Hanging Pawns

GM Adrian Mikhalchishin
Wit Braslawski

International Chess Enterprises

Seattle, Washington
 Copyright© 1998 by Intelinvest Co. Ltd.
Copyright© 1998 by International Chess Enterprises.

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Mikhalchishin, Adrian and Braslawski, Wit

Hanging Pawns

First printing: January 1999

203 + ii pages
652 chess diagrams
ISBN 1 -879479-77-X
 Introduction
Hanging pawns are one of the most Above is a typical hanging pawn
widespread and interesting types of formation.
central pawn structure. What plan The pawns at c4 and d4 are hang­
should the player having hanging ing pawns. In technical language,
pawns follow? How should one fight hanging pawns comprise a pawn is­
against hanging pawns? In other land of two p awns on h alf-open
words, in what lies the strength-and central files. They are usually c- and
the weakness-of hanging pawns? d-fts. The vital factors in the diagram
Various middlegame treatises have are the absence of White's b- and e­
dealt with the question, but a deep pawns, and of Black's d- and c-fts.
elucidation has not been achieved. The exact ranks of the c- and d­
The present book is an original at­ pawns does not affect whether they
tempt to systematize and analyze in are hanging.
detail more than 180 typical hanging Hanging pawns arise either by
pawn positions. force or voluntarily.
The authors suggest that study of For example:
typical strategical plans-and analysis
of the regularities inherent in such
positions-can be of great advantage
to every chess player who gets hanging
pawns in tournament games.
With many pawn structures-such
as those frequently found in the
French, King's Indian and Sicilian
Defences-o ne side consistently
plays the same role. Hanging pawns,
however, may belong to White or to
Black. Consequently, all formations
that we will show can also happen
with colours reversed.
After l.d4xc5 Black may of his free
will agree to hanging pawns after
1...b6xc5 2.c4xd5 e6xd5. Black may
a l s o d e c l i n e with l . . .A e7xc5 o r
2 ... Ab7xd5.
The next diagram is a pawn forma­
tion typical of a black isolated pawn
at d5. A pawn is isolated if no pawns
of the same colour occupy adjacent
files. Therefore, without a pawn cap­
ture, an isolated pawn can never be
protected by another pawn.
2 - Hanging Pawns
A common principle of play with
hanging pawns is that piece exchan­
ges will weaken them. However, it
must be pointed out that some ex­
changes are favourable to the side
with the h anging p awns. For ex­
ample, in diagram 4, if queens are
exchanged at b6 or e6, a third pawn
comes to bolster the endangered
pair.
Piece pressure on hanging pawns
often forces their advance, giving rise
After the exc h a nge l .�d4xc6 to the next two pawn formations:
b7xc6:

Black has hanging pawns at c6 and

d5, and White has forced them upon
him. To avoid the blockade of the
pawn pair c6 +d5 (and the classical
g a m e s o f N i m zo w i t s c h a n d
Rubinstein showed how ominous
such blockades could be), Black
needs to advance the c6-ft.
N i m zo w i t s c h d e a l t w i t h t h i s
second case i n detail, the study giving
him occasion to compare the isolated
versus hanging pawn structures and
work out their strong and weak sides.
H a n g i n g pawns a re pote ntia l ly The effect of the advance may favour
stronger than isolated pawns, their either side. For example, Black may
advance is more practical, and, willingly go for either of the above
moreover, they control practically all formations if that assures him pres­
of the central squares. sure along the b- or e-files:
 Hanging Pawns - 3

The advance of one of the pawns,

To sum up this discussion, we point
however, creates a backward pawn, out features of hanging pawns:
needful of defence. A backward
a: the duo c4 + d4 is situated in the
pawn i s o n e w h o s e a d v a n c e is
extended centre ( c3-c6-f6-f3),
restrained only by an opposing pawn
on an adjacent file, and which has no .Ir�
:-�, �
�er� ���·�-
�.-.�v�
f�� tr,
friendly pawn to support that ad­
�l:- •
�4., .,//,l
·f f'�t ,x-
vance. Typically, a backward pawn is
needful of defence, and the square in ',7,�--
7.•
. • �• "m1 m �
front of it-the blockading square­
m
• ' �m
is a good leaping off place for the
·� ·�-�-.�. );;

-Nl �.·
opponent's pieces. In these diagrams

.•ww" '•.
•w.Jll
,.
(5-10) Black has backward pawns on

�r�••-1••• ,,��
.•
d5 or c5.

' " • • �. . !i

making it valuable for control of

central territory and the develop­
ment of piece activity in the centre
4 - Hanging Pawns
and on the kingside;b: each side has • to prepare the advance of one of
an array of half-open lines along the pawns or the formation of a
which to put pressure on the op­ passed pawn in the centre, but
ponent; keeping in mind that blockade of
the pawns is sometimes an ample
antidote.
The side playing against hanging
pawns should strive:
• to simplify the position through ex­
changes (which decrease both the
import of the opponent's space ad­
vantage, and the opponent's at­
tacking possibilities);
• to place the pieces so that they
hinder the progress of the pawns
(for example, bishops are often
happy fianchettoed [on g7 and b7]
c: the duo c4 +d4 lies on half-open
where they do not get in the way of
Jines and therefore may easily fall
the deployment of other pieces,
under heavy attack from the op­
defend the king, control the valu­
ponent:
able central squares or attack the
hanging pawns themselves);
• to coordinate piece pressure on
one of the hanging pawns so that
the opponent's pieces are tied to
their defence;
• to realize piece control of the un­
occupied central squares;
• using piece pressure, or advance of
the b- or e- pawns, to tempt for­
ward one of the isolated pawns
with an eye to establishing a block­
ade.
We define the main principles of play We look in detail at the application of
concerning hanging pawns. these principles of play in the body of
The side having the hanging pawns the book.
should strive:
• to avoid exchanges;

• to place the pieces so that they

defend the hanging pawns, but also
so that they may easily switch over
to a kingside attack;
• to control the central squares and
exploit the space advantage;
 Hanging Pawns - 5

Illustrative Games
Kuzmin Tai
Tbilisi 1978

6 d4-d5?
Black threatened to play fte6-e5 or
4Jf6-d5. White had an interesting try
Black to move in 6.�f3; after the trade of queens,
White could play ftc3-c4, so freeing
himself from the weakness of the c3-
ft.
White's c3- and d4- pawns are not yet
blocked by Black's pieces and so are 6 e6xd5
not weaknesses. White's game plan 7 1::!dl-d4 'f!l'e4-e5
includes the undermining fta4-a5 and 8 'OO'e2-d3 1::!c7-c5
further play against b6. The chances
are about equal. 9 1::!c2-e2
Of no avail was 9.ftc4 because of
1 'f!l'f4-e4 9 ... !!dc8.
Not good was was 1.. . .£)d5 because of 9 1::!d8-e8
2.ftc4. 10 1::!e2-d2 'f!l'e5-c7
2 'f!l'e2-a6! 'f!l'e4-f4 11 1::!d2-c2 'f!l'c7-c6
Black retreats, threatening 3 ...4Je4, 12 c3-c4 'f!l'c6xa4!
so White has to pull his queen back. After 12 . . . ftbxc4 1 3 .!!dxc4 White
would have had compensation for
3 'f!l'a6-e2 h7-h6 the pawn.
4 h2-h3 l:k8-c7 13 .£! e3xd5!
A multi-purpose move, not neces­ B u t n o t 1 3 . ft cxd S ? b e c a u s e o f
sarily intending to double on the c­ 13 ...!!xe3 ! .
file, when White �trengthens his 13 .£if6xd5
position with ftc3-c4. 14 1:!d4xd5 1:!c5xd5
'f!l'f4-e4 15 c4xd5
6 - Hanging Pawns
2 �d3-f4

15 'l!l'a4-f4!
16 g2-g3 'l!l'f4-d6 2 !!f8-b8!
Black has blocked the d-ft, and White The best defense is counterattack.
has no real counterplay.
17 �gl-h2 !!e8-d8 3 !!cl-c2 ,G.e6-f.5
18 !!c2-e2 g7-g6 4 !!c2-e2
19 'fi}'d3-d4 �g8-h7
20 !!e2-a2 !!d8-d7
21 h3-h4 h6-h5
22 !!a2-al b6-b5
0-1 .
Timman - Ljubojevic
Belgrade 1987

4 d5-d4!
5 e3xd4 ,G.e7-d6!
6 �f4-d5
Or 6.�d2 �c7 with strong piece pres-
sure.
6 �ffixd5
7 �c3xd5
After 7.Axd5 Ag4 8.AB Black con­
White to move tinues 8 ... Axf3 9.ftgxt3 �b4 ! , with
1 ,G.h4xf6!? strong counterplay at the cost of a
An i n t e r e s t i n g decision, b u t i n pawn.
a n a lysis Ti m mun reco m m e n d e d 7 c5-c4
l ..£)f4 .£)b6 2.�e2. A mistake is 7 ... �a2? in view of
1 �d7xf6 8.ftb4! .
 Hanging Pawns - 7

8 gn.el 'lil'a5xa2 a : 1 .�h4 .£id4 ( 1 .. .ftg6 ! ? ) 2.,1xd4

9 ge2-e8+ gbsxe8 ftcxd4 3.;!"!xd4 Ac5 4.;!"!ddl Axf2! +
10 gelxe8+ �g8-h7 5.\ftxf2 'M'b6 + 6.\ftel ftd4 compensa­
11 �d5-e3 tion for the material.
b : 1 . � e l 'M'b6 ( 1 . . . .£id4 2.,1xd4
ftcxd4 3 .;!"!xd4 Ac5 4.:!"!f4 ! + /- )
2.�xd5 �xd5 3.,1xd5 � d 4 4.Axd4
ftcxd4 5.'M'b3 Axd5 6.'M'xd5 'M'xb2 =.
1 d5-d4
l...�g4 2.'M'b3 +/-.
2 Ae5xf6 Ae7xf6
3 �f3-g5 � e6xg5?!
3 ...,1xg5 4.,1xb7 ;!"!b8 5.,1g2 +/ =.
4 Ag2xb7 gc8-b8
s Ah7-g2 +/-
11 Af5-g6! Chiburdanidze
This move is better than ll...Ad3 Akhmylovskaya
12.Ae2! +/=. Sofia 1986
12 h2-h4! ga7-e7
13 gesxe7 Ad6xe7
14 h4-h5 Ag6-d3
15 At3-d5 i!)'a2xb2
16 Ad5xf7 Ae7-f6!
Draw.

Dzhandzhgava
Rosentalis
Lvov 1987

Black to move

1 d5-d4!
Bl ack's cha nces in the res ulting
endgame are significantly better
after:
2 e3xd4 c5xd4
3 �c3-bl gcsxcl
4 gdlxcl d4-d3
5 Ae2-fl?
White to move A bit better was 5.Adl �e4 6.�bd2
1 gal-bl! .£ixg3 7.fthxg3 ;!"!d5 -/+ .
8 - Hanging Pawns
( 1 ...fta5), but then the b5-square be­
comes a chronic weakness for Black.
1 'ftd8-a5
'

�,,�
,,i�J..
'l
-! �M; .i
.7._-�-
r.11 �
_'];f!�
i
--,, ;�{��· ,x�
�
L
ft�
�� rm�
. , �.l jlm ·W'�
·� �� �--
)_?,:
·-
____

�,
j

--�� .�"'�'mA �� 45-

� � ��- �
5
6
7
g2xf3
Ag3 -e5
Ah7xf3!
.£lf6-h5
.£lh5-f4
r--l�.-� w�-r��r�
�
)�;, � � l�k
8 l!cl-dl l!d8-d5 2 .£lf3-h4!
9 Ae5-c3 White's orbiting pieces look to the
Now after 9...Ac5 ! 10.Ael (10.fth4 d6-square as a landing strip.
A e7 ! ) 1 0 . . . � d 4 ll.�d2 � d e 2 + 2 !!f8-d8
3 .£lh4-f5 Ae7-f8
12.�hl !!g5, Black would have had a
won position.
4 .£lc3-b5 .£lf6-e8
Kasparov - Portisch
Bnisse/s 1986
Or 4 ...Aa8 5.�c3 ! attacking the a7-ft.

White to move

1 a2-a4!
An original plan. White advances his
a-ft to prevent the development of
Black's pieces to active positions:
�d8-b6 and :!'!f8-d8. Kasparov would
like to get Black to reply in kind
 Hanging Pawns - 9

6 <ai>g2-gl
In Gavrikov's opinion, 6.ftf3 would
have been best, giving a small ad­
vantage to White.
6 c5xd4
7 Ac3-d2 gb8-c8
8 irl'c2-a4

Gavrikov - Yudasin
Fnmze 1981

8 h7-h5!
Absolutely correct! Black must now
create some threats on the weakened
kingside.
9 h2-h4 €'.ia6-b8!
There is no other way to improve the
position of Black's knight.
10 gclxc8 irl'b7xc8
White to move
11 gdl-el g7-g6?!
1 €'.it3-e5!
Preventing 1 ...ftd4 in view of the Gavri kov r e c o m m e n d s 1 1 . . . 'M'f5
reply 2.'M'b3, or 1 ...'M'e6 in view of 1 2 . g e s + gxe8 1 3 . 'M' x e 8 + 'ift h 7
2 ..£)d3 followed by 3.4Jf4. 14.'M'xf7 'M'xd3 15.'M'xh5 + with a draw
1 2:fa8-b8 by perpetual check.
2 e2-e3 Ae7-f6 12 Ad2-a5!
Also possible was 2 ... 'M'e6.
3 .[) e5-d3 d5-d4 Or 12 ... gf8 13.Ab4 gd8 14.Ac5 with
4 e3xd4 Ab7xg2 the idea ftb4 + /-.
5 <ai>glxg2 irl'c8-b7 + 13 gel-cl irl'c8-b7
10 - Hanging Pawns

14 iil'a4-b4! �g8-g7 2 Ab2-al!

15 iil'b4xb7 !!d7xb7 White prepares an invasion of the
weak al-h8 diagonal, to which Black
16 b2-b4! Af6-e7 answers by advancing his central
17 a2-a4 �g7-f6 pawns.
Or 17 ... .£id7 18 ..£ic5 ! .£ixc5 19.ftbxc5 2 c5-c4
+ -. 3 €'ld3-f4 €'l e6xf4
18 b4-b5 �f6-e6 4 g3xf4 Ad6-a3
19 �gl-fl �e6-d5 5 !!cl-c2 c4-c3
Now White could have played the
winning 20 ..£1£4 + \1i>d6 21.Ab4 + \1i>d7
22.gc4.

Shabalov - Vaisser
Ti/burg 1993

6 !!dl-el!
White strives to improve the queen's
position by 'M'bl-dl-d4.
6 d5-d4!?
7 €'lf3xd4 g6-g5
8 f2.f3 €'le4-d2
9 iil'bl-dl g5xf4
White to move 10 !!c2xc3 f4xe3
11 !!elxe3 i!l'e7xe3 +
1 €'l e5-d3! €'lf6-e4 12 !!c3xe3 !!c8-cl
 Hangi.ng Pawns - 11

13 itdlxcl .ll.a3xcl 4 �b5-d6 .ll.e7xd6

14 ge3-el .ll.cl-a3 5 �f5xd6 ge8-e6?!
15 gel-dl gf8.c8
16 c&>gl-f2 gcS-cl Kramnik recommends 5 .. !!ed8 6.!!cl
.

17 gdlxcl .ll.a3xcl ftc4 +/-.

18 �d4xf5 6 .ll.g2-h3 .ll.b7-c6
And White won.
7 itdl-cl c5-c4
Kramnik - Ribli
Gro11i11ge11 1993

8 .ll.f4-e5! ga8-f8
White to move
1 �f3-h4! �d7-b6 On 8 ... *e7, White has fabulous play
after 9..£lf5 *f8 10.Ad4.
After 1 ....£lh5 2 . .£lxd5 Axh4 3.ftgxh4
.£lxf4 4 . .£lxf4 Axg2 5 . .£lxg2 White 9 itcl-f4 �f6-h5
remains a pawn up.
2 �h4-f5 gf8.e8 10 .ll.h3xe6 f7xe6
If 2 ... *d7, then 3.fte4 ftd4 4..£lxe7 + 11 itf4-d4 �h5-f6
*xe7 5 . .£lb5 md8 6 ..£ld6! gains White
a great advantage. 12 b2-b3 .ll.c6-a8
13 f2-f3! itd7-c6
14 gal-cl �f6-d7
Or 14 ... !!d8 15.Axf6 ftgxf6 16 . .£lxc4
+ -.
15 b3xc4 d5xc4
16 .ll.e5xg7 gf8xf3
17 e2xf3 itc6xf3
18 �d6-e4
3 �c3-b5! itd8-d7 With a won position for White.
12 - Hanging Pawns
Hjartarson 10 gcsxc4!
Polugaevsky White did not notice this move.
Gro11i11gen 1993 White manages to get two rooks for
the queen, but the defense is difficult
because Black's pieces coordinate so
much better.
11 'i!l'f4xc4 � e5xc4
12 Ae7xd8 Ag7-h6!
13 d5xe6
This sacrifice merely prolongs the
game.
13 Ah6xcl
14 gdlxcl t7xe6
15 h5xg6 h7xg6
16 Ablxg6 �g8-g7
Black to move
17 Ag6-d3 'i!l'a4-a3!
1 �c6-b4 18 gclxc4 'i!)'a3xd3
2 Ad3-bl Ab7xt3! 19 gc4-c7+ �g7-g6
3 'i!l'e2xt3 grs-ds 20 Ad8-h4 'i!l'd3-bl+
Black hits the d4-ft, intensifying the 21 �gl-h2 'i!l'blxa2
pressure he raised by trading off the White resigned.
defending knight on £3.
4 h2-h4 �b4-c6 Granda Zuniga
s Ab2-a3 'i!l'd6-d7 Georgiev Kir.
Gro11i11ge11 1993
6 d4-d5 �c6-e5
7 'i!l'f3-e4
Or 7.fle2 fla4 attacking the c4-ft.
7 g7-g6
8 h4-h5 'i!l'd7-a4
9 'i!l'e4-f4 Af6-g7
10 Aa3-e7

White to move
1 gcl-c3!?
Another interesting plan was l .�b3
with the subsequent 2.fta5 ftbxa5
3.ftc5. Then White attacks the a5-ft
or transfers his knight to a more ac­
tive position after �e2-c3-b5-d6.
 Hanging Pawns - 13

1 'f!l'a8-b7 1 g3-g4!
2 gdl-cl tl'b7-c7 a : l . � h 1 ? A x e s 2 . ft d x e S � x c 4
3 Ah4-g3 tl'c7-d8 3.fud8 + *xd8 4.fuc4 fuc4 S.�c4
4 tl'b4-b5? * d l + 6.�g2 *xa l 7.*c8 + �g7
Best was 4.ftaS. 8.*xb7 �a2 + -+. That is how the
4 e6-e5! game continued.
b: l .ftdS ftexdS 2.Ac3 *a6 3.fudS
Possible in view of S.ftdxeS gcs and
�fS -/+ .
6 ...�xeS -/+ .
5 tl'b5-a6 4Jf6-h5! with the idea 2.ftdS unclear.
6 Ag3-t2 Larsen - Miles
Or 6.AxeS �xeS 7.ftdxeS gcs and Ti/burg 1981
8...gas - + .
6 e5xd4
7 4J e2xd4 gc6-g6
8 4Jd4-e2
O r 8.*xa7 �cs with the th reat
9...gas.
8 4Jd7-c5
9 tl'a6-b5 a7-a6
10 tl'bS-bl
Erroneous is 1 0.*b4 i n view of
10...�d3.
10 4Jc5xa4 White to move
11 gc3-d3 tl'd8-e7 1 e3-e4!? d5-d4
12 gd3-e3 'f!l'e7-c7 2 gal-cl grs-cs
Black is not only a pawn up but has
3 'f!l'c2-d2 a5-a4
the positional advantage.
4 h2-h4!?
Schiissler - Kasparov White strives to create threats on the
Graz 1981 kingside.

White to move 4 4Jd7-e5!

14 - Hanging Pawns
5 4Jf3xe5 i&e7xe5 Gulko - Gavrikov
Tallinn 1983
6 i&d2-e2
Risky was 6.ftf4 in view of 6 ...'M'h5.

6 lk8-c6
7 lkl-c4
Now White threatens to attack the
a4-ft.

Black to move

1 .G,e6-g4
More natural seems l ...ftf5, but after
2.ftd5 ftfxe4 3 . .ftdxe6 ftexd3 4.gxd3
'M'e7 5.gel the e6-ft is very strong.
2 Ad3-e2 <al>g8-h8
After 2 . . . gh5 3 .fth3 'M'c7 4 . � g l !
White has a positional advantage.
If 2 ...ftf5, the strong 3.ftd5! follows.
7 <al>g8-g7
�
- -�,, ,//,.•, , , ,/,� ,��----�
��,,�� �m
�
�
� f""2 �
�V41

.,,_.�,,
Very interesting was 7.J�a5 ! ? 8.'M'd2

• •
'M'c7.

8 i&e2-d2 .G,b7-a6
�m� Y,m m� ·Jm
9 lk4xa4 c5-c4
•����-ft 'mJ..•
•:t".·�"<···· m
•
10 1:!el-cl 1:!a8-c8
rw��-�-,¥� ••• •�----�
11 1;!a4xa6 1;!c6xa6
•� �m.••
m. ..

12 1;!clxc4 1;!c8xc4 3 ·�·�·C31

b2-b4! a4xb3?!
13 .G,d3xc4 Better was 3 ... gas 4.ftb5 +/=.
4 'f!l'c2xb3 .G,g4-c8
White has sacrificed the exchange.
B l a c k s h o u l d h av e c o n t i n u e d
5 d4-d5! c6xd5
1 3 ...ga7; after 14.Ad3 'M'a5 the posi­ 6 e4xd5 4Jb6-d7
tion is most unclear. 7 4Jf3-d4
 Hanging Pawns - 15

White strives to take the e6-square,

w h i c h c a n c a u s e B l a c k m a ny
problems.
7 'td8-b6
8 �d4-e6 !U8-e8
Or 8 .. :�xb3 9.ftaxb3 ge8 10.�e4 +/-.
9 .!e2-b5 .!g7-f8
10 a2-a4! �d7-c5
11 � e6xc5 .!f8xc5
12 'tb3-c4 ges-f8
13 �c3-e4 .!c5-e3 3 gal-bl
A deep move: the b3-ft needs reliable
14 gnxf6 gmxf6 protection in advance.
15 'tc4xc8+ 3 ga8-d8
Black resigned. 4 gn-d1 gd8-d6
5 �h5-f4 c&>g8-h8
Bronstein Furman 6 .!d3-fl
Moscow 1948

6 'tb6-d8
After 6 ... �d8 7.ftb4 ftc4 8.Ae5 gd7
White to move fo llows 9.Ad4 then 1 0.�eS, and
White wins.
1 �e2-g3 f7-f5 7 �f4xd5
Certainly, 1 ...�xg3 2.fthxg3 would It would have been easier to play
give White an excellent position, but 1.gxds.
White also gains the advantage in the 7 .!e7-h4
game. Black's pawns on the kingside 8 �f3xh4 'td8xh4
and in the center ar� weakened and 9 �d5-f4 gf7-d7
are objects of attack. Now White has achieved a won posi­
2 �g3-h5 gf8.f7 tion, continuing with:
16 - Hanging Pawns
10 !!dlxd6 !!d7xd6 4 .£ld7-b6
11 .£lf4-h3 !!d6-d2 5 b2-b3 'i!l'f6-c3?!
12 'i!l'c2-c4 !!d2xf2
Black could have tried 1 2 ... .£id4, After 5 ....£id7 6.'M'xa7 gas 7.f/c7 �a2
hoping for 13.ftexd4 .£ixf2, but White White has 8..£ie5 ! ! + -.
wins with either 13.'M't7 or 13.,1xd4 Necessary was 5 ...'M'e7 ! ? .
.£ixf2 14.,1xg7 + ! .
13 'i!l'c4-f7!
Panno - Timman
Amsterdam 1977

6 'i!l'a6-a3!
Creating the threat 7.gcl .
6 .£lb6-d7
White to move
1 !!c3-e3! 'i!l'e7-f6 7 e2-e3 a7-a5?

8 !!el-cl 'iil'c3-b4
If 8...*f6, 9..£iel followed by 10 ..£id3.
9 'i!l'a3xb4 a5xb4
10 .lg2-h3! !!e8-a8
11 .lh3xd7 .lc6xd7
12 !!clxcS h7-h6
13 .£lt3-d4 !!a8xa2
14 �gl-g2 !!a2-a7
15 !!c5xd5 !!a7-c7
4 'i!l'a4-a6! 16 !!d5-d6 .ld7-c8
White continually harrasses Black's
pieces and pawns, keeping him off
17 !!d6-b6
balance. White has achieved a won position.
 Hanging Pawns

,, 7.

9 . �f8-g6!
:-
After this pa n sacrifice Black gets
'

counterplaY·
10 'i!l'h5xf5 �g6-e5
11 .Qb5-e2 !'k8-f8
Very tempt'mg was 1 1 ...fth6'. prevent-
,

ing flg5 ·

12 'i!l'f5-g5 'i!l'e7-e6
13 �a4xc5 'i!l'e6-h3
�54 'ill'
g5xe5 grsxf2
�glxf2 'i!l'h3-h2+
... f7-f5 16 �f2-fl !fa8-f8+
6 .Qg2-fl �g8-h8 17 'i!l'e5-f4 grsxf4+
7 Afl-c4 �e6-f8 18 g3xf4 .Qb7-c8
18 - Hanging Pawns
19 gel-dl
And the game soon ended in a draw
due to perpetual check.

Portisch - Tai
Ti/burg 1980

6 �e7-g5?!
Black counts on getting counterplay,
but better was 6 ...gg5. White's pawn
s t r u c t u r e is c o n s i d e r a b ly t h e
sounder. The weakness o f Black's c5-
ft is also a weakness of the light
squares on the queenside. 6 ...gcd8?
was a lso bad due to 7.€) a5 Aa8
White to move 8.€)c6.
7 �c4-a5 ilb7-a8
8 gel-cl gc8-d8
1 �dl-e2 9 � a5-b3 gds-cs
White controls the most important 10 h2-h3 �g5-e7
s q u a res on the board. B l ack, in

A-. �1�-���-!�
search of immediate counterplay,
causes a change in the central pawn
;E
. '!< Y.•
f:;j , � iiE
� �,, ,,/,- , ,/,�
structure, a change which will be to
White's advantage. /, ,/,� �-. �.--
1 �f6-e4

:t:ii-:,
, ;<

2 �c3xe4
.�
-
•w.1,,� " /,�, �·�.­
Afte r 2 . A x e 7 €) x c 3 B l a c k h a s
simplifed the position.
"
ft ��Et-��� ft .�
2 d5xe4 • ;,� �•";,m
L) �. • !'1
3 J1h4xe7 �d8xe7
.
Or 3 .. ftexf3 4.Axd8 ftfxe2 5.Ae7 and
White wins the exchange.
11 gc2-c3!
Strengthening the pressure on the
c5-ft.
4 �f3-d2 grs-ds 11 gdS-gS
5 gcl-c2 gdS-dS 12 �e2-c2 �e7-e6
6 �d2-c4 13 h3-h4! ggs-es
 Hanging Pawns - 19

Or l3 ... :!'!h5 14.�xc5 �xa2 15.ftg3 Now Black's queen is caught in a

+/-. trap.
14 .£ib3xc5 'l!l'e6xa2 2 'lil'f4-h6
15 Ab5-e2 ctlg8-h7 3 'l!l'e2-t3! 'lil'h6-h4
l6 .£ic5-b3 Aa8-d5 If 3 ... ftg5, 4.fth4! ftgxh4 5.ftg5! �gs +
17 .£ib3-c5 Ad5-a8 6.'i\?hl with a win.
18 h4-h5 .£ib6-d5? 4 Ab2-cl Af8-d6
A mistake, but White's position is al­ 5 g4-g5 Ad6xe5
ready considerably better. 6 d4xe5 .£if6-g4
19 .£ic5xe4! .£id5xc3 7 h2-h3! .£ig4xf2
20 .£i e4-f6+ ! 8 'l!l'f3xf2 'l!l'h4xh3
Black resigned. 9 Ad3-0! 'lil'h3-g4+
10 'lil'f2-g2
Browne - Alburt And White won.
USA 1981
Karpov - Smyslov
Moscow 1981

White to move
White has two bishops and a freer
position, but the plan for further ac­
tion is not simple: the advance ftd4-
d5 leads to various blockade oppor­
tunities, and White has faint hope of
succeeding with a direct attack on the
kingside. Therefore White seeks
combined methods of play.
1 'lil'b3-a3! Ag7-f8
2 'lil'a3-b2
Erroneous is 2.�xa7? in view of
2... :!'!a8.
2 c6-c5!
20 - Hanging Pawns
Black tries to force White to play b u t a fter 8 . . . E! fe8 ! 9.ftg3 .f)e4
ftd4-d 5 . After that White's light 10.'l!i'b2 fth5 Black still has reasonable
square bishop becomes passive, and counterplay.
the exchange of dark square bishops
after Af8-d6-e5 leaves Black with a 9 'f!1'f6-d4! .£ie4-c5
clear advantage. 10 h4-h5 .£ic5-d7
3 .Qf3-d5! Af8-g7 h7xg6
4 d4xc5 .Qg7xc3 11 h5xg6
5 !klxc3 .£id7xc5 12 gf3-g3
6 !k3-f3 ge8-e7 With a winning attack.

Miles - Campora
Buenos Aires 1993

7 h3-h4! gb8-f8?
The main enemy, the dS-A, should
have been destroyed first by 7 ... .£ia4!
8.'l!l'f6 .£lb6 9.fthS .£lxd5 10.ftcxdS 'l!l'eS
with excellent counterplay.
8 'f!1'b2-f6!
Black to move

With a pair of minor pieces gone,

Black does not feel particularly con­
strained because of having less space.
Black has an obvious plan--which
White lacks--connected with fte6-e5
and blocking White's center.
Ae7-f6
8 .£ic5-e4?
Erroneous is 8. . . 'l!l'eS? in view of Too vigorous; 2.E!d l is preferable,
9.Axt7 + ! :Sfxt7 10.:Sd8+ +-, protecting the more important pawn.
 - - 21
�
Hanging Pawns

mx � �
xm•m
�-r-r
White could still hold the position

��'•'�
with 8.ftdxe5.
. . ·v�
.d ��-- i lr
!@
- �
i �.
_ �
R ·lr�� .

·-�� � �P- ·-1-

gt ,/,�
,,, , .. ,
,,,,, , ,

. ft �� � �
�, �
..

� ,�
- ·i�"��� ·�
,
. ••
• • · �
� · .. LJ % 0.

( Ab7xt3!?
.

2
Bad was 2 ... lilb8 in view of3.ftd5 ! +/­
' ·
but it was possible to try 2 ... fta6 with

3},-ge3xf3
the idea of 3 ... ftb6-b5.
e6-e5
?,�m x�xm•m
� .mm� mtmi
. . ..

"
m r1 t
·
-
· - � ·
· ­g
·•
�
·. "� �
ft .���L -
8t ·
• ·@-•
·
��-•
.
�

-�-�­
·��§t��/, :��/,
· =
A•· • •
�.
- -
4 gf3-e3! ge8-e7! 10 e5xd4!
'l!l'd8-c7
...

5 'l!l'd3-e2! The problem is: to l l .:!'!xe7 Black

Each side fights for his interests in answers 1 1 ...�xe l ! and checkmate.
the center. 11 Ab3xt7 + <t1g8-h8!
6 Aa2-b3 a7-a6 White resigned.
7 'l!l'e2-f3
If 7.ftf4, then 7 ...fte4! 8.�d2 �d6, and
Black counterattacks the d4-ft; or
7.ftc5 ftbxc5 8.ftdxe5 !iixe5 9.�xa6
�c6 =.

7 gc8-e8
At last Black manages to fully coor­
dinate his pieces and create the
threat of winning a pawn.
8 Ab3-a4?
22 - . Pawns
Rangmg

/,, r,

Black to move
1 ·· gas-cs?
White has �0 b'1shops, but for the a7-a6
ti me being Black has everything 5 �c 1 -c2
w

��
protected in the center H e should
The other a t t a c k 5.�bl I. ? o
use the opportun· ty. to play l...gfc81
·

'
f reserving his typ1cal counterpla � 5.�b3?) with the threat of i; . c
ll.a7-a5-a4. f
gives Black ood attacking chances
after 5...ftd4. 6.ftexd4 Axg2 7.r:Jxg2
2 .f}f3-d2 .f} e4xc3 'M'b7 + .
Black would not man�ge to keep the
. in the center with 2 . .6f5 , since 5 ·· gcS-c7
gd i -cl
kmght
6
:
.LI.
,.,. xe4 ftf e4 4. Axe4! 'M'xe4
after 3 ."e..J .
.
6.ftb31?
�
( 4...ftdxe4 5.'M'b3 'M'f7 6.fud7 'M'xb3 The prel'tmmary . . was mterest-
7.�g7+ +-) 5 xe4 ftdxe4 6.fud7 mg.
White has,,.,.an ea� Y won ending
·

6 :·· c5-c4
we
·

3 2xc3 .f}d7-e5
�
.
With the oth
ould play 3...
::s :��k on c8, Black
4...�b6 with an
�
Black fixes h s central pawns to e
plait the d3-s uare, but he never ge
that far.
�
xcellent position 7 'iil'a3xe7 gc7xe7
S bl-b3 g7-g6
. h 8 ..ftcxb3
Black has no chances wit .

� :
9 �xb3 �c4 10 .�c5, when Whit
·.

wms losses N n�theless, Whit

emerges a p� wn p m the endgame.
9 b3xc4 d5xc4
10 Ag2xb7 ge7xb7
11 .f}dlxc4 .f} e5xc4
12 gc2xc4 gb7-b2
13 al-a4 a6-a5
 Hanging Pawns - 23

Lputian - Pigusov
Irkutsk 1983

16 �kl-c4!
From f4 the rook both attacks and
protects, it's almost as good as having
three rooks.
16 gd8-d7
17 g3-g4 ctl>g8-g7
18 ctl>gl-g2 gd7-b7
19 h2-h4 gb7-d7
20 g4-g5 h7-h6
21 g5xh6 + ctl>g7xh6
22 h4-h5!
His own king safe, White seeks to
undermine the position of Black's
king or at least gain another object
for attack: a pawn at g6.
22 g6-g5 3 gdl-d3!?
23 gc4-c6 + ctl>h6xh5 Better was 3.€ld2! with idea o f fte3-
24 gc6-f6! ct;>h5-h4 e4.
25 gaS-bS! gd7-e7 3 a6-a5!
It is clear that after 25...fua4 follows 4 gn-cl a5-a4
26.E!h6+ 'ittg4 27.ftf3 mate. Fixing the b2 pawn, Black gets
26 ctl>g2-t3 ctl>h4-h5 enough counterplay.
27 gbS-b8 g5-g4 + 5 gd3-d2 �f6-e4
28 ctl>f3-g3 6 gd2-dl g7-g6
Black resigned. 7 Af5xe4 d5xe4
24 - Hanging Pawns
8 €)f3-d2 itb6-e6
9 €) d2-c4 ,ib7-d5
10 €) c4-b6 !fa8-d8
11 €)b6xd5 gd8xd5
12 ,ie5-c3 gf8-d8
13 gdlxd5 ite6xd5
14 itc2xa4 gd8-a8
15 ita4-b3 itd5xb3
16 a2xb3 ga8-b8
After a few moves, a draw was
agreed.
3 c5xd4?
Sosonko - Hecht This is a big positional mistake - after
Malta Olympiad 1980 the correct 3 ... E!xd4 4.�c3 gad8
5.�xc5 �xc5 6.�xc5 'M'xb2 7.'M'xa7
fth5! it is very difficult for White to
realize the extra pawn. Now the
blockading knight at d3 is a long-last­
ing reminder of White's clear ad­
vantage.
4 gcl-c4 gd8-d6
5 gn-el ga8-d8
6 itd2-f4 h7-h6

�·�m....�m. . Y.�
.-� . �m
m*• ·
i��.
)3!-t �� �-� �F. �
� �.f'"]•Ji��
r,

•-•,R�···· -
White to move

At the moment, White does not have

�-(" Y,. -

�-"·fjm,q.¥80°,,,��·
-,¥80·-
,, ,Y,
strong pressure on the hanging
pawns, though the trade of two pairs
of minor pieces is to White's ad­
vantage.
��� ;,¥80
l!'� l!'�
• },m
mL • ��
8 l1'�
},�
r�r },
1 e2-e3 d5-d4
Black decides to change the structure � v,

of the central pawns, which is basical­ 7 gel-e5!

ly correct, since after 1...l!ac8 2.E!fdl
White is better off. The win of the d4-ft with 7.ges+
gxe8 8.�xd6 was tempting, but after
2 ,ig2xb7 ite7xb7 8...E!e2 9.fud4 gd2 Black suddenly
3 e3xd4 has counterplay (Sosonko), although
After 3.�xc5 �xc5 4.E!xc5 ftdxe3 the endgame after 10.�c5 E!xd4
5.�xe3 �xb2 the position is com­ 11.�xb7 E!xd6 12.li)xd6 should be
pletely equal. won for White.
 Hanging Pawns - 25

7 � a6-b8 7 i?l'e7-d6
8 !'!e5-e8 + ! �g8-h7 8 !'!al-dl
9 !'!e8xd8 !'!d6xd8
10 !'!c4-c7 i?l'b7-d5
11 i?l'f4xf7 i?l'd5xf7
12 !'!c7xf7
And it is time for Black to resign.
Fedorowicz - Seirawan
Wijk aan Zee 1991

v� m:a�.m. .. ..�-.,�� m•m

�,-.
�
, ,, ·���-�-�i� .r�t
�
f�� � •�
;;6. �ti� �
�
-�'··.· "m:::m�:,:m�
..
.

.
.

. ..
.
... ,

• ;,�r,��� .
ft .�• ft �� �� �
•. i
White to move
The exchange of pieces has been to

. �� J· . • -
7,,
Black's advantage, but White's -� �.(l· � L: 0.
. �
strong knight on e5 provides com­ . · �
pensation. Which plan should he
select? He could try ftc4-c5 and gabl - _!!_!!_®
with pressure on the b7-ft, but after 9 ... g6-g5 !
1...ftb6 2.ftcxb6 ftaxb6 the weakness Now after 10.ftfxgS *xg3 the most
of the d4-ft is more sensitive. That is logical outcome would have been a
w h y White op ted for piece draw, but...
centralization. White decided to play for a win
1 �gl-hl !'!f8-d8 and got in trouble after 10.€)gl ftgxf4
2 Ab3-a2 Ad7-e8 11.ftgxf4 <a?h8 12.*g3 ggs 13.*h4
More interesting is 2 ...,Lla4!?. gg6 14.ftd5 ftexd5 15 .,Llc2 'iftg7!
3 i?l'd3-e3 Ag7-f8 16.�e2 fuc4 etc.
4 Aa2-b3 f7-f6 !?
5 � e5-f3 Ae8-f7
6 a3-a4! b7-b6
7 h2-h3
More logical is to continue, with
7.fta5, the plan of trying to expose
Black's weakness on the queenside.
26
m .a . .
-
. Pawns
Hangmg
z ... . ,,
If

6 4J d4-e6! wc7-c6
.M.

White to move
•
-
Ir m .a�...... ,

1Ab2-c3 '
Before the mam act, White · restricts
.
.

Black' s chances of counterplay via

�c6-a5. He p1 ans t o create pressure
a1 ong the al -h8 diagonal with the un-
dermining ftd4-d5.
1 4J c6-e7
�A
·
l...Aa6 2:�b xc4 3.ftdS fteS 4.ftd6

..
+/-.

