The H-pawn Hook

Hello Coaches!

In this sample lesson, I will show you how to teach a method of attacking the opponent who fianchettos his bishop on the kingside and castles there.

 

 

This is a perfectly fine method of developing the bishop and creating a safe position for the king. You learn early on not to move pawns around the king, because that can create holes for the enemy to invade. So, Black moved his g-pawn, but by then putting his bishop on g7 he seals up those holes.

It looks like a rock-solid castled position, but there is a way to attack it. I will use a sample game to illustrate the method.

By the way, the colors could also be reversed, and it could be Black attacking White in this way. But in practice, this situation usually occurs in openings such as the King's Indian, Pirc, and Sicilian Dragon; where Black is the one with the fianchettoed bishop.

This was actually a game I played in a tournament long ago, when I was just starting to play chess. My opponent was rated around 1800. If you like, you can use this game in your own lesson, or you can make up a similar one.

I have used it many times, in order to illustrate the plan of attacking the fianchettoed kingside position. It can also demonstrate to kids the strength of playing with a plan, and could be the first introduction to a middlegame plan.

Here are some pointers to teaching the lesson:

* It is a good idea to introduce to the kids the names of the openings, such as Sicilian Defense or Dragon Variation; but do not overdo it - the names are not so important, although some kids find it interesting.

* At each point, ask the kids to suggest moves. Usually on move six (when White plays 6.Be3) I ask what move White should play. There are many such moves - Be2, Bc4, Bg5, g3, f4 and Bb5+ are all at least ok (besides Be3). When these moves are suggested, say "thats a good move, but not the one played in the game."

* Show the trap 6...Ng4 7.Bb5+!, winning material because Black is forced to block the check, either cutting off defense of the g4 knight or losing material after 7...Nc6 8.Nxc6.

* It is in general very important that White does not allow his dark-squared bishop to be traded for a Black knight. It's goal is to be traded for Black's dark squared bishop on g7. If the black fianchettoed bishop is left without an opponent, it will really be like a dragon breathing fire !

* Have the kids try to guess the key move 10.h4. You might have to give hints such as "White had developed his minor pieces, but how can he get his rook from h1 into the game?" Eventually a kid might find the idea of 10.h4, which is very important. This pawn is the hook which will attack to Black's g6 pawn, allowing the h-file to be opened.

* As usual, the variations are straightforward, so you can easily show them and have the kids guess the solutions.

This lesson is excellent for introducing a plan of attack on the king. It shows a method of opening files for the rooks using the pawns. It also arms your students with a weapon to use against opponents who play defenses with a fianchettoed bishop!