Dan Heisman's Improve Your Chess
Open Up Lines When Attacking
National Master Dan Heisman is a name that is synonymous with excellence in chess coaching and teaching. Dan authors the award-winning Novice Nook column (winner of three Chess Journalists of America "Best Instruction" awards), aimed at improving adults, for chesscafe.com that are clearly written and offer very practical advice and tips on how to improve your game . In the new Improve Your Chess series, Dan provides instruction by reviewing amateur games played on ICC and showing where the players went wrong and how to improve.
Today's show: Black fails to put a rook on the b-file in the Benko, allowing White some extra time to push some kingside pawns. Then Black's delay in getting pieces to defend the kingside gives White a strong attack. However, White fails to follow general principles about opening lines for his attack and misses several wins. Eventually Black misplaces his queen, believing he has queenside counterplay. That gives White enough to break through with several possible wins - he misses some, but can't miss them all, and eventually mates.