FIDE Surveys 2011 – Alexey Kuzmin

1

Alexey Kuzmin:

Training of calculation I.

The ability to calculate variants deep and
exactly is the very important constituent of
chess-player mastership. The technique of
variants calculation is evident to be closely
intertwined with all other skills components:
tactical vision, the ability to evaluate a
position, intuition etc. So, when training
technique of variants calculation, we are
developing the whole complex of necessary
skills.
The method of the training of variants
calculation was proposed by well-knowing
Soviet grandmaster, trainer and chess writer
Alexander A. Kotov more then half century
ago.
He wrote about his experience: "Having
chosen a complicated well analyzed game
from the tournament book and reached the
culmination fighting point where different
variations were possible I stopped to read
these notes any more. The first task that I put
was to analyze all variants being able to
appear. The book was put apart, sometimes a
page was simply covered by a sheet of paper
and a long deep thought began ..."
Of course, today a book can be partly replaced
by a computer.
Kotov mentioned three main factors of high
calculation technique:
a) to determine all the best candidate moves,
b) to analyze exactly all determined
variations,
c) to economize the time strictly.
Before passing directly to examples some
practical recommendations should be given to
trainers.
For better training efficiency to see the part of
a game previous to the task-position is not
always reasonable as this "prehistory" can
have an influence on the process of thinking
over a task-position by a pupil.

Sometimes it is reasonable to recommend for
a pupil to calculate variants and to choose a
move for an opponent's side. Often during a
game a search of possibilities for an opponent
is less effective then for a player himself.
Generally a training of variants calculation is
useful to be combined with a work on some
weak point in a pupil's play.
For instance if a pupil feels unconfident in
worse positions where he mainly has to beat
off opponent's threats, it will be reasonable to
chose exercises in accordance with a work on
this defect. I have chosen exactly such three
examples from my file. In all of them the
Author of the training system played against
the Patriarch of Soviet chess...

Kotov A. : Botvinnik M.
Leningrad 1939

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nc6 5.Nf3
d5 6.e3 0–0 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Qxc3 Bd7 9.b3 a5
10.Bd3 a4 11.Nd2 Re8 12.0–0 e5 13.dxe5
Nxe5 14.Bb2 axb3 15.Nxb3 Ne4 16.Qc2
Nxc4 17.Bxc4 dxc4 18.Qxc4 Qg5

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White has played an opening passively and,
taking advantage of this, Botvinnik has sized
an initiative completely.
White position is very dangerous. Almost all
the Black pieces are ready to take part in an
attack. Even the rook a8 can be quickly
transferred to the King-side by the sixth rank.
There is a concrete treat 19. ... Bh3.
Let's list possible defense resources and
corresponding candidate moves:
The attempt of an exchange sacrifice for the
pawn: 1) 19.Qxc7?

FIDE Surveys 2011 – Alexey Kuzmin

2

Probable rook's retreat for getting the
possibility to play g2-g3: 2)19.Rfd1
and 3)19.Rfe1.
To make free the second rank with tempo to
defend the point g2: 4) 19.f4.
There is one more possibility: an attempt to
disorganize opponent's attacking forces by the
pawn sacrifice 5) 19.h4.

To organize a defense with an exchange
sacrifice doesn't work out:
1) 19.Qxc7? Bh3 20.g3 Qd5! (20...Bxf1
21.Rxf1 Qb5µ) 21.Nd4 Nd2–+;

Another possibility to resist a threat Bh3 is to
remove the rook from f1:
2) 19.Rfd1?! Bh3 20.Qf1 Ra6–+ 21.Nd2 Rg6
22.Nxe4 Rxe4 23.f4 Qxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Rxg2+
25.Kh1 f6 26.Bd4 b6–+;

3) 19.Rfe1?! Bh3 20.Qf1 Ra6 21.Re2 Rg6
22.f4 Qd5 and lack is better.

4) Kotov has chosen 19.f4?! in the game.
To make free with tempo the second raw for
the defense point g2 is likely to be the first
thing coming to anybody's mind.
19...Qg6 20.Rfd1
Relatively better would be 20.Qxc7 Bh3
21.Qc2 but it also couldn't solve problems:
21...Rac8 22.Qe2 Nd6 23.Rf2 Bg4 24.Qf1
Ne4.
20...Nd6! 21.Qd3 Bf5 22.Qc3

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22…Be4
Stronger is 22...Bh3! 23.g3 Ne4 24.Qc2 Qg4
and there is no sufficient defense from a
sacrifice on g3.

