Chess Analysis - A Deeper Look Beyond the Obvious

Here, I’m following on from my post Chess Analysis - Looking Beyond the Obvious. While I was writing this article it grew and grew! Sorry it is so long, and in future I’ll make more of an effort to keep articles shorter.

The discussion begins in the (first) diagrammed position…

It is what happens after 21…Nxh5 that I want to have another look at. Actually, to be more precise, I want to look at some of what happens - because I think I’ve found a way for black to mix things up, and the analysis will be sufficiently complex to merit an article of its own.

In the previous article on this (see above) I analysed how black goes down very quickly after 21…Nxh5 22.Rxh5 gh 23.Qxh5. However, many thanks to Alan Griffiths for pointing out that I didn’t look at what happens after black plays a move other than 22…gh - after all that would leave material roughly equal, and obviously it would be worth allowing this if black stays in the game as a result. This discussion, therefore, begins from the following position…

I think the critical response for black is 22…h6!? (white can’t play 23.Rxh6 because the knight on g5 is en-pris to the black queen) and this is the move I’ll leave for a future article. Alan suggested 22…Rc8 or 22…Qe7 - well, I think 22…Qe7 is the more likely attempt at a defence, the reason being that the queen covers the seventh rank if black succeeds in getting in …f7-f5, which will be necessary to allow the rook to cover f6 (it looks like 22…Rc8 and other moves are less effective). Therefore I’ll stick with 22…Qe7.

First observation: white can not proceed 23.Rxh7 because black simply plays 23…Qxg5 (white’s knight having been left en-pris), and the white queen has no direct route into the black king’s position. Therefore, white’s attack fails in this line.

The less obvious move is 23.Nxh7, and this is where the fun starts. I think black has three serious attempts at defending: A) the loosing 23…gxh5, B) the most obvious 23…f5 and C) and the tricky 23…Kg7.

A) 23…gxh5

See third diagram.

White continues according to plan: 24.Nf6+ - note in passing, black can not give up the queen on f6 because black would end up with a material deficit, and also white would get a pawn on f6 suggesting mate would follow quite quickly (note white has the attacking resource Bh7+ putting black’s king on the same file as the queen king after white plays Qxh5). Also, moving the king onto the h-file would be madness in view of 25.Qxh5+ with mate following rapidly.

This leaves 24…Kg7. This is one of those moments when we can look at the “obvious move” and realise just how important concrete analysis really is. White’s obvious shot is 25.Qxh5, but black plays 25…Rh8! and the black king is getting away - further, it gets worse, black is developing an attack and is now suddenly better (the threat of 26…Rh1+ is highly disruptive and you can see black’s other rook coming to the c-file and the queen having a direct route into white’s queenside); the tables have suddenly turned!

Instead 25.Nxh5+(!) is necessary, removing the h-pawn which was keeping the h-file closed and covering g4 (the entry quare). I think it is easy enough to see that after 25…Kg8 black gets mated rapidely. 25…Kh8 is also useless - black needs to get a rook to the h-file so it’s no good taking the h8 square away from the rook. That leaves 25…Kh6, when there is no useful check, but 26.Nf6 Rh8 and then 27.Qg4 concludes matters - white threatens 28.f4 followed by 29.Qg5 mate, and black must give up a couple of rooks and allow his king to be drawn out into the open, effectively ending the game. This is instructive because it would have been very easy for white to misplay the attack over the board.

B) 23…f5

This is more straightforward: 24.Nf6+ (see fourth diagram) is strong.

24…Rxf6 is forced for survival reasons, leaving the black queen en-pris i.e. 25.ef Qxf6 follows, after which white retreats the rook and keeps a good position and is materially a bishop (for a pawn) ahead.

C) 23…Kg7

See fifth diagram.

Here white can take the safe option and grab the exchange on f8. If black recaptures on f8 then white retreats the h5 rook and has extra material. If black takes the rook on h5 then there follows 24…gxh5 25.Qxh5 and black is threatened with mate on h7, and must give up the other rook (after 25…f5) to avoid it.

The question is whether or not white can win quickly with 24.Qe3 ?

First, black can not get away with 24…Rh8? White carries on: 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Bxg6 (see sixth diagram)

26…fg (note that white must not play 26.Nf6+? because black answers with 26…Qxf6) 27.Qxg6+ Qg7 28.Qxe6+ Qf7 29.Rg5+ game over!

Starting from the fifth diagram, white plays 24.Qe3, and it looks like 24…gxh5 is a more challenging defence. However, white is still winning: 25.Qg3+ kh8 26.Nf6 and white wins by moving the queen to the h-file, taking the h5 pawn etc. If black tries 25…Kh6, white plays 26.Nf6 (see seventh diagram)

threatening the queen to the h-file manoeuvre and also 27.f4 (if black plays …Rh8) threatening 28.Qg5 mate (in similar fashion to one of the lines arising from 23…gxh5 above).

Phew!

I thought these were going to be the easy lines to analyse, but when you actually take a close look, it can be quite surprising what truths a position can conceal. This is why we must take a look even when things look obvious!

This article has turned out to be much longer and more complex than I intended. In future I will strive to keep articles shorter and simpler. This article grew while I was writing it, and really I should have back-tracked and split it up, which is what I will be sure to do in future. Please bear with me this time.