{[%evp 0,97,19,31,14,30,28,4,27,41,33,17,24,8,18,-2,24,3,15,-15,12,-2,3,-2,7,
-20,-16,-17,-10,15,16,-19,62,1,8,40,51,51,48,33,53,53,82,79,72,72,64,66,61,64,
72,64,75,65,69,65,79,71,59,54,61,51,52,43,58,39,56,54,46,48,70,65,81,44,81,80,
65,62,65,48,47,-15,-21,-17,-8,-116,-109,-114,-94,-88,233,311,397,396,414,407,
346,377,604,624]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. a3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5
7. e3 {The old main line is going through a mini-revival recently, so I
thought I would try and keep up with the trends. Here g6 is a popular move for
Black, but the game transposed to a more common variation which can also be
reached as follows:} (7. Qc2 Be7 8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Qc7
12. Qe2 Nd7 13. Bb2) 7… Nd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. e4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Qc7 11. O-O Be7 12.
Bb2 O-O 13. Qe2 {By a strange move order we have reached one of the main
positions of the Petrosian Variation of the Queen’s Indian.} Rac8 14. Nd2 {
One of Black’s main plans in this position is to close down the centre, and
hence limit the potential of White’s bishops by playing c4 and e5. This move
is designed to add more control to the c4 square, whilst readying kingside
expansion with f4.} Bg5 $5 {An interesting way to stop f4. Another alternative
is to put the queen on f4 before the pawn gets there! Then if White wants to
shift the queen he has to weaken the long diagonal with g3.} 15. Rad1 $146 {
This is technically a novelty, but according to my database the position has
been reached once before by transposition.} e5 $6 {Black goes for it and
challenges the centre right away. Rfd8 comes into consideration as a useful
alternative.} 16. Nf3 (16. d5 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 c4 {I expect this was his
intention, closing up the position, but probably White has slightly the better
of it with the bishop pair if he can find a way to activate them.}) 16… Bf6
17. Bb5 $1 {I don’t want Black to close me in with c4.} cxd4 18. cxd4 exd4 19.
Nxd4 Nc5 20. Nf5 $1 Bxb2 {This hands White a comfortable edge. The risky Bxe4
was the other option when white has the choice between 2 reasonable ways to
fight for the advantage.} (20… Bxe4 21. Nh6+ (21. Bxf6 Bxf5 22. Be7 Rfe8 23.
Bxe8 Rxe8 24. Bd6 {with a pull for White.}) 21… Kh8 22. Bxf6 gxf6 {is also
possible when Black has an extra pawn, but a weak king provides at least
sufficient compensation.}) 21. Qxb2 f6 22. Nd6 Rb8 {Forced.} (22… Rcd8 23.
Qa2+ Kh8 24. Nf7+ Rxf7 25. Qxf7 {Wins.}) 23. f3 $6 (23. e5 {I think e5 is
marginally preferable. This ensures that White’s king is safer than Black’s.
However the game continuation keeps a strong hold in the centre and blunts
Black’s bishop.}) 23… Kh8 $1 24. Rf2 Ba6 {Black is advised to swop his
bishop for White’s more active counterpart.} 25. Bxa6 Nxa6 26. Rfd2 Nc5 27. Qc3
(27. Rd5 {I wanted to continue with Rd5 and Qf2 -> kingside but Na4 would have
been irritating threatening a fork on c3.} Na4 28. Qb3 Nc3 29. Nb5 Nxb5 30.
Qxb5 Rbd8 $14) 27… h6 $1 {Black has found some strong moves, and the task of
converting the edge is not easy.} 28. h3 {I tried to look for a way to
consolidate my own king position, but it is not so simple with my pawn on f3.
Moving the f pawn around a castled king, can often leave it much more
vulnerable.} Kh7 {Black hopes to play Rbd8 without any Nf7+ problems.} 29. Kh1
Rbd8 30. Qc2 Kg8 31. Qc4+ Kh7 32. Qd5 Rd7 $6 {Probably Qd7 was better covering
the f5 square.} 33. Qf5+ Kg8 34. Qg6 $1 Ne6 $1 (34… Rfd8 {Black would love
to play this move but it fails tactically.} 35. Ne8 Rxd2 36. Rxd2 Rxd2 37.
