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Copyright Q 1998 Amatzia Avni
Symbols
Introduction
Surprise in Chess
The Theory of Surprise
The Five Faces of Surprise in Chess
Special Cases of Chess Surprise
More About Surprise in Chess
The Way Players Experience Surprise
Summary
Assorted Surprises
Solutions
Index of Players and Composers
Symbols
check
double check
checkmate
a very strong move; a fantastic move
a strong move
an interesting or speculative move, worth trying
a dubious move, for theoretical or practical reasons
a bad move; a weak move
a horrible move; a blunder
White wins
drawn game
Black wins
Championship
nth match game
see diagram 56 (etc.)
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Raaphy Persitz, whose sharp and focused think-
ing helped in making the text clearer; to Eran Liss, Gad
Rechlis, Ronen Har-Zvi, Artur Kogan, Ilan Manor and Ram
Soffer, for their contributions; and to my wife and children,
Naama, Yuval, Ohad and Yael, for being there.
Amatzia Avni
Rarnat-Ilan, Israel
October 1997
Introduction
Twenty years ago, while browsing
through an old issue of Schach Echo,
my eyes rested upon a certain study. I
set up the diagrammed position on
my board and played over the moves.
Somewhere along the line I was star-
tled; the solution contained a bril-
liant combination, with a rare and
unique concept behind it.
The composer of that piece was
an Austrian named Helmuth Sten-
iczka. I started to search for more
studies by him. His total output was H. Steniczka
modest, but contained some mag- Commended, Schach-Echo, 1958
nificent works that filled me with White to play and win
elation.
At the time, Steniczka was not re-
garded as a leading study composer
(although in his later years his excel-
lence was internationally recog-
nized). I could not but wonder what
had caught my attention in his stud-
ies.
1 Af5+!
1 Eb8? &xe7 2 &b5 Xxg6 draws.
l...&XfS
Or l ...&f7 2 Pb8! Pc5 3 Pxb5!
Pxb5 4 Ad7 winning.
2 Xb8
2 Ef8+? Pf6 draws.
2..9f61 4 Xf5!!
A smart defence; 2...Xe6 3 &b5+ An astounding point. The rook is
87f6 succumbs to 4 Xb6! 87xe7 5 captured with check, but meanwhile
Xxe6+ h e 6 6 87e4, etc. White improves his king position.
8 Surprise in Chess
See diagram 7.
1&f6 Eb7!
White was threatening 2 Xxh7#,
1
and was ready to counter l ...h6 with
2 Pc5+! dxc5 3 Pd5#, and 1...&h6? 4 gbl!!
with 2 Pcc7. ...and White wins.
2 Xxb7 h 6 Black can only choose the mating
Now the insidious 3 Xe7!? (in- pattern: 4...%#xbl 5 Pd5+; 4...WxM+
tending 4 Pc5+!) will be met by 5 gxM P x b l 6 Pd5#; or, the most ar-
3...Pel4 n d 3 d l w . A glorious com- tistic of all, 4...wxd3 5 g4+! hxg3 6
bination now ensues: Pxhl#.
10 Surprise in Chess
White's play. Once the goal had been White wins. A satisfying conclu-
set, every move fitted the plan. sion, resembling a mathematical puz-
zle: having systematically arranged
the data and determined our options
(if X, then y), the right solution read-
ily suggests itself.
Czerniak - Richi
Biel1981
that took place in the last few moves However, the computer has every-
is bewildering. thing under control.
35 &7+ &g7
If 35...wxf7, then 36 '@d8+! Xe8
(36...we8?/@g8? 37 Wf6+) 37 Wxd4+
13 &g8 38 Xxf7 &xf7 39 Wd5+ (also
W 39 wxf2 Xe2 40 &gl) 39...& any 40
wxf3 and White wins.
36as+ &h6 37 Xxh7+ 1-0
He does not bother to wait for
37...&g 6 38 wg8+ Sbf5 39 kf3.
A sensational game. Deep Blue's
performance (impertinently ignor-
ing the enemy's threats, and indulg-
ing itself in pawn-snatching) was
Deep Blue - Kasparov totally unexpected.
Philadelphia match (1) 19%
Causing our opponent to misjudge What will the enemy do? (inten-
our ambitions; making him believe tion)
that our aim is peace, when in reality Where will he attempt a break-
it is war; or vice versa. through? (location)
When will he attack? (time)
Surprise in location How does he plan to do it? (doc-
trine)
Choosing unexpected points for at- With what means does he intend to
tack, or conducting a battle on unex- carry out his plans? (technology)
pected terrain.
Surprise can take any of these
Surprise in time forms. It can also appear as a combi-
nation of several aspects. This is not
Timing our attack at an unlikely mo- incidental - since a chain-reaction is
ment (considering the enemy's ex- likely to ensue: "Erroneous assump
pectations). 'Unlikely' can be, for tions about whether the attack will
example, at a very early stage, be- occur, must lead to erroneous expec-
fore the troops are well organized; or tations with regard to its timing; and
too late, e.g. when the forces are sometimes, to its location and the
there, but we still continue to ma- way it is canied out" (Kam, 1988).
noeuvre.
