
Sam and Laura Collins who at the time ran
the Chess Suppliers shop and bookstall.
The very next evening I received a call from
Walter who had been playing the final match
of the Edinburgh League season against
Oliver Penrose.
As Black, Walter had played the Dragon and
reached the position after
and to quote him, ''I couldn't for the life of
me remember what I was supposed to play
next?!".
So Walter tried 14 ... \Mlxg5 and somehow
held a draw in a horrible endgame.
On returning home he immediately reached
for the Eddie Dearing book (which I had
loaned back to him) and discovered that he
might have considered playing 14 ... b5, the,
er, Burnett Variation!
SCARY MONSTERS!
"A monster with 100 eyes; all-seeing and
impossible to play against".
This was Tony Miles' description of
Kasparov after he had been royally thumped
5- l in a match in Basel in 1986.
I'm sure Miles didn't have this feeling
before the match (he was far too strong a
player for this), but I have lost count of the
number of times I have heard club- players
groan in resignation as soon as the pairing
list sets them against a much- higher rated
player, the top seed or their bete noir.
One specific example of this occuned at my
own club not long after I had reached 2000
level. When the draw for the first round of
the club championship went up , my
prospective opponent (rated about 1650)
muttered, in all seriousness, "I might as well
go home now" .
I simply couldn't believe this defeatist
attitude!
When I first joined the club I would have
killed for the opportunity to play against the
top dogs, and several years later relished
every minute of my games against them,
learning so much in the process whether I
won, lost or drew.
My game with 'Mr. Defeatist' , who shall
remain nameless as he is actually a very
decent guy, opened l.d4 ttJ f6 2.c4 e6 3.ttJ c3
! b4 4.! d2?!
When I asked him afterwards why he chose
such a passive development for the bishop,
he answered, "I usually play 4.! g5 but didn't
want to lose too quickly" .
77
Mind-Games
This negativity left me speechless and to this
very day I can't even begin to comprehend
such a way of thinking. It is without a doubt
the single most self-destructive mind- set
one could have; to imagine that your
opponent can see, will see, or already has
seen everything.
Of course it can seem this way at times,
when each and every threat or idea you
come up with is foiled, often before you
yourself have even worked out what you
were truly threatening!
What we need to bear in mind, however, is
that no-one is infallible. Even the strongest
players, the best tacticians and opening
experts make mistakes, drop their guard or
lose concentration from time to time.
What the prospective Streetfighter must
lea1n to do is to utilise each and every
opportunity we are given to cause problems
for our adversaries.
Stubborn resistance in difficult positions,
tactical awareness allowing us to pounce on
mistakes (it doesn't matter how big a
mistake we have made earlier in the game if
our opponent produces a bigger one later
on!) and the use of hollow threats,
randomising moves and other such
'swindling' tactics may not be pretty, but
they will definitely allow us to draw some
'1 I h ' T .
ost games, or ... even win t em. o w1t. ..
Burnett, A- McNab, C
Modem Defence .
I
l.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.'lJc3 ~ g 7 4 ~ e 3
CiJf6 5.h3 c6 6.Wfd2
This game was reasonably easy to prepare
for as Colin almost never varies from his
beloved Modem Defence (although since I
started writing this book he has changed the
habits of a lifetime and now throws in the
occasional Sicilian for variety). The
downside for his opponents being that he
knows these systems extremely well, besides
which he is a very, very strong player!
The only real problem in preparation
occurred at this point - would he play
6 ... now, or the less-active 6 ...
which he sometimes favours?
The system I had decided to try (perhaps not
fully correct but aggressive and dangerous)
idea in mind and White is generally allowed
a little more leeway in the opening than
Black.
7. .. 0-0 8.a4 CLJbd7 9.g4!? e5 10.dxe5
dxe5 ll.g5 l2Je8 12.h4
The intention is now clear. White will open
the h-file and mate Black very quickly.
Extremely crude, of course, but that's not
our problem! Anyway, even the great
Bobby Fischer advocated this approach on
occasion against a kingside fianchetto:
.. . pry open the h- file, sac, sac ... mate!
works well against the latter, but less so 12 ... l2Jc7!
against the former.
Drats! But not yet Double Drats, since we
can't expect our opponents to fall in line
with our wishes all the time.
The bishop would probab 1y be better placed
on d3 in this position as it would lend extra
support to the e4 pawn, but I had a specific
78
Here is the reason why 6 ... is better than
6 .. . as the knight can quickly re-
position itself on the useful e6-square
exerting a strong central presence.
13.h5 !!e8 14.hxg6 hxg6
The bishop's usefulness on e2 is over
(blocking the h- file with ... ttJ h5 was
prevented) and now White plans to clear the
2nd rank at some point in order to play
with threats against the black king.
15 ... lbe6
Mind-Games
you have shown an opponent a variation and
they have replied, "Oh, I never saw that!", or
conversely they propose an idea which never
occurred to you? It happens in every game!
Recognising and accepting this aspect of
chess should allow us to keep our emotions
on a more or less even keel throughout a
game - a feature far more likely to aid our
play than nervous, panicky reactions like,
"Oh no, I missed that one! What can I do?
Aaaaargh! ", followed by some horrible
Around here I was feeling a bit pessimistic. adrenaline- induced blunder!
Black has played very sensibly whilst my
'attack' has still to materialise. Nevertheless I 19.lbge2 ge8 20.gh4 lbc5
figured that I was some way off panic -
button time, and resolved to stick to my
original plan regardless.

The knight cannot be allowed to reach the
beautiful d4-square, and although I have to
give up the better of my 2 bishops for it, at
least the black rook will now be on a square
perhaps better occupied by a minor piece.
17 .. 18.0-0-0 aS!?
I was a bit more concerned about the
immediate 18 ... b5, but maybe Colin was
worried about 19 .aS being thrown in by
White. Although this would give up a pawn,
it would reduce significantly the speed of
any Black attack on the queen-side and gain
time for White to forge ahead with his own
plans on the kingside.
In relation to what I said earlier about
people's minds working in different ways,
think about how many times after a game
79
X ...
11---1 .t. ----... _ ___,
Rightly ignoring the problem of the a- pawn
for a move after a calm (see above!)
appraisal of the position. Although I could
have chopped on c5 immediately, the text
move gives Black a chance to go wrong
immediately. After 21 .. . 4J xa4 22. 4J xa4
23. 4J c3 24 .ltJ bl, White
threatens f3 followed by with a mating
attack, viz: 24 ... i e6 25 .f3 i a2 26.1Mfh2
lMfxb1 + 27 .@d2 E: ed8 + 28. @c3 when
although Black can give up his queen on h 1,
he will still struggle fo defend the sensitive
h- file in the longer term.
It is an important part of practical play that
we give our opponents the chance to err
whenever possible and that we don't begin to
play passively, falling into line with our
opponents wishes just because they are
stronger or higher-rated or have beaten you
previous! y.
21 ...
Naturally, the better the player the more
obstacles we will have to place in their way
before they trip over one, but just because
they see the first three or four hurdles
doesn't mean they will always see them!
Had Colin played 21 ... b5, for exatnple, then
White would have had time to throw in f3
when the queen is one move quicker in
reaching the important h-file.

Necessary now since 22 ... lt:Jxa4 really was
threatened. Here I most definitely was
searching around for the panic button since
it's difficult to introduce the white queen into
the affray, without which the h-file attack is
impotent.
22 ... b5
Finally White threatens something tangible
as the knight prepares to leap into f5. If the
on g7 can be removed then the black king
will be devoid of defenders, and should he
capture with ... !xf5 or ... gxf5, then the
further threat of f6 or g6 will probably mate
before Black can get through on the V!i-side.
We must always be on the lookout for ways
to snatch the initiative from our opponents in
such double-edged situations - giving up a
piece is not such a problem if it allows us to
have first crack at the enemy king.
The next 11 minutes were as an eternity
waiting for Colin's reply, because White has
an even more deadly threat than the knight
sacrifice. I tried to keep my best poker-face
in place to avoid giving the game away,
since after a couple of minutes it was clear
that my opponent - a very strong player, a
Grandmaster no less - may well have '1 00
eyes' most of the time, but they were all
looking the wrong way in this position!
25 ... b4 ??
A complete howler which sends a message
of hope to all us lesser mortals.

&
.,_____,.

80
Colin, ever the professional, didn't even
twitch as I played this. He just stared at the
position for a moment or two before
graciously resigning since ~ h will mate if
he ignores the queen, and taking it allows for
the same E!:h8 mate after the pawn recaptures
on f6.
1-0
So what have we learned from this episode?
Obviously, even the best players can
emulate our worst blunders - we are all
capable of committing heinous acts on the
chessboard.
There is absolutely no telling what is going
on in our opponents minds. Being afraid of
that which we don't know, or things we have
no control over, is a completely natural
human reaction. However, we have to force
these fears from our minds at the chessboard
and play our own game - if it's not good
enough then so be it; just reset the pieces
and try again!
SWINDLING #1
If in the previous example it wasn't
completely clear that I was struggling, then
the next 2 games show how it is possible to
recover from the brink of real disaster.
I will be the first one to admit that I brought
this trouble on myself, the plus side of this
being that I can claim full glory for
extricating myself!
Taking responsibility for your own actions is
hugely important in chess, and accepting the
rough and the smooth with the same
equanimity is essential if we are to make life
81
Mind-Games
tough for our opponents regardless of the
situation we find ourselves in.
If the number of errors we will soon witness
disturbs you, then you are obviously far too
strong a player to be reading this book!
In which case, just enjoy the games as jolly
good romps - after all, chess is meant to be
fun isn't it? Well it certainly is for
Streetfighters!
Burnett, A- Natarajan, M
Alekhines Defence
l.e4 Cbf6 2.Cbc3
Since I discovered how theoretically-
inclined most Alekhine players tend to be, I
started playing thi s inoffensive move just to
annoy them!
Cutting great swathes of an opponent's
knowledge out of the equation at move 2
can't be a bad idea (particularly if it is done
with a very sensible developing move and
not something bizarre like 2.f3?), and if
Black now replies with 2 ... e5 then we have
transposed to a Vienna Game which I play
as White any\Yay.
2 ... d5 3.e5 Cbfd7 4.d4 c5
Streetfighting Chess ,
And had Black now tried 4 .. . e6, then after
5. lLJ f3 we would be in a French Defence
(l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tt:J c3 lt:J f6 4.e5 4J fd7
5.tLJ f3) which is a side-line I know quite
well also. Little move-order tricks and
transpositions such as these can be used to
our advantage, and it is well- worth taking a
little time to learn them instead of long,
forcing theoretical lines which we will be
White was threatening when 7 ... g6
is mated by (the pretty version)
8 ... hxg6 9.! xg6#, however the game move
surprised me somewhat as I was expecting
6 ... tt:Jf6 to cover h5 . I have to admit this
weakening move close to his king was like a
red rag to a bull and it didn't take me long to
charge ahead with ...
lucky to spring more than once in a season - 7 .h4!? cxd4!
or even a lifetime! Having said this, you
may well then be raising your eyebrows at Black carries on as though White were
the number of theoretical Sicilian Dragon making sand- castles at the beach rather than
games peppered throughout this book, but going for the j ugular! The justification here
surely a person is allowed at least one vice is that White is now committed to giving up
in their life, aren't they?! a whole piece for the attack - so if it fails
then Black will surely mop up on material
5.e6!?
This type of move is known as a 'retardation'
sacrifice and is designed to clog up Black's
development (his 2 bishops will take some
time to reach active squares through normal
means) . In order to justify it though, White
will have to show aggression and pursue the
initiative else the black central pawns will
eventually prove to be very strong.
5 ... fxe6 g6!?
82
alone.

Probably necessary as it gains an extra
tempo if Black really wants the piece.
8 ... e5!
Which he does!
9.h5 e4
A critical position has arisen already with
the game only 9 moves old! White could
now simply retreat the bishop to e2, but it
seemed to me to be very inconsistent and
would call into question the entire plan
beginning with 5.e6. Instead I played the
most direct move, only noticing too late a
serious flaw in my calculations.
10.hxg6 exd3
After the game I was wondering if ll.Wh5
would have been better, although my
opponent thought that resigning was my
strongest option! In essence he may have
been right because it transpires that the
position is 'lost' for White, but I was still
unaware of any real problems at this stage!
Strange how two minds can be seeing two
completely different games, but an
extremely common occurrence at most
levels of chess.
ll ... 12.g7
In the post- mortem my opponent Manos
was di smissive of most of my ideas
throughout this game (though he worded
them extremely politely!) and here he
wondered why I gave up my "strong pawn"?
As I saw it, the pawn was getting in the way
of my pieces and therefore had to go!
12 ...
And most defnitiely not 12 ... :gxg7 when
13 .Wh5+ mates next move.
@f8
83
Mind-Games
If it wasn't so amusing it would be
embarrassing, but I actually thought I was
completely winning here!
Since the bishop is tied to the defence of the
mate on f7, I honestly couldn't see how
Black was going to defend? If he tries
14 ... We8 then 15.! xg7+ :gxg7 16.:gh8+ :gg8
17.:gxg8+ wins the queen and the game. His
only possible defence is the text move,
either immediately or after the
inconsequential14 ... Wa5+, so ...
14 ... 'LJf6
And just as I was about to reach out and play
the 'winning' move 15 .Wg6, I suddenly
realised that his knight was attacking both
of my major pieces!
I was completely dumbstruck! How could I
possibly have missed such a thing? And I
wasn't the only one as 2 of my team- mates
had also missed it! Unfortunately, not being
a 'relay' chess game, I couldn't pass the
baton to them, and instead had to fmd a way
out of this predicament all on my own!
The obvious option was to simply resign,
but on move 14 (and in a team- match of all
things) it was unthinkable.
So, I gathered my thoughts and decided to
make life as difficult as possible for my
opponent-though at the same time wishing 23.VNxd3
that I had a summer tan to hide my red face!
The first ray of hope appeared as blocking
with the knight only draws since 16 ... lt:J g8
17 .Wf3+ 18.W g3 forces a repetition, as
does 17 ... @e8 18.Wh5+ (18 ... @d7 19.Wxd5+
forcing the same draw).
___ ttJ
'
A clever way of introducing the knight into
the game and thereby setting Black a few
problems. Getting your opponent to think a
bit is the first step to recovering from lost
positions - if he doesn't have to calculate
possibilities he can't make mistakes, so
always look for the sharpest or otherwise
most unexpected continuation.
Remember that you have already blown it so
to speak, and you cant be hung twice for the
same offence, so you are playing the rest of
the game free from any pressure. Always err
on the side of optimism and let your
opponent do the stressing!
18 ... i>e8 20.'Wxh8+
i>d7 21.'Wh3+ i>c6 i>b6
84
The black king has been dragged across the
board, but ultimately White would require
an extra tempo (or an extra piece!) to cause
serious problems.
23 ... a6 24.a4!
White is still losing, but at least this move
will make Black wonder about dropping his
king back with 24 ... @a7 in view of the
annoying 25. lt:J b5+ when 25 ... axb5 26.axb5+
introduc es the white rook onto the
battlefield.
These small hassles may not contain real
threats but again they force the opponent to
sift through a tangle of variations rather than
allow him to sit back and enjoy his winning
position.
24 ... V!fd6!
Black decides it's high time he developed
some of his pieces and this queen move
really ought to seal the deal as White's king
is now looking just as vulnerable as the
black monarch.
25.a5+ i>c7 26.f4!
'
__ __... __
Again a distraction aimed at confusing the
opponent. If the pawn wasn't on f4 then
Black would never have considered the
possibility of taking it (obviously!) but now
that it is, he realises he can't, since one or
other ttJe6+ would win the queen. Sowing
the seeds of problems where none actually
exist is a handy psychological tool.
26 ... t2Jc6 bxc6?!
Not a mistake as such, but slightly
weakening the pawn cover close to his king
was unnecessary and 27 ... Vfixc6 was safer.
28.g3 29.ct:Jf7
And here my opponent had a little blackout
thinking he was simply picking up the
knight (of course judging by my earlier play
who could blame him?) .
Tempting the black knight forward in the
hope he might forget about the defence of
the .ig4 at some point. Desperate, perhaps,
but we have to at least give our opponent the
chance to blunder.
85
Mind-Games
31 ... 32.s!;{cl 33.b4!
Black has been playing natural , sensible
moves but suddenly finds the position a little
more awkward. If he now plays 33 ... c4 then
the white Vfi goes to d4 aiming to land a
troublesome check on a 7. In the meantime,
White threatens 34.ttJ xg4 1Wxg4 35.1Wxd5
causing problems, or perhaps 34.bxc5 with
the intention of Vfi d4 and c6.
Perhaps the most relevant factor now in play
is that Black has been a piece up and
'winning' for over 20 moves, yet he still
hasn't netted the full point. Psychologically
this is an extremely difficult position to be
in, all the more so when it is a team match
with beady, expectant eyes all around!
33 ... + 34.s!;{b2 35.s!;{xal
36.bxc5
And amazingly White now has a draw!
Black might still have had enough advantage
to win after 36 ... ct:J f6, but it would have
taken a clearer mind than my opponent's at
the time to see that ttJ d7 38.c6 lt:Jxe5
was safe.
37.\Wc3 \Wd6 38.ttJf7 V!:Vf6 39.ttJe5
d6?
And since Black has been winning for
almost the entire game, he has no intention
of allowing a draw by repetition. Instead he
unintentionally commits hara- kiri!
40.%Vb4
And this further blunder seals his fate since
it is now mate, although Black actually
resigned before could be played.
A wonderful, 'blunderful' game for sure, but
also a very instructive one in its own way I
think you will agree.
1-0
86
SWINDLING #2
The entire concept of swindling, essentially
'being done out of something which is
rightfully yours', is a troubling one for me.
I always have serious reservations when I
hear a chess- player say, 'I've just been
swindled', or describing the 'outrageous
swindle' which just occutTed against them.
More often than not it simply means that
their opponent was more resourceful or
concentrated or tactically aware in the given
instance.
To me, as the previous game shows,
swindling is simply playing chess in a way
that causes your opponent the most
problems - so my entire chess career has
been one long swindle!
To label swindling as some kind of negative
concept is a misnomer - it merely serves to
relieve us of our responsibility at the
chessboard when things go wrong, and this
is surely a bad way to view matters.
Here is the positive version of events ...
MacDonald,C -Burnett,A
Czech Benoni
Hamilton Open 2005
l.d4 l!Jf6 2.l!Jf3 c5 3.d5 d6 4.g3 e5
ttJ bd7 6.0-0 g6 7 .c4
8.ttJc3 a6 9.e4 0-0 lO.ttJel ltJe8
f5 12.h3 C2Jef6 13.h2 b5
14.cxb5 CLJxe4?!
As soon as I played this capture I realised I
had made a serious mistake.
We have all been in this situation- we reject
a certain move quite quickly to begin with
and move on to look at the alternatives. Five
minutes later we play the move we initially
rejected, having completely forgotten the
original problems or reservations we had
with the 1nove!
In this instance I had quite quickly seen that
after the text move my opponent could
capture with 15.i xe4 when the forced
15 ... fxe4 16 .lt:J xe4 leaves white threatening
both 17.ltJxd6 and 17.bxa6, thereby winning
a pawn.
Losing the a- pawn, however, is not in itself
disastrous - there would be some kind of
Vfff-side counterplay akin to that seen in the
Benko Gambit, but the d- pawn is a crucial
part of Black's structure and must be kept
intact. The real problem is White's control of
the e4- square, which entirely negates the
g7- bishop.
So if we consider for example 16 ... ttJ f6, then
White doesn't exchange knights and grab the
a-pawn, but instead plays 1 7 pinning
the knight and securing complete control of
e4. He can then follow-up with f3 and
ttJ df2, re-inforcing this square.
So, option 1 is to be positionally much
worse (against a strong opponent who
87
Mind-Games
thrives on such advantages) with very little
prospect of active counter-play. The best I
could probably hope for here is to hold the
position for a draw.
Now, I don't know about you, but the
prospect of shuffling my pieces defensively
for the next couple of hours was about as
appealing as, well, something really, really
unappealing (you can think of your own
worst thing here!).
Option 2 (and believe me there is always a
2nd option) was simply to admit to myself
that I'd made a mistake, and to henceforth
make life as trouble-some for my opponent
as humanly possible.

