How to Win in Positional Chess: Lines
Hello, and welcome to my 2nd post on winning in positional fashion! This series highlights acquiring large advantages by pouncing on opposing weaknesses (often supported by tactics). Last time, we discovered how one weak square propelled my opponent to find a potentially winning plan. You can read my first part here: https://www.chess.com/blog/EOGuel/how-to-win-in-positional-chess-squares.
In this post, we will highlight how I opened a file against my opponent and though my play was not perfect, I did convert my advantage into a win. If the other side is not prepared, open files in a middlegame can be very dangerous:
White had just played 20. Nf2? which is a big positional mistake. Stockfish likes Nc5, and even Ned2 is acceptable. Black plays 20... Bxf2! to expose the open f-file. White must take back with either the Queen or King. 21. Qxf2? loses the d3 pawn anyways, so White must recapture with the King. The game was not over yet, as there were missed opportunities by both of us, though like the last post, the source of my winning plan was the open f-file. Here is the rest of the game:
