 This article was taken from the book "Chess Fundamentals" by the third world champion Jose Raul Capablanca. 1. Some Simple Mates Example 1:  The ending rook and king against king. The principle is to drive the opposing king to the last line on any side of the board. --- In this position the power of the rook is demonstrated by the first move, 1. Ra7, which immediately confines the black king to the last rank, and the mate is quickly accomplished by Kg8 2. Kg2 The combined action of the king and rook is needed to arrive at a position in which mate can be forced. The General principle for a beginner to follow is to keep his king as much as possible on the same rank or, as in this case, file as the opposing king. --- When, in this case, the king has been brought to the sixth rank, it is better to place it not on the same file but on the one next to it towards the centre. Kf8 3.Kf3 Ke8 4. Ke4 Kd8 5. Kd5 Kc8 (On move 5 Black could have played 5... Ke8 and, according to principle, White would have continued} 6. Kd6 Kf8 [/b]he black king will ultimately be forced to move in front of the white king and be mated by Ra8) 7. Ke6 Kg8 8. Kf6 Kh8 9. Kg6 Kg8 10. Ra8# {mate.) 6. Kd6 (Not ) 6. Kc6[{because then the black king will go back to} Kd8 {and it will take much longer to mate.} 6... Kb8 (If now the king moves back to 6... Kd8, 7. Ra8# mates at once.) 7. Rc7 Ka8 8. Kc6 Kb8 9. Kb6 Ka8 10. Rc8# mates. --- It has taken exactly ten moves to mate from the original position.} * |
DannyTheDonkeyJul 25, 2019 6:47 AM
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Example 15: Winning Middlegame Position A very frequent type of combination is shown in the following position. --- Here White is the exchange and a pawn behind, but he can win quickly thus: 1. Bxh7+ Kxh7 (If 1... Kh8 2. Qh5 g6 3. Qh6 and wins.}) 2. Qh5+ Kg8 3. Ng5 and Black cannot stop mate at h7 except by sacrificing the queen by} Qe4 ,which would leave White with a queen for a rook.} |
DannyTheDonkeyJul 24, 2019 6:53 PM
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 Example 23 - A classical Ending In this position White's best line of defence consists in keeping his pawn where it stands at h2. As soon as the pawn is advanced it becomes easier for Black to win. On the other hand, Black's plan to win (supposing that White does not advance his pawn) may be divided into three parts. The first part will be to get his king to h3, at the same time keeping intact the position of his pawns. (This is all important, since in order to win the game it is essential at the end that Black may be able to advance his rearmost pawn one or two squares according to the position of the white king.) 1. Kg3 Ke3 2. Kg2 (If 2. Kg4 Kf2 3. h4 g6 will win.) 2... Kf4 3. Kf2 Kg4 4. Kg2 Kh4 5. Kg1 Kh3 The first part has been completed. --- The second part will be short and will consist in advancing the h-pawn up to the king. 6. Kh1 h5 7. Kg1 h4 This ends the second part. --- The third part will consist in timing the advance of the g-pawn so as to play ... g3 when the white king is at h1. It now becomes evident how necessary it is to be able to move the g-pawn either one or two squares according to the position of the white king, as indicated previously. In this case, as it is White's move, the pawn will be advanced two squares since the white king will be in the corner, but if it were now Black's move the g-pawn should only be advanced one square since the white king is at g1. 8. Kh1 g5 9. Kg1 g4 10. Kh1 g3 11. hxg3 (If 11. Kg1 g2) 11... hxg3 12. Kg1 g2 13. Kf2 Kh2 and wins. --- It is in this analytical way that the student should try to learn. He will thus train his mind to follow a logical sequence in reasoning out any position. This example is excellent training, since it is easy to divide it into three stages and to explain the main point of each part. |
DannyTheDonkeyJul 25, 2019 6:48 AM
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| Example 17 General Strategy of the Opening The main thing is to develop the pieces quickly. Get them into play as fast as you can. --- From the outset two moves, 1 e4 or 1 d4, open up lines for the queen and a bishop. Therefore, theoretically one of these two moves must be the best, as no other first move accomplishes so much.  --- Suppose we begin: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 This is both an attacking and a developing move. Black can now either reply with the identical move or play Nc6. This developing move at the same time defends the king's pawn. (2... Nf6 {...the identical move...}) 3. Nc3 Nf6 These moves are of a purely developing nature.