:
2
.... r,
d4-d5 '' e6xd5
In the case of ��
----

2 xc4 would have

followed 3.Ad3 5 4.Axg6 with at- 7 Ab 1 -e4 ' 4J f6xe4
tack. 8 4J e6xd8 !!c8xd8
3 '1!i'e2-b2 d5-d4
9 4Jg3xe4 t7-f5
•
4 4Jf3 x d4 ,, e8-d8
'l"l'

-
II
•t � .1
- ··�-·
'£l "0
"""

'
�� ,l,tlj. t �� t
W
10 Ac3xg7 f5xe4
Vlflf .
�
•: '%•� fJ""•· "•L� �-J,·.�
r�
f..4: f. A '- f:!f,
S,g7-f6 !!d8-e8
tt_'f
11

12 Af6xe7 !!e8xe7
13 !!cl-d l e4-e3
-
. �� ·��.�
�
- ��� ·•
ft'i!0"0�;
14 f2xe3 !!e7-e8

W:- �� p - 9:%%
. � �r�m
�il i."'��;,
wJ
IS !!el-e2 '11i' c6xc4
••
I- • � ?�"�• � � . .*�. I
� .

16 !!dl-d7
5 !!dl-el! a7-a6 1-0.
 Hanging Pawns - 27

Savon - Vaganian
Vilnius 1975

4 �f5-d6!
s �b3-d2 grs-es
Black to move
6 b2-b3?
6.ftc4!? should have been played.
At first sight White may claim the
advantage by the active arrangement
of his pieces. But closer study shows
that the hanging cS- and dS- pawns
are not objects of attack. This per­
mits Black to begin active counter­
play.
1 tl'd6-b6!
2 tl'a4-f4

6 tl'b6-b4!
7 � e5-d3 tl'b4xf4
8 � d3xf4 a 5-a4

9 �f4xe6 gesxe6
10 �gl-fl � d6-b5
11 b3xa4 �b5-a3
2 a7-a5 ! 12 gbl-cl gasxa4
3 gdl-bl h7-h6 Black's positional advantage will
4 �f3-e5 soon be material as well.
28 - Hanging Pawns

Neamtu - Mikhalchishin 4 Ac4xd5!?

Pees 1978 White reckons that his knight on e5
will not be weaker than Black's
bishop on d5.
4 Ab7xd5
5 gb3-g3 ti'g5-e7
6 h2-h3 gas-cs
7 gg3-e3 ti'e7-g5
s ge3-g3 ti'g5-f4
9 gal-dl grs-ds
10 gg3-g4 ti'f4-f6
11 gg4-g3 ti'f6-e7
12 c3-c4
White to move Black threatened 12...ftf6.
White has three possible plans in this 12 Ad5-b7
position: transformation to hanging 13 gg3-e3 ti'e7-c7
pawns after l .Ab2 lk8 2.Ad3 and 14 'l!i'e2-g4 gdS-d6!
ftc4; play on the queenside l .fta4 with With an equal position.
the idea of 2.fta5; and play on the
kingside, which occurred in the Dydyshko - Yudasin
game. Minsk 1982
1 gdl-d3 �f6-d5
Black's position seems dangerous,
l . ..Ad5 is not helpful because of
2.Aa6 nor l ...Ae4 2.l!g3 with the
threat of Ag5.
2 gd3-h3

White to move
1 gdl-el ! ?
a: l .fte4?! ftdxe4 2.�xe4 �f4! 3.ftgxf4
t!xe4 4.l!d8? ( better is 4.�g5 l!e8
5.Ad5! +/= (Dydyshko)) 4...'i!i'xf4
5.t!cdl l!e6 6.l!b8 l!c8 7.fuc8 Axc8
2 Ae7-g5 ! 8.l!d8 'i'!i'c7 -+ (Dydyshko - Yudasin).
The only defense. To 3.'i'!i'h5 follows b: l .'i'ij'a5 Ab7 2.'i'!i'xa7? ftd4! with
simply 3...fth6. the idea Axf3 -/+.
3 Aclxg5 ti'dSxg5 with the idea fte4 +/=.
 Hanging Pawns - 29

Timman - Beliavsky Said - Mikhalchishin

171essa/011iki 1984 Lvov 1976

White to move Black to move

White's pieces are very solidly
1 b2-b4! c5-c4 developed, but put no pressure on
1...ftcxb4 2./i)d4 '(We4 3.Ad3 '(Wg4 Black. This circumstance permits
4.'(Wxg4 /i)xg4 s.gc7 +-. Black to commence vigorous action.
2 .£)f3-d4 'tl'e6-a6 1 d5-d4!
2 .£) c3-a4 .£) c6-b4
3 b4-b5? !
3 a2-a3 .£)b4-d5
In Beliavsky's opinion, White's path 4 b3-b4? !
to victory lies with 3.fta3 /i)e4 4./i)f5
White wants to get rid of Black's
Af6 5.AB Ac6 6.Axe4 ftdxe4 7.li)c3
pressure in a tactical way. The nor­
'(Wxa3 8.ftb5 Axc3 9.ftbxc6 /i)c5
mal 4.4Je5 after 4...'(Wc7 5.4Jc4 gfd8
10.Ad6.
and 6.../i)b6 would lead to an obvious
3 'tl'a6-a5 advantage for Black.
4 .£) d4-c6 Ab7xc6
5 b5xc6 .£) d7-b8
6 c6-c7 .£)b8-a6
7 .£) a4-c3 !fa8-c8
To an equal game led 7.../i)xc7 8.Axc7
'(Wxc7 9./i)xd5 4Jxd5 10.'(Wxd5 ftc3.
8 e3-e4?!
Better is 8.AB.
8 d5xe4
9 Ae2xc4 .£) a6xc7
10 'tl'dl-e2 'tl'a5-f5 4 d4-d3 !
11 gn -d1 .£) c7-e6 5 e2xd3 c5xb4
12 .£) c3-b5 .£) e6-f4 6 gclxc8 'tl'd8xc8
Black has taken the initiative. 7 a3xb4 .£) d5xb4
30 - Hanging Pawns
8 gn-el

3 ' 4J c3-dl !
An interesting maneuver - the knight
8 J.e7-d6! is transferred to the strong e3 square
9 Ab2xf6 g7xf6 and strengthens the action of the b2
bishop.
10 �dl-al
3 Ab7-c6
4
...

Now could have followed: 4J d l-e3

10 4Jb4xd3
11 �alxf6 �c8-d8!
With a great positional advantage for
Black in the coming endgame.

Vaganian - Kholmov
Vilnius 1975

4 b6-b5!
The correct undermining of hanging
pawns, but White finds a way to in­
tensify the game.

Black to move

1 4J c6-a5
2 4Jf3-d2 �d8-d7
 Hanging Pawns - 31

5 d4-d5! 4J a5xc4 f5-f4 !

18
Black has a n excellent game, and
won in nine more moves.

Rashkovsky - Yudasin
Sverdlovsk 1984

After 10..£id6! Axd6 11.�xd6 White

has magnificent compensation for
the pawn. White to move
IO 4Jf6-h5
11 'E!)'g3-e3 f7.f5
12 g2-g3 Ac6-d5
1 4J d2-e4!?
13 4J c4-b6 Ae7-c5
14 Ab2-d4 Ac5xb6 Black has a cramped position, sug­
15 Ad4xb6 Ad5-b7 gesting 1..£ifl, with the idea of .£ie3
16 gdl-cl e6-e5! and .£ie5, but the text move has its
advantages.
17 Ab6-c7 'E!)'e8-d7
18 Ac7xe5 1 4J c6-a5
32 - Hanging Pawns

Petrosian - Spassky
Moscow 1969

White to move
Following the exchange of dark
square bishops, Black usually suffers
a weakness at c5, but the position of
the white bishop on f5 gives Black
good counterchances.
1 � c3-a4 �f6-e4
2 �f3-d2
This is a critical moment. Certainly,
serious consider ation should be
given to 2.Axe4 ftdxe4 3..!l)d2, but
after 3....!l)e6 and ;!"!ad8-d5-g5 Black's
chances are no worse.
Therefore 2.�d3! ? was interest­
5 'i!i'e2-d2! ing, with idea of �a3, and if 2 ...ftc4
The point is to invade the h6-square. then 3.�d4.
5 d5xc4
6 ,£ld3xh7 + �g8xh7
7 'i!i'd2-c2 + ! Ab7-e4
8 gdlxd8 Ae4xc2
9 gdsxe8 Ac2-g6
10 gcl-c3 � a5-b3
11 h2-h4 b6-b5 !
12 g2-g4 a7-a5
And Black has created sufficient
counterplay on the queenside to 2 � e4-d6!
draw the game. 3 Af5-g4?!
 Hanging Pawns - 33

Geller recommends 3.Ah3 or 3.Abl, Taimanov - Psakhis

which is more logical. Moscow 1981

3 - ��4! Black to move

4 � d2-t3?! 1 Ag7-h6!
Better is 4.4Jc3 or 4..Q.£3. An idea that harks back to Botvinnik.
Now on 2 .�c2 follows 2 ... Axe3
3.ftfxe3 �xe3+ 4.<ltfl 4Jg4 5.,1d3
ftd4.
2 � c3-a4 �f6-e4
3 tl'd2-c2 �b8-d7
4 b3-b4

4 f7-f5 !
5 Ag4-h3
And here 5 ...ftg5! 6.ftg4 fth5! would
have led to Black's advantage.

4 d5-d4!
5 b4xc5 d4xe3
6 c5-c6 e3xf2 +
7 �gt-n .Qb7xc6
8 'l!l'c2xc6 .Qh6xcl
9 tl'c6xcl � d7-f6
10 � a4-c3 gdSxdl +
11 �c3xdl �f6-g4
34 - Hanging Pawns
12 'lil'cl-f4

2 �t3-d2! c5-c4
12 �faS-eS! 3 �b3xb6 � d7xb6
White would be checkmated after 4 Af4-e3 �f6-d7
13. 'M'xg4 �g3 + 14. !jfj>xf2 .£ih 1 + !
15.!jfj>gl 'M'xe2 16.'M'd4 'M'el + ! .Instead
he played 13..£ie5 and eventually lost
more prosaically.

Lputian - Rosentalis
Lvov 1987

5 � d2-bl ! � d7-c5
6 � c3xd5 Ab7xd5
7 Ag2xd5 �b6xd5
s Ae3xc5 Ae7xc5
9 gdlxdS Ac5-e7
10 gn.c1 gf8-bS
White to move 11 gd5-d2 Ae7-f6
12 �bl-c3 gbS-b3
13 � c3-a4 gas-cs
1 'lil'a4-b3 ! 'lil'dS-b6
14 gd2-c2
If 1...Ac6, then 2 ..£ie5 .£ixe5 3.Axe5
with numerous threats. With a decisive advantage for White.
 Hanging Pawns - 35

Eingorn - Lputian 7 Ag3-h2 !!a8-d8

Lvov 1984
8 � el-d3 !!d8-d7? !
More consistent was 8. ..fth5.
9 � c3-a4 �b6xa4
10 b3xa4 c5-c4
After ll.{)e5! gde7 12.{)g4! {)e4
13.,!xe4 ftdxe4 14.,!d6 White would
have had a huge advantage.

Uhlmann - Kottnauer
Te/Aviv 1964
Black to move
1 il'b6xb3
2 a2xb3 !U8-e8
3 Ah4-g3
Played with idea of exchanging
knights after {)f3-e5, but 3 ..£)el !?
was also possible, followed by .£)d3,
.£)a4 and Af3 with strong pressure on
the opponent's pawn center.
3 Ae7-f8
4 �f3-el !!e8-e6
s Ae2-t3 � d7-b6 White to move
6 h2-h3
1 e3-e4!
To disrupt the hanging pawns is al­
ways a useful idea, not only to create
weak squares, but also to decrease
the control those hanging pawns
have over the center.
1 d5-d4
2 �f3-d2 �b8-d7
If 2 ...�c6, then 3.ftf4 �b4 4:�b 1 !.
3 t2-f4 f7.f6
6 g7-g5!
On 3...ftf5 unpleasant was 4.�e2 with
Black's chance lies in an attempt to
strong pressure.
hinder the white pieces on the
kingside. 4 i!l'dl-f3 !!f8-c8?!
36 - Hanging Pawns
provement of the arrangement of his
pieces.
15 ... a5-a4
16 �g3-g6! a4xb3
17 a2xb3 gcS-c7

5 e4-e5! f6xe5
6 �f3-e4 � d7-f6
7 �e4xe5
As a result of White's active central
strategy, Black has problems with the
defense of his king and play on the 18 g2-g4!
e-file. It is important to drive the knight
7 �e7-f7 away from f6.
8 b2-b3 �f6-g4 18 �f8-c8
9 �e5-e4 �g4-f6 19 ges-e6 gc7-c6
10 �e4-t3 Ae6-d5 20 f4-f5 gaS-a2
11 �t3-g3 �g8-h8 21 ge6-e7 �c8-f8
12 gal-el a7-a5 22 gn-el
13 � d2-c4 Ad5xc4 1-0.
14 Ad3xc4 �f7-f8 Mikhalchishin
Beliavsky
Moscow 1981

White to move
1 �f4-a4! �a5xa4?!
 Hanging Pawns - 37

The exchange by all means should

have been avoided: 1...�b6 2.gfdl
gfd8, but after 3.�b5! , threatening
4Ja4, White is better off.

2 �c3xa4 c5-c4
3 b3xc4 d5xc4
4 gn-d1

Time to activate the rook.

14 Ae6-d7
15 �e3-d4 �f8-e7

16 gbl-b4 gc8-d8

17 Ae2xc4 Ad7-h3 +
4 grs-ds?
18 � c3-d5 + �b6xd5
4...4Jd5! was the only chance for sal­
vation. 19 e4xd5 ,!h3xg2
5 gd lxd8 + gc8xd8
6 � a4-c5! Ae6-d5
Or 6 ...gd2 7.Afl Ad5 8 . fta4 with idea
offtf3 and fte4 +/-.

7 t2-t3 gd8-c8
8 �c5-a4 Ad5-e6
9 e3-e4 �f6-d7
10 �gl-f2 � d7-b6
11 � a4-c3 f7-f5 20 �d4-e5 ! gd8-d7

12 �f2-e3 f5xe4 21 gb4-b8

13 t3xe4 �g8-f8 Black resigned.

38 - Hanging Pawns

Mikhalchishin - Shmirin White's pressure grows: '1Wa5 and

Nikolaev 1983 .£ib5 threaten.
7 ,!b7xa6
8 'i!}'b5xa6 !!d8-d7
9 !!cl-c2!
A smart move. White does not indi­
cate on which pawn he will press: he
has the threats !!dcl and gcd2.
9 'i!}'c7-d8
10 � c3-b5 �f6-e4

Black to move

1 �f6-e8!
Black i s awfully constrained and he
needs to exchange one or two pieces
for the improvement of the position
of the others.
2 J1h4-g3!?
Also possible i s 2.Axe7 tJxe7 3.A,a6,
but after .£ld6 and gfd8 Black has
normal counterplay.
2
3 11 �t3-d2! � e4-g5
12 !!dl-cl �g5-e6
13 � d2-t3 � e6-c7
14 'i!}'a6-a5 � c7xb5
15 'i!}'a5xb5 d5-d4
16 e3xd4
16.fuc5 is also not bad.
16 c5xd4
17 !!c2xc8 �b6xc8
18 �t3-e5! !!d7-c7
19 !!clxc7
7 'i!}'e2-b5 ! And White has won a pawn.
 Hanging Pawns - 39

Kortchnoi - Karpov Karpov says that he considered for a

Merana 1981 long time whether to play 5...�b6,
but from the f6 square the knight
better controls the center.

6 i!l'bl-c2 g7-g6
7 i!l'c2-a4 a7-a6
s Ae2-d3 <IJ> g8-g7
9 Ad3-bl i!l'e6-b6
10 a2-a3?
Played with the idea of Aa2, increas­
White to move ing the pressure on the d5 pawn, but
1 i!l'c2-bl ? ! stronger was 10.<i)eS, with the idea to
Karpov wanted to reply to l.'l!i'f5 with answer 10...ftd4 with ll.'l!i'c4! , there­
l...'l!i'e6. He pointed out that White fore better is 10...'l!i'e6 with equality.
should trade queens by l.'l!i'b3.
1 !U8-d8
2 !kl-c2
Better is 2.ftb3.
2 i!l'b6-e6

10 d5-d4!
11 � c3-e2
If ll .ftexd4, then ll...Ac6 12.'l!i'c2
Axf3 13 . ftgxf3 ftcxd4 14.�a4 'l!i'b5 -
/+ , but White has chances for a draw
with 12.'l!i'c4 Axf3 13.ftgxf3 ftcxd4
14.�a4 'l!i'b5 15.�e2! Af8 16.�xb5
ftaxb5 17.<i)c3! .
3 �f6-h5 11 d4xe3
4 !k2-d2 �h5xg3
5 h2xg3 � d7-f6 12 f2xe3
40 - Hanging Pawns

The advance 1 ...ftc4 is unprofitable -

after 2.Ae2 � a5 3.�d4, with idea of
Af.3 and Ad2, White's advantage is
obvious.
2 Acl-d2
With the idea of 3.ftb4 ftcxb4 4.ftaxb4
�xb4 5.Axb4 'M'xb4 6.gabl + -. Also
possible was 2.ftb3 with the idea
Ab2.
2 !fa8-c8
3 Ad3-e2
Bl ack had the threat of 3 . . . .£i e5
12 c5-c4! 4.�xe5 'M'xe5 and then �g4, there­
13 � e2-d4 'i!l'b6-c7 fo r e W h i te t a k e s p ro p h y l a c t i c
14 �t3-h4 'i!l'c7-e5 measures.
15 �gl-hl �g7-g8!
16 � d4-t3 'i!l'e5xg3
And Black soon won.

Mikhalchishin
Beliavsky
Lvov 1983

3 d5-d4!
4 b2-b4!
White's counterstroke aims to un­
dermine Black's pawn center.
4 c5xb4
5 il'c2-b3! il'd6-d5
6 Ae2-c4 il'd5-h5
White to move 7 a3xb4 �f6-g4
White has several reasonable plans: 8 h2-h3 �g4-e5
a: l .ftb3 with the idea Ab2. 9 �f3xe5 � c6xe5
b : 1 . ft e 4 � d 4 ! 2 . � xd4 ftcxd4 10 Ac4-d5!
5.�xd5 �xd5 6.ftexd5 'M'xd5 with ex­ Not 10.Afl because of 10 ... �f3 + !
cellent play for Black. 1 1 .ftgxf.3 'M'xf.3 - +.
And, at last, the ga me continua­ 10 Ab7xd5
tion: 11 il'b3xd5 gf'8-d8
1 �c3-a4 il'd8-d6! 12 il'd5-b3 il'h5-e2
 Hanging Pawns - 41

13 e3xd4 gd8xd4
14 Ad2-c3 gd4xdl +
15 '{!l'b3xd l '€!1'e2xdl +
16 galxdl Ae7-f6
The position is balanced.

Torre - Gheorghiu
Wijk aa11 Zee 1981

12 h2-h4 4J e4-f6
13 4Jf3-h2 '{!l'b2-c3 !
14 4Jh2-fl '€!l'c3-e5
White to move
15 Ac2-b3

Both sides have arrayed their forces

harmoniously. Black's play is clear,
for example: Ag7, '8c7, '8d7 or Ag7
and �h5. White's best plan is not so
obvious. He selects the natural ap­
proach of a central pawn advance.
1 Ahl-a2 Af8-g7
2 d4-d5 e6xd5
3 gelxe8 + 4Jf6xe8
4 Ah2xg7 �g8xg7
5 c4xd5 4J c6-e7 15 4J d6-e4!
6 gclxc8 4J e7xc8 ! 16 h4-h5 '€!l'e5-f4
7 4Jd2-fl '{!l'd8-f6 17 f2.f3 4J e4-c5
8 a3-a4 4Jc8-d6 18 h5xg6 h7xg6
9 4Jfl-e3 19 Ab3-c4 4Jf6-e8 ! -/ +
 5 h3-h4 !

White to move
Time to weaken Black's position on
the kingside.

1 h2-h3! 5 c&>g8-h8
.
L"1m1ts the acfiv1ty
. of Black's pieces.

��
1 gcS-dS
2 gc dl � d7-f8
The exchange on f6 does not scare
.
Black, since then Wh i te loses control
over the dark sq uares.
-
II - ,, ,,,,,,,

8 d4-d5! i!i'c6-a4
JS
.
In case of 8... .!),exd5
6 9.4:) d4 neces-
sary, and then 10.4:)f5.

9 �f3-d4 � d7 - c5

... �f6-d7 10 d5xe6 � c5xe6

4 i!i'e5-g3 gdS-aS 11 Ad3-c2 ' i!i'a4xa2
 Hanging Pawns - 43

4 c4xd5 �b8-d7
5 Abl-a2 � d7-c5?!
Keres thou ght that 5...Ag7 offered
some protection.
6 'i!l'd3-d2 gesxe3
7 'i!l'd2xe3 � c5-a4?
The knight should not have been
removed from the center. It was bet­
ter to play 7 ...gd8.
8 gdl-el ! 'i!l'd6-d8
12 gelxe6! gesxe6 9 d5-d6 � a4-c3
13 � d4xe6 �f8xe6 10 Aa2xf7 + ! �g8-h8
14 'i!l'g3-d3 � e6-f8 11 d6-d7
15 ,icl-a3 ! f6-f5 Black resigned.
16 'i!l'd3-c3 !
Black resigned. Petersen - Zinn
Hava11a 1966
Keres - Mecking
Sa11 A11to11io 1972

White to move
Black to move
1 f2-f4 ! !
1 'i!}'d8-d6?! A brilliant move! The f4 pawn con­
trols the e5 square and creates the
After l...Axf3 would have followed
preconditions for the m aneuver
2.*xf3 ! gxc4 3.ftd5 ftexd5 4.Aa2! and
4Je2-g3-f5.
Axd5 with strong piece pressure on
the open lines. 1 grs-es
B u t t h e s t r o n g e s t move w a s If l ...ftd4, the·n 2.ftexd4 ftcxd4 3.4Jxd4
l ...4Jd7!. Ac5 4.A l'2 + !-;
2 gel-e3 ! ,ie7-f6 or l ...ftc4 2.Af5 gfe8 3.gf3 Ac5
3 d4-d5 e6xd5 4.4Jd4 +/-.
44 - Hanging Pawns

8 f4-f5! �d5-e3
9 f5xg6 gdSxdl
10 'i!l'c2xdl !
1 -0.

Kasparov - Portisch
Niksic 1983

White to move

1 d4-d5! e6xd5
If l...4Jxc4, then 2.*e4 ftg6 3.Axc4
*xc4 4.*eS ftf6 5.�e6 + E!f7 6.E!cl
*a6 7.ftd6 with a strong initiative.
2 c4xd5 Ab7xd5

3 Ad3xh7 + ! �g8xh7
4 gdlxd5 �h7-g8
Or 4 ... *c2 5J�d2 *cs 6.4Je5 with un­
7 Ad7-e6 ! ! �g8-f8 pleasant threats.
 Hanging Pawns - 45

mx 1� ¥�t£'•
v� �U1i':·��f·:1·/,v� •
Romanishin - Trois

�{t1;1�·�·
�.d �afi � ¥.d
Riga 1979

,,,,_ ,,_ �-· �- �-

�� �. �.�. �
" /.�, r� •• ·�-�·�-�
g·•�W� ft W�/,
�•• -�[&'f
· ;-
-
•
,,,
�-
• �)Yb,
5 Ab2xg7! ! �g8xg7
6 �f3-e5 1!f8-d8
White to move
If 6 ...ftf5, then 7.gd3 'M'c5 8. .£}d7 +-;
1 1!dl-d2 a7-a6
or 6... ghs 7.'M'g4 + <lt>f8 8.'M'f5 ftf6
If l....£}e4, then 2.Axe4 ftdxe4 3.gfd l
9.ge l with an attack;
capturing the d-file.
or 6 ... 'M'c2 follows 7.'M'g4 + <it>h7 2 �b5-c3 1!a8-b8
s.gd3 gc3 9.'M'f5 + �g8 10.gg3 + !. 3 1!f1-dl d5-d4
7 tl'e2-g4 + �g7-f8 4 � c3-a4 Ab7xg2
8 tl'g4-f5 f7-f6 5 �glxg2 1!b8-b5
9 � e5-d7 + 1!d8xd7 6 1!dl-cl �f6-d7
7 � e5-d3 ! ?
10 1!d5xd7 tl'c7-c5
Also possible is 7 ..£}xd7 gxd7 8.fte3
11 tl'f5-h7 +/=.
Kasparov thinks that 1 l .'M'h3 is more 7 a6-a5
precise. 8 1!d2-c2 �g8-f8
11 1!c8-c7! 9 b2-b3 1!d8-c8
12 tl'h7-h8 + ! �f8-f7 10 1!c2-c4 �f8-e7
13 1!d7-d3 � a5-c4
14 1!fl-d l ! �c4-e5?
Also of no avail was 14 ... Ad6 15.gds
+ -.
15 tl'h8-h7 + �f7-e6
16 tl'h7-g8 + �e6-f5
17 g2-g4 + �f5-f4
18 1!d3-d4 + �f4-f3
19 tl'g8-b3 +
Black resigned. 11 e2-e3 ! d4xe3
46 - Hanging Pawns

12 f2xe3 �k8-c7?
This simply loses the exchange, al­
though a fte r the better 12 . . . ft f6
White has a clear advantage.
13 4J a4-c3 gb5-b7
14 4J c3-d5 +
And White won.

Seirawan - Short
Montpellier 1988

White wants to increase the pressure

on the d5 pawn, transferring the
bishop to g2.
7 'i!l'f8-e7
8 .a.n-g2 'i!l'e7-e6
9 ct?gl-h2 4J c6-a5
10 4Jf3-e5 gd7-d6

White to move

Both sides have concentrated their

main forces on the d5 pawn, White's
pressure led to nothing real, that is
why he seeks opportunities to create
another weakness.
1 ,Ll.e2-b5 gd7-c7 11 'i!l'f4-a4 ! 'i!l'e6xe5
12 'i!l'a4xa5
2 'i!l'a4-f4
The exc h a nge of kn ights is a d­
N o t 2.4Jxd5 4Jxd5 3 .gxd5 gxd5 vantageous for White.
4.fud5 4Jd4 -/+ . 12 gd8-c8
2 4J c6-a5! 13 4Jc3-a4
3 'i!l'f4-a4 4J a5-c6 White attacks the c5 pawn. Because
of the placement of the pieces, Black
4 .Ll.b5-e2 gc7-d7
cannot simply defend it.
5 'i!l'a4-f4 a7-a6 13 gd6-c6
6 ,Ll.e2-fl 'i!l'e7-f8 14 gd2-c2 'i!l'e5-e7
 Hanging Pawns - 47

15 gdl-cl c5-c4
Success! Black has broken his central
pawn structure, thus his chances to
generate play are hamstrung.

•
m .a •
m � m *:�•
-�. m
.
•Am ��J. iiE·"�
- ·- · ' "'-
im im ' "" �-.
� �. · ·
,_�
' �
% , , , , ?,
. �

��"�-·-
��� -
· -
·· ·
-
·�i;"� ·� "� .
r,, , },� • �� �� ft
� �-7, },�gl.
�� c=. � �� ;�/m
.7, .Ni.%'1:00
/, �

. [,,,� . . .
,, ,
.

16 gcl-dl�! gc8-d8
17 gc2-d2 gc6-d6
18
�� a4-c3 'i!l'e7-e6
19
/, gd2-d4
White blockades the sorry dS pawn.
19 7,, gd6-d7 5 �c3-a4 c5-c4
-20 gdl-d2 g7-g6 6 .£l.g2-h3 gd8-d6
21 �c3-a4 'i!l'e6-e7 7 b2-b3 c4-c3
22 � a4-c5 gd7-c7 8 a2-a3 gf8-c8
23 � c5xb7 gc7xb7 9 b3-b4 'i!l'a5-b5
24 Ag2xd5 IO � a4-c5 + /-
White has won a pawn and, with it, Vaganian - Timman
the game. Brilliant maneuvering. Amsterdam 1986

Bannik - Legky
Kiev 1983

Black to move
1 gf8-d8! ?
48 - Hanging Pawns

a: l...fth6? 2.fte4! ftd4 3.*b3 *xb3

4.ftaxb3 Ad6 5.�g6! Axf4 6.�xf8 Ae5
7.ftf4 + -.
b: 1 ...ftg5? 2.Axg5 *xe5 3.Axf6
*xf6 4.Axd5 *b6 5.�c4 Axc4 6.*xc4
4Jc6 7.*e4 + -.
c: l ...Ad6? 2.�g4! Axf4 3.�xf6 +
*xf6 4.:!;'!xd5 ! ? A c 7 5 .:!:'!xc5 Axa5
6.:!;'!xa5 �d7 7.Axa8 :!;'!xa8 8.:!;'!d l +/-.
2 e2-e4 ! d5-d4
3 4J a5-c4 +/ =
6 gcl-c4! ill' d 6-b6
7 i!l'b4xb6 a7xb6
Ubilava - Vaisser 8 gc4xd4
Sevastopol 1986
White has won a pawn.

Bertok - Fischer
Stockholm 1962

White to move

Black to move
White has a positional advantage due
1 c�c4!
to the exchange of minor pieces and
the pawn on f5 creating a weakness Emphasizes the weakness of the b2
in Black's position. pawn and the not entirely fortunate
position of the queen on a3, and it is
1 itdl-d2 Ab7-a6 difficult to make use of the weakness
2 b3-b4! d5-d4 of the d5 pawn.
After 2 ... ftc4 3.�f4 ftd4 4.Ad5 + 2 4J d3-f4 gf8-b8
Black loses. 3 gal-bl?
3 b4xc5 4J d7xc5 Fischer writes that bad is 3.Af3 �f6
4.:!:'!fd l *xb2 5.*xb2 :!:'!xb2 6.�xd5
4 i!l'd2-b4 Aa6xd3 �xd5 7.Axd5 Axd5 8.:!;'!xd5 ftc3 9.:!;'!c5
5 e2xd3 gc8-c7 ftc2 10.:!;'!c 1 :!;'!d8,
 but better was 3.<tlxe6 ft fxe6 4.Ag4
ga6! 5 .ftb3 ! ftcxb3 6.ftaxb3 �xb3
7.�e7 4Jf8 8.ga3 with good counter­

·
play for the pawn.
3 Ae6-f5!
4 gbl-dl 4J d7-f6
5 gdl-d2
If 5.At3, then 5 ...�xb2 6.�xb2 gxb2
7.<tlxd5 .£lxd5 8.Axd5 gc8 9.fte4 Ae6!,
and a rook endgame is not easy for
�
·
White.
5 g7-g5!
6 4Jf4xd5

·
White would be all tied up after
5.<tlh5 .£le4 6.gc2 �b4.
6 4Jf6xd5
7 Ae2xc4 Af5-e6 8 a2-a4 !
s gn-dl 4Jd5xe3 !
·
�
Fixing the a5 pawn, White not only
And Black won. creates an object for attack, but also
Romanishin - Psakhis deprives Black of counterplay con­
Moscow 1983 nected with the advance fta5-a4.
8
· �d8-a8

10
9 �dl-c2
Ad2-f4
· Ae7-d8
Ad8-e7

'i' - -· ·,�,,­ · :I:

BJ.'•- � 11�:I: a.1
.1 • �, - -
�, �
P� r•�
)'� �� -
-
�
. � - �
-
- �
'�"
m �• •
"3J ,tE� ft a . m ,
� · -�
- ft -' "•
•� . J� ��J.W�
White to move
""' "%�-%'lfj·
·· -
•,,
..�J­
� . . .. .f� /,m"�
� .!).%
.
f� - f� ��
/,

1 e2-e4 ! d5-d4
If l...ftdxe4, then 2.ge1 and .£lxe4,
and if 1...<tlxe4, then 2.4Jxe4 ftdxe4 11 Ag2-f l ! �a8-c8
-
3.�cl ftf5 4.ftg4! ftfxg4 5.Axe4 with 12 f2-f3 �c8-d8
excellent p l ay for the sacrificed
pawn. 13 Af4-d2 ga6-a8
2 4J e5-c4 4Jf6-d7 14 Afl-d3 g7-g6
Defends against the fte4-e5 threat. 15 geI-e2 4Jd7-b8
3 gn-eI 4J d7-b6 16 gal-f l 4Jb8-c6
50 - Hanging Pawns

tracts them like a magnet, and rightly

so.
1 tl'c2-f2 gas-cs
2 g2-g4?
White wants to win in a very primi­
tive way. 2.'3/h l intending ftd5 was
obviously better, or simply 2.Ac2
with the threat of Aa4 when Black
w o u l d h a v e b e e n c o m p l e te ly
paralysed.

17 t3-f4! � c6-b4
lS Ad2xb4 c5xb4
19 tl'c2-dl FfaS-cS
20 ge2-d2 Ae7-c5
21 gn.el grs.es
22 gd2-e2 cti>gS-g7
23 h2-h3 gcs-c6
24 cti>gl-h2 gc6-e6
25 tl'dl-c2 Ac5-a7
26 e4-e5 Ab7-t3
2 � d7-c5!
27 ge2-f2 At3-d5
3 Ad3-c2 �c5-e4
2S f4-f5
4 tl'f2-e3 � e4xc3
And White goes on a decisive attack.
s Ab2xc3
Simkin - Mikhalchishin
Pees 1977

5 gcsxc4! !
Black parries White's threats with a
White to move combination.
White has achieved an ideal arrange­ 6 � e5xc4 tl'dS-dS
ment of his pieces. The kingside at- 7 'f!l'e3-g3 tl'd5xc4
 Hanging Pawns - 51

S ,£lc2-b3 �c4-c6 - + central pawns, s i nce these were

meant to protect his pieces. In a
Bernstein - Capablanca general strategic arrangement, both
Moscow 1914 of white's rooks occupy open files,
while Black's rooks, for purposes of
protection, should stand behind his
pawns. Added to this, the uncomfort­
able position of the bishop on e7
makes it useless, if the fact that it
protects the pawn on c5 is not taken
into consideration. Against these
correct strategic reasons Black's last
move is d i rected, c h a n g i n g the
bishop, which was fitting until then
only for purposes of protection, into
an attacking piece on the long open
Black to move diagonal. More important is the fact
t h a t the white b2 p awn is now
1 �dS-b6 weakened and becomes the reason
2 �a6-e2 for White's cares, who must defend it
White avoids the exchange, hoping with his other pieces and, thus, can­
to press the hanging pawns in the not use them for an attack on Black's
middlegame. In general, the weak­ pawns. The fact that this move opens
ness of hanging pawns is easier to the d4 square for White's knights is
exploit in simplified situations. After of no great significance, for if the
2.�xb6 ftaxb6 only the d5 pawn knight occupies this square, in this
would still hang; all the same, con­ very way the pressure on the black d5
tinuing 3.md l , White would exert a pawn will be cut off, and Black will
certain pressure. thus gain time to create an attack. I
think, that after this move it was best
for White to play 3.fte4 and be satis­
fied with a draw. But Bernstein is a
very brave player, who always tries to
win if he thinks that he has even the
smallest chance." (Capablanca).
3 gn-dI gf8-dS
4 �t3-d4 Ae7-b4
5 b2-b3
White, it seems, assumed that the iso­
lated pawn on c4 would turn out
weak. However this evaluation is in­
2 c5-c4 correct.
A responsible decision ! "White 's 5 gas-cs
plan from the very beginning lay in 6 b3xc4 d5xc4
using the weakness of both of Black's 7 gcl-c2
52 - Hanging Pawns
Epishin - Rozentalis
Uzhgorod 1987

7 Ab4xc3
8 1:k2xc3 �f6-d5
The pawn should not be taken in Black to move
view of 9 ... 4Jc3. White threatens with the undermin­
9 1:k3-c2 c4-c3 ing 2.ftb4, which follows even on
10 gdl-cl gcs-cs l.. :fta5. �owev� r Black, exchanging a
11 � d4-b3 gcs-c6 patr of mmor pieces, takes the initia­
tive.
12 �b3-d4 gc6-c7
1 ... Ac6xb5
Black refuses a repetition of moves
2 � c3xb5 �c8-a6!
and sets a trap along the way.
3 �b5xd6 �a6xd6
13 � d4-b5 gc7-c5
4 �dl-a4 a7-a5
14 �b5xc3?
s gn.dt �d6-b6
14.4Jd4 gdc8.
6 gdl-d2
14 � d5xc3
15 gc2xc3 gc5xc3
16 gclxc3

0- 1.
 Hanging Pawns - 53

9 AgSxf6 �d7xf6 Preventing the underm �ng fte3-e4.

. .
;
lO gcl-dl The potential threat o OLJC4xa3 for-
.
Better was 10.� e 1 and further � e l - ces White to remove the kmg fram
d3-f4. th e first rank.
The hanging paw ns are reliably 23 �gl-h2 �g8-h7
protecte d ·' h e re t h ey r e p r e s e n t 24 g2-g3
. .
s trength, rather th an weakness. Makes possible .f)f3-e l -d3, wh1ch 1 m-
·
Black can ' with out handic ap, m- m e d i a tely wou l d m e e t witn
fil
crease pressure on the b - I e. 24 ...*e5 + .
lO gc8-b8 24 ...
11 i!l'c2-f5 'i!i'b6-e6 2S h3-h4
12 'i!)'f5.f4
· � � •
•· �
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.
•
·
m
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r. ' " " '/.

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L

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8 I •'
m" ;,•m� � g ".. �
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-
1
, �
2S ... i!l'e6-c6?!
12 ... gbS-bS! With h'is ast move Bl ack allows an
. .
13 gd2-c2 i!l'e6-b6 exchan
J:-.. g e s acnf1ce: 26.E!xc4 B6dxc4
But not 13 ... E!eb8? 14.�c
1'1 � 5 ·
27 ,"LJe 5 *e6 28 .of) xc4, after which,
penetrating the opponent's defense
14 gdl-d2 ge8-b8
would have b een very d'ff' I icult. Per-
lS i!l'f4-f5 i!l'b6-e6
.,.,. rs -es
haps hopes should h av� been set on
16 w the only chance ' creatmg threats to
Of no avail was 16 *xe6 ft fxe6 17 .fta4 the white k'mg.
in view of 17 ...E!b4 18 .�xc5
l'1
.f)e4.
16 ... aS -a4
B locking White' s pawns on the

��
queenside.
i!l'eS-c7 �f6-e4
gd2-e2 gb8-b7
19 i!l'c7 -es � e4-d6
.
Black ,s knight is a nx1ous to occupy
the ideal pos't'
1 ion on c4 ·

20 'i!i'eS-c3 f7-f6
21 i!l'c3-el �d6-c4
22 ill' el-cl f6.f5!
54 - Hanging Pawns

Petrosian - Spassky good is 6 ... gc6) 6 ... Axd5 7.fud5 fud5

Moscow 1966 8.gxd5 gb6 9.gd2 ( 1 0.gcs g b 1 +
1 1 .�h2 gb2) 9 ... ftc3 10.gc2 gb t +
1 1 .�h2 gb2 12.fuc3 fuf2, and Black
should achieve a draw.
4 'lil'a3xd6 ga6xd6
Let us compare positions with the
Bernstein - Capablanca game (two
examples previous). There, a fter
ftc5-c4, Black's position did not wors­
en, while here Spassky finds himself
in a difficult situation. Capablanca,
with his pawns on c4 and d5, had a
good bishop, Spassky is left with a
White to move bad one, which does not play an ac­
1 gdl -d2
tive role. Besides, the absence of
queens reduces Black's chances for
White intends to increase pressure
counterplay.
on the hanging pawns. Later he can
press on the d5 pawn by .£if4 and S �f4-e2 a4-a3
gcd l, or play gdc2 with an attack on This attempt to complicate the game
the c5 pawn. is correct. On 5 ...gb6 follows 6.�c3
1 .1d7-e6 gcb7 7.gcc2 (7 ..£ixa4 gb4), threaten­
ing to take a pawn (7 ...Af5 8.�xd5).
In this position 1 ...ftc4 would have
Spassky has managed to rescue the
been to White's advantage in view of
game, but he must continue to resist
2.�xd6 fud6 3.fte4.
White's clear advantage.
2 h2-h3 gc8-c7
3 � e2-f4 Petrosian - Botvinnik
Already threatens 4 . .£ixd5 Axd5 Moscow 1963
s.gcd l gd7 6.fte4 etc.

