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Chess 2

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Valerij Dragicevic
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28 views

Chess 2

chess

Uploaded by

Valerij Dragicevic
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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These examples will show the practical application of

the principles previously enunciated. The student is

warned against playing pawns in preference to pieces

at the beginning of the game, especially pawn to

Rook's third, which are moves very commonly

indulged in by beginners.

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8. Traps

I shall now give a few positions or traps to be avoided

in the openings, and in which (practice has shown)

beginners are often caught.

There are a good many other traps - in fact, there is a

book written on traps on the chess board; but the type

given above is the most common of all.

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Chapter 2

Endgame Principles

We shall now go back to the endings in search of a few

more principles, then again to the middle game, and

finally to the openings once more, so that the advance

may not only be gradual but homogeneous. In this way

the foundation on which we expect to build the

structure will be firm and solid.

9. A Cardinal Principle

In the position shown above, White can draw by


playing 1.b4 according to the general rule that governs

such cases, i.e. to advance the pawn that is free from

opposition. But suppose that White, either because he

does not know this principle or because he does not, in

this case, sufficiently appreciate the value of its

application; suppose, we say, that he plays 1.a4. Then

Black can win by playing 1...a5, applying one of the

cardinal principles of the high strategy of chess:

A unit that holds two.

In this case one pawn would hold two of the

opponent's pawns. The student cannot lay too much

stress on this principle. It can be applied in many

ways, and it constitutes one of the principal weapons

in the hands of a master.

The example given should be sufficient proof. We

have given a few moves of the main variation after

1.a4.

10. A Classical Ending

In this position White's best line of defence consists in

keeping his pawn where it stands at h2. As soon as the

pawn is advanced it becomes easier for Black to win.

On the other hand, Black's plan to win (supposing that

White does not advance his pawn) may be divided into

three parts. The first part will be to get his King to h3,

at the same time keeping intact the position of his


pawns. (This is all important, since, in order to win the

game, it is essential at the end that Black may able to

advance his rearmost pawn one or two squares

according to the position of the White King.)

It is in this analytical way that the student should try to

learn. He will thus train his mind to follow a logical

13

sequence in reasoning out any position. This example

is excellent training, since it is easy to divide it into

three stages and to explain the main point of each part.

The next subject we shall study is the simple

opposition, but before we devote our time to it I wish

to call attention to two things.

11. Obtaining a Passed Pawn

When three or more pawns are opposed to each other

in some such position as the one in Example 24, there

is always a chance for one side or the other of

obtaining a passed pawn.

In this position the way of obtaining a passed pawn is

to advance the centre pawn.

Now if it had been Black's move, see this example:

14

12. How to find out Which Pawn will be First to

Queen

When two pawns are free, or will be free, to advance


to Queen, you can find out, by counting, which pawn

will be the first to succeed.

In this position whoever moves first wins. The first

thing is to find out, by counting, whether the opposing

King can be in time to stop the passed pawn from

Queening. When, as in this case, it cannot be done, the

point is to count which pawn comes in first. In this

case the time is the same, but the pawn that reaches the

last square first and becomes a Queen is in a position

to capture the adversary's Queen when he makes one.

The student would do well to acquaint himself with

various simple endings of this sort, so as to acquire the

habit of counting, and thus be able to know with ease

when he can or cannot get there first. Once again I

must call attention to the fact that a book cannot by

itself teach how to play. It can only serve as a guide,

and the rest must be learned by experience, and if a

teacher can be had at the same time, so much the faster

will the student be able to learn.

13. The Opposition

When Kings have to be moved, and one player can, by

force, bring his King into a position similar to the one

shown in the following diagram (see Example 26 for

more), so that his adversary is forced to move and

make way for him, the player obtaining that advantage


is said to have the opposition.

Notice that the Kings are directly opposed to each

other, and the number of intervening squares between

them is odd - one in this case.

The opposition can take the form show above, which

can be called actual or close frontal opposition; or this

form:

which can be called actual or close diagonal

opposition.

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