So White quickly picks up on the error, and
I now sank into deep thought looking for the
second option.
What if I were to simply ignore the bishop
on e4 and re-capture on b5 instead? Let him
save the extra piece, after which I advance
my phalanx of pawns with tempo, develop
my pieces as aggressively as possible and
pretend to the world that I'm not a piece
down?
Hmmm, a long slow (probable) death, or a
care-free active game with all the
psychological pressure on my opponent to
justify his extra material? No contest in my
mind, so .. .
15 ... axb5! b4 g5!
A good move which denies White f4 for his
pieces and threatens to gain more space and
time with .. . e4.
18.f4!
White is wise to Black's game and prevents
a pawn avalanche, but this move, though
strong and necessary, also has a downside. It
creates some space around his king, allows
the g- file to be opened (to whose advantage
this will be is not yet clear) and allows Black
a reasonably well- advanced supported
passed- pawn.
Not that I'm for a moment saying that these
factors outweigh the piece deficit, but I can't
say either that I was displeased with my
position (although judging by the grimaces
and questioning stares of the onlookers this
view was shared by precious few people
around me at the time!)
18 ... gxf4 19.gxf4 e4 20.C!Jel C/Jf6
21.C!Jc2 i>h8!
'
88
Intending to put the rook on g8 where it
could prove to be very useful.
White would like to follow suit, and perhaps
he can, but there will always be a nagging
fear that his king might need this retreat
square in the event of some future ... lt:J g4+
from Black, when 1 would drop the
queen to ... lt:J 2+.
These are not immediate possibilities or
specific threats, but they do influence the
play and the players' thinking. If, for
instance, White has these doubts about
playing gg 1 just now, it may affect his
'ability' to play it if, or when, it becomes the
'only' move.
22.a3!
This move is indicative of Chris' approach to
chess. It is positionally well- motivated since
White would like to gain access to the
squares c3 and, in particular, d4. To do so he
must challenge the black pawn chain, and
this move also solves the slight problem of
the duo.
For my part, although the plan is challenging
to face, I was pleased to note that his focus
was at least partly on the Vff-side - all it
takes is to forget for one move that there are
other, more deadly, areas of the board and
disaster can strike.
22 ..
The only real compensation Black now has
for the piece is the possibility to launch an
attack with ... 4J g4 +, (intending
perhaps ... Wh4 or something nasty on the e3
square) when White might be forced to
Mind-Games
return the booty. With such a simple, linear 2 7
strategy, Black must use every available
tempo to introduce his pieces into
threatening positions, making moves
elsewhere only when strictly necessary.
23.axb4 ia6
Activating the bishop in this way is essential
as it creates a certain disharmony among the
white forces. The rook would like to move
so that the knight is no longer pinned, but
with g 1 being the only useful square it
would encounter the same problems outlined
back at move 22.
Instead White continues his policy of
dismantling the black pawn structure and
thereby gaining useful squares for his other
.
pieces.
25.bxc5 dxcS
This recapture is forced since giving away
control of d4 is not a good idea - White's tt:J,
ib and Wi could all find uses for it.
Defending c5 (and thereby also d4) while
'opening the rooks eyes' to the g- file.
89
White's plan has borne fruit as the bishop
can now come to the useful c3 square to
control the long diagonal which Black has
just vacated. However. ..
27 ... h6!
These ! 's are for consistency of purpose.
Black must never allow a situation where his
pieces are pinned and therefore impotent.
White now has control of the long diagonal,
but the knight has been unpinned. Should
White now exchange on f6 he helps the
black queen to an active post and he might
easily find himself unable to defend the b2
pawn, and the dark squares in general
after ... id6.
Faced with this tricky decision White
decides to opt out for a move and instead
activate his side- lined steed on b3.
29.CiJa5?
Aiming for the c6-square attacking the
queen and thereafter to the excellent e5
square, but unfortunately taking his eye off
the ball for a split second which proves fatal.
However, I don't find this too surprising and
nor should you. Black's next has been
available for the last 8 moves but simply
didn't work, so White has been gradually
improving other aspects of his position - the
problem as I mentioned earlier is that it only
takes a small change in the details to change
the entire course of the game.
This position was highlighted in John
Henderson's daily Scotsman newspaper
column with the sub- title 'How does Black White had thought that 32.;gf2 was a simple
complete the swindle?' defence, but overlooked that 32 ... e3 wins
Hopefully after playing through this game since the bishop has left its defence of this
the reader will at least re-define what their critical square - in his 'mind's eye' it was no
idea of a swindle is - and you too, John! doubt on its original square as well as c3!
32 ...
The White king will run for the cover of the
queen- side, so it is better if Black can
capture on g2 with the rook and keep the
queen for other duties.
If White now tries 3 3. <>g 1 hoping for a
repetition after 33 ... then he is denied
by the move 33 ... when he is unable to
29 ... 'lJg4+! 30.hxg4 defend.
White has no option but to take since the
further ... ltJe3 will hit ;g and the .
30 ...
is also playable but ultimately losing
after 31 ... fxg4 32.lt:J gl gxh3
34.1!9xe4+ ;gg6! when White must part with
his queen to prevent mate 35.'Wxg6+
36.;gf2 Wf5 Wd3.
90
Forced to defend e2, but now the king hunt
is on!
34 ...
Jld3+
This shows the advantages of keeping your
attacking pieces as flexible as possible -
now the white king will feel just as unsafe
on the W-side as he proved to be on the
side.

Quiet moves such as this one are not only
hard to find but also difficult to judge in
advance. Black has won back one piece and
now threatens to win the other by capturing
the knight on e2.
White's best defence would be 39.Wb3,
although after the queen exchange and
taking on e2, the passed e- and f-pawns
would storm through.
The final point behind Black's last few
moves. Should White now save his queen
then 40 ... \Wa4 is mate!
or 41 ... E!: xb2+, since the knight is now
hanging on a5.
42.ctJxf8+ and here a shell-shocked
White resigned since all his pieces are
dropping off.
0-1
91
Mind-Games
I trust that it will not escape the reader's
notice that this has been one of the longest
chapters in the book-and there is more to
come on the subject of practical chess
psychology a little later!
It really is one of the least thought- about
aspects of chess with regards to your
average club-player, and in my opinion this
is a huge mistake.
Of course its not difficult to see why it is
overlooked when we are bombarded with
over- hyped books on opening theory and
computer- driven assessments at every turn.
But hopefully, having read this introduction
to the subject, many of you will now see
things in a different light and next time you
reach out at the bookstall your hands will
automatically steer away from the latest
'opening sensation' and drift instead towards
a different kind of literature!
7 HERO #2
TAL
ever was a chess-player's style
so celebrated, and at the same
time so berated, as that of the
'Magician from Riga' Mikhail Tal.
In blasting his way to the world title, Tal's
enigmatic play won him the adoration of
the chess- playing public who were daz-
zled by his sacrificial assaults.
Less-enamoured, though, were the rela-
tively staid generation of masters he top-
pled along the way, who felt that Tal's
play - though full of imagination - was
often simply incorrect, his 'trickery' an
affront to the logic of positional play!
More than this, however, was Tal's un-
Tal, Mikhail ----Larsen, Bent
Sicilian Defence
Candidates S/F Game 10
Bled 1965
l.e4 c5 2.CiJf3 lLJc6 3.d4 cxd4
4.lLJxd4 e6 5.lLJc3 d6 lLJf6 7.f4
0-0 9.0-0-0
canny ability to wrong-foot opponents;
dragging primarily positional players into
tactical melees or forcing aggressive play-
ers to accept material but go on the de-
fensive.
His bewitching qualities were so ingrained
in other players' minds that the American
master Pal Benko once turned up to play
Tal wearing sunglasses to avoid his
'hypnotic' stare!
The following encounter, one of the all-
time classics in chess, shows Tal at his
majestic best in a game which provoked
years of analysis amongst amateurs and
masters alike the world over.
Absolutely typical of both players! Despite
the match being tied at 412-412, with the
winner of this deciding game going through
to the Candidates Final, Tal and Larsen
happily head for one of the sharpest
positions that 1960's theory had to offer!
The opposite-sides castling is a pre- cursor
to rapid pawn advances on the flanks,
usually leading to the kind of vicious hand-
to-hand combat Tal and Larsen both
excelled at, and revelled in.
9 ...
Considered inaccurate by Tal, but only
because of a subtle difference in a sharp
tactical line, viz :if now 1 O.g4 then Black
replies 1 0 ... 4Jxd4 e5 12.g5 i g4 13 ... b5!?
i,xd1 14.gxf6 ixf6 15.4J d5
Analysis diagram
Tal's next move appears to eventually lose a
tempo, but in forcing Black's queen to a less
active square he avoids this mating idea on
c2 and therefore gains time to play the g4
advance.
Such tactical subtleties were second- nature
to Tal - springing to mind almost
immediately - whereas his opponents would
have to sift methodically through the tactical
mire to spot such points, consequently using
more time and energy, and all the while with
the knowledge that the world's most
fearsome tactician was sitting opposite with
a glint in his eye!
ll.g4 a6

