FIDE SURVEYS – Susan Polgar

1

Susan Polgar:

Is there luck in chess?

Well, yes and no. When I was a little girl,
my Dad introduced me to the game of chess.
He used to say "chess is the fairest game of
all and therefore the better player wins". I
guess I would agree with that even today, on
the most part.
According to Wikipedia: "Chess does not
involve any random factors such as
throwing dice..."
True, in the traditional sense as there is no
luck in chess. Both sides start with exactly
the same amount and types of pieces and in
a symmetrical starting position.
However, luck (or bad luck), nevertheless,
plays a role from time to time in every chess
player's career.

Luck in chess can manifest in many ways.
Here are just a few of most the common
ones:
The opponent
a) blunders or makes a major mistake in a
good or equal position
b) walks into a opening trap
c) chooses an opening line that we are well
prepared for versus one that we are fearful
of.
Let me elaborate on the above mentioned
scenarios and illustrate them by some
examples.

a) The opponent blunders or makes a
major mistake in a good or equal position

Jacob Murey : Susan Polgar
Royan 1988

After a hard fought game, in time pressure I
misplayed the middle game and we reached
the following position:

XIIIIIIIIY
9-wQ-vl-+k+0
9+-+l+n+-0
9-+p+-+-+0
9+-+-+-zp-0
9-+-vLPzpP+0
9+-+L+Pwq-0
9PzP-+KsN-tr0
9+-tR-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

My opponent confidently played
40.Lc4
pinning my Knight, looked at me like he is
expecting me to resign (and rightfully so!)
and got up for a walk.
I quickly played
40...Lg4
(with very little time left on my clock),
reaching the time control (at move 40), and
also got up for a long desired walk. I was
expecting my opponent to either play
41.Dd8 Kh7 42.De7 then give a couple more
checks and resign.
To my great surprise and joy, as I walked
back to the stage, I saw on the
demonstration board that my experienced
opponent without much thinking played
41.fg4??
I assume he only anticipated 41...Dg4 and
completely forgot about
41...f3
discovery which wins the Queen on b8. 0:1.

Was I lucky? Yes, very. However, at the
same time I know some who perhaps would
have already resigned earlier, therefore not
giving the opponent the chance to go wrong.
Sometimes a lucky game, especially early in
a tournament or in a key game, can play a
major role for the rest of the event. It can
bring good mood, raises self-confidence and

FIDE SURVEYS – Susan Polgar

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set the tone for the better for the entire
tournament. This in turn can be a major push
for one's career. In this case, the above game
helped me to reach a break-through in my
career in making my first GM norm in that
tournament.
At the same time, if one is on the other side
of the coin, a major blunder can be very
painful. It can cost a tournament or even
cause a significant set-back in one's career.
Of course, the difference is if our opponent
blunders, it is our luck, while if we blunder
that is our fault and no one else should be
blamed.
The next game not only may have changed
the life of the player on the "lucky side" but
possibly chess history at large.

Robert Fischer : Mark Taimanov
Vancouver (match game 2) 1971

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-mK-+0
9+-+ksn-+-0
9-+-+-+L+0
9+-+-+-+P0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

Given the fact that White has the "wrong
color Bishop" all Black needed to do to save
the game was to get his King to the corner
(even if it costs giving the Knight up) or
alternatively give up the Knight for White's
last Pawn. In this position, Black had more
than one way to achieve one of those two
goals. For example: 81...Sd3 82.h4 Sf4
83.Kf5 Kd6! 84.Kf4 Ke7 or 81...Kd6 82.Le2
Sd7 83.Kf7 Ke5 84.h4 Sf6 both leading to a
not very difficult draw.

Fortunately for the legendary Bobby
Fischer, his opponent continued with a
losing plan and played:
81...Ke4??
It does not look at first like such a horrible
move, but actually it loses the game. The
issue is that the h-Pawn should be stopped as
early as possible, before it advances to far.
82.Lc8!
This was a very smart move which
paralyzed the Black Knight. If 82...Sf3
83.Lb7 or 82...Sd3 83.Lf5 forcing the
exchange of the Bishop for the Knight in
both cases.
82...Kf4 83.h4 Sf3
If 83...Sg4 84.Kg7.
84.h5 Sg5 85.Lf5
Black is in zugzwang now.
85...Sf3 86.h6 Sg5 87.Kg6
And another zugzwang position.
87...Sf3 88.h7 Sh4 89.Kf6 1:0.

