All,
A neat number, which has a variety of intriguing points. First, is the
essential strategic factor of pawn-islands. In any end-game, the pawn structure
is of quintessential importance, specifically so in pawn-islands and the
coordination with one fellow compatriots. If pawn-islands are present, there
are more opportunity for enemy pieces to dance between the gaps.
Secondly, and more importantly, what may appear to be a positional advantage –
here, an outside passed-pawn – should always be weighed up against all the
other positional features of the position. Attempting to exert an apparent
positional advantage can be unwise, especially so, if the other positional
elements of the structure do not support that implementation. Exercising
patience to exploit alleged positional advantage is something that is not
easily compressed. Tempo, the balancing of a seemingly inactive position are
all truly challenging factors to overcome.
Enjoy!
[Event "Cleveland League matches 2019-2020"]
[Site "Middlesbrough, ENG"]
[Date "2020.02.10"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Ross, Chris"]
[Black "Gregory, Paul"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[Annotator "Chris Ross"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2020.02.10"]
[WhiteTeam "Thornaby Aces"]
[BlackTeam "Middlesbrough Knights"]
{E18: Queen's Indian}
1. d4 Nf6
2. Nf3 e6
3. g3 b6
4. Bg2 Bb7
{The old variation of the QID. More trendy now is 4... Ba6, although often,
this bishop will retreat to its financhettoed position in many variations.}
5. O-O Be7
6. c4
{White has deliberately waited to castle before playing c4, avoiding all BB4
potential pins. In that sense then, both sides are wrestling over the
e4-square. If white is able to push e2-e4 without contest, he would have
established a very strong pawn centre, cramping the black position
considerably.}
6... O-O
7. Nc3 Ne4
{Black begins to make a play for the e4-square. By occupying, black is
attempting to limit the white forces and prevent expansion. Although a common
enough manoeuvre, this does leave the black queen-side undeveloped. Since black
has his pawn formation on b6 and e6, the development of the queen’s knight is
not so easy. In many similar systems, black will attempt to force the pawn
structure in the centre before an outpost for the queen’s knight can be
established.}
8. Qc2
{Challenging the e4-square and also removing Nxc3 black tactics. White could be
threatening
9. Nd2 exploiting the pin along the long diagonal.}
8... Nxc3
{Although playable, this is less popular than the immediate reinforcing 8... f5.
By pushing the F-pawn to support the e4-square, black is effectively
transitioning the opening variation into a Dutch Defence. Black will then have
aspirations of king-side activity and a potential attack.}
9. bxc3
{The first structural difference in the pawn chain. White consolidates his
d4-pawn as this may come under attack by c7-c5. With the black dark-squared
bishop being on e7, ideas of Bf6 and c7-c5 to open up the Dragon diagonal are
all feasible. White also keeps control of the e4-square and aims to occupy it
with a prepared e2-e4. By recapturing on c3 with the pawn, white has another
future plan in mind.}
9... f5
{Black rushes to clamp down on the e4-square, transforming the structure now
into the Dutch defence. Which should be OK for black, but he is lacking in
development somewhat.
9... Nc6 with ideas of Na5 to target the loose c4-pawn only permit 10. Ne5 and
the pin along the long h1-a8 diagonal will be uncomfortable for black and only
white to occupy the centre with e2-e4.}
10. Nd2
{Once more, fighting for the e4-square. The retreat permits the exchange of the
light-squared bishops, but white figures that this will only weaken black’s
grip on the central square. White’s dark-squared bishop has no obvious good
development point at the current time, so there is no need to emerge it from
its home. After all, if the pawn centre breaks up, a future Ba3 may even be
advantageous.}
10... Bxg2
11. Kxg2 d5
{Black’s major positional decision. He judges that the further clamping down on
the e4-square is necessary. White is not going to be able to break with e-2e4
any time soon. Of course, if desirable, white can build up to the break with
f2-f3 and then e2-e4, but for the time being, this plan has been thwarted. At a
cost for black though. So, although a short-term objective of securing the
e4-square has been accomplished, in the middle-game, the end-game consequences
have not been taken into account. Furthermore, black has already exchanged a
set of knights and the light-squared bishops, which only leaves the queen’s
knight as a feasible occupier of the e4-square.
Worthy of note here is in the current position, white has 2 pawn islands and
black has the single one. However, the white pawns are more clustered together,
less backward and are able to create pawn-breaks on several fronts.}
12. cxd5
{Not only the dismantling of the black pawn centre, this also rids white of his
doubled pawns. The principal objective of the plan though is to further create
weaknesses within the black pawn structure.}
12... exd5
{Maintaining the clamp on the e4-square.
