% BOOKTITLE = Chess Bootcamp: Beyond the Basics (sample)
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "About this Publication"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Benjamin Katz is a renowned chess coach with over 20 years experience
coaching students of all ability levels throughout the United States. He has
helped numerous students improve and achieve chess success.} 1. Z0 {This book
details the training program he has developed based on this extensive
experience. It cultivates the core skill set required to advance beyond the
basics in chess. Included are key strategies, basic endgame positions and
techniques, information on what to do when you're stuck, how to convert an
advantage, and a high-level opening repertoire for both Black and White. ---
There are also numerous practical exercises that utilize a combination of
recent examples from the games of Benjamin's students, as well as games
played by the top players in the world, both contemporary and from the
game's history.} (1. Z0 {Benjamin Katz is a National Chess Master and the
co-founder of Growing Minds Chess Academy, a progressive chess instruction
company in New York City that incorporates the latest in modern educational
theory with tried and trusted approaches to chess learning. He is a renowned
chess coach with over 20 years experience coaching students of all ability
levels throughout the United States. He has helped numerous students improve
and achieve chess success.}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Foreword"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Dmitri Shneider"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{I've known Ben Katz ever since we were young teenagers, growing up in the
suburbs of New York, playing chess in many of the same tournaments and, for a
period of time, even studying with the same coach. Chess, as it often does,
helped us kickstart a close friendship that has lasted many decades.
Throughout this time, it's been exciting to see Ben grow as a person, fulfill
his dream of becoming a US National Master, as well as to open up a successful
chess school called 'Growing Minds Chess Academy'. Now finally to publish
his manual of chess improvement for the improving chess player. --- I am
honored to be able to write a foreword to Chess Bootcamp: Beyond the Basics. I
know how much work Ben has put into this material and, also, that going to the
next level – breaking through a plateau – is a topic all of us have
struggled with. Who hasn't hit a certain plateau, or multiple plateaus at some
point in their chess career? It's one of the hardest things to get through and
can often lead to loss of motivation and interest, even though what may be
needed is just a different approach. I vividly recall when Ben hit his plateau
and all the resources he tried to finally break through it. It demonstrated
very impressive dedication and hopefully, with the publication of this work,
it'll help save time and offer guidance to others in getting to the next level.
} 1. Z0 {I should note that a key benefit that the reader gets with Ben, true
to his personality, is full transparency and honesty, as well as the ability
to make the complex seem simple. The advice he gives is something that he's
used himself as a student, as well as with his own students of all ages. So
he's seen what works and what doesn't, both from the practical utility of the
concepts, as well as to how they're explained. This is just as important, and
no matter how simple or complex the material, it is broken down to its core so
the concepts are accessible to a wide range of students. Most students should
find Ben's rules of 2 or 3, and his practical tips, very digestible. --- The
core of the book revolves around the fundamentals that aspiring students
should understand regarding endgames, tactics, concepts and strategies. The
book does provide a refresher on those basic endgames and tactics as well, to
start off with the first principles. However, it quickly and methodically
builds up to provide practical value even to those who have been playing for
some time. For those readers who think the first chapters are too easy, I
would urge them to flip through towards the middle to see if there's something
that can be useful for their progress. I have no doubts that there is!} (1. Z0
{IM Dmitri Shneider is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Play
Magnus Group, and Chief Operations Officer of Chessable. He was previously a
top-ranked junior in the United States for many years, and has represented the
United States internationally in over a dozen World and Continental Youth
Championships, winning several gold medals. He was awarded the Samford
Fellowship as the top player under 25 in 2003.}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Introduction"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Having grown up in the former Soviet Union, where chess was held in high
esteem, my father thought it would be beneficial to teach me the game. He
taught me the rules when I was five years old and, shortly thereafter, I
started playing chess at the Max Pavey Chess Club, which was then located in
Mt. Kisco, New York, approximately an hour north of New York City. --- He was
not a very strong player at the time, but we read many books together,
primarily by legendary trainers Bruce Pandolfini, Yasser Seirawan and Yuri
Averbakh. To this day, I do not know how he found the time to teach me chess;
he worked hard and would only have time to work on chess with me after he got
home from work. Once I reached a level where my father could not teach me
anything new, he found trainers who could help get me to the next level. My
first trainer was Jack Collins, the friend and mentor of Bobby Fischer. I was
