The Chess Coach by Sunil Weeramantry The Big Three A game of chess is not generally won with one crushing tactical blow but rather through a combination of various tactics that blend together into one sustained attacking sequence. The three basic tactics that are found in the arsenal of any player are forks, pins and discovered attacks. This month, I would like to examine some positions that highlight how these three tactics can work together harmoniously. The tactic that fascinates both beginner and expert alike appears to be the fork, the knight fork in particular. The first two examples illustrating this tactic are drawn from games by the old masters, no strangers to the art of attack. In Znosko-Borovsky Price, Ramsgate, 1929, White cleverly sacrifices a piece to lure the black king into a devastating knight fork. (See diagram) White: Kg1, Qg4, Rc1, Rd1, Bd6, Ng5; pawns - a2, b2, f2, g2, h2 Black: Kg8, Qc6, Rd8, Bb7, Nd7, Nd5; pawns - a7, b6, c5, f7, g7, g6 White begins the combination by threatening immediate mate along the half-open h-file. 1.Qh3 Qxd6 2.Qh7+ Kf8 3.Re1. This seals off the flight square and again threatens immediate mate. 3...Ne5. There is no choice. The alternative, 3...Ne7, leads to mate after 4.Qh8+ Ng8 and 5.Nh7. 4.Rxe5 Qxe5 5.Qh8+ Ke7. Black appears to have survived, but his opponent has an amazing resource. 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8 7.Nxf7+ Ke7 8.Nxe5. White comes out ahead in material and obtains a winning advantage. The next position is drawn from the game Zukertort Englisch, London, 1883 and shows the use of a pin to set up a winning knight fork. (See diagram) White: Kg2, Qb3, Nd5; pawns - c7, f3, g3, h2 Black: Ke8, Qc6, Ne6; pawns - a7, f6, g7, h6 1.Qb5! Qxb5. Black must accept the sacrifice as 1...Kd7 protecting the queen is inadequate due to 2.c8(Q)+ Kxc8 3.Qxb5 winning easily for White. 2.c8(Q)+ Ke7 3.Qxe6+ Kxe6 4.Nc7+. White wins back the queen and remains a piece ahead. The theme of employing a pin to set up a fork has inspired some elegant compositions. The following is one by V. Bron and is quite striking in its simplicity. (See diagram) White: Ka1, Bc1, Na3, Nc3; pawns - b2, c4, h4 Black: Kb6, Qd6; pawns - a6, b5, c6 1.c5+ Qxc5 2.Na4+ bxa4 3.Be3. White pins the queen. If the bishop is captured, the knight fork on c4 wins the queen. 3...Ka5! An unusual resource which adds another dimension to this study. Naturally, if the queen is captured, the black king is stalemated. 4.b4+ Qxb4. Neither 4...axb3 e.p. nor 4...Kxb4 can save Black as White will simply capture the queen. 5.Bd2. A second pin repeats the previous pattern on a different diagonal. 5...Qxd2 6.Nc4+ finally wins the queen and the game. Our next example involves the creation of a pin which leads to a series of discovered checks culminating in mate. There is a strong connection between these two tactics as one can easily be transformed into the other. After all, they both use the same lines of attack ranks, files and diagonals; and they both involve positions where three pieces are lined up, one attacker and two enemy pieces in the case of a pin, and two attackers and one enemy piece in the case of a discovered attack or check. When the pinned piece is captured, the discovered attack is created. A clear illustration of these two tactical forces at work is seen in the game Place-Amateur, Paris 1922, as recorded in Combinations: The Heart of Chess by Irving Chernev (Dover 1960). (See diagram) White: Kg1, Qd1, Ra1, Rf3, Bb2, Bd3, Nh5; pawns - a2, b3, c4, d4, g2, h2 Black: Kg8, Qd8, Ra8, Rf8, Be6, Nb8, Nf6; pawns - a7, b7, c7, f7, g7, h6 White's superior development and the concentration of his forces on the king side enable him to launch a decisive attack. 1.Nxg7 Kxg7 2.d5. By clearing the long diagonal, White establishes the pin. 2...Bg4. Though insufficient, Black should try 2...Nd7, returning the sacrificed piece. 3.Rxf6. The pinned knight is captured and the pin is now replaced by the threat of a powerful discovered check. The white queen on d1 is expendable. 3...Bxd1 4.Rg6+ Kh7 5.Rg7+ Kh8 6.Rh7+ Kg8 7.Rh8 mate. If you enjoyed this example, you may wish to refer back to the game Paulsen Morphy in one of my earlier columns which examined mating patterns with rook and bishop. It is not very often that one gets the opportunity to use several different tactics in the same game, let alone in the same attacking sequence. But when it does happen, the memories never fade. I had such an experience some twenty years ago in a week-end tournament in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My opponent, Mark Schlagenhauf, is a master who remains active to this day. Our game reached the following position after Black's 13th move. (See diagram) White: Kc1, Rd1, Re1, Bc4, Bh6, Nc3, Nd4; pawns - a2, b2, c2, f2, g2, h2 Black: Ke8, Qc7, Ra8, Rg8, Bf5; pawns - a7, b7, c6, d6, e7, f7, g6, h7 Playing with the white pieces, I had entered a theoretically unclear variation which necessitated surrendering my queen for three minor pieces. However, I felt that I had adequate compensation as all my pieces were fully developed and were poised to attack. Black, on the other hand, was ready to castle and get his king out of the line of fire. I realized only too well that if he succeeded, his central pawn mass would march down the board pushing all my pieces aside. White had to strike immediately. I remember focusing on the pin along the 'e' file and seriously entertained the notion of 14.Bg5. Indeed, I would most likely have played this move if another improbable way of exploiting the pin had not hit me like a thunderbolt. The fact that there is a forced win in this position is quite amazing. And all that is needed to succeed is to string together some forks, pins and discovered checks! 14.Ndb5! The start of a remarkable sequence. 14...cxb5 15.Nxb5 Qb6. Black cannot capture the bishop on c4 as Nd6+ forks the king and queen. 16.Nxd6+ Kd8 17.Nxf5+. Here comes the discovered check. It is time to recover some material. 17...Kc7 18.Rxe7+. The initial tactics have driven the king out into the open. The hunt is on! 18...Kc6 19.Rd6+ Resigns. Black decides to give in rather than submit to more punishment. (See diagram) Had the game continued, I would not have captured the black queen. Instead, I would have pressed on with the king hunt and played for mate. Thus, 19...Kc5 would be met with 20.Re5+ Kxc4 21.b3+ Kb4 (or 21...Kc3 22.Bd2 mate) 22.Kb2. This quiet move seals Black's fate. There are several immediate mate threats, most noticeably with either the 'a' or 'c' pawns. There is no escape. For instance, 22...Qc5 loses to 23.Bd2+ Kb5 24.Nd4 with all White's pieces participating in the mate. It is games such as this that sustain the spirit and soothe the soul.