Attacking chess -- from my games.

This blog will feature interesting attacks ... with the opportunity to teach and explain the ideas, hopefully in a way that all players of all levels will be able to grasp these concepts.  

I already have a blog for cute mates, interesting tactics, etc. But this blog shall be different as it is much more general in nature and much broader in scope. 

Please read the comments after the blog ... especially my long one ... it will give you an idea of what I wanted to do with this blog, what I am trying to accomplish, what audience the blog is aimed at, etc.

Just a brief question: "What are the four elements of chess?" 
(Read on - & see the link given in the paragraph below.)  

This blog is supposed to be about the middle-game, tactics and attacking the King. But since so many people don't seem to have a clue of HOW to construct a good opening, I want to briefly cover these topics here. (As usual, my web pages are full of more information; click here to see ... 
... an article on this entire subject ... AND BE SURE ... to read ALL the pages!  
{The links - to the next page - are at the bottom of each of the pages.})    

The principles of the opening and middlegame! 

There are four basic principles of the opening: 

1. Control the center! (Every single move!!) 
2. Rapidly develop your pieces! (Towards the middle.) 
3. Protect the King, (always!) and castle early. 
4. Maintain the material balance - and keep control of all the vital squares. 

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Please click HERE to see some thoroughly annotated games.  FOR THE BEGINNER ... a lot of good material on the openings, many different openings are covered. If you don't have any opening books, you can learn a TON of stuff about the openings by carefully studying all the games on this website! 

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There are also four basic middle-game principles, use them like a checklist: 

1. Attack the King! (Look for immediate opportunities.) 
2. Look for play! (Pawn breaks & improve the position of your pieces.) 
3. Make and fixate on weaknesses. (Pawn structure.) 
4. Look for a transition to a favorable endgame. 

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  General Attacking "Rules of Thumb"  

There are some fairly well known ideas that will help you know when you can and when you should attack. It is most helpful - especially for the average player - to learn the various concepts that allows you to understand when you are able to launch a successful attack. 

BEFORE you can even learn to attack, you MUST master basic tactics and the fundamental mating positions. (More.) The best book - in this area - has got to be: "Practical Middlegame Techniques" by Dr. (IM) Danny Kopec. (One of the choices in my collection of the 25 best ever chess books!)   

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Some of the basic precepts that are conducive to a successful attack are:  

• A closed center is a good prerequisite for a prolonged attack. This is good to know, often if you try to sustain an attack, (In a more open position); your opponent can adequately respond by "blowing up the center." 
• A space advantage is usually a requirement for an attack. This is often misunderstood by an amateur who tries to attack from an equal position. 
• BOTH of the ideas - above - are a good formula for an attack. I.e., a locked/closed center and you have a pawn {fixed} at "King-five" or "Queen-five." (This equals an edge in space.)   
• You are able to open a file to your opponent's King. (This is simple, many times a lower-rated player gets the chance to attack - but blows it because he doesn't get his Rooks involved.) 
• Building on the previous nugget of wisdom, look for a chance to open a key line to your opponent's King ... either a file or a diagonal ... BOTH - if you can manage it! 
• Get as many pieces involved as possible in the attack - this is simple common sense. 
  (If you study the games of the great players, you will often see examples where all of their pieces are participating in a direct assault on the enemy King.) 
• Realize that (sometimes) ... it doesn't take much. My good friend, NM Moshe Khatena, who has beaten a number of GM's ... taught me that: "Three pieces equals mate." In other words, sometimes two pieces - and even a lowly Pawn or two - can lead to a checkmate against a poorly defended King. (When I first started playing one-minute chess, {some 20-30 years ago}; Moshe would beat me over and over again. When I tried moving super fast, Moshe took all my pieces or mated me. If I slowed down and tried to make quality moves ... I would lose on time.)
  THREE PIECES ... (Vs. the enemy King) ... OFTEN LEADS TO MATING OPPORTUNITIES!!! 
• Create a weakness in the Pawn structure around your opponent's King. There are many ways you can do this: exchange off defenders or cause your opponent to have to place a Pawn on a bad square. A good example of this is say that your opponent has a fianchetto'd Bishop (on the same side as his/her King) and you have castled on opposite sides. You swap off the Bishop near his King then push your Rook-Pawn and try to open a file leading to your opponent's King. Another way to create a weakness is attack one Pawn near your opponent's King, a Pawn that is one of the three in front of his King. Capa said that every time you have pushed a Pawn near your King, you have greatly weakened the King's protective pawn-screen. And don't stop at one pawn! If he moves one Pawn, maybe you can shift your attack and force your opponent to move yet another Pawn ... get the idea? 
• When possible, remove as many Pawns that are in front of your opponent's King, it often takes a sacrifice for this to take place. GM A. Soltis gave the formula that two PAWNS - plus a strong attack - is worth a piece. (Fixed: Feb. 13th, 2019. Thanks @Ammerbucher.) 
• Try to build your attack. Most lower-rated players attack with just a few pieces. The really great masters often get ALL of their pieces involved in the attack. 
• A highly disorganized position can often be exploited by a swift attack. I once saw a Russian GM at a tournament in Europe get a lightning attack from a seemingly tranquil and equal position. What the Russian GM realized was nearly all of his opponent's pieces were on bad squares and/or his opponent's pieces lacked harmony and did not work well together. 
• Follow the Alekhine Formula: Improve your position with every move! When you have a large advantage and can no longer improve your position, it is time to sacrifice and start your all-out attack! (more)
• There are MANY books on the middle-game, two I can recommend personally ... they helped me the most and I found them to be the highly instructive. The first is the one by GM Larry Christiansen: "Storming the Barricades." (Click here.) The second one is the one I would read first, especially if you are under 1800 - it helped me the most when I was a beginner - and that would be: "The Complete Chess-Player" by Fred Reinfeld. (Click here.) And this book covers ALL aspects of the game ... opening, middle-game and the ending!!! (100 stars.) 

Game Number One:  

• See my web page on the famous game between Bronstein and Ljubojevic for analysis of the whole of the "Four Pawns Attack." 
• Please be sure to check out the game - the machine analysis is posted there ... UN-edited.  
• Be sure to check out this game - for a look at a sharp attack as well. 
• Here is another game - (one I played at 3-2) with a similar opening.