The Winning Academy 7: Why is the threat stronger than its execution?

by Jan Markos
3/8/2022 – It was Aron Nimzowitsch (pictured) who coined the paradoxical expression "The threat is stronger than its execution." This phrase sounds catchy and smart but if you think about it, you start to wonder how a threat can actually ever be stronger than its execution. Jan Markos has a number of good answers. (Foto: L'Echiquier 1931)

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

"The threat is stronger than its execution", is probably the most cryptic rule in chess culture. I remember that in my teenager years I was told this sentence (ascribed to Mr. Nimzowitsch) many times, and still could not understand it at all, although I was otherwise a relatively smart chess student. I was confused: Why shouldn't I execute a strong threat? Why should I wait? And what is actually so threatening about a threat that is not worth executing?

Recently I accidentally visited a chess forum on this topic, and saw that a huge portion of club players share my confusion about this rule.

A player nicked Divyesh_B asked: "I have heard this statement in many YouTube videos and some books but never actually understood that how can a threat be stronger than it's execution. So, can anyone please explain this to me?"

However, there was little clarity in the answers:

"The threat means the other side has to defend against it compromising their own ideas of making active plans against you....I suppose."

"Don't ask me I never said it....:("

"It basically means the threat is a bluff."

---

So, it is our task today to explain this mysterious rule of Nimzowitsch. Let us start with a lovely example:

Shcherbakov - Daniliuk, Elista 1995, White to move:

 

White's light pieces resemble a gun that is prepared to fire. There are many different discovered checks at White's disposal, but none of them wins immediately. White therefore kept all his possibilities open and simply took 40.Qxa7!?, winning without much effort in the subsequent fight.

However, he could have won in a more direct way. The stunning 40.Qf4!! Qxa1+ 41.Kh2 was best, E.g. 41…Kf6 42.Qd6+ Be6 43.Qf8+ Bf7 44.Qg7+, winning the black queen in the corner.

Please note how in the previous line the white queen enjoyed the support of the f5-knight. The queen dance was possible only because White resisted to "fire the gun" and kept the knight in its dominating position.

Delaying the knight jump, White achieves a mysterious think: his knight is in fact located on several places at once. On f5, obviously, but also on h4, g3, e3, e7, d6 etc, as it can be transferred there in an instant. White's f5-knight resembles Schrödinger's cat. It is and isn't on f5 at the same time.

An unexecuted threat allows us to bother our opponent with two scenarios at the same time: 1) the threat will be executed and 2) the threat will not be executed. Our opponent has to adapt his play, so he is prepared for both scenarios. Thus, his possibilities are seriously limited and ours seriously expanded.

Also, we are usually delaying the execution of threats only when they are not decisive in this exact moment. Keeping the threat unexecuted therefore means looking for the best moment of its execution.

----

In the following position, Black was far too hasty:

Petrosian-Zhou, Lake Sevan 2011, Black to move:

 

Petrosian has a nice attacking position. Most of his pieces are directed at the black king. Zhou therefore decided to pull an emergency brake and played 25…d3? However, this pawn sacrifice does not give him enough compensation. After 26.Bxd3 Nxd3 27.Rxd3 Rxd3 28.Qxd3 Rd8 29.Qe2 White is simply better. Black's pair of bishop is optically impressive, but he has no targets for attack and White has therefore time to gradually improve his position.

However, Black could have been much more patient. In the diagrammed position he has got many defensive resources, delaying the …d4-d3 move for a more suitable moment. As one of my pupils suggested, the paradoxical 25…h5! is very strong. Black slightly weakens the shelter of his monarch, but takes away the g4-square from the white knight, and thus slows down the attack. Of course, 26.Nf3 is a no-go, as then ...d4-d3 is much stronger than before. After a long analysis we have agreed that White should probably play 26.Bd3, stopping the thread to …d4-d3 for good. Then after 26…Nxd3 Black gets two bishops as in the game, but with his pawn still on d4 and material being still equal. A good result for a little bit of patience, is it not?

