Daniel King’s Power Play Show: Frank Marshall's Octopus Knight

by Daniel King
1/15/2021 – In this Power Play Show, GM Daniel King takes a look at game by Frank Marshall (1877-1944), U.S. Champion from 1909 to 1936, and a legendary attacking player. | Power Play is on air most Fridays at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET, 13:00 ET). All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.

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Frank Marshall's Octopus Knight

The following game is a splendid example for Marshall's attacking skills and his feel for the initiative. His novelty on move 12 was a crucial part of his strategy.

 
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1.e4 C58: Two Knights: 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 sidelines Sources: Tartakower & du Mont, 500 Master Games of Chess, pp. 50-51; Marshall, My 50 Years of Chess, pp.100-102. All comments are Tartakower's unless otherwise noted. To know how to conduct an attack on the hostile king's field, and how to create breaches there, is part and parcel of the attacking player's equipment. A rarer gift is to be able to foresee where the opponent is going to castle and to weaken that side beforehand. Black does this here on his 12th move ....Bb4+, by which, for ulterior purposes, he deliberately provokes a weakening of c3. e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 One of Morphy's ideas. He gives back the pawn and strengthens the centre. Marshall: 6.Bb5+ has been revived of late years with fair success. The recommended line is 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 8.Bd3 8...h6 9.Nf3 e4 10.Ne5 Bd6 11.f4 0-0 12.0-0! Bxe5 13.fxe5 Qd4+ 14.Kh1 Qxe5 15.d4! and White, with his two bishops and superior pawn position, stands well. 6...h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.Qe2 Nxc4 Of course not 8...Bf5 at once because of 9.dxe4 as the White queen indirectly defends the White bishop. 9.dxc4 Bc5 Strategically, Black occupies an important diagonal, whilst tactically the move prevents 10.Nd4, which would be playable in reply to either 9....Be7 or 9. ...Bd6. 10.Nfd2 By this retrograde manoeuvre White tries to consolidate his position without his Interior lines being weakened, as would be the case after 10.h3 0-0 11.Nh2 e3 11...c6 is the computer recommendation 12.Bxe3 Bxe3 13.fxe3 Ne4 or after 10.c3 0-0 11.Nd4 Bg4 with advantage to Black. 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nfd2 Bg4 12.Qe1 Qd7 with the initiative 10...0-0 11.Nb3 Bg4 By this intermediate move Black maintains the initiative. After 11...Bd6 12.Nc3 Re8 13.h3 Bb4 14.0-0 etc., White would have consolidated his position and remained a pawn ahead. 12.Qf1       This modest retirement is necessary, because if 12.Qd2 there follows 12.... e3 13.fxe3 Bxe3 Marshall: An ugly move which bas been contemptuously described as "castling with the queen!" But White has no choice, for if 12.Qd2 e3! It has already become apparent that Black's more rapid and aggressive development amply compensates for the sacrificed pawn. 12...Bb4+ Again an intermediary manoeuvre, without which White would have a chance of consolidation, e.g. 12...Bd6 13.h3 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Be3 Be5 15.h3 Bxc3+ 16.bxc3 Bd7 17.0-0-0 b6 18.g4 Nh7 19.Qg2 