White to move
3 cS-c4 1 gal-cl
Parries the threat of 4 . .£ixd5 �xa3 White increases pressure. Now Black
5.ftbxa3 gd7 6.gcd l (if 6.fte4, then faces a difficult problem. He can
 Hanging Pawns - 55

keep the status quo, or immediately Spassky - Hort

change the position of the central Reykjavik 1977
pawns by ftc5-c4 or ftd5-d4. If the
pawns are held back, after l ...gac8
2.gfd l gfd8 3.gc2, it becomes clear
that sooner or later Black will have to
disrupt the pawns to his opponent's
advantage. So as not to make the e7
bishop bad, ftc5-c4 tempts, however
the d5 pawn immediately becomes
weak: l...ftc4 2.gfd 1 gfd8 3.Ad4 etc.
1 d5-d4

2 Ae3-d2 a7-a5

Directed against ftb2-b3, to which White to move

Black replies with fta5-a4.

3 �f4-d3 �f6-d7
1 Ad3-f5 g7-g6
After 3 ....£l e4 the knight's position is
unstable: 4.gfd l .£lxd2, and Black's 2 Af5-h3
unhappy lot in the endgame will be a An unpleasant pin has arisen on the
weak c5 pawn and a bad bishop. On h3-c8 diagonal. White's further play
4 ... gfc8 good is 5 ..£le5. is built on an ambush of the hanging
c5 and d5 pawns.
4 e2-e3
2 '3c8-d8
White leaves his opponent with weak
a5 and c5 pawns. 3 � c3-a4 �f6-e4
4 d4xc5 b6xc5
4 d4xe3
5 Ah3xd7 'f!l'c7xd7
s Ad2xe3 '3f8-b8
6 .£lf3-e5 'f!l'd7-c7
6 '3fl-dl a5-a4
7 f2-f3 .£i e4-f6
7 �gl-g2 h7-h6 8 .£i e5-d3 c5-c4
8 '3dl-d2 White has managed to make one of
Black's central pawns advance. Now
White has the positional advantage. the opponents switch from quiet
In a simplified posi tion without positional maneuvers to sharp tacti­
queens a change of pawn configura­ cal skirmishes. This, naturally, eats
tion is advantageous for White. huge chunks of time on their clocks.
56 - Hanging Pawns

•
m �m .a m• .m
·� �
� �as 12.�c2 ;Bc8 13.ftcS, and White

"iEA�1
- "- '" "' �-�" ' '�
�,,� Ri0 "'f'i"''"" "m � remains with an extra pawn ...

!­
t•t or 10 . . . ft d x c 4 1 l . :B x d 8 A x d 8

•·lm••·-,•·-
12.�xc4 :!'!xe3 13.4Je4! 4Jxe4 14.�d4!

. ••
�­·
with advantage.

� � , � ·
What was White afraid of? In the

i.WJ·ft,�a·.
,

case of 1 1 . . .;Bxd8 1 2.�xc4 Axa4

�€) ��•ft - ·�, ,�

13.Axf6 Axf6 14.�xa4 Black has the

:& g •
answer of 14 ... Ab2, but after 15.;Bc2!

� "" l� li•
��L
*• ft ��
-
lm
� ( 1S.;Bc4 ;Bc8!, the pin again begins to
��
/.

d is turb ) l S . . . ;Bd l + 16.'7tf2 �xh2

, , , v, �..
17.:!'!xb2 �gl + 18.'7tg3 White braves
9 .£l d3-c5! the attack, remaining a piece up.
However, in the last line, Black can
After 9.ftbxc4 ftdxc4 10.4Je5 :!'!xdl +
answer 13.Axf6 with 13 ...Axc5, and if
1 1 .�xd 1 A a 6 B l a c k successfully 1 4 . A x d 8 A x e 3 + 1 S . '7t h l , t h e n
defends himself. Spassky's knight
1 S . . .�xd8! with a n advantage fo r
move sharply intensifies the struggle.
Black. Certainly, White c a n play
9 ,Qb7-c6! 14.�cS, but then after 14 ... ;Bd l +
9 ...Axc5? would have been a mistake lS.:!'!xd l �cs 16.;Bd8 + �IB a draw is
because of 10.4Jxc5 �xcS l l .Axf6 very probable.
:!'!xe3 12.�f2! , and White wins, for on 10 .Qc6-b5
12 ...;Bde8 follows 13.Ad4!. 11 'i!l'e2-f2 .£lf6-d7
12 .£ic5xd7 .Qb5xd7
13 .£l a4-c3 ,Qd7 -f5
14 e3-e4
To 14.ftbxc4 possible was 14 ...�c4!
1S.Axa7 Aa3 ! . With the breach in the
center Spassky hopes to win an im­
portant pawn. However, it seems that
he overlooked Black's resource.
14 d5xe4
15 .£l c3xe4 .Qf5xe4
16 t3xe4

10 .Qb2-d4
White shows indecision, as a result of
which the c-ft becomes the main
trump in Black's hand. It is possible
that Spassky did not play 10.ftbxc4
because he feared for the stability of
his pieces. Indeed, big complications
would arise. For example: 10.ftbxc4
Axa4 ( 1 0 ... �a5 1 1 .Ac3 ! ) 1 1 .4Jxa4
 Hanging Pawns - 57

:a m m m �
• •m
· ·- �- --�
�·-·'"
-��·:·:·:
•. •r--��--- -�-_
,,_.,. ·�-.�-�
-• ·�i:�.,f�j�
• m
( .. Y,

16 c4-c3 ! 22 Ab6-c5
This pawn acquires formidable force! Defends against the 22... Aa3 threat,
17 !!dl-fi but not the other!
Not 17.E!xc3?, because of 17 ...*xc3 ! Now continuing with 22 ... AxcS
18.Axc3 E!xdl + 19.Ael Ab4. 23.�c5 *g4! 24.gf2 gd1 + 25.gfl
gxcl 26.E!xcl *d l + ! Black would
17 Ae7-b4
win. Of no avail to White was 24.ftg3

m JSJ. :a m•m *xe4 25.gf2 gd 1 + 26.gfl gxfl +

� �
:ft ·.i·•­
�·�--�.�·�-g·-�·-
27.E!xfl gd8 28.*t2 ftf5, and the c-ft
mtmt cannot be stopped. However, Black
had no time to carry out his intention.
At this moment the flag on Hort's
clock fell, and he lost the game.
� --- - ; �-•
ii l i� m J
�

m%-
Dorfman - Romanishin
-
ft •r---� ·�� �
_,,_ �
%-d�ftr;t¥
Fnmze 1981

•
• r� • �
18 Ad4xa7
Bad is 18.*f6? because of 18 ... E!xd4
19.*xd4 Ac5. White also finds no
relief after 18.fta3 gxd4 19.ftaxb4
gdxe4! . However, Black's pieces now
become very active.
18 !!d8-d2!
19 iii' f2 -e3
N o t fa l l i n g i n to the t r a p a fter White to move
19.*xd2? *xa7 + ! 20.*f2 Ac5 ! etc. 1 �f3-e5! iii' d 8-d6
19 !!e8-a8 Not 1...fth6, because of 2.Axf6 Axf6
20 Aa7-b6 iii' c 7-d7 3 ..£id7!.
21 a2-a4 c3-c2 2 � e5-c4! iii' d 6-a6
58 - Hanging Pawns

3 4J c4-a5 gaS-dS B l a c k res igned. After 20 . . . Axc5

4 4J a5xb7 'f!l'a6xb7 21 .�xc5 �c5 22.ftbxcS gbl + 23.\f?g2
5 gdl-d2 tl'b7-b6 g e l 24.gd7 + \f?f6 25.gxa7 gxc5
6 'f!l'a4-c2 d5-d4 26.fta4 White's win is only a matter of
time.

Capablanca - Lasker
Havana 1921

White to move
Black threatens to begin the attack
with {)g4 in connection with the ad­
10 'f!l'c2-c4! vance of the central pawn, ftd5-d4.
Stemming from pressure in the cen­ 1 4J c3-e2 !
ter, White has fo rced a critical White prevents the central breach
weakening of his opponent's posi­ l...ftd4, and transfers the knight to g3
tion. It is interesting to observe the where it strengthens the kingside.
refinement with which he realizes
1 4Jf6-e4
the advantage.
l...{)g4 does not lead to success. For
10 gdS-d6
exa m p l e : 2.{)g3 ftd4 3.�a3 � h 6
11 Ag2-e4 grs-bs 4.fth3, and Black's foray turns o u t to
12 Ae4-d3 gd6-d8 White's advantage.
13 h2-h4 'f!l'a5-c7 2 tl'b3-a3
14 tl'c4-c2 h7-h6 White attacks the c5 pawn, threaten­
Black must give way on the light ing to play 3.ftf3.
squares, for if 14 ... {)f8 follows 15.gcl 2 gbS-c8
gdc8 16..U5. 3 4J e2-g3 4J e4xg3
15 Ad3-c4 '8i>g8-g7 4 h2xg3 'f!l'd6-b6
16 Ac4xe6 f7xe6 Black has not managed to develop an
17 gd2xd4 gd8xd4 i n i t i a tive on t h e k i n g s i d e , b u t
18 gdlxd4 f6-f5 prepares the ftd5-d4 advance i n the
19 b2-b4 'fil'c7-e5 center. However, the plan does not
20 4J a4xc5 promise h i m good p ro s pects a s
 Hanging !',awns 59

White's position
.
.
�
strong enough II m x r----,
anchored as it ts y his well-placed
r ooks, which once the game is
opened up will prove to White's ad-
v�tage.
"/.
'1:1' � '"'
� a lfS
� �-
�B • ••
D B
��
fmA·-- - - Y-B
-��
• :t��P t 1
� - �
t
•' tm
•
·� •,.i�-
�
�
-
-
"B
..

- �� --0 -· ·m
��
, �
a
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�WA
� ��
�
B
,
m � ��- �
6 ...

��
.
dS-d 4
liBr��- -�l�-
Black nonsens cally plays the move

- ft �ft],�
, -7, :i:-·•� .,�J�. ft -
�
� :
that White a s o thorough!
� �� m . . •�
-
i• � � �
� revented. Bi a could have co
tmued 6 ...fta5 1· h the idea *b4 o ;
strenghtened t e position with
• •

5 �k2-d2 ? 1
Th e d� u�ling of the�oaks along the 6... ge8, as the rook on d8 already has
d-�le is Illogical. 5 . dcl warranted nothing to do.
. 7 e3xd4 Ab7xf3
serious attention' m order to press

� ; �
the c5 pawn. Th a sw� r 5 ... ftc4
ould have left lac with a bad
8 'fil'a3xf3
.
�t first sight 8 ftgx£3 is better, creat-
ishop. In case of 5...ftd4 the game
� o u l d h a v e bee n opened and
mg the good Z
; �i�
B.ut then Bla k
are for the king.
be content with
simplified, which is by no means to either 8 ... ftcxd4 or 8 ... gxd4 9 ""'e3
Black's advant o;:o age, for exampl e.. gcd8 with the subsequent 10. .. *a. wS or

:�
6.ftexd4 ( 6 .� xc5 gxc5 7.gxc5 ftd3 w d6 giving Bl k a passed pawn
10....M.
"' xd3 gxd3) 6 ft xd4 7.gxc8 Axc8
��
8. � ··· � on the d-file. Su a pawn, in the
�
( trading the last air � f rooks is even presence of the � n a.nd rooks, can
worse) 8.�e7 an White stands well.
5
•••

h7-h6
be a strength. � te _is anxious to
leave his opponen with two weak
6 .£) el-f3 p�ns on a6 and c5.
II
60 _ Hanging Pawns

8 gd8xd4
Pointlessly refusing 8. ..ftcxd4.
9 gd2-c2
Now White's position is better, since
he has achieved his purpose: Bla �k
has two isolated pawns. However m
the presence of queens White has
little chance to exploit the weakness
of the a6 and c5 pawns, since the
opponent has significant forces with
which to stir up counterplay. On the
5 1st move the game ended in a draw.

Chekhover - Levenflsh
Leningrad 1935

Black to move

Let us consider an example where

the advance of the central hanging
pawns is successful. Attention should
be paid to the fact that White's pieces
are harmoniously positioned. 1 -0.
1 ... €) c6-b4
On l . . .gfe8 could have followed
2.�e4 ftg6 3.ftd5 ftexd5 (if the knight
moves, 4.�d4) 4.ftcxd5 Af6 5.ftdxc6
+ -.
2 Ad3-bl Ae7-f6
2 ...�f4 3.<£)e5 with the idea 4.ftg3.
3 €)f3-eS gf'8-d8
3 ...Axe5 ! ?, restricting the b2 bishop.
4 t2-f4 €)b4-c6
 Hanging Pawns - 61

Keres - Taimanov familiar with Bondarevsky's analysis

Moscow 1951 and employed, instead of 7.Axh7 + ,
the less convincing 7.Axf6? Events
developed as fo l lows: 7 . . . ftgxf6
8.Axh7+ �g7 9.!!d4 !!h8! (a defen­
sive resource; otherwise White has a
strong attack) 10.!!g4 + �f8 1 1.�b2
!!xh7 (easier is 1 1...*e7! ) 12.�b4+
*cs 13.*d2! (in case of 13.�cS +
ftbxcS 14.!!bl ftfS ! the rook ending is
in favor of Black) 13 ...!!c8 14.!!dl
*e7 1S.!!d4 !!hS 16.fth4 (for the next
lS moves White has only a few
m i n u tes. The weakening of the
pawns on the kingside makes defense
White to move
difficult ) 16 ... ftfS ! l 7.�g2 (salvation
The following example is typical for should have been sought in the end­
positions with hanging pawns. ing 17.!!d8 + !!xd8 18.*xd8 + �xd8
1 'li)'dl-e2 19.!!xd8 + �g7 20.!!a8. In the heat of
W h i te l e aves the c e n t r a l p awn time trouble Grigorian lost his head.)
without protection, but it cannot be 17 ... !!xh4 18.!!xh4 �xh4 19.!!hl �f6
taken: 1....£ixd4 2 ..£ixd4 �xd4 3 ..£idS 20.*d6+ �g7 21.*h2 !!d8 22.!!gl
�cs 4 ..bf6 ftgxf6 ( 4 ...Axf6 S.�e4) � f8 23 .�c7 !!d4 24. *b 8 + *d8
s.�g4 + �h8 6.�h4. 2S.�g3 ftf4 26.�h2 �f6 27.!!cl !!d2
28.�gl !!xa2 29.�hS, and, not wait­
1 gf8-eS
ing for his opponent's answer, White
Keres showed that Black should have resigned.
preferred 1 ...lLib4!, so that on 2.Ab l Black reckons that the position of
Axf3 3.�xf3 �xd4 4.fta3 lLi a6 S.�b7 the rook on e8 will hinder the breach
Ad6! or S.!!d l �g4 6.�b7 AcS ! he ftd4-dS, since after the opening of the
would take the initiative. But White e-file the queen on e2 will be unfor­
has another rejoinder: 3.ftgxf3 �xd4 tunately positioned.
4 . .£ie4 �d8 S.!!d l �c7 6..£ixf6 + Axf6,
2 gn-d1 gas-cs
as in Grigorian - Karpov (Moscow,
3 gal-cl 'li)'dS-d6
1976). This position is considered in
Igor Bondarevsky's interesting ar­ 4 .id3-bl 'li)'d6-f4
ticle "Hanging pawns" (Shakhmatny This attempt to bring the queen into
B u lletin #8, 1 97 S ) . The author the struggle meets a stunning refuta­
s h ow e d t h e fo l l o w i n g v a r i a n t : tion.
7.Axh7 + ! �h8 (worse is 7 ... �xh7
8.�e4 + �g8 9.Axf6 ftgxf6 10.�g4 +
� h 7 1 1 .� h l !!g8 1 2.�h4 + �g7
1 3 . !! g l + � f8 1 4 . !! x g 8 + �xg8
15.�h6) 8.Ae4 !!ad8 9.ftf4! !!xd l +
10.�xd l ! , and White has a menacing
attack. Grigorian, it seems, was not
62 - Hanging Pawns
and in the center against the e4 pawn
with such moves as fta7-a5 and ges.
1 Ab7-c6
2 Aa6-b5 Ac6-b7
After 2 ... 'M'b6 3.Axc6 'M'xc6 4.gacl
White has unpleasant pressure on
the hanging pawns. Both rooks al­
ready occupy active positions.

5 d4-d5! e6xd5
White continued 6.ftcxd5, however
more consistent was 6.lDxd5 �xd5
7.ftcxd5 Af6 8.'M'c2 Axb2 9.ftdxc6
Axel 10.'M'h7 + lftf8 l l.ftcxb7 Ekd8
1 2 . 'M' h 8 + lft e 7 1 3 J � e l + lft d 7
14.Af5 + ! , and White wins. Fo r ex­
a m p l e : 1 4 . . . 'M'xf5 1 5 .gxe8 gxe8
1 6.'M'xe8 + lftxe8 1 7.ftb8Q + lftd7
18.'M'xa7 + lftc8 19.'M'xb6. 3 e3-e4! Ae7 -ffi
3 ...ftd4 4.Axd4 ftcxd4 5.�d4;
Euwe - Winter 3 ... ll)b6 4.ftexd5 ll)xd5 5.Ae5 +/-.
Nottingham 1936 4 Ac3xf6
White seeks to isolate the a7 and c5
pawns, but he could also have main­
tained his attack on the hanging
pawns: 4.fte5 ges 5.'M'b2 Ae7 6.ftb4.
To White's advantage are both 6 ... ftc4
7.ll)d4 ll)xe5 8.Axe8 'M'xe8 9.ll)f5, and
6 ... ftd4 7.�xd4 ftcxd4 8.�d4.
4 � d7xf6
5 e4xd5
5.fte5 lDe4.
5 �f6xd5
White to move We a l re a dy n o t e d t h a t in m id­
dlegame, the isolated pawns on the
1 Ad3-a6! queenside should not be relied upon
White is most anxious to remove the to be weak. In the p resence of
d e fe n s e of the d5 pawn. Euwe queens the other black pieces are
rejected l.fte4 because of l...ftd4, for also active: the bishop is perfectly
example: 2.Ad2 Ad6. Black would positioned; the knight, on a central
have co unterplay on the queenside square, although tied up now, is
 Hanging Pawns - 63

ready to occupy the weak c3 and f4 Black must decide whether to place
squares. his b8 knight on c6 or d7. In general,
6 �e2-e5 �d8-a5 knight is more active at c6, as it can
7 Ab5-c4 €) d5-f6 support the ftd5-d4 advance in the
7 ... 4Jb6 8.Ad3 Axf3 9.�f5. center, and 4Jc6-b4 is often useful.
8 €)f3-g5 �fa8-e8 On the other hand, the knight at d7
protects the hanging c5 and d5 pawns
9 �e5-f4 h7-h6
better.
10 €)g5xf7
1 €)b8-d7
After l...4Jc6 2.md l White would
create pressure on the d5 pawn. All
the same, l...4Jc6 is quite possible.
2 gn-d1
White wants to play fte3-e4. Black
should not take on e4, as that would
deprive him of counterplay. It is bet­
ter to advance the d5 pawn: ftd5-d4.
With the pawns at c5 and d4 White
may play for a blockade, seizing the
c4 and d3 points. Thus White's pieces
get excellent positions. Moreover,
the pawn advantage that White has
in the center and on the kingside can
be a good base for attack. Less im­
portant is that the c5 pawn becomes
backward because attempts to siege
this pawn in the middlegame cannot
be successful. And what are Black's
1 -0.
opportunities? After the ftd5-d4 ad­
Kotov - Makogonov vance he gets his trump: a protected
Leningrad 1939 passed pawn in the center. The logi­
cal plan is to strengthen the role of
t h i s p aw n . B l a c k m u s t t a k e a l l
measures not to allow White to or­
ganize a blockade of the c4 and d3
points. In addition, he must apply
preventive maintenance to hinder
the approach of the opponent on the
kingside.
2 �d8-b6? !
The position of the queen at b6 gives
White a tempo during the execution
of his plan. 2 ...�a5 ! ?
Black to move 3 b2-b3
64 - Hanging Pawns
The knight will later use the b2 on the g-file. After fte3-e4 and ftd5-
square to transfer from a4 to the c4 d4 a position with mutual chances
blockade point. has arisen.
3 �fa8-c8
4 e3-e4 d5-d4 Kortchnoi Antoshin
5 � c3-a4 �b6-b7 Sochi 1966
6 �f3-d2
White may envision the following
ideal arrangement of pieces: the a4
knight occupies the c4 point, the
bishop comes to d3, the rooks are on
el and fl, pawn on h3. Then the ftt'2-
f4 advance follows.
6 �d7-b6
White's knight wanted to go to b2
anyway. He should have considered
6 ... ,£\d6!? with the idea 7 ...,£\f4, after
w h i c h the e4 p awn wo uld h ave
needed protection.
White to move
7 � a4-b2 lU8-e8
White's setup is not quite the usual
one, but the strategem of a strike to
the hanging pawns from the side is
especially clear in this game.
1 b2-b4 ! c5-c4
After the exchange on b4, Black is
left with an isolated pawn in an un­
satisfactory position. The problem is
not the pawn itself - it. is protected
well enough - but in the weakening of
the entire complex of dark squares,
8 h2-h3 especially noticable in connection
with White's bishop, which on b2
W h i t e co u l d s ys t e m a t i c a l ly
would occupy an ideal position.
strengthen his position with 8.,£\g3 ! ?.
8 .!e7-d6 2 Ad3-c2 �b8-c6
Black allows the doubling of pawns, Let's compare with the previous ex­
reckoning that two bishops and the ample, where the hanging pawns
open g-file will be sufficient compen­ were also challenged and a passed
sation. pawn created. Here, the other details
9 .!h4xf6 g7xf6 tell much in White's favor. In par­
Let's take stock. Black threatens to ticular, c o m p a re the respective
create an attack on the king via ,£\b8 bishops on the long diagonals.
and �c7, or <alh8 and doubling rooks 3 Acl-b2 lfa8-d8
 Hanging Pawns 65

•- �� w� •m
-

11 ... Aa6-c8
f.j"� ' {. ��f
f�i
12 1!b6xb8 Ac8xf5
,, /,

P
· . ��f Y.
i:L� i·
• -
•
"".Al • � · "m
13 1!b8xd8 1!f8xd8
. "'
14 � a4xc3 d5-d4
-� . '/;Z-�i -�" /,� Black gets rid of o �e weakness, but
,

·
4J�� i m . ., m,·- ·
�
•
this does not save him.

/,
15 e3xd4 1!d8xd4
��L - �,ft -0 "%
�. � ·�
L "W'�..e!. ·. . .. .,·
· m m, _,,_
- - -��-�"�
� . · - w r/��"
.0ft
-.�f-'ltJ� �
�-- - �, i�
�-
�

4 b4-b5 !
•m mJ.. m
White begins a series of vigorous ·
·-� - Ill. �.
·
4
blows forcing a a won endgame.
� ·� • ri:·
;� ;�;"·f · � " "/, - -!lo
.,.!..!. -
a1
� %
. /,-"'
� ·
��"
� · · ·�
� c6-b8
5 'fi}'dl-d4 a7-a6 � �
·
� � 7,, /,
� ft ��
a1
B
- -- �� ·�
?..

6 'fi}'d4-h4 h7-h6
7 b5xa6 Ab7xa6
8 Ab2xf6 'fi}'e7xf6 16 1!el-d l ! 1!d4-c4
9 'fi}'h4xf6 g7xf6 17 � c3-d5 <8lg8-g7
I n the endgame B l a ck ?as a 18 � d5-e3 1!c4-c5
deformed pawn structure. His only 19 � e3xf5 + 1!c5xf5
pride - the protected passed c4 pawn 20 a3-a4 1!f5-a5
does not play any role. 21 1!dl-al +-
Ragozin _ Bondarevsky
Moscow 1946

White to move
Black stands better in this position
than he did in the previous example.
1 b2-b4!
66 - Hanging Pawns

All the same Black faces a difficult

task: to find an acceptable rejoinder.
1 ...ftcxb4 gives White the initiative
after 2.-1Jlc7. For example: 2 ... gab8
(2 ...Ac8 3.gacl +/- with sufficient
compensation for the sacrificed
p awn) 3.Ab5 -1Jlc5 (3 ... gfd8 a lso
promises nothing good - 4.gacl li\'£8
5 .,£id4 .£l f6 6 . -1Jl a 5 ) 4.-1Jlxd7 g fd8
s.gfcl -1Jlb6 6.-1Jle7 -1Jlxb5 7.gc? gf8
8.,£ie5 gbe8 9.-1Jid7. The continuation
1 ...ftc4, as we already know, gives
White the opportunity to establish a 3 d4xc5
blockade. To allow an exchange on c5 A combinational solution to his prob­
is also unprofitable for Black: with an lem. If White protects the bishop
isolated pawn in the center, he stands with the rook, then 3 ...Axf3 follows,
worse. and 3.Ad 1 is bad in view of 3 ... ftcxb4.
3 'f!l'e7xe2
4 'f!l'c2xe2 ge8xe2
5 c5-c6 Ab7xc6
6 .£if3-d4 ge2-e6
7 .£l d4xe6 t7xe6
Black's chances are preferable.

Fischer - Spassky
Reykjavik 1972

1 d5-d4!
An unexpected counterstroke, giving
Black chances. Play immediately be­
comes sharp.
2 e3xd4
Black has a good game after 2.ftbxc5
ftdxe3 3.ftc6 gac8.
2 !fa8-e8

White to move
Contemporary play is often rightly
described as creative, but any at­
te m p t to t a k e l i b e rties may b e
punished, in the hands o f modern
strategists, with filigree precision.
 Hanging Pawns - 67

B lack should h ave allowed some 7 b2-b3

small liabilities, since his strong cen­ White's pieces dominate in the cen­
ter becomes the object of a resolute ter and their weight is now trans­
white a ttack. B l ack's l a s t m ove ferred to the kingside. The miserable
18...�e7-f8 allows White to begin a knight on f8 cannot resist the power­
vigorous attack in the center and on ful bishop on c4.
the kingside. Possibly "1g8-f8 was a 7 a6-a5

?,�:,�!%
, , , ;1,--ra���, ;,���
better option. After 19.�xe6 + fxe6
�,
L . . �-�·1-L . �
20.e4 c4 Black can strive to exploit . �
pressure along the b-file against the
J

r�•r�•w�·�
b2-ft.

•� . J
1 -€) d4xe6! fixe6

/,f� •
.

�� �� �� �
. /,m
· A�,
2 e3-e4!
U s u a l l y s u c h exch a n ges o n ly
,•
·
,, •••• n
- -,, /,- , /,·
strengthen the center, but here the
idea is to immediately undermine
Black's pawn base and play on the
weakened light squares.
-
� ·
· �� - �M
( Y, � �1Y,k
2 d5-d4?
Better was 2 ...�f6 or even 2...ftc4. In 8 f4-f5!
the latter case after 3.�h3 �f7 4.Ag4 White's moves are a brilliant example
ge8 5.ftexd5 ftexd5 6.!'!fe l gxe l + of precision.
7 . gx e l � f8 B l a c k h a s a w e l l ­ 8 e6xf5
defended position. Instead, Black's 9 gnxrs -€)f8-h7
central pawns give all the appearan­ 10 gel-fl �e7-d8
ces of "dead wood", so White has free 11 �h3-g3 ga7-e7
reign for his pieces--and even for his 12 h2-h4 gb8-b7
pawns--in the center. 13 e5-e6

·-�.
3 f2-f4 �f8-e7 White has a strategically won posi­

m �m ••m
tion, and Fischer confidently carried
·� ·"*- .
, ,,,,, /,i0 �
i� - � '�! :Sp
his advantage to victory.
f'"]

- �� �- �-,,j�
?,,f;,111 %•1-�
·-L "� ·�, �� "*- �-
�·-·i�.��- ·
/,

"m··:&�L�/,�;�-:-r�
�-
. /,
�
�. lrtJt /,
. " �

4 e4-e5 ! gd8-b8
5 Ae2-c4 <ai>g8-h8
6 �a3-h3 -€) d7-f8
68 - Hanging Pawns
Steinitz - Andersen
Vienna 1873

Though the hanging pawn debate

hardly even started before the game
came to an end, the number of those
White to move
who played with the pawn pair d5, c5
did not increase after this game.
Nimzowitsch - Tarrasch
1 �dl-a4 St. Petersburg 1914

Here Andersen, instead of l...fth6 Doctor Tarrasch, who created the

2.Ah4 �b6 with about equal chances, opening system called the "Tarrasch
carelessly played ... Defence " had to believe in the
strength of hanging pawns. In the
1 4Jf6-e4? 1 9 1 4 Petersbu rg tournament Tar­
rasch, playing black, won from Nim­
zowitch in brilliant style.
1 d2-d4 d7-d5
2 4Jgl-f3 c7-c5
3 c2-c4 e7-e6
4 e2-e3 4Jg8-f6
s Afl-d3 4Jb8-c6
6 0-0 Af8-d6
7 b2-b3 0-0
s Acl-b2 b7-b6
9 4Jbl-d2 Ac8-b7
10 gal-cl �d8-e7
2 Ad3xe4 ! d5xe4 11 c4xd5 e6xd5
12 4Jf3-h4 g7-g6
3 gn.d1 Ae7xg5 13 .£ih4-f3 ga8-d8
4
14 d4xc5 b6xc5
.£if3xg5 �d8xg5
15 Ad3-b5 4Jf6-e4
5 gd lxd7 grs bs
. 16 Ab5xc6 Ab7xc6
 Hanging Pawns - 69

17 itdl-c2 � e4xd2 21 Ac6xg2!

18 �t3xd2 22 tl-t3 grs-e8
23 � d2-e4 ith4-hl +
24 f!>gl-tl ,!g2xfi
25 d4-d5 t7-f5
26 itc2-c3 ithl-g2 + !
27 c&>tl-e3

18 d5-d4!
19 e3xd4

27 ge8xe4 + !
28 t3xe4 f5-f4 +
29 f!>e3xf4 gd8-f8 +
30 f!>f4-e5 itg2-h2 +
31 f!>e5-e6 grs-e8 +
32 f!>e6-tlfl-b5 + mate
0-1 .
Keres - Smyslov
Zurich 1953
19 Ad6xh2 + ! !
20 f!>glxh2 ite7-h4 +
21 f!>h2-gl

White to move
Here are hanging p awns--with a
modern twist. Black waited until
70 - Hanging Pawns
White's bishop came out to b2 before 8 gc3-h3
trading 7 ... ftcxd4 8.ftexd4, limiting the
bishop's sphere of action. And he is
in no hurry for the exchange ftd5xc4,
opening the way for the d4 pawn.
Instead he regroups his pieces be­
hind the d5, e6 pawn palisade.
If Keres had now played 1 .�c2,
B l ack could choose between the
straightforward l...ftdxc4 and waiting
moves of the type i...ge8 and later
Af8, or l ...�d6 with the further gfd8
and �b8. However, Keres decided
that the fl rook should join in the
attack on the king, and the following
took place ...
1 gn-el � c6-b4!
2 .ld3-n
White reluctantly abandons the b l ­
h7 diagonal t o protect the c 4 pawn,
and thus gives up control over the e4
square.

9 c4-c3 !
10 'i!1'dl-cl ! 'i!1'd8xd4
11 'i!1'cl-h6 grs-ds
And Black co Id bloodedly beat off the
attack.
2 �f6-e4!
3 a2-a3 � e4xc3
4 gclxc3 �b4-c6
5 �f3-e5 �c6xe5
6 gelxe5 .le7-f6
7 ge5-h5 g7-g6
Black has harmoniously arranged his
p ieces and now i ntends to play
8 . . . ftdxc4, with a positio n a l ad­
vantage.
 Hanging Pawns _ 71

Botvinnik - Grigorenko Keres - Barcza

Moscow 1931 Budapest 1972

Black to move
White to move With the knight positioned on d7
White's advantage is evident, since
Black cannot easily attack the c4 and
d4 pawns. Striving to block the pawns
In some senses both sides h ave with Axf.3 and fte6-e5, Black played:
placed their pieces in ideal positions. 1 •·· �c7-f4

· �•
� ·�
•
The s u b s e q u e n t p l ay therefore
.a%m -
ttl�·ri•ftl•"
• �A·1S'·
makes a particularly instructive ex­
ample. Black repels the direct threat �-- ·'

• . .• • .••
of ftd4-d5 and begins to prepare
counterplay connected with the ftb6-
b5 advance.
1 �c2-e2 Ae7-b4
·
mft·w� �··
�

• "•".(•l/j··
ft
2 gel-dl ges-cs
,,. ,,,g
-�.��� ,��
. . ,, • r.81}, w <!!-
.8.
r.81 ,
3 .Qbl-d3 Ab4-d6
�� - - � · � /,
� %
-
� .' ' F' "f
4 .£)f3-el .Qb7-e4 . v,

2 �e2-e3 !
5 .£) e5-g4 .£)f8-d7
White's unexpected retort upsets
6 d4-d5 .Qe4xd3 Blac � 's plans. Not wishing to admit
the aimlessness of his previous move
7 .£) elxd3 e6xd5 he exchanged queens: '

White has advanced ftd4-d5, but the 2 �f4xe3

absence of the light square bishop, 3 f2xe3
.
which plays the key role in the or­ But this only reinforces White's
gan� zation of the attack, gives him no pawn mass in the center and leads to
basis to count on the creation of a complex endgame that is most com­
serious threats. fortable for White.
72 - Hanging Pawns

3 Ab7-e4 Capablanca - Alekhine

Buenos Aires 1927
4 Ad3-e2 �fa8-c8

White to move
In comparison with Steinitz - Ander­
5 a2-a4! Ae4-c2 sen, here the pawns stand on a3 and
6 gd l-cl Ac2-g6 a6. The last circumstance is rather to
Black's favor, inasmuch as it takes
7 a4-a5 gcs-c7 the b5 square away from the white
bishop, but that does not significantly
8 a5xb6 a7xb6 influence either the course of the
9 gal-a6 h7-h6 struggle or the evaluation of the posi­
tion. Here the main method to attack
10 gel-al Ag6-e4 the pawn pair is piece pressure; the
m a i n obj ect - the d5 p awn; the
11 4Jt3-d2 Ae4-b7 nearest purpose - to cause the ftc5 to
advance, after which the pawns will
12 ga6-a7 ges-cs
be deprived of mobility and White
will have the d4 support point at his
d isposal. Alekhine thought t h a t
Black would have sufficient defen-
sive resources.
1 tl'dl-e2 gf8-e8
l ...�b6 2.gb 1 ges looks like another
reliable method of defense: Black
prevents � a4 and again strengthens
the d5 pawn.
2 Ad3-c2 tl'd8-b6
3 gn-d1
To 3.Aa4 it is possible to offer a trade
with 3 ...Ac6.
13 Ab2-a3 ! +-
3 ga8-d8
Black's queenside is in peril. 4 4J c3-a4
 Hanging Pawns - 73

If Black had now played 3 ... �a7 or And with the instructive maneuver:
even 3 ...�a5, he would have reliably 13 Ab4-d6
protected his pawns, however he 14 gcl-c2
decided to exchange queens, and at
the same time connect the pawns ...
4 'tb6-b5
5 'te2xb5 a6xb5
6 � a4-c3 Ab7-c6
7 Ac2-d3

14 Ad6-e5 !
15 gc2-d2 gd7-c7
Black balanced the chances. The
weakness of the b2 pawn compen­
sates for the minuses of the con­
gealed pawn chain and the weakness
7 c5-c4? of the d5 pawn.
A hasty decision, justifying White's
strategy. Alekhine thought that it Petrosian - Spassky
was still possible to preserve elas­ Moscow 1969
ticity of the black pawn trio on the
queenside as follows: 7 ... gb8 8..U5
�f8 ( with the idea 4Jf8-e6) 9.Af4
gb6 10.4Je5 Aa8.
B Ad3-f5 b5-b4
9 a3xb4 Ae7xb4
IO �f3-d4 Ac6-b7
11 Af5xd7 gd8xd7
12 Ag5xf6 g7xf6
A l e k h i n e reasoned t h a t the b 7
bishop protects the d 5 pawn, the
dark square bishop controls the d4
White to move
square, and the weakness of the b2
pawn will give him counterchances. 1 Ad3-f5!
However, after 13.4Jf5 ! White's posi­ White refuses the standard plan with
tional advantage would not have �e2 and gfd l , instead activating the
been in doubt. Capablanca played bishop to where it eyes the c8 square.
cautiously... But the main thing is that White did
13 �d4-e2 not hurry with the ftd4xc5 exchange,
74 - Hanging Pawns

keeping the b6 square unavailable to

Black's pieces. That forces Black to
maneuver in a tinier space. The move
l .Af5, among other things, contains
the positional threat 2.Axd7 �xd7
3.ftdxc5 ftbxc5 4.Axf6 Axf6 5 . .£ie4!
A x b 2 6. �xc5 � e 7 7 . g b t �xc5
8.fub2, as a result of which the white
knight gains a firm foothold on the d4
square.
1 grs-es
2 gn-el .[) d7-f8
A more useful move for Black is not
visible. White threatened the un­
p l e a s a n t s i m p l ify i n g proced u r e
3.Axd7 �xd7 4.ftdxc5 ftbxc5 5.Axf6,
and now not 5 ... Axf6 because of
6 ..£i a4 ftc4 7.fuc4. So 2 ...ftc4 kills the 6 .[)f3-d2 .[) e4-d 6
b7 bishop, and after 3 ..£ie5 White
7 Af5-g4 c5-c4
sta nds clearly better. The typical
White's opening strategy has trium­
freeing maneuver 2 ... .£i e4 3.Axe7
�xe7 a lso fa ils, to 4.Axd7 �xd7 phed. Black has not only advanced
5.ftdxc5, and the knight must recap­ his pawn to c4, but has also ceded the
ture on c5, leaving him with an iso­ dark square bishops, leaving the d4
lated pawn and a bad bishop. But square under the total control of his
now the knight has withdrawn from opponent. If White now plays 8.ftb3,
the b6 square, and White exchanges then from the proud c4-d5 pair only
pawns. t h e we a k d5 p a w n w o u l d h ave
remained, and White's position
3 d4xc5 b6xc5
would have been obviously better.
4 .[) c3-a4 Instead he tried 8..£if3.
The position has taken on familiar
outlines, but here the c5 pawn has Spassky - Pachman
fa l l e n i n to tro u b l e . Both white Havana 1962
bishops interfere with its defense -
the f5 bishop takes away the c8
square from the rook, and the g5
bishop threatens with the exchange
Axf6 to divert from the beleaguered
pawn its only defem:e. It may seem
t h a t t h e p r o b l e m is s o lv e d by
4....£16d7 5.Axe7 �xe7, but the typical
undermining move 6.ftb4! follows,
and the choice between 6 ... ftcxb4
7.gc7! and 6 .. ftc4 is equally un­
.

pleasant for Black. It is clear that

 Hanging Pawns - 75

White to move

Just before ftd4xc5 Black missed the

chance to play ftc5-c4 and now ex­
periences difficulty in defending his
hanging pawns.

1 'i!1'dl-c2 �b8-d7

2 !!fl-dl

Black's hanging pawns are under at­

tack from a l l of White's pieces.
Taking twice on d5, as well as the Petrosian - Spassky
simple 3.Af3 threaten. Black must Moscow 1969
advance the d-ft.

2 d5-d4

But for the d4 pawn, the cure is al­

most worse than the disease. White's
e3 pawn puts it im mediately on
guard, and its protection from c5 is
suspect. As a side-effect, White takes
over the light squares.

