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| Friday, March 27, 2009 |
Black's last move was Kt-e7, while Kt-f6, which protects the Pawn
h7 against future attacks, is generally preferable in any
opening.
White can now play Kt-g5, attacking the Pawn f7 for the
second time, as it is already attacked by the Bishop c4. The
student will, at this stage of his development, not yet know why
Black should be so anxious to defend the Pawn f7, considering
that he is a Pawn ahead so that the loss of a Pawn would only
equalize the forces but would not give White a material
advantage.
However, later on, when discussing the strategy of the
opening, it will become evident that in the position of the
diagram Black must, under all circumstances, defend the Pawn f7
as otherwise his game would soon become hopeless on account of
the exposed position of his King.
There are only two ways for Black to defend f7. One is to advance
the Queen's Pawn to d5, interrupting the diagonal of White's
Bishop; the other is to castle, so that the Rook procures the
second protection for the Pawn f7 which is needed. It would then
not be good for White to capture the Pawn because he would have
to give up Knight and Bishop for Rook and one Pawn, which is not
a sufficient equivalent.
Of the two ways indicated only the first one is feasible. For if
Black castles he gives White an opportunity to institute an
attack on the weak Pawn h7 with Knight and Queen against which
Black has no satisfactory defense. Play would develop as follows:
(1) Kt-g5 o-o
(2) Q-h5 P-h6
This is the only defense against the threat Qxh7 mate. But
White's Queen's move involved a double threat. It brought up a
third attack on the Pawn f7, and the latter now falls, forcing
Black to give up some more material.
(3) Ktxf7 Rxf7
Black has to sacrifice the exchange. If he moved the Queen, which
is attacked by the Knight, he would expose his King to a deadly
double check, viz.: (4) Ktxh6++, K-h8 or h7; (5) Kt-f7+
(discovered), K-g8; (6) Q-h8 mate. After giving up his Rook for
the Knight on the third move Black has a lost game, for as
explained in the previous chapter White can simply exchange all
pieces and force the win in the ending with his superior
material.
Another square which after castling on the King side is often the
mark of attack for the Queen in connection with either Knight or
Bishop, is the one immediately in front of the King in the
Knight's file. Diagram 26 illustrates several possibilities of
this kind. White, on the move, can play (1) Q-g5, attacking for
the second time the Pawn g7 which is only once protected. The
threat, however, is not only to win a Pawn, but to win the game,
for in taking the Pawn with the Queen White would checkmate
Black's King.
+---------------------------------------+
8 | #R | | | | | #R | #K | |
|---------------------------------------|
7 | #P | #P | #P | | | #P | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 | | #B | | #P | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
5 | | | #Q | | #P | ^Kt| | |
|---------------------------------------|
4 | | #Kt| | | ^P | | | ^B |
|---------------------------------------|
3 | | ^P | | ^P | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | | ^P | ^P | ^Q | | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R | | | | | ^R | ^K | |
+---------------------------------------+
a b c d e f g h
DIAGRAM 26 |
posted by neptunus @ 5:16 AM
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