94
"Larsen does nothing to stop the typical
pawn advance (14.g5) - a testament to his
exaggerated optimism". So says Ludek
Pachman in his classic book 'Pachman's
Decisive Games' (which despite its
eponymous-sounding title actually
investigates the most important decisive
games in chess history from Anderssen-
Paulsen in 1872 through to Fischer-Spassky
a century later).
Tal himself . states "A very important
moment. After the move made by Larsen it
is obvious that White's attack will develop
more quickly, which in such positions is
very often the decisive factor".
Far be it for me to disagree with such
illustrious writers, but I'm going to anyway!
Firstly, Pachman's comments could equally
well be laid at Tal's door! His "exaggerated
optimism" was the foundation stone of the
flights-of- fancy chess he was famous for,
as he himself admitted many times over.
Secondly, Tal's idea of what is "obvious" is
unlike that of any other player the chess
world has seen before or since! Both give
similar 'improvements' here for Larsen,
name I y 13 .. . e 5 14. g 5 i g 4 15. g3 ex d 4
16.gxf6 dxc3 17.fxe7 cxb2+ 18.@bl i,xdl
Analysis diagram
" ... which more or less leads to equality" -
Pachman, and "Black keeps quite good
defensive chances, since the position has
become considerably simplified" - Tal.
Personally speaking, I don't believe a word
of it! Larsen, in the heat of battle, is
expected to find his way to this position in
his head and consider it "more or less equal"
against the world's foremost tactical wizard?
I don't think so!
Look at the following line - not completely
forced but stunning nonetheless; 19
g6 2l.f5 22.f6 @h8
25.e5 dxe5
mxh7
Analysis diagram
It is horrific possibilities such as these that
would have been occupying Larsen's mind -
allowing Tal to go on the rampage is not a
pleasant thought, and it is no surprise to me
that Larsen instead chooses to 'fight fire with
fire' with the text move.
Although these variations are difficult to
Streetfighting Heroes #2
14.g5
At first Tal wanted to play the prophylactic
move 15.a3 which would have allowed the
ltJ to remain on c3, but realised that after
15 ... b4 Larsen would have obtained serious
counter-play down the b-file.
Instead Tal's devious mind settled on the
up-coming piece sacrifice which he justified
by finding "an amusing variation" (!) and by
the thought, "If in the end, Misha, you are
destined to lose this match, there is no need
for the reason for this to be cowardice".
For this thought alone we really ought to
welcome Mikhail Tal to our Streetfighting
ranks as Honorary President (sadly a
posthumous honour), and I cant emphasise
enough just how inspirational playing
through his games can be for the average
player.
15 ... b4
follow, and may seem to you unnecessary or 16 ... exd5
too complicated, it is important to
understand the psychology behind attacking Black is forced to capture the kamikaze
chess. Instilling doubt and fear in your knight as otherwise it will give its life even
opponent, forcing them to avoid what is more expensively on f6 next move.
perhaps the critical move, is an essential
weapon in the Streetfighter's armoury.
95
17.exd5
Chess
attempted defence 17 ... g6, again blocking
the diagonal to h7, but also severely
weakening the other long diagonal to h8.
For our purposes, the practical chances of
holding any of these positions is extremely
slim. White has played aggressively,
ingeniously and bravely- as we have learned
by now, the fact that Black goes quickly
astray is hardly surprising.
Simply too much pressure on the board, in
This then is the critical pos1t1on which the mind and on the nervous system - a
occupied the minds of thousands upon natural chain reaction.
thousands of chess- players for rnany years.
Tal's knight sacrifice is partly based on
positional grounds - Larsen's queen- side
pieces will find it extremely difficult to cross
the board to aid his king's defence. There are
also immediate tactical threats to be dealt
with. If it were White to move he could play
threatening mate on h7 as well as the
bishop on e7.
Unfortunately this cannot be parried by the
simple 17 ... because Tal could play what
he terms "the standard combination"
17 ...
22.g6 fxg6
24. E!hgl mating.
Analysis diagram
The debate focused not on the move Larsen
actually chose here, 17 ... f5, but on the other
96
17 ... f5!?
Again 18 ... is insufficient after
ttJ c5 ltJxd3+ ltJ xel 22.g6
24.g7 E!f7 25.g8ltJ#
Analysis diagram
This is the variation which Tal found
irTesistible back at move 14!! A testament to
his genius and the main reason why Tal,
although perhaps overall less strong than
some other World Champions, remains my
all- time favourite.
19.h4
Incredibly Tal says that he wanted to play
even more sharply here with 20.g6, but
decided to play it safe! - "the experience of
previous games warned me against wasting
time on the calculation of long, complicated
variations - that is how to get into time-
trouble" - Tal.
20 .. 2tJ;xe7 tlJeS!
The best practical chance in a lost position.
Besides, Larsen was doubtless sick and tired
of White calling all the shots.
22.W'e4 W'f8! 23.fxe5!
And not falling for 24.'e3
::fl + when Black's desperate counter- attack
even wins!
23 ... gf4 24.W'e3 gf3?
Last chance saloon was 24 ... keeping
the tactical slugfest going. Tal considers
25 .exd6 :gxd4 27 .b3!!
Analysis diagram
An extraordinarily cool move, the idea of
Streetfighting Heroes #2
25.W'e2 W'xe7 26JWxf3 dxeS 27J;et
gd8 28.gxe5 29JWf4!
Simple tactics save the d- pawn since
29 .. . .txd5 3 0. :9:e8+ wins the queen.
29 ... gf8 30.W'e4 b3 31.axb3 gn +
32.d2 33.c3 W'd6 34.ic5!
"A not altogether necessary (there were
many ways to win) but an1using concluding
combination", Tal states.
34 ... W'xc5 35.ge8+ grs
h8 37.W'f7!
which would occur to few players! The and here Larsen resigned as the back- rank
threat of pushing h5, h6 will force Black to mate cannot be averted.
return the extra piece albeit with " ... some
chances of saving the game", according to
Tal.
97
1-0
A magnificent tour-de-force from 'the
Magician', worthy of the highest sporting,
and Streetfighting, accolades!
Here is how Sosonko described Tal's
approach to the game of chess . "The
important thing for him .. . was to create a
situation on the board such that his pieces
came alive... to create tension and to seize
98
the initiative, to create a position such that
the spiritual factor - that of giving mate -
would prevail over and even laugh at
material values" .
Even though it is unlikely that we will ever
get anywhere near Tal's level of chess, this
philosophy should underpin our own play at
all times.
THE AGATHA CHRISTIE
APPROACH TO THEORY
While problem-solving at the chessboard
must normally be faced several times in
every game, encountering chess problems
away from the board are a somewhat rarer
occurrence.
Nevertheless, the following game involves
just such a puzzle, the solution of which was
inadvettently to lead to more than a single
point.
Burnett, A- Thomson, T
Ruy Lopez
Grayson Cup 1997
l.e4 e5 3.i,b5 a6 4.i,xc6
dxc6 5.0-0 VNd6!?
I had recently turned to this Exchange
Variation of the Ruy Lopez to complement
my other vicious weapon against l ... e5 - the
Vienna! This may sound a bit like the classic
Leslie Nielsen line in Police Story, "Watch
out, he has a broken milk carton!", but I'm
sure if used 'properly' even a milk carton
could take someone's eye out!
Anyway, in this position Black has a wide
range of choices as to how to continue his
development:- 5 ... i g4 and 5 ... f6 are among
the most popular while 5 ... i d6 and even
5 .. .11J e7 are occasionally played.
However, it was apparent to me that 5 ... W'd6
had taken up the mantle of Black's best
move at the time, both on a global level and
on the equally important Scottish weekend
congress circuit!
6.'2Ja3 i,e6 7.Ne2 f6 8.E!dl 0-0-0
9.d4 i,g4 10.i,e3 exd4 ll.E!xd4 VNe7
VNxd8 VNe8
Here is the critical position which so
intrigued me.
It could have arisen in the gan1e Timman-
Almasi, but appeared only in Timman' s
notes to another of his games (against
Onischuk) which I happened upon in a
friend's copy of New in Chess magazine en
route to a tournament.
Of this position Timman remarks that White
would have "a huge advantage" .
Fair enough I thought and continued
scanning the rest of the magazine while
relishing the upcoming delights of whatever
draughty school dining room we were soon
to be doing battle in.
100
A few hours later I was similarly leafrng
through the most recent Informator at the
Congress bookstall (after my game had
fmished I should add) when, lo and behold,
the Timman-Almasi game jumped out at me
- with notes by Almasi in typically cryptic
Informator form - the line ending +, which
means 'with a slight advantage to Black' .
Now, I'm no Hercule Poirot at the best of
times, but even to me this seemed a bit
strange, a little mysterious even.
"Huge advantage to White" or "slightly
better for Black"? And in a line which I had
so recently decided to adopt?
Well, if ever there were a time to don the
pince-nez, wax up the old handlebar
moustache and enlist the aid of my most
trusted companion Hastings, this was surely
it! Before I push the Agatha Christie theme
too far, suffice to say when I got home I
dusted off the old chess set and did some
sleuthing of my own.
It quickly became apparent that Timman's
assessment of a "huge advantage" for White
had to be based on the fact that he has a
massive lead in development.
Taking Almasi's side for a moment, we see
that not only is he attacking the e-pawn with
the queen on e8, he is also threatening to
play the disruptive .. . reducing at the
same time some of his deficit in
development.
One obvious way for White to deal with
these dual threats is by 14. V1i d3 since then
14 .. . 15.Wxa3 Vlixe4 16.1Wf8+ leads to
mate. After 14.Wd3 however, Black could
p 1 a y instead 1 4 .. . x f3 1 5 . g x f3 x a 3
16.1Mfxa3 ltJe7! when he has at least equal
chances.
101
Something New, Something Old ...
I'm sure if I had the likes of Fritz or Rybka
sitting next to me, our little silicon friends
would have spotted the refutation of Black's
set-up almost instantly. It took me a little
longer, but finally I spied what Timman had
obviously noticed and what Almasi had
evidently over-looked.
14.CLJc4!
And here it is. As so often when one side has
a marked lead in development, the material
aspects of chess look after themselves.
White avoids the Vii-side disruption and his
active pieces render the e-pawn immune,
since if now 14 ... 1Mfxe4?, Black is rather
rudely slapped-down by 15. ttJ b6+!! when
either 15 ... b8 16.gd8+ @a7 17 or
15 ... cxb6 Wxe2 17 .gd8 would be
mate.
Because of these small but important tactical
points, the relevant factor here is that
White's army is ready to do battle while the
majority of Black's- as Tal so sweetly put it
-"occupy the squares God gave them!"
14 ... Wfh5
Black changes tack but now his king is
looking somewhat bereft of defenders, a
factor White must immediately attempt to queen after since 18 ... @c8 19.ttJ b6
exploit before the black @-side forces can is mate again.
enter the game.
15.%Yd2
Since 15 ... i xD 16JMfd8+ is an immediate
mate, Black can't even disrupt the white
kingside as compensation.
Black's bishops are for the moment covering
the d7 and d8 squares, so White takes aim at
the next weakest spot on c7.
16 ... C2Jb6
Again 16 ... ! xD fails, this time to
followed by 17 and
White must strike while the iron is hot and
before Black plays .. We have already
seen how weak the dark squares can become
(back at move 14), so it should come as no
real surprise that this blow exploits the same
motif. Now if Black should capture the
bishop with 17 ... @xc7 he must give up his
102
17 ... W/c5 18.Wif4?!
The right idea but the wrong execution!
Having seen that the reply 18 ... Wxc4 loses
almost immediately because of 19 .i b6 i d8
21.Wic7#, I failed to realise
that of course 18 .! b6! 19 .\fNf4 is a
direct transposition to this line and infinitely
more forcing than the game move.
Fortunately there is no serious damage done
to the White cause, although it does allow
Black to struggle on a little longer than he
ought to have done.
18 ... g5 19.W/g3 f5!
A good try since now 20.i b6 is met by
20 ... f4! when both queens would perish,
obviously beneficial to Black.
20.exf5 21JWxg4
Unfortunately for Black his king is just too
exposed to survive, especially when the rook
on h8 can't find a tempo to enter the game.
22.ttJfe5! 23.b4!
Since only one of White's major pieces can
use the d7 square, another file must be
opened towards the black monarch.
23 '1Nxb4 24.c3 %Vc5
The queen must retain her defence of the
bishop on e7 but now the white pieces can
flood in.
25.%Vd7+ b8 b5 27.ttJa5
and in this hopeless position Black's flag
fell .
1-0
So what useful lessons can be learned from
this game? Well, the most obvious one is
that we should never trust implicitly what
we read! My opponent Tommy Thomson is
a strong correspondence player and was
undoubtedly using the Informator analysis
by Almasi - but there was a huge flaw in
Almasi's assessment of the position after
move 13. Had we been playing a postal
game Tommy would more than likely have
spotted this error, but playing a variation for
the first time over-the-board doesn't often
allow for this kind of homework.
103
On the other hand, had I just followed
Timman's advice without checking it, I
might have come a cropper in much the
same way had the Dutchman been wrong.
Fortunately, and this doesn't happen too
often with club-players, I had two sources -
at odds with each other - and decided to
take a closer look.
The best we can do is to take on board the
variations and assessments of grandmaster
players, and then ask ourselves if we
understand why they have come to these
conclusions? If the answer is no, we must
either abandon such an illogical way of
learning or ask a stronger player to clarify
matters.
In this instance I was rather pleased to have
found such a refutation, but such self-
gratification was deflated somewhat a few
years later when I noticed the following
game ...
Rowson,J- Ehlvest,J
World Open Play-off
Philadelphia 2002
l.e4 e5 2.Ci:Jf3 Ci:Jc6 3.1ib5 a6 4.hc6 dxc6
5. 0-0 ff d 6 6. Ci:Ja3 7. ff e2 j'6 8.1/jdJ c 5
9.c3 0-0-0 10.d4 cxd4 ll.cxd4
exd4 13.l!ixd4 ffe7 14.fixd8+ Wfxd8 15.Ci:Jc4
Ci:Je7 16.1/jdJ fle8 17.h3 ih5 18.1if4 Ci:Jc6
19.ffe3 ie7 20.hc7!
20 ifxc7 21. V!Jf4+ lliJe5 22.g4 g5 23. V:*lg3
ifb8 24.1JiJfxe5 fxe5 25. V:*lxe5+ ifa8 26.gxh5
'Bf8 27.'Bd7!
27 Jld8 28. V:*fd5
1-0
Not identical, but close enough to show who
had been doing their homework and who
hadn't! The galling point for me was that
Jonathan Rowson obviously has such an
armoury of strong novelties and refutations
at his disposal that he could afford to use
this one in a .... 5- minute game!
Anyway, back down to earth and on to the
next game, a natural corollary to the
previous example. Although my specific
'investigation' had focussed on the Timman-
Almasi encounter, I had also got around to
playing through the main game in the New
in Chess article between Timman and
Onischuk.
Evidently an interesting idea had planted
itself in my memory and I combined it with
another previously learned concept of
attacking chess - one which we should all
be aware of if we want to maximise our
attacking chances in the middle- game.
104
Burnett,A- Mannion,S
Ruy Lopez
l.e4 e5 a6
dxc6 5.0-0 '!Nd6 7.'!Ne2 f6
9.c3
In this position, against Onischuk, Timman
played the immediate 9.d4 (when 9 .. . 0-0-0
would transpose to the games we have just
seen) and only after 9 .. . exd4 did he play
1 O.c3. Black then replied with the dubious
10 ... We6?! whereupon Timman uncorked
11. ct:Jxd4! Going on to win a fme game after
11. .. txe2 12.lt:Jxe6
9 ... c5 10.d4 cxd4 ll.cxd4 exd4
And here 11 ... 0-0-0 would have transposed
into the Rowson-Ehlvest game. I don't
know about you, the reader, but such
transpositions give me a real headache.
Who played what and when and why? It's
very easy to get confused, and is one of the
reasons I have absolutely refused to learn
anything about the extremely popular
Sicilian Najdorf English Attack mainlines
which everyone seems to play these days!
If you have a good memory for detail then
fine, indulge yourself - if, like me, you 14.tlJxe6
struggle in this department then feel free to
borrow some of the less-well-charted lines An awkward move to have to play, but the
this book is primarily based on. only one which doesn't immediately lose
material.
12.ttJc4!?
As in the game Timman-Onischuk, Black
puts his queen on a sensitive square .
12 ... looks risky, but may be best. I had
intended 13 followed by gac 1 and
pushing e5, but 13 ... 14. gxf3 (the
knight on c4 must be protected) b5 may be
possible. Nevertheless , from a purely
practical perspective I think White's game is
to be preferred - quick and easy
development, with the simple strategy of
opening up the black king with e5 .
13.C2Jxd4!
A strong move, but the exclamation mark
belongs to Timman.
13 ...
Black could simply retreat the queen here to
d7 or c8, but after 14.f3 chasing the bishop
White would again have a frightening lead
in development.

15 ...
The aggressive lunge 15 ... c5 allows
16.ct:J d6+ ixd6 17.gxd6 c:J;;e7 when 18J%b6
is good for White, while 15 ... 16.gxc4
c6 17 .tt:Jxf8 <j{xf8 leaves White with an
excellent bishop and 2 active rooks. The text
move forces the active 'LJ on e6 off the
board, but doesn't solve the longer- term
problems in the black position.
16.C2Jxf8 @xf8 l:iJe7
105

It is often tempting to play tactics just for the
sake of them, but the forcing line
@IJ 20. lt:J d6+ @e6
@xd6 doesn't achieve much.
Nominally material is even, but there is a
fair prospect of the black forces becoming
very active after 22 ... lt:J c6 or 22 ... lt:J g6.
We should only embark on such tactical
adventures if we either have to, or if there
are clear gains in sight. Otherwise it is far
tt.Jxe5 c6
Perhaps 22 ... c5 is a better move here,
although it's entirely understandable that
Black doesn't want his rook tied down to the
defence of a mere pawn for any longer than
is strictly necessary.
Nonetheless, playing the pawn to c5 would
have avoided some of the forthcoming
problems - though these problems are by no
means obvious at this stage.
more sensible to finish our development, as
in the actual game, and look for a more
timely opportunity to force matters.
20.e5!
White has the better developed and more
active pieces, but since Black has no
structural weaknesses White must strive for
the initiative and use the slightly misplaced
black king to his advantage.
20 ... fxe5
And not 20 ... lt:J xe5? 21.i xe5 fxe5 22.ttJ xe5+
picking up the loose bishop on g4.
This strong move follows the middle-game
concept alluded to in the introduction to this
game - with rooks and opposite- coloured
bishops the side with the initiative should
play for the attack!
I had probably been aware of this idea on a
sub- conscious level for some time, but
sometimes it takes more than a passing
comment in some game or other for the
concept to become ingrained on a more
useful conscious level.
In this respect, an old series of books by the
Czech Grandmaster Ludek Pachman entitled
'Complete Chess Strategy' did the trick for
me.
His first volume, 'Planning the Pieces', is
106
particularly instructive wherein he examines,
amongst other topics, several positions
where the opposite- bishops proved to be the
decisive factor in the middle- game.
"This drawing tendency (so often desired by
the weaker side!) is significantly reduced or
even disappears completely when other
pieces are on the board as well", states
Pachman.
He adds, "In many middle- game positions
the presence of opposite- coloured bishops
even has the reverse effect and favours the
Something New> Something Old ...
it is evident that the g7- pawn will be the
target, which as Pachman's 'rules' state,
cannot be defended by the 2. on e6. Black's
next move looks natural, but perhaps the
uninspiring prophylactic move 26 ... ;ghg8
was necessary?
It should be noted that White has little
interest in holding onto his a2 pawn - the
action will be taking place elsewhere and
there is no need (or time!) to be distracted by
such irrelevant matters.
side with the initiative. This stems from the 26 ... h4 27 .gd3
fact that the defending bishop cannot protect
points attacked by the opponent' s bishop". Intending to invade on d6 and if now
This book dates from a time when strategy 27 ... ;gcd8
was not obscured so heavily by reams of wins a crucial pawn.
theory and computer assessments, and such
books are therefore much more useful for 27 ... gh5 28.i,c3 Jtxa2?!
learning the basics of chess (especially the
more advanced basics).
Back to the game, and Black eventually
settles for a move which affords his king a
little more breathing room whilst protecting
hi s bishop.
23 ... h5 24.E!f4+ g6 25.h3 ie6
26.gc3!
Black snatches the pawn, hoping his queen-
side pawn majority will save the day.
However, now both white rooks can take up
even more active and threatening posts.
30.gxb7
White's activity will finally pay off in
material terms, since now 30 ... (to
The second rook swings into action and now prevent allows when the
107
black queen- side disintegrates, while the 3 7.g4+
proble1ns remain on the other side of the
board. The most efficient way, securing 2
connected passed pawns.
30 ... cid5

Simplifying into a winning ending. Often it
37 ... hxg3 38.fxg3 39.g4
40.cib4
cie6 43.cic3+
can be difficult to know when to do this, but 45.cif6
here it is clear that White will soon have 2
clear passed pawns on the kingside while And not falling for any tricks with ... a3
Black cannot even exchange his queen- side when the bishop hangs and Black even wins!
ones off, let alone force one through.
32 ... 34.cixg7
aS 35.cif8 a4 36.cie7+
45 ...
Unfortunately for Black he can never give
up his bishop for both the king-side pawns
and get in ... a3 in such a position that White
must capture bxa3. If he could then running
the king to a8 would draw as the white
bishop controls the wrong- coloured squares
to queen his a-pawn. Now the win is
straightforward.
46.h4 c5 47.h5 cif7 c4
49.h6 cig8
The pawn on h4 must be protected, but now cih7
the black king loses so much time that any
drawing chances he had are disappearing.
108
1-0
"What" I hear you ask "about the 'vicious'
' '
Vienna?" OK, to finish this chapter let's take
a quick look at how an old-fashioned and
innocuous-looking opening can be injected
with some real venom!
Burnett, A - Jenkins, B
Vienna Opening
TAFCA League 1993
l.e4 e5 2.etJc3 ctJf6 3.g3
This is known as Sn1yslov's variation, where
White initially plays to contest the centre
from afar rather than challenge it directly
with the more commonly seen 3.f4.
Black has many ways to respond to 3.g3 ,
e.g. 3 ... i b4, 3 .. . c6 or the more immediately
combative 3 ... d5, but my opponent (now
team- mate) Ben chooses another popular
set- up.
3 ... tlJc6 5.tlJge2 d6 6.0-0

This seemingly natural developing move
allows White to play with tempo a move he
intends to play anyway.
6 ... h5 is the most aggressive response to
White's set- up while 6 ... a6 is the safest, but
109
Black, faced \Vith a disreputable opening
(theoretically at least) was already on his
own - first blood to the Streetfighter!
7.h3
Directed against the rather obvious f4-break
which White's last move prepared, but
potentially very weakening for Black.
9.d3 h6
Black doesn't want to give White an 'instant
soup' attack down the f- file after 10 ... i xe3,
but now White can use the unprotected
knight on f6 to force some favourable
exchanges.
ll.Cbd5! '2Jxd5 12.exd5 tlJe7
The alternative is to jump the knight into d4,
but this doesn't promise Black an easy game
either since 13 .i xd4 leaves him with the
unpleasant choice between 13 ... exd4 (when
his i c5 is redundant) or 13 .. . i xd4 when
14. tt:J xd4 exd4 15.g4 i g6
followed by 17 picks up the loose pawn
on d4.
13.g4 cig6 14.d4!
This strong central thrust aims to crack open
the centre while the black king is still on e8.
Should Black now capture with 14 ... exd4,
then White not only has access to the d4
square, but also the a-rook can quickly gain
the resulting open e-file and a quick f4 will
activate the other rook.
14 ... cib6 15.c4 f5!?
With White threatening to push on with c5,
Black feels obliged to make a desperate bid
for some counter-play.
16.dxe5 dxe5 17 .c5 f4!?
Again Black tries to mix it. The alternative
was the more obvious 17 ... i a5, but this
would give White a pleasant choice of plans,
though my intention was to play the
aggressive 18. b4!? opening lines on the
queen-side and meeting 18 ... i xb4 with