Nxf6+ {And mate follows.}) 35. Qg4 Nc5 36. Qg6 Ne6 37. Qg4 {I repeated as my
time was getting low and I needed to make it to move 40.} Nc5 38. Rd5 $6 (38.
f4 $1 {Would have been stronger, ready to support the d6 knight with e5
against Rfd8 ideas. I rejected this based on a miscalculation.} Qc6 39. Nf5
Nxe4 40. Rxd7 Nf2+ 41. Kg1 Nxg4 42. Ne7+ {Wins for White, but Black could
fight on with 39…Rc7. In fact White would probably be best off playing 39.
Kh2 looking after the king – the most important feature of major piece
endgames.}) 38… Kh7 $1 39. h4 $2 {I start going wrong in time trouble.} (39.
Qf5+ Kg8 40. Qg6 Kh8 41. h4 {is a more accurate version of the same idea.})
39… Rfd8 $1 40. Nf5 $2 (40. Qf5+ Kg8 41. e5 {Still retains a slight edge.})
40… Rxd5 41. exd5 g6 $1 {The only move but a very important one. I’d seen
this and hoped that h5 might have maintained the initiative for White but…}
42. Ng3 (42. Qg3 {Moving to an equal ending was probably the best option, but
I was still after more.}) (42. h5 gxf5 43. Qg6+ Kh8 44. Qxf6+ Kg8 45. d6 Qd7 {
Looks at least ok for Black.}) 42… h5 $1 {Before White plays h5 – so now i’m
obliged to sacrifice a piece.} 43. Nxh5 gxh5 44. Qxh5+ Kg7 $4 {After a fine
series of moves, my young opponent finally cracks.} (44… Kg8 45. d6 (45. Qg6+
Qg7 46. Qf5 Rd7 {And Black is slightly better.}) (45. Rd4 Qh7 {is the point,
when the black king can hide on h8.}) 45… Rxd6 46. Qg6+ Kf8 47. Qh6+ Ke8 48.
Qg6+ Kd7 49. Rxd6+ Qxd6 50. h5 {It is still not over but Black has the better
chances.}) 45. Rd4 $1 {Now I think Black is lost, but he comes up with an
interesting last roll of the dice.} Ne6 46. Rg4+ $1 (46. Qg4+ $2 Ng5 47. hxg5
$4 Qc1+ 48. Kh2 Rh8+ 49. Kg3 Qe1+ 50. Kf4 Qe5#) 46… Kf8 47. Qh6+ $1 Ke7 (
47… Ng7 48. Qh8+ {Wins}) 48. Re4 $1 Rxd5 49. Qg7+ {And Black resigned since:}
(49. Qg7+ Kd6 (49… Kd8 50. Qg8+ Kd7 51. Qxe6+ Kd8 52. Qe8#) 50. Rxe6+ {
wins the queen.}) 1-0
[/pgn]
GM Nick Pert
In 2021 Nick took first place for the first time at the Covid affected British Championships in Hull with 6.5/9 with a TPR of 2414 reducing his rating by 4.2 Elo points. His highest rated opponent was 2480 (Danny Gormally).
Zenón Franco Ocampos (American Spanish: [seˈnoɱ ˈfɾaŋko oˈkampos];[a] born 12 May 1956, Paraguay) is a chess grandmaster (GM) from Paraguay. In the 1982 Chess Olympiad at Lucerne, he won the gold medal at board one by scoring 11 of 13. In the 1990 Chess Olympiad at Novi Sad, he shared first place at board one with 9 points in 12 games. As of 2007, Ocampos is the top-ranked player and only GM in Paraguay (now, there are three GMs: Zenon Franco, Axel Bachmann and Jose Cubas). He has written several books on chess for Gambit Publications under the name Zenon Franco.
GM Zenon Franco
A few days ago my friend Paul Barasi asked me a question on Twitter: “Does planning play a distinctive & important role in deciding inter-club chess match games? I don’t hear players saying: I lost because I picked the wrong plan or failed to change plan, or won by having the better plan. Actually, they never even mention the subject.”
I replied: “It does for me. I usually lose because my opponent finds a better plan than me after the opening. But you’re right: nobody (except me) ever mentions this.”
I can usually succeed in putting my pieces on reasonable squares at the start of the game, but somewhere round about move 15 I have to decide what to do next. If I’m playing someone 150 or so Elo points above me (as I usually am at the moment), I’ll choose the wrong plan and find out, some 20 moves later I’m stuck with a pawn weakness I can’t defend and eventually lose the ending.
Perhaps Zenón Franco’s book Planning Move by Move will be the book to, as the blurb on the back suggests, take my game to the next level.
There are five chapters: Typical Structures, Space Advantage, The Manoeuvring Game, Simplification and Attack and Defence, with a total of 74 games or extracts. Although most of the games are from recent elite grandmaster practice, there are also some older games, dating back as far as Lasker-Capablanca from 1921. Three masters of strategy, Karpov, Carlsen and Caruana, make regular appearances.
