Cover Story / GM Robert Byrne Byrne in Chess Life
For 11 years, GM Robert Byrne served as a Chess Life columnist with “The 65th Square.” Here is his final column, which reached the Chess Life office in February, 2006.
THE 65TH SQUARE By Grandmaster Robert Byrne
Structure Versus Dynamics The opposition between these two factors of the game is colorful and arises fairly often. So, it is important to be familiar with it. One way it occurs is in the Maroczy bind, which was enthusiastically promoted by the Hungarian grandmaster Geza Maroczy.
Structure is expressed by the pawns which can hold their formation for a number of moves; Dynamics is expressed sometimes by the pieces and sometimes by mobile pawns. Usually, pawn structure is most vulnerable in the early part of the game. It takes time to protect, but once dug in like cement, it can powerfully hamper the opponent’s freedom of action.
The encounter between the grandmasters Etienne Bacrot of France and Sergei Tiviakov of the Netherlands is an example of the bind working and winning. You may wonder then what advantage it offers Black to suffer through it. One of the most important is that it prevents White from mounting attacks against the king.
Sicilian Defense, Maroczy Bind (B37) GM Etienne Bacrot GM Sergei Tiviakov
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED, 2006
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4
In the Sicilian Defense, the Maroczy
bind arises after 5. c4. The positional idea is that the pawns at c4 and e4 give White a grip in the center that inhibits Black from countering with ... d5. The formation can also come from the English Opening.
5. ... Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Nc2
(See diagram top of next column) After 7. Nc2, Black can no longer exchange his knight at c6 for White’s at d4 and thus must play in a slightly cramped situation.
7. ... Bg7 8. Be2 Nd7 9. Bd2 Nc5 10. 0-0 0-0 11. b4
24 July 2013 | Chess Life White’s knight is strong, but Tiviakov
was afraid to take it off because after 16. ... Bxd5 17. exd5, White could attack on the semi-open e-file and still work against the enemy queenside pawns.
16. ... Qd7 17. Rfd1 b6 18. b5 f5 This is an attempt to obtain some play
on the f-file, but that’s a difficult plan to carry out.
19. exf5 Rxf5 20. Nb4 Bf7 21. Nc6 Re8 22. Qd3 Rc8 23. Qe4 Rc7 24. a4 h5 25. h3 Qe6 26. Qxe6 Bxe6 27. Re1 Bc8 28. a5
After 39. ... Bxc4, Tiviakov did not
wait for 40. Rxe7+ Kxc6 41. Rh7 Be2 42. f3, but gave up the hopeless endgame.
This move initiates a gambit Black
can accept with 11. ... Bxc3 12. Bxc3 Nxe4, but after 13. Bb2, practice has shown that White gets more than enough attacking power for Black’s extra pawn. I don’t know of one example where Black has survived.
11. ... Ne6 12. Rc1 Ned4 After 12. ... Ned4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4,
Bacrot could have avoided a second exchange of minor pieces with 14. Bd3, but he correctly judged that 14. Be3 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 would give him chances against the black queenside pawns because his knight was well placed and his bishop could support it.
13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Be3 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Be6 16. Nd5
35. Rd5 But Bacrot clarified everything with his
returning rook for bishop with 35. Rd5. Tiviakov could not take him up on the Greek gift without giving him a queen.
35. ... Ke8 36. Rxf5 gxf5 37. Ra1 Kd8 38. Rxa3 Kc7 39. Re3 Bxc4, Black resigned.
Bacrot played directly for 28. a5 and
after 28. ... bxa5 29. Bxa7, he had a powerful passed b-pawn.
28. ... bxa5 29. Bxa7 Kf7 30. Bb6 In the long run there was no recourse
against that, so Tiviakov gave up a rook for a knight to mess up the position.
30. ... Rxc6 31. bxc6 a4 32. Red1 a3 33. Bd4 Bxd4 34. Rxd4 Be6
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