Qe7 20.h4 Qa3+ 21.Kb1 Qa4 22.Rd4 c5 23.Rxe4 Rxe4 24.Qxe4 Nf6 25.Qf4 Nxg4 26.Bxc5 Rc8 26...bxc5 27.Nxc5 Qa3 28.Nxd7+- 27.Bd4 Qxc4 28.Rg1 f5 29.Rxg4 fxg4 30.Qe5 1-0 (30) Leonhardt,P-Schallopp,E Berlin 1907 13...Bh5 14.g4 Bg6 15.Be3 15.Nc3 etc. This innovation of Marshall's has changed the whole trend of this opening. Marshall: This important intermediary move was introduced into master practice in the present game. 15...a5 16.N1d2 a4 17.Nd4 Be5 18.c3 Nd7 19.Qg2 Nc5 20.0-0 Nd3 21.Nxe4 Nxb2 22.Rab1 Nxc4 23.Rxb7 Kh8 24.Nc5 Qd6 25.Rb5 Rfe8 26.Re1 Bf6 27.Qf3 Re5 28.Nb7 Qd7 29.Nc6 Ree8 30.Nc5 Qd6 31.Re2 Bxc3 32.Bf4 Qf6 33.Nd7 Rxe2 34.Nxf6 Re1+ 35.Kh2 Bxf6 36.Be3 Nd6 37.Rb4 Re8 38.Rxa4 Be4 39.Rxe4 Rxe4 40.Kg2 Ra1 41.Bc5 Ree1 42.Qb3 Ne4 43.Be3 Bg5 44.f4 Bh4 45.Nd4 Rab1 46.Qa3 Nd6 47.Nf5 Nxf5 48.gxf5 Bf6 49.Qf8+ Kh7 50.Kf3 Rbd1 51.Qxf7 Rd3 52.Qg6+ Kg8 53.Qe8+ 1/2-1/2 (53) Zinn,L-Malesic,S Maribor 1967 13.c3 Plausible, but not good. The weakness at d3 will make itself felt later. As, however 13.Bd2 cannot be recommended on account of 13.... Bxd2+ 14.N1xd2 Re8 15.h3 e3 etc. he should have resigned himself to 13.Nc3 obtaining some counter-chances after Bxc3+ 13...c6       14.h3 Bh5 15.g4 Bg6 16.dxc6 16.Bd2 cxd5 17.cxd5 17.0-0-0 Qc7 18.Nb5 Bxd2+ 19.Rxd2 Qxc4 20.Qxc4 dxc4 17...e3! 18.fxe3 Bxc2 16...bxc6 17.Bd2 e3 18.fxe3 18.Bxe3 Ne4 18...Bxc3 19.bxc3 Bxc2 20.Nd4 Ne4 21.h4 c5 22.Nf3 Ng3 23.Qg2 Nxh1 24.Qxh1 Be4 0-1 (24) Luckis,M-Keres,P Buenos Aires 1939 14.bxc3 b5 15.h3 Bh5 16.g4 Bg6 17.Ba3 Re8 18.0-0-0 etc. 13...Be7 13...Bd6 is also playable, but not quite as good 14.h3 Bh5 15.g4 Bg6 16.Be3 Nd7 17.N1d2 1-0 (63) Tartakower,S-Bogoljubow,E Bad Homburg 1927 Ne5 18.0-0-0 Nd3+ 19.Kb1 0-1 (65) Fossan,A (2149)-Tari,A (2623) Stavanger 2019 14.h3 Bh5 15.g4 Bg6 16.Be3 Nd7! Reculer pour mieux sauter! This manoeuvre infuses new energy into the attack. 16...b5 isn't as good, but the result was still the same 17.cxb5 17.Nd4 17...Nxd5 18.Nd4 Nxe3 19.fxe3 Bh4+ 20.Ke2 f5 21.Qg1 a6 22.gxf5 Bh5+ 23.Kd2 axb5 24.b4 Qd5 25.a3 Rxf5 26.Kc2 Rf2+ 27.Nd2 Raf8 28.Kc1 Rxd2 29.Kxd2 Qc4 30.Rf1 Qd3+ 31.Kc1 Qxc3+ 32.Nc2 Bf3 33.Rh2 Bf6 34.Rxf3 exf3 35.Qg6 Rd8 0-1 (35) Abergel,T (2399)-Fressinet,L (2705) Paris 2015 17.N1d2 Ne5 18.0-0-0 b5 Thus the compact mass of adverse pawns will be demolished. 18...Nd3+ also gives Black a good position: 19.Kb1 b5 20.Nd4 bxc4 21.Nc6 Qd7 22.Nxc4 Bf6 23.f4 exf3 24.Rxd3 Qxd5 25.N4e5 Be4 26.Ka1 Qe6 27.Bf4 Bxd3 27...f2! 28.Nd4 Qe8 28.Qxd3 Bxe5 29.Nxe5 f5 30.Qxf3 fxg4 31.Qg3 Rae8 32.Nxg4 h5 33.Ne5 Rxf4 34.Qxf4 Qxe5 35.Qf1 Qe2 36.Qc1 a5 37.a3 a4 38.Qf4 Qe4 39.Rf1 Re7 40.Qg5 h4 41.Rd1 Rf7 42.Qc5 Kh7 43.Ka2 Qe6+ 44.c4 Qf5 45.Qb5 Qxb5 46.cxb5 g5 47.Rd4 Rf3 48.Rxa4 Rxh3 49.Rc4 Rd3 50.Rxc7+ Kg6 51.b6 Rd8 52.a4 h3 53.a5 h2 54.Rc1 g4 55.b7 g3 56.a6 g2 57.a7 h1Q 58.Rc6+ Kf5 59.b8Q g1Q 60.Rf6+ Kxf6 61.Qxd8+ Kg7 62.Qe7+ Kh8 0-1 (62) Zeng,C (2561) -Vidit,S (2707) Xingtai 2019 19.cxb5 Nd3+ This Knight's very powerful position will have a trenchant effect on the course of events. 20.Kb1 Qxd5 21.Ka1 A little better would have been 21.f4 at once. exf3 22.Ka1 f2 22...Qxb5 23.Bxf2 Qxb5 24.Nf3 a5 21.c4 Qe5 22.Bd4 Qe6 21...Qxb5 22.f4 a5 22...exf3 23.Nxf3 c5 24.Ne5 c4 25.Nxd3 Bxd3 26.Nd4 23.Rb1 If 23.f5 a4 and Black scores first. 