Outpost (chess)
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Example of a black knight outpost on b4. The position resulted from the Boleslawski variant .
An outpost is in chess a field can be set to a pawn that there only more difficult, if not impossible of surveyed can be so distributed or abgetauscht. The game piece is particularly often a knight ; a no longer questionable Springer outpost is called an Eternal Springer .
Nimzowitsch's remarks
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Nimzowitsch's example from Mein System
The chess grandmaster and textbook author Aaron Nimzowitsch was one of the first to write a systematic description of outposts. Reference is also made to Nimzowitsch in more recent literature. Nimzowitsch deals with the outpost in the chapter on open tower lines, i.e. on the vertical lines of the chessboard on which there are at least no pawns of their own. Towers can act unhindered on these.
Nimzowitsch offers the following definition in My System :
- "By an outpost we mean a covered (by a farmer, of course) own stone posted in an open line (in hostile land) , usually a knight."
In contrast to modern usage, Nimzowitsch describes the token as an outpost and the field as an outpost field, whereas today the field is called an outpost. Nimzowitsch further emphasizes: “So the line behind it and the covering pawn to the side belong to the outpost .” Both support the figure on the outpost.
In the example given by Nimzowitsch, White has control of the half-open d-file, but cannot currently use it, since the black d-pawn attacked by rook d1 is covered by the c-pawn. The real goal of the white man is to use a rook to penetrate the 7th or 8th row, which usually leads to victory, as the black pawns can then be conquered. After 1. Nc3 – d5, 1.… c7 – c6 should be provoked. The other possibility to hold the attacked c7 pawn is 1.… Rc8. Such a passive defense, however, enables the whites to play freely and in particular to have other attack options. After 1.… c7 – c6 the knight is attacked and he retreats to c3, but the d-pawn is then no longer defended and cannot advance because of the white pawn on e4.
Game example
The game Capablanca - Alekhine , 21st game of the 1927 World Chess Championship in Buenos Aires, is a popular example of a knight outpost. The following position was reached after 1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. c2 – c4 e7 – e6 ( rejected Queen's Gambit ) 3. Nb1 – c3 Ng8 – f6 4. Bc1 – g5 Nb1 – d7 5. e2 – e3 Bf8 – e7 6. Ng8 – f3 0–0 (The Orthodox Defense ) 7. Ra1 – c1 a6 8. h7 – h6 9. Bg5 – h4 dxc4 10. Bf1xc4 b7 – b5! 11. Bc4-e2 Bc8-b7 12. 0-0 c7-c5 13. dxc5 Nd7xc5 14. Nf3-d4 Ta8-c8 15. b2-b4 Nc5-d7.
Position after 15. b2 – b4 Nc5 – d7 |
The position up to this point is considered balanced. Black has a possible outpost on c4 and White one on c5. Black can move the knight d7 to c4 in two ways: d7 – e5 – c4 and d7 – b6 – c4. With his next move, however, White only prevents the route via e5. Instead, the knight maneuver Nd4 – b3 – a5 would have covered the c4 square.
16. Bh4-g3 Nd7-b6 17. Qd1-b3. After the immediate 17.… Nb6 – c4 White has the option with a3 – a4 to attack the base, ie the defending pawn b5. 17.… Nf6 – d5 Black's last move is also directed indirectly against c4: After 18. Nc3xd5 Bb7xd5 the d5 bishop controls the c4-square and attacks the white queen. The move 17.… Nf6 – d5 also contains the positional threat 18.… Nd5xc3 19. Rc1xc3 Bb7 – d5 20. Qb3 – b2 Rc8xc3 21. Qb2xc3 Qd8 – a8 after which Black controls both the diagonal a8 – h1 and the c -Line. White's next move is against this threat, but gives up control of c4.
Position after 17. Qd1 – b3 Nf6 – d5 |
18. Be2 – f3 Rc8 – c4! Now Black already has a clear advantage, since his pieces have taken up strong squares. 19. Bf3 – e2 was now good to attack the rook. Instead, there followed 19. Nc3 – e4 Qd8 – c8 20. Rc1xc4 which is already a mistake. 20. Qb3 – b2 would have been better. Capablanca assumed that the subsequent pinching of the knight and the move a2 – a3 would be advantageous. 20.… Nb6xc4 . Now the black knight has taken an outpost on c4.
Position after 20.Rc1xc4 Nb6xc4 |
21. Rf1 – c1 Qc8 – a8! Capablanca probably overlooked this move. The black lady avoids the bondage. There is now a threat of both 22.… Nd5xb4 and 22. Nd5xe3. 22. Ne4-c3 Rf8-c8 23. Nc3xd5 Bb7xd5 24. Bf3xd5 Q8xd5 . Now 25.… e6 – e5 threatens to gain space.
Position after 24. Bf3xd5 Qa8xd5 |
25. a3 – a4 Be7 – f6 26. Nd4 – f3 Bf6 – b2!
Position after 26. Nd4 – f3 Bf6 – b2! |
Attacks the rook on c1 and thus unbinds the knight on c4. Now the move ... e6 – e5 is again a threat, because previously the pawn on e5 would have blocked the view of the bishop f6. The runner would then have become a so-called "bad runner ". Black is now clearly better, among other things because the black king has an “air hole” on h7, while the white king threatens to be mated in some variants . After 27. Rc1 – b1 there is 27.… Nc4 – a3! possible and after 27. Rc1 – d1 bxa4 28. Qb3xa4 Nc4 – b6 29. Rd1xd5 Nb6xa4 30. Rd5 – d1 Sa4 – c3 31. Rd1 – e1 Rc8 – c4 wins the pawn. 27. Rc1 – e1 Rc8 – d8 28. a4xb5 a6xb5 29. h2 – h3 e6 – e5 wants to attack and drive off the knight f3 on the next move. 30. Re1 – b1 e5 – e4 31. Nf3 – d4 Bb2xd4 32. Rb1 – d1 Nc4xe3! White gave up because he was losing a piece.
Individual evidence
- ↑ John Emms: Sicilian Secrets . Everyman Chess, 2004, p. 119.
- ↑ Alexander Koblenz: Textbook of Chess Strategy - Volume 1, 2nd heavily edited edition, Sportverlag Berlin, 1975, p. 86.
- ^ A. Nimzowitsch: Mein System , Rattmann, 2005, p. 51.
- ^ A. Nimzowitsch: Mein System , Rattmann, 2005, p. 52.
- ↑ Alexander Koblenz: Textbook of Chess Strategy - Volume 1, 2nd heavily edited edition, Sportverlag Berlin, 1975, pp. 86-88.
- ↑ Karpow, Mazukewitsch: Position assessment and plan , Edition Olms, Zurich, 2007, pp. 20–22.
- ↑ Alexander Koblenz: Textbook of Chess Strategy - Volume 1, 2nd heavily edited edition, Sportverlag Berlin, 1975, p. 87.
- ↑ Karpow, Mazukewitsch: Position evaluation and plan , Edition Olms, Zurich, 2007, p. 21.
- ↑ Alexander Koblenz: Textbook of Chess Strategy - Volume 1, 2nd heavily edited edition, Sportverlag Berlin, 1975, p. 88.