Playing on the edge
By David R. Sands
March 22, 2008
Washington Times
It’s way off on the edge of the board and comes in last in chess’s algebraic pecking order, but the humble h-file often takes center stage when it is time to attack.
Because king-side castling occurs in the clear majority of today’s openings, blasting open the h-file is often the most brutally effective way to get at the enemy monarch. Both of today’s games illustrate the concept, and both do so to spectacular effect.
Games between a reigning and a former world champ rarely feature a queen sacrifice, but Indian titleholder Viswanathan Anand pulled it off against ex-champ Vladimir Kramnik of Russia at the ongoing 17th Amber Tournament in Nice, France. In this rapid (Game/25) encounter, Anand stacks his rooks on the open h-file, preparing the way for a superb mating combination.
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How strong is Mr. Sands? I like his column but never saw him play chess.