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Blind Faith

Wednesday, 05 October 2022

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Chris Ross's chess book 'Blind Faith' launched back in May 2022, with both an E-book and a paper version.

Apart from being our very own top board, Chris is (probably) the strongest visually impaired chess player in the country. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to chess. (Middlesborough's a different matter. He thinks they're a football team.)

For all enquiries about Chris's book, please go to Steel City Press – Blind Faith

In Chris's own words, "In this inspirational volume, I pen 80 instructional annotated games. There is something in there for absolutely everybody and I'm confident that you will find it most enlightening".

The game below does not appear in the book but is an example of the type of quality and commentary that you can expect to read.

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This game is an excellent demonstration of how to operate the pawn structure in a targeted end-game. Majorities have to be mobile to create tension and to enable a player to obtain an opportunity to realise a winning line.

The Berlin Defence is a challenging setup to break down. The solid nature of the variation offers black excellent opportunities to reap the reward of an over-reaching white. Particular care has to be taken by white not to strive too quickly for an obvious advantage. Precise manoeuvring has to be applied and importantly, the manipulation of the pawn structure is extremely critical.

Enjoy!

[Event "Cleveland League 2021-2022"]
[Site "Redcar, ENG"]
[Date "2022.05.05"]
[Round "11.1"]
[White "Ross, Chris"]
[Black "Grattage, Sarah"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Annotator "Chris Ross"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2022.05.05"]
[WhiteTeam "Thornaby Aces"]
[BlackTeam "Redcar A"]

{C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence}
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6
4. O-O Nxe4
5. d4 Nd6
6. Bxc6 dxc6
7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
9. Nc3

{Just one of many variations that have been tried to find a chink in the armour of this formidable defence. With an early exchange of
queens, attacking possibilities are unlikely. Positional play is the name of the game. Black has the bishop pair, so if things open up,
that will favour them.

Importantly though, is the pawn formation. In order to obtain the bishop pair, black has willingly doubled the c-pawns. Just like the
Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez, black now has a 4-3 queen-side majority and white has the same on the king-side. In most scenarios,
the king should shepherd the majority in any end-game. However, when a doubled-pawn is involved, the flexibility of the pawn formation is
very much hindered. Indeed, in many respects, it often occurs that the doubled-pawn negates the aspect of a pawn majority.}

9... Be6

{Developing and defending the weak f7-pawn. This indicates that black intends to step the king across to the majority on the queen-side,
instead of retaining it in the centre.}

10. h3

{A flexible move. It releases the back-rank and preparers a future g2-g4. Since white has a dark-squared bishop, he should put all of his
pawns on light-squares as much as possible, in order to restrict the black light-squared bishop. When white eventually advances the
king-side majority, he needs to make sure that it is stabilised from behind. A timely h7-h5 by black may undermine the base of the white
pawn formation.}
({OPENING REFERENCE Sokolov, A (2580)-Onischuk, A (2585)/Cap d'Agde 1994/EXT 1997/0-1 (36)}10. Ne4 Ke8 11. Bd2 Rd8 12. Rfe1 c5 13. Neg5 Nd4 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16. Re4 Bc5 17. Kf1 Rf8 18. f3 Be7 19. Ke2 c5 20. Kd3 Kd7 21. a4 Kc6 22. Kc4 Rd5 23. b4 cxb4 24. Bxb4 Bxb4)

