notyetagm: This game provides a crystal-clear example of positional play that should have been included in the book "Simple Chess" by Stean. White To Play: 16
 click for larger viewSince Black has played 1 ... c7-c5 and 6 ... e7-e5, the central squares d5 and d6 were permanently weakened. Fischer locks in like a cruise missile on the weak d6-square. He =fully= appreciates the seriousness of the weakness of this square, which his opponents do not. First Fischer plays 16 a2-a3!, <DRIVING OFF> (REMOVE THE GUARD) the Black b4-bishop which <DEFENDS> the d6-square. After 16 ... ♗b4-a5, Black has one less piece <DEFENDING> the d6-square. Position after 16 a2-a3! ♗b4-a5
 click for larger viewNext Fischer turns his attention to the Black e7-king defender of the d6-square and plays 17 ♗e3-c5+. After the forced 17 ... ♔e7-e8, not only has Fischer <DRIVEN OFF> (REMOVE THE GUARD) the Black e7-king defender of the d6-square but he has also added to his control over this square by bringing his dark-squared White e3-bishop into contact with it by placing this bishop on c5. Position after 17 ♗e3-c5+ ♔e7-e8
 click for larger viewIn the first diagrammed position, the d6-square had 2 White attackers (e4-knight, d1-rook) versus 3 Black defenders (b4-bishop, d8-rook, e7-king). But after the <SIMPLE CHESS> sequence 16 a2-a3! ♗b4-a5 17 ♗e3-c5+ ♔e7-e8, White now has 3 pieces attacking the d6-square (c5-bishop, e4-knight, d1-rook) versus only 1 Black piece defending it (d8-rook). The Black b4-bishop and e7-king defenders have both been <DRIVEN OFF> while White has added his dark-squared bishop to his control over the crucial d6-square. That's quite a transformation. Fischer (White) has: 1) traded off or driven off two of the Black defenders of this square 2) added to his control over this square. Having accomplished these two tasks, Fischer then proceeds to occupy this <WEAK SQUARE> with his pieces, first with his knight (18 ♘e4-d6+) and then with a rook (19 ♖d1x♖d6), winning the game easily. A <TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE> of how to play against a <WEAK SQUARE>. Fischer's play against these amateurs makes chess look like a simple game. |