FIDE Surveys - Viacheslav Eingorn

1

Viacheslav Eingorn:

Non-standard positional play

Concept

Most usually chess games are playing in
accordance with the well known methods of
strategic estimation but sometimes the
contradictory situations appear, in which the
expected development trend may be
disrupted for positional or practical reasons
of higher order. Although such irregular
phenomena are always concrete and
individual, they also have some common
signs and we shall try to illustrate this by the
following examples.

1) Bolt from the blue: strategic
situation changes suddenly

Ivanchuk V. : Anand V.
Linares 1992

1.e4 c5 2.Sf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Sd4 Sf6 5.Sc3
Sc6 6.Lg5 e6 7.Dd2 a6 8.0–0–0 h6 9.Le3
Sd4 10.Ld4 b5 11.f3 Da5 12.a3 e5 13.Le3
Le6 14.Kb1 Le7 15.g4 Tb8
The threat… b4 impels white to the
following unloading operation.
16.Sd5 Dd2 17.Sf6
Until now everything looks logical and
consistent. Such intermediate exchanges
usually happen automatically - the line
17.Td2 Sd5 18.ed5 Ld7 is not to the White’s
taste.
17...gf6!

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Surprise! It occurs that the poor black

central pawns conceal the serious attacking
potential, for example: 18.Ld2 (keeping
white’s rooks connected) h5 19.h3 hg4
20.fg4 Lg4 21.hg4 Th1 22.Lb5 ab5 23.Th1
Kd7, and Black takes the initiative.
18.Td2 h5 19.Tg1?!
Apparently White underestimates 20th
Black’s move. The best continuation was
19.gh5! Th5 20.Tg1 and net f4 with mutual
chances.
19...hg4 20.fg4 Lc4!!
The formal reasonings about “bad” and
“good” bishops are not applicable in this
concrete position. Black has to prevent in
time the construction of opponent’s fortress
on the king’s side by the moves h3 and Lg2.
21.b3 Lf1 22.Tf1 Th3 23.Te2
White cannot hold the blockade on centre
after 23.Lg1 Th4! 24.Tg2 Kd7 25.Tf3 Tg8
26.h3 (26.Tfg3 d5 27.ed5 e4) Tgh8 27.Th2
(or 27.Tgg3 f5) f5! 28.ef5 e4 29.Te3 d5.
23...Kd7 24.g5 Ke6 25.gf6 Lf6 26.Ld2
Le7! 27.Le1 f6 28.Lg3 d5 29.ed5 Kd5
As a result Black got two connected free
pawns and real chances to win the game
(0:1, 45).

2) Logic inside: outward
paralogism helps to achieve more
important goal

Ivanchuk V. : Aronian L.
Morelia/Linares 2007

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Black entered this somewhat worse ending
expecting to make a draw without special
difficulties. Look at the successful example
of such strategy: 16...Sc5!? 17.Tac1 (17.Sd4
Se4) Se6 18.Tc8 Tc8 19.Tc8 Lc8 20.Kf1
Kf8 21.Ke1 Ke7 22.Kd2 Kd6, and here the

FIDE Surveys - Viacheslav Eingorn

2

weakness of the isolated pawn d5 does not
have any vital importance (Zhou Jianchao :
Hou Y., Xinghua 2010).
16...Tc5
Taking with the rook also appears logical
but now White can try to change the
predictable scenario of the game.
17.Tcc1!?
This is the attempt to avoid the exchange of
rooks. White demonstrate his readiness to
yield the open file “c” in order to prevent
Black’s king centre output.
17...Tfc8
Black agrees to test the opponent’s idea. The
consistent continuation was 17...Tc1 18.Tc1
Tc8.
18.Td1 Tc2 19.Lb5 Sf8
Here another piece arrangement could be
more active: 19...Sf6 20.Tab1 Se4 21.Ld3
T2c5 22.Sd4 Sd6, forcing White to consider
the possibility of …Sc4.
20.Tab1 T2c7 21.La4 Se6 22.Lb3 Kf8
Black offers the pawn sacrifice in the line
23.Ld5 Ld5 24.Td5 Tc1 25.Td1 Td1 26.Td1
Tc2 27.Tb1 Ke7.
23.h3 Tc5