23.Rd2 Bc6 24.Qd3 Nf5 25.Be5 f6 26.Bxc7
Rxe3 27.Qc4+ Kh8 28.Bb6 Ree8 29.Qf1 h5
30.Nd4 Nxd4 31.Bxd4 Re4 32.Re1 Rxe1
33.Qxe1 Rxa3 34.Kh1 Ra8 35.Re2 Kh7
36.h3 Re8 37.Qf2 Qxg2+ 38.Qxg2 Rxe2 0:1.

5) 19.h4!
The best move allowing to keep balance.

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19...Qxh4
Later on the game gains a forced character.
a) 19...Qg6. It becomes clear that now White
can take the pawn! 20.Qxc7 Bh3 21.Qh2! –
here is the place where White has used the
square h2!;
b) 19...Qh5 20.Qxc7 Bb5 21.Rfc1 Qxh4
(21...Ra6? 22.f3 Rg6 23.Qf4 Ng3 24.Nd4±)
22.Qf4=.
20.Qd4 Qf6 21.Qxe4! Qxb2 22.Qxb7 Rxa3
23.Rxa3 Qxa3 24.Qxc7 Bb5 25.Rb1 Qa2
26.Qc1=.

In the second example Alexander A. Kotov
has unsuccessfully played an opening one
more time and has fallen into a difficult
situation.

Kotov A. : Botvinnik M.
Moscow 1940

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5
exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.e3 cxd4 9.exd4
Nc6 10.Bb5 0–0 11.Nge2 Qb6 12.Qd3 Bxc3+
13.bxc3 Ne4 14.0–0 Bf5 15.Ba4 Rfe8
16.Rfe1 Qa5 17.Bb3 g5 18.Bg3 Re6
There is a material equality but white's pieces
are placed unsuccessfully and Black forces
threats. One cannot still see a decisive jump of

FIDE Surveys 2011 – Alexey Kuzmin

3

the knight e4, but it's impossible to drive it off
by f2-f3, too. Moreover after doubling Black
rooks, threats on the "e" file will be added to
White problems and its position will become
critical.
Let's name all possible defensive ideas and
corresponding them candidates moves:
1) 19.Qf3, taking queen away from a
dangerous diagonal.
2) 19.Rec1, taking rook away from the pin on
"e" file.
3) 19.f4, defending the rook e1.
4) 19.Be5, blocking the "e" file.

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1) 19.Qf3 Bg6 20.Red1 Rae8 21.h4 Nf6–+.
It becomes clear that a new threat appears:
22...Bh5 – White cannot escape.

2) 19.Rec1 Nxg3 (Perhaps a stronger
19...Rae8!? is improving threats) 20.Qxg3
Rxe2 21.Qf3 Rae8 22.Qxf5 Qxc3! with an
extra pawn.

3) 19.f4 Rae8 20.fxg5 hxg5 21.Bf2 (21.Qf3
Nxg3 22.hxg3 Bg6) 21...Bg6 22.Qe3
(22.Qh3? Nxf2 23.Kxf2 Qa3–+) 22...Kg7
23.Qc1 Nxf2 24.Kxf2 Qd8.

4) Kotov played 19.Be5!
It's the best move. Although Black is keeping
some advantage, White has good chances to
retain its bastions.
As an argument of the move 19.Be5 appears
that it's not good 19...f6? because of 20.Bc7!
b6 (20...Qxc7? 21.Bxd5 Nd6 22.Bxe6+ Bxe6
23.Qg6+ Qg7 24.Qxg7+ Kxg7 25.d5±)
21.Ng3 Nxg3 22.Qxg3.

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19...Nxe5?!
Botvinnik is evidently taken aback.
It’s not too dangerous 19...Rae8 20.Ng3 Bg6
21.Nxe4 Bxe4 22.Qg3 Nxe5 23.dxe5.
And on 19…Bg6 it is right 20.f4!
The strongest would be 19...Qb6!? or
19...Rc8.
19...Qb6!? 20.Qf3 Bg6 21.Bf4!?
Defenselessness of d5 pawn allows White to
transfer bishop on e3 where it can stop the
pressure on "e" file. (21.Bxd5 Nxe5 22.dxe5
Rxe5 23.Bxe4 Rxe4 24.Nd4 and Black
position is more preferable, but White has
good chances to retain the position.) 21...Ne7
22.Be3 Qa5 Black is better, but the position is
still complicated. For example: 23.c4 dxc4
24.Bxc4 Rf6 25.Qh3 or 23.Ng3 Qxc3
24.Qd1.;
After 19...Rc8!? White has not to walk into a
trap: 20.f3? Rxe5! 21.dxe5 Qc5+ 22.Nd4
Nxc3–+. But after 20.Qe3! the position is still
unclear.
20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Qd4!
White has solved all problems due to the
pawn.

