Pachman at 100: Czech writer’s impact on chess still being felt

The debate over the principles of sound chess play has been an enjoyable conversation that’s been going on for centuries.

It’s a conversation over what Staunton learned from the pioneering work of Greco and Philidor and how Morphy and Steinitz defined and refined the Romantic approach to the game in the second half of the 19th century. It was carried on in the bitter clashes between Tarrasch’s classicism and Nimzovich’s “hypermodern” approach in the early 20th century (short version: both made good points), and continues to this day in the analytical insights gleaned by a generation that has grown up with Deep Blue, Shredder and AlphaZero.

A civilized and essential voice in the discussion was Czech GM and author Ludek Pachman, born 100 years ago this year. An excellent player (he won the Czech national title seven times and — after a harrowing, mid-Cold War escape to the West in 1972 — the West German national title as well), he is better remembered today for his prolific writings.

Pachman’s 1963 masterpiece, “Modern Chess Strategy,” was a signal contribution to that long discussion over theory and practice. Described modestly by its author as a “practical guide to the study of the middlegame,” the book was exquisitely timed, coming just as the innovations and insights of the Soviet chess dynasty were once again revolutionizing the game.

Concisely covering such topics as pawn structure, central control, development and attack and defense, Pachman’s survey contains a superbly collated collection of important games from the mid-20th century, including a few from his own praxis. One of those games was his nice win over longtime Dutch start GM Jan Heim Donner. Pachman’s Botvinnik English set-up in this game (with the picket fence of pawns on e4, d3 and c4)  is one I often recommend to younger players looking for a solid way to open the game and to older players who are too far gone to memorize long strings of variations.

Pachman rates White already better after 8. d3 f5 9. exf5 gxf5?!, despite the extra central pawn for Black: White will attack the center with a timely f-pawn push, then open up his game with a later, equally timely advance of the d-pawn.

Things work to perfection on 12. h3 Nh5? (playing into White’s hands by removing a piece covering key central squares; Donner could limit the damage with 12…d5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. d4 e4 15. Nf4) 13. f4!, a little Capablanca-esque positional combination that exposes the error of Black’s ways. Bad now would be 13…exf4 14. Nxf4 Nxg3?, owing to 15. Rf3 Qh4 (Qg5 16. Ne6) 16. Bf2.

Black’s kingside attack is stymied, allowing Pachman to return to his master plan: 16. Rd1 Kh8 17. d4! Rg8 18. Qf2 Bf6 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Rd6!, disrupting the enemy’s development hopes. Another petit combinasion keeps Black tied down: 20…exf4 21. Nxf4! Nxf4 (taking the g-pawn again leads to grief on 21…Qxg3+? 22. Qxg3 Nxg3 23. Rfd1 Rg7 [Be5 24. Re6 Bg7 25. Re7 Bf6 26. Rexd7 Bxd7 27. Rxd7 Rae8 28. Bf2 Ne4 29. Bxe4 fxe5 30. Rxb7, with the advantage) 24. Rxf6 Nxf6 25. Rd8+ Rg8 26. Bd4! Rxd8 27. Bxf6+ Kg8 28. Bxd8.

White’s piece activity — the ultimate dividend from the timely 17. d4 — proves irresistible: 23. Re1! (stopping the freeing 23…Ne5) Bg7 (23…Qxc4 can be met by the clever 24. Nd5! cxd5 25. Bxd5 Qd4 [Qb5 26. Bxg8 Kxg8 27. Re8+ Nf8 28. Rxf8+ Kxf8 29. Rxf6+ Kg7 30. Rd6 Bd7 31. a4! Qxa4 32. Be5+ Kf7 33. Rf6+ Ke8 34. Qc5 Kd8 35. Rf8+ Be8 36. Qc7 mate] 26. Qxd4 Bxd4 27. Bxg8 Kxg8 28. Rxd4) 24, Rde6 Nf8 25. Re7 Qxc4? (hastening the end, but White’s minor pieces dominate the play even after the tougher 25…Qg6 26. c5 Ne6 27. Bd6 Bf6 28. R7xe6 Bxe6 29. Rxe6 Rae8 30. Rxe8 Rxe8 31. Ne2) 26. Rxg7!.

The exchange sac often shows up in the anthologies, but Pachman noted the real positional spadework had already been done: “This exchange requires no precise calculation,” he wrote. “The bishop on g7, which was directed toward the center, was Black’s only active piece. After its elimination, White’s pieces completely dominate the scene.”

The subsequent play bears out White’s judgment: 26…Rxg7 (Kxg7 leads to fun king-hunt lines such as 27. Re7+ Kf6 28. Bd6 Rg7 29. Ne4+ Kg6 30. Qf4 h6 31. Rxg7+! Kxg7 32. Qe5+ Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kf7 34. Qe8+! Kxf6 35. Be5+ Kg5 36. Qxf8 Be6 37. Qf6+ Kh5 38. Bf3+ Qg4 39. hxg4+ fxg4 40. Be4 Rg8 41. Qh4 mate) 27. Re8! (paralyzing Black’s pieces is far more important that recovering material with 27. Be5) Kg8 (Qf7 28. Qe3) 28. Bd6 Rf7 29. Qe3 f4 (the threat was 30. Qg5+ Rg7 31. Rxf8 mate) 30. Qe5 Rf5, and now White nails the put-away volley with 31. Rxf8+! Rxf8 32. Qg5+, forcing resignation as 32…Kf7 33. Qg7+ Ke6 34. Qe7+ Kf5 35. Qxf8+ leads to an inevitable mate.

