A minority of pawns on one wing can be used to create structural damage in the opponents camp
The typical position arises when both sides have pushed their d-pawns two squares forwards, Black has met White's c4 advance with e6, and cxd5 has been answered by exd5. White then has a minority of pawns on the Q-side and the Minority Attack is ready to swing into operation. It gives a fine example of the sort of flow-chart referred to in Section 51.
Black plays c6, White plays b4. Black may then allow b5, or prevent it by playing b5 himself. If Black plays ...b5, he will try to bring a knight quickly to c4, to shield the c-pawn. White may aim to bring his own knight to c5, or aim for a break in the centre with e4. If Black does not play ...b5, White will advance b5 himself which Black may meet by: a) allowing bxc6 and meeting it with bxc6; b) allowing bxc6 and recapturing with a piece on c6; c) playing cxb5 himself; or d) playing c5. The first of these leaves him with a backward c-pawn, the others all leave an isolated d-pawn.
In a nutshell, that's the Minority Attack, and we have not even touched upon the other branches of the flow-chart where Black preempts b4 by playing ...a5, or where White shifts his attention to the centre and plays for (3 and e4.
Put them all together and you have a Grand Plan - and the diversity of its various branches gives an idea of the flexibility demanded in selecting the early moves.
Reaping the rewards. This position, from Byrne-Eliskases, Helsinki 1952, was the typical result of a successful Minority Attack. White's b4 had been met by ...a6; he continued with a4 and b5, when ...axb5 eliminated the a-pawns and bxc6 led to the structure now on the board. Black's only weakness is the pawn on c6, which can be defended as easily as it can be attacked, but this still formed the basis for White's victory.
Hut» followed: l.Rcl Nh4 (tricky: he plans to meet Rxc6 with Nxg2! •«id iJu4+) 2.Qe2 Ra3 (with the same idea) 3.g3 Qe4 4.Nel Nf5 (now • in- plan is 5.Rxc6 Nxe3!) 5.Qc2! Qxc2 6.Rxc2 Ne7 7.Kfl f6 8.Ke2 1117 9.Nd3 Ke6 10.Rb2 Ra7 11.g4! (White cannot win solely by pres-mi>> against c6; he must create an object of attack on the K-side too.) 11 „gS 12.Rb8 Kf7 13.Rh8 Kg7 14.Rd8 Rc7 15.Nc5 Kf7 16.Kf3 Nk« 17.Kg3 Ra7 18.Rd6 Rc7 (18...Ne7 would have been strongly mill by 19.Nd7.) 19JMa6 Rc8 20.Rd7+ Ne7 21 Jic5 Ra8 22.Rd6 Ral i I hiis hastens the end, but Black was unwilling to remain totally pas-Mivr. After 22...Rc8, White can increase the pressure with h4 followed by 13 and e4.) 23.Nd7 f5 24Jie5+ Kg7 25.h3! (calmly does it) 4ft...fxg4 26.fxg4 Rcl 27.Re6! Ng6 (27...K18 loses a pawn to the •imple 28.Nf3) 28.Rxc6 and White's extra pawn was enough to win I ho game.
White's play in this sequence was the classical strategy: use one t in my weakness to tie your opponent down, then stretch his defences I»v attacking something on the other wing. His task would have been roude far more difficult had Black seen it all coming and played ...h5! mo me where between moves 7 and 10.
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