in awe being in Jack's presence, and developed a special bond with his sister
Ethel, with whom I share a birthday (March 19th). I looked forward to my
weekly sojourns to Stuytown, in Manhattan. Coach Jack's former student,
Grandmaster Bill Lombardy, was his neighbor and would often drop by during our
lessons.} 1. Z0 {As a teen, I was introduced to Rafail Klovsky, a Soviet
émigré who had been friends with legendary Soviet players Leonid Stein and
Mikhail Tal. I credit him with giving me the confidence I needed to transform
from a middling, 1700-rated player with a waning interest in chess into a
National Master interested in continual improvement. --- The story of my own
coaching philosophy cannot be told without mentioning the coaches who had a
significant impact on my chess development and upbringing, as they laid the
foundation of my own personal teaching philosophy.} (1. Z0 {This book draws
primarily on my experience as a chess coach over the past 20 years. It focuses
on the concepts that my students have successfully employed to break the
beginner plateau. I have repeatedly seen first-hand how and why students get
stuck, and realize how frustrating it is to be frozen at a certain level for a
long period of time. Let us break this plateau together. --- The ten chapters
of this book contain what I have learned both as a student and as a coach –
as a private coach and also a coach of one of the top chess teams in the
United States. Many of these concepts were taught to me with such clarity by
my former coaches that they have become a part of my own methodology. One of
the first lessons my coaches passed on to me is the understanding that not
every student is the same. What works for one student will not necessarily
work for another. I have tried to distill what I have seen work for every
student, the core knowledge that everyone needs to improve. I have tried to
keep the examples fresh, and most of them are from my students' own games that
have not been published anywhere else. I have also incorporated examples from
the games played by top players in the world, including those of the current
world champion Magnus Carlsen, as these concepts are also omnipresent
throughout their games.}) (1. Z0 {The first eight chapters of this book focus
on the core knowledge required to break the beginner plateau. These are
concepts that have been the focus of my teaching philosophy and what I
encourage readers to spend the most time on. My purpose here is to provide
what students actually need to advance. There is a quiz consisting of 10
puzzles at the end of each chapter to help reinforce the key concepts. --- The
final two chapters offer a high-level opening repertoire for each side,
ensuring that students reach an acceptable position after the first dozen or
so moves. --- I debated whether or not to include an opening repertoire in
this book at all as my philosophy around openings has evolved over my coaching
career. I never had a serious opening repertoire until I was rated around 1600,
and was even able to go 6-1 at the National Scholastic Championships one year
playing simple openings like the Italian Game for White and the Petroff
Defense for Black! I therefore concentrated my studies primarily on tactics,
which are typical patterns – such as forks, pins, discovered attacks –
that win material. --- When I started applying this approach with my students,
I realized that it didn't work for everyone and students would often lose
confidence when getting a poor position out of the opening, which was not what
I experienced as a player. --- Many coaches, parents, and trainers are in one
of two opposing camps, either that openings are not important at all or that
they should be the entire focus of a student's study routine. I am somewhere
in the middle. I believe that having a solid opening repertoire is imperative
for improving, but it is the other aspects of a student's game that must have
priority.}) (1. Z0 {My personal coaching system is built upon gaining an
understanding of a handful of the typical positions of a high-level opening
repertoire, with a greater focus on the other aspects of the game. --- These
repertoires are purposely at a high level. At the beginner level, I am
attempting to humbly provide the reader with what I think they need to
progress. A book that requires memorizing dozens of variations and
sub-variations is not, in my opinion, of much use to an aspiring improver. ---
For White, the focus will be on winning against the Sicilian Defense and 1...e5,
which are played in the vast majority of chess games. --- For Black, the
focus will be on the main lines I am recommending against 1 e4 and 1 d4. ---
Based on my experience, the ideal breakdown of a student's study time should
be divided equally across the four main areas: openings, playing, calculation,
and enjoyment. I understand how difficult it is to carve out dedicated study
time. I am a parent of young children, and it is hard for me to find study
time. --- Openings are important to understand, and our knowledge of them is
constantly evolving. Anytime you play a game, it is important to review the
opening to ensure that you played the correct move order.}) (1. Z0 {Playing
now is easier than ever with all the opportunities afforded by online chess. I
recommend playing at a minimum time control of five minutes per player. The
most important contribution to improvement is analyzing each game afterwards,
preferably without the help of a chess engine. A chess engine will tell you
what the best move is; however, it will not necessarily tell you why it is the
best move. I used a chess engine after I had analyzed my games, where
seemingly obvious tactics would flash before my eyes. I saw a significant jump
in my rating when I built a database of my own games using the program
