how to play chess endgames book

Contents
Foreword by John Nunn 8
Authors' Preface 10
Introduction 12
Symbols 13
1 Activity 15
A) King Activity 15
Al) An Endgame is Not a Middlegame 15
A2) Cutting Off the King 24
A3) Barriers 29
A4) The Bodycheck 30
AS) The Reti Manoeuvre 32
B) Rook Activity 33
C) Activity in General 36
2 The Art of Pawn Play 39
A) Passed Pawns 39
Al) Outside Passed Pawns 39
A2) Protected Passed Pawns 41
A3) Connected Passed Pawns 43
A4) Passed Pawns Must be Pushed! 44
AS) Blockade 45
B) Creating a Passed Pawn 48
Bl) Mobilizing a Pawn-Majority 48
B2) Pawn Breakthrough 52
B3) Eliminating Enemy Pawns 56
C) The Minority Attack 57
D) Undermining 59
E) Pawn Power 60
3 Do Not Rush! 65
A) Preparatory Measures 65
B) Subtle Technical Moves 67
C) Repeating Moves 68
D) The Art of Manoeuvring 69
E) Playing with the Whole Army 72

4 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
F) Too Much of a Rush 73
4 The Right Exchange 76
A) The Importance of Exchanges in the Game of Chess 76
B) Critical Moments in the Endgame 78
C) Exchanging into a Pawn Ending 82
D) Exchanging into a Rook Ending 86
E) Exchanging a Pair of Rooks 89
El) The Attacker Wants to Exchange a Pair of Rooks 89
E2) The Defender Wants to Exchange a Pair of Rooks 91
F) Simplification into an Endgame 93
G) The Defender Exchanges Pawns, the Attacker Pieces 96
H) Eliminating the Last Pawn 97
I) The Defender of a Weakness Must be Exchanged 98
J) Transformation 100
K) What is Important is What is Left on the Board, Not What Disappears 102
L) Avoiding an Unfavourable Exchange 102
5 Thinking in Schemes 106
A) Target Positions 106
B) Make a Wish! 107
C) Improving the Position of a Piece and Makogonov's Principle 108
D) Plans 110
6 Weaknesses 114
A) Pawn- and Square- Weaknesses 114
Al) Pawn Weaknesses 114
Ala) Isolated Pawns 114
Alb) Doubled Pawns 115
Ale) Backward Pawns 116
Aid) A Pawn that has Advanced Too Far 116
A2) Weak Squares 118
B) A Complex of Weak Squares 118
C) Creating and Fixing a Weakness 121
D) Manoeuvring 123
E) The Principle of the Second Weakness 129
F) The Exploitability of a Weakness 131
G) Fatal Passivity with Structural Weaknesses 132
7 The Fight for the Initiative 135
A) The Importance of the Initiative 135
B) Passed Pawns and the Initiative 137
C) Psychology 138

CONTENTS 5
D) Sacrificing Structure for Initiative 139
E) Sacrificing Material for Initiative 140
F) Opposite-Coloured Bishops 141
G) When the Queen is in her Element 141
8 Prophylaxis and Prevention of Counterplay 145
A) Foiling the Opponent's Plans 145
B) Mysterious Rook Moves 147
C) Preventing Counterplay 148
9 The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame 151
A) Steinitz's Method of Restriction 151
B) Transformation 153
C) Control 155
D) Opening the Position for the Bishops 157
E) Supporting Passed Pawns 160
F) Attack 161
G) Two Bishops against Rook and Minor Piece 163
H) The Bishop-Pair as a Drawing Weapon 166
I) Fighting against the Bishops 168
11) Blockade 168
12) Total Sealing of the Position 169
13) Support-Points for the Knight 171
10 Zugzwang 173
A) A Powerful Endgame Weapon 173
B) Theoretically Important Endings 177
C) Reciprocal Zugzwang 179
D) Triangulation and Spare Moves 180
11 Fortresses 183
A) Elementary Fortresses 183
B) A Secure Camp 190
Bl) Fortresses against a Bishop 190
Bia) Averbakh's Barrier 190
Bib) The Bishops Inhabit Different Worlds 191
Blc) The Well-Entrenched Knight 192
B2) Fortresses against a Rook 194
B2a) The Knight Fights Well in a Confined Space 194
B2b) Typical Drawing Fortresses with Bishop against Rook 196
B3) Fortresses against the Queen 199
C) Pawn-Barriers 200
D) Incarcerating Pieces 204

6 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Dl) An Incarcerated King 204
D2) Pieces Shut Out of Play 208
E) Tied and Pinned Pieces 210
El) Tied to a Pawn 210
E2) Tying 210
E3) A Dangerous Passed Pawn 211
E4) Pinning 212
F) A Typical Mistake 213
12 Stalemate 216
A) The Last Chance 216
B) Theoretically Important Stalemate Positions 217
C) Desperado 219
D) Underprornotion to Avoid Stalemate 219
13 Mate 222
A) An Incarcerated King 222
B) The AU-Important First Check 223
C) Rooks in Seventh Heaven 225
D) Attacking with Opposite-Coloured Bishops 227
E) The Knight in the Attack 231
F) Long-Term Mating Attacks 233
14 Domination 235
A) Total Domination 235
B) Theoretically Important Endings 237
C) Methods of Restriction 238
Cl) Restricting a Bishop 238
C2) Restricting a Knight 239
C3) Restricting the Whole Enemy Force 241
C4) Incarcerating a Piece 242
15 Converting an Advantage 245
A) Transforming One Advantage into Another 245
Al) Bishops are Generally Easier to Exchange 246
A2) Transforming a Static Advantage into a Dynamic One 246
A3) Returning Material 248
A4) Basic Considerations 249
B) Practical Examples 250
Bl) Space Advantage 250
Bla) Widening the Operational Front 254
B2) Material Advantage 255
B2a) An Extra Pawn 255

CONTENTS 7
B2b) Converting the Advantage of the Exchange 256
16 The Art of Defence 259
A) Defend Actively 259
B) Prophylaxis in Defence 260
C) Maintaining a Blockade 260
D) Defensive Sacrifices 261
E) Fight to the Death 262
17 Typical Mistakes 265
A) Deficient Knowledge of Endgame Theory 265
B) Carelessness I Loss of Concentration 270
C) Playing to the Gallery 273
D) Premature Resignation 274
DI) Trusting the Opponent I Shock after an Unexpected Move 275
E) Passivity 275
F) Inappropriate Activity 276
G) Don't Play on the Wing where Your Opponent has the Advantage 277
H) Unnecessarily Giving up Material 277
I) Greed 278
J) Following Rules of Thumb Too Mechanically 280
18 Rules of Thumb 281
A) 20 Golden Rules of the Endgame 281
B) Rules of Thumb 281
Solutions to the Exercises 284
Bibliography 345
Index 347

