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The Art of Interference

ChessAnalysisPuzzleTacticsStrategy
When Disruption Creates Brilliance

If you enjoyed my article on the elegant crosspin, I hope you'll like this one too. Today, I'm exploring another artistic chess motif that shares a touch of elegance with the crosspin: a special form of interference tactics that brings chaos to line of sight of opponent pieces via the concept of intersections.

In real life, picture two pedestrians—one running north and the other east—are about to cross paths at a narrow intersection. Both are in a hurry, one must catch a bus and the other a train. Someone tosses a coin into the middle of the intersection where their paths would meet. Any one who picks up that coin would block the other persons path, causing them to miss their transportation. In chess this is best represented in the following example:

Introduction to the theme: White to play and win

https://lichess.org/study/14e6Ec24/J2cRxquz#0

Black is a rook up but White has 2 pawns close to promotion. However it seems Black has both promoting squares under control and will pick up the pawns when its his move. Nd4!! here interferes with both the Rook and Bishop's line of sight. Black is free to take the knight however he wishes, but either capture will disrupt his coordination and allow White to promote one of his pawns. A very pleasing type of move to make, this is a tactical theme known as the Novotny named after the chess composer of the same name- and the Novotny theme even has its own Wikipedia page!

What is the Novotny interference?

The Novotny theme involves interfering with two of your opponent’s pieces, both with critical jobs to do such as guarding key squares. These pieces’ paths intersect at a particular square. By placing a piece on this square, you disrupt both pieces temporarily. While your interfering piece can be captured (in different ways), the act of capturing lands one of opponent’s piece on the intersection, further blocking the other’s line of sight. There are some similarities to the cross pin motif, as we are also looking to take advantage of a square from multiple angles. However since the Novotny interference is all about disrupting your opponents defensive resources, in my opinion they are much harder to spot than crossing pins, which focus your own threats.
This theme is often explored in higher level puzzles and studies due to its creative and aesthetic value. It is rarely seen in games, however I've gathered some examples here to enjoy:

Example 1: White to play and win

https://lichess.org/study/14e6Ec24/TMOnRMAQ#0

Blacks bishop was defending checkmating threat on g7 and his rook was defending f8, but their line of sights intersect on f6, so that is exactly where the interference takes place! Nf6 also introduces new checkmate threats on h7 and g8 - there are too many threats to defend against whether he takes on f6 or not.


Example 2: White to move and win

https://lichess.org/study/14e6Ec24/R5eOFL2W#0

Blacks Bishop was defending against backrank mates (with the Queen) on f8, while Rd7 was protecting its colleague on Rd3. Their intersection was on d6 so that is exactly where we chuck our piece. Even though this time Bd6 can be captured in 3 ways, the blacks coordination is destroyed.


Example 3. White to move and win

https://lichess.org/study/14e6Ec24/IPxsYzPL#0

Similar to Example 2, but from a different angle. Blacks Bishop was defending against checkmate on g7 and Rf5 was defending Rf8, their line of sights intersect on f6. Black cannot defend against both checkmates even though he can take on f6 in 3 ways.

And finally, probably the most famous appearance of the Novotny in a real game, occurring from Tarrasch vs Allies, Naples 1914:


Example 4. White to move and win

https://lichess.org/study/14e6Ec24/Gqt99end#0

Qd7 was protecting against Qb7, while Rc8 was defending against Rxc5. Bc7 disrupts Black defence totally, while threatening both c5 and b7 checks. Black cannot maintain the defence of both squares anymore, as the heavy pieces get into each others way no matter how the bishop is captured. White will either follow up with check on b7 and check on c5 or reverse the order depending on how black takes on c7. Very beautiful move.

Interference - Building chess creativity

Interference in real life often carries a negative connotation. On the chessboard it often leads to moments of tactical brilliance. As we saw in the examples above, pulling off a Novotny theme can spell the end of the game for your opponent. Therefore do be on the lookout for squares where the paths of multiple opponent pieces intersect, whether its crosspins or interference. Even though these patterns don’t occur often, understanding them is important for building your chess creativity.

If you enjoyed this article and want to explore similar topics, check out my blog at chessinprogress.com where I explore more of the these types of advanced tactics and strategies. My ultimate goal is to write 100 of these bite-sized articles and turn them my very own collection of chess lessons.