Chess and Checkers: The Way to Mastership by Edward Lasker (debian ebook reader TXT) 📕

Black to take the Queen. In doing so, however, Black again enables the mate Kt-h6.

The only move which Black could try in answer to (1) B-f6 is P-h6, preventing the Queen from occupying g5. Now Qxh6 would not be feasible as after Pxh6 White does not mate with Ktxh6, but leaves the square h7 open to Black’s King.

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8 | #R | | #B | #Q | | #R | | #K |

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7 | #P | #P | #P | #P | ^Kt| #P | #P | #P |

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6 | | | | | | | | |

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5 | | #Kt| | | ^R | | | |

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4 | | | | | | | | |

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3 | | | | | | | | |

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2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P | | ^P | ^P | ^P |

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1 | ^R | | ^B | ^Q | | | ^K | |

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DIAGRAM 27.

However, White wins easily through (2) Ktxh6+. If Black takes the Knight, White mates with Qxh6 and Q-g7. If Black does not take but plays K-h7, White goes back with the Knight to f5, again threatening Q-g5 and Qxg7. (3) …, R-g8 is of no avail, as (4) Q-g5 threatens mate of h5 which can only be prevented by either P-g6 or a move with the Rook, after which White mates by either Q-h6 or Qxg7.

It remains to show some examples of the cooperation of Rooks with other pieces. Diagram 27 shows one of the positions in which the beginner is frequently caught.

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8 | | | #R | | | | #K | |

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7 | ^R | | | | | | | |

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6 | | | | | | | | #P |

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5 | | | | | | | | ^P |

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4 | | #B | | | ^Kt| | | |

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3 | #P | | | | | | | |

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2 | ^K | | | | | | | |

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1 | | | | | | | | |

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DIAGRAM 28.

White plays (1) Q-h5, and if Black makes an indifferent move he mates through (2) Qxh7+, Kxh7; (3) R-h5.

Black could try to defend himself with (1) …, P-g6. White can then continue with (2) Q-h6 and again Black cannot make an indifferent move such as P-d6 for instance, as White would have another mate in two moves, namely (3) R-h5 (threatening Qxh7), Pxh5; (4) Q-f6.

More frequent than the mate with Rook and Knight shown above is one which usually occurs in the end game and which is illustrated in Diagram 28.

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8 | | | #R | | #R | | #K | |

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7 | #P | | | | | #P | | |

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6 | | #P | | | #P | | #P | |

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5 | #Q | | | #P | | | | |

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4 | | #Kt| | | | ^P | | ^B |

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3 | | ^P | | | ^P | ^R | | |

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2 | ^P | | | | ^Q | | ^P | ^P |

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1 | | | | ^R | | | | ^K |

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a b c d e f g h

DIAGRAM 29.

White plays Kt-f6+ and Black cannot go with the King into the corner as the Rook would mate him on h7. After K-f8 White draws the game through perpetual check; for after (2) Kt-h7+, K-e8; (3) Kt-f6+ the King must go back to f8 as on d8 he would be mated by R-d7. Consequently White can check the King indefinitely on h7 and f6.

An example for the cooperation of Rook and Bishop is shown in Diagram 29. White plays B-f6, and there is no way for Black to prevent the mate threatened through R-h3 followed by R-h8.

It is evident that the force of the Rooks will increase as the board gets emptier through the exchange of men, for they will then find more open lines to act in. One of the most important lines for Rooks to occupy is—especially in the ending —the one in which most of the attackable Pawns of the opponent are standing, that is in the majority of cases the second or the seventh rank respectively. If both Rooks cooperate with each other in this rank they usually decide the victory within a short time.

Following is an example which is taken from a master game. As far as the material is concerned the players are about even, as the Queen is worth as much as the two Rooks while Knight and Bishop are an approximate equivalent of the Black Rook and the Pawn which Black is ahead. The Pawn a4 is rather dangerous for White, as he needs only three more moves to reach the first rank where he can be promoted into any piece. On the other hand the Rooks doubled in the seventh rank give White so strong an attack on the Black King that he forces the mate before Black succeeds in realizing the advantage of his advanced passed Pawn.

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8 | | | | | #R | #K | | |

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7 | | #P | ^R | ^R | | #P | #P | #P |

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6 | | | | | | | | |

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5 | | | | | | | | |

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4 | #P | | | | ^P | ^Kt| | |

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3 | | | | | | | ^P | ^B |

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2 | #Q | | | | | ^P | | ^P |

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1 | | | | | | | ^K | |

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DIAGRAM 30.

It is White’s move. If Black’s Queen did not protect the Pawn f7 White would be able to give a mate in five moves, thus: (I) Rxf7+, K-g8; (2) Rxg7+, K-h8 (not K-f8 on account of Rc7-f7 mate); (3) Rxh7+, K-g8; (4) R-g7+ and Kt-g6 mate.

