Elementary Tactics (part 2)

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. The following diagram illustrates several possibilities of this kind. White, on the move, can play 1. Q-g5, attacking for the second time the pawn on g7 that is only protected once. The threat, however, is not only to win a pawn, but to win the game, because by taking the pawn with the Queen, White would checkmate Black's King.

The only defense at Black's disposal is p-g6, but this move helps only temporarily. White can force the mate within a few moves in different ways. One would be the following:

2. N-h6+ K-g7

If the King goes to h8, White mates by Q-f6.

3. Q-f6+ Kxh6
4. B-g5+ K-h5
5. h3

and the mate through g4 cannot be protected. Another way would be:

2. Q-h6 gxf5
3. B-f6

and the mate through Q-g7 cannot be protected.

The above position also enables another mating attack for White, demonstrating the possibility of mating with Bishop and Knight in the middle of a game, which occurs more often than one would think. White can play 1. B-f6 instead of Q-g5 as suggested above. Black can not take the Bishop because White would continue Q-h6 with Q-g7 mate. Neither can Black play P-g6 because then White would mate right away with N-h6. White can force the latter mate with Knight and Bishop even if Black does not move the pawn to g7 but makes some other indifferent move, such as Qxc2. White would then make the surprising move Q-h6, allowing Black to take the Queen. In doing so, however, Black again enables the mate N-h6.

The only move that Black could try in answer to 1. B-f6 is h6, preventing the Queen from occupying g5. Now Qxh6 would not be feasible because after gxh6, White does not mate with Nxh6, because the square h7 is now open to Black's King. However, White wins easily through 2. Nxh6+. If Black takes the Knight, White mates with Qxh6 and Q-g7. If Black does not take the Knight, but plays K-h7, White goes back with the Knight to f5, again threatening Q-g5 and Qxg7. 3. ... R-g8 is of no avail, because 4. Q-g5 threatens mate of h5 which can only be prevented by either g6 or a move with the Rook, after which White mates by either Q-h6 or Qxg7.

It remains to show some examples of the cooperation of Rooks with other pieces. The following diagram shows one of the positions in which the beginner is frequently caught.

White plays 1. Q-h5, and if Black makes an indifferent move he mates through 2. Qxh7+ Kxh7 3. R-h5. Black could try to defend himself with 1 ... g6. White can then continue with 2. Q-h6 and again Black cannot make an indifferent move such as d6 for instance, because White would have another mate in two moves:

3. R-h5 (threatening Qxh7) gxh5
4. Q-f6#

More frequent than the mate with Rook and Knight shown above is one which usually occurs in the end game and which is illustrated in the following diagram.

White plays N-f6+ and Black can not move the King into the corner because the Rook would mate him on h7. After K-f8 White draws the game through perpetual check; for after 2. N-h7+ K-e8 3. N-f6+ the King must go back to f8 because on d8 he would be mated by R-d7. Therefore, White can check the King indefinitely on h7 and f6.

An example for the cooperation of Rook and Bishop is shown in the following diagram.

White plays B-f6, and there is no way for Black to prevent the mate threatened through R-h3 followed by R-h8. It is clear that the force of the Rooks will increase as the board gets emptier through the exchange of men because they will then find more open lines to act in. One of the most important lines for Rooks to occupy is, especially in the ending, the one in which most of the attackable pawns of the opponent are standing, that is in the majority of cases the second or the seventh rank respectively. If both Rooks cooperate with each other in this rank they usually decide the victory within a short time.

Following is an example taken from a master game. As far as the material is concerned, the players are about even. The Queen is worth as much as the two Rooks, while Knight and Bishop are an approximate equivalent of the Black Rook and the pawn which Black is ahead. The pawn on a4 is rather dangerous for White because he needs only three more moves to reach the first rank where he can be promoted into any piece. On the other hand, the doubled Rooks on the seventh rank give White so strong an attack on the Black King that he forces the mate before Black succeeds in realizing the advantage of his advanced passed pawn.

