ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM 2 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM ABOUT THE AUTHOR Eric Schiller, widely considered one of the world’s foremost chess analysts, writers, and teachers, is internationally recognized for his definitive works on openings. He is the author of 87 chess books including Cardoza Publishing’s definitive series on openings, World Cham- pion Openings, Standard Chess Openings, and Unorthodox Chess Openings — an exhaustive open- ing library of more than 1700 pages. He’s also the author of Encyclopedia of Chess Wisdom, Gambit Opening Repertoire for White, Gambit Opening Repertoire for Black, Complete Defense to King Pawn Openings, Complete Defense to Queen Pawn Openings, and multiple other chess titles for Cardoza Publishing. (For listings of all chess titles published by Cardoza Publishing, go online to www.cardozapub.com.) Eric Schiller is a National and Life Master, an International Arbiter of F.I.D.E., and the official trainer for many of America’s top young players. He has recently been reappointed as official coach of America’s best players under 18 to represent the United States at the Chess World Championships. He has also presided over world championship matches dating back to 1983, runs prestigious international tournaments, and has been interviewed dozens of times in major media throughout the world. His games have been featured in leading chess journals and newspapers including the venerable New York Times. Schiller has helped design some of the most popular chess software being used today. Eric Schiller’s web site is www.chessworks.com. Eric, who has trained many of the brightest chess prodigies and students of all levels, adds four decades of the experiences at the chessboard to bring readers the whole world of chess. Eric is the senior editor of the free online chess magazine, www.chesscity.com NEW CARDOZA PUBLISHING BOOKS BY ERIC SCHILLER STANDARD CHESS OPENINGS - The new standard on opening chess play, references every important opening and variation played - more than 3,000 opening strategies! The standard reference book necessary for competitive play. A must have!!! 768 pgs, $24.95. UNORTHODOX CHESS OPENINGS - The comprehensive guide to contains more than 1,200 weird, contentious, controversial, unconventional, arrogant and outright strange opening strategies. Great against unprepared oppo- nents. Great Fun! 528 pgs, $24.95. WORLD CHAMPION OPENINGS - Covers the essential opening theory and moves of every major chess opening and variation as played by all the world champions. Learn the insights, concepts and secrets as used by the greatest players of all time. 384 pages, $18.95 COMPLETE DEFENSE TO QUEEN PAWN OPENINGS - This aggressive counterattacking repertoire covers Black opening systems against virtually all chess opening except for 1.e4 (including flank games), based on the powerful Tarrasch Defense. 288 pages, $16.95. COMPLETE DEFENSE TO KING PAWN OPENINGS - Learn a complete defensive system against 1.e4 based on the mighty Caro-Kann, a favorite weapon of many great players. All White’s options are shown with plans for Black to combat them all. 288 pages, $16.95. WHIZ KIDS TEACH CHESS Eric Schiller and the Whiz Kids - Today’s greatest young stars, from 10 to 17 years of age– tells of their successes, failures, world travels, and love of the game. At the heart of this book is a chess primer with large diagrams, clear explanations, and winning ideas. Lots of photos, 144 large format pages, $14.95. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM, The Essential Concepts and Strategies of Smart Chess Play by Eric Schiller The most important concepts, strategies, tactics, wisdom, and thinking that every chessplayer must know, plus the gold nuggets of knowledge behind every attack and defense, all in one volume. 