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Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Fianchettoed Rook

KevinSmithIdiot

Updated: Feb 18, 2024, 5:22 PM | 5

Fianchetto? Yes. A Rook? What on earth?

Well, it does happen. I even had someone rated over 2300 in daily time controls voluntarily fianchetto both Rooks against me. But they were a friend of mine and just goofing off.

Still, it's definitely a bit off the normal track. So, I was inspired to write a poem...after looking at a slew of games with fianchettoed Rooks. Blimey, mate. What is with all these Rooks on Diagon Alley?

I thought that I should never see,
An angled Rook, the likes of thee;
A Rook whose hungry gaze is pressed,
Amongst some pawns, an ugly nest.
A Knight stands guard,
Time served is hard;
The Tower cowers, no flight in sight,
Surely some say, this canst be right;
At least thou serve to protect some Pawns,
Though this may earn no more than yawns.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But any player can fianchetto like thee.

Another month or more of working on my next chess book and finding more quaint and surprisingly useful configurations that just seem to pop up in my favorite openings and the games of my favorite players. Though the two are not necessarily conflated as their openings are far more broadly based than mine. Anyway, enough of that stream of conscious stuff for the moment; though I assure you it is likely to leak out again.

I started looking at Rooks who seemed to have a bit of Bishop in them. Maybe they always wanted to don robes and wear a mitre? But again, I digress. Below you'll find some very typical situations I discovered with fianchettoed Rooks. I'll very briefly discuss some salient features for each of the four corners of the board and then move on to some illustrative puzzles for your solving enjoyment. The features discussed are tied to the configuration of the pawns and pieces, not to a particular corner of the board. And many of the features carry over from one configuration to another. Given that, I tried to avoid too much repetition of common features.

The next couple paragraphs talk about the diagram below. If you just want to solve puzzles skip to the banner in White and Purple that is further below!!

Bottom Right. White might be able to play g4 and Rg3 to evacuate the Rook from its current dismal placement.

Bottom Left. A very common configuration. Usually precipitated by an untimely push of the pawn to b3. Normally we see this after the Bishop drove the Rook to b1 along the open diagonal and then the Knight pulled the Rook up to b2 by placing the Knight on c3. White constantly has to fear discoveries so must be very wary about moving the Bishop from c1. That leaves two pieces doing nothing. If Black is able to place a pawn on b4 then White will not even have the option of b3-b4 and Rb3 to escape limboland.

Top Left. This can occur after a trade of Bishops on b7. Often Black sought this trade in order to eliminate a fianchettoed White Bishop on g2. The idea being to weaken the light squares around White's King. That plan is often overly optimistic. In this particular configuration it is important to also note that the White pawn on b5 eliminates any option of pushing Black's b-pawn to create an exit route. The White Rook on the a-file compounds Black's problems. It could be worse. In some instances, the White Queen pops into a6 and creates an immediate crisis.

Top Right. The Rook assumed the position in order to avoid mate. This is a more common defensive technique than I expected to see and often quite effective.

TO THE GAMES!!!

Blackburne,J -Vasquez,A Match (3) 08.03.1891
Perforce, I speculate that Black was inspired to attack with 27...Qh5? despite a laggard development. The intersection of hopes, dreams and realities is fraught with peril, particularly when one neglects the question of whether your own house is in order.
How did White respond to this impetuous outburst?

Assessment: With the obvious threat 31. Bxf7 and Black's King will fall. Plundering the exchange on b7 remains an option as well.

Outcome: The expected outcome would be the same as that seen in the game, a victory for White.

Lessons learned or revisited:
A. The Queen sally to h4 was inadequately prepared and ignored a palpable threat. From the defender's side it is important to note that immediately advancing the b-pawn two squares would have provided a much more flexible position. I refer you to the analytic notes after 27...Qh4. An idea worth storing in your warehouse of chess facts, notions and mythconceptions.
B. The fianchettoed Rook proves typically unsuitable for any role other than serving as target practice for the White pieces.
C. White was able to transform the unfortunate configuration on Black's Queenside into clearly winning material and positional gains.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 2 (1=Easy, 5=Hard)
Why that rating? Fairly straightforward given the basic rules of precedence many coaches proselytize regarding analysis of a position. Zero checks available, no meaningful captures, no Black threats. As a consequence, we devolve to creating a threat, renewing the threat, and finally finding a meaningful capture that includes multiple threats of further mayhem.

