0 Wasting Time

We are past the Ides of March,* and I am still pursuing my project for the year that began in early December. Each week, beginning Wednesdays, I am going through one game from the 59 in GM-RAM: Essential Grandmaster Knowledge (2000) by Rashid Ziyatdinov. These games comprise the source for 120 middlegame positions that represent significant tactical and positional understanding to aspiring players if each is understood thoroughly.

This week's game is Saint Amant -- Morphy, Paris 1858. It is the fifteenth game in GM-RAM, and the tenth Morphy game. Today's post concerns only the opening moves.

De Saint Amant,Pierre Charles Fourier -- Morphy,Paul  [C54]
Paris, 1858

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+

The moves so far are fairly standard in the Italian Opening. Two moves are equally popular in this position.

7.Bd2

Yesterday, I posted a position from a reference game that continued: 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0–0 Bxc3 (8...Nxc3 is familiar from the games of Greco) 9.d5 Ne5 10.Qe2 0–0 11.bxc3 Nxc4 12.Qxc4 Nd6 13.Qd3 Qf6 14.Re1 b6 15.Bg5 Qf5 16.Qxf5 Nxf5 17.g4 f6 18.Bf4 Nd6 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.Nd4 Bb7 21.Nf5 g6 22.Ne7+ Kf7 23.Re3 Ba6 24.Rae1 Rae8 25.h4 Bc4 26.a3 Rh8 27.Kh2 b5 28.Kg3 a5 29.h5 Bb3 30.f4 Bc2 31.f5 g5 32.h6 Bb3 33.Kf2 Rhf8 34.Re4 Bc2 35.R4e3 Bb3 36.Re4 Bc2 37.R4e3 ½–½ Gashimov,V (2740) -- Dominguez Perez,L (2713) Nice 2010.

7...Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.0–0

10.Qb3 is more popular, and may be stronger.

10...0–0

White to move

11.h3

Looking through this game, my initial thoughts at seeing this move was recollection of Philip W. Sergeant's comment on the third match game between Paul Morphy and Alexander Meek at the First American Chess Congress, 1857. Sergeant wrote, "In nothing was Morphy so fortunate as in the frequency with which his opponents played P-R3" (Morphy's Games of Chess [1957], 44).

However, Sergeant's comment was instantly tempered in my mind by a comment I read last week in a more recent book. In this case, the reference game is Morphy -- de Riviere, Paris 1863, where Morphy played 9.h3.

Morphy himself was more apt to play this move than would be a modern master. So we have here a concrete example of evolution in strategic understanding; today, beginners are warned against such "wastes of tempo." But as we shall see, such "inaccuracies" don't render the ensuing play transparent.
Macon Shibut, Paul Morphy and the Evolution of Chess Theory (1993), 9.

Moreover, in some situations, even modern masters will play h3 or h6. When is such a move a useful or even necessary prophylactic move? When is it a waste of tempo? General statements such as Sergeant's substitute facile principles for concrete evaluation.

John Watson offers a balanced view in Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch (1998).

Whether in closed, semi-open, or open positions, flank pawn moves are regularly employed for a variety of reasons, ... Pieces are moved any number of times, if necessary, to achieve strategic goals. And the number of pawn moves in the opening can range from one to eight or more, depending on the requirements of the position. (15)

Several moves are more popular from the diagram than 11.h3, but the best move is not well established yet.

Perhaps, we can say that it would be better for White if he develops one of the rooks. 11...Bg4 does not appear to represent a credible threat worthy of expending a tempo to prevent. As the subsequent course of the game demonstrated, the advanced h-pawn could become a target.


*See William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (1599).

Detail: Wasting Time

0 Opening Considerations

Szen -- Anderssen 1851

The 59 illustrative games in GM-RAM: Essential Grandmaster Knowledge (2000) are presented as the source for the 120 essential middlegame positions that an aspiring player should strive to know. However, Rashid Ziyatdinov also suggests in his book that the aspiring player should memorize these games.

This process of learning these games by rote drives the student into study of the openings employed in each game. To memorize the game and not gain some understanding of all phases from the first move to the last would seem senseless. Moreover, some of the middlegame positions occur fairly early in the game.*

GM-RAM Position 143

Position 143 is a case in point. It arises after White's ninth move in the fourth match game between József Szén and Adolf Anderssen in the 1851 London Tournament.

In understanding this position, opening principles come to the fore.

