Turn around is fair play
It happens to the best amongst us. More often than we would like to admit, perhaps, we sometimes find ourselves in worse positions or with our back to the wall. But this is no reason to become discouraged…these are opportunities to demonstrate our cunning and resourcefulness!
Example 1
Kavalek,L – Trapl,J Czechoslovakia_Ch Prague 1963
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7
8.e5 Nfd7 9.Nb5 dxe5 10.Nd6+ Ke7 11.fxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxc8+ Qxc8 13.d6+
Kf8 14.Nf3 Qe6 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.Be2 Kg7 17.O-O Nc6 18.Bg4 Qxd6
19.Qb3 Qc7 20.Rxf7+ Qxf7 21.Bh6+ Kxh6 22.Qxf7 Bxb2 23.Qf4+ Kg7
24.Rb1 Rhf8 25.Qg3 Bd4+ 26.Kh1 Rf7 27.Be6 Re7 28.Bd5 Nb4 29.Bc4
Rae8 30.h4 Nc2 31.Qf3 Ne3 32.Bd3 b6 33.h5 Re5 34.g4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Kavalek is having a bad day. Besides being slightly ahead in material, Black has a clear positional advantage: his pieces are beautifully placed and work well together. The exposed position of White’s King also does not bode well for White…Kavalek is reduced to waiting for Black to make progress..</strong>}
R5e7$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Perhaps Black was short of time and so he decides to play cautiously and wait until he reaches time control on move 40</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Now was the time to go on the offensive: </strong> } 34...Rg5! 35.Rg1 ( {<strong style="color:black;">Useless is </strong> } 35.Qb7+ Kh6! ) Nxg4! 36.Rxg4 Re1+! 37.Bf1
( {<strong style="color:black;"> Losing immediately would be</strong> } 37.Kh2? Rxh5+ ) Rxg4 38.Qxg4 Rxf1+ 39.Kh2 Rf5! 40.hxg6 hxg6 {<strong style="color:black;">and with Rook, Bishop and 3 extra pawns for the Queen Black has every chance to win the game. </strong> } )
35.Re1!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} c4??{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Wow! This move unprotects the Bishop on d4 and allows White to turn the game around.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> Simply </strong> }35...Re5{<strong style="color:black;">gets Black closer to time control without ruining anything. </strong> })
36.Qf4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Hitting the Bishop</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> Even more precise would be</strong> } 36.h6+! Kxh6 ( 36...Kh8 37.Bxc4!$18 )
37.Qf4+ g5 ( 37...Kg7 38.Qxd4+{<strong style="color:black;">wins easily </strong> } ) 38.Qxd4 cxd3 39.Qf6# )
Bc3 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Slightly tougher is </strong> } 36...Be5$5 37.h6+
Kh8 38.Qxe3 cxd3 ( 38...Bf6 39.Be4! ) 39.Qxd3{<strong style="color:black;"> but there is no doubt that White should eventually win. The pawn on h6 gives rise to many dangerous mating themes.</strong> } )
37.Bxc4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Kavalek must have also been short of time</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> More convincing was to first throw in</strong> } 37.h6+! Kh8 {<strong style="color:black;"> and then to play</strong> }38.Bxc4 )
Nxc4?{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Time trouble</strong>} ( {<strong style="color:black;">Better the immediate </strong> }37...gxh5{<strong style="color:black;">to get some room for the Black King to wiggle </strong> } )
38.Rxe7+{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">Or </strong> }38.h6+! Kh8 ( 38...Kg8 39.Qxc4+ ) 39.Rxe7! )
Rxe7{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 39.h6+{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black resigns. White captures the Knight with check and wins the house. That was a FAST turn around!</strong>} 1-0
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Example 2
Kavalek,L – Gheorghiu,F
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Ngxe7 7.Nd2
Nxd4 8.Ndxe4 Ne6 9.Ng3 O-O 10.e3 d6 11.Nge2 Nc6 12.g3 Ne5 13.Nf4
Nc5 14.Be2 a5 15.b3 c6 16.Ng2 Qf6 17.Rc1 Ne4 18.Qc2 Be6 19.f4
Nd7 20.Nxe4 fxe4 21.Qxe4 Rae8 22.Kf2 Bh3 23.Qc2 Bxg2 24.Kxg2
Rxe3 25.Bd3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Objectively the game is balanced, but is easier to play with the Black pieces. The position contains a lot of poison for both sides. </strong>} Rfe8!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A very strong move! Black ignores White’s threat and fights for the initiative.</strong>} 26.Bxh7+?{[#] <strong style="color:red;">But this is just naive! </strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Completing his development with </strong> }26.Rhf1{<strong style="color:black;">is indicated and keeps the game relatively balanced. </strong> })
Kh8 27.Bd3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Defending against the threat on e2</strong>} Ne5?? {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Unbelievable! Perhaps Gheorghiu wanted to win the brilliancy prize. Now Kavalek is given a chance to turn the game around!</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">The simple </strong> } 27...Nc5!{<strong style="color:black;"> gives Black a winning game: </strong> } 28.Bf1 g5!