Here's the complete game:

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 e6?! Black should have immediately attack the e4-pawn with 4...Nc6 5.Bd3 d5! 5.Bd3 d5 6.e5 Nfd7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Re1 Qc7 9.Qe2 Rb8 Does not work 9...f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 because of 11.Bf5 But 9...Be7 is more accurate than 9...Rb8. 10.Bc2 b5 11.d3 White's plan is to bring his queenside knight to opposite side with the Nbd2-f1-h2-g4 maneuvre and then start a typical attack on Black's king. Black should try to develope activity on the queenside, where he has an impressive pawn chain and a majority of pieces. Hovewer, he should push his pawns accurate to avoid a queenside blockade (e.g. c5-c4 is met by d3-d4). b4?! Too direct. I think it's better to complete development with 11...Be7 and 0-0 and only then think about queen-side play. 12.c4! A good move. Now the pawn chain on the queenside is more or less blocked, and Black cannot make use of his b-file and the rook's position on it. Nb6 13.Nbd2 Be7 14.Nf1 White continues his plan. Interestingly, the computer suggests a slightly illogical idea: 14.cxd5 Nxd5 14...exd5 15.d4 c4 16.Nf1 15.Qe4 0-0 16.Nb3 and evealuates it in White's favour. 14...0-0 15.Bf4 Bb7 16.Qe3 Rfd8 17.b3 Nd4 The d4 square is the only point which Black can use for counterplay. 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Qg3 Nd7! Correct maneuvre. Black's knight is either ready to jump to c5 or retreat to f8 to protect his king. Generally speaking in such positions a knight on f8 can play an important defensive role: he is defending the important h7-square and if nessesary can cover the g7-point with the Ng6 manoeuvre. 20.Bh6 A prophylactic move against the above-mentioned Nf8 maneuvre. Bf8 21.Bg5 Another good move. 21.Nh2 is premature due to dxc4 22.bxc4 22.dxc4 Nc5 22...f6 23.Bf4 23.Ng4 f5 23...fxe5 24.Bxe5 Nxe5 25.Qxe5 Bd6 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 21...Re8 22.Bf4! The end of interesting three-move bishop maneuvre. What has changed? The bishop came to its original square f4, while Black's bishop moved to f8 (blocking his Nf8 maneuvre) and rook to e8, where it is placed more passive than on d8. If 22.Nh2? then f6 22...dxc4?! An important moment. By taking on c4 Black opens both white-colored bishops. However the opening of White's c2-bishop is more dangerous for Black than opening of the b7-bishop for White, since it is White who is on the attack and the additional piece looking down on Black's king is just welcome. Black should have played 22...Be7! again intending to bring his knight to f8. For example 23.Nh2 Nf8! and now White's 24.Ng4? is meet by Ng6 and White is in trouble. 23.dxc4 Nc5 24.Rad1 Rbd8 25.Nh2 d3 Zhou realizes how dangerous his opponent's attack is and decides to sacrifice a pawn in order to exchange White's c2-bishop and simplify the position. The alternative was 25...Kh8 but after 26.Ng4 Qc6 27.f3 d3 (otherwise it's not easy to defend against 28.Bg5 Rd7 29.Nf6!) 28.Bb1 (with the idea Nf2) Black faces difficulties. 26.Bxd3 Nxd3 27.Rxd3 Rxd3 28.Qxd3 Rd8 29.Qe2 a5 The attempt to prevent Rd1 by 29...Qa5 is met by 30.Rc1 and then Rc2-d2 30.Rd1 Qc6 Zhou played this move and offered a draw, which Petrosian reasonably declined. Black's compensation for pawn is clearly insuffitient. 31.Nf3 Rxd1+ 32.Qxd1 Be7 33.Qd4! h5 34.Be3! A good prophylactic move. On the impatient 34.Qa7?! Black can get some countreplay with g5 35.Be3 g4 36.hxg4 hxg4 37.Ne1 Qd7 34...a4 35.Qa7! White activates his queen. a3 36.Qb8+ Kh7 37.Kh2! Kg6?! In time trouble Black misses White's following tactical idea. He should have played 37...Qd7 38.Qh8! h4? Black defends against 39.g4, but misses the other shot. The only defence was 38...Qc8 39.Qxc8 Bxc8 40.Nd4 Bc5 41.Nc2 though White should still win. 39.Bh6‼ Bf6 40.Nxh4+! Bxh4 41.Qxg7+ Kf5 41...Kh5 42.g4# 42.Qg4+ And mate on the next move. 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Petrosian,T2636Zhou,J26361–02011B50Lake Sevan2

---

The following example is from an extremely important game, the 10th game of the Carlsen-Karjakin 2016 match for the chess crown:

Carlsen-Karjakin, World Championship match (10), New York 2016, White to move:

 

A small reminder about the context: Carlsen was in a very difficult match situation. He lost the 8th game and won none. Therefore, with only two more games to go, he desperately needed to win this promising position.

