Positional combinations

With combination we often refer to a sequence of moves that wins material or produces mate. However, there are also combinations which let us improve our position in a more long-term perspective. I touched upon this subject in my book Mastering Chess Strategy, and here are some further examples.

Black, to move, has the initiative. A little trick helped him to get a clear advantage. Can you see which?

In this example, the pin (along the h2-b8 diagonal) was the main tactical motif involved. Pins are in fact very common when it comes to tactics at the service of strategy. Here is another case, of a more defensive nature.

Black to move. White has the initiative. His pawn structure is wrecked, but the f6-pawn yields attacking prospects. Moreover, our knight is struggling on e8. What to do here? Hint: try to improve that knight, in an unexpected way.

Another frequent motif in the context of positional combinations is the double attack.

Black to move. He has more space, but the knight is very strong on d4. However, there is room for a little combination, which gives Black the upper hand. Can you see it? (hint: look at the rook on b1).

Next, let us see an example where a fork played the key role.

Black to move. A reasonable move here is 1...exf4, and so is 1...Rad8. However, the game saw 1...Rfe8. Can you spot the strategical flaw of this move?

Finally, let´s see an example featuring the trapped piece motif.

White to move. He is a pawn up, but Black has counterplay. The bishop on g2 could be defended in several ways, but only one leads to an advantage. Try to find it! Hint: as you might have guessed by now, it is a tricky move.

Let´s have a look at the strategical objectives pursued so far. In our first example, Godena damaged the opponent´s pawn structure. In the second example, Agdestein improved his knight. In the third example, Grischuk, just like Godena, damaged the enemy pawn structure. In the fourth example, Brunello secured a powerful blockade. Finally, Caruana managed to swap active enemy pieces, i.e. the rook on g3 and the bishop on d5.

I hope you have enjoyed this article. Here are some related exercises.

4. Black to move.
__________________

____________

_______

And here are the solutions to the exercises featured in the post Look at the whole board.

1. No, 1...Bf6? is not OK in view of 2.Rb6! and White wins material after 2...Ra7 3.Rxb7 Rxb7 4.Bxd5+. (M.Allam - J.Nelis, Batumi (ol) 2018).
2. After 1.Qb8 White would win. However, 1.Nb8? should be avoided due to 1...Qf2! with the threat 2...Re1. After 2.Qb5 Re1 3.Qg5+ Kh8 4.Qf6+ White had to settle for a draw (P.Eljanov - I.Schneider, Isle of Man 2018).
3. No, 1.e3? was not a good decision, due to 1...Bh4! when both 2.gxh4 g3 and 2.Nxd4 Bxg3 wins for Black. Instead the game saw 1...dxe3? 2.Nxe3+ and later draw (N.Lopez - J.Gemy, Montevideo 2019).
4. After 1...O-O Black would be OK. However, 1...Ng6? is bad due to 2.Nb5! cxb5 3.Qxb5+ Kf8 4.Qxh5 with a healthy extra pawn (A.Zatonskih - M.Sebag, Cairns Cup 2019).