FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik 1

Sam Palatnik:

Attack is a risky business

Wilhelm Steinitz perhaps put it best when he
said, that many combinational attacks are a
success only because of the defense
imperfection. According to Steinitz, saving
your strength will help you with defending
the position. While on the defensive, one
should always search for necessary
compromises and potential trade offs. One of
Steinitz’s key conclusions is that a position
without weak points is much easier to defend
then to attack. Of course, one should not
close of the door to an attack in a position
without obvious weaknesses, but such an
attack cannot be guaranteed to succeed.
Let's suppose that you have been lucky, and
your pieces have build up a substantial
advantage in activity and development. It is
possible even to phantom, that you have
reached a positional advantage and
overplayed the opponent during the previous
period of a duel. In that case, if you are
counting on victory, you need to drink a
concoction of confidence, entrepreneurship,
imagination, strong will, full concentration,
energy and attention to detail in order to
succeed. Other players would describe this
state simply as your blood becomes on fire,
from a mere mention of the word “attack”.
One of the worst decisions you could make
is to continue on with an attack, without
having a decisive positional advantage to do
so. An attack in such circumstances, can
open you up to potential counter attack from
your opponent, and give him opportunity to
find weaknesses introduced in your position.
Once your artillery is out of the gate, and is
deeply infringed in your opponent’s camp, it
is almost always nearly impossible to bring
your pieces back for protection of your own
boarders. In such a case, even rich
imagination and strong will can turn out to
be a determent and render you powerless.

Now, it’s time to demonstrate written above
theory in practice, by showcasing two almost
identical examples. Both games are similar
in character, and the entrepreneurship in
both is exquisite, despite the fact that they
were played by players from different
generations. The main difference, however,
is that the attack in the first game is the
result of having an attack by White
regardless of the cost. This allowed Black to
make White pay the ultimate price for the
“pleasure” of waging the attack. While in the
second game, White accumulate a certain
positional advantage, and subsequently
could justify an attack.

Geller : Euwe
Zuerich 1953
Nimzoindian defence E26

1.d4 Sf6 2.c4 e6 3.Sc3 Lb4 4.e3 c5 5.a3?!
Geller in this game has early defined his
ambitions and has been directed to an
attacking construction, not reckoning with
expenses of time and a material.
5...Lc3
5...cd4 6.ab4 dc3 7.bc3.
6.bc3

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6...b6!?
Since this movement Black tries to pour
sand in the wheel of enemy attack. After the

FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik 2

automatic 6...0–0 7.Ld3 b6 he allowed to
carry out promotion in the centre: 8.e4 not
resorting to the help of f3. If to consider that
White in the further for development of
attack will have to advance his f-pawn even
further, expenses for such an attacking
promotion will cost of an additional tempo.
7.Ld3 Lb7 8.f3 Sc6 9.Se2 0–0 10.0–0 Sa5
Black opened his own small business – »c4
Utility Inc«.
11.e4 Se8!
Continuation of policy of addition of sand
with 11...Tc8 permits 12.Lg5 and the knight
will be pinned, and also Black want to be
able to reply to the move f4 with ...f5,
blocking the kingside. This is why, before
White moves his f-pawn, he takes the f5
square under control. There is no reason for
White to worry about protecting the c4
pawn; this pawn was already doomed by
White's fifth move.
12.Sg3 cd4 13.cd4 Tc8

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14.f4!? Sc4 15.f5
Threat consisted of f6, and the kingside will
be weakened after ...gf6 or with returning the
knight to f6 the white bishop could pin it.
15...f6!
By a pawn sacrifice and effort of will White
finally reached an attacking position. The
controlled space on the royal flank, pair
ready to fight bishops, and also Geller's

persistence to stay on the coarse allow him
to started a responsible regrouping of the
forces to attack.
16.Tf4!?
With a pray and a wing - forward!
16...b5!
Coolly played. Here Black emphasizes the
presence of an extra pawn not so much, how
many tries to use time won earlier for more
active queen connection to the game. Here it
is possible to call into question Geller's
claims for attack only by active actions
against the not enough secured White's
centre. Any kind of defence on the kingside
with moves like ...Tf7 or ...De7 is useless,
since these pieces have a very limited range
of action. The black bishop on b7, the rook
on c8, and the knight on c4 all occupy good
squares; the only piece left out right now is
the queen. The basis of counterattack is
Black's control of the central dark squares.
By playing ...b5 Black makes his knight's
position more secure and opens a path for his
queen to b6.
17.Th4
But if instead White had played 17.Dh5 Db6
18.Se2 Se5 it would be too late to play Th4
because the d3 bishop is under attack:
19.Lb1 Tc1 20.Sc1 Dd4.
17...Db6 18.e5!?
18.Se2 will close the rout for the queen to
h5.
18...Se5 19.fe6 Sd3
A very important piece is echanged; we shall
notice that exchange the lightsquared bishop
considerably reduces White's chances for
success of offensive operation on the
kingside and equaly reduces White's chances
on cut and run politics.
20.Dd3
20.ed7 meets the in-between move 20...Dc6!
20...De6! 21.Dh7 Kf7 22.Lh6

FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik 3

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White has achieved the brake through -
attacking columns on the h-file look
impressively and beautifully. One confuses -
bridges are burnt, the road back does not
exist.
22...Th8!!
If Blacks' 16th move was the begining of
strategic plan of counterattack, then this rook
sacrifice is the central tactical stroke. Hard to
refuse the 'invitation' for the white queen to
apply Her Majesty visit to h8 is first of all
deflection from the c2–square control.
23.Dh8 Tc2

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Black's threat is checkmate in a couple of
moves, with 24...Tg2, 25...Dc4 etc.

