"Combination Cross" by Victor Charushin,1997 Pickard and Son,
Figurine Algebraic Notation, paperback, 89pp., $11.95

Reviewed by Glenn Budzinski

International Correspondence Master Victor Charushin's
"Combination Cross" is a thin book that focuses on the art of
winning through the use of the double pin. This book, originally
published in Russian in 1996, is the second of a multi-volume
series of monographs on tactics, each of which covers one specific
type.

First of all, one must understand what Charushin means by a
"combination cross". In the Introduction, he writes that "...a Cross
is a double pin, formed by five pieces. At the center stands the key
piece, the object of the pin." The book is only 89 pages in length
and includes indexes of players and openings. There are five
chapters, each examining a different type or series of cross pins (or
"crosses" in Charushin lingo) through 130 complete games and 45
separate positions. Games and positions include many played by
well-known masters, from the late 1800s through the mid-1990s.

Chapter 1 covers the "St. Andrew's Cross," formed by two
diagonal pins; Chapter 2 looks at the "Oblique Cross," which is
one diagonal and either one vertical or horizontal pin; The
"Maltese Cross," Chapter 3, one vertical and one horizontal pin; a
variety of miscellaneous crosses is contained in Chapter 4, while
the final chapter offers a sample of crosses that appear in certain
openings such as the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian, the King's
Gambit and the Two Knight's Defense.

A few examples should suffice. Game #3, Alekhine-Mikulka, from
a 1923 simul, illustrates a typical diagonal pin, or, as dubbed by the
author, St. Andrew's Cross. 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 g5 4 d4 h6 5
Bc4 Bg7 6 Nc3 Nc6 7 Nd5 d6 8 c3 Nge7 9 0-0 Nd5 10 Bd5 Ne7 11
Bb3 Ng6 12 g3 fg3 13 Ng5 0-0 14 Qh5 gh2 15 Kh1 hg5 16 Qg6
Qe8 17 Bg5 Be6 18 Rf7 Bf7 (putting himself into a St. Andrew's
Cross, which promptly loses to:) 19 Bf6! 1-0

A spectacular example of the Oblique Cross is also provided by
Alekhine, in Game #28. White: Alapin Black: Alekhine (1914 St.
Petersburg) 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 Qe2 Be7 6 c3
b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 d4 d6 9 Be3 Na5 10 Nbd2 Nb3 11 ab3 Bb7 12 de5
de5 13 Rd1 Qc8 14 Bg5 Qe6 15 0-0 Rfd8 16 Rfe1 Rd7 17 Ra1
Rad8 18 b4 h6 19 Bf6 Bf6 20 Nf1 g6 21 Qc2 Bg7 22 N3d2 f5 23
Nb3 Bf8 24 ef5 gf5 25 f3 Rg7 26 Kh1 f4 27 Nfd2 Kh8 28 Re2 Bd5
29 Nc5 bc5 30 bc5 Rdg8 31 b4 Qc6 32 c4 bc4 33 Qc3 Qg6 34 Nc4
e4 35 Nd2 e3 36 Qd4 c6 37 Ne4 Be4 38 Qe4 Qf6 39 Rg1 Rd7 40
Qc2 Rgd8 41 g3 fg3 42 Re3 Rd2 43 Re8 Re8 44 Qd2 Qf3 45 Qg2
and now, the winning Oblique Cross, 45...Re2!! 0-1

In Chapter 4, which features various types of crosses and other
"special cases", one finds the following insufficient cross in a game
by U.S. players Kaidanov and Orlov in 1995. White: Kaidanov
Black: Orlov 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed5 cd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3
Bb4 7 cd5 Nd5 8 Qc2 Nd7 9 a3 Ba5 10 Bd3 N7f6 11 0-0 Bd7 12
Nd5 Nd5 13 Ne5 Rc8 14 Qe2 0-0 15 Qh5 f5 16 Qe2 a6 17 Bd2
Bb6 18 Nf3 h6 19 Rfe1 Re8 20 Bc4 Qc7 21 Rac1 Qd6 22 Qd3 Bc6
23 Ne5 Nf6 24 Qf5 Bd4 25 Bh6 Be5 26 Re5 Bd5 27 Bd5 (The St.
Andrew's Cross, which looks good until one sees Orlov's
response.) 27...Qd5!! 28 Rd5 ef5 29 Rc8 Rc8 30
Rf5 gh6 31 h3 Kf7 32 Rf3 Rc4 33 g4 Kg6 34 Rb3 b5 35 Rd3 Rc1
36 Kg2 Rc2 37 Rd6 a5 38 b3 Rb2 39 Ra6 Rb3 40 Ra5 Ne4 41 h4
Rb2 42 Kf3 Nf2 43 h5 Kg5 44 a4 Ng4 45 ab5 Ne5 0-1

Charushin also authored "Alekhine's Block," reviewed about seven
months ago at The Chess Caf‚. What we said then about that book
applies equally to this one: There is no attempt made to analyze the
elements of the pin, investigate what makes for a good one and
what to avoid for a bad one. The result is a simple compendium
stressing one tactical theme. It is but a compilation of games with a
common theme: The Double Pin.

One of the problems with chess books today is that the urge to
publish often supersedes the ultimate value of the material being
published. Given the proliferation of available chess publishing
resources, all one needs to become a published author is an idea
and a database of games (or, sometimes only the latter)and, voila!,
suddenly a new book has emerged.

None of this is to necessarily imply that the subject of the double
pin is not important (and it may even be less esoteric than a
monograph on a specific opening variation, for example) but, in the
grand scheme of chess literature, the subject of this book probably
is not going to rank high on the priority list of most players. This
collection of thematic games, without much text, instructional or
otherwise, can be passed with a clear conscience by most players.