biggest problem is actually his dark-
Jeroen Bosch:
squared bishop which is totally offside.
This is spot on, and the engines now want
Queen Power or Power of the to play 19.Le7, although they are quite
clear about Black's advantage.
Masses?
19.a3 dxe4! 20.axb4 exf3 21.bxc5
21.Lxf3? Lxf3 22.gxf3 (22.bxc5 Lh5 and
Vladimir Potkin was the deserving winner
the bishop moves to g6 with deadly effect.)
of the 2011 European Individual
22...Sd4 23.Dc3 Scb3 is a relevant line that
Championship in Aix-les-Bains. To gain
were it not for the immediate threat of
such a victory all games are important, but
mate would demonstrate Black's
perhaps some are more important than
compensation in full (white's king is
others. In the penultimate round Potkin
vulnerable, the queen is powerless, the
won a nice game against the strong
bishop is offside, Black's knights hold
Georgian grandmaster Baadur Jobava. This
good squares and the rooks have open
win may possibly be explained by the
files).
reverence that we all (and even such a
21...fxe2
strong GM as Jobava) hold for the game's
Now Black has a dangerous passed pawn
most powerful piece.
to boot.
XIIIIIIIIY
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+k+-tr0
9r+-+-trk+0
9+l+-+pzp-0
9zpl+-+pzp-0
9-zp-+n+-zp0
9-wqp+n+-zp0
9+pzP-+-+-0
9+psn-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-vL0
9-vl-+P+-vL0 9+-+-+-+-0
9-zPQ+pzPPzP0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9+K+-+-+R0
9PzPQ+LzPPzP0
xiiiiiiiiy
9+K+R+-+R0
22.c6 Sd4 23.Dd3
23.cxb7 Ta1+ 24.Kxa1 Sxc2+ 25.Kb1
xiiiiiiiiy
e1D+ 26.Txe1 Sxe1 27.Lg3! Sxg2 28.Kc2
Jobava B. : Potkin V.
f5 29.b8D Txb8 30.Lxb8 Kf7 is a long line
Aix-les-Bains 2011
by Potkin; Black wins the ending his king
will reach d5 when his activity combined
16.Td6
with his material advantage will suffice.
Setting up the threat of Sd5, but as Potkin
23...Sxc6 24.f3
explains in his notes for NIC Magazine
Black wins in a direct attack on the king
3/2011 Black can afford to ignore the
after 24.Dxe2 Ta4! gaining a tempo
threat:
25.Lg3 Tfa8 26.Td1 Sb4. Or 24.Lg3 Tfe8
16...0 0 17.Sd5
25.Te1 Sb4 +.
as he can profitably sacrifice his strongest
24...Ta4 25.Dd7
piece!
25.Dxe2 Txh4 26.Dxb5 Tb4 and rook,
17...cxd5! 18.Txb6 axb6
bishop and knight will outwit the queen.
Black only has a rook and a knight for the
25...Txh4 26.Dxb7 Td4! and now the
queen, but to compensate for the material
passed pawn decides, there is no good
imbalance he has the open a- and c-file as
defence to ... Td1 on the next move.
well as strong central pressure. The white
0:1.
king clearly isn't all that safe on the
queenside. Potkin poses that White's
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 1
If it was already difficult for Jobava in the Brute force! Black is opening the long
above example to perceive that winning diagonal. If Black thinks he can play more
the queen was in fact a Pyrrhus victory, quietly with the mysterious 4...Tb8 with
then we an certainly understand that White the concrete threat of taking on d4
missed the  unpinning manoeuvre in the followed by ...c3, then he is mistaken:
next game: 5.f5!? and now following 5...Ld4 6.cd4 c3.
White has 7.Dd3 cd2 8.De3 Tb2 9.Td1 Te4
XIIIIIIIIY
10.Dc3 Te1 11.Te1 de1D 12.De1 Tg2
9ltr-wqr+k+0
13.Kf1 Lc6 14.Da5Ä… and suddenly we are
9+-zp-+pzp-0 in a situation where the queen is at its best.
There are pawns on both wings. Her
9-vl-zp-sn-zp0
majesty can move back and forth very
9zp-+-+-+-0
quickly, while the pieces have no
strongholds at present.
9P+psNPzP-vL0
5.Da2
9+-zP-tR-+-0
What else? Bologan is trying to get his
queen into play. 5.ef5 Sg2 6.Sc4 Ld4 7.cd4
9-zPQsN-+PzP0
Sf4 with excellent attacking chances for
9tR-+-+-mK-0
Black.
xiiiiiiiiy
5...Le4 6.Sc4
Nor can White solve his problems with
Bologan V, : Piket Je.
