PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 245

22…Rxdl+ 23.Kxdl g5 24.fxg5 hxg3 25.hxg3 we arrived at the following situation.

Diagram 247

a b c d e f g h

Is Black getting something?

My opponent was getting a bit excited, no doubt due to the fact that both my g-pawns were in bad shape. Losing them would lead to two black connected passed pawns marching down the board. Was it time for me to get hysterical? Not at all! Why? Because I knew that the following position (a true worst case
scenario) was dead drawn.

Diagram 248

a b c d e f g h

Dead draw!

That’s right. If White loses both g-pawns and his three queenside pawns for black’s two, the game is still a draw!
The extreme position in the last diagram didn’t occur though, and the actual game ended without any adventures:

25 …Kg7 26.a4 bxa4 27.Bxa6 Kg6 28.Bb5 Bxg3 29.Bxa4 Kxg5 30.Ke2 f5

31.KB Bd6 32.c3 e5 33.Bc2, 1h-1h.

Okay, after seeing me label diagram 248 a dead draw, many of you might be thinking, “Someone let Silman loose in the pharmaceuticals again!” So, just in case you doubt this humble writer, let me try and prove my point of view.

246 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

We’ll explore two different methods for Black.

Diagram 249

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Dead draw!

Method 1

Black tries to bring his King to d4 without pushing his pawns.

1. ..Kf5 2.Be8!

So that the f7-pawn won’t be defending the e6-pawn anymore.

2 …f6 3.Bd7!

Now the black King is stuck defending the e6-pawn. He has to give up his plan and try

3 …Ke5 4.Bc8 Kd6 5 .Ke4

But now Black will have to push his pawns if he wants to win, and that will be examined next. However, we’ve discovered an important idea (brought to light by the moves 2.Be8! and 3.Bd7!) when defending this kind of opposite colored Bishop endgame: The defender can tie his opponent’s King down by using his Bishop to attack the pawns.
We’ll see many examples of this rule in action.
Method2 ···

, “” t ,i iLL ,

Black shoves his pawns forward! (From diagram 249)

l…f5 2.Bb3!

RuLE

The defender must attack an enemy pawn with his Bishop in order to tie down the enemy King.

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 247

This fine move gives Black two choices: he can play …Kf6 and simply guard the pawn for the rest of the game (which means he’ll make no progress what­ soever), or he can push the pawn to e5, which is clearly what Black was aiming for anyway. However, once this pawn moves to e5, VVhite can then demonstrate his key defensive plan.

2…e5

Now Black threatens (after something hideous such as 3.Ba4??) 3...e4+ 4.Ke3
Bc5+ 5.Ke2 f4 when the pawns will soon make their way to the 6th rank: 6.Bc2 f3+ 7.Kel Kf4 8.Bbl e3 9.Bd3 Bb4+ lO.Kfl Ke5 (Black will march his King around to d2 so he can play …e3-e2+ without letting VVhite sacrifice his Bishop for both enemy pawns. VVhite can’t do anything to prevent this plan.) ll.Ba6
Kd4 12.Bb5 Kc3 13.Kel Kc2+ 14.Kfl Kd2, 0-1.

RULE

In this kind of endgame, two connected passed pawns on the sixth are winning. The defender must not allow the pawns to get that far!

3.Bc2!

Believe it or not, this simple move, which stops …e4+ due to Bxe4, ends the game. Black is no longer able to generate any kind of threat whatsoever.

3…Kf6 4.Bd3 Ke6 5.Bc2

Black would have chances if he could get his King to d4 (which would help the e-pawn safely advance to e4), but white’s attack on f5 freezes the enemy King in its tracks. Since white’s defensive plan now calls for nothing more than Bc2-bl-c2-bl, the game should be declared drawn.
Let’s now compare two positions that seem to be very similar, yet their result turns out to be vastly different!

Diagram 250

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e g h

Draw agreed

248 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

This position is literally over (White didn’t let the Black pawns get to the sixth, as mentioned earlier), and should be agreed drawn. White will simply play Bg2- hl-g2-hl and Black can’t make progress since …f4-f3+ is always met by Bxf3. Note how the Bishop ties the black King to the defense of its e-pawn.
However, our next position is won for Black.

Diagram 251

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White loses!

Ah, the lovely sound of chess players mumbling in confusion! Why is diagram
250 a dead draw while this one is dead lost? Understanding the difference will give you the true key to this whole endgame!
In the drawn version of this position (diagram 250), black’s King is forever
doomed to baby-sit the e4-pawn. That means he can’t get the King to g3 (which would allow a winning .. .f4-f3 push) because thee-pawn would hang. Of course, if Black tries …e4-e3, then White just moves his Bishop mindlessly (and end­ lessly!) along the h l-a8 diagonal, forming a perfect block to both enemy pawns.
In the losing version (diagram 251), the e4-pawn is not attacked by the white
Bishop. Now the black King is indeed free to roam, and after …Kd4-e3, the
… f4-f3 advance will seal the deal.

REMEMBER

The correct defensive stance calls for the defender’s Bishop to tie the enemy King down to the defense of its pawn.

Some of you might now be wondering what happens if Black leaves his pawns back a bit and instead strives to improve the position of his King (in an effort to avoid the drawn position we have just seen). If you glance back to Method 1 (it probably didn’t make much sense earlier!), you’ll finally understand what I was trying to do-the defender will answer this strategy by attacking the pawns with his Bishop and force their advance!

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 249

Let’s look at a simple example of this:

Diagram 252

8

7

6

‘)

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Black has one last shot

In this position, we’re familiar with 1…d4 2 .Bc2 when we have our basic dead drawn defensive posture. But suppose Black refuses to take the bait and instead tries to activate his King by 1 …Kd4. Here’s a quick white suicide that will serve as an example of what Black has in mind: 2.Bc2 Kc3 3.Bbl?? (3.Kdl!) 3…Kb2 when the Bishop, and the game, are lost!
Fortunately, after l…Kd4 White can easily draw if he remembers to always restrict the enemy King’s movements by forcing it to defend its pawns. Thus

2.Ba2! stops the King’s march in its tracks! After 2 …Bg5 (Hoping White will

move his Bishop off the d5-pawn.) 3.Bb3 (Nope. White can go Bb3-a2-b3 all day!) 3 …Kc5 4.Ba2 d4 5.Bbl! Kd5 6.Bc2 and we once again have our ideal drawing posture.

Fortresses in Bishop-up Endgames

The idea of a defensive fortress is an important one. In general, you’re not expected to memorize lots of fortress examples. Instead, seeing a few patterns and keeping the possibility in mind will serve you well.
Fortresses in Bishop-up endgames are fairly common due to the Bishop’s in­
ability to control a whole color complex. These usually occur when the stronger side’s rook-pawn or knight-pawn get down to the sixth and/or 7th rank, or if a rook-pawn of the wrong color is lurking on the board. Here are a few examples that don’t need much explanation.

RULE

There are no fortresses for bishop-pawn, queen-pawn or king-pawn!

250 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

a b c d e f g h

Draw

White reaches a dead end if Black shuffles his King between b8 and c8. Allow­
ing black’s King access to aS also doesn’t get the job done: l.Be6 Ka8 2.Kd6

Kb8, 1h- 1h.

Diagram 254

6

5

4

2

a b c d e f g h

Draw

White is up a Bishop and pawn, yet the game’s a draw since white’s King can’t approach without delivering stalemate. Note that sacrificing the b-pawn (in the hope of giving black’s King more wiggle room) leads to the previous diagram after l.Bd5 Kc7 2.h8=Q+ Kxb8.

Diagram 255

a b c d e f g h

Draw

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 251

The dreadful position of white’s Bishop allows Black to draw. His mindless plan of …Kg7-h8-g7, etc. is unbreakable. Oddly, if white’s Bishop where to turn into a pawn, then White would win by l.h8=Q+ Kxh8 2.Kf6. In other words, the Bishop on h7 is worse than a pawn!

Diagram 256

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

Draw

Black happily dances between g8 and h8 until White finally gives up and stalemates his opponent.

Diagram 257

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

Draw

We’ve seen that White has no chance of winning if black’s King gets to g8/ h8. That means that white’s Bishop must prevent this by staying on the a2-g8 diagonal. However, now Black skips between e8 and f8 and, again, White must eventually tip his hat to the draw.
As stated earlier, elf-, d-, and e-pawns prevent such blockades, as show by the following example:

252 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 258

8

7

6

‘5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White Wins

l.Bb6 Kf8 2.Kd7 Kg8 3.Ke7, 1-0. It doesn’t get too much easier than that!

QueenE (ATrickw· Rook-Pawn

Diagram 259

.games

;.Qp.een vs.

‘>’- “‘

eenvs.

/1′

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

White to move wins

Usually a rook-pawn will draw in a Queen vs. King and pawn on the 7th rank endgame. However, the position in the diagram is an exception, and the tech­ nique White makes use of is important. It shows how, in some endgames, you can allow one side to promote his pawn to a Queen and still win by weaving a back rank mating net.

l.Kg6

Not l.Kh6?? since that would stalemate the black King! By l.Kg6, White moves his King closer to the enemy pawn and simultaneously blocks the Queen’s control over the g-file, thus preventing an unpleasant stalemate.

1 …Kg2 2 .Kf5 +

In this kind of endgame, White wins if he can get his King into the box shown in diagram 260. The reason for this will be clear in a moment.

253

254 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 260

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Black’s lost

2 …Kf2

Black realizes that 2 … Khl 3.Kg4! just helps White get closer with his
King.
3.Qh2+ Kgl
Black loses immediately after 3 … Kg3 4.Qb7 when the pawn is permanently frozen.
4.Kg4!
White lets Black make a Queen!
4…hl=Q 5.Kg3 and Black must resign since he can’t stop Qf2 mate or a back rank mate unless he gives away his Queen.
As you can see, in the case of a rook-pawn vs. a Queen and close King (dia­ grams 259 and 260), the Queen can easily create this mate from any position along its 2nd rank (the moves after diagram 260 had White’s Queen settling on b2). Thus, if the white King gets in the box shown in diagram 260 (with White having the move or Black being in check), he always wins.
Note that this idea is sometimes possible against a bishop-pawn-whether it does or doesn’t work against the other pawns is of no consequence since the Queen easily beats a knight-pawn or center pawn no matter where the Kings might stand. In a situation where Black turns his bishop-pawn into a new Queen and has the move, the white King has to be on its third rank in front of the enemy King, and the white Queen must be on a2 or e2 in the case of a c-pawn/h2 or d2 in the case of an f-pawn. Diagrams 261 and 262 clearly illus­ trate both situations.
From diagram 261: l.Qh2! (the best possible square) l…Kel 2.Kf4 fl=Q+
3.Ke3 and black can’t stop mate since White’s Queen prevents all black checks

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 255

by covering e2, f2, g1, and h3 (White’s King defends against the other checks on its own).

Diagram 261

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move and win

White won (in diagram 261) because the Queen on h2 keeps the Black King out of the corner and doesn’t allow him any stalemate tricks.

Diagram 262

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

White to move, draw

The position in diagram 262 looks promising for White since his King is quite close: l.Qe2 Kb1?? 2.Kc4 cl=Q+ 3.Kb3 mates. Sadly, l.Qe2 Kal! is a huge improvement which forces a draw: 2.Qd2 (2.Qxc2 stalemate) 2…Kbl 3.Kb4 cl=Q and White can’t win.
In the case of a bishop-pawn, mate is only possible if White has the move im­ mediately after Black pomotes his pawn to a Queen, or if the Queen can safely reach one of the specified squares (i.e., c-pawn = a2 or e2, while the f-pawn = h2 or d2). As we’ve seen (in diagram 262), the Queen on e2 doesn’t always ice the win, but getting the Queen to h2 (as in diagram 261) grabs the brass ring and doesn’t let go.

Overview

Complex positions can’t be solved unless you are firmly trained in endgame basics!

King and Pawn endgames

In a King and pawn vs. King and pawn situation, when the defending side can give up his pawn but take the Opposition, the game is drawn unless the stronger side’s pawn is on the 5th rank.
_.,. It’s clear that, aside from simple race considerations (brought about by both pawns being passed), the real question surrounding King and pawn vs. King and pawn theory is whether or not a pawn can
be won. If a pawn does indeed drop, the assessment of the resulting
position (which has suddenly transposed into one of our already mastered King and pawn vs. lone King situations) is made by who owns the Opposition.

Rook Endgames

In a Rook and pawn endgame, a “Lucena” with a rook-pawn is only won if the defending King is cut off by four or more files. Another way of putting it is: It’s a win if the enemy King is cut off on or beyond the farthest bishop-file.
In general, both sides should strive to get their Rooks behind a passed pawn.
_.,. In the case of a passed rook-pawn on the 6th with the defending Rook behind it, the stronger sides King must try and wend its way down the board and find shelter in front of its pawn. When this
is going to happen, having the defending Rook behind the passed pawn doesn’t quite hold up, so a knowledge of the Vancura Position ts necessary.
_.,. The Vancura Position doesn’t suffice if it’s facing any pawn other than a rook-pawn.

256

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 257

In the case of a Rook and pawn vs. Rook endgame where the
defending King is trapped one or more files to the side of the pawn, the result depends on whether or not the stronger side can achieve a Lucena Position. This is determined by the following rules:
• A pawn on the 5th rank or beyond wins if the enemy King is cut off by one file on the Long Side of the board!
• A pawn on the 4th rank wins if the enemy King is cut off by two files. A knight-pawn is an exception and takes three files.

Bishops of Opposite Color Endgames

Bishop and two conected pawns vs. Bishop
• Two connected pawns on the 6th rank are winning.
• The correct defensive stance (only valid ifboth pawns don’t make it to the 6th) calls for the defender’s King to be in front of the pawns, while the Bishop ties the enemy King down to the defense of its pawn. Ideally, this freezes the pawns since one push allows a total blockade, while the other allows the defender to sacrifice his Bishop for the two remaining pawns.

Fortresses in Bishop Endgames

Fortresses in Bishop-up endgames are fairly common due to the
Bishop’s inability to control a whole color complex. These usually occur when the stronger side’s rook-pawn or knight-pawn get down to the 6th and/or 7th rank, or if a rook-pawn of the wrong color is lurking on the board. There are no fortresses for a bishop-pawn, queen-pawn or king-pawn!

TEST}

11

Can White win?

TEST 2 -?

Who wins this position?

TEST 3

What’s going on?

Diagram 263

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

Diagram 264

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

Diagram 265

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

258

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 259

TEST4 Diagram 266

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

Can White win or is this a draw?

o&o’

TEST 5 ·——-

Diagram 267

a h c d e f g h

White to move

White appears to be lost. How can he save himself?

