How to Attack in Chess (What Would a GM Do?) by Hansen Lars Bo

Author:Hansen, Lars Bo [Hansen, Lars Bo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: [Amazon], Chess, Non Fiction
Published: 2013-03-04T08:00:00+00:00

24 Rf3!

This rook lift – a typical way of activating rooks in attacking chess – sets up the combination 25 Qxh7+! Kxh7 26 Rh3++, so again Black has no choice.

24…h6 25 Bxh6?!

White continues her forceful attacking play, but this is the only point in the game where Hou Yifan does not play the best attacking move. With this piece sacrifice she moves directly to step four – a tactical shot – but it does allow Black a surprising defensive resource. White could win by shifting the target – now that Black has played h7-h6, eliminating the h7 target – to the g6-pawn by 25 Qg2! After either 25…Kh7 26 Rg1 g5 27 h4! or 25…b4 26 Qxg6 bxc3 27 Bxc3 Bc6 28 Rh3, White’s attack arrives first. There is no defense against 29 Rxh6+ gxh6 30 Qg8++.

25…gxh6 26 Qg4!

Eying a new target on g6. Targets shift during an attack!

26…g5?

Black misses her chance. 26…b4 is still too slow because of 27 Qxg6 Bg7 28 Rh3 and 29 Rxh6+, but Black could exploit White’s inaccuracy on the previous move by the amazing save 26…Kg7 27 h4 Bc6 28 Rg1 Bxe4!, arriving in time to cover g6. In that case White has nothing better than a drawn ending after 29 Qxe4 (of course not 29 Nxe4?? Qxc2++) 29…Qxe4 30 Nxe4 Be7 (30…Rc4 31 Nf6 Rxh4 32 Ne8+ Kh7 33 Nf6+ Kg7 34 Ne8+ also leads to a draw through repetition of moves) 31 Rfg3 Kxf7 32 Rxg6 Rg8 33 Rxg8 Rxg8 34 Rxg8 Kxg8 35 h5 with a draw. Now Black gets no more chances.

27 Qh5!

Again threatening to penetrate on g6. 27…Kh7 28 Rf6 or 27…b4 28 Qg6 Bg7 29 Rh3 both win, so once more Black has no choice. She is just one move short of taking over the initiative with b5-b4 but White never lets her off the hook long enough to carry out this thrust!

27…Kg7

28 Rh3!

Black managed to defend the two previous targets – h7 and g6 – but now White shifts her attention to the third target, the h6-pawn. That is too much for Black’s strained defenses to handle.

28…Kf6

28…Bc6 29 Qxh6+ Kf7 30 Rf3+ Kg8 (or 30…Ke7 31 Qh7+ Ke8 32 Qf7++) 31 Qg6+ Bg7 32 Rf7 mates.

29 Rxd7

Restoring material equality is not high on White’s agenda but grabbing a bishop while preventing Black’s king from escaping to e7 is nice!

29…b4

It is fitting that Black finally manages this advance which has been in the air for so many moves but for which there was never a good time. It doesn’t work now either but does force White to find a beautiful combination to finish the game. Probably that was not too hard for the Women’s World Champion as all the preceding groundwork had already been done by adhering to the attacking principles, and when that is the case combinations “automatically” appear!

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