Foreword by John Nunn
In these days of computer-assisted preparation, opening work has become a fairly mechanical process.
You sit down with a database and a strong engine, and you just work your way through your
repertoire one line at a time. The main limitations are the time you have available and your memory
capacity. Additionally, there is a huge literature available on the openings, which enables players of
all standards to rapidly acquire a good knowledge of virtually any line. In open tournaments, it is
not unusual to see masters and grandmasters discomfited by much lower rated opponents who have
sprung a piece of opening preparation on their unsuspecting opponents.
Mastery of the endgame is another matter entirely. To be sure, there is some memory work involved
and a knowledge of basic positions is an essential prerequisite for endgame proficiency, but
the amount of information which needs to be memorized is much smaller than that involved in
opening preparation. A far more important factor is to have a 'feel' for the endgame. It has been
truly said that the endgame is the part of chess which most clearly distinguishes the master from the
amateur, but why should this be? Certainly natural skill plays a part, and the great endgame players
of the past, such as Rubinstein, Capablanca and Smyslov, clearly had an exceptional talent for this
part of the game.
A second factor is that many players devote relatively little attention to the endgame. They long
for a quick kill and spend hour after hour studying openings, ignoring the endgame more or less
completely. Memorizing a few innovations in the opening may seem more exciting than learning
how to win a rook ending with an extra pawn, but the latter will earn more points in the long run.
Finally, we come to the important point that endgame literature is very sparse compared to that
devoted to opening theory. If you have the talent ofCapablanca, you probably don't need a book to
tell you how to play endings, but for the rest of us some guidance is a great assistance and can help
avoid many painful lessons over the board. Just as some opening books offer a detailed coverage of
an opening, while others focus more on plans and ideas, so the same distinction can be made with
endgame books. The majority of endgame books adopt an encyclopaedic approach, offering a
comprehensive coverage of some part of endgame theory or, if the authors are ambitious, the whole
of endgame theory. Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Millier and Frank Lamprecht (Gambit,
200 I) is a good example of this genre. I must admit to liking this type of book, and I have
written three myself in the encyclopaedic style. However, the second type of endgame book is
just as important; the type that explains how to play the endings, and tries to help develop that
all-important but elusive 'feel' for the endgame.
This book fills a gap in endgame literature by offering a systematic point-by-point overview of
the general methods of endgame play. There are a lot of misconceptions about endgame play. Perhaps
fuelled by stories of how players such as Capablanca just 'knew' where to put their pieces,
there is a general feeling that endgame play is mainly about intuition and that calculation plays a
relatively small part. This is far from the truth. Capablanca clearly had a good feel for the best
squares for his pieces, but you can bet that he did plenty of calculation as well. Tactics play as important
a role in the endgame as in the rest of the game. Mating attacks may be less common in the
endgame than in the middlegarne, but in the endgame there are tactical ideas which rarely occur in
other phases of the game, such as promotion combinations and zugzwang. Thus endgame play is a
mixture of strategy and tactics, with some similarities to the rest of the game but also possessing
distinctive features. Getting the tactics right is often a critical matter, as while a middlegame position

FOREWORD 9
may be assessed as 'slightly better for White' or 'clearly better for Black', endgame positions can
often be evaluated in more definite terms as 'win', 'draw' or 'loss'. Moreover, if something goes
mildly wrong in the middle game, there may still be a chance to play yourself back into the game,
but in an endgame this rarely happens; the first mistake in an endgame may very well be the last.
Reading this book brought home to me the close connection between the endgame and other
parts of chess. Many of the topics discussed, such as the bishop-pair (see Chapter 9) and the prevention
of counterplay (see Chapter 8) are also relevant in the middlegame and in fact these topics are
often more easily explained in an endgame situation, where the key points are not obscured by extraneous
details. Thus the study of the endgame not only benefits your play in that part of the game,
but promotes better general chess understanding in all phases of chess.
If you want to improve your endgame play, you can't do better than start with this book since
Muller and Pajeken deal with every aspect of endgame play, strategic, tactical and psychological.
After that, look at the classic games of the great endgame players; you may see them in a new light.
Go back over your own end games, especially where you feel that you may have given away a point
or half-point, seeking to understand where you went wrong. Finally, view the endgame with more
confidence in your future games. With the background gained from this book, the endgame should
be something to be embraced rather than feared.
John Nunn
Chertsey, November 2007

Authors' Preface
Many endgame books deal mainly with theoretical endings. These are for the most part categorized
according to the material balance and feature endings with very little material which have been
analysed to a finish.
Of course it is essential for ambitious players on the way to chess mastery to familiarize themselves
with the most important of these positions. But the number of positions to be learnt precisely,
by heart, is not so huge. Many of these endings arise so infrequently in practice that from a
practical viewpoint it is just not worth cluttering the limited storage capacity of the human brain
with their complex and lengthy analysis. In many cases, all that the tournament player needs is
knowledge of the possible result with correct play and familiarity with the correct methods and
plans for handling such positions successfully.
But if merely studying theoretical endings ceases at a certain point to bring you any measurable
progress in your chess, what do you then need to improve your endgame play significantly, or even
achieve mastery in this discipline?
We have tried to provide an answer with this book!
Just as in the other phases of a game of chess, in the endgame there are special principles and
guidelines which not only make it easier to adapt one's play to the requirements of the situation on
the board, but can sometimes also enable you to work out the right way to proceed.
Practically every chess-player is familiar with the most important principles of the opening -
themes such as rapid development, occupation of the centre, or protecting the king by castling at
the right moment. Most players have also heard of such important middlegame themes as the importance
of the seizure of open files, the control of weak squares or the weakness of a backward
pawn. However, the principles of endgame play are generally much less well known.
Aie you aware, for instance, that themes such as the right exchange and prophylactic thinking
are fundamental components of successful strategy in the endgame? Do you know when you can
defend an endgame purely passively by means of a fortress, or when, on the other hand, you must
sacrifice one or more pawns in order to conduct a defence based on the greatest possible activity?
Do you know that in many endgames the ideas of mate and stalemate play an important role? Do
you know which are the endgames where you should not rush and which are the endgarnes where it
is vital to act dynamically in a fight for the initiative? Do you know how to saddle your opponent
with weaknesses and then take advantage of them? Do you know that the ideas of zugzwang and
domination are particularly important in the endgame? Do you know that the bishop-pair is a
powerful weapon in the endgame and do you know how to handle it? Are you familiar with all the
important rules of thumb of endgame play? Do you know what is meant by thinking in schemes
in the endgame? Are you familiar with all the principles of the art of pawn play? Do you know
which are the typical mistakes that continually crop up in endgames, and how to avoid them? Do
you know which rules you must follow in converting an advantage?
If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, then you are definitely holding the right book.
Each of the words or phrases printed in bold in the above questions is actually a chapter heading ( or
part of one) in this book.
But even if you answered 'yes' to most or all of the questions, you should still definitely not cast
tins book aside. You will find in this book not only positions with simple, elementary demands but
also positions of the highest degree of difficulty.