TEST 6

Diagram 268

a h c d e f g h

White to move

Consider both l.Ke2 and l.Ke4, which is correct?

260 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 7 Diagram 269

R

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

Can Black save himself?

TEST 8 Diagram 270

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

\Vhite is targeting the a7-pawn. Can Black save himself?

TEST9 Diagram 271

R

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

Black has two ways to draw this position. \Vhat’s the easiest one?

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 261

TEST 10

4 oil £ >o

Who is winning?

Diagram 272

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Diagram 273

8

7

6

s

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

How do you assess this position?

“- — —-

TEST

Diagram 274

;auauzt& – 8

7

6

s

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

What in the world is going on here?

262 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 13

;;;

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move

VVhite’s clearly better, but can he win?

* * * * *

 Diagram 263

ahcdefgh

White to move

Can White win?

VVhite wins easily after …

l.f7+ Kf8

l…Kg7 2.Ke7 b2 3.f8=Q+.

2.Ke6! b2 3.Kf6 hl=Q 4.g7 mate.

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 263

 Diagram 264

ahcdetgh

White to move

Who wins this position?

White can draw: l.a5 h3 2.a6 h2 3.a7 hl=Q 4.Kb8!, =.

 Diagram 265

Riazantsev-Se. Ivanov, Russia 2004

White to move

going on?

White has a forced win.

l.Rhl!

By leaping behind the passed pawn (“Rooks belong behind passed pawns.”), White turns it into a run away train that will ultimately force the win of the enemy Rook.

l…Rxb2 2.h5 Rd2

2…Rxa2 3.h6 Rd2 4.h7 Rd8 5.h8=Q Rxh8 6.Rxh8 aS 7.Kd4 wins. Anaylsis by
Riazantsev.

3.h6 Rd8 4.h7 Rh8 5.Kf6 a5 6.Kxf7

An important move that turns the g-pawn into a passer.

6 …b4 7.Kg7 Rd8 8.h8=Q Rxh8 9.Kxh8 b3 10.axb3 cxb3 ll.g4 a4

12.Rbl!, 1-0.

264 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 266

Black to move

Can White win or is this a draw?

Black draws because his King is only cut off three files from the pawn. To win, White needs to cut the black King off by four or more files!

l…Rb2! (Trapping the white King on aS) 2.Rhl Kd7 3.Rh8 Kc7 4.Rb8 Rc2

5.Rh7+ Kc8 and White can’t free his King. Thus, 1h-1h.

Diagram 267

Study by Prokes 1946

White to move

White appears to be lost. How can he save himself?

l.K£7

An obvious move that threatens to enter the Square of the a6-pawn (thus stopping it) by Ke6.

l…a5 2.f4!

Not 2.Ke6?? a4 3.f4 a3 4.f5 a2 5.f6 al=Q 6.f7 Qa3 followed by 7 …Qf8.

2 …a4

Black also fails to secure victory with 2 …Kg4 due to 3 .Ke6! Kxf4 (3 …a4 4.f5 is a draw since both sides promote) 4.Kd5 and White has entered the a-pawn’s square.

3.f5 a3 4.f6 a2 5.Kg8!

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 265

An important move since 5.Ke7?? a1=Q 6.f7 Qe5+ 7.Kd7 Qf6 8.Ke8 Qe6+
9.Kf8 Kg5 lets the black King get too close: 1O.Kg7 Qe7 11.Kg8 (11.Kh8loses to 1l…Qcl+, and not 1l…Qxc2 stalemate) 11…Kg6 12.f8=N+ (Note that
12.f8=Q fails to 12 …Qh7 mate) 12 …Kh6, 0-1.

5 …al=Q 6.f7, 1h- 1h.

 Diagram 268

Kochiev-Smyslov, Lvov 1978

White to move

Consider both l.Ke2 and l.Ke4, which is correct?

In the actual game, Kochiev played 1.Ke2?, which loses: 1…Kb5 2 .Rb1+ Ka4
3.Rcl Kb4 4.Rb1+ Ka3 5.Rcl Rd5! 6.Ke3 Kb2 7.Rc4 Kb3, 0-1. It’s interesting to see how even grandmasters sometimes botch these basic theoretical positions! l.Ke4 is a draw since l…Rd4+ 2.Ke3 Kb5 3.Rh1 Kb4 4.Rb1+ Ka3 5.Rcl Rd5 and now 6.Ke4! saves the day. Compare this with the actual game continuation
where Ke4 wasn’t available.

 Diagram 269

abcdefgh

Black to move

Can Black save himself?

White will win if he is allowed to push his pawn to d5: 1…Kc7?? 2.d5 Kb6 (2 …Kd7 3.Kf6 Kd8 4.Ke6 Kc7 5.Ke7 Kc8 6.Kxd6 is also winning) 3.Kf6! (And not 3.Ke6?? Kc5 with a winning Trebuchet for Black!) 3 …Kb5 4.Ke7! Kc5
5.Ke6, 1-0.

266 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

To prevent white’s pawn from reaching the 5th rank, Black must play:

l…d5!

He knows he’s losing his pawn, but he also knows he will be able to take the
Opposition and make a draw.

2.Ke6 Kc7 3.Kxd5 Kd7, 1h- 1h.

 Diagram 270

ahcdefgh

Schlage- Ahues, 1921

Black to move

White is targeting the a 7 -pawn. Can Black save himself?

No, Black is quite lost.

l…Kc3 2.Kd5!! wins. (This move was discovered by Maizelis.)

In the actual game, White blundered with 2.Kd6?? and drew after 2 … Kd4
3.Kc6 Ke5 4.Kb7 Kd6 5.Kxa7 Kc7, 1h- 1h.

 Diagram 271

ahcdefgh

Black to move

Black has two ways to draw this position. What’s the one?

White to move wins by l.Kf4. Fortunately, Black has the move and is able to improve the position of his King in two fundamentally different ways.

l…Rd8!

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 267

Simplest. Black also draws with 1…Kc6 intending to meet 2.Kf4 with 2 …RfS+
3.Kg5 ReS 4.Kf5 RfS+ 5.Kg6 ReS 6.Rd4 Kc5!

2.Rxd8

Naturally, 2.Rhl Kd7 poses no problems for Black, who will get his King in front of the pawn and draw by making use of Philidor’s Position.

2…Kxd8 3.Kf4 Ke8!

The only move! Now Black can take the Opposition on any advance by white’s
King. Losing choices are 3 …Kd7?? 4.Kf5 Ke7 5.Ke5, and 3 …Kc7 4.Ke5 Kd7
5.Kf6.

4.Kf5

Obviously 4.Ke5 Ke7 and 4.Kg5 Ke7 also give Black the Opposition, while
4.Kg4 Ke7 (and not 4…Kd7?? 5.Kf5) 5.Kf5 Kf7, is equal.

4…Kf7, =.

I

I SOLUTION

I

Diagram 272

ahcdefgh

Em. Lasker- Tarrasch, St. Petersburg 1914

White to move

Who is winning?

A glance might convince us that ‘White is losing, but Lasker found a nice idea that, up to that time, had never been seen before.

l.h4! Kg4 2.Kg6!

This is it! White threatens to promote his pawn, but if it’s taken the white
King has a faster road to the queenside than black’s.

2…Kxh4 3.Kf5

Suddenly it’s Black who is fighting for a draw!

3…Kg3 4.Ke4 Kf2 5.Kd5 Ke3 6.Kxc5 Kd3 7.Kxb5 Kc2 8.Kxa5 Kxb3,

lf2_1h.

268 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 273

Composition by Pal Benko

White to move

How do you assess this position?

White wins by forcing the black King on to a square that will allow the a-pawn to promote with check.

l.a4

Not l.Kd4? Kf4 2.a4 e5+ 3.Kc3 e4 4.a5 e3 5.a6 Kg3! 6.Kd3 Kf2, =.

l…e5 2.a5 e4 3.Kd4 Kf4 4.a6 e3 5.Kd3 KB 6.a7 e2 7.a8=Q+, 1-0.

SOLUTION Diagram 274

Horwitz, 1879

White to move

What in the world is going on here?

The problem White faces is not so much his opponent’s three kingside pawns, but rather the fact that his King is far from the queenside. This means that if we removed all the kingside pawns, the resulting position is drawn.

The solution is to use the movements of the kingside pawns to get white’s King a bit closer, then employ the idea we learned in “A Trick Win in Queen vs. rook-pawn on 7th” (diagram 259) which allows Black to promote his a-pawn, only to find himself in a mating net.

l.Qb6 fl+ 2.Kxg2 fl=Q+ 3.Kxfl g2+ 4.Ke2 gl=Q 5.Qxgl+ Kb2 6.Kd2 al=Q 7.Qh6+ Ka3 8.Qa5+ Kb2 9.Qh4+ Ka2 10.Kc2 and mates. Personally I

PART SIX- ENDGAMES FOR CLASS “A” (1800-1999) 269

would now give 10…Qc3+ a go, since ll.Qxc3 is stalemate! Of course, 10…Qc3+
ll.Kxc3 forces mate next move.

 Diagram 275

Smyslov- Botvinnik,

World Championship Match 1957

White to move

White’s clearly better, but can he win?

\iVhite wins by placing his Rook behind his passed pawn. Once he freezes black’s Rook on b8, he can then decisively penetrate into black’s helpless king­ side with his King.

l.Rd3 Ra8 2 .Kb3 Ra5 and Black resigned without waiting for a reply. \iVhy? Because black’s kingside pawns fall like ripe fruit after 3 .Kb4 Rb5+ 4.Kc4 Rbl

5.Rb3 Rcl+ 6.Kd3 Rdl+ 7.Ke3 Rd8 8.b7 Rb8 9.Ke4 Kd7 10.Kf5! Analysis by
Botvinnik.


Complex Rook endgames are the main focus of this section, and it takes a certain amount of chess strength (i.e., tactical clarity and the ability to absorb complicated patterns) and work ethic to absorb the advanced material presented here. Apparently, you’ve succeeded in doing so. This not only verifies that you belong in the “A” class, but it also speaks volumes about your dedication to climbing up the rating ladder.
At this point, you could easily rest on your endgame laurels for the rest of
your life and never have to back-down to anyone when the final phase of a game is reached. However, why stop here? You’ve done the vast majority of “grunt-work” and will be surprised to find that the Expert section concentrates more on concepts and making use of the material you already possess than the memorization of alien ideas and rules.
So, when you’ve recovered from the effort you’ve just made and feel that
it’s time to leave the “A” class behind and become an Expert, feel free to open yourself up to the mysteries of Part Seven.

270

=4 ,

Jlt : I Ji·Jk•8[iW,,u..

, ,;d?F”:SH’: o:So; O:}::S\ ,i i’:”

t this point you know enough basics to change your general mode of study. Instead of looking at isolated positions, we will look at more complex situations that are made easy by being firmly schooled in all the foundation endgames. Here you’ll be introduced to the concept of solving complicated positions by beginning with a very simple idea
(i.e., your previously acquired knowledge), then adding a bit more complexity to
it, and adding to it again. This “flow” of information, in essence a Flowchart, can be used to deconstruct a surprising amount of endings, no matter how ad­ vanced they might appear to be at first glance.

272

Rook endgames are a mystery to most players. The fact is, if you don’t know the building blocks of Rook endgames, you won’t be able to play any Rook endgame properly. In other words, knowledge is a must. Since you’re reading this Expert section, you should be well acquainted with the ins-and-outs of basic Rook endgame theory. This will allow you to understand the more com­ plex situations that we’ll be addressing here, and also make the concept of the Flowchart rather easy to grasp.

The Flowchart-Taking a Simple

Position Into Deeper Water

We will now take a leap into Flowchart mentality-a simple technique that will enable you to turn many complex positions, which at first glance will appear unintelligible, into simple situations that you have already mastered.
The Flowchart mentality is, in reality, a form of transition where you take the game from one situation to another and, perhaps, to yet another! This can mean maneuvering a complex Rook endgame into a basic, well known situation, or it can mean going from one specific kind of endgame to a completely different situation (for example, a Rook and minor piece can turn into a favorable Rook endgame if you exchange the minor pieces, and this can turn into a winning King and pawn endgame if you later exchange the Rooks).
Let’s start with the following “confusing” position.

Diagram 276

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Black to move, can he win?

273

REMEMBER

A Flowchart is nothing more than a way of using basic knowledge to solve positions

that seem extremely

complex.

274 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Compare it with this next one.

Diagram 277

a b c d e f g h

Black to move, can he win?

The average Expert or Master would hazard a guess, but would not be able to definitively figure out either of these positions. We’ll return to them when you have the tools to make some educated deductions. And what are these “tools?” Basic building blocks, of course! By this time, you should have dozens of building block positions stored in your head, though we’ll add a few more in the pages to come.

Building Block 1 -i·

Diagram 278

H

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

A dead draw

This is a position you already have in your internal “basics” database. As long as white’s King stays on h2 or g2, and as long as the Rook remains on the a-file and checks the black King every time it touches its pawn, the game can’t be won.

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 275

Building Block 2 e'”

‘Lt£JL OLQ 0 Diagram 279

a b c d e f g h

A dead draw

RuLE

King and Rook draw

vs. King, Rook, a-pawn on the 7th (with its Rook trapped in front of it), and an h-pawn.

This is new, and should be added to your rapidly growing store of memorized basic positions. Black can’t win because the h-pawn isn’t able to deprive the white King of both critical squares (it can take away g2, but not h2). Thus:

l…h4 2.Kh2 h3 3.Ra8

And not 3 .Kxh3?? Rh1+ followed by a1=Q.

3 …Kf5 4.Ra7 Ke4 5.Ra8 Kd3 6.Ra7 Kc2 7.Ra8 Kb3 8.Rh8+ Kc3 9.Ra8,

1h- 1h. Black’s King can wander the Earth like Cain, but it can’t bother white’s

King, nor can it help extricate its Rook from the prison on al.

Building Block 3

324 , t , tL a Diagram 280

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

A dead draw

RuLE

King and Rook draw vs. King, Rook, a-pawn on the 7th (with its Rook trapped in front of it), and g-pawn.

Another new position. This is also drawn because the pawn can take the h2- square away from white’s King, but not g2.

l…g4 2.Ra8 g3 3.Ra7

Naturally, moves like 3 .Ra6+ are also more than sufficient to split the point.
3 …Kf5 4.Ra8 Kf4 5.Ra7, 1h- 1h. Black can’t come close to winning.