To my mind it is extremely important to
keep the initiative going and keep the
opponent under pressure on both board and
clock, rather than clarify matters too early
and accept a safe, but lesser, advantage.
18.cxb6 fxe3 19.bxc7
Now Black would like to play 19 ... ttJ c8
intending to blockade the d- pawn
with ... ttJ d6, but White doesn't have to allow
this and instead can play the strong 20.d6!
activating the i g2.
After 20 ... ttJ xd6 (otherwise b7 falls) White
simply plays 21.fxe3 when the plan of
and the other rook to cl /dl or fl would
unleash an unstoppable attack.
19 .. 20JWa4+ i>f8
And here 20 ... 22.fxe3
ctJxc7 (intending d6+) +,
again with d6 in mind, exposes the frailty of
Black's position even without queens on the
board.
It is a common misconception at club- level
that queens are always required for attacking
purposes, and without them there is relative
safety in any given position!
It's simply not true and I've specifically
included several examples in this book to
show how effectively the other pieces can
combine in the attack without their queen's
help.
21.fxe3+ i>g7 22.Wfa3!
110
This non-standard way of attacking the
blockade leaves Black in serious trouble.
The passive 22 .. . l2J c8 maintains the blockade
but then is good, e.g. 23 ... l2J e7 24.e4
1 when the threat of 26.tl9a3
(again!) is deadly.
The alternative to the text move is
22 ... tl9xa3, but after 23.bxa3 l2J c8 24.d6!
ltJ xd6 Black is simply lost. Instead
he bravely enters a forcing tactical sequence,
but this is duty- bound to fail while his rooks
still languish on their original squares.
22 ... W!xc7 23.d6 VNc2 24.dxe7
111
25.Wfd6!
With a decisive infiltration on f6.
25 ... Wfxb2 26.VNf6+ 27J;abl
VNxa2 28.e8=VN!
and here Black resigned as any capture of
the newly-promoted queen will see him
mated in short order after
1-0
112
McKay, R - Burnett, A
Nimzo-Indian Defence
Grangemouth Premier 1992
l.d4 2.c4 e6 4.a3
This move heralds in the Samisch Variation
of the Nimzo-Indian Defence, which I had
never faced before and at the time had very
little know ledge of. Despite being graded
over 2000, I still thought of most l.d4
openings as being somewhat staid, leading
only to 'positional chess', as opposed to the
fireworks that 1. e4 often produced. This
game quickly dissuaded me from such
narrow beliefs!
4 ... 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 0-0
d5 8.cxd5 exd5 10.0-0
ll.f3 b6
I remember being quite shocked by this little
rook move! Where is it going and why?
Well, I soon realized that it was swinging its
way over to e2 or f2, after which e4 was
coming and my kingside would be targeted.
Not a pleasant thought at the best of times,
and even less so against an IM opponent
with a reputation as a strong attacker (who, I
must admit, I was already a little intimidated
by, having read somewhere that Karpov had
named him as one of the most serious threats
to his winning the World Junior
championships in the late 60's!)
So, I did what many, many players have
done before me (and since) - I panicked! I
envisioned horrible things happening to my
kingside and decided to re-inforce it as
quickly as possible.
13 ... ttJe7?!
Not a good move, and not a good plan. The
combination of an inaccurate, panicked
response and a lack of knowledge of the
position at hand against a very good player
is more than enough to lose a game of chess
as we will see.
What, though, should Black be doing here?
Well, had I taken more of an interest in the
games of Tal (which is something I was very
soon to do) I might have come across the
following instructive comments from his
match with Botvinnik in 1960.
"White's plan is obvious :harmonious
development of his pieces, placing the
bishop on d3, the knight on e2, and then
after suitable preparation (in which the white
knight participates, transferring to g3, and
even the queen Rook, which goes along the
114
second rank to the e-file) advancing e4. As
a rule, if White succeeds in carrying out his
plan and, while he is doing this, his
opponent is not able to create sufficient
counter-play, the struggle ends in a direct
assault on the black king. How many games
have been decided like this!"
Hmmm, looks like my opponent might have
read this bit.
Tal continues: "How can Black counter this?
The attempt to prevent the move e4 with
pressure on this square does not succeed-
White has too many resources at his
disposal. However, it must be considered
that the move e4 weakens White's other
central square, d4, and Black aims his forces
in that direction. Besides this, after the
exchange of the c- pawn, Black has at his
disposal an open file which will help support
his developing counter-play. So Black's
goal is clear: to create counter-play along
the c- file , utilizing the possibilities of
opening it while neutralizing White's e4,
strengthening the kingside". (pp38/39, Tal-
Botvinnik 1960.
Hmmm, looks very much like I haven't read
this bit! It transpires that my .. . b6 and ... i b7
isn't the most effective development, but
most importantly that I must play ... cxd4,
followed by ... c 8 and ... ltJ a5- c4.
Without dwelling on things too much here
(after all, I have to get on with the game and
show you all how I was slaughtered!) it
becomes clear that I am playing an opening
and resulting position which a) doesn't suit
my style, and in which b) I don't know the
basic strategies. Ok, back to the game.
14.e4! dxe4 15.fxe4 tlJg6 16.d5!
115
Losing it and Using it
This is clearly better than 16.e5 as it renders
both the i b7 and the g a8 (no c- file
counter-play!) redundant. Giving up the e5-
square is not so serious since White can still
challenge for it or, alternatively, play around
it. Black's position is, to all intents and
purposes, lost at this stage.
16 ... Wfc7 17.gaf2 c4 1 8 ~ b l WfeS
This sacrifice of the exchange is the
beginning of a series of excellent, energetic
moves from White. We have seen quite a
few of these sacrifices already, the principle
idea of which is to weaken the king and
afford the other pieces squares to use and
targets to aim at.
19 ... gxf6
:i :i

l.i. .t. .t.
.t.
,
[jjq
.t.
[j
lQ
--
[j[j

Moves like this are the most difficult to find
for the average player, as the urge to recoup
the material investment or deliver an
immediate mate is at the forefront of their
thoughts. However, it should by now be
becoming clearer to the reader that positions
where the defender has so many pieces out
of play allows for this kind of slow build-
up. White simply improves the scope of all
his pieces before moving in for the kill.
Desperately trying to plug the holes.
23.etJxf6+
:i
'
116
Depressingly accurate! I wouldn't usually
advocate enjoying your losses, but I have to
admit that I was very impressed here by my
opponent's play. Running short of time and
unable to find a defence, I decided just to go
with the flow and see how Roddy would
finish me off.
24 ... etJh4 25.ttJe8+
This is the most clinical, and further proof
that queens are not always required to force
mate. Now the black king is forced out into
the open
26 ... 27.gxf6+
29.gh6+ 30.tlJf6#
i: .t
.t.
' '
.t. CD M

'
[j
[j

[j[j

1-0
The final position paints a very pretty
picture, and if ever I lose to a well- played
attack I often allow the mate to appear on
the board. This is just a personal thing, but I
honestly believe some other players would
do well to pay heed to it. Magnanimity in
defeat is, at most levels, a more productive
response than a sullen, grunted resignation
followed by muttered curses and
despondency . Accept your beating
graciously, clear your head of it and prepare
for the next battle with renewed enthusiasm!
That's exactly what I did after this game, and
in the very next round went on to win the
exciting attacking game we saw on page 34.
What else can we take from such a loss?
Wel l , from a personal perspective, I
remember I had only recently been
introduced to the games of Mikhail Tal and
my own attacking abilities were still very
limited. This defeat, more specifically the
manner of my defeat, spurred on my own
desire to play attractive and aggressive
chess.
It also made clear the fact that certain
openings were clearly tailored towards
attacking play in the middle-game, and that
I would have to develop an opening
repertoire to suit. Playing the King's Indian
as Black instead of the Nimzo-Indian would
be more appropriate, for example. Or indeed
borrowing this Samisch approach as White
in the N imzo-Indian instead of 4. Wi c2.
Paying attention to small factors such as
these really will lead to a clear improvement
in our results.
Ok, on to the next loss. This is one that we
will all have suffered in some shape or form,
but is the one we will probably be least
likely to admit to-the ego loss!
Cornes, B - Burnett, A
Sicilian Defence
l.e4 c5 2.li.Jf3 d6
Wfxd7 5.0- 0
7.c3 e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5
10.exd5 &ilxd5 ll.a3 12.CLJbd2
117
Not exactly the most testing of variations for
Black to face in the Sicilian, particularly
when I had been warned before the game
that my opponent plays the Grand Prix
Attack. A bit of lateral thinking here might
have come in useful though: he might not
have played the aggressive opening I
expected (with the white- squared bishops
off this position shouldn't be dangerous for
Black) but if he usually plays aggressively
then he's probably a bit handy in the tactical
department, so be careful!
Unfortunately, I was incapable of logical
thinking in this game, owing entirely to my
ego. I had recently had some excellent
results, had defeated my first IM a few
weeks previous! y and didn't consider a
opponent graded some 300 points below as
being capable of troubling me in the
slightest! Such thoughts are embanassing to
recall now, of course, but a rude wake-up
call is almost always a necessary component
of improvement. Hopefully my honesty here
will save some of you from suffering a
similar fate in the future!
Anyway, back to the game, where I had
decided that any tactics would obviously
favour me, so let's forego castling and
immediately target the d4 pawn.
12 .. J3d8?!
After a normal move (such as castling short)
Black is absolutely fine here, as evidenced
by the ChessBase statistic of a 71% strike
rate from this position. The text move would
also be ok if my intentions had been more
honourable.
13.CLJe5 CLJxe5 14.dxe5 CLJf4 ?!
Going for the quick kill. Since White has rid
himself of the weak d- pawn, he has to be
punished in a different way! The idea is to
win material by playing ... lt:J d3 when
something is bound to fall .
The move which allows White to unravel
and keep a slight edge, or a desperate
attempt to confuse matters in a lost position?
In my mind it was the latter obviously and,
blissfully unaware of any possibility that
White might be perfectly OK here, I
ploughed on regardless.
15 ... ctJd3?
game (my score-sheet notes that I'd used 48
minutes after this move-half the allotted
time for 30 moves) but I wasn't using the
time in any way productively, instead I was
calculating and re- calculating lines which
are winning only for Black!
Shortly after this game I devised a far more
useful method of using my time, one which
some of you might find beneficial also.
When it is my opponents tum to move I look
at the overall picture- what are the respective
strategies? Are both sides following these?
Am I assessing the position as objectively as
possible? What general possibilities are
available for both sides' pieces?
Only when it is my own tum to move do I
try to turn these broad estimations into more
concrete calculations with specific move
orders and evaluations.
In the given instance, had I tried to look at
things more objectively and from a wider
perspective, I might have realised that my
chosen line of play would leave my own
king seriously short of squares (of course I
knew this, but not on a useful, conscious
level). Then I could have looked at White's
possibilities- even if they had been only
swindling possibilities- and most probably I
would have cottoned on to White's plan.
In any event, this move was my last chance
to avoid the brutal loss I suffered: 15 .. . g5!
had to be played, followed by ... h5, when it's
all still to be played for. Instead .. .
17.CLJe4!
Of course my blinkered thoughts had only
I wasn't playing particularly quickly in this considered moves such as 17 here, after
118
which Black wins with the simple 17 ...
when the bishop on cl cannot be saved. The
text move came as quite a shock to me, but I
still didn't see the problem, so ...
17 ... lZJxel
8
-.----.'
And suddenly the threat of ttJ f6+ is horribly
real! The Black king is so entombed that all
the ill- gotten gains must be returned to stave
off an immediate mate, after which the king
will be hounded to an early grave.
18 ...
i>d7 <>c6
been desperately hoping for White to
include + when it seems that he has a
better version of the game after 22 ...
since 23 ... allows
but 22 ... 4Jc2! throws a spanner in the works,
since now leaves White's
back rank vulnerable and he must find
\We4! 25.g3! in order to win, which is
not so clear and easy to do.
With this last swindling attempt gone, it
only took a few more accurate moves to
expose the Black king and secure a well-
deserved victory.
22 ... 24.Wfxe6+
25.Wfc8+ i>d5 + i>e5
2 7. Vlf c5+ and here I resigned since the
rook at least is dropping off.
1-0
An excellent game from my opponent which
won the Best Game prize for the whole
season by a player graded under 2000. As
for myself, I learned quite a few lessons
here, not the least of which is that no-one
ever goes into a game with 'no chance', and
(as with every walk of life) there will always
be someone who is better at certain things
than one's self. The unchecked ego is a
dangerous thing!
Fortunately I took this defeat on the chin,
and rather than ignore my obvious failings, I
decided to work on my objectivity during a
game, my use of thinking time and my
recognition of tactical patterns. This last one
is obviously a never- ending battle, but all
are necessary areas of work if we are serious
Very simple but necessary accuracy. I had about improving our game.
119
120
BARKING UP THE
RIGHT TREE!
It was my umpteenth attempt to cause Colin
problems with the black pieces. Previously I
had always shot myself in the foot by
playing some ill-conceived pseudo-
aggressive Dutch or King's Indian system,
losing quickly in my over- eagerness to take
the fight to my opponent. However,
although it may be difficult to 'teach old
dogs new tricks', there is another saying that
'every dog has his day'!
McNab, C - Burnett, A
Reti Opening
Richardson Cup 1995
d5 2.g3 c6 4.d3
tlJd7 5.h3 6.0-0 e6 7.b3 ltJgf6
f!c7 9.ltJbd2 lO.f!el
I was under the impression that my
development plan was either new or very
unusual. Most of the games in this line seem
to feature Black playing more circumspectly
with ... followed by castling short.
However, this game was played in the days
before I had access to ChessBase, and a little
lack of knowledge can be a good thing, as I
122
have since discovered Colin had reached an
almost identical position previously against
the super- strong Russian GM Vladimir
Tukmakov! OK, Colin lost that game, but he
would certainly have learned something
from the experience - so I doubt if I would
have played into this line so readily had I
known about the game. Anyway, I didn't
know, and carried on happily with what I
considered to be a logical divergence from
the accepted strategy of kings ide castling.
10 ... 0-0-0 ll.e4 dxe4 12.dxe4
lLle5!
Very simple play. I had finally realised that
Colin's choice of slightly anaen1ic opening
system's as White shouldn't give him any
real advantage against straightforward,
natural development. As he is the higher-
rated player by almost 400 points, it should
be up to him to unbalance the position to
avoid drawish lines.
14.ttJd4?!
White reacts badly to the first piece of
goading. The simplified position after
14. ttJxe5 i.xe5 15 .i.xe5 'Wxe5 doesn't appeal
since the symmetrical pawn structure,
Mind-Games Revisited
Black's hold over the dark squares and the Although it is not yet possible to speak of
slightly weakened Vli-side pawns do not any tangible advantage for Black here, its
augur well for White's attempts to stir up difficult to believe in White's position after
winning chances. 14.'We3 looks better than the text move.
the text move, though, because the knight
has little or no future on d4. 18 ... ltJg6 19.h4 ?!
14 ... I'm not convinced this is relevant to the
Again simple but effective play planning to
double the rooks on the only open file -
something White will find hard to counter as
his queen is in the way of his own rooks.
15 ... h5!? was the more obviously aggressive
alternative here, but the text move is more in
keeping with the game plan.
16.b4 ghd8 18.c3?!
Once more avoiding exchanges, but butying
the bishop on b2 in such a way is horrific.
123
position at all. It does allow White to find a
role of sorts for his g2 bishop, but surely the
opposite wing is where White's counter-
play lies, hence 19.a4!
Perhaps Colin was just having an off day,
but I like to think that my strategy helped a
little to make him feel this way.
19 ... h5
21 ... e5!
As mentioned previously, when all your
pieces are actively developed and well-
positioned in the middle-game, then the
tactics will take care of themselves.
Black wants to play this move to get rid of
the centralised knight so he can infiltrate
with the rooks on the d-file. The only
concern would be giving up the exchange on
d7, but we can quickly see that 22Jixd7
exd4 is good for Black.
The loose .i on d7 would have to move
again, whereupon 23 ... d3 (attacking the
queen), or 23 .. . dxc3 (hitting the ib whilst
also threatening .. . Wxg3+) would spell
disaster for White. Small but crucial tactical
points like these are the bread and butter of
Streetfighting players.
All the black pieces are slowly- but-surely
gravitating towards the kingside and
White's lack of cohesion means that the
defence will be extremely onerous.
Colin's next move attempts to shore up the
kings ide a little, in particular the g4 square,
but the downside is that it opens up new
vistas for the .t on b6 which now eyes the
weakened dark squares.
24.f3?!
24 ... CiJg4!!
At some point Black had to crack open the
pawn cover around the white king.
Outplaying a much stronger opponent is one
thing; fmishing the job off is an entirely
different matter. It requires, amongst other
things, bravery and consistency of mind.
We know the position is ripe for exploiting
and we might play a move such as 24 ... ltJ g4
relatively quickly and confidently against an
opponent 400 points lower graded than
ourselves - the main thing we have to
overcome is fear of the stronger player.