AUTHORS' PREFACE 11
In this book we have set out to systematize all known endgame principles and all the fundamental
strategic endgame ideas and to explain their essential importance for successful endgame play.
For each of these themes we have analysed many practical examples of different types of ending
and provided them with detailed annotations and rules to remember. Also, in every chapter we give
you the chance to test and consolidate your (newly acquired) knowledge by means of training exercises.
Despite our taking great care and scrupulously checking our analysis with the help of the latest
computer programs, it is inevitable in such a large work that there will be some mistakes. We thank
you in advance for any corrections, suggestions and improvements.
At this point we should like to thank all those who have contributed to the production of this
book. Our special thanks go to Rustem Dautov and Claus Dieter Meyer, who made their analyses
available to us; Hanan W. Russell of ChessCafe.com for allowing us to use analyses from 'Endgame
Corner', ChessBase, without whose programs such a project would be hardly practicable,
and last but not least John Nunn and Graham Burgess of Gambit for their patience and exemplary
cooperation.
We very much hope that you will derive as much pleasure from reading this book as we did in
writing it, and we wish you good luck and the greatest possible chess success from your study of
endgame strategy.
Karsten Miiller, Wolfgang Pajeken
Hamburg, November 2007

Introduction
Before we plunge into the wonderful world of endgame strategy, we should like to give you some
hints on how to use this book.
We have endeavoured to structure each chapter in the best and most systematic fashion. Nevertheless,
the theme of this book is so complex that it is hard to avoid some overlap between sections.
So, for instance, the topic of · exchanging the last pawn' might be found not only under 'The Right
Exchange' (Chapter 4), but also under 'The Art of Defence' (Chapter 16) and with a bit of imagination
even in 'The Art of Pawn Play' (Chapter 2). If you do not find a topic where you would expect
it, then please consult the contents list.
The more you work independently on your game, the more your chess will improve. We recommend
therefore that you conscientiously study all the examples provided in this book. You should
first of all set up the positions in each section on a chess board and then attentively play through at
least the main variations printed in bold. In connection with this, you should try to solve the training
exercises independently, also sitting calmly at a chessboard. In each case, look up the answer
only when you have definitely reached a firm conclusion. A typical mistake when working on such
training exercises is to look up the solution when all you have done is find the first move of one
variation. There are in fact a few exercises in which the key move is very easy to find, but for a complete
answer to the question a very substantial continuation has to be worked out. To avoid the danger
of self-deception in this respect, it is best to write your answers down.
To polish your technique further we recommend that you play through both grandmaster games
and your own games and always place emphasis on themes in the chapters of this book. You will be
very surprised to find what new knowledge and insights this brings.
Naturally you should study the endings of the great virtuosi, such as Capablanca, Andersson,
Karpov and Kramnik. You will notice that many players are particularly strong in some of the strategic
areas that we deal with; for example, Smyslov in the sphere of exchanges, Petrosian in prophylactic
thinking and hindering counterplay, Fischer in the use of the bishop, and Kasparov in
piece activity.
To particularly ambitious players we further recommend looking for additional positions and instructive
examples for each section and storing them as future training material.
However, mere knowledge and training are no substitute for real play. This brings us to our most
important piece of advice: you should in no way limit yourself to the study of this book- you need
to play, play and keep playing. In this respect we recommend that you play out your endgames, and
on no account agree an early draw in a rich position. You will only be able to develop your endgame
skills quickly if you combine your newly acquired knowledge with sufficient practical play.

Symbols
+- White is winning
± White is clearly better and should win
;t White is slightly better, but the advantage should not be enough to win
The position is equal or drawn
+ Black is slightly better, but the advantage should not be enough to win
+ Black is clearly better and should win
-+ Black is winning
+ check
++ double check
# checkmate
a strong move
! ! a beautiful and strong move
a bad move
?? a gross blunder
!? an interesting move
?! a dubious move
Ch championship
Cht team championship
Ct candidates event
Wch world championship
W cht world team championship
Ech European championship
Echt European team championship
ECC European Clubs Cup
tt team event
jr junior event
worn women's event
OL olympiad
rpd rapidplay game
adv advanced chess (man+machine)
corr. correspondence game
1-0 the game ends in a win for White
112-112 the game ends in a draw
0-1 the game ends in a win for Black
(n) nth match game
( D) see next diagram
Beneath the diagrams in the exercises you will find signs such as***/. This signifies that this exercise,
with White to move, has a degree of difficulty of 3 stars. The sign/** indicates that Black is to
play, with a difficulty of 2 stars. The stars signify:
easy
moderately difficult
"'*

14 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
*** difficult
**** very difficult
***** extremely difficult
In a few of the exercises, you are asked to consider the position with both sides to move.
such as**/*** indicates the difficulty in each case.
Abbreviations
CBM ChessBase Magazine
NiC New in Chess
A marking

