Archakova-Andreyeva,Krliningrad 1970

The position of the black king is quite badly compromised.White can choose between a piece attack on h6 and the advance of the h-pawn,which,however, does not completely rule out black's defensive chances

But the latter preferred the mercenary

after which the main line of attack became the a1-h8 diagonal.

So...has the diversion of the defender not suceeded?Has the attack been parried?

Black resigns.

Ragozin-Lisitin
12th USSR Championship, Moscow 1940

The first stage

The second stage

and in view of inevitable loss of material(40...Rge8 41.Rxe6+ Rxe6 42.Rxe6+)soon Black resigned.

Nezhmetdinov-Chernikov
Rostov-on-Don 1962

The idea of the combination immediatly becomes clear:with Bd4,Nd5 and Ra1-d1-d3-f3 to set up powerful pressure on the f6 pawn,and after itss fall...an attack along the diagonal.

By diverting the knight,Black gains a tempo

14...d5 seems better,in order after 15.Nxd5 to continue 15...Rd8 or 15...Be6,intending to get rid of the aggressive knight.But White too can try and save a tempo by continuing 15.Bd4!?

On 17...Rxe4 White can interpose 18.Bc3 and then 19.Nxf6,while if 17...b5 18.Bc3 Qd8 19.Nxf6 Rxf6 20.Rd6

Black loses after 21...Bxf1 22.Ng4+ Kg8 23.Nh6+ Kf8 24.Nxf7 Qe7 25.Ng5+ Ke8 26.Nxe6, when the only way to prolong his king's life is by giving up his queen.

Alas,blocking the fatal diagonal(24.Ng5 was threatened)does not prove possible.

The hasty 26.fxe5 dxe5 27.Bxe5 would have allowed Black a draw by perpetual check:27...Qd1+.But now the knight again moves into a striking position.

Black cannot also plug the neighbouring diagonal with 27...Rc4.White first captures both Black rooks with his bishops(!)and then carries out the same "little combination" as in the game. And if 27...Qf6 he wins by 28.Bxf7 Kg7 29.Rh7+ Kf8 30.Ne6+ Ke7 31.Bxg6+! Kxe6 32.f5+

Black resigns.

Nezhmetdinov-Kotov
Russian Championships
Krasnodar 1957

The position of Black's king has certainly been weakened by the advance of his pawn to f5, but how can this factor be exploited? 17.Nf4 is met by the simple 17...Ne5,and under the cover of this knight Black gradually completes his development.

Of course, not 19.Bxd6? Nf6!,when the picture changes sharply.

White plans...and carries out...an invasion of the opponent's position along the a2-g8 diagonal,but in this he is helped by pressure and latent threats along the adjacent diagonal

After 21...Kg7 White realises his plan in pure form...22.Bc4,with the invasion at g8. Black has a seemingly more tenacious,and certainly more cunning defence in 21...Qg7, when if White is tempted by the plausible and showy 22.Re8 Nxe8 23.Qf7!!, he runs into 22...Be6! 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.Qxe6 d5 25.g4 fxg4 26.hxg4 h6 27.f4 g5 , when Black gradually frees himself. But instead of this,White had prepared in advance the essentially forced variation,22.Qd4 Ne4 (22...Ng8 is met by 23.Re8 Qxd4 24.Bxd4+ Bg7 25.Bc4, while if 22...Be7 23.Qe3 Bf8 24.Qg5) 23.f3.d5 24.fxe4 fxe4 25.Qf2!, which Black can avoid only at the cost of a hopeless ending.

24...Bg5 is also insufficient: 25.g3 Rc8 26.h4 Bc6 27.Re8+ Rxe8 28.Qxc7,and must merely avoid blundering into the mate after 28...Re1+ 29.Kh2??(29.Bf1).The move in the game allows a pretty finish.

Black resigns.He cannot simultaneously defend f6 and f8.

Geller-Vasyukov
USSR Spartakiad,Riga 1975

White has an advantage in mobilisation,and in the placing of his king.In addition Black's position has many weaknesses(the d6 pawn,the d5 and f5 squares,and the kingside pawns),but it is very difficult to approach them. Apart from one way...

At the cost of a piece White has opened lines on the kingside,exposed a glaring weakness at f7,acquired an outpost at d5,and his attack on the king becomes threatening.Not bad eh?

21...dxe5 is decisively met by 22.Rxf7!

Again aiming at f7

30...Ne4!? came into consideration,creating counterplay

and Black played on for another ten moves,only because it was a team event.

Kupreichik-Beliavsky
Chelyabinsk 1974

White has an enormous spatial advantage,and in addition virtually all the Black pieces are practically stalemated.White resorts to a typical atttacking device,opening up the f-file and the b1-h7 diagonal.

Roughly the same variations would have occured after the alternative 24...Rce8.

Here Black evidently breathed a sigh of relief...

Exchanging one of the three attacking pieces for the only defender!!!After this the Black king is comletely exposed.

Or 32...Rxg5 33.Bxg5 Rc5 34.Bf6 Kf8 35.Qh7 Ke8 36.Qg8+

Black resigns

Kostina-Sammul
Tbilisi 1974

Every single White piece is ready,either immediately or within a couple of moves,to take part in the attack on the enemy king.But the latter has enough...or nearly enough...defenders,there are no serious weaknesses,andmost important,for the moment the position is a closed one. Hence White's immediate task...to open lines!

It would have been preferable to decline this greek gift and to prevent the immediate opening of lines by 24...Bxg6 25.hxg6 h6,although even here after 26.Nf7 Rxf7(evidently forced)27.gxf7+ Kxf7 28.Bxf6 Bxf6 29.f3 exf3+ 30.Qxf3 followed by e4-e4 White stands clearly better.

Not the only solution,but the most consistent:the pawn sccreen is completely destroyed,Black's king is "undressed".

Others were also possible

and White won.

Minasian-Miles
Moscow 1990

One senses that the Black king has already endured some anxious moments,but...Now the triple g-pawns hinder the approach to it,for example,20.f3 gxf3 21.Qxf3+ Nf5,and the king is clearly destined for a long life. But White nevertheless finds a way of opening both files and diagonals for the attack.

Gaining a tempo for the decisive mobilisation of reserves.

There is no need to resort to drastic measures such as 26.Rg6: Black has practically no usefull moves.

There are many Black pieces around the king,but none to defend it!

Karpov-Gik
Moscow University Championship 1968

Both sides have been playing actively,but now it is only White who is attacking.His offensive,however,would appear to have come to a halt, since after 24.Qxh7+ Kf8 the Black king escapes from the firing line,and the knight cannot be included in the attack:24.Nd4 Qd1+ and 25...Qxd4. Black's position proved to be hopeless after the following far from obvious decision...

Usually files are opened by such an advance,but here the White rook scope is expanded,not only forward,but also to the side,along the rank.Its increase power proves decisive.

Winning the queen and the game.

Not allowing the rook across to the kingside.

the f-pawn will now advance.