White to move

The blockaded c6 pawn and strong

pressure on the c-file define White's
positional advantage, though Black
still has defensive resources.
1 Afl-h3 !!a8-a7
2 a2-a4
2.�d3 ! ?.
2 g7-g5
3 !!cl-dl �f8-g7
4 �c5-d3 At7-e8
3 Ae2-c4 Af7xc4
5 �d3-cl f6-f5
4 'i!1'c2xc4 + �g8-h7 6 � cl-e2
76 - Hanging Pawns

9 � d4xc6! b7xc6
10 0-0 At8-e7
11 �c3-a4! 'ill' b 6-b5
12 Acl-e3 0-0
13 gal-cl

Rubi nstein - Salwe

Lodz 1908

1 d2-d4 d7-d5
 Hanging Pawns - 77

27 gc2xc6 'f!l'b6xc6
28 i!l'd4xa7 gbs-as
29 i!l'a7-c5 i!l'c6-b7
30 �gl-t2 h7-h5
31 Afl-e2
Consolidation before the attack that
ends the struggle.
31 g7-g6
32 i!l'c5-d6 i!l'b7-c8
33 ga5-c5 'f!l'c8-b7
34 h2-h4 a6-a5
35 gc5-c7 i!l'b7-b8
36 b4-b5 a5-a4
18 'f!l'dl-d4! ge7-e8
37 b5-b6 gas-as
19 Ag2-fl ges-cs
38 b6-b7
20 e2-e3 i!l'b5-b7
Black resigned. The game illustrates
21 .£i a4-c5
methods of immobilizing and har­
The strategic task is solved - the rassing the backward c6 pawn. Not
pawns are solidly blockaded. But to atypically, the isolated black a-ft also
win the game, White has work ahead. became an object of attack.
21 .£l d7xc5
22 gclxc5 gcS-c7 Alekhine - Capablanca
23 gf2-c2 i!l'b7-b6 Buenos Aires 1927
More stubborn is 23 ... ftaS, prevent­ Almost two decades later, Capablan­
ing ftb2-b4. ca demonstrated a correct way to
24 b2-b4 a7-a6 defend the c6-d5 complex after the
24...ftaS? 25.gxas. exchange of queens.
25 gc5-a5 1 d2-d4 .£ig8-f6
26 a2-a3 2 c2-c4 e7-e6
The pawn cannot be saved. 3 .£lbl-c3 d7-d5
4 Acl-g5 .£lb8-d7
5 e2-e3 Af8-e7
6 .£lgl-f3 0-0
7 i!l'dl-c2 c7-c5
8 c4xd5 c5xd4
Better is 8... 4Jxd5 immediately.
9 .£lf3xd4 .£lf6xd5
10 Ag5xe7 'f!l'd8xe7
11 .£l c3xd5 e6xd5
12 Afl-d3
78 - Hanging Pawns

� � .
�
ft - � - �lliim of t h e R u b i n s te i n - S a lw e typ e .

t • � �?- t i� t
,,i�·"-
Moreover, shortly before the world
�-" - � - ' - %
championship match he had won in
such a middlegame scheme in good

·.·�·.··
s ty l e from t h e E n g l i s h m a s t e r

• •. •
Thomas a t Baden Baden, 1925 ) .

o
H owever, t h i s t i m e h e m e t h is

• •A match ...

lr11lm·
/,�m tr.� 19 cai>f8-e7

• m ·
20 Ab5xc6 b7xc6
�� · m
,
•
v, -•·� " 21 gcl-c5
�
12 'f!l'e7-b4 +
In order not to play ftg7-g6 or fth7-h6,
Black forces a transition into the
endgame, which appears, however,
not so attractive for him.
13 'f!l'c2-d2 4J d7-e5!
14 Ad3-e2 'f!l'b4xd2 +
15 cai>elxd2 Ac8-d7
16 gal-cl grs-cs
17 b2-b3 cai>g8-f8
Fast activization of the king is an im­
portant link in Black's defense. 21 a7-a5!
18 f2-f4 4J e5-c6 In no event does Black tolerate suf­

i�•�-
L'0�J�
J •
.iM�Air
.
· ��i�J��
'0
�
-i� focation by ftb3-b4.
22 ghl-cl cai>e7-d6
�
· ·i .t . J
. 23 gcl-c3 ga8-a6

:AZ" : :
� • 24 4J d4-b5 + cai>d6-e7

· • • 25 4Jb5-d4 cai>e7-d6

· •
·' �. • •
·� r.(V;ft·· l/,�• ·�,,�
•� ft ��
ft . �A•
m l§.f r�
�
.fi
19 Ae2-b5
Subseqently A.Alekhine pointed out
a more successful plan: 19.At3! with
the idea of encouraging the exchange
of knights on d4, and then to exploit
his better bishop. But during the
game he was anxious to get a position
 Hanging Pawns - 79

And even this break cannot disturb Tai - Bronstein

the balance. White's rooks, though Baku 1961
they blockade the c6 pawn, are them­
selves tied up.
26 d5xe4
27 �d2-e3 !k8-b8
Preparing the fta5-a4 break, as well
as activating the rook on b5. Now
Black is guaranteed a draw. Aimless
was 27 ... �k8 in view of 28.�f5 + Axf5
29.!!xf5 ftf6 30.!!c4, easily regaining a
pawn (A. Alekhine ).
28 4J d4-f5 + ,1d7xf5
29 !kSxfS t7-f6
30 !k3-c4
Black to move

The weak points c4 and d5 in front of

the pawns at c3 and d4 are easier to
exploit in the middle game. At first
s i g h t , W h i t e ' s p os i t i o n s e e ms
preferable, but the further develop­
ment of events deeply changes this
evaluation.

30 gb8-b5 1 g6-g5 !
31 gc4-d4 + �d6-e6 2 .1h4-g3 'lil'd8xd5
32 grsxbS c6xb5
33 gd4xe4 + �e6-t7 3 'lil'b3-b4
34 ge4-d 4 ga6-c6
After the exchange of queens, the
35 gd4-d7 + �t7-g6 knight invades via c3.
36 �e3-d2 gc6-c5
37 gd7-a7 b5-b4 3 Af5-g4
38 g2-g4 h7-h5 4 gn-el
39 h2-h3 h5-h4
40 f4-f5 + �g6-h6 Also insufficient is 4.Ae2 �xa2,
41 ga7-a8 �h6-h7 threatening �xe2 and .£)d5.
42 �d2-e3 gcs-c3 + 4 ,1g4xt3
D r aw. To 43 . ca? f4 gxh3 fo l lows
44.ftg5 ! etc. 5 g2xt3
80 - Hanging Pawns

Taimanov - Keres
Zurich 1953

5 e7-e6
Black has completed his fortress. He White to move
controls the blockade points d5 and
c4, and the a2 and t3 pawns are under 1 c3-c4!
attack. Even Tai could not find tacti- Instead of l .ftc4!, White foresook the
cal counterchances here. narrow path with U�g4 ftf5 2.gg3
gdc8 (also strong is 2 ... fte5 3.�xf5
6 Ab5-d3 'if}'d5xf3 ftexd4) 3.ge3, and now 3 ....£lb3 ! (in­
7 gdl-d2 grs-ds s t e a d of 3 . . . .£i c 4 ) w o u l d h a ve
preserved the advantage for Black.
8 gel-e3 'if}'f3-c6 Thus, the move l .ftc4 was necessary.
9 Ad3-b5 'if}'c6-d5 Nimzowitsch
10 gd2-e2 .£ib6-c4 Giersing and Kinch
Copenhagen 1924
11 Ab5xc4 gcsxc4
12 'if}'b4-b2 gds-cs
13 Ag3-e5 Ag7xe5
14 ge3xe5 'if}'d5-c6
15 ge2-e3 b7-b6
16 'if}'b2-a3 gc4xc3
17 'if}'a3xa7 gc3xe3
18 gesxe3 gcs-as
19 ge3-c3 'if}'c6-e4 Black to move
20 'if}'a7-c7 gasxa2 In the book My System, Nimzowitsch
discusses the backward c pawn's "lust
21 gc3-cl 'if}'e4xd4
to expand". In this position, White
And Black soon won. has two threats: to strengthen the
 Hanging Pawns - 81

positional clamp with 2.tkl and to Surprisingly, all roads lead to the
take away the a7 pawn. same result: 10...ftcl Q 1 1 .E!xbl 'l!hcbl
1 c��! 12.:!'!f4 also led to a draw.
Black correctly solves the problem. Or 10..."1xf7 1 1 .,1£5 E!xal 12.Axc2
2 �fa5xa7 c5-c4 E!xa2 13.Ab3 = .
3 �b3-d4 11 g 17-c7 c2-cl 'I
12 gc7xcl galxcl
The game was drawn 13 moves later.

Petrosian - Geller
Amsterdam 1956

3 gb8xb2!
4 � d4xe6 f7xe6
S ga7xd7 c4-c3 !
Despite the loss of a knight, the c-ft,
now passed and strong, gives Black Black to move
equal chances in the impending com­
plexities.
1 'lb6-a5
To choose l ...ftc5 looks like a mistake
6 Ag2-h3 c3-c2
in view of the obvious rejoinder
7 Ah3xe6 + �g8-f8 2 ..f) a4. But continuation pointed out
8 gd7-f7 + �f8-e8 by Petrosian: 2 ...�a5! 3.Axc5 :!'!ac8
9 Ae6xc8 gb2-bl + 4.ftb4 Axc5 5.ftbxc5 Ad7 brings that
10 �gl-g2 back into the realm of possibility.

10 gblxal 2 'lc2-a4 'la5xa4

82 - Hanging Pawns
3 � c3xa4 �f6-d7
4 gn-d1
After queens are exchanged, the
p iece pressure on the c6 and d5
pawns increases, and control over the
strategically important d4 and c5
points gives White a big positional
advantage.

Yates - Romanovsky
Moscow 1925
4 d5-d4
5 'fi)'dl-d3 Ae7xc5
6 Ac1-b2 gaS-bS
7 gel-e2 tl'd8-d5
8 Ab2-cl gbS-b3
9 'fi)'d3-dl d4-d3
A picturesque situation in the spirit
of romantic chess of the 19th century.
Black's pawns, sweeping away every­
White to move
thing in their path, rush to the
promotion squares.
1 'fi)'dlxd4
White cannot p lay l .ftfxe4 ftdxe3 10 ge2xe3
2.ftexd5 Ac5 3.'M'd3 (3.Axe3 Axe3 +
4.gxe3 *b6) 3 ... ftf4! 4.ftd6 *gs with
threats from two sides: 5 ... -M'xeS and
5 ... ftf3. An awful rout awaits White
after 5.*c4 + C31h8 6.�c5 ftf3 7.:ga2
ftf2+ 8.catfl 'M'h4! 9.:gd l *xh2 10.C3fe2
ftfl Q + 1 1 .fufl *xg2 + .
1 � e4-c5
2 tl'd4-d l f5-f4
3 b3-b4
The knight on e3 is chained to its
place in view of the reply 3 ...*b6.
3 f4xe3 10 d3-d2
4 b4xc5 0- 1.
 Hanging Pawns - 83

Sveshnikov - Bagirov
Tbilisi 1978

White to move

1 d4-d5!
Finally solving the problem: the
strength or weakness of the hanging
pawns at c3 and d4. Black faces an
unpleasant choice.
1 � c6-e5
The lesser evil was 1...:!'!xd5, though
even then Black will have a difficult
time.

2 E:e3xe5 ! f6xe5
3 '\!l'e2xe5 + '&>g7-h7
4 '\!l'e5-f6 '\!l'a5xc3
Now or on the previous move �g8
loses to .£)xg6.
84 - Hanging Pawns
Portisch - Bagirov
Beverwijk 1965

White to move

Black's control over the c4 and dS

squares or pressure on the c3 pawn is
n o t w o r t h m e n t i o n i ng . W h i te
deploys his pieces purposefully and
goes into decisive action.
1 4Jt3-e5 lfa8-c8
2 lfal-a2 grs-es
To 2...�c7 follows simply 3.gae2.
3 ga2-e2 g7-g6
4 Abl-a2 gcs-c7
s Acl-h6
Threatens 6.�xt7 �xt7 7.gxe6.
s Ae7-f8
6 Ah6-g5 Af8-g7

� , ,�
- �· :a·
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7 d4-d5 ! i!)'d8-c8
 Hanging Pawns - 85

fo rces B l a c k o n t h e d e fensive.
White's plan is simple: using the
threat of invasion on h7, force Black
to trade knights, then lift the heavy
pieces to attack the kingside, using
the existing weak squares and the
possibility of sacrificing at e6 or espe­
cially g6.
1 �g4-f6 � c6-e7
The knight heads for g8 to relieve the
bind.
2 l!el-e3 � e7-g8
3 �f6xg8 �f8xg8
8 'f!l'd3-f3 ! �f6xd5 4 'f!l'g5-e7 Ab7-c6
On 8...:1!xc3, 9.�f4 wins.
5 !'!b5-e5 !'!d8-d7
9 'f!l'f3xf7 + �g8-h8
6 'f!l'e7-h4 'f!l'g7-h8
10 � e5xg6 + !
Black resigned, as 10... fthxg6 loses to 7 'f!l'h4-f4 'f!l'h8-g7
1 U!e4. 8 !'!e3-g3
Botvinnik - Ragozin The concentration of forces for the
Bolslievo 1947 attack on g6 is complete.
s Ac6-d5
9 l!e5-g5 l!c8xc3

-��
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-
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•

White to move
The weakness of the dark squares
and dark diagonals of the kingside is
•
• �- · " "rmr; •
• ·· •
10 Ad3xg6! !'!c3xg3
obvious. In return, Black looks out
over a complex of weak squares on 11 Ag6xf7 + �g8- f8
the queenside, with his rooks occupy­ l l ...:1!xf7 12.�xg3.
ing the c and d files. That, however,
is insufficient compensation because 12 l!g5xg7 l!g3xg7
the immediacy of White's pressure 13 Af7xe6 + +-
86 - Hanging Pawns

Portisch - O'Kelly s h7-h5

Malaga 1964
Turns out to be the decisive error.
Correct was 5 ... 'M'd5 ! then 6 ... 'M'f5.

White to move

This position also occurred in Naj­ 6 �f4-g3 !

dorf - Sliwa, 1956 Moscow Interna­
tional. Subtly played. Too late is 6... 'M'd5 be­
1 h2-h4 cause of 7.ges then Af6 and gxhS.
l .ftc4 is apparently stronger. 6 t7-f5
1 � c6-a5!
Sliwa played l...Af6, and after 2.fth5 Weakens the kingside, but how else
ended up in a difficult position. to defend against the terrible 7.Af6?
2 �t3-g5 7 Ag5-f4 Wg8-t7
Otherwise, 2 ...Axf3 would have fol­
lowed. s Af4-e5
2 � a5-c4 Black cannot deflect White's attack
3 Ad3xc4 �c7xc4 on the dark squares. The bishop on
4 �d2-f4 Ae7xg5 b7 plays the role of an indifferent
5 Ah6xg5 extra.
8 F!e8-g8
9 �g3-f4 Ab7-d5
10 ifl'f4-h6! Wt7-e8
Also of no avail is 10 ... gcfs because
of l l .'M'h7 + \te8 12.Ad6! .
11 ifl'h6-h7
Black resigned in view of 1 1 ...gt'S
12.Ad6 gn 13.'M'g8 + .
 Hanging Pawns - 87

Razuvaev - Goldin
Moscow 1966

10 f2-f3 gf8-c8
11 �gl-f2 4J c4-d6
White to move 12 gel-hi h7-h5
�xh7 threatened.

3 Ag5-f6! ill' d 6-f4

4 Ac4-d3 g7-g6
s Af6-e5 i!l'f4-d2
6 i!l'hS-gS i!l'd2xg5
7 h4xg5
The bishop pair, control of the f6, g7
and h8 and the half-open h-file give
White a decisive advantage.
7 l'.fa8-c8
8 gal-cl 4J a5-c4
9 Ae5-f6 gc8-c7
88 - Hanging Pawns

19 gh5-h7 5 gn.el �e6-d7

Checkmate or large material losses 6 �h4-h8 + "'f8-f7
a re inevitable, therefo re, Black
7 �h8-h5 + "'f7-f8
resigned.
8 �h5-g6
Black resigned.
Savon - Tai
Moscow 1969
Skegina - Bilunova
USSR

White to move

Black to move
1 f4-f5! g6xf5
2 g4xf5 f7-f6
1 Ac8-f5
3 Ah3xe6 gesxe6
Hoping that White would sacrifice
4 f5xe6 �c8xe6 the Exchange.
 Hanging Pawns - 89

2 1!c5xf5! g6xf5 13 Ad5xt7 + 1!f8xf7

3 i!l'c2xf5 e7-e6 14 1!e4-e8 + 1!f7-f8
15 il'g6-e6 + ctlg8-h7
4 i!l'f5-h3
16 1!e8xf8 Ag7xf8
At first sight Black's queen on the
17 Ah6xf8
b l-h7 diagonal is strong defensively,
but White had evaluated her attack­ And White won.
ing possibilities with precision.
Lein - Kortchnoi
4 i!l'a6-d3 Kiev 1964
5 �t3-g5 h7-h6

m �,,,,,z ct m
6 �g5-e4 f7.f5
f""z
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B • r� Black to move

1 d5-d4 !
7 Aclxh6 f5xe4 2 4Jb2-c4
8 Ag2xe4 '{!l'd3xc3 Better was 2.ftexd4, seeking exchan­
ges.
9 i!l' h3xe6 + gf8 -f7
2 1!d8-d5
10 Ae4-d 5 1!b8-f8 3 1!cl-dl 1!d5-g5
11 1!el-e4 4Jc6xd4 4 i!l'g4-h3 Ab7-t3
12 i!l'e6-g6 4J d4-c6 5 1!dl-el
90 - Hanging Pawns

9 'f!l'd6-f4
10 �g4-e3 c5xd4
11 gd2-c2 gc8-e8
12 gc2-c4 �g5-e4
13 t2-f3 � e4-d2
14 � e3-d5 gesxel
15 � d5xf4 ge1xn +
mate

Sokolsky - Botvinnik
Leningrad 1938

6 � e6-g5 !
7 'f!l'h3xg4 .S.f3xg4
8 � e5xg4 'f!l'f6-d6
9 e3xd4

Black to move
The hanging pawns are under the
protection of the other pieces and
interact with them. Black strives to
create a passed d-ft. The completion
of this work requires preparation.
The first stage is the weakening of
White's position in the center and on
the kingside. This is achieved by fore-
 Hanging Pawns - 91

ing White to defend the weak points To meet the threats, White has put
e3 and f2 near his king. his pieces in the most miserable posi­
1 Ag7-h6! tions.
The first blow is directed to the poor­
6 d5-d4
ly p r o te c t e d e 3 p o i n t . B l a c k
threatens ftd5-d4. 7 'f!i'd3-e2 �g4-e5
2 Ah2-a3
8 e3xd4
Preventing 2... ftd4, to which now fol­
lows 3./f)xd4. Other moves also lose. According to
Botvinnik:
8.Axc5 AD! 9.ftgxD ftd3 10.l!xd3
/f)xd3 l l .Ad4 �xc l ;
8.Axc5 AD! 9.�xa6 �xa6 10.Axa6
Axd 1 1 l .Axc8 l!xc8 12.!!xd 1 :!'!xc5
13.ftexd4 :!'!d5;
8.:!'!xc5 :!'!xc5 9.Axc5 � f3 + ! ! !
10.ftgxD AxD l l .�c2 Axdl 12.�dl
�g5 + ;

2 �f6-g4! 8.ftf4 �d7 9.ftexd4 Axf4 1 0.:!'!c2

:!'!e8.
Threatens 3 ...Axe3 4.ftfxe3 �xe3 +
5.'\fthl lf)f2 + . 8 c5xd4
3 'f!i'bl-d3 � d7-e5
4 �t3xe5 'f!i'e7xe5 8. .. Axc l ? 9.ftdxe5.
5 � e2-g3 9 lklxc8 Ab7xc8!
The aim is achieved - Black h as
destroyed the weak e3 point and has
created a strong passed d-ft.
10 gdl-el d4-d3 !
11 'f!i'e2-dl Ac8-g4
12 'f!i'dl-al
12.ftD /f)xD + 13.ftgxD AxD 14.�bl
ftd2.

5 'f!i'e5-f6 12 d3-d2
With the new threat 6 ...�h4 7.fth3 13 gelxe5 d2-dl'f!i'
/f)xe3 ! .
6 �g3-hl 14 ges-es + gdsxeS - +
92 - Hanging Pawns

Florian - Estrin
H1111gary 1966

5 � d4xe6 Ac8xe6
5 ... ftfxe6 6.ftd6 *f7 7.�a5.
White to move 6 d5-d6 ! il'c7-c8
1 d4-d5 ! .£\f6xb2 7 'l'b4xa5 b7-b6
2 i}'e2xb2 � c6-a5 8 il'aS-eS il'c8-c5

3 �f3-d4! a7-a6 9 il'e5-f4! !"!d8-d7

3 ... �xc4? 4.*e2 ftexd5 5.Axd5 gxd5 10 !"!dl-d4! !"!b8-d8
6.*e8 + 'if}h7 7.*e4 + + -.
11 !"!cl-dl g7-g5
4 'l'b2-b4 !fa8-b8
 Hanging Pawns - 93

hanging pawns are not weakness, but

strength.
1 d5-d4!
The signal to attack.
2 e3xd4
The acceptance of the temporary
sacrifice is practically forced. On
2.ge1 , just as in the game, strong is
2 ...�g5 3.�xg5 �xg5 4.fte4 �h5.
2 4J e4-g5
3 4Jf3xg5 'i!l'e7xg5
4 Ad3-fl c5xd4
5 Aa5-b4
Bad is 5.fud4 Axh2 + 6.�xh2 �e5 + .
5 gas-cs
In an open position, every oppor­
tunity to broaden the activity of the
pieces needs to be considered.
6 'i!l'c2-a4
If 6.�d2, then 6 ...Af4 7.�xd4 �e5,
lS gd l-d4 'i!l'c3-el + and White's position is catastrophic.

m x m xm�m
19 �gl-g2 Ae6xd5 +

, ..
20 gd4xd5 'i!l'el-c3
21 gdS-eS mJ.m
•·· ·m"1�m �-% t
t ��7,_
1 -0.
•
· ·
Schul - Alexandria
Riga 1974 ..
.'m �• r::;j
� ·•�•
�g ·;f?a
"� ·
- �.� .. .
��"
� j� 1st
·-
-Jm . .·� %mw
�
•� � %

��l���- 1 ,,�j
• •
'. . . . . . ><
• "· �

6 Ad6xh2 + !
The sacrifice of a piece gives Black
excellent chances for victory.
7 �glxh2 4J d7-e5
S gdlxd4
After 8.ftf3 ge6 Black's attack on the
Black to move king is irresistible.
All of Black's men are active and S geS-e6
ready to begin the attack. Here the 9 Ab4-e7
94 - Hanging Pawns

An ingenious retort, sufficient, how­ 20 Afi-c4 + !!c8xc4

ever, only to prolong resistance. 21 1:!h4xc4 'iil' t3 -g2 +
9 '{il'g5xe7 22 �h3-h4 h7-h6
The hurried check 9 ... :!'!h6 + would White resigned.
have allowed White to defend with
10.:!'!h4!.
10 1:!d4-h4 Kortchnoi - Geller
1:!e6-g6
Moscow 1971
11 4J a2-c3
Loses by force, but also after 1 1 .*f4
:!'!c4! 12.Axc4 :!'!xg2 + 13.�h3 *d7 +
White's situation is deplorable.
More stubborn is 1 1 .:!'!cl, although
the simple 1 1 ...:!'!xc l 12 . .£ixc l fth5
puts serious problems before White.
For example: 13.:!'!xh5 (else .£ig4 + )
13 . . .:!'!g4! 14.*b3 ( 14.:!'!xe5? *h4 + ;
1 4 . * d l :!'! h 4 + 1 5 . :!'! x h 4 * x h 4 +
1 6 . � g l .£i g 4 ) 1 4 . . . * c 7 1 5 . * h 3
:!'!xg2 + ! 16.Axg2 .£if3 + + 1 7.�h l
*xc l + 18.Afl .£ig5 + , and Black
wins. Black to move
11 '!il'e7-g5
1 c7-c5?
12 'i!l'a4-f4
After l ...ftc6 ! ? with the idea .£id7
White would prepare for the fte3-e4
pawn break.
2 d4xc5 Af6xc3
3 'iil' b3xc3
Better than 3.ftc6 .£ixc6 4.�c3 :!'!ac8.
3 b6xc5
4 l:!dl-cl 4Jb8-d7
5 l:!c1-c2
White strove for this position when
he provoked ftc7-c5. Black defends
12 4J e5-f3 + his hanging center only with difficul­
13 g2xf3 '!il'g5-gl + ty.
14 �h2-h3 'iil' g l-hl + 5 1:!a8-b8
15 '!il'f4-h2 'i!l'hlxf3 + Black might have tried 5 ...:!'!dc8 then
16 'i!l'h2-g3 1:!g6xg3 + .£id7-f6-e4.
17 f2xg3 '!il'f3-hl + 6 b2-b3 'i!l'e7-e6
18 �h3-g4 'i!l'hl-f3 + 7 l:!fi-dl 'i!l'e6-b6
19 �g4-h3 f7-f5 8 4Jf3-el l:!b8-c8
 Hanging Pawns - 95

Polugaevsky Hort
Belgrade 1970

9 Ae2-g4 !
This s tro ng m a n e uver threatens White to move
10..£)d3. 1 Ae2-f3 gaS-bS
2 gbl-dl gbS-dS
9 'i!i'b6-g6
If 2 ...,£1.c6, 3.calc2 and 4.calbl removes
10 Ag4-h3 �k8-c7 the king to a safe place.
3 �d2-el Ab7-c6
4 b2-b3 a7-a5
S �f4-d3 gbS-bS

•
m� �m m, . m
- -
� �� �, , . . ,,,/,�<.>.�/,-
� ·
�t �
,, ,/,
-J.. �, ·� t J
�-��- ·"-
� t -, -. �
-
�
, • • - •�w� � -·­
>,. , , /, ,

·�
�
-• 8•
ft�• �4J��/,��
� - �rmft -
•
/,·-
L

. •� r,{
- f� !!� �
,, . . . . .�

12 'f!i'c3-a5 ! 6 � d3-b2!
. .
In th 1s qui"et but effective retreat hes
The decisive move. Material losses .
for Black are inevitable. the sense of White's intentl ? ns.
White threatens 7.Ae2 with the idea
12 �f6-e8 8 .£)c4 + or 7 ..£)a4 with the idea �e2.
Hort hits upon the best pr � ctJ�al
13 gc2xc5 gc7xc5 chance: he gives up a pawn, nddmg
himself of White's piece pressure on
14 � d3xc5
the hanging pawns.
Black resigned. 6 �d6-c7
96 - Hanging Pawns

7 .[)b2-a4 12 .[) a4-c3 .[) d5xc3

Also possible was 7.A.e2 ftc4 8.gd2! 13 gc4xc3 Ac6-d5
gdb8 9.4Jd l. 14 a2-a3 gbS-b2
7 c5-c4 And the game later ended in a draw.
8 b3xc4 d5xc4
• C"";, Euwe - Reshevsky

·� ,J��"%i- -
Zurich 1953
% ·� -%i .
-�'•m
•��lf!IJ1m
•�i�m
.i..a. • ��� . . .. .
v� � -�-�'?· •� -��
f�� -
-- - ' --
- 8 <>
%

-
4J • t • . • .
- -- �ftl�-
r-·- - "� r-
- �.�·-··�! � � ·-
-
� rl:::S;, � �� �
9 !klxc4
A critical moment. White was afraid
to leave the h5 pawn uncared for, and
did not exchange the bishop. After
9.gxd8 �xd8 10.A.xc6 .£)xc6 1 1 .gxc4
4J e5 1 2.gd 4 + � e 7 1 3 . .£)c3 gb2
14.gd2 White had every opportunity
to convert the extra pawn.
9 gdSxdl +
10 ,if3xdl <a?c7-d6

- -�/ "10-W ''«-

- - �� t ��
- P�� , f,�
� . ;,�
m
•
��..a.�
- �J
m .a m m m ft
,,

-�-�- - -
m ·m r� m
r-·-- "r�r- White definitely has to transfer his
bishop via cl to f4, and then to e5.
- IJA� m Now would have been a suitable mo­
ment: 3.A.cl �a5 4.�b2 gc6 5.Af4.
11 g2-g3? 3 gd7-c7
Here 1 1 .gd4 + ! gds (or l l ...�c7 4 gcl-c2 'ftg5-a5
1 2 . g f4 ! ft f5 1 3 . ftg4) 1 2 .gf4 ft f6 s Ab2-cl
13 ..£)c3 preserved chances for a win. Now the moment is entirely i m­
11 .[) e7-d5! proper: he should have defended
 Hanging Pawns - 97

with s.gcl, although White's posi­ White vigorously carries out his plan
tion is basically spoilt. Black would of pressure on the hanging pawns. If
have transferred his knight via e8 to 1...ftcxd4, 2.�b5.
d6, continuing the attack on the
hanging pawns.
1 l:!f8-d8
2 Af4-e5 � c7-e8
3 � c3-a4 �f6-d7

4 Ae2-g4 !
Finally forcing the ftc5-c4 advance.
Black's position has become critical:
he is deprived of all counterplay.
4 c5-c4
0- 1 . h7-h5
5 tl'b3-c2
Lputian - Yudasin 6 Ag4-f5 g7-g6
Odessa 1982
7 Af5-e6 �g8-h7
8 Ae6xd7 tl'c8xd7
9 l:!fl-dl � e8-c7
10 b2-b3 � c7-b5
In order to answer to 1 1 .ftbxc4 with
l l ....£la3.
11 � d4xb5 tl'd7xb5
12 Ae5-d4 Ae7-a3
Again, 13.ftbxc4 threatened.
White to move
1 �f3-d4! 13 !!cl-bl 'iil' b 5-c6
98 - Hanging Pawns

14 b3-b4! 27 f2-t3 ! Ac5xd4

More stubborn, although it would
Black strengthened the c4 pawn, but hardly bring salvation, was 27.. :l'eS,
now more trouble awaits him: the ad­ after which not so clear is 28.�f5
vance of the a- and b- pawn pair, ftgxf5 or 28.ftg4 Ad3.
sooner or later, will lead to the for­ 28 Af6xd4 t'e4-eS
mation of a passed pawn.
29 b5-b6 gd7-b7
14 Ab7-cS 30 gdl-al
15 b4-b5 t'c6-eS 1 -0.

16 t'c2-c3 Aa 3-f8 lvkov - Kuzmin

Yerevan 1972
17 gbl-b2 AcS-fS
lS � a4-c5 gas-cs
The appearance of bishops of op-
posite colors after 18... AxcS would
not suit Black: he is virtually left
pieceless, for the light square bishop
has nothing to do and resembles a big
pawn.
19 � c5-b7 gdS-d7
20 �b7-a5 Af8-d6
21 a2-a4 t'eS-d8 White to move
22 � a5-c6 t'd8-h4 1 �t3-h4!
23 Ad4-f6 A move that Black did not expect.
t'h4-e4
White gets nothing after 1 .Aa3 � e4!
24 gb2-d2 a7-a6 Then on 2.�d2 possible are 2 ...\te5
3.ftf4 \txf5 4.�xe4 Axf4, and the
25 � c6-d4 a6xb5 sharper 2...�xf2 3.<it>xf2 ftd4!.
26 a4xb5 Ad6-c5 1 grs.ds
 Hanging Pawns - 99

Better is 1 . . . .£i e4. If 2.Axe4, then

2 ... �xh4 3.ftg3 Axg3 and 4 ...�xe4. Or
2.ftg3 .£ig5.
2 Af5-h3 Ah7-c8
3 4Jh4-f5 Ac8xf5
4 �c2xf5
White has a decisive advantage. In
addition, Black is in time trouble.
Therefore it is not surprising that the
struggle finishes before the control.
4 a7-a5
5 g2-g3 ca?h8-g8 2 4J e5-d3 !
An excellent answer, threatening to
6 Ah3-g2 �e7-e6 increase the pressure on the d5 pawn
7 �f5-d3 Ad6-e7 with .£lf4. The following does not suit
8 Ah2xf6 �e6xf6 Black 2 ....£ie4 3.4Jxe4 ftdxe4 4.Ab2! ,
9 Ag2xd5 !fa8-b8 and his pawn position position is
broken.
10 e3-e4 gb8-b4
11 �d3-e3 gb4-d4
12 gdlxd4 c5xd4
13 �e3-d3 Ae7-d6
14 gcl-c4
Black's time expired.

Euwe - Alekhine
17te Netherlands 1937

2 4J d7-b6
As if it firmly defended the d5 pawn,
but instead gives White the oppor­
tunity to attack its neighbour, c5. A
more reliable defense for the hang­
ing pawns was 2 ... �as 3.Ab2 md8
4.4Jf4 .£lb6 5.�e l 'l,lf8 when White
cannot strengthen the attack.
3 a2-a4 a7-a5
4 Acl-a3 gas-cs
White to move
5 4J c3-b5
Better was 5 ..£if4, then �d3.
1 4Jbl-c3 4Jb8-d7! 5 4Jf6-e4
100 - Hanging Pawns

6 'fl)'dl-el �b6-d7 11 c5-c4!

On 6 . . . ftc4 wo uld h ave followed Euwe, it appears, had counted only
7.Axe7 *xe7 8.*xa5 ftcxd3 9.*xb6 on l l . . .*b6 12.ftexdS Ad6 13.\te2
ftdxe2 10.gel 4Jc5 l l .�d4!. gb8 (preparing to attack the b5
7 !fal-dl � e4-d6 pawn) 14.gc l (to answer 14 ...Ac8
with 15.*c4) 14 ... Aa8 15.\tc4 gfc8
m1
m� a � ���­
ml•,•·1�r� l
16.Ah3 gc7 17.gfe l + -.
12 4 a3xe7 'fl)'d8xe7

·�.t��r,�
�,,�- ·.
, �-'"" 'IJ ' ,/,-
� ·
13 e4xd5 'fl)'e7xel

i��i� t • •
14 gnxel c4xb3

, ,/. ,/,- ��-

��·-·�· ·� '/,
*--.
15 d5-d6 4b7xg2
16 <i?i>glxg2 gc8-b8
g"m ft ·��- ��
�B(lr�Ar� 17 d6-d7
/, . . . .

- �-
·
� � /,
� .!"� '.§��' L .�

8 � d3-f4
Tempting, but White's way to nail
down the advantage was 8.Ah3 ! , with
the probable continuation 8 ... �xb5
9.ftaxb5 ftc4 10.Axe7 *xe7 1 1 ..ftbxc4
ftdxc4 12.�f4 gfd8 13.*xa5 + -.
8 � d6xb5
9 a4xb5 � d7-f6
10 �f4xd5
17 g7-g6?
Wins a pawn, and White prepares to
celebrate the successful conclusion Correct is 17 ...gfd8 and <aff8.
of the ambush of the hanging pawns.
10 �f6xd5
11 e2-e4

18 ga1-a1?
He should have played 18.gd4! gfd8
1 9 . g e 3 .ft a 4 2 0 . g e s + g x e 8
 Hanging Pawns - 101

21.ftdxe8Q + gxe8 22.gxa4 and gb4

+/-.
lS gbSxbS
19 gel-eS gbS-dS
20 galxaS gdSxd7
21 geSxf8 + �gSxf8
22 gaS-bS gd7-d3 + •

Yudovich - Kotov
Moscow 1942

Black to move

1 gas-cs
2 i!l'a4-b3 .£i a6-bS
The knight transfers to a5 to attack
the hanging pawns. Now the c4 pawn becomes hopeless­
3 a2-a4 i!l'b7-c7 ly weak. Besides, Black gets the con­
venient c5 and d4 support points.
4 gn-cl .£ib8-c6 However, it is difficult to give White
5 Ae3-g5 .£ic6-a5 good advice. On ftc4-c5, <£)d6-f5 may
6 i!l'b3-d3 gf8.dS follow, and then �d8-d5. Probably
14.<£)d2 would have been better,
Manoevering, Black keeps the hang­ refraining from the pawn advance,
ing pawns in his sights, a nd this for the time being.
deprives White of the chance of 14 e6-e5
creating active counterplay.
15 .£if3-h4 i!l'dS-gS
7 Ag5xf6 g7xf6 16 i!l'g4-e2 i!l'g8-g5
8 gc1.c3 17 g2-g3 gc7-c5
1 02 - Hanging Pawns

18 �h4-g2 the rooks along either the d- or c­

files. However, 2.Ag3 is thought to
be stronger, and to 2 . . . gac8 not
3 .�h4 - con tinuing with 3 ... mes
4.�f5 Af8 and ge8-e6, Black has
good prospects, - but 3 .�e5 gfd8
4.Af3 or 4.�xd7 gxd7 5.Af3 with
strong pressure on Black's central
pawns.
2 Ah4-g3 !!a8-d8

18 � d6-f5
19 !!cl-dl �f5-d4
20 'f!i'e2-fl 'i!l'g5xh5
Black, having significant superiority
and being a pawn up, won in a few
moves.

Karpov - Kasparov
Moscow 1984

3 �t3-el

A more natural thrust is 3.�e5. After

3 ... �b6 4.Af3 ftd4 5.ftexd4 ftcxd4
6.�e2 White stands better. Also of
no u s e is 3 . . . A d 6 ? , 4.�c6 Axc6
5.Axd6, and White has a great posi­
tional advantage.

3 d5-d4
Black to move
Just one more move: Ae2-f3, and
1 'i!l'b6-a7 B l a c k ' s p aw n c e n t e r wo u l d b e
After the queen exchange - l...�xb3 seriously threatened. Therefore, in
2.ftaxb3 - White would maintain a search of counterplay, Black is forced
small but stable advantage thanks to to make a committal advance in the
piece pressure on Black's hanging center.
p awns. Retaining queens, B l ack
hopes to create counterplay in the 4 e3xd4 c5xd4
center. White might continue 2.gd2,
keeping open the option of doubling 5 � c3-a4
 Hanging Pawns - 103

square bishop. 8.�d3 also preserved

the advantage. Worse is 8.�c2, for,
continuing with 8. ..�c5 9.�xc5 Axc5,
Black retains his pawn.
After 8 ... .£)c5 9.'(Wxd4, not good is
9 ... '3d8x 10.'(Wxd8 + ! Axd8 1 1 .gxd8+
�h7 12.Ab8 ! '(Wa8 1 3 . .£)b6! ! . The
preliminary 8...Ac6 deserves atten­
tion, and on 9.ftb3 once again 9....£)c5.
Then 10.'(Wxd4 !!d8 1 1 .'M' a l .£lxa4
12.ftbxa4 Axa4 leads to an equal
game, but stronger is 10..£)xc5 Axc5
5 1;!d8-c8 1 1 .Ae5 ! �g4 12.Axd4 !!d8 13 ..£ic2.
Now the continuation 6.gxc8 gxc8 8 Ab7-c6
7.Ac4 '3f8 8. .£)d3 Ac6 9.�b4 Axa4
10.'(Wxa4 �b6 leads to an unclear 9 Ac4-b3 !
s truggle. B u t the line can be A strong m a n euve r : t h e m u l t i ­
s t rength e n e d ; W h i te h a s a for­ t a l e n ted b i s h o p s i m u l ta ne o u s l y
midable position. defends t h e knight a n d the rook.
5 ...Ad5 should have been played. That is important, for example, in:
6 !!clxc8 9 ... �c5 10..£lxc5 Axc5 l l .Ae5 �g4
After 6 ... gxc8 7.Ac4 !!£8 8.�c2 �c5 12.Axd4.
9.�xc5 Axc5, the tempting 10.Ae5? !
does not work, in view o f 10 ... ftd3 !
with excellent play for Black. But
10.�el is adequate; White has an in­
disputable advantage.
6 !!f8xc8
7 Ae2-c4 !!c8-f8

�m &m
.ii® •m ,�r�m �• m
---- "!P.i"% •

.� ��N��
�r,
-- • ...
-- �L Y-, if, _f,

'··
-•·��;m._._·-
9 �f6-e4 !
"Z.J •
.NJ,. f.L?.
11@
· Black, having fallen into a critical
- *·- � %.
·�"%g
'

-
·� , . ;�,,%
situation, begins, with surprising in­
·�"% ,
genuity, to find defensive resources.
ft �� • �� ft ��
,,

He uses every conceivable means to

• /.�
11@
.L B� �',�� /.���"f /,
-��- deflect White from the realization of
his advantage. Black finds, at the cost
8 'f!>'b3-d3 ! of a pawn, unique chances for the
Most effective i n connection with the creation of counterplay. If 9 ... Axa4
fo llowing m a neuver of the light 10.Axa4 '(Wc5, maintaining material
1 04 - Hanging Pawns

equality, after 1 1 .*B Black's posi­

tion is not joyous.
In case of 9.. Axa4 10.Axa4 �c5
.