Traskovetskaja,D (2024) - Gritsenko,A (2409) Izmailov Memorial op 16th 06.08. 2012
Black is clearly advocating for elite membership in the Pin to Win Club. Petrified, White played 19.Bc1. Thus managing to play the very worst of the three ways to defend the Knight staple-gunned in place.

The Knight now appears to have sufficient defenders for the butterflied specimen on e3 and His Majesty is prepared to melt the pin by slipping away to h1. How should Black continue?

The Knight chortles, "Thou wouldst corner thyself a square higher, but I am not hindered by architectural ells."

Assessment: Effectively White has three immobilized pieces now. The a2 Rook, the dark-squared Bishop and the e3 Knight.

Outcome: White resigned on move 33.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. Removing a Bishop from its fianchettoed position can have extremely negative consequences as control of squares along that fianchettoed diagonal is usually dramatically reduced.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 1 (1=Easy, 5=Hard)
Why that rating? Well, chess fans, the topic at hand is fianchettoed Rooks. So consecutive moves that threaten the Rook seem likely candidates. Consequently I dubbed this easy, like a comfortable chair that invites you in to rest easily from long established habits.

Pavlovic,M (2481) - Schmaltz,R (2504) Wch Blitz 9th (5) 13.10.2015 #1
White has managed to lure a Black Rook into an awkward fianchetto. I've seen this in quite a few games in the database so it is not at all unusual. But discombobulated pieces by themselves are not necessarily enough to guarantee victory. How does White transform this position into some more tangible gain?

Assessment: The Knight will escape via a7 after the Rook de-fianchettoes itself. Like a detoxification the Tower is likely to be a bit woozy for a while after retreating to b8. And the Rook's prospects look hazy as it searches for an open file on which to do something, anything that could alter the course of the game.

Outcome: Black resigned on move 36.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. Always consider concrete, active, forcing moves. It is not enough to trap a piece, in this case the fianchettoed Rook. That entrapment needs to be transmogrified, morphed into some other tangible benefit.

B. Deflection and control of key sqares was a key aspect that allowed White to dominate the board. Note how the pawn on e5 and White's pair of Knights attacked every square along the h4-d8 diagonal, while the Bishop on d5 kept Black's Queen from protecting the e7 square by playing ...Qe6.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 3- (1=Easy, 5=Hard)

Why that rating? There are many competing ideas. But the most forcing moves are best. The Queen must react to the pawn thrust. Black must lose time moving the King when the Knight checks on e7. And after White captures on d8 Black finds themselves a piece down and with the fianchettoed Rook threatened with capture.

Pavlovic,M (2481) - Schmaltz,R (2504) Wch Blitz 9th (5) 13.10.2015 #2

At the end of this puzzle you will reach the starting point of the preceding problem. Hope you remember that initial position as a landmark to aim for! Or you could just look above.

How would you take advantage of Black's last move? They placed their Knight on the rim, thereby exposing an attack on the e5 Knight.

Assessment: The b8 Rook is stuffed into a tiny little closet. White's minor pieces are having a field day while Black's minor pieces offer only vague hints of some future activity. White is clearly dominating but still needs to steer this great position across the finish line to earn the checkered flag.

Outcome: White won on move 36.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. The open diagonal from d5-a8 and the fact Black's light-squared Bishop had not yet developed created the conditions under which any error might allow White to force the a8 Rook into a very uncomfortable confinement indeed. The move 15. ..Nh5?, relinquishing control of the d5 square, was the catalyst that allowed White to transform this into a game they were dominating.

B. The control White's Knights exert on the dark squares presents an awesome picture: a7, b8, d4, d8, e5, e7, g5 and h4. There are lessons to be learned just from that configuration.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 1+ (1=Easy, 5=Hard)

Why that rating? No checks or captures of note, just threats to capture. And Black isn't threatening anything. The "+" is because it is necessary to reject 17.Nxf7. Trading White's wonderfully placed minor pieces for a lackluster Rook plus a Pawn would be a poor decision indeed.