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Another mid-century positional gem was Pachman’s win over fellow Czech grandmaster Maximilian Ujtelky from the 1954 Czech national championship tournament. White gets a clear positional edge in this QGD Semi-Slav, but the author only takes up his analysis after 34. Nb4 Rcc8 (see diagram). Despite his clear spatial edge, White is at an impasse here: Black’s c-pawn is weak but Ujtelky will always have enough pieces to match the White forces attacking it.

“The correct strategical plan must therefore be sought elsewhere,” Pachman remarks. A kingside demonstration is called for, but the White h-pawn must be protected before any advance can be contemplated. As guarding the pawn with a piece would only take away from his pressure on the queenside, Pachman, through a triumph of deductive chess reasoning, hits on the one White piece that’s available to do the job.

Thus 35. Kh2!! b6 36. Kh3 (one wonders when it dawns on poor Ujtelky the point of White’s odd kingside thrust; despite the apparent placidity of the position, there is little he can do now to divert White from his course) 37. f4 g6 38. g4 Nd7 39. Bd3, and the kingside pawn storm is set to invade in earnest.

Black does his best to create a diversion, but his pieces prove to be too far from the action. In short order his proud bishops are reduced to useless bystanders, while White’s exposed king proves perfectly safe; 41. f5! exf5 42. gxf5 g5 (gxf5? 43. Rg1+ Bg5 [Kh7 44. Qf4 wins] 44. hxg5 f4+ 45 e6!) 43. Kg2 (having done yeoman’s work protecting the pawn, the White king steps aside to let his subjects finish the fight) f6 (Qd4 44. Qxd4 Rxd4 45. f6 Bd8 46. hxg5 Rg4+ [hxg5 47. Rh1 Rh4 48. Rxh4 gxf4 49. Kf3] 47. Kf3 Rxg5 48. Rh1 (and not, as Pachman notes, 47.Qh5? Rh4 48. Qg6+ Kh8 49. Rh1 Rg8!, and Black escapes) Rh4 48. Qf3, and the miserable plight of Black’s bishop pair effectively leaves White two pieces to the good.

It’s all over on 48…Rf4 (Rxh1 49. Kxh1 Kg7 50. Rh2 Rh8 51. Rxh8 Kxh8 52. Qh5+ Kg8 53. Qf7+ Kh8 54. Be2 and Black is helpless) 49. Qh5; Black resigned as there was no fun to be had playing out 49…Rh4 50. Rxh4 gxh4 51. Qg4+ Kf8 52. Qxh4, and there is no way to turn back the coming attack down the open g- and h-files.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Pachman-Donner, Netherlands-Czechoslovakia Match, Rotterdam, Netherlands, December 1955

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 O-O 5. e4 e5 6. Nge2 d6 7. O-O Nfd7 8. d3 f5 9. exf5 gxf5 10. Be3 Nf6 11. Qd2 c6 12. h3 Nh5 13. f4 Qe8 14. Kh2 Qg6 15. Qe1 Nd7 16. Rd1 Kh8 17. d4 Rg8 18. Qf2 Bf6 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Rd6 exf4 21. Nxf4 Nxf4 22. Bxf4 Qf7 23. Re1 Bg7 24. Rde6 Nf8 25. Re7 Qxc4 26. Rxg7 Rxg7 27. Re8 Kg8 28. Bd6 Rf7 29. Qe3 f4 30. Qe5 Rf5 31. Rxf8+ Rxf8 32. Qg5+ Black resigns.

Pachman-Ujtelky, Czech National Championship, Prague, November 1954

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. Nc3 c6 7. Qb3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. Rd1 Qd8 10. e4 Be7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Bb1 Qa5 13. e5 Rd8 14. O-O Nf8 15. Rfe1 Qb4 16. Qe2 b6 17. Be4 Bb7 18. Qc2 Qa5 19. a3 b5 20. Na2 Qb6 21. Nb4 Rdc8 22. Nd3 a5 23. Nc5 a4 24. Rc1 Ra7 25. Re3 Ba8 26. Rc3 Rac7 27. h4 Qa7 28. Qe2 Rb8 29. R3c2 Qa5 30. g3 Rd8 31. Qe3 Qa7 32. Ne1 Qb6 33. Ned3 Qa7 34. Nb4 Rcc8 35. Kh2 Qb6 36. Kh3 Qa7 37. f4 g6 38. g4 Nd7 39. Bd3 Nxc5 40. dxc5 Qd7 41. f5 exf5 42. gxf5 g5 43. Kg2 f6 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. e6 Qc7 46. Qh3 Rd4 47. Rh1 Rh4 48. Qf3 Rf4 49. Qh5 Black resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or at dsands@washingtontimes.com.