1 l.�d4 gd8 12.*c4, Black also loses

a pawn. The variation does highlight
the timely maneuver of the bishop to
b3, leaving the dl square protected.
10 tl'd3xd4 tl'a7-b7
11 Ab3-d5
A strong move, enabling White to
impose the important exchange of
light square bishops. For example, 19 tl'b7-b5!
1 l...�df6 12.Axc6 *xc6 13.ftb3 ;Bd8 Given White's time trouble, Black's
14.*a l is clearly to White 's ad- last move is very challenging. After
vantage. 20.�xbS ftaxb5 21.�xg4 ftbxa4 White
11 � d7-f6 is faced with the difficult task of
realizing the extra pawn. The mean­
12 Ad5xc6 tl'b7xc6 ing of the move fth6-h5 is now clear,
13 b2-b3 grs.es for Black's knight on g4 is protected.
20 � e5-c4 Ae7-f6
21 � a4-b6 gcs-es
Draw. The position is critical, and
with little time left, even the smallest
error from either side would be fatal.
A difficult game indeed.
Karpov - Kasparov
Moscow 1984

15 tl'd3-c4 tl'c6-b7
16 � el-t3 ges-cs
White to move
17 tl'c4-e2 �f6-g4
1 tl'dl-b3 !
18 �t3-e5 � e4xg3 A move i n the style o f Capablanca.
19 h2xg3 The great Cuban often employed a
 Hanging Pawns - 105

similar doubling of pawns ( a fter

�b6xb3 and fta2xb3), masterfully ex­
ploiting this "positional defect".
In case of 1...�b3 2.ftaxb3 the a7
pawn is weak; attacking it along the
a-file, White gets excellent chances.
But queens do not have to be ex­
changed. After 1 ...Ac6 for example,
here is an i n teresting variation:
2.Ab5 Axb5 3.�xb5 �e6, and 4.�b7?
is unsuitable, because 4 ... gbS in­
directly defends the a7 pawn (if
5.�xa7 gas, White's queen is in big s h2-h3
tro u b l e ) . So, p e r h a p s , 2.Ag3 is Black cannot easily find a viable
stronger, taking the important bS game plan. Of no use is 5 ... cf)fd7
square under control. 6.cf)xd 7 + gxd7 7.Axe7 + )t>xe7 in
1 g(8.d8 view of S.Ag4.
2 gn.dt 'lil'b6xb3 A l s o i n a d e q u a t e is 5 . . . .£i h 7 x
A timely exchange of queens, since 6.Axe7 + )t>xe7 7.Ag4 gas 8..£ld3 in­
3.Ab5 threatened, and the d5 pawn is tending cf)d3-f4 and strong pressure
in danger. The following variation on the d5 pawn.
puts it all in relief: 2 ... cf)f8 3.�xb6 Also crucial is 5 ...ftg5x 6.Ag3 .£i e4
ftaxb6 4 ..£i a4 €)Sd7 5.Ab5. 7 . .£ixe4 ftdxe4 8.cf)c4 - and White
3 a2xb3 � d7-b6 again has the better chances.
Now White can force a draw from a
position of s trength: 4.ga l gas
5.Aa6 Ac6 6.Ab5 Ab7 and so on.
However, White need not hurry,
s ince h e clea rly has a better
endgame.
4 �f3-e5
The knight occupies an excellent
position in the very center of the
board. White's pieces are actively
placed, and Black must act prudently.
So, in the case of 4 ...)t>f8 5.Af3 cf)e4?
Black at least loses a pawn: 6.Axe7 + s a7-a6!
)t>xe7 7.Axe4 ftdxe4 8.gxdS gxdS A better decision: Black takes the b5
9.fud8 ia/xdS 10.cf)xf7 + . square under control and defends the
4 �g8-f8 a-ft. Here is a long (but, of course,
Now after 5.ia/fl Black may start a optional) and interesting variation:
counterattack: 5 ... ftg5 ! ? 6.Ag3 cf)e4 6.Axf6 Axf6 7.cf)g4 Ag5 (unclear is
7.cf)xe4 ftdxe4, and to 8.cf)d7 + there 7 ...Axc3 8.ftbxc3 ge8) 8.Af3 gb8! ?
is 8. .. ia/eS 9.Ab5 Ac6!. 9.�xd5 �xd5 10.AxdS Axd5 1 1 .fudS
1 06 - Hanging Pawns

!'!xd5 12.!'!xd5 fub3 13.!'!xc5 !'!xb2 vantage. White is also on top follow­
14.!'!c8 + rt;e7 15.!'!c7 + rt;e8 16.�e5 ing 7 ...�xg4 8.Axe7 + rtixe7 9.Axg4
Ae7 17.!'!c8 + Ad8 18.�xt7. !'!b8 1 0 . A f3 ftd4 1 1 .ftexd4 Axf3
6 Ae2-t3 12.ftgxf3 ftcxd4 13.!'!xd4 �d7 14.ftb4.
White not only reinforces the attack 7 4Jf6-gS!?
on the d5 pawn, but also threatens It is difficult to assess the continua­
�e5-c4, exploiting the opposition of tion 8.Ag3 ftc4 9.�xd5 �xd5 10.Axd5
the bishops. Now after 6...ftg5 7.Ag3 Axd5 1 1 .!'!xd5 ftcxb3 1 2.fte4 'll e 8
� e4 8.Axe4 ftdxe4 9.�c4 �xc4 13.�e3 �f6.
10.ftbxc4 White's chances are clearly A n d a ft e r 8 . A x e 7 + � x e 7
better. d angerous i s 9.!'!a 1 ftd4 1 0.ftexd4
6 Ab7-aS Axf3 1 1 .ftgxf3 ftcxd4 12.� e2 �f5
Protects the bishop. While the a6 13.fua6 �d5 when Black has more
than enough compensation for the
pawn may end up in danger, the im­
mediate 7.!'!al fails to 7 ...ftd4, which pawn. However, stronger is 9.�e5! ,
at least equalizes the game. Interest­ and after 9. . .!'!e8 10.Ag4 !'!b8 1 1 .� a4
White is still better off.
i n g is 7 .Axf6 Axf6 8.�g4 Axc3
9.ftbxc3 !'!e8 and White has the easier Draw
game. One idea is 9...ftc4, but after
Lputian - Dorfman
1 0.ftb4, White again has a better Tashkent 1984
game. This suggests a further nuance,
and here is the solution: 9 ... fta5 !
1 0.!'!a2 ftc4 1 1 .fua5 ftcxb3 12.!'!b5
� a4 13.!'!xb3 �xc3 and �c3-e4 with
equality.

White to move
1 4Jf3-el !
White begins a typical regrouping of
h i s fo rces d i rected a g a i n s t the
7 4J e5-g4 opponent's hanging pawns.
1 4J d7-b6
White commits to a precise plan. The
position of Black's pieces is almost 2 Ae2-t3 gdS-d7?
ideal. Can the time have arrived to 3 4J el-d3 g7-g5
take serious measures? For example, 4 Ah4-g3 gas-cs
7.ftg4. After the text, 7.�g4, 7 ... ftg5 Difficult to believe, but Black loses a
8.Ag3 ftc4 9.ftb4 gives White the ad- pawn by force. White's next moves
 Hanging Pawns - 107

are not original, but they are instruc­ Botvinnik - Chekhover

tive. Moscow 1935

White to move
5 .£) d3-e5 gd7-d8
In this position Black has many weak
6 .£) e5-c4! .£) b6-d7
points on the kingside, first of all, the
7 .£) c4-a5 ,£l.b7-a8 f'1 point.
8 .£) c3xd5 .£)f6xd5 1 .£)h3-g5 ! h6xg5
9 .£l.f3xd5 .£l.a8xd5 2 f4xg5 .£)f8.d7
How should White continue? After
10 gdlxd5 .£) d7-f6 the simple 3.�xd7 gxd7 (if 3 ....£ixd7,
1 1 gdSxdS + .£l.e7xd8 then 4.gxf'/ ! ) 4.ftgxf6 Axf6 s.gxf6
12 .£) a5-b7 ,£l.d8-e7 ftgxf6 6.�g4 + and Black's position is
hopeless. In the game Botvinnik
13 gcl-c4! .£)f6.d5 chose a combination.
14 ,£l.g3-d6 .£) d5-b6
15 gc4-cl ,£l.e7xd6
16 .£)b7xd6 gc8-d8
17 .£) d6-f5 h6-h5
18 g2-g3 gd8-d3
19 gclxc5 gd3xb3
20 .£)f5.d4 gb3xb2
21 gcsxg5 + <t?g8-f8
22 gg5xh5 gb2-a2
23 h2-h4 a6-a5 3 .£) e5xf7 <tig8xf7
24 .£) d4-f5 ®f8-e8 4 g5-g6 + <tif7-g8
25 gbS-hS + <t?e8-d7 Let us cons ider the king's other
retreat: 4... \tlf8 5.�xe6 �e5 6.gxf6 +
26 h4-h5 (inadequate is 6.ftdxe5 Ac5 + 7.\tlh l
Black resigned. Axg2 + 8.'i:Ttxg2 gxd3, and Black saves
1 08 - Hanging Pawns

himself) 6...ftgxf6 (6... Axf6 7.Aa3 + ) Yusupov - Lj ubojevi6

7.*h3 Ab4 s.ge l ! Ac8 9.*h6 + �e8 Ti/burg 1987
1 0 . ft d x e 5 A x e l 1 1 . * h 8 + � d 7
12.*g7 + �c6 13.*xf6 + �c7 14.fte6,
and White wins.
5 'lil'e2xe6 + <&>g8-h8
6 'lil'e6-h3 + <&'h8-g8

White to move
1 a2-a4 !
A good positional idea, even though
after 1. .. gc8 or 1 .. .fta6 the move
2.fta5 is not yet dangerous (2 ... �bd7,
7 Ad3-f5 � d7-f8 and the a5 pawn is under fire), but it
s Af5-e6 + �f8xe6 will be dangerous after the prelimi­
9 'lil'h3xe6 + <&>g8-h8 nary 2.Af3. And if Black mechanical­
10 'lil'e6-h3 + <&>h8-g8 ly stops the advance of the a-ft, as in
11 gnxf6 Ae7xf6 the game, the important b5 square is
12 'lil'h3-h7 + <&>g8-f8 weakened.
13 l!al-el Af6-e5 1 a7-a5
14 'lil'h7-h8 + <&'f8-e7 2 Ae2-t3 l!f8-e8
15 'lil'h8xg7 + c&>e7-d6 Black wants to drive out the tiresome
e5 knight using 3 ... Ad6 (on the im­
16 'lil'g7xe5 + <&'d6-d7
mediate 2 ... Ad6 strong is 3.�b5), but
17 'lil'e5-f5 + <&'d7-c6 White has a serious rejoinder. More
cautious is 2 ... gc8, to which Yusupov
planned 3.gcz and 4.gd2, building
pressure.
 Hanging Pawns - 109

dam, 1986. That game continued:

1 . . .�c8 ? ! 2.� a 5 ! Aa6 3 .Af4 �e6
4.!!fdl fth6 5.fte4 ftd4 6.'M'b3 ! 'M'xb3
7.ftaxb3, and White gained the ad­
vantage. The fate of the variation
may depend on the assessment of the
complications which begin: l ...'M'c7
2.Af4 (2.�b3 �c6) 2 ... ftg5 (2 ... ftdxc4
3.�g6) 3.Axg5 ftdxc4 4.�f5.
1 grs.es

Avoiding 1 ...�c7, but this novelty

3 � c3-b5! hardly solves Black's problems.
White parries Black's threat, and
creates his own: 4.�xt7! <st>xt7 5 ..ll c7 2 Ac1-f4
and 6.Axb6. In case of 3 ... !!c8 strong
is 4 ..£,a7!. Ljubojevic's next artificial Ce rtainly not 2.!!d l ? �c7 3.Af4
(though, possibly his only) answer is ftdxc4, and a fter 4.�g6 �c8 the
an obvious sign that things are not bishop on e7 is protected.
well.
3 ga8-a6 2 �d8-c8
4 � e5-d3?!
The moves which strengthen White's The logical consequence of the rook
position are simple provokations: move would have been 2 ... .£,bd7
4.ftb3 ! .£, a8 5.!!c2! with an over­ 3.gfdl Af8, not fearing 4.�b3 in view
whelming advantage. of 4 ... .£ixe5 ! 5.Axe5 (5.�xb7? .£ixc4;
5.�xe5 �b6) 5 ... Aa6 6.Axf6 'M'xf6
Yusupov - Sokolov A. 7 .Axd5 !!xe2. B u t a fter 4 . .£,xd 7
Ti/burg 1987 White's position is still preferable.

3 � c4-a5

The only move, but before making it,

Yusupov made sure that after 3.�b3
�c6 4.�xc6 Axc6 5.� a5, Black gets
strong co u n terplay sacr ificing a
pawn: 5 ...Ad7! 6.Axd5 �xd5 7.'M'xd5
Ab5.

3 .ib7-a6

4 gn.dt �b8-d7
White to move
1 �d2-c4!? After 4...�e6 the analogy with the
Vaganian's idea, which he successful­ Vaganian - Timman game could have
ly used against Timman at Amster- been complete: 5.fte4 ftd4 6.�b3! .
110 - Hanging Pawns

i'8· ! -��. - i,a

.£) x d 7 9 . A x d 7 � d 8 1 0 . g d l ft c 3

iE ifiD· " i
seemed convincing t o Yusupov.

m 7Z'�m
. � -
• � OO
:r"'� •*'1"� ·
"�
�-
" ,,,�� Y..
t��r,. >,/,/,
�?-
. ..

• .....
7 d5-d4

� '�f 7,.� ;� �­
; ; )?. �; •
?· ;;: ;;: 8 -?J e3-c4 Aa6xc4

r� -
;

.. . . . . ; •
. .�-- ·� ·� , � -�
Certainly not an aggressive move, but

-
... .

" /,
apparently Sokolov could find no
ft ����· ft ��-�J�
/,
other way to defend against the

��f ,,� �
m
• im
• m• · l�r
threat of 9.Ag2. Besides, the under­
( . , Y, "· !1' mining ftb2-b4 or fte2-e3 have to be
reckoned with.
5 .1g2-h3 !
Maximally restricting the possibilities 9 -?J a5xc4 �c8-a6
of the opponent's pieces. The d5
pawn was not worth capturing: after
5.Axd5 ? ! �xd5 6.gxd5 .£)f6 7.gd2
�h3 Sokolov gets serious counter­
chances.
5 �c8-c7
6 -?J e5-c4
6.�xd7? �xa5.
6 �c7-c8
Hardly better is 6 ... �d8 7 ..£)c6 �c8 in
view of 8..£)4e5 ! (weaker is 8..£)xe7 +
gxe7 9.� e3 ftd4) 8. .. Af8 (8 ... Ad6
9.�xd7 �xc6 10..£)xf6 + ) 9.�a4! with
White's advantage. 10 e2-e3 ! -?J d7-b6

11 -?J c4xb6 �a6xb6

12 e3xd4 c5xd4

13 Af4-c7!?

Forces the win of a pawn. Also strong

was 1 3 .A e S A c 5 1 4. Ax f6 ftgxf6
15.gacl .

13 �b6-c5
7 -?J c4-e3 ! 14 'ii)' c2xc5 Ae7xc5
Neither 7.fte4 Axc4 8 . .£)xc4 ftdxc4
9.fte5 �a6 nor 7.�a4 ftdxc4 8.fud7 15 gal-cl
 Hanging Pawns - 111

15 �f6-e4?
Necess ary was 15 ... Ab6 16.Axb6 17 Af5-d7!
ft axb6 17.gxd4 gxa2 1 8.gb4 fth5 A play for the maximum. The simple
19.gxb6 .£lg4 (weaker is 19...ge2 be­ 17.Axb6 ftaxb6 18.gxd4 is also quite
cause of 20.AfS ! ) 20.Afl .£le5, plan­ enough for victory.
ning 21...gd8. White would still have
been left with difficulties in realizing 17 ge8-e7
the extra pawn. The move in the
game allows Yusupov to gracefully 18 Ad7-c6 gas-rs
force a win.
Black loses at once with 18. ..gcS be­
cause of 19.Axb6 ftaxb6 20.Axe4.

19 Ac7xb6 a7xb6

20 gdl-el ! f7.f5
21 f2.f3 d4-d3
22 gcl-dl d3-d2
23 Ac6-d5 + �g8-h8
112 - Hanging Pawns

Kasparov - Karpov
Moscow 1984

24 gd lxd2 !
Not 24.ge2? or 24.ge3? in view of White to move
24 ....£)c3 ! . 1 �t3-e5 Ac6xb5
24 � e4xd2 2 a4xb5 � a6-b4
On 2 ... �xb5, 3 .gxd5 gxd5 4.,1xe4
25 gelxe7 might follow, and White not only
safely recovers the pawn, but also
White has won a pawn and taken

m
gets some initiative.

.a•
B l a c k 's knight into the Twilight
Zone.
���m•� m
25 g7-g6 �"'fii, ·�
i� • � · t' ' �"�
.'" " y,•
· i� i
�
' , /,- - �-,, /,-
-�a�f· •••
26 ge7-e2 � d2-bl
27 ge2-el gf'8-d8 .ii''�"" ,.f,�.� 'W-"'0. ·-
�"'�;, - � g •
m i1 m �., , , J�� �
�i:0 '"i*-/��"�!\
� �- /,� ,,�
� ft ;��;�
·
• ��� �-"
•. - /,F�
0f
<, V,
/,
3 iil'b2-bl !
Perhaps the only move, but it is suffi­
cient. White not only preserves the
balance, but also keeps up the ten­
sion in the game.
3 � e4-ffi
What is this? A tendency to play with
28 gel-d l ! a safety factor or a momentary loss of
vigilance? From the point of view of
The white king heads for d4. Black preserving equality, simpler would
resigned. A convincing victory! have been 3 ... �xb5 4.,1xe4 ftdxe4
 Hanging Pawns - 113

5.*xe4 4J a 2 ! 6.E!xd8 E!xd8 7.*c4 ter positioned side. Supporting the

*xc4 8.E!xc4 4Jb4, and the draw be­ advanced post on d5, White keeps
comes evident. It is more difficult to the initiative. However, Black's camp
assess the consequences of 3 ...ftf5 ! ?. shows no vulnerable points, and with
4 .£i e5-c6 accurate defense Black completely
Forcing the play with a temporary equalizes the chances.
pawn sacrifice. However, White had
no alternative. Naturally, Kasparov
had anticipated this long ago.
4 4Jb4xc6
5 b5xc6 'f!l'e8xc6

••.�-,.r�" •
� - if"'"� rf� ·-
�·
A
,,iD" �•r��
•
��� •
i iD" :I:
.--�·�
,

j••
� �
·rf
��
;,.
- •
-
·r ·
�
�
?,:
�- ,��-�"
�
. - .
-
•.•.,r1 l A�
�•:�� !-•" ;,r&f ;,
An impulsive decision which eases
B l ack's defense problems. More

•
elastic was 9.E!d3, doubling the rooks
( y, �, � along the d-file. Now Karpov or­
6 Af4-g5! a7-a5 ganizes active counterplay, exploit­
ing the unstable position of White's
Black cannot hold onto the pawn.
bishop.
Thus, after 6 . . . Ae7 7.Axf6 Axf6
White has a happy choice between 9 'f!l'f6-b6
8.*d3 and 8.fte4. 10 'l!l'bl-c2 !!a7-d7
7 ,!g5xf6 'f!l'c6xf6 11 e2-e4
It should come as no surprise that
7 ...ftgxf6? is bad. White could play
8.*f5, or 8.E!c4! followed by E!g4 + or
E! h 4, w h e n W h i te h a s a m o s t
dangerous attack.
8 ,!g2xd5 !fa8-a7
The complications have liquidated
into a middle game with major pieces
in the presence of bishops of op­
posite colour. Often the presence of
such bishops is a sure sign of a draw.
But here the tension is still kept up.
Indeed, a full complement of hea vy 11 �g8-h8!
mtille1y (rooks and queens) tends to The most economical a pproach;
accentuate the advantage of the bet- Black removes the king from any
114 - Hanging Pawns
threat along the a2-g8 diagonal, and 23 b3xa4 1:!a7xa4
inevitably undermines the e4 square. 24 1:!f3-f7 1:!a4-b4
12 ct?gl-g2 f7-f5 Draw.
13 f2-f3
White has no other way to hold the
advanced d5 post. But now Black
Sokolov A. - Karpov
Linares 1987
gets good play on the dark squares,
the fulcrum for which is the strategi­
cally important e5 square. The tacti­
cal weakness of the e4 point may
soon become important.
13 g7-g6
14 1:!c4-c3
White changes his mind and doubles
on the d-file, but it is too late for the
maneuver !!c3-d3 to give him an ad­
vantage.
14 'lil'b6-c7
15 1:!c3-d3 f5xe4
Black to move
16 f3xe4
.
� f""� i� i?.I
• �·�;.· �
�,,
:a•
Each player has a middle game posi­
� l - · x:r;
· � � ·
-� ,,,. �� � �. •m
· · tion to his taste. Sokolov has active
piece play and a potential attack on

��·��·- ·% •1-
the kingside. Karpov has solid out­

�� ��j �· -�
posts and chances for counterplay in
the center and on the queenside. All
j-
0..
•
� • · l•
m m " .
-
m m •a � ·� • •
the same, thanks to an advantage in

.,,,•• ��
development, White has somewhat

� �
the better prospects.

- -,- ., /,
1 1:!a8-a7
Since after this maneuver White's
initiative develops impetuously and
16 .1f8-g7 without hindrance, Karpov's choice
16 ... �eS also looks good. should be considered none too suc­
17 I:!dl-cl 1:!d8-c8 cessful. It is true that the tempting
18 1:!d3-f3 '!il'c7-e5 1....£}.f6 (in order to be able to answer
19 I:!cl-fl '!il'e5-d6 2.fta4 with 2 ... ftb4) meets with 2.Aa3,
20 '!il'c2-e2 1:!d7-a7 but maybe the unoriginal 1...Ab7 was
21 '!il'e2-e3 the most rational way to mobilize his
forces.
Here Black sealed his move. The
position is clearly drawn. 2 .1b3-c2 g7-g6
21 'li)'d6-e5 3 .1cl-h6 1:!f8-e8
22 1:!fl-f2 a5-a4! 4 'lil'd3-e3 1:!a7-d7
 Hanging Pawns - 115

White selects from a dazzling abun­

d a nce of a ttractive possibi lities.
6.fth5! ? warranted attention.
6 Ac8-b7
7 'lil'e3-f4
7.Ae4!?.
7 Af6xg5
8 .£if3xg5 'lil'd8-c7
9 'lil'f4-f6

s h2-h4!
S o k o lov i s i n h i s e l e m e n t a n d
vigorously pursues the attack. The
d i ffe r e n t a p p ro a c h 5 .A e 4 A b 7
6.Axc6 Axc6 7.�e5 "i!c7 (also pos­
sible is 7 ... "i!d6) 8.�xf7 is interesting,
as the combinational complications
after 8 ... �d5 ! 9.�h3 \t'xf7 10.Af4
A d 6 ! 1 l .�xh7 + \t' f6 l e a d , a fter
either 12.AeS + Axe5 13.ftdxe5 +
�xe5, or 12.�h4 + ftg5, to Black's ad­ 9 .£i c6xd4!
vantage! However, White still has Sokolov may have missed this dis­
9.f3 Ah4 10.Ag5 Axe l (otherwise guised tactical stroke. The point is
White is a pawn ahead) 1 1 .�h6 + that, after the apparently terrible
'it'g7 and either 12."i!xel when White 10.fth5, Black has 10...'/Wxc3 ! , and be­
has a pawn for the exchange with cause of the threat l l.. . .£ie2+ no
great control over the dark squares, trace is left of White's attack. The
or 12.�f4 with winning tactics. picture of the struggle now changes.
s Ae7-f6 10 Ac2xg6
Finding himself in a dangerous posi­ N o t h i n g b etter is ava i l a b l e : o n
tion, Karpov defends with extreme 10.ftcxd4 '/Wxc2 1 1 .fth5 would have
caution. Risky was 5 ...Axh4 because followed 1 1 ...�fS.
of 6.�xh4 (not 6.�e4, as given by 10 h7xg6
many commentators, in view of the 11 c3xd4
simple 6 ... Ae7, and imposssible is Evidently, Black's main troubles are
7.�xc6 because of 7 ... Ab7) 6 ... �xh4 behind: his pieces are active, the long
7.Ag5 �g4 8.Ad 1 (also good is 8.Af6) range bishop cuts an enviable swath,
8 . . . '/W f5 9 . ft g4 '/W d 5 1 0. A f6 w i t h and the weakness of the dark squares
numerous threats. on the kingside are not so significant.
And on 5 ... Ab7 White had the Added to that, the presence of the
pleasant choice between 6.fth5 and we ak d4 pawn in the opponent's
6.�g5. camp gives him the hope of taking
6 Ah6-g5 the initiative. However, the chances
116 - Hanging Pawns
are about equal, and after 1 1 ...'ltd8
( 1 1 ...'ltd6! ?) 12.'ltf4 'ltc7 13.'ltf6 and
the players can agree to a draw, or
Black can continue with 13 ...'ltd6! ?
and the game is equal, but full chan­
ces of counterplay have not been
realized.

14 gelxe6?!
14.'ltf4! ?.
14 ... 'fil'e7xf6
15 ge6xf6 gd5-d7!
16 a2-a3 "1g8-g7
17 gf6-b6 ge8-e2
18 gcs-c3 ge2-d2
19 �g5-f3 Ab7xf3
11 gd7-d5?! 20 gc3xf3 gd2xd4
21 gb6xa6 gd4xh4
12 gal-cl 'fil'c7-d7
With an equal game.
Bronstein - Averbakh
Zurich 1953

1 3 . � e 4 ! ( w i t h t h e i d e a 'ltf4) Black to move

13 ...:Bf5? 14.'ltxf5 ! + -. 1 .£if6-e4?!
Black misses his chance to build a
13 'fil'd7-e7 strong attack by pushing the hanging
pawns forwa rd. After l ...gb8 the
13 ...gxd4 14 . .£)xf7!. queen is driven from the b3 square ,
 Hanging Pawns - 117

so that after ftd5-d4 she would not be

able to protect the bishop on f3.
Here is how the game might con­
tinue: 2.�d3 (if 2.�c2, then 3 ... ftd4
with continuations similar to the
m a i n variation: 4.ftexd4 Axf3 or
4.Axa8 Axh2 + ) 2 . . .ftc4 3 .�c2 (if
3.�e2, then Black gets the advantage
in various ways, for example: 3 ... Ac6
4.ftb3 Axa4 or 3 ... �d7 4.ftb3 ftcxb3
5.ftaxb3 E!xb3, and 6.�xa6 is impos­
sible, because of 6 ... Ab7 7.�a5 ga8)
3 ... ftd4 4.,!xa8 (if 4.�xc4, then after 4 � e4xg3
4...Axf3 5.ftgxf3 Black has a strong
5 h2xg3 'f!i'h4xa4
attack, for example: 5 ... flh5 6.ftf4
�h4 7.�xd4 ge6. Bad is 4.ftexd4 Axf3 6 Ael-c3 Ad6-e5
5.ftgxf3 flh5 etc.) 4... Axh2+ 5.'iftxh2 7 Ac3xe5 gesxe5
flg4 + 6.'iftgl �h4 7.Aa5 �h2 + 8.'iflfl 8 gclxc5 'f!i'a4xa2
dxe3 and Black wins. 9 b2-b4 gb8-e8
2 Ad2-el Draw.
Here the bishop admirably defends
the kingside. Petrosian - Hort
2 !k8-b8 Sarajevo 1972
3 'f!i'b3-d3 'f!i'd8-h4
4 g2-g3
Also fine was 4.fth3, since 4...€)g5 is
well answered with 5.,!g4 with the
threat of ftf2-f4. After the move in
the game Averbakh justly reasoned
that if White plays ftb2-b3, then his
position may become critical. There­
fore he makes use of the chance to
liquidate and brings the game to a
clearly drawn position.

White to move

1 � d4xc6 b7xc6
1 . . .gxc6 2.gxc6 �xc6 3 .;Bd l €)c5
(3 ... flf6 4.fte4) 4.€)xd5.
2 gcl-c2 Ae7- f8
2 . .ftc5 3.;Bd 1 €)f6 4.Axf6.
.

3 gn- cI 'f!t'd7-b7
4 'f!t'd3 -e2
118 - Hanging Pawns

Taimanov - Lipnitsky
Moscow 1952

4 gd8-e8?
4 ...ftc5 ! ?.
5 'f!l'e2-g4 Black to move
with the idea 6.<£)xd5.
5 g7-g6 1
6 'fil'g4-dl On the open c-file White has a back­
Petros i a n in Informant 1 3 gives ward pawn, which causes him some
6.<£)xd5 ftf5 ! = , but after 7.'l!id l White anxiety. Black intends to take the
wins, for example 7 ... !fod8 8.'l;1d4 purely positional approach: to ex­
cha nge knights and light square
( Berry) .
bishops. That would make White's
6 Af8-d6
pawns more vulnerable by weaken­
• t>m
m .1 m .1 m ing the c4 and d5 squares around

i.�lrtm•6f6
�--� ·- ·· ·- ·
them. Besides, Black would leave the
opponent with a bad bishop, not

·:-,,:-:
c a p able of cove ring these weak
squares and condemned only to
protect weak pawns. White's attack

�ft{ -
in this instance is already completely
- ft ·
-
-�,!m�J�fG
unrealizable, and his pawn weak­
nesses are real. But let us return to

·
-
� *L.J
@ �llii·
f� ·t�
the g a m e u n d e r c o n s i d e r a ti o n .
• r• �
White 's knight and l i g h t squ are
bishop are not exchanged, and that is
7 .£lf4xd5! what he relies upon for the success of
7 ... ftcxd5 8.'l;1d4 ftf6 9.gxc8 gxc8 his attack.
1 0 .gxc8 + 'l!ixc8 1 1 .'l!ixd S + t h e n 2 gdl-d3
'l;1xe4, o r 8 . ..Ae5 9.gxc8. 2.ftc4 ftbxc4 3.4Jxc4 Axg2! .
8 gc2xc6 'f!l'b7-b8 A dual-purpose move, a s the white
9 f2-f4 ge8-e6 rook eyes a kingside attack and in­
10 'f!l'dl-d4 cidentally defends the c3 pawn.
1 -0. 2 .£ib6-d5
 Hanging Pawns - 119

. .. .
.a ��-r��)��-
•m%.-�
''···-'·-*
A dual purpose reply, which attacks
.� %.

t
i.t1-
the c3 point, but also defends the

···-·-·�:d�.•_•m. .. .._•
kingside.
3 Acl-d2 � d5-f6
Now White's attack is not fearsome,

· ·
'-7,,
all the more because Black has ,£1.e4
in his defensive arsenal.
4 gdJ-h3
·•m },·� ��
•�. �•
ft al g��� ft ��
. . . .�· v-� .�

- �-�·- /,�7, /,
s Ag5xd2!
The game continued 8... ,£1.h4 9.l!h3
,£1.g5 10.�d3 , when Black erred,
creating a weakness in his own camp
with the move l l ...ftf5. After the cor­
rect l l ...ftg6 the position would hard­
ly differ from our suggested con­
tinuation.
9 tl'e2xd2 tl'd8-h4
Black's position is better. Already
4 b5-b4! two pairs of minor pieces have ben
exchanged; the file is open for the
W h i t e 's thre a ts o n the kings ide
rook invasion. White's threats on the
prevent Black from exchanging the
kingside are not dangerous.
two pairs of minor p ieces. Black
chooses the most vigorous way to Tolush - Sokolsky
meet a wing attack with a counterat­ USSR 1950
tack in the center. If 5.ftcxb4 �xd4.
5 gn.d l b4xc3
6 Ad2xc3 �f6-d5
7 Ac3-d2 B,e7-g5!
The diversion of the rook from fl to
d l deprives White of the reply ftf2-f4.
After the exchange of bishops, the
position becomes even more
s i m p l i fi e d . Moreover, t h e black
rooks now have a back rank invasion
point at cl, exploiting the departure
Black to move
of White's rook to h3.
1 b5-b4?
8 gh3-g3 Black could count himself lucky to
8.�h5 fth6!. attain such attractive play on the
120 - Hanging Pawns
queenside, focusing on White's static
weakness at c3. So, Black's plan is
clear: active play on the queenside.
But in each position a player must
before all take into account the tacti­
cal subtleties. In this case Black
should have kept a sharp lookout for
White's threats on the kingside.
After the n e cess a ry preve ntive
measure l ...'it>h8 or 1...ftg6, he could
gradually turn the tide. Instead,
Black goes straight for the goal line,
allowing White's carefully prepared
tactical barrage sharply to alter the
course of events.
2 4Jg4-h6 + ! �g8-f8

··-{, , ,/,lft�
m x �s � mr,
·-·-
t •�· � f �-" ·"
t
�
� ·- 'i' - -
-
� ;

·�iE"� �� �·� ' - �� � -

-"
." ,/,�ftt "• �
'•
-" -�/,·
8� • � t��"2ff�
�
- ·wfQ]%.l �
,
-
i?al-
� �M L .. /. . , • ·· '-

� i!M �
"', , , , ,�; %'9J
%�
. ..
� /,;•. �

3 gg3xg7! !
Thunder in a clear sky! Now tactics
triumph, Black's plans shunted aside.
3 �f8xg7
4 'i!i'e2-g4 + .le7-g5
The optimistic 4 ... 'it>f6? is bad be­
cause of 5.ftc4 �a5 6.ftd 5 ! ftexd5
7.Ag5 + with mate in two moves.
S c3-c4 'i!i'd5xd4
6 'i!i'g4xg5 + �g7-f8
7 ,lcl-e3 'i!i'd4-h8
O t h e rw i s e W h i te d e c i d e s w i t h
8.Ac5 + 'it>e8 9.�g8 + .
8 ,le3-c5 + �f8-e8
9 4Jh6-g4 �e8-d7
10 .lc5-b6 gcS-bS
 Hanging Pawns - 121
Petrosian - Geller passed pawns on the a-file come back
Amsterdam 1956 to haunt him.
6 b3xa4 �b6-c4
7 l!b2xb8 + l!a8xb8
8 e5-e6

White to move
1 e3-e4! .Qf5-g6
Black misses his best chance by refus­
ing to take on e4. After 1...ftdxe4
2.�xe4 Axe4 3 .Axe4 �d5 4. � d2,
B l a c k h a s c h a nces for s u rviva l , 8 l!b8-bl
though here, too, Black would have
great difficulties. More complicated was 8...�:!e8.
2 f2-f4 f7-f6 9 l!clxbl .Qg6xbl
3 .Qg2-h3 !'k8-b8
10 .Qh3-fl � c4-d6
E ��.-
� -,�-
- �
,, , , , . , ,
Y, 11 a2-a3 �g8-f8
t 12 a4-a5 � d6-c8
-w-�1Rt ,,�
1
t��·
-
W;i
m r-,.;P.jl·�r.A5•
� 7,
•
fl
•
- � '"

� �:
i;P.j"���}, i� �-�---·,f,
- ��
13 �gl-f2 �f8-e7
�:·,� ·- - W%,
·
· •• '*- ft ��
�%:f7'r. ,,w�-,
14 �f2-e3 �e7-d6
'· , /,�,
� %
-
�
-
� <> �
8 - �
·
g: 7'. �� � � 15 �e3-d4 .Qbl-fS

8
. . �< -
<>���fC::;
� �B �
w�,
-
m ��
- :z<>1
" ,,W/""J;
16 .an-e2 �c8-a7
�, w·r,"" . /.
-
-· lg�
,�

- f&]
·

16 ... Axe6 17 ..£)xe6 'it>xe6 18.Ag4 + .

17 a5-a6 .if5-h3
4 e4-e5 !
The formation of a passed pawn pu � 17 ...Axe6 18 ..£)xe6 \fi>xe6 19.\fi>cS.
Black in an even more difficult posi­
18 a3-a4 � a7-c8
tion.
4 f6xe5 19 �c5-b7 + �d6xe6
5 f4xe5 a5-a4
19 ... \fi>c7 20.\fi>eS.
Sacrificing a pawn, Geller seeks to
_
activate his pieces, but the white 20 �d4-c5 �e6-d7
122 - Hanging Pawns

�ruJB�. ��.:� �
"1 �
�--�m a m � am� •m
;� . i ;�
�ef..
f,V'��----.�� �r,�" .,, 7,�.,�
�� m
·
� ;�
'- · · · ·

[!'".Ill

• "• -�,,,, y,.--. ·

mr
.'fmf'•••
"

·. �
··-7, �·
., /._1t• w-��
'·r�-�- ·��¥,.�.- l��J
._.
• �
21 �b7-a5 3 tl't3-g3?
White would have achieved victory Miscalculating, White sacrifices a
considerably faster by continuing pawn. Better was 3.ftd5 4Jc5 4.Afl,
with 2 1 .4Jd6 .£i a 7 22 . .£ib5 ! ftcxb5 and the bishop pair is not weaker
23.ftaxb5, and Black could resign. than the knights, in spite of the
blockaded character of the position.
3 e5xd4
Portisch - Karpov 4 gelxe8 + �f6xe8
B11goj110 1978 5 Ad2-f4 tl'c7-c6
6 Ad3-f5 gcS-dS
7 h2-h3 � d7-c5
8 gcl-dl tl'c6-f6
9 AfS-bl tl'f6-e6
10 �gl-h2 �g8-f8
11 Af4-e5 tl'e6xc4
12 tl'g3-f4 � c5-e6
13 tl'f4-e4 tl'c4-d5
14 tl'e4-e2 � e8-d6
15 a2-a4 � d6-c4
16 Ae5-g3 � e6-c5
Black to move 17 Abl-a2 d4-d3
18 tl'e2-el tl'd5-d4
1 Ab7xf3 ! 19 f2-t3 � c4-e3
A useful recipe. Although it is a great 20 gdl-d2 gds-es
pity to part with the strong bishop, 21 tl'el-cl .£l c5xa4
the knight on £3 hinders Black's en­ 22 �h2-hl .£i a4-c5
tire game. 23 Ag3-f2 tl'd4-e5
2 tl'e2xf3 e6-e5 24 Aa2-bl �f8-g8
Black makes use of a standard way to Not wanting further to drag out a
undermine the hanging pawns. hopeless resistance, White resigned.
 Hanging Pawns - 123

Halprin - Pillsbury 1 gn-h1

Vie1111a 1898 Preparing 8.Ae2, but the tempo al­
lows Black to activate his own pawn
phalanx. Better is 7.4Jc3, though
Black can still play 7 ...ftf5.
7 f7-f5
8 4J e4-c3 e5-e4
9 Jl,d3-e2 gds-es
10 4J c3-b5 f5-f4
11 'te3-a3

Black to move
1 e6�5!
2 d4-d5
Bad is 2.ftdxe5 �xe5 3 ..!lxe5 Axe5
4.�xe5 fud3 when Black threatens
fud2, and fth6, and Ae2 followed by
�g4.
2 4J c6-d4
3 h2-h4 11 e4-e3 !
There is nothing better: 3 .Axd4 12 d5-d6 4Jf3-e5
ftexd4 - + ;
13 Jl,b2xe5 f4-f3 +
3.�ge4 4Jxe4 4.�xe4 Af5 5.�e3
14 �g2-h2
Axd3 6.�xd3 � e2 + - + ;
3.ftt3 Ac5 ! .
3 .
. . h7-h6
4 4Jg5-e4 4Jf6xe4
5 4J d2xe4 4J d4-f3 +
6 �gl-g2 Jl.d6-b8

�� •
m ·�­�
-
w�� = �;!fp

� :t m' "m l�� �

�1:7 �
¥d

./,. �.- �., /,�

.•.!a�·-�
,,

·.r.; � .1
t �L /,
· .
.ru ·-f� � 14 gesxeS

·% -����
�-
14 ... �xe5! ? 15.ftd7 ftexf2!.