276 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Building Block 4 . ,….#,;-

oc, L 441

Diagram 281

RuLE

King and Rook lose vs. King, Rook, a-pawn on the 7th (with its Rook trapped in front of it), and an f-pawn.

a h c d e f g h

White should resign
New and very important! The win is suddenly effortless since the f-pawn will successfully pull white’s King off of both critical squares on h2 and g2. In fact, Black doesn’t even need to use his King to claim to full point.

l…f4 2.Ra8

Checking by 2.Ra6+ doesn’t accomplish anything since black’s King would just march towards the Rook (i.e., 2 …Kt7 3.Ra7+ Ke6 4.Ra6+ Kd7 5.Ra7+ Kc6
6.Ra6+ Kb7 and the checks are history) and then continue pushing the f-pawn once the checks ended.
2…f3+!, 0-1. \Vhite’s choices are 3.Kh2 f2 when fl=Q can’t be prevented,
3.Kxf3 Rfl+ 4.Kg2 al=Q, or 3.Kf2 Rhl! 4.Rxa2 Rh2+ 5.Kxf3 Rxa2.
Building Block 5 fii::

Diagram 282

a b c d e f g h

Draw
This must be a draw since even if Black manages to win the g4-pawn, it takes us back to the dead drawn position in Building Block 3.

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 277

Building Block 6 — –

x L&i& Diagram 283

a b c d e f g h

Black wins with accurate play

Since building block four was an easy win for White, it’s clear that the same holds true here ifBlack can win the f4-pawn. The winning method is simple and instructive.

l…Kc7

If Black wants to make contact with the f4-pawn, he must break through the

6th rank.

2.Kh2 Kb7 3.Ra3 Kb6 4.Kg2 Kb5 5.Ra8 Kb4 6.Ra7 Kc3 7.Ra5 Kd3

Of course, White has no fear of 8.Rxf5 since that allows the black Rook to safely leave its prison on al: 8…Rbl and 9…al=Q.

8.Ra8 Ke4!

Avoiding 8…Ke3 9.Ra4 when a key position has occurred:

Diagram 284

Black to move can’t force White to implode, so he would have to dance around a bit until this same position is reached with White to move: 9…Kd3 10.Kh2 (10.Ra8 Ke4! transposes to our main line) 10…Ke2 (threatens ll…Kf2 and/or

278 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

ll…KB) ll.Kg2 Ke3 reaching the diagrammed position with White to move and winning due to zugszwang, as explained in our main line.

9.Ra4+ Ke3

Zugzwang! White is forced to drop his pawn or move his King to a poor square.

10.Kh2 Kf3 and White must give up the pawn since ll.Kh3?? Rhl is mate. Mter ll.Ra8 Kxf4 we are back to building block four.

These six building block positions should give you enough Flowchart knowledge to make solving our original two “problems” possible. So let’s take another look.

Diagram 285

a h c d e f g h

Black to move, can he win?

A quick guess would tell us that Black can’t win because if he pushes his a­ pawn to a2 and trades the g5-pawn for white’s h3-pawn, the resulting two extra pawn position is drawn, as shown in building block three.

Diagram 286

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move, can he win?

This position, though, seems very winnable because we can see a clear “light at the end of the tunnel.” Using building block four as our guidepost, we know that pushing the a-pawn to a2 (which freezes the white King) and then exchang­ ing the f5-pawn for the g3-pawn would be game over.

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 279

Furthermore, building block six showed us that we would win the position even if we got the a-pawn to a2 and dragged white’s g-pawn to f4. Once we have a goal position in mind, coming up with the actual moves that allow us to reach our dream position is rather easy:

l…a4

Black immediately rushes his pawn to a2, knowing that this will leave the white King shackled to the h2- and g2-squares.

2.Kf2 Ral 3.Kf3 a3 4.Kg2

And not 4.Kf4?? a2 when White can’t stop a back rank check followed by the promotion of the a-pawn.

4…a2

Black’s first goal is accomplished! white’s King is now stuck on h2 and g2. If you are not completely familiar with this, the material in Part Six should refresh your memory.

5.Kh2 f4! 6.gxf4 f5! and we’ve reached building block six, which we should

now know is a basic win for Black.
We’ll be looking at other complex situations in Part Seven where Flowcharts prove useful, but all of them are only comprehensible if you’ve retained the lessons learned in the first six parts of this book.

Rook and Two Connected Passed

Pawns vs. Rook and Pawn

Positions featuring two passed pawns vs. one enemy passed pawn are usually winning for the two pawns. Previous knowledge is important here, too, since many positions are won by following basic rules, and by exchanging a pair of pawns and creating a winning Rook and one vs. Rook position.

Diagram 287

a b c d e f g h

White wins

280 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

l.Kf2

The King must take part in this battle!

l…Kf5 2.KB g5 3.Re8

White’s Rook prepares to place itself behind the enemy passed pawn (as dis­
cussed in Part Six).

3 …Rbl 4.Rf8+ Ke6 5.Ke4

White isn’t too concerned with black’s pawn. Instead, he continues to bring his own King up so it can support his two passers.

5 …Rel+ 6.Kd3 Rdl+

The immediate 6…g4loses to 7.Re8+ followed by 8.Rxel.

7.Kc4 g4 8.Kc5

Optimizing the position of white’s King. He’s finally ready to start moving his own pawns forward. Please note: he will only do so after the King gets into a position to support them.

8…g3 9.Rg8

Placing the Rook behind black’s passed pawn and stopping it from dashing

to gl.

9…Rg110.c4

At last!

10…g2 ll.d5+ Kd7 12.Rg7+ Ke8

Diagram 288

REMEMBER

You can avoid Rook checks by keeping your King in front

of your pawns!

a h c d e f g h

White to move

13.Kd6

White heads for a winning Rook and pawn vs. Rook endgame. Even stronger is 13.d6 Kf8 18.Rg4 Kf7 15.Kc6 Rcl16.d7, 1-0. However, the play after 13.Kd6 is more instructive.

13…Rcl

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 281

13…Kf8 14.Rg4 Rcl 15.Rxg2 Rxc4 16.Kd7 would transpose into our main line.

14.Rg8+

This check forces black’s King away from e8 and thus gives white’s King ac­
cess to the d7-square.

14…Kf7 15.Rxg2 Rxc4 16.Kd7

White is heading for a Lucena Position (explored in Part Four). Black tries to resist, but his position is too far gone.

16…Ra4 17.Rf2+

Trapping black’s King away from the action (see Part Four).

17…Kg7 18.d6 Ra7+

Poor Black doesn’t even have Checking Distance (explained in Part Six).

19.Kc6 Ra6+ 20.Kc7 Ra7+ 21.Kb6 Rd7 22.Kc6, 1-0.

When a Philidor Goes Bad

In Part Four we explored one of the most important Rook endgames one can know: the Philidor Position. We saw that it offers the key to defending a pawn down Rook and pawn versus Rook endgame. However, what if a Philidor goes bad and one isn’t allowed to use the main “dominate the rank and stop the enemy King from advancing” idea?

Diagram 289

a h c d e f g h

White to move and cause black pain

We used this same diagram in Part Four, though in that case we gave Black the move. This allowed him to end things right away by l…Rh6 when White can’t make any progress. However, what if White has the move? In that case

282 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

l.Rg6! prevents the key defensive maneuver and forces Black to adopt a “plan B.” Of course, if you don’t know “plan B” off the top of your head, and if you don’t remember our lessons about the Philidor Position (Part Four), the Lucena Position (Part Four), Checking Distance (Part Six) and the Short and Long Side of the board (Part Six), then you are, to put it mildly, up the creek without a paddle.
Let’s play a few moves so you can see how knowledge of the Rook endgame basics (as listed above), and the Flowchart they allow you to create, will make your life easy.

l.Rg6! Kd7

Black seems unimpressed. Isn’t his King safe?

2.Ra6!

So black’s King wasn’t safe after all. Now the threat of Ra7+ forces a reaction.

2…Rhl

Best.

REMEMBER

If you intend to check the enemy King, try to put as much distance between your Rook and his King as possible (i.e., Checking Distance).

We’ll soon see why this is important.
3.Ra7+ Ke8 4.Kd6!

Diagram 290

8

7

6

5

4

.3

2

a b c d e f g h

Black to move
The start of a multi-question “test”
Our key position. This is where you must have a preexisting knowledge of the saving idea and/or a firm understanding of the basics that enable you to make sense of it, or you’ll almost certainly go down in flames. Since 4…Rh6+?

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 283

5.e6 is clearly horrible, and 4…Rdl+? 5.Ke6 Kf8 (in Part Four, we saw that laying passively on the back rank via 5 …Rd8 fails to 6.Rh7) 6.Ra8+ Kg7 7.Ke7 has White rushing towards the creation of a Lucena, Black is forced to pass a multi-question test to survive!

REMEMBER

White is trying to create a Lucena Position (which would win). Black is trying to create a Philidor (which would draw).

4…Rel!
Question one: correct! What does this do? 4…Rel makes it hard for White to advance his pawn, as you’ll see in a moment.
5.Ra8+ Kf7
The point of 4… Rel is now clear: White can’t play 6.e6+ due to 6…Rxe6+. Since Black now threatens to make an immediate draw via 6… Rdl+, White must step back and move to the previous position.
6.Ra7+ Ke8 7.Ke6

Diagram 291

H

7

6

‘)

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move
Part two of the “test”
The threat isn’t subtle-Black must take immediate measures against Ra8 mate.

7…Kf8!

This is known as going to the Short Side (explored in Part Six). The idea is that Black is leaving far more distance on the left for future lateral checks with his Rook (without his King getting in the way). Remember: when you check a King with your Rook, you always like to have as much distance between your Rook and the enemy King as possible.

284 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

8.Ra8+ Kg7 9.Kd6

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Diagram 292

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

Part three of the “test”

9…Kf7!

Again showing the strength of 4… Rel. Now the e-pawn is again stuck and
… Rdl+ is threatened, chasing the white King away from the action. Far worse was 9…Rdl+? 10.Ke7 when White is again getting perilously close to setting up a Lucena Position (the defender must avoid this at all costs!).

10.Ra7+

White repeats the position again and sets up a completely different kind of test for his opponent.

10…Ke8 ll.Ke6 Kf8 12.Ra8+ Kg7

We’ve been here before, but now White tries a different idea.

13.Re8

Diagram 293

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

Part four of the “test”

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 285

Now “passing” doesn’t work: 13 …Re2? 14.Kd7! when 14… Kf7 fails to the simple 15.e6+, while 14…Rd2+ 15.Ke7 has allowed White to make progress. How can Black defend?

13… Ral!

After 13 … Ra 1 we can see long distance checking at work. Black threatens to set up a pure, easily drawn Philidor Position by 14…Ra6+ 15.Kf5 Kf7 and the game is as good as over.

14.Rd8

Diagram 294

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

Part five of the “test”

White is hoping for 14…Ra6+ 15.Rd6. But Black doesn’t have to be so ac­
commodating.

14…Rel!

Back to our key idea! White can’t make progress and, since Black has demon­
strated his understanding of this endgame, the game can be agreed drawn.

Pawns on One Side of the Board

In the vast majority of endgames, the defender’s drawing chances are improved with every pawn trade. This is certainly the case of a Rook endgame where one side has an extra pawn, but all the pawns are situated on the same side of the board. The defensive ideas are based on:

… Trade as many pawns as possible (unless striving for a particular pawn exchange severely weakens your pawn formation).

Keep the Rook as active as possible (preferably tying the defender’s King down to the defense of its pawns).

286 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Keep trading down until you end up with a Philidor position, which we know from experience is a simple draw.

Rook and Two vs. Rook and One

In positions where the two vs. one pawn difference is on one side of the board, the game is usually drawn if the stronger side doesn’t have a passed pawn. Nevertheless, even in non-passed pawn situations, like e- and f- vs.

f-pawn, the defense can still be difficult in over-the-board practice (just be­ cause something is a theoretical draw doesn’t mean it’s easy to achieve!). The simplest two vs. one situation to draw is King, Rook, and h- and g-pawns vs. King, Rook, and g-pawn. However, even here good players have been known to botch the defense and go down in flames.
Unfortunately, in cases where one side does have a passed pawn, these end­
games often prove far more complex than one might imagine. For example, if one side has a passed pawn, as in e- & f- vs. g-pawn, the stronger side has serious winning chances. There are several reasons for this:

The stronger side’s King will enjoy more cover than its black counterpart.

The stronger side can use his greater force to push the opponent back and, ideally, win the defender’s remaining pawn.

The stronger side can push his pawns to the 5th and/or 6th rank, exchange a pair of pawns, and end up with a favorable King, Rook and pawn vs. King and Rook situation where the weaker side hasn’t been allowed to create his ideal defensive setup.
••..,… The passed pawn will always be threatening to “go somewhere,” forcing the defender to deal with that on top of everything else.
Personally, I’ve met very few players under 2400 who have mastered these different two vs. one on the same side of the board situations. And why should they? The defensive technique is hard to quantify, and I find that most of the positions need heaping doses of common sense, care, accurate calculation, and a good knowledge of more basic positions to draw. As a result, I’ll leave it to the reader to study these complex situations if and when he feels the need to do so-personally, I strongly feel that such in-depth study of complex specifics is a waste of time for players in the Expert and even low Master class.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 287

USEFUL ADVICE

Don’t let the gobbledygook scare you! Stick with the basics and with the new patterns I’m about to show you and life should prove easy.

Having said that, we can still acquire a basic understanding of many two vs. one situations by making use of a simple defensive Flowchart:
– – …. Don’t allow a losing Rook and one vs. Rook position to occur. This usually means that the defending King gets trapped on the side and can no longer prevent a Lucena from materializing, or it can mean that the defending Rook is passively placed.

…. Trade a pawn and get a Philidor Position.

King and pawn endgames might occur. You’ll need to make occasional use of your of knowledge ofTrebuchet (Part Four) if you’re going to do well in cases like this.

…. You’ll need to know the drawing technique for failed Philidor positions (found in Part Seven).

Let’s take the following position and let it show us how all these things might occur from a “simple” Rook and two vs. Rook and one endgame.

Diagram 295

l.Kg5

a b c d e f g h

White to move

This frees the f4-pawn and allows it to advance. Once it gets to f5, it will put the big squeeze on black’s King.

l…Rc5

An important move that intends to chop off e5 if the f4-pawn advances! Trying to activate this Rook so it can check from a distance doesn’t work: 1… Rcl?? (This position occurred in Hanisch- Steibl, 1996 when White showed his confusion with 2.Ra6?, failing to take advantage ofblack’s error. Instead, White can force

288 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

a win.) 2.Rb7+ KeS 3.f5 Rh1 (Also hopeless is 3 … Rc5 4.Kf6 Rc6+ 5.e6 fxe6
6.fxe6 when 6…RdS 7.Rh7 wins thanks to black’s passive Rook-you can find a study of this concept in Part Four) 4.RbS+ Ke7 5.f6+ Kd7 6.RfS Rh7 (This is one ugly Rook, but how else can Black defend the f7-pawn? 6…Ke6 7.ReS+ Ke6
S.e6! is certainly no improvement) 7.Kg4! (This creates a zugzwang since any black Rook move allows Rxf7 while any black King move allows ReS followed by Re7) 7 …Kc7 S.ReS when Re7 followed by e6 is completely decisive.

