Steinitz taught us:
- If you're attacking:
- Don't attack too soon
- Attack with a team
- Attack only if you have good reason=you have an advantage
- If you're defending:
- Defend what you have to
- Don't make weaknesses
Let's see what happens if you break the rules...
- Attacking done badly
- Too soon
- Too lonely
- No excuse
- Defending done badly
- Missing threats, opening lines, going quiet
Attacking done badly
Too soon
[Event "WWoE Jamboree"]
[Site "Chepstow"]
[Date "2016"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Glasson, Luke"]
[Black "NN"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 d6
{This position is equal. Neither side has a reason to attack.}
5. Ng5?
{Moving this piece a second time}
5...Nh6 {Now Black has more pieces developed than White}
6. Qh5
{Developing but exposing the Queen}
6...Qf6
{Making a serious threat with a developing move -- that's the ticket!}
7. O-O
{Now Black could get the advantage by playing either}
7...Nd4
(7...Bg4)
1-0
Too lonely
[Event "WWoE2020"]
[Site "Chepstow"]
[Date "2020.01.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Narayanan, Niranjana"]
[Black "NN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[EventDate "2020.??.??"]
[PlyCount "66"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8.
O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Na5 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Qxe4 Re8 12. Qd3 Nxc4 13. Qxc3 Nb6 14. Qd3
d6 15. h3 {Too slow} 15...Nd7 16. Ng5 g6 17. Qg3 Nf8 18. h4 h5 19. b3 Nh7 20. Nxh7 {Keep pieces on} 20...Kxh7 21. Qf4
Bf5 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Qf4 Re4 24. Qh6 Qf6 25. Rb1 Re2 {Too many Queen moves have let Black take over}
0-1
No excuse
[Event "Karlsbad"]
[Site "Karlsbad CSR"]
[Date "1923.05.04"]
[EventDate "1923.04.28"]
[Round "5"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Alexander Alekhine"]
[Black "Geza Maroczy"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "43"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Ne4
7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. Qb3 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 c6 10. Bd3 Nd7
{About equal? Maybe White is better. But Black shouldn't be the one to attack!}
11. O-O f5
12. Rac1 g5
{Outrageous! But how can White show Black has made a mistake?
Well, Black is looking at the side of the board, so White opens up lines in the centre for their better-developed pieces. That means aiming for e3-e4, and that means playing f3, and that means moving the Knight to cover e4}
13. Nd2! Rf7 14. f3 e5
{That helps White with their plan!}
15. cxd5 cxd5 16. e4 fxe4
17. fxe4 Rxf1+ 18. Rxf1 exd4
{Now, 99 players out of 100 would play Qxd4 here.}
19. Qc7!
{And Black is completely tied up}
19...Kg7 20. Rf5 dxe4 21. Nxe4
Qb4 22. Rxg5+ 1-0
Defending done badly
Missing threats, opening lines, going quiet
[Event "defence: all too many club pla"]
[Site "defence: all too many club pl"]
[Date "1982.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "regis"]
[Black "arriens"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D10"]
[PlyCount "49"]
1. c4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 Qb6 7. a3 e6 ( 7...
Qxb2 8. Na4 )8. Nf3 Nh5 9. Be5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Nf6 11. Rc1 Bd7 ( 11... Qxb2 12.
Nb5 Bxa3 13. Nc7+ Kf8 14. Rc2 { is better for Black} 14... Qb4+ )12. Nxd7 Nxd7
13. Bd3 a6 ( 13... Qxb2 14. Nb5 Bxa3 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Rc2 Qb4+ 17. Ke2 Rc8 { is
still better for Black} )14. Qe2 Nf6 15. O-O Bd6 16. b4 O-O 17. g4 { That's not a completely bad move but really White has no reason to attack. This works only because Black helps!} 17... g6 {Also not entirely bad -- Black may not be able to avoid it in the long run -- but it's the start of a mistaken train of though} 18. f4
Rae8 {Doesn't help} 19. Kh1 h5 {Doing White's job of opening lines} 20. gxh5 Nxh5 21. Rg1 {With a threat...} 21... Kh7 {?? Black steps out of one pin but right into another} (
21... Nxf4 22. exf4 Qxd4 23. Bxg6 fxg6 24. Rxg6+ Kf7 25. Qh5 Rh8 26. Rh6+ Ke7
27. f5 Rxh6 28. Qxh6 { unclear! both Kings stand badly} )( 21... Kh8 22. f5 {
when White still has an attack ( ...exf5, Nxd5 )} ( 22. Bxg6 fxg6 23. Rxg6
Ng7 24. Rcg1 Rf7 25. Qg4 Qc7 26. Rxg7 Rxg7 27. Qh5+ Kg8 28. Qxe8+ Kh7 29. Rxg7+
Kxg7 ))22. Qxh5+ { 1-0} 22... Kg8 23. Bxg6 fxg6 24. Qxg6+ Kh8 25. Qg7# {It was like Black and White teamed up to attack the Black King!} 1-0