White's plan is simple: he needs to push b4-b5. However, when should he strike? Now, or later?

When is it possible to delay a threat? Well, when your opponent has no means to prevent it anyway. Or, more generally, when he is not able to improve his position any time soon. In the diagrammed position, time has very little value for Black, as he is destined to defend passively for a long time.

Carlsen therefore decided to be patient. Delaying the threat, he has also put a serious psychological burden on his opponent. Black has to calculate b4-b5 at any moment in the following moves, and this costs a considerable amount of time and energy.

The game continued slowly:

48.Ra3 Nd4 49.Rd1 Nf5 50.Kh3 Nh6 51.f3 Rf7 52.Rd4 Nf5 53.Rd2 Rh7 54.Rb3 Ree7 55.Rdd3 Rh8

 

Magnus, is now the time?

56.Rb1

No, not yet. Let us lure the black h8-rook to a slightly inferior square…

56...Rhh7 57.b5!

Now! Carlsen has finally decided to start a direct attack and he was successful in the following fight. Karjakin resigned 18 moves later.

It is impossible to assume how much time and energy has Carlsen taken from his opponent by delaying the b4-b5 break, but I think most of us know from our own experience how psychologically difficult it is to wait passively in an inferior position.

Here's the complete game:

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
Going into the World Championship matches, many people logically considered Magnus to be the clear favorite against Sergey Karjakin. First of all the difference in their rating was a bit wide, as was their most recent overall performance.This year alone Magnus had won four big tournaments (Tata Steel, Norway, Leuven and Bilbao), while Sergey had only won the (admittedly long and tough) Candidates tournament which qualified him as the Challenger. Those things carry weight in people's minds but rounds 1-9 showed a different and very surprising story. The challenger's strong balanced attack, his ability to find good moves and make plans, his outstanding defense, and resistance to cracking under pressure, proved him to be an impregnable fortress. Magnus could not find a way to break Sergey down until eventually, overextending himself in Round 8, the Champion even had to accept defeat. At this point in Game 10 with only 3 games to the finish he absolutely has to find a way to even the score. He HAS to do it today. 1.e4 In Rounds 1 and 8 Magnus got nowhere with 1.d4, after giving the Trompovsky and the Colle system a try. Sergey Karjakin knew his stuff there. In fact he got nothing but trouble in game 8. So today Magnus decides to go back to the "best by test move" recommended by Fischer and Caruana. To be honest I'm kind of surprised that Magnus does not try 1.c4 or 1.Nf3/1.g3 but maybe we will see that in Round 12. e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 3.Bc4 Bc5 Carlsen-Karjakin Round 5, but Magnus got nothing there either and in the end he must have been happy to save that game. 3...Nf6 Sergey sticks to his guns and goes for the Berlin Opening. I noticed that during the entire match so far, one of Sergey's strategies has been simply to go for the main lines in the opening and play a normal game. He does not overpush but maintains composure by playing objective, strong moves. 4.d3 Magnus' strategy seemed mostly aimed at surprises in the opening and later on, hopes to exploit his opponent's mistakes over the board. It reminded me of a quote by a famous chess player: "I will play 40 good moves. If my opponent plays 40 good moves too, we will draw." The problem in this match is Sergey is the opponent who finds all the good moves too. 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Carlsen-Karjakin Round 3, where White got very close to first blood, but later on couldn't convert. 4...Bc5 Putting the bishop on an active post while also preparing to exchange the knights with ...Nd4. 5.c3 Magnus has won many games in the past with 5.Bxc6 dxc6 And here White has many moves, but the latest innovation is 6.Qe2 threatening to take Nxe5. Qe7 6...Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 7.Nbd2 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.a3 Nd7 10.b4 Bd6 11.Nc4 f6 12.Ne3 a5 13.Nf5 The knight on f5 is very powerful and not easy to dislodge. Qf8 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.0-0 Qf7 16.a4 Nc5 16...0-0? 