Focusing solely on material advantage in a chess game is a common mistake. This can happen to anyone, at any level, even in the Olympiad. However, there are other crucial factors to consider in a game besides material advantage: the king’s safety, control of space, and the number and quality of active threats. These are essential lessons for every player. In real life, we might say that money alone does not bring happiness.
In the following position, White is to move. This position occurred in the Gorshtein vs. Kanyamarala game (Israel vs. Ireland, Round 2, Board 2). Gorshtein, a grandmaster with an Elo rating of 2543, has a clear advantage: White’s rook is stronger than Black’s bishop, and White also has an extra pawn. Both kings are somewhat exposed, but White’s king is more vulnerable to attacks. Although there is no checkmate or perpetual check threat, White might assume there’s no immediate danger and consider capturing another pawn (29. Rxc5). However, let’s reconsider the position from a different perspective: how much space does Black control, and in what way?
Pawns marked with red are effectively blocking the White King to connect with the Queen of with the Rook. Also they block the way to escape. That is, the White King is exposed to two pieces: the Black’s Bishop and Queen without any backup or help. That must be a warning sign since these two pieces together can give a checkmate. The Black Queen is an ideal position: controls the centre. The Bishop only purpose is to threaten the White King. All of the pawns are on dark squares, so the light square bishop cannot help them at all. Black’s king position is interesting, but well defended. One can build there even a fortress if the game comes to that.
So, what is the right move here instead of capturing the pawn? The answer is simple. Close down the king, connect with the Queen, and re-take the centre at the same time.