Therefore, White will try to interrupt the diagonal in which the Queen defends the threat, and he can do so by (1) Kt-d5. Black being unable to keep f7 protected, must defend g7 or h7, or he will be mated. In the game in question Black played Q-a1+ ; (2) K-g2, P-a3. After (3) Rxf7+, K-g8 it would not be good for White to take g7, giving up the two Rooks for the Queen, as he would then have no more attack while Black still has the dangerous Pawn in the a-line. If possible he will rather interrupt again the diagonal of Black’s Queen. This suggests the move (4) Kt-f6+. After Pxf6 White’s Rooks are at last free to act unmolested in the seventh rank, and they do it with deadly effect. White forces the mate through (5) R-g7+, K-h8; (6) Rxh7+, K-g8; (7) Rh7-g7+, K-h8; (8) B-f5! Now R-g4 is threatened followed by R-h7 mate, and Black has no defense.

In the opening and in the middle game the main threat of a Rook is the “pinning” of a hostile piece. What is meant by this is illustrated in Diagram 31. Supposing Black, to save his Knight f6 which White has just attacked by P-e5, plays Kt-g4 and after (2) P-h3 takes the Pawn e5 with the Knight g4, then White wins a piece by (3) Ktxe5, Ktxe5; (4) R-e1. This move “pins” Black’s Knight to his place as the King would be exposed to White’s Rook if the Knight moved. (4) …, P-d6 or Q-e7 is not a sufficient defense, for White continues with (5) P-f4.

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8 | #R | | #B | #Q | #K | | | #R |

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7 | #P | #P | #P | #P | | #P | #P | #P |

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6 | | | #Kt| | | #Kt| | |

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5 | | | #B | | ^P | | | |

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4 | | | ^B | #P | | | | |

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3 | | | | | | ^Kt| | |

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2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | | | ^P | ^P | ^P |

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1 | ^R | ^Kt| ^B | ^Q | | ^R | ^K | |

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DIAGRAM 31.

Pieces that can be used for pinning a hostile man are, apart from the Rooks, the Queen and the Bishops; in fact pinning is the main activity of a Bishop throughout the game. Right after the first few moves one of the Bishops, as a rule, finds an opportunity to pin a hostile Knight. For instance: (1) P-e4, P-e5; (2) Kt-f3, Kt-c6; (3) B-b5 and as soon as the Pawn d7 moves in order to give an outlet to the Bishop c8, the Knight c6 is pinned. Or: (1) P-d4, P-d5; (2) Kt-f3, Kt-f6; (3) P-c4, P-e6; (4) B-g5 and the Knight f6 is pinned, as the Queen would be lost if the Knight moved.

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8 | #R | | | | | #R | #K | |

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7 | #P | #P | #P | #B | #Q | #P | #P | #P |

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6 | | #B | #Kt| | | #Kt| | |

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5 | | | | | #P | | ^B | |

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4 | | | | | | | | |

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3 | | ^B | ^Kt| ^P | | ^Kt| | ^P |

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2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^Q | | ^P | ^P | |

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1 | ^R | | | | ^R | | ^K | |

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DIAGRAM 32.

The disadvantage arising from having a piece pinned is often that the opponent might be able to concentrate more men to attack the piece which is pinned than can be gathered for defense. The position of Diagram 32 will serve as an illustration.

Two of Black’s men are pinned, namely, the Knight f6 and the Pawn e5, and of both pins White can take advantage.

The Pawn e5 is attacked twice and defended twice. White cannot take Pawn, as he would lose Knight and Rook but would get for it only Knight and Pawn. However, he can win the Pawn by playing (1) P-d4. This attacks the Pawn for the third time and although Black can defend him for the third time with R-e8, the defense is not serviceable as Black would lose Pawn, Knight and Queen for Pawn, Knight and Rook.

P-e4 in answer to P-d4 would not help either; for on e4 the Pawn is twice attacked and only once protected as the Knight f6 cannot be counted as protection on account of his being pinned by the Bishop g5. All White needs to do is to take the Knight f6 first and then to capture the Pawn e4.

It remains to examine whether in answer to (1) P-d4 Black can take the Pawn with either Bishop or Knight. Apparently this is possible as the Pawn d4 is protected only by the Knight f3 and the Queen. Indeed, the combination would be correct if the Bishop d7 were sufficiently protected. As it is White wins a piece in the following way:

 

(1) P-d4 Bxd4

(2) Ktxd4 Ktxd4

(3) Qxd4 Pxd4

(4) Rxe7 Pxc3

Up to this move an even exchange