Related variables
Surprise in doctrine
Deception and surprise
Changing our ordinary conduct of
battle; devising new ways of deploy- Deception, defined as "measures in-
ing one's forces, a different outlook tended to fabricate, confuse, distort
on the concept of deterrence, etc. or deny information that could be of
20 Surprise in Chess
value (to the. enemy)" (in Hybel, will not dare to attack, bearing the
1986), is an important contribution consequences.
to achieving surprise. Means of de- Paradoxically, exactly this line of
ception include masking (conceal- reasoning tempts the weaker side to
ing what is done) and misleading deliver a surprise attack. The chances
(creating a false impression, sug- of it being a real surprise are very
gesting to the enemy that something good! (Handel, 1976). Hence, the
else is done). chances of a powerful army with
Techniques such as disinforma- awesome weapons being surprised,
tion and transmitting calming mes- are ambiguous.
sages are used. It is agreed that the
number of stratagems used to achieve Warningsignals and surprise
surprise is quite small.
Successful surprise depends, by defi-
Risk and surprise nition, on the failure of the enemy's
warning systems. Such failure can
Planning a surprise usually involves stem from lack of information; when
a certain degree of risk. Our adver- one is ignorant of the enemy's inten-
sary may be fully prepared, or the tions. It can also take place when in-
idea underlying the surprise may formation exists, but is wrongly
turn sour. evaluated.
Researchers have noted that risk Hence, knowledge of the enemy's
evaluation is totally subjective. What plans is a necessary condition for
appears to one side crazy and irra- avoiding surprise, but is insufficient
tional, may seem viable to the other. in itself. Understanding one's rival's
As Betts (1982) correctly points out, general strategy does not mean that a
when weighing the pros and cons of particular action will be anticipated.
alternative ways of action, the cost
of the 'risky' way should be com- Confronting surprise
pared to the cost of not taking any
risk (which is sometimes greater). Preventive measures
may be good in principle, but not one's professional skills should help
very helpful in practice. It is hardly decrease the number of situations,
possible to prepare and devise plans and tactical operations that
counter-measures against every con- will come as a surprise.
ceivable threat. Third, is building hypothetical
Understanding the logic and pat- scenarios of what the enemy might
terns of surprise does not guarantee do [in chess terms, that means trying
that a sudden attack shall be re- to guess the choice of his opening;
pulsed. "Its repeatedness and the his ambitions for the game (ranging
cognition that it will arrive, does not from 'winning at all costs' to 'losing
make us less vulnerable to its im- with dignity'); anticipating the way
pact" (Karn, 1988). the game will evolve (tacticaVposi-
Is prevention possible, then? tional, closed/open...)l and prepar-
Twining (1992) states that behav- ing specific courses of action against
ioural experiments, empirical data various options.
and historical case-studies point at Fourth, is developing a warning
the inherent difficulty of preventing system: signals that will assist in
surprise. "In most cases, it simply identifying an approaching danger.
cannot be done" - he concludes, Fifth, there is deterrence: leading
pessimistically. one's opponent to believe that if he
Others, like Hybel(1986). believe tries to catch us by surprise, he will
that understanding the phenomenon pay dearly.
of surprise can minimize its occur- Finally, there is the option of
rence. striking one's own surprise first
It seems that at least some preven- (pre-emptive defensive measures),
tive methods can reduce the prob- forcing one's adversary to diverge
ability of future surprise. from his intended plans, before he
One is awareness: assimilating unleashes his prepared surprise.
the cognition that an opponent may This first blow may be goaded by
always have a surprise in store for fear rather than bravery.
us. As long ago as 1944, the Soviet
army's 'regulations' included a para- Countering measures
graph stating that the enemy will
seek to spring a surprise, and that a Researchers from non-chessic worlds
high degree of vigilance, prepared- do not lay much store on preventive
ness and security must be kept. methods. They see more promise in
Second, there is training and devising plans and strategies de-
specializing: exercising and raising signed to deal with surprise, once it
22 Surprise in Chess
occurs, thereby minimizing its ef- In real life, hostility breaks out
fects. from a state of peace; in chess, it is a
Oddell (1992) suggests planning war from the first move. The game
a force-structure that will survive a commences from an equal position
surprise attack, and rebound quickly (well, OK, White is a little better); a
with counterattack, manoeuvre and real war does not. In chess each
initiative. player sees the whole 'battlefield' in
Another recommendation, psy- real time; no piece of data escapes
chologically oriented, is to develop a him. In war, even in this technologi-
measure of toughness: not getting cal, fast-communicating age, the
too excited or upset when encoun- commanding general has to rely on
tering a surprising manoeuvre or an secondary sources in order to grasp
unforeseen tactical step. the whole picture. Chess players
This advice is geared towards move alternately, one move at a
fending off the impact of surprise by time; the antagonists in war can
intrapersonal means. make several moves in succession.
An essential trait in combating Another important difference is
surprise isflexibility. He who sticks that the will to take risks in real war,
blindly to his master-plan may be where people's lives and political
destroyed by surprise, since he has careers are at stake, is not quite the
not left options open for himself. He same as in a chess battle.
who is ready to switch plans to suit
changed circumstances, will have Therefore, our mission from now
better chances to survive. on will be to take a close look at the
phenomenon of surprise in the con-
Conclusion text of the royal game, trying to
produce valuable and relevant in-
We have presented a summary of sights.
current knowledge on surprise, em-
bedded in military context'. It should Bibliography
be viewed as a guide, but we had
better remember that the analogy be- 1. Surprise Attack / R. K Betts / The
tween chess and war is not perfect. Brookings Institution / USA, 1982
1 Even when the opponent falters and we are pleasantly surprised, the immediate, re-
flective emotion is negative.
