FIDE Surveys – Viacheslav Eingorn

1

Viacheslav Eingorn:

The positional piece sacrifice as
a technical reception

Here we shall talk about the positional
sacrifices which are aiming to provide the
further movement of pawns. The motive for
such transformations quite often arise in
different opening structures: Rue Lopes,
French, Nimsovich, Slav, KID, etc. Usually
those operations are not based on the
concrete calculation and therefore they do
not offer any quick and clear result – instead
both players get a chance to practise in
intuition and psychology. Let us look at the
following examples:

1) Peaceoffering

Bronstein D. : Smyslov V.
Budapest (Candidates) 1950

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White’s position is lost in all respects, but he
doesn't want to wait passively for the
decision of his fate.
35.Nb4
The knight stands “en prise” without
creating any threats. This looks like a joke:
although Black can accept the gift (at once
or after preliminary 35…Kb7), he prefers
not to pay attention to opponent’s
provocation.
35...gf3 36.Qf3
But now that knight-suicide has a
convenient square d3 at his disposal and

Smyslov starts being nervous.
36…Qg4 37.Qf2
To the madness of the brave, we sing the
glory! By playing 37.Nd3 White already
could try to hold the line.
37...cb4
After all. Not bad decision, of course, but
37...Rg8 was more consecutive,
emphasizing the superiority at the equal
quantity of pieces.
38.cb4
A new life begins оn the board and Black
appears to be not ready for it: he makes two
second-rate moves and then commits a
decisive mistake.
38…Rbb8 39.c5 Nc8 40.Rc1 Kd8 41.c6
and white won (58) 1:0.

2) To beat or not to beat

Mamedyarov S. : Huzman
Warsaw 2005

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bc3 5.bc3
c5 6.f3 d5 7.cd5 Nd5 8.dc5 Qa5 9.e4 Nc7
10.Qd4 f6 11.Qb4 Nc6 12.Qa5 Na5 13.Rb1
Bd7 14.Ne2 e5

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The game quickly passed to the ending
where Black plans sooner or later to
reestablish the material balance.
15.Nd4
Not so easy! Now Black must either agree to
the radical change of position or to give up
his intention of getting pawn back.
15...0–0–0
The safety comes first. Meanwhile, the

FIDE Surveys – Viacheslav Eingorn

2

principled continuation 15...ed4 16.cd4 was
fully justified – for instance,
16...f5 17.Be2 (17.Bd2 Nc6 18.d5 fe4 19.fe4
0–0–0 20.dc6 Bc6) fe4 18.fe4 0–0–0 19.d5
Rhe8 20.Rb4 Nd5 21.ed5 Bf5. The piece
refund in an appropriate moment is the
standart mode of defence.
16.Nb5 Nb5 17.Bb5 Kc7 18.Ke2 Be6
19.Be3
This is an inaccuracy which leads to
exchange of all light pieces.
19...Bc4 20.Bc4 Nc4 21.Rb4 Ne3 22.Ke3
Rd7 23.Rhb1 Kc6 24.R1b2 Rhd8 25.Ke2
Kc5?!
Black is asking for troubles, he has better to
wait.
26.Rb7 Kc4 27.Kf2 Kc3 28.Kg3 g6 29.a4,
and White won at a later date (41) 1:0.

3) Be prepared

Belov : Jakovenko
Sochi 2005

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 a6 5.e3 b5
6.c5 Nbd7 7.Bd2 a5
The modern reality of Slav: Black does not
want to cede territory on the queen’s side
but now the capture on b5 becomes a quite
probable thing.
8.a3 Qc7
Look at that quick catastrophe: 8...g6 9.b4
ab4 10.ab4 Bb7 11.Nb5 cb5 12.Bb5 Qc8
13.Ne5 Ba6 14.Bc6 Rb8 15.Qa4, Ftacnik :
Movsesian, Czechia 2010.
9.b4 e5 10.Nb5 cb5 11.Bb5

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Such flank sacrifices are correct almost
always and the opponent may need to be
rather careful to defend well.
11…ed4 12.ed4 Be7
The preliminary exchange 12...ab4 13.ab4
Ra1 14.Qa1 could be a wrong decision: after
14…Be7 15.Qa5! Bd8 (or 15...Qa5 16.ba5
0–0 17.a6) 16.0–0 Ne4 17.Qc7 Bc7 18.Bc6
0–0 19.b5 white pawns become dangerous.
13.0–0 0–0 14.Bg5 ab4 15.ab4 Ra1
Here 15…Rb8 was more to the point as now
Black runs into difficulties.
16.Qa1 Bd8 17.Bd3 Ne4 18.Bd8 Rd8 19.b5
Ndc5 20.dc5
This automatical reply keeps some White’s
advantage, but 20.Rc1! was stronger.
20…Qc5 21.Qe5 Nd6 22.Rb1 Re8 23.Qb2
Nc4 24.Qc3 Bb7, and the game ended in a
draw (35) draw.