ChessBase. I would painstakingly enter them into my computer. During the
process of doing so, I jotted down notes of what I was thinking at certain
points. Many times, there were unclear positions where I made a note to look
at them in greater detail later with my coaches. This also helped me prepare
if I was to face the same player again. I knew what opening they would likely
play and would be ready for it. After lessons with a coach, I would go back
into the database and enter any commentary and feedback they provided. I did
not always remember everything, but closely reviewing my games hugely improved
my understanding. It is so much easier to do this now with online play, there
is functionality in every major chess server to download a PGN of your game,
which you can add to your database. --- Calculation exercises are
indispensable for an aspiring chess player. This is an important chess muscle
to train and one that requires being constantly being worked on. If there is
insufficient time in your schedule to work on all the other areas, focus on
calculation. There are many resources for these exercises, including the two I
recommend highly: Tactical Training by Cyrus Lakdawala and Chess Calculation
for Kids and Club Players by Romain Eduoard. --- Enjoyment: This is the best
part of your study routine! I personally enjoy watching commentary by GM
Yasser Seirawan on top-echelon games, as well as GM Hikaru Nakamura's Twitch
stream. In truth, I don't learn a whole lot about chess from these but they
enhance my appreciation for the game tremendously. --- Breaking the beginner
plateau requires a new skill set, which I hope that you will gain after
reading this book. Each chapter contains attributes that will help you get to
your goal of breaking the beginner barrier. Some of these may already be
familiar to you, while others will be brand new. I wish you the best of luck
as you embark on your journey to break the beginner barrier!}) (1. Z0 {
Benjamin Katz, New York, February 2022}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "6: Pawn Structures"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Pawns, Pawns, Pawns!} 1. Z0 {I have always been fascinated with pawns. When I
first began teaching chess to children and adults, I would always start with
the pawn. I figured it would be the easiest piece to teach in that it's
movement is the most basic and it is worth the least amount of material. In
fact, it is the measuring stick of all material, being worth 1 point. --- I
was so wrong! Pawns are actually the most complicated pieces on the board.
They have unique rules of their own that are not applicable to any other piece.
Among these unique rules are the following:} (1. Z0 {– The only piece that
cannot move backwards.}) (1. Z0 {– The only piece that captures differently 
(diagonally, including en passant) than it moves (up).}) (1. Z0 {– The only
piece that can promote to a new piece, when it reaches the eighth rank.}) (1.
Z0 {In chess, you cannot take your move back. You can, however, return pieces
to squares that they previously occupied. You cannot do this with pawns. Every
move with a pawn is a committal decision. Since they cannot go backwards,
every pawn move is truly valuable and needs to be thoughtfully considered. ---
There are several strategic aspects of pawn play that are core principles of
every chess game and therefore important to understand.}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pawn Chain"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "k7/8/5p2/4pP2/2KpP3/3P4/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Principles: Pawn Chains --- Pawn chains are two or more pawns that are
connected to one another diagonally (i.e., all on light or all on dark squares)
. Since pawns attack diagonally, they support one another when they are in a
chain. --- In the example below, both sides have pawn chains. As a result,
White cannot capture the pawn on d4 as it is being defended by the pawn on e5.
--- White's path to victory, therefore, is to go after the weak link in the
pawn chain, which is f6, the backward pawn or base of the chain. After} 1. Kd5
{, followed by} Z0 2. Ke6 Z0 3. Kxf6 {, White will capture the f6-pawn and
Black will not be in time to stop them.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Isolated Pawns"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/1p2pkp1/2p4p/P1P2P2/5KP1/P3R2P/3r4 b - - 0 35"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{An isolated pawn is one that does not have a friendly pawn on an adjacent
file or next to it. This makes the pawn more vulnerable to being captured,
since it cannot be part of a pawn chain. --- From a game in 2020 between two
of the top players in the world, Jan-Kryztof Duda (White) and Levon Aronian 
(Black). --- White has several isolated pawns, including the pawns on c4, a2
and a4. These are ripe for capturing, and Aronian wasted no time and played} 
35... Rc1 $1 {. The white rook is overloaded in this position. It cannot move
to e4 to defend the c4-pawn, or Black will play ...Rc2. Aronian eventually won
this game.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Doubled Pawns"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/8/4p2P/4p2K/3pP3/3P4/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Doubled pawns are two pawns of the same color that occupy the same file. They
are generally considered a weakness, because they cannot defend one another,
and as a result are more vulnerable to capture. Doubled pawns also create weak
squares, most notably the square directly in front of the first pawn. --- In
some situations, when there is a pawn on an adjacent file, they may be
considered strong. With everything in chess, there are always exceptions. ---
In this example, Black's e-pawns are doubled and cannot defend one another.
