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By Chad Lieberman

Readers of this column should know that trading is determined by position characteristics, material in- equalities, and king placement. Perhaps the most important time to remove pieces from the board is in the opening when you've fallen behind in development.

When your opponent has an attacking initiative, it makes sense to trade pieces to reduce the depth of his arsenal. In the opening of a game, it is the potential for attack that is the most frightening.

Trading minor pieces can stunt a lead in development. Because of the way the major pieces move, it generally requires more time to bring them to attacking positions. If you find yourself behind in development in the opening of a game, trade the minors and get your king to safety.

In this week's featured game, Kremer misses his chance to stifle Zimmerman's development with 10...Nxc3. The move 10...f5 allows white to take full control of the game and even helps his attacking potential. This was certainly the turning point of the game.

White to mate in two moves.
Link to solution at the bottom.