In terms of one classic formulation of the opening phase, the diagram position nears the end of the opening. White has castled, has all of his minor pieces posted to central squares, and his queen has stepped forward to connect the rooks. Black lags behind in terms of this classic definition. One minor piece remains immobile and the rooks are not connected.

It may be surprising, then, that from this position with Black, Anderssen chose to start an attack: 9...f5! After the ensuing 10.exf5 Rxf5, the absence of White's e-pawn made 11...d5 a serious threat. White suddenly faced some serious problems. It is hard to find an improvement to Szen's unfortunate retreat of his knight to its starting square as preparation to redevelop it on d2.

Black seized the initiative. Ten moves later, Anderssen missed a forced checkmate in ten moves.** Nonetheless, he launched a decisive assault of tremendous instructive value and won the game. Something went horribly wrong for White in the first nine moves. Where did Szén err?

Szén,József -- Anderssen,Adolf [B30]
International Tournament, London 1851 (2.4)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6

This position is found in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings under B40, so the B30 classification by ChessBase might be inaccurate. Four possible moves for White are then given in ECO: 4.Be2, 4.g3, 4.d4, and 4.Bb5. Szén played none of these.

4.Bc4?!

This move should probably be considered dubious even though control of d5 is a strategic aim. The most popular moves 4.d4 and 4.Bb5 aim at control of d4. 4.Bc4 is more popular than 4.Be2 in the ChessBase database, but it scores worse. White's scoring percentage is poor enough to recommend against 4.Be2, but it is far worse after Bc4. The number of games reaching the position after 4.Bc4 is more than twice the number of times that 4,Bc4 was played. The difference suggests that move order variations account for this bishop's presence on c4 most of the time.

The only game in Chess Informant that reached this position had the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 e6 4.Nc3, CI 93/(122).

4...a6 5.a4

5.d4 is worth considering. 5...b5 6.Be2 when White's fourth move cost a tempo, but little else.

5...Nge7

The comparison of Staunton's play as Black against Anderssen to Anderssen's play as Black deserves analysis. Anderssen's placement of this knight resembles Staunton's. But, Anderssen's queen does not go wandering on pawn grubbing expeditions.

6.Qe2

6.d4 should be considered. If there is anything wrong with Black's slow deployment, White needs to act with vigor to demonstrate the point.

6...Ng6

Why not harass White with 6...Nd4! 7.Nxd4 cxd4 8.Nb1 Nc6?

7.d3 Be7 8.Be3 O-O 9.O-O

We have reached the diagram position.

My first impulse as Black might be to solve the problem of the light-squared bishop with 9...b6 and 10...Bb7. Anderssen, however, chose to strike.

9...f5!

Did Szén have a better way to meet this thrust? Did Black have an advantage that compelled him to attack? How can we best characterize the errors in White's opening play? Lethargy? Misplaced pieces?

The c4 square often proves an active square for the bishop in symmetrical king's pawn openings. The bishop also goes there frequently in open Sicilians. However, White chose a closed Sicilian, delaying the d4 thrust. It seems, perhaps, that in such positions, the bishop is better placed elsewhere.

Nonetheless, I often see such bishop placement in my own games--at least in online blitz. I usually thrust forward my d- or b-pawn and drive the bishop back to a2 or b3. Later in the game, this bishop bites back.

Anderssen's f-pawn thrust offers another way of looking at similar positions.



*Ziyatdinov's recommended references offer another indication that opening study walks hand in hand with comprehending essential middlegame positions. For example, he lists Paul Keres, and Alexander Kotov, The Art of the Middle Game. The English edition of this book contains an additional chapter by Harry Golombek, who also translated the book into English. Surely, Ziyatdinov would expect me to read Golombek's section as well. Golombek stresses that the middlegame plan, "must arise naturally and logically out of the opening" (17).

**I posted the other middlegame position from this game last month (see "Mate in Ten").

Detail: Opening Considerations

0 Planning, Time, Strategy

Lesson of the Week

Some of my advanced students this week are going through a game and annotations concerned with planning. The game was annotated by the winner and included in a chapter that he added to a book that he translated into English: Paul Keres, and Alexander Kotov, The Art of the Middlegame, trans. H. Golombek (1964). The annotations below are as they appear in the book, except that I have converted descriptive notation to algebraic, and have omitted some passages.

The diagram appears in the book. I start with it, asking students how they would play as White. Then, we go through the game from the beginning. Because I think Golombek's comments are instructive, I add very little.