This makes them perfect targets for being captured. White will win with} 1. Kg6
{, followed by} Z0 2. Kf6 {.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Passed Pawns"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/5bk1/3p3b/1Pp5/2P5/6K1/4N3/6B1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Much has been written about passed pawns throughout chess history. --- "The
passed pawn has a soul, desires, and fears." – J.H. Donner. --- "There
is nothing a player should fear more than an advancing passed pawn." – Ben
Katz to his students. --- "A passed pawn is a criminal which should be kept
under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not
sufficient." – Aron Nimzovich. --- A passed pawn is one that has no
opposing pawns to prevent it from marching up the board to promote. It needs
to be stopped by a piece. It is a great weapon, because a passed pawn can
become a queen and, usually, when one side promotes to a new queen, they will
win the game. --- In this position, White has a passed pawn on b5. Based on
the definition above this is a passed pawn because no opposing pawns can
prevent it from promoting. --- White to move will win the game by playing} 1.
b6 {. Neither of Black's bishops nor their king will be in time to catch up
with it before it promotes.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Backward Pawns"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/3b1ppp/2p5/p2pq3/3R4/P3P1P1/1PQ2PBP/4R1K1 w - - 0 25"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{A backward pawn is often one that you should target. It is a pawn that is
behind all pawns of the same color and cannot be safely advanced. One strategy
to take off a backward pawn is to first "fix" it, to prevent it from
moving. Once you have done that, you can try to target the weakness. Try to
exploit not only the weakness of the pawn but also of the square or squares in
front of it. --- In the following game from 2016, the strong Polish GM
Rados?aw Wojtaszek took advantage of the backwards c6-pawn in a game against
Russian GM Pavel Tregubov. --- Wojtaszek's strategy was to dominate the c-file
with his queen and rook, thus fixing the pawn. Eventually, he will open the
h1-a8 diagonal for his bishop and win the c6-pawn. --- The game continued} 25.
Rc1 Reb8 26. Qd2 Be8 27. e4 dxe4 28. Rxe4 Qf6 {. And he succeeded in making
this pawn even weaker, going on to win this game.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca pawn"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/1p6/p1b2R2/7k/5K2/P7/8 w - - 0 49"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{The Capablanca pawn is a term that I have not been able to find anywhere else
in chess literature. It was coined by my coach Rafail Klovsky and I've started
using this term in all my chess lessons. --- It is when you fix a backward
pawn along with another pawn in the endgame, controlling two pawns with one
pawn. It's a powerful concept that you will likely encounter in your games.
--- This, the oldest example presented in this book (from 1846!) still
perfectly illustrates this point. Staunton, the legendary English chess master
has a superior position, with a rook and a pawn against a bishop and two pawns.
--- In this position, he eliminated all of Black's potential counterplay with
the strong move} 49. a4 $1 {. This prevented Black from ever advancing his
pawns, and Staunton won several moves later by cutting the black king off on
the g-file, and moving his king onto c6, planning a timely sacrifice of the
rook on b6.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Typical Pawn Structures"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[Variant "illegal"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/5ppp/8/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{In many of the pawn structures you will encounter in your games, the enemy
king has castled kingside; this happens in the majority of games. There are
then four main structures I have been able to identify. It is important to
have a foundational understanding of these as you will see these patterns
frequently.} 1. Z0 {Structure One: This is the traditional pawn structure that
occurs when your opponent castles kingside; it is the most frequent one you
will encounter. --- The most common strategy to attack this structure is to
create a weakness that forces one of the pawns to move, which would result in
one of the subsequent structures. --- The key to ensuring that this strategy
will work is the exchange of a piece along the sixth rank (for White) or the
third rank (for Black), normally occupied by a knight. Having one less
defender makes the enemy position significantly weaker and the king more
isolated.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Structure 1: Example 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1k/4bppp/bqn1p3/p2nP3/Pp1N2Q1/1N6/1P1B1PPP/1B2R1K1 w - - 0 23"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{In these types of positions, the plan of attack is to throw all your pieces
at the king and find a timely sacrifice. A young, pre-elite Magnus Carlsen
exploited this brilliantly in a game in 2005. His brilliance was already in
evidence even this early in his professional career. --- As you can see,
Black's king is still protected by his three pawns. But without any pieces
defending him, he is in danger. Magnus starts to pry open the black kingside
in a direct manner.} 23. Bh6 $1 {. In the game, Black played} Rg8 {.} ({
A shocking move which looks bad at first, but the idea is quite clear. If} 
23... gxh6 {, then} 24. Qe4 {continues the attack on the king. Notice that one
of the king's protectors is now gone, and the simple move 24...g6 is no longer
possible since the pawn is no longer on g7. Black can still defend, but their
position is going downhill fast.}) 24. Bxh7 $1 {Then came another shot: Bang!
