Table Of ContentTechniques of
Middle Game
in Chess
Philip Robar
battle is on,
look out for
traps and
pitfalls
Techniques of
Middle Game
in Chess
Philip Robar
PANK.AJ PUBLICATIONS
NEW DELHI
Books on Chess
Published by Pankaj Publications
Chess for the Practical Player
A Guide to Chess
300 Chess Problems
Important End Games in Chess
Techniques of End Game
Techniques of Middle Game
Techniques of Opening Game
Chess—How to become a Champion
Rules of Chess
Printed at Prince Offset Press, Darya Ganj. Published
by Pankaj Publications; Cambridge Book Depot. 3,
Regal Building, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001.
INTRODUCTION
It has now been establishedbeyond dpubt that a
forerunner to moderridayChess wasfttstiH^bhteqfn9
India. Its orighnal' namp m ^ahsl^vii^!‘i^Vuraftaap)
which literally' means afour members .,'!$&rW§r
specifically used for Indian army wHicK cbmprisedx^
four components, elephants, Chariots'davafrvSand>,
Infantry. ' and
The game of chess travelled from India t^>F^rsia^andj
then Arabian conquerors brought it to Europe anPuta
thousand years ago and the name of tpdgamei^n^ecij
It is strange that in India, its birthplace. Cpess has
not received as much attention in;rebent pas^as^
should have been. However things‘'Ari* cfianjSnv very
fast and the new generatjph gives us‘Ko^'tra^bbrr
India will have noticeable prorfiiriencb in1 fpe’ l^l|?8C
iriternational.ChessThe publishers cdntributronjn’mS'
revival of interest in Chess' has been suMcientyp make;
him justly proud of his Chess pubiicafipn. ’The^very1
first publication, “A guide to Chess”'ran in/i^ejye
editions and was much acclaimed in Ipdia and’abrda^
“300 chess problems” & “ Important ^rid^aipesr^fei
two other publications which havd/becoipe^very11
popular amongst beginners as well as ‘Advanced',
players. Seeing the tremendous sucpess.and|fevpur-cl
able response of the readers, the pu^fi^fs^biad^H'
bring out a in-depth study of various f^ctsibtbqessas a
series of publications. They deal with ^opehing^ fhse'
middle game, the end game andbveria^,st|pt^^slarid,
tactics to become champion in the game 'of Chess’1 ‘
Each of the book is sufficiently det^ifecr.' and j
comprehensive in view of the difficulties encountered
by beginners. However they include enough material
to interest even the players of outstanding calibre. The
text has been profusely illustrated with the diagrams.
This series has been compiled with the help of world’s
best chess literature and represents its gist. The
publisher is a great freind of the author and seeing his
enthusiam for the promotion of Chess I have renderd
my services to him in a Philanthropic Spirit.
I shall feel amply rewarded if these books succeed
even partially in the aim for which they have been
designed.
Contents
Psychological Aspect 7
Basics of Chess 17
Notation 39
The Middle Game 49
Tempo and Mobility 174
Defence and Counter Attack 218
Glossary erf Chess 254
The depth of the game
Wh! these ^4 squares and 32
pieces one Can have endless
tefttertainment. We shall give
s$b’rtte computations which will
^hdW thevastness of the game
°6f‘^fiess. The* first four (single)
'Wii^ves in chess,that is, two by
Xvhiteandtteoby Black, can
bCCiir in 197, 299 ways, leading
To’^e&rly 72000 different posi
tions, of which 16,556 result
frofn pawn moves only. Further
.there are over 288 billion possi-
.Sifities through the fourth move
^{by White and Black). It has
'been calculated that theapproxi
‘ itiate number of different chess
games possible is
2.5 x 10116
*ttis a very big number. The
'Writer of drops in all the
bCeans is nothing compared to
'thisabove number!
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT
There is no easy formula for becoming expert in the
complex situations posed by the middle game, but an
intensive study middle games of masters with an eye to
understanding each of the individual moves and their
relationship to the overall strategy can make a good
beginning. Both tactical and strategical play must be
strengthened. Under Tactics we shall point out how
amateurs can improve their tectical play; under
Strategy, how they can gain a better understanding of
the strategic and positional elements of chess play.
It is a good idea to look over the entire board and to
develop imaginativeness in finding moves that create
situations which may be favorable to oneself and
annoying to one’s opponent. The obvious move is not
always the best move, and one must not yield too
easily to the urge to play mechanically, such as putting
a Rook on an open file or playing a Knight to its B3
square. These may be the proper moves, but in the
position at hand there may be something much better.
Quiet moves are sometimes in order, but a move that
increases the pressure or makes a direct or indirect
threat can be conducive to making the opponent do
something that will compromise his position or at least
make things more difficult for him. Moves that retain
the initiative are always desirable.
Sometimes the middle game forms a complete
whole based on one single theme. But often, on the
contrary, it is made up of a series of strategic phases,
each one of which has its own aim which, once
accomplished, takes the game into a new phase with a
different aim. Time and time again in the commen
taries of the games that follow the reader will find: “The
game is now entering a new phaseg....” Amateurs should
develop an ability to recognize these phases and
formulate desirable aims for them.
7
Although the middle game has not been categorized
to the extent of the opening and the endgame, there
are certain middle-game type positions that lend
themselves to well-outlined procedures. Master play
shows that standard Pawn formations such as the
hanging Pawns and other weaknesses in Pawn
formation such as the Pawn majority on the Queen
side etc., can be exploited by prescribed methods.
Among these standard types of play are the minority
attack, open-file strategy, wing attack on the Queen
side, wing attack on the King side, attack against the
King on the open file, all-out attack, combined
pressure along the diagonal and the open file and
Pawn-chain strategy. With a standard type of
position, standard types of play can be undertaken if
not with mathematical precision at least within a
definitely outlined framework. By acquainting himself
with the standard middle-game situations and ways of
meeting them, the amateur can also improve his ability
to handle the middle game.
Strategy and Tactics
In reading discussions of chess technique, one
cannot go very far without meeting the terms strategy
and tactics, sometimes very loosely applied to any sort
of chess maneuver, sometimes used rather precisely
to describe two different processes of chess activity.
Although distinct, strategy and tactics are so closely
interwoven at certain times that in working out a
strategic idea, one must take into account that the
whole plan might be sidetracked or changed by a
tactical turn, and frequently a tactical decision
depends in part on the strategic aims of a player. Over
and above strategy and tactics, there is a type of
position in which there exists what weshall call a
tactical situation, because it requires calculation and
