The Princess Bride Theory of Planning

We're storming the castle!

Quick announcement: At the US Amateur East tournament next weekend, I’ll be hosting a Perpetual Chess/Zwischenzug hangout with Ben Johnson at the Hilton hotel bar after the last round on Sunday. If you’re at the tournament come by and say hi!

There’s a scene in the movie The Princess Bride where they are getting ready to storm the castle. Aficionados will remember it well, but for everyone else, let me explain. No, there is too much, let me sum up.

Westley has just been revived from near-death by Miracle Max. His true love Buttercup is set to marry the dastardly Prince Humperdink in less than half an hour. Along with his comrades the giant Fezzik and the swordsman Inigo Montoya he has to “get in, break up the wedding, steal the Princess, and make [an] escape.”

As chess players trying to formulate a plan, we find ourselves in a similar (if slightly less romantic) situation. Just as Westley needs to engineer a situation where his wits, Fezzik’s brawn, and Inigo’s steel can defeat 60 armed guards, we need to direct the game onto a path where our advantages are paramount and our disadvantages unimportant.

Here is a position my student recently faced in one of his games. Put on your Dread Pirate Roberts mask and make a plan!

What are our liabilities?

Our doubled, isolated e-pawns are a serious long-term weakness. Additionally, Black’s queen is invading our position and seems poised to pick up the pawn on g2.

And our assets?

We have a lead in development: our forces are fully mobilized, except for the rook on h1, whereas Black’s bishop on c8 will require at least one more pawn move to come out. The doubled e-pawns, while potentially weak, also give us more central control.

If I had a month to plan, maybe I could come up with something

In the game, White played 12. Qe2 in order to save the g2-pawn, but in the endgame that resulted after trading queens, the e-pawns were a major liability and he eventually lost.

Why didn’t you list that among our assets in the first place?

The key to finding the right plan in this position is to understand that Black’s queen on f2 is not a dangerous attacker, but a target. Without the support of any of Black’s other pieces, the worst the queen can do is take some of our pawns, but that is something we should welcome.

The weak e-pawns mean our chances are already poor in an endgame, but in the short term, our better development gives us good chances for a successful attack. If we can shed additional pawns to open more lines and gain time, that’s a great deal. The best move is to bring a rook to the f-file with tempo, not worrying about the pawns.

12. Rdf1!

Using the d-rook is counterintuitive. Normally, rooks are best on open files, so you’d keep the rook on the d-file and use the rook on h1. In this case though our plan is to attack Black’s king and the rook on d1 isn’t contributing to that plan. The rook on h1, however, can be useful on the kingside, especially if Black opens the g-file by taking on g2. Nonetheless, 12. Rhf1 is also quite a decent move.

12… Qxg2?

Taking the g2 pawn only hastens Black’s demise, but this is probably what you were afraid of if you didn’t play a rook to the f-file, so let’s see what happens. Given that Black has already gotten their queen to f2, it seems likely this is what they’re intending.

12... Qh4 would be more prudent, but after 13. Rf4 Qg5 14. Rhf1, White’s fully mobilized army and pressure on f7 still add up to a winning attack.

13. Rhg1

Of course we welcome the chance to get our other rook into the game, pointed at Black’s king.

13… Qxh2

Black carries on with the strategy of grabbing every pawn available. This is suicidal, but the position was already beyond saving. With every White piece participating in the attack and Black’s defenders sleeping in their beds, there are now many ways to win.

14. Qd4

This is the simplest: White threatens mate in one and Black has no good response.

14… g6

Creating more weaknesses by advancing pawns in front of the king is the last thing Black wants to do, but there wasn’t an alternative. 14… Ng6 would simply be captured, as the f-pawn is pinned.

15. Nd5

The knight enters the fray. Other moves such as 15. Qf6 or 15. Rh1 were good as well.

15… Nxd5 16. Rxg6+!

White is now playing for style points. Of course, other moves also won.

16… fxg6 17. Qxd5+ Kg7 18. Rf7+ Rxf7 19. Qxf7+ Kh8 20. Qg8#

A fitting end: Black’s queenside pieces never moved.

You just wiggled your finger! That doesn’t make you happy?

If you found White’s best plan, well done! But even if not, just remember to make the most out of your assets and minimize your liabilities.

I hope we win.