10... Be7

{Developing and ensuring the h4-square is a flight path for the precarious knight on f5. The g5-square is also further secured.}
({OPENING REFERENCE Eckersley Waites, A (2231)-Coleman, J (2142)/Sunningdale ENG 2012/1-0 (44)}10... Kc8 11. g4 Ne7 12. Re1 Nd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Ng5 h6 15. Ne4 h5 16. Bg5 hxg4 17. hxg4 Bb4 18. c3 Ba5 19. f3 Re8 20. Kg2 Rxe5 21. Nc5 Bxf3+ 22. Kxf3 Rxc5 23. Re8+ Kd7 24. Rxa8 Rxg5 25. Rxa7)
({OPENING REFERENCE Erdogdu, M (2336)-Demirel, T (2217)/Izmir 2003/EXT 2004/0-1 (61)
}10... a5 11. Bg5+ Kc8 12. Ne4 h6 13. Bd2 Bd5 14. Rfe1 Bb4 15. a3 Bxd2 16. Nfxd2 b6 17. c4 Be6 18. f4 Nd4 19. Rac1 c5 20. Kf2 Kb7 21. Re3 Rad8 22. Rd3 a4 23. Rcc3 Nc6 24. Ke3 Rxd3+ 25. Rxd3)
({OPENING REFERENCE Perez, R (2471)-Vera, R (2534)/Las Tunas 2001/CBM 1/2-1/2 (083)}10... h5 11. g4 Ne7 12. Kg2 Ke8 13. Nd4 Bc4 14. Re1 Rd8 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Bg5 Nf4+ 17. Bxf4)

11. b3

{Putting yet another pawn on a light-square and fianchettoing the dark-squared bishop, since there is no future for it on the c1-h6
diagonal. d2 blocks the d-file, e3 is not possible due to the knight on f5 and white is planning a future f2-f4 expansion to mobilise his
pawn majority. So, the dark-squared bishop is employed to support the pawn majority advance from behind and afar. Also, the c4-square is
taken away from the black light-squared bishop.}

11... c5

{Black begins to mobilise their own pawn majority. The d4-square has to be kept under control by white and black must be prevented from
establishing it as an outpost. White's major weakness is the c2-pawn and if black is allowed to play Nd4 to attack it, white would have
difficulties. Mainly due to if white is forced to capture with Nxd4, the re-capture cxd4 gains tempo on the c3-knight and permits black to
follow up with c7-c5, thereby securing their pawn formation and clampingdown on the backward weak c2-pawn.}

12. Rd1+ Kc8

{White has prevented Nd4 for black. The black king steps to c8, as going to e8 may cause difficulties with a future Nb5 for white. Black
reckons that the king-side can look after itself, since black has all of their minor pieces on that side.}

13. Ne4

{Centralising the knight and keeping black on their toes, since the c5-pawn could become tactically loose. Also, the g5-square is targeted
and the c-pawn enabled to advance.}

13... b6

{Black secures up their pawn formation and ensures the c5-pawn does not become tactically vulnerable, especially so, if white decides to play
Bg5. Black also has the intention of connecting the rooks.}

14. Bb2

{14. Bg5 is not really to white's advantage. White wishes to keep the dark-squared bishop to support his future majority push. The d4-square
is further protected against becoming an outpost. Indeed, after Bg5 and an exchange of dark-squares, the d4-square becomes that much more
vulnerable and c2-c3 moves may lose a pawn to a Ne2+ fork. More importantly though, the black queen-side pawns stand on dark-squares
and are thus much weaker in the upcoming end-game. It is only fitting that this singular positional consideration is the key in the victory
of this encounter.}

14... Kb7
15. Neg5

{White seizes the opportunity of snagging of the bishop pair. Since the black queen-side pawns have been fortified, there is little
prospect for this steed on that side of the board.}

15... Kc6

{Black finds a way to prevent a white rook penetrating onto the 7th rank. Also, the push of the pawn majority is being prepared.}

16. c4

{Stabilising the white queen-side pawns and cramping up on the black pawn majority. The d5-square is taken away from black control and the
c2-pawn is no longer vulnerable. All the white assets are now beginning to stack up.}

16... h6
17. Nxe6 fxe6
18. Rd3

{Whilst rooks are still on the board, white has to be very cautious about creating weakening pawn pushes. If allowed, white will penetrate
onto the 7th rank giving the g7-pawn much discomfiture.}

18... Rad8
19. Rad1 b5?