�
15 Jl.e2-d3 Jl,g4-d7

.
� . , , , .,�.�
- \,?�
, ,,,,, ,,��- - ;.-
���- v, �.
-
16
17
f2xe3
Jl,d3-fi
'th5-g4
geS-hS
124 - Hanging Pawns

18 �kl-c2 while White strains either to take ad­

O r 1 8. � b 2 A x b 5 1 9 . A h 3 gxh4 vantage of his central pawn
20.ftgxh4 Axd6 + . p r e p o n d e r a nce o r to b l o c k a d e
Black's pawns. H e might have tried
l.ftb3 ! ? , followed by �g3-e2-f4, gd 1-
d2, gcl -dl, which would have limited
the mobility of the black pawns.
1 d5-d4
2 4J c3-e2? !
Consistent with the idea of blockad­
ing the pawns was 2.�b l, eyeing c4.

18 gh5xb5
Black wins a piece.
19 �k2-d2 gb5-e5
20 il'a3-b2 gesxe3
21 il'b2xb7 Ad7-c6
22 il'b7-b2 t3-t2
White resigned.
Szabo - Pachman
Saltsjobaden 1952
2 h6-h5
Black cram ps his opponent even
more with this move.
3 t2-t3 grs-ds
4 b2-b3 4Jf6-d7
5 il'c2-d2 4J d7-e5
The knight supports the advance of
either pawn.
6 il'd2-h6 gcS-c6
7 4Jg3-n gd8-d6
White to move
8 il'h6-d2 gd6-d7
1 e3-e4?
White prefers d isturbing Black's 9 t3-f4 4J e5-g4
central pawn structure to the long­ 10 h2-h3 4Jg4-h6
term siege of the hanging pawns.
This decision seems incorrect, as
11 il'd2-d3 gc6-e6
Black gets a protected passed pawn, 12 4Jfl-d2
 Hanging Pawns - 125

Bondarevsky - Smyslov
Moscow 1950

12 �h6-f5
13 !!dl-el
Black to move
13.ftexfS ge3 14.'l!i'b l gxe2 15.ftfxg6?
'l!i'e3 + .

13 �f5-e3
1 b6-b5!
14 e4-e5 �b6-d5
Acceptance of the sacrifice would be
15 � d2-e4 !!d7-c7 bad because it would convert the
h a ng i n g p awns i n to d a n g e ro us
16 � e2xd4 passed pawns. For example, after
l ...ftbxa5 2.gb 1 Aa8 3.c5 'l!i'd8 4.'l:lc4
On 16.'l!i'bS? ! would follow 16 ... gec6, 'l:ld5 5.'l:le2, Black's pieces are par­
or the complex variation 16 ... gb6 and ticularly restricted. Even though
if 17.'l!i'aS then 17 ... &l:lxg2 ! ? 18.�xg2 B l ack's knight occupies the key
d3 19.'l:lgl &l:lxf4 + 20.�hl 'l!i'xe5 with blockading square d5, White has the
excellent play for Black, for example advantage after the regrouping 'l:le4-
2i.gxcs 'lli' b 2! . c4-d6.

16 c5xd4 2 c4-c5

17 i!l'd3xd4 !!c7xcl Bad is 2.ftcxb5 ftaxb5 3.�xb5 in view

of 3 ... 'l!i'd5 4.'l!i'fl Aa6 with an uncom­
18 !!elxcl �d5xf4 fortable pin. White could defend
with s.gb 1 , with the idea of �b5-c7,
19 i!l'd4xe3 !!e6xe5 and then 5 .. J�c2 is insufficient be­
cause of 6.&l:lc7, but after 5 ... 'l:l e4
20 !!cl-cS + C3;>g8-g7 White's position becomes critical.
21 i!l'e3xf4 !!e5xe4 2 i!l'd6-d8
Draw 3 !!cl-al
126 - Hanging Pawns
the b3 pawn becomes White's con­
stant worry.
7 'irl'h3-c3 .£if6-d5
8 'irl'c3-b2 .£i d5-e3
9 �fl-el 'irl'd8-d5
The key d5-square has been a tram­
poline for both knight and queen!
10 .£i e5-f3
If 10..fif4, then after 10...'M'e4 l l .g3
g fd 8 ( 1 l . . . g5 1 2 . .fi g4 ! ) 1 2 . � f2
( 1 2. .fig4 .£ic4! - + ) 'M'xd4 13.�d4
gxd4 1 4 .�xe3 g e 4 + 1 5 .�d2 b2
3 b5-b4! Black wins.
Black begins to wrest control of the 10 grs-es
blockade square d5, and the passed Another attempt to realize the ad­
b-ft is strong. v a n t a g e is 1 0 . . . .fi c 4 1 1 . 'M' c 3 b 2
12.'M'xc2 ftbxa l Q 13.gxal g5.
11 �al-cl gc8-c6
12 .£i e2-c3 'irl'd5-f5
13 .£i c3-dl gc6-e6
14 .£i dlxe3 ge6xe3
15 gelxe3 ge8xe3
16 �gl-f2 'irl'f5-e4
Black possesses three trumps cards
which together promise a decisive
positional adva ntage: centralized
major pieces; a dangerous passed
pawn close to promotion; and the im­
4 .£ic3-e2?
mobilization of White 's h a nging
White should fight for control of d5. pawns.
After 4.4J a4 White is able to play 17 gel-el ge3xel
4J a4-b6 and then his rook, which is
18 .£if3xel
now tied to the defense of the a-ft,
could shift to bl and attack Black's
b -ft. For example: 4 ... Ae4 5.'M'f2
( 5 .'M' h 3 ? Ac2 6.gd2 4J e 4 ! ) 4J d 5
6.4Jb6 gc7 7.ge l Ah7 8.'M'e2 .fif4
9.'M'e3 .fid5 10.'M'e2 with even chan-
ces.
4 Ab7-e4
5 'irl'f5-h3 Ae4-c2
6 �d i -fl b4-b3
Black has the positional advantage:
White's pawns cannot advance and
 Hanging Pawns - 127

18 Ac2-dl !
Black intends to trade queens at e2,
expressing the b-ft.
19 c5-c6 il'e4xc6
20 � el-d3 il'c6-c4
21 �f2-e3 Adl-c2
22 � d3-el Ac2-f5
23 �e3-d2 il'c4-b5
24 �d2-dl Af5-g4 +
25 �dl-cl il'b5-c4 +
4 ... �b8-c6!
White resigned. Threatens 5 . . . Axf3 6.Axf3 �xd4
7.Axa8? �e2 + . After 5.Axb5 Axf3
Oj anen - Trifunovic 6.'l!i'xf3 �xd4 7.'l!i'd3 �xb5 8.'l!i'xb5
Mar de/ Plata 1953 'l!i'c7, defending the c-ft would have
given White a lot of trouble.
s Acl-e3 �f6-d5
6 il'c3-cl �fa8-b8
7 �f3-e5 il'd8-c7
8 � e5xc6 il'c7xc6
9 Ae3-d2?

Black to move

1 b7-b5!
The tactical justification for 1...ftb5 is
that White has not yet castled.
2 c4-c5 9 Ae4xg2 !
10 gn.el
If 2.ftcxb5, then 2... Axb5. After the
The grim result of accepting the
s a c r i fice i s 1 O . . � e 3 + + 1 1 . 'iflg3
move in the text, Black blocks the
white pawns and gets the advantage
.

in the center. 'l!i'g2 + 12.';t>h4 �f5 + 13.'if;hS 'l!i'g6

mate.
2 Ad7-c6 10 � d5-e7
3 0-0 Ac6-e4 11 Ad2-f4 gbS-b7
4 il'c2-c3 12 Af4-d6 Ag2-d5
128 - Hanging Pawns

13 �cl -c3 grs-cs After 3.�b3 interesting is 3 ...Axc3

14 Ad6xe7 gb7xe7 4.Axe4 ftfxe4 5 J�� xc3 .£ic5 6.'l!ta3
15 gel-bl ftexf3, and if 7.gxcs - 7 ...�g4!.
3 Ab4-a3
B l a c k h a d g o o d c h a n ce s w i th
3 . . . �xc2, since after 4.gxc2 Aa5
5.Ac7 Axc7 6.gxc7 .£i ec5 Black's
position is not worse.

15 e6-e5 !
16 Ae2xb5 tl'c6-g6 +
17 �c3-g3 tl'g6-e4
18 f2-t3 tl'e4xd4 +
19 tl'g3-f2 tl'd4xf2 +
20 'l?glxf2 gcsxcS
21 Ah5-d3 g7-g6 4 tl'c2-bl ! .la3xcl
White resigned. 5 gdlxcl � d7-c5
Vaganian - Karpov The best solution. The black queen,
Leningrad 1970
overloaded by the defense of the b7
bishop, can go nowhere. The attempt
to cove r the c-file with another
knight after 6.Axf5 gxf5 7.'l!txf5 'l!tf8
8.�b l is good only for White.
6 J\d3xe4 d5xe4
7 �t3-d4 Ah7-d5
8 � a2-b4 tl'c8-b7
9 gclxcS
Finally ridding himself of the pin,
Karpov makes an inexcusable error
White to move
with his next move. Instead, 9 ..gfe8
.

White commenced decisive battle ac- would give him the opportunity to
tion: defend himself.
1 b2-b4 c5xb4
2 a3xb4 Ae7xb4 9 grs-cs?
3 � c3-a2 10 gcsxdS tl'b7xb4
 Hanging Pawns - 129

xm
•
•
• x @•
• •m •,,
• �•
.W'ffe;·�
�� i� t •
•.
Larsen - Unzicker
Lugano 1968

t m! - - · · · · ­
-�·\�ry-�-'m *�--
;
f. ,fJ: t g
·•-� ·•�. " ;.w�,w�
�
- . . - :� .. .
·
�
•
-

� �·
, //, �

·�m1 �•@• . [&

��/, B if�/,
- r "�-
11 'ltbl-d l !
The black queen i s untouchable be­
cause of the threat of checkmate
White to move
after gc8-cl .
11 'ltb4-a4 1 'fte2-d2

xmxm
B l a c k c a n n o t t a k e t h e p aw n :
-•m
m
l . . .Axh4? 2.'M'h6 Af6 3 .�g5 Axg5
m • �t
·-·�-� j.
4.Axg5 ftf6 s.gxe6 ftfxg5 6.gxg6 + .

'"' •.��-1�� �-�g.

1 ,!e7-f6
White could maintain reasonable at­

�•-�.k iw-���. . �- �
tg •
tacking chances by answering 1 ...€'l a5

m
� with 2.€'lg5. Note that in such posi­
� "�
-. /,� � �
tions the attacking side has an inter­

•�I- &!
esting opportunity: the maneuver
ga 1-b l -b5, and the rook joins in the
•- m
• • Y/,� o �
assault on the king.
2 h4-h5
12 !!d5-d8 + !
Karpov apparently missed this Zwis­
chenzug when deciding on gf8-c8.
12 �g8-f7
13 'ftdl-h5 +
And Black resigned in view of in­
evitable mate.

2 .£i c6-a5?
A known plan, but the advance of
White's h-ft has bolstered White's at-
130 - Hanging Pawns
tacking opportunities. Black should
have played 2 ... <£)e7.
3 .£lf3-e5 Af6xe5
The logical result of the previous
move, otherwise the knight at a5 has
nothing to do.
4 gelxe5 .£l a5-c4
5 Ad3xc4 gc8xc4
6 'lil'd2-d3
B u t not 6.*h6 l!xc3 ! 7 .Ag5 ftf6
8.fthxg6 l!c7!.

10 gal-bl c5xd4
11 c3xd4
Black's difficulty is that he cannot
maintain control over the 7th and 8th
ranks. White's a-ft at a5 will threaten
to attack the bishop at the necessary
moment. When the bishop vacates
b7, the white rook will come to b8.
Unzicker was going to play l l ...*h4
6 gc4-c5? 12.*e3 *g4, but now saw that 13.ftf3
A critical error. Black's game is dif­ l!xf3 1 4. * e 5 w i n s at o n c e : t h e
ficult, as he must constantly and sacrifice o f the rook o n f l does not
vigilantly monitor White's actions on lead to perpetual check.
the weakened kingside. But with ac­ What's more, after l l...*h4 White
curate play the position probably has an even stronger plan: 12.*e3
could have been held. It is known *g4 13.ftd5! *f5 14.l!b5 fta6 15.l!c5.
that exchanges ease the defender's The unstoppable d-ft smashes Black's
burden, but not always. Here, to position to pieces.
avoid the loss of a pawn, Black must 11 'lil'd8-d5
weaken the king's position even 12 'lil'd3-g3 gn-c7
more.
7 gesxc5 b6xc5
8 h5xg6 f7xg6
Black accepts the less compact pawns
and weaknesses in his second rank in
return for lines for his rook. He
plans to answer 9.Aa3 with 9...l!f5.
The move 8... fthxg6 loses a pawn, but
after 9.Aa3, 9 ... *d5 1 0.*h3 *h5
 Hanging Pawns - 131

O r 2 1 . . . � x d 6 2 2 . ft e 8 Q + * g 6
2 3 . ft g 4 + lit1 h 4 24 . * e l + !it1 h 3
25.�fl + iit1g3 26.*f2 + !it1f4 27.Ad6 +
skewers the queen.
22 'l!l'd6-e5 +
Black resigned.

Razuvaev - Farago
Dubna 1979

After 13.fta4 fta6 it is not easy to drive

the black queen from the d5 square.
13 !k7-cl? + !
White was winning, this just makes it
easier. 1 3 ... *e4 loses to 14.ftdS ! .
After 1 3...�d7 14.*eS, both 1 4. . .:Bc8
15.;Bxb7 *xb7 16.*xe6 + lit1h8 17.Af4
and 14 ...*c6 15.ftd5 ftexd5 16.;BxdS
are clear enough. White to move
14 Ah6xcl 'l!l'dSxbS
15 'l!l'g3-b8 + <tl>g8-t7 1 h2-h4!?
16 Acl-a3 e6-e5 A novelty. l .�c2 ftg6 had been con­
s idered compu lsory, then 2.Ah6
17 'l!l'b8-d6 g6-g5
(Botvinnik) or 2.�d2 (Bronstein). To
18 d4xe5 'l!l'b5-c6 me the inclusion of l ...ftg6, is useful
19 e5-e6 + <tl>t7-g6 to Black, and I would not challenge
20 e6-e7 + <tl>g6-h5 this move. White commences a direct
21 f2.f3 attack on the king with a thrust of
rook pawn. Black should have ac­
cepted the challenge. After 1 ...Axh4
2.flxh4 �xh4 3.:Be3 White has a
strong attacking position, but Black
has an extra pawn as compensation.
After the game move, White's attack
d ev e l o p s " fr e e o f c h a rg e "
(Razuvaev).
1 4J c6-a5
2 4Jf3-g5 h7-h6
3 'l!l'dl-hS J1b7-d5
Black defends against sacrifices on
21 g5-g4 e6, but the attack cannot be stopped.
132 - Hanging Pawns

11 'it dSxf6
To 1 1 ...Axg2 + would have followed
1 2 . \fil x h 2 � c 7 + 1 3 . \filx g 2 !! g 8
14.!!hl + with mate.
12 'it g6xf6 + ctfhS-gS
13 ctfhlxh2 gas-cs
 Hanging Pawns - 133

�
m .a•
•
· .a•
•
� ••
m
·
2 !!d3-g3 +
3 il'e2-e3
�g8-f8
Ae7-d6
�" ·- · ··
�
i.t.1�,;�,� ·.
Freeing the way for the king to es­
•·�,,
t �.�•
�
�"' ·"•i •v,t•
cape. After 3 ... �g8 White wins not
only with 4.gxg8 + \\'xg8 5.�xh6, but

�. /..�·"�7,��/,�· · ·-
� also the prosaic 4.Ah7.

- A -�·- ·�·r"
4 il'e3xh6 + �f8-e7
•. ·���
• . �
, .� 5 4J e5xc6 + !!c8xc6
ft • • �� ft � 6 !!g3-t3 4Jf6-g8

�... r;,�
L � •7, .
- r;,·
� �
·
- •... .
. /, �
Avoids the checkmate after 6 ... �d5
7.gxf7 + \\'xf7 8.Ag6 + \\'f6 9.Ah7 +
\\'f7 10.�g6 + \\'f8 1 1 .�g8 + \\'e7
14 �fal-h l !
12.�g7 mate.
Th e most vigorous. 1 4...gxc3 15.\\'gl
gel + 16.Afl leads to mate.
14 !!c8-c7
15 il'f6-g6 + �g8-f8
16 �h2-gl !!c7-f7
17 il'g6-g5 !!f7-g7
18 !!hl-h8 + �f8-f7
19 il'g5-h5 +
Black resigned.
Taimanov - Mikenas
Tallinn 1965

White to move
1 Ag5xh6!
White's pieces are buzzing about
B l a c k ' s king. B u t the tempting
1 ..£ixf7 �xf7 2.�xe6 + \\'£8 3.Ab3
fails to 3 ...Ad5.
1 g7xh6
134 - Hangmg
. Pawns

'
12 g2-g3 White to move
.
M issmg the first chan ce to end the
g a m e b e a u tifu l l ·. 1 2 .A f5 + �d8
/
1 3 . g x e 7 ! A x e 1 4 . .ZW g S + � c 7
15 . .ZW c8 + �b6 1 6 . .ZW b 8 m a t e o r
15 ...�d6 16.�d7 mate.
12 ··· 'lil'aS-al +
13 ..,
w g 1 -g2 i!1' al-b2
14 .a.c2-rs + 1/d7-d8
Ill -� · •
_

• -
·
� •
•�
II � �ii
,,

•
�
:t •
• illi •
,\111
• Ai
z•�·
•• •"
:-0'3
-� im·�". ... .�. - � � .
-�'i!tl�- �11,4§' -''f!�lg4. . �?��;,
-
-W1' �.�.�
.... . "•
•w�. lf�
%%
•
�j �
�
.�
"rl? ��- ·
-
•%�J
�
-
• - ·
-
1 � I -
15 b5-b6 '
�
'lil'b2xb6
If 15 ...gxg3 + t en 16 · 'M'xg3 Axg3
'
l7.mE mate.
16 '8f7xe7 '8 c3xg3 +
17 f2 xg3
.ad6xe7
n.

18 'l!l'gS-gS + 4'> d8-c7

19 'l!l'gS-cS +
Black resigned.

�w•:o"''· �
Pillsbury - Gunsberg
1902

iij .;:fJ,.·1- ��·iS. ""�·£�·-

-
,�
Vf.M .v�frl • �. t
..
.

�f. - �-
"'%%
M rl t � ·:r•
L J� �
m
.% �84.-'/, � ,� . -
� Jjt;,·
·
�
-
�
f� '
•
•
"0

•Jl�i�·· ��-
� �"'/l
• .,
!(&· •-
·�"·
�e::: :. ·
�
·
.
-
� . I

ft m
•
m �•. 4 6
��
�· �
�. �

.� /,
· �
·" " '@"''�
. . � 'l!J
·
I .-- -
� ··
�
�
� �� ��""', . . . . . I
t:::
� :. �.
9 4Jf4xd5 Ab7xd5
". Y,
IO t!'fSxdS +-
 Hanging Pawns - 135

Bagirov - Polugaevsky
Leningrad 1977

6 d5-d4!
At the right moment, Black trans­
White to move
forms his positional advantage, creat­
ing a strong passed central pawn
1 t2-f4? which diverts White's energies com­
pletely.
Bagirov got nothing from the open­
ing, but that is no reason to carelessly 7 e3xd4 c5xd4
weaken the light squares in his own 8 ilc3-el 'lil'b6-a6
camp with l.ftf4?, as the struggle was 9 'lil'f3-b3 h7-h5
j ust beginning. Polugaevsky con­ 10 'lil'b3-c4 'lil'a6-b7
ducted the latter part of the game 11 'lil'c4-c6 'lil'b7-e7
irreproachably, creating a model for 12 J1el-a5 !!d8-d6
us all.
13 'lil'c6-c7 'lil'e7-e6
14 'lil'c7-c4 !!d6-d5
15 J1a5-b4 a7-a5
16 i1b4-a3

1 J1e5xc3 !
2 i1d2xc3 �f6-e4
3 'lil'dl-f3 1;!f8-e8
4 !!fl-dl 'lil'd6-b6 16 h5-h4!
5 !!al-cl !!a8-d8 17 'lil'c4-c6 h4-h3 +
6 !!cl-c2 18 �g2-gl d4-d3
 2 c5-c4!
3 Ad3-e2 a7-a5
4 l!fl-dl 'l!l' b6-b4
,, %
-
5 l!dl-d4 l!f8-d8
23 4J e4-c3 !
�� .
·
6 l!cl-d l l!d8-d7
White resign
7 Ae2-t3 l!a8-d8

8 4J c3-bl?!
"· � I
.
A position "made(Wquiet by the power
White to move
1
=
of harmony" ordsworth) - and
economy - call s out for a ighter ·
1 'lil'dl-a4 breath such as 8.g4d2 . The move in
'
:
1 .fte4 ftdxe4 2 � x 4 ftc4! 3.�xf6 + th e game disturbs the b alance .
�xf6 4.Axc4 ��b2 .
8 l!d 8-b8
1 'l!l'd8-b6
9 l!dl -d2
 Hanging Pawns - 137

Or 14.Ac6 gb4 15.AdS � a4 with an

advantage for Black.
14 4J c5xe4
15 gd4xe4 gbSxb2
16 4J a3xc4 gb2-b4
17 4J c4-d6 gb4xe4
lS 4J d6xe4 .1e6xa2
And Black won.
Szabo - Kotov
Zurich 1953

9 �b4xa3 !
Stronger than 9... gdb7, for example:
10.'M'c3 ! 'M'xc3 l l ..£lxc3 gxb2 12.gxb2
gxb2 13 ..£lxd5 gxa2 14.gxc4 =.

10 4Jblxa3 �gS-f8
10 ... gdb7 1 l..£lxc4.

White to move
1 .1a2-b3 .1cS-d7
2 �e2-c2 4J a4-b6

x•
-
· ·m •
•• m
• �m� •
� m• if �-,,, .. , , � �

•t• • -ti,�f. t �� t
--

:t� �.�imf ·"•

This leads to the loss of a pawn, but
White's position is difficult anyway.
The balance that still existed on the
-�,:·:·:
w�!•f. ;,• �• �
• • 0·�- -�
·�· f� ft ��
seventh move - the weakness on d5 " ;,

•
counterbalanced tht:: weakness on b2
- has gone quite out of kilter: the b2
square has been made totally weak,
•��
�� Wil• -
·
'. . . . . 7. 7. !,},

but the d5 square is almost over­ 3 c4-c5 ! gas-cs

defended. 4 4Jf3-e5 grs-ds
11 d5xe4 5 � c2-e4
12 gd4xd7 4Jf6xd7 White's positional advantage is indis­
13 At3xe4 4J d 7-c5 putable. Two ideal plans present
14 gd2-d4 themselves: either bring the a-ft up to
1 38 - Hanging Pawns

5th rank and forever fix the b7 pawn, Iy not to concede an exchange of
or immediately rush into the attack queens. Better was 16 ... ftf5 ! ?, for ex­
with ftf2-f4-f5. Both plans are good, ample: 17.ftg3 ftf4 18.gd6 ftfxg3 +
but are insufficiently concrete and 1 9 .ft hxg3 g d 8 o r 1 7 . ft h 3 � h 4 +
leave Black chances to defend him­ 18.�fl ftf4. By exchanging queens on
self. Szabo prefers to simplify the the next move, Black ended up in a
position a bit and get one significant difficult rook ending, which he lost.
advantage - pressure on the b7 pawn
along the open b-file. Romanishin - Geller
USSR 1981
5 .[)b6-d5
6 Ab3xd5 e6xd5
7 'f!l'e4-f4 f7-f6
8 .[) e5xd7 'i!)'e7xd7
9 gal-bl gd8-e8
10 f2-f3 ges-e7
11 gn.12 gcs-es
12 gf2-b2 ge7-el +
Exchanging a pair of rooks, Black
eliminates the defender of the el and
subsequently creates a counterattack
along the e-file.
13 gblxel gesxel + White to move
14 <tlgl-f2 gel-e8 1 b2-b4! c5xb4
15 gb2-b6 2 .[) d2-b3 'i!)'a5-b6
Finally White's threats take shape: 3 gdlxd5 gas-cs
gd6 threatens. 4 'i!)'c2-d2
15 'f!l'd7-e7
16 'fil'f4-d2

4 Aa6xe2?
Here or on the previous move, he
16 ge8-d8? needed to play 4 ...{)f6; the sacrifice
Under no circumstances should the of the piece turns out to be incorrect.
e-file have been given away, especial- 5 gd5xd7 Ae2-b5
 Hanging Pawns - 139

6 !!d7xe7 !!f8-d8 Levit - Bazhan

7 4Jb3-d4 USSR 1977
'l!l'b6-g6
8 'f!l'd2-dl
Minic and Sindik give the position as
winning for White.
8 !!d8xd4
9 e3xd4

White to move

9 'f!l'g6-c6
Perhaps based on a miscalculation.
Berry suggests the fanciful 9 ...Ek2.
Then, for example, 10.d5 E!b2, or
10.E!e5 E!b2 1 1 .fub5? �e4 + , or 10.£3
a5 ! ? l l .E!e4 �c6 (now eyeing c l )
12.Af4 fua2 and Black's two passed
pawns m ay well be as strong as
White's inactive rook.
10 f2-f3 'f!l'c6-c3 +
11 'f!l'dl-d2
Avoiding the exciting and dangerous
c o m p l i c a t i o n s of 1 1 . � f2 �b2 +
12.�e3 E!c3 +, White steers the game 3 4Jf3-d4!
home. White helps himself with a n unex.
11 'f!l'c3-a3 pected counterpunch.
Or 1 1 ...�a l + 12.�£2 �xhl 13.E!e l . 3 'f!l'e6-d7
12 �el-f2 'f!l'a3-a4 He should have accepted the cha).
lenge: 3 . . . ftcxd4 4.�xd4 �f6, al·
13 !!e7-c7 though after 5.�xf6 + �xf6 6.*xa7
Black resigned. White has the advantage.
140 - Hanging Pawns

sacrifices a pawn and in compensa­

tion seriously weakens his own king's
position! But soon we see that the
weakening is an illusion. Black's ac­
tive counterplay on the queenside
turns out to be enough to equalize.
1 f7-f6!?
2 Ad3xh7 � c6-a5
3 Ah7-d3 Ab7-d5
4 �f3-d2 'i!l'd7-c7
5 h2-h3 � a5xc4
4 � d4-f5! g7-g6
6 Ad3xc4 .!d5xc4
There's no salvation in 4 ... Axd5
5.'M'xd5, and if 5 ...4:)d2, then 6.'M'e5. 7 !!al-cl b6-b5
5 �f5-e7 + <afg8-f8 8 � d2xc4 b5xc4
6 'i!l'dl-f3 f7-f5 9 'i!l'c2-g6 + <afe8-f8
7 'f!l'f3.f4 Ab7xd5 10 0-0
8 � e7xd5
Black resigned. To the threats 9.'M'e5
or 9.'M'h6 + there is no satisfactory
defense.

Timman - Petrosian
Moscow 1981

10 'i!l'c7-b7
11 !!cl-c2 'i!l'b7-d5
12 !!fl-el !!h8-h6
13 'i!l'g6-e4 'i!l'd5xe4
14 !!elxe4 <aff8.f7
Black to move 15 !!e4-e3 !!h6-h5
At first glance White has formidable 16 !!e3-c3 !!h5-a5
position: two bishops aim at the 17 !!c3xc4 !!c8xc4
kingside, the black king is in the cen­ 18 !!c2xc4 .!e7xa3
ter and cannot castle. The late world
Champion chooses this moment to 19 Ab2xa3 !!a5xa3
lll ake a paradoxica l decision: he Draw.
 Hanging Pawns - 141

Sokolov A. - Li Zunian 7.Aa l Af8 8.4Jh4 gd7 9.�g4 Axg2

Biel 1986 10.'i\>xg2 ftg6 Black can defend the
position, but stronger is 8.4J e5 ! , and
Black is in difficulties, for example:
8...gd2 9.�e3 Axg2 10.'i\>xg2 �d5 +
1 1 .'i\>gl 4Jc8 12.Ac3 +/-.
7 AeS-al til'c7-d7
8 �f3-h4 gdS-gS
9 gcl-dl til'd7-c7
10 til'e2-d2 Ad6-e7

�
. - �·�t- ·v·�·�. •
�� • ·®·
•.t� ...... . %·
:I: �iD :I:
,,� .
.
..

'"·�·;
•• •• •• ;J� •
White to move
1 d4-d5 ! L

•• ·�, , � ·�,•,�lrt.t;,�, %
•••••
..

White's pieces lust to occupy the

lines opened by this intuitive pawn

i•.1'{J•�m1
sacrifice.
1 e6xd5
2 � c3xd5 �f6xd5
3 c4xd5 gdSxdS
Black loses material with 3 ... Axd5 11 til'd2-d7 til'c7xd7
4.Ae5 Axf3 5.Axc7 Axe2 6.gxd8 + 12 gdlxd7 Ae7-b4?
gxd8 7 .Axd8 Axd8 8.ge 1 . Black now loses by force, but even
4 gd l-el Ae7-f8 the better move 12 ... Af8 would not
5 Aal-eS Af8-d6 have changed the result: 13.AdS 4Jd8
6 gbl-cl 14.AeS Axd5 15.Axb8 4Je6 16.AeS! ,
intending f2-f4-f5 +-.
13 gel-dl � c6-a5

•:tw�••l•ftf�f
•®m

i�
k
�· � · � ;
Y.
;,m •,_ •,_( �
·
. . .,_·.·��,, , ;
. .
.

T�m�-•m •r�Ar�
6 � a7-c6
More stubborn is 6 . . . �d8, and if
� �
�; - 1-
- · /,� , /,
� �)Yb,

7.Axd6 gxd6 8.gc7?!, then 8 ... ge6. If 14 Aal-c3 !

142 - Hanging Pawns

The melding of decoy and skewer is

deadly.
14 •.. Ab7xg2
15 Ac3xb4
Black resigned.
Kasparov - Torre
Moscow 1981

6 gbl-b5! gd7-c7
7 �a3-b3 gc7-d7
Black to move
1 4J d7-b6?!
Appearances to the contrary, this is
not a good square for the knight, and
the move allows a trade which keeps
Black forever unsure of his footing.
He could preserve the bishop with
l...!!d8 deserved attention, and if
2 . .£l.f3 then 2 . . . � e5 . The bishop
wo uld h ave h a d to go back, for
3.'M'xc5 'M'xc5 4.�xc5 �xf3 + 5.ftgxf3
Ae8 regains the pawn with adequate
counterplay. 8 a2-a4 ! d5-d4
9 e3xd4 c5xd4
10 a4-a5 4Jb6-c8
11 c3xd4 gd7xd4
12 gdlxd4 gd8xd4
13 �b3-c3 gd4-d8
14 gb5- b7 �e7-d6
15 gb7-c 7 4Jc8-e7
16 gc7xa7 4J e7-g6
17 �c3-c7 �d6-f6
 Hanging Pawns - 143

4 Ae3-g5 !
18 itc7xd8 + !
Black already feels the weakness of
Black resigned. his first rank.
4 gd8-f8
5 gcl-c7
White's initiative is dangerous and
Guseinov - Kozlov Black was already in time trouble.
Baku 1982 5 4) a5-c6
6 Ad3-a6 itd5-e4
7 iil'd2-d6 ite4-f5
8 f2-f4 4) c6-e5
9 gc7xa7
Threatens 10.'txf'8 + .
9 g m es
.

White to move

White sacrifices a pawn to exploit the

constriction around Black's king. 10 itd6-e7!
1 d4-d5 !? e6xd5 It's all over.
10 4) e5-t3 +
2 4) c3xd5 .1b7xd5
11 g2xt3 ge8-b8
3 e4xd5 '{fl'a8xd5 12 ga7-d7 ifl'fS-bl +
1 44 - Hanging Pawns

13 .ia6-fi The d4-ft is taboo: 1 ....£'.ixd4 2 ..£'.ixd4

1 -0. * x d 4 3 . .£'.l d S * c s 4 . A x f6 ft gxf6
S . *g 4 + '\\> h 8 6 . * h 4 a n d B l a c k
Keres - Taimanov resigned (Engels - Badestein, Elber­
Moscow 1951 feld 1937).
In Souza Mendez - Sanchez, Mar
d e ! P l a ta , 19S9 Black p l ayed
l. .. �aS!?, ceding White control of
eS, but using all available forces to
siege the c4 pawn. After 2 ..£'.ieS gc8
3.gad l Aa6 4..£'.ibS AxbS S.ftcxbS *dS
6.Ac l h6 7.Ab l .£'.ic4 8.�c6 Ad6
Black achieved counterplay.
It would have been best for Black
to attack the d3 bishop: 1 ....£'.ib4. The
retreat 2.Abl might lead to the un­
clear sacrifice of a pawn: 2 ... Axt'3
Black to move 3 .ftgxf3 (3.*xf3 *xd4 4.fta3 .£'.i a6
S.*b7 Ad6 6.*xa6 Axh2 + ) 3 ... �d4
One of the basic positions with hang­ 4 ..£'.ie4 *d8. White, in Keres' opinion,
ing pawns. In the course of the next would have had to agree with the
few moves the b a ttle is fou g h t exch a n ge of the fo r m i d a b l e d 3
around the ftd4-dS breakthrough. bishop: 2.gfdl .£'.ixd3 3.gxd3, after he
Among the subplots for White is to would have kept some initiative due
consolidate himself on the eS point to better development, but with
and later bring the f2 pawn into the reduced chances of a successful at­
battle. In combination with .£'.ieS, the tack, and the weakness of the c4
construction of the Ab l , *c2 battery pawn could have become unpleasant.
is tempting. In this scheme the The exchange of the c6 knight for
deployment of the b8 knight plays an the d3 bishop may be considered as
important role. If it goes to d7, it may some s uccess fo r B l ack, a n d i n
then be transferred to f8 to defend avoidance o f this, White, instead of
the king, though then the pressure l .*e2, at first should have removed
on the d4 and c4 pawns slackens. If it the queen rook to c l . Incidentally,
is placed, as in the game, on the c6 how should the white rooks be best
square, actively taking part in the arranged? Bronstein thinks that the
diversion of White's pieces for the white rooks should be on dl and el.
defense of the hanging c4 and d4 Keres more often brought them out
pawns, then Black has chances to to on cl and d l , leaving the e-file
suppress the development of White's under control of the queen at e2. No
attack at the very begining. hard and fast rule applies but, in our
In reply to l .*e2 Taimanov made a opinion, the rooks on dl and el stand
significant mistake, allowing White proud and strong when there are no
to bring the rooks into play. threats to the c4 pawn, especially
I �U8-e8? when the b8 knight goes to d7. When
 Hanging Pawns - 145

the knight comes to c6, most har­ The games cited above illustrate
monious is the placement of rooks on well some typical plans in hanging
cl and d l . pawn positions. The authors have in
However, the story does not end general made do with short commen­
there. Black has followed Keres' taries because we do not view our
recommendation l . . . .£ib4. Then task in terms of detailed opening
2.Abl gcs 3.gfd l ! ? and in the game analysis. We stress that for the stu­
Gabriel - Baldauf, Germany 1991, dent, the fi rst job is to become
3 ...Aa6!?. After 4 ..£ie5 .£ibd5 5.Ac2 familiar with typical plans. White
-JJ! c7 6.Ab3 .£ixc3 7.Axc3 �d7 8.d5! tries to break in the center and ac­
White was better. The game con­ tivate his pieces to the utmost; Black
tinued 8 ... ftexd5 9 ..£ixd7 *xd7 10.*b2 tries to prevent that and organize
d4 ( o r 1 0 . . . f6 1 l .gxd5 a n d c 5 ) pressure with his pieces against the
1 1 .gxd4 -JJ!c6 12.gg4 g6 13.c5 ! AxcS hanging pawns.
( 1 3 . . . gfd8 1 3 .g f4 ! ) 14.Ah8! and 2 !!fl-dl !!a8-c8
White won. 3 !!al-cl tl'd8-d6
Black had one last chance to play
Another try in the Keres line
3 ... .£ib4 4.Ab l Axf3, but in reply
1 . . . .£i b 4 2 . A b l gcs 3 . g fd l ! ? is
White has the simple 5.ftgxf3, as well
3 . . . Axf3 ? ! i n Fr a n co - G r a n d a
as the more pointed 5.-JJ!x f3 gxc4
Zuniga, Leon 1990, Then 4.ftgxf3
6.ftd5 ! ftexdS 7.fta3 .£ic6 8.Aa2 and
*c7 5.a3 .£ic6 6.dS ! gave White the
9..£ixd5. Instead, Black transfers the
advantage after 6 ... .£i a5 7 . .£ie4 .£ixc4
queen to the kingside, hoping to
8 ..£ixf6 + Axf6 9.*e4.
frustrate preparations for the attack
The happy outcome for White of on his king. However, the thematic
both of the above examples contrasts sequence followed:
with his fate in l....£ib4 2.Ab l gcs 4 Ad3-bl tl'd6-f4

m :�
after the incorrect 3.a3? ! For ex­
ample, in Votruba-Houser, Prague
�"'%, •
�• m
·�•�
•m.a•
.a•
m m -�· -
i�J.. • � i i� i
m � • t�
1990, 3 ... .£ic6 4.Ad3 .£i a5 5 ..£ifd2 (not .

·"m
5 . .£ie5 because of 5 ... .£ib3, quickly ex­

•' "•··" · /,· ·

ploiting the wea kness of the b3

·- ·
• ·�,
ft ;�,�·0�?-1-• -�
square) 5 ...ges 6.*e3 -JJ! d 7 7.gacl
� ·
• ��f ;,.�JS.
gcd8 8. .£ie2 eS, Black took over the

'• !vg�v�
initiative. Black followed a different
p l a n in the older game Ahman­
•r�"'
Ljungqvist, Sweden 1969: 3 ...Axf3 ! ?
4.*xf3 .£ic6 5.dS .£i e5 6.*e2 .£ixc4
7.ftdxe6 .£ixb2 8.ftexf7 + �h8 9.�xb2
•.
•
•
n. � �
-
�A�� � -
,

•
wi. �L� aw/·��
.Wffi
.
-
'r
-
� ��.. ��
i
V,
· - - · /,
. . /,�

Ad6 10.AfS ? gcs and White is in

5 d4-d5 ! e6xd5
deep trouble. After 1 1 .Ah3 AeS
12.gac l .£ie4 Black had a winning 6 c4xd5
position, all thanks to his consistent Black's strategy has collapsed. The
play for domination of the dark e7 bishop has no time to get out of
squares. the way because of the 7.ftdxc6
146 - Hanging Pawns
threat. The move 1...ges turns out
to be a loss of time.
6 � c6-b8

7 gdl-d4

The black queen must also retreat.

Keres won the game in excellent
style:

7 'l!i'f4-d6

8 gcl-dl Ae7-f8 16 �g5xt7! 'l!i'h6-cl

With the vain hope of 17.fucl fuel
mate. On 16 ... "1xf7 17.�d7 + "1g8
18.�xb7 (or 18.�xd6) White wins, for
example 18 ... gcl 19.�xh7 + .
17 'l!i'f5xh7 + <ai>g8-f8
18 �t7xd6!
For his timely investment of the ex­
change, White's dividend is a winning
position.
18 'l!i'clxdl +
19 <ai>gl-h2 'l!i'dlxd5
Defending against mate on f7 and
threatening the same on g2.
9 � c3-e4 �f6xe4 20 � d6xb7 'l!i'd5-e5 +
21 g2-g3 gc8-c7
10 gd4xe4 ge8xe4 22 'l!i'h7-h8 + <ai>f8-t7
11 'l!i'e2xe4 23 h4-h5
'l!i'd6-h6
The pawn inches towards queening,
12 �f3-g5 Af8-d6 but also creates the threat 24.Ag6 +
"1 e 7 25 . � e 8 m a t e , o r 24 . . . <a;> e 6
13 h2-h4 �b8-d7 2 5 . � g8 + "1 d 7 2 6 . A e 8 + � x e 8
27.�d5 + "1e7 (or 27. . .<a;>c8 28 ..£ic6 +
14 ii'e4-f5 snaring the queen) 28.�d6 + and
29.�xc7 +.
With his last, quiet, move White has 23 gc7xb7
created a double threat. Both the d7 24 'l!i'h8-h7 + <ai>f7-e6
knight and the f7 pawn are under
25 i!i'h7xb7 'l!i'e5xh5 +
attack.
26 <ai>h2-g2
14 � d7-f6 Black resigned.
Wi th the knight on c6 against
15 Ab2xf6 g7xf6 White's major pieces gel gd l �e2, it
 Hanging Pawns - 147

is not easy for Black to create effec­ complications by pushing forward

tive counterplay. either of the two pawns.
Alekhine - Euwe Smyslov elects the more complex
171e Netherlands 1937 sacrificial option.
1 c5-c4!?
It was simpler to play l...ftd4!, and if
2.�xc5 ftdxe3 3 .�xb7 - 3 .. ftexf2 +
.

