Chess School Quiz Challenge #22

Challenge

Subtle, hidden, but with tremendous impact: Grandmaster Matthias Blübaum was well aware that he is about to face an attack against his king. What he did in this position, was incredibly instructive. Can you find the move Blübaum played?

Solution

Castling to opposite sides—almost a sure sign that both players are about to launch a pawn storm against the opposing king. The German national team player Matthias Blübaum, as well as his opponent, IM Ashot Parvanyan, are well aware of what former world champion Max Euwe taught about this:

White has just prepared his kingside attack with 14.c2-c3. The plan is to follow up with a pawn storm: b2-b4, then a2-a4, b4-b5, and so on.

In particular, the move b4-b5 will be a central element of White’s attack against the black king. With this move, White challenges the key target on c6. Thanks to this hook, White has a clear plan for opening at least one file against the black king on the queenside. White’s attack is in the air—time is of the essence. What can Black do to counter White’s plan?

Matthias Blübaum thought for a good ten minutes—and then played the best move. Subtle, hidden, but with tremendous impact: 14...Rh8–g8!

Black answers fire with fire. While White is about to storm forward against the black king, Black wants to launch his g-pawn and open the g-file against the white king.

This is possible because the white castling position also offers a target for a breakthrough. The pawn on h3 is a hook Black can use to his advantage.

The position is extremely sharp, with roughly equal chances for both sides. It will almost inevitably lead to both players launching attacks against the opposing king. In this game, played at the Dortmund Chess Days 2023, it was Matthias Blübaum’s attack that struck first.

Let’s reflect once again on targets for attack and castling positions: