Defence | The cultivation of freedom

Emmanuel Lasker’s ‘Manual of chess’ is a strange book. Lasker, writing in the 1920s or early 1930s, spends much of his time praising the theoretical contributions of the player he had overthrown in the 1890s, Wilhelm Steinitz: and in particular contrasting Steinitz’s idea that the game has a natural balance, which can only be disturbed by dubious play, with Lasker’s own less pure but more practical approach. If this is Lasker’s Oedipus at Colonus, it’s a very rueful one.

While characterising the everyday experience that Steinitz had to see beyond to reach his theoretical insights, Lasker (who I suspect knew a bit of Nietzsche and Freud) says one of the truest things I have ever read about the psychology of chess:

“The ordinary experience is rather that he who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively and more boldly than his antagonist who either takes it easy or aspires after too much; thus a slight disadvantage is very frequently seen to convert itself into a good, solid advantage”.

In each of the three games below, I am playing Black and have to do some defending. In this first game I always thought I was fine until I overreach at the end: in the second, I am lost after ten moves and rather outrageously escape: and in the third, it is my opponent who overreaches in a promising position.

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1. e4 {This was a league game for Pimlico.} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 {The Grivas or Godiva variation. It’s reasonably sound and little known. White’s practical problem in the Open Sicilian is that Black has at least ten reasonable setups by move 5 and they each have their own wrinkles. This one barely makes the top ten.} 5. Nb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be3 ({According to Grivas a more cunning move order is} 7. a3 {when Black should deter Bf4 by} 7... Qc7) 7... Qc7 8. a3 {This cuts out various Bb4 ideas and there’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not the most aggressive way of playing against this structure.} 8... a6 9. f4 d6 10. Be2 b5 11. O-O Be7 12. Qd2 {In the Scheveningen this move is usually played when White has deterred b5 by playing a4. Now that Black has got b5 in he is fairly comfortable.} ({In his book Grivas recommends} 12. Qe1) ({or} 12. Bf3) 12... O-O {Throughout the middle name that follows Black has to defend against White’s threats, but he can end up with a positional advantage. I was happy with my position.} 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Bf3 Rfd8 {Not the brightest of ideas.} 15. Qf2 Re8 16. g4 Rac8 17. g5 Nd7 18. Bg4 Bf8 19. Be2 {After five minutes’ thought and with some frustration.} 19... b4 20. axb4 Nxb4 21. Rd2 Qb8 22. Bd4 Nc6 23. f5 Nde5 ({It’s nice to seize e5, but I’m not sure why I didn’t play} 23... Nxd4) 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. h4 Qc7 26. Ra1 Be7 {A neat indirect defence of a6.} 27. Bb6 (27. Bxa6 {is met by} 27... Rf8) 27... Qb8 ({Not} 27... Qd7 28. Nc5) 28. Nd4 Rf8 29. Qg3 Nxd4 30. Bxd4 Nc4 {Black gets the two bishops after all, but White’s dark-squared bishop is the more valuable one.} 31. Bxc4 Rxc4 32. Qd3 Qc8 33. Rf2 e5 34. Rxf8+ Bxf8 35. Bf2 Qe6 ({the computer thinks Black is doing well after} 35... d5 36. Nxd5 Rxc2) 36. Kh2 Rc7 37. Nd5 Bxd5 {I realised Black’s bad bishop could become a problem but felt my initiative outweighed this.} 38. exd5 { [] Here my opponent offered a draw. But I felt the drift was in my direction.} 38... Qc8 39. c3 Rc4 40. Qh3 Qb7 41. Qe6+ Kh8 42. Ra2 (42. Qf5 {keeps more pressure.}) 42... Rf4 ({The computer thinks} 42... Qb3 {should win after} 43. Bg3 Qxa2 44. Qe8 Rxh4+ 45. Bxh4 Qxb2+ 46. Kg1 Qc1+ 47. Kg2) 43. Bg3 Rf1 {Now the position begins to swing against me. I had three minutes left plus increments; my opponent had four.} 44. b4 Qb6 45. Rg2 Rf3 46. Qc8 { [] } Qb5 {Losing.} (46... g6 {and the computer thinks it’s a draw}) 47. Rf2 {Seizing his chance.} 47... Rxf2+ 48. Bxf2 Kg8 49. Qe6+ Kh8 50. Qf7 {This was what I had missed.} 50... Qb8 {The last few moves were recorded inaccurately but roughly} 51. Kg3 e4 52. Bd4 Qd8 53. Kf4 Qe7 54. Bxg7+ {and I resigned.} *

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The second game was as Black against a somewhat lower graded player, but it didn’t look that way after ten moves.

