Analyze with KIMPLODES! Early Black Pawn Sac Philidor's Defense
The acronym KIMPLODES aims to provide a way to analyze your games before asking a silicon chess god to provide ofttimes incomprehensible answers. This post examines three games where Black ends up in a slightly inferior version of Philidor's Defense, sometimes by transposition. In each Black then sacrifices a pawn to gain a lead in development. Following each game are some puzzles to test your memory retention and grasp of the basic ideas, including analytic lines.
Before we get to the meat of the matter, a brief introduction for those new to KIMPLODES! Or a refresher for those who haven't looked at this approach recently. For a slightly deeper summary of KIMPLODES! concepts than offered below you can click here. If you want a full blog on a specific topic, for example, E=Energy (a particularly complex topic), click the relevant link below.
M = Material Am I ahead or behind in material? The more insightful question is whether a material deficit or surplus matters.
O = Officers The minor pieces. Who has the better bishops and knights.
E = Energy Sometimes the owner of the pieces with less space enjoys tremendous latent energy, just waiting to explode in retribution for the opponent's audacity in trying to squeeze the other side.
S = Space/Squares Oversimplified, as pawns advance, they gain a spatial advantage, but frequently leave behind holes the other side will try to exploit.
Apicella, Manuel (2465) - Vaisser, Anatoli (2575) Cappelle la Grande 1994
The first of three illustrative games we will look at where Black sacs a central pawn on move four in an attempt to snatch a lead in development and turn that into a lasting initiative. We look at all three outcomes, starting with this e-mail game that led to an exciting draw. In all these games you will find Black focusing their initial efforts against the lone remaining central pawn, White's e-pawn. That may involve direct threats, or threats to remove defenders. If White is able to rearrange their pieces and play f2-f3 that is usually an indicator that things are going well for White. That pawn push never happened in this game.
Game summary:
A. The half-open e-file is often a critical aspect in whether Black can retain an initiative, particularly if the white king lingers too long in the center. And sometimes, if Black grabs too readily at an early opportunity to grab the e-pawn, that open file can rebound against them. As was seen in this game after Black's tenth move.
B. Sometimes it is best to bail out into a perpetual check.
Time to measure what you know with five quick puzzles:
How should Black continue if White puts the question to the bishop by pushing the h-pawn?
Find a good way to relieve some of the pressure on White's position, thereby decreasing Black's initiative.
What happens if White occupies the e-file with 12. Re1, expecting the pin to win?
Black just played 17...Bg6. How can White take advantage of Black's decision to save the bishop?
The game comes to a potential tipping point and Black wisely chooses to play the one move that maintains the balance.
Kosintseva, Tatiana (2441) - Yurtaev, Leonid (2552) RUS-Cup04, Samara, 2002.07.29
This game deviates from Apicella - Vaisser on move eight.
White did not take full advantage of her opportunities. And faltered in the face of some quite provocative play by her grandmaster opponent.
Game summary:
A. White's eighth move (Nd4) is a standard trick to indirectly protect the e-pawn. This is a case in which moving a piece twice in the opening is a good idea well executed.
B. On moves twelve and thirteen we witness White providing very strong support to the e-pawn by pushing the f-pawn forward one square to f3. But can also observe how Black created the pressure to "force" that decision and then took the opportunity to point at the new weakness along the c5-g1 diagonal by playing 13...Bc5.
C. On move fourteen White fell prey to what I am going to ascribe to a lack of imagination. They should have retreated the knight to d5, a square it had recently vacated. By playing 14. Ne3?! White blocked the e3 square for a future bishop placement. That led to a lack of coordination among white's pieces as they ended up on awkward squares.
D. Black's move 23...f5!? is risky and provocative. But White did not react entirely correctly thereby granting Black full compensation for the missing pawn.
E. Shortly after the first time control White missed a single tactic and Black was able to convert into a rather straightforward winning endgame because White's remaining pieces were huddled in a corner while even Black's king was able to activate.
Time to measure what you know with three quick puzzles:
Black just played ...Bc5, repositioning to a more active diagonal and creating a threat that sustains Black's slight initiative. This move contains a material winning trick if White foolishly responds with the most natural move and places their bishop on e3 in opposition. In the game, White did not find the best response. What should they have played?
In the game White played 25.g3, perhaps to prevent Black from bringing their queen to h4. What should White have played instead?
White just played g3, presumably to keep Black's queen from entering on the h4 square. The tragedy of one mistake. A mistake that undoes all White's efforts to this point. How did Black take advantage of White's mistake?
Mareco, Sandro (2591) - Tristan, Leonardo (2444) Bolivar op 4th, Buenos Aires, 2011.06.21
This game deviates from Kosintseva - Yurtaev on move ten.
Game summary:
A. In this game Black chose to exchange a bishop for a knight in order to double White's c-pawns and create pawn islands on the queenside. It also removes a defender of White's extra pawn, the e-pawn (is that redundant 😉). But Black's idea did provoke an inaccuracy from White who chose to place their queen on e3 to defend the c-pawn. White should have chosen to jettison that doubled pawn and focus on development. Instead, they placed their queen on a square where she offered some tricks to Black. But it was a blitz game, so White's mistake is somewhat understandable.
B. Have a plan!! Black seemingly played without a plan after move 21, shuttling their knight to and from the e6 square for their next four moves. And falling prey to a simple pin and double attack that was going to force the loss of an exchange.
Time to measure what you know with four quick puzzles:
What move allows White to blunt Black's initiative against the relatively weak e-pawn by preparing an eventual pawn structure change?
In the game, White clutched all their pawns close to their chest. What is a more dynamic way to play this position?
In the game White played the acceptable 17. Ng3. But there was a better square.
White can turn that pawn material advantage into a significant positional advantage. What did White play?
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy KIMPLODES! Human Analysis (2 games, 12 puzzles).