23...f5 23...a4 24.Nd4 Qd5 25.f5 Bh7 26.Qg2 a3 27.b3 c5 28.Ne2 Nb4 29.Rhc1 Qd3-+ 24.Nd4 Qa4 25.b3 This drives off the hostile queen, but another important square (c3) is weakened. 25.... Remarkably, White is still in the game after 25.gxf5       Bxf5 26.Rg1 26.Qg2 Nb4 27.cxb4 axb4 28.a3 Bf6 26...Ra6 26...Nb4? 27.Qc4+ Kh8 28.cxb4 axb4 27.Nxf5 Rxf5 28.Bd4 Bf6 29.Nxe4 Bxd4 30.Qxd3 Bxg1 31.Qxa6= 25.Nxf5       Rxf5 26.gxf5 Nb4 Marshall 26...Bf7 27.b3 Qc6 28.Bd4 Rd8 29.Nc4 Rxd4 30.cxd4 Bf6 27.cxb4 axb4 28.a3 Bf7! First blocking the diagonal 28...Bf6 Marshall 29.Bd4 29.Ka2 Qxa3+ 30.bxa3 Rxa3# 29...Bf7 30.Bxf6 Qc2 31.Nc4 Bxc4 32.Qxc4+ Qxc4 33.Rbg1-+ 29.Rc1 Bf6 30.Kb1 bxa3-+ 25...Qd7 26.gxf5 Bxf5 27.Qg2 c5 Dislodging White's only well-posted piece. Marshall: A nice move that freshens up the attack. The occupation of the long diagonal by Black's black bishop will be decisive. 27...Bf6! 28.Nxf5 Qxf5 29.Qxe4 White has won the local engagement around the advanced e pawn, but the following beautiful riposte demonstrates that Black still holds the strategical lead—which is here the attack against the king's weakened position. 29.... 29.Rbg1!       Bf6 29...Rf7 30.Qxe4 30.Nxe4 Rfe8 31.Nxf6+ Qxf6 32.Qd5+ Kh8 33.Qxd3 Rad8 34.Qc4 Rxe3 35.Rc1 29...Bf6 A temporary sacrifice of the queen (30.Qxf5 Bxc3+) is offered. 30.Qc4+ Kh8 31.Ne4 Marshall: White appears to have consolidated his position, but now comes a fresh surprise. Rae8 32.Nxf6? Marshall: Relatively best would have been 32.Nd6! Qe6 33.Qxd3 Qxe3 with an ending in Black's favor. 34.Rbd1       Bxc3+ 35.Kb1 Re7 36.Nc4 Equal according to the machines 32...Rxf6 33.Bc1 Rfe6 Instead of 33....Re2 or 33....Ne1, both of which formidable threats Black keeps in reserve. 34.Ba3 Re2 35.Rhd1
35...Ne1 The final assault. This knight has decidedly been the hero of the piece. Marshall: as Marco shows, there is no defense now: (a) 36.Rdc1 Nc2+ 37.Rxc2 Qxc2 38.Bb2 Re1 and wins. (b) 36.Rd8 Nc2+ 37.Kb2 Nxa3+ 38.Qxe2 Qxb1+ 39.Kxa3 Rxd8 and wins. (c) 36.Qxe2 Rxe2 37.Rxe1 Rxe1 38.Rxe1 Qxh3 and Black wins easily with his h pawn. 36.Bxc5 Nc2+ 37.Kb2 Nb4+ Marshall: White resigns. One of my best games.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Salwe,G-Marshall,F-1908C58Wien Internationales Schachturnier2

And here's another mate in two problem - but this one is cooked. You have to find BOTH ways to checkmate in two moves. White to play and mate in 2.

 
Geoffrey Arthur Mott-Smith - The Chess Review 1937
Mate in 2

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Daniel King is the prolific author of the Power Play series which numbers 28 volumes to date.  The Tactic Turbo for the King’s Gambit is the subject of his most recent DVD.

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Power Play 28: Tactic Toolbox King's Gambit

Daniel King presents 50 puzzle positions in video format, all arising from the King's Gambit. They feature typical tactics from the opening, so this is a great way of becoming familiar with the tricks and traps that you can set your opponent.


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Daniel King is a regular on playchess.com. Commentating on live events such as the World Championship or analysing themes for his monthly Power Play Show. He also produces a DVD series called Power Play for ChessBase in the Fritztrainer format.

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