12... Qxd5+ may allow 13. E4 fxe4 and 14. Qxe4 will get the queens exchanged at
some point. At that stage, both teams would have 3 pawn-islands, although the
pawn on e6 is much more vulnerable than the white a2-pawn.}
13. c4
{Further breaking the black pawn centre down, hence the reason why white chose
to recapture on c3 with the b2-pawn. White not only irons out his pawn
formation, but poses more challenging questions to the black pawn structure.}
13... c6
{Black does not wish to be saddled with a back C-pawn once white has captured
on d5. With the white queen already on c2, a rook will swiftly arrive on c1 and
the pressure on the exposed black queen-side pawns will soon mount.}
14. Nf3
{Bringing the knight back into the game. The e5-outpost is targeted and the
d4-pawn offered support. With c7-c6 having been played, black is not likely to
be playing c6-c5 any time soon, although this is certainly a consideration.
Many players though, once having moved a pawn forward one square on one move,
are often reluctant to push again on the subsequent move. That is more
psychological rather than based on positional justification.}
14... dxc4
{Black finds himself in a quandary. His pawn-structure is precariously placed
and completing development is not easy.
14.. .Bf6 will allow the white dark-squared bishop to encroach on a3 and white
can solidify his d4-pawn with e2-e3, Rfd1 and other such moves with Rac1 coming
in.
Bringing the queen’s knight via d7 to f6 only allows white to snatch on f5, as
Qe6+ is a get-out check.
So, black goes for further exchanges, hoping that his clamp on the e4-square is
sufficient to hold the position. Again, thinking more in terms of the
middle-game, rather than the long-term end-game.}
15. Qxc4+ Qd5
16. Qxd5+ cxd5
{Black has continually championed the cause for clamping down on the e4-square.
Now it can be seen to the cost of that endeavour. Black has now suddenly been
left with 3 pawn-islands himself, an isolated and very vulnerable d5-pawn and
little activity for his pieces. With only the queen’s knight able to occupy e4,
the fight for this square is a pointless positional accomplishment. After all,
white can evict any outposted piece on that square with f2-f3.
The position appears to be quiet enough, but there are dangers for black if due
attention is not to be taken.}
17. Bd2
{White wishes to occupy the C-file as quickly as possible. Also, the concept of
Nc6/Na5/Nc4 is discouraged.}
17... Nd7
18. Rfc1 Rfc8
19. Rxc8+
{With Ba3 as an option for black, white judges that the exchange of rooks can
only be advantageous for him. White is indeed heading for that long-term
end-game, where he hopes to exploit the isolated d5-pawn and the pawn-islands
differential.}
19... Rxc8
20. Rc1 Rxc1
{Played too hastily by black. It is possible that black considered that all
exchanges was easing him to a potential drawish position against a much
stronger opponent.
20... Rc4 certainly put up more resistance and would have asked white to how he
intended to dislodge the rook. The knight can obviously do this, but Nd2 is
currently unavailable. White can exchange on c4, giving himself a passed
D-pawn, but that would alter the whole complexion of the game.}
21. Bxc1 b5
{Here, black begins the process of his own downfall. A quiet position, but
inherent dangers within. Black reasons that he has an outside passed queen-side
pawn, so initiates the process of pushing it. Although this would usually give
white difficulties, in such limited end-game piece play, there are not as many
difficulties to fend off by white. With all of the heavy pieces off the board
and two sets of minor pieces exchanged, the advance of the passed pawn should
be easy enough to hinder. Indeed, if that passed pawn can be snaffled, then a
clearly winning position can be obtained. With the white king slightly better
than its counterpart, black should mobilise his own monarch before dreaming of
pushing any passed pawns. The black king should sprint as rapidly as possible
for the queen-side and this would hold white up, whilst he would have to
consider how to hold the passed pawn up as well as target the isolated d5-pawn.}
22. Kf1
{White is the first out of the blocks to sprint for the queen-side. With black
using up tempi by pushing the passed pawns, this only makes white’s job all
that much easier.}
22... Kf7
23. Ke1 Ke6
24. Kd1 b4
{Yet another tempo is wasted by black to push the pawn. Black is naturally
paranoid that his king-side pawns may also become weak if the monarch strays
too far away from them. He should rely on his remaining minor pieces to defend
the pawns and rush for the queen-side to hold the advancing white king.}
25. Kc2 a5
{White has to play accurately, otherwise the advantage can slip. Carelessness
is not to be tolerated! Black is planning to place his pawns on a4 and b4 and
ask white the big question to how he’s going to break through. If black can
force a defended passed-pawn, supported by a rear-guarding pawn, then, white
would be struggling to draw the position.}
26. a3
{Neatly forcing an exchange of pawns, ensuring that black is unable to
accomplish that defended passed pawn scenario.