4) Tastes differ

Tal M. : Ghitescu
Miskolc 1963

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The piece sacrifice for the two central pawn
is usually the most problematic one. For
instance, in the position on diagram (from
Smyslov variation of Ruy Lopez) White
stands better and the question is whether he
should now complicate the game.
19.Bc5
By evidence of Tal, he owed this move to
Bronstein and his game with Royan
(Moscow 1956): 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.ed5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4
8.de4 Nc4 9.Qd4 Nb6 10.c4 etc. Of course,

FIDE Surveys – Viacheslav Eingorn

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in the present case we really have the ground
for discussion, but еvery man to his taste. 5
later Geller did not follow Tal and Bronstein
(oh that Bronstein!) – he played prosaically
19.c4 a5 20.cb5 (Geller - Liebert, Lugano
1968), refusing even the enhanced version
of sacrifice: 20.Bc5!? dc5 21.Ne5.
19...dc5 20.Ne5 Nc8
Black hastens to part his forces pending the
advancement of White’s pawn phalanx,
20...Kg8 deserved more attention instead.
21.f4 Qe7
Quite illogical, also here 21...Kg8 was
preferable.
22.c4 Bg7 23.Nf3 bc4 24.bc4
Tal vainly ignores the variation 24.e5 c3
(24...Nd5 25.Qd5 Nb6 26.Qe4) 25.Qd1 Nd6
26.ef6 Qf6 27.Nh5, where he could get
somewhat better chances. Now Black’s
pieces come into battle.
24...Nd6 25.e5 Nc4 26.Qc3 Bb5 27.Rad1
Rad8
What a pity: Ghitescu at all costs tries to
return the game into the usual frame. Why
not 27...Nb6 28.d6 Nfd5 29.Qc5 Qa7?
28.d6 Nd6 29.ed6 Qb7
Decisive mistake. After 29...Qf8 30.Qc5
Re1 31.Ne1 Rc8 Black could hope tо win
the pawn d6 back.
30.Ne5 Nd7 31.Nh5 Bh8 32.Qg3 Ne5
33.fe5 Qd7 34.Nf4 Be5 35.Bg6
and White won (41) 1:0.

5) Сui prodest?

Carlsen M. : Navara D.
Dresden (ol) 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–
0 Be7 6.d3 d6 7.c3 0–0 8.Re1 Re8 9.Nbd2
Bf8 10.h3 b5 11.Bc2 Bb7 12.d4 g6 13.d5
Ne7 14.Nf1 Bg7 15.b3

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The point of departure.
15...Ne4 16.Be4 f5 17.Bc2 Nd5
Most likely this continuation and the
variation 17...e4 18.Nd4 Nd5 19.Bd2 are of
equal worth – now after 18.Bd2 c5 19.Ne2
the simple move transposition could arise.
White prefers to take another possibility.
18.b4 Nc3
This capture of third pawn looks very
natural but it appears to be the reason of
further Black’s failure. Мeanwhile, by
playing 18...c5 he could keep activity in
position with mutual chances.
19.Bb3 d5 20.Qc2 Ne4
Now the Black’s central pawns will not
move and the initiative passes to the
opponent. This is not a good sign – one can
only imagine that Philidor or Bronstein
could play here 20…c5!? all the same.
21.Re4
Tempting but a little bit premature decision.
21...fe4 22.Ng5 a5
The subtle reply 22...Bf8 could help Black
to maintain the balance, now his position has
become worse.
23.ba5 Ra5 24.Ne4 Kh8 25.Bg5 Qc8
26.Nf6 Rd8 27.Ne3
After entering this reserve into the game
White get too big preponderance in strength.
27…e4 28.Rc1 h6 29.Ne4 de4 30.Bd8 Qd8
31.Qc7, and White won (50) 1:0.