432 pages, $19.95. Get online now to learn more about upcoming titles! www.cardozapub.com FREE!!! - CHESS CITY MAGAZINE Subscribe to our free online chess magazine with articles, columns, gossip, and more. Go to www.chesscity.com for details. Chess is our Game! ANALYSIS 3 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM THE GOLD NUGGETS OF CHESS KNOWLEDGE Opening, Middlegame, Endgame, Strategies, Tactics, Psychology, More The Essential Concepts & Thinking that Every Chess Player Must Know Eric Schiller CARDOZA PUBLISHING 4 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM CARDOZA PUBLISHING Authoritative and Readable Books for Chess Players Chess is Our Game Thanks to Jordy Mont-Reynaud for helping with the proofreading Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Eric Schiller - All Rights Reserved - PRINT HISTORY First Edition November 1998 Second Edition February 2000 Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 97-94719 ISBN: 0-940685-93-0 CARDOZA PUBLISHING P.O. Box 1500 Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276 Phone (718)743-5229 • Fax (718)743-8284 Write for your free catalogue of gaming and chess books, equipment, advanced strategies, and computer games. www.cardozapub.com TABLE OF CONTENTS A NOTE FROM ERIC 13 INTRODUCTION 15 A Guided Tour 17 THE OPENING 19 Development 20 Occupy the Center with Pawns 21 Rim Pawns Should Stay Close to Home 27 The g-pawn Does Not Advance Past the Third Rank 28 The f-pawn Stays Home 30 Do Not Advance Pawns Beyond the Fifth Rank 31 Don’t Move a Piece Twice in the Opening 31 Move Pieces Rather than Pawns 32 Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation 33 Develop Knights Before Bishops 33 Bishops Stay Near the Center 36 Her Majesty Stays in the Safety Zone 37 Castle Kingside As Soon As You Can 37 Sveshnikov Sicilian 39 King’s Indian: Saemisch Variation 40 Keep Up With Your Opponent 44 Hang On To Your Pieces 45 Opening Repertoire 46 Move Order 47 Opening Theory 50 Fashion Rules! 51 Italian Game (Giuoco Piano) 51 Evans Gambit 52 Max Lange Attack 53 Two Knights Defense 53 Spanish Game (Ruy Lopez) 54 Scotch Game 55 Russian Game (Petroff Defense) 56 Center Game 56 6 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM Vienna Game 57 Allgaier Gambit 58 King’s Gambit Declined 59 French Defense 59 The Only Constant Is That Things Change 60 Standard Chess Openings 63 The Modern Approach 63 The Traditional Approach 67 Gambit Chess Openings 69 Queen’s Gambit 70 King’s Gambit 71 Schara Gambit 75 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 76 Cochrane Gambit 77 Latvian Gambit 78 Englund Gambit 80 Gambits and their Compensating Factors 80 Queen’s Gambit 81 King’s Gambit 81 Schara Gambit 83 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 83 Cochrane Gambit 84 Latvian Gambit 85 Englund Gambit 85 Gambit Summary 87 Declining a Gambit 87 Unsound Gambits 90 Unorthodox Chess Openings 91 Good 96 Bad 97 Ugly 98 Twilight Zone 98 Names of Chess Openings 99 Traps 100 OPENING ROLE OF EACH PIECE 103 Opening Role of the Pawns 103 Ideal Pawn Center 104 Open Game 104 Closed Game 105 Classical Preventions 106 Romantic Interventions 107 Hypermodern Inventions 108 Opening Role of the Knights 110 Tarrasch Defense 111 Trompowsky Attack 111 Opening Role of the Bishops 111 Classical: b5/g5 112 Romantic: c4/e3 112 Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack 113 Exchange: d3/g5 113 Queen’s Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation 113 Hypermodern: Fianchetto 114 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation 114 Edgy: a3/a6/h6/h3 114 Queen’s Indian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation 115 Opening Role of the Rooks 115 Sicilian Defense: Paulsen Variation 116 Opening Role of the Queen 116 Queen at a4: Catalan Opening 117 Queen at a4: Schara Gambit 117 Queen at b3: Gruenfeld Defense: Russian Variations 118 Queen at b3: Evans Gambit 118 Queen at b3: Slav Defense 119 Queen at c3: Queen’s Indian Defense 119 Queen at d3: Gurgenidze Defense 120 Queen at e3: Center Game 120 Queen at f3: Muzio Gambit 121 Queen at g3: Center Game 121 Queen at h4: English Opening 122 Opening Role of the King 122 Transition 124 THE MIDDLEGAME 125 Attack 125 Pawnstorm Against Fianchetto Formation 128 Central Attack Against Uncastled King 129 Attack on f7 Against Uncastled King 130 Sacrifice at f6 Against Castled King 131 Capablanca’s Rule 132 Simplify to Win 136 Bring the other Rook into the Attack! 