A disturbing pattern has emerged in the games of world champion Viswanathan Anand. As White in the Ruy Lopez he has begun to disregard in serial fashion the precept that ownership of the bishop pair, against two opposing knights or knight and bishop, tends to confer a major advantage. Not only do the bishops act together as a scything weapon, they also permit the player in possession to decide if and when to trade for an opposing minor piece. The power of the bishops has been known since the days of Steinitz. It was Dr Tarrasch, I believe, the great Praeceptor Germaniae, who opined that the player with the bishop pair holds the future in his hands, while even Tarrasch’s great rival Nimzowitsch, a knight man if ever there was one, included a section on the bishop pair in his famous book My System.
Anand has taken to flouting this guideline and as a result has already lost games this year to Caruana, Nakamura, Hammer and our own Michael Adams.
Anand-Adams: Alekhine Memorial Paris 2013; Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 In the game Anand-Nakamura, Tal Memorial 2013, play went 3 … g6 4 0-0 Bg7 5 c3 a6 6 Bxc6 dxc6 when Black went on to make good use of the bishop pair and won the game. 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 a4 b4 9 d4 The exchanging strategy introduced by this move leads nowhere. The consistent continuation is 9 d3. 9 … d6 10 dxe5 dxe5 11 Qxd8 Rxd8 12 Nbd2 Bc5 13 Bc4 Ng4 14 Re2 Na5 15 Bd5 Rb8 16 Nb3 Nxb3 17 cxb3 h6 Black’s position is highly satisfactory and he could already introduce favourable complications with 17 … c6 18 Bg5 cxd5 19 Bxd8 Bb7. However, there is nothing wrong with the text. 18 h3 Nf6 19 Nxe5 Nxd5 20 exd5 Rxd5 (see diagram 1) Black’s two bishops now leave him in control chiefly, as noted above, because he has the flexibility to decide when and where to exchange one off. 21 Bf4 Be6 22 Rc1 Bd6 23 Bg3 Re8 24 Re3 c5 25 Nd3 Bxg3 26 fxg3 White’s problems are compounded by weak pawns on both sides of the board. However, 26 Rxg3 Red8 27 Nf4 Rd1+ 28 Rxd1 Rxd1+ 29 Kh2 Rd2 is no improvement. 26 … Red8 27 Nf4 Rd1+ 28 Rxd1 Rxd1+ 29 Kh2 Rd2 30 Nxe6 fxe6 31 Rxe6 Rxb2 32 Rxa6 Rxb3 33 Rc6 Rc3 34 a5 Kf7 35 a6 Ke7 36 a7 Ra3 37 Rxc5 Rxa7 38 Rb5 Ra4 (see diagram 2) Black’s outside passed pawn will eventually win White’s rook. 39 Rb7+ Kd6 40 Rxg7 Kc5 41 Rc7+ Kd4 42 Rd7+ Kc3 43 Rc7+ Kd3 44 Rb7 Kc3 45 Rc7+ Kb2 46 Rc6 b3 47 Rxh6 Kc3 48 Rb6 b2 49 Rxb2 Kxb2 50 g4 Kc3 51 Kg3 Re4 A key move, preventing the white king from advancing to f4 (after 51 … Kd4 52 Kf4) 52 Kh4 Kd4 53 Kg5 Ke5 54 Kg6 Re2 55 g5 Rxg2 56 h4 Kf4 White resigns Black’s winning plan is 57 Kf6 Kg4 58 g6 Kh5 59 g7 Kh6.
The puzzle reveals the power of the bishop pair operating in unison.
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