While Fischer certainly was "lucky" that
Taimanov did not find the right continuation
in the critical position, to his credit he found
all the right moves afterwards to take
advantage of it.
If Bobby did not win this game, he
definitely could not have gone 6-0 and
history would have been very different.
But it is part of life: winning (especially by
the score of 6-0) or to be successful in
general you need some luck too. I do believe
what the famous golfer Gary Player said:
"The more I practice the luckier I get".
The more opportunities you create for your
opponent to "give you gifts", the better
chances you will have for it to happen.
Here is one of those examples from my
practice:

Susan Polgar - Larry Christiansen
San Francisco 1991

1.d4 Sf6 2.Sf3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.Ld3 b6 5.c4
Lb7 6.Sc3 cd4 7.ed4 Be7 8.0–0 d5 9.cd5

FIDE SURVEYS – Susan Polgar

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Sd5 10.Se5 0–0 11.Dh5 Sf6 12.Dh4 Sbd7
13.Td1 Se4 14.Dh3 Sdf6

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zpl+-vlpzpp0
9-zp-+psn-+0
9+-+-sN-+-0
9-+-zPn+-+0
9+-sNL+-+Q0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLR+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

15.d5!
This is a typical idea in similar positions
combining various tactical ideas. Black
cannot capture on d5 immediately without
losing the knight on e4.
15...Sc3 16.bc3 Ld5
If 16...ed5 17.Sd7! Dd7? 18.Lh7 Kh8 19.Lf5
and White wins.
17.Lg5!
After the natural 17.c4 Black escapes with
17...Le4.
17...g6
White would get a winning attack after
17...h6? 18.Lh6! gh6 19.Dh6.
18.Dh4 h6!
Christiansen was spending a lot time on the
clock and was hoping for 19.Lh6 (or
19.Dh6? Sg4!) Sd7 20.Dg3 - which (as I
later understood) was actually what I should
have played. But during the game I was very
proud of myself when I noticed the
combination with
19.Lg6?!

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zp-+-vlp+-0
9-zp-+psnLzp0
9+-+lsN-vL-0
9-+-+-+-wQ0
9+-zP-+-+-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+R+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

The actual game continued with
19...fg6? 20.Dh6 Sh7 21.Dg6 Kh8 22.Le7
De7
and now the final point of the combination
23.c4! Dh4 24.cd5 Df2 25.Kh1 Tf6 26.De4
ed5 27.Dd5
and White reached a winning position and
later won.

Fortunately for me, my opponent "believed"
me that after 19...hg5 20.Dg5 fg6 21.Dg6
Kh8 22.Rd3 White has a winning attack. We
both realized only much after the game that
actually it would have been Black who is
winning after 22...Sh7! 23.Th3 Lh4.
Interestingly, this game won the brilliancy
prize of the tournament. All commentators
even years later missed the correct defense
for Black and misevaluated the combination.
This game was not as lucky as the first
example we saw in my game against Murey.
This was a lot more complex position, with
substantial calculation required, and many
ways to go wrong for my opponent.
With that said, it is always luck, when it is
solely in the opponent's hands to find the
right move and win, even if they do not find
the right solution at the board.
The point is that one made a bad move or an
incorrect sacrifice and have "gambled",
regardless if intentionally or not. The end

FIDE SURVEYS – Susan Polgar

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result could have turned out very differently
and was out of our own control.
Finally here is a recent example:

Vladimir Kramnik : Peter Leko
Dortmund 2012

XIIIIIIIIY
9-mk-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+R0
9-+K+N+-+0
9+-+-+-+p0
9-+-zP-vl-tr0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White had the initiative throughout the game
and has been "squeezing" a slightly better
endgame for a good number of moves and
finally reached the diagramed position.
It is clear that despite having very limited
and even material, due to the Black King's
cornered position White is in the verge of
winning.
Luckily for Leko, who is well known for his
excellent defensive skills, former world
champion Kramnik played
80.Kb6
(although not letting the win completely out
of hand yet), and missed the immediate
winning move. The game eventually ended
in a draw after a total of 134 moves. As
Garry Kasparov pointed out (still while the
game was in progress) the brilliant 80.Td7!
move to be followed by 81.Kb6 would have
completed the mating net around Black's
King. The only way Black could prevent the
back rank checkmate would be to retreat the
Rook from h4 to go via g4, resulting in
giving up the Bishop on f4.

b) The opponent walks into an opening
trap

In most games, after some opening moves
an equal or a slightly better (usually) for
White position arises and then the fight
begins. On some rare days the fight never
begins, yet one side may win and the other
lose.
The following opening line brought me
several effortless wins:

Leo Kwatschewsky : Susan Polgar
Vienna 1986

1.e4 c5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.d4 cd4 4.Sd4 g6 5.Sc3
Lg7 6.Le3 Sf6 7.Lc4 0–0
In this position White has many options but
it is considered best to continue with 8.Lb3
to avoid the tactical opportunity Black got
on the next move in this game.
8.0–0 Se4 9.Se4 d5 10.Sc6 bc6 11.Ld3 de4
12.Le4 La6

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zp-+-zppvlp0
9l+p+-+p+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+L+-+0
9+-+-vL-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tR-+Q+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

13.Lc6?