2.Rh7+

In Markus- Lenhardt, Poland 1993, \Vhite gave Black a chance to move off the rank by 2.Ra6 and only checked after 2 …Rb5 3.Ra7+, when the game was agreed drawn. Evidently, \Vhite didn’t realize that there was still a lot of tricky chess to be played, though perhaps the fact that it was already move 91 and rigor mortis was beginning to set in had something to do with the somewhat hasty peace offering.

2…Kf8!

2 …Ke6?? 3.f5+! Kxe5 4.Re7+ Kd6 5.Rxf7leads to a winning Rook and pawn vs. Rook position since black’s King can no longer get in front of the pawn.

3.f5

3.Kh6 Rc6+ 4.Kh7 f6lets Black trade a pawn in favorable circumstances (i.e., white’s King is pathetically off to the side) and draws easily.

3 …Rxe5 4.Kf6 Rel

Diagram 296

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

We’re about to enter familiar territory

5.Rxf7+

The King and pawn endgame after 5.RbS+ ReS 6.RxeS+ is nothing for \Vhite:
6…KxeS 7.Kg7 (7.Ke5 Ke7 S.f6+ Kd7 9.Kd5 Kc7, =) 7 …Ke7 S.f6+?? (Suicide. The sane S.KgS Kf6 9.KfS draws) S…Ke6 and suddenly Black finds himself with a winning Trebuchet (Part Four).

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 289

5…Kg8 6.Rg7+ Kh8 7.Rb7 Rfl!

This key idea (it ties the white King to the defense of its pawn and also prevents the pawn’s advance after 8.Rb8+ Kg7) in the “Philidor gone bad” situation was looked at earlier in Part Seven.
Though I would expect the reader to know this position (since it was explored earlier in this section), I will give the remaining moves to push the defensive technique home.

8.Ke6

Threatening 9.f6. Note that 8.Kg6 Rgl+ 9.Kf6 (9.Kf7?? Rg7+) 9…Rfl! gets
White nowhere.

8…Kg8 9.Kf6

9.f6 Rel+ ends white’s hopes.

9…Rf2 10.Rh8+ Kh7 ll.Rf8

Threatening 12.Ke7 when 12 …Kg7 13.f6+ and 12 …Re2+ 13.Kf7 would both make White happy.

ll…Ra2!

Creating lots of Checking Distance and threatening to create a dead drawn
Lucena by 12 …Ra6+ followed by …Kg7.

12.Re8

Intending to meet 12 …Ra6+ with 13.Re6.

12 …Rf2!, 1h- 1h. White can’t make any progress.

We’ve seen that the stronger side’s chances (in a Rook and two vs. Rook and one) are based on pushing his pawns to the 5th rank, which creates a squeeze against the defending King and pressure against the weaker side’s final pawn.
With that in mind, the defender can’t wait passively for his opponent to tighten
the screws. The next position is a very basic example of this.

Diagram 297

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Black to move and draw

290 SILMAN’S C 0 M P LET E ENDGAME C 0 U R S E

Waiting around by l…Rf7?? runs into 2.c5 when Black begins to get that, “I’m being squeezed” feeling. Fortunately, after the correct l…b6 White has no winning chances at all (2.Rc6+ Kb7).
Another hopelessly drawn position can be seen in diagram 298.

Diagram 298

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move, draw
The problem White faces is that even if he succeeds in pushing his g-pawn and exchanging it for black’s f-pawn, a drawn Philidor Position would result. Nevertheless, that’s the only plan White has.
l.Rd5
Otherwise Black just moves his Rook back and forth along the 5th rank.

l…Ra4

You should know that trading Rooks would lead to an easily won King and pawn vs. King position for White thanks to the lessons in Parts Three and Four: l…Rxd5?? 2.exd5 Kf7 3.Kf5 Ke7 4.d6+! (sacrificing the outside passed pawn for the unit on f6) 4…Kf7 5.d7 (White insists!) 5 …Ke7 6.d8=Q+ Kxd8 7.Kxf6
Ke8 8.Kg7, 1-0.
The move 1 … Ra4 pins thee-pawn and leaves White with no useful way to improve his position.
2.g5 fxg5+ 3.Rxg5+ Kf6 and Black will get a Philidor Position (Part Four) or, if things get out of hand, a Philidor Gone Bad (Part Seven), either of which are easy draws.

Rook and Three vs. Rook and Two

This common endgame is also a draw if Black has prevented white’s pawns from eating up too much space (the space-gaining pawns would result in black’s King being pushed back and his pawns becoming vulnerable).

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 291

Diagram 299

8

7

6

5

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Black’s worst nightmare

Black is doomed because white’s pawns are far too strong. Usually this kind of debacle is caused by passive defensive play.

l.Kh5

Preventing …Kg6 when f5-f6 is played.

l…Rd8

White threatened a back rank mate after f5-f6, so Black was compelled to prevent this with his Rook.

2.f6+ Kg8 3.Kh6 Rb8

Black is helpless since any Rook move off the back rank allows mate by Ra8.

4.Ra7

Threatening 5.e6! fxe6 6.Rxh7 when Black should quietly resign.

4…Re8

“I stopped it,” thinks Black. Alas, he’s wrong.

5.e6!, 1-0. Black had no wish to experience 5… Rxe6

6.Ra8+, nor 5…fxe6 6.f7+, which picks up black’s Rook.

Diagram 300

UsEFUL AnvicE

Don’t play passively and let the superior side’s pawns march down the board and eat up every

bit of space!

a b c d e f g h

White wins thanks to the power of his pawns

292 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

White has achieved (in diagram 300) a dominant pawn position and can now force a win by mixing two plans:

Moving the King and Rook out of the way and then playing for c4-c5-c6.

… Placing the Rook on the 7th rank, threatening to take advantage of the pinned c-pawn by d5-d6.

l.Re6

It’s important to move to thee-file since in some lines when White plays Kc6, a check along the 6th rank can be met by the white Rook returning to e6 (where it’s defended by the d-pawn).

l…Rcl

Forced, since something like 1…Rb2 runs into 2.Rh7 (threatening d6) 2 …Kb8
3.Kc6 when it’s all over.

2.Re8!

This forces the black Rook to step up to c2 or c3 when there won’t be suffi­ cient Checking Distance (explained in Part Six) to bother the white King when it moves off of the cS -square.

2…Rc2

And not 2 …Rgl 3.Re7 (threatening d6) 3 …Kb8 4.Kc6 Rg6+ 5.Re6 Rg8 6.c5 (Once again, the pawns roll Black off the board) 6… Rd8 (On 6… Rh8, White wins by 7.Kd7-the idea is to trade Rooks by Re8-7 …Rg7+ 8.Re7 Rg5 9.Re8+ Kb7 10.c6+ Kb6 ll.Rb8+ followed by Kxc7) 7.Re7 ReS 8.Rh7 and Black loses the c-pawn.
Also of importance is 2 …a6 (Trying to exchange pawns, but it’s too late for this to help!) 3.bxa6+ Kxa6 4.Rb8 (trapping the enemy King away from the ac­ tion) when the threat of Rb4 followed by Kc6 is decisive.

3.Rel!

Preparing to pull the white King away from cS. Now the black Rook doesn’t have access to the 1st rank, which means it won’t be able to gain serious Check­ ing Distance.

3 …Rc3

We’ve already seen that moves like 3 … Rh2 fail to 4.Re7.

4.Kd4 Rc2 5 .Kd3

Avoiding the annoyance of S.fS Rd2+.

5 …Rh2

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 293

5 …Rb2 doesn’t help due to 6.Kc3.

6.c5

Diagram 301

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

White’s pawns eat up the board

Success! \Vhite’s pawns have achieved their dream positions.

6…Rh3+

Black doesn’t fare any better with 6… Rb2 7.Re7 Rxb5 8.Kc4 Rb1 9.d6 Rcl+
10.Kd5 Rd1+ 11.Ke6 Re1+ 12.Kf7 Rf7+ 13.Ke8, 1-0.

7.Kd4 Rh4+ 8.Re4 Rh7 9.Re8 Rh4+ 10.Kc3 Rh5

10…Rh3+ 11.Kb4 Rh4+ 12.Ka5 only helps \Vhite.

ll.Kb4!

11.Rd8 a6 is less forcing.

ll…a5+!

ll…Rxd5?? 12.c6+ Kb6 13.Rb8 mate.

12.Kxa5 Rxd5 13.c6+ Ka7 14.Re7!

Giving black’s King a bit of room and avoiding 14.Rc8?? Rxb5+! 15.Kxb5 stalemate.

14…Kb8 15.Ka6 RdS 16.b6! ReS

Nobetteris 16…cxb617.c7+.
After 16…Rc8 both 17.b7 and 17.Rd7 cxb6 18.Kxb6 win easily (this position with Black having a passive Rook was examined in Part Four).
Clearly, the defender can’t allow his opponent to march his pawns down the board in this fashion. However, by strategically placing the black pawns so that any white advance leads to soothing exchanges, the game can usually be saved without too much difficulty.

294 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 302

USEFUL ADVICE

Stop the pain of the

big squeeze by seeking out soothing pawn exchanges.

8

7

6

5

4

🙂

2

1

a b c d e f g h

Black to move
VVhite hopes to play f3-f4, gaining space and putting his pawns into aggressive motion. Black’s simplest response to this threat is:

l…g5!

Now any pawn advance leads to a trade and an easily drawn 2 vs. 1 position.

2.Rd5

Trying to coax Black into the exchange.

2…Rb3

Refusing to bite. Instead Black follows the usual formula: Keep the Rook active

by using it to pin and tie down white’s King to its pawns.

3.e5 fxe5 4.Rxe5 Kf6 5.Ra5 Kg6 6.Ra6+ Kg7 and white’s position can’t be improved since any swap of the f-pawn for black’s g-pawn leads to a dead drawn Philidor Position.

Rook and Four vs. Rook and Three

In this endgame the defender has the following fears:

The stronger side’s pawns will create the kind of big squeeze we’ve seen in our Rook and Three vs. Rook and Two examples.

A transposition to a poor Rook and Three vs. Rook and Two or Rook and Two vs. Rook and one will occur.
Fortunately, being forewarned is being forearmed-it’s clear that the defender must favorably exchange pawns whenever possible, while also being careful to

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 295

prevent the stronger side’s pawns from swarming down the board. This “swarm­
ing” should be stopped in two ways:

Use your own pawns to stop the enemy’s.

.. Use your Rook to tie the enemy King to the defense of its pawns.

Diagram 303

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

Having the move here is important!

This is a typical basic starting position for Rook and Four vs. Rook and Three. One might think that having the move wouldn’t be that important, but this isn’t the case. Black to move would rush to play 1.. .hS !. This key move stops white’s pawns from expanding (no big squeeze!) since h3 followed by g4 would allow a well-received pawn trade.
With this in mind, it’s clear that, if White had the move, he would play l.g4!,
stopping …h5 and . ..fS (White would capture and leave Black with a shattered pawn formation) and preparing the squeeze by Kg3, h4 and perhaps h5. This doesn’t mean that White is winning after l.g4, but black’s defensive chore would
be considerably more difficult.

Diagram 304

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Draw

RuLE

In this kind of 4 vs. 3

Rook endgame …h7-h5, whch stops White from playing the space gaining/ weakness fixing g3-g4, is a huge accomplishment!

296 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Black has managed to get in the extremely useful …h7-h5 advance. He should now draw easily by following our basic formula:

Exchange pawns.

Use the Rook to tie white’s King down to the defense of its pawns.
One possible continuation might be:

l.h3 Rb2

The Rook is happy to stay on the f2-pawn, where it keeps the white King under control.

2.g4 hxg4

And trading a pair of pawns is definitely a part of black’s plans!

3.hxg4 g5!

Telling White that any future advance of the f-pawn will lead to even more pawn exchanges. Play now enters areas we’ve already explored. Rook and Three vs. Rook and Two, Rook and Two vs. Rook and One, and even Philidor and “Philidor gone bad” situations. For example:

4.Rc3

Black would meet 4.Kg3 with 4…Rb3, continuing to annoy White with pins. Seeing that he has to allow another exchange of pawns after f2-f4, White hopes to recapture on f4 with his e-pawn since split e- and g- vs. f-pawn offers no chances at all.

4…f6 5.Kg3 Kg6 6.f4 gxf4+ 7.exf4

As stated earlier, accepting split pawns by 7.Kxf4 doesn’t give White any any hope of victory.

7 …Rbl

It’s a good idea to keep the Rook as active as possible. This move creates a bit of Checking Distance, and sets up some checks on the 1st rank.

8.Rc7

Preparing the advanced of the f5-pawn. The immediate 8.f5+ Kg5 is clearly a bad idea, while 8.Kh4 gets nowhere fast after 8. .. Rhl+.

S…Rgl+ 9.Kh3 Rhl+ 10.Kg2 Ral

Intending to incarcerate white’s King by ll…Ra3.

ll.f5+ Kg5 13.Rg7+ Kf4, 1h- 1h.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 297

That was easy, but even if White manages to trick Black into a worse case scenario, knowledge of the trusty “Philidor gone bad” drawing formula should
still save the day.

Diagram 305

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

Black to move and save himself

If you imagine this coming from a four vs. three situation (chopped down to a three vs. two and finally two vs. one), it’s clear that White has made real progress. In fact, one can imagine Black panicking here and going down in multi-colored flames: l…Re8?? 2.Kxf6 Kg8 3.Kg6 ReS 4.f6 with an easy win thanks to the passive black Rook as seen in Part Four.

Fortunately, if you studiously learned the lessons in the order given, you’ll be aware of the “Philidor gone bad” formula and, without hesitation, toss your Rook behind white’s (soon to be) passed f-pawn.

l…Rf4!

This isn’t ideal since we’d prefer the Rook on f1 (Checking Distance). How­ ever, it turns out that this still allows Black to draw via his usual “Philidor gone bad” techniques.

2.Kxf6

Clearly, 2.Ra8+ Ke7 only helps Black. Also ineffective is 2.Ra7 Rfl with a po­
sition explored earlier in Part Seven. In case of 2 .Rxf6+ Kg8 3 .Ra6 Rg4+ 4.Kf6
Rf4, we end up in the same position that occurs after 2.Kxf6.

2 …Kg8!

Going to the Short Side of the board so, in some lines, black’s Rook can have
Checking Distance on the side.