1 Activity
A young man has the genius of activity, a mature
one that for spending his powers wisely.
The one's strength lies in enterprise, the other's
in economy. He who wastes neither force nor
opportunity is the victor.
EMANUEL LASKER
When there are only a few pieces left on the
board, the activity of each piece acquires much
greater importance. Whereas in the middlegame
the unfavourable position of a piece can be
compensated by the activity of other pieces, in
the endgame there are simply not enough other
pieces available to make up for a badly-placed
colleague. For a better illustration of this rule,
picture the following: if a player on a soccer
team is sent off and can take no further part in
the game, then it is still possible that the rest of
his team can bring the game to a successful
conclusion by each playing harder. But if in a
doubles match in tennis one player had to retire
hurt, then his remaining team-mate would stand
no chance against the opposing pair. Thus the
old positional principle that one should always
improve the position of the worst-placed piece
is particularly applicable in the endgame. Here
there is also the rule of thumb that the strongest
piece should always be activated. And, in
marked contrast to the opening and middlegame,
the king should be fully involved. The order of
priority in which the pieces should be activated
is generally: queen> rook> king> minor piece.
Owing to its great practical importance, we
shall focus our discussion here on the activity
of the king and the rook. Both these pieces play
a special role in the endgame and it is frequently
worth sacrificing one or more pawns to
activate them. For examples of the activity of
the knight and the queen, see Chapter 7 ('The
Fight for the Initiative'). With these two pieces
it is generally less a question of which is the
more active than which is in the driving seat.
A) King Activity
In the middlegame the king is a mere extra; in
the endgame, on the other hand, one of the principals.
ARON NIMZOWITSCH
Al) An Endgame is Not a
Middlegame
In most endgames the position of the king is a
significant factor in the assessment of the position.
Whereas in the opening and the middlegame
the king generally has to hide from the
opposing pieces, as the number of pieces on the
board goes down the king gains in attacking
power and, since there is no danger of being
mated, it can often venture deep into the enemy
camp. There is the following rule of thumb: the
fewer the pieces on the board, the more important
is the position of the king for the evaluation
of the position. In pawn endings this can often
be the most important factor in the assessment
of the position. Therefore in your own endgames
always consider whether you can improve
the position of your king.
Now we shall illustrate the more active king
by means of some practical examples from actual
master play. It is truly amazing to see what a
mighty weapon the king can be in the endgame.
In the typical Griinfeld endgame on the following
page, Krarnnik shows excellent technique.
He no longer has any worries about king
safety and is able to assert his advantage in the
centre by means of a king-march.
1 ©f2!
The immediate l e5? fails to 1...~b4+.
l. .. es 2~c5!
"The exchange of bishops brings White
several advantages. The blockading bishop is
replaced by a less suitable piece (the rook) and

16 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
w
1.01
V.Kramnik - P.Leko
Budapest rpd ( 1) 2001
The active white king also prevails after
6 ....l::txc5 7 .l::txc5 .l::tc8 8 .l::txc8+ .i.xc8 9 @xf4:
a) 9...@f8 10 @e5 @e7 11 d6+ @d8 I 2 @f6
.i.e6 13 a4 (Krasenkow) 13 ....i.b3 14 e5 h5 15
@g7.i.e616@f8 a617 a5 .i.d5 18.i.e2@d719
.i.f3 +-.
b) 9 ... f6 10 h4 h6 ()0 ... @f7 l I g4 a6 12 g5
+--) 11 e5 g5+ 12 hxg5 hxg5+ 13 @e4 @f7 14
e6+ @e7 15 g4 a6 J 6 @f5 b5 17 a3 (zugzwang)
+-.
7.l::tc7.l::txc7
7 ... ~e8 8.l::tlc2 .l::txc7 9~xc7.i.c8 10.i.c4 h5
11 d6 .i.g4+ 12 @f2 .l::txe4 13 h3 .i.f5 14 .i.b3!
+-.
7 ...@g7? overlooks White's threat: 8 ~xd7
+-.
8 .l:hc7.b4 (D)
the white rook can penetrate at c7. The loss of 8 ... .i.c8 9 e5 a6 10 @e4 b5 l I .i.e2 .i.d7 12
the f4-pawn is relatively unimportant. Such .i.h5 +-.
deep positional pawn sacrifices are Kramnik's
trademark." (Krasenkow in CBM).
2 .i.xcS+
2 exf4 3 .i.xd6 .l::txd6 4 @f3 g5 5 h4 h6 6 W
hxg5 hxg5 7 .l::th5 f6 8 .i.c4 .i.d7 9 .l::tchl .l::tf8 lO
.l::th6 b5 11 e5 +--.
3 .l::txcS exf4 4 @f3
The influence of his majesty in the struggle
against the blockade is already apparent.
4 .i.d7
4 g5 5 h4 h6 6 hxg5 hxg5 7 .l::th5 f6 8 e5
(Krasenkow) 8 ... .i.f5 9 exf6 @f7 10 .E!xg5 @xf6
11 @xf4±.
5 .i.d3 l:tac8 6 .l::thcl ( D)
6 ... gS
9@g4!
The activation of the king is the top priority
here.
9 ... h610 .l::txb7 .l::td7 11 .l::tb4 .i.dl+ 12 @rs
@g7 13 h4 f6 14 hxgS hxgS
After l4 .. .fxg5 15 e5 .l::txd5 the king assists
in the mating attack in a typical manner: 16
.l::tb7+@f8l7@f6.l::td818.i.c4+-.
15 eS! fxeS
15 ... .l::txd5 16 .l::tb7+ @h6 17 .i.bl ! .l::td8 18 e6
.i.h5 19 @xf6 ~h8 20 .i.d3 g4 21 e7 f3 (2 I ... g3
22 .i.e4 +-) 22 g3 a5 23 .l:tb2 .l:tc8 24 .l:th2 +--.
16@xe5
The culmination of White's concept. Despite
the reduced material, Black's situation is

ACTNIIY 17
absolutely hopeless in view of the strong passed
d-pawn.
16 ... fJ 11 gxf3 .. bf3 1s d6 :tds 19 ..trs
..tc6
19 ... fte8+ 20 ..te6 ..tc6 21 @f5 ftd8 22 d7
+-- (Krasenkow),
20 d7! :rs 21 fid41-0
w
In the following position the activation of the
king plays an equally vital role:
B
1.02
C.D'Amore - Zso.Polgar
Rome 1989
flashy 6...lt:ic2+? 7 !txc2 !txc2 8 a8'& ftxh2 9
~a6, when Black cannot win.
5 ... e26 h3+
6@f2 e3+ 7@el @f3 -+.
6 ... @fS 7 @f2 e3+ 8 @el @e4! 9 fib4@d3!
10 ftxd4+@xd4 U lt:ib4@c412 lt:ic2 Wc3! 13
@xe2
13 lt:ixe3 @d3 -+.
I3 ... @xc2 14 rs gxfS 15 g;,xe3 fta8 16 Wf4
ftxa617@xf5 ftg6! 18@f4@d3 0-1
Sometimes it is even worth sacrificing material
to activate the king.
Owing to her dangerous passed pawns and
more active pieces, Black is better. But a winning
plan is not obvious, since White threatens
to distract the black rook with his a-pawn and
use the time gained to improve his pieces. Since
the remaining pawns would then be all on one
wing, White would have real drawing chances.
However, Zsofia Polgar grasps the essence of
the position perfectly. She realizes that her king
is the only piece which is not in play and decides
to activate it. It is truly amazing to see the
effect of the black king's advance over the next
few moves.
1...@g7! 2 a4 @f6! 3 aS
3 g4 g5! 4 ftb6+ ffl -+.
3 ...@fS! 4 a6
4 h3 e2+ 5 @el e3 6 a6@e4 7 a7 Wf3 -+.
4 ... Wg4! 5 @g2
5 a7 is met by 5 ... @f3! (D).
After 6 @el, Black should play 6 ... fta8, winning
in a straightforward fashion, and not the
1.03
V.Smyslov - M.Fuller
Copenhagen 1980
Smyslov shows impressively why he is regarded
as one of the greatest endgame specialists.
1 eS!! +-