6.Se4 for after 6...Te4 7.Te1 Tde8 (7...d5)
Biel 1999
8.Te3! Te3 9.Dc4 Kh8 Black is still better
with already two rooks for the
If it was already difficult for Jobava in the
queen.(9...Kf8 is perhaps even stronger.)
above example to perceive that winning
6...Ld5 7.b3
the queen was in fact a Pyrrhus victory,
Piket now decides the game in a direct
than we can certainly understand that
attack on the king.
White missed the unpinning manoeuvre in
XIIIIIIIIY
the next game:
1...Sd5! 9-+-trr+k+0
Black would actually be in trouble if it
9+-zp-+-zp-0
were not for this sacrifice. Piket has made
9-vl-zp-+-zp0
the brilliant assessment that Rook and
9zp-+l+p+-0
Piece are ample compensation for the
9P+NsN-zP-+0
Queen here. 1...De7 2.Tae1 would favour
9+PzP-sn-+P0
White, and the same holds for; 1...Dd7
9Q+-+-+P+0
2.Lf6.
9tR-+-+-mK-0
2.Ld8
xiiiiiiiiy
No better is 2.Th3 Sb4.
7...Ld4! 8.cd4 Sg2 9.Df2 Te6! +
2...Se3 3.Db1 Tbd8
Preparing a switch to g6, as well as
All of black's pieces are well-placed,
doubling rooks on the e-file. Bologan now
whereas white's heavy pieces are lost in the
takes a worthless pawn, but his position
corner. White's king is vulnerable as well.
was hopeless anyway.
Bologan now prevents the knight from
10.Sa5 Tde8!
escaping by means of
Piket is playing with all his pieces.
4.h3
11.Sc4 Tg6 12.Kh2 Sf4! 13.Tg1
After 4.Kf2 Sg4 5.Kg3 Black gains good
13.Df4 Te2.
chances with (or 5.Kg1 Sf6 (rather than
13...Tg1 and White resigned. 0:1.
repeat moves with 5...Se3 ) ) 5...Sf6.
4...f5!
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 2
As should be obvious by now we are Schut L. : David A.
studying complex examples where one side Bethune 2010
has positional compensation for the loss of
the queen (or in some cases insufficient 22...Db2
compensation). We are not concerned with The strongest continuation. David
combinations where the sacrifice of the sacrifices his queen for sufficient material.
queen leads to, say, direct material gain, or Another useful feature of queen sacrifices
a mating attack. is that they always unbalance the game.
Before we continue we have to establish Quite playable for Black is 22...Da5
what would roughly be the material 23.Tb3!?; Wrong is 22...Sc5 23.Td4 Db2
equivalent of a queen. Normally speaking 24.Lc1 Dc2 25.Td2+-.
Rook and Piece cannot withstand a Queen 23.Tb3 Db3 24.cb3 Tc3 25.Ld4
(note that this was the material parity in 25.Tb2.
Bologan-Piket). When the weaker side has 25...Tb3
an additional pawn he should often be able Rook, knight and two pawns are more than
to draw; another extra pawn should give enough. Black has excellent winning
winning chances. chances.
I will not concern myself with Queen 26.Da1?! e5! 27.Da2?!
versus Two Rooks. As is well-known two Black is also better after 27.Le5!? Se5
rooks are normally stronger (but it depends 28.fe5 Lg5 (28...de5? 29.Td7) 29.Td6;
on the number of open files and whether 27.fe5?! Lg5!
the rooks are coordinated or nor). 27...Tb4 28.Lc3 Tc8!
When it comes to Queen versus Light David is demonstrating an excellent
Pieces, then generally one requires three command of positions with unbalanced
light pieces to fully compensate a queen (in material.
such cases well-coordinated pieces offer 29.Lb4 Tc1 30.Lf1 Tf1 31.Kg2 Tf4
good winning chances). Black now has two light pieces and three
Having more pieces generally means that pawns for the queen. He will win another
one can attack a target more often than a pawn soon. Important is the excellent
sole queen can defend it. The pieces do coordination of Black's forces and the
require coordination and strongholds, vulnerable position of Black's king.
while a queen may be very agile, and can 32.Ld6?!
quickly switch between attacking one 32.Kg1 a5 (32...Le4?! 33.Dc4 and
weakness and another. suddenly the queen becomes active.)
All these observations are rules of thumb 33.Ld6 Lg5.
only. Clearly, strategical considerations or 32...Le4 33.Kg1 Tg4 34.Kf1 Lg5 35.h3
compensating factors may tilt the balance Th4 36.Le7?
towards one side or the other. Black has to play more accurately after
XIIIIIIIIY 36.Tf2 Ld3 37.Kg2 and now 37...Tc4!