17.Bh6! is a really nice combination. 17.Qe1 b6 18.Nd2 Rxa4 19.Nc4 Bf8? 20.Be3 and White won easily - Carlsen against a strong GM. 5...0-0 6.Bg5 This is unexpected, both for the spectators and I assume for Sergey too. Usually White castles his king first with 6.O-O and then after 6...d6 7.Bg5, when Black no longer has the option of ...Be7. 6.Bxc6 does not win a clean pawn, since after bxc6 7.Nxe5 d5 Black will get fast development in return. 6...h6 7.Bh4 Be7 This is the safe and natural approach. I like this move. 7...g5 8.Bg3 d6 9.Nbd2 is not desirable for Black as with the rook still on h1, White gets extra attacking options. 8.0-0 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxe5 You think White has won a pawn? Well... Nxe4! No. Black is better. 8...d6 9.Nbd2 It's a little perplexing in general is Magnus' opening approach, as it's not very clear here where White's advantage is. Perhaps 9.Bg3 with a complex position for example, Nh5 If 9...Bd7 then 10.h3 which is a typical Ruy Lopez subtlety, vacating the h2-square for the bishop to retreat into! Nh5 11.Bh2 f5∞ 10.Bxc6 bxc6 10...Nxg3 11.Bxb7! Aha! The suicidal bishop gives up its life so White wins a pawn. Bxb7 12.hxg3± 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Qxh5 Qxd3 13.Qxe5 Re8 and Black has the bishop pair and some compensation for the pawn. 9.Re1 Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.d4 Nf4= 9...Nh5 10.Bxe7 If 10.Bg3 Black just grabs the bishop pair: Nxg3 11.hxg3 Bf6 with a happy position. 11...Nb8 12.d4 c6 13.Bd3 Nd7 14.Nc4 Qc7 should also bring a smile to Sergey's face. 10...Qxe7 11.Nc4 11.Bxc6 to give Black doubled pawns looks like a good option. bxc6 12.d4 12.g3 f5 12...Nf4 But in fact White cannot really exploit it. In fact if anything, the strong knight on f4 gives Black good chances. For example 13.Qa4 Rb8 14.b3 Rb6 when Black seizes a strong initiative. I can already foresee a rook swing (Rb6-g6) to the kingside later on. 11...Nf4 Simple and strong. 11...f5 is a more complicated way to equality. 12.Ne3 fxe4 13.dxe4 Kh7= 12.Ne3 Qf6 12...f5 is always an option here, though after 13.g3 fxe4 14.dxe4 Nh3+ 15.Kg2 the knight on h3 still has to find a way to escape. 13.g3 Nh3+ 14.Kh1 A little too passive. The king would be better placed on g2. 14.Kg2 Ne7 15.d4 gives White a small advantage as he has more space and seizes control over the center. Ng6 16.Bd3 the knight on h3 can be kicked away later with Ng1. 14...Ne7 Now comes the manoeuvring phase. Both sides will now try to improve their position. The knight on h3 is very active, and Black can always exchange it with ...Ng5. I think Black has no problems here. 15.Bc4 Putting the bishop on the right diagonal. 15.d4 seems natural but leads nowhere. exd4 16.cxd4 c5= 15...c6 15...b5 was being cried out by the spectators online: 16.Bb3 But I am not sure where it leads. Advancing pawns too far can lead to unnecessary weaknesses and as everyone knows pawns cannot move backwards. In fact White is threatening a2-a4 so perhaps 16.Bxb5 Rb8 16...Rb8 with an around equal position. 16.Bb3 Ng6 Perhaps a small inaccuracy. The knight was just fine on e7, to guard the d5 and f5-squares. In fact Black has on his agenda an active option here to try to seize the initiative: 16...d5!? 17.exd5 cxd5 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Bxd5 Rd8 20.Be4 and now comes The Pin: Bg4! and White has to sacrifice material to get rid of this dangerous pin. 17.Qe2 I always think Magnus excels in this kind of close to equal positions. So in fact his opening choice has been quite successful despite its modest appearance. Now even if the advantage is not much, White has chances to outplay his opponent. a5 18.a4 Fighting for space on the queenside and fixing the pawn on a5. With the black knights so far away on the kingside, later this a5 pawn will lack protection. Watching the game live, I thought a stronger move was 18.d4 based on the chess principle 'Attack on the flank is best met by a counter-attack in the center'. a4 19.Bc2 Ng5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Rad1 and White is a little better. But now I like Magnus' choice too, as he wants to dominate the whole board, and not just the center. 