3.Ra8+

Nothing is changed by 3.Ra7 Rfl, while 3.Ke6 Re4+ 4.Kf6 Rf4 and 3.Kg6
Rg4+ 4.Kf6 Rf4 also achieve nothing.

3 …Kh7 4.Ke6

298 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Or 3.Rf8 Ra4! (Here’s that Checking Distance I mentioned a moment ago)
4.Re8 Rf4!, =.

4…Kg7 and \Vhite can’t make progress.

We’ve seen that, in a Rook and four vs. Rook and three, exchanging pawns is something the defender loves to see. That leaves the stronger side with only one other idea: he needs to avoid trades and try and gain some space by push­ ing his center pawn up the board. This is by far the more dangerous plan and, even though it is still a draw, it’s worth avoiding by making use of the following
defensive setup.

Diagram 306

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Black threatens to make things difficult for \Vhite with 1.. .eS when \Vhite can draw by 2.Rb6 (keeping black’s King at bay) but it’s complicated and far beyond what the student needs to know at this stage of his endgame training.
However, knowing that such positions are dangerous is important, and this knowledge should frighten the defender so much that he goes out of his way to avoid the advance of thee-pawn. Thus the move l.f4! and the resulting defensive posture has proven remarkably effective.

Diagram 307

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

Uncrackable

PART SEVEN -ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 299

The f-pawn stops black’s e-pawn in its tracks while the white Rook ties black’s King to its pawn on f7. Since an attack on g3 via 1…Ra3 can be comfortably met by 2.Kf2, Black is forced to “go for the gusto” with:

l…Kf6 2.Rc7 Kf5

Otherwise White would continue to shuffle his Rook back and forth along the 7th rank.

3.Rxf7+ Kg4 4.Rf6 Kxg3 5.Rxg6+ Kxf4 6.Rxe6 Kg3 7.Re3+ with a hope­

lessly drawn position.

We’ve looked at Bishop of opposite color endgames, but what happens if the Bishops are of the same color? Where the presence of opposite colored Bishops gives the defender hope of drawing, same-colored Bishops usually guarantee the side with the extra pawn(s) serious winning chances.

Diagram 308

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

White wins easily

When up a pawn (with no other pawns remaining), the stronger side has win­ ning chances if the pawn is advanced and if the defending King isn’t able to get in front of it. In general, a situation will often be reached where the defending Bishop is preventing the pawn from advancing (an immediate draw will result if it can sacrifice itself for the last pawn). The stronger side can only win if his own Bishop can block the diagonal of the defending Bishop. Diagram 308 offers a simplistic example of this.

l.Be5 Kg6 2.Bc7, 1-0.

Even if the weaker side’s Bishop is on the longer diagonal (d8-h4 instead of d8-a5, as in the following position) the game is still “in the bag.”

In diagram 309 the black Bishop’s control of the h4-d8 diagonal makes things a bit harder for White, but black’s cause is still hopeless.

300

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 301

Diagram 309

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White still wins easily

l.Ba5 Kg6 2.Bd8

Ending black’s domination of this long diagonal to d8.

2…Bel 3.Be7 Ba5 4.Bd6, 1-0 since Black can’t prevent S.Bc7.

To have any drawing chances, the defending King must be directly in front of its counterpart.

Diagram 310

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Draw

RuLE

In this kind of endgame, center pawns only win if the defending King isn’t on top of the action.

Here white’s normal winning idea of chasing black’s Bishop to the aS-d8 diagonal and then maneuvering his own Bishop to c7 is no longer viable since black’s King controls the c7-square: l.Bd8 Be1 2.BgS (2 .Bb6 Bh4) 2 …BaS 3.Bd2
Bb6 4.Bf4 BaS fails to make progress for White. Note that Black didn’t face any problems here because:

The c7-square is covered by black’s Bishop and King.

…,. White’s King is frozen since it needs to defend the d-pawn.

Black will never run out of tempo moves since he can shuffle his Bishop togS, f6, and/or e7 at will, while he also has access to three squares on the aS -d8 diagonal if his Bishop is chased there.

302 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

This “shuffle defense” isn’t possible if the pawn is a bishop-pawn-then the side diagonal is shortened and zugzwangs appear.

Diagram 311

a b c d e f g h

White wins

White’s first order of business is to chase the black Bishop off the a3-f8 di­
agonal and onto the fatally short h6-f8 line.

l.Bg7 Bb4 2.Bf8 Bd2 3.Bc5 Bh6

Our first goal has been reached, and black’s Bishop is now stuck on the un­
comfortably short h6-f8 diagonal. Next stop, zugzwang!

4.Bd4!

Suddenly Black has no good move! Moving the Bishop off the h6-f8 diagonal lets White make a new Queen, while moves like 4…Bg7 or 4…Bf8 both hang the Bishop. Since 4…K£6 isn’t possible, and since 4…Kg5 runs into 5.Be3+, Black is left with either 4…Kf5 or 4…Kh5. Sadly, White would then end matters with
5.Bg7, ensuring the successful promotion of the pawn.

Diagram 312

RuLE

This idea of a shortened defensive diagonal means

that one’s winning

chances improve when the pawn is

a bishop-pawn and knight-pawn.

8

7

6

‘)

4

3

2

1

a b c d e f g h

L. Centurini 1847

White wins

PART SEVEN ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 303

White wins by chasing the black Bishop off the h2-b8 diagonal and onto the pathetically short a 7-b8 complex. Then a timely Bishop move/sacrifice along the g1-a7 diagonal forces the black Bishop off the queening square and allows the pawn to successfully promote.

l.Bh4 Bf4 2.Bf2 Bh2 3.Ba7 Bg3 4.Bb8 Bf2 5.Bf4 Ba7

Black is now undone due to the lack of diagonal length.

6.Be3!, 1-0.

The seemed easy, but Black can improve and put up some annoying resistance:

l…Kb5! (Far better than the lemming-like 1…Bf4) 2.Bf2 Ka6

Suddenly Black has prevented Ba7. Can White still win?

Diagram 313

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White has only one good move

3.Bc5!

Getting ready to swing back to c7.

3 … Be5

Black will rush his King back to c6, but he can’t do it yet since 3 …Kb5 is met by4.Ba7.

4.Be7 Kb5

Else White wins by Bd8 followed by Bc7.

5.Bd8 Kc6

It seems like Black has stopped White again, but now a nice maneuver shows that the game is, in fact, over.

6.Bf6! Bf4 7.Bd4 when Black can no longer keep white’s Bishop off of a7. The rest: 7 …Bg3 8.Ba7 Bf4 9.Bb8 Be3 10.Bg3 Ba7 ll.Bf2, 1-0.

This leaves us with one question: from our last diagram, why was 3.Bc5 the only way to win? Wouldn’t 3.Be3 be just as effective? It’s important that you

304 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

understand the answer to this question: 3.Be3 Bd6 4.Bg5 Kb5 5.Bd8 Kc6

6.Be7 Bh2 and 7.Bc5 isn’t possible due to 7 …Kxc5. Therefore, 3.Bc5! was very important since it stopped Black from moving his Bishop to d6, which in turn allows White to successfully swing his Bishop with tempo to the gl-a7 diagonal and avoid contact with black’s King.

Let’s repeat this in a slight different way: 3.Bc5! prevents …Bd6 and forces the black Bishop to move to g3, f4, or e5. When White ultimately challenges that Bishop via Bh4, Bg5, or Bf6, white’s Bishop will then be out of reach of the enemy King (now on c6) when it moves to f2, e3, or d4.
Centurini, in the middle of the nineteenth century, postulated that a zugzwang isn’t possible if two free squares along the crucial diagonal remain open to the defending Bishop. If the defending Bishop has less than two, then the stronger side will usually win (there are a couple of exceptions, but since we’re after con­ cept and not brute memorization, we’lllet these pass by-if you wish to make an in-depth study of this kind of Bishop endgame, you can find the exceptions in any detailed endgame tome).

Centurini’s Rule

A zugzwang isn’t possible if two free squares along the crucial diagonal remain open to the defending Bishop. If the defending Bishop has less than two, then the stronger side will usually win.

The following example illustrates this rule rather nicely, while also showing the student how these ideas can often allow you to successfully advance a pawn that’s as far back as the 5th rank.

Diagram 314

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e g h

White wins

If White can safely push his pawn to a6, the game will be won. White’s first order of business is to chase the black Bishop off the fl-a6 diagonal (easily done

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 305

by moving the Bishop to a6). This will force black’s Bishop to the a6-c8 diagonal, but he will find it impossible to remain there due to the diagonal’s shortness (only one free square will be available which, according to Centurini’s Rule, means that black’s defense will break down).

l.Bb7 Bd3 2.Ba6 Be4 3.Bb5!

Phase one is accomplished. Now Black has to try and set up a block along the shorter, and thus less stable, a6-c8 diagonal.

3 …Bb7 4.Bd7!

Naturally, 4.Kxb7?? Kxa5 must be avoided. After 4.Bd7, we have Centurini’s rule: “If the defending Bishop has less than two free squares along the crucial diagonal, zugszwang will occur and the stronger side will win.”
Indeed, this position is zugszwang since black’s Bishop only has one free square along the a6-c8 diagonal. Thus, any black King move will allow Kxb7, and any black Bishop move along the h l-aS diagonal will allow the pawn to safely make its way up the board.

4…Bg2 5.a6 BB 6.a7, 1-0 since 7.Bc6 follows.

Two extra split pawns usually win since in most cases the stronger side can play to promote one pawn, secure in the knowledge that the defender can no longer draw by sacrificing his Bishop since the remaining pawn will eventually promote.

Diagram 315

8

7

6

5

4

.3

2

a b c d e f g h

White wins

l.d6 BaS (l…Bb4 2.Bf6 followed by Kc7) 2.Bf6, 1-0 since Black has no way to deal with 3.Kc8, 4.d7, and 5.d8=Q.

As always, one must be mindful of cases where one of the pawns is a rook­

pawn of the wrong color.

306 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 316

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

Draw

Black draws by giving up his Bishop for the e-pawn, which leaves him with a basic Bishop and wrong colored h-pawn vs. King.

l.Bg6

l.e6 Bd5 followed by 2 …Bxe6, =.

1. .. Bg4 and White can’t make progress.

Two extra protected passed pawns usually assure the stronger side of the full point.

Diagram 317

a b c d e f g h

White wins

l.d4+

An important idea: pushing the d-pawn takes control of the dark squares (c5 and e5) while the Bishop keeps an eye on the light squares. This team control over the key squares forces the enemy King back.

White must be careful to avoid letting the enemy King create a blockade.
This would occur after l.e4?? Kd4 when the game is drawn since White can’t

PART SEVEN -ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 307

march his King to f3 and f4 due to …Kxd3, while 2.Bfl (preparing for the King march to f4) runs headlong into … Bg6 followed by …Bxe4.

l…Kd6 2.e4 Bg6 3.Ke3

It’s very important to support the pawns with the King!

3 …Bh7 4.e5+

Again, 4.d5?? (losing control over the dark squares) allows Black to create a blockade with 4…Ke5.

4…Ke6 5.Kf4 Bc2 6.d5+ Kd7 7.Bh3+ Ke7 8.d6+ Kd8 9.e6 Ba4 10.Ke5

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with 10.e7+ either. But I like the idea of making sure every piece participates in the execution.

10… Bb5 ll.Kf6 Ba4 ll.e7+ Ke8 12.Bg4 Bb5 13.d7+!

Naturally, 13.Bh5+ Kd7 14.e8=Q+ nukes Black, but why not force mate.

13 … Bxd7 14.Bh5 mate.

Pretty easy, as long as you don’t allow one of two things:

… Don’t let the defender give up his Bishop for both pawns.

… Don’t let the defender achieve a blockade by creating a hole (which the defender’s King would live on) on the opposite color of your Bishop.

In general, the study of Queen endgames is not something a non-professional should waste his time on. I recall playing a five-minute game against Fritz where I ended up on the happy side of a Queen and pawn vs. Queen position. I had no idea if it was a theoretical win for me or not, but that didn’t matter-it was clear that I could torture the computer for a long, long time. Suddenly Fritz “lit up” and announced that I could mate it in 83 moves! Horrified, I did something that seemed logical and Fritz said, “Mate in 87!” I then turned Fritz off-who needed the humiliation?
The rarified air of Queen endgame theory shouldn’t be inhaled until you’re a
senior master (2400 and up), but the following situations deserve a “first taste” right now.

Blockade-Queen vs. Rook and Pawn

In general, any pawn on the 2nd rank other than a rook-pawn will give the defender a draw unless the stronger side’s King has managed to break through to the 6th rank. A knight-pawn almost always draws.

Diagram 318

a b c d e f g h

Philidor, 1777

Draw

Black has all the key bases covered:

308

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 309

.._. His Rook is stopping white’s King from penetrating to the 6th and/or 7th ranks.

–..-. His Rook can mark time by going to two safe posts (c6 and e6). A rook-pawn only allows the defender one safe post.

.._. White’s Queen isn’t able to get behind the pawn and it will never be able to chase black’s King away from e7, e8, or c7, c8.

Thus, after l.Qh8 Rc6 2.Qg7+ Ke8 White can’t improve his position.
Such Queen vs. pawn endgames can be very complicated and rule dependent (and these rules change as the pawn advances), and are far beyond anything a non-professional needs to study. Suffice it to say that if you keep in mind our one example and its rules, you’ll have something to grasp onto if you’re down material and this kind of defensive situation happens to arise.

Blockade-Queen and Pawn vs.

Rook and Two Pawns

The weaker side can often draw by creating the same kind of blockade as we saw in Queen vs. Rook and Pawn.

Diagram 319

a b c d e f g h

Draw

White draws easily by shuffling his Rook between e4 and g4. Black might eventually try to sacrifice his Queen for the Rook (on e4 or g4) and a pawn, but the resulting King and pawn vs. King and pawn endgame is easily drawn.
It’s important that the student is aware of this kind of blockade since it can occur from many positions that might, at first glance, appear hopeless. The following position shows a simple example of this.

310 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 320

8

7

6

5 L “”” “””

4 % “”

:tf

.3 =· I!

2

. ..

a b c d e f g h

White to Move

Black seems to be on his way to victory since his Queen and pawn would normally run roughshod over a Rook and Bishop. However, White can sacrifice his Bishop and create a successful blockade.

l.Bxd4+!

l.Re4 is playing with fire: 1. ..Qc5 2.Bg3 d3 3.Rxe5? Qxe5 4.Bxe5 d2 and
Black wins.

1. ..exd4 2.Rxd4

Since White threatens to safely plant his Rook on e4 or g4, Black must start checking in the hope of taking advantage of white’s loose Rook.

