12-year old Magnus Carlsen’s amazing queen sacrifice

Attack is one of the most important and essential skills in chess. You cannot win a chess game if you cannot attack. But many chess players don’t know where to attack and how to start an attack. The right plan is required to deliver a proper and successful attack.

Even the first undisputed world chess champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, used to say that “Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack.”

Today our guest coach CM Tryfon Gavriel has prepared a very instructive video lesson for you. In this video, he will show you a great game played by the 12-year old Magnus Carlsen, where the current World Champion had delivered a successful attack with an amazing Queen sacrifice.

Suggestion: you may also like to see Magnus Carlsen’s immortal chess game!

You’ll also learn about the following in this lesson:

• Flexibility and coordination of your pieces
• Manoeuvring
• Importance of the space advantage
• Power of the queen-bishop battery
• Pawn breakthrough
• And lots more

Watch the YouTube video by CM Tryfon Gavriel

Author information

Tryfon Gavriel is a FIDE Candidate Master (CM) with a rating of 2170. He has over 35 years of playing actively both online and offline.
He won the Lloyds Under-18 national UK tournament in 1989, and was awarded with the trophy by Grandmaster and PHD Mathematician Dr John Nunn. He also played twice in the main British Chess Championship.

P.S. Did you enjoy watching the game? What is your impression about Tryfon’s lesson? Feel free to write your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

Typical double attack scenarios Part-2

This is the second part of the article about the typical scenarios of the tactical motif in chess, which is called Double attack. If you have missed the first part, you can find it here.

Practical example 2

Black to Play.

How do you evaluate this position? At the first glance, the position looks a little better for Black, because White has weaknesses in his pawn structure.

Have you spotted that the Rook on b1 is unprotected? It is difficult for someone to discern this immediately. In any case, the game continued in a forcing way: 41…Nh2 42.Rf2 Nxf3+ 43.Rxf3

Perhaps you can spot a very obvious double attack now. The Bishop captures on e4 and both of White’s Rooks are hanging. Black makes this move in the game and White resigns instantly.

Conclusions

1. The double attack is the most common and one of the most powerful tactical weapons in chess.

2. We have three different scenarios:

• Scenario 1: One White’s piece attacks two Black pieces.
• Scenario 2: One White’s piece attacks the King and another White’s piece attacks the opponent’s unprotected piece.
• Scenario 3: Last, but not least, the White’s Queen is threatening checkmate and another unprotected piece.

First, we must understand deeply the three main scenarios and then try to apply them in practice. Usually the practical examples are little more complicated, but if you have understood them then everything will be clear to you and you will gain a lot of wins.

Practice – exercises

Exercise-1
White to play

Exercise-2
Black to play

Exercise-3
White to play

Exercise-4
Black to play

Exercise-5
White to play

After calculating all possible variations, you’re welcome to check the solution in the PGN files here.

P.S. Did you manage to find the right solution for all the exercises? Did you like this two-part article? Feel free to write your thoughts and comments below.

Typical double attack scenarios in chess

Vasily Smyslov, a Russian Grandmaster and former World Chess Champion (from 1957 to 1958) used to say that in chess, we have four strong weapons. These are:

• The check,
• The double attack,
• The pin,
• The unprotected pieces.

I hope that the first weapon (the check) is a pretty straightforward idea. You should attack the King in order to checkmate him.

In many cases, the King or other pieces can run away from a threat. For example, we attack a Bishop and he moves away. We attack him once again and he escapes the threat one more time! Therefore, we need a stronger attack. This stronger technique is the double attack.

Double attack and its scenarios

When we attack two of our opponent’s pieces with one our piece, we call it a double attack. We have three possible scenarios.

Scenario 1
In the above diagram, we can see that White’s Queen is attacking both the Black’s Knights. Black can save only one of the Knights, but not both at the same time. The Black’s pieces are unprotected.

Suggestion: you may also like to learn about the tactical motif “Knight Fork”. 

Scenario 2

In the above diagram, Black’s Queen from the b6-square is threatening the White’s King on g1 and the White’s Bishop on b2. Please note that this scenario is a little different from the previous one because we are threatening the King. The attack on the King is a very powerful and forcing method.

In scenario 1, Black can choose which of the two Knights he would like to keep on the board. Probably he will choose to save the Knight that is closer to his King. In scenario 2, White should protect his King and, after that, Black can capture the Bishop.

Scenario 3

Scenario 3 is a combination of the first and second scenario. Here, we can see the idea. White’s Queen is threatening to checkmate on h7 and the unprotected Rook on a8. Black is forced to protect the h7 square, so he will lose the Rook on a8.