Both of White's bishops are under attack, and Black is objectively lost here.
The kingside has no defense. --- The game continued} Kxh7 25. Be3 Rc8 26. Nxe6
{White now threatens both mate and the queen. Black gave up the queen and
eventually lost six moves later.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Structure 1: Example 2"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1rk1/1b3ppp/4pn2/p1b5/Pp2P3/3B1N2/1P2QPPP/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 16"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{Another idea that is important to understand is the Greek Gift sacrifice. The
Greek Gift is a common tactical theme in which one side sacrifices their
bishop by capturing the rook's pawn of a castled king position (White playing
Bxh7+ or Black playing ...Bxh2+) and that often leads to a checkmate or a
winning position. --- Coach Jack Collins showed me this specific example in
one of our early lessons and it stuck with me. I wrote down the names of the
players and was able to look it up years later! --- In 1930, in a game between
German International Master Carl Ahues and strong British player William
Winter, Ahues executed one of the best Greek Gift sacrifices I have ever seen.
--- One of the rules for this sacrifice to work is for there to be no piece on
the enemy's sixth rank. So, let's kick that knight out.} 16. e5 $1 Nd7 17.
Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 {This is the Greek Gift. You know how this story ends.} 18. Ng5+
{This move is critical as it gets more pieces into the attack, in particular
the queen.} Kg6 ({If} 18... Kg8 {, then} 19. Qh5 {is lights out.}) 19. Qd3+ ({
Perhaps} 19. h4 {is better with a threat of h5+, forcing the black king to h6,
after which all sorts of discovered checks would follow.}) 19... f5 20. Qg3 {
Taking stock of this position, White has a huge threat of Nxe6+, the black
king is weak, and the pressure has been cranked up on Black. With this much
pressure, they are all the more likely to fall apart. The game concluded} Qe7 {
(to escape the threat of losing the queen)} 21. Rd1 {(inviting more friends to
the party)} Rad8 22. Nxe6+ Kh7 23. Nxd8 Rxd8 24. Bg5 Bxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Qc5+ 26.
Qe3 {. And Black threw in the towel; they are down a lot of material and have
an inferior position to boot.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Structure Two"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[Variant "illegal"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/5p1p/6p1/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{As soon as a structure like this appears, without a defending bishop on g7, a
thought should pop into your head. How can I get a queen on g7 to checkmate
them?} 1. Z0 {This is a giant, gaping hole in their position, and it is
important to capitalize on it immediately. The dark squares around a king on
g8 are extremely weak.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Structure 2: Example 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/ppqb1p1p/4nBpQ/3p3P/3P4/P2B4/1P3PP1/1K1R3R w - - 0 22"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{In the following position, from a game I played in 2010, I succeeded in
taking full advantage of the weaknesses on the dark squares by plopping a
bishop on f6 and a queen on h6. --- It is a truly scary position for Black.
With White to play, what is the final knockout blow? Remember to look for all
checks, captures, and threats. --- ANSWER: White wins with the stunning
sacrifice} 22. Qxh7+ $1 Kxh7 23. hxg6+ Kg8 24. Rh8# {.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Structure 2: Example 2"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Benjamin Katz"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r1nrk1/p4p1p/1p2p1pQ/nPqbRN2/8/P2B4/1BP2PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 25"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[SourceTitle "Chess Bootcamp"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2022.03.01"]

{I was inspired by a game the very strong player Rudolf Spielmann played in
1929. --- It is slightly different in that White does not have a bishop on f6,
but the bishop on b2 is nearly the same thing, right? How did he finish off
his opponent here? --- ANSWER: The idea is similar, but it is not quite set up
just yet. At the moment White's knight is in the way. So he moved it:} 25. Ne7+
$3 Qxe7 {and followed up with} 26. Qxh7+ Kxh7 27. Rh5+ Kg8 28. Rh8# {.} *