2…Qc7+ 3.Khl

And not 3 .Kg1?? Qc5, picking up the Rook.

3 …Qh7+ 4.Kgl Qbl+ 5.Kh2 and Black isn’t getting anywhere.

The Flowchart

_. Complex positions can’t be solved unless you have a firm foundation of knowledge behind you. The Flowchart method, which is really nothing more than the recognition of previously absorbed patterns, is dependent on the student having thoroughly mastered the
material in earlier sections.

Rook Endgames

_. A Rook and rook-pawn or knight-pawn on the 7th, with the stronger side’s Rook in front of its pawn and the defending Rook behind the pawn, is drawn even if an extra knight-pawn or rook­ pawn exist on the other side of the board.
_. A Rook and rook-pawn or knight-pawn on the 7th, with the stronger side’s Rook in front of its pawn and the defending Rook behind the pawn, is easily won if an extra bishop-pawn exists on the other side of the board.
_. Positions featuring Rook and two passed pawns vs. Rook and one passed pawn are usually winning for the two pawns.
_. In a Rook and pawn vs. Rook endgame, an inability to achieve a perfect Philidor defensive setup doesn’t necessarily mean doom
for the defender if his King is in front of the pawn and his Rook is actively placed behind it.
_. In a Rook and four vs. Rook and three, or Rook and three vs. Rook and two, or Rook and two vs. Rook and one with all the pawns on one side of the board, the defender’s goals are to:
• Trade as many pawns as possible (unless striving for a particular pawn exchange severely weakens your pawn formation).
• Keep the Rook as active as possible (preferably tying the defender’s King down to the defense of its pawns).
• Keep trading down until you end up with a Philidor position, which we know from experience is a simple draw.

311

312 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Bishops of the Same Color Endgames

Where the presence of opposite colored Bishops gives the defender hope of drawing, same-colored Bishops usually guarantee the side with the extra pawn(s) serious winning chances.
Bishop and pawn vs. Bishop: When up a pawn (with no other pawns remaining), the stronger side has winning chances if the pawn is advanced and if the defending King isn’t able to get in front of it.
Centurini’s Rule (for Bishop and advanced pawn vs. Bishop): If the defending Bishop has less than two free squares along the crucial diagonal, zugszwang will occur and the stronger side will win.

Queen Endgames

Queen vs. Rook and pawn or Queen and pawn vs. Rook and two pawns: The defender’s main hope is the creation of a successful blockade that keeps the stronger side’s King from approaching the defender’s pawn(s).

TEST} Diagram 321

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move
Does White have any realistic winning chances?

TEST 2 —

; $.

Diagram 322

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move
Is black’s pawn on h5 a weakness? If so, would it be more comfortable on h6? Finally, should White win this position?

313

314 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 3 Diagram 323

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Assess the position.

—‘——- ——– —

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

TEST 4 Diagram 324

ii a 

a h c d e f g h

White to move

Another seemingly ungraspable position is really just a prelude to yet another Flowchart puzzle. See if you can ascertain (or guess!) what basic concept will appear on the board.

TEST 5 Diagram 325

a h c d e f g h

White to move

This is a surprise quiz in that it dredges up an important lesson from Part Five (Which you should know! You didn’t think I was going to let you get away with a haphazard understanding of past material, did you?). Can White win, or is the game a draw?

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 315

TEST6

Is Black doomed?

TEST 7 ·······-

J c

Can White win?

Diagram 326

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

Diagram 327

a b c d e f g h

White to move

TEST 8 -, :

3 3 .£ 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Diagram 328

a h c d e f g h

White to move

This is a Flowchart exercise. Try to turn this insane position into something we can understand from our basic endgame foundation.

316 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 9 ··;.:.

e a £t

Diagram 329

a b c d e f g h

White to move

As White, what defensive ideas come to mind? These ideas should be word and concept based and not dependent on streams of variations.

TEST 10 Diagram 330

. ;; 

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Black appears to be headed towards victory. Is this true?

TEST 11 Diagram 331

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

Can Black save the game?

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 317

TEST 12 Diagram 332

a h c d e f g h

White to move

This seems to be a complex position that has nothing to do with the basics we’ve studied thus far. Try and see how some of these basics might prove use­ ful in this position. Remember, I’m looking for ideas, not moves.

TEST 13 Diagram 333

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

What kind of basic situation is Black trying to achieve? Can he win?

TEST 14 Diagram 334

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

Who stands better in this extremely strange position?

318 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 15 ···;;-: Diagram 335

1 J 

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Does l.t7 win the game, or does the resulting King and pawn endgame hide stalemate tricks?

TEST 16 Diagram 336

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Can Black win?

a b c d e f g h

Black to move

TEST 17 Diagram 337

:: 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Can White draw?

a b c d e f g h

White to move

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 319

TEST 18 Diagram 338

··; lt&L 

a h c d e f g h

Black to move

White just moved his pawn to g3. Is he going to lose?

TEST 19 Diagram 339

.ill $ 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

Should White keep the Rooks on or exchange by Rxf6?

TEST 20 Diagram 340

3$ 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to Move

Black now played 55…Rf5. Was this wise?

320 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 21 rfiii:

, JJL 4 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Is l.Rc8 a good move?

TEST 22

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

Can White win this position?

Diagram 341

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Diagram 342

a b c d e f g h

White to move

TEST 23

— — — Diagram 343

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move
Is White winning?

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 321

TEST 24

—-,

Diagram 344

I ,$$ 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Can Black save the game?

TEST 25 ·…..

; ;;; 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Does White have any realistic winning chances?

TEST 26

it ;;

Diagram 346

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a b c d e f g h

White to move

Can White win?

322 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

TEST 27

, ttl% J£

Diagram 347

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move
Does l…Rc4 give Black any realistic winning chances?


TEST 28 Diagram 348

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move
Does \Vhite have any chance of saving this game?
TEST 29 ·

“X

Diagram 349

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

Black to move
Does promoting the pawn win?

PART SEVEN -ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 323

Diagram 350

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a h c d e f g h

White to move

Can \Vhite draw?

* * * * *

 Diagram 321

White to move

Does White have any realistic winning chances?

\Vhite has no chance whatsoever to score the full point. Even if\Vhite swaps his c-pawn for black’s b-pawn, the game would still be completely drawn. \Vhy? Because a Philidor could be set up, which is an easy draw, while the fact that
\Vhite would be left with a knight-pawn means that even a passive Rook posi­
tion would be drawn.

324 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 322

abcdefgh

Ponomariov-Judit Polgar, Sofia 2005

White to move

Is black’s pawn on hS a weakness? If so, would it be more comfortable on h6? Finally, should \Vhite win this position?

Having the pawn on h5 is an important defensive idea for Black! It stops the white pawns from taking over too much kingside space, and happily seeks exchanges if White ever plays his g-pawn to g4. Though the defense of such positions is long and tedious, Black should be able to comfortably make a draw.

l.h4 g6 2.Kh2 Kg7 3.Kg3 Re2

Black’s Rook is tying white’s King to the defense of g2.

4.Rb6 Kf8 5.Rbt Kg7 6.Rgt

Freeing the King, but this doesn’t mean that White can make any real progress.

6…Ra2 7.Kf4 Rb2 8.g3 Rb4 9.Rdt Ra4 tO.Ke3 Ra2 tl.Rd4 Rg2

It turns out that white’s King is still tied down to its g-pawn!

t2.Kf4 Rgt13.e5 Rett4.Re4 Rgtt5.Re3 Rg2 t6.Ret Rf2 t7.g4

White didn’t want to exchange pawns, but he wasn’t able to make any progress. Black’s pressure against the e- and g-pawns kept White off balance.

t7…hxg4 t8.Kxg4 Rg2+ t9.Kh3 Rf2 20.Kg3 Ra2 21.Rdt Re2 22.Rd5

Ret 23.Kf2 Rht

With white’s g-pawn gone, Black turns her attention to the pawn on h4!

24.Rd4 Rh2+ 25.Kg3 Re2 26.Re4 Ra2 27.Re3 Rat 28.Rd3 Ret 29.f4

Rgt+ 30.KB Rht 31.Kg4 f5+ 32.Kg3

Of course, 32.Kg5?? Rgl+ 33.Rg3 Rxg3 mate is something that only happens in nightmares (or in dreams, if you’re Black!).

32 …Rgl+ 33.KB Rht 34.Rd7+

34.Kg3 Rgl+ 35.Kh2 Rf4 was also an easy draw.

34…Kg8 35.Ke3 Rxh4 36.e6 Kf8 37.Kd4 g5 38.Ke5 gxf4 39.Rf7+ Ke8

40.Rxf5 Rht 41.Rxf4 Ke7 42.Rf2 Ret+ 43.Kd5 Rxe6, 1/z- 1/z.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES F 0 R EXPERTS ( 2 0 0 0-2 1 9 9) 325

 Diagram 323

Black to move

Assess the position.

Your past knowledge (Flowcharting a seemingly complex situation) should make it clear that White is winning if he avoids the many pitfalls that are lurk­ ing. The key elements here are:
–…. White must not allow a Vancura Position.
– – …. White must not allow a two pawn up position where his a-pawn is on the 7th and his other pawn is a g-pawn.
–…. White must be aware that the win is easy in a two pawn up position where the a-pawn is on the 7th and his other pawn is an f-pawn.
The following moves might occur:

l…hxg5

l…fxg5 2.hxg5 will transpose to our main line.

2.hxg5 fxg5

The position after 2 …f5 is an easy win for White, even if he doesn’t have the g-pawn!

3.f5!

Not falling into a drawn Vancura Position after 3.fxg5?? Ra5! 4.Kd2 (4.g6+ Kxg6 5.a7 Kg7, =) 4… Rxg5 5.Kc3 Rg6 (entering Vancura’s safe waters) 6.Kd4
Kg7 7.Ke5 (of course, 7.a7 Ra6 is an instant draw) 7…Rb6 (not 7 …Rf6?? 8.Rg8+!)
8.Kd5 (White’s Rook is stuck to its pawn, and a7 allows …Ra6, so White brings his King to the queenside. However, the Vancura holds firm.) 8…Rf6 9.Kc5 Kh7
10.Kb5 Rf5+ ll.Kc6 Rf6+ 12.Kb7 (or 12.Kd5 Kg7, =) 12 …Rf7+, =.

3 …g4

No better was 3…Kg7 4.a7! g4 5.f6+ Kh7 6.f7, 1-0, or 3 … Ra5 4.a7 when the threat of f6 is decisive and 4.. .Rxf5 doesn’t help since 5.Rb8 will leave White with an extra Rook.

326 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

4.a7

Freezing black’s King and Rook.

4…g3

Threatening to win by 5 …g2.

5.Kfl! Kg7

Nothing works, since 5… Rf2+ 6.Kg1 Rxf5 7.Rb8 forces the win of black’s Rook (or creates a new Queen), while 5 …g2 + 6.Kg1 leaves Black unable to deal with the threat of f6-f7-f8.

6.f6+! Kh7!

A last try. Hopeless is 6…Kxf6 7.Rf8+ Kg7 8.a8=Q, and 6…Kf7 7.Rh8 Rxa7
8.Rh7+.

7.Kgl!

White also wins after 7.f7 Rf2+ 8.Kg1 Rxf7 9.Rh8+ Kxh8 10.a8=Q+, but why rush into a complex Queen vs. Rook position when the text move makes things easy?
After 7.Kg1 Black must resign since he has no answer to the threat of f7 and
f8=Q.

 Diagram 324

ahcdefgh

Tarrasch-Hollaender, Nuremberg 1892

White to move

Another seemingly ungraspable position is really just a prelude to yet another Flowchart puzzle. See if you can ascertain (or guess!) what basic concept will ap­ pear on the board.

Believe it or not, a King and pawn endgame featuring Fox in the Chicken
Coup will soon appear!
Optically White seems a bit better: his Bishop has possibilities along the h1- a8 diagonal, he possesses more central space, black’s doubled c-pawns create a certain lack of flexibility, and black’s a-pawn is weak.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 327

Tactically though, things are even worse-the c6-pawn and the Knight are unprotected. White makes immediate use of these factors to either win a pawn or transition the game into an easily won King and pawn endgame.

l.e5!

Blasting open the h1-a8 diagonal.

l…fxe5

1 …d5 2 .c4! leads to a very unpleasant position for Black after 2 …fxe5 3.cxd5 c5 4.d6! cxd6 5.Bd5+ Kh8 6.Bc6 Rd8 7.Rxd6. For example 7…Nb8 8.Rxd8 Rxd8
9.Bb5 a6 10.Bc4 exf4 1l.Rxf4 g6 12.Rf6 Kg7 13.Rb6 and Black, whose pawns
are weak and whose Knight is dominated, is completely lost.

2.Bxc6

Not only threatening the Knight, but also pinning it to the e8-Rook.

2 …Re7

And not 2 …Rf7? 3.Bd5, winning the Exchange.

3.Bxd7

Why exchange this nice Bishop for black’s Knight? Because it forces the black
Rook onto an unprotected square.

3…Rxd7 4.fxe5 Rxfl+ 5.Kxfl R£7+?

This prevents the loss of a pawn, but allows a resignable King and pawn end­ game to arise. Instead, Black should have kept the Rooks on the board (It’s still bad, but at least he can fight!) by 5 …d5 when 6.c4 (6.e6 Rd6 7.e7 Kf7 8.Re1 Ke8)
6…d4 7.Ke2 Kf7 8.Kd3 Ke6 9.Ke4 c5 10.Rfl (stronger is 10.b4! cxb4 1l.Rxd4)
10…Rd8 (not allowing White to penetrate to f8) when Black can battle on (ideas like … Rb8 followed by …a5 and …a4 are screaming to be tried).

6.Kg2

And not 6.Ke2?? Re7 when Black is suddenly okay.

6…dxe5 7.Rd8+

This final transition, taking the game into a King and pawn ending, is deci­ sive since white’s queenside majority will ultimately leave him with a Fox in the Chicken Coup situation.

7…Rf8 8.Rxf8+ Kxf8 9.Kf3 Ke7 10.Ke4 Kd6 ll.b4!

A very important move which leaves white’s queenside pawns free to roam. Badly mistaken is ll.c4? c5 12.a3 a5 with a situation where two black pawns are stopping three white pawns.

ll…a6 12.a4 g6 13.c4 a5

328 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

13… c6 14.b5 axb5 (14…cxb5 15.cxb5) 15.axb5 cxb5 16.cxb5 Kc5 17.Kxe5
Kxb5 18.Kf6 is a classic Fox in the Chicken Coup. Also hopeless is 13 …Ke6
14.b5 a5 (14…axb5 15.cxb5) 15.c5.

14.bxa5 Kc5 15.Kxe5, 1-0.

