7 Tips You Must Know About Flank Attacks - Middlegame Strategy
Ladies and gentlemen, if you love to play hypermodern openings , or if you play against such openings, you have to master the art of flank attacks!
Now, you may ask me , what are HyperModern Openings Ddom1?
Well, hypermodern chess involves placing pieces that control the center before occupying it with pawns, unlike normal and boring Spanish, Italian, Queen's Gambit, London System lines. Some common hypermodern openings are the Grunfeld, KID, KIA, Reti, Nimzo-Indian, Bogo-Indian, Queen's Indian, Nimzowitsch-Larsen, etc. Nimzowitsch, who was one of the best in the same era as Alekhine and Capablanca is considered to be the father of such systems.
In such openings, both sides initiate flank attacks. Flank Attacks are generally pawn storms on a flank to gain space, material and advantages. A flank attack can also be done only with pieces but is characterized by a typical pawn push or pawn sac. An example:
Now , at any level of the game, this art is an important skill to master, as you may yourself adopt these hypermodern systems or encounter it. Let us look at some ways to play these ideas.
1) Play On Both Sides Of The Board!
A very important skill which you should know while setting up your flank attacks is to assess the conditions on both sides of the board. Focusing on just one side can have disastrous consequences. This is a basic of flank attack and is the most important principle of attaining success with flank attack. Let's dive into this with a practical example, learning from the best - Remember, that in my previous blog about piece activity, I had mentioned about a Carlsen-Hao game in the Wijk Aan Zee? Well , let's witness that stunner by Magnus here!
2) Do Not Shy Away From Sacrifices - Sacrifice for the Initiative
The best way to complete a flank attack is with a tactical blow, which often ends the game! However, in complex middlegames it is important to know what to do and how to get yourself a comfortable position for attack. Pawn sacrifices , therefore are best to open up crucial squares for your pieces. In most cases, your opponent is forced to give up material. Example-
3) Control The Center!
Honestly, one of the most beautiful studies. Both White and Black sacrificed for the initiative in the game - a recurring theme in the game. From this, you would probably understand the importance of sacs in flank attacks,
In the above game, Black had the control over the center with the a-pawn sac and rook move. This led to it having a somewhat comfortable game. Most people make this mistake and concentrate only on the flank but the center is a crucial spot for any attack - let alone flank attacks. You can even fend off flank attacks with a sharp and accurate center attack
4) Co-Ordinate Against The Weak Squares
In the above game, White assemble its pieces against the h6-pawn and the move somewhat paid off. Similarly, Black held fort at the weak c3-pawn. Likewise you must also study the position once before formulating your plan. White's flank attack also relied on pieces more than pawns.
5) Positional Advantage
Flank Attacks can be used not just for direct wins, but also to gain space advantages, positional advantage, defensive counterattacks, etc. Therefore, you must learn to use the flank attack both defensively and aggressively. An example would be the h-pawn push into the enemy territory to weaken the squares around the king also known as Harry Attack ( Harry the H-Pawn WWW) or the Alpha-Zero Push named after the popular chess engine Alpha Zero.
6)Adaptability
Strive for mobile position with lots of utility where you can constantly create new threats. The game under the 2nd tip is again a great example. Such positions can guarantee you a win at lower levels as most players do not know the art of defense at such levels
7)Minor Piece Placement
Most people know how to operate the major pieces during flank attacks. But what they lack is minor piece placement. Do you wish to know how to not get grouped in this category? Well, the answer is simple - use your minor pieces properly. The main diff between those two strategies is that minor pieces can be sacrificed more easily than major pieces and therefore the opposition can defend off major piece attacks with decent play. Minor Pieces are often the tension builders in closed positions, such as the game under tip 2.
I hope you enjoyed this blog thoroughly! And I hope that this helps you to execute flank attacks efficiently. Do you have any points to add? Feel free to do so in the comments!