(37...Lc4? 38.Tc2) 38.Db3 e4.
9-+r+r+k+0
36...Tf4 37.Kg1 Le7 38.Td7 Lc5
9+l+nvlpzpp0
A pair of bishops and 4 pawns now
9pzp-zpp+-+0
guarantee the win:
9+-+-+-zP-0
39.Kh2 h5 40.Td8 Kh7 41.Td2 Tf1
9Pwq-+PzP-+0
42.Dc4 Th1 43.Kg3 Tg1 44.Kh2 f5
9tR-sN-vL-+-0
45.Df7 Tg6 46.h4 Lg1 47.Kh3 f4 48.Df8
9-zPPtR-+LzP0
Tg3# 0:1.
9+-+-+-wQK0
xiiiiiiiiy
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 3
Better for Black is 5.Te2 Td1 6.Tc2 Tf1
This game may remind us of the classical
7.Kf1 - similar to the previous comment.
example Iljin Genevski-Lasker, Moscow
5...Se4 6.Le2 Sd4
1925, where Lasker sacrificed his queen in
Such powerful knights. Euwe's queen is
a typical Sicilian middlegame to unbalance
clearly too passive, he now tries to activate
the game (he won easily even though
his strongest piece, but it is already too
objectively White could have obtained
late.
some advantage). Interestingly, Kasparov
7.Lf3 Sf2 8.Dc4 Sd3! 9.Tf1 Se5 10.Db4
(in My Great Predecessors Volume I)
Sef3 11.gf3 Se2
observes that properly speaking this is not
11...Td5!
really a sacrifice but merely a form of
12.Kh2 Sf4 13.Kh1
exchange.
13.Kg3 g5 +.
Although I do not want to give too many
13...T2d4! 14.De7? Kg7!
classical examples (they may be found in
Black now wins in a direct mating attack.
many books) another game from the
15.Dc7 T8d5 16.Te1 Tg5 17.Dc6 Td8 0:1
second World Champion surely deserves to
be mentioned here. In Zurich 1934 the 65-
So far we have seen examples where the
year old Lasker defeated Max Euwe one
pieces were well-coordinated even though
year before he would become World
play was  all over the board . In general, it
Champion. He did so in excellent style:
is more favourable for the pieces when the
XIIIIIIIIY position is more compact (in such cases the
long distance power of the queen is less
9-+-trn+k+0
relevant).
9zp-+-+p+-0
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+p+p+p+0
9r+lwqr+k+0
9+-+-zP-wq-0
9+psn-+-vlp0
9PsnL+-+-+0
9-+-+-+p+0
9+P+-+RsN-0
9+-+-zpp+-0
9-+-tr-zPP+0
9-+Pzp-+-+0
9+-+-tRQmK-0
9wQ-+P+-zP-0
xiiiiiiiiy
9-+-sNPzPLzP0
Euwe M. : Lasker Em.
9tRR+-sN-mK-0
Zurich 1934
xiiiiiiiiy
White threatens Se4 or so it seems, Lasker
Larsen B. : Chandler M.
now played:
Hastings 1987
1...Sc2!
when after
18.Ld5
2.Se4
The simple 18.Db3 can be met by 18...Ta1
he gave his queen with
19.Ta1 e4.
2...De5! 3.Sf6 Df6 4.Tf6 Sf6
18...Kh8
4...Se1 5.Tf4 Td1 was also good, when
18...Sd5 19.Da8 Sc3 20.Tb7! Se2 21.Kf1
Black will regain the queen and remain a
Lb7 22.Db7 Sc3 23.Ta7 Df6 24.c5 was
pawn up in the ending.
indicated by Larsen. White is much better
5.Tc1
due to his strong passed pawn (and control
of the seventh rank).
19.Da8! Sa8 20.Ta8 Lh6?!
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 4
20...De7 21.Lb7! Le6 (21...Lb7 22.Tb7! Neikirch : Larsen, Portoroz 1958 and Van
Df8 23.Taa7) 22.Te8 De8 23.Ta1 Lf8 den Berg : Larsen, Beverwijk 1959.
24.Ta8 De7 25.Ld5 and White is better, In compact positions the side opposing the
because the position is compact. queen will often be able to draw (despite
21.Sdf3 De7 22.Lb7! Ld7 his material deficit) by means of a fortress.
22...Lb7? 23.Tb7. Aiming for this can be a conscious
23.Te8 Le8 24.Ld5 Dd6 25.Tb7 defensive strategy.