Golombek,Harry -- Puig Pulido,Pedro [A65]
Varna ol (Men) fin-B Varna (7), 1962
[Golombek,Harry]

This game is an example of "fits-and-starts policy": "start on one plan, switch over to another that seems more attractive, and then, when it is too late, try to return to the original plan."

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0–0 5.f3 c5

Already the nature of Black's plan has defined itself. He is prepared to allow White a certain pawn preponderance in the center provided that in return he is able to concentrate on a counter-attack on the queen's side: an excellent plan that has proved its worth in many a modern game and one that would work here too--always provided Black sticks to his plan.

6.d5 d6 7.Bd3 e6 8.Nge2 exd5 9.cxd5

Now White's plan is clear. He intends to use his pawn majority in the center to make a thrust there; hence he recaptures with the c-pawn rather than the e-pawn so as to have in reserve the eventual advance of e4-e5.

9...Na6 10.0–0 Nb4

The first change in plan. Black, lured away by the possibility of attacking White's king bishop, neglects to follow the logical line of counter-attack on the queen's side. He should have played 10...Nc7 11.-- with the idea  11...a6 12.-- Rb8 13.-- b5.

11.Bc4 Re8 12.a3 Na6 13.Bg5

White has not only mere development in mind with this move. If Black drives away the bishop by h6 and g5 then he will have weakened his King's side and driven the bishop to a post from which it can aid the central pawn thrust of e5. There is also a more insidious notion in the move--it is designed to induce Black to change his plan yet once more.

13...Qb6

And Black does exactly this; he forms a fresh plan with the idea of unpinning himself and then manuevering the queen knight to d7 so as to hold back the advance of White's e-pawn. That this plan utterly fails is due to the waste of time caused by Black's constant change of plan.

14.Qd2 Nb8 15.Ng3 Nbd7 16.f4 h6 17.Bh4 Ng4 18.Rae1

All part of the plan of central advance.

18...Ngf6 19.Kh1 Nh7

White to move

With this move Black deems that he has adequately guarded e5 and prevented White's central advance. But now comes the logical follow-up of White's plan.

20.e5! g5 

Desperation; but what else can Black do?

20...dxe5 21.d6 -- 22.Nd5.

21.fxg5 hxg5 22.e6! 

A good illustration of White's theme--the central pawn advance. The plan has won through and it only remains to gather the fruits.

22...f6 23.Bb5 gxh4 24.Nf5 Bf8 25.exd7 Rxe1 26.Rxe1 Bxd7 27.Bxd7 Rd8 28.Be6+ Kh8 29.Nxh4 1-0

Black resigns. A case of too many plans spoiling the broth.

Detail: Planning, Time, Strategy

0 Des Temps

Louis Charles de la Bourdonnais published Nouveau Traité du jeu des Échecs (1833) the year before his visit to London. The text offers what must be one of the earliest formulations of the element of time as a principle of strategy.

Dès le commencement d'une partie, l'on ne saurait trop recommander aux amateurs de s'attacher surtout à gagner des temps; c'est en gagnant des temps que l'on parvient, soit à renfermer les pièces de l'adversaire qui vous laissent alors un champ libre pour former et suivre une attaque, soit à avancer ses pions de manière à arriver le premier à dame. (3-4)

My ability to read French is nonexistent, but happily Cary Utterberg has translated this paragraph in his excellent De la Bourdonnais versus McDonnell, 1834 (2005).

At the start of a game, players should pay particular attention to the use of tempi; for by gaining time the opponent's pieces may be contained, leaving you a free field on which to develop and carry out an attack, or to work toward advancing a pawn to its queening square. (18)

Detail: Des Temps

0 Losing Time

Time, that is, efficiency, is a central strategic and tactical element in the game of chess. A player who wastes time quickly finds him- or herself in a worse position even without material loss. Moving one piece repeatedly in the opening usually wastes time.

Two games illustrate this problem. The first was played against some version of Crafty embedded in the Chessimo training app for iPad more than a year ago. The second was played on the Game of King's iPad app and finished yesterday. In both cases, Black was much worse a few moves into the game as a consequence of moving a bishop several times.

Stripes,James -- Crafty (Chessimo) [A46]
Rating Estimation, 01.02.2013

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 Bb4+

A silly check.

4.c3 Bd6?

4...Be7 was sensible.

5.Bd3 0–0 6.0–0 Be7 7.Nbd2 d5 8.Re1 Nc6 9.Qc2 Bd6?!