2 In this respect, chess players are like managers; their fear of being surprised is re-
flected in their desire to be in total control, at all times, in all places.
The Five Faces of 'Surprise in Chess 25
his title, Mikhail Tal was asked what had given up the tournament ...
he thought was the main reason for (During resumption) the Argentin-
his defeat. The ex-world champion ean drearily, seemingly without a
answered swiftly: "Botvinnik's deter- spark of interest, stared at the posi-
mination! I never could have irnag- tion. My impression was that ... he
ined that he could be so resolute in was dozing. Ilivitsky chose an active
play!" (Vasiliev, 1975). and very committal move. Guimard
roused himself. He changed beyond
A I ) Expected behaviour: The en- recognition, his eyes became deci-
emy's efforts to win are dependent sive ... he began an attack ... it was
upon the rewards he stands to obvious that he was thirsting for bat-
gain. tle. [he won]" (Krogius, 1976).
A player will try hard for victory, if A1.3) Some players are so cautious
it will assist him in attaining a cov- that they will not play for a win in an
eted goal: overall victory in the tour- equal position, even when victory is
nament, a money prize, qualifying to vital for them.
the next stage, or fulfilling the re-
quirements to a higher grade. Even A2) Expected behaviour: A player's
the inner satisfaction derived from ambitions in a game are greatly
an original idea or combination will affected by his assessment of the
raise his motivation. position and by the strength of his
opponent.
Possible surprises:
Victory cannot be attained by mir-
Al. 1) Some players (Bobby Fischer acles. If one's position is objectively
was a notable example) always play worse, and one's opponent strong,
to win, regardless of incentives. there is no sense in playing for a
win: a draw is the most one can real-
A1.2) Motivation level can rise dur- istically hope for.
ing play, if one feels challenged:
"At the 1955 Interzonal in Go- Possible surprises:
thenburg, Ilivitsky's game against
Guimard was adjourned ...Ilivitsky If a player ignores objective consid-
decided to try to win, in view of all erations, and his aims are to head for
the misfortunes which had pursued victory at all costs, then his oppo-
Guimard in the previous rounds and nent is likely to be surprised! He
his apparent indifference, as if he might have doubts, may become
26 Surprise in Chess
-
Larsen Bareev
Hastings 1991
22 g4 Qe7
After 22...&4? 23 Qh2! Black's
knight is doomed.
23 a h 2 b5 24 Ae4 Ab7 25 P(a3!
Hertneck's instructive comment:
"Note that with his last moves,
[White] has silently and secretly
emptied the third rank for the rook...
Black must always be on the watch
for Eh3 or even Axg5 with Ph3".
The importance of camouflage is
demonstrated here beautifully, each
Chapman - Halliwell move being logical in itself: 22 g4
England 1953 scared away the well-posted black
30 Surprise in Chess
24
B
-
Anand Kasparov
New York World Ch match (11) 1995
26...&g7
This seemingly routine move,
abandoning the defence of e7, masks
-
Grwten Miles a deep trap.
Bie11985 27 &l5 A&!? 28 b4?
As subsequent analysis has shown,
20,Pfe8! 28 a x e 7 P e 8 29 a d 5 Axd5 30 b4!
"You would not think so" - grins grants White a small advantage.
the loser - "but the point of this 2S...axb4 29 axb4 P c 4 30 a b 6 ?
move is ...gel#!". Pxb4+ 31 &a3 Xxc2!! 0-1
21 g4? d5! 22 cxd5 exd5 23 exd5 32 &xb4 Pxd2 or 32 Pxc2 Pb3+
OxdS! 24 h d 5 PxdS! 33 &a2 Pe3+ is hopeless.
Now 25 Axd5 Pd8 leaves White
helpless. 25 Wc3 is no help: 25...Pd4! B. Surprise in location
26 Pxd4 Axf3+ 27 &g1 (27 Pxf3
Wxf3+ clarifies the preceding note) As mentioned before, spotting the
27 ...Xe2! 28 f i f 3 Pxb2! winning. enemy's intentions does not exclude
The Five Faces of Surprise in Chess
Pritchett - Ristoja
Groningen European
Junior Ch 1969/70
Modem Defence
Possible surprises
...
19 k b 5 20 Pg4! B2. l ) Outjlanking
After 20 Pxa5 Pa8 Black obtains
some counterchances. With the text, See diagram 33 on the next page.
a divergence on the king's wing, ...
43 9133
White gains time to force matters in Black has a clear advantage, de-
the centre or on the queenside. spite being a pawn down. With the
...
20 &h8 following moves he increases his
The most striking line is seen af- pressure.
ter 20...Qg6 21 c4 &a6 22 Xe4 Wd8 44 &l Pb2+ 45 &g1 Ae7 46 E b l
23 Ped4! (32)when the black centre X x b l 4 7 a x b l w b 8 48 Qc3 k c 4
collapses. 49 k f l &d4! 50 u x d 4
21 c4 Aa6 22 Wc3 1-0 50 k x c 4 kxc5.