My opponent played this move rather
confidently, calculating the variation all the
way until his 18th move and thinking that I
overlooked his trap. Unfortunately for him
and lucky for me, his calculation was just
one move too short to reach the correct
evaluation of the arising endgame. Instead,

FIDE SURVEYS – Susan Polgar

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best was 13.Dd8 Tfd8 14.Tfb1 to protect the
Pawn on b2.
13...Tc8!
White would get a pleasant endgame after
13...Lf1 14.La8 Lb2 15.Dd8 Td8 16.Tf1 Ta8
17.Tb1.
14.Dd8 Tfd8 15.Tfd1 Td1 16.Td1 Tc6
17.Td8 Lf8 18.Lh6

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tR-vlk+0
9zp-+-zpp+p0
9l+r+-+pvL0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9+-+-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

At first glance, it seemed for my opponent
that it is game over. It is true but not for
Black.
18...Tc8
was the move he missed when he went for
the forced variation starting with 13.Lc6. 0:1
I would call this a clearly lucky game, as I
was able to fully rely on advanced "home
preparation" without needing to think at all
at the board.
Obviously such occasions are rare in all
professionals' lives. However, when it
happens it is nice to "get a break" and have
some rest or extra time to prepare for the
next round while the other competitors may
be in for a full 4-5 hours (or more) games.

c) The opponent chooses an opening line
that we are well prepared for versus one
that we are fearful of

All grandmasters or players who take chess
seriously or professionally continuously

prepare their opening lines. They always
hope that their opponents would choose the
lines that are either inferior, or ones which
they are more prepared for, or simply leads
to a type of position that they are more
comfortable to play.
As opening theory changes, so do our
preferences.
Here is an example:

Imagine that you are playing Black and you
are hoping for a fighting game with chances
to win and chose to play the Queen's Gambit
Accepted.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dc4 3.Sf3
Other moves which also usually lead to rich
middle games are 3.e4 or 3.e3.
3...Sf6 4.e3
Another option which leads to complicated
games is 4.Sc3.
4...e6 5.Lc4 c5 6.0–0 a6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9+p+-+pzpp0
9p+-+psn-+0
9+-zp-+-+-0
9-+LzP-+-+0
9+-+-zPN+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQ+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

In this opening position, most lines lead to
complex middle games, for example starting
with 7.a4, 7.Lb3, 7.De2 or 7.Ld3. Often
after a c5d4 - e3d4 exchange, White will end
up with an isolated Pawn on d4.
However, if our hope was to have a complex
and double-edged game with winning
chances as well, it would come as bad luck
if our opponent chooses the not very
ambitious

FIDE SURVEYS – Susan Polgar

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7.dc5
followed by the speedy exchange of Queens
resulting in an endgame with symmetrical
Pawn structure.
Although this endgame may not lead to any
better or worse position for White than the
other mentioned options on move 7, but it
would not the type of position we would be
looking for as Black in that situation.

Another example is in the 80's, a lot of
Sicilian players as Black after
1.e4 c5 2.Sf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Sd4 Sf6 5.Sc3
e6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zpp+-+pzpp0
9-+-zppsn-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-sNP+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

were fearful of the Keres attack
6.g4
and would be hoping that the opponent
would rather choose 6.Le2 or some other
move.

Conclusion: Generally in chess we want to
minimize the role of luck, but never the less
it exists. There are situations when our
opponent may think of two moves of the
same strength, not realizing that one is
actually falling into trap and loses.
Therefore in such a situation it would be
lucky for us if the opponent randomly
chooses the wrong one. Along the same
thought, at times the opponent accidently
may choose the right move.

I suggest never to count on luck or your
opponents' blunder, but rather to create
choices, challenges and opportunities for
your opponent to go wrong, without making
major gambles.
The only exception I can think of when you
may consider purposefully gambling on the
chess board, if you think your position is
pretty bad anyway and by making an
inferior move (which may lead to a quicker
end of the game) but sets up a trap which the
opponent may fall into.