Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com ALEXEI SOKOLSKY YOUR FIRST MOVE CHESS FOR BEGINNERS www.Ebook777.com Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com www.Ebook777.com ALEXEI SOKOLSKY YOUR FIRST MOVE CHESS FOR BEGINNERS Raduga Publishers Moscow Translated from the Russian by Arthur Krivovyaz Yuri Shteinsapir assisted in preparing the original text Edited by Paul Kotsubinsky Designed by Vladimir Noskov AjieKceii CoKOJibCKHii BA1U riEPBHft X O f l Ha amnuucKOM n3biKe ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank all those readers who sent in their comments and suggestions for our previous editions of this book, in particular Elmer D Sangalang of Manila, Philippines, and Rev A.H Genower of Tenterden, Great Britain We are always glad to receive readers' opinions of our books, as well as any suggestions for our future publications Please send all your comments to Raduga Publishers, 17, Zubovsky Boulevard, Moscow, USSR First printing by Progress Publishers 1981 Second printing by Raduga Publishers 1984 Reprinted with correction 1987 âH3ôaTejibcTBo "H3Kyni>Typa h cnopT", 1977 âH3naTenbcTBo " I l p o r p e c c " (c H3MeHeHHHMM), 1981 ©H3AaTentcTBo "Pajiyra", 1987 English translation from the revised Russian text ©Progress Publishers 1981 ©Raduga Publishers 1987 Primed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ISBN 5-05-002179-0 Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com CONTENTS I RULES OF THE GAME The Board and Notation Initial Position Moves Capture Pawns Notation The King's Special Features Check Checkmate Castling Stalemate Other Kinds of Draws Perpetual Check The Method of Notation Comparative Value of the Pieces Additional Rules 7 • • 11 16 17 21 24 28 29 31 33 35 38 40 n THE SIMPLEST ENDINGS 42 Three Stages in Chess Play Mating a Lone King Queen Mates Mate by Two Rooks Mate by Rook Mate by TvJo Bishops Mate by Bishop and Knight Mate by Two Knights King and Bishop (or Knight) Versus King King and Pawn Versus King Conclusions A Remote Passed Pawn Positional Advantage 42 43 43 45 46 48 50 51 52 52 58 59 60 www.Ebook777.com III SOME BASIC CONCEPTS 62 The Pin Discovered Attack Discovered Check Double Check Variation Combination 62 65 67 68 70 IV HOW TO S T A R T A GAME 73 The Centre Fast Development of Pieces Setting Up a G o o d Pawn Structure Mistakes in the Opening 73 76 82 83 V SHORT GAMES A N D TRAPS 88 The Perfidious Pin Attention: Square f7! An Ill-Starred Queen A Sudden Encirclement A Mistaken Raid The Exultant Knight Opening Finesse A Poisoned Pawn A Knight Better Than a Queen "Modernised Legal Mate" Pseudosacrifice The Queen as a Spectator Roaming King Unpleasant Surprise 88 89 90 91 91 93 93 95 96 97 98 99 101 102 VI MIDDLE GAME 105 Typical Combinations Mate on the First T w o and Last T w o Ranks Smothered Mate The "Wheel" Trapping Combinations Diversion Blocking Combinations Obstruction Combinations to Destroy Defence Forces Square Clearance Combinations Line Clearance Combinations Pawn Promotion Combinations 105 106 110 HI 112 114 116 118 119 121 122 123 Combinations f o r a Draw Several Ideas Combined Attacking the King in the Centre Attacks Against the Castling Side Mate by a Major Piece Supported by a Pawn or Piece Combinations for Destruction Sacrifice o n h7 (h2) Sacrifice of T w o Bishops The Attack After Castling on Opposite Sides Elements of Positional Play The Battle f o r an Open File and the Seventh Rank Pressure Along a Semi-Open File Distribution of Pawns Weak Square " G o o d " and " B a d " Bishops How to Exploit Material Advantage 125 129 130 134 134 138 138 143 145 146 147 149 150 153 156 158 VII ENDGAME 160 King and Pawn Versus King and Pawn Endings with Several Pawns King and Queen Versus King and Pawn Queen and Pawn Versus Queen Queen Endings with Many Pawns Rook and Pawn Versus R o o k R o o k and T w o Pawns Versus R o o k R o o k Endings with Many Pawns Queen Versus R o o k R o o k Versus Minor Piecc Bishop and Pawn Versus Bishop Endings with Bishops and Several Pawns Endings with White and Black Bishops King, Bishop and R-Pawn Versus King Knight Endings Intricate Endings 160 163 167 171 173 175 179 180 183 184 186 187 189 190 191 193 VIII CHESS COMPOSITION 195 Problems 196 Endgame Studies 200 IX THE OPENING 206 Open Openings Philidor's Defence Petroff's Defence 207 207 208 Scotch Game Giuoco Piano The Greco Analysis Two Knights'Defence RuyLopfe King's Gambit Semi-Open Openings French Defence Sicilian Defence Caro-Kann Defence Alekhine Defence Ufimtsev Defence Closed Openings Queen's Gambit Veresov Opening Group of Indian Defences Dutch Defence English Opening Reti Opening Sokolsky Opening 209 211 212 216 219 232 237 237 241 248 252 255 256 256 261 262 269 269 272 272 X CHESS: PAST A N D PRESENT 276 XI SOLUTIONS TO EXERCISES 293 I RULES OF THE GAME THE BOARD AND NOTATION Chess is a game for two players One uses chessmen of a light colour while those of the other are usually black The board is a square divided into 64 smaller alternating white and black squares Diagram There exists a system of notation describing the situation on the board and the movement of pieces and Pawns In this system the vertical rows of squares called files are lettered from left to right: a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h The horizontal rows of squares are called ranks and are numbered from fa'! Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com to (1st rank, 2nd rank, etc.) Each square has its own letter and number (for instance, th6 e4 square) The names of the squares are shown in Diagram Diagram B N b= •it' d= W is f|5 ' ''' % ^toa* da ea ta' qa ^ha' iv&i b3 ' cS' ,J3 e3 (3 q^'f h3 «= hs ts ' bl fcl^ dl ea fife, g s thik ML 11 - f hi The slanting rows of squares, called diagonals, are designated by their end squares, for instance: the a2-g8 and h4-d8 diagonal Whereas the colours of the squares on the ranks and files alternate, the diagonals consist of squares of the same colour, either white or black For example, the bl-h7 diagonal is white and the cl-a3 is black The two diagonals consisting of eight squares (al-h8 and hl-a8) are called long diagonals Exercise For the purpose of this exercise the squares in Diagram have been numbered at random Give their correct names, guiding yourself by the letters and numbers on the sides Start at square (which is really h i ) and go all the way up to 64 (which is really h2) After a while try giving the correct names without referring to the let- fa'! www.Ebook777.com ...Free ebooks ==> www.Ebook777.com www.Ebook777.com ALEXEI SOKOLSKY YOUR FIRST MOVE CHESS FOR BEGINNERS Raduga Publishers Moscow Translated from the Russian by Arthur Krivovyaz... the right to be transformed into any piece except the King When a player moves a Pawn to the last rank (the eighth rank for White and the first rank for Black) he can transform it at once into... To avoid this threat Black moves the Bishop to d7 Let us write down all these moves with the aid of notation White's first move is l.Nc4, in which is the number of the move, N is the abbreviated