Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership by Edward Lasker (reading fiction .txt) 📖

touch upon this matter at this time, as in many openings the player is confronted after the very first moves with questions in which the maintenance of the center-Pawn is the point at issue.

Following are a few examples:

Supposing White, after (1) P-e4, P-e5, plays (2) P-d4. Then Black is immediately threatened with the loss of his center-Pawn, which he cannot defend with P-d6 as after (3) Pxe5, Pxe5 White would exchange Queens and thereby deprive Black of the possibility of bringing his Rooks quickly into cooperation through castling.

(2) …, Kt-c6 is out of question too; not on account of (3) P-d5, which merely helps Black in getting his Knight over to the King’s wing via e7 and allows him to maintain his center-Pawn, but on account of (3) Pxe5, Ktxe5; (4) Pf4, which secures the control of the center for White and does not leave Black a chance to advance his Queen’s Pawn to d5 with the view of depriving White of his center-Pawn too.

For these reasons Black has no choice but has to play (2) …, Pxd4. True enough, Black gives up his center-Pawn with this exchange, but White cannot prevent P-d5 in the long run, so that he also loses his center-Pawn and has no advantage over Black in that respect. The following variations are typical for the line of play in cases of this kind. White tries to hold back Black’s Queen’s Pawn as long as he can, but finally Black enforces the advance.

 

I. (3) Qxd4 Kt-c6

(4) Q-e3

Now P-d5 is not possible because of Pxd5 check.

 

(4) … Kt-f6

(5) Kt-c3 B-e7

(6) B-d2 P-d5

Threatening to win a piece by P-d4.

 

(7) Pxd5 Ktxd5

Now White has no center-Pawn either; Black has a perfectly good game.

 

II. (3) Kt-f3 Kt-c6

Most players would be tempted to play P-c5 instead. But this must be bad as it is a Pawn move which is not necessary. Black does not need to defend the Pawn d4 as he is a Pawn ahead; and the development of the pieces is much more valuable than the advantage of a Pawn. White would obtain a far superior position with (4) P-c3, Pxc3; (5) Ktxc3, after which Black cannot hope ever to free his game by P-d5.

 

(4) Ktxd4 Kt-f6

It would be bad to exchange Knights on d4 because White’s Queen would be brought up into a dominating position from which she could not easily be driven away.

 

(5) Kt-c3 B-b4

This attacks again the Pawn e4. Relieving the pin by (6) B-d2 would be no protection as Black could exchange on c3 and then take the Pawn. Therefore, White must defend the Pawn with another piece. The Bishop f1, which has to be developed in any case, offers himself naturally for this purpose, but B-d3 is not possible as long as the Knight d4 has to be kept protected by the Queen. Hence, it is necessary first to exchange the Knight.

 

(6) Ktxc6 Pb7xc6

(7) B-d3 P-d5!

Again Black has succeeded in advancing his Queen’s Pawn against the opposing center-Pawn, and White cannot avoid the exchange. To advance to e5 would be against the principle that no Pawn-move should be made in the opening which is not absolutely necessary. How easily (8) P-e5 could get White into trouble can be seen from the following variation: (8) …, Kt-g4; (9) o-o, o-o; (10) Pf4 ??, B-c5+; (11) K-h1, Q-h4; (12) P-h3, Q-g3; (13) Pxg4, Q-h4 mate.

 

III. (3) P-c3

With this move White invites Black to lose time in winning a Pawn or two while the White pieces are rapidly developed. If Black accepts the Gambit [Footnote: A Gambit is an opening in which the sacrifice of a Pawn is offered for the sake of a speedy development of the pieces.] the continuation might be.

 

(3) … Pxc3

(4) B-c4 Pxb2

(5) Bxb2

 

or

 

(4) … Kt-c6

(5) Kt-f3 P-d6

(6) Ktxc3 or Q-b3 or o-o

In all of these cases White has by far the freer game and he remains in the possession of his center-Pawn. For this reason it is much more advisable for Black to decline the Gambit offered and to hasten his development by immediately advancing his Queen’s Pawn, thus:

 

(3) P-c3 P-d5!

(4) Pxd5

The advance of the King’s Pawn would be quite out of place, as it would not add anything to White’s development so that Black need not mind the loss of the move either which he sustains from the developing point of view in gaining a Pawn by Pxc3. The future development of Black is not any longer endangered as he has a Pawn in the center and an outlet for his Queen’s Bishop.

 

(4) … Qxd5

(5) Pxd4 Kt-c6

(6) Kt-f3 B-g4

(7) Kt-c3 Q-h5

and Black has, no doubt, the initiative.

If White, instead of playing (2) P-d4 as assumed in the above examples, advances his f-Pawn against Black’s center, Black has ample time to make all preparations necessary to maintain his center-Pawn, for White does not threaten Pxe5 as long as he is not protected against Q-h4+, followed by Qxe4. Black’s best move is apparently B-c5, so that he may be able to reply P-d6 to (3) Kt-f3 without blocking the way of the Bishop. On c5 Black’s Bishop is very disagreeable for White as he prevents his castling. The natural development of this opening would be about this:

 

(2) P-f4 B-c5

(3) Kt-f3 P-d6

(4) B-c4 Kt-f6

Although this move blocks the diagonal for Black’s Queen, making impossible a check on h4, it does not enable White to win a Pawn on e5, because (5) Pxe5, Pxe5; (6) Ktxe5 would be answered by Q-d4.

