notyetagm: White To Play: 18 ?
 click for larger viewHere Smyslov played an -incredible- blunder for a player of his class. He played 18 c3-c1?. Position after 18 c3-c1?:
 click for larger viewQuestion: what is the tactical problem with this move? Answer: it greatly restricts the <MOBILITY> of the White b1-queen! Whenever you move one of your pieces or pawns, you need to make sure that none of your pieces get <TRAPPED> or have their <MOBILITY> greatly reduced as a result. So you need to ask yourself not one question but -two- questions whenever you move: 1) Did I just <TRAP> the piece that I moved? (Escpecially(!) if you just moved a piece forward from a square it cannot go back to.) 2) Did I just <TRAP> not the piece that I moved but a different one of my pieces by <SELF-BLOCKING> a critical flight square or <BLOCKING> a line of retreat? That is, you must be tactically alert enough to be on the lookout for -any- of your pieces losing a great deal of their <MOBILITY> and thus being on the verge of being <TRAPPED>. |