18 How TO PUY CHESS ENDGAMES
I lt'lc3? lt'lxc4 2 b6? lt'lxb6 3 lt'lb5 lt'lc8 4
lt'lxd6 lt'lxd6 5 .!;!.xd6 a5 plays into Black's hands.
1 ... dxeS
Or: l ....!;!.e8 2 e6 .!;l.e7 3 lixb6 axb6 4 lt'lc3 +-;
l... lt'lxc4 2 exd6 lt'le3+ 3 Wf3 lt'lxd5 4 d7 .!;!.d8 5
.!;l.xa7 +-.
2 oo lt'lxc4
2 ....!;!.f8+ 3 We4 .!;l.f2 (3....!;!.f7 4 d6 lt'lxc4 5
Wd5 +-) 4 lt'lc3 .!;!.c2 5 Wd3 +-.
3 c;t;>e4 lld8 4 lt'lc3 .!;!.d7 5 .!;!.c6 Wg7 6 .!;l.xcS
lt'ld6+ 7 WxeS M7 8 lt'le4 lt'lxe4 9 Wxe4 .!;l.e7 +
10 'i!?fS 1-0
Naturally we must include the following masterpiece
on this theme:
for the win; for example, 8 ... .!;!.g3+ 9 Wh5 b3 10
.!;!.xd5 b2 11 Il.b5 Wg7 12 Il.xb2 .!;l.xg6 13 Il.c2
.!;!.d6 (13....!;!.gl 14 .!;l.xc7+ Wf6 15 .!;l.c5 .!;!.g2 16
.!;!.g5 .!;!.d2 17 d5 +-) 14 .!;l.c4 Wf6 15 Wg4 .!;!.d7
16 f5 .!;!.d6 17 Wf4 c6 18 c;t;,e4 Wf7 19 .!;!.b4 .!;!.d7
20 .!;!.b6 .!;l.c7 21 We5 .!;l.e7 + 22 Wd6 .!;l.e4 23 .!;!.b4
+-.
4 g6! .!;l.xf4+ 5 Wg5 lie4
5....!;!.xd4 6 'i!i>f6 'it>e8 7 .!;!.h8+ Wd7 8 Wxf5
+-.
5 ... .!;l.g4+ 6 Wf6! +-. This method of sheltering
behind an enemy pawn was christened the
'umbrella' by Dvoretsky. You should definitely
memorize it, since it occurs frequently in practice.
We shall be looking at several examples of
the 'umbrella' idea.
6 Wf6 c;t;>g8 7 .!;!.g7+! (DJ
B
1.04
J.Capablanca - S.Tartakower
New York 1924
1 i.xfS! gxfS 2 Wg3!
Capablanca sacrifices two pawns to activate
his king with decisive effect! 2 .!;!.d7? .!;l.xc3+ 3
We2 c6 4 .!;l.xa7 !ic4 5 Wd3 c5 is clearly drawn.
2 •• Jhc3+ 3 Wh4! .!;l.f3?!
Or:
a) 3 ... c5 4 g6! cxd4 5 Wg5 d3 6 .!;l.d7 .!;l.c5 7
Wh6+-.
b) 3 .1;!.cl 4 Wh5! +-.
c) 3 a6! is definitely the toughest defence:
4 g6! (after 4 .!;!.d7?! .!;!.f3 a similar position to
the game arises, but the a-pawn is no longer on
its second rank and so Black can put up greater
resistance; also after4 Wh5?! b5 Black has serious
counterplay) 4 ... b5 5 axb5 axb5 6 Wg5 b4 7
.!;!.f7+ Wg8 8 l;txf5 and White must still work
Good technique. Before White captures the
enemy pawn, he first weakens the position of
the enemy king.
7 ... 'i!i>h8 8 .!;l.xc7 .!;!.e8 9 'l:i'xfS
Otherwise the f-pawn runs and then passive
defence is sufficient for Black against White's
knight's pawn. Passive defence fails against a
bishop's pawn.
9 ••• l;te4
9 ... a6 10 Il.b7 b5 11 axb5 axb5 12 .!;!.xb5 .!;!.d8
13 We6 +-.
10 M6 .!;!.f4+ 11 WeS .!;!.g4 12 g7+! Wg8 13
.!;l.xa7 l;tgl 14 WxdS licl 15 c;t;>d6 Il.c2 16 dS
.!;I.cl 17 .!;l.c7 .!;I.al 18 c;t;>c6 .!;l.xa419 d6 l-O
Knowledge of such classics is sometimes of
direct help in one's own practice:

ACTIVITY 19
1.05
W.Pajeken - C.Wagner
Pardubice 2000
1 •. Jlb3+ 2 @e2 llb4 3 @e3 llb3+
Black was expecting 4 @e2 with a draw by
repetition. But by activating his king, White
can make a last attempt to win without any risk
to himself.
4 @f4!? !!d3 5 @g4 !!xd4+ 6 @hS @g8?!
Objectively this move spoils nothing. But it
voluntarily weakens the position of his own
king and even forces White to improve the position
of his rook slightly - behind the b-pawn.
6 ... b4, for example, was a safer way to draw: 7
@g6 (7 llb7 l1f4 8 @g6 llxh4 9 @xf6 llh6+ =
and Black has reached a sort of Philidor position)
7 ... b3 8 @xf6 @g8 9 llb7 llb4 10 @g6
!!g4+ =.
7 litb7 llf4?1
A loss of tempo. More precise was 7 ... b4!? 8
lhb6@f7 9 llb7+@f8 IO@g6 Jlxh4 11 @xf6
Jlh6+ with a Philidor position.
8@g6 Jlg4+ 9 @xf6 Jlxh4 10 llb8+ ©h7 11
llb7+@g812 llb8+ 'i&h7 13@f7 Jlc4?!
13 ... d4! was the safest way to draw. 14 llxb6
d3 15 llxb5 lita4 =.
14.l!xb6llc7+ 15@f6llc816llb7+@g8??
After 16 ... @h6! White cannot make any further
progress.
17@g6
Now the typical outflanking manoeuvre wins
for White.
17 ... d4 18 f6 d3 19 Jlg7+ 1-0
Sometimes the road is very long and stony.
1.06
LI.Andersson - R.Sanguinetti
Biel IZ 1976
White must involve his king:
lf3!? gxf3+?
1...l2:ld8! was necessary, to enable the queen
to become active: 2 fxg4 fxg4 3 'l:l7fl 'l:l7a3 4
Wb! l2:lf7 5 l2:lf4 l2:lg5 6 l2:ld3 Wf8 =.
2 <Bxf3 4.Jd8 3 l2:lf8 @c7 4 @g2 @c8
4 ... b5!?.
5 @h3 @b7 6 @h4 @c7 7 @hS @c8 8 @h4
(DJ
8 ...@c7?
This move is too passive. Revealingly, Black
too should have activated his king here and in
this way he could have mounted a successful
defence; after 8 ... b5 9 axb5 @b7 the activity of
his king ensures him sufficient counterplay.
9 l2:lg6 '&d7
Or:

