Steinitz' accumulation theory
Steinitz became World Champion (more or less) in 1866 by beating Adolf
Anderssen in a bloodthirsty match (+8 -6 =0). His style was very
much in the tradition of the Italian school, playing for attack from
the word go. He was awarded the brilliancy prize for this Rook
sacrifice:- Romantic Steinitz (up to and including 1872) (304)
Steinitz W. - Mongredien A. [B01]
- Scientific Steinitz (after 1973)
Steinitz - Fleissig [C00]
- Scientific Steinitz didn't forget how to attack! (307)
Steinitz - tchigorin [C65]
Steinitz' elements (after Lasker) | Steinitz' rules of attack |
Permanent advantages 1. Material advantage 2. Bad king position 3. Passed pawns in the middlegame 4. Weak pawns for the opponent 5. Strong and weak squares 6. Pawn islands 7. Strong pawn centre 8. Control of a diagonal 9. Control of a file 10. Bishop pair 11. Control of a rank Temporary advantages 12. Bad piece position 13. Inharmoniously placed pieces 14. Advantage in development 15. Concentration of pieces in the centre (centralization) 16. Space advantage |
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Now, where to attack may be obvious, but just in case not: you attack where you are strongest or where your opponent is weakest.
Here's a quick example:
- White's Queen's Rook on c1 is more active than Black's Queen's Rook on a8.
- White's Queen on a6 is more active than Black's Queen on e7
- Black has a weak pawn on c6 -- in fact, Black has a few
weak light squares around on the Queen's-side.
- Black's Knight on e4 is more active than White's Knight on e4
- (306)
Marshall - Kline [D63]
Marshall
Kline
weak pawns: creating holes
1913
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. e3
w - - 0 13
If we compare pieces and pawns, the inequalities are:
White's plus points | Black's
plus
points |
|
|
This all suggests that White can, should and even must attack on the Queen's-side.
“No combination
without a considerable plus, no considerable plus without a combination
[...]”
“In the beginning
of the game ignore the search for combinations, abstain from violent
moves, aim for small advantages, accumulate them, and only after having
attained these ends search for the combination - and then with all the
power and will of intellect, because the combination must exist,
however deeply hidden.”