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1. Nf3 {This was in the Public Service league for Pimlico but with analogue clocks at 75 minutes for 30 moves plus 15 minutes’ quickplay.} 1... c5 2. b3 d6 3. Bb2 e5 {Trying to shut White’s bishop out} 4. Nc3 (4. e3 {has been played, aiming to break up Black’s centre with d4.}) 4... g6 5. e4 Nc6 6. Bc4 Bg7 {The structure resembles some open games or closed Sicilians. Black’s pawn moves have left him behind in development, so he has to be careful.} ({Avoiding} 6... Nf6 7. Ng5) 7. h4 Bg4 8. Nd5 (8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. Ng5+ Qxg5) (8. Ng5 Bxd1 9. Bxf7+) 8... Nge7 {Not careful enough.. After moving I realised he was likely to have Ne3 in mind, a manoeuvre justified by Black’s loss of time on pawn moves.} (8... Nd4) (8... Nf6) 9. Ne3 {Now Black has some problems. I spent six minutes seeing the flaws in most of my options and then feeling rather glad to have found a good move.} 9... Qd7 {?? [] This manages to be worse than all the unsatisfactory alternatives. Black must defend or move the bishop, but there is nothing very appealing.} (9... Bxf3 10. Qxf3) (9... h5 10. Nxg4 hxg4 11. Ng5) (9... Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. Ng5 Qd7 12. Qg4 Nd8) (9... Bd7 {may be best.}) 10. Bxf7+ {This was a shock.} ({After making my move I got worried about something, maybe} 10. Nxg4 {which is also good for White:} 10... Qxg4 11. Bxf7+) 10... Kd8 {Black loses a pawn and the right to castle, and is about ten minutes down on time. But move 10 is too early to resign.} (10... Kf8 {looks worse}) ({Of course if} 10... Kxf7 {then} 11. Ng5+) 11. Bc4 ({If} 11. Nxg4 {Black can put up a fight with} 11... Qxg4 12. Ng5 (12. O-O) 12... Qxg2 13. Rf1 Bf6) 11... Rf8 {Deciding that the f file had better serve as my compensation.} 12. Be2 Bxf3 {Reluctantly giving the bishop pair to stop the tactical tricks.} 13. Bxf3 h5 14. c3 (14. g4 {might be met by} 14... Nd4) 14... Kc7 15. Qe2 {It’s natural to castle but it gives Black some breathing space.} ({I was worried about} 15. g4) ({The computer suggests} 15. g3 {followed by kingside castling, which deals with the f file pressure.}) 15... Rf7 16. O-O-O Raf8 {Now White will have to find a plan, which felt like progress on my part.} 17. Qb5 a6 18. Qe2 {Another small moral victory.} 18... Kb8 19. Nc4 Ka7 20. Qe3 b5 {Perhaps it would be better to avoid this as it might give White a target – Black’s best chance is to make it hard for White to make progress.} 21. Na3 Kb7 22. Nc2 Nc8 {This probably makes things worse.} (22... Qc7) (22... Rf4) 23. d4 cxd4 24. cxd4 Nb6 { [] }(24... exd4 {might be better.}) 25. dxe5 {So far White has played well, and it’s understandable that he wants to open some lines, but Black begins to get some resources.} (25. d5 {is probably better with a big advantage for White}) (25. Qg5 {also tightens the screw.}) 25... Bxe5 {In this position the knight is worth preserving because it will be annoying on e5.} 26. Bxe5 Nxe5 {Nxf3 is already a threat.} 27. Nd4 Qe7 {Putting the queen on two potentially useful diagonals. White misses his dark-squared bishop.