{"id":1,"date":"2018-03-26T21:37:25","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T21:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/\/?p=1"},"modified":"2026-02-26T23:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T04:50:36","slug":"hello-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/26\/hello-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Positional Play IN ACTION #1 – Restricting Your Opponents"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Written by Ryan Yao<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Game Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Nxf6+ Bxf6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nf3 O-O<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
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  1. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    The position here is very safe for both players. Black has already castled, but the queenside pieces are relatively inactive. One classical idea here for Black is to push b6 and then Bb7 in order to bring the light-square bishop to life. We will see that later in the game. White, on the other hand, has a great centre and fairly active pieces. The player can place its bishop on the d3 square to attack Black\u2019s kingside.<\/p>\n\n

    9. Bd3 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Nxd4 Rd8 12. Nf3<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    Here, Black challenges White\u2019s centre with the move c5, which is crucial to prevent White from consolidating its spatial advantages. Note that 11\u2026 Qxd4 is a blunder because Bxh7+!! simply wins a queen for White.<\/p>\n\n

    12\u2026 b6! 13. b3 Bb7<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    Black starts to execute the plan. The light-square bishop effectively controls the h1-a8 diagonal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

    14. Nd2 Na6 15. Qh5<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    Here, Black has two choices to defend the h7 pawn, namely h6 and g6, but one is better than the other.<\/p>\n\n

    15\u2026 g6!<\/p>\n\n

    This is a clever positional play. In most cases, it is not advisable to play g6 if Black does not have a bishop on g7. This is due to the fact that the h6 and f6 squares are left undefended, which may become potential outposts for White\u2019s knights. Additionally, Qh6 or Qf6 would also be scary, especially when White has a dark-square bishop. However, things are different in this particular position. The dark-square bishops are traded, meaning that the queen can hardly pose any threat to Black\u2019s king by herself. It is also nearly impossible for White to maneuver its knight back to kingside, as e4 and f3 squares are controlled by Black\u2019s bishop. More importantly, the move g6 greatly restricts White\u2019s light-square bishop, as it has nothing to attack.<\/p>\n\n

    16. Qe2 Nc5 17. Ne4 Qd4 18. Nxc5 Qxc5<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    Black has a very good position to play with very active pieces.<\/p>\n\n

    19. c4?<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    This is a positional mistake played by White. A much stronger move would be 19. Be4! to trade off Black\u2019s active bishop, thereby creating a decent position for White.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

    19\u2026 Rd4! 20. Rad1 Rad8<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    Black\u2019s rook on d4 prevents White from trading bishops in the future. Black has a great initiative here: the doubled rooks control the d-file, and the bishop targets the vulnerable g2 pawn. White has to play very carefully to prevent losing the game immediately.<\/p>\n\n

    21. Bc2 Qg5 22. f4 Qc5 23. Qf2??<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    White makes a blunder under tremendous pressure. It is the moment when strategic play turns into a tactical one; Black can now use the accumulated positional advantages to attack.<\/p>\n\n

    23\u2026 Rd2!!<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    The queen on f2 is pinned, so White cannot capture the \u201cfree\u201d rook on d2. If White captures the queen, the king\u2019s castle will be destroyed by the rook and the bishop, as Rxg2+ would be decisive.<\/p>\n\n

    24. Qxc5 Rxg2+!! 25. Kh1 Rxc2+ 26. Kg1 Rg2+ 27. Kh1 Rg4+ 28. Qd5 exd5 0-1<\/p>\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n

    Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

    A key takeaway from this game is restricting<\/em> your opponents\u2019 pieces and trading off their powerful pieces whenever possible. For example, the move g6 essentially \u201ckills\u201d White\u2019s bishop in the middle game, and the knight trade prevents White from conquering the weaknesses in front of Black\u2019s king. A major positional mistake made by White is not trying to trade Black\u2019s aggressive bishop off the board, which eventually results in the loss.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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