<p>It never pays to be a bit over defensive and retreat your pieces often in a game of chess. It is easier to try and play actively rather than get into a cramped and passive position with your pieces hovering around in your own territory without much scope.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In the game which follows, Black retreats his knight and queen a few times and soon lands in a passive position. White also fails to play accurately but it does not matter as Black hardly has any game plan and cannot create any counter play.<br /><br />White: Timur Ivanov (2425) – Black: Sarhan Guliev (2470)<br />Moscow 1995<br /><br />Dutch Defence<br /><br />1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 f5<br />Black decides to get a Dutch Defence set up.<br /><br />5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 0–0 8.Qc2 Ne4 9.g4<br />This move looks aggressive and interesting but White was better off after castling.<br />9. .. Na6<br /><br />Here Black has quite a few continuations possible. If 9...fxg4 10.Bxe4 gxf3 Bxh7+ Kh8 12.Rg1. And if 9...b5 10.cxb5 cxb5 11.gxf5 exf5 12.Nxb5 Na6 13.a3 Qa5+. And if 9...Qa5 10.gxf5 Bb4 11.Kf1 Bxc3 12.bxc3 e5 13.Nxe5 Bxf5 14.f3 Bh3<br /><br />10.a3 Qa5<br />Here Black could have exchanged off the knights with 10. ..Nxc3<br />11.Ke2. White decides against castling and moves his King.<br />11. ..Nxc3+<br /><br />If 11...fxg4 12.Bxe4 gxf3+ 13.Bxf3 dxc4 14.Be5! Bf6 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 (15...gxf6 16.Rag1+ Kh8 17.Rg3 Bd7 18.Rhg1) 16.Ne4 Rf8 17.Rhg1 Qf5 18.Bg4 Qd5 19.Ng5<br />12.bxc3 Nc7 13.Ne5<br /><br />A good spot for the knight to be anchored. If 13.c5 Ne8 14.Rhg1 Kh8 15.Rg2 Nf6 16.Rag1 Ne4<br />13...Ne8. Retreating! If 13...Bf6 14.Rhg1 Ne8 15.Rg2<br /><br />14.Rhg1 Nd6 15.gxf5<br />Here better appears 15.c5Nf7 16.c4 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Bf6<br />15. ..exf5 16.c5 Ne8<br /><br />The knight retreats once again to the same square. If 16...Ne4 17.f3 (17.Bxe4 fxe4 18.Rg3 Bh4 19.Rg2 Bh3) 17...Nxc3+ 18.Kf1 Na4 19.Rxg7+ Kxg7 20.Qg2+ Kh8 21.Bh6 Bf6 22.Bxf8 Be6 23.Bh6 Rg8<br /><br />17.Bg5. Once again 17.c4 was more active and offered more scope for White to attack<br />Diagram 1<br />17. ..Qd8<br /><br />As a matter of interest Black has retreated most of his pieces in this game<br />18.f4<br />More aggressive is 18.h4<br />18. ..Bxg5 19.Rxg5 Qf6<br /><br />If 19...g6 20.h4<br />20.Rag1 b6<br />Worth a look is 20. ..Qh6<br /><br />21.Qa4 b5. If 21...bxc5 22.Qxc6 Qxc6 23.Nxc6 cxd4 24.cxd4 Rf7 (24...Be6 25.Bxf5 Bxf5 26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Nxf5) 25.Ne5 Re7 26.Bb5 and White is better<br />22.Qa5 Kh8 23.R1g3<br /><br />Once again White could have taken a break on queen side with 23.a4 bxa4 24.Qxa4 Rb8<br />23. ..Kg8 24.Kd2 Kh8 25.Be2<br /><br />Once again White is slow on the attack. More promising is 25. Rh5 Kg8 26.a4 bxa4 27.Qxa4 Rb8<br />25. ..Qe6<br /><br />Black should have played 25. ..a5 26.a4 Rb8 <br />26.Bf3<br />If 26.Bh5 Nf6 27.Qc7 with advantage for White<br />26...Bb7<br /><br />A big mistake! Black should have thought of 26. ..Rb8 27.Kc2 Rb7<br />27.h4 Qe7 28.h5 Qd8 29.Qxd8 Rxd8 30.h6 Rf6<br />If 30...g6 31.Rxg6 hxg6 32.Nxg6+ Kg8 33.Nxf8+ Kxf8 34.h7 And if 30...gxh6 31.Rg8+ Rxg8 32.Nf7 checkmate<br /><br />31.hxg7+ Kg8 32.Bh5 h6 33.Bf7+ Rxf7 34.Nxf7<br />1–0<br />Diagram 2<br /><br />White to play and checkmate<br />1.Bxe7+ Rxe7 2.Rg6 checkmate.<br /><br /></p>
