Jon Speelman: Light and dark

by Jonathan Speelman
12/17/2023 – In order to attack the enemy king successfully in a game of chess, you need sufficient firepower and a clear target. Often there will be a complex of squares of the same colour that come under attack, and so we have white or dark-square games. Today we have some instances of attacks on both light and dark squares, featuring the likes of Johannes Zukertort (pictured) and Anatoly Karpov!
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From the same hymn sheet

[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]

In order to attack the enemy king successfully in a game of chess, you need sufficient firepower — normally at least as much as the defender, though sometimes his or her pieces will get in each others’ way — and a clear target(s).

The second point is crucial. It’s all very well waving your pieces in the enemy king’s face, but if they aren’t coordinated but aiming at different squares, then the defender will have a much better chance than when everybody is singing from the same deadly hymn sheet.

That’s not to say that everything has to be aimed at exactly the same place, but often there will be a complex of squares of the same colour that come under attack, and so we have white or dark-square games. For instance, if White has a knight on f5 and a bishop on the long black diagonal against the black king castled kingside, then it’s very likely that a mating attack will focus on the dark squares and in particular g7. While if White has a bishop on the a2-f7 diagonal and the black king is on g8 then white-square play is likely to be indicated.

Today we have some instances of attacks on both light and dark squares, starting with a magnificently violent game from the recent English Chess Federation event in Hammersmith, which was very kindly brought to my attention by Emmanuel Voyiakis: a Professor of Law at the London School of Economics.

I asked other people I teach for games decided by square complexes and Stephen Nelson-Smith suggested a quiet but deadly win by Anatoly Karpov against Judit Polgar: no ultra-violence, but plenty of subtle power.

I’ve added myself a famous 19th century game with a long black diagonal combination, and a game which I thought I must have used here but didn’t find in my collected database.

The next column will be on 7 January 2024. In the interim, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Select an entry from the list to switch between games

Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions.

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Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.