The immediate 25.h4 is also good, but
XIIIIIIIIY
Larsen presumably just wanted Black to
9r+-+-trk+0
play 25...g5.
9zpl+-wqpzpp0
25...g5 26.h4! gh4
9-zp-+p+-+0
26...g4 27.Sg5 Lg5 28.hg5 h6 29.gh6 Dh6
30.Tb8 Dg6 31.Sg2 Kg7 32.Sh4 Dh5
9sn-+P+-+-0
33.Sf5+- Larsen.
9-+-+P+-+0
27.Sh4 Ld7 28.Sef3 f4
9+-+L+NwQ-0
28...Le6 29.Le6 De6 30.Tb8 Kg7 31.Tb5
9P+-+-zPPzP0
wins easily.
29.Le4
9+-+R+RmK-0
White is attacking with all his pieces,
xiiiiiiiiy
while Black has no real targets. Note that
Khalifman A. : Karpov A.
the queen is merely a defender, not the role
Dos Hermanas 1993
that you would like this powerful piece to
play.
1...Tad8 2.e5!? Ld5! 3.Lh7
XIIIIIIIIY
The classical bishop sacrifice on h7 was
9-+-+-+-mk0
the point of Khalifman's set-up.
3...Kh7 4.Td5
9+R+l+-+p0
White has nothing to gain by changing the
9-+-wq-+-vl0
move order. 4.Sg5 Kg8 5.Dh4? (5.Td5 Td5
9+-+-zp-+-0
6.Dh4 Dg5) 5...Le4! +.
9-+PzpLzp-sN0
4...Td5 5.Sg5 Kg8 6.Dh4 Dg5
The only move, both players must have
9+-+P+NzP-0
seen the sacrifice coming. Karpov has
9-+-+PzP-+0
accurately seen that Black is completely
9+-+-+-mK-0
OK.
xiiiiiiiiy
7.Dg5 Sc6
29...fg3 30.fg3 Le3 31.Kg2 Lg4 32.Th7
XIIIIIIIIY
Kg8 33.Tb7
9-+-+-trk+0
The rest is agony for Black:
9zp-+-+pzp-0
33...Da6? 34.Se5 Le6 35.Te7 Kf8 36.Shg6
9-zpn+p+-+0
Kg8 37.Te6 Da2
Mate is now forced. 38.Te8 Kg7 39.Te7
9+-+rzP-wQ-0
Kh6 40.Sg4 Kh5 41.Te5 Lg5 42.Sf4 Kg4
9-+-+-+-+0
43.Lf3# 1:0.
9+-+-+-+-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
It is surely no coincidence that we may
find many more suitable examples of our
9+-+-+RmK-0
subject in Larsen s practice. His combative
xiiiiiiiiy
attitude induced him to look for
8.f4
opportunities to unbalance the game. I
refer the eager student to such games as
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 5
8.Dc1 Se5 9.Dc7 is given as equal by Van 2.De5 Le6 3.Kb1 Td5 4.De4 g6
der Sterren. Black now appears to hold a strong attack
8...Sd4 9.h4 against white's king. Huebner effectively
White needs another attacker on the pulls the emergency break:
kingside. 5.Lc4! Lf5 6.Ld5 Le4 7.Le4 Td8
9...Tc8 10.Dg4
XIIIIIIIIY
10.h5 Sf5 11.g4 Sh6 and the fortress seems
9-+-tr-+k+0
to hold. White's king has become very
vulnerable. 9zpp+-+p+p0
10...Sf5 11.Te1 Tc4
9-wq-+-+p+0
Black already has the better chances.
9+-+-+-zP-0
12.h5 Tdd4 13.Df3!
Activating the queen.
9-+-zPL+-+0
13...Tf4 14.Da8 Kh7 15.Da7 Tg4 16.Df7
9+-+-+-+-0
Tc2 17.Db7 Sh4 18.Kf1 Sg2?
Black wins after 18...Tf4 19.Kg1 Ta2.
9PzP-+-+PzP0
19.Te4! Tg5 20.De7 Tf5 21.Kg1 Sf4
9+K+R+-+R0
22.Tf4!
xiiiiiiiiy
Now White is able to draw by perpetual:
22...Tf4 23.De6 Tcc4 24.Dg6 Kh8 25.De8
8.h4!
Kh7 26.Dg6 Kh8 27.De8 draw.
Not 8.d5 De3.
8...Td4 9.Td4 Dd4 10.Lb7 Kf8 11.Lf3
One more example of the defensive
Df2 12.Ka1
technique to sacrifice your queen in order
and White holds an impenetrable fortress.
to defuse the opponent s attacking
Draw.
potential is in order. In the next game
White effectively aims for a fortress.
