X-ray (chess)
Inchess,anX-rayorX-ray attackis atacticwhere apieceindirectly controls a square from the other side of an intervening piece. Generally, a piece performing an X-ray either:
- effects askewer,[1][2][3]
- indirectly attacks an enemy piece through another piece or pieces, or
- defends a friendly piece through an enemy piece.
Examples[edit]
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The second usage is seen in the first diagram position, which arises from theBlack Knights' Tangoopening after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.a3 d6 5.Nc3 g6!?6.e4 Bg7 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.Be3 e5 10.d5 Nd4!AuthorsRichard Palliserand Georgi Orlov, in their respective books on that opening, both note thatBlack'srookon e8 "X-rays"White'se-pawn through Black's ownpawnon e5. If 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Bxd4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Rxe4.[4][5]The identical position is reached, except that White has not played a2–a3, in theKing's Indian Defenseafter 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6. Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Be3 Re8 9.d5 Nd4![6]
Of the second diagram position, arising from theSveshnikov Variationof theSicilian Defense,Atanas Kolevand Trajko Nedev observe, "On f1 thekingis X-rayed by the f8-rook ". They analyze the possible continuation 22...f5 23.exf5 Bxf5 24.Nxf5 Rxf5 25.Qg4 Bg5 (exploiting thepinalong the f-file) 26.Kg2?Bxf4 27.Nxf4 Rg5 28.Nxg6+ Kg7 and White resigned in Delchev–Kotan gian, Kusadasi 2006.[7]
Krasenkow vs. Seirawan
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Rauzer vs. Botvinnik
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The first diagram position arose after 23...Qd8–h4! inKrasenkow–Seirawan,34th Chess Olympiad,Istanbul 2000.Michael Rohdewrites of Seirawan's 23rd move, "Holding things up through an x-ray on the pawn on d4." Black would respond to either 24.e5 or 24.exd5 with 24...Qxd4+.[8]
Gerald Abrahamsalludes to the X-ray concept, without using that term, when he cites theaphorism,"Put your rook on the line of hisqueen,no matter how many other pieces intervene. "He writes," Thatdoggereljingleincorporates some experience ".[9]A future world champion played in that manner inRauzer–Botvinnik,USSR Championship 1933. Two moves before the second diagram position arose, Botvinnik had played 13...Rfd8, X-raying the white queen through the pawn on d6. Now Bernard Cafferty andMark Taimanovsuggest "15.Qf2 to get away from the 'X-ray' attack from the d8 rook".[10]Instead, the game continued 15.Rac1 e5! 16.b3 d5!!,exploiting the queen's position on the same file as the rook and leading to a win for Botvinnik 13 moves later.[11][12]
Petrosian vs. Ree
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Dorfman vs. Tseshkovsky
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The first diagram position arose from theEnglish Openingin the famousminiaturePetrosian–Ree,Wijk aan Zee1971 after 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5 Nxd5 6.cxd5 e4??7.dxc6 exf3 8.Qb3![13]AuthorIakov Neishtadtcites the game as an example of an "X-ray".[14]Black resigned because the white queen's X-ray of his pawn on b7, through Black's bishop on b4, wins a piece after, e.g., 8...a5 (or 8...Qe7) 9.a3 Bc5 10.cxb7.[15]
The above examples all involve a latent attack along afileorrank.A latent attack along a diagonal has also been called an X-ray. The second diagram position arose inDorfman–Tseshkovsky,46thUSSR ChampionshipTbilisi1978. Cafferty and Taimanov write, "Black can use the 'X-ray' attack of his queen on the enemy king to break up the white bastions". Black exploited the X-ray along the b8–h2 diagonal and won quickly after 48...g5! 49.hxg5 h4! with a decisive attack.[16]The game concluded 50.g6 Kxg6 51.Qa6+ Kg5 52.gxh4+ Kxf4 53.Qc4+ Ke3+ 54.Kh3 Kf2+ 55.Qxb3 Nxg5+! and White resigned in light of 56.hxg5 Qh8#.[16][17]