24.Tc1
White could have avoided checkmate by
making a couple of forced moves. He should
have played 24.d5 e.g. If 24...Ld5 (24...Db6
25.Kh1 Df2 26.Tg1 Ld5 27.Te4) 25.Td1!
Tg2 26.Kf1 gh6 27.Th6 (or 27.Td5) are not
good enough. White's best move is 27.Dh6
but in any case, Black has a bishop and two
pawns for rook, which gives him good
chances for the win. It is understandble that
Geller did not find these complex variations
during the game. Subsequent analyses has
proved that 22...Th8 was premature, and that
it would have been better to play 22...Tc4
first. However, chess lovers would probably
not agree. Moves like 22...Th8 are hard to
forget!
24...Tg2 25.Kf1 Db3 26.Ke1 Df3 0:1.


Ivanchuk : Radulsky
Bled 2002
Ruy Lopez C90

In a following example grandmaster
Ivanchuk by delicate and purposeful play
managed to solve first of all very important
strategic problem for the given opening - to
provide the "light future to the light square
Bishop". And already even he spent attack
under the similar scheme with the previous
game it was possible for Ivanchuk counted
on power of this Bishop. If we can take to
consideration, that this chess player don't
need to borrow purposefulness same as
imagination, then the risk from such attack
will be acceptable. As a result we can offer
to our readers one more chess masterpiece
here.
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Lb5 a6 4.La4 Sf6 5.0–0
Le7 6.Te1 b5 7.Lb3 d6 8.a4!?
It is played with idea to try to keep Bishop
on a diagonal a2–g8.
8...Sa5 9.La2 b4 10.c3 c5 11.d4 cd4 12.cd4
Lg4
While all problems are not beyond usual
initial cares, such as development of pieces

FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik 4

and struggle for influence in the centre. But
last move speaks that Bishop from a square
g4 wishes insure on protection of pawn e5
his colleague - Knight, taken an adventures
on the Queen's flank.
13.Sbd2 Lh5

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Standard 13...0–0 after 14.h3 compelled
exchange of the Knight on h3, giving White
advantage of pair Bishops. 14...Lf3 15.Sf3.
14.Sb3!
Interesting turn of a course of events is here.
Ivanchuk has refused from standard, but
ineffective in given situation maneuver Sd2–
f1–g3 or e3 in favour of Sb3, that has
allowed to leave from a pinning, and not
having played h3. Here impresses gift of a
White's prediction - already here it became
clear to him- the presence of a pawn on h3
forms the traffic on the interstate "h"! One
more important detail, Ivanchuk goes on
exchange of usual in Rue Lopez passive
black Knight as in this case it is more
important to provide eclusive rights for the
Bishop on a diagonal a2–g8.
14...Sb3 15.Db3 Db8

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Protecting both pawns, but no on move can
be perfect! Le7 lost his support from his
Queen.
16.Sh4!?
Another step to improve White's position,
Sf3 or Sf5 - same Knight, different power!
16...0–0!

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17.Dg3!
This move is even more important then Sf5.
17...Lg6 18.Sg6 hg6 19.de5 de5 20.Lb3!

FIDE SURVEYS – Sam Palatnik 5

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Played with elevated style. White has
achieved his strategy goal: on b3 we see
more likely a Hollywood star, than usual
Bishop now. If 20.Dg6? b3 with fork.
20...Kh8
Ugly, but how differently to rescue a pawn
g6?
21.Dh4 Kg8 22.Lg5
Now Black will not be possible to close
access to interstate "h" for white pieces by
move Sh5.
22...Td8 23.Te3!
Heavy white pieces have directed there
whence there is no return!
23...Dd6 24.Th3
On this site of road there is no restriction of
speed.
24...Kf8
Leaving from checkmate in one move.
25.Dh8
25.Tf3 Kg8.
25...Sg8
All still exists danger, that with Ivanchuk's
pieces the same tragedy can repeat. that has
occured to Geller's pieces in the previous
game.
26.Th7
Similar on closing of a cover of a coffin.
26.Tf3 Lf6; 26.Lf7 Dd1 27.Td1 Td1#.
26...Lf6 27.Lh6!

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This move hammers last nail, and only now
it becomes known whom necessary to bury.
If to look now at the diagram it will lead us
to more joyful change of impressions, the
picture of an arrangement of pieces on the
King's flank will remind us a three-layer
chocolate cake with a layer of white
chocolate on "h" file.
27...Ke7
27...gh6 28.Tf7, thanks to Lb3! 28...Ke8
29.Dg8 Df8 30.Df8#.
28.Lg7 Lg7 29.Dg7 Tf8 30.Lf7 Sf6 1:0.