The Long Diagonal

Control of the long diagonal offers many advantages and displays the bishop at its best!

Nesis    --    Shishlov
   corr
1978     1-0


BQ :: :: BR :: BK ::
BP :: :: BP :: BP
:: WQ :: BP ::
:: WP :: :: ::
:: :: :: ::
WB :: :: ::
BB :: :: WP WP WP
WR :: :: WK


1.Bb2!! Qe4
( 1...Re6 2.Qd4 f6 3.Bc3 Bb3 4.Rxa7 )
2.h3 Bd5 3.f3 Qe3+ 4.Kh2 Qg5 5.Re1! Be6 6.Qd4 f6
( 6...Kf8 7.Qh8+ Ke7 8.Ba3+ Kd7 9.Rd1+ Bd5 10.Qd4 )
7.f4!
( 7.Qxa7 +- )
7...Qh4
( 7...Qf5 8.g4 Qc2+ 9.Kg3 Qb3+ 10.Kh4! )
8.Re4!
threatening a discovered attack on the Q
8...Qh6
( 8...Bf7 9.Rxe8+ Bxe8 10.Qd5+ )
9.Qxf6 Bd7 10.Rxe8+ Bxe8 11.Qe6+ Bf7 12.Qe5
black resigned here, but let's continue to see how things could be finished up
12...Bc4 13.Qe4 Bxb5 14.Qe6+ Kf8 15.Ba3+ Kg7 16.Qd6 Kf7 17.f5 1-0

Ermenkov    --    Tringov
   Bulgaria
1974     1-0


:: :: BB BR BN BK
BP BP BP :: ::
:: BP :: BP
:: :: WP :: BP WP
:: WP :: WB WP
:: BQ :: WB ::
WP :: :: WQ ::
:: :: WR :: WK


1.Bc1 Qxc4
( 1...Kh7 2.Bb2 )
2.Bb2+!! Kh7 3.Rxe8 Rxe8 4.g6+ Kxg6 5.Qg3+ Kf7 6.Qg7# 1-0

Yandeminov    --    Se Ivanov
   Minsk
1995     0-1


:: BR :: ::
:: BB :: :: BP :: BP
BP :: :: BP BK ::
:: BP :: :: BQ ::
:: :: WP ::
:: WB :: :: WP
WP WP WP :: WQ :: WK
:: :: :: WR


1...Rd2!
black already owns the long diagonal
2.Qxd2
( 2.Rg2 Rxe2 3.Rxe2 Qh5+ 4.Kg1 Qxe2 )
( 2.g4 Qxf4+ 3.Kh3 Rxe2 )
2...Qh5# 0-1

Dreev    --    Sveshnikov
   Russia
1992     0-1


:: BR BK BB BR ::
:: BB :: BN :: BP :: BP
BQ :: BP BP ::
BP WB :: :: :: WQ
WP BP WN :: ::
:: :: WP WP
WP :: WP WP
WR WB WR :: WK


1...Rg5!
this is a beautiful example especially considering that my computer has white ahead by nearly 3 points
2.Qxh7 Rd5! 3.b3
( 3.Bd2 Bc5 4.Nb3 Ke7 5.Rac1 Ne5 6.Be2 Rxd2 7.Rxd2 Qc6 8.e4 Rxd2 9.Rxc5 Rxe2 10.Rxc6 Bxc6 11.Kf1 Rxb2 12.Nxa5 Bxa4 -/+ )
3...Bc5 4.Bb2 Ke7 5.Be2
( 5.Bc4!! the best move for white, it would seem 5...Bxd4 6.Bxd4 Qc6 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.e4 the long diagonal appears lost, but can be regained as the subsequent variations show 8...Qxb3 9.Be3 ( 9.Rd2 e5 10.Ba7 Qc3 11.Rad1 Nf8 12.Qh6 Rxd2 13.Rxd2 Bxe4 14.f3 Bxf3 -/+ ) 9...Qc2 10.Qh5 ( 10.Qh4 Ne5 11.Qh5 Rxd1+ 12.Rxd1 Bxe4 =+ ) 10...Qxe4 11.Bc5+ Nxc5 12.Qxc5+ Ke8 13.Rxd8+ Kxd8 14.Qxa5+ Ke8 15.Qb5+ Kf8 16.Kf1 Qh1+ 17.Ke2 Qf3+ draw, but notice the significance of the long diagonal )
5...Ne5! 6.Qh4
( 6.Rac1 Ba8 move recommended in polgar's book, but now my computer has white ahead by 3.5 points! 7.Qg7 Qb7 8.f3 Rxd4! 9.Bxd4 Bxd4 10.Rxd4 Rxd4 11.exd4 Nxf3+ 12.Kf2 Nxd4 -+ )
6...Rxd4!
and it all evaporates on the long diagonal
7.Bxd4 Bxd4 8.exd4 Qc6! 9.d5
( 9.f3 Nxf3+ 10.Bxf3 Qxf3 -+ )
9...Rxd5 10.f3 Rxd1+ 11.Rxd1 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Qxf3 13.Rd2 Qh1+ 14.Kf2 Qg2+ 15.Ke1 Qg1+ 16.Ke2 Ba6+ 17.Rd3
( 17.Kf3 Qh1+ 18.Kf4 e5+ 19.Ke3 Qe1+ )
17...Bxd3+ 18.Kxd3 Qd1+ 19.Ke3
( 19.Kc4 Qd5# )
19...Qxb3+ 0-1