 

(5) P-d3 Kt-c6

(6) Kt-c3 B-g4

Black has one more piece developed than White on account of the Pawn move P-f4 which is a wasted move from the point of view of development, especially as White cannot very well castle on the King’s side and make use of the open f-file for his Rooks.

The two principles mentioned—namely the development of the pieces without unnecessary Pawn moves or other loss of time and the maintenance of a Pawn in the center—are a perfectly sufficient guidance in all King’s Pawn openings, as no particular difficulty exists for any piece to be developed to a favorable square. Even if Black tries to avoid the well-known openings which result from the reply (1) …, P-e5 by playing (1) …, P-e6 for instance, or (1) …, P-c5;, or, in fact, any other of the twenty possible first moves, White will find the right way to mobilize his men if he strictly adheres to those two principles and resists the temptation to institute an early attack. A few examples will show how simple the application of the principle is.

 

I. (1) P-e4 P-d5

This attacks White’s Pawn and White has to decide whether to protect, advance or exchange him. The advance P-e5 and the protection P-f3 are out of question because these moves are Pawn moves which do not contribute to the development and are, therefore, to be classed as mere loss of time. The protection (2) P-d3 is not sufficient either as Black, after exchanging on e4, would hamper White’s development by exchanging Queens so that White would lose the right of castling. The protection (2) Kt-c3 cannot be recommended as Black could deprive White of his center-Pawn and obtain one for himself by Pxe4, (3) Ktxe4; P-e5. For all these reasons White cannot do better than exchanges on d5.

At first sight this might seem a violation of the principles, as Pxd5 is a Pawn move which does not further the development of the pieces while Black, in retaking the Pawn, develops his Queen. However, as was already pointed out on several other occasions, the early development of the Queen is not desirable as she is sure to be exposed to the attack of minor pieces. Indeed, White obtains the better game through (3) Kt-c3, Q-a5; (4) P-d4 or (4) Kt-f3, followed by P-d4. Black cannot get his King’s Pawn up to the center [(4) P-d4, P-e5; (5) Q-h5] and in addition he is bound to lose some more moves with his Queen as soon as White has developed his Bishop to d2 threatening a discovered attack through a move with the Knight c3.

 

II. (1) P-e4 P-e6

With this move Black switches the center from the e-file to the d-file.

 

(2) P-d4 P-d5

Now White need not hesitate to protect his King’s Pawn with Kt-c3, for Black cannot, as shown in example 1, gain control of the center by exchanging on e4 and playing P-e5.

The advance (3) P-e5 cannot be recommended for the reason explained in example I. Of course, White, being a move ahead anyhow, can afford to make a Pawn move which does not exactly advance his own development, if that Pawn move hampers the development of the opponent to some extent. This would be the case after (3) P-e5, as Black could not develop his King’s Knight to the most natural square, namely, f6. However, the Pawns d4 and e5, though forming a strong center, as long as they are both in place, are liable to become subject to disagreeable attacks which Black can institute with P-c5 and P-f6, and if White cannot maintain his center, then the advance to e5 is mere waste of time.

 

(3) Kt-c3 Kt-f6

Again White’s King’s Pawn is attacked. The first continuation for White to think of would be (4) B-d3, developing another piece. However, Black can then simply exchange twice on e4 and play P-c5, so that White loses his Pawn center. P-e5 does not seem very good either. It does not lose any time, as Black too has to lose a move retreating with his Knight. But the latter is well posted on d7 from where he assists the contemplated advance P-c5 against White’s center. The best continuation is apparently (4) B-g5, which develops a piece and protects the Pawn e4 through pinning the Knight f6. After

 

(4) B-g5 B-e7

White finally has to either advance the King’s Pawn or exchange him. The latter seems preferable. The drawbacks to the advance have been discussed before. After the exchange White can develop his King’s Bishop to d3 where he is considerably better posted than the corresponding Black Bishop.

 

QUEEN’S PAWN OPENINGS

 

The same two leading principles apply to Queen’s Pawn openings which were discussed in connection with the King’s Pawn openings; but there is one great difference between the two kinds of openings which is not obvious to the beginner. This is the fact that in Queen’s Pawn openings, in most cases, neither player has a chance to open a file in the center of the board through the exchange of one of the center-Pawns, and that, therefore, an additional Pawn move is necessary in the opening stage to provide for an open file in which the Rooks later on may have an opportunity of entering the battle.

In addition, it is in most variations not easy to find a good place for the Queen’s Bishop without further Pawn moves, and it is here where the beginner is bound to err in the plan of his mobilization unless he has adequate instruction.

In trying to open a file for the Rooks it will be advisable—just as in the King’s Pawn openings—to aim at the same time at the clearing away of the opponent’s center-Pawn, and this can only be done by the advance of the c-Pawn. Therefore, it would mean loss of time if the Queen’s Knight were developed into the c-file before the c-Pawn has moved; the Knight would have to be moved away again in order to enable the opening of the c-file. This consideration furnishes the key for the understanding of the most popular Queen’s