Colin took half an hour over this capture.
This highlights an important practical aspect
of chess; weaker players have a tendency to
trust their opponents too much- or not at all!
In this position they might snatch at 23 . .ixg4
in the belief that since Black has placed the
knight en prise to the f- pawn, he must have
calculated it was safe to do so , or
conversely, accept the material offered as a
blunder.
The stronger player, on the other hand, will
almost always check things out for
themselves, and rightly so. It is much more
important to believe in yourself and your
own abilities than in others. In this instance
the piece offer is completely sound as the
following lines show.
25.fxg4 ttJ f4+ 26.gxf4 Wxh4
28.Wxf3 (here 28. allows f1xh3+ 29.
g2 Wg3+ 30. f1 hl# and 28. ltJ d4 loses to
Wxh3+ 29. 30. Wig2#)
Analysis diagram
124
3Q. cjjh2 hxg4 31.i xg4 goodresult)provetobetootempting?
3 2 . .ih3 i e3 . Some of these lines I had
seen, others I hadn't, but the general gist 28 ... exd4
seemed to be that White was in trouble.
25 ... hxg4 26.llJd4!
This is a good attempt to muddy the waters,
but we must remember as always the
thematic reasons why we instigated the
Unfortunately for White 30.cxd4
31.@e3 :gxd4
wins also.
30 ... dxc3
attack- if we can obliterate the white king's
protection his pieces are in no position to
defend, so. .. And here White couldn't play since
31 ... W' g2+ mates next move on f2. After the
26 ... 27.gxh4 28.VMxd3 text move material is nominally even, but
With this move Colin offered a draw- a bit
cheeky perhaps, but often a good ploy in
such situations against weaker players. Do
they have the 'bottle' to see it through to the
end, or will the lure of a guaranteed draw (a
125
the black forces can exploit the roaming
white king and uncoordinated white pieces.
31 ... gxf3+ 33.E!xf3
34.:gf2 \Wxe4+
Everything is going with check! Knowing
full well how tricky Colin can be I was
taking no chances here.
36.@e2 37.@f3 38.@
g3 39.@g4 40.@h5 g6+
41.@g5
Now one of the loose rooks must fall e.g.
43.i>xf6
\Wd5+ 44.@f4
and now White resigned since 45.g5
again picks up the rook on e 1.
0-1
MIRROR, MIRROR ...
One of the most awkward problems faced in
chess (and one which occurs frequently) is
what to do when faced with your own
favourite opening? Everyone has one, be it
the King's Gambit as White or the Caro-
Kann as Black or the Grob with either
colour (shame on you!)
For many years now I have placed my faith
in the sharp Dragon Variation of the Sicilian
126
Defence, and revelled in the razor-edged
complications which often ensue. However,
being a confirmed l.e4 player myself, it's
only to be expected that from time- to- time
some cheeky opponent will punt the self-
same Dragon straight back at me! What to
do in such a situation?
Well, following the sharp theoretical lines
can be a mistake for several reasons: firstly,
we don't want to have to refute our own
trusty weapon - after all, that's what our
opponents are supposed to do when we're
sitting back on the 'right' side of the board!
Secondly, there is the psychological
dilemma whereby we 'know' that 'our'
opening should be winning! It has been the
setting for some of our finest victories (or at
least I hope so, otherwise we might have
trouble explaining why it's our favourite?!) ,
and we love it dearly regardless of what
current theory or GM practice or anyone
says!
And finally there is a third point which
combines the first two and produces a rather
flawed logic which dictates that should an
opponent then duck what we consider to be
the critical lines, then we have already
scored a victory of sorts!?
So, again the question, what to do? The
following example provides an answer of
sorts and also reinforces some of the points
made in the previous game regarding how to
cause problems for much stronger players.
To set the scene, when I saw the team lists I
knew that I'd be facing the Dragon. To
further complicate my task my opponent
was a Grandmaster, the previous year's
British Champion no less, and ... the author of
the most popular book on the Dragon!
Burnett, A - Ward, C
Sicilian Defence
British Club Championship 1998
l.e4 c5 d6 3.d4 cxd4
g6 7.h3
OK, so this isn't exactly the scariest system
in the world, but it's not entirely toothless
and is one which I had nevertheless scored
well with as White.
Obviously I could have avoided many of the
problems outlined in the introduction by
playing l . d4 , but to quote an old
Zimbabwean proverb (as you do) 'A bull
does not enjoy fame in 2 herds!'
It is almost always a good idea to play
something you are familiar and comfortable
with regardless of the opponent, and in this
case it has the added bonus of avoiding
some horrible tactical disaster early on for
which the Dragon and tny opponent are both
famed.
7 ... 0-0
If White castles immediately then Black has
the option of playing 8 ... Ct:J xe4!? with the
idea of 9. CZJ xe4 d5 regaining the piece. It's
not completely clear if this continuation
does Black any great favours, but the text
move simply reduces Black's possibilities
and avoids early tactical confrontations,
once again as per the game plan
8 ... 10.0-0 a6 ll.f4
b5
So far we have been following Ward's
recommended line of play (for Black only)
in his aforementioned 'Winning with the
Dragon' book. Some months previously I
had devised what I thought to be a strong
improvement on White's play in this line,
never for one 1noment expecting that I'd get
the opportunity to play it against 'The Man'
himself!
Fortunately my next move wasn't it! In order
to explain this strange statement we have to
diverge a little from the main game here.
In Winning with the Dragon (and also,
incidentally, in his later revision Winning
with the Dragon II), Ward's illustrative game
in this line (between Hector and Tiviakov,
Haninge 1992)) continues 12.a3 g c8
tt'J a5
While playing through this at home,
however, my devious little mind latched
onto the sharp 14.e5!? which is not
mentioned at all by Ward.
127
Analysis diagram
Most of the variations seem to favour White
here, so when I managed to find a 'clear win'
in what I considered to be the most critical
of these variations I did what most people do
- I stopped analysing, patted myself on the
head for being such a clever fellow and went
off to bed to drea1n of a stunning victory in
some critical game against the world
champion using this wonderful move!
Here, then, is the main line I convinced
myself of starting from the analysi s
diagram :-
14 ... lt:J e8 15.i xn+ @xf7 16.e6+ i xe6 17.f5
leading to this sharp position:
Analysis diagram
Now 17 .. . i d7 loses to 18.W/d5+, (as does
17 ... i xf5 18.W/d5+ e6 19.'Wxe6#!), while
17 ... gxf5 18.Wfh5+ (18 ... $ [6 19. F1xf5 +
h j5 20. V1i xf5#) 19.ttJ xe6 is winning also.
Perfect!
Except, as I was to discover much later, the
rather obvious 17 .. . i c4 refutes the entire
concept, as 18.fxg6+ is met by the simple
retreat 18 .. . @g8, when 19.W/h5 is tricky but
ultimately insufficient.
Now, it doesn't often happen that getting
blind-drunk in Newcastle the night before a
5- hour drive to an extremely important
match can be considered good preparation
(and I'm not recommending it even though it
wasn't myself doing the driving), but on this
occasion my hangover was sufficiently
severe to shut down my memory just long
enough for me to forget about my
'brilliancy', and I played instead ...
b4
At this point my blurry thinking had me
wondering if I ought to have prevented this
with 12.a3?
Wlc7 14.g4 e5 15.fxe5 lLlxe5
I was expecting 15 ... dxe5, (when 16.lt:J xc6
i xc6 17 .ltJg3 Wlb7 18.i c5 looked critical
though uncl ear) but Ward sticks to a
traditional Sicilian recipe of securing e5 for
a knight.
16.Wfg2 E!ae8 18.tbxc6
Wlxc6 20J;adl
A normal move, but also necessary as Black
was threatening to play 20 ... lt:J f3+ winning
the i on d4 with check, after which the b-
pawn falls.
20 ... 'Llc5 flc7 22.b3!
128
I was quite happy at this stage. Not only is
White's pressure on the d- and f- files more
useful than Black's on the c- and e- files, but
my hangover had vanished and Chris had
been using up oceans of time since move 12.
22 ...
If Black plays 24 ... Wxc2 instead then
25 .ixb4 strongly favours White, whose
bishops are now looking very good.
White doesn't mind the exchange on d5 as
long as he can recapture with a piece,
thereby keeping up the pressure on the d6
pawn. Black's best move now is probably to
return with the knight to e6, However, if he
tries instead to play more actively with
129
26 ... CiJ b5, threatening to jump the knight into
c3, then he gets a rude shock after 27. tbf5!
Analysis diagram
This move isn't immediately winning
(although Black would be well- advised to
leave the knight alone as 27 .. . gxf5 30.gxf5
threatens f6, i h6 and i f6), but it changes
play from a manouevering positional game
to a sharper tactical battle. Black's king is
under frre and his pieces not particularly
well-co-ordinated for defence (the Wc5 and
ttJ b5 are offside while the 2 hem in their
own king).
It is always useful to keep in mind such
attacking possibilities, even if they are not
the main theme of play, and we will look
more closely at this idea in the later section
on 'Combining'.
26 ... V!f.c7 28.V!f.d2

29 ... a5?!
This little pawn move looks innocuous
enough but is in fact a serious positional
error.
White's main focus of attack is the sickly d-
pawn, and Black's abandonment of the
defence of b5 hands White an obvious way
sac should work. Of course there will always
be anomalies in chess, exceptions to the rule,
but in these cases we just have to accept it as
bad luck! Usually though, it's simply a
matter of spotting the fatal tactical flaw
which a 'logically bad' position must
contain.
to re-route his knight which is no longer fxe6
required on the king-side.
%Vb7 tlJxg4!
With Black's position cracking at the seams,
this knight offer constitutes his best practical
chance. Very rarely will a much stronger
player allow you to walk all over them -
they will fight back using all the trickery
they can muster and this is a vitally
important skill we can borrow from them.
Rather than meekly lose his d- pawn and
suffer a slow death, Ward randomises the
position and forces White to sift through the
tangle of variations.
However, remaining calm and looking at the
position logically is the best advice I can
offer should you find yourself in such a
situation. Here I reckoned that all my pieces
were working well together and therefore
there was no logical reason why the knight
130
Not fearing ghosts. If now 33 ... \Mfxe4+
34.\Mfg2 :gxf4 35.\Mfxe4 :gxe4 36.:gd8+ wins
the bishop, and here is the flaw which
eventually decides the game-Black's back-
rank weakness.
33 ... tt:J f6 would have kept the damage to a
minimum although White is still the
exchange up and should win eventually.
Naturally Ward continues to mix it instead.
g5 35JWg2!
This multi- purpose move not only defends
the pawn on e4, but also restricts Black's
activity because of the pin on the g- file.
35 ... gxf4 f3

Now it is safe to take.
38 ..
And the thematic flaw once again comes
into play, since now 39 ... ixe5 allows
another back- ranker with 40.1Wf8+.
39 ... 40.gd5
Having reached the time control Black now
resigned in view of White's threats of
or \Wc8+.
1-0
131
As with the previous game, it shows that
there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Not allowing your stronger opponent to
show their superior abilities (here by
ducking the sharpest theoretical lines and
instead playing a quieter system which I
knew), being aware of the tactical
possibilities and themes which were
available, and reacting calmly and logically
to any threats (real or perceived), I was able
to frustrate a much stronger opponent in
both cases- and now you can too!
132
Rutherford, W- Burnett, A
Pirc Defence
East of Scotland Championships, 1997
1.d4 g6
d6 5.e4 0-0 6.h3 c5 7.d5
l!iJc7 9.a4 b6 10.0-0 a6
b5 14.axb5
axb5 b4
17
20.c4 bxc3 21.1!iJxc3 ttJh5
e5 23.ttJh2 f6
25.ttJg4 Wig7 ttJf4 h5
28.ctJe3
28 ...
This allows the queen to eye both sides of
the board and importantly cements the
knight on f4 for the time being as g3 would
allow ...
With reference to the positional outline
given above, White aims to activate his rook
and rid himself of the b2- weakness in one
fell swoop by pushing b4.
29 ...
Aiming for the invulnerable d4 square.
Should White exchange knights here with
30.ltJxb5, then 30 ... allows the other
black knight to come to d3, thus preventing
White's main positional idea, viz. 3l.b4?
ttJ d3 and the pawn is pinned and lost.
Simple, but effective, low-level tactics.
Looked at objectively the position seems to 30.ttJc4!
offer equal chances.
Both kings have adequate pawn cover; the
white pawn on b2 looks a little vulnerable
but Black's pawn on d6 is a potential target
also; Black's knight on f4 is handily placed,
as will a white one be on c4; the other knight
pair have equal prospects, although if Black
could embed his on d4 it would be useful;
Black's rook is more active but has little to
aim at, while the queens will be limited in
their actions by the knights. All in all a fairly
balanced position materially and
positionally.
Black begins by relocating the queen.
134
Placing the knight on its most active square
and eyeing up the d6 pawn.
30 ... 31.b4??
More Middle-game Matters
Unfortunately for White he has been From the Streetfighter's perspective, such
hoodwinked! Because play has seemingly tactical possibilities should always be
revolved around White's plans to play this lurking in our thoughts. If we can learn to
pawn break, and Black's efforts to delay or disguise our 'evil' intent so much the better!
prevent it, he has forgotten that there are 2
sides to the chessboard.
31 ... CLJf3+!
and White resigned immediately as saving
the queen with 33.gxf3 'loses' the king to
33 ... and 34 ... mate.
0-1
There are a few reasons why White missed
this idea completely: to begin with, earlier in
the game it was Black who had to repel
kingside threats with ... g7, ... f6 and ... h5 -
the safety of the w bite king was never an
.
ISSUe.
Then the blow came quickly from the
'blind- side' since play appeared to revolve
around the positionally desirable b4- push by
White. However, there were signals from the
very outset.
Remember, 28 ... not only allowed
for ... ltJb5, but also prevented White from
chasing the other knight away from f4.
The very idea that Black's queen could even
threaten to come to h3 should have started
little alarm bells ringing in White's head
about his king's safety.
Additionally, the fact that geometrically the
white queen and king were a knight fork
away from disaster (regardless of whether it
was a viable fork or not) should have
increased White's vigilance.
135
The following position, which arose from
the Centre Counter (or Scandinavian
Defence as it is sometimes referred to), is a
natural partner to the previous example - not
least because it was played against the
daughter of my opponent in that game!
Burnett, A - Rutherford, E
Centre Counter
Edinburgh League 1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 YMxd5 Wfa5
c6 6.d4 7.h3
8.g4 ffc7 10.Wfe2
CLJbd7 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 12.ctJe5 lbxe5
13.dxe5 lbd5 14.f4 e6
Here White has a clear lead in development,
and would like to force matters before Black
catches up.
15.!!dfl!
White wants to force through f5 trapping the
bishop, but why use this rook rather than the
h 1 rook? Well, it is a practical decision as
much as anything else, since White doesn't
want Black to throw in ... 1 + in the
middle of some forthcoming combination
which would cost a tempo for recapturing
and misplace either the king, rook or queen.
Now Black must deal with the threatened
pawn push f5 .
15 ...
Had Black foreseen White's idea she might
have tried 15 ... ttJ e7, but no- one likes to play
such an ugly retreat.
16.f5!
The pawn thrust comes regardless. If Black
now throws in 16 ... ttJxc3 then 17 .i xc3 exf5
18.e6 wins immediately.
16 ... exf5 17 .tlJxd5
Weakening the black king's position at just
the right time.
17 ... \We6
19.gxf5 20.YMf2!
--------
.,

Now we see the point behind White's
forcing play - both the bishop on f5 and the
pawn on a7 are under attack. In my view it is
not completely necessary, nor possible, to
calculate every possibility in such a position.
For instance, Black could now save her
bishop by retreating to g6, or by taking on
h3 (which also attacks the rook on fl) but
after 21.Wfxa7 she must be getting mated! It
is enough to see that the i b5 and the
hem in the black king, while the Vff and i d2
will combine to deliver the coup de grace.
Faced with these horrors, Black is forced to
destroy her own pawn structure.
20 ... a6
Forcing a further weakening as the same
mating net holds as in the last note.
Remember not to lunge in too quickly;
check to see if the reason you are winning
has changed or not.
21 ... b5 bxa4
So Black avoids all the nasty mating threats,
And this move is forced as White is still but her position is shot to pieces and White
threatening to win the bishop. can mop up the pawns at will.
136
23 ... Nxf7 24J;xf7
gxe5 27.gff7
Doubled rooks on the 7th spell the end.
27 ...
30.c3
SIGNALS AND FATAL
FLAWS: PART 2
In an earlier chapter we looked at the idea of
having suspicious minds, and this is an
extension of that idea. In the following
examples, however, the solutions do not
arise from our ability to identify flawed or
misguided opening strategies, but rather
those random opportunities which arise later
in the gatne where there are precious few
recognized guidelines to follow.
As I have mentioned several times before,
solving tactical problems and puzzles from
magazines and books (and more recently
DVD's and online) will undoubtedly
improve your calculating skills and help you
Never get so carried away that you forget to to assimilate more and more patterns into
defend against back- rankers! your chess armoury, but during an actual
game there is no- one on hand (or at least
30 .. 31J;b7 there shouldn't be!) to say "White to mate in
4" or "Black to play and win material" .
The threat of mate is terminal. What we do have though, is an opponent
whose moves can often indicate to us when
32 ... and the position may be ripe for a tactical shot,
Black resigned. and it is these which we must always be on
the lookout for.
1-0
In the initial position the black king didn't
appear to be in any danger, but looked at
logically the undefended pawn so close to
the king had to be considered a legitimate
target.
Again we see how action on one side of the
board is suddenly combined with threats to
the king on the other flank. Remember, one
eye on the opponent's king at all times!
137
Evans, J- Burnett, A
Kings Indian Defence
TAFCA League 1998
l.d4 &i1f6 2.c4 g6 3.&i1c3 4.e4 0-
0 5.f3 d6 &i1c6 a6
8.&i1ge2 e5 10.d5
ll.&i1ge2 c5 12.Nd2 b5
i>xg7 15.tbxd4 cxd4
16.'be2 bxc4 VNb6 18.b3
18 ... ib5 19.ixb5 axbS 20.C2Jg3 h6
21.@e2 b4 23J;c4
ct.Jd7 2S.@el ct.Jcs
Consider the position at hand; Black has a
large advantage for several reasons - firstly
the protected passed pawn on d4 is a major
asset as it controls squares in the heart of the
white position.
Added to this is the fact that, whereas the
black king is perfectly safe, his white
threatening to take on b4. However, this plan
has taken the knight, temporarily, as far
from the field of battle as is possible, and is
exactly the kind of 'signal' we should be
watching out for.
If there is a tactical solution to the position,
it is likely to be available now, and only
now, before the knight rejoins play.
Attacking the a- pawn and again utilising the
fork on d3 to defend b4.
Other ways of defending the pawn lose
instantly, e.g. ttJ d3+ or
ttJxb3.
counterpart is extremely vulnerable in the 27 ... d3
centre of the board; well-positioned for an
endgame perhaps, but not recommended Forcing the rook to either abandon its
when queens, rooks and knights abound. defence of a2, or move to a very awkward
The third factor is that the advanced black square - remember that pieces on awkward
pawn on b4 has made a possible target of the or unusual squares have a tendency to be
white a2 pawn - the b4 pawn itself is vulnerable, and we must be ready to pounce.
immune because of the 'family fork' on d3
should White grab it.
Nevertheless, despite all these advantages in
Black's favour, it is unclear exactly how
Black can break into the white position? At
the moment though it is White to move .. .
26.ctJhl ?!
A well- intentioned move aiming to bring
the knight to f2 from where it covers the
sensitive d3 square. White would then be
138
28 ...
In the initial position White's rooks appeared
to be perfectly well- coordinated along the
c- file, but now that they are separated they
come under fire.
Now both 29 and 29 .'Mlxd3 lose
to ... Wxc4, so the reply is forced.
29.axb3 30.i>f2 3l.bxc4
31 ... b3!!
This deadly n1ove is the point of Black' s
entire combination . It threatens
simply ... Wxb2, followed by ... pinning
and regaining the queen, followed by
queening the pawn.
Moves such as .. . b3 are the hardest to frnd,
particularly in advance, as it is neither a
check nor a capture nor a forcing move in
the usual sense of the word. What we have
to think of here is the thematic reason we
commenced on the combination in the first
place.
The white knight removed itself far from the
action and is still several moves from being
useful, so Black is in effect material up (the
pawns on b3 and d3) and therefore has time
to prepare the final onslaught.
139
Even if the original intention here had been
simply to play 3l .. . Wxhl, it is important to
stop and think a little on each move and see
if there is something more decisive
available. (Of course, if taking the knight
was clearly decisive, then as before I would
advise against wasting time on looking for a
flashier alternative). White's next move
removes the king from a possible pin on the
2nd rank, but falls prey to a worse fate.
32.i>e3 33J;xa2
Bringing the knight back with 33. ttJ f2 would
only stave off defeat for a few moves after
33 .. . 34.Wc3 :ge2+ followed by
exchanging queens and gaining a new one
on the b- file .
33 ...
0-1
A delightful - though admittedly difficult -
combination, but extremely logical based on
vulnerable squares and pieces, coupled with
the 'signal' 26.ttJh 1.
Increased awareness of such factors coupled
with vigilance on our part will reap
dividends
The next example is similar in many ways to
the previous one, but in addition it highlights
how necessary assimilating patterns is to the
whole process.
Stalker, A - Burnett, A
Czech Benoni
Oban Premier 1995
l.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 d6 a6
5.a4 CfJe7 6.g3 CfJd7 7 .CfJf3 g6 8.CfJd2
/ig7 9.a5 b5 10.axb6 CfJxb6
0-0 13./ig2 f5
14.exf5 gxf5 15.0-0 e4 16.CiJc4 /id7
17 /ib5 18.b3 CiJg6 19./ib2
/ixb2
22.:Ba2 <j{f7 <j{xf6
/ixfl 25./ixfl CfJe5
27.<j;>b1
In this position we can see that Black has a
slight material advantage with rook versus
bishop and pawn. On the down-side,
however, both a6 and c5 are weak and
'normal' continuations may prove
insufficient to win (e.g. activating the king
by 27 ... cJle5 28. lLJ c4+ cJlxd5 29.lt:Je3+ is
simply unclear as either c5 or f5 will fall and
no real inroads have been made).
The obvious 27 .. appears to fall foul of
a nasty knight fork after 28.lLJc4 ttJ b6,
but the precarious position of the white king
and bishop (signal!) suggest it is worth
looking further into this variation, so ...
30.ltJxa8
The alternative 30.cJlg2 doesn't help White,
as after 30 .. . Black threatens ..
with play similar to the game. In the event of
the further 3 l.i e2 or 31 . .ic4 then 31 .. J%g 1 +
32.h3 wins easily.
30 .. J;xn + 3t.<j{g2 :Bg1 + 32.<j;>b3
:Bh1 33.<j{g2
Forced to avoid immediate mate on h2. Now
play seems to go around in circles for a few
moves. Black has a forced draw, but is there
more?
33 ... 34. <j{fl + 35. <j{g2
An important pattern is seen after 3 5. cJle2
1 # with rook, knight and pawn combining
perfectly.
140
36 ... i>g5!!
This is the extremely important point which
had to be seen when deciding to give up the
exchange back at move 27. The black king
will close down his counterpart's use of the
h3 square.
It might have been natural enough to
calculate up to here and think it's only
enough for a perpetual, but looking that little
bit further (in effect mentally placing the
pieces in the mating position and then
working backwards to see if there is a
move- by- move way to get the pieces in
position) is a very useful way of thinking.
38.i>g2 39.i>fl
39 ... i>g4!
141
Now h3 has been denied to the white king so
he tries to run ...
... but he can't hide!
0-1
This combination was 14 moves deep, which
may sound impressive, but in reality the
only difficult part was visualising the black
king's march up the board.
36 .. . @g5 is similar to the 3l ... b3 move we
saw in the game Evans-Burnett, in that the
offside knight (this time on a8) cannot
quickly participate in the defence with the
result that there is time to close the mating
net with a quiet move.
The mating net itself is one that I am sure I
have seen countless times in puzzle books
and the 'Winning Combination' colunms of
magazines and newspapers, and is firmly
ensconced in the old memory banks.
I am convinced that if average players spent
more of their time with this kind of literature
and less with weighty opening and endgame
tomes their results would improve
markedly-and quickly too!
12fJSTRETF16
PAUI.MO
]N6HER0#3
I
hess-player's will always have
their heroes and favourites
among the world's elite with
Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik being
the chess equivalent of the pop worlds
Kylie, Kurt and, er ... K.T? Well anyway,
all these characters attract huge
followings, and set fashions and trends
which we try to imitate and emulate.
But of course these figures are
'untouchables', idols to be viewed only
from afar. Closer to home there are other,
more realistic, role models to whom we
can look to for inspiration.
When I started playing chess tournaments
in Scotland in the late-80's, Paul
Motwani was 'The Man'! From the
distant boards of the lower tournaments I
could just about make out the leading
players doing battle in the Open section.
Whenever I could drag myself away from
my own version of chess and visit the
stage, as often as not Paul would be on top
board relentlessly pursuing his
opponent's king with his entire army -
often short of time but seemingly always
in control!
Paul's creative approach to chess treats
opening theory with respect but not as
dogma, and his love of the initiative in the
middlegame is an over-riding theme in
his games - both traits which are very
important at our own level of play.
The following game, played during Paul's
successful quest for the GrandMaster
title, illustrates this approach perfectly.
Spacek, Petr-Motwani, Paul
Dutch Defence
Luxembourg Open 1990
l.d4 f5!? The Dutch Defence, still popular at club
level, but nowadays a relatively rare bird at
master level. At the time, however, it was
undergoing something of a renaissance and
it is fully in keeping with Paul's aggressive
style, with plenty of scope for creativity
3.g3 g6 5.0-0
0-0 6.c4 d6 7.ltJc3 ltJc6 8.b3 e5
9.dxe5 dxe5
A fairly standard- looking position from this
opening has arisen in which Black had
previously done quite well with the
automatic I 3 ... taking it off-prise.
However, Paul had devised a powerful
novelty here which gives him a huge
practical advantage in the game.
10 ... e4!!
A wonderful idea which offers a whole
exchange, in return for which Black gets to
develop all his pieces where he wants them.
Psychologically this move would have come
as a blow to White. He knows if he
exchanges queens here he has lost a tempo
on the 13 ... continuation (and a very
useful tempo it is since often Black can only
dream of playing ... e4 in these positions) but
accepting the offer of material is akin to
walking into the Lion's Den.

