k Good afternoon and welcome to 'Secrets of the Flank Attack.' 6 k This lecture is designed to give the viewer some interesting ideas on how to attack on the wings when the center becomes locked up. 13 k Since this topic is relevant only to closed openings (an oxymoron!?), it is safe to say that this lecture is written for players of an intermediate strength (1200-1600), as those below this range are probably interested in more 'popular' opening strategies such as those behind the Ruy Lopez and Sicilian Dragon, and those above this range are probably familiar with the themes that will be presented. Not that players outside the range can't pick up anything, though :) 45 k Note: all games presented in this lecture come from OTB play. wname Shidinov,M 1 bname Amir,A 1 k Instructive Game 1- The half-closed center. g1f3 d7d5 g2g3 g8f6 f1g2 b8c6 o-o e7e5 k Black sets up a classical pawn duo, which White sets to undermine immediately. 8 c2c4 d5d4 k Black closes the position, releasing the tension white placed on the center. 7 back k Black's other good options were 5...Be6 6.cxd with a Sicilian game, or 5...dxc 6.Qa4 with a reversed Pterodactyl. 5...e4, overextending, is a dubious way to play: 18 e4 Ng5 h6 cxd k ! Qxd5 Nxe4 Nxe4 d3 k += (Schiller) 10 back 8 d5d4 k White must be careful: 6.e3 d3 and White has problems, with the threats of ...e4 and ...Nc6-b4-c2. 12 d2d3 f8d6 a2a3 c6e7 k ?! Correct was ...a5. Whenever black pushes ...d5-d4, he must be prepared to play a reversed Benoni. 10 b2b4 k Grabbing Q-side space. c7c5 b1d2 k Black can't grab the b4 pawn since: cxb axb Bxb4 Qa4 Nc6 Nxe5 k +- 10 back 6 a8b8 a1b1 e7g6 k The following maneuver should be remembered and repeated in similar Benoni-ish positions where king 4 is an available pivot square: 10 f3g5 o-o g5e4 f6e4 d2e4 k The pressure on c5 yields the Bishop pair to White. 6 d8c7 b4c5 d6c5 e4c5 c7c5 b1b5 k The square b5 (or b4 for Black) is an ideal post for a rook during a queenside invasion--that's the rank where all of Black's fixed center pawns stand! 15 c5e7 e2e3 k White plans to open up the e-file and isolate black's queen pawn, so... 7 d4e3 f2e3 k And White's rolling center combined with his Bishop pair brought him victory 46 moves later. 15 revert 1 bname Gordon,J 1 k Instructive Game 2- The early N-a3. g1f3 c7c5 g2g3 d7d5 f1g2 b8c6 c2c4 k Entering the Reti Opening. When Black has played an early ...c5 the Reti should be handled exactly like a reversed Benoni. 12 d5d4 d2d3 g8f6 o-o e7e5 e2e4 k The center has become closed, and (provided Black chooses not to invoke en passant on this move) both parties will continue with their flank strategies. 15 f8e7 b1a3 k The formation taken in this game is that of the Czech Benoni (reversed). The focus of this instructive episode is the Benoni player's immediate plan of na3-c2,Bd2,Qe1,Rb1,a3, and then b4 to open the Q-side. In this game his plan is contrasted with the crude K-side bludgeon of Black. 26 o-o a3c2 c8g4 d1e1 k A crafty move, freeing the KN from its pin while hitting the square b4. Note this move was in White's plan anyway; it just happened to be a good move on the other side of the board as well! :) 18 d8d7 c1d2 a7a5 k To hold up White's b2-b4 advance. It is a general rule that in positions with closed centers, the Knight Pawns (b or g) can be advanced to create tension on the wings. 16 a1b1 g4h3 k If 13.a3? then ...a4! ties White's hands, as b2-b4 will always be met with ...axb3 en passant. So that rule is important, after all! :) 13 b2b3 h3g2 g1g2 f6e8 k Freeing the f pawn. 5 f3g1 k White pauses his Q-side play to defend. 6 f7f5 f2f3 e8d6 a2a3 f5e4 f3e4 f8f1 e1f1 a8f8 f1e1 d6f7 d2a5 k White could have played his b3-b4 push on that move, but he decided to steal a pawn first. He will then defend for a few moves, and play b3-b4 after resetting his pieces to their natural squares. 