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The third usage is given by the Americanmasterand writerBruce Pandolfini,who states that one usage of "X-Ray" is "a skewer defense along a rank, file, or diagonal" that "protects a friendly man through an enemy man in the middle along the same line of power".[18]Jeremy Silmanuses the term in the same way, illustrating "X-ray" with the two diagrams. In the first diagram position, White wins with the X-ray 1.Qxd8+! followed by 1...Rxd8 2.Rxd8+ (note how White's rook defended his queen through the black rook on d5) Qxd8 3.Rxd8# or 1...Qxd8 2.Rxd5 Qf8 3.Rd8 and wins. In the second diagram position, White wins a pawn with 1.Nxb7!, when White's bishop on f3 defends the white knight on b7 through Black's bishop on d5.[19]Silman states that the X-ray "takes advantage of pieces that appear to be adequately defended but really aren't".[20]
Fischer vs. Bisguier (variation)
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Euwe vs. Loman
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Raymond Keenealso uses the term in this way in analyzingFischer–Bisguier,New York 1957.[21]Discussing a possible variation that could have arisen in that game (see first diagram position), Keene writes that 28.Qxg5 (when the white queen defends against 28...Qxg2# through Black's queen on g4) "defends the mate—an 'X-ray motif', as Fischer once described it".[22]
InEuwe–Loman, Rotterdam 1923 (second diagram position), White forcedmatewith 17.Qh8+! Bxh8 18.Rxh8#.[23]Neishtadt writes of 17.Qh8+, "The X-ray! The bishop at b2 attacks the square h8 'through' the enemy bishop."[24]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Edward R. Brace,An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess,David McKay, 1977, p. 310.ISBN0-679-50814-7.
- ^Edward Winter,Chess Note4245.Retrieved on 2009-03-17.
- ^Byrne J. Horton, Dictionary of Modern Chess, Philosophical Library, 1959, p. 220.
- ^Richard Palliser,Tango! A Dynamic Answer to 1 d4,Everyman Chess,2005, p. 177 (referring to "The e-file X-ray" ).ISBN1-85744-388-8.
- ^Georgi Orlov,The Black Knights' Tango,Batsford, 1998, pp. 116–17 ( "The idea of this mysterious rook move [8...Re8] is to prepare...e6–e5 followed by...Nd4! In that case the rook 'x-rays' the e4 pawn." ).ISBN0-7134-8349-0.
- ^Bobby Fischer,My 60 Memorable Games,Faber and Faber, 1969, pp. 351–52.ISBN0-571-09987-4.
- ^Atanas Kolevand Trajko Nedev,The Easiest Sicilian,Chess Stars, Bulgaria, 2008, p. 98.ISBN978-954-8782-66-1.
- ^Michael Rohde, "Game of the Month",Chess Life,March 2001, p. 15.
- ^Gerald Abrahams,Technique in Chess,Dover Publications, 1973, p. 18.ISBN0-486-22953-X.
- ^Bernard Cafferty and Mark Taimanov,The Soviet Championships,Cadogan Chess Books, 1998, p. 36.ISBN1-85744-201-6.
- ^Cafferty & Taimanov, pp. 36–37.
- ^Rauzer–Botvinnik, USSR Championship 1933.ChessGames. Retrieved on 2009-05-29.
- ^Petrosian–Ree, Wijk aan Zee 1971.ChessGames. Retrieved on 2009-04-04.
- ^Iakov Neishtadt,Catastrophe in the Opening,Pergamon Press, 1980, pp. 255, 266.ISBN0-08-024097-6.
- ^Neishtadt, p. 255.
- ^abCafferty & Taimanov, p. 180.
- ^Chess Informant,Volume 27,Beograd,1979, pp. 55–56.
- ^Bruce Pandolfini,Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps,Fireside Chess Library, 1989, p. 232.ISBN0-671-65690-2.
- ^Jeremy Silman,The Complete Book of Chess Strategy: Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z,Siles Press, 1998, pp. 132–33.ISBN1-890085-01-4.
- ^Silman 1998, p. 132.
- ^Fischer–Bisguier, U.S. Championship 1957.ChessGames. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
- ^Raymond Keene inE. G. Winter(editor),World Chess Champions,Pergamon Press, 1981, p. 114.ISBN0-08-024094-1.
- ^Euwe–Loman, Rotterdam 1923.ChessGames. Retrieved on 2010-05-01.
- ^Neishtadt, pp. 25–26.