Attacking Strategies for Club Players: How to Create a Deadly Attack on the Enemy King

By Michael Prusikin

Attacking your opponent’s king is not just a shortcut to victory, it’s also one of the most enjoyable and gratifying experiences in chess. If you want to win more games you should become a better attacker. Studying typical attacking motifs and ideas easily brings dividends while you are having a good time.

Michael Prusikin presents the prerequisites and the rules for a King attack in a lucid and attractive manner. In 15 thematic chapters he teaches you how to assess the nature of the position, identify the appropriate offensive patterns, find the preliminary moves and conduct your attack in a clear and effective way.

Battering rams, obstructive sacrifices, pawn storms, striking at the castled position, sacrificing a knight on f5, Prusikin demonstrates the most important patterns of attack with lots of clear and well chosen examples.

Next, Prusikin tests your newly acquired insights and your attacking intuition with exercises covering all the themes and motifs. You will find that studying Attacking Strategies for Club Players is both entertaining and rewarding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New in Chess
• Release date: Nov 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9789056919757

Michael Prusikin

Michael Prusikin is an International Grandmaster and a FIDE Senior Trainer from Germany. In 2009 he was the co-winner of the German Championship. Several times he has been voted German Chess Trainer of the Year. He writes the tactics column in the German magazine SCHACH.

Book preview

Introduction

The subject of attacking the king is certainly a rewarding one, both for the author and for the reader, as attacking the king is associated (not entirely incorrectly) with spectacular tactical twists, and tactics is the aspect of chess with the highest aesthetic value – at least according to the majority of chess players, completely regardless of their playing strength. Whether it’s the ‘Evergreen game’, the ‘Immortal game’ or the Steinitz rook perambulating on the seventh rank as though it were quite at home – these are the games that both amateurs and professionals know and love, and they are characterised by tactical fireworks, an extravagant approach to sacrificing material and an unswerving attack on the king.

To believe that the ability to produce such ‘games for eternity’ is something that only a few lucky individuals are born with is a major and widespread error. Certainly, innate talent for the game of chess plays a role and possibly defines the limits we could reach with maximum effort, but it is above all hard work and the amount of time invested in learning the secrets of chess that are crucial for tournament success and creative flights of fancy.

In some ways, learning how to play chess is like learning a foreign language. Both chess and languages are comprised of blocks of information, so-called ‘chunks’, that we memorise and then must put together/apply correctly on the board (or when speaking). In chess we generally talk in this connection about ‘patterns’, a typical example being the different mating motifs such as the back-rank mate, smothered mate etc. Of course, there are also corresponding chunks for the topics of strategy and the endgame. A strong chess player differs from one less strong primarily by the greater number of chunks that he has internalised. Talent and creativity have an impact when the player, in a tournament situation, ‘digs out’ from his memory the right chunks at the right time and puts them together. As useful as general rules and strategic explanations may be, the number of internalised tactical and strategic patterns is, as already mentioned, the crucial factor when it comes to playing strength. That’s why the individual chapters in this book only contain what is absolutely necessary in terms of introductory text and much more in the way of annotated games.

However, the theme of this book is not basic attacking motifs. I assume you are already familiar with these or I would recommend that, if so inclined, you read the classic The Art of Attack by Vladimir Vukovic or its modern counterpart Essential Chess Sacrifices by David LeMoir. In this book we shall address the strategic requirements for a successful attack on the king and some lesser-known attacking motifs, though no less relevant in practice. I hope this will be both interesting and useful for players with an Elo rating between 1500 and 2300.

Despite the numerous diagrams that accompany the annotated games, I would recommend to all players who are serious about improving their chess and would like to derive the maximum benefit from this book that they use a chessboard to play through the games. To benefit even more, stop before each diagram and try to work out the next move. But even simply using the book for a spot of bedtime reading will not only provide aesthetic enjoyment but should also yield some rating points.

Have fun!

Michael Prusikin

Parsberg, Germany

June 2021

CHAPTER 1

Prerequisites and rules for attacking the king

As already discussed in the introduction, familiarity with typical attacking motifs and ideas is crucial for a successful attack on the king. However, there are of course a few general rules that you should know to significantly increase your chances of toppling your opponent’s king from his throne.

Here’s a list of tips relevant to practical play:

Prerequisites for successfully attacking the king

1. Lead in development/uncastled opposing king

The well-known maxim of the very first World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, that ‘Whoever has the advantage must attack’, refers above all to dynamic advantages such as a lead in development. These dissipate very quickly if the better developed player does not act quickly enough. More on this can be found in the chapter ‘King in the centre’.