19 f7g5 a5d2 d7g4 e1d1 g4e6 d1e2 e6g6 b3b4 k Finally!! :) c5b4 c2b4 k A disadvantage of the Na3-c2 Reti lines is that this Knight gets into play only by taking on b4 or using e1, a square which should be occupied by a major piece: the Queen in closed systems or the f-Rook in half-open systems. 22 c6b4 d2b4 e7b4 b1b4 g6a6 e2b2 a6c6 k The threat of ...Nxe4 is dangerous. 6 b2e2 f8a8 b4b5 k We have yet another recurring theme to look at- the importance of b5 (or b4 for Black) during a Q-side invasion. Great rook square, b5 is! :) 14 c6c7 e2b2 c7e7 k The game concludes nicely: b5b7 e7a3 b7b8 g8f7 b2b7 k Followed by Rxa8. 1-0. 10 revert 1 bname Mody,A 1 k Instructive Game 3-Expanding on both wings. k You know what they say about advancing on both wings: either you end up looking like a grandmaster, or you end up looking confused :) 12 g1f3 k Don't worry, they're not all Retis! :) We have a King's Indian Defense and a Modern coming up next. 9 e7e6 g2g3 d7d5 f1g2 g8f6 o-o c7c5 c2c4 b8c6 b2b3 k More prudent was e3 first, so that on ...d5-d4 white can open a file. But we already know from Game 1 that White does not fear closed positions! 14 d5d4 k Well timed. d2d3 e6e5 e2e4 f8e7 k The center has become closed, and White begins Q-side play. Note that b2-b3 is NOT a waste of time, as this move is often needed to keep Black from 'jamming' White (advancing a5-a4). Black's e7-e6-e5, on the other hand, CAN be referred to as a waste of time. 24 b1a3 k We will see the same pattern that we saw White use in Game 2: Na3-c2,Bd2,Qe1,Rb1,a3,etc. 10 o-o c1d2 c8g4 k This looks familiar. Can you guess how White might respond to this? 7 d1e1 k Deja Vu! White evades the pin in a most unexpected manner. 6 f6d7 a3c2 a7a5 k Black attempts to restrain White. 6 h2h3 k What!?? This is a horrible move that takes away all chances of an easy Q-side attack. It was imperative for him to play a2-a3. Black stuffs White in the following manner: 16 g4f3 g2f3 c6b4 k Stuffing the b-pawn!! 6 d2b4 k Another mistake!! White should take with the Nc2 (his worst placed piece at this moment) and then pry open the a-file with a2-a3. After the text White may miss his good bishop. 17 a5b4 a2a3 b4a3 c2a3 d8b6 a3b5 k White's queenside is completely stuffed! Whatever will he do!? 6 f8d8 a1a4 k Trying to take the a-file. If Black takes off the rooks, he will cure White's little problem on b3. 9 a8a6 e1d2 k It is easy to see White's plan has failed. Thus, he reorganizes his forces. In closed games, time is not as critical as in the sharper openings, like, say, the Dragon. 16 d7b8 f3e2 k It looks like the long diagonal shall never become open again, so White relocates the 'modern' bishop, to a different post where it overprotects White's structure and... 16 b8c6 f2f4 k ...frees the f-pawn!! Now white grabs space on the other wing. 7 e7f6 g3g4 e5f4 d2f4 h7h6 f4c7 k Penetration. White forces an ending with a knight posted on d5. 7 b6c7 b5c7 a6a4 b3a4 f6e5 c7d5 d8a8 f1b1 a8a7 b1b5 k Fine rook square, b5 is! :) 6 e5d6 k White has recovered from his opening errors, though he only has a minimal advantage. The rest of this ending is long, drawn out, and filled with mutual error. It is not important to the lecture and will not be included. 21 k What IS important, though, is seeing how White shifted his attack to the kingside when his queenside became stuffed in order to obtain acceptable play. Even though his K-side attack was not dangerous, it threw Black off-balance to the point where White was able to come back into the game (and eventually win a complex Bishop ending). 32 revert 1 wname Cobia,P 1 bname Shidinov,M 1 k Let's root for Black this time, shall we? k Instructional Game 4- The Stock Kingside Attack k Most of you, I bet, have heard of the King's Indian Defense. This defense, as it seems, is notorious for half-closed positions with wild attacks on both wings. 16 k The following is a perfect example of how to run a K-side attack in a half-closed position. 