20 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
a) 9 ... Wc8 10 it)e5 b5 11 'W/g7 (not 11 axb5?
@b712\Wg7+@b613@g5@xb5 I4@f6@b4
with strong counterplay) l l...bxa4 12 bxa4 lt)c6
13 it)d3 ±.
b) 9 ... b5 10 lt'le5 bxa4 11 bxa4 it)c6 12
'W/g7+ 'i&c8 (12 ..'W/e7+ 13 'W/xe7+ it)xe7 14
@g5 +-) I3 it)d3 ±.
10lbe5~7+
10 ... 'W/eB 11 @g5 @d6 (11...'W/gB+ 12 @h6
<'t)c6 13 'W/g7+ +-) 12 @h6 ~g8 (12...lt)c6 13
Wg7 it)e7 14 'W/f8 +-) 13 ~g7 'W/e8 14 ~a7
'W/f8+ 15 @h7 +-.
11 @gS @c812 'W/g6 'W/e7+
After 12 ... 'Wlhs 13 'W/f6 'Wlh3 (13... 'W/gB+ 14
Wh6 't'Ye8 15 Wg7 Wc7 16 'W/f8 +-) 14 'W/e7
'W/xg3+ 15 Wh6 'W/g8 (D) (15... ~xe3+ 16 ©h7
'W/h3+ 17 @g8 \Wg3+ 18 @f8 'W/c3 19 'W/d7+
+-) Black is in a sort of zugzwang position, yet
all White's pieces are also optimally placed.
a) 13 ... 'WifB+ 14 'W/g7 'W/e8 15 @g5 it)b7 16
Wf6 it)d6 17 'W/a7 it)e4+ 18 @g7 +-.
b) 13 ... @bB 14 'W/g7 'W/e8 (14 ... 'W/d6 15 @g6
it)c6 16 Wf6 it)d8 17 'W/e7 +-) 15 @g5 b5
(15 ... it)b7 I6 it)d7+ @a7 17 @f6 +-) I6 it)d7+
Wc7 (16 ... Wc8 J7 lt)c5 bxa4 18 bxa4 it)f7+ 19
Wg6 it)d6+ 20 Wf6 lt)e4+ 21 We5 it)xc5 22
dxc5 'W/xa4 23 @d6 +-) l 7 it)c5+ Wb6 18 axb5
©xb5 19 'W/c7 'W/h8 20 'W!d7+ Wb4 21 ~a4+
Wc3 22 'W/xa5+ Wc2 23 \'Wei it)f7+ 24 Wg6
'&g8+ 25 @f6 <'t)g5 26 b4 ±.
14 'W/g7 @d6
14 ... lt)c6 15 it)xc6 'W/xg7+ 16 @xg7 Wxc6
17@f8! +-.
15 'W/xe7+ wxe7 16 wg7 it)b7 11 <'t)f7 @es
18 @f6 @d7 19 <'t)es+ @d6 20 <'t)g6 lt)dg 21
<'t)f8 l-O
Black resigned due to the fatal zugzwang.
As clearly shown in the preceding example,
an active king can also play an important role in
defence.
However, this assessment fails to take into account
the white king: 16 Wh5 ! ! ~h8+ ( i 6 ... ©b8
17 it)d7+ @c8 I8 it)xb6+ @b8 J9 loci7+ @c8
20 lt)e5 @b8 21 b4 +-) 17 @g6 'W/g8+ 18 @f6
\Wh8+ 19@g5\Wg8+20@f4 \Whs21 @g3'&g8+
22 <M2 \Whs 23'.t>el 'W/g8 24@d2 f4(24 ... 'W/g2+
25 @c3 \Wg8 26 b4 f4 27 bxa5 bxa5 28 \\Wd7+
Wb8 29 ~5+ Wc8 30 'W/a6+ Wb8 31 'W/xa5 +-)
25 exf4 '&g2+ 26 Wc3 '&g3+ 27 Wb2 ~g2+ 28
@a3 '&gs 29 'W!d7+ @b8 30 <'t)g6 'W/xg6 31
'W/xd8+ Wb7 32 'W!d7+ Wb8 33 'W/c6 +-.
13 @h6 @c7?!
This allows the exchange of queens, but otherwise
White's activity will prevail sooner or
later:
1.07
S.Dolmatov- M.Drasko
Sochi 1988
This position was first analysed in detail by
Nikolai Grigoriev, and then a half-century later
by Sergei Dolmatov (see School of Chess Excellence
1 by Dvoretsky). In the game, Black
defended passively with l.....llg8?! and after 2
it)b7 @c6 3 lt)d6 ..llh7 4 ©a6 ..llg8 5 wa5 ..llh7 6
<'t)f7 ..llg8 7 it)h6 ..llh7 8 @a6 @c7 9 @b5 @b7
10 Wc5 Wc7 11 it)f7 ..llg8 12 lt)d6 ..llh7 13
lt'le8+ he Jost more or Jess without a fight.

