Solitaire Chess / Instruction
On the Rise
Vasily Smyslov, though rightly known for his strategic prowess, was no one-trick pony. By BRUCE PANDOLFINI
BY 1944, VASILY SMYSLOV (1921-2010) was already one of the Soviet Union’s three best players. He would continue his rise to the top of the chess pantheon steadily and confidently, culminating in his 1957 match victory over his great compatriot, Mikhail Botvinnik, conferring on Smyslov the title of world chess champion. While Smyslov was a strategic master, and a supreme endgame player, he was always ready for a sharp tactical fight. In his game against Mikhail Kamishov (Black) from the Moscow Championship of 1944, his cut-and-thrust skills are immediate evident. The game began:
Latvian Counter Gambit (C40) Vasily Smyslov Mikhail Kamishov Moscow, 1945
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5
This is the most potent response. White
is ready to answer 3. ... fxe4? with 4. Qh5+ g6 5. Nxg6! (1 bonus point). Other moves: 3. exf5, 3. Bc4, 3. d4 rate 6 points part credit.
3. 4. … Qf6
Black forgoes recovery of the pawn to deal with White’s threat.**
Nc4 Par Score 6 Deduct 2 points for pushing it with 4.
Qh5+?. After 4. ... g6, White loses a piece. But 4. d4, guarding the knight, rates full credit.
4. 5. …
Now it’s safe to take the pawn.** Nc3
pawn. 5.
… fxe4 Par Score 6 White develops with attack on the e4- Qg6 Black protects the pawn and makes
room for the king-knight at f6. This was the standard move at the time, and it was this very game that put 5. ... Qg6 under a cloud. Actually the whole Latvian Gambit is under suspicion, but that’s another story. Afterwards Black started to look to 5. ... Qe6 and 5. ... Qf7.**
6. Now make sure you have the above posi-
tion set up on your chessboard. As you play through the remaining moves in this game, use a piece of paper to cover the article, exposing White’s next move only after trying to guess it. If you guess cor- rectly, give yourself the par score. Sometimes points are also rewarded for second-best moves, and there may be bonus points—or deductions—for other moves and variations. Note that **means that the note to Black’s move is over and White’s move is on the next line.**
3. Nxe5 20 February 2014 | Chess Life Par Score 7 d3 Par Score 7 White wants to eliminate the enemy
pawn at e4. This was Smyslov's first encounter with the Latvian and he came up with the plan over-the-board. Otherwise he would have left his knight on e5 and played his queen-pawn up two squares at move four. So take 1 bonus point if (when retreating the knight to c4) this had been your plan, too.
6. … Bb4 Continuing 6. ... exd3 7. Bxd3 plays
into White’s hands, since the bishop comes out with tempo on the queen. And 7. ... Qxg2? is decidedly too risky in view of 8.
Qh5+ Kd8 (or 8. ... g6 9. Qe5+) 9. Be4, trapping Black’s queen (2 bonus points). The text pins the knight, enabling Black to answer 7. dxe4 with 7. ... Qxe4+.**
7. Bd2 Par Score 6 Accept full credit for 7. dxe4 Qxe4+ 8.
Ne3, which also favors White. The text breaks the pin and renews the threat to capture on e4. Black has nothing better than to remove the knight.
7. 8.
… Bxc3 Bxc3 Par Score 6 In the process of recapturing, White
improves the scope of his dark-square bishop.
8. … d5 On 8. ... Nf6, Smyslov intended 9. Bxf6!
gxf6 10. Ne3, with positional advantage. The text, driving on the knight, is meant to promote Black’s development while strengthening his tenuous hold on e4.**
9. Ne5 Par Score 6 Backed up by the c3-bishop, the knight
moves to safety with tempo on Black's queen.
9.
10. 10.
…
dxe4 …
Qf5
Par Score 6 Qxe4+
If 10. ... dxe4, White can post his king-
bishop aggressively at c4, stopping Black from castling while threatening invasion at f7 (1 bonus point).**
11. Be2 Par Score 6 The conservative play, 11. Qe2, not
allowing capture of the g2-pawn, rates only 4 points part credit. With three pieces in the field to Black's one queen, White should not be counting pawns or trading queens.
11. … Nf6
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76