In contrast to the previous blog post, which was about the mistakes made by Pogchamps players, this one is about analysing some of the best players in the World. While yes, they make fewer mistakes, there is still something to be learned from these world-class players.
3 Pieces Vs Queen
While many players know how to handle 2 rooks vs 1 Queen, 3 pieces vs a Queen is much more difficult. The Queen is obviously more manoeuvrable, but unlike the rooks which act as a magnet for each other, the 3 pieces are very difficult to use to defend.
The Queen is naturally a very active piece, however, especially in the case of 2 bishops and a knight, you must try to control the key squares.
GM MVL vs GM Pragg
In the game between GM MVL and GM Pragg, MVL had the 3 pieces against Pragg’s Queen (They also both had an extra rook). Whilst he managed to glue all his pieces together, the pawns were too weak, which meant Pragg gained a huge pawn advantage.
Also, notice how passive the rook on B1 and the bishop on F1 are. These pieces are both extremely inactive but also don’t help glue the position together much. In fact, later on, due to these pieces getting too entangled, he got checkmated.
Infiltration
As previously stated, the Queen is a more manoeuvrable piece, controlling both files, ranks and diagonals. This means that the Queen can sneak into places very easily or control key squares behind enemy pawns. The term “infiltration” is used to describe this exact thing.
Infiltration in chess is when key squares behind pawns have pieces on them. Usually, infiltration happens when any piece sneaks into this square. Infiltration is the most active state any piece can be in, therefore, it’s important to find opportunities to infiltrate behind your opponent’s pawns.
If you want to use this powerful tactic, you must first control the square where your piece will land on. Then, bring the piece to said square and then dominate the position! In this position, black is very strong because of that knight beneath the London Pyramid.
Sacrifices for Infiltration
In the game Anton Korobov (Playing White) vs Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli (Playing Black), White sacrificed the Bishop in order to infiltrate and enter the Black position. While this move was not the deciding move for the game, it was the only move to no longer be completely losing.
Conclusion
While the Elite Chess Players of the World make far fewer mistakes than any of us, there is still always something to be learned from the best. And even though I don’t think you or I will be playing 3 pieces vs Queen positions, the other point is very important and common.