29.f5 Qe5!{<strong style="color:black;">and White is reduced to waiting as he has no good moves: </strong> } 30.Rd1 Kg8 31.Rd2 Rc3 32.Qd1 Qe4+{<strong style="color:black;">etc </strong> } )
28.Be2!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Forced. Taking the Knight allows Black a nasty check on f3. Curiously, this Bishop move would have been impossible had the Knight gone to c5 on the previous move.</strong>} Nf7 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black does not have a better move. He has to try to do something along the e-file, other wise White simply has an extra pawn.</strong>} 29.Bh5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White keeps control of e2 while creating some threats.</strong>}
Rf8 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 30.Qg6$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Kavalek insists on trading Queens, but allows a trick. Apparently he had calculated that it was not dangerous.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">A stronger alternative is </strong> } 30.Rce1$5{<strong style="color:black;">as Black’s attacking chances are over. </strong> } )
Re2+!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 31.Kh3!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Of course White should not take the Rook!</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">And naturally not </strong> } 31.Kf1? Qxg6 32.Bxg6 Rxa2{<strong style="color:black;"> when Black is better</strong> } )
Qxg6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">There is nothing better. But now White has a far superior ending which Black manages to lose quickly</strong>} 32.Bxg6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Nh6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> After</strong> } 32...Rxa2 33.Rhe1 a4 34.bxa4 Rxa4 35.Re7 {<strong style="color:black;"> White is very happy.</strong> })
33.Rcd1 Rxa2 34.Rxd6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Nf7 35.Rd3 (35.Rd7!) a4 36.Rhd1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black resigns. Of course White must eventually win (and easily) but this is hardly a reason for Black to throw in the towel right now. </strong>} 1-0
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Example 3
Kavalek,L – Vasiukov,E Moscow 1968
1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h3 O-O 6.Be3 Nc6 7.g3 e5
8.Bg2 Bd7 9.O-O Re8 10.Qd2 a6 11.Rad1 Qc8 12.Kh2 b5 13.dxe5 Nxe5
14.Nxe5 Rxe5 15.Bd4 Rh5 16.h4 Bc6 17.Bf3 Ng4+ 18.Kg2 Bxd4 19.Qxd4
Rc5 20.Be2 a5 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.exd5 h5 23.c3 Ne5 24.f4 Ng4 25.Bf3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The game is roughly equal. I would prefer to have the Black pieces here, as his game is slighly more active.</strong>}
b4$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Vasiukov was a very active player. He tries to drum up play on the Queenside</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Objectively, it was better to first regroup with </strong> } 25...Qf5 26.Rfe1 Nf6 {<strong style="color:black;"> when the Kingside is very stable.</strong> })
26.Rde1{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} bxc3$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
(26...Qf5!)
27.bxc3$6 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Both players must have missed a tactical shot here:</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Immediately refuting Black’s play is the surprising </strong> } 27.f5!$16 {<strong style="color:black;">which gives an almost unstoppable attack: </strong> } Qxf5 (27...cxb2 28.Bxg4 hxg4 29.fxg6!)
28.Bxg4 Qxg4 29.Qf6! Rf8 30.Re8!{<strong style="color:black;">Very pretty! Probably this is what both players had overlooked </strong> } Qd7 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Qh8+ Ke7
33.Re1+ )
Rb8 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Now the immediate danger has passed.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;"> Even so, it is wiser to control f5 with </strong> } 27...Nh6$5 )
28.Re2 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">With his Queen on d4, doubling Rooks on the e-file makes a lot of sense.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Now </strong> } 28.f5{<strong style="color:black;"> does not work:</strong> } Qxf5! 29.Bxg4 Qxg4 30.Qf6{<strong style="color:black;"> as in the previous variation</strong> }
Rb2+! )
Rcb5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Vasiukov is convinced that everything is controlled on the Kingside.</strong>} ( 28...Nh6 ) 29.c4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">stopping any Rb2 move</strong>} Rb1?{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Chess is funny at times. Vasiukov, thinking that he is better, proceeds to lose the game in just one move! The problem with this move is that it weakens Black’s first rank.</strong>} {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}( 29...Rb4$5 ) 30.Rxb1! Rxb1
31.Bxg4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} hxg4{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} ( 31...Qxg4? 32.Re8+ ) 32.f5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Now Kavalek finds this move! Black is instantly busted.</strong>} gxf5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">It is too late to retreat and defend the first rank: </strong> } 32...Rb8 33.fxg6
fxg6 34.Re6!$18 )
33.Qf6 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Also strong is </strong> } 33.h5! Kh7 ( 33...Qf8 34.Qf6 ) 34.Qf6! )
Rb8{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 34.h5! a4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black is reduced to making ‘pass’ moves…</strong>} ( 34...Qf8 35.h6 ) 35.h6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Qf8{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 36.Re7!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black resigns. The threat is just to advance the h-pawn.</strong>} 1-0
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