Another time wasting move that makes White's plan even better than it would have been. The bishop is now vulnerable to attack.

10.e4 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4

Black to move

12...Kh8?

I suspect that Crafty fell prey to a limited search horizon, believing that it could trap the bishop if White played as he did.

13.Bxh7 g6

White's bishop is trapped.

14.Bg5?

White should have played 14...Ng5.

14...Qe8??

Black recovers from early errors with another bishop move: 14...Be7. Instead, Black has moved into a forced checkmate.

15.Bf6+ Kxh7 16.Qe4 Bf4 17.Qxf4 Qd7 18.Qh4+ Kg8 19.Qh8# 1–0


Stripes,J (1974) -- Nomen Nescio (1929) [D24]
Rated Match Game of Kings - Online Chess, 16.09.2014

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Bf5

Not a terrible move, but not best either. 2...e6, 2...c6, 2...Nf6 are all better.

3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e3 Be6?

Black moves the bishop a second time.

6.e4 Bg4?

And a third.

7.Bxc4 Bxf3 8.gxf3 e6

White to move

White already has a clear advantage. The rest of the game demonstrates White getting an easy win despite playing less than optimal moves.

9.d5 e5 10.Qb3 b6 11.d6 Qd7 12.dxc7 Qxc7 13.Bg5 Nc6 14.Rd1 Nd4 15.Nb5 Nxf3+ 16.Ke2 Qb7 17.Qxf3 a6 18.Nc3 b5 19.Bd5 Nxd5 20.Rxd5 f6 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Qxf6 Bg7 23.Rxe5+ Kd7 24.Re7+ Kc8 25.Qe6+ Kb8 26.Rxb7+ Kxb7 27.Qd7+ Kb6 28.Nd5+ Kc5 29.Qxg7 Rhe8 30.Qc7+ Kd4 31.f3 Rac8 32.Rd1# 1–0

Detail: Losing Time

0 Gaining a Tempo

White intends to win back a sacrificed pawn and swap queens. But there is more. Choosing the correct move order gains a tempo by imposing upon Black an additional move. This tempo helps White maintain the initiative.

The game was Popovic -- Bogut, Hrvatska 2011 and was published as Chess Informant 113/103.

White to move

10.Bxf7+ Ke7 11.Qxd8+ Kd8 12.f4 Ke7 13.Bb3

White went on to win the game.

Detail: Gaining a Tempo

0 Opening Inaccuracy

Chess is so deep and varied that even on the sixth move in a familiar line, one can reach new positions. Yesterday, I had the Black side of a Nimzo-Indian Defense that transposed into a somewhat obscure line of the Queen's Gambit Declined.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 d5

4...c5 is the normal move in the spirit of the Nimzo-Indian Defense.

5.Qa4 Nc6 6.e3

6.Bg5 is almost as popular and is given in the first four lines of the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings. It may be of interest that in Chess Informant 10/600 Vladimir Sokolov judged 6.Bg5 as dubious, suggesting 6.e3. Perhaps 6.e3 is slightly more accurate than 6.Bg5. Even so, both moves have been played often.

Black to move

6...O-O appears to be the normal move here. My 6...Bd7 is the second most popular choice. Zoltan Gyimesi is the highest rated player who has played 6...Bd7 and he lost that game in a queen ending with most of the pawns remaining on the board and a nearly locked position.

It is hard to blame the opening for that loss. Nonetheless, the scoring percentage differences between 6...O-O and 6...Bd7 seem significant. White scores 55.6% over 411 games after Black castles. In the 55 available games with 6...Bd7, White's score jumps to 68.2%.

In my game, my position quickly grew poor with terrible piece coordination. My position was lost until my opponent blundered an exchange that led to an ending where I had a rook against a knight. All the pawns eventually came off and the game was drawn.

Is 6...Bd7 an inaccuracy, perhaps even an error? I think so.

6...Bd7 forces White's queen to move a second time due to the threatened discovery. 6...O-O steps out of the pin. Perhaps the queen then has less purpose on a4 and will be compelled to move again when Black's bishop is no longer a target.

Why is it an error? Does the bishop have a better square? It may. In games where Black castles, the bishop often goes to d7, but sometimes it goes to e6 or f5. In a few games, it takes up a position on b7. The major problem with 6...Bd7 is that it wastes time. Pieces should be placed on their best squares when they move for the first time. It is not clear in the diagram position where this bishop will be best placed. It is clear, however, that Black will castle kingside.

Detail: Opening Inaccuracy