It is White's move. If Black's Queen did not protect the pawn on f7, White would be able to give a mate in five moves:

1. Rxf7+ K-g8
2. Rxg7+ K-h8 (not K-f8 because Rc7-f7 mate)
3. Rxh7+ K-g8
4. R-g7+ K-f8
5. N-g6#

White will try to block the diagonal on which the Queen defends the threat, and he can do so by 1. N-d5. Black being unable to keep f7 protected must defend g7 or h7, or he will be mated. In the game, Black played 1. ... Q-a1+ 2. K-g2 a3. After 3. Rxf7+ K-g8, it would not be good for White to take g7, giving up the two Rooks for the Queen, because he would then have no more attack while Black still has the dangerous pawn on the a file. If possible, he will interrupt the diagonal of Black's Queen again by 4. N-f6+. After gxf6, White's Rooks are free to act unhindered on the seventh rank. White forces the mate through:

5. R-g7+ K-h8
6. Rxh7+ K-g8
7. Rh7-g7+ K-h8
8. B-f5!

Now R-g4 is threatened followed by R-h7 mate, and Black has no defense.

In the opening and middle game, the main threat of a Rook is the pinning of a hostile piece. An example is illustrated in the following diagram.

Suppose Black plays N-g4 to save his Knight on f6 that White has just attacked by moving his pawn to e5. After 2. h3, he takes the pawn on e5 with the Knight on g4. White wins a piece by:

3. Nxe5 Nxe5
4. R-e1

This move pins Black's Knight to his square because the King would be exposed to White's Rook if the Knight moved. 4. ... d6 or Q-e7 is not a sufficient defense, because White continues with 5. f4.

Besides the Rooks, pieces that can be used for pinning a hostile man are the Queen and the Bishops. In fact, pinning is the main activity of a Bishop throughout the game. Right after the first few moves, one of the Bishops finds an opportunity to pin a hostile Knight. For instance:

1. e4 e5
2. N-f3 N-c6
3. B-b5

As soon as the pawn on d7 moves to make way for the Bishop on c8, the Knight c6 is pinned. Or:

1. d4 d5
2. N-f3 N-f6
3. c4 e6
4. B-g5

The Knight f6 is pinned because the Queen would be lost if the Knight moved. The disadvantage of having a piece pinned is often that the opponent might be able to concentrate more men to attack the piece that is pinned than can be gathered for defense. The following diagram will serve as an illustration.

Two of Black's men are pinned: the Knight on f6 and the pawn on e5. White can take advantage of both pins. The pawn on e5 is attacked twice and defended twice. White cannot take the pawn right now because he would lose the Knight and Rook and would only get a Knight and pawn in return. However, he can win the pawn by playing 1. d4. This attacks the pawn for the third time and although Black can defend him for the third time with R-e8, the defense is not serviceable as Black would lose pawn, Knight and Queen for pawn, Knight and Rook.

Playing e4 in answer to d4 would not help either because on e4, the pawn is attacked twice and protected only once. The Knight on f6 can not be counted as protection because he is being pinned by the Bishop on g5. All White needs to do is to take the Knight on f6 first, and then capture the pawn on e4.

What if Black takes the pawn with Bishop or Knight after White plays d4? This is possible because the pawn on d4 is protected only by the Knight on f3 and the Queen. This combination would be correct if the Bishop on d7 were sufficiently protected. As it is now, White wins a piece in the following way:

1. d4 Bxd4
2. Nxd4 Nxd4
3. Qxd4 exd4
4. Rxe7 Pxc3

Up to this move, an even exchange of pieces has taken place, but now Black loses the Bishop which is attacked by White's Rook, because White can remove the Knight that protects the Bishop:

5. Bxf6 gxf6
6. Rxd7 etc.

Instead of playing 1. d4 and taking advantage of the fact that the pawn on e5 is pinned, White can direct his attack against Knight on f6 that is pinned. He can play 1. N-d5 and attack the Queen and also attack the Knight on f6 for the second time. It will not be clear to the beginner that White can derive any advantage from this double attack, as Black can answer either Q-d6 or Q-d8 keeping his Knight twice protected. Indeed, White does not gain anything on f6, the square itself upon which the pin is effected, but he uses the pin to force an opening into the chain of pawns that protects Black's King by exchanging on f6, forcing Black to retake with the pawn on g7.

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