 Diagram 325

Alekhine- Yates, Hamburg 1910

White to move

This is a surprise quiz in that it dredges up an impor­ tant lesson from Part Five (Which you should know! You didn’t think I was going to let you get away with a haphazard understanding of past material, did you?). Can White win, or is the game a draw?

White wins by making use of Opposition and Triangulation.

l.Kd3!

l.Kd4?? Ke6 gives Black the Opposition, loses the e5-pawn, and allows Black to enter a very difficult Queen endgame after 2.Kc5 Kxe5 3.Kxb5 Ke4 4.Kxa4
Kxe3 5.b4 f4 6.b5 f3 7.b6 f2 8.b7 fl=Q 9.b8=Q that White would really prefer to avoid.

l…Kd7!

Taking Distant Opposition and avoiding l…Ke6? 2.Kd4.

2.e4! f4

2 …fxe4+ 3.Kxe4 is resignable for Black.

3.Ke2

Threatening Kf3 followed by Kxf4. black’s reply is forced.
3 …Ke6 4.Kf2!, 1-0. White wisely avoided 4.Kf3?? Kxe5 when Black wins! Mter 4.Kf2 Kxe5 5.Kf3 White takes the Opposition, wins the f-pawn, and wins the game. If this was too difficult, go back to Part Five and review the material there!

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 329

Diagram 326

8

abcdefgh

Black to move

Is Black doomed?

L———————————-

It’s too late to set up a Philidor Position, but he can still save himself by using our “Philidor gone bad” formula:

Activate the Rook

Place it behind the pawn

Run the King to the Short Side of the board.
••..,.. Make sure you create Checking Distance for your Rook.

l…Rdl

Creating maximum Checking Distance! Note that the pawn endgame after l…Rd7?? 2.Rxd7 Kxd7 3.Kb6 Kc8 4.Kc6 is completely lost.

2.Kb6 Rcl!!

And not 2 …Rbl+? 3.Kc6.

3.Kc6

Of course, White can’t make any progress after 3.Rh8+ Kd7 since black’s Rook and King make c6 impossible.

3… Kb8!

Going to the Short Side of the board so the Rook can have Checking Distance on the kingside.

4.Rh8+ Ka7 5.Rc8

No better is 5.Kd6 Kb7!, =.

s…Rhl!

Creating optimum Checking Distance and threatening to slide back into a perfect Philidor with 6…Rh6+.

6.Rd8

Now White can meet 6… Rh6+ with 7.Kc7 Ra2+ 8.Rd7.

6…Rcl!, 1h- 1h since White can’t make any progress.

330 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 327

ahcdefgh

White to move

Can White win?

White would not win an analogous position with a center pawn (with the Kings facing off), but here the shortened second diagonal (a6-c8) allows White to claim victory:

l.Bb7 Bg4 2.Bc8 Be2 3.Bf5 Ba6 4.Be4! and Black must resign since any

King move allows Bb7, while a Bishop move either hangs the Bishop or allows
White to make a Queen.

 Diagram 328

ahcdefgh

Tarrasch- Alapin, Ostend 1905

White to move

This is a Flowchart exercise. Try to turn this insane position into something we can understand from our

basic endgame foundation.

L_

It seems odd to mention endgame transitions and Flowcharts when we’re faced with a very sharp, complex middlegame position. Yet it’s quite proper to do so since White has the opportunity to end black’s attack and reach a winning Rook endgame by sacrificing some of his excess material.

l.f4!

The winning move. White hits the enemy Queen and allows his own Queen to stop black’s threatened …Qg2 mate.

l…Qg2+

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 331

Even easier for White is 1…Qh5 2.Qxa8! (Pure greed in chess is a lovely sight!)
2 … Bg4+ 3.Kg1 Bf3 4.Qxf3! Qxf3 5.Rb3 Qg4+ 6.Rg3 Qxf4 7.e6 and white’s two
Rooks and passed e-pawn will pick up the full point.

2.Qxg2 Bxg2+ 3.Kxg2 Rxb8

The first transition has been achieved: the complex middlegame is gone and a pawn up Rook endgame has “miraculously” appeared in which white’s Rook is resting happily behind its passed pawn.

4.Kf3 Kg7 5.Rdl

It turns out that pushing the e-pawn would now be a mistake, so White acti­
vates his Rook in search of new weaknesses to conquer.

5…Rb7 6.f5!

An excellent move that takes us to our second transition (in fine Flowchart fashion). White temporarily gives up his doubled f-pawn so that:

…. He creates a target on f5.

…. After winning it he reaches known territory: the resulting connected passed e- and f-pawns vs. lone passed h-pawn is an easywm.

6…gxf5 7.Kf4 Kf8

Black can’t hold onto his pawn since 7 …Kg6 is met by 8.Rg1+, while 7 … Rf7
8.Rg1+ followed by 9.Rg5 and 10.Rxf5 is also easy for White.

8.£3

The f5-pawn can’t be held, so why rush things and allow 8.Kxf5 Rc2, attacking both a2 and f2 at the same time?

S…Rfi 9.e6 Rc7

9… Rf6 IO.Ke5 is hopeless for Black.

10.Kxf5 Ke7 ll.Rd5!

This stops 5th rank Rook checks and kills the opponent’s counterplay since black’s Rook can’t leave its 2nd rank due to Rd7+. Now that everything is safe, White will calmly advance his f-pawn.

ll…h5 12.f4 h4 13.Ke5 h3 14.f5 h2 15.f6+ Ke8 16.Rb5!, 1-0. Black had no desire to experience 16…Rc8 (to stop back rank mate) 17.f7+ Ke7 18.Rb7+ Kf8 19.Kf6 h1=Q 20.e7 mate.

332 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 329

ahcdefgh

Topalov-Kramnik, Sofia 2005

White to move

As White, what defensive ideas come to mind? These ideas should be word and concept based and not de endent on streams of variations.

Don’t fail to make use of your basic knowledge! Most players just calculate in these situations, without getting a grip on various defensive possibilities first. However, you can’t find good moves if you don’t have a verbal goal in mind.
Bravo if you thought of some of the following things:

It’s an easy draw if White can exchange all the kingside pawns.

If Black ends up with his pawn on a2 and Rook on al (white’s Rook behind the pawn on a7), it’s a draw if White can trade his two pawns on e3 and g2 for black’s f-pawn.

–If Black ends up with his pawn on a2 and Rook on al (white’s Rook behind the pawn on a7), White loses if he trades his two pawns on e3 and g2 for black’s h-pawn.

••…,… If black’s pawn gets to a2, white’s King must be on h2 or g2, or be in front of one of its pawns so a Rook check isn’t possible.

Black’s kingside pawns are vulnerable. Attacking them will prove very annoymg.
It turns out that attacking black’s kingside pawns is very annoying indeed!

l.e4 Kg6 2.g4 Ral 3.Kf4

White intends to attack black’s pawns by Rb6 followed by e5 (taking advantage of the pin along the rank). Black has no good answer to this plan.

3 …a5

No better is 3 … Rfl+ 4.Kg3 aS 5.Rb6 a4 (5 …Kf7 6.Rb7+ Ke6 7.Rxh7 a4
8.Ra7, =) 6.Ra6 Ral 7.e5 a3 8.Rxf6+ Kg7 9.Ra6 a2 10.Kg2 is a draw even if
White doesn’t have his e- and g-pawns!

4.Rb6 a4

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 333

4…Kf7 5.Rb7+ Kg6 6.Rb6 doesn’t get Black anywhere, so he has no choice but to slog on with his pawn.

5.e5 a3 6.Rxf6+ Kg7 7.Kg5!

The only good move. 7.Ra6?? loses because white’s King can’t get back to g2 or h2 in time, while moving to g5 now encounters a problem: 7.Ra6?? a2 (threatening … Rfl+) 8.Kg5 (8.Ra7+ Kg6 9.Ra6+ Ki7 10.Ra7+ Ke6 ll.Kg5 h5! destroys the white King’s cover.) 8… h6+! 9.Rxh6 (9.Kf5 Rfl+ followed by
…al=Q) 9…Rbll0.Ra6 al=Q ll.Rxal Rxal and it’s all over.
7…a2
7…h5 leads to more interesting positions, though they also end in draws: 8.Rf2
Re19.Kf5 h4(9…hxg410.Ra2 Re3 ll.Kxg4Kf7 12.Kf4, =) 10.g5 h3 ll.Ra2 Kf7
12.g6+ Kg7 13.e6 Re3 14.Kf4, =,intending to meet 14…Rc3 with 15.e7, =.

8.Rf2!

Avoiding 8.Ra6?? h6+ when white’s King loses its protective cover.
8…Rel 9.Rxa2 Rxe5+, 1h- 1h.

 Diagram 330

ahcdefgh

White to move

Black appears to be headed towards victory. Is this true?

White can draw by l.Rxd6+! Bxd6 2.Rxd6+ Kc7 3.Rd3 with a blockade.

 Diagram 33!

Reshevsky-Najdorf, Lugano 1968

Black to move

Can Black save the game?

334 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Black can draw, but his King needs to reach the Short Side of the board. In the actual game, Black dismally fails in this goal: l…Ke8? 2.Kf6 Kd7 3.Rh7+ Ke8 4.Rh8+ Kd7 5.Rf8 Rhl 6.Kg7 Rgl+ 7.Kf7 Rfl 8.f6, 1-0.
Instead, he could have saved himself by l…Ke7 2.Rh7+ Kf8 3.Kf6 Kg8

4.Ra7 Rfl! and White can’t win.

 Diagram 332

ahcdefgh

Smyslov- Korchnoi, Moscow vs. Leningrad 1967

White to move

This seems to be a complex position that has noth­ ing to do with the basics we’ve studied thus far. Try and see how some of these basics might prove useful in this position. Remember, I’m looking for ideas,

oves.

1

This position seems complicated and hard to define in terms of the basic lessons we’ve learned in this book. However, there are some key ideas we can grasp onto. We’ve seen many instances of weak pawns being attacked, so White would like to make black’s pawn mass on the kingside as vulnerable as possible (you should always try to create new weaknesses in the enemy camp!). And, since White has a passed b-pawn, he should be aiming to advance it and force black’s King and Rook to the queenside so they can deal with it.
The idea of using the outside passed pawn should dredge up two more con­
cepts: placing the Rook behind its passed pawn and Fox in the Chicken Coup. You might find it odd to think of Fox in the Chicken Coup in the context of a Rook and pawn endgame, but it makes good sense and brings to mind two different scenarios:

White’s Rook gets behind the passed pawn, pushes it as far as possible, and if Black wins the pawn by taking it with his Rook (leading to a Rook exchange and black’s King sitting somewhere on the b-file), White wins the resulting King and pawn endgame because his King is on the kingside, ready to eat black’s pawns.

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 335

._ White sacrifices his b-pawn so that he can win a kingside pawn. The resulting Rook and kingside pawn vs. Rook endgame will be winning due to the AWOL black King.

l.Rc2!

By defending the only two attackable points in white’s camp (i.e., b2 and f2), white’s King is relieved of guard duty and is thus free to march up to d4 or c4.

l…Ke7

After l…e5, White would have moved his King to c4 and then pushed the b-pawn.

2.e4

This pawn advance, and the ultimate exchange of pawns that it leads to, will leave black’s kingside pawns far more vulnerable than they were in the initial diagram. I’ll discuss this move once the position crystallizes.

2 …Ral

2 …fxe4 3.Ke3 Re1+ 4.Re2 picks up e4 (trading Rooks is an easy win for White)
and leaves Black with two very weak pawns on e6 and g4.

3.Kd3 Kd6 4.exf5 exf5

Black’s kingside pawns are now vulnerable to attack if the white King can reach f4 or e5 (clearly f5 is far easier for White to attack than e6 was).

5.Kc4

White would prefer to move his King to f4, but this isn’t so easy to achieve since Ke3 is met by …Ra4. Due to this, White will calmly prepare to advance his b-pawn. Once that pawn gets moving, it will demand the attention of black’s Rook and King which, hopefully, will allow white’s King to attack black’s king­ side pawns.

5 …Kc6 6.Kd4+ Kd6 7.b3 Rel 8.Kc4 Kc6 9.Kd3+ Kd5 10.b4 Rbl

Logically placing his Rook behind white’s passed pawn.

ll.Kc3 Kc6

Black would prefer to play more aggressively via 11…Ke4. Unfortunately that would allow 12.Rb2 when 12 … Rxb2 13.Kxb2 Kf3 14.b5 wins. As a result of this, black’s King has to prepare to block the b-pawn.

12.Kd4+ Kd6 13.Kc4 Kc6

Refusing to let white’s King penetrate into his position. It’s time for white’s
Rook to play a more dynamic role in the proceedings.

14.Re2!

336 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

This creates a real problem for Black! Re6+ is threatened, and stopping this by …Kd6 allows Kb5. That leaves 14…Rcl+, which has flaws of its own.

14…Rcl+ 15.Kd4

And now Black is facing the double threat of 16.Ke5 and 16.Rb2.

15…Kd616.Rb2 Ra117.b5 Ra4+ 18.Ke3 Kc719.h6+ Kb7 20.Rb5!

Threatening to jettison the b-pawn by 21.Rxf5 Kxb6 22.Rf4 with an easy win for White.

20…Re4+

Both 20…Kc6 2l.b7! and 20…Ra3+ 21.Kf4 RB+ 22.Kg5 Rxf2 23.Rxf5 are also hopeless.

21.Kd3 ReS 22.Rxf5 Kxb6 23.Rg5

White’s Fox in the Chicken Coup plan has been realized. The battle is raging on the kingside while black’s King is napping on the other wing.

23…Rd8+ 24.Ke4 Re8+ 25.Kf5 Rf8+ 26.Ke6 Rxf2 27.Rxg4

It’s all over. Black’s King needs to be in front of white’s passed pawn or at least close by.

27…Re2+ 28.Kf5 Kc5 29.Re4 Rf2+ 30.Rf4 Rd2 31.g4 Rd5+ 32.Kg6, 1-0.

 Diagram 333

Morozevich- Gelfand, Amber 2005

Black to move

What kind of basic situation is Black trying to achieve? Lhewin?

Black’s dream is to create a Lucena Position. The first step towards this goal is to trap the white King away from the action. The advance of the pawn will follow.

l…Rf5+ 2.Ke2 g5 3.Ke3 Kg2 4.Ke4 Rf4+ 5.Ke3 RB+ 6.Ke2 g4 7.Re4 g3 8.Rb4 Rf8 9.Rh4 Re8+ 10.Kd3 Kf2 ll.Rf4+ Kgll2.Kd2 g2 13.Rf7 Rh8

14.Ke2 Khl, 0-1.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 337

 Diagram 334

abcdefgh

NJngNJngs-hizBoop,2001

Black to move

Who stands better in this extremely strange position?

