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* '5 - 14 V* »Shelby Lyman: On ChessAlwaysIn his book, “Think Like a Grandmaster,” Alexander Kotov discusses his own chess development. At the very time in his career that he began to realize the importance of “planning” in chess, he also discovered that plans were never that easy to formulate, or to implement.Kotov’s games, against players of his own strength, did not usually have a clearscenario. They rather resembled a series of skirmishes, with a coherent idea here and there. A plan might be taken up for a while. But when the battle shifted, it was commonly discarded.Kotov’s experience gives us a true description of chess. Evenly matched players do not willingly let their opponents carry out their projects. A mismatch is more likely to lead to a game with a clear scheme carried out from beginning to end. Then we may see the classical winningprocedure: an advantage inthe opening, an attack and a final winning combination.Such games, at best, are both satisfying and instructive. Witness the following encounter, Ljubojevic-Durao.The position in Diagram One already contains the seeds of a bitter harvest for Durao (black).BLACKDURAObo no ao o i ax nx axPxP, PxP; 15. P-QN3! (See Diagram Two). White is now threatening 16. B-R3! with great advantage.BLACKDURAOao no ao oax nx axQR QN QB QKB KN KRLJUBOJEVICWHITEWhite’s strategy?Ljubojevic (white), who is ahead in development, isalso on the move. But how is he to follow through from his opening advantage?The decision was not difficult for the young Yugoslav, who is one of the best attacking players around. He opened up lines for his pieces with a series of logical pawn moves and exchanges, i.e., 10. P-Q5, B-Q2; 11. PxP, PxP; 12. N-B4, Q-K2; 13. P-KB4, N-B3; 14.QR QN QBKB KN KRLJUBOJEVICWHITENice open lines IDurao, who could clearly see that he would now face a strong attack, grabbed a pawn. At least he would be ahead in material if white faltered in pressing hisadvantage.Ljubojevic ignored the pawn and made further preparations for the attack.The breakthrough position (see Diagram Three) was quickly reached.%AttackQR QN QB Q K KB KN KRLJUBOJEVIC WHITENow the clincher INow Ljubojevic, though a rook behind, has a winning move. He played the’ surprising 25. B-N5, with the deadly threats of B-R6 check or BxB. (The bishop move also prevents black’s25. . . Q-B8 mate.) Durao, who had no choice, promptly resigned. (25. . . PxB allows26. Q-R6 check and 27. BxB mate, while 25. . . QR-B1 is followed by 26. BxB, Q-B8 check; 27. BxQ RxB check; 28. Q-Nl, RxQ check; 29.KxQ and a winning endgame for white.)Anotner splendid performance by Ljubojevic!LJUBOJEVICWHITEBreakthrough position I(The intervening moves were: 15. . . B-N3 check; 16. K-Rl, NxP; 17. B-R3, Q-K3; 18. Q-Q3, P-KB4; 19. KR-Kl, B-B2.)Here, with black about to castle to possible safety, ^hite sacrificed the exchange with 20. RxP!, QxR;21. RxN. When black finally did castle queenside (21. . . O-O-O), play continued with22. N-Q6 check, BxN; 23. Q-R 6 check, K-B2; 24. QxR check, K-Bl (See Diagram Four).iz£99I8BLACK BLACKDURAO DURAO
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Glens Falls Post Star
Glens Falls, New York, US
Sat, Sep 20, 1975
Page 34
Full Page
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Los A.
CA, USA 03 Jan 2023
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