How Good Is the Stonewall Formtion?

 

    Today's post features a game between Alexey Suetin and Algimantas Butnorius that was played in Riga in the 1968 USSR Team Championship. 

     What caught my attention was that Suetin, playing white, established a Stonewall formation which according to general opinion is supposed to give white chances for a successful attack. Indeed, Suetin launched what appeared to be an overwhelming attack, but it failed against his opponent's dauntless resistance when Butnorius found a surprising positional defensive maneuver. Suetin won, but only due to time-pressure errors by his opponent. 

     The question is, did Suetin fail to find the best way of conducting his attack or is the general opinion concerning the efficacy of the Sonewall formation correct? Does it really offer white good attacking prospects? 

     Soviet GM Alexey Suetin (November 16, 1926 – September 10, 2001), a mechanical engineer by profession, was a chess author and a tough and fiercely competitive player whose philosophy was "mastery is not enough; you must dare, take risks."

     His first major success came in 1955 as a member of the Soviet team at the World Student Team Championship held in Lyon where he scored 80 percent and took the individual board gold medal on board 4. 

     Active in the 1960s and 1970s, he achieved many fine results, including sharing or winning outright first place ten international tournaments. He also finished third in three others. 

     Suetin participated in seven USSR Championships from 1958 to 1966, his best finishes being 4th–6th in 1963 and 4th-6th in 1965. When Suetin and his family (one son) lived in Belarus he frequently competed in the national championship and won it six times: 1953 (tied with Vladimir Saigin), 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961. 

     Until 1971, he was a second and trainer for Tigran Petrosian for many of his matches, including his world championship win in 1963. For many years Suetin was Moscow's senior coach, overseeing the development of promising new talents, including Vassily Ivanchuk and Andrei Sokolov. 

     His playing career stretched into the 1990s and beyond. He won the Hastings Challengers event of 1990/91. A chain-smoker, he found it difficult to adjust to the 1990 FIDE directive that banned smoking in tournament halls. He won the World Senior Championship in 1996. 

     From 1965 he was the correspondent for Pravda and his voice was often heard on Moscow radio and TV during the 1970s and 1980s. Suetin was married to WGM Kira Zvorykina. At the beginning of the 1960s Suetin divorced and married for the second time. He died aged 74 of a heart attack shortly after returning home from the Russian Senior Championship. 

     Suetin's opponent was Algimantas Butnorius, a Lithuanian player born on February 20 , 1946; he died at the age of 71 on October 30, 2017. Between 1967 and 1993 he won the Lithuanian championship ten times and the senior world championship in 2007, for which he was awarded the GM title. He also held the IM title in correspondence chess.

Alexey Suetin - Algimantas Butnorius

Result: 1-0

Site: Soviet Team Championship, Riga

Date: 1968.12.18

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.♘f3 e6 3.♗g5 The opening begins as a Torre Attack, a system a flexible system in which white pursues quick, harmonious development and bolsters his d4-Pawn by c2-c3. The opening can transpose to a number of QP openings such as the Queen's Gambit or one of the various Indian defenses. It is important for white to know that his correct strategy will be based on the type of setup black chooses. 3...c5 4.e3 ♗e7 5.♘bd2 d5 6.c3 ♘c6 7.♗d3 O-O 8.O-O b6 9.♘e5 ♗b7

9...♘xe5 is frequently seen. 10.dxe5 ♘d7 11.♗xe7 ♕xe7 12.f4 with promising possibilities for white.

10.f4 Reaching the Stonewall setup. Here white has the added advantage that his dark squared B is not behind the P-chain. How good are white's attacking prospects? 10...h6 Black usually continues with 10...Ne4. With this move black violates general principles by weakening his K-side, but he has in mind a surprising and sound positional plan of defense. 11.♗xf6 As is turns out white will later feel the absence of this B, but he can hardly keep it with 11.Bh4 because of the reply 11...Ne4. 11...♗xf6 12.♕h5 White threatens a strong attack by 13.Rf3 and either g2-g4-g5 or by playing his R fo g3. At least that's the general opinion. 12...♘xe5 A seemingly anti-positional move that appears to strengthen white's attack. 13.fxe5

13.dxe5 isn't so good because after 13...♗e7 14.♖f3 Or 14.g4, black counters in the center. 14...d4 15.♖g3 ♔h8 16.exd4 cxd4 equals.

13.dxe5 ♗e7 14.g4 d4 15.exd4 cxd4 16.c4 ♔h8 17.g5 ♕e8 and black's defense holds.

13...♗g5 14.♖f3 To quote Dr. Petar Trifunovich, "This move attracts the hand, but 14.Rae1 threatens more. However, the engines found a hidden resource for black that would retain the advantage under Dr, Trifunovic's plan.

14.♖ae1 ♖c8 15.♘f3 ♗e7 16.h4 to be followed by g2-g4. 16...♗c6 This purpose of this fine move is to reposition the B on e8 where it can pose a threat to white's Q. For example: 17.g4 Trifunovic's plan continues. 17...♗e8 18.g5 f5 19.g6 b5 White's attack is at a standstill and black can begin Q-side operations.

