The Chess Coach by Sunil Weeramantry Opening Preparation It is with much regret that I have to inform you that this will be my last column for The Chess Caf‚. Other professional obligations compel me to step down as a regular columnist. I would like to thank Hanon Russell for having given me the opportunity to be part of the wonderful team he has assembled here at The Chess Caf‚, and to express my sincere gratitude to all my readers who made my column a success. Tournament chess has changed dramatically during my 35 years as an active player. The advent of computers and the facility with which information is disseminated in the modern world have turned every amateur chess player into a well-prepared opponent. Opening preparation has assumed a life of its own and may well have evolved into the single most important aspect of modern tournament play. The practical implications for the chess player, whether on the club or professional level, are enormous. A well-honed opening repertory is now a prerequisite for success. A detailed knowledge of a few opening systems is preferable in practical play to a broader knowledge of many systems. Naturally, this requires time and effort; and much of the work has to be done before arriving at the board. But the rewards make it all worthwhile. Knowledge breeds confidence, the one essential ingredient in taking on new challenges. Understanding the pawn structure and piece placement of a particular opening will strengthen your middle-game play. Long- term strategy is intimately linked to opening development. Openings that have clear strategic themes enable you to control the flow of the game and are easier to handle when your opponent deviates from the main line. You may find that stable pawn structures are more easily understood as the character of the game does not change with every single pawn move. One opening line that fits this bill is the Modern Two Knights Defense. It is commonly reached by employing the Two Knights move order as follows: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.O-O Bc5. (See Diagram). This position can also be reached from the Scotch Gambit. Naturally, there are several important deviations that must be examined if you wish to play this line. In particular, you will need to look at two Black alternatives on the fifth move, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4; one alternative on the 7th move, 7...Bc5; and two on the 9th move, 9...Be7 and 9...c5. However, only the fifth move alternatives involve a radically different strategy from that of the main line. All other variations feature doubled 'c' pawns for Black and involve various ways of playing against them. In this article, I would like to focus on the main line as shown in the diagram above. The key strategic element here is controlling the c5 square. If White can prevent Black's c6-pawn from advancing to c5, he will immobilize Black's central pawn majority and, in the process, severely restrict the mobility of Black's light square bishop. Meanwhile, White will be able to use his own king side pawn majority either to pawn storm Black should he castle king-side or to create a passed 'e' pawn. Let us now look at a game which allowed White to carry out the above strategy. Playing White against WIM Anna Khan at a tournament at the Manhattan Chess Club in 1992, I continued as follows:10.f3 Ng5 11.f4 Ne4 12.Be3 O-O. (See Diagram). Black's reply is inferior. Although most reference sources do not criticize this move, it definitely gives White the one critical tempo that he needs to take control of c5. The immediate 12...Bb6 vacating the c5 square is better as it gives Black the option of playing ...c5 before White gets a grip on that square. 13.Nd2 Nxd2. Instead, Black may select two other plans. First, he may try the immediate 13...f6, seeking to undermine the e5 pawn before the white queen can maneuver into position to defend it. This strategy fails against 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qe2! Qe7 16.Nb3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 fxe5 18.Qxe4 as in Weeramantry-Vantilbury, New York, 1981. The pin along the e-file ensures that White will win a pawn and create a passed pawn at the same time. The second choice is to lock the pawns with 13...f5. But White can still execute his dark square strategy with 14.Nxe4 fxe4 15.Qd2 Qe7 16.Nb3. 14.Qxd2 f6. Black plays the thematic break in an attempt to eliminate the cramping influence of White's e5 pawn. However, White has sufficient resources to maintain a pawn on that square. Note that once dark square bishops are traded, and as long as queens remain on the board, White can certainly defend his e5 pawn as many times as Black chooses to attack it. 15.Nb3 Bb6 16.Bc5 Re8. Another inaccuracy. This rook belongs on the f-file and the queen's rook should move over to the e-file. 17.Qc3 fxe5 18.fxe5. (See Diagram) The principal strategic objectives have been realized. The c5-square is firmly in White's control and the e5-pawn is secure. Not only does White have better attacking chances in the middle-game, he can comfortably simplify into a knight vs. bishop ending should the attack falter. 18...Qg5 19.Rae1 Re6 20.Kh1 Rae8 21.Qf3 Bxc5? Black can ward off the immediate attack with 21...Qd8 protecting against the back rank mate. For instance, the direct 22.Qf7+ Kh8 23.Bf8 is countered with 23...Rg6 24.e6 Bxe6 25.Rxe6 Rexe6 26.Be7 Rgf6! with counter threats against White's back rank. However, White can maintain his advantage with a more positional approach such as 22.a4. The text move, on the other hand, loses instantly. 22.Nxc5 R6e7 23.e6 Resigns. We have seen that Black's best chance is to wrest control of c5 away from White with a timely 12...Bb6. Sometimes, he may try to do this even earlier. Going back to the position after White's 11th move, Black can play 11...Ne6, intending to trade his bishop for the white knight on d4, and then get in ...c5 with the support of his knight on e6. This strategy was employed in Weeramantry-Ashley, Newark, 1991, which reached the diagram position after 12.Be3 Bxd4 13.Bxd4 c5. (See Diagram) Black's strategy, however, was shown to be insufficient for equality after 14.Bf2, when there is no good way to protect d5 while simultaneously parrying the threat of 15.f5. Indeed, White obtained a significant advantage following 14...Nxf4 15.Bxc5 Ne6 16.Qf3 Ng5 17.Qxd5 Bb5 18.Qxd8+ Rxd8 19.Re1. I was able to maintain this advantage late into the game before I blundered a piece in time pressure on move 35, and overstepped on the very next move. For the record, here is the full score: 19...a6 20.Nc3 Bc6 21.Rad1 Ne6 22.Rxd8+ Kxd8 23.Bb4 Kc8 24.Rf1 Rd8 25.Rxf7 Rd4 26.Ba5 Rg4 27.g3 Rg5 28.Rf2 Nd4 29.Rf7 Nf3+ 30.Kf2 Nxe5 31.Rxc7+ Kb8 32.Bb6 Rg6 33.Re7 Ng4+ 34.Ke1? Nxh2 35.Kd1?? Bf3+ 36. forfeit 0-1 Maurice Ashley was recently awarded the title of Grandmaster. I strongly urge any serious chess player to read his recent interview in Chess Life. It will help put many things in perspective. Good luck and best wishes to you all.