2. Space advantage on the side of the board where the opposing king is located

You should attack where you stand stronger. And you are stronger where you have more space, as a space advantage allows us to accumulate more attacking pieces on the relevant side of the board than our opponent can muster defenders. Which brings us to the next point:

3. Few defensive pieces around our opponent’s king

I came across a valuable idea many years ago in the game annotations of Garry Kasparov: we often completely fail to notice that our opponent’s king is denuded of defenders. But if we divide the board into two halves in our mind, this deficiency becomes much more obvious. If the queen has abandoned her consorts and is far away from her king, this also increases our chances of launching a resounding attack – this is a special case of the rule under discussion.

4. Lack of/weakened pawn protection for the king

This point might seem self-explanatory. The last bastion of a king’s protection is always the pawn wall. If some of the pawns are missing, or the pawn protection is damaged, this represents a danger to the king.

Tips for successfully attacking the king

1. The most important rule for the attacker, which we will repeat time and time again throughout the book, was put very memorably by US grandmaster Yasser Seirawan:

‘Everyone must be invited to the party!’

Another way of putting it, which I also really like, is:

‘Attack with as many pieces as possible, defend with as few as necessary.’

2. Open lines!

In most cases, there comes a point when the attacker cannot avoid advancing pawns to use them as levers to open lines for his major pieces. This applies both to positions with kings castled on the same side and with kings castled on opposite sides.

3. Have the courage to sacrifice!

There regularly comes a point during an attack when progress can only be made by sacrificing material. Don’t be stingy when this point arrives. If a sacrifice can be calculated exactly through to the end, there’s no real risk anyway. If the consequences of the intended sacrifice cannot be calculated exactly, a decision should be made based on a combination of calculation and intuition.

To freely adapt the old proverb: it is better to sacrifice and regret it than to not sacrifice and regret it. If you timidly decline a promising sacrifice because the consequences cannot be foreseen exactly, then you pass up the opportunity of adding another jewel to the treasure trove of chess masterpieces.

4. Time is key!

Time is the decisive factor especially when it comes to exploiting a lead in development and with reciprocal attacks when the kings are castled on opposite sides. The attack should – bearing in mind the three points above – be pursued rapidly, purposefully and straightforwardly.

CHAPTER 2

King in the centre

The first principles taught to a chess beginner include the ‘three golden rules of the opening’:

1. (You should) occupy the centre (with pawns).

2. (You should) develop pieces (towards the centre).

3. (You should) bring the king to safety by castling.

The disadvantages of the king becoming trapped in the centre are twofold: firstly, the monarch himself can come under attack. Secondly, the king prevents the rooks from connecting, and thus often completely paralyses the coordination of the pieces; the game Vajda-Georgiev provides a striking example of this.

As a starting point, these rules are fully adequate and the only difficulty for chess beginners is to follow them consistently. As time passes and playing strength increases, advanced chess players come to notice that not all their opponents follow these rules. Some have never internalised the said rules, while others believe they have discovered exceptions.

How should you react when your opponent neglects his development? In the first instance, I would suggest adding a fourth rule to the three above:

4. (You should) if possible prevent your opponent from following the first three rules.

The next question that arises at this point is how to implement this instruction in practice. What should be done specifically when the opposing king is trapped in the centre and you have completed your development, or have at least achieved a clear lead in development? Here’s my step-by-step guide:

i: Keep the opposing king in the centre, if necessary by sacrificing material, although this is not an end in itself, of course.

ii: Open lines against the king (here too you shouldn’t be too stingy if the situation requires).

iii: Don’t lose sight of your own development when carrying out the first two points. The perfect move is a developing move that is simultaneously a ‘forcing move’ (one which gives check, makes a capture, sets up a threat).

iiii: Checkmate and be proud of your achievement (wink).

Another interesting practical tip is to swap off the few pieces that your opponent does have developed if you have a big lead in development.

Let’s take a look at how these recommendations can be implemented in practice.

Game 1

Levente Vajda 2588

Kiril Georgiev 2671

Montenegro tt 2008 (3)

This position has arisen from a variation of the Exchange Ruy Lopez. The second player’s slightly worse pawn structure is more than made up for by his strong bishop pair – but only if he succeeds in completing his development without further concessions.

14...g6?!

This move wins a tempo for development but weakens the dark squares on the kingside. But since Black is planning to castle queenside, this isn’t a problem, is it?

A) 14...0-0?! allows White to get rid of one of the black bishop pair: 15.♗g5! ♗xg5 16.♕xg5 ;

B) 14...h6! is the right way to proceed, as Lastin demonstrated shortly after the current game: 15.c4 ♕e6 (15...♕xc4?? 16.♘d6+ cxd6 17.exd6 ) 16.b3 ♗d7 17.♗b2 0-0-0 18.♖ad1 ♕f5 Kobalia-Lastin, Novokuznetsk 2008.