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The first stage of White’s plan is completed.
By the net step he would like to strengthen
pressure on the pawn d5 – however,
immediate attempt to double rooks on “d”
file 24.Td2 allows the undesirable exchange
24… Tc1. White find one additional non-
standard solution.
24.Kh2
Although this move makes aesthetical
impression, objectively 24.Se1 or 24.La2
look more preferable.
24...Ke7

Blacks could use the lack of White’s pawn
f2 defense and continue 24...Tb5 25.La4 Ta5
26.Ld7 Tc2 with equality.
25.Td2 Tb5 26.La2 Tbc5 27.Se1
Or 27.Tbd1 Tc2. In spite of all White’s
contrivances he cannot reliably cover all
possible squares of intrusion and now after
27...Tc1 28.Tc1 Tc1 29.Sd3 Tc8 30.Sb4 Sc7
Black could successfully protect himself.
The net move actually rejects the use of
Black’s main positional trump.
27...a5?! 28.Tbd1 Td8 29.Kg3 Tb5 30.f3
Tc8?
This error leads to the defeat. Black has
either return rook conversely (30… Tc5) or
strive for complicated fight by playing 30…
Sc5.
31.Sd3 d4 32.Le6 Ke6 33.Sf4 Ke7 34.Td4,
and White won (1:0, 49).

3) Necessity: the course of events
almost dictates the nontrivial
solution, if possible.

Kaidanov G. : Onischuk A.
Chicago 2002

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This opening position looks not very
attractive for White because half of his
army actually does not participate in the
battle. The trivial ways here may be to the
Black’s advantage, for example:
a)

14.h4 Sf8 15.Sf5 h5 16.Sg3 g6 17.La2
La2 18.Ta2 Sg4 19.Te2 Te6 (Schwarz
D. : Babula V., Slovakia 2011)

b)

14.a4 Dc8 (14...Sf8!?) 15.h4 Da6
16.Kd2 (preventing ...Ld3) Tad8 17.h5
h6 18.Th4 Sh7 (Spassky B. : Uusi V.,
Rostov 1958)

FIDE Surveys - Viacheslav Eingorn

3

That is why the following spectacular move
deserves only a simple explanation – White
makes an interesting attempt to cut Gordian
knot of his positional problems.
14.Ta2!?
Intending to play Tf2. If Black takes the
exchange, then bishop b1 will be
immediately activated and another White’s
rook comes to the “f”-file. In this case the
material sacrifice is the necessary pay for
the possibility of successful piece
coordination.
14...La2
Black could not resist temptation. More
prudent line is 14...Te6 15.Tf2 De8
(15...Df8!?) 16.h4 h5 17.Sh5 Sh5 18.Dh5
Sf6 19.Df5 Se4, preserving control over the
centre (Moskalenko V. : Vilela de Acuna J.,
Solsones 2004).
15.La2 Sf8
The game situation has changed: by now
Black in his turn must think how to arrange
forces. Apparently he may be well advised
to continue pressure on the pawn e4 and to
be ready for the reciprocal exchange
sacrifice, for example: 15… Te7 16.0-0 Df8
with further… Tae8.
16.0–0 Sg6 17.Ld2 Dd7?
This is simply a senseless loss of time, 17…
Te7 or 17...De7 (18.Sf5 De4 19.Sh6 Kf8)
look clearly better.
18.Sf5 Dd8?
Black had to defend by the way of 18...Te4
19.Sg7 Sf4! 20.Lb1 d5 21.ef4 Kg7 22.f5
Tg8 (Sokolov,I). Now White commits to
battle his last reserves and proceed to
decisive attack.
19.e5! de5 20.e4 ed4 21.Sg7! Se5 22.Dh3
dc3 23.Lc3 Kg7 24.Dg3 Sg6,
and here 25.h4! (Sokolov I.) was the most
effective continuation (1:0, 41).

