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Active or Passive Play

Going over the games from Biel 2007, I came upon this position from Round 3 between Van Wely and Motylev. Van Wely was not in a favorable position with his bishop pinned and black's rook on the second rank. His prospects lay with his two connected rooks. Here's a case where black could have opted for a simple defensive move like 33...e5, protecting the D pawn but blocking his bishop that could be actively played instead. So, Motylev had to decide between defending passively or defending actively. Either way, he's got a good game going. See how Motylev crashed into Van Wely's position for the win...

Comments


  • 6 years ago

    chessiq

    I saw the position and all I could think of was Mate (by Black)... but there was no mate, just winning a piece. Thanks for sharing!

  • 6 years ago

    SonofPearl

    Nice commentary, thanks.  I tend to think of safety first, and probably choose passive defense more than I should.  I guess the lesson is to CONSIDER active moves.
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