4.�xf2 �xd3 5.!!fd l �e3 with an

even game.
2 b3xc4 'l!l'd8-a5!
3 'l!l'e2-dl ! d5xc4
With a sharp struggle. But this is an
exception to the rule. Usually, the
tasks facing Black are more complex
to solve.
White to move
1 i!l'c2-e2 'l!l'd6-f4
2 !fal-dl grs.es Botvinnik Euwe
And now instead of 3.fth3, the simple A VRO 1938
3.!!fel �a5 4.�e5 �g5 5.ftg3 guaran­
teed White, in Alekhine's opinion, 1 c2-c4 e7-e6
the better chances. 2 �gl-13 d7-d5
Kotov - Smyslov 3 b2-b3 �g8-f6
Venice 1950
4 Acl-b2 Af8-e7
5 e2-e3 c7-c5
6 c4xd5 e6xd5
7 Afl-e2 0-0
8 0-0 �b8-c6
9 d2-d4 b7-b6
10 �bl-c3 Ac8-b7
11 gal-cl
Inherent in Black's development is
not only his initial lack of a tempo,
Black to move but also the passive position of the
This example clearly illustrates the bishop on e7. On d6, Black could
dyn a m i c force of the d5 and c5 have played l l ...�e7 and later placed
pawns. The loss of the c5 pawn seems the rooks on d8 and c8. In this very
inevitable, but Black has the oppor­ situation, Black carries out a freeing
tunity to create interesting tactical maneuver--
148 - Hanging Pawns

Vistanetski s
Zagoriansky
Moscow 1957

11 �f6-e4
12 d4xc5 � e4xc3
13 ilb2xc3 b6xc5
--which gives him quite an acceptable
position, since it is difficult to attack
the black pawns. White to move
14 itdl-d2 itd8-d6
1s gn.d1 ga8-d8
16 ile2-fl itd6-h6
17 g2-g3 ilb7-c8
Black has a clear plan: place the
18 �f3-e5 � c6xe5
queen on b7, a rook on b8 and put
19 ilc3xe5 ilc8-g4 pressure on the b2 pawn. Black's
20 Afl-e2 ith6-h5 b i s h o p h a s fo u n d c o n ve n i e n t
Black has no difficulties connected quarters on e 6 and i n some lines may
with the defense of the d5 and c5 move to f5 to help the major pieces
pawns. All the same, the most vul­ against the b2 pawn. White's plan to
nerable point in Black's position is attack the hanging pawns to force
the d5 pawn. Botvinnik got nothing, them forward and then deprive them
since he did not organize pressure on of their mobility does not succeed.
the d5 pawn.
1 e3-e4 d5-d4

2 �t3-d2

The central pawn configuration is to

Black's advantage. The pawns do not
restrict the activity of the b l ack
bishop, the important c4 square is
under his vigilance.

2 �b8-d7

3 f2-f4?
 Hanging Pawns - 149
1 d4-d5 e6xd5
2 e4-e5 itd6-e6

3 f7-f6!
Black immediately blocks the white
pawn on e4, where it will constantly
3 �t3-d4 'i!)'e6xe5
require protection. For some time
White will be occupied with the
4 � d4-f5
defense of his pawns. The g7 point is weak, but who could
4 Ae2-c4 �g8-h8 determine - at the board and before
making the sacrifice - whether the
5 !!fl-el !!a8-b8
compensation is enough for two
6 !!el-e2 'i!)'e7-d6 pawns? The most natural responses
7 !!e2-f2 � d7-b6 for Black are 4 ...-tlc4 and 4 ... .ll f6.
8 b2-b3 !!c8-c7 Both moves defend the black queen,
9 Ac4xe6 'i!)'d6xe6 the second strengthens the g7 point,
10 'i!)'c2-b2 !!b8-c8 but the first threatens to exchange a
11 !!cl-dl dangerous bishop.

Kasparov - Najdorf
B11goj110 1982

4 Ae7-f6
In case of 4 ... €lc4 the continuation
5.�fl , recommended by Kasparov as
White to move decisive ( 64, 14, 1982), is of no use in
The future world champion whips up view of 5 ... .ll d 6! 6.ftf4 �f6 7 ..ll d 4 .ll c5
a combinational storm: or 6.ftg3 €lxe3 7.:!��xe3 �f6 8J�ff3 ftd4
150 - Hanging Pawns

9.�h3 fth6. White also gains nothing

by 5.�g4 because of 5 ... 4Jxe3. White
must reconcile his attacking ambi­
tions with his chances in one of two
endings: a : 5.�h5 ftg6 6.Ad4 (not
dangerous for Black is 6 ..£ih6 + Ci\lh8
7 . �xe5 4Jxe5 8.Ad4 because o f
8. . .ftf6 9.ftf4 4Jc6) 6. . .�xd4 7.4Jxd4
ftgxh5 s.gxe7 4Jd6; or b: 5.Ad4 �xe2
6 ..£ixe7 + �xe7 7."/J.xe7 .£i a5, when
White has only partial compensation
for the material loss. It is true that
one of the pawns may be won back 5 !k8-e8?
( 5 .Ad4 �xe2 6."/J.xe2 Ac5 7.Axg7 The Argentine grandmaster tries to
"/J.fe8) but then Black's pieces come do everything at once - stop the white
to life. bishop on d4, protect the 8th rank,
a n d t h e k e e p f7 p o i n t s t r o n g .
Kasparov indicated t h a t 5 . . . �c3
So it may seem that 4 ...4Jc4, giving
Black a satisfactory game, is the best should have been played.
move. No, not quite so. The immedi­
ate 4 ... Ad6 is even stronger. White
6 Ae3-d2 tl'eSxal?
must reply with 5.ftg3, other attempts More stubborn i s 6. . .�b2, b u t Black
a re c l e a rly d i s a dv a n tageous : a : pursues his unhappy plan to the very
5.4Jxd6 �xd6 6.Ad4 4Jc6 7.Ab2 ftd4; end.
b: 5.�h5 ftg6 6.Ad4 �xd4 (but not 7 gelxal .Qf6xal
6 . . . �xe 1 + ?? 7."/J.xe 1 ftgxh5 8.4Jh6 8 �f5xg7 ,!alxg7
mate); c: 5.�g4 �xh2 + 6.Ci\lfl ftg6!, 9 Ad2-h6
and White does not have enough at­ Black resigned.
t a c k . Fo r e x a m p l e , 7 . ft g 3 ft d 4 !
8.4Jh6 + Ci\lh8 9.�xd4 + ftf6 10.�xd6?
Psakhis - Ostermeyer
�g2 + etc. After 5.ftg3 .£ic4 (Black Dortmund 1982
only equalizes with 5 ... ftd4 6.Axd4
�xe2 7.Axe2 Ac5 8.Axg7 "IJ.fe8) and
n o w : 6 . A d 4 � x e 2 7 . "/J. x e 2 A c 5
8..£i e7 + Ci\lh8, the white rook does
not reach e7; and the attempt to win
the exchange: 6.Af4 �xe2 7."/J.xe2
Axf4 8.4J e 7 + Ci\l h 8 9.4Jxc8 Ab8
10.Axc4 ftdxc4 1 1 .4Je7 ftg6 leads to
the isolation of the white knight. Naj­
dorf selected another good move:
4...Af6, but tied it with an incorrect
plan.
5 'i!}'e2-g4 White to move
 Hanging Pawns - 151

Do you notice a tiny difference? The tween the twins rears its head. In the
black pawn is on h6! Kasparov - Najdorf game White
1 d4-d5 ! e6xd5 could not give away the h2 pawn with
2 e4-e5 �d6-e6 the move �e2-g4. But here that very
move guarantees success: 5.�g4!
Not wishing to sacrifice a second � x h 2 + 6 . 'it> f l Ae5 ( o t h e r p o s­
pawn, Psakhis made an unfortunate sibilities are weaker: either 6 ...�e5
move: 7.Af4, or 6 . . . ftg6 7 .�xh 6 + 'it>h8
8.Ad4 + ftf6 9.�xg6 �hl + 10.'it>e2
gce8+ 1 1 .'it>f'3 with a win) 7.'it>e2! .
That i s the point! Because o f the
looseness engendered by Black's in­
nocent-looking h7-h6, White has an
extra attacking resource, along the
h-file. And how Black may save him­
self is not evident, for example: a:
7 . . . A x a l s . gx a l ft g 6 (8 . . . � e 5
9.�xh6 + 'it>h8 10.gh l �b2+ l l .'it>f'3
ft d 4 + 1 2 . <lt g 3 ) 9 . � e 7 + <lt h 7
1 0.�xg6; b : 7 . . . ftd4 s.gh 1 �xg2
3 1:fal-dl 9 . � xh 6 + 'it> h 8 1 0 . � f5 + 'it> g 8
l l .gh8 + <ltxh8 1 2. � e 7 m a t e ; c :
And with 3 ... �c4! Black took the ini­ 7 ...Aa6 8.Axa6 Axa l ( 8...gc2 + 9.'it>f'3
tiative. What would have happened Axa l 10.Ad3) 9.Axc8 etc.
had White played the same way as 3 � a5-c4!
K a s p a rov ( s e e p revious g a me ) :
3.�d4 �xe5 4.�f5? Because the h6 Kortchnoi - Karpov
square hosts a pawn, two of the Mera110 1981
a n a logous defe nses fa i l : 4 . . . �c4
5.�g4 �xe3 6.�xh6 + \t?h8 in view of
7 . � h 3 ; or 4 . . . A f6 , 5 . �g4 g fe8
6.�xh6 + \t?f8 7 .�f5 �xa 1 8.gxa 1
Axal 9.�b4 + 'it>g8 10.�e7 + gives
W h i te a d e c is iv e a d v a n t a g e .
Kasparov's similar recommendation
is also good: 6.Ad2 �xa l 7.gxa l
Axal 8.fth4 with the threat �f5xg7.
Black's best defense is 4... Ad6! Now
bad for White is 5.�h5 ftg6 6.�xh6 +
\t?g7, and on 5.ftg3 Black does not
play 5 ... �c4? because of 6.�g4 �xe3
Black to move
7.�xh6 + etc., but 5 ... ftd4! 6.Axd4
�xe2 7.gxe2 Ac5 8.Axg7 gfe8, so 1 �d8-b6
equalizing. What then, after 4 ...Ad6, 2 �c2-bl
does White end up in a blind alley? The desire to remove the queen from
No. Yet again the difference be- the c-file is natural. But 2.�b3 should
152 - Hanging Pawns
have been preferred, since place­ tently improves the arrangement of
ment on bl turns out to be pointless. his pieces, on the cusp of a decisive
2.�f5 ! ? deserves attention, with the attack spearheaded by ftd5-d4.
idea of 3.�e5. For example: 2 ... ;afd8 7 g7-g6
( 2 . . . � e 6 3 . A d 3 ; 2 . . . � x b 2 is 8 tl'c2-a4 a7-a6
dangerous, because of 3.gbl �xc3
4.gxb7) 3.�e5 4Jxe5 4.�xe5 �e6 9 Ae2-d3 <ai>g8-g7
5.�xe6 ftfxe6 6.ftf4 with a somewhat IO .id3-bl
better game for White. All to that same fatal square. Al­
The opening may be summed up: though White's position is not easy,
Black opposed White's inconsistent 10.�e2 should have been preferred.
p l ay wi th a p recise a n d l o g i c a l
development o f forces, and now his
position should be preferred. Black's
main task is to prepare the ftd5-d4
advance in favorable conditions.
2 !!f8-d8
3 !kl-c2 'iil' b 6-e6
4 Ah4-g3
The planned 4.gcd2 does not work in
view of 4 . . . 4J e4 ! 5.�xe4 ftdxe4
6.Axe7 ftexf3 7.Axd8 ftfxe2 8.gxd7
�g4. The move in the game leads to
the bishop's exchange, which further
IO tl'e6-b6!
boosts the dynamic potential of the
hanging pawns. 11 a2-a3?
Despite all his mistakes, White could
still hold on after l l .�e2. The move
in the game allows Black forcibly to
achieve a won position.

4 4Jf6-h5
5 !k2-d2 4Jh5xg3
6 h2xg3 4J d7-f6
7 tl'bl-c2
White regrets - or at least reverses - 11 d5-d4!
his earlier play, while Black consis- 12 4J c3-e2
 Hanging Pawns - 153

The best. White loses material with

12 ..ftexd4 in view of 12 ...Ac6! Then
n e i t h e r 1 3 . � c 2 A x f3 14 . .ft gx f3
(14..ftdxcS Axd l ) 14 ....ftcxd4 15.4Ja4
�b5, nor 13.�c4 bring salvation, on
account of 13 ...Axf.3 14..ftgxf.3 .ftcxd4
15.4J a4 �b5! , when, after 16.�bS
.ftaxb5 1 7.�b6 gc6 the knight is
trapped, and to 16.�e2 Karpov ap­
parently prepared a quiet move of
terrible strength: 16 ...ges. If 17 ..ftb3,
then 17 ...�xb3 18.�b2 Axa3.
12 d4xe3 16 �g7-g8!
D nxe3 ��4
One more excellent move, to which
Because of White 's pawn weak­ attention should be paid. After the
nesses, his position should be tempting 16 ... �hS unnecessary com­
ev a l u a ted a s lost. Ka rpov goes plications would ensue. For example:
straight for the goal, shrugging off 1 7.�hfS + .ftgxf5 18.�xfS + 'it>h7
the complications which come into ( 18. ..'it>f8 19.gxds + gxds 20.gxds +
view. A x d 8 2 1 . � b 4 + ) 1 9 . gxdS gxd8
20.gxdS Axd8 21 .�d7. Karpov's
14 .[) e2-d4 'lil'b6-c7
move is stronger than long forced
Not so clear is 14 ... �dS in view of variations. With one stroke, it dashes
1s.ge1 .ftc3 16..ftbxc3 �xc3 17.�b3. all of White's hopes.
And now 15.Axg6 is easily repelled 17 /i:} d4-t3 'l!l'e5xg3
with 15 ... 'it>xg6 16.�c2 + Ae4.
18 gd2xd8 + Ae7xd8
15 /i:}t3-h4
19 'l!l'a4-b4 Ab7-e4
20 Ablxe4 /i:}f6xe4
21 gdl-d4 .[) e4-n +
22 �hl-gl .[)a-d3
23 'lil'b4-b7 gc8-b8
24 'lil'b7-d7 Ad8-c7
25 �gl-hl gb8xb2

15 'i!l'c7-e5 ! 26 gd4xd3 c4xd3

16 �gl -hl 27 'lil'd7xd3

154 - Hanging Pawns

27 'li}'g3-d6! 3 e5-e6 !?
28 'li}'d3-e4 'li}'d6-dl + Very vigorous. After 3.fu:d5 �e6 (in­
29 �f3-gl 'li}'dl-d6 tending 4 ... ged8) 4.�e4 (with the
idea of 5 ..£ld4) 4...�c6 followed by
30 �h4-f3 gb2-b5 5 ...ged8 Black would have had no
White resigned. difficulties.
3 'li}'d7xe6
Vyzhmanavin - Legky Of course not 3 ... ftfxe6? because of
Tashkent 1987 4.Axg7! <llx.g7 5.�e5 with a winning
attack.
4 gd3-e3 'li}'e6-d7
5 �f3-e5
After s.ge1 .£lc6 6.�e5 �xe5 7.fu:e5
�f8 8.fta4 ftf6, White has exhausted
his attack.

White to move

White must no longer delay. All is

p r e p a red fo r the pawn
breakthrough!
1 e4-e5 Af6-e7
2 d4-d5! 5 'li}'d7-f5!
White gets straight to the meat of the The queen must guard the kingside!
issue. If 5 ...�a4?, then 6.�h5 ftg6 7.�xg6!
2 e6xd5 ftfxg6 8. �d5 + wins.
 Hanging Pawns - 155

6 g2-g4?! 8 .ri e5xt7!

Perhaps White is pushing the en­ The only chance to hold on to the
velope. Most restrained is 6.gf3 'M'c2 slipping initiative.
7.gd2 'M'e4 s.ge3 'M'b l + 9.gd t 'M'c2,
repeating moves. A middle path is 8 <alg8xt7?
6 ..£lg4, threatening .£ih6 + . Black in­ A c r i t i c a l m o m e n t . The k n i g h t
tended to reply 6 ... \17£8! ?, so that if sacrifice was a surprise to Legky, and
7.gf3, then 7...gc2!. he failed to re act correctly. As
6 �f5-c2 Vyz h m a n av i n s h owed a fter the
7 gdl-d2 game, Black should have declined
the sacrifice: 8 ... .£ic4! 9.gcz 'M'd7 ! ,
gaining the advantage.
9 �e2-f3 + Ae7-f6
9 ...\17g8? is unsatisfactory, in view of
10.'M'x:dS + \17h8 l l.'M'f7, and White
wins.
10 g4-g5 ge8xe3
11 t2xe3 .ri a5-c4
12 g5xf6
Or 12.gc2 'M'd7 13.ftgxf6 .£lxb2 with
equality.
7 �c2-c7! 12 .ri c4xd2
Creating his own threats, Black also 13 �t3xd5 + <alt7-g6
plays for a win. After 7 ... 'M'bl + 8.gdt
'M'c2 a draw looks likely. 14 �d5-g2 +
The other line also led to perpetual
check: 14.ftfxg7 'M'd8! 15.'M'e6 + "7h5
16.'M'f7 + \17h6 17.'M'e6 + .
14 <alg6-t7
15 �g2-d5 + <alt7-g6
Draw agreed.
156 - Hanging Pawns

Smyslov - Ernst
Subotica 1987

10 t2-f4

White to move

1 e4-e5! �f6-d5
2 Ac4xd5 e6xd5
3 gal-bl b7-b6

14 e5-e6! t7xe6
4 h2-h3 gas-cs
5 �f3-h2 Ad7-a4
6 gbl-cl Aa4-b5
7 �h2-g4 Ab5-c4
s gcl-c3 b6-b5
9 gcJ.g3
Black's position is strategically lost.
9 �gS-hS
 Hanging Pawns - 157

Or l ...li) a6, intending to transfer the

knight to e6.
2 tl'dl-b3 gf8-b8
Black does not want to gum up the
b-file, but 2. . .li)b6 may have been just
as good.
3 tl'b3-a3 tl'e7-e6
The unpleasant 4.li)d4 threatened.
4 gn-dl a7-a5
m •
.a �m "
m� •
m
15 4Jg4-e5 !
··-!. . '/4,. /,.·.-:-r�·
. ,

�1- -
�L�,;,
i.
� �'/4,
W,i• . - �--
Black resigned.
Y.a;.] •r.a;.]
t�i.•
• •
m ��W,i<. .. . . ,,
•
·
%""�·" --.�-.®"��®"�­.
Kortchnoi - Karpov ?'' �.x ?'�, /, 811 • -
·

Mera110 1981

�
ft �� • ��A��
� · /,�� i·
- -• · lil · /,
( v, �. �

5 4Jf3-el
Having mobilized his forces, White
shifts their attention to attacking the
c5 pawn. The threat of 6..£id3 seems
to force Black to play 6 ... ftc4, when
after 7.li)f3 White has a static ad­
vantage. Black decides to sharply in­
Black to move tensify the situation.
The problem of hanging pawns oc­
cupies an eminent place in modern
chess strategy. The plans of both
sides are well known. By putting
pressure on the central pair, White
strives to cause the advance of the c5
pawn, thus to guarantee himself the
d4 point. Black now counts on the
half-open b-file, along which he may
begin a queenside attack. However,
for the execution of this plan, Black's
fianchettoed bishop is not well posi­
tioned. The e6 square would have 5 a5-a4
been its ideal place. The introduction to a very interest­
1 4Jb8-d7 ing trap.
158 - Hanging Pawns
6 � el-d3 Kortchnoi again selects the most
quiet way, which, however, still
preserves his initiative.

6 d5-d4
Black opens the position, giving 7 ,!g2xb7 l!b8xb7
White many choices. If the pawn
8 e3xd4 c5xd4
sacrifice is accepted 7.Axb7 gxb7
8..£lxcS .£ixcS 9.gxcs ftdxe3 10.ftfxe3
9 !!dl-el
K arpov intended the wicked The pressure on the c- and e- files is
10. . .gb3 ! ! , leading to a forced win: unpleasant. Black must now defend
1 1 . ft axb3 'txe3 + 1 2. '1tg2 'le2 + carefully.
13.<3lh3 'lxd l 14.ftbxa4 gxa4, and, 9 'fi}'e6-d5
despite all that has happened, mate The queen is most actively posi­
threatens at fl. tioned on dS. Besides, it protects the
7.fte4 looks formidable. But then b7 rook, rendering harmless the in­
B l ac k o nce a ga i n preserves the vasion of the seventh rank.
balance in a tactical way: 7... gd8! 10 !!cl-c2
8.gxcs (8.�xcS �xcS 9.gxcs Axe4!
10.ge1 ftd3 leads to an advantage for
Black) 8 ...�xcS 9.�xcS 'lb6 10.�xb7
'lxb7 1 1 .fteS 'lb8 12.Axa8 'lxa8, and
the passed pawn on the d-file, along
with the active queen on the long
diagonal, fully compensate for the
minimal pawn deficit.
Perhaps the most difficult taxing
reply was 7.�f4 'lb6 8.ftexd4 (weaker
is 8.�dS AxdS 9.AxdS gas 10.ftexd4
'lxb2). Then dangerous is 8 ... ftcxd4
9 . .£idS AxdS 10.AxdS gas 1 i .gc6 10 � d7-f8
'lxb2 12.gcs + �h7 13.'ld3 + ftg6 The knight strives for e6. Another
14.gxb8 'lxb8 1S.'lxd4. But giving o p ti o n w a s k i n g s i d e p l a y , w i t h
back a pawn: 8 ... Axg2 9.ftdxcS .!l)xcS, 10... .!l)f6. The combination 10 ...gb3,
B l a c k gets d efi nite counterp l ay. unfortunately, fails both to the Jong
 Hanging Pawns - 159

variation 1 1 .ftaxb3 ftaxb3 12 . .£)b4

gxa3 13 ..£)xd5 ftbxc2 14.ftbxa3 ftd3
15.�b4 ftd2 16.�xc2, and to the im­
mediate 1 1.ftaxb3 ftaxb3 12.gcs.
11 � d3-f4 tl'd5-a5
More precise is 1 1 ...�bS.

12 Ik2-e2 tl'a5-b5
13 tl'a3-f3 1!a8-b8

13 ...gd8!?.

Smyslov - Portisch
Ti/burg 1984

1 d2-d4 d7-d5
2 c2-c4 e7-e6
3 �bl-c3 ,!f8-e7
4 �gl-f3
Also good is 4.ftcxdS ftexdS 5.Af4 ftc6
14 h2-h4 6.fte3, avoiding the typical orthodox
defense variations.
1 4.ge7 �fS ! ( 1 4 . . . �xb2 1 5 . .£) d 5 ; 4 �g8-f6
14. . .gxe7 1S.gxe7 �xb2? 16.�dS). 5 ,!cl-g5 0-0
Wi t h h i s l a s t m o v e , W h i te 6 I!al-cl h7-h6
strengthened the position of the 7 ,!g5-h4 b7-b6
knight on f4. The Tartakower Defence, a popular
development plan. Karpov had intro­
14 tl'b5-f5 duced 7 ... ftdxc4 in the 9th match
game against Kortchnoi (Merana,
15 1!e2-e5 tl'f5-f6 1981), and had the same medicine
served back to him by Kasparov
16 tl'f3-d5 (Moscow m-23, 1984). Both times
Black got a satisfactory game.
16.�a3 ( with the idea ge8) 16...�c6! 8 c4xd5 �f6xd5
( 16... gxb2 17.ge8 g8b4 18.gc8! ftgS
19.gee8).
9 � c3xd5 e6xd5
10 ,!h4xe7 tl'd8xe7
16 11 g2-g3 !
1 60 - Hanging Pawns

A good positional idea. The bishop at

g2 puts pressure on Black's pawn
center. l l .*c2 is not dangerous be­
cause a fter 1 1 . . .� a6 12.fte3 ftc5,
Black has good counterplay.

11 gf8-e8
12 Afl-g2 Ac8-a6
For many years this position was the
topic of lively theoretical discussion.
After the usual 13.�e5 �d7 and then
14.fuc7 gac8! 15.gxc8 (if 15.fud7, 14 iil'dl-a4!
then 15 ...*b4 + 16.)t>fl and 16 ... *xd4
With this queen maneuver, White
17.�d3 fue2 with a dangerous at­ makes his intentions clear. Now the
t a c k ) 1 5 . . . gxc8 n o t p o s s i b l e i s
black knight is tied to the protection
1 6 . � x d 7 b e c a u s e of 1 6 . . . * b 4 + of its bishop, and White can develop
17.)t>fl *xb2 with the threat 18...gcl .
his pieces without hindrance.
The continuation 14.ftf4 also hardly
promises more because of 14 ... �xe5 14
1 5.ftdxe5 .ll b 7 16.0-0 ftc6 1 7.fte4 If 14...ftb5, then 15.*a5. On 14...gd8
ftdxe4 18 ..llxe4 ftc5 with counterplay. follows 15.�e5 ftb5 16.*dl .
15 �f3-e5 iil'e7-e6

13 e2-e3 !
16 gcl-c3 !
A paradoxical but strong continua­ O n 1 6 . . . ft c x d 4 1 7 . * x d 4 gx c 3 ,
tion. At first glance the idea seems 18.ftbxc3 gives White a positional ad­
extre mely risky: Wh ite's king is vantage.
waylaid in the center. However it
soon turns out that White creates O r 16 . . . ft b 5 1 7 . * a 5 ft cx d 4
powerful pressure on the queenside. 18.fuc8 + *xc8 19.0-0 �c6 20..£ixc6
*xc6 21 .ftexd4 with a positional ad­
13 c7-c5 vantage for White.
 Hanging Pawns - 161

22 b2-b4 !
17 h2-h4!
A positional measure that required
White plays the game over the entire precise calculation. If 22 ... lt)e6, then
board. He wants to tie down Black's 23 .ftbxcS ft b x c 5 24 . ft d x c S lt)xc5
kingside with fth4-h5 and bring the 25.fuc5 'i!i'xe5 26.gc7 gac8 27.'i!i'aS
rook into the battle via ghl -h4-f4. gxc7 28.'i!i'xc7 f!xc7 29.gxc7 gb8
30.fta4 with a noticeable advantage in
17 'l!l'e6-d6 the endgame.
White indended to sacrifice his
18 a2-a3 queen after 22...ftbSx 23.fucS! ftbxa4
24.gxc7 f!e6 25.fub7 gac8 26.gcs
White methodically strengthens his with intense pressure. For example:
position. He is ready to answer 26 ...gxcS 27.ftbxcS ftf6 28.lt)g6, or
18...ftbS with 19:lh5. On occasion, he 26...ftaS 27.lt)xf7 fuc5 28.ftbxcS gd7
may wish to break with ftb2-b4. 29.fud7 fJxd7 30.ll)eS f!e6 3 1.{)d3
with the threat of lt)f4.
18 'lil'd6-e7
22 c5-c4

.1 m ?,� -�-
19 h4-h5 Aa6-b7
;��%J..
!P.j" •i?l,,
,J- - - ;�uj,
,�
- - � •�- -% •
Black admits that he cannot tarry
longer with his development, as the " -"�f y,mr· -7-·'- · "�
i.&:� �"al�
f� Wld & ... ;��
i.&:�

attack with ghl -h4-f4 is dangerous.

J��" - �"m
m T�
·�--� ;-
•m"
·­
if
jtr�,,( t�r��--� •� •
The psychological duel has ended,
and to White's advantage. Now he
-�

·•·�lf:J,-·-•t�;,�.·
��},.��"• 7,
can castle.
7, ��. },� ''/t��
20 0-0 .£ib8-a6 },

If 20... ftaS, then 21.'i!i'b3 'i!i'd6 22.'i!i'c2, ( y, " �

strengthening the pressure on the c­

file and eyeing a queen sally to f5.
23 gc3xc4 !
This winning combination also re­
21 gn-cl .£i a6-c7 quired precise calculation .
1 62 - Hanging Pawns
23 d5xc4 19 � e2-f4 gas-cs
24 Ag2xb7 �faS-bS
20 d4xc5 � e6xf4 +
25 � e5-c6 'f!l'e7-eS
I f 25 . . . 'M' d 7 , t h e n 26.'M'xa7 .£i b 5 21 g3xf4 gcsxcS
27. .£ixb8.
26 'f!l'a4xa7 b6-b5 22 gclxcS b6xc5
27 � c6xbS gdSxbS
2S .Q.b7-c6
Black resigned. To 28. . .'M'd8 follows
29.fta4.
Pinter - Holak
Zagreb 1987

1 d2-d4 �gS-f6
2 c2-c4 e7-e6
3 �gl-f3 b7-b6
4 g2-g3 AcS-a6
5 b2-b3 .Q.f8-b4 +
6 .Q.cl-d2 Ab4-e7
0-0
23 'f!l'dl-d3 'f!l'd7-e6
7 �bl-c3
S e2-e4 d7-d5 24 gb1-c1 grs-ds
9 c4xd5 Aa6xfi
10 c&>elxfi e6xd5
11 e4-e5 �f6-e4
12 c&>fi-g2 t7-f5
13 gal-cl 'f!l'dS-d7
14 � c3-e2 c7-c5
15
16-,,
h2-h4
Ad2-e3 ·"�bS-c6
� c6-dS

.a
�•m ' "�y,�f'""' �m•m
y,�··�m
,,

· •-"'-· ·
i� • "i'w
�
·.i . . . i��:t
..

�� . . - . ¥·
•� - "a�,'{j})'lm•
¥ J 25 b3-b4 c5xb4

� �
ra �
26 �f3-d4 'f!l'e6-b6
m�B1 �� •.a ..: .. ;� ���;,� 27 gcl-c6 'f!l'b6-a5

£•r
• ·���1•
· '- {.§· �;�� -�
2S � d4-e6 gdS-d7

,, 1187
29 gc6-cS + c&>g8 -f7
,ie3-g5 ,ie7xg5
h4xg5 .[) d8-e6 30 � e6-d4 gd7-c7
 Hanging Pawns - 163

3 g7-g5?!
31 �d3-b5 An interesting continuation, how­
Black resigned. ever the following seems more logi­
cal: 3 ...,1xd3 4.'l!txd3 ftc4 5.�e2 with a
small advantage for White.

Karpov - Yusupov
Rotterdam 1989

4 gcl-c3 !
With the unpleasant threat o f 5.ftb4.
4 d5-d4
5 e3xd4 c5xd4
6 gc3-c8 + �g8-g7
White to move

1 �c3-d2 Ag6-e4
2 �f3-e5 gb6-e6
Another posibility was 2 ... ftc4 3.ftf3
Af5 4.fte4! .
3 � e5-d3
164 - Hanging Pawns
Ko:fol - Lalic
Yugoslavia 1989

7 4J d3-f4!
A combination which leads to a won
endgame. Black to move

7 g5xf4
1 4J c6-a5
8 itd2xd4 + gb5-e5 2 4Jt3-e5 Af6xe5
9 gelxe4 ita3-d6 3 d4xe5
10 itd4-al �g7-h7
11 ge4xe5 ge6xe5
12 h2-h3 f4-t3
13 ital-bl + �h7-g7

3 itd8-h4?!
Too vigorous and too risky. Better
was 3 ... �c7, attacking the weak c4
pawn.
4 f2-f4 4J a5-b3
14 gc8-c4! itd6-e6 5 Ad3-c2
5.ftf5 was premature because of
15 gc4-g4 + �g7-f8 5 ....£id4.
16 i!l'bl-d3 5 4Jb3-c5
And Karpov won in a few moves. 6 f4-f5
 Hanging Pawns - 165

T h e o n ly c h a n c e w a s 8 . '* x c 4
. .

9.Axh7 + ! � f8 ! 10.'*h5 gxd 1 1 t .gxd 1

'*e2 12.�e2 Axe2 13.E!d2 +/= .
9 gdlxd8 + gcsxd8
10 gn-d1 gds-d7

'P.J"'/1,·�·- � ·i�
i�P.J. �-
.ii� • t
.E ·� �t�.
�i�-
��;,••�
�
m•m " f, �
" . /,m�r�7, �m
a a · /,a
m a
'rl.!$4-·�.� ·� •'rf6'7�
?: . . . .

6 grs-ds
Better was 6...ftexf5 ! 7.gxf5 ftg6 with . . /.g�
��
7, . . f
�m•
- i
�
-�m�� 7, . . /.���
the subsequent 8...�e6 blockade.
�
� , , , ;·
- -
.· Ji�
- ��7,
� �� /,
11 �e2-f3 ! g7xf6
12 �f3-a8 +
Black resigned.

Visier - Andersson
Las Pa/mas 1975

7 f5-f6! Ab7-a6
8 g2-g3 !

Black to move
1 � d7xe5!
This change of pawn structure plays
into Black's hands, since White has
no knight to occupy the d6 square.
Moreover, the move was also neces­
sary, else White would have gained a
strong position with ftf2-f4.
8 �h4-h3? 2 d4xe5
166 - Hanging Pawns

2 ii}'c7-c6! 9 gd7xd3 !
10 gg3 xd3 ii}'c5xc4
3 t2-f4 �f6-d7
11 gn.d1 .1b7-a6
4 gn.tJ ? ! 12 t5xe6 ii}'c4xe6
4.ftf5 is better, but even s o after 13 gd3xd8 .1a6xe2
4 ... ftexf5 and 5 ... gae8 Black gets 14 gdl-d2
good counterplay.

14 ii}'e6-t5!
4 ii}'c6-c5 + ! 15 h2-h3
5 go.eJ grs-ds
6 ctl>gl-hl � d7-f8
7 geJ.g3 gd8-d7
8 ga1-n
Or 8.'tg4 ftg6 9.ftf5 gxd3! 10.gxd3
ftexf5 and 1 1 ...�e6 with excellent
compensation for the exchange.
8 ga8-d8
9 f4-t5
 Hanging Pawns - 167

15 �g8-h7! 8 gdl-cl tl'c7-f7

White resigned.
9 Abl-d3 gc8-c5
Gligoric - Furman
Portorou 1975 Black's play is more real.

Black to move
1 ... �k8-d8! 10 4J e3-fl? !
The rook has no future on c8, since Better was 10.ftf3.
the c4 pawn is well protected, and the
other rook on e8 prevents ftd4-d5. 10
2 tl'd2-b2 f7-f6
11 f2-f4
Possible was 2.. fth5 first. .

3 4J e5-g4 �g8-g7
4 d4-d5 e6-e5
The structure is changed. Black con­
trols the d6 blockade square, but has
problems on the kingside.

m Jm:s. m m
i�A�Sj m m
• � �"f:ifj_ t
r::I ""'� II!. -�_,.,.,,
ia
- · -�ff . 'E: � t lm
ia,,� · "•
• m m�m
m
..

T
m · �m
lmiam
ft ••" ·,"1·,��
m
m m
r� m mW&m�&- 11 e5-e4 !
�� -
. /, �
� �� E. !i'L�
a
•
�.,,,'*
..

6
_ _ _

•
m
-
,;�
.L �- • ���t
• � ?� /,%� /,
'· 12 Ad3xe4 4J d6xe4

�
� � 13 gelxe4 Ab7xd5
5 tl'b2-d2 h7-h5 14 ge4-d4 Ad5-e6
6 4Jg4-e3 4Jf5-d6
7 .ll a2-bl gd8-c8 15 4Jfl-e3 b6-b5
168 - Hanging Pawns
Larsen - Najdorf
Palma de Ma/lorca 1969

16 f4-f5!

The only chance to create threats, White to move

even at the cost of a pawn. 1 h2-h3 !
A useful move, restricting the black
16 g6xf5 queen. One poisonous idea is:
l ...ged8 2.ftd5 ftexd5 3.ftcxd5 � e7
17 !kl-c3 b5xc4
4.it/fl ! ! with the strong threat of
18 .€) e3- fi 'f!i'f7-e8 5.ftg4.
1 gaS-dS
19 .€)fi-g3 4e6-f7 2 d4-d5 e6xd5
3 gelxe8 + gdsxe8
4
20 gc3-e3 c4-c3 c4xd5 .€) c6-e5
21 ge3xe8 c3xd2 5 .€)t3xe5 'f!i'hSxeS
6 d5-d6 ge8-d8

•
}1, , 1"!P.j"i�'�··���· ·�'•�W'f.
�m m•m
:t .
�� :t •
�
m
m
.<. 7..7, /,� · ·-
••••• ••••
. .

¥ir ·- *- - ft
L� •· �'m·
-· ·�� r-
-�
•• r� � -� � �; •
L J

Y,
.. •
�

7 4c2-b3 !
22 .€)g3xf5 +
A weakness on f7!
White has equalized, and the game 7 b6-b5
was later drawn. 8 f2-f4! 'f!i'e5-c5 +
 Hanging Pawns - 169

xmx•
m m•�
� ·mi
� �m
9 .£lcl-e3 i!l'c5-c6
10 ,£lb3-d5
fmtL3af�a
m·�··
-
With a won position for White.

iv iv · - -­
t•
�.,ef' ···'-� ··�
•
��
'-· - .?._ �� -·
Ftacnik - Lautier
Gro11i11ge11 1988

�'� - '-
-
� -'?. · '�··�­
·��g�i��hJ���
?, ,, . ,

,..��-!�
.

•• -
8 ��1• � L.J

6 .£l d3-b2!
Preventing fta5-a4.
6 .£l d7-f6
7 e2-e3 i!l'e7-c7
8 .£lb2-a4! .£lb6xa4
9 i!l'a3xa4 �k8-d8
Black to move
10 .£lf4-d3
1 .£lf8-d7? Interesting was 10.:acz followed by
1 1 .;adcl .
10 .£lf6-d7
11 i!l'a4-f4! i!l'c7-b6
If l t . ..:aac8, then 12. 'M'xc7 :axc7
14.€)f4 +-.

3 .£lt3-el !
White attacks both black pawns.
3 .£l d7-b6
4 b2-b3 a7-a5
5 .£l el-d3 .£lf6-d7
1 70 - Hanging Pawns

Mikhalchishin
lvanchuk
Lvov 1987

14 h2-h4 Ab7-a8
15 �gl-h2!
White to move
With the threat of 16.Ah3.
1 l!fl-el?!
15 c5-c4 A premature move. The e4 knight
would have had to leave sooner or
Or 15 ...ftf5 16.Afl ! with the idea of later. The correct plan was 1 .fta5!
17.Ab5. ftbxa5 2.ga1 fta4 3.�c2 with a great
16 b3xc4 l:k8xc4 advantage.
1 ... � e4-g5
17 l!clxc4 d5xc4 2 Ah4xg5 h6xg5

ft0 m
W'x
• m� • .m �
m%x wa�
- �-­
• "%
fmA m� m t �
.

. �·-� �. �
� -"�
ji�--,·�--�·
•.li111
...

rr.!.
• ·
· -?, }, • •
·�.� -�.�
- A��l����
TY �� .8. ��
-
-
·
� %R� %Rt ;,� ;,
f�;, f�;,
.

