No, not the type of space travel allegedly enjoyed by the World Chess Federation president, Kirsan Ilumzinov, during his self-confessed encounters with aliens — rather, the control of space conferred by certain types of chess opening as explained in Opening Repertoire 1 e4 by Cyrus Lakdawala (Everyman Chess). The industrious and prolific Lakdawala presents a smorgasbord of possibilities in an easy-to-learn repertoire for White, predicated on the ambition to dominate greater terrain. Against the Caro-Kann Defence he advocates 3 e5, while in this week’s game (featuring the early frontrunner in the Candidates tournament for the World Championship) Lakdawala recommends the space-gaining 3 e5 against the French Defence, as favoured by the guru of chess strategy Aron Nimzowitsch.
Notes are based on those by Lakdawala from his book. This week’s puzzle in fact arose from the 3 e5 line against the Caro-Kann, also advocated by Nimzowitsch.
Caruana-Vallejo Pons: Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012; French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 a3 Nh6 7 b4 cxd4 8 cxd4 Nf5 9 Be3 Bd7 Black wants to play … Rc8 as soon as possible. 9 … f6 is a key alternative, where Black immediately challenges White’s e5-grip. 10 Bd3 Nxe3 11 fxe3 g6 Black’s idea is twofold: to restrict the power of White’s light squared bishop and to prepare to develop his dark-squared bishop to h6, where its gaze fixes upon e3. 12 Nc3 At first sight this looks like a blunder but if Black takes the bait, White plans to build up a huge attack. 12 … Nxb4 Objectively, Black is still fine after this move, but it forces him to find all sorts of difficult defensive resources. 13 axb4 Bxb4 (see diagram 1) The pin will regain the piece and Black will be two pawns ahead.
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