CHARLIE LENDS A HAND

Which are the most important Pawns at the start of the game? Danny and Eddie, your d- and e-pawns! You move Eddie and Danny at the start of the game for two reasons. What are they? To get your Bishops out (DEVELOPMENT) and to occupy the midfield (CENTRE CONTROL). You remember that on this course we start our games with each player moving Eddie two squares. If we only move Danny one square things can get a bit stodged up, so it's much more interesting if you're White (it's harder for Black) to move Danny two squares, perhaps exchanging him for the enemy Eddie.

What would be really cool would be to have Danny and Eddie sitting there together in the middle of the board. With two pawns there on d4 and e4 it's going to be pretty hard for Black to do very much: he cannot use c5, d5, e5 or f5 for his pieces. But if Black's got a pawn on e5 how can we do this?

The answer is that we ask Charlie to help us. We move Charlie one square, to c3, and then move Danny two squares, to d4. Then when our opponent takes Danny off the board, Charlie is there to replace him.

Let's have a look at an opening where this plan can work really well.

White: Igor Boleslavsky Black: Scitov

Moscow 1933

Giuoco Piano

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Bf1-c4 Bf8-c5

You've probably seen these moves before. This is the GIUOCO PIANO. If you play the piano you'll know that PIANO means QUIET in Italian. GIUOCO means GAME: it's the same word as JOKE. So Giuoco Piano means QUIET GAME. Sometimes true, but, as you'll see, not always.

4. c2-c3 (Diagram)

You may remember what happens when White plays moves like d2-d3 and Nb1-c3, going for the DOUBLE FREDDIE attack. Well, that really is a QUIET GAME as long as Black knows what to avoid. If you let Charlie help you you'll get a much more exciting game.

4... Ng8-f6

The best move, THREATENING the White e-pawn.

5. d2-d4

THREATENING the e-pawn as well as the Bishop. Bc5-d6 would block in Black's d-pawn so he has nothing better than to take.

5... e5xd4

6. c3xd4 Bc5-b6? (Diagram)

White's dream has come true. He has Danny (formerly Charlie) and Eddie together in the middle of the board. And, like in football, if you control the midfield you'll probably win the game.

7. e4-e5

Here come the SPACE INVADERS! Eddie THREATENS a Knight

7... Nf6-g4

8. h2-h3

Harry drives the Knight back to the side of the board (remember: A KNIGHT ON THE RIM IS DIM!)

8... Ng4-h6

9. d4-d5

Danny THREATENS the other Knight

9... Nc6-e7

10. d5-d6

Danny THREATENS him again, at the same time opening up the line of the Bishop on c4.

Ne7-g6?

11. Bc1-g5 (Diagram)

Danny (formerly Charlie) and Eddie's advances have given White a winning position. The game finished:

11... f7-f6 12. e5xf6 g7xf6 13. Qd1-e2+ Ke8-f8 14. Bg5xh6#

Let's try again and see if Black can do better next time. Can you remember the first few moves?

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Bf1-c4 Bf8-c5

4. c2-c3 Ng8-f6

5. d2-d4 e5xd4

6. c3xd4 Bc5-b4+ (Diagram)

This is the correct move. By CHECKING Black gains time to break up White's pawn centre.

Now White has an interesting choice. First, a quick look at what happens if White plays 7. Bc1-d2. Black could take Eddie off the board: 7... Nf6xe4, but White can get the Pawn back by the sequence 8. Bd2xb4 Nc6xb4 9. Bc4xf7+ Ke8xf7 10. Qd1-b3+ followed by Qb3xb4. So Black usually prefers 7... Bb4xd2+ 8. Nb1xd2 (to defend e4) 8... d7-d5 to force a pawn exchange.

But in this game White preferred:

7. Nb1-c3 Nf6xe4

Winning a Pawn, but opening the e-file. Can White play Nc3xe4? No! The Knight on c3 is PINNED!

8. 0-0

UNPINNING, DEVELOPMENT and KING SAFETY: White aims to get a Rook to the e-file before Black can castle. Now Black must do something about his Knight on e4.

8... Ne4xc3

Obvious, but, as it happens, Bb4xc3 is the better move (but after 9. b2xc3 Black must play d7-d5, not Ne4xc3, allowing a QUEEN FORK on e1. Unlucky: it's one of those things you just have to KNOW.

9. b2xc3 Bb4xc3?! (Diagram)

Looks good, taking a Pawn and THREATENING a Rook, but Black should really be thinking about DEVELOPMENT and KING SAFETY.

What would you play for White here?

10. Bc1-a3!

White decides to SACRIFICE the Rook to develop a quick attack. What's the main idea of this move? To try to stop Black from CASTLING. (Qd1-b3 was also a good move here.) Black should now try d7-d6 to DEVELOP but continues his policy of eating everything in sight.

10... Bc3xa1?

Choose a move for White here. Think CCT!

11. Rf1-e1+ (Diagram)

The unfortunate Black King is caught in the crossfire of the White Rook and Bishop. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! Which serves Black right really. If you eat too many goodies you must expect to end up feeling sick, and Black is certainly as sick as a parrot here.

11. Nc6-e7

12. Re1xe7+ Ke8-f8?

Black's losing anyway but he'd last longer by swallowing his pride (and an indigestion tablet) and giving up his Queen. Now White has two ways of mating quickly. 13. Re7xf7+ or the more spectacular...

13. Re7-e8+! Kf8xe8

It's DOUBLE CHECK: from the Bishop on a3 as well as the Rook, so he has no choice.

14. Qd1-e1+ Qd8-e7

15. Qe1xe7#

You see from these two games how easily you can get a winning attack with White if you let Charlie lend a hand in the fight for the centre of the board.

1. Try to get two pawns together in the centre of the board. After the moves 1. e2-e4 e7-e5 you can often do this by using Charlie to support Danny's advance.

2. Try to use your centre pawns to drive your opponent's pieces to bad squares, just as White did in the first game of the lesson.

3. In openings like this DEVELOPMENT and KING SAFETY are VITAL. You can often get a strong attack by developing quickly and not bothering too much about pawns.

4. Don't be too greedy. Win material if you can do so safely, but not at the expense of DEVELOPMENT and KING SAFETY.

5. If your opponent gets two pawns together in the centre look for ways of using your pawns to break them up.

6. LEARN, REMEMBER, UNDERSTAND and PLAY this opening.