25. Kb3 would be the careless approach with 25... Nb6 and a5-a4+ arriving.}
26... Kd6
{After which, black is lost.
Understandably, black is wishing to scramble to save his queen-side, but the
tempi already expended by black is getting across there is now his doom. If
black can play Kc6/Kb5, then, he has every chance of holding up white and
salvaging the draw.
26... bxa3 and white can either snatch on a5 or step closer with 27. Kb3 and
the black queen-side pawns fall.}
27. axb4 axb4
{The final touch to the white plan is now achievable. The huge consequence of
26... Kd6 is that it blocked up the a3-f8 diagonal.}
28. Bg5
{Challenging the dark-squared bishop, which has no retreat to d6, as the black
king shuts it out. With the exchange of this bishop, the b4-pawn is doomed.}
28... Bxg5
{Yet again, making white’s life all that much easier.
28... Nf6 29. Bxf6 Bxf6 30. Kb3 and b4 drops.
28... Nf6 29. Bxf6 gxf6 30. Kb3 Kc6 31. Nh4 and f5 falls.
The difficult question is after 28... Bf8.
29. Bd8! With the threat of 30. Ba5.
29... Kc6 and 30. Ne5+ exchanges the knights and have fun playing through the
various K&P end-games, which are all won for white with a protected e5-pawn.
White will put pawns on e3, f4 and eventually push the e5-pawn, distracting the
black king, enabling white to play Kxb4 and with the white king dancing between
d4/c5/c6, the isolated d5-pawn will fall. A beautiful example of the
consequences of the pawn-islands!}
29. Nxg5 h6
{29... Nf6 30. f3 and the white knight can even wheel around via h3 and f2/f4
if need be.}
30. Nf7+ Kc7
{Meekly giving up.
30... Ke6 31. Nd8+ Ke7 32. Nc6+ Ke6 33. Nxb4 is a neat dance of the knight to
snatch a pawn.
30... Kc6 31. Ne5+ and we have that K&P end-game that is just winning for
white.}
31. Kb3 Nf6
32. f3 Kd7
33. Kxb4 Ke6
{Black is a pawn down, cramped by an isolated d5-pawn and there is no hope
left.}
34. Ne5 g5
35. Kc5 g4
{Maybe black was hoping that pawn exchanges may give him a chance to sacrifice
the knight to draw the game. White need not worry about that. With the advance
of the black G-pawn, this only facilitates white to further target the d5-pawn.}
36. Nd3
(White simply intends to check black on f4, force the black king away and then
to take on d5.
36... Nd7+ 37. Kc6 Nb8+ 38. Kb7 Nd7+ 39. Kc7
is another wonderful demonstration of king triangulation. Black will be
zugzwanged after
39... Nh5 40. Kc6 and black is in zugzwang.}
36... 1-0
Opening references
A.
11... c5 12. d5 e5 13. f3 d6 14. e4 g6 15.
a4 Nd7 16. Nb3 fxe4 17. fxe4 Rxf1 18. Kxf1 Bg5 19. Kg2 Qf6 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21.
Rf1 a6
1/2-1/2 Xu Hanbing (2420)-Jamrich,G (2188)/Budapest 2000/CBM 076 ext
B.
13. a4 Nc6 14. Nb3 a5 15. Bf4 Bd6 16. Qd2 Qe7 17.
Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qf4 Qe7 19. Qf3 Qd7 20. e3 Rae8 21. Nd2 Kh8 22. h4 Rf6 23. Rfb1
Rd8 24. Rb5 Na7 25. Rb2 Rc6 26. Rc2 Nc8 27. c4 Ne7
Goura,H (1738)-Rajat Kumar,S (1755)/Bhubaneswar IND 2017/1/2-1/2
C.
13. Nf3 Bd6 14. e3 Nd7 15. c4 c6 16. a4 g6 17. a5 Nf6 18. Qa4 Rc8 19. axb6 axb6
20. Ba3 Ne4 21. Bxd6 Qxd6 22. Qa6 c5 23. Rab1 Rb8 24. Rfc1 cxd4 25. exd4 Rfc8
26. cxd5 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Qxd5
Burkart,R-Haas,S/Triberg 1991/GER/1/2-1/2})
Chris Ross
February 2020
