| The pawn is the only piece that cannot move backward and once you move it you create weaknesses. That is why it is important to think before pushing any pawn. The game that follows is a good illustration of weak squares. GM Kozul used a typical manouver to rid of the fianchetto bishop with the moves 16.Qd2 and 17.Bh6. Black avoided this exchange at first. Then with 19. ... e6?!, GM Stohl created a weakness on f6. Later during the course of the game he allowed the exchange of bishop on g7. The way in which GM Kozul took advantage of the weak dark squares is instructive and beautiful . |
STOHL KOZUL Position after 26. ... f6. |
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Kozul, Z. - Stohl, I. 13th Vidmar Memorial (5) Portoroz, 1999 |
| 1.Nf3 c5 2.e3 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.Be2 Nf6 5.0-0 cd4 6.ed4 d5 7.Bf4 Qb6? (Black forgets to develop his queen side. GM Kozul has a simple reply.) 8.Nc3! 0-0 (The queen cannot take the pawn 8. ... Qb2 9.Nb5 Na6 10. Rb1! Qa2 11.Ra1 Qb2 12.Ra6! and white wins the rook back with 13.Nc7.) 9.Na4 Qd8 (A sad neccessity.) 10.Nc5 Nc6 11.c3 Nh5 12.Be3 Qc7 13.Re1Nf4 14.Bb5 Ne6 15.Ne6 Be6 16.Qd2 (With the typical idea of exchanging the dark-squared bishop with 17. Bh6 and 18. Bg7. This exchange weakens the dark squares considerably.) 16. ... Rfe8 17.Bh6 Bf6! 18.Re3 (White starts to double the rooks.) 18. ... Bd7 19.Rae1 e6?! (Was this move really neccessary? Better was 19. ... Rac8 continuing with the development of the queenside. Now black has seriously weakened f6.) 20.Bc6 Bc6 21.h4! (White's attack is beginning to take shape. With the threat 22. h5! white is looking into opening the h file with 23. hg6.) 21. ... Bg7? (A fatal error. Now the black squares are extremely weak.) 22.Bg7 Kg7 23.h5 (On with the attack!) 23. ... Re7 24.Re5 Rf8 (Life for black is becoming difficult. Black defensive idea is based on the push f6. Black could also try 24. ... Rae8 25.h6 Kg8 26.Nh2 f5 27.g4 Kh8 28.gf5 gf5 29.Kh1 Qd6 30.Rg1 Rg8 31.Rg5 Be8 32.Nf3 with white having the upper hand.) 25.Nh2! (Heading to g4 and aiming at the weakness on f6 and h6.) 25. ... Qd6 26.hg6 f6 (Hoping for 27. R5e3 hg6 and black is safe. But the truth is that now the game is over.) 27.Ng4!! fe5 (Other moves also lose: 27. ... Rh8?? 28.Qh6 Kg8 29.Nf6 mate; 27. ... hg6 28.Qh6 Kf7 29.Nf6!! followed by 30.R1e3 wins; 27. ... f5 28.Qh6 Kg8 29.Re6!! is crushing.) 28.Qh6 Kg8 29.de5! (The point of the whole combination. The knight is heading to f6!) 29. ... Qd8 (White is a whole rook down, but he will soon be up a king!) 30.Nf6 Kh8 (30. ... Rf6 31.ef6 Rc7 32.f7 Rf7 33.gf7 Kf7 34.Qh7 Ke8 35.Re6 is pure carnage.) 31. Nh7 1-0 (There is no defense against the mating attack starting with 32.Nf6.) |