34 Surprise in Chess
-
Soto Larrea Ortega MatuloviC - Tsvetkov
Cuba 1953 Varna 1966
witnessed Sonny Liston, the ex-world complete and the respective forces
heavy-weight boxing champion, los- have occupied suitable outposts.
ing his fight against Cassius Clay
(later known as Muhammad Ali). Graphically, this expectation is
It was not the outcome that was charted in illustration 4. A player is
shocking, but the course of battle. In expected to take action when his
heavy-weight professional boxing, forces are ready. No soonel; no later.
antagonists generally compete for
many rounds (up to fifteen), each
round lasting three minutes. Now, in
this particular fight, Clay did not
beat around the bush: as soon as the
gong was heard, he pounced on Lis-
ton and punched him with all his
might. The battle was over in a
knockout within two minutes; it was
one of the shortest duels on record.
Pressing for victory, Clay was
sure to attack his rival. But he was
not expected to do it so soon!
Flohr - Grob
Zurich 1934
-
Sutovsky Kudrin
Philadelphia 1993
Now White is free to carry out his 0 4 ) Another kind of surprise takes
own attack. place when encountering a player
...
28 &c4 29 Pdh2 e5 30 *g5 1-0 with a unique, peculiar style.
fm control of the key square e5. One 29 e4 Q6d7 30 Pc2 Qe5 31 Qxe5
presumes that he will try to attack Axe5 32 wf2 a d 7 33 b4 %#d834
the weak e3-pawn. However, as the Ae2 Ag7
game progresses, we witness Black ...and the game ended in a draw
apparently doing nothing active! on move 83.
"Black's plan [is] not altogether
usual: voluntarily to spend the entire
game defending" (Polugaevsky and
Damsky, 1988).
18 Pacl Ae5 19 wf2 Qdf6 20
Ad3 h5 21 age2 Qh7 22 Qf4 Qf8
23 a b 5 a6 24 Qd4 Ad7 25 Xc2
kg7 26 *g3 Pb8
Black's ongoing strategy is ori-
ented towards parrying his enemy's
potential threats. 20 ...h5 was a pre-
caution against a possible g2-g4-g5
...
advance. Later, Qf6-h7-f8 was de-
signed to guard g6. His last move -
Adams Andersson
supplied a defence to the b7-pawn. It Biel1991
can be quite depressing for a player
to face an opponent who takes pre- Here White has created some con-
cautions even against his future, po- crete threats, but Andersson stays
tential plans. calm and concentrates on mobilizing
27 Xe2 a f 6 28 &3 Ae8 (53) defensive recruits.
23...&h8 24 Eel Ab7 25 Ee5
Pg8 26 &h2 Wd6 27 &c2
Tries like 27 Peg5 or 27 &xe6!?
were suggested after the game, but it
appears that Black can hold his own
in either case.
27...wf8 (55)
In a position where one side is ap-
parently so passive, it is rare that the
other side can prepare his break-
through in leisurely fashion, and yet
be unable to find a convincing way
through the defence.
46 Surprise in Chess
E. Surprise in
technology
The conduct of war is governed by
tacit rules: there are things you can
do, and there are things you cannot
or, anyway, are not expected to do
(like harming women and children).
Even total war has its limitations:
unconventional means are regarded
as unacceptable, outside the realm of
'fair play'.
Annotating another Andersson
game, GM Seirawan expressed his Expected Behaviour: One's oppo-
amazement: "Andersson seems to nent's moves will be drawn from
know exactly how far he can bend a reservoir of familiar theoretical
without breaking" (1990). realizing ideas and combinational motifs.
the bounds of the risks he can under-
take. Possible Surprise: Usage of new, or
28 Pe2? rare weapons can generate surprise.
Adams recommends 28 Pge3 or
28 Ab3. Four types of such weapons, in the
28...PdS 29 Pg5 wb8 30 &g1 context of a chess game, are illus-
wd8 31 Pxd5 WxdS 32 Ab3 wd6 trated below:
33 Pd2 wc7 34 P d l Pd8 35 wf2
Ad5 36 E e l b5 37 PxdS Pxd5 38 El) Novelties in the opening
We3 &g8
The attack has evaporated. Black When commentators refer to sur-
remains with a slight plus, due to his prise in chess, this is their most com-
superior pawn structure. Play con- mon example.
tinued: In the modern era, an opening
39 Qf3 Qd7 40 Qes? a x e 5 41 novelty is frequently a one-time shot.
fxe5 as! 42 Pe2 *c4 43 a3 Pd3 44 After its first appearance, the inno-
wf2 P d l + 45 Eel Xxel+ 46 wxel vation may get published and be-
wd3! 47 b3 *c2 48 b4 a4 49 We3 come common knowledge, hence
wa2 50 wd3 wxa3 losing its unexpected, unfamiliar
...and Black won on move 60. features.
The Five Faces of Surprise in Chess 47
-
S. Hawes S. K e n -
Mabbs Mohrlok
London Lloyds Bank 1979 1959
...
26 Qd4!! 27 exd4 cxd4 28 Ec5
Pc~!!
Pinning on the file, as well as on
the rank. White continued 29 Pxc7
xxb5 and succumbed on move 45.
