A concerted action of two or more chessmen designed to achieve a specific objective, such as to gain material advantage or to win a more favorable position, or to effect a checkmate.
For a ‘Petite Combinaison’ (French names used by Capablanca), let us see the game Tartakower-Capablanca, New York 1924. Tartakower played 9.Bxb8 hoping for Rxb8 then 9. Qa4+ followed by Qxb4, but Capablanca played the subtle 9…Nxd5 threatening 10…Ne3 with a win.
For a ‘Longue Combinaison’ let us go the famous game Mason-Szymon [C50], Vienna 1st Vienna (27), 13.06.1882.
Botvinnik said: A combination is a forced variation with sacrifice.
ECHESSPEDIA
Quotes of the Day
Drawing general conclusions about your main weaknesses can provide a great stimulus to further growth.
Alexander Kotov
Time trouble is blunder time.
Alexander Kotov
I may be an old lion, but I can still bite someone’s hand off if he puts it in my mouth
Wilhelm Steinitz
Tal develops all his pieces in the centre and then sacrifices them somewhere.
David Bronstein
Never felt more like singin’ the blues, cos I never thought that I’d ever lose…
Vladimir Kramnik 2017