Each game is interspersed with exercises (where the author is asking you to answer his question) and questions (which you might ask the author).
Compared to the Kislik book I reviewed last week which covers fairly similar territory, Franco’s book is more user friendly for this reason. It’s the difference, if you like, between a teacher and a lecturer. Kislik is talking to you from the demo board without giving you a chance to interact, while Franco is answering your questions and asking you questions in turn.
Let’s take as an example from the book Game 31, which is Caruana-Ponomariov Dortmund 2014
[fen]2kr3r/1ppq1pb1/p3b3/3p2Pp/3P1B2/1P5P/P1PQ2B1/1K1R3R w – – 0 20[/fen]
In this position, with Caruana, white, to play, you’re given an exercise.
“A decision must be taken. What would you play?”
White played 20. Rde1!
Answer: “Seeking the favourable exchange of dark-squared bishops and preventing 20… f6 for tactical reasons. Caruana didn’t see a favourable way of continuing after 20. h4 f6 and he commented that he wasn’t happy about allowing … h4, but he thought it was more important to prevent … f6.”
You might then ask the question: “But how did 20. Rde1 prevent 20… f6?”
Answer: “I’ll answer that with an ….”
Exercise: “How can 20… f6 be punished?”
Answer: “White can gain a positional advantage by exchanging the bishops with 21. Be5, but even better is 21. exf6 Bxf6 and now 22. Bxc7! Kxc7 23. Qf4+ wins a pawn.”
Taking you through to the end of the game, we reach this position with Caruana to play his 39th move.
[fen]3q4/k1p2br1/1pQ5/p2pR3/P2P4/1P1B4/K1P5/8 w – – 0 39[/fen]
“Exercise: Test position: ‘White to play and win’.”
You might want to solve this exercise yourself before reading on.
With any luck you’ll have spotted the lovely deflection 39. Re7!!
“Exercise: “What’s the key move now for solving the problem I set you?”
If you found the previous move you’ll have no problem finding the second deflection 40. Ba6 Kxa6 41. Qa8#
You’ll see from this example that the book is far from just a guide to chess strategy. At this level tactics and strategy are inseparable, and in order to solve Franco’s exercises you’ll have to calculate sharply and accurately both to justify your chosen plan and to finish your opponent off at the end of the game.
What we have, then, is a collection of top class games and extracts with annotations which are among the best I’ve seen. Copious use is made of other sources: the notes on the above game incorporate, with acknowledgement, Caruana’s own notes which can be found, amongst other places, on MegaBase. Franco also refers to computer analysis, in places making interesting comparisons between modern (early 2019) and older engines, and frequently comments on the difference between human and computer moves.
Having said that, the games are not easy, and, although all readers will enjoy a collection of great games instructively analysed, I would suggest that, to gain full benefit from the book, you’d probably need to be about 1800+ strength and prepared to take the book seriously, reading it with a chessboard at your side, covering up the text and attempting to solve the exercises yourself.
We’ve all seen games where Capablanca, for example, wins without having to resort to complex tactics, because his opponents are far too late to catch onto what’s happening. I could well imagine a book written for players of, say, 1400-1800 strength featuring this type of game, perhaps with some more recent examples. There must be many games from Swiss tournaments where GMs beat amateurs in this way.
I have a few minor criticisms:
While I understand that publishers want to save paper, I’d have preferred each example to start on a new page
There is some inconsistency as to whether or not we’re shown the opening moves before the exercises start. I’d have preferred to see the complete game in all examples.
There are a few shorter examples, lasting only a few moves, in the final chapter which seem rather out of place and might have been omitted.
The games disproportionately favour White: I’d have preferred a more equal balance between white and black wins.
Some of the ‘exercises’, it seems to me, are mistakenly labelled as ‘questions’. The first question/exercise in Game 1 is an example.
Names of Chinese players are sometimes given incorrectly: for instance, Bu Xiangzhi appears both in the text and the index as B. Xiangzhi. Bu is his family name and Xiangzhi his given name, and Chinese names are customarily printed in full. Failure to do so (and the book is inconsistent in this) seems to me rather disrespectful.
In spite of these resservations I can recommend the book very highly as a collection of excellent and often beautiful top level games with first rate annotations. Stronger club standard players, in particular, will find it helpful in improving not just their planning skills but their tactical skills as well.
I really enjoyed reading it and I’m sure you will as well.