4) Provocation: general
considerations are demonstratively
moved to the backstage

Morozevich A. : Pelletier Y.
Biel 2006

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In similar positions with the short castling
White usually try to advance his queenside
pawns, but here one can expect the quick
offensive on the other flank, for example:
18.g4 Se4 19.De3 Sc5 20.g5 hg5 21.fg5 Sd3
22.Sd3 Td5, etc.
18.c4 Dc7 19.b4?!
Instead of common sense playing White
simply produces a mess on the board.
Perhaps after the exchange of queens or
rooks the king’s presence in the thick of
things may prove to be useful, but first his
majesty have to survive until such favorable
turn of events comes.
19...Sd7
This is not thought-out answer and
furthermore Black loses time in vain. The
better solution here was to preserve knights
and continue 19...a5 20.Kb2 ab4 21.ab4 De7
22.Kb3 b5 or 19...Le4 20.Dc2 Ld3 21.Td3
Td3 22.Dd3 a5, taking the initiative.
20.Kb2 Se5 21.fe5 Kh8
This artificial move (with the idea to play
…Td7) eposes the Black’s king. The
approximate equilibrium could become a
result of the following complications: 21...a5
22.b5 (22.De3?! ab4 23.ab4 Ta8) Dc5
23.Df4 (23.g3?! Lf3) Lg2!? 24.Dg3 (24.Tg1
Td3) Lb7 25.Tg1 g5 26.h4 Dd4 27.Ka2 Le4.
22.De3 Td7
The lines 22...Kg8 or 22...a5!? (23.b5 Td7)
were more justified.
23.g4 Tfd8?
This mistake already leads to defeat.

FIDE Surveys - Viacheslav Eingorn

4

24.g5 hg5 25.Dh3 Kg8 26.Dh7 Kf8 27.Te3!
g4
Unfortunately Black has no reply 27...Dc5.
28.Dh8 Ke7 29.Dg7 Lf3
More stubborn resistance could be organized
after 29...Td4 30.h3 Tf8.
30.Lg6! Tf8 31.Td7 Dd7 32.Td3 Dc8
33.Df6 Ke8 34.Td6 1:0.

5) Reaction: nonstandard actions
can require from the opponent the
application of the reciprocal
nonstandard measures

Bondarevsky I. : Bronstein D.
Leningrad 1963

1.d4 Sf6 2.Sf3 g6 3.Lf4 Lg7 4.e3 0–0
5.Sbd2 b6 6.c3 c5 7.h3 d6 8.Le2 La6 9.La6
Sa6 10.0–0 Dd7 11.De2 Sc7 12.dc5 bc5
13.e4
By two last moves White determined his
plan to place the knight on c4 in order to
operate with the pressure along the file “d”
and possible threat e5. Sot that this concept
looks promising – Black stands well after
13...Se6 14.Lh2 Db7 15.Tab1 Sd7, but he
also wants to play in centre.
13…e5!?

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This is a very unexpected thrust, although
it’s idea becomes clear if one takes into
account Black’s intention to play … d5
and… f5 in the near future.
14.Le3
The beginning of White’s troubles. Actually
his bishop now is the poorest piece on the
board and it is not possible to solve this
problem immediately (14.Lg5 Se8).
Therefore instead of the natural move in the

game White could play more creatively by
selecting another retreat: after 14.Lh2!? the
bishop is taking a rest, but it is still
observing the centre and not getting in the
way of White’s other pieces.
14…Tab8
A small inaccuracy – Black allows the reply
15.Dd3! (15…Dc6 15.Lg5; 15…Tb2
16.Sc4). More sequential line was
immediate 14… Dc6 or 14… Se8 (15.Dd3
f5 16.Lc5 Tf7).
15.b3 Dc6 16.Dc4?
Essentially the decisive error – now the
opponent gains an important tempo and
carries his attack through successfully. After
16.Dd3 Tfe8 17.c4 White could keep quite
defensible
position.
16...Sd7 17.Sh2 Sb6 18.Dd3 d5 19.f3
The line 19.ed5 Scd5 20.c4 Se3 21.De3 f5
also is not good but in any case White
cannot hold the point e4 for a long.
19...Tbd8 20.Dc2 f5, and Black got a full
domination in the centre (0:1, 32).
This game was considered best in 31-th
USSR championship.

Conclusion

As Reti asserted, in chess one should be
interested more in exceptions than rules.
Deviation from the common stereotypes is
in a certain sense a non-conventional
strategic weapon - do not miss the chance to
use it, if the suitable case is occurred!

Bibliography:

Ivan Sokolov
Winning Chess Middlegames
New In Chess 2008;
Viacheslav Eingorn
Creative Chess Opening Preparation
Gambit Publications 2006.