ACTIVITY 21
However, the active try 1. .. @c6! would have
been a good practical chance, since after the direct
2 tt'lb7? given by Dolrnatov, Black has a
tremendous resource:
2 ... @bS! 3 tt'ld6+ @b4 4 tt'lxf7 @c4 (D)
B
The following scenario is also typical:
••
1.08
I.Lipnitsky - V.Smyslov
USSR Ch (Moscow) 1952
Surprisingly, Black's counterplay is sufficient
to draw.
5@b6
5 tt'lh8 @xd4 6 tt'lxg6 @e4 =.
5 ... @xd4 6 @c6
6 @b5 @e3 7 @c5 @e4 (7 ... d4? 8 tt'ld6 d3 9
tt'lc4+ @e4 IO @d6 +-) 8 @b4 @e3 =.
6 ... @e3 7@d6
Or 7 ©cS @e4 8 @b4@e3 9 tt'ld8, and then:
a) 9 ... @f4? 10tt'lc6©xg5 (10 ... @e4 11 @cS
d4 12 tt'lxd4@xe5 13@c4 +-) 11@c5@f412
@d6 gS 13 tt'ld4 +-.
b) 9 ... @e4 10 tt'lc6 d4 11 @c4 d3 12 @c3
@d5 13 tt'ld8 @xe5 14 @xd3 @f4 15 tt'ln e5
with a draw.
7 ••. d4 8 @xe6 d3 9 tt'ld6 @d4 10 @f6 d2 11
e6 dl°®' 12 e7 °&f3+ 13 @xg6 '&c6 14 e8'&
'&xd6+ 15 ©g7 @c3 16 g6 @b2 =
The black king is within the drawing zone.
However, 1 ... ©c6! should not in fact be sufficient
to draw. White should not rush (there is
more on this important endgame principle in
Chapter 3: 'Do Not Rush!') and should retain
complete control with 2 @a6! thus preventing
the black king from becoming active: 2 ...@c7 3
tt'lb7 .tes 4 <lla.7 .i.f7 S tt'ld6 .i.g8 6 @a6 @c6
7 @as .i.h7 8 tt'lf7 .i.g8 9 tt'lh6 .i.h7 10 @a6
+- (Grigoriev).
Black must activate his king, to create coun-
terplay at the right moment.
1. •. @g6!? 2 ©b2 l:1xg3 3 aS @hSI 4 a6 l:1g6
S a7
5 l:1a4 l:1b6+ 6 @c3 l:1b8 7 st nas 8 @d4
@xh4 9 @e5 @g4 10 llal g6 = (Srnyslov).
S ••. lia.6 6 l:1d7 g6! (D)
Smyslov ensures that his king remains active.
7 nxh7+ @g4 8 @b3 l!al 9 @b4 @xf4 10
@bS @g3 11 @b6 f4 12 hS gxhS 13 l:1xh5 f3
14 l:1g5+ @h2 15 l:1a5 l:1xa5 16 @xaS f2 17
as'& fl'& 1'2-1/z
But activating the king is not always the top
priority.

How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
B
1.10
N.Short- A.Beliavsky
Linares 1992
In this type of endgame, the king should as a
rule blockade the enemy passed pawn, so that
the rook can remain active. Incidentally, this
consideration matches the order of priority for
activating the pieces that we gave in the introduction
to this chapter: an active rook is usually
even more effective than an active king.
t ... 1le6! 2 @f2
2 a5 1la6 3 @f2 @e6 4 @e3 @d5 = (Ribli in
CBM).
2. .. 1la6 3 @e3 @e6 4 @d41la5 5 @c4 @d7
6@b41le5!
Now, since the king is now close enough to
the a-pawn, the rook can take up an active role
once more and Black holds the draw effortlessly.
7 a5 @c8 8 a6~b891lcl Ite210 a7+ @a8!
10 ... @xa7? 11 ~xc7+ @b6 121hg7 ±.
11 1lxc7 112-112
Of course it can also happen that a king advances
too far into the enemy camp and is subjected
to a sacrificial counter-attack, as in the
following diagram.
With his dangerous passed pawns and active
king, White has a clear advantage. He proceeds
impeccably:
1 bS Ab7 2 lbd5 f6+!?
With the idea that after 3 lbxf6 lbxf6 4
@xf6 Axg2 5 .i.f5 the white bishop does not
control the queening square of his h-pawn and
so Black has the possibility of giving up his
bishop for the b-pawn. Actually White need
not be afraid of this variation, since the position
should be an easy win with sound technique.
Short, however, treated his opponent's
defensive idea with a degree of respect and decided
that he should first make his king even
more active. The king paid for it with his life.
The game continued:
3 @e6?? .i.c8# (0-1)
Such oversights are by no means unusual in
the endgame and happen time after time. The
reason is obvious: in view of the reduced material
and the well-centralized king, it is hard for
our brain co conceive a possible mating pattern.
So watch out for this!
In the position on the following page, for example,
it is not clear how to assess the situation
of the. black king. Some circumspection is required,
since there is still quite a lot of material
left on the board.
1 ... 1lbc8!
Excellent! Black must seek to ease the pressure
through exchanges. The more pieces that
disappear from the board, the better it will be
for his king.
2 ~xc8 1lxc8 3 l:lxa6
Now Black must make a vital decision:
3 ... ~d8!
Once again Svidler reacts carefully. Counterplay
is what is required just now! However, the
h4-pawn is shielding the black king: 3 ...@xh4?
would just open the floodgates; for example, 4

ACTIVITY 23
13 ... \Wd6+ 14 l'.tcS+ fS 15 \Wgl 'iti>xh4 16 as
l'.tc217 b4 Wt'd3+ 0-1
Exercises
(Solutions on page 284)
1.11
A.Morozevich - P.Svidler
San Luis FIDE Wc/1 2005
~a7.t>g3 5 l'.ta4 Wt'xf3 6 \Wet+ 'iti>g2 7 l'.th4 g5 8
~i,1 \Wf49~gl+'iti>f310\Wfl+We4 Il Wie2+
1if5 12 Wt'd3+ e4 13 '&d7+ +-.
4 ~e2 Wif4 5 '!1.a7 @h6!
Important prophylaxis, to free the queen for
action,
6 ';Xc7 l'.td2 7 \Wei
7 Wt'e4 ~xe4 8 fxe4 f5 with counterplay.
7 ... l'.td3 8 'iti>a2 '!Wxf3 9 '!Wcl+ 'iti>hS (D)
El.01 ****/
White to play and win.
10a4?
Now it is the white king that becomes a tarset,
10 \Wc4 was necessary, since 10 ... '!WdS??
~rnuld fail to l l l'.th7#.
10 ...'&dS+ 11 l'.tc4
11 \Wc4 \Wxc4+ 12 '!1.xc4 f5 -+.
11 ... e4 12 b3 l'.td2+ 13 'iti>a3
13 l'.tc2 e3 14 'iti>a3 '1Wd6+ 15 l'.tc5+ f5 -+.
El.02 /**
Has Black (to move) any chance?

