Chessville - Reviews - Secrets of Chess Transformatins - by Dražen Marović

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Secrets of Chess Transformations
Reviewed by Rick Kennedy

Dražen Marović

Gambit (2004)

208 pages, softcover

Figurine Algebraic Notation

ISBN 190460014X

Dražen Marović is a veteran grandmaster with experience as a player, trainer, writer, editor and television commentator. Following three of his recent books from the same publisher, Understanding Pawn Play in Chess (2000), Dynamic Pawn Play in Chess (2001), and Secrets of Positional Chess (2003), Marović’s recent Secrets of Chess Transformations (2004) would be of interest even if it were titled simply GM Marovic Presents Over 250 Chess Positions, Old and New, With Notes and Explanations. The author aims for more than that:

Understanding Pawn Play in Chess discussed elementary pawn-structures, Dynamic Pawn Play in Chess dealt with the center and its subtle relation with pawn-formations, and Secrets of Positional Chess focused on the strength and weakness of pieces and space... In writing this book, my intention was to throw more light on the essence of the game of chess, its never-ending changing of values, the unceasing metamorphosis of the three elements it consists of – material, space and time...

This is the alchemy that a successful chess player performs: starting only with the advantage of the first move, relentlessly adjusting and increasing and transforming one advantage into another; collecting what an opponent contributes, and folding it in; arriving at the amalgamated end product: 1-0.

The Table of Contents of Secrets of Chess Transformations bears this out:

Part 1: Material and Time
     Material and Time: Introduction
     Pseudo-Sacrifices
     Sacrificial Risks: Zwischenzug
     Sacrificial Risks: Counter-Sacrifice
     Sacrificial Risks: Simplification
     Real Sacrifices
     Lead in Development

Part 2: Space and Time
Space and Time
Overextension

About 2/3 of the book is given over to sacrifices – pseudo-sacrifices, where the player gives up material with the clear idea of recovering either a greater amount, or of achieving a winning attack; and real sacrifices, where the player gets a promising but unclear attack, and there is risk. Here is one of Marović’s examples:

Petrosian – Smyslov
USSR Ch (Moscow) 1951

White has emerged from the opening with a doubtful position: a pawn down, facing Black’s queenside pawn-majority, and with no signs of real compensation. But he had a sober head and a few ideas…

17.d5!

What does White give up this pawn for? At first it seems one of those blank shots to which we tend to resort in order to confuse the opponent. However, when you study the position and White’s chances, you realize that the sacrifice represents the only active plan which stands a chance. White understood perfectly that he could not wait.

17…Nxd5?!

During the game this must have looked a perfectly sound reply, even to such a colossus as Vasily Smyslov. Only the course of the game and the patient analysis, going backwards and searching for errors, pinpointed this move as inferior to 17…Bxd5, which keeps the e4-square under surveillance. Simultaneously Black’s c4-pawn is protected and the mass of pawns ready to advance, while 18.Qf4 Bxg5 strengthens Black’s position into an impenetrable fortress. Of course, taking with the bishop does not settle the issue. 18.Rd1 Qc7 19.Bf3 continues to pose difficult questions despite White’s two-pawn deficit.

18.Rd1 Qc7

19.Ne4!

The consequence: the knight lands on a beautiful central square and all at once we feel that Black’s king is not secure any more. It cannot castle king side (due to Bxh5) except by hand (19…Kf8 and 20…Kg7), which some annotators proposed. As for castling queenside, we shall get some answers in the game.

19…0-0-0 20.Bg5!

The essential point of White’s 19^th move: exchanging the dark-squared bishops weakens the complex of the dark squares in Black’s camp, notably the d6-square.

20…Bxg5 21.Qxg5 a4

Not an appealing move, but Black is getting ready against Nd6+; it is clear that his intention is to solve the problem by an exchange sacrifice.

22.Qg3 f5

Although alternatives are not very impressive, one does not like this weakening move.

23.Nd6+ Rxd6 24.exd6 f4?

Black gets enough material for the sacrificed exchange, but from now on he must live with a loose pawn-structure. 24…Qg7 is indispensable, although after 25.Bf3 White continues to exert pressure which is very likely enough to keep the balance, but not more than that.

25.Qxg6 Qxd6 26.Bf3 Bc6 27.Re1 Re8 28.Bxd5!

The winning move!

28…Qxd5 29.Rad1 Qf5

If 29…Qc5, then 30.Rxe6 Rxe6 23.Qxe6+ Kc7 32.Qf7+ Kb6 33.Qxf4, etc.

30.Qxf5 exf5 Rxe8+ Bxe8 32.f3

The white king hurries to the queenside to prevent any counterplay, with a simple win.

Investigating “Lead in Development,” Marović gives some general reasons why things go wrong, and he puts special emphasis on the error of too readily exchanging a dominant centralized piece: not only is the influence of the piece lost, but the moves “invested” in getting it to its proper place are thrown away as well.

The “Space and Time” chapter is a hefty one, including endgame study positions as well as game positions. He balances this look at the intertwining of pieces, initiative and space with a shorter chapter on “Overextension.” As Marović notes, "…Larger space is a meaningful asset only as a basis for positive transformations. If these are out of reach, it becomes a liability."

Secrets of Chess Transformations is a solid textbook for stronger players up to expert, although I am sure that masters and even some grandmasters would get something out of the many examples given. I use the word “textbook” intentionally, as the writing is usually serious and straight-forward, without some of the verve of some other writers. His prose would not be mistaken for that of either Miles or Tartakower, for example. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

At times the serial presentation of position after position feels like photos in a scrapbook, albeit with captions or short stories attached. They have a “now that we’re here, here’s what we’ll do now” sense about them, bringing to mind Speilmann’s lament that he could see the combinations as well as Alekhine, but he couldn’t get into the same positions. (Did Spielmann ever complain similarly about the positional crushes Capablanca executed?) A bit more exposition on how to get to those positions would make the book a bit more accessible to the average club player. (A small point: some of the positions, while instructive in and of themselves, did not seem to fit into the categories/chapters in which they had been placed. When you’ve been involved in chess for over a half century, you’ve got a lot of examples to share!)

A final look, where Marović does start at the very beginning:

Tolush –Kotov
USSR ch (Leningrad) 1939, Caro Kann

1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nd4?!

Strangely, this was not the first time that Tolush had used this bizarre move, although he must have known it was to say the least an unprincipled attempt. However, let us see what will come out of it.

4…Bg6 5.e6 Qb6 6.Qg4

This was the point of the idea: exf7+ will spoil Black’s normal development, while the subsequent Qc8 may cause some unpleasant moments. However, it was just wishful thinking, because White has also disrupted his own natural development.

6…c5 7.exf7+ Kxf7 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Qc8

White had probably flirted with 9.Ng5+ Kg8 or 9.Ne5+ Kg8, but neither 10.Qe6+ Qxe6 11.Nxe6 Nbd7 in the first case nor 10.Qc8 Bxc2 in the second could satisfy him.

9…Qe6+ 10.Qxe6+ Kxe6 11.d4 cxd4 12.Nxd4+ Kf7 13.c3 e5

As a result of his erroneous opening plan, White has been forced to exchange his developed pieces and cede the center to Black. It looks as if White was playing at odds of a couple of moves.

14.Nf3 Bd6 15.Nbd2 Nc6 16.Be2 Rhe8 17.0-0 Bc5

Black has a huge spatial advantage with all the comforts deriving from it.