Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Powerful Pin
The Maroczy formation against the Sicilian Defense features the two characteristic White pawns c4 and d4 against Black’s d6. White’s idea is to restrain Black’s typical central advance d5 while enjoying space advantage.
Because using time to move the pawns for securing the center, White has lost the chance for initiative. That has given Black chances for developing disturbing actions in other sections of the board. In general, master practice over the years has tended to rate Black’s activity as sufficient compensation. And the dominant opinion is that the Maroczy bind had become a convenient way for Black to equalize.
However, in 1975, Efim Geller came up with an important innovation. In his game against Michael Stean, played in the Alexander Memorial in Teeside, England, 1975, Geller offered a pawn sacrifice that gave him unsuspected attacking possibilities. The main element in Geller’s combination became a lethal pin on the c4 square. That square is coincidentally where White sacrificed his pawn.
Geller’s combination is brilliant. But is also worth mentioning that Stean didn’t find the right moves. In case Stean had found the best defense, Geller would not have had such clear chances of victory.
In previous posts, you can check other examples of pin.
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