White decides to see how sharp the lion's
teeth are. I am quite sure, though, that the
Czech IM did so with a certain amount of
trepidation. It is never a nice feeling to walk
into an opponent's preparation.
144
ll ... 12.C2Jd4 C2Jxd4

The first specific point of Black's sacrifice
appears as he now threatens to play ... ttJ d5
exploiting the white queen's awkward
positioning on the long diagonal.
And now the rook also joins the game with
tempo. The point is not so much to control
the d- file (White will oppose rooks) but
rather to force the queen to an unwieldy
square where her power is greatly reduced.

White would prefer to play 15.\Mfc2 keeping
the rooks linked, but was obviously worried
about the pawn thrust . .. e3! (either
immediately or in the near future) when
accepting the pawn would allow ... ttJ g4
threatening a big fork on e3, and declining it
would leave a huge thorn in his k-side. It is
already apparent that giving up his dark-
squared bishop (albeit for a rook) has some
very serious down-sides.
15 ... c6!
I love this move! Having given up material,
Paul plays a simple pawn move denying
White the chance of ever using d5. Black is
actually making a huge statement here, in
effect saying "my lesser forces (on the
'points' system we all learn as beginners)
will prove themselves to be more powerful
than your greater forces, and I don't have to
hurry things along!"
As we have seen several times in previous
chapters, it's not that White is lost here, but
rather that he has no clearly effective plan to
follow to improve his position. Being
relatively short of space he'd like to
exchange some pieces, but how? Or he
might quite like to remove, or at the very
least challenge, the aggressively placed
black pawn chain, but playing f3 simply
weakens all the afore-mentioned dark
squares which Black can quickly seize
with ... and .. . Wfc5 .
Conversely, Black does have a clear plan -
he will use the spearhead pawn on e4, and
the subsequent space it affords him, to build
up an attack on the black king. After all,
that's what he declared on move 1 with .. . f5!
Simply avoiding the exchanges which would
145
give White the breathing space he
desperately wants and again this highlights
the fact that Black sees no need to rush
things along.
h4 19.gxh4!?
This looks horrendous, but allowing ... hxg3
would also be bad, since the recapture hxg3
means that a subsequent ... tt:Jg4 could never
be shifted without playing f3, which as we
already know is an undesirable weakening
of the dark squares. White is now in the
unenviable position of having to choose
between 2 evils and, as we have witnessed
many times over in this book, facing such
choices is an onerous and tiring task.
19 ...
This natural all-purpose move is a sure sign
that Black is doing well. It attacks h2 and
allows for the queen to take up an active
post behind the bishop on the long diagonal,
as well as preventing any WI d6 ideas White
may have had. White is now forced into
playing the move he has been resisting for
so long.
21.f3 \Wf6 22.e3 Wfxh4 23.f4
White probably realised what was about to
hit him, but the only other sensible way to
defend h2 was by the sorry retreat 23 .i h 1
when Black would force the destruction of
surpriSing queen move threatens not
only ... i xc 1 but also the white queen by way
of ... ie3, and so forcing it to a much more
.
passive square.
ixcl
28J;xcl e3!
And here Paul uses an elementary tactical
trick to advance the soon-to-be-huge
passed pawns , since loses
immediately to the discovered attack after
29 ... i xc4+.
the white king-side anyway with 23 ... f4! - 29.ctJe2 f4 30.ctJgl ig4
one pretty line running 23.i hl f4 24. tt:J xe4
fxe3 tt:J f4 when the
obvious way to defend the loose queen
against ... tt:J h3+ is 27 but here Black
has the devastating 27 ... i d4+ winning the
queen or mating.
23 ... 'tJxf4! 24.exf4 ixf4
Wlb6!!
This is the type of powerful move which is
Black's pieces combine perfectly with his
pawns, creating threats at every turn, while
White's are stumbling over each other in a
desperate defence. Relatively best now
would be 31 . tt:J 3, but after 31 ... ixf3
32.ixf3 e2+! 33.ixe2 f3 he would be forced
to give up his queen, leaving her black
counterpart to run riot.
hardly ever found by players at lower levels e2+
- most players being content with grabbing
on h2 and then on cl. Paul, though, is in his Now 32.tt:J xe2 fails to 32 ... f3 when 33.ixf3
element when handling the initiative and this i h3 mates next move.
146
32 ... :gxe2! 33.lt:Jxe2 f3
And since 3 4 .!xf3 fails to the same ... !h3 +
mating idea, White must return the piece.
Spacek makes one last valiant attempt to
unsettle Black with hopes of a perpetual
check, but Paul will not be denied.

rff7 37.rfe5+ rff6 38.rfc7+
and now since the checks
are at an end, so is the game and therefore
White resigned.
0-1
147
A wonderfully creative game from Paul who
extracted the utmost energy from every
single piece throughout.
It is chess like this to which we should all
aspire, and even if it were only to happen
once in our life we could be happy chess-
players indeed!
Since Paul is now happily esconced in
Belgium with his wife and family, playing
only rarely in Scotland, I have had to look
elsewhere for my 'real-life' inspiration, but
it shouldn't prove too difficult for all of us to
find a player (and it doesn't have to be
someone as strong as Paul) to look up to and
learn from.
It's just a pity Ky lie doesn't play chess!
148
As with openings, there are reams and reams
of theory dedicated to the endgame - but
most of this is of no real use to us. We may
have neither the time nor the inclination nor
the ability to master this theory. To illustrate
this point, I have in front of me a copy of
Batsford Chess Endings by Speelman,
Tisdall and Wade - an excellent book in it's
own right - but one in which the chapter on
endings alone extends to 1 00 pages!
Add to this ltJvi, and myriad
other combinations, and you will be lucky if
you can digest even a small portion of the
material, let alone find a use for it over the
board. The main purpose of such books, and
I include opening tomes such as BCO and
NCO here, are as reference guides to check
after a game how you 'ought' to have played
a particular position.
For our purposes the only real theory we
need to learn and memorise is how to win or
draw the main endings A good
working know ledge of these recurring
positions will allow us to play confidently
and quickly - assessing complex endings
with reference to the basic positions they
eventually lead to.
For everything else we encounter we will
rely on more general principles and, as ever,
tactical resolutions!
And here is the second important practical
point which reinforces this solution. Chess
is being played at a much faster rate now
than ever before.
Time- controls are being slashed to the bare
minimum at weekend congresses, quick-
play or allegro finishes predominate in
league chess, and rapid-play events are the
norm rather than the exception nowadays.
150
Moan about it all you want, but this is the
reality of chess and we must learn to adapt
or suffer the consequences. Faster play
almost certainly precludes the pinpoint
accuracy necessary to play 'technically
perfect endings' (if it were at all possible in
any event?!) but it creates the perfect
conditions for the inventive approach we
will be bringing to all aspects of the game as
S treetfighters - and the endgame is no
exception.
Let's begin the examples with another look
at one of the most creative chess- player's
ever - Mikhail Tal.
Tal, M- Averkin, 0
USSR Championships
Moscow 1973
Material is level, but Black's a- pawn is
weak, as is White's h-pawn. Black to move
decides to reposition his knight.
67 ... C!Je6!
And White naturally attacks the weak pawn.
Black could now play 68 .. . ttJ f4 with the
threat of .. . ltJ g2+, picking up the h-pawn,
but instead sees a way to activate his rook
with the same result.
68 ..
The End is Nigh!
PRACTICAL
TACTICAL!
There is a typical misconception that
endgames are somehow safe from tactics,
combinations and mating threats. However,
if you watch the last 10 minutes of play at
any level in any congress you will witness
countless examples of mi ssed tactical
opportunities in almost every type of
White's pieces appear to be awkwardly endgame imaginable, simply because the
placed as the knight is pinned. focus of the players has moved into
A wonderfully simple solution which Tal
would doubtless have seen was possible
from the initial diagram. Now 70 .. . :gxa4
walks into 71 .li:Je7#
'
8
Since Black's only defence to the mate threat
is 70 .. . :gc7, which is completely lost, he
resigned, probably in complete shock at
what had just occurred!
1-0
151
'traditional' endgame mode where only the
obvious moves exist! .
This misconception is one that we have to
get rid of if we want to improve our results.
Taking on board examples such as the Tal
one above simply provide us with extra
ammunition, allowing us to extract every
last resource from a position before giving it
up as lost or drawn.
Burnett, A- Brown, S
Glenrothes Premier2003
Take a look at this position which was
reached after 28 ... e6.
White appears to be struggling here since the
pawns on a4, a2, d3 and h3 are all extremely
weak, and although White's rook is actively
placed, the king and knight make for a sorry
looking pair huddled together on the back
rank.
Nevertheless, there are some hidden
possibilities for White here (as there will be
in most positions we reach). What we have
to do is be positive, delve into the position
and find the best practical chance of saving
the game (as opposed to finding the way
which drags the game out the longest but
still loses!)
29.h4!
White is probably still lost here, but 29 .h4 is
a very good practical attempt to save the
day. It does after all threaten mate! Sounds
ridiculous doesn't it, but let's see ...
29 ... gxa4 gxa2!
Black smelled a rat and took some time over
31.gxh7!
Why did White not play 31.c4 anyway?
Because with the black knight still on f4 the
pattern doesn't work, e.g. 3l.c4 :ge2 32.l2J d5
cxd5 33 .cxd5 l2J xd5 34.exd5 and
Black wins quite easily.
31 ...
Black has avoided the nasty threats given in
the previous note, and White has to look for
.
a new sav1ng resource.
this move. Had he played the natural looking
30 ... lt:J xd3 first, then after 31.c4 he wouldn't
be able to take on a2 with the rook, because Continually posing Black difficult problems.
after 32.l2J d5! White threatens mate on e7, Of course, Black wants to play a simple
and if 32 ... cxd5 then 33.cxd5+ 34.g5# ending, picking up the weak pawns and
Analysis diagram
Hence 29.h4! threatened mate!
152
forcing through the inevitable extra centre
pawn. But if 'playing normally' loses for
White, what is there to lose by stirring things
up a bit? If Black now accepts the knight he
has to find a way to stop the three connected
passed pawns. In any event it makes sense to
give the check on g2 first.
32 .. J;g2+ 33.i>fl
A practical decision, but this allows White
to draw. Black may well be winning after
33 ... gxf5, but it's no longer simply a matter
of 'technique' - look at the following
variation (by no means forced, but that is
beside the point). 33 ... gxf5 34.exf5+ @d5
35.g5 36.f6 lt:J g6 lt:J xh4 38.f7
39.@e2 ltJ f5 40.f8=1Mf ltJ g3+ 41.@d2
E! xf8 42.c4+ @d4 43. E!xd6#
Analysis diagram
Now a draw was agreed. Since the obvious
35 ... @f7 36. ltJ h5+ @g8 37.ttJ f6+ wins for
White, Black must settle for 35 .. . @f6 lt:Je8+
with perpetual.
If instead 35 ... @d7, then after 36. ltJh5+ @c8
37. ltJ f6 and the black king is too passive to
entertain winning chances.
It is imperative that even in the most
unlikely of positions we constantly strive for
imaginative solutions to our problems and
cause our opponents as much difficulty as
possible. We don't resign until the very last
drop of hope has been squeezed from the
game.
Here is another example of the practical/
tactical approach to playing endgames.
153
The End is Nigh!
Burnett, A- Mayo, K
Edinburgh League 2004
This time matters look a bit more
favourable. White is a clear pawn to the
good and probably has a simple plan to hand
- @e3 to d4 and then advancing the passed
c-pawn. However, in a 15 minute allegro
finish matters would not be so clear. At
some point Black might be forced to
surrender his bishop for the pawn, but in the
meantime he can use his active king to
harass the white kingside pawns.
How often have we seen this kind of
situation? Winning a piece by pushing a
passed pawn and then frantically counting
moves over- and-over in your head to see if
your pieces can scuttle back in time to stop
your opponent's pawns?
Personally I hate this kind of scenario and
have never yet reached the same number of
moves in my head twice in a row! Surely
there are less- stressful and more enjoyable
ways to win?
Well, there are! Here Black's pieces may be
more active than their white counterparts,
but they are also more vulnerable to attack,
so ...

