FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik

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Sam Palatnik:

Advantage of Two Bishops

If you have to rate chess teachers throughout
history, GM Tarrasch would definitely come
up at the top of the list. He had a unique way
of conducting great theoretical research and
analysis, as well as ability to defend his
conclusions in both theoretical discussions
and practice. Dr. Tarrasch was a great
proponent of his ideas in practice, and was
considered to be one of the greatest players
in the pre-computer era. His theory on the
advantage of two bishops holds true even
today. Here we showcase analysis of two
chess classics, featuring the advantage of
two bishops. Note that the point of this
analysis, not so much as to show case
individual games per se, but shed light on
various types of positions. We provide
analysis to even dubious moves, as the
emerging positions represents a type of
common situation worth studying.

Taubenhaus : Tarrasch
Monte Carlo 1903
Ruy Lopez C67

1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Lb5 Sf6 4.0–0 Se4 5.d4
Sd6 6.Lc6 dc6 7.de5 Sf5
This game used the line, leading to the
Berlin Defense, was already considered old-
fashioned. Nearly one hundred years later,
this variation successfully was returned to
practice by GM Oleg Romanishin, then
served to Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik
very well as he won the title of world
champion, by beating Garry Kasparov in
2000.
8.De2
More common here now is 8. Dd8.
8...Sd4 9.Sd4 Dd4 10.Sc3 Lg4 11.De3 De3
12.Le3 Lb4 13.Se4 Lf5 14.c3 Le7 15.Sg3
Ld3 16.Tfd1 0–0–0 17.Td2 c5 18.f4 h5

19.Tad1 c4 20.Kf2 h4 21.Se2 c5 22.Sg1
Kc7 23.Sf3 Kc6 24.Se1 Le4 25.Ke2 Td2
26.Td2 Td8 27.Td8 Ld8 28.Sf3

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This becomes an interesting endgame
position. Black, with two strong bishops, has
a positional advantage. However, the
weakness of the h4–pawn, coupled with the
double pawns on the c-file, gives white
chances to survive. According to Dr.
Tarasch, two Bishops can give either side in
possession of those assets and advantage.
This advantage could be more then adequate
compensation for the pawn inconveniences,
such as isolated pawn, hung pawns, or
doubled pawns on the queens flank, which is
what we have in this case. However, in the
given eample, it is not enough to simply
believe in advantage of two bishops. One has
to find a way to leverage this advantage, and
correct, improve your pawn structure as well
as strengthen and intensify the position of
one's King. In other words, one has to
materialize this advantage, and then it will
be a short sprint to the win.
28...Lb1! 29.a3 Ld3 30.Ke1 Le4 31.Ke2
Ld3 32.Ke1 Le4 33.Ke2 Ld3 34.Ke1 Kd5
35.Lf2 h3
Another possibility would have been
35...Ke4 36.Lh4 (36.Lc5 Kf4 37.La7 h3;
36.Sg5 Kf4 37.Sf7 Le7 38.Lh4! and white
holds) 36...Lh4 37.Sh4 Kf4.
36.g3?
Pawn h3 - it's "the enemy of the people", and
under laws of wartime should be condemned

FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik

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by tribunal to a capital punishment. White
should have played . 36.gh3! b6 37.Lg3!
Then if (here we disagrees with the line
recommended in many books, 37.Le3 and if
37...Ke4 38.Kf2, planning 39.Sg5) 37...Ke4,
than simply 38.Sg5, while 37…Lg6, with
small winning chances. Still white could
have saved the game would be followed by
38. Kd2 and finally, if black tries 37. ..f6,
then 38. ef6 gf6 39. Kf2. 38.Sg5.
36...b6 37.Sg1 Lf5 38.Sf3 Ke4 39.Sd2
39.Sg5 would be followed by 39...Lg5
40.fg5 Kd3 41.Kd1 Lg4 42.Kc1 Ke2

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39...Kd3 40.Sf1 Le4 41.Se3 Le7
Penetration of the black King on d3 says that
creation of a reliable fortress for white isn't
obviously possible any more.
42.g4 b5 43.g5 a5 44.Kd1 b4 45.cb4 cb4
46.ab4 ab4 47.Sc2 c3 48.bc3 b3

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0:1.

Teichmann : Bier
Hamburg 1905

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24.f3?
This loses a tempo. It would have been
stronger to play 24.f4 . Even then, however,
White's position would have been difficult,
after, for example, 24...a5! (the natural
24...Ke6 25.Ke2 a5 26.Kf3 h5 27.Se4 would
make it more difficult for Black to realize his
advantage, even though after 27...b6! Black's
chances are still better) 28.Sg5 (28.h3 h4
29.Lf2) 28...Kd5 29.Sf7 Lb1.
24...h5
The move 24...a5 is necessary in order to
play ...f6 next. If Black immediately plays
24...f6, then 25.ef6 Lf6 26.b4!, followed by
a3; g3; h4! and White's fortress is difficult to
breach.
25.Ke2 Ke6 26.f4

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26...g6?
Mistake. Better was 26...a5 27.Kf3 f6 28.Se4
(28.ef6 Lf6 29.Lc1 g6 30.Se4 Ld4 with the

FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik

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next b5 and Kd5 and Black must to win - see
the next diagram - 31.Sc3 b5 32.Se4

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Now Black can rich the winning result by
32...Kd5 33.Sc3 (33.Sd2 Ld3 34.g3 c5
35.Kg2 Le2 with the next Le3 and marching
the King) 33...Lc3! (popular transfer from
two Bishops to opposit color Bishops
endgame) 34.bc3 Lb1 35.a3 Lc2 36.b4 a4
37.Ke3 Kc4 38.Kd2 Kb3 39.g3 Lf5 40.Kd1
Ka2 41.Kd2 Kb1 42.Kd1 Le4 43.Kd2 Lc2
44.h4 Lf5 45.Kd1 Le4 46.Kd2 Lc2) 28...b6
29.ef6 gf6 30.Sc3 (30.Sg3 Lg6 (30...Lb1) )
30...Lg6! 31.h3 h4 32.Lf2 f5 with the next
Kd6, c5, Kc6, Lf7, c4 and Black must to
win.
27.Kd2?
White is clearly much worse. Black played
the rest of the game very well.
As Dr. Euwe mentioned, White could get
ecellent drawing chances with 27.h3 h4
28.Kf3. However, we prefer here an
immediate 27.Kf3 and in case of 27...f6
28.ef6 Lf6 29.b4, because he felt the
inclusion of moves h3 and … h4 favors
black.
27...c5 28.a4
Moving pawns on the side you are weaker,
unless for a good reason, is not usually a
good idea. He would be better off playing a
waiting move like Ke2.

28...b6 29.Kc1 c6 30.Kd2 b5 31.Kc1 b4
32.Se2 Le4 33.g3 Kd5 34.Kd2 c4 35.Sd4
cb3 36.Sb3 c5 37.Sc1 c4 38.Se2 c3

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39.Sc3
If 39.bc3, then 39...b3.
39...bc3 40.Kc3 a5 0:1.