18...Be6 19.Bxe6!? When I first saw this move I thought Magnus had just made a small blunder. I thought that's it, he just wasted one of his last White games, congrats to Sergey for making an easy draw and getting one step closer to being a World Champion. However deeper inspection shows that he is setting a trap! 19.Nd2! is definitely the best move. Black's knights on g6 and h3 look nice, but in fact they're stepping on each other's toes as neither of them can really put a foot on f4, while White is ready to consolidate his center with f3. Bxb3 20.Nxb3 and in fact White is already threatening to win a pawn with Nc4, amongst other threats. Ng5 21.f3 White has a much better coordination of pieces than his opponent's. 19.Bc2 Ng5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Rad1 is possible too, though not as forceful as 19.Nd2. 19...fxe6 20.Nd2 Now White is threatening to block the kingside with f3. d5 I thought 19.Bxe6 was a blunder because at first sight 20...Nxf2+ seems to finish the game with a clean draw. But Magnus still has a final trick up his sleeve which I am sure he will go for. 21.Kg1! is the prepared trick. Now White gets two knights for a rook and a couple of pawns. 21.Kg2? Nh4+ 22.Kg1 22.gxh4? Qg6+ would end the match right here and right now. 22...Nh3+ 23.Kh1 Nf2+ and a perpetual check is undesirable for White, as he is trailing in the match. 21...Nh3+ 22.Kg2 Nhf4+ 23.gxf4 Nxf4+ 24.Rxf4 exf4 24...Qxf4 25.Qf3! gives Black an unpleasant choice. To trade queens or not to trade? Either way White will be happy. Qh4 26.Qg3 25.Nc2 In terms of material Black is fine, but with the position being closed, the White knights get a lot of jumping potential. Leading the match by one game, Sergey decides to avoid unbalanced positions like this. e5 Perhaps 25...b5 to open some files but then 26.e5! dxe5 27.Ne1!? with the idea to blockade with the knights on e4 and f3. The position is totally chaotic. 26.Qg4 and White is preparing to improve his kingside with h4 or Ne1-f3. At the very least he is not worse and could even be better. 21.Qh5!? Again a very daring try by Magnus. He goes for the most risky but most rewarding continuation. 21.f3! would be my preference. White is well on his way to consolidation. Knight sacrifices on f4 do not work, while the doubled e-pawns give Black eternal problems. Rad8 22.Rae1 I like White. 21...Ng5 Sergey misses the draw! Just when he is close to it, he chooses another way. 21...Nxf2+ 22.Kg2 22.Kg1 Qg5 wins a pawn with an easy tactic. 23.Qxg5 Nh3+ Check! 24.Kg2 Nxg5 22...Qf7! Threatening ...Nf4 check. 23.Kg1 White prevents the check, and now Black has to find: If White retreats with 23.Qe2 then Nh4+ and it's clear to see that it leads to a perpetual. 24.Kg1 24.gxh4? Qg6+ 24...Nh3+ 25.Kh1 Nf2+ 23...Qf6! It's easy to miss this move. Black prepares ...Qg5 followed by ...Nh3 check, so White has nothing better than 24.Kg2 24.Ng4 Qg5 24...Qf7= 22.h4 Magnus is so happy to be able to torture his opponent in a long endgame that he just went for it. According to online sources he spent less than half a minute on this move. I don't blame him at all for wanting to squeeze the life out of Sergey in the endgame but 22.Rae1! preparing Ng4, is even stronger. For example Nf3 23.Ng4 Qg5 24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.Nxf3 Rxf3 26.Rd1± You may ask, what is worse than doubled pawns? Well. .. two sets of doubled pawns. 22...Nf3 23.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24.Qxf3 Rxf3 25.Kg2 Magnus' daring play starting from 19.Bxe6 has paid off. White has a very pleasant endgame advantage. The doubled e-pawns are a constant source of problems. I don't like Black's position. Rf7 26.Rfe1 This leaves the f2-pawn slightly vulnerable. Not that it matters though. White has an abundance of plans here. I like 26.Ng4 forcing h5. h5 27.Nh2 Nf8 28.Nf3 Now White seizes the g5-square too. Nd7 29.Rae1 White is well on the way to converting his advantage. 26...h5 26...Raf8 can be simply met by 27.Nd1 27.Re2 gives birth to Nf4+ ideas. 