Preparing the assault
In the past seven posts, it has become pretty clear what is needed for a kingside assault. What remains to be investigated, is how do you reach that point?
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| Diagram 1. BLACK to move |
r1bqr1k1/1p1nbppp/p1p1p3/3n4/P1BP1B2/2N1PN2/1PQ2PPP/2R1K2R b K - 2 12
Alexander Alekhine vs Akiba Rubinstein
Karlsbad (1923), Karlsbad CSR, rd 1, Apr-30
White's last move was 12.Bf4 (from g5). That seems a pretty weird move. It invites black to get the bishop pair and gain a pawn. It seems strange to open the e-file while the king is still in the middle.
But Alekhine judges differently.
- He has a lead in development, although his king in the middle suggests otherwise
- Blacks rook a8 and Bc8 need quite some tempi to get developed
- Nd7 clogs up the position
- Black is about to lose more tempi with Nxf4. Nxf4 schlucks 3 tempi to gain a 2 tempi bishop. Opening up the e-file and making whites center mobile
White adopts the following strategy:
- Open up the center
- This gives space which can be used by white
- Move the piece to better places WITH TEMPO
- The tempo forces black to defend in stead of completing his development
Opening up the center is realized by moving or saccing pawns.
Since white is better developed, only he can improve his pieces and get ready for an attack.
He can do that because he can put pressure on weak points while manoeuvring his pieces to better positions. White throws a bone to black as distraction (bishop pair and a pawn). But if black accept the bone, he must suffer for it (delaying his development and misplacing his pieces).
12. ... Nxf4
13. exf4 c5
14. dxc5 Qc7
15. O-O Qxf4
16. Ne4 Nxc5
17. Nxc5 Bxc5
The center is cleared from pawns. Black has not made any progress with his development in the meantime. Who is going to make use of the open center?
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| Diagram 2. White to move |
r1b1r1k1/1p3ppp/p3p3/2b5/P1B2q2/5N2/1PQ2PPP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 18
White will try to regroup his pieces with tempo
18. Bd3 a discovered attack
18. ... b6 a defensive move
19. Bxh7+ prying the killbox open
19. ... Kh8 a defensive move
20. Be4 with tempo
20. ... Ra7 a defensive move
White has made the black king unsafe and regained his pawn. Black has still not made progress with developing his pieces.
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| Diagram 3. White to move |
2b1r2k/r4pp1/pp2p3/2b5/P3Bq2/5N2/1PQ2PPP/2R2RK1 w - - 3 21
21. b4 with tempo
21. ... Bf8 a defensive move
22. Qc6 with tempo
22. ... Rd7 a defensive move
23. g3 with tempo
23. ... Qb8 a defensive move
24. Ng5 attacking f7
24. ... Red8 a defensive move
Notice how only the party who was ahead in development could make use of the opened center. Black could only react and defend. In the meantime, his position has worsened.
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| Diagram 4. White to move |
1qbr1b1k/3r1pp1/ppQ1p3/6N1/PP2B3/6P1/5P1P/2R2RK1 w - - 3 25
Time for the assault
25. Bg6 clearing e4 for the queen with tempo
25 ... Qe5 a defensive move
26. Nxf7+ Rxf7
27. Bxf7 and white is ahead in material, while the attack has not petered out. The black king is still unsafe
27. ... Qf5
28. Rfd1 Rxd1+
29. Rxd1 Qxf7
30. Qxc8 Kh7
31. Qxa6 Qf3
32. Qd3+ 1-0
An assault doesn't need to lead to mate. A won endgame is equally good.
Using GM Stockfish to analyze the given position (and going forward), White and Black swapped the “plus-equus” back and forth, with the moves played evaluated at +/- 0.20 or LESS (usually in the vicinity of +/-0.10) until after White’s 18th move. Black’s 18th move (18...b6) shifted the overall evaluation to approximately -1.67 for Black (or +1.67 for White); 7 minutes analysis time.
ReplyDeleteI am unable to “SEE” the inevitability of the winning “attack” evolving from move 12. Rubenstein defended correctly, maintaining the balance of position.
What am I missing?
What you are missing is that you play against humans. If you play with a long term plan against somebody who doesn't recognize the plan, then statistically you win more often than not. Because a plan provides coherence and coordination between your moves while with no plan the coherence between the moves is accidentally.
DeleteAlekhine decides to open up the position, reroute his pieces to the LoAs, trade some defenders, and attack the King. Although the whole sequence isn't forced, is was based on a lot of forcing moves.
Rubinstein embarked on another long term plan. To get the bishop pair and to grab a pawn. But he lost the initiative and the coordination of his pieces.
The battle between the two long term plans was decided by losing the tempo battle. Somewhere along the way he missed the opportunities to regain the initiative. Maybe he had to give up his extra pawn and his bishop pair to restore the balance. I don't know. Stockfish knows, but it doesn't tell us.
It is a matter of coordination of your pieces due to plan which gives you a statistical advantage. Giving your opponent more chances to go astray.
What it tells me, is that we need more to know about the tempo battle. CCT is good, but with a plan it is better.