<p>It never pays to be a bit over defensive and retreat your pieces often in a game of chess. It is easier to try and play actively rather than get into a cramped and passive position with your pieces hovering around in your own territory without much scope.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In the game which follows, Black retreats his knight and queen a few times and soon lands in a passive position. White also fails to play accurately but it does not matter as Black hardly has any game plan and cannot create any counter play.<br /><br />White: Timur Ivanov (2425) – Black: Sarhan Guliev (2470)<br />Moscow 1995<br /><br />Dutch Defence<br /><br />1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 f5<br />Black decides to get a Dutch Defence set up.<br /><br />5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 0–0 8.Qc2 Ne4 9.g4<br />This move looks aggressive and interesting but White was better off after castling.<br />9. .. Na6<br /><br />Here Black has quite a few continuations possible. If 9...fxg4 10.Bxe4 gxf3 Bxh7+ Kh8 12.Rg1. And if 9...b5 10.cxb5 cxb5 11.gxf5 exf5 12.Nxb5 Na6 13.a3 Qa5+. And if 9...Qa5 10.gxf5 Bb4 11.Kf1 Bxc3 12.bxc3 e5 13.Nxe5 Bxf5 14.f3 Bh3<br /><br />10.a3 Qa5<br />Here Black could have exchanged off the knights with 10. ..Nxc3<br />11.Ke2. White decides against castling and moves his King.<br />11. ..Nxc3+<br /><br />If 11...fxg4 12.Bxe4 gxf3+ 13.Bxf3 dxc4 14.Be5! Bf6 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 (15...gxf6 16.Rag1+ Kh8 17.Rg3 Bd7 18.Rhg1) 16.Ne4 Rf8 17.Rhg1 Qf5 18.Bg4 Qd5 19.Ng5<br />12.bxc3 Nc7 13.Ne5<br /><br />A good spot for the knight to be anchored. If 13.c5 Ne8 14.Rhg1 Kh8 15.Rg2 Nf6 16.Rag1 Ne4<br />13...Ne8. Retreating! If 13...Bf6 14.Rhg1 Ne8 15.Rg2<br /><br />14.Rhg1 Nd6 15.gxf5<br />Here better appears 15.c5Nf7 16.c4 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Bf6<br />15. ..exf5 16.c5 Ne8<br /><br />The knight retreats once again to the same square. If 16...Ne4 17.f3 (17.Bxe4 fxe4 18.Rg3 Bh4 19.Rg2 Bh3) 17...Nxc3+ 18.Kf1 Na4 19.Rxg7+ Kxg7 20.Qg2+ Kh8 21.Bh6 Bf6 22.Bxf8 Be6 23.Bh6 Rg8<br /><br />17.Bg5. Once again 17.c4 was more active and offered more scope for White to attack<br />Diagram 1<br />17. ..Qd8<br /><br />As a matter of interest Black has retreated most of his pieces in this game<br />18.f4<br />More aggressive is 18.h4<br />18. ..Bxg5 19.Rxg5 Qf6<br /><br />If 19...g6 20.h4<br />20.Rag1 b6<br />Worth a look is 20. ..Qh6<br /><br />21.Qa4 b5. If 21...bxc5 22.Qxc6 Qxc6 23.Nxc6 cxd4 24.cxd4 Rf7 (24...Be6 25.Bxf5 Bxf5 26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Nxf5) 25.Ne5 Re7 26.Bb5 and White is better<br />22.Qa5 Kh8 23.R1g3<br /><br />Once again White could have taken a break on queen side with 23.a4 bxa4 24.Qxa4 Rb8<br />23. ..Kg8 24.Kd2 Kh8 25.Be2<br /><br />Once again White is slow on the attack. More promising is 25. Rh5 Kg8 26.a4 bxa4 27.Qxa4 Rb8<br />25. ..Qe6<br /><br />Black should have played 25. ..a5 26.a4 Rb8 <br />26.Bf3<br />If 26.Bh5 Nf6 27.Qc7 with advantage for White<br />26...Bb7<br /><br />A big mistake! Black should have thought of 26. ..Rb8 27.Kc2 Rb7<br />27.h4 Qe7 28.h5 Qd8 29.Qxd8 Rxd8 30.h6 Rf6<br />If 30...g6 31.Rxg6 hxg6 32.Nxg6+ Kg8 33.Nxf8+ Kxf8 34.h7 And if 30...gxh6 31.Rg8+ Rxg8 32.Nf7 checkmate<br /><br />31.hxg7+ Kg8 32.Bh5 h6 33.Bf7+ Rxf7 34.Nxf7<br />1–0<br />Diagram 2<br /><br />White to play and checkmate<br />1.Bxe7+ Rxe7 2.Rg6 checkmate.<br /><br /></p>