In this article I have mainly stressed the
strength of the force opposing the queen.
XIIIIIIIIY
In the examples mentioned so far the
9r+ltr-+k+0
pieces were always able to coordinate,
9zpp+-+pzpp0
thereby overcoming the sheer force of the
queen by means of their number.
9-wq-+p+-+0
In conclusion, I want to redress the balance
9+-+-+-zP-0
somewhat; after all otherwise we would all
be sacrificing our queen continuously!
9-+-zP-+-+0
In Rethinking the Chess Pieces Andrew
9+-+LwQ-+-0
Soltis makes the following succinct
9PzP-+-+PzP0 observation:  When a player gives up &
his queen for enemy pieces, it sets up a
9+-mKR+-+R0
battle between two principles: cooperation
xiiiiiiiiy
versus double attack (Batsford 2004,
Huebner R. : Petrosian T. p.135).
Sevilla 1971 Indeed, a queen is at its best when she can
check, check and attack. The following
1...e5 study by Rinck neatly illustrates this. I will
This pawn sacrifice looks very strong, but only give the main line.
Huebner finds an adequate defence. Black
could keep an edge with 1...Ld7! 2.Dh3 g6
3.Thf1 Tac8 4.Kb1 Le8! (but not 4...Lc6?
5.Tf7+-).
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 6
 Tg5 10.f3 Se6 11.fe4 Sd4 12.Dd6+-;
2...Sd3 3.Dd7 Lc8 (3...Tab8 4.Le7 Tfe8
XIIIIIIIIY
5.Ld6 Ted8 (5...Se5 6.Le5 Te5 7.f3Ä…)
9-+-+-+-+0
6.Dg4) 4.Dd4 Te8 5.f4.
9+-+-+-+-0 3.Te1
Or 3.Dg4!?, when 3...Te5?? is not possible,
9n+-+-+-+0
due to 4.Lf6.
9+-+-+-+-0
3...Te6 4.Te3 Tae8?
This is a clear mistake according to Euwe
9-+-+-+-+0
who indicated as stronger: 4...h6 5.Lf6
9+k+-+-+-0
Sd7! and White cannot play Tg3 because
of the back rank mate.; 4...Tg6 5.f3Ä….
9-+-+-+r+0
5.h4 h6
9wQK+-+-+-0
5...Tg6 6.e6 (6.h5+-) 6...Se6 7.h5+-;
xiiiiiiiiy
5...Sd3 6.Lf6!+-.
Rinck
XIIIIIIIIY
Tijdschrift 1948
9-+-+r+k+0
9+l+-+pzp-0
1.Dd4 Sb4 2.De3 Ka4 3.Da7 Kb3 4.Df7
Ka4 5.Dd7 Ka5 6.Dd8 Kb5 7.Db8 Kc4
9p+-+r+-zp0
8.Df4 Kc5 9.Df8 Kc4 10.Df1 1:0.
9+psn-zPQvL-0
9-+p+-+-zP0
XIIIIIIIIY
9+-+-tR-+-0
9r+-vl-trk+0
9PzP-+-zPP+0
9+l+-+pzpp0
9+-+-+-mK-0
9p+-+-+-+0
xiiiiiiiiy
9+psn-zPQ+-0
6.Lf6 g6
9-+p+-+-+0
6...Sd7 7.Tg3 Sf6 8.ef6 Te1 9.Kh2+-
9+-+-+N+-0
illustrates why Black had to play ...h6 one
move earlier than he did; 6...gf6 7.ef6+-.
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
7.Df4 Kh7 8.Lg5!
9tR-vL-+-mK-0
8.h5.
xiiiiiiiiy 8...f5
8...hg5 9.Df7 Kh8 (9...Kh6 10.hg5 Kg5
Euwe M. : Grünfeld E.
11.Tg3 Kh6 12.f4) 10.hg5 and mate
Zandvoort 1936
follows.
9.ef6
Here the queen is a powerful attacking
and Black resigned 1:0.
piece, while Black has yet to coordinate his
pieces.
1.Sg5 Lg5
1...g6 2.Dh3 h5 3.Le3 Sd3 4.Dd7 Lc8
5.Dd5 is a line that illustrates the strength
of the queen.
2.Lg5 Tfe8
White keeps an edge against other moves
too: 2...Le4 3.Dg4 Tfe8 4.Le3 Te5 5.Ld4
f5 6.Dg3 f4 7.Dg4 Lf5 8.Df3 Le4 9.Da3
FIDE SURVEYS  Jeroen Bosch 7