Activating the rook by using the simple 40.h5!
tactic that 3 5 .. . fails to 3 6 1 ! when
the c-file pin is now in White's favour. But the black king isn't! It certainly wasn't
easy to spot this move from the initial
35 ... 36.gd6! position, but if we think back to the section
on 'signals', then it becomes easier. What on
earth is the black king doing so deep in
enemy territory with no support?
Of course, now the threat of can
only be delayed with horrific material losses.
40 ... f4 41J;xr4
and here Black resigned as it is mate in 4
moves at most. Once again a tactical
Cutting off the retreat of the black king and resolution to a seemingly technical problem.
setting a cunning trap.
36 ...
Black thinks he has seen through the white
plan, but there is a sting in the tail.
37.h4+ h5
Obviously 3 7 ... g4 drops the bishop to
but after White's reply it is safe.
<>g4 39.gd4+ h3
154
1-0
Burnett, A- Noden, N
Again a position has arisen which apparently
cries out for that mythical technique we
always hear about but rarely discover! (Ok, I
admit it exists - I saw it once on the
Discovery Channel - but I'm trying to make
your life easy here, and infinitely more
interesting, so indulge me!)
Anyway, White is a clear pawn up with the
added bonus of a healthy active bishop pair.
The technical solution would be to advance
the queen- side pawns, force the active black
king back, penetrate with the white king and
force through the resulting passed pawn on
the queen-side.
A reasonably simple and straightforward
plan in theory, but again somewhat long-
winded for a 15 minute allegro finish.
Instead I spotted a beautiful trap which I was
almost certain my opponent would fall for.
White's next move might seem surprising to
some of you (who know a fair bit about
endgames), and not so surprising to others
(who may not be so well versed), but is the
simplest way to victory.
aS
Wf4?!
A step in the wrong direction. It looks as
though White has given up one of his
trump-cards (the strong bishop pair) simply
to win another pawn, which might still prove
insufficient for the full point owing to the
presence of the opposite-coloured bishops.
However, the extra weakness Black has on
e5, in conjunction with the 2 passed queen-
side pawns White will soon possess, means
155
The End is Nigh!
the position is easily winning (much easier
than the technical plan from the initial
position) - unless, that is, Black's king can
stay very active. However, there is a very
cute trick in this position which prevents
such activity.
33.g3+ We4 ??
Black can do nothing about the threat of
35.D#, and so resigned.
1-0
From the initial position White probably had
several ways to win slowly, but as we have
seen throughout this book a keen tactical eye
will make up for that which we have perhaps
neither the time, nor the inclination to learn!
If this sounds like a lazy approach to chess,
then consider it instead as being akin to the
avoidance of theory in the opening which
many players strive for-usually for the
same reasons as above. This tendency
towards a tactical resolution cannot simply
be considered a flashy or tricky way to play
-often it is the only way to play!
In this next ending Black has staked
everything on the mating abilities of rook
and knights combined.
Penrose, 0- Burnett, A
Edinburgh Open 1999
White to move would dearly love to simply
push the a-pawn to promotion, against
which Black has no obvious defence.
However, Black's last move .. . Ei:d2 has set
up some very nasty threats against the white
king, and so 3 5 .a5, for example, gets mated
by 35 ... ltJ g4 when or 36.:gd7 both
lose to 36 .. tiJf2#)
ltJe3+ followed by 38 .. .. :ge2#.
Seeing this, White tried to exchange a pair
of knights to ease the defence of his king.
and now there is no sensible way to prevent
the threat of ... 4J e3#.
39.ttJxg6+ fxg6 40.E!b8+ i>h7 41.f7
ttJe3#
0-1
So, we have looked at 5 endings and every
35.ctJd3 36.i>fl single one involved mates or mating ideas.
And these aren't isolated incidents - if I
If :gxh2# wanted to, I could easily write an entire
book on endgan1es revolving around game-
36 ... winning tactics of this sort.
If endgame theory and technique holds some
The immediate ... ltJg2 wins as in the game, special appeal to you, then by all means
but this move, played to reach the time indulge yourself. However, unless or until
control, doesn't change anything. you approach the IM level, never let anyone
railroad you into thinking it is the most
important part of the game.
156
I PLAYING TO WIN I
This is a very important part of the
Streetfighting ethos. Just because a position
is 'equal' certainly does not mean it is drawn.
Even the simplest position contains traps we
can use to ensnare our opponents, who are
just as likely to misplay endgames as they
are openings and middle- games.
Even if we don't win every 'equal' game, the
experience we gain from playing on until the
stone- cold- draw stage will supply us with a
whole host of practical ideas for use in the
future.
My own personal turning point in this
respect came after reading an extremely
interesting endgame article by GM Glenn
Flear who recommended playing an entire
season without offering or accepting any
draws - so I did exactly that and was
shocked at how well it worked.
It requires patience, perseverance, ingenuity
and strong nerves but these are all attributes
we should be trying to improve anyway- so
the extra points this strategy will gain you
along the way are a pleasant bonus!
McLaughlin, D- Burnett, A
Holy Cross Open 1993
The End is Nigh!
In the first round of a weekend congress it is
imperative to get off to a good start, but here
n1y young opponent (graded some 300
points below me) was creating serious
obstacles.
In this position my 'winning plan' had been
to round up the pawn on g6 and then push
the passed e- pawn, but here my intended
31 .. . is met not by (when
32 ... i e8 and 33 .. . wins the pawn), but
instead by After the forced
32 ... E! xh7 33.gxh7 Black cannot win the
pawn on h7 by 33 ... d5 because of 34.i>c3 e5
35.! g6!
Analysis diagram
... when the bishop and pawn are
unassailable. So, what to do? Agree a draw
here? It doesn't appear that there are too
many options, but, following the age-old
aphorism that 'all rook and pawn endings are
won or lost' , there is still a glimmer of
hope .. .
31 ... <itf6 33J;xa7

White sees no reason to complicate matters
with 34.! xb5, when Black's central
pawn duo might cause problems.
34 ... <itxg6
157
35J;d7?!
White goes astray immediately in the rook
and pawn ending.
The idea is to prevent the black pawns from
moving quickly, for example after 35 ... d5
e5? 3 7. when Black must play
3 7 ... but Black doesn't have to co-
operate with this plan. Better would be the
immediate
35 ... d5
As ever, king activity is of paramount
importance in the endgame.

position. At this point I could see my
opponent's hitherto confident demeanour
visibly wilt as the simple & ending was
suddenly proving very troublesome indeed.
In addition the clock was ticking ever
downward in the allegro finish.
Such situations are, as we all know, horrible!
The best advice I can give (since we will
sure I y be on the receiving side at some
point) is to try to forget about 'solving' such
positions - it's simply not possible on a
practical level over- the-board (as evidenced
by the reams and reams of endgame theory
for much simpler endings than this one).
Play according to the 'basic rules' of these
endings (active king, active rook and
pushing passed pawns at every
opportunity )- this would have led White to
finding the best practical answer which is
38.a4! Instead he tries to simplify, but this
only helps Black create threats against the
increasingly uneasy white monarch.
d4 39.c3 e5 40.cxd4 exd4

This move was accompanied by a draw
offer. Although the position is probably
Penetrating to the heart of White's position drawn with best play, the practical chances
and a striking transformation from the initial are with Black; just take a deep breath and
158
The End is Nigh!
say NO! (Actually, no thank you is much 47 ... st>c3 48.gd6 d2+ 49.st>dl
more polite. It's only the purely chess part of
the game that I am advocating an aggressive
approach to - any form of gamesmanship or
bad sportsmanship is strictly a no- no!)
41 ... gh8 42.gb7 gh2+ 43.st>et st>d3
44.gb3+?!
Short of time, White starts to jump at checks
(something you will encounter a lot in
practical play), but now the rook gets itself
in a tangle.
44 ... st>c2 d3 46.gc4+ st>xb2
Finally the pressure pays dividends! White
had to hold his nerve and remember the
simple rule of cutting off the king when
Black's rook and pawn cannot win alone, so
e.g.47 :gc2 48. E&d8! would have held the
draw. This highlights the reason I excluded
endgames from the 'no theory'
approach to endings in the introduction to
this chapter. These endgames occur with
such regularity that everyone should have a
decent working knowledge of them.
159
and here White's flag fell. His optimistic
draw claim was rejected because 49 .. . E&hl +
50.@e2 E&e 1 +forces the king away when the
pawn queens.
0-1
Of course, in the initial position I could have
settled for a draw, but remember= does not
mean the same as lh-lh. Unless there is an
over-riding reason for agreeing a premature
peace - too much money at stake, guaranteed
team win or whatever - then it makes little
or no sense to call it a day early.
Think about it. Before the first pawn is
pushed the position is roughly == but the
point of chess is that you intend to outplay
your opponent from that point on, just as it
is possible to outplay your opponent in
or endings, or ..

160
Burnett, A - Cheuk, A
Caro-Kann Defence
TAFCA League 1995
l.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.e5 4.tbf3 e6
cS
This position was all the rage in the early to
mid '90's with the likes of Short, Shirov,
Seirawan, Karpov and Kamsky debating its
relative merits. White tended to play
relatively quietly here with c3 and 0-0,
followed by a manouevring game which was
often wel l beyond my positional
understanding.
However, as always, there are strong players
out there who are constantly on the lookout
for new and aggressive ways to interpret the
latest fashions, and shortly before this game
was played I had spied just such an idea and
was desperate to give it a try.
6.c4!?
This sharp move is an interesting attempt to
wrest the initiative at an early stage of the
game, challenging Black directly in the
centre before he has a chance to develop
naturally, and asking him to come up with a
decent plan over the board.
162
6 ... tbc6?!
Black goes astray immediately. This
normal- looking development of the knight
leads to trouble; a better response would
have been 6 ... dxc4 in order to have d5
available for his pieces in the middle- game,
but as we have seen countless times already,
even slight divergences from the well-
trodden paths can pay dividends.
7.cxd5 exdS 8.ct:Jc3
Speedy development is the key as ever. Now
if Black plays 8 ... cxd4, then after 9. l2J xd4
10.0-0, grabbing the e5 pawn is
disastrous in view of and +. Black
would be well-advised at this juncture to
simply close the position with 8 ... c4, but
having seen lines where both the d5 pawn
and the bishop on f5 are vulnerable he
makes a rather panicky retreat instead.
8 ... 9.0-0 tbge7 10.dxc5!
The win of a pawn is only temporary, but
opening the position while the black king is
still some moves from safety is a good idea.
10 ...
.1.
This very strong move gets right to the heart
of the position. It may have seemed more
correct to save the central pawn on e5,
perhaps with 11 Jib5 , but such general
considerations are not always correct.
The pawn on e5 doesn't prevent, for
example, a knight going to f6 (the black
knights are on a different circuit), nor does it
aid any middle- game attack on the black
king-side (since the black pawn on d5
effectively prevents ltJ e4).
However, the pawn on c5 is important as it
prevents easy development of the i f8 ,
which in turns delays Black's castling. Black
can regain his material by taking on e5, but
this will only serve to open up the centre, for
which he is not ready.
ll ... C2Jgxe5 'tJxe5 13.f4
l!Jc6 14.f5
See how quickly the black position can be
ripped apart with an interesting opening idea
backed up by a bit of cold logic? Now if the
bishop retreats then White plays ltJxd5 with
an extra pawn and an attack to boot. Instead
Black seeks salvation in tactics but, as we
saw in the earlier Vienna game, this is duty-
bound to fail when there is a lack of
development.
163
Walking the Walk!
14 ... d4 15.fxe6 fxe6
z
l.t.
Once more, when presented with a choice of
material to return, we choose the one which
prevents any idea of the opponent getting his
king to safety.
The standard reaction of club- players is to
preserve the bishop rather than the knight in
such situations (having been told umpteen
times how much more effective a bishop is
on an open board), but again we must learn
to follow the logic of the attack. The c5
pawn is important and the newly-
centralised knight will be at least as effective
an attacker as the bishop.
16 ... dxe3 17
A strong move provoking a fatal weakening
of the f6 square, but it is exactly this kind of
move which your average club-player
hesitates to play. On seeing the forced
reply ... g6, their initial reaction is that now
the bishop has to move, then the queens
come off and now what can be done? There
is a knight check on f6 but it doesn't seem to
achieve too much by itself - and by this
stage all logical thought disappears into a
mire of confused variations!
The reality is, of course, that the bishop has
done its days work -it doesn't have to move Desperately attempting to plug all the holes.
at all! The weakness it helped create on f6 Again the i h5 is immune to capture, this
now means that the other pieces will pour in time owing to the mate threat on f7.
to finish off the job.
17 ... g6
18.\Wb3!?
is possibly even stronger, but the text
move is appealing as Black is now being hit
from both sides of the board.
18 ... Cbd4
Grabbing material with 18 ... gxh5 would lose
quickly to either 19.Wxb7 or 19.Wxe6+.
164
20.'1Nc6+?!
Missing the killer move when
Black could resign immediately, since
20 . .. Wc8 2l. ttJ f6 is mate! Fortunately
White's advantage is so pronounced that this
slight slip is allowable.
20 ...
And now Black resigned in light of the
following variations: 22 ... (If 22 ...
23 .Wi xe6#, or 22 ... !ie7 23 exf5
24.Wf6+ <it>e8 26.Wixh8+)
VBd7 24JMfxd7#
1-0
This game contained a few important
lessons - not least of which is, never be
scared to trade blows with a youngster!
(Obviously only on the chessboard).
There is a definite tendency to believe that
younger players have infallible tactical
abilities- not so. Their brains might reach
an answer more quickly, but are they asking
the right questions? And likewise for any
juniors reading this, don't expect all the
tactics to favour you just because you are
facing a decrepit looking older player. We
may not have many teeth (or even our own),
but they can still be sharp!
The next game was a critical encounter
against a strong opponent who has numerous
GM scalps under his belt. In such situations
it is important not only to stay calm and
focused, but also to stay true to your style of
play. Must-win games are almost always
nervy error-strewn affairs, but never forget
that this applies to your opponent as well.
Burnett, A- Robertson, I
Philidor Defence
Glasgow Open 1996
Walking the Walk!
bishop, and the f-file for his rook.
Although Black doesn't have to play 8 .. . d5,
allowing him this tempting possibility (and
one, moreover, which is favoured by theory)
is good psychology. Already, at move 8, he
will be wondering if we have simply made a
mistake, or are we laying a trap?
8 ... ges 9.g4 tlJc6 10.0-0-0 a6
l.e4 e5 2.ltJf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 Let's take stock here. Black has essayed the
g6 ig7 6.ie3 0-0 Larsen Variation of Philidor's Defence, an
8.f3!? opening which in general was under-going
This move has always been considered
inaccurate because of Black's possible reply
8 ... d5, but I disagree! White simply plays
9.0-0-0 and although Black can leave White
with a weak e-pawn by exchanging on e4 I
feel the open lines favour White, who is
better developed and now has c4 for the
165
something of a Renaissance at the time this
game was played, mainly attributable to GM
Tony Kosten's excellent book 'Winning with
the Philidor' which injected life into a
hitherto rather stale defence to 1.e4.
White's normal plan here is to forge ahead
on the king-side with h4- h5, similar to the
Yugoslav Attack ideas we have seen
previously in the Sicilian Dragon games.
Black will probably counter this with a
counter- offensive on the queen-side.
Although these respective plans probably
favour White, they have also been subject to
more scrutiny, so with 9 .g4 I decided to
initiate a more solid positional strategy,
although this is not to say it contains no
venom, as we shall see.
Black's previous move , 9 . . . a6, was
ostensibly a novelty - its purpose apparent
were White now to continue with the
straightforward ll.h4 when 11 ... 4Je5 12.ie2
might be met by either 12 ... c5 (when the
white knight could no longer jump to b5
attacking the d6 pawn) or by the immediate
expansion 12 ... b5 with aggressive intentions
on the queen-side as mentioned.
ll.CiJxc6 bxc6 12.g5
13 ... 1M/e7 14.h5 15.hxg6 hxg6
And certainly not 15 ... fxg6 when 16.i c4+
would win quickly, especially after 16 ... @h8
followed by 18.Wh2+ mating next
move.
Almost all the tactical motifs we will see in
this game were known to me beforehand;
this certainly doesn't indicate a deep and
detailed study of chess tactics on my part,
merely that my preferred night- time reading
was of the Winning Combination variety!
The main reason club- players give for
avoiding sharp positions or playing
combinations is either it leads them into
time- trouble or they don't trust their
calculations. Having a wide range of these
tactical patterns already stored away, simply
through regularly solving puzzles, makes the
process so much more simple and faster -
........... _ ..... __ ......_. ..... _ __. and will allow you to play sharp positions
12 ... llJ d 7?! with increased confidence.
This move was roundly condemned after the 16.1M/h2 ctJf8 17 .f4 ie6 18.id4!
game, and probably with justification, but
the 'obvious' move 12 .. . ltJh5 does not solve
all of Black's problems in my view.
White can reply with the accurate 13 1!
and has a simple plan of playing f4, i g2- f3
and f5. Is the black knight doing a good job
blocking the h- file, or merely being 'dim on
the rim'?
13.h4
Now, of course, White has an easy strategy
to follow, which we have seen already in
this book. Open the h- file, sacrifice
whatever needs to be, and deliver mate!
166
Now the threat of 19.Wh8+ leading to mate
forces a horrible weakening of the black
pawn shelter on the king-side.
18 ... f6 19.f5!
And this further thrust exposes the frailty of
the entire black set- up. His next move is
forced since playing 19 .. . denies the
black king an escape square, so 20.gxf6
21.Wh8+ is a familiar mating
combination.
19 ... gxf5 20.exf5
Taking on f5 allows White to develop his
remaining pieces with tempo and 21 .i c4+
d5 22.gxf6 followed by 23.:gdgl would be
terminal. After the text move White could
play the simple 2l.gxf6 exposing the black
king, but I had already seen the germs of a
beautiful combination.
cxd5 c6
fxg5
The text move allows for the prettiest of
finishes, but there was no defence available
to Black in any event, since 23 ... lt:J d7 is
again met by when Black is once
more faced with the decisive opening of his
kingside.