15.♕h6 ♗f5

The critical point of the game.

Black intends to castle queenside next, when the position would be equal. Can White prevent this?

16.♗g5!!

Levente Vajda finds a fantastic idea. He simply removes the dark-squared bishop. Otherwise nothing changes compared with the variation 16.♘f6+ ! A bishop for just one tempo – there can’t be a better example of time on the chessboard.

16.♘f6+ ♗xf6 17.exf6+ ♗e6 18.♗f4 0-0-0=.

16...♗xg5?

The lesser of the two evils was 16...♗xe4 17.♗xe7 ♔xe7 18.♕h4+ ♔f8 19.♖xe4 although here too White’s advantage is decisive.

17.♘f6+!! ♗xf6 18.exf6+ ♗e6 19.♖ad1

That’s why the bishop had to ‘perish’!

19...♕f5 20.♕g7 ♖f8 21.h3

A picturesque position. Black has an extra piece and it’s his turn to move, he can defend against the immediate threat of 22.g4 followed by 23.♖xe6 – and yet is completely helpless as in the medium term he is unable to move his king from the centre and coordinate his major pieces.

21...h5 22.♖d4

The immediate 22.f4 was also possible, but White is in no hurry.

22...h4 23.f4

24.♖e5 is threatened.

23...c5 24.♖dd1 c4 25.♖e5 ♕xe5

25...♕xf4 26.♖xe6+ fxe6 27.♕e7#.

26.fxe5 c3 27.bxc3 ♗xa2 28.♕h6 ♗e6 29.♕d2 ♖h8 30.♕d4 b6 31.♕b4 c5 32.♕xb6 1-0

Game 2Petroff Defence

Walter Browne

Arthur Bisguier

Chicago ch-USA 1974 (9)

1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘f6

The Petroff Defence – an opening with a reputation of being a solid and peaceful choice, and not without good reason.

3.♘xe5 d6 4.♘f3 ♘xe4 5.d4 d5 6.♗d3 ♗e7 7.0-0 ♘c6 8.c4 ♘b4 9.cxd5

9.♗e2 is the main continuation here but the text move is also popular at all levels. White gives up the bishop pair to speed up his development.

9...♘xd3 10.♕xd3 ♕xd5 11.♖e1 ♗f5 12.♘c3 ♘xc3 13.♕xc3 c6?

The first mistake by Black in the game, but one that also turns out to be decisive! The pawn sacrifice 13...♗e6! appears to be sufficient for equality in all variations: 14.♖e5 (after 14.♕xc7 ♗d6 15.♕c3 0-0 the bishop pair promises Black sufficient compensation for the pawn) 14...♕d7 (14...♕c6 also equalises) 15.♗g5 (15.d5 ♗xd5 16.♖xe7+ ♕xe7 17.♗g5 f6 18.♖e1 ♗e6 19.♘d4 0-0-0 20.♘xe6 fxg5 21.♘xd8 ♕xd8 22.♕xg7=) 15...f6 16.♖e3 fxg5 17.♖ae1 0-0-0 18.♖xe6 ♗f6 19.♖6e4 ♖he8= Wilczek-D’Adamo, cr 2010.

The second player only needs to castle to be completely content with his position. Black would like to enable this with 14...♗e6. Can White thwart this plan?

14.♗h6!!

Walter Browne must take the credit for having discovered this amazing move! It’s amusing that this position (after 13...c6) first appeared on the board in 1931! Again a bishop is sacrificed for a tempo. But this time the opponent’s pawn structure is also destroyed and the long dark-squared diagonal is cleared.

14.♗d2 occurred in the stem game Yates-Kashdan, Hastings 1931/32: 14...h6? (14...♗e6=) 15.♖e5 ♕d7 16.♖ae1 ♗e6 17.♖5e4? (17.d5! cxd5 18.♖xe6 fxe6 19.♕xg7 0-0-0 20.♘e5+-) 0-1 (44).

14...♖g8

14...gxh6 15.♖e5 ♕d7 16.♖ae1 ♗e6 17.d5! cxd5 (17...0-0-0 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.♖xe6+- Baert-Dutreeuw, Belgium tt 2000/01) 18.♖xe6!+- is the point of 14.♗h6!!. Who would have thought that the rook hidden away on h8 could be in any danger?

15.♖e5! ♕d7 16.♖ae1 ♗e6 17.♘g5!

The clearest!