foto · Krzysztof Szeląg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Portrait · GM
Nikola
Sedlak
Olympiad gold in Tromsø and two wins showing how far an active king and a passed pawn can go.
Years
1983
Title
GM
City
Subotica
FIDE ID
922900
Rating peak
2609 (May 2018)
Games in the archive
1
Nikola Sedlak was born in Subotica in 1983 and became a grandmaster in 2003. A long-serving international, Serbian champion and chess author, he is introduced here through two games from a particularly successful event: the 2014 Tromsø Olympiad.
Sedlak won the European Union Open Championship in 2007 and the Serbian Championship in 2010. In the games below, watch how he uses space, active pieces and pawn weaknesses. These chess fundamentals become especially interesting when a skilled player brings them together in a clear plan.
On Serbia's fourth board in Tromsø in 2014, he scored five wins and three draws to earn individual gold. One important point came with Black against English grandmaster David Howell. Here the d-pawn takes the leading role, with strong support from the pieces.
David Howell - Nikola Sedlak · 41st Olympiad, Tromso (round 8), 2014.08.10
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Howell–Sedlak, Olympiad 2014: 15...d5 gains central space. The d-pawn later reaches d2 as Black's rooks take over the attack.
Against Martin Petr at the same event, Sedlak plays the French Defence. The transition to the endgame is particularly interesting: with 27...Rxd3, he gives a rook for a knight, then uses his knight to capture White's remaining rook. Bishops and pawns remain, and the kings gain much more freedom.
Martin Petr - Nikola Sedlak · 41st Olympiad, Tromso (round 4), 2014.08.05
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Petr–Sedlak, Olympiad 2014: in an opposite-coloured bishop endgame, Black's king travels through d6, e7 and f6 to g5.
Opposite-coloured bishops move on different colours of square, so they cannot exchange each other directly. Such endgames often offer good defensive chances, but king activity still matters. After 35...Kg5, Black attacks the h-pawn and restricts White's bishop. A fine reason to look closely at an endgame, even with very few pieces left.