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FIDE Surveys 2011 – Alexey Kuzmin

4

White has a sufficient counter-play.
21...Rae8 22.Ng3 Bg6 23.f3 Nxg3 24.Rxe5
Rxe5 25.hxg3 Qc7 26.Bxd5= Re2 27.Kh2 b6
28.Bc4 Re8 29.Rd1 h5 30.Bb3 h4 31.Qd6
Qxd6 32.Rxd6 hxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Kg7 34.Rd7
Rc8 35.Rxa7 Rxc3 36.Rb7 Rc6 ½.

And in the following game Mikhail Botvinnik
has fallen into a difficult situation.

Botvinnik M. : Kotov A.
Groningen 1946

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+
5.bxc3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5 c5 8.f3 h6
9.Bxf6 Qxf6 10.e3 0–0 11.Ne2 Re8 12.Kf2
Qe7 13.Qd2 Nd7 14.Nf4 Nf6 15.Bd3 Bd7
16.h3 Qd6 17.Rhb1 b6 18.Bf1 Re7

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The problem of White consists of an
unfaithful king placing, together with an
unsuccessful placement of minor pieces.
White position would be normal if it managed
to realize a typical plan g2-g4 and a knight
transfer on g3.

Let's name all candidates moves:
1) 19.a4. White ignores opponent's threats and
continue developing an initiative on Q-side.
2) 19.Re1. Prophylactic move. You will find
other candidates moves during deeper
analyzing position probably, when Black's
threats will became clear for you.
3) 19.Bb5.
4) 19.Nd3.
5) 19.dxc5.

1) Botvinnik has chosen 19.a4? in the game.
The further World champion is evident to
underestimate the opponent's threat.
19...Rae8
More precisely is an urgent 19...c4! 20.Re1 g5
21.Ne2 Qh2.
20.Re1 c4!
Inescapable now threat g7-g5! is likely to fall
down of Mikhail Botvinnik' field of vision.
21.g4 g5! 22.Ne2?!
The lesser of evils would be 22.Ng2, but it
would be hard to escape too - 22...Qh2.
22...Rxe3 23.Ng3 Qxg3+ 24.Kxg3 Ne4+ 0:1.

2) 19.Re1. It's a preventive move, but even
after it White has no time to place pieces in
harmony. 19...c4 20.g4 (20.Ne2? Qh2)
20...Rae8 21.Kg1 (21.Bg2 g5) 21...g5 22.Ng2
b5 (22...Qg3 23.Qf2) 23.Qf2 h5. White has
avoided some material loss, but its situation is
very passive.

3) 19.Bb5. The attempt to simplify the
situation with the bishops exchange doesn't
solve problems too. 19...Bxb5 20.Rxb5 Rae8
21.dxc5 (21.Re1 g5! 22.Nd3 cxd4 23.cxd4
Qxa3) 21...bxc5 22.Re1 g5 23.Nd3 Ne4+!
24.fxe4 dxe4 25.Rxc5 Rd8 26.Rc4 Qf6+
27.Kg1 Rxd3.

4) 19.Nd3!? It’s an interesting idea.
Transferring the knight to e5 White hopes to
neutralize a pressure on "e" file. But besides
19...Bf5 20.Re1 c4 21.Ne5 Nd7, with a little
bit more pleasant position, Black has a strong
resource 19...Qh2! 20.dxc5 Rae8 21.cxb6
axb6©
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FIDE Surveys 2011 – Alexey Kuzmin

5

22.Rxb6 (22.Re1 Nh5 23.Nb4 Re5 24.Nxd5
Bxh3 25.e4 Rg5) 22...Rxe3 23.Rxf6 (23.Rbb1
d4! 24.cxd4 Rxf3+! –+) 23...gxf6 24.Qxe3
Rxe3 25.Kxe3 Qb8.

4) 19.dxc5! Here is an original decision and
the best move!

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At the first sight it is a disadvantageous pawns
structure change for White. But it is exactly
that allows White to begin a play in the centre
and to hold equality.
19...Qxc5 (Nothing promise 19...bxc5 20.e4
20...Rxe4 21.Nxd5! or 20.c4=) 20.Qd4 Qc7
(20...Rc8 21.Rc1 Qa5 22.Qb4=) 21.c4 dxc4
22.Bxc4 with sufficient counter-play.