Material Imbalances
The third chapter is a long one. It analyses the following games and themes:
Advantage of the exchange:
Svidler vs Timofeev, Russian Ch, Moscow 2009
Example of how to protect your material advantage and convert it into a win.
Studying moves 20 to 40. Peter Svidler is +2 material and playing for exchanges, but on move 26 he delays the pawn exchange. Timofeev pushes the b-pawn up the board and White threatens it with his Queen, prompting an exchange of Queens on moves 30/31. Ends in resignation on move 40, with White's connected rooks and connected d and e pawns outmatching Black's Rook and Bishop.
https://www.chess.com/games/view/13053559
Carlsen vs Ivanchuk, Foros 2008
Studying moves 19 to 46. At move 19 Magnus Carlsen is +1 material but in a tricky position. Carlsen loses his narrow material advantage, on the standard point count, but ends with a Rook to Knight plus two pawns, winning him the game by resignation.
https://www.chess.com/games/view/4431408
Rook vs Two Minor Pieces
Cheparinov vs Vallejo Pons, Dresden Olympiad 2008
https://www.chess.com/games/view/4462789
Studying moves 19 onwards, with Black up by one pawn, and an exchange of pawns on move 20. Attacks by White's Queen regain a narrow advantage for Cheparinov but Black responds by capturing another pawn with his Queen. When White resigns, Black has two pawns only one row away from promotion.
Bologan vs Caruana, Reggio Emilia 2009/10
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1566386
Piece for Three Pawns
Dmitry Kokarev vs Evgeny Najer, Ulan Ude 2009
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1555976
Studying moves 19 onwards
Vladimir Damjanovic (2440) vs. Vladislav Nevednichy (2505) Bucharest 1996
Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer, Rauzer attack, 7...a6 (B66) · 0-1
I bought this book because it is one of two middlegame books recommended by Hanging Pawns, and the easiest to read and learn. Hanging Pawns calls it a beginners book but there are plenty of ideas in it to benefit intermediate and advanced players up to 2000 ELO, and it is said that it covers 80% of what you need to know about middlegames.
(I didn't buy the other recommendation, but it is the more advanced book Grandmaster Preparation: Strategic Play by Jacob Aagaard which is the sequel to Jacob's Position Play book see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aGOCt4LaUQ ).
It is recommended to take the time to study the games in this book. As I find the games online I am posting them here as a study aid.
For a selection of games from the book see https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1039563
Interconnectedness
The subject is from the book Understanding Chess Middlegames by Dr John Nunn. The second chapter is called Interconnectedness and studies two grandmaster games and a game that was played by two young Russian prodigies:
These are:
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Jose Raul Capablanca, AVRO 1938
https://www.chess.com/games/view/29949
ChessNetwork review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPMXxcnzwfA
agadmator review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6DNg9_RnoA
#agadmator "In November 1938, a Dutch radio company AVRO organized and sponsored what was up to that time the strongest tournament ever held. AVRO (Algemeene Vereeniging voor Radio Omroep - literally the General Association for Radio Broadcasting) brought together the World Champion and every one of his major challengers.
It ran from the 6th to the 27th of November 1938 with the players based in Amsterdam and each successive round played in a different Dutch town.
This tournament schedule proved rigorous for the older competitors and Capablanca and Alekhine did not fare as well as might have been expected. In the end, Keres and Fine finished in joint first place with Keres declared the winner as a result of a better tie-break score. Mikhail Botvinnik vs Jose Raul Capablanca "A Thing of the Passed" (game of the day Feb-27-2016) AVRO (1938), The Netherlands, rd 11, Nov-22 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line"
Lubomir Kavalek vs Wolfgang Uhlmann, Manila Interzonal 1976
https://www.chess.com/games/view/249000
Ratmir Kholmov vs Eduard Sardarov, USSR Junior Team Ch, Riga 1954
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1353272
The chapter concludes "Strategic decisions such as giving up a bishop for a knight to double the opponent's pawns often have a long-term impact which affects the entire board and just looking at the short-term consequences may be insufficient to evaluate the decision. It's important to have a holistic view of middlegame play and to keep an eye open for unexpected connections on the chessboard."