28.gxf4 exf4 27...h5 28.Re2 27.Nf1 Finding ideal squares for his pieces is a piece of cake for Magnus. Kf8 27...Raf8 28.Re2 Rf3 29.Rd1 with the queens off the board any tries by Black to attack will not be successful. So instead he tries to improve his king. 28.Nd2 Ke7 29.Re2 Protecting f2. This is a very happy position. I had no doubt that White would be able to convert this position barring big blunders. It's got nothing to do with Sergey, Black's structure is simply bad. Kd6 30.Nf3 Raf8 31.Ng5 Re7 32.Rae1 Rfe8 33.Nf3 Besides all Black's problems, his knight is also a little misplaced on g6. Nh8! Improving the position of the knight. Despite being at a disadvantage, Sergey hangs tough. The question for White now, is how to convert his advantage? 34.d4 A conversion of advantages. Magnus decides the time is ripe to blast open the center and endanger the position of the black king. Personally I would prefer to leave Black with his doubled pawns and choose 34.b4 axb4 35.cxb4 Nf7 36.a5 with a clear advantage too, but sooner or later White has to find a way to break through. 34...exd4 35.Nxd4 g6 Protecting the f5-square. A lesser wood pusher might go 35...Nf7 but then 36.exd5 cxd5 37.c4 dxc4 and the black king is caught in the middle of the crossfire. 36.Re3 Threatening Rf3. Again White has an abundance of plans here. b2-b4 ideas are always in the air. I like the subtle 36.Nb3!? b6 37.Nd4 with the idea of weakening c6 but perhaps it is too subtle for the most part. 36...Nf7 37.e5+ 37.Rf3 Ne5 38.Rf6 Rf7 allows Black to defend, no problemo. After the exchange of his most active rook, White's chances to convert become much harder. 39.Rxf7 Nxf7 37...Kd7 38.Rf3 Perhaps not the best but it is a normal move, especially when both players are relatively low in time. 38.b4 is more accurate, to prevent ...c5 ideas. 38...Nh6?! Sergey also makes a natural consolidating move. If he can block the f-file with ...Nf5, then all well and good. However Black has better options here on move 38 though. 38...c5 looks good, to set the queenside pawns into motion. After 39.Nb3 b6 40.Nd2 Black still does not fully solve his problems however. Nh8! 40...Rg8 41.Rf6 and the g6-h5 pawn chain will be quite vulnerable. 41.c4 41.Rf6 Rf7! eliminates White's most active piece! 41...Rf7 the programs show that Black is fine but it's hard for me to believe with the knight on h8. Also, it's almost impossible for a human to play ...Nh8 over the board. 38...g5 39.hxg5 Nxg5 40.Rf6 Or 38...Rg8 39.Rf6 but White still looks better here. 39.Rf6 Rg7 40.b4 Now White is back on track. 40.c4!? is the complicated way to try to knock out Black. His king will be vulnerable in the center even in the endgame. 40...axb4 41.cxb4± Both players have finished the time trouble stage and now have an extra hour of thinking time. Compared to a few moves back, White has now managed to increase his advantage and gain firm control over the position. Black's dark-squares are very vulnerable and at the same time he has to think of ways to regain control over the f-file. Ng8 If 41...Nf5 White simply retreats his knight to b3 or f3, and the pressure becomes untenable in conjunction with a power rook on f6. 42.Rf3 Nh6 43.a5 Improving his position slowly but surely. Of course White avoids the repetition of moves! Nf5 . 44.Nb3 Kc7 45.Nc5?! Magnus starts to drift, probably because he has such a nice position. White could have sealed the win with 45.Rc1 threatening b5. And if Kb8 46.a6 if the b7-c6 pawn chain falls then the last of Black's bastions are fallen. Rc7 47.Rfc3 A sample line of how the game can end: bxa6 48.Rxc6 Rxc6 49.Rxc6 Kb7 50.Na5+ Ka7 51.Rc7+ Kb8 52.Rf7+- Seventh rank, active pieces, later on active king, White has all the trumps that he needs. Black's position is crumbling. 45...Kb8 46.Rb1 Ka7 Now there is no clean finish. However White is still clearly ahead. 47.Rd3 Rc7 Trying to counter with a punch is too slow 47...g5 48.hxg5 Rxg5 After 49.b5+- Black cannot defend all his weaknesses (b7 and e6). 47...b6 can be met simply by 48.Na4 Or even better: 48.axb6+ Kxb6 49.Ra3 Ra7 50.Rxa7 Kxa7 51.Kf3± when the White king is really fast. 48.Ra3 Nd4 49.Rd1 Nf5 50.Kh3 Nh6 51.f3 White has improved the position of his king in the past few moves and is now introducing the possibility of opening up the kingside with g4. Black can do nothing but sit and wait. Rf7 52.Rd4 Nf5 53.Rd2 I like 53.Rf4 but then Rh7! preventing g4, leaves the White rook immobile on f4. 