This amazing position occurred in a one-minute bullet game (with two-second increment). Black wins easily because his a-pawns are outside passed pawns.

l…Ke5 2.Kd3 Ke6 3.Kc2 Kd7 4.Kb3 Kc6 and Black won. He can either

play …f5, …g4, and … f3, or do a Fox in the Chicken Coup by chopping off all the c-pawns and then dashing over the kingside and eating g2.

I SOLUTION Diagram 335

Nakamura-Peersson, Copenhagen 2005

White to move

Does l.f7 win the game, or does the resulting Nlng and pawn endgame hide stalemate tricks?

l.f7 wins, and black’s one stalemating trick is easily dealt with: l.f7 Bxf7 2.h7
Kxh7 3.Kxf7 Kh8 4.Kg6! (Avoiding 4.g6?? stalemate), 1-0. If you didn’t get this, reread Part Two through Part Four.

338 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 336

abcJefgh

Short- Anand, Tilburg 1991

Black to move

Can Black win?

The material in Part Seven should have made this one easy to solve: l…Ral+

2.Kg2 a2 3.Kh2 Kf8 4.Ra7 Ke8 5.Kg2 Kd8 6.Kh2 Kc8 7.Kg2 Kb8 8.Ra4

Kh7 9.Ra3 Kh6 10.Ra8 f4 ll.gxf4 f5 12.Ra3 Kc5 13.Ra8 Kc4 14.Ra3 Kd4

15.Ra8 Ke4 16.Ra4+ Ke3, 0-1.

 Diagram 337

Emms- Willmoth, Great Britain 2000

White to move

Can White draw?

White draws by trading off all the queenside pawns and one pair of Rooks:

l.Rxa7 Rxa7 2.Rxa7 Rc5 3.a4 Rxc3+ 4.Kg2 Rh3 5.a5 Rh5, 1h- 1h.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 339

 Diagram 338

ahcdefgh

Benjamin- Karpov, Cap d’ Agde 2000

Black to move

White just moved his pawn to g3. Is he going to lose?

White draws because he knows that it’s unwinnable even if he ends up two pawns down: l…hxg3+ 2.Kg2!(Avoiding 2.Kxg3?? Rgl+) 2…Ke6 3.Rb8 Kxe5

4.Rb7 Kd6 5.Rb8 g4 6.fxg4 Ke5 7.Rb4 Kf6 8.Rb5 Kg6 9.Rb8 Kg5 10.Rg8+

Kf4 ll.Rf8+ Kxg4 12.Rg8+ Kf5 13.Rf8+ Ke6 14.Re8+, 1h- 1h.

 Diagram 339

abcdefgh

NN -Staunton, London 1842

White to move

Should White keep the Rooks on or exchange by

Rxf6?

White feared the King and pawn endgame that would occur after l.Rxf6, so he tried l.Rd2 and went on to lose: l…a5 2.Kg4 Kh7 3.h5 b5 4.Kg5 Re6 5.Kf5
Rel 6.Rc2 Rhl 7.Kg4 Rbl 8.Kf4 a4 9.Kf5 c5 10.Ke4 Kh6 ll.Kf5 b4 12.axb4 cxb413.Rg2 a3 14.bxa3 bxa315.Ra2 Rb3 16.Kg4Rb4+ 17.Kf5 Rb5+ 18.Kf4Ra5
19.Kg4 Ra4+ 20.Kf5 Kxh5 21.Rh2+ Rh4 22.Rg2 g6+ 23.Kf6 Rf4+, 0-1.
However, taking on f6 by l.Rxf6 would have given White an outside passed pawn, and this would have allowed him to save the game: l.Rxf6! gxf6 2.Kg4

Kf7 3.h5 c5 4.Kf5 b5 5.h6 c4 (No better is 5…a5 6.h7 Kg7 7.h8=Q+ Kxh8

8.Kxf6 b4 9.axb4 cxb4 10.Ke5 a4 ll.Kd4, 1h- 1h) 6.h7 Kg7 7.h8=Q+ Kxh8

8.Kxf6 a5 9.Ke5 b4 10.axb4 axb4 ll.Kd4, 1h- 1h.

340 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 340

Bruijn-Kloos, Amsterdam 1851

Black to move

Black now played 55…Rf5. Was this wise?

Yes, this forced transposition into a King and pawn ending wins an otherwise drawn Rook endgame:
l…Rf5! 2.Rxf5+ gxf5
The actual game saw 2 … Kxf5?? 3.Kf3 Ke5 4.Ke3 Kf5 5.Kf3 g5 6.hxg5
Kxg5, lf2_1!z.
3.Kf4 Ke6 4.Kg5 Ke5 5.Kxh5 f4
The ever alert Fritz points out that 5…Kf6! 6.Kh6 f4 7.Kh5 f3 ts even easter.
6.Kg4 Ke4 7.h5 £3 8.Kg3 Ke3 9.h6 f2 10.h7 fl=Q ll.h8=Q Qgl+ 12.Kh4

Qh2+, 0-1.

Diagram 341

Szen-Newham, London 1851

, White to move

.ReS’ good mo c —-

Placing a Rook behind a passed pawn is often important, and that rule holds true here since Black threatened to win with l …c2. By stopping the pawn with l.Rc8, white’s material advantage will ultimately prevail.

PART SEVEN – ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 341

l.Rc8 Kb4

l…Rc4 2.Rxc4 Kxc4 3.Ke2 is easy for White.

2.h5 Re6 3.8 a5 4.g4 fxg4 5.fxg4 Rh6

Also hopeless is 5…Re4 6.h6 Rxg4 7.h7 Rh4 8.h8=Q Rxh8 9.Rxh8 Ka3

10.Ke2.

6.Ke2 Ka3 7.Rxc3+ Kxa2 8.Rc5 a4 9.Rb5 a3 lO.KB Kalll.Ra5

White makes sure he doesn’t stalemate the black King by 11.Kf4 a2 12 .Kg5

Rxh5+ 13 .Kxh5 stalemate.

ll…a2 12.Kg3 Kb2 13.Kh4 al=Q

A better defense was 13 …Rc6, but after 14.Rxa2+ Kxa2 15.g5 White still wins because black’s King is too far away from the pawns.

14.Rxal Kxal 15.g5 Ra6 16.h6 Ra7 17.g6 Ra4+ 18.Kg5 Ra5+ 19.Kf4

Ra4+ 20.Ke5 Ra5+ 21.Kd4 Ra4+ 22.Kc5, 1-0. An impressive performance by the legendary Szen. Hard to believe they were playing such fine endgames waybackin 1851!

 Diagram 342

ahcdefgh

Campbell- Wormald, London 1859

White to move

Can White win this position?

White wins in nice fashion by l.f5! gxf5 2.g6

Clearing off the 7th rank so White can make use of the old Rh8-h7+ trick.

2…Ra3+ 3.Kf4 Ra4+ 4.Kxf5 Ra5+ 5.Kg4 Ra4+ 6.Kg5 Ra5+ 7.Kh6 Ra6

8.Kh7 Ral

It’s also over after 8…fxg6 9.Rg8 Rxa7 10.Rg7+ Kf6 11.Rxa7 g5 12.Ra5 g4

13.Kh6 g3 14.Ra3 g2 15.Rg3.

9.g7, 1-0 since 9…Rh1+ 10.Kg8 Ra1 11.Rf8 is game over.

342 SILMAN’S COMPLETE END GAME COURSE

Diagram 343

ahcdefgh

Shirov-Kramnik, Eurocup 1999

White to move

Is White winning?

\Vhite employs a simpler version of the idea used in Test 22 to force a quick kill: l.b6! cxb6 2.Rh8, 1-0.

 Diagram 344

abcdefgh

Horwitz-Bird, London 1851

White to move

Can Black save the game?

\Vhite wins because black’s King is too far away from the queenside action:
l.Kd5 Rd2+ 2.Kc6 Rd4 3.Kb7 Rd7+ 4.Ka6 Kh3 5.Rg8 Rc7 6.Ra8 Kg4
7.Rxa7 Rxc4 8.Rf7 Kg5 9.Kxb6 Rc2 10.Kb7 ReS ll.h6 Rc3 12.Kb8, 1-0.

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 343

 Diagram 345

abcdt:fgh

Tal-Bagirov, USSR 1967

White to move

——

Does White have any realistic winning chances?

White wins by force because he promotes first and his King gets close to the enemy monarch: l.Ke4! Kxa2 2.f4 aS 3.f5 a4 4.f6 a3 5.f7, 1-0. Black didn’t need to be shown 57…Kb2 58.f8=Q a2 59.Qb4+ Ka1 60.Qd2 Kb1 61.Kd3 al=Q
62.Qc2 mate.

 Diagram 346

abcdefgh

Cunningham-Loewenthal, London 1856

White to move

Can White win?

White wins by cutting the black King off from the kingside: l.Re2! Rhl

2.Kf6 Rfl+ 3.Kg7 Rgl 4.g6 Rg3 5.Kh7 Rh3+ 6.Kg8 Rg3 7.g7 Rgl 8.Re4

Rg2 9.Kh7 Rh2+ 10.Kg6 Rg2+ ll.Kh6 Rh2+ 12.Kg5, 1-0.

344 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

Diagram 347

Petrov- Urusov, St Petersburg 1853

Black to move

Does l…Rc4 give Black any realistic winning chances?

No, the game was dead drawn no matter what Black had played:

l…Rc4

The game continuation was l…Re2+ 2.Kcl Kc3 3.Kdl Re4 4.Ra8 Re3 5.Ra3+ Kd4 6.Ra4+ Kd3 7.Rb4 e4 8.Ra4 RB 9.Kel Ke3 10.Ra8 Rf7 ll.Ra3+ Kf412.Kf2

Rc7 13.Ra2 Rh7 14.Kg2, ‘h-‘h.

2.Rh8+ Kc5 3.Rc8+ Kd4 4.Rxc4+ Kxc4 5.Kc2 e4 6.Kd2 Kd4 7.Ke2 e3

8.Kel, 1h- 1h.

Diagram 348

ahcdefgh

Williams-Harrwitz, London 1852

Black to move

Does \Nhite have any chance of saving this game?

White’s dead: l…Ke6 2.h5 Rgl+ 3.Kh7 Kf7, 0-1.

PART SEVEN- ENDGAMES FOR EXPERTS (2000-2199) 345

 Diagram 349

Loewenthal-Morphy, London 1858

Black to move

Does promoting the pawn win?

Promoting the pawn (which wins white’s Rook) is decisive, since the black
King is able to get back in time to stop white’s pawn: l…cl=Q 2.Rxcl Rxcl

3.Ke4 Rel+ 4.Kd4 Ke2 5.f5 Kf3 6.Kd5 Kf4 7.f6 Kg5 8.f7 Rfl 9.Ke6

Kg6, 0-1.

 Diagram 350

Karklins – Gufeld, American Open 1999

White to move

Can White draw?

The defender is usually happy to trade off pawns, and in this case a draw can be achieved if he can exchange his three remaining pawns for black’s two.

l.Kh4

In the actual game, White lost quickly after l.Kf6 Kd8 2.Kt7 Bfl 3.e6 Bc4
4.Kg7 Ke7 5.Kxh7 Kxe6 6.Kg6 Ke5 7.Kg5 Be6, 0-1.

l…Kd7 2.f3 h5 3.f4

And not 51.fxg4?? Bxg4.

3…Ke6 4.Kxh5

Also adequate is 4.Kg5 Bg2 5.Kxh5 Kf5 6.e6 Bc6 7.Kh4 Kxf4 8.e7 Kf3 9.Kg5
Bd7 10.Kh4 is a positional draw: Black can’t improve his position since …Kf4

346 SILMAN’S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE

leads to the stalemate in our main line, while moves like …Ke4 or …Kg2 allow
VVhite to win black’s final pawn.

4…Kf5 5.Kh4 Kxf4 6.e6 Bg2 7.e7 Bc6 8.h3 g3 9.e8=Q Bxe8, 1/z- 112. A

beautiful stalemate, discovered by IMJack Peters.


This section tightened up the material you already know, and showed you how to make use of your acquired knowledge to figure out positions that ap­ pear to be extremely complex. Having done this, you’re more than ready for one final step.
VVhere in past sections I only wanted you to move on if you felt you had serious aspirations towards that next rating group, now I highly recommend you study Part Eight (Endgames for Masters) and Part Nine (Endgames for Pure Pleasure). VVhy the change of heart? Because these final two parts of the book are concept driven-anyone who has mastered the material through Part Seven should find Parts Eight and Nine enlightening, easy to understand, and enjoyable.
Let me extend my congratulations for your efforts thus far. You’ve come a long way, and now possess an impressive internal “endgame database.” You’re almost at the top of the mountain-there are only a few easy steps left to take.





ou’ve finished Part Seven, and now you should have a rich foundation in all endgame basics. Of course, you will add to that knowledge by experience and any extra study you feel like doing.
Though there is always a place for mastering complex positions-Rook and pawn, Queen and pawn, and King and pawn endgames have unlim­
ited depths-the need to shore up one’s openings and add to one’s middlegame
skills forces the 2200 player to take a more practical approach. At this point “concept” (memorization finally takes a back seat to simple understanding) is the thing one needs to round out the endgame skills taught in this book’s earlier parts. Here we’ll focus on six concepts that will enable the master to play many kinds of endgames with depth and flair.

348

Weak players usually deal with one-move threats, while players who reach 2000 to 2200 try to imbue every move with a deeper, more expansive purpose. In a normal position, where the opponent is trying hard to show that his ideas and plans trump yours, every move should be filled with carefully crafted design.
However, from time to time a player is blessed with a position where his op­ ponent is helpless-doomed to passively wait while the stronger side prepares the decisive break/thrust/maneuver/tactic. In such situations it’s often a good idea to take your time, make small improvements in your position, and let the horror of the defender’s seemingly endless defensive task slowly seep into his blown out, exhausted brain. This kind of “water torture” punishment is known in chess circles as Cat and Mouse.
A strange rule of thumb is, “Do in ten what you can do in two.” Lest you think I’m joking, consider this: taking your time and torturing an opponent is fun, but being the object of this torture is painful, depressing, and leads to a form of lobotomy that can linger for weeks afterwards. The ideas behind “do in ten what you can do in two” are:

If you make some pointed move right away, your opponent will be expecting it and will take appropriate measures. However, if you dither about for a while before employing your grand scheme, he will be lulled into the aforementioned lobotomized state and miss anything and everything you are intending.

Since your opponent is helpless, you have nothing to lose by showing your almost preternatural patience.

349

Capivara subserviente do Xadrez

AF Carlos Carvalho

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