{This is a very serious positional misjudgement, after which, white's advantages are hugely acerbated. Naturally, black wished to mobilise
her pawn majority, but this is doing it without due preparation. Also, the majority is not supporting itself. Rash captures on b5 would
shatter the black pawn formation, but would actually activate the black king, which is not in white's plans.
19... a6, followed by a future b5 would be much more in keeping with a majority push, but even then, once that has been achieved, no further
tension can be created with the black majority, thereby grinding it to a halt. On the other hand, now most of the pieces are off the board –
thus avoiding complications – white is now in an ideal position to begin his own pawn majority march.}

20. g4 Nh4
21. Nxh4 Bxh4
22. Rxd8 Rxd8

{Black is now clinging on with little hope of salvation. Precise technique is required, but with all of the rooks off the board,
white's task is so much easier. 22... Bxd8 would keep a pair of rooks on the board and give black a glimmer of hope.}

23. Rxd8 Bxd8
24. f4 g6

{The only pawn-break that is going to afford white winning opportunities is the f4-f5 thrust. Black reasons to prevent it as much
as possible. The timing of this pawn break is obviously the difference in winning or drawing the game for white. Black has no hope, barring a
blunder, of the victory.}

25. Kg2

{A same-coloured bishop end-game needs precise precision to convert, whereas in opposite-coloured end-games, the avoidance of weaknesses is
easy enough to play. The white king must travel as much as possible on light-squares to avoid any tricks, only travelling on dark-squares
when tactically viable.}

25... b4

{By this sad admission, black concedes that their own pawn majority's going absolutely nowhere and offers no opportunity of creating any
advantage. A sheer rear-guard approach is now adopted and even afterwards, Sarah commented that she considered that she had enough of
a fortress to salvage the draw. By playing 25... b4, another black pawn lands on a dark-square and leaves itself inevitably vulnerable.}

26. Kf3 Kd7

{Black runs the king across to the king-side in the last-ditch hope of fending off the white pawn majority advance. Although very valiant,
exact timing by white finds the final chink to crumble the wall.}

27. Ke4 Ke8
28. Bc1

{In such positions, it is essential to remember that timing on the board is not critical. Many moves and manoeuvring can occur before big
decisions have to be taken. In that sense then, many moves can be played to locate the pieces on their ideal squares.

Here, the black pawns on c5 and h6 are the huge targets. The sole winning positional touch is when the white king is allowed to step
onto f5. Once Kf5 has been accomplished, the rest is easy.}

28... Kf7
29. Be3 Be7

{Black cannot wander their own dark-squared bishop from the defence of the c5-pawn. With that being fixed, black has to shuffle backwards and
forward and asks white to find the breakthrough.}

30. Bf2 g5

{White was threatening to play h4-h5, thus undermining the g6-pawn, eliminating it and then enabling f4-f5, which would cause black
further problems. Black tries to hold up the pawn majority, but in the doing, only transfers the weakness from h6 to g5.}

({One interesting line is}
30... h5 31. gxh5 c6 32. hxg6+ Kxg6 33. h4) {with the intention of deflecting the black king with h4-h5+ and after kxh5, f4-f5 is
possible.}

31. f5 c6

{The c7-pawn is put onto a light square and the d5-square taken away from the white king.

White has achieved f4-f5 and now another point of tension needs to be found, since if black just shuffles, then, white cannot make progress.
The key is that the black dark-squared bishop always has to keep the protection of the c5-pawn.}

32. Be3 Bf8
33. Bg1

{White needs to "lose" a move. By keeping on the g1-a7 diagonal, this is the only way in which to achieve this.}

33... Kg7

({The point was that if} 33... Be7 34. Bf2) {and the black dark-squared bishop cannot play 34... Bf8, as 35. h4 is possible. As such then,
black finds a clever way to try and hold the position.}