} 28. Rh3 {White tries to hold the extra pawn, but the decentralisation of this and the next move is ominous.} 28... Rf4 29. Rdh1 {Black may now have enough to draw.} ({After moving I realised I had overlooked} 29. Nf5 {when Black can save the exchange with} 29... Qc7+ 30. Kb1 Rxf3 31. Rxf3 gxf5 {but} 32. Rxf5 {still looks good for White.}) ({The computer prefers} 29. Kb1) 29... d5 { [] I spent about eight minutes here and wasn’t sure what was happening, but this is an unpleasant move for White close to the time control.} (29... Ng4 30. Qd2) (29... Nxf3 30. gxf3 {would have been worth considering.}) 30. exd5 {My opponent wondered if this has been a mistake, but there may be nothing better..} (30. Ne2 Ng4) 30... Qc5+ {Another difficult choice on the time control, forcing an endgame where I start two pawns down.} (30... Qc7+ 31. Kb1) ({After} 30... Qa3+ {the computer likes White.} 31. Kb1 Nxf3 32. Rxf3 Nxd5 33. Qe5) 31. Nc2 {My opponent had five minutes more than me for the quickplay finish.} 31... Rc8 (31... Qxe3+ {is met by} 32. fxe3 ({not} 32. Nxe3 Nd3+)) 32. Qxc5 Rxc5 33. d6+ (33. Rd1 Nxf3 {is similar.}) 33... Nxf3 34. Rxf3 {At this point my opponent caught up with me on time.} (34. gxf3 {seems clearly worse to me as the h3 rook is terrible.}) 34... Rxf3 35. gxf3 Rd5 36. Rd1 Rxd1+ ({I had thought about} 36... Kc6 {and missed} 37. Nb4+) 37. Kxd1 { [] } Nd5 {An important move. Black’s knight is now very strong and the d6 pawn will fall, after which the endgame is no worse for me though there are pitfalls for both sides.} ({Not} 37... Kc6 38. Nb4+) 38. Kd2 (38. Ne3 Nf4 {should be drawn.} (38... Nc3+ {is riskier after} 39. Kd2 Nxa2 40. Nd5 (40. Nc2 {is interesting but can’t be bad for Black.}) 40... Kc6 41. Ne7+ Kxd6 42. Nxg6)) (38. Nd4 {can be met by} 38... Kc8 ({or} 38... Nf4 39. Kd2 Ng2 40. Kd3 (40. d7 {runs into} 40... Kc7 41. Ne6+ Kxd7 42. Nf8+ Ke7 43. Nxg6+ Kf6) 40... Nxh4) (38... Nc3+ {is too risky})) 38... Kc6 39. Kd3 (39. Ne3 Nf4 {looks like a draw.}) 39... Kxd6 40. a3 {With four minutes left, White starts to allow Black some slight winning chances.} (40. Ne3 Nb4+ {is all right for Black.} (40... Nf4+ 41. Ke4 {gives White some chances})) 40... Nf4+ 41. Ke4 Ng2 42. Nb4 a5 43. Nd3 Nxh4 {An outside passed pawn in a knight ending is usually dangerous. As the proverb reported by the weepy mystic and autobiographer Margery Kempe says, “He is wel blessed that may sitten on his wel-stool and tellyn of his wo-stool”.} 44. f4 Nf5 45. Ne5 Ne7 (45... h4 46. Nxg6 h3 47. Kf3 Nd4+ 48. Kg3 Nxb3) 46. Nf3 Nf5 47. Ne5 Ne7 48. Nf3 Nd5 49. Ne5 Nc3+ 50. Kd4 {White’s flag fell while making this move. This particular model of clock is rather treacherous as one can think one has a minute left when the flag falls: I once lost a won game this way and I think it may have affected Nigel Short when he lost on time to Kasparov at the start of their 1993 match. I think White should still hold though a brief post-mortem showed that it’s tricky, since Black can try to create another passed pawn on the queenside. My opponent was very gracious but I had to feel sorry for him.} (50. Kd3 {is safer.}) *

