How to master middlegames in chess

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C_H_E_S_STAR

Mar 17, 2010

Here is a question/answer post who is, i think, helping to understand the art of the middlegame! :)

Question 1:

CAN YOU NAME THE MIDDLEGAMES TACTICAL THEME THAT BLACK EMPLOYS IN THIS GAME?

Answer to question 1

- The theme use by Black here is: overloaded White Queen, which is defending both the g5-Bishop and the d4-Knight.

After that is equal as far as material is concerned, but leaves White with an inferior pawn structure and a clear disadvantage...

Question 2:

CAN YOU NAME THE MIDDLEGAME THEMATIC IDEA THAT BLACK CAN MAKE USE IN THIS GAME?

Answer to question 2:

In this kind of position, Black's play comes on the queenside while White's is clearly on the kingside. In general, you want to play where your space lies, and you shouldn't allow yourself to get distracted and lose sight of your correct plan.

However, sometimes opportunity knocks and allows you to stop your opponent's play before it gets started. Care must be taken, though, to avoid failling into the trap of reacting to the other guy's plans and, as a result, failling to futher your own. In the present case, Black is able to end White's Kingside ideas permanently, so the time taken to do so is very well spent.

DON'T FORGET TO READ COMMENT AFTER SOME MOVE IN THE EXPLAIN DIAGRAM

...Yes, you should usually play on the side where your strength lies. But if you can take a few moves off and permanently stop your opponent's plans, then don't hesitate to do so!!

Question 3:

White appears to stand better due to his pressure against d5, the possibility of a central advance by c2-c4, and the hole on e6. WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO MAKE USE OF THESE PLUSSES? AND DOES WHITE ACTUALLY HAVE A BETTER GAME HERE?

Answer of question 3:

This position (a type of French Defense pawn structure) is easy to assess incorrectly! Yes, White does indeed have pressure against d5 and e6 -though saying a square is weakened and finding a way to actually take advantage of it are often two different things - and also retains possibilities of playing c2-c4. These things are so obvious that no less a player than D. Bronstein (who play Black in this game example) completly mishandled the Black side while M. Adams (who play white in this game example) felt he had good chances for a slight plus here.

Then the game just continuated...

DON'T FORGET TO READ COMMENT AFTER SOME MOVE IN THE EXPLAIN DIAGRAM

Question 4:

WOULD 1. ...a5 BE A REASONABLE CHOICE FOR BLACK?

Answer for question 4:

Normally Black would not play a move like ...a7-a5 because it leaves him with a backward pawn on b6. However, once we give in to reality - which is that Black will end up with a weak pawn anyway due to White's plan of a4-a5xb6 - we find that Black's 1. ...a5 is actually quite logical since now White will be left with a weakness on a4!!

For those that still have doubts about 1. ...a5, just do the math: If white gets to play a4-a5 followed by axb6, Black will have a weakness on b6 while White's potentially weak a-pawn will be gone. However, after, 1. ...a5, White will have to nurse the weak a4-pawn for the rest of the game!!!

Question 5:

TRY TO ANNOTATE THE FOLLOWING MOVES:

Answer to question 5:

Black is regaining his piece and seems to be doing aa right. However, Larsen finds a nice way to turn the tables in his favor. the refusal to give in to the opponent's ideas and the endless search for the initiative are key components in great player's makeup!!!

...now let's see the moves annotated in a diagram:

DON'T FORGET TO READ COMMENT AFTER SOME MOVE IN THE EXPLAIN DIAGRAM

Question 6:

LET'S CONSIDER THREE MOVES FOR BLACK: 1. ...Qc7, 1. ...0-0, AND 1. ...a6

TWO OF THESE MOVES ARE PERFECTLY REASONABLE' WHILE ONE IS A MAJOR ERROR! WHICH ONE OF THESE MOVES WOULD YOU LABEL WITH A QUESTION MARK?

Answer to question 6:

1. ...a6?

is a very poor move, though it was played in the actual game, due to 2.Na4 since 2. ...b5 3.Bb6 picks up the Black Queen. In the game, Black answered 2.Na4 with 2. ...Qc7 when 3.Nb6-Rb8 4.Rac1-0-0 5.Rfd1 left White with a nice bind that he eventually turned into a win.

You have to be aware that every pawn move potentially weakens a square!!! So be careful and don't let your opponent's pieces leap into self-inflicted holes.

Question 7:

HERE BLACK WANT TO PLAY 1. ...c6 IS THIS A GOOD MOVE? AND IF NOT, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

Answer to question 7:

The passive 1. ...c6? is more or less a useless move (what purpose does it serve?). Black should have taken advantage of the fact that White's King is still in the center with 1. ...c5! When 2.dxc5-Qa5+ is fine for Black, and 2. d5-f5 3.Bd3-Qxd5 picks up an important pawn... Let's see

By starting a fight and challanging White's spacial plus in the center, Black assures himself of good play. A pointless move like 1. ...c6?, however, gives White to retain his advantage in territory...

Question 8:

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF 1. ...f4 IN THIS POSITION?

Answer to question 8:

Black did indeed paly 1...f4. .... By placing all his pawns on dark squares, Black will severely restricts White's Bishop. Indeed, it is hard to even develop it. The proble with this is that the Knight settles on e4. It is less useful than it might appear there, partly since too few others pieces co-operate with it and partly because although it is impregnable, it is also short of strong posts to head for.

DON'T FORGET TO READ COMMENT AFTER SOME MOVE IN THE EXPLAIN DIAGRAM

Question 9:

Here White has just blundered and is now apawn down with little, if anything, to show for it. SHOULD HE JUST RESIGN OU TRY A REAL RSISTANCE?

Answer to question 9:

After a blunder, its important to finding a way to create a real resistance!

In the actual game White decides to retain his two Bishops by 1.bd2, not appreciating that Black's Knight is stronger than either White Bishop!

.....just ofr fun, look now at the rest of the game....

Look now at another scenario:

Now, imagine that we trade Queens and Rooks (the more trades the better for white, since this cuts down on Black's attacking potential) in a hope of reaching various pawn-down drawn (bishop of opposite colour give often good draw chances!!!) position. Let's see an example of it...

Though White is a solid pawn down, the position is a dead draw. White's Bishop is stopping Black's majority in its tracks, and the White Bishop is also eyeing Black's pawns on the Kingside.

From now on, when all seems grim and Ghostbusters won't get the job done, try to create an opposite-colored Bishop situation and then hold on for dear life!

Question 10:

ANALYSE THIS POSITION AND ANNOTATE THIS MOVES: 1.Nxf6+-gxf6 2.Rxd2-h5 3.Rg1-hxg4 4.fxg4-Bc4 5.b3-Bxf1 6.Rxf1

Answer to question 10:

Black has just captured White's Queen on d2 and expects to achieve a very comfortable position after 1.Rxd2-Nxd5 2.exd5-Bd7. In that case, the d5-hole will be filled by a White pawn and the d6-pawn won't be backward any longer. The resultant position leaves White with no real chances on the queenside. However, Black will be able to generate some play on the kingside with a well-timed ...f7-f5 advance... To avoid this, white decided to chop on f6, keeping d5 open and the d6-pawn backward.

Now let's see the annotation in a diagram...

DON'T FORGET TO READ COMMENT AFTER SOME MOVE IN THE EXPLAIN DIAGRAM

rasnell

Apr 5, 2010

Thanks for taking this kind of time to help others.