9 d2d4 g8f6 c2c4 g7g6 b1c3 f8g7 e2e4 d7d6 g1f3 o-o f1e2 e7e5 o-o b8c6 d4d5 k White closes the center and intends to attack on the Q-side. 6 k Black, in the meantime, will play for mate by storming the K-side. 6 c6e7 d1c2 k One of white's quieter 9th moves. Black is out of his opening book now but can still play 'automatic' KID moves. 10 k These 'automatic' moves qualify as a 'Stock' attack, or a series of moves that can be played in a certain formation that the opponent cannot possibly prevent. These moves are memorized before the game to save time, so that all the protagonist needs to think about during the game is the move order. 28 k Different players have different arsenals of 'Stock' attacks. For example, some players will prefer playing a King's Indian with moves like ...Nd7(or e8),...f5-f4 while some players like the system with ...c6,...a5,...Na6(or d7)-c5. k The former attack was played in this game: 26 f6d7 c1e3 f7f5 f3g5 k A trick! White threatens Ne6. Note that this move would not be a great threat had Black played ...Ne8 instead of ...Nd7. Some move orders are better than others, apparently! :) 17 d7f6 a1d1 h7h6 g5f3 k Chicken! If white wanted to play the line like this, he should have followed up with the sac' on e6. White's line is far too passive. 12 f5f4 e3c1 b7b6 k Stopping for a moment to defend... Hey! could that be another theme?? :) 6 b2b4 a7a5 a2a3 g6g5 k Back to the Kingside! 6 c1b2 e7g6 k "My play was far too quiet, I should have played c4-c5 earlier, the move doesn't need this much preparation. I was doing nothing, and [Shidinov] was just sitting there playing Bobby-Fischer moves" (Cobia) 19 k "Bobby Fischer's games were all the same. The same openings, the same attacks, the same sacrifices. Very simple." (Geller) 11 h2h3 g5g4 h3g4 f6g4 g2g3 f4g3 f2g3 g4e3 k Winning the exchange. In this example White's last few moves were very poor. 8 revert 1 wname Dixon,J 1 k Instructive Game 5-Another double-flank attack. k One last example, a very modern game, shows how Black can achieve a maneuvering game against a king-pawn opening. Though White does not show much skill in handling the position, this game is still instructive. 19 e2e4 g7g6 d2d4 f8g7 f2f4 k The Three Pawns' Attack. Black can now transpose to the Austrian Attack of the Pirc, or he can try this new line: 11 d7d5 k Suggested in ECO, but only now receiving practical tests. (Schiller) 6 e4e5 h7h5 g1f3 g8h6 f1d3 k 6.Be3 Bg4 7.Nbd2 Nc6 8.Bf2 Nf5 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Nxf3 h4= was Borkowski-Campbell, St.John Open 2, 1988. 10 c8f5 b1c3 c7c6 f3h4 e7e6 h4f5 h6f5 d3f5 g6f5 c1e3 d8h4 g2g3 h4h3 d1f3 h3g4 f3e2 g4e2 c3e2 h5h4 o-o-o g7f8 k In closed positions, development (or lack thereof) is not as critical as in the sharper openings. Not that it isn't important or anything... 13 c2c3 b8d7 c1c2 c6c5 e2c1 k ?! Now Black can take on g3 without giving white a passed pawn. 7 h4g3 h2g3 h8g8 k Shying away from allowing a lone White R access to Black's Kingside. 7 c1e2 a8c8 c2b1 b7b5 k There it is! d1c1 c5c4 a2a3 e8e7 k !? Black transfers his Rooks to the g file. 6 c1g1 g8g6 g1g2 f8g7 e3f2 c8g8 h1g1 g7f8 k But Black has plans for the Bishop on the Q-side. 6 g1h1 k Looks unprofessional, yes? 6 d7b8 e2g1 b8c6 g1f3 c6a5 f3d2 f8h6 h1h4 h6f8 b1a2 e7e8 h4h2 a5c6 h2h1 k Holding for laughter... a7a5 g2h2 k Ok, this time he has it right! b5b4 k Too bad Black is smashing through! h1b1 k Otherwise Black would take a pawn and then move his Nc6 into b3 via a5. 8 g6h6 b1h1 k Aha! White's rook that guards the b file gets distracted! 6 h6h2 h1h2 b4c3 b2c3 a5a4 k Making room for the N. 6 h2h1 c6a5 h1b1 k Too late! 6 a5b3 k Black has achieved a substantial advantage and is certainly winning. Note the center is still completely shut. 11 k White probably relaxed because he felt there was no way his structure could be undermined. Boy, was he wrong! :) 15 revert 1 k I certainly hope you know more about playing in closed positions than you did before you watched this lecture. 11 k Happy hunting! :)