34. Bf2

{Having now "lost" the move, white returns to prepare h3-h4. 34... Be7 cannot be played to prevent this, as 35. f6+ wins the piece.
34. fxe6 Kg6 and black prevents the white king from entering into f5. A resourceful endeavour. Black calculates that he can give up the
e6-pawn and once the white f-pawn releases the protection of the g6-square, the black king can step onto there and stop any further
progression.}

34... Kf7
35. h4 Kg7
36. hxg5 hxg5

{White has now successfully transferred the weakness from h6 to g5, making it more vulnerable and attackable once the white king lands on
f5. How to achieve that one singular feat though? White needs to resolve this annoying trick of capturing on e6 and allowing the black
king stepping onto g6 hindering the white king's penetration. f5-f6 is not helpful for white, since it blockades the position and
releases all tension.}

37. Be3 Kh6

({The only way in which black can defend the loose g5-pawn.}
37... Be7 38. f6) {blocks off the defence to the pawn.

Black has seemingly found a way to cling on. All bases are covered and the position is on a precarious, but apparently tenable balance. White
needs to find a unique way in which to force a path through the blockade. With no further pawn breaks possible, a re-evaluation of the
"worth" of the white pieces need to be accounted. Once a better position for the pieces can be found, the tactical twist is easy
enough to calculate.}

38. Bd2

{Another instance of "losing" the move is required. Strictly speaking, 38. Bc1 followed by a2-a4 is the most precise way of playing things,
but it is not really necessary.
All black is going to do is shuffle their bishop around, so the precise timing to the white tactic has to be carefully calculated.}

38... Be7
39. Bc1

{The white dark-squared bishop has finally found another diagonal, on which to operate. On the g1-a7 diagonal, it was neutralised, so now it
returns to its initial occupation.}

39... Bf8
40. fxe6 Kg6

{Black has stepped across to stop the white king from penetrating, so another square needs to be found to permit further entry.}

41. e7!

{This is why 38. Bd2 was essential, to allow the black dark-squared bishop to retreat to f8, vacating the e7-square, allowing this
self-sacrificing pawn's advance. The e6-pawn sacrifices itself to enable its brethren on e5 to advance, permitting the white king to
step forward. However, by doing this, the dark-squared bishop is required to stop the black king stepping onto f6, making the whole
endeavour fruitless.}

41... Bxe7
42. Bb2 a6
43. e6 Bd6

({Black prevents the white king penetrating via e5.}
43... Bd8 44. Ke5 Bf6+ 45. Kd6 Bxb2 46. e7) {and the e-pawn promotes.}

44. Bh8

{Simply losing more moves. Black now has to move one piece or another.}

44... Bg3

{44... Kh7 45. Bf6 gains time on the g5-pawn and allows 46. Kf5, so,
45... Kg6 46. Bd8 and the e-pawn advances to distract the black king and Kf5 will be enabled.
44... Bf8 45. White will have to re-try with 45. Be5 with ideas of Bc7 and Bd8.}

45. e7

{Drawing the black king away. The white king's penetration is now assured.}

45... Kf7
46. Bf6

{Simply holding onto the e-pawn. White is happy to exchange the bishops, as he will gobble up the g5-pawn in the doing, leaving him an
outside passed pawn for black to deal with whilst the queen-side pawns are mopped up.}

46... Bf4
47. Kf5 Be3
48. Bxg5 Bd4
49. Bh4

{There are many ways in which to convert this now. With the white king on f5, either route to victory is possible. Amusingly
(49. Bf6 Bxf6 50. e8=Q+ Kxe8 51. Kxf6) would force resignation.}

49... a5
50. g5

{Giving up the e-pawn to allow the g-pawn to draw the black king further away from the protection of the queen-side pawns.}

50... Kxe7
51. g6+ Kf8
52. Bd8 Kg7
53. Bxa5 Bf2
54. Bc7 Be3
55. Be5+ Kf8
56. Ke6

{Since the black king must prevent the g-pawn from queening, there is nothing preventing the white king wandering across and snaffling the
queen-side pawns.

An excellent example of how to successfully manoeuvre a pawn majority in an end-game.}
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