Visualization and Evaluation- 1

Alekhine’s Defense, a Beginner’s approach

Saturdays and Sundays are usually very demanding if you do a job of teaching Chess to little Children. I do that and I enjoy it. So this bygone Sunday, once I was done with my work and had plenty of time to relax in the afternoon, I decided to do something different with my daily routine of studying Chess. Usually, I use a Chess board, like the one in Chessbase, to study games. However, I wanted to make this task more challenging.

Secunderabad in late October seems to be witnessing the coming of winter season. Cold winds blowing outside, it seemed perfect to lie down in my bed engulfed in my blanket, however, with a small difference...

Yearbook 110

So this was the unusual task I had set for myself. I wanted to read an article from the yearbook, as much as I could read, without using a chess board, lying on the bed, as if I were reading a story book. My primary aim with this task was to improve my ability to visualize the position in my head and, very importantly, assess and evaluate the position blindfolded. It is a part of Chess lore now, how the great players of the past could read chess books as if they were reading thriller novels. Well, I’m no great player; not yet. I’m just an approximately 1700 dude who wants to improve, that’s all.

Doing this task in a casual way was to make sure that Chess is more natural to me than ever. I want to make Chess my language. I want it to be my mother tongue. Perhaps this is the right way to begin?

The first Opening survey of my choice happened to be based on a variation in the Alekhine’s Defense. Now as an improving player, I don’t stick to a particular repertoire. I always tend to play different Openings as it’s my firm belief that it would be beneficial in the long run, say, 300 games later.

To say the truth, I never have really faced or played the Alekhine’s Defense myself. Not that I care. My job is simple: learn Chess, whatever and however it is.

So the above position was the subject of my first reading as part of my task. The move 4. Bc4 is essentially pretty primitive in nature. It just attacks the Knight and focuses itself on the f7 point behind it. As the article, written by Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik, mentions, no Grandmaster has really championed the cause of this move. It was witnessed for the first time in 1926.

Moving on, let’s have a look at an important possibility branching out of the above position.

4.Bc4 c6

If we evaluate the Imbalances that are present in the position, it is obvious that the only element that can be counted as an asset by White is the Space advantage in the centre (and consequently the Kingside). Although there are other possible moves, 5.f4 is a move which makes a lot of sense to me.

After my evaluations, I just moved on to the next variation in the article. However, later on, while checking them on board, when I had a look at the model game, it excited me! Have a look at the game to know what I mean!

I don’t know what an engine thinks about the above game. Frankly, I don’t care and see no reason to.  The presence of the Qh6-Ng5 idea was a valuable lesson to remember.

4. Bc4 dxe5

Releasing the tension with no threats to White position whatsoever is not good for Black. White can earn a stable position with long term assets as the following analysis proves. Both 6.Nc3 and 6.Nf3 are good. Do check out the simple yet good to remember tactic in the 6.Nc3 line.

4. Bc4 Nb6

This seems to be the most natural continuation available for Black. After 5.Bb3, Black has some choices to make which we shall try to assess and evaluate in the following analysis.

Let us begin with 5...d5. We shall now witness a game by Mikhail Tal minus his fireworks.

5...Nc6 is the next move in our agenda to which White replies with a pawn sacrifice 6.e6 which I learned to be standard in such positions. I didn’t know that before. Let us assess the position after this move i.e. 6.e6 fxe6.



White has sacrificed a pawn but in return, what has he got? One obvious element favouring him is Black's King who is not as comfortable as he was. Comparing the minor pieces, it is clear that White's Bishops have lot more potential than their counterparts. One subtle imbalance to note is the power of g5 square which has become almost an outpost now as moves like h6 will doom the Black King.

Let us have a look at a game where White chose the wrong plan.

Next up is the 5...Bf5 move after 5.Bb3. Let us have a look how White grabs some Queen side space and when the chance presents itself, effectively hacks Black’s weak f7 pawn and unsafe King by grabbing the initiative with a nice sacrifice.

To round up the matters, let us have a look at the positions after 5.Bb3 5.dxe5 which, according to this yearbook I’m studying, is the most critical line in this variation.

What follows is 6.Qh5 e6 7.dxe5.

Let us look at the assets of White’s position. White has central space which grants him parking area for his pieces on the Kingside. Black has a weak f7 pawn which by default makes the King susceptible to attack, especially if a Knight lands on g5.

Black can grab space on the queenside with c5 as he grabs in the following game but that will leave the d6 square weak his which can become an outpost for White. The same plan was visible in the Tal game above in the variation 5.Bb3 d5.

Let us have a look at a nice attacking game where White managed to convert his assets into a dangerous initiative which ended with a sweet tactic.

That is all for now folks. The primary aim of this task was to exercise our ability to evaluate random positions and conclude with an assessment about them, blindfolded and otherwise. I think I was fairly successful in this task. I ad no intention to make an exhaustive analysis of this opening but I did learn a lot about it in the process of evaluating its resultant positions. New in Chess Yearbook was indeed fantastic and I am sure to return to it for more.

Your feedback is always valuable to me as I hope that it will help me in my quest, if I may call it one.

Next task is most probably be something based on Pawn Endgames. Thank You for reading my work! J