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February 3, 2012

Lure and pin: What is black’s best move?

By Eric Morrow Chess Corner

— Aronian v. Giri

Levon Aronian of Armenia won the prestigious, annual chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, now called by benefit of its corporate sponsor the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. This was the best tournament of Aronian’s career. He will now be the world’s second-highest rated player, trailing the leader, Magnus Carlson’ by only a few points.

In the tenth round Aronian defeated Anish Giri of the Netherlands with a move and combination that will join the list of chess’ great brilliancies. Aronian is black; Giri, white. Aronian sacrifices a piece to create a pin that threatens checkmate. With this hint in mind please try to find black’s best move and plan.

Black’s bishop and pawn on c3 prevent white’s king from moving off the 1st rank to the 2nd rank. Because of this, if black checks white from the 1st rank, checkmate is in the air. White’s rook on h1 defends against this check.

Aronian thus lured this rook into danger by dangling his knight in front of this rook by planting his knight on f3 to e1. The knight threatens to hop to d3, initiating a series of devastating checks. White cannot allow this. Giri therefore captured the seemingly free knight. Now Aronian struck by moving his queen to f4, checking white (Qf4+).

Even though black’s knight on e2 is ready to gobble up white’s queen, the knight is pinned. If white’s knight takes the queen, black’s rook on e8 captures white’s rook on e1, checkmating white.

The black queen check on f4 forced Giri’s king to flee to d1. Aronian maneuvered his queen to e4 and Giri resigned.

The threat of black’s queen checking from b1 and d3 in addition to the pin on white’s knight is overwhelming. If white’s knight moves and captures black’s pesky pawn on c3, for example, black’s queen grabs white’s rook on e1, delivering checkmate.

Aronian is following a path typical of world chess champions. They emerge as young geniuses at an early age. Aronian was the under 12 world chess champion in 1994. In their 20s they join the world’s elite along with other former chess prodigies, as Aronian did in 2005. It is at around age 30 that they start to play their best chess and then vie for the crown of world champion. Aronian turns 30 this year and his recent play shows that the title of world chess champion may be within his grasp.

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