} 4. Bb5 It is generally advisable not to bring this bishop out until one knight is out, preferably the king's knight. ({The bishop could also have been played to} 4. Bc4 , but it is advisable whenever possible to combine development and attack. 4... Bb4 Black replies in the same manner, threatening a possible exchange of bishop for knight with ...Nxe4 to follow. 5. O-O {...the rook is brought into action in the centre, a very important point. (5. O-O[/b] At the same time...an indirect way of preventing} Bxc3 {, which more experience or study will show to be bad.) 5... O-O Black follows the same line of reasoning. 6. d3 d6 These moves have a two-fold object, viz: to protect the king's pawn and to open the diagonal for the development of the queen's bishop.} 7. Bg5 {A very powerful move, which brings us to the middlegame stage, as there is already in view a combination to win quickly by Nd5. This threat makes it impossible for Black to continue the same course. He is now forced to play} Bxc3 {, as experience has shown, thus bringing three things to our attention.} ({There is a long analysis showing that Black should lose it he also plays} 7... Bg4 {.}) 8. bxc3. First, the complete development of the opening has taken only seven moves. (This varies up to ten or twelve moves in some very exceptional cases. As a rule, eight should be enough.) Second, Black has been compelled to exchange a bishop for a knight, but as a compensation he has isolated White's a-pawn and doubled a pawn. (This, at such an early stage of the game, is rather an advantage for White as the pawn is doubled towards the centre of the board.) Third, White by the exchange brings up a pawn to control the square d4, puts Black on the defensive, as experience will show, and thus keeps the initiative, an unquestionable advantage. (The value of the initiative is explained in section 20.) --- The strategical principles expounded above are the same for all the openings, only their tactical application varies according to the circumstances. --- Before proceeding further I wish to lay stress on the following point which the student should bear in mind. --- Before development has been completed no piece should be moved more than once, unless it is essential in order to obtain either material advantage or to secure freedom to action. --- The beginner would do well to remember this, as well as what has already been stated, viz: bring out the knights before bringing out the bishops.} * |
DannyTheDonkeyJul 25, 2019 6:37 AM
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Example 21 - Traps Black, having the move, should play ... 1.e6. But suppose he plays 1... Nf6 instead, then comes: 2. Bxf7+ (2. Ne5 would also give White the advantage... Be6 leaves Black with the inferior position, (the threat being of course if 2... Bxd1 3. Bxf7# mate) (nor does 2... Bh5 help matters, because of 3. Qxh5. White's text move secures an immediate material advantage and the beginner at any rate should never miss such an opportunity for the sake of a speculative advantage in position.)) 2... Kxf7 3. Ne5+ Kg8 4. Nxg4 and White has won a pawn besides having the better position. --- There are a good many other traps - in fact there are whole books written on traps on the chessboard; but the type given above is the most common of all. |
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Example 24: Obtaining a Passed Pawn 24a When three or more pawns are opposed to each other in some such position as the one in Example 24, there is always a chance for one side or the other of obtaining a passed pawn. --- In the above position the way of obtaining a passed pawn is to advance the centre pawns. 1. b6 axb6 (If 1... cxb6 2. a6.) 2. c6 bxc6 3. a6 and as in this case the white pawn is nearer to queening than any of the black pawns, White will win 24b Now if it had been Black's move Black could play 1... b6 2. cxb6 cxb6 It would not be advisable to try to obtain a passed pawn because the white pawns would be nearer to queen than the single black pawn. 3. axb6 axb6 and the game properly played would be a draw. The student should work this out for himself.} |
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Example 44 Attacking without knights Black's last move was 1... e3, played with the object of stopping what he thought was White's threat... --- White, however, has a more forceful move, and he mates in three moves as follows: 2. Rxa7+ (viz: 2. Ra5, to which he would have answered Qf4+ and drawn the game by perpetual check...) 2...Qxa7 3. Ra5 Black moves, White mates * |
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