Colour complex: weak squares of one colour

In short

Imagine your opponent has exchanged their light-squared bishop. Their pawns stand on dark squares. Then hardly anything controls the light squares any more, and your pieces find safe places there. All the squares of one colour together are called a colour complex.

In the supplement to “My System”, Nimzowitsch names three revolutionary theses. The third concerns weak squares of one colour; going after such a weakened complex is often worthwhile, he says. He calls it a complex of squares of a particular colour; the German word Farbkomplex (colour complex) is missing from his texts in the archive. With the three theses, he writes, the building blocks of the school later called hypermodern were complete.

Nimzowitsch claims that he saw the importance of this kind of play early on. As an example he names his opening against Tarrasch from 1912: after an exchange of bishops he played against the weak light squares. In an essay for Lasker’s sixtieth birthday, he does call the teaching new. But Lasker, he says, had already played wonderful games of this kind decades earlier.

In “Chess Praxis”, Nimzowitsch devotes a section of its own to the topic. According to him, it is typical of the modern master game that the weaknesses of one side all have the same colour. Centralisation and restraint also often take place on squares of one colour. The two weaknesses you manoeuvre against almost always have the same colour.

Start with the game Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch, Kolding 1923. There Black sacrifices a pawn so that White’s light-squared bishop gets exchanged. After that these squares are weak. Lesson 15 shows how an exchange removes an important defender, lesson 29 manoeuvring against a weakness.

Summarised by the editors in their own words. This is not a quotation.

Where the weakness comes from

Often it starts with an exchange. If the bishop that controls the squares of one colour disappears, the most important guard is missing there. That is how it was in Nimzowitsch’s opening against Tarrasch and in the game against Brinckmann.

A torn-apart pawn position also tends to lead to this. With the isolated queen’s pawn, Nimzowitsch shows how in the endgame squares of one colour around the pawn also become weak.

How you defend yourself

Nimzowitsch names three ways for the defender. First, they can look for counterplay on the other colour. But according to him, that suits a pure attacking player better. Such positions are hard to clear up, because hardly any pieces get exchanged.

Second, they can try to win back the lost squares; Nimzowitsch calls that a healthy strategy. Third, they can take precautions early so that the opponent never becomes too strong on these squares in the first place. Nimzowitsch prefers this third way.

Today’s view

Today people usually speak of weak light or dark squares, or simply of a weak colour complex. The idea is still part of the basic knowledge of positional play. But only the concrete position shows whether such a weakness is decisive.

Where to find it in Nimzowitsch

• My System: Nachtrag, 2. Die revolutionären Thesen original text not yet published

  The three revolutionary theses; the third concerns the weakness of a complex of squares of a particular colour.

• My System: Nachtrag, 1. Die allgemeine Lage der Dinge vor 1911 original text not yet published

  A look back at the time before 1911; Nimzowitsch names his opening against Tarrasch from 1912 as play against weak light squares.

• Chess Praxis: 6.7 Der schwache Felderkomplex von bestimmter Farbe original text not yet published

  The weak complex of squares of a particular colour in the modern master game and three ways of defending.

• Chess Praxis: Partie 46 (original text)

  Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch: a pawn sacrifice so that White’s bishop is exchanged and the light squares become weak.

• My System: II. Teil, 3a Der isolierte Damenbauer original text not yet published

  The isolated queen’s pawn; in the endgame the light squares around it can also become weak.

• Essays: Laskers allumfassender Spielstil original text not yet published

  Essay for Lasker’s sixtieth birthday; according to it, Lasker played games against weak squares of one colour early on.

In the course

• Exchange for a reason
• Attacking a weakness from two sides
• Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch, Kolding 1923