136 Attack Where You Have the Pawn Majority 137 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 138 Initiative 139 Defense 142 Types of Defense 142 Passive Defense 143 Active Defense 144 Automatic Defense 144 Philosophical Defense 146 Aggressive Defense 147 Pawns Protect the King 148 Vulnerability of f7 149 Well Defended f7 150 Vulnerability of g7 151 Well Defended g7 151 Vulnerability of h7 152 Well Defended h7 153 Counterattack in the Center 154 Saving Lost Positions 157 Exchange Pieces to Ease the Defense 159 8 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM Prohylaxis 160 Overprotection 161 MIDDLEGAME ROLE OF EACH PIECE 163 Middlegame Role of the Pawns 163 Middlegame Role of the Knights 164 Middlegame Role of the Bishops 165 Good Bishop 165 Bad Bishop 166 The Bishop Pair 167 Middlegame Role of the Rooks 171 Middlegame Role of the Queen 173 Middlegame Role of the King 174 Weaknesses 175 Provoking weaknesses 175 Make Sure Your Pieces are Mobile 176 Exposed Pieces 177 Keep Forces on Both Sides of the Board When Kings are Castled on the Same Side 179 Transition 180 Material Alone Is Not Enough! 181 Simplify to Win! 183 THE ENDGAME 184 Attack in the Endgame 185 ENDGAME ROLE OF EACH PIECE 186 Endgame Role of thePawns 186 Try to Promote Your Pawns! 187 A Rook Pawn Can Be Useless! 187 Endgame Role the Knights 188 Endgame Role of the Bishops 191 Bishops of Opposite Color 193 Bishops vs. Knights 194 Endgame Role of the Rooks 196 Endgame Role of the Queen 202 Endgame Role of the King 202 Study by Richard Reti 203 The Opposition 204 Mating Material 207 Zugzwang 207 Exchange to Win! 209 Four Critical Positions 210 Opposition Position 210 Lucena Position 211 Philidor’s Position 211 Queen and Bishop Pawn Draw 212 Summary of the Three Stages 214 STRATEGY 215 Coordination 217 Queen and Rook 217 Queen and Bishop 218 Queen and Knight 219 Rook and Bishop 219 Rook and Knight 220 Two Rooks 222 Control the Center 223 Space 227 Pawn Structure 228 1. Backward Pawns 228 2. Doubled Pawns 232 3. Fianchetto Structures 238 4. Hanging Pawns 240 5. Hedgehogs 242 6. Holes 245 7. The Isolated d-pawn 248 8. Passed Pawns 250 9. Pawn Chains 252 TACTICS, SACRIFICES, AND COMBINATIONS 257 Tactics Defined 257 Sacrifices Defined 258 Combinations Defined 259 Piece Tactics 260 1. Blocking 260 2. Choke (Brinkmate) 261 3. Clearance 262 4. Deflection 263 5. Decoy 264 6. Desperado 265 7. Destroying the Barrier 266 8. Discovered Attack 268 9. Discovered Check 269 10. Double Attack 270 11. Double Check 270 12. Fork 270 The Knight Fork 271 The Bishop Fork 271 The Rook Fork 272 The Queen Fork 272 The King Fork 273 13. Forced Moves 273 14. Interference 274 15. Intermezzo 275 16. Overloading 276 10 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHESS WISDOM 17. Pin 276 Absolute Pin 277 Relative Pin 277 Terminal Pin 277 Perfect Cross 278 St. Andrew’s Cross 279 Oblique Cross 279 Malteses Cross 280 18. Pursuit 281 19. Removing the Defender 282 20. Skewer 283 21. Trapped Pieces 283 Trapped Bishop 284 TrappedRook 285 Trapped Queen 286 Trapped King 287 22. Windmill 287 Pawn Tactics 288 1. En Passant 288 2. Breakthrough 289 3. Forks 290 4. Promotion 291 5. Underpromotion 292 Promotion to a Knight 292 Promotion to a Rook 292 Promotion to a Bishop 293 Checkmating Patterns 294 1. Anastasia’s Mate 294 2. Anderssen’s Mate 295 3. Arabian Mate 296 4. Back Rank Mate 297 5. Blackburne’s Mate 298 6. Boden’s Mate 299 7. Corner Mate 300 8. Cozio’s Mate 300 9. Damiano’s Mate 302 10. Damiano’s Bishop Mate 303 11. David and Goliath Mate 304 12. Double Bishop Mate 305 13. Dovetail Mate 306 14. Epaulette Mate 308 15. Greco’s Mate 309 16. Hook Mate 310 17. h--file Mate 311 18. Legall’s Mate 312 19. Lolli’s Mate 313 20. Max Lange’s Mate 314 21. Minor Piece Mate 316 22. Morphy’s Mate 318 23. Reti’s Mate 319 24. Opera Mate 320