53...Rh7 54.Rb3 Ree7 55.Rdd3 This is one of Magnus' favorite strategies. He likes to wait patiently for his opponent to crack while slowly improving his own position. This worked well for him today. But objectively now is the time to strike. 55.b5! cxb5 56.Rxb5 Black cannot hold on to his b7 and e6-pawn for long. Perhaps Black can try Ne3 but then 57.Rd3 Nc4 58.f4 gives White all the time he needs to improve his position. Black's rooks are stuck defending pawns, which is never a good sign. Rooks are made for offense, not defense! 55...Rh8 56.Rb1 Again waiting for the right moment. Just wait, just wait... Patience is a virtue. Rhh7 57.b5! NOW! cxb5 . 58.Rxb5 Compared to move 55, the only change is that White's rook is on d3. Notice the difference? Black does not have Ne3-c4 now and his position crumbles quickly. d4 59.Rb6 Rc7 60.Nxe6 Rc3 61.Nf4 Rhc7 62.Nd5! Simplification makes White's job easier. The rule of thumb is that when you are ahead in material you aim for trades and exchanges. Like in soccer, 11 players vs 10 players is harder than 5 players vs 4 players, and a 3 vs 2 game is a piece of cake. Chess is no different. When you are ahead in material, exchanges usually mean less complications = cleaner win. 62.Rxg6 Rxd3 62...Rc1 gives White a choice between five different moves that win. 63.Nxd3 Rc3 64.Rf6 Ne3 65.Nf4 and White's win should be easy. Contrary to appearances there is never any mate on h1, as White can always free his king with g3-g4. Meanwhile White is two pawns up. 62...Rxd3 63.Nxc7 Some people didn't understand it at first, however if you put this position in a super computer it just gives +- 5.36, meaning White is more than five pawns up in a mathematical scale. Kb8 64.Nb5 Kc8 64...Rxf3 65.a6 promotes the passed a-pawn. 65.Rxg6 Rxf3 66.Kg2! Activating the king. From here Magnus does not give Sergey any chance to escape. Rb3 67.Nd6+ Another exchange. Now it is 6 vs 5. Nxd6 68.Rxd6 Re3 69.e6 Not 69.Rxd4? Rxe5 70.Ra4 Kd7 when the Black king goes over to the kingside and secures the draw. The rook on a4 has become a mere spectator protecting the a-pawn. 69...Kc7 69...d3 70.Kf2+- 70.Rxd4 Rxe6 70...Re5!? 71.e7!? Rxe7 72.Rd5 does not change anything. 71.Rd5! The White rook attacks h5 while at the same time protecting his a-pawn. Rh6 72.Kf3 Sergey could safely have resigned here, but it does not hurt to make a few more moves. After all its not over until the king is mated. Kb8 72...b6 73.axb6+ Kxb6 74.Kf4 Kc6 75.Rd8 White need not even calculate rook and single pawn endings because he can win the enemy pawn by force. Kc7 76.Rg8 Kd6 77.Kg5 Rh7 78.Kg6+- 72...Kc6 73.Rf5 Kd6 74.g4 hxg4+ 75.Kxg4+- also wins easily. 73.Kf4 73.g4 hxg4+ 74.Kxg4+- easy win. 73...Ka7 74.Kg5 Rh8 75.Kf6 Magnus finally levels the match! This has been a great game and a great fight by both players. After choosing a modest line against the Berlin Opening, Magnus slowly improved his position and kept the game going. Black's knight looked a little shaky on h3 (perhaps 11...f5!?) and White managed to take advantage of this. The sequence from move 19-21 seems to me a little strange as Black allowed doubled-pawns and White gladly went for it and both sides developed interesting options. Perhaps 21...Ng5 was a crucial mistake as Sergey could maybe have made a draw with 21...Nxf2. But of course sitting at home, it is much easier to calculate than it was for the two fighters in New York. Having played nine long games in two weeks with all the attendant pressure, tension and drama, most certainly took a toll on both players. A World Championship match definitely requires levels of extraordinary endurance for anyone. Looking ahead with the score 5-5 I feel Magnus has good chances now in the match. He absolutely had to win today and he did. Tomorrow is a rest day, so both players can relax and prepare new ideas. I'm sure Sergey will try to put on the pressure in Round 11 and fight for a win with the white pieces (in Round 9 he got close!) If the match ends with two draws and a tie of 6-6 ensues, both players go to the tiebreaks with a shorter time control. Magnus may have the edge there although Sergey never fails to impress and surprise his fans. 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S27691–02016C65World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=1010

