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The Soviet school
Hard work and fighting chess: Ilyin-Genevsky beats Capablanca in 1925, and the young Botvinnik wins a queen.
The idea
Hard work and fighting chess: the young Botvinnik wins a queen.
- The rook goes to h6, on the file of White’s queen and king.
- The queen on h2 cannot leave the h-file: its king is behind it.
- The queen on f4 guards h2, so the rook can take there.
In a game: When a queen stands in front of its king on a file, look for a rook to pin it.
How the lesson begins
After the revolution of 1917 the Soviet state backed chess as no country had before, with clubs, coaches, magazines and a national championship. Soviet players studied the game as hard work: prepare at home, check your own games, and fight in every position. This became known as the Soviet school.
An early test came at the Moscow tournament of 1925, where Soviet masters met the best players in the world. Here is the world champion José Raúl Capablanca, with White, against the Soviet master Alexander Ilyin-Genevsky.
Capablanca pushes his kingside pawns all the way to f6 and g5. Black does not wait: the b-pawn goes forward and opens the b-file.
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nge2 d6 6. d3 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. h3 a6 9. Be3 Bd7 10. Qd2 Re8 11. Nd1 Rc8 12. c3 Qa5 13. g4 The g-pawn goes forward.
- 13... Red8 14. f4 Be8 15. g5 Nd7 16. f5 And the f-pawn.
- 16... b5 Black answers on the queenside.
- 17. Nf4 b4 18. f6 The pawn on f6 hits the bishop, which goes back to f8.
- 18... Bf8 19. Nf2 bxc3 20. bxc3 The b-file is open.
- 20... e6
Pawns are traded on g6, and Black’s knights jump to e5 and g4. Now Capablanca pushes d4 to drive away the knight on e5.
- 21. h4 Rb8 22. h5 Rb6 23. hxg6 hxg6 24. Nd1 Nde5 25. Qf2 Ng4 26. Qh4 Nce5 27. d4
Find the move
Black to move. The knight on e5 is attacked. Find a capture with the other knight first.
A hint
The knight on g4 can take a piece.
Show the answer
27... Nxe3
Nxe3 takes White’s bishop. After White takes back, Black has a strong queen move.