Walking the Walk!
the following forced mate to appear on the
board in front of "the gathering vultures", as
Douglas Bryson described them!
24 ... f7 ttJg6

1-0
Of course it might be argued that White had
things pretty much his own way in both of
these games, and that the opposition could
have done more to prevent the attack? Well,
it's a fair enough point, but the real reason
that both these good players came to grief is
that they ended up playing the game on my
tenns.
This entire book is founded on the premise
that there are infinite ways and means to
surprise, confuse and bemuse the opposition
- all with the express intention of launching
speedy, well-supported assaults on their
terrified kings!
Before they know it, they are often in
positions they neither wanted nor asked for,
having to deal with serious threats, the clock
ticking loudly and the spectre of a rapid
defeat one false move away!
We, the Streetfighters, on the other hand, are
And here White resigned rather than allow relishing every moment of it dreaming up
167
ever-more- devious designs; plotting and
scheming against the enemy king; throwing
wood on the fire as though it were the most
natural thing in the world; cool, calculating
and carefree!
I trust and hope that you have enjoyed
reading this book as much as I have enjoyed
writing it, and I would welcome any
thoughts, comments or suggestions that you
might have concerning it or any other aspect
of chess.
Just before I go, though, here is a final
game. I have given it without notes because
I don't feel it should require any if you have
come this far! Just enjoy your Streetfighting!
"I, A STRANGER AND
AFRAID, IN A WORLD I
NEVER MADE"
Banks, DJ - Burnett, A
Sicilian Defence
Edinburgh Open 1996
l.e4 c5 d6 3.d4 ttJf6
4.dxc5 5.cxd6 6.i.d3
g6 8.i.e3 i.g7 9.Bd2
168
ig4 10.0-0-0 'Mfa5 ll.ie2
fixa2 13.c3 14.<j;>c2

15.<j;>b3 fYa2+ 16.<j;>xb4 a5+ 17.<j;>c5
0-0
19.ib5 ie6 20.icl
gfc8+ 2l.i>b6
Walking the Walk!
22.xb7 Wlb3 26 .. VNd8
24.xc8 25.ci>b7 'Mfxd5+
0-1
169
TE STRRTF16 IN6t
1
How should White continue the attack?
3
,i. ' d'n J ' ::oe: ., - ' d r - I
--, 'llo.__.At. I ... I - I .... 1 -

I
L..J I L..J I L..J E3 I f,.......J I ... l8
I . Qi I--,
How should White deal with the
threat of ... a4?
2
Does White have a forced win here?
4

8
1
8
-
i F' I nsw '' - - 1
rl _ i

What is Black's most forcing
move in this position?
(Solutions overleaf)
1
How should White continue the attack?
This position takes us back to the very first
game in the book, where instead of
15 ... ttJ xd4, Black has pushed 15 .. . c4
intending a pawn storm on the VIi-side.
16.Wfh2
Well this first move should have been fairly
automatic, as is Black's reply.
16 ...
ready to strike out on your own. The bishop
could no longer come to the d3 square as it
did in the game and since there is little else
for it to do in an attacking sense, we might
as well sacrifice it!
What do we get in return? Well, for a start it
gains a tempo - and as we've seen in
previous games throughout the book a single
tempo can be worth its weight in gold-here
it allows the dl -rook to immediately move
to g 1. Additionally, and perhaps more
importantly here, it gives us the beautiful e4
square for the knight to use, from where it
eyes up f6, d6 and g5.
And thirdly, it gains us the initiative ! A
quiet move such as 17 .ie2 would do little to
worry Black. After a reply like 17 ... b5, we
would be constantly worrying, about moves
like ... b4, ... Wia5 and instead of putting
all the pressure on our opponent.
17 ... dxc4 19.gdgl
So we have once again reached a position
(as in the original game) where all of
17 White's pieces are primed and ready for
action. Black's material advantage (a whole
Exactly! If you found this move, and the piece) really can't make itself felt.
ideas behind it, you're already attuned to the
Streetfighting way of play and more than 20.gxg6!!
172
Instantly decisive. You should be constantly
aware by now that tactical finishes arise
naturally from the attacking positions we
will reach. More often than not it just
requires that little bit of extra calculation to
find the 'safe- cracking code', the fatal flaw
in the opponents defence. Here this means
that after ...
20 ... hxg6

.. .it is not the natural recapture 23. l2J xg5+
(which loses to 23 .. . but rather .. .

.. . which mates after 23 ... @e7 so
1-0
When calculating in advance try not to be
too focussed on one single square for one
single piece - remember that after the initial
bishop sacrifice, the knight went to e4
eyeing up the squares g5, f6 and d6. This
small difference can mean the difference
between seeing and playing the winning
combination, or missing your chance and
spoiling a good game!
173
Test your Streetfighting!
2
Does White have a forced win here?
If you answered yes here, then well done. If
you also managed to back this assessment up
with variations, then even better!
17 .e5!
This not only attacks the on f6, but also
unleashes the power of its white counterpart
against h7. Now the first itnportant variation
which must be calculated is what happens
after 17 .. . lt:J xd3 , removing the dangerous
prelate and attacking the rook on c 1?
Unfortunately for Black, the cl rook is
irrelevant, and White simply continues with
18.exf6 because now 18 .. . tt:J xcl allows
@h8
Analysis diagram
This is a very difficult problem, and the
solution is a very important one for
prospective Streetfighters.
Firstly it is a matter of recognising that the
position has become critical- the threat
of ... a4 is very real, and how we deal with it
at this precise moment will probably decide
the game.
So, should White try to prevent .. . a4 by
playing 15 .a3 or 15 .a4 himself? If he does
then he only helps Black to crack open the
queenside with moves such as ... a4, ... b4
and .. . ttJ c5 (this latter move quickly
dispelling notions of 15 .c3 as the d3 pawn
would be so weak). It's basically a case of
not playing moves on the side of the board
where you are weakest. It doesn't appear that
saving the bishop in this way is possible.
Ok then, what about a counter- attack on the
opposite wing? But hitting back with the
mirror- image move 15 .h4 doesn't help
either as Black is much quicker on the
opposite wing, since the white king is under
fire in a way that Black's won't be.
So, what to do? Looked at logically, the only
defect in Black's strategy is that he is
attacking before he has dealt with his own
king's safety - it is still stuck in the middle
of the board where White has a fair number
of pieces.
However, following my train of thought
during the actual game, the only way to get
at the black king appeared to be by
sacrificing something, perhaps on f5 or e6.
Instantly my eyes locked onto playing
15. CZJ d4, as it hits the only completely
obvious weakness at c6, and also those
squares at f5 and e6.
So far so good - at least now there was a
175
positive train of thought under way and my
mood brightened considerably. This is
important psychologically - we want to
place the burden of negative thoughts onto
our opponents' shoulders whenever possible.
If we add to this the logic that it is too
dangerous to save the b3 bishop, we can
perhaps at least choose where we lose it!
15.lLJd4! 1Mfb6
Black would have liked to play 15 ... a4, but
then the sacrifice fxe6 17 .ltJxe6 hits
both the queen and the g7 pawn (which
would go with check), and suddenly the
Black king is very uncomfortable. The text
move defends c6, attacks the knight on d4
and removes the queen from any danger.
16.CiJxe6!?
White must again find something clever here
to trouble Black, and my first thoughts were
to try to blast my way through to the king by
means of 16.Ct:J ef5.
I calculated the following variation 16 ... exf5
17.Ct:J xf5 18.gxf5 and quickly realised
that 18 ... a4 could be met by when
acceptance of the bishop with 19 ... @xf7
leads to this position:-
Stree(fighting Chess
Analysis diagram
It didn't take long to find the winning move
here, since very similar attacking positions
arise in the Sicilian Dragon, although in that
case it would be the open h-file and weak
spot at h7 which allow the following
deflection sacrifice: and Black is
mated after 20 ... @xg7 21.\Wxe7+ @g8
+.
Unfortunately Black need not accept the
second sacrifice after 1 9 .i xf7 +, and can
instead play 19 . .. @d8 when White's
dwindling initiative is not enough
compensation for a knight. However, and
this is very important, the fact that my
fantasy mating line existed, and was spotted,
made the game continuation much easier for
me to play - the patterns and tactical themes
were in place if and when required.
16 ... fxe6 17 .Axe6
176
So White has turned the targeted bishop into
the strongest piece on the board, and now
Black is the one under pressure. He has to
contend with ideas such as f4- f5 and g5, the
knight hopping into f5 (when chopping it off
opens up the g- file for the rook), and all the
while there is the knowledge that he has
only a minimal material advantage and can't
really afford to allow White anything more
in return for the piece.
Should he castle long here, then he must
take another move out to release the pin on
the d7 knight and there is no guarantee that
the king would even be safe on the
queenside with such a distended pawn
structure.
In a practical sense we can safely say that
White has overcome his problems of a few
moves ago and the onus is on Black to prove
otherwise.
17 ... 18.liJf5! tlJxe6
Axf5 20.gxf5
Here we see the usefulness of the fantasy
vanat1on given previously, since if Black
tries to escape from the pin with 20 ...
then White has the same crushing blow
2l .gxg7! available. The fact that it's
available, and I had seen it, allowed me to
enter this position with plenty of confidence
that the attack would be too strong for Black
to withstand - if he can't remove the e-file
pin or defend g7 then logically he should be
struggling since all White's pieces can enter
into the attack.
20 ...
The pressure tells on Black, and though it's
natural to try to exchange off the queens, it
proves impossible without returning the
piece and remaining several pawns down in
the process.
21J;xg7
22 1 is also sufficient as the e-file pin is
so strong, but it is preferable to keep the
queens on for the attack on the king.
22 ...
Now it becomes clear that defending
laterally with 23 .. . is impossible in view
of Wlxe7 25 .!xa5+! deflecting
either king or rook from the protection of e7.
Analysis diagram
23 ... and here Black resigned.
1-0
177
He might have played a few more moves
first, but there is no real defence in any
event. (Burnett,A- Marks I, Glenrothes
Premier, 2005)
4
What is Black's most forcing
move in this position?
There are 2 equally strong moves here for
Black. If you worked out that 12 ... d4 leads
to a clear advantage then well done. After
the forced 13 .i xc6 bxc6, then something
like 14.4J bl 4J g4 15.0-0 ttJxe5 16.fxe5 :gxe5
should see Black win, although the process
may take quite some time.
If, on the other hand, you chose the non-
materialistic ...
12 ...
... then even better! This shows that you are
on the right track as now the White king will
be exposed. I hope by now that, given 2
equally promising- looking moves, you will
naturally gravitate towards the one which
lends itself to the attack rather than a
material advantage, even if it seen1s the
slightly less clear option. After the text
move White could recapture with 13. fxe5, The white knight is the only thing plugging
but 13 .. gives Black a tnaterial the holes, so there is no need to avoid its
advantage and the white king is still unsafe. exchange. Activating the major pieces, and
using every available tempo to do so, is far
14.f3
14 ... ltJxf3! 15.gxf3 VNxe8+
White would dearly love to get the queens
off the board, but the obvious fails
to 16 ... i xf3 17 followed by
capturing the rook on hl and leaving Black
several pawns up and easily winning.
17.f5
It may appear as though Black has been
dtiven back , but it is merely a temporary.
state of affairs.
18 ... d4 19.ltJe4
178
more important.
20.!iJxf6 VNxf6 21.!!hgl ?!
Not a great move, but the pos1t1on was
already extremely difficult for White
21 ... c4 E!e8 23.VNxb7 VNh4+
d3
And please don't fall for something as stupid
as 24 ... 25.:gg2 ge2+
29.Wc8+
Analysis diagram

and now White resigned because 27.:gg3
gxel 28.@xel is check.
0-1
(Wilman,C- Bumett,A, TAFCA, 1997)
5 6
What is Black's best move? Black to play and win material
7 8
Can White stop the pawns? White to play and win
9 10
White to play and win Can Black open the s i d e ?
179
5
What is Black's best move?
Players of the King's Indian Defence will
have had a head start in solving this one,
since the position is a very generic KID
affair - White breaks through on the Vii-
side/Black ignores it and hacks away on the

White has gone wrong somewhere, however,
because after his previous move (18.bxc5),
Black is not forced to recapture. Instead ...
18 ...
... creates unstoppable n1ating threats against
the white king. If White continues blindly
with 19 .cxd6, then after 19 ... g3 20 .h3 ttJ c5!
Analysis diagram
180
Now there is no defence to ... i xh3 . There is
nothing particularly clever about this
combination: variations on it have been seen
in countless KID games in the past, and
these mating possibilities underpin Black's
entire strategy in many of these lines.
This is hugely important when it comes to
learning new openings: memorizing theory
should not be the first concern; assimilating
recurring tactical motifs within the opening
strategies is far more important.
Anyway, in the actual game White realised
too late that 18 ... Vfih4 was deadly and could
find nothing better than ...
exf4
... but even now the same tactics work for
Black.
20 ... g3
And here White resigned since both mate on
h2 and the knight on f4 are attacked, and if
21. 4J h3 , then 21 ... 'Ll xc5 followed by
22 .. . i xh3 is terminal.
0-1
(Stalker, A- Burnett, A Glenrothes 1997)
6
Black to play and win material
This puzzle is partly a case of seeing 1 move
further than the opponent, and partly one of
being more open to those hidden tactical
possibilities which abound in almost every
game of chess played.
White's last move was 19 .c3, which seems
like a sensible attempt to include both the
lt:J dl and the 1 in the game. However,
what a beady tactical eye should see very
quickly is that the advance 19 ... f4 forces the
bishop to capture, after which taking on c3
undermines the ttJ d4 which the bishop no
longer protects.
As soon as this possibility is noticed, signs
should be flashing before our eyes that the
game could be won here on the spot, and
that we should immediately calculate very
concretely.
Lets start at the beginning: Black plays
19 ... f4. Does White have any alternatives to
taking the pawn? Well, no, because if he
plays 20. l2J xc6, then 20 ... fxe3 attacks the
queen. Black simply recaptures on c6 next
move and is a piece up. So the first move is
OK; White must play 20 . .ixf4 and Black
181
replies 20 ... bxc3.Now we have this position.
Again the VIi is attacked and there is also the
double attack on d4, so White is forced to
take on c3 with something. It transpires that
recapturing with 2I .ltJxc3 would be best;
Black is still winning after taking on d4, but
White has chances of randomising the
position with 'tJ d5. How ever, this i s
unpalatable, especially when White seems to
have a way of saving the piece.
So, White can take on c3 with the V9 or
(which come to the same thing). In the game
White chose and after 21 ...
ltJxd4 we reached this
position.
And only now does it become completely
clear what was hidden in the position back at
move 19. Black now wins the piece after all
with the fork 23 ... l2Je2+. White struggled on
gamely, but the a & b pawns were too far
back to compensate for the piece deficit, so
eventually it was 0- 1 (Marks, !-Burnett, A,
Glenrothes Open 2007).
These tactical lines become easier to
calculate with practice, and in our heads we
have to attempt to always look 1 move
beyond the obvious. This is not an easy task,
but it is possible, so don't be scared to try-
calculate the line, give it a basic assessment
as usual, then visualize where the pieces
now stand and ask yourself the question, Is
there an obvious next move? A check or
capture that is possible now that wasn't
before? Improvement in this area alone is
worth many, many points over the course of
a season.
7
.I
Can White stop the pawns?
The simple answer to this question is no, but
hopefully you realized I was expecting a bit
more from you! The pawns can't be stopped,
it's true, but nor do they need to be. The
black king is in such a precarious position
that White has time to launch a counter-
attack.
36.e5!
182
If you chose with the same idea of
penetrating to h 7 then that is just as good.
Now the longest forcing line is 36 ... a2
37.W/h7 e6 38.exd6 39.W/h5+
40.ie6 41.d7 42.i c5+
43.W/f7#
Analysis diagram
However, I wasn't forced to calculate all this
as my opponent varied immediately with ...
36 ... dxe5
... when a similar fmish occurred after. ..
37.1!Mh7 38.1!Mh5+ 39.ie6
It is the weak white squares around the king
that are the key to the combination, and once
that flaw is spotted then the rest is fairly
simple 1-0 (Burnett,A- Jurkiewicz,K,
Bardejov Open 2007)
8 9
White to play and win White to play and win
Hopefully you didn't have as much trouble This puzzle looks very simple and in many
with this one as I did during the game. If you ways it is, but firstly you have to get past the
noticed, as I did at the time, that the false trail. The first move is obvious enough.
isn't really threatened with capture
because .. would fail to ixe6# then g8
well spotted. If you then decided to move
the bishop out of the way anyway, then
you're as bad as me! I played 48.i f4 and the
game was drawn many moves and
adventures later (Y2-Y2 Burnett, A- Pyrich, G,
Kirkcaldy 1989)
The winning move is of course the very
simple and Black can do nothing
sensible to prevent the bishop delivering
mate next move on h3 .
Why did I miss this, and why are such things
missed regularly? Well, I imagine it is
because the piece required to mate is already
doing a particular job (here threatening e6
and thereby tying the black rook down) and
somehow this prevents us from giving it a
different role to play.
The answer to this kind of problem?
Remember the theme of the play: the black
king is in danger- how else can we get to it?
183
But here we have to be very careful. The
automatic move 23. 2:b4 is a terrible blunder.
23 ... + 24. ltJ dl is not as problem. but the
alternative check 23 ... leads to mate
after either 1 +or 24. <i:>d1
Analysis diagram
Losing from a winning position due to
sloppiness in calculating our opponents last-
gasp possibilities is a far worse way to lose
than simply being out-played.
The correct way to finish the game after
22 ... ci>g8 is by the counter- attacking move ...
Attacking the black queen and the e7- square
whilst ignoring the rook hanging on d4.
Now covering e7 by retreating the queen to
d8 allows the manouevre as before,
which obviously wins since White's own
king is in no danger this time. Taking the
rook, though, is equally disastrous, viz.
23 ... 24.CiJxe7+ \t>h8 25.Vf!xf8#
Analysis diagram
In view of these unstoppable threats, Black
10
Can Black open the
With such a blocked position the answer
would ordinarily be no, but White's previous
move, 25 was a serious blunder.
25 ... a3!
This is an obvious move, which White
would like to reply to with 26.b3 keeping
the position closed, but unfortunately hi s
loose rook move now allows 26 ...
(attacking both the rook and the queen) and
if 27.i.xf3, then 27 ... e4+ wins instantly.
actually resigned after 23. l2J d5 1-0 Analysis diagram
(Bumett,A- Campbell, E, Aberdeen Open
1990). So White has to allow his to be
So beware snatching at the obvious winning opened and the game continued ...
move. Double- check the variations and be
sure your opponent has no tricks left! axb2+ 27.\Wxb2 <>g7
184
28 ..

White has done all he can to keep the
position blockaded, but Black has another
sweet little tactic available to release it.
31 ...
Threatening to come to c3 or d4 with
devastating effect, so White is obliged to
capture.
33.%Vc2 34.YNxa4
gxa4 35J3cl
35 ...
The same tactic which prevented White
from blocking the position in the first place
returns to finish the game.
185
Test your Street.fighting!
bxc3
3 7 was more tenacious but Black is
winning in any event. The remaining moves
were as follows .
37 ... e4 exf3 gxc4
40.\t>bl 41.\t>cl f6 and here
White resigned
0-1
(Norris, A- Burnett, A, Glasgow Open 1996)
What can we take from this little snippet?
Well firstly, always be on the lookout for
even the smallest of errors: seemingly
insignificant moves will lead to extra points
if we can spot the flaws in them.
Finally, tactics, tactics tactics! They are
everywhere, all the time, and are the little
nuts and bolts which hold together all the
grand (and not so grand!) strategies we will
employ and have employed against us.
The Streetfighting approach to chess places
a large emphasis on tactical awareness and
ability, and although I have done my level
best to introduce you to a great number of
recurring themes and motifs, any chess study
you do ought to include an extra element of
tactic solving on a regular basis. Check out
the bibliography section at the beginning of
this book for sources of further study in this
area.
To end this book, I'd just like to say thank
you if you got this far, and to wish all of you
the very best in your chess endeavours!
If you have any queries or comments to
make about this book, then please feel free
to contact me via the website
www .streetfightingchess.com.

35 Street Fighting Chess

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

35 Street Fighting Chess

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

An attacking guide

You might also like