The exchange (chess)

Under an exchange sacrifice is understood in chess the victim of a tower for a bishop or knight.

It can be distinguished from quality sacrifices two types: the tactical quality offering and the strategic or positional exchange sacrifice. While a tactical exchange sacrifice - as the other victims in chess as well - can serve the purpose of material gain or direct attack on the opponent's king, a positional exchange sacrifice on longer -term strategic objectives is aligned. It is used, for example, the weakening of the opponent 's pawn structure or fields of complexes; you sacrifice for a long-lasting initiative or strategic features such as the possession of the bishop pair.

The former world chess champion Tigran Petrosian was famous in the 1950s and 1960s for his positional exchange sacrifice. In modern times, the FIDE World Champion from 2005, Vesselin Topalov made ​​, with relatively frequent victims Quality sensation.

In reference to the exchange sacrifice exist among chess players and the colloquial synonyms of jellyfish victim, giving the jellyfish or the victims of the jellyfish.

Examples

The following examples are intended to illustrate the various characteristics of positional exchange sacrifice:

Battle for the center and figure activity

The match position in diagram 1 is typical of a relatively rarely played variation of the Sicilian Defense. The black counterplay based alone on the white pawn on e5, which prevents the coordination of the black pieces crucial. The previous black rook maneuver Ta8 - b8 - b4 is used primarily for the purpose of clearing an important defender of the white central position out of the way: the bishop on f4. The Dutch grandmaster Gennadi Sosonko sacrificed with 17 ... Tb4xf4 the quality and conquered after 18 Dg3xf4 Lg7xe5 important center pawns. Two moves later ( Figure 2) had the image position changed fundamentally: the black king runners dominated the black boxes, which strives previously passive Sf7 on d6 after e4 and the farmer overweight in the center takes the white pieces important fields. Black is already better. Sosonko won the game after 39 moves.

The game example from the third diagram shows the typical Sicilian exchange sacrifice tower against Springer on the field c3, here in the Sosin variant, in which White tries, among other things, with early f2 - f4 - f5 to weaken the square d5. With his last train 14 Sg3 - h5 Alexander Bangiev want abtauschen the knight on f6, a defender of the key field d5. He would have done better his lady ordered instead of 14 Sg3 - h5 after d3 to consolidate its center position; it was followed by the sacrifice 14 ... Tc8xc3, after which the farmer fell e4: 15 b2xc3 Sf6xe4. Black threatens, if necessary, to open with d6 -d5 the position further, and dominated with his peasant center and the bishop pair, the position ( Diagram 4 ). Bangiev continued with 16 Dd1 - g4 and lost in 42 moves ( followed by 16 Sh5xg7 Ke8 -f8 - 17 SG7 h5 Qd8 - b6 with superior black position).

Fields weaknesses

In the world championship match against Karpov, Kasparov, in 1990, the critical position was observed after 13 c4 - c5 Karpov train ( Diagram 1 ). As a result of the King's Indian Defense White has a good centralized location and the peasant majority on the queenside, and black isolated pawn on d5 is reliably blocked. With his next train Kasparov initiated under exchange sacrifice his counter game: 13 ... Te8xe3? The looser pawn structure, White has black -squared weaknesses that were covered reliably by the important women runners on e3. After the game episode 14 Dd2xe3 Qd8 -f8 Black threatens the pawn on c5 and ready for the runners from g7 to transfer if necessary to the diagonal c1 - h6. In contrast to the previous examples, the offerer has taken no additional farmers, but the initiative on the weakened fields bring the position in a dynamic equilibrium. After another eight moves ( Diagram 2 ) Kasparov wrapped under figures and rook sacrifice to draw from: 23 Df2xd4 Th4xh2 followed by perpetual check by Qe7 - h4 .

Initiative

The FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov demonstrated in 2006 in the traditional tournament in Wijk aan Zee, a work done in preparation of domestic exchange sacrifice, which offered him a long-lasting initiative and good practical chances. Against the Armenian Levon Aronian after 17 trains a seemingly balanced position was created with a symmetrical distribution of farmer ( Diagram 1 ). With the 18 victims Te1xe4 the resulting position changed completely: After 18 ... Nf3 - e5 Qd8 d5xe4 19 -d5 20 Dd1 - e1 - f5 Bc8 21 g2 - g4 g6 - Bf5 22 f2 -f3 b5 b4 - 23 f3xe4 Qd5 - e6 24 Lc3 -b2 ( Figure 2) had Topalov farmers conquered e4 and was given a mobile pawn center. There were also opportunities to attack the weak pawns c6, supported by the white bishop pair, which supported the farmers from the background. Aronian showed the white pressure not grown significantly and lost after a further 20 trains, as the peasant couple c5 and d4 after a further exchange sacrifice in 36.Zug, also on e4, unstoppable for the conversion began to move.