Returning to the position after
Black's 26th, White can diverge with
27 Qxd4 cxd4 28 Pc5 but then
28...k 7 ! ! 29 exd4 b6 wins just the
same: 30 Wb2!? bxc5 31 dxc5+
Wf6.
Dembo - Ratner
Paris 1926
Alekhine Defence
le4&62eSQd53&9e64&3
k e 7 5 Qxd5 exd5 6 d4 0-0 7 A d 3
d6 8 0-0 &g4 9 h3 &h5 10 Re1 Qc6
11 c3 Re8 1 2 k f 4 dxe5 13 dxe5
P x f 3 14 wxf3 &g5 15 Pad1 kxf4
16 wxf4 we7 17 W@!
The e5-pawn looks secure.
17...axe5
Fearing the advance of the white
f-pawn, Black walks into a danger- E2.2.3) Self-disruption of pin
ous pin.
l8 Re31 (63) See diagram 65 on the next page.
Not 18 f4? wc5+. 26..R&
18...f6 19 f4 W&! 20 fxe5 fie5 "My opponent rose from his seat"
Notwithstanding his material ad- - recalls Yosha - "under the impres-
vantage, White is so tied up that he is sion that the game was over".
hardly able to move. 27 &&h3 l!! 28 Qg3
21 E e l Pae8 22 &'2 g5 Now if Black plays 28...kxg2,
Anticipating the freeing manoeu- the bishop blocks his rook, enabling
vre wg3-f4-d4. 29 &h5 (29 ...k f 3 + 30 Qg3).
The Five Faces of Surprise in Chess 51
-
A. Yosha T. Haines Polugaevsky - Gufeld
Berlin 1983 MoscoW 1979
...
42 Wf5 43 f3 Og5! 44 hxg5
*X&+ 45 &g1 Wdl+ 46 &g2 we2+
47 &h3 wxf3!!
One would think that in return for
his sacrificed rook, Black intends to
mate his rival's king...
48 Wxa7 Whl+ 49 &g4 h5+ 50
($f4 Wfl+ 51 s$e5 wf5+ 52 &d6
we6+ 53 &c7
Black wins after 53 &CS?wxe3+
54 Ed4 c2.
...
53 We7+ 54 &b6 Wxa7+! 55
h a 7 (68) Makarychev - Naumkin
Moscow Ch 1983
28 Ec7 Wxa3
The threat was 29 Ab4. Now 29
%%l0-O!30 k b 4 Wf3! is unclear.
29 '##cl!!
White opts for an ending, not a
mating attack!
...
29 wxcl+ 30 Axcl &d8 31
Xxa7 Xe8 32 &a3 (70)
Overlooking a position's
hidden resources
79
W
Avni - Porper
Israeli Ch 1992
-
Tompa Andruet
Bagneux 1982
Bryson - Sher
A simple withdrawal of the white Hastings 1996
queen will lead to the fall of one of
the unprotected pawns at e4 and a2. ...
21 was!! 22 bxc3 bxc3 23 & b l
2 1 %'xf6? is foiled by 2 1...Pxd l+. Pb2+ 24 $?cl w a 3 25 Wxf8+ wxf8
62 Surprise in Chess
-
Reshevsky Seirawan
Lugano 1987
-
Sutovsky Beim
Rishon le Zion I994
at all.
Pursuing this line of thought, the
players with White in the two exam-
ples above should not have been sur-
prised when their opponents initiated
a desperate onslaught. Actually, this
reaction should have been antici-
pated.
Surprise, Deception
and Warning Signals 97
W
In our survey of the theory of sur-
prise, we saw that surprise is made
possible through lack of early signs
that signal to the enemy that some-
thing may be wrong.
A warning system may malfunc-
tion because a player is not as vigi-
lant as he should be. He may also be
lulled into a false sense of security
by a cunning opponent who masks Timrnan - Khalifman
his intentions, or misleads him to Amsterdam Donner Memorial 1995
adopt false premises.
Surprise, deception and (lack of)
warning signals are closely related
variables. I have treated the last two
subjects in depth elsewhere'. Here
we shall settle for a light illustration,
for those readers who are unfamiliar
with these themes.
If it is a trap, what does Black get for enemy is manipulated to assume that
this pawn? a move has been played with a defi-
1 6 Wxc7? g5 17 a d 3 &a6 18 nite goal, while in fact, its true object
Uel is completely different.
Trying to avoid the continuation
18 @c2 Pc8 19 Wdl(bl), in which Graphically, this can be seen in
Black develops some initiative, White the illustration below:
plays into Black's hands. X, Y, Z and T are plausible ways
...
18 Qc~!! to interpret the aims of move A. As
A skilful 'switchback' which en- the number of possible interpreta-
traps Her Majesty. One is reminded tions grows, the probability of our
of certain animals that incite their enemy picking a mistaken one in-
victims to approach them, and then creases (provided no clues are given).
close their escape routes. The imrne-
diate threat is 19...Ad8, winning. Planning a surprise
19 wxb6 &c4
This covers the flight-square b3, Reading so far, it must have been
and threatens to win by 20...9 a 6 21 clear that the author does not share
*c7 Pf7. the view that a surprise operation is
20 h 5 9 b 8 21 wc7 Qxc5 something that just falls from a clear
Even stronger than 21...9f7 22 sky. On the contrary, it is (or should
&e4. be) a planned action, carefully de-
22 d x d &e5 0-1 signed to disrupt the enemy's strategy,
shaking his beliefs and expectations,
Evidently, multi-purpose moves thus undermining his self-confidence
(like Timman's 26 &c3 and Pirc's in the correctness of his assessments
15...a e 7 ) are ideal deceivers: the and in his overall abilities.