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The third game was a less radical peripeteia, but reasonably cathartic all the same:

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1. d4 {Played in the London League for Dulwich.I am playing Black.} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. b3 {There are various ways of rejecting the Benko. This isn’t one of the most highly regarded but I couldn’t remember what to do against it.} 4... e6 {This is a reasonable move against many of the sidelines in the Benko, and turns out to be recommended by both Aveskulov and Tay.} 5. g3 (5. dxe6 fxe6 6. cxb5 {is a bit like a Blumenfeld.}) 5... exd5 (5... bxc4 6. bxc4 ({perhaps better} 6. dxe6 fxe6 7. bxc4) 6... exd5 7. cxd5 {might be better because if the bishop then goes to b2 it will be vulnerable.}) 6. cxd5 Bb7 {The light-square bishop is often a problem piece in this Benoni structure. It might have been better to keep it on c8 and take the knight if it goes to h3. But I wanted to be ready to meet a4 with a6 and hoped the bishop’s pressure on d5 would be useful.} 7. Bg2 g6 8. Bb2 Bg7 9. e4 d6 { [] We reach a Benoni where Black has got b5 in before White has played a4. I liked the look of this but in the event it wasn’t easy to play. Most of my experience with this structure is with White and I may have played the black side too cautiously. Also, the b2 bishop is quite effective in neutralising Black’s g7 bishop, usually one of his main assets, and the omission of a4 arguably makes it harder for Black to generate queenside play.} 10. Nh3 {f2 is sometimes a good square for the knight in this structure.} 10... O-O {Here I noticed my clock wasn’t working and we replaced it with allowance for the time I had spent when it was stopped.} 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Re1 Re8 13. Na3 {This strange-looking move does keep the long diagonal and d file open, but the knight never recovers. I sometimes wondered about c4 bxc4 b4 to embarrass it further.} 13... a6 14. f4 Nb6 {Black deters the e5 break by attacking d5. But this leaves the queen short of good squares.} 15. Rc1 Rc8 {Planning Rc7-e7. But now I wondered if I’d allowed e5 dxe5 d6 which is an important trick in the Benoni, and spent quite a bit of time on the next two moves.} 16. Rc2 (16. e5 dxe5 17. fxe5 Nfxd5 {is good for Black though it wasn’t easy to be sure that the White couldn’t exploit the pin on the diagonal.}) 16... Rc7 17. Nf2 {The possibility of Bh3 further cramps Black.} 17... Rce7 18. Rce2 Qb8 {Here I couldn’t see any move that improved my position.} ({A move or so later I wondered if I should have played} 18... Nxe4 19. Nxe4 ({not} 19. Bxg7 {when} 19... Nxf2 {exploits the position of the knight on f2.}) 19... Bxb2 20. Rxb2 Nxd5) ({The computer suggests} 18... h5) 19. g4 ({About here I think I saw} 19. Qa1 {which the computer likes for White e.g} 19... Nbd7 (19... Nbxd5 20. Bf3) 20. Bh3 Qd8 {with strong pressure.}) 19... Qd8 {This manoeuvre may have won me the game as my opponent now overreaches.} 20. g5 ({Now if} 20. Qa1 {Black has} 20... Nbxd5 21. Bf3 Nxf4 22. Bxf6 Nxe2+) 20... Nh5 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 { [] Feeling, rightly in the event, that it was worth keeping the knight’s pressure on f4.} 22. f5 {I had been so focused on the e5 break that I had not considered this. Fortunately it isn’t good. I found a recent game by my opponent online where he’d won with this break in an exchange Gruenfeld, but here it’s too loosening.} ({If} 22. Qd2 {the computer suggests} 22... f5 ({I was considering} 22... Nxd5 23. exd5 Rxe2 24. Rxe2 Rxe2 25. Qxe2 Nxf4 26. Qb2+ Kg8 {but} 27. Ne4 {is strong.})) 22... gxf5 {I sensed my opponent had concentrated on other moves.} 23. exf5 ({The computer suggests} 23. Nh3 Kg8 {with an edge for Black, but this isn’t why White played f5.}) 23... Rxe2 24. f6+ Kg8 25. Rxe2 Nf4 {Keeping the e file.} (25... Rxe2 26. Qxe2 Nf4 {runs into} 27. Qe7 {when} 27... Qxe7 {loses to} 28. fxe7) 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 { [] White’s minor pieces are scattered and he cannot hold the d5 pawn. The Black king is safer than it looks; even if White gets the queen to h6 Black can often just play Qf8 or Qg6.} 27. Qg4 {White was already clearly worse, and now collapses.} 27... Nxg2 28. Kxg2 (28. Qxg2 Bxd5 {forces} 29. Qf1 {e.g.} 29... Qe3) 28... Nxd5 29. Kg3 Qe5+ 30. Kh3 {and having reached the time control White resigned. I hadn’t seen how to finish it but had in mind 30...Nf4+ followed by Ng6+ or Ng2+. The computer finds a forced mate after Ng6+ but even if Black doesn’t find it he should reach a good ending.} *

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