Blockade and Springer dominance

The "classic " of the positional sacrifice quality dates from the year 1953, played in the Candidates' Tournament of Zurich. Ten years before his first World Championship title to Tigran Petrosian faced the American Samuel Reshevsky over a mobile farmer couple with space advantage in the center, the pawn on d4 is also still a covered pawn. Should white unhindered the advance d4 -d5 can enforce the black will continue to put on the defensive and are hopelessly soon. With his unexpected, "passive" exchange sacrifice 25 ... e6 Re7 - Petrosian has two main objectives: He admits his knight the field e7, from which he intended to drive his ideal d5. He also wants the only white figure up with the exchange of the rotor on g4 with the rook on e6 from the board that threaten the central knight on d5 or could abtauschen. Just three plays later Petrosian had achieved his goal ( Figure 2): The knight has reached his ideal field from which he is not to sell, he also supports the counterplay of the pawn majority on the queenside. In contrast, the white towers are uncoordinated on the now rigid e-line, the runner on b2 is a "bad " because it is blocked by its own pawns. Reshevsky saw in the further course forced zurückzuopfern a tower against the white fields dominant black bishop and the game ended in the final with the division of the point.

Improving farmer and employment opportunities in Yeomanry

In this position Black has doubled pawns on the c-file, which would prove crucial in the final game as a weakness. Mikhail Botvinnik played 25 ... Rd8 therefore -d4. Will Do not lose control of the d-line, he must accept the sacrifice, after which Black 's pawn structure improved significantly and receives a covered pawn on d4. This was followed by 26 Sc3 e2 La6 - c8 27 Se2xd4 white takes with the knight because he did not want to give his dark-squared bishop. However, this was a wrong decision, better 27 Le3xd4 c5xd4 28 Se2 -c1 would have been. The knight then comes the next train to d3 and blocked there the yeomanry. In the game 27 followed ... c5xd4 28 Be3 - c7 - c5 29 f2 -f1 f7 - f5 Td1 with good compensation for Black, who won the game after 53 moves.

Such positionally justified victims arrived later in similar positions frequently in practice and were considered to be typical of the Soviet chess school. January Timman called " Russian exchange sacrifice ".

Combination of two exchange sacrifice

In the game against Kasparov Piket, Tilburg, 1989, came just before two thematic exchange sacrifice:

For black on the train, it is important to eliminate the white knight on c3. However, this does not by 17 ... Se4xc3 because this jumper is still needed on f6 to defend the own king. Therefore, Black offered by 17th ... Tc4xc3 quality. As he had previously won a pawn on e4, its material disadvantage is not very large, in addition he has counterplay against the torn after 18 b2xc3 white castling position. This motif is typical of the Dragon Variation. The victim does not lead to profit, but to a dynamic position with chances for both sides.

14 moves later then sacrificed his white hand, the quality in order to eliminate an important defense figure to tear up the black king position and initiate a mating attack on the h-file. This was followed by 32 Th2xh5! g6xh5 33 Df2 - h4 Dc5 - c4 34 Dh4xh5 Dc4 -f1 35 Kc 1 -b2 e7 - e5 36 DH5 - h6 ( f5 - f6 besides threatens mate on g7 ) 36 ... Kg8 - h8 37 g5 g6 f7xg6 38 f5xg6 Re8 - e7 ( it threatened mate on h7 ) 39 Te3 f3 Df1 - c4 (on 39th ... 40th Ld5xf3 follows DH6 -f8 matt ) 40 was Tf3 -f8 and black on. On the forced 40 ... Ld5 - g8 simply follows 41 Df8xe7.

Even after 33 .. e5 34.Dxh5 Da3 35.Kd2 Da4! 36.g6! fxg6 37.fxg6 Qd7 38.Sf5 Be6 ( 38 .. Rf8 39.gxh7 ! Kh8 40.Sh4 ) 39.Sh6 KG7 40.Tg3! White would have had a decisive advantage.