Combination - Chess Tactics & Combinations
Combination
Definition
In chess, a combination is a deliberately calculated, typically forcing sequence of moves—often featuring one or more sacrifices— that yields a concrete, favorable result for the player who initiates it. The result may be checkmate, the win of decisive material, a perpetual check, or some other clearly measurable gain that cannot be prevented by the opponent once the combination has begun.
Key Characteristics
- Forcing Nature: The opponent’s replies are severely limited—usually by checks, captures, or threats of mate.
- Concrete Objective: Unlike long-term strategic maneuvers, a combination pursues an immediate goal that can be evaluated at the end of the sequence.
- Sacrificial Motif: Material is frequently (though not always) offered to strip away defenses or gain time.
- Calculated, Not Intuitive Alone: Even the most brilliant combination rests on clear, often rigorous calculation.
How It Is Used in Play
Players launch combinations when the position contains tactical motifs such as pins, forks, discovered attacks, removal of the defender, or back-rank weaknesses. Recognizing the presence of multiple motifs that harmoniously interact is the heart of spotting a viable combination.
- Identify Tactical Elements. Example: a pinned knight guarding mate.
- Search for Candidate Moves. Checks, captures, and threats come first.
- Calculate Forcing Lines. Pursue each line until the position is “quiet.”
- Evaluate the Final Position. If you emerge with a clear advantage, the sequence is a valid combination.
Combinations frequently decide games at every level, from scholastic events to World Championship matches.
Strategic & Historical Significance
The golden age of romantic chess (mid-19th century) glorified spectacular combinations, epitomized by the Evans and King’s Gambits. As defensive technique improved, combinations became more deeply rooted in positional foundations: only when strategic conditions warrant—e.g., superior development, better piece activity, or a weakened king—does a modern master risk a sacrifice.
Combinational vision is so valued that the Soviet school of chess placed
relentless emphasis on tactical training. First calculate, then trust your
intuition,
advised Mikhail Botvinnik.
Famous Examples
-
Anderssen – Kieseritzky, “The Immortal Game,” London 1851
A cascade of sacrifices (23. Bxf7+!!, 24. Qe6+!!, 25. Qd7+!!, and finally 26. 0-0-0+!!) ends with mate despite Anderssen giving up both rooks, a bishop, and the queen. -
Lasker – Bauer, Amsterdam 1889
The celebrated “windmill” combination: 26. Bxh7+!! Kxh7 27. Qh5+ Kg8 28. Qf7+ Kh8 29. Rf3! and Black’s king is dragged back and forth while material falls off. -
Kasparov – Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999
An epic 24-move attacking combination beginning with 24. Rxd4!! that culminated in 35. Qe7+ forcing mate or ruinous loss of material—widely hailed as one of the greatest modern combinational masterpieces. -
“Queen Sacrifice vs. Deep Blue,” New York 1996
Garry Kasparov’s 16… Qe3!! in Game 1 was a computer-defying queen sacrifice that led to an unstoppable mating net—a reminder that combinations can arise even against silicon opposition.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- The term “combination” was popularized by the great French player André Danican Philidor, though the concept pre-dates him.
- Magnus Carlsen’s longest forced combination (so far) in classical play spans 14 consecutive forcing moves in his win over Aronian, Wijk aan Zee 2012.
Chess, after all, is a combination of tactics and strategy; the tactician must know what to do when there is something to do, the strategist what to do when there is nothing to do.
— Gerald Abrahams- Because computers excel at long, forcing lines, modern engines are extraordinary at uncovering missed historical combinations, sometimes overturning decades-old analyses.
Related Terms
See also: Tactic, Sacrifice, Forced line, Calculation.