More About Surprise in Chess 73
Qd7 (27...g xh5?? 28 gxh5 Qd7?? ...and White cashed in his mate-
29 a f 7 + ! mates) 28 h f 6 Qxf8 29 rial advantage (1-0,38).
Axf8 wa7! 30 k e g ! Pxe8 3 1 Axd6
White could have emerged from Readers may raise an objection: is
the chaotic intricacy with a position the concept of surprise essential
which was far from lost. But all this when expounding this episode? Isn't
is irrelevant to our subject. the old, familiar terminology suffi-
cient here? Indeed, may it not be ar-
gued, simply, that White had set a
trap, or conceived a pretty combina-
tion?
Well, I regard this standpoint as
oversimplistic: the move 13 Ph2
evolved from penetrating the adver-
sary's mind, anticipating his in-
tended 13...f6. After that, it was
imperative to discover an unusual
tactic that would rebut this idea.
Thereafter, the link between a mod-
est shift of a kingside rook and
Shirov - Agdestein queenside expansion was hard to
Oslo 1992 foresee. It certainly did not flow
naturally from the characteristics of
13 Ph2! f6? the position. Finally, the great speed
As Black was soon to find out to in which developments unfolded af-
his cost, the peculiar 13 Eh2 was ter the surprising 15 b4!! afforded
aimed against precisely this move. the black army no time to regroup.
14 exf6 gxf6 15 b4!! axb3 e.p. The fate of the battle was decided,
What else? 15...Ph5? 16 g4 Eh6 literally, within a few moves.
17 f5 is not appetising.
16 a x b 3 Xa4 17 b 5 Wxe2+ The following endgame (diagram
Reluctantly, he settles for the loss 103) has become a classic. In an
of an exchange. 17...Pa5 18 Qxa6 analogous position, with colours re-
Xxa6 19 c5 is worse (19...a d 5 is an- versed and with the omission of both
swered by 20 @xe7+ and then 21 h-pawns, Dr Emanuel Lasker won
Axa6). against Rubinstein, at St Petersburg
18 Xxe2+ W 7 19 h 4 am4 20 1914. A black win was expected
Pc2 here too, but during adjournment,
More About Surprise in Chess 75
-
Krays Kataev -
Calvo Addison
Tel-Aviv Czerniak Memorial 1994 Havana Olympiad 1966
Najdorf - Unzicker
Santa Monica 1966
l...Qd!
A pawn sacrifice that paves the
way to the king's invasion.
Surprise in the 2 &c4 dxc4 3 Rxc4 &d5 4 Pc8
Endgame &e4 5 Re8+ &d3 6 Rxe2 fxe2+ 7
&el
I have not been able to detect many "At this point one would suppose
surprises in the final phase of the that White could secure at least a
game. Upon reflection, this seems to draw. The actual termination is there-
be due to the fact that several as- fore a great surprise" (Dr Em. Las-
sumptions, made during the opening ker, in Brandreth and Hooper, 1975)
and the middlegame, are not appli- 7...Ac7 8 Af4 Aa5 9 Ad2 (108)
cable to the endgame. Here, one
generally does not expect a break-
through, or a quick decision; it is
also extremely difficult to conceive a
new doctrine or unusual weapons,
owing to the limited material.
As a rule, endings are conducted
in positional, somewhat technical
ways. One form of endgame-sur-
prise is, then, use of tactical de-
vices:
9...f4!!
This tactic had to be foreseen in
advance.
l 0 gxf4 Ad8 0-1
-
Davies Khalifman
London I991
Reciprocal zugzwang
voice, whether it transmits logical wrong with it. So, they set out to find
statements ('You haven't committed a clear 'refutation' of his scheme.
a single mistake, so your position is Says GM P. Benko:
no worse'; 'He couldn't have thor- "When you find yourself on the
oughly checked every variation'); or receiving end of an opening surprise
just supportive, encouraging fond- ...play sound developing moves! ...
lings of our ego ('You are a strong Searching for a sharp refutation over
player, he will be sorry for playing the board in an unfamiliar position
this nonsense'; 'Hang on, everything would be asking for trouble ... [it]
will be fine') are typical confidence- may not even exist. [You should]
builders. save time, and a lot of grief, by look-
ing merely for healthy moves to
After a surprise has been keep the position in balance" (in
unleashed Benko and Hochberg, 1991).
last move ignores a trap. Black grabs Going back to the winner's com-
the opportunity: mentary, we can clearly identify the
27...QeS! phases he went through:
"I was suddenly aware that my 1) Shocked by surprise, his spir-
position was in ruins" - says Pach- its fall.
man. 28 fxe5 fxe5 29 %d'2 exd4 30 2) Overcoming the bad feeling,
wxd4 Xxb2 loses. If the black knight he starts to examine the position,
remains untouched, it will land on looking for counterchances.