Note: usually it’s the Queen that performs the attack in this third scenario.

These are the three main scenarios of the double attack. If we are lucky, these may appear in our games and we can find them easily.  In most cases, however, the chess game is little more complicated. Perhaps 1-2 forcing moves will happen and then we should see the double attack. Or a double attack will be combined with another tactical motif.

Practical example 1

White to play

In the first practical example, we can spot the unprotected Rook on e7. If we attack this Rook with the move Knight to f5, then it will escape, for he can move somewhere else. As the great American player used to say, “Chess is time”. By this, he meant that we may have a plan but the opponent has his own plan, too.

Here is a practical tip for you. If you would like to win some time, then you should attack the King! So here White plays the best move – Queen to f6. This is a double attack on the King and the e7-Rook. Black moves his Queen to g7, what else does he have?

So we can see the updated position in the diagram below. It is White’s turn. Will White capture the rook as he had planned to one move ago?
Of course not! Do you remember the anti-blunder technique? Before making a move, we should ask ourselves: “What is my opponent’s threat?” With his last move, Black is threatening checkmate on g2. This happens accidentally. Black hasn’t planned it ahead, as he was forced to cover his King.

Suggestion: Get the FREE course “Quick success in chess”, optimize your chess training and speed up your progress! 

When we play a chess game, and especially a blitz game, we have this passion – to make quick moves – and if we find a good idea, we feel great and are impatient to perform it as soon as possible.

Now we are in a relaxed mood because our clock is not ticking, so let’s think about this position once again. White would like to capture the rook on e7 but cannot do so right now. White should win time. How can we win time? Of course, this can happen by giving a check.

Therefore, White plays the best move, Queen to h4. Black is forced, once again, to cover his King, and then White captures the Rook on e7.

<<TO BE CONTINUED>>

P.S. Was this article useful for you? If you have some chess friends who are beginners, you may share this information with them – it can be very helpful for them. 

How to evaluate a position at the various stages of the game?

If we want to better evaluate different positions of the chess game, we would consider a lot of various factors such as development, material and positional advantage, pawn structures, weaknesses, tactics and so on.

However, in some cases, you might be a pawn up (or have some material advantage) but yet, your opponent has the initiative or better pieces’ coordination or vice versa. Have you ever been in such situations? 

If so, here is my question to you: how do you evaluate the positions, when the regular factors for the evaluation don’t help?

Remember, if your evaluation of the position is wrong, then you will choose the wrong plan to continue the game and you’ll end up playing the wrong moves. Therefore, the evaluation of the position in a correct way is very important.

That’s exactly what we’ll see today – our guest coach IM Alex Kundin has prepared a very instructive video lesson for you on this topic. In this video, he will teach you how to evaluate the position during of the different stages of the game. You can watch the video lesson below:

VIDEO LESSON ON YOUTUBE

Author information

Alex Kundin is an International Master from Israel with a current FIDE rating of 2323.
He is a former Europe youth champion and an experienced chess coach. He has an extensive knowledge about chess openings

P.S. If you enjoyed watching the video lesson, please share it with your friends. Also feel free to write your thoughts in the comments area below. 

How to use your rook effectively?

The most commonly misunderstood piece in chess is the rook. Many players have real problems with their rooks and don’t know how to play with them.

Today, IM Vangjel Buli has prepared a new text lesson for you. He will teach you with an illustrative example – a game he played in the Accelerated Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defense. There is one famous Russian rule about rooks – find all the reasons why you should place one rook on an open file and then move the other rook!

Let’s imagine that we have two rooks, one on f1 and the other on a1. Let’s imagine that we have only one open file, the e-file. We should think hard and find reasons for deciding which rook we should move to e1.

If we decide to place the f1-rook there, then we should bring the other rook, the a1-rook, to e1! This is a very well-known rule and it is useful in practice. What I’m trying to say is that some rook moves are mysterious. But after this lesson, you will understand clearly how to play with rooks.

The rooks should go to open files. I hope this is very clear to you.  What can we do if there is no open file in the position? How should we place our rooks in this situation?

V. Buli – H. Xhakoni [B35]

16.07.2016

White to play

White has finished the opening tasks and developed all of his pieces. How should he play now? This is the critical moment for White because he has a lot of options. Should White play f4, or Nd5, or capture on c6, or develop the queen with Qd2, or play something else?

