Harmony between pieces vital

Each and every piece on the chessboard is intended for warfare and it is imperative that pieces come out quickly and take their positions on the important squares. Also at the same time care should also be taken that there is harmony between the pieces, they stay connected to each other and assist each other either in attack or defence.

In the game which follows, White deploys all his forces in a picturesque manner and it is a treat to see how the White pieces virtually control the entire chessboard, despite having sacrificed a piece early in the game.

White: Victor Alexander Mikhalevski (2531) – Black: Alexander Rabinovich (2437)
Israel, 1999, Slav Defence
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 b5. Black is attempting to save the gambitted pawn

6.0–0 Bb7 7.a4 Nd7 8.Nc3 b4
Black played a novelty here which doesn’t lok very promising. The general continuation is 8...a6 9.Ne5

9.Ne4. If 9.Nb1 c5.
9...c5 10.Ne5 Bd5. If 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Qxd1 12.Rxd1 Bd5 13.Be3 Rc8 14.Rac1
11.Nxf7. A knight sacrifice to break banking on the undeveloped pieces on Black’s king-side

11...Kxf7 12.Ng5 Ke8
Back to the original square. If 12...Ke7 13.e4 h6 (13...Bb7 14.Qg4) 14.exd5 (14.Qh5 Qe8 15.Qh4) 14...hxg5 15.Qe2 Qc8 16.Bxg5 Ndf6 17.dxc5
13.e4 Bb7. A forced issue since 13...Be7 14.exd5 Bxg5 15.dxe6

14.Nxe6 Qb6 15.d5 a5. Black has been rolling his queen-side pawns while White is rolling them in the centre of the board
16.e5. An aggressive pawn advance

16...Ne7.
If 16...Nxe5 17.Qe2 Bd6 18.Bf4 Nd3 19.Nxc5 Kd8 and White remains better
17.f4. If 17.d6 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 Qc6 19.Kg1 Ra7 20.dxe7 Qxe6 21.exf8Q Rxf8 22.f4
17...Nf5. Perhaps Black should have tried to pressurise on the queen-side with 17...c3 18.bxc3 c4 19.Rf2 b3 (19...bxc3 20.Ba3)

18.Be4 Nh6. If 18...g6 19.Bxf5 gxf5 20.Qh5 Ke7 21.Qg5 Ke8
19.Be3. A good move! White has completed his development while Black is to a certain extent playing aimlessly
19...g6 20.Qf3 Nf7

Black has plenty of problems in finding good squares for his pieces and even his King is still stranded in the centre without castling
21.Rad1 Rb8 22.d6 Bh6
If 22...Bxe4 23.Qxe4

23.Bd5. If 23.Bxb7 Qxb7 24.Nc7 Kd8 e6
23...Nd8. Getting into more and more cramped position while trying to drive away the intruders. Black had pushed all his queen-side pawns in the following but at a crucial junction falters by not pushing 23. ..c3. If 23...Bxd5 24.Qxd5 Nfxe5 25.Rfe1 Nd3 26.Nxc5
24.Nc7 Kf8 25.f5

Diagram 1
A very interesting position where White is dominating the entire chessboard. It is noteworthy here that virtually each and every piece of White is active and has virtually pushed all of Black’s pieces out of the game. Also one has to remember that White has sacrificed a piece and has one piece less!
25...Bxe3 26.Qxe3 h6 27.fxg6 Kg7

The King is now forced to fend for himself
28.Rf7 Another sacrifice

28. ..Nxf7 29.Ne6 Kg8. If 29...Kxg6 30.Qe4 Kh5 31.Qf5 Ng5 32.Nf4 checkmate
30.gxf7 Kxf7 31.Qf3 and Black resigned for if 31.Qf3 Ke8 (31...Kg6 32.Qg4 Kf7 33.Qg7 Ke8 34.Qe7checkmate) 32.Qh5 checkmate 1–0
Diagram 2
White to play and win
1.Qxe5 Be7. If 1...Qe7 2.Qxb8 And if 1...Qxe5 2.Rd8 checkmate
2.Qxc7 Bxg5 3.Kb1 and Black is lost.

Manisha Mohite