Lesson 17

Strategic Elements: Exploiting the Weak f2/f7 Square (Part 03)

Overcoming Strong Opponent

In all of the examples above, the losing player ignored the weakness. Many chess players have won games this way, but only against beginners, or players trying to lose. Is it possible to exploit these weak squares when your opponent pays attention to the game and understands these ideas? Yes. It takes more work, and deeper thought.

First, mobilize all your pieces, instead of trying for a quick knockout with two or three pieces. Next, combine attacks against weak spots with threats against other targets. Such double attacks characterize chess at the highest levels of play.

Trying for a quick knockout might be fun, but it becomes a bad habit. Please notice that the winning player got away with bad moves in several of the games above. Making moves with the idea that you can gain something only if your opponent does not see the purpose, develops bad habits. Take in from a middle-aged patzer like me, bad habits learned as a child take years to repair. It is far easier to work hard at beginning with good habits. In order to discourage bad

habits among scholastic chess players, some chess teachers use a special rule. When they run tournaments among their pupils, they count a win in four moves as a loss. This practice may seem harsh, or even unfair. However, the rule helps children learn strategies that are useful against strong players.

In the next game, there is no quick mate. Instead, black attempts to hinder white’s development with pressure on f2. White develops anyway, but at the cost of a pawn. Later, white’s pressure on f7 saves a lost game with a combination that forces a draw. I had the white pieces against Keith, a player rated nearly 300 points higher than me. After the game, he told me this was the first time he had played against a King’s Gambit and not won the game.

1. e4 e5 2. f4. This move marks the King’s Gambit, a risky opening similar to Bird’s. 2…Bc5. Black pressures the f2 square. The main benefit of this move is to delay white's efforts to move his king to safety by castling. 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4. White's idea in the King's Gambit is to put pressure on f7 from the beginning. 4...Nf6 5. Nc3 0–0 6. d4? This move is premature. White ends up a pawn down because of the resulting sequence. 6...exd4 7. Nxd4 Nxe4 8. Nxe4 Re8 9. 0–0 Rxe4 10. c3 Nc6 11. Bd5 Bxd4+ 12. Kh1 (Not 12.cxd4? Rxd4 and white loses another pawn). 12...Re8 13. cxd4 Qf6 14. Bd2 (14. Bxc6 may have been better). 14...Qxd4 15. Qb3 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Bc3 Qb6 18. Qd1. White wants to keep the queens on the board when down two pawns. 18...Qc5 19. Rc1 Qf5 20.Qb3 Rab8 21. Rce1 Qf7 22. Rf3 d5 23. Qd1 Ne7 24.Qc2 Qf5 25. Qe2 Nc6. Notice how the empty f7 square leads to vulnerability for the black king. 

White threatened to win back a pawn with check, and then double rooks on the opened file. 26. Qf2 Rbd8 27. Be5 Qf7 28. b3 d4 29. Rd1 Nxe5 30. fxe5 Qd7. We reach the critical position. Here I realized that I could not stop the advance of the passed pawn on the d-file. Then I saw the saving combination. 31. Rf1! d3 (31...Qe7!?) 32. Rf7 Qd4 33. Rxg7+ Kxg7. Black must take the rook (33...Kh8 34.Qf6 Rf8 35.Rf7+ Kg8 36.Qg7#). 34.Qf6+ draw agreed. The game could have continued 34. ... Kg8 35. Qf7+ Kh8 36. Qf6+ Kg8 37. Qf7+ Kh8 38. Qf6 and a draw by repetition.

Study the Masters

You can improve your chess game by studying games by strong players. Do your own analysis of the following games. Pay particular attention to attacks on f2 and f7. Notice how these attacks combine with other threats. Notice also how well players respond to the attack.

1. This game was played a couple of years ago between two of the strongest players in the world. The numbers in parentheses are each player’s rating at the time the game was played.

Sergei Tiviakov (2655) – Loek Van Wely (2585)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. a4 Nc6 8. 0–0 Be7 9. Be3 0–0 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bf3 Bd7 13. Nb3 b6 14. Bc8 15. g5 Nd7 16. Bg2 Bb7 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qh3 Nb4 19. f5 Nxc2 20. fxg6 fxg6 21. Rf7 Nf8 22. Raf1 Qc4 23. Bd2 e5 24. Nd5 Bxd5 25. exd5 h5 26. gxh6 Kh8 27. Rg7 Nh7 28. Qe6 Black resigned.

2. The second master game comes from a match played in 1834 in London. This match (a series of games between the same players) resulted in several memorable games. It was one of the longest chess matches in history, at least 85 games. The winner in this game won 27 and lost 45, with 13 draws.

Alexander McDonnell — Louis Charles de la Bourdonnais

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3 gxf3 6.0–0 c6 7. Qxf3 Qf6 8. e5 Qxe5 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. d4 Qxd4+ 11. Be3 Qg7 12. Bxf4 Nf6 13. Ne4 Be7 14. Bg5 Rg8 15. Qh5+ Qg6 16. Nd6+ Ke6 17. Rae1+ Kxd6 18.Bf4#

3. The last game comes from a simultaneous exhibition.One player, Susan Polgar here, plays a large number of opponents in separate games, all at the same time. Susan Polgar is the former Women’s World Chess Champion. Her younger sister, Judit, is the only woman ever rated above 2600.

Susan Polgar — Shoengold

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 g6 5. Bxc4 e6 6. 0–0 Be7 7. Nc3 0–0 8. e4 c6 9. Bh6 Re8 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nxf7 Kxf7 12. Bxe6+ Kxe6 13. Qb3+ Kd6 14. Bf4+ Ne5 15. dxe5+ Kc7 16.exf6+ Bd6 17. Qf7+ Bd7 18. Bxd6+ Kc8 19. Rfd1 b6 20. Be7 Qc7 21. Rxd7 with a decisive advantage for white.

The End.