14...cxd4 Whereas previously white wanted to capture with the e-Pawn here he can't because the N is undefended. Black's idea is that now he is assured of play on the c-file. 15.cxd4 g6 Brilliant! Black's main idea is that by commanding the black squares, he can drive back the white Q regardless of the weaknesses on his black squares. Remember, it's only a weakness if your opponent can attack it. Here white lacks space to generate an attack. Instead of having the anticipated easy attack white is beginning to meet difficulties. 16.♕g4

16.♗xg6 This gives white no more than a draw, but Suetin wants more. 16...fxg6 17.♕xg6 ♔h8 18.h4 ♖xf3 19.hxg5 Else black has the advantage. 19...♖f8 20.♕xh6 ♔g8 21.♕xe6 ♔g7 with a draw.

16...h5 17.♕g3 a5 Black urgently needs to git rid of white's light squared B. 18.♖af1 ♗h4 19.♕h3 ♗a6 20.♗xa6 ♖xa6 21.♖f6 Suetin finds himself in a peculiar situation. He appears to be attacking, but it's hard to say how he can continue. That's because in reality there is no attack! Komodo recognizes this fact and puts black's advantage at 1.5 Ps. Stockfish is a wee bit more optimistic about white's chances and thinks black's advantage is closer to just one P. Black threatens to take over play on the c-file so Suetin decides to concede the Exchange hoping to be able to attack black's K on the black squares. Practically that's probably his best chance, but he sbould have no more than a draw. 21...♗xf6 22.exf6

22.♖xf6 is worse. 22...♕c7 23.g4 hxg4 24.♕xg4 ♔g7 25.♘f3 ♕c1 26.♔g2 ♕xb2 27.♔g3 ♖a7 28.♘g5 ♕b1 Threatening ...Qg1+ 29.♕h4 ♕g1 30.♔f3 ♕d1 31.♔g3 ♕h5 and black is winning.

22...♔h7 23.♕h4 ♕d6 24.♘f3 ♖a7 25.♔h1 It's hard to explain this time wasting move after which he will begin to feel black's counterplay.

25.♘g5 is correct. 25...♔h6 26.g4 ♖c7 From here all roads seem to lead to a draw with best play. White has no means of successfully continuing his attack on clack's K and must therefore turn his attention to dealing with black's attempt at creatingf counterplay.

25...♖h8 26.♘e5 ♖c7 27.♕g5 ♖hc8 Another move that, to quote Trifunovic, attracts the hand, but it forfeits black's advantage.

27...♕b4 A great defensive move! White is now forced to try and continue attacking. 28.g4 hxg4 29.♘xg6 (29.♘xg4 ♕f8 The point of . ..Qb4. Black is winning.) 29...fxg6 30.f7 ♕f8 31.♖f6 ♕h6 Again we have seen the point of black's clever 27...Qb4! Here, too, black is winning.

28.♘d3 After this black has a winning advantage.

28.g4 This attacking move appears to be obvious. 28...hxg4 29.♘xg4 ♔g8

29...♕f8 This worked in previous variations, but loses here. 30.♕h4 ♔g8 31.♘h6 ♔h7 32.♘xf7 ♔g8 33.♘g5 followed by f7+ winning.

30.♕h6 ♕f8 Now this is OK. The game can be considered drawn.

28...♕f8 29.h4 ♖c2 30.♖f3 ♖d2 31.♘f4 ♕h6 32.♕e5 ♖dc2 Black has been in severe time pressure, but has been playing very well. He could have aloso taken the b-Pawn. 33.a4 ♖2c6 Black is beginning to falter in time pressure, but he is now just trying to reach the time control without damaging his position.

33...♖xb2 Results in a won ending, but it can get tricky! 34.♖g3 b5 35.♘xg6 fxg6 36.♕xe6 ♖f8 37.axb5 a4 38.♖g5 ♖f2 39.♖xd5 ♖2xf6 40.♖d7 ♔h8 and black wins.

33...b5 This is the best (and simplest). 34.axb5 ♖xb2 35.♕d6 ♕f8 36.♕d7 a4 and black wins.

34.♖g3 ♖c1 35.♔h2 ♖1c6 All is not lost, but black's last four moves have been made in even worse time-pressure and have dissipated his advantage and worse yet have given white the chance for a decisive attack. 36.e4 dxe4 37.♕xe4 ♔h8 This time pressure move looks safe, but it's a blunder that loses outright.

37...e5 Hard to see in time pressure, but this move keeps black in the game. 38.♕xe5 ♕f8 39.d5 ♖e8 40.♕g5 ♖c7 41.♘e6 ♕d6 42.♕e3 with a likely draw.

42.♘xc7 ♕xc7 and even though he is a P down black is better here. 43.♕d2 ♕d6 44.♔h3 ♖e4 and white must lose a P or two. 45.♖f3 ♕d7 46.♔h2 ♖xh4

38.♘xg6 fxg6 39.♖xg6 ♕h7 40.f7 ♕g7 41.f8=♕ Black resigned. What bad luck he had!

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