----

The "threat-execution" rule can help us also in calculation. It reminds us of the fact that attack can be advantageously slowed down after a few forceful moves.

Krasenkow-Radjabov, Dos Hermanas 2001, Black to move:

 

In this position, Radjabov decided to allow b2-b4 and played 11…Ne8. However, as I was writing my book "Beat the KID" about the Kings Indian defence in 2008, I found out that Black can be considerably more ambitious.

More logical is 11…Bd7!

Now white has to go 12.b4, as otherwise the threat …a5-a4 would slow him down on the queenside.

Black answers with a sacrifice:

12…Ncxe4! 13.Ndxe4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 f5 15.Nc3

 

But what now? Black seems to have no suitable follow-up. 15…f4 gives away the e4-square, 15…e4 allows 16.Bd4. Does Black have enough compensation for the pawn?

Well, he does! All he needs to do is to remember the threat-execution rule. After the simple 15…Qe7!! White finds himself in a difficult situation. Suddenly Black threatens to play …f5-f4 followed immediately by …e5-e4. The position is still approximately equal, but it is much easier to play for Black than for White. (I can disclose that all the best moves for White are quite paradoxical: 16.h4, 16.b5, or even 16.Ne4).

---

Let us sum up now what the rule "Threat is stronger than its execution" actually means:

  1. If you threat is immediately decisive, play it now! There is no reason to delay it.
  2. if your threat is promising but not decisive, it might be good to delay it, as this delay restricts opponents play, as he must prepare for different scenarios.
  3. Delaying the threat might also help you to find a more suitable moment for its execution.
  4. For your opponent it is also exhausting and psychologically difficult to wait for the threat to be executed, and therefore delaying your threat might give you a psychological edge.

Links


Jan Markos is a Slovakian chess author, trainer, and grandmaster. His book Under the Surface was the English Chess Federation´s 2018 Book of the Year. His last book, The Secret Ingredient, co-authored with David Navara, focuses on the practical aspects of play, e.g. time-management over the board, how to prepare against a specific opponent, or how to use chess engines during the training process. Markos was the U16 European Champion twenty years ago. At present he helps his pupils from several countries to achieve similar successes. Apart from focusing on the royal game, he is also the author of several non-chess books, focused on critical thinking, moral dilemmas, and phenomenology.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.