d3 (assuming that the crude threat - 3) Objectively assessing the situ-
28 ...Qg4 - is prevented), eyeing b2 ation, he devises a plan.
and f4 - a sad state of affairs. 4) Regretfully, he concludes that
"My first reaction was to consider his scheme does not stand much
immediate resignation ... but I then hope. To increase its chances, he
saw a glimmer of a chance: if ...( ) ... searches around for another possible
then ... ( ). However, it seemed too ingredient.
slender a prospect that my opponent 5) Subconsciously probing for
...
would readily fall in my plan Was tacit expectations, Pachman realizes
there any way of 'bluffing' [him] that:
into [my trap]? If I were in time- a) Black anticipates an easy vic-
trouble, he might imagine that [my tory;
...
move] was a blunder In order to b) A strange move by White will
...
attempt this ploy I sat quietly at evoke suspicion, causing Black to
the board for a whole hour ... I al- probe into the position and most
lowed myself a mere three minutes likely fathom his intentions;
for the remaining 13 moves ...Mean- c) A strange move by White,
while, he was walking about on the while in time-trouble, is likely to be
stage, no doubt pleased with his po- considered a blunder.
sition" (in Pachrnan, 1978). 6) Finally, White implements his
28 wd2 Qd3 29 a d 1 axf4? 30 plan very carefully, concealing any
Qfs! signs that may give his adversary
A happy ending. Black fell for reason to worry.
this counter-surprise. Depressed, he With all this, a significant co-op
committed more mistakes, and lost. eration from Black was required, in
30...gx f5 31 Xg3+ $?h832 wxf4 order to let White of the hook. Let us
Xb3? 33 0 c 3 Xxb2 34 exf5 a5 35 remind ourselves that the weapon of
Qe4 Xe2 36 Qxf6 Xxf61 37 *g5 surprise can only support chess de-
Eel+ 38 $?h2 1-0 cisions, not replace them.
More About Surprise in Chess
-
Guy Heller Gad Rechlis
Beersheba Ch 1981
English Opening
Notes: GM Gad Rechlis
4 &id4 e6
5 Qa Ab4 12 ... wxd5!!
6 Qb5 d5 The last two moves came as com-
7 Wa4 ac6 plete shock to my opponent. I was
S &g5 0-0 only fourteen years old when the
9 0-0-0 (119) game was played; I still look at it
with affection.
13 Pxd5
Or 13 kxf6 Wc5+ and wins.
13 ... hdS
14 a3 Ad6
0-1
1 Qf3 c5
2 c4 b6 Following a surprising sequence
3 g3 Ab7 of moves, White finds himself in a
4 Ag2 86 somewhat tricky situation. In order
5 d4 cxd4 to defend against 13...a h 6 , he reluc-
6 Wxd4 Qf6 tantly exchanges an important cen-
7 0-0 ag7 tral pawn.
8 h 3 ac6 13 c5 bxc5
I selected a line I had never 14 wc4+ &h8
played before: an unusual move-or- 15 Wxc5 d6
der leading to a known theoretical 16 *c4 &S!
position, in which it is customary to Although Vaganian is reputed to
proceed with 8...d6 followed by be one of the best endgame players
9...Qbd7. Black's main problem in in the world, I believed that the en-
this line is that after he castles, suing queenless position offered me
White plays wh4, Ah6. with an in- good chances.
itiative on the kingside and in the 17 YYkCS xfxc8
centre. 18 h3 m6
The move I chose forces White to 19 &l4 Axg2
determine his queen's location: 9 20 k g 2 QC4
YIYh4 is strongly met by 9...h6!, and 9 21 &cl Xab8
wf4 @b8! enables Black to solve A critical juncture. After my last
most of his problems. move, I assessed the position as good
9 we3 0-0 for me, because of the harmonic and
l 0 Xdl W&! active co-operation of my pieces.
11 Aaz Qg4 Nevertheless, because of the weak-
12 Wf4 fS! (126) nesses in Black's pawn structure (e7,
94 Surprise in Chess
23 Pxb7 gxf4
24 &7+ &g8
25 Pxb4 1-0
10 e4!! I'm not sure if the play is analyti-
My opponent expected an ordi- ...
cally correct [l0 dxe4 (11 a b 5 a e 6 ;
nary move such as 10 0-0-0,10 P c 1 l 1 Qxg4 Qxg4 12 Qb5 e5; 11 f3
or 10 P d l . The text-move, disre- exf3 12 0-0-0 Qc6) and 13 Qxb5...
garding Black's forking threat, came (14 Qc7+ &d8 15 Qxf7+ &d7 16
as a surprise. Qxa8 g5!) are two possible im-
10 ... Qc2+?! provements for Black]. Anyhow, my
11 &d2 Qxal surprising tenth move achieved its
12&b5+ Ad7 aim.
13 Qxd5! Qxd5?!
14 &xd7+ &d8 Discussion (by A.A.)
15 exd5 (131)
15 ... e6 The preceding game, Vaganian-Ko-
It transpires that after 15...f6 16 gan, witnessed surprise in a minor
Ae6! fxe5 17 &xeS Black is para- role. Here, on the other hand, it plays
lysed. the first violin. Manor adopts a prac-
16 dxe6 Ab4+ tical approach: his 10 e4 may not be
17 &e2 fxe6 100% sound, yet he relies on its un-
18 P x a l Pf8 familiar and unexpected features to
19 g3 &e7 gain success.
