Game Collection: BALEFUL INFLUENCE: EVERY SINGLE SQUARE ATTACKED

ESS: <LINE PIECES> ♗♖♕♕♖♗ become *unbelievably* dangerous if there is even a single, solitary square of significance somewhere on their lines.

Li Shilong vs Wang Hao, 2009 35 ... Bd5-c4! Black d6-rook threatens d1-mating square thru the White d4-rook

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<<<<<BALEFUL INFLUENCE>: Every single square <(ESS)> on the line of a line piece is attacked/defended/threatened/controlled by the line piece.>>>>

See Rybka 3 Aquarium's 42 ♖e7xf7+! in Topalov vs Aronian, 2008 for an excellent example of this principle applied to the discovered attack tactic. In that game, the White a7-rook controls the f7-,g7-,h7-squares through the White d7-pawn as this line-blocking pawn is not really on the d7-square blocking the 7th rank as it threatens to move with a gain of time (d7-d8=♕).

Line pieces threaten <Every Single Square (ESS)> on their lines. This penetrating property of line pieces is what Reinfeld called their <"BALEFUL INFLUENCE">. Every sinlge time you are attacked by an enemy line piece, you are <PINNED> or <SKEWERED> against the <LMS-TARGETS> on <Every Single Square (ESS)> behind you.

And if you are not prepared to meet the threat to each <LMS-TARGET> on <Every Single Square (ESS)> behind you -explicitly- by <DEFENDING> or some other method, then you are -implicitly- <DEPENDING> upon -your- pieces to meet those threats by <BLOCKING THE CORRDIOR> of the dangerous enemy line piece. Ans since one of your pieces is meeting a threat by <BLOCKING A CORRIDOR>, then that piece cannot also <DEFEND> a square or <BLOCKADE> a pawn (<OVERWORKED>).

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White to play: 30 ?

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30 ♗d2-a5! wins the Exchange

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since after 30 ... ♘c6x♗a5 31 ♖c1x♖c7

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the Black d8-queen cannot recapture the White c7-rook due to mate on e8 (<WEAK BACK RANK>: 31 ... ♕d8x♖c7?? 32 ♕a4-e8#

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Black (Svidler) thus loses ♖ for ♗ and later the game. Even 2700-rated super-GMs sometimes lose material to the <WEAK BACK RANK> tactic.

<<<<<A better example of the <BALEFUL INFLUENCE (EVERY(!) SINGLE(!) SQUARE(!) IS THREATENED)> of line pieces you could not ask for: The White a4-queen threatens the e8-mating square on Black's weak back rank through the Black c6-knight.>>>>>

Since the Black c6-knight <DEFENDS> the a5-pinning square, it cannot also meet this threat to the e8-square by <BLOCKING> the diagonal a4-e8. So the Black d8-queen is actually badly <OVERWORKED>, having to <DEFEND> the Black c7-rook and also meet the threat of ♕a4-e8# by <DEFENDING> the e8-square.

With the White a4-queen lined up with the e8-square, <<<<<some Black piece must meet the threat of ♕a4-e8# <(BALEFUL INFLUENCE)!!!>>>>>>. Thus White has three threats (♗d2-a5 <PINNING>, ♖c1x♖c7, and ♕a4-e8#) to the a5-, c7-, and e8-squares but Black has only two defenders (Black c6-knight and d8-queen) to these three threats. Two defenders almost certainly cannot meet three threats. In this particular position, the <OVERWORKED> nature of the Black c6-knight and d8-queen costs Black a full Exchange.

Event "?"
Site "?"
Date "2007.12.26"
Round "?"
White "GM_Tomashevsky"
Black "GM_Svidler"
Result "1-0"
Opening "English: four knights, kingside fianchetto" ECO "A29"
NIC "EO.02"
Time "06:44:59"
TimeControl "7200+0"

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Nd5 Bc5 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. e3 a6 9. d3 Ba7 10. Bd2 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Ne7 12. Qb3 c6 13. dxc6 Nxc6 14. Bc3 Rb8 15. d4 e4 16. Nd2 d5 17. f3 exf3 18. Nxf3 Be6 19. Kh1 Re8 20. Rf2 b5 21. Bd2 Bf5 22. Raf1 Be4 23. Ne1 Rb7 24. Bxe4 Rxe4 25. Nd3 Rd7 26. a4 bxa4 27. Qxa4 Re6 28. Rc1 Rc7 29. Nf4 Rd6 30. Ba5 Nxa5 31. Rxc7 Bb6 32. Rc3 h6 33. Qc2 Qe8 34. Qf5 g6 35. Qd3 Kg7 36. Kg2 Nc6 37. Qe2 a5 38. Qf3 Ne7 39. Qg4 Kh7 40. Qf3 a4 41. g4 Rf6 42. Qh3 Kg7 43. Qg3 Ba5 44. Rc1 Rb6 45. Nd3 1-0

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White f1-rook controls the f4-square (<BALEFUL INFLUENCE>) since the masking White f2-bishop can move off of the f-file with a <GAIN OF TIME> by <EMBARASSING> the Black e5-queen.

Because of this <TEMPO> gain on the <EXPOSED> Black e5-queen, White actually has -three- pieces attacking the f4-square not -two-: White d2-knight, White f3-pawn, -and- the White f1-rook since the masking White f2-bishop does not -really- <BLOCK> it because it can move off of the f-file with a <GAIN OF TIME>.

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Event "ICC 3 0"
Site "Internet Chess Club"
Date "2008.01.08"
Round "-"
White "youngheart"
Black "Klinch88"
Result "0-1"
ICCResult "White forfeits on time"
WhiteElo "2533"
BlackElo "2583"
Opening "Sicilian: Kan, 5.Nc3"
ECO "B43"
NIC "SI.41"
Time "03:51:50"
TimeControl "180+0"

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. O-O Ne5 9. f3 Bd6 10. Rc1 Nxd3 11. cxd3 Bxh2+ 12. Kh1 Qg3 13. Bf2 Qe5 14. g4 Bf4 15. Rc2 h5 16. g5 Bxg5 17. Nde2 d6 18. f4 Bxf4 19. Bd4 Qg5 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Nxf4 Bd7 22. Rg2 Qh4+ 23. Rh2 Qg5 24. Qf3 O-O-O 25. Rg1 Qe5 26. Qe3 Kb8 27. d4 Qa5 28. b4 Qa3 29. Rb1 Ba4 30. Rh3 Rc8 31. Nxa4 Qxa4 32. Qb3 Qc6 33. d5 Qc4 34. b5 Qxe4+ 35. Kh2 Qxf4+ 36. Qg3 Rc2+ 37. Kh1 Qe4+ 38. Qf3 Rh2+ 39. Kxh2 Qc2+ 40. Qg2 Qxb1 41. bxa6 Rc8 42. Rb3 Qc2 43. Rxb7+ Ka8 44. dxe6 Qxg2+ 45. Kxg2 Rc2+ 46. Kf3 fxe6 47. Rf7 f5 48. Ke3 Rxa2 49. Rf8+ Ka7 50. Rf6 Kxa6 51. Rxe6 Kb5 52. Kf4 Kc5 53. Rh6 Rf2+ 54. Kg3 Re2 55. Rxh5 Re5 56. Kf4 Kd5 57. Rh6 Kd4 58. Rh1 Re4+ 59. Kxf5 Re3 60. Rd1+ Kc5 61. Rd2 Re8 62. Kg6 d5 0-1