The position is about equal and has good potential for both sides. Please think for 3-5 minutes from White’s point of view and try to find the best move for White.

11.Re1! We should place the rooks on open files, when we have open files. As the game proceeds, it is possible to exchange some pawns or to exchange some pieces. If we exchange some pawns, then one file can open. Similarly, we can exchange some pieces and then we can have an open file that way.

Usually in the Accelerated Dragon variation, White castles on the queenside and, after that, prepares the attack on Black’s kingside. In this particular variation, Black forces White to castle short. White cannot attack Black’s monarch, so he needs to play in the center. The most typical move for White is to play the knight to d5. If Black exchanges this central knight, then White will recapture with the e-pawn and we will have a semi-open file there.

This is the key to the position! White wants to put pressure on the semi-open e-file and, more specifically, on the backward pawn on e7.

Before placing the knight on d5, White is preparing this plan with the mysterious move Re1. This move is connected with all actions in the center. White is planning ahead and trying to coordinate all of his pieces in order to open a file for his rooks.

Suggestion: you may like to see the video lesson “Magical Chess Rooks” by GM Levan Aroshidze.

11…Rac8 12.Qe2!? White intends to bring the rook to d1; for that reason, 12.De2 is a simple evacuation 12…Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Bc6 14.Rad1 b5

White to play

Black cannot capture the e4-pawn because the pawn on d6 is falling. You can see that clearly in the following variation:

14…e5? 15.Be3 Bxe4 (15…Nxe4?? 16.Nxe4 Bxe4 17.Bd2+- Black loses the bishop) 16.Rxd6 Bc6 17.Red1. White takes control of the d-file and has more active pieces

.

15.Nd5 Bxd5

The idea for Black is to take on d5 with the bishop and then to exchange the bishop on g7 with that of his opponent on d4, in order to enter into the ending with a good knight vs bad bishop on b3.

16.exd5

Black to play

Now we can clearly see what the aim of the mysterious rook move was. White has strong pressure on e7, the bishop pair and a more promising position.

16…Rfe8 17.c3 Nd7 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Rd4!

Black to play

If we compare the White and Black rooks, then we can see that White’s heavy pieces are much more active. Black pieces, including queen and rooks, are not standing well, have no active role, and possibly need to defend the e7-pawn in particular.

Suggestion: learn how to use an open file in chess now.

By contrast, White’s heavy pieces are very active, control a lot of space and are now ready to jump into the attack. Black’s king is not well protected. Black manages to exchange the dark-squared bishops in order to achieve a good knight vs bad bishop on b3, but now he will pay the price. The dark squares and the fianchetto formation are really weak.

White uses his positional advantage to transfer his heavy pieces to the kingside and start attacking there. His plan is to play the queen to d2 and the rook to h4.

19…Nf6 20.Qd2 Rc7 21.Rh4! h5 22.g4!

Black to play

We place the rooks on open files or try to open files for them. With his last move, White is trying to open files against the king. White would like to exchange some pawns and open files for the rook on h4.

22…Rh8 23.g5 Nh7 24.Qd4+! f6 25.gxf6+ Nxf6 26.Rhe4!

Black to play

Tactics serve a good strategy. Black’s knight is pinned, so White uses this fact to transfer the rook to the semi-open e-file and press the weak e7-pawn.

26…Kf7 27.Re6 Qb6 28.Qf4 Qb8 29.Bc2 Rg8 30.Qg5 Rg7 31.R1e3 1-0

White uses the rook lift technique. Another common way to develop the rooks is to transfer them in front of pawns. We can do that by moving the rook from the first to the third rank. We can see now that the rook is very active and ready to go to f3, in order to pin the knight, or it can go to g3 and put pressure on the g6-pawn. Black resigns.

Conclusion

1. You can put your rooks on open files.

2. You should put your rook behind a pawn only if this file will be opened in the near future.

3. You can use the rook lift technique to transfer your rook to in front of your pawn.

Author information – IM Vangjel Buli

 

Vangjel Buli is an Albanian International Master. He started playing chess at eight years of age with the “Partizani Club” in Tirana, the capital city of Albania. He has been a junior champion, and with the Partizani team won a lot of team medals at junior championship level.

He went to Italy in 1994 because of political troubles in Albania and has studied hard, achieving Master, FIDE Master, and then IM titles. His FIDE ELO rating is 2406.

He has stopped playing professional chess in tournaments but is an instructive teacher in many chess clubs in Florence. He has helped a lot of players to become Masters or Fide Masters, so I’m sure his coaching can help you to improve your game.

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