Micic, Snezana 2210 - Pihajlic, Amalija 2155 YUG-chT (Women) 1997 #1
Clearly Black wants to bring the Knight back to b8 and free the Rook from that ugly fianchetto position.
How should White proceed?

Assessment: With the rather mundane but winning threat of a check on e7 to pick up the Rook. And create threats to the Queenside pawns.

Outcome: Black lost an Exchange in short order and resigned on move 34.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. Black overlooked the importance of the f3-b7 diagonal and played wish chess instead. That second error put Black on a path with no return.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 3- (1=Easy, 5=Hard)

Why that rating? The first move includes any number of playable alternatives that leave White clearly better. The Knight move to c6 is clearly a first among equals objectively. And the most viscerally appealing as it takes a pot shot at the Queen and keeps Black's Rook from beating a retreat to b8. On the second move placing the Queen on f3 is an obvious candidate. But it is not immediately obvious that this is far and away the best move on the board. Nor that other moves squander almost the entire advantage.

Micic, Snezana 2210 - Pihajlic, Amalija 2155 YUG-chT (Women) 1997 #2
Black has adopted a standard, thematic plan of exchanging Knights to free the fianchettoed Rook. How did White respond to this offer?

Assessment: White is an Exchange ahead and has a better pawn structure.

Outcome: Black resigned on move 34.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. Thematic idea one is to respond to ...Nb8 by playing Na5 winning the Rook on b7. Thematic idea two is to ignore Black's Rook if it retreats and offers itself on b8. Instead White can continue to grab space on both sides of the board.

B. Fight, flee, protect or ignore because you can create greater threats elsewhere. Four simple options when a piece is attacked. In this case flight created a threat that admitted to no valid defense by Black.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 1 (1=Easy, 5=Hard)

Why that rating? Simply stated this struck me as a position where greed is good. And the computers agree.

Hoepner,A - Krings,T NRW-ch U15 1996
Black's last move was ...b6, an interesting attempt to develop the Bishop to b7. Perhaps the move could even be described as special.
How did White take advantage?

Assessment: In brief, Black can obtain a momentary material advantage but White's a-pawn, ambitious Abel, is on the launch pad. And Black is ill equipped to respond as that pawn advances to a5 and then a6. Putting a final question to the fianchettoed Rook.

Outcome: In the game line Black was checkmated on move 58. In this analytic line Black is unlikely to stick around for that many moves.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. Black's mistake was opening the d5-a8 diagonal when White could immediately occupy that diagonal unopposed. The mistake was a compound error because White also had a Knight ready to jump into c6. We need to avoid mistakes such as those made by Black, and we also need to recognize and seize opportunities such as those presented to White.
B. White's 19th move is particularly important to extracting the full advantage from this position. This move secures the White Knight for a number of moves. Consequently, the Knight keeps Black's fianchettoed Rook under lock and key.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 4- (1=Easy, 5=Hard)

Why that rating? The Bishop seems quite well placed on c4, striking along the c4-g8 diagonal. So one might think of improving other pieces first. But once more time is spent considering the c6 square and possible Knight invasions the moves flow naturally. Capturing the a6 pawn struck me as a fine example of good gluttony!

Bondarevsky, Igor - Pogrebissky, Iosif URS-ch12 Semifinal 1940
Black just tucked their King in the corner. That seems a bit slow in this dynamic position. And it ties the Black Queen to defense of the Rook while it remains on f8, even if only for one more move.
Would you have found Bondarevsky's response?

Assessment: The Rook is trapped on g7. White's d6 pawn is a criminal who must be kept under lock and key or it will lunge towards promotion.

Outcome: Black resigned before making their 28th move.

Lessons learned or revisited:

A. Mate threats can be used to force a Rook to fianchetto itself to defend the King. And such positions tend to be extremely awkward to defend.

Kevin's Problem Rating: 4- (1=Easy, 5=Hard)

Why that rating? The critical find is realizing that Nh5 is playable. Then it is equally important to realize that White needs to eliminate Black's Knight because it is their best piece. Pushing the pawn forward one square at the end is something you want to be second nature. That pawn is too valuable to let it be traded.

Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Fianchettoed Rook

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