��
3 d4-d5!?
18 � a4-c5! i!l'e6-e8 Logical but very risky. Better was
19 l!dlxd7 l!d8xd7 3.fth3 .£if6 4.fta5! ftbxa5 5.:B a l or
5.�fl with a clear advantage.
20 � c5xd7 Aa8xg2 3 - e6xd5
4 i!l'e2xe8 + l!a8xe8
21 �h2xg2
5 l!elxe8 + � d7-f8
And White has a won position. 6 l!e8-e7 Ab7-c8
 Hanging Pawns - 1 71

7 ge7xt7! 13 ... ,!h5-g6!

White initiates exceptionally intense 14 .!d3xg6 tt'c3-e3 +
tactics. Now the position is totally un­ 15 �gl-fl tt'e3xf4
clear. 16 ,!g6-t7 + �g8-h8
17 gdlxd5 tl'f4xc4 +
18 �fl-f2 tt'c4-h4 +
19 �f2-e2 g7-g6
20 a4-a5 b6-b5
Draw.
Spraggett - Yusupov
Quebec 1989

7 tt'c6-c5!
With the idea of 8.l!a7 ftb5! - + .
8 �f3xg5 tt'c5-a3
Not 8... ftdxc4 9.Axc4 �e6 10.�xe6
Axe6 1 U!c7! + -.
9 gcl-dl .!c8-g4
10 f2-f3 'f!l'a3-b3 White to move
11 gdl-d2 ,!g4-h5 1 gcl-c2?!
12 g 17 r4
.
White is too sluggish. He needed to
play more vigorously: l .�b5 �b8
Dangerous was 12.gc7 �c3 13.gdl 2.ftd5 ! ftexd5 3.Ae5 ftdxc4 4.gxc4
�e5. Ad5! unclear.
12 tl'b3-c3 1 ... tt'c7-b8
13 gd2-dl 2 �f3-e5 tt'b8-a8
 10 a4xb5 a6xb5
11 c4-c5
Or l l.ftcxb5 Ad5 - + .
11 � d6-c4
12 1k2-a2 'li)'a8xa2!
13 'li)'b3xa2 � c4xe3
Black is winning.
Nikolic P. - Chandler
Naestved 1985

4 g3-g4?!
White prevents 4Jd6-f5, but better
was 4.Ah3.
4 �f6-d7!
5 � e5-d3
Or 5.ftf4 Axg2 6.fug2 'M'e4 -/ + .
5 a7-a6
Black weakens the b6 pawn, but the
threat 6.4Jb5 was very unpleasant. White to move
6 h2-h3 lk8-c7 1 Ag5xf6 Ae7xf6
More precise is 6 ... Af6. 2 � c3xd5
7 Ah2-cl Ae7-f6
8 Acl-e3 h7-h6
9 � a3-bl?
It would have been better to improve
the position of the other knight by
9.4Jcl and 10.4Je2.

2 Af6xb2!
3 � c4xb2
Another continua tion was 3 .gb t
Ad4 4.fte3 Axd5 5.fub8 'M'xb8 6.Axd5
+/=.
3 ... Ah7xd5
9 b6-b5 4 'li)'dlxd5 'li)'d8xd5
 Hanging Pawns - 1 73

5 Ag2xd5 gbsxb2
6 e2-e4
White has a strong bishop on d5 and
a mobile pawn structure. Black's c5
pawn is weak.

6 ges-cs
7 !!cl-c3 �g6-e5
8 !!fl-cl?!
16 !!a5-a4?
An irresolute move. Better was 8.ftf4.
Better was 16 ...€)xc4 l 7.gxc4 gxa3
Now Black creates counterplay.
18.�g4 +/=.
17 .Qc4-b5 � e5-g6 +
18 �f4-e3 !!a4-a5
19 .Qb5-d7 !!c8-b8
20 .Qd7xg4
With a won position for White.

Schmidt - Bensch
Dresden 1985

8 g7-g5 !
9 h2-h3 h7-h5
10 �gl-fl g5-g4
11 h3xg4 h5xg4
12 !!cl-c2 !!b2-b5 Black to move

In retrospect, he had to trade rooks. 1 .Qf6xc3 !

1 . . .ft d4 2.€) a 4 �c6 3 .,!l.xd7 gxd7
13 �fl-e2 �g8-g7 4.€)xc5 ftd3 5.�a4! �xa4 6.€)xa4 Axf3
7.ftgxf3 ftd2 s.gb t ! gcs 9.gfd l gc2
14 Ad5-c4 !!b5-a5 10.�fl +/=.
2 'til'c2xc3 � d7-f6
15 �e2-e3 �g7-f6
3 b2-b4 c5xb4
16 <ale3-f4 4 a3xb4 !!e7-c7 =
1 74 - Hanging Pawns
Sher - Magerramov 6 At3xg4 h5xg4
Helsinki 1992 7 h2-h4

Black to move 7 •.• d4-d3 !

1 h7-h5! 8 <81gl-g2 '{td6-d4
An interesting idea: Black refuses to 9 'ftdl-el
castle and tries to create threats on
the kingside.
2 e3-e4
A logical reaction: counterattack in
the center. After 2.fth3 Black would
have also continued with 3 ...�g4!.
2 4Jf6-g4
3 g2-g3 d5-d4
4 4J c3-e2 4Jg4-e5
5 4J e2-f4
If 5.Ag2, then 5 ...ftd3.
9 g7-g5 !
White resigned.

s Ac8-g4!
Now Black occupies the important t3
square.
 Hanging Pawns - 1 75

Smyslov - Matanovic
Hamburg 1965

5 a5-a6 !
A timely pawn sacrifice, disorganiz­
ing the defense. Black had intended
Black to move
with fta7-a6 to limit White's play on
the flank.
5 ,!b7xa6
6 .!c3-a5 !!d8-d7
1 �f6-e8? If 6 ...ftbxc4, then 7.Axd8 fud8 8.fub8
gxb8 9 . g x a 6 ft c 3 1 0 . � b 3 gxb3
Black selects the erroneous plan of l l .fud6 �£8 12.gc6 fta5 13.gc4 �e7
attacking c4. The correct attack is on
14.Ad3, winning.
7
the d4 pawn by 1 ....£lb8! 2.fta4 �c6, at
the same time slowing down White's
c4xb5 .!a6-b7
play. 8 � d2-b3 ,!b7-e4
9 !!bl-cl !!c8xcl
10 !!alxcl .!e4-d5
11 �b3-c5

2 a2-a4 ! � d7-b8
3 a4-a5 b6-b5
Not 3 ... ftbxa5 4.�b3 ! . Best is 3 ... Ac6.
� e8-d6
 21 gc7-c8 gd8-f8
22 4J d3-c5 4J c6-e7
And Black resigned.

Beliavsky - Benjamin
Munich 1994

White to move

1 'ltc3-e5
White couldn't play 1 .gfdl, because
after 1...ftd4 Black has a comfortable
position.
1 gc8-e8
2 'lteS-hS

15 4Jb4-d3 ! 4Jd6-c4
16 2:k7xb7 4J c4xa5
17 gb7xa7 4J a5-b3
18 b5-b6 4Jb3xd4
B l ack has restored the material
balance, but the strong b6 pawn
helps White avoid the draw.
19 ga7-c7 gc8-d8
20 b6-b7 4J d4-c6
If 20 ... 4:)b5, then 21 .�c8 ms 22.4:)c5
4:)d6 23.�xf8 + <if/xf8 24.4:) a6, winning
a piece.
 Hanging Pawns - 1 77

The queen m u s t h e l p to attack 12 �f4-e2!

Black's pawns.
4 ges-es The best position for the knight is on
5 tl'f5-c2 gd8-c8 c3 where it blocks the c4 pawn, at­
tacks d5 and helps the b4 pawn.
After 5 ...ftd4 6.ftb4! Black lands in a
lot of trouble. 12 gcs-as
6 tl'c2-a4
Tempting, b u t not the best way. 13 � e2-c3 gas-a3
Preferable was 6.'M'd2 ftd4 7.ftb4! +/-
14 tl'dl-cl tl'b6-a6
6 tl'd6-b6 15 h2-h4 tl'a6-a8
7 b2-b4 c5-c4
8 gd l-d4 Ab7-c6 16 tl'cl-d2 tl'a8-a6
9 tl'a4-dl
17 tl'd2-c2 tl'a6-a8
18 gbl-dl ga3-al
19 gdlxal
Better was 19.'M'b2.

19 tl'a8xal +
20 �gl-h2 tl'al-a3
21 b4-b5 tl'a3-b4

9 a7-a5 ! 22 tl'c2-d2

22 g7-g6?
U n n e c e s s a r i ly we a k e n i n g t h e
kingside. Better was 21...�e8 +/=.
1 78 - Hanging Pawns

� � ,, --® -
1 �- - -
� � �g7-h6
-
-
�
35 ite3-d4 +

m.tm
•
��-
m
m
� ...
· ·m
���
·
�m
m
•
�% �f""� ­
-
%!�� .S m_:t ��
� ft m_i,j12<% �
-
� -¥
�"'� � ��;� �; � �
; - - �' :t ���
�,, E_ J
-
�
1
��� ,,
-
�
-�-
!. , , , V, ,,
� �. . . . . . /,

i1'�

-.-�-��,l!m
.. �� ,,, , % "�

- -
%! ij,, -

23 e3-e4! d5xe4
24 gd4-d7 ge5-e7
25 gd7-d8 + �gS-g7 36 b5-b6!
26 itd2-d4 + f7-f6 Black resigned.
-

-
-
- ��f'"'�-�- %
· ·
-
�·, . v,�� r�
. _-

� ..a.� Polugaevsky Gheorghiu

%!- -- . ��, ... f.M Skopje 1969
'-

-
�� im _ .,, , m� mw�
��- ,k��' ...... �M
�

�Amm ... m
.
� �Li1'�.
m
... � . . /,
mf,, . E_ •)I'{."�-
. ·�
Im!. • . . ri.� l!m
llfm -- fm fm I
27 � c3-d5!
The exchange of a strong knight for
b a d b i s h o p seems · 11ogical, b u t
despite the extra pawnI Black's posi­
tion is helpless.
27 ... Ab7xd5 White to move
28 itd4xd5 ge7-f7
29 '{td5-a8 h6-h5
1 �t3-e5!
Or 29.. .ftfS 30.!!g8 + <alf6 3 1 .*c6 +
<a;e5 32.!!d8 + -.
30 gdS-gS + �g7-h6 . ·
�
Now White threatens t strengthen
his position m the ce n te with ftf2-f4,
.
so Black exch a nges dark square
31 ita8xe4 f6-f5
gn -g7
bishops.
32 ite4-e6
33 !!g8-h8 + gg7-h7 1 Af6-g7
34 ite6-e3 + �h6-g7 2 Ah6xg7 �g8xg7
 Hanging Pawns - 1 79

Gavrikov Levitt
Augsburg 1993

White to move

Black has weakened the e5 square.

How may that be exploited?
1 Ae3-cl !
The answer is simple: Whi te need
_
only exchange dark square bishops.
1 Ac8-d7
2 Acl-a3 Ad6xa3
3 'i!tb3xa3 b7-b5
4 4Jt3-e5 l!f8-e8
5 4J e5xd7 'i!tc7xd7

x m m"x m�,,�­
4 4Jt3-d2!
� m'i' m,, , ��l
,, ,/,·
�" mm
• t � ��
The idea is to play 5.€ld2-e4 and ftc3-

t m,�,
c4-c5, trying to exploit the weak f6 or
m"• . , m"».tY,�
••',•,,/,
"'•·�--rl¥�t::· - �
d6 squares.
4 e6-eS?
-
� � �¥��
m1-
� •w��
� ,, �
5 4J d2-c4 'i!ta5 -c7
6 d4xe5 Ad7-g4
.
�"-
� �- �
�r:m;,.
W(0
�
�
-
, - •,,,>§,,,,,,ia,{"' /,,�
?�
,,,f�
.8.
. , , ,� .m
�
m .8.
After 6 .. r.. e5 White does not wm
. OLJX gxes
with 7 ..£ixe5 ' ""' d7? because
8.wx ·

of 8. .. :ge t + ! + but rather with

- ,
·
��� � '� �,;, � ·""
� /,;'./,;
"'

7.�d4! ftf6 8..£ixe5 + -. 6 't!ta3-b3 'i!td7-d5

7 l!dl-e l l!c8-d8 7 .Qd3xb5 l!e8-c8
8 'i!t d3-g3 .Qg4-e6 8 't!tb3xd5 e6xd5
9 4J c4-d6 9 l!al-cl
And White soon won. And White is a pawn up.
180 - Hanging Pawns
Dokhoian - Romanishin
Lvov 1990

5 .!b7-a6 !?
5 ...�xe4 6.,txe4 .txe4 7.*xe4 mes
8.:§.e3! *f6 9.:§.cl +/-.
White to move
6 � e4-g5 !
6.�xf6+ *xf6 7 ..£le4 *f5, with the
idea 8 ... �f.3 + unclear.
Find the best plan for White.
6 .!a6-d3
1 gn-el! �b8-d7 7 'tc2-b2 �f6-g4
1 ...�c6 2.:§.cl +/-. 8 tl-f4 c5-c4

2 e2-e4! 9 �c3-a4!?
d5xe4
9.ftb4 fta5! .
2 ... ftd4 3.fte5 + -.
9 a7-a5
3 � a4-c3 � d7-e5
10 gelxeS �g4xe5
4 � d2xe4 ga8-d8 11 'lil'b2xe5 'lil'e7-b4
5 'lil'dl-c2 12 'lil'e5-c3 + !-
 7 e3-e4! g7-g5

7 ... ftd4 8.liJdS .£)b dS 9.ftexdS .£)xd5

White to move
10.Axe7 4Jxe7 1 1 .,ae4� +/-.
8 e4xd5 �f6xd5

l!f8-d8 9 � c3xd5 �b6xd5

10 Ah4- g3 Aa6-b7

11 Af5-d7

1 1 .>l e5 1lb6 12.>l c4 + /·.

:
-
i!)c2-a4 ! {\ d7-b6
11
i!l'a4xa6 Ab7xa6
12 �d3xc5 Ae7xc5
5 �f3-eS l!d8-d6
6 � e5-d3
182 - Hanging Pawns

14 h2-h4! 4J d5-f4 5 gelxe2

1 4 . . . .£i f6 1 5 .fthxg5 .£ixd7 16.gxd7 Wrong was 5.�e2 ftd4 6.�b2 ftcxb4
fthxg5 17.fug5 + +-. 7 . ft axb4 ftdxe 3 ! 8 . �xe5 ftexf2 +
15 h4xg5 4Jf4-e2 + 9.)f{xf2 fucl 10.fucl �d2 + - + .
16 �gl-h2 4J e2xg3 5 c5xb4
17 �h2xg3 +- 6 a3xb4 gc7xcl
7 itdlxcl itd8-b6
Kortchnoi - Spassky
Kiev 1968 8 itcl-b2

Black to move 8 d5-d4!

1 Ad6-e5! With this temporary pawn sacrifice
Black converts into a drawn ending.
After l ...fth4 2.4Je2 White just brings
his knight to a more active position 9 itb2xd4 itb6xd4
on c3 or f4. 10 e3xd4 geS-bS
2 Ab2xe5 11 �gl-0
A good option was 2.�d2. Or l l.gb2 fta5! -/+ .
2 ge6xe5 11 gbSxb4
3 b3-b4 h5-h4 12 ge2-d2 a7-a5
Or 3 .. ftd4 4.fta4 Aa6 5.ftb5 +/=.
. 13 �fl-e2 4Jf6-e8
4 4Jg3-e2 Ab5xe2 ! 14 At3-c6 4J e8-d6
 Hanging Pawns - 183

15 d4-d5 �g8-f8 5 �b3-d4 Ab7-c8

16 �e2-d3 gb4-b3 + 6 � d4-f3
17 �d3-c2 gb3-a3 Very good was 6 ..£)c3, but White tries
18 �c2-dl a5-a4 to attack the d5 pawn directly.
19 gd2-d4 6 ... Ac8-g4
Draw. 7 gdl-d4 ga8-b8
8 b2-b3 Af8-a3
Gipslis - Andric
Belgrade 1968 9 gcl-dl

Preparing 12 .£)d4 or 12 .£ic3.

. .

11 Ae6-d7
12 �f3-d4
Better was 12..£)c3.
12 �c7-a5?
The last chance was 12 .£)e4.
...

13 � a4-c3 Aa3-b4
 Kortchnoi - Mecking
Augusta 1974

Black to move

1 Ab7-c6!

18 .1d5xf7 + !
Black resigned.

4 'l!1'e2-d2
An i n teresting q u estion is why
Kortchnoi refrained from the logical
4 . � b 5 or 4 . 4J a 4 4J b 6 ( 4 . . . .£i e 4
5.4Jd2!) 5 ..£ixc5 ! Axc5 6.ftb4.
4 � d7-b6
5 �c3-e2 �f6-e4
6 'li1'd2-a5 'i!1'c6-b7
7 .1b2-al
 Hanging Pawns - 185

A more active option was 7. .Ll.a3 fol­

lowed by 8..£ld2.
7 Ae7-d6
8 � e2-c3 � e4xc3
9 'f!l'a5xc3 Ad6-f8
10 'f!l'c3-c2!?
An interesting maneuver: the threat
is 1 1..£lg5 or 1 1 .*fS, but two serious
alternatives were 10.fta4 and 10.*aS.

18 c5-c4!
19 gc2-d2 c4xb3
20 a2xb3 �b6-d7!
The dS pawn is worthless: White also
has a weak pawn on b3 !
21 � el-f3 � d7-e5
22 �f3-d4 + <&>e6-t7
23 gd2-a2 gc8-c5
24 Aa5-el g7-g6
25 gdl-al gc5-c7
26 ga2-a5 At8-c5
10 t7-f6! 27 � d4-b5 gc7-d7
Draw.
11 'f!l'c2-f5 geS-dS
Vaganian - Kuindzhi
12 Aal-c3 'f!l'b7-d7! Tbilisi 1973
Now the endgame is completely safe
for Black, because his pawns are per­
fectly protected.
13 'f!l'f5xd7 gd8xd7
14 <&>gl-fl <&>g8-t7
15 Ac3-a5 <&>t7-e6
16 gcl-c2 gd7-b7
17 h2-h4?!
If White wanted to gain some space
on the kingside he would have to
White to move
start with 17.ftg4.
1 'f!l'e2-d2!
17 h7-h5 After the queen exchange, the weak­
18 �f3-el ness of the cS pawn will be very
186 - Hanging Pawns
serious, but White himself has weak
pawn on a3.
1 'l!l'a5xd2
2 4Jf3xd2 !fa8-c8
3 gal-cl c5-c4
4 b3xc4 .G,e7xa3
5 gel-bl gcS-c7

9 .G,d7-b5 !
The best defense White's bishop is
too active.
10 .G,d3xb5 a6xb5
11 4J d2-b3 g7-g6
12 4Jb3-d4 4Jf6-d7
13 c5-c6 4J d7-e5
14 ga3-b3 geS-bS
Now 15.gcs would have given White
6 c4-c5! a big advantage. Instead he played
15.f4 and the game eventually was
White has not just a passed pawn but drawn.
the black bishop on a3 is in danger.
Hort - Shirov
Gennany 1994

6 .G.b7-c6!
7 gc2-a2 .G,c6xa4 Black to move
8 ga2xa3 .G,a4-d7 1 4J d7-b6
9 gbl-cl 2 c4-c5
 Hanging Pawns - 187

White can't avoid weakening his

pawn structure, because on 2.�c2
Black has 2 !lf5.
...•

2 .[)b6-d5
3 h2-h3

8 b5-b4!
9 a3xb4 .£l d5xb4
10 .£l d2-t3 Ae6-d5
11 gn-el e7-e6
12 Ae3-g5 gds-cs
13 Ag5-f4 gbS-aS
3 b7-b5! 14 gbl-al
Improves his pawns and prepares a6-
a5.
4 Acl-d2 Ac8-e6
5 gal-bl 'i!t'd8-d7
6 �gl-h2 grs-dS
7 Ad2-e3?!
Preferable was 7.Aa5.

14 �fa8-a7!
B l a c k t h re a t e n s 1 5 . . . A x f3 a n d
16... �xd4.
15 Af4-d6 .£l c6-e7!
16 .£l e2-c3
After 16.�eS �e8 the threat 17 ...�fS
remains unpleasant.
16 Ad5xt3
17 Ag2xt3 .£) e7-f5
7 a6-a5 ! 18 Ad6-e5 .£lf5xd4
8 .[)b3-d2 And White is lost.
188 - Hanging Pawns
Van Wely - Jonsson
Akureyri 1994

White to move

1 e2-e4!
After 1.0-0 unpleasant would be
1...ftd4.
1 d5-d4
2 �c3-d5 .Qb7xd5
3 e4xd5 :Sa8-a7
4 0-0 0-0

5 'lta4-c6! 'ltd8-c8
5 ... ftd3 6.gad l gc7 7.�xa6 ftc4 8.ftd6
+/-.
6 'fJ.al-cl 'fJ.a7-c7
 .
Hanging ,1,nawns
, - 189
Bricard Sharif 10 'li}'g4-e6 + �g8-h8
Chambery 1994 11 g2-g3 'li}'c5-c6
12 'l!l'e6-f7 a7-a6
13 gel-e6 'li}'c6-d5
14 Ab2xg7 + !
1 -0.

Kramnik Kasparov
Paris 1994

White to move
1 d4-d5 !
l .�xf7 <&'xf7 2.�xe6 + <&'f8 3 . ft c 5
Ad5.
l ·· e6xd5
2 c4xd S ,lb7xd5
2 ... �xd5 3.�xf7 <&'xf7 4. """
w x h7 with
attack.
3 Ab3xdS gdSxdS
4 gdlxdS �f6xdS
� � .a m. 'l, -��
-
-
�UU' . ���. t r�?i t
�'�
w-
jf�'�';t:" �f:3 .
-
�, " -�.&;�-
�

- � �'*' ·
.&;
�
- � �
�"��' -'!',R*
�-
�
-
�
• •��m·- �-
··� ;u-·�·
� ··* -
m ra "" 'm-r""J�j;p�. • w�
�
�m �
-
5 � e5xf7! �g8xf7
s ...Af6 6.�e6 + -.
6 'li}'h3-h5 + �f7-f8
7 'li}'h5xd5 'li}'c7-c5
7 . ..Af6 8.Aa3 + + -.
8 'lil'd5-t3 + �f8-g8
9 'lil't3-g4 Ae7- f8 4 d4-d5!
1 90 - Hanging Pawns
12 c5xb6 a7xb6
13 gdl-d7
And the game was later drawn.
Sokolov I. - Kamsky
Madrid 1994

5 h3-h4!
After 5.ftdxe6 ftfxe6 6 . .£ixg6 .£ixg6
7.�xe6 + <i\?h8 Black has unpleasant
control over the dark squares and
s u fficient compensation fo r the
pawn.
5 t7-f6 White to move
6 � e5xg6 � e7xg6 1 e3-e4!
7 d5xe6 1 .ftb4? ! ftcxb4 2.�xb4? ! �c7! 3.�a4
Or 7.�xe6 + <i\?h8 8.ftd6 �c6 and �xg3 4.�a7 ftd4! -/+ 5.fte4 �c7
White has problems defending h4, f4 6.�a4 gas 7.�b3 .£ih5 8.Ad3 .£if4
and d6. 9.Afl Aa6 -/+ .
1 d5xe4
l...ftd4 2.�d3 +/= .
2 gdlxd8 + gbSxdS
3 �f2xe4 �f6xe4
4 Ac2xe4 Ah7xe4
5 gelxe4 + /-
Nikolic P. - Smirin
Paris 1994

f6xe5
gcsxd8
gdS-cS!
<&>g8-f8
 Hanging Pa wns - 191

Black to move With good p I ay for Bia ck though the

'
Fmd the best p I an for Black Ca Icu-
ga me was drawn.
·

late variat"ions.
l ... e7-e5!
2 d4xe5 grs-es
3 f2-f4 f7-f6
4 � d2-t3 f6xe5
5 �t3xe5 � d7xe5
6 f4xe5

-=

2 ,lb2-c3 '
c u s e �f 2 . . . 'l!i'b4
/i:J e7 4·.li:J c� a'l!i'a5
. • -
Not 2.Aa4 ? 1 b •

<if!>g8-g7!
s
10 3.Ab3 with an un-
ge : e3 'l!l'a6-a5 clear position.
u
32 _ 33 2 ge8-d8
��3 li:J a5 4.li:Jcl!
12 'l!l'a5-c5
13 gal-el Af5-e6 Or 2... 'l!i'a3 3 · +/-.
1 92 - Hanging Pawns

7 �f3-el !
 Hanging Pawns - 1 93

And White won.

Gelfand - Karpov
Linares 1994

4 ,1h4-gS?
Too risky: after 4.Ag3 � e7 White
would maintain equal chances.

White to move

1 t2-f4
Looks natural, but the positional ap­
p r o a c h 1 .ft a 4 a n d 2 . ft a 5 w a s
preferable.
1 'fil'f8-d8
2 4d3-bl
4 b6-bS !
S 4blxg6
After 5.ftd5 ftexd5 6.ftcxb5 *b6 Black
has unpleasant threats.
Or 5 .ftf5 �xe5 6.ftdxe5 *xd l +
1.gxd 1 �g4! -/+ .
S h7xg6
6 ge3-h3? !

2 4)g6-e7!
Preventing ftf4-f5. Even now White
should push the a-ft.
3 Ag3-h4 4) e7-g6
1 94 - Hanging Pawns

14 f6-f5!
6 �k8-c7!
With a big advantage for Black.
Preventing the cheap trick l!h8 and
4)xf7.
Mecking Donner
Lugano 1968
7 d4-d5 e6xd5
8 c4-c5

White to move

1 �kl-c2 l!b8-b6
2 l!al-cl � a5-b7
8 Ab7-c8 !
9 l!h3-b3 i!l'd8-e8
10 '{tdl-d4 Ac8-f5
11 l!b3-e3 i!l'e8-f8
12 Ag5xf6 g7xf6
13 � eS-13 Af5-e4
14 �t3-d2
 Hanging Pawns - 1 95

3 �f3-d4?!
Looks logical but better was 3 ..£ie5 !
and 4.Af3 o r 4.�d3, attacking the c5
or d5 pawns.
3 !k8-d8
4 � d4-b5 a7-a5
5 �b5-c7
After 4.�c3 ftc4! 5.� a4 gb4 Black
has a comfortable position.
5 gb6-c6
6 � c7xe6 t7xe6 16 ga8-b8!
7 Ae2-f3 gc6-d6 17 e3-e4 gbS-bl +
8 g2-g3 18 Ag2-fl � c6-b4
White prepares fte3-e4, but Black 19 <llg l-g2
creates strong counterplay on the Not 1 9.gbs b ecause of 1 9 . . . .£ic2
queenside. 20.fubl �xa3 21.gbs + ct;f7 -/+ .
19 gbl-b2
20 e4xd5 e6xd5
21 gaJ.f3

8 a5-a4!
9 b3xa4 c5-c4
10 gel-bl �b7-c5
11 a4-a5 gd6-a6 21 ga6-c6?
12 gbl-b5 � c5-d3 Better was 21...fth6!.
13 gc2-c3 gd8-a8 22 gc5xc6 �b4xc6
14 gc3-a3 � d3-e5 23 gf3.a3 <llg8-t7
15 At3-g2 � e5-c6 24 a5-a6 � c6-a7
16 gb5-c5 25 ga3-a4 <llt7 -f6
Or 16.fte4 ftd4 l 7.fte5 ftd3 -/ + . 26 <llg2-f3 <alf6-e5
1 96 - Hanging Pawns

27 ,lflxc4! d5xc4 4 c5-c4!

28 lfa4xc4 gb2xa2 A powerful brea kthrough: a fter
29 gc4-c7 5 .ftbxc4 ftdxc4 6.�xc4 .£id2 7.�f4
�b5! the weakness of f3 gives Black
And White m anaged to save the strong threats.
game.
5 � d3-f4 � a6-b4
6 �c2-dl
Gheorghiu - Tu km a kov
Or 6.�bl .£id2 7.�al ftcxb3 -/+ .
Bem 1995
6 �b4xa2
7 gel-al � a2-b4
Black has the advantage.

Psakhis - Westerinen
Gausdal 1994

Black to move

1 �ffi-e4!
Much stronger than 1...�xe2 2.�xe2
fue2 3.�J3 followed by .£ixc5. Now
White can't take on e4 and c5 be­ Black to move
ca use the we a kness of the light
squares becomes decisive. 1 4Jc6-e5!?
Black tries to simplify the position.
2 e2-e3 ga8-d8
He had an attractive continuation in
3 gn.el �e 7 -g5! t...gb4 2.�c2 ftc4, followed by gfb8,
4 �dl-c2 increasing pressure on b2. However,
 Hanging Pawns - 197

lvkov - Kortchnoi
Sousse 1967

White to move

Black wants to strengthen his posi­

tion on the kingside with ftg6 and
Ag7. Consequently, chances have to
8 *a4-f4! *g5xf4 be found on the other side!
9 e3xf4 f7.f5 1 a3-a4! g7-g6
10 g4-g5 gb8-b4
2 a4-a5 Af8-g7
11 gcsxd5 gdSxdS
12 gd2xd5 gb4xf4 3 geS-el 4Jf6-h5
4 Ad3-e4 ,1b7xe4
5 4J d2xe4 gas-cs
6 *dl-b3 f7.f5
If 6...Axd4, then 7 .Axd4 '?Wxd4 8.gad 1
and �d6, winning the exchange.
7 .[) e4-g3 4Jh5xg3
8 h2xg3 b6xa5
Very dangerous is 8 ... Axd4 9.gad l
fte5 10.ftcS + �g7 1 1 .Axd4 ftexd4
12.gxe8 '?Wxe8 13.ftcxb6 with a strong
passed pawn for White.
9 gel-dl *d8-c7
1 98 - Hanging Pawns

rf.�·1•1•ri
Protects himself from the e5 break
and prepares to bring the king to the

;;7.-•;•Z rti •
center.
17 ... gd5-d7
18 ct/gl -fl gc8-c6

-·
r��· �.
.
<.
19 ct/fl-e2 Jlg7-f6
·� ·
.

_ ,_? },
•� �· ·�·ef�_ .
..
20
21
gal-a4
gdl-al
g6-g5
g5xf4
/,
� . • %� ft · .
.

22 g3xf4 gc6-c7

�li · "m
( • im� • j� �
v,
..
?
..
�
23
24
gal-bl
g2-g3
gc7-c8
h7-h5
10 c4-c5 gc8-b8 25 ga4-b4 ct/g8-f7
11 'lil'b3-a2 'lil'c7-c6 26 gb4-b7 ct/f7-e8
12 Jlb2-c3 ge8-e7 27 ct/e2-d3 Jlf6-d8
'l!l'a2xa5 ge7-d7 28 ct/d3-c4 a7-a5
13
29 gb7-b8
White has a decisive advantage.
Zaitsev A.
Polugaevsky
Kharkov 1967

14 'l!l'a5-a6! gb8-c8
15 'lil'a6-c4 'lil'c6-d5
16 'l!l'c4xd5 gd7xd5

White to move
1 �t3-el ! ?
White wants to change the coordina­
tion of his pieces, but maybe 1 .fte3
was better, followed by �d2-b l-c3.
1 ... 'lil'd8-b6
2 � el-d3 Jle7-f8
3 gn-el ga8-b8 !
White's b3 pawn is weakened, so
Black intends to pin down the d2
knight to its defense.
 Hanging Pawns - 1 99

4 Ag2-h3?! 10 e2xd3 �g4-e5

Preferable is 4.fte3 , discouraging 11 gelxe5 gesxe5
Black from ftd5-d4. 12 � d2-c4 'ltb6-e6
4 Ah7-a8 13 � c4xe5 'lte6xe5
5 'ltdl-c2 As a result of the exchanges, White
has a multitude of pawn weaknesses
and an inactive bishop.
14 gel-bl

5 d5-d4!
6 Ah3-g2
White cannot tolerate an attack on
the diagonal via 'M'b6-c6. 14 'lte5-e6!
15 Ah2-cl 'lte6xh3
6 Aa8xg2
And Black soon won.
7 �glxg2
200 - Hanging Pawns

Player Index
Akhmylovskaya 7 Fischer 48, 66
Akopian 181 Florian 92
Albu rt 19 Ftacnik 169
Alekhine 72, 77, 99, 147 Furman 15, 167
Alexandria 93 Gavrikov 9, 14, 179
Andersen 68 Gelfand 193
Andersson 165 Geller 81, 94, 121, 138
Andric 183 Georgadze 181
Antoshin 64 Georgiev Kir. 12
Averbakh 116 Gheorghiu 41, 178, 196
Bagirov 83, 84, 135 Giersing and Kinch 80
Bannik 47 Gipslis 183
Barcza 71 Gligoric 42, 167
Bazhan 139 Goldin 87
Beliavsky 29, 36, 40, 176 Granda Zuniga 12
Benjamin 176 Grigorenko 71
Bensch 173 Gulko 14
Bernstein 51 Gunsberg 134
Bertok 48 Guseinov 143
Bilunova 88 Halprin 123
Bondarevsky 65, 125 Hecht 24
Botvinnik 54, 71, 85, 90, 107, 147 Hjartarson 12
Bricard 189 Hort 55, 95, 1 17, 186
Bronstein 15, 79, 1 16 Hulak 162
Browne 19 lvanchuk 170
Campora 20 lvkov 98, 197
Capablanca 5 1 , 58, 72, 77 Jonsson 188
Chandler 172 Kamsky 19
Chekhover 60, 107 Karpov 19, 39, 102, 104, 1 12, 1 14,
Chiburdanidze 7 122, 128, 151, 157, 163, 191, 193
Dokhoian 180 Kasparov 8, 13, 44, 102, 104, 1 12,
Donner 194 142, 149, 189
Dorfman 57, 106 Ke res 43, 61, 69, 71, 80, 144
Dydyshko 28 Kholmov 30
Dzhandzhgava 7
Kortchnoi 39, 64, 89, 94, 151,
Eingorn 35 157, 182, 184, 197
Epishin 52
Kotov 63, 101, 137, 147
Ernst 156
Kottnauer 35
Estrin 92
Kofol 164
Euwe 62, 96, 99, 147
Kozlov 143
Farago 131 Kramnik 1 1 , 189
Fedorowicz 25
 Hanging Pawns - 201

Kuindzhi 185 Razuvaev 22, 87, 131

Kuzmin 5, 98 Reshevsky 96
Lalic 164 Rib Ii 1 1 , 22
Larsen 13, 129, 168 Romanishin 17, 45, 49, 57, 138, 180
Lasker 58 Romanovsky 82
Lau tier 169 Rozentalis 7, 34, 52
Legky 47, 154 Rubinstein 76, 136
Lein 89 Said 29
Levenfish 60 Salwe 76
Levit 139 Savon 27, 88
Levitt 179 Schmidt 173
Li Zunian 141 Schul 93
Lipnitsky 1 18 Schussler 13
Ljubojevic 6, 108 Seirawan 25, 46
Lputian 23, 34, 35, 97, 106 Shabalov 10
Magerramov 174 Sharif 189
Makogonov 63 Sher 174
Matanovic 175 Shirov 186
Mecking 43, 184, 194 Shmirin 38
Mikenas 133 Short 46
Mikhalchishin 28, 29, 36, 38, 40, Simkin 50
50, 170 Skegina 88
Miles 13, 20 Smirin 190
Marovic 191 Smyslov 19, 69, 125, 147, 156, 159,
Najdorf 26, 149, 168 175
Neamtu 28 Sokolov A 109, 1 14, 141
Nikolic P. 172, 190 Sokolov I. 190
Nimzowitsch 68, 80, 136 Sokolsky 90, 1 19
O'Kelly 86 Sosonko 24
Ojanen 127 Spassky 32, 54, 55, 66, 73, 74, 75, 182
Ostermeyer 150 Spraggett 171
74, 124 Steinitz 68
Pachman
16 Sveshnikov 83
Pan no
43 Szabo 124, 137
Petersen
Taimanov 33, 61, 80, 1 18, 133, 144
Petrosian 32, 54, 73, 75, 81, 1 17,
Tai 5, 17, 18, 79, 88
121, 140
Tarrasch 68
Pigusov 23
Timman 6, 16, 29, 47, 140
Pillsbury 123, 134
To lush 1 19
Pinter 162
Torre 41 , 142
Polugaevsky 12, 95, 135, 178, 198
Trifunovic 127
Portisch 8, 18, 42, 44, 84, 86, 122, 159
Trois 45
Psakhis 33, 49, 150, 196
Tukmakov 196
Ragozin 65, 85
Rashkovsky 31
202 - Hanging Pawns

Ubilava 48
Uhlmann 35
Unzicker 26, 129
Vaganian 27, 30, 47, 128, 185
Vaisser 10, 48
Van Wely 188
Visier 165
Vistanetskis 148
Vyzhmanavin 154
Westerinen 196
Winter 62
Yates 82
Yudasin 9, 28, 31, 97
Yudovich 101
Yusupov 108, 109, 163, 171
Zagoriansky 148
Zaitsev A. 198
Zinn 43
Place Index
Akureyri 188 Groningen 1 1 , 12, 169
Amsterdam 16, 47, 81, 121 Hamburg 175
Augsburg 179 Hannover 134
Augusta 184 Havana 43, 58, 74
AVRO 147 Helsinki 174
Baku 79, 143 Hungary 92
Belgrade 6, 95, 183 Irkutsk 23
Bern 196 Karlsbad 136
Beverwijk 84 Kharkov 198
Biel 141 Kiev 47, 89, 182
Bolshevo 85 Las Palmas 165, 191
Brussels 8 Leningrad 17, 60, 63, 90, 128, 135
Budapest 71 Linares 1 14, 193
Buenos Aires 20, 72, 77 Lodz 76
Bugojno 122, 149 Lugano 42, 129, 194
Chambery 189 Lvov 7, 29, 34, 35, 40, 170, 180, 181
Copenhagen 80 Madrid 190
Dortmund 150 Malaga 86
Dresden 173 Malta Olympiad 24
Dubna 131 Mar del Plata 127
Frunze 9, 57 Merana 39, 151, 157
Gausdal 196 Minsk 28
Germany 22, 186 Montpellier 46
Graz 13
 Hanging Pawns - 203

Moscow 15, 19, 32, 33, 36, 49, 5 1 , Yerevan 98

54, 61, 65, 71, 73, 75, 82, 87, 88, Yugoslavia 164
94, 101, 102, 104, 107, 1 12, 1 18, Zagreb 162
125, 140, 142, 144, 148 Zurich 69, 80, 96, 1 16, 137
Munich 176
N aestved 172
Nikolaev 38
M�k 44
Nottingham 62
Odessa 97
Palma de Mallorca 168
Paris 189, 190
Pees 28, 50
Portoroz 167
Quebec 171
Reykjavik 55, 66
Riga 45, 93
Rotterdam 163
Saltsjobaden 124
San Antonio 43
Sarajevo 1 17
Sevastopol 48
Skopje 178
Sochi 64
Sofia 7
Sousse 197
St. Petersburg 68
Stockholm 48
Subotica 156
Sverdlovsk 31
Tallinn 14, 133
Tashkent 106, 154
Thilisi 5, 83, 185
Tel Aviv 35
The Netherla nds 99, 147
Thessalon iki 29
Tilburg 10, 13, 18, 108, 109, 159
USA 19
USSR 88, 1 19, 138, 139
Uzhgorod 52
Varna 26
Venice 147
Vienna 68, 123
Vilnius 27, 30
Wijk aan Zee 25, 41
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 HANGING PAWNS

"Hanging pawns a r e one of the mos t widesprea d and i nter es ting

types of centr al pawn structur e. What plan should the player
having hanging pawns follow? How s h ould one fight against
hanging pawns ? In other wor ds, in what lies the strength - and
the weakness - of hanging pawns ? \arious middlegame treatises
have dealt with the question, but a deep elucidation has not been
achieved . The pres ent book is an original attempt to sys tematize
and analyze in detail mor e than 180 typical h anging pawn
positions . " - Fr om the Intr oduction.

The Authors

Adri a n M i k h a l c h i s h i n h a s Wit Braslawski is an expert

been a grandmaster since 1978 and head of Intelinvest Co.
Ltd.

I SBN 1 -879479-77-X

9 0 0 0 0>