Handicap Series
Two piece handicap, part 3

by Larry Kaufman, amateur 5 Dan

Variation V

2piece_var5_22b.gif
After 22.P5f

In this line white sacrifices two pawns to block the bishop and centralize his offside silver. The silver on 2b (together with the knight behind it) is called a "wall silver", because if the king needs to run away in that direction, it will run into a wall of its own pieces. This is a very undesirable formation, so white looks for any opportunity to correct it. As with the previous line, the problem for white is the weakness created on the 7th file.

22... L1b 23 S3e P6f (23... P1d and 23... S3a are similar to previous lines) 24 Bx6f P5e 25 Px5e S3a

2piece_var5_26w.gif
After 25.S3a

(White clears 6e for his knight and blocks the bishop before activating his silver, at the cost of two pawns) 26 R4f S34b 27 P4d Px4d 28 Sx4d P*4c 29 Sx5c+ Sx5c (Although exchanges favor black, white can take satisfaction from the fact that it was his bad wall silver that has been exchanged) 30 S*7e! (This exposes the flaw in white’s exchange of the 7 pawn)

2piece_var5_30b.gif
After 30.S*7e!

20... Gx7e (30... G6e 31 N7g!! Gx6f 32 Rx6f P*6d 33 Sx6d Sx6d 34 G*5d) 31 Bx7e S*6d 32 N4e! Sx7e 33 Nx5c+ Kx5c 34 G*5d K4b 35 S*5c K3a 36 Gx4c

2piece_var5_36b.gif
After 36.Gx4c

winning easily. Analysis by Kiyosumi Kiriyama 9 Dan.