20 P d l Pf5 His opponent is bewildered by the
21 Aa4 85 novel situation and fails to find the
22 Pd7+ &f8 right path.
The Way Players Experience Surprise 97
"Even after nations find them- is expected, can surprise (the unex-
selves on the receiving end of nasty peered) be defined, planned and
surprises, they abstain from delving countered.
into the question 'why were they In the process of the present ex-
caught by surprise'. Instead, they are ploration of chess surprises, some
satisfied with drawing some situ- interesting observations were made.
ational lessons (so as not to repeat We came to appreciate:
similar mistakes)" (Lanir, 1989).
the impact of surprise, disregarding
The more I became engrossed in the move/planls objective merits
this work, the more I realized how the various forms surprise may
little we understand the phenome- take
non of a chess-context surprise. The the viability of planning ahead a
following anecdote will illustrate surprising operation, thus viewing
my point: 'surprise' not only in retrospect
At my request, a respected GM the distinction between risk-taking
had sent me a game of his, that he and sacrifice of material
valued as surprising. I returned him the role of multi-purpose moves
a phone-call: "Thank you for the advantages of a peculiar playing-
lovely game" - I said - "can you style
please tell me why you find the play feasibility of surprise in situations
surprising?" where nothing, apparently, is hap-
The GM was clearly annoyed: pening (delayed action; surprise by
"Why, it looks surprising to me" - habituation)
he said - "it is, well, unexpected ... benefits of psychological ploys
my opponent thought so too ...Don't identification of certain situations
you agree?" that are liable to catch most of us
"Yes, I do" - I concurred - "but unaware
why? What causes the surprise?" coping with the enemy's schemes
To this (stupid?) question, the by imagining possible scenarios
GM had no answer. the vital function of good nerves in
To my mind, to say that an idea or reacting to surprise
a move is surprising because it is un- ...and more.
expected (or vice versa), is not very
helpful. To infuse meaning into such Understanding underlying mecha-
a phrase, we have to unravel the tacit nisms of surprise (in chess and in
assumptions and expectations of the other fields), its effect and the reasons
contestants. Only if we identify what behind it, is invaluable. Acquiring
Summary 103
de Firmian - Benjamin
USA Ch 1988
White to play and win
Ullrich - Spengler
Berlin 1948
White to play
From a study by
A. Maksimovskikh and V. Shup-
letsov, 2nd Commendation,
Magadan Komsomolets, 1985
White to play and win
Uhlmann - Clarke
Hastings 1959
White to play
-
Hiibner Beliavsky
Munich 1990
Black to play
J. Kricheli, 1986
White to play and win
Hommeles - Skoblikov
Dutch team Ch 1992
Black to play
-
Krasenkov Hickl
Jakarta 1996
White to play
Adm Doda
Addison Douven
Afek Dzindzichashvili
Agdestein Ettlinger
Alterman Euwe
Anand Fewstein
Andersson Fischer
Andruet Fishbein
Arestov Flohr
Ashley Fuchs
Avni Gelfand
Baratz Ghizdavu
Bareev Grinberg
Beim Grob
Beliavsky Grooten
Benjamin Grtlnfeld, Y.
Bennet Gufeld
Bernstein, 0. Gurevich. M.
Bertok Gurgenidze, D.
Boersma Gusev
Botterill Haines
Botvinnik Halliwell
Bouwmeester Har-Zvi
Bryson Hawes
Calvo Hebden
Capablanca Heller
Carmel Hennigan
Chandler Hertneck
Chapman Hick1
Clarke Hpi
Colle Hommeles
Czerniak Honfi
DamjanoviC HUbner
Davies Hurme
de Firmian Kagan
Deep Blue Kasparov
Dembo Kataev
Dizdar Katalymov
Djurhuus Kerr
Surprise in Chess
Khalifman Ragozin
Khuzman Ratner
Kogan Rechlis
Korchnoi Reshevsky
Kosashvili Richi
Krasenkov Richter, K.
Krays Ristoja
Kric heli Root
Kudrin Sakharov
Kuznetsov, An. Sarychev
LaliC, B. Seirawan
Larsen Shabalov
Lengyel Sher
Leonhardt Shigapov
Lilienthal Shirov
Liss S hmuter
Lutz S hupletsov
Mabbs Skoblikov
Makarychev Soffer
Maksimovskikh Soto Larrea
Mannheimer Spassky
Manor Speelman
Matulovii. Spengler
Mieses Steniczka
Mikhalchishin Stoltz
Miles Sutovsky
Mohrlok Timman
Mukhin Tompa
Murey Tseitlin, Ma.
Najdorf Tsvetkov
Naurnkin Uhlmann
NN Ullrich
Ortega Unzicker
Pachman Vaganian
Perenyi Varga
Petkevich Vidmar
Pinter Vlasak
Pirc Wapner
Plaskett Westerinen
Pletanek Winants
Polgar, J. Wotawa
Polugaevsky Yandarbiev
Porper Yosha
Portisch Yurtaev
Mtchett Zagalov
Rabar Zhukhovitsky
ISBN 1-85744-210-
-by
-pJr
London