24 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
B
In the very first example one king is permanently
incarcerated:
El.03 /**
How do you assess this position,
with Black to move?
El.04 **/
Is the black king strong or weak?
Find the best move for White.
A2) Cutting Off the King
Restricting the mobility of the opposing pieces
is an important endgame principle. In the following
section we shall therefore consider some
examples in which one player keeps the opposing
king away from the main area of struggle,
or even cuts it out of the game completely. If
you can keep the enemy king out of play you
usually gain a great advantage. In many cases it
is as if one side is playing 'a piece up', as it
were, since an important enemy unit is not taking
part in the battle.
1.12
I.Naumkin - A.Khalifman
USSR 1984
Opposite-coloured
bishops generally favour
the attacker. Nevertheless in this position Black
can allow the exchange of queens without suffering
any diminution of his initiative. The reason
lies in the miserable position of the white
king. He can be condemned to life imprisonment,
whereas his opposite number can slowly
but surely move into action.
l ••• ffg4! 2 '11Uxg4 hxg4 3 ~al ~d2 4 ~gdl
g3!
Closing the cell door.
S ~xd2 .bd2 6 cS?
6 ~a8+ @g7 7 ~c8 .i.xb4 8 ~xc7+ @f6 9
nx.b7 .i.c5 10 ~bl is far more tenacious.
6 ... .i.xb4 7 c6
7 ~a8+ @g7 8 ~c8 dxc5 9 .lhc7+ @f6 10
~c8 (10~xb7 c4 u an ~f4 12 ke2 nx.e4-+)
10 ... b5 11 .i.xb5 (11 ~c6+@g5 12 d6 c4 13 d7
.i.a5 -+) 11...!txe4 12 ~f8+ @g7 13 ~fl ~d4
-+.
7 .•. bxc6 8 dxc6 ~f4 9 ~bl
Exchanging rooks is no help to White, as the
following variations demonstrate:
a) 9 ~a7 ~f2 10 ~a2 nx.a2 11 .i.c4+ @g7
12 .i.xa2 .i.c5 13 .i.c4 @h6 14 .i.b3 @g5 15
sn i.b6 16 .i.c4 (16 .i.e8 d5 17 exd5 e4 18 d6
cxd6 19 .i.f7@f6 -+) i6 ... @f4 17 .i.d3 g5 18
.i.c2 .i.f2 19 .i.d3 @e3 20 .i.bl @d4 21 .i.c2
@c4 22 .i.bl 'Bb5 -+.

ACTIVITY
ZS
b) 9 !If! i.c5 101!xf4 (waiting is no use either:
101!f3 ~f2 11 ~bl @g7 12 ~d3 @f6 13
.ic2 g5 14 ~bl 'l;e7 15 ~d3 1!h4 16 Ab! g4
17 ~b3 gxh3 18 ~d3 d5 -+) 10 ... exf4 11 e5
dxef 12 i.xg6@g7 13 i.e4 ~f2 14 ~f3 @f6
15 ~e4 @e6 (zugzwang) 16 h4 (16 ~f3 @f5
-+) 16 ... @f617 i.d3@g7 !8i.e4@h6 !9i.f3
i!ig6 20 h5+ @g5 (zugzwang) -+.
9...~cS 10 kl.b8+
10 1!b7 would be answered by 10 ... 1!f2 11
ic4+ @h8 -+, and 10 !If! by I 0 ... ~f2 11 l!b!
zrs-«.
10 .•• @g7111!b7 ~f7
11 ... ~b6? 12 1!xb6 cxb6 13 c7 1!f8 14 ~a6
b5 15 'it.>g! ±.
12 i.c4 (D)
W
1.13
P.Svidler - G.Kaidanov
Moscow2003
1 g4! 1!e8
1 ... k!.xa2? 2 ~c5 k!.e8 3 kl.bl 1!c2 4 kl.bb7 +-;
l ... h5? 2 !Id!+- (Postny in CBM). If l...1!hb8
then with 2 .f!fcl White keeps a firm grasp on
the initiative.
2 .f!dl <j;g63a41!b441!d4 as 5 lhb4 i.xb4
5 ... axb4? 6 a5 ~f6 7 a6 b3 8 a7b291!b7 +-
(Postny) and the intervention of the white king
is decisive.
6@g21!d8(D)
Now it is time to land the decisive blow:
12 ... dS!! 13 exdS 1!f4! 14 ~e2
141!xc7+@f615~d31!d416i.c21!d2-+.
14 .. lle4 15 1!b2 ~d4 16 ~b3
Or:
a) 16 ~bl 1!xd5 17 .f!dl i.d4 18 i.f3 kl.cs
19 zn @h6 20 i.e4 @g5 21 .f!el i.f2 22 .f!al
.;:c..i 23 ~d5 1!b4 24 ~c I e4 -+.
b) 16kl.b7 ~d217:Xc7+@f618.f!b7 :Xe2
19 ::bl 1!c2 -+.
16 ... k!.d2 17 ~g4 i.f2 18 1!b7 @f6 19 d6
,;:c2 0-1
White resigned in view of 20 kl.bl cxd6 21
..i.f3 'l;f5 22 ~d5 e4 -+.
In the following game Peter Svidler impressively
demonstrates how the opposing king
can. little by little, be pushed out of play.
7 h4! h6
7 ... h5 8 gxh5+ @xh5 9 1!xg7 1!d3 IO @f3
1!a3 11 1!g5+ @h6 12 1!e5+ and White should
win.
8h5+@h7
Here the king is practically incarcerated,
but 8 ... @f6 was no better; 9 @f3 1!d5 IO @e4

26 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
~e5+ 11 @d3 Ad6 12 ga7 .l:1d5+ 13 @c4 and
again White wins.
9 @f3 .l:1dl 10 @e4 .l:1gl 11 f3 .l:1el 12 @d3
.1:1dl+ 13 @c2 nn 14 f4 Ad6
14 ... .l:1f3 15 @d3 Ad6 (15 ... .l:1g3 16 g5 hxgs
17 fxg5 @g8 I 8 g6 +-) 16 .l:1c4 .l:1g3 I 7 g5 hxg5
18 fxg5 @g8 19 g6 @f8 20 @e2 @e7 21 Af2
gb3 22 Ael Ae5 23 I:!.e4 Ad6 (23 ... Ac7? 24
Ah4+ @d7 25 h6 I:!.b2+ {25 ... gxh6?! 26 .1:1d4+
@e8 27 g7 +-} 26 @f3 +--) 24 AM+ @d7 25
h6 gxh6 26 g7 .l:1b2+ 27 <M3 .l:1b8 28 Af6 +-.
15 ~c4 Ab416 gS hxgS 17 fxg5@g818 g6
(D)
B
1.14
L.Szabo - J.Donner
Amsterdam 1972
211dl! .l:1b2+ 3 @aS!? gb8 4 cS!
4 @a6? llc8 5 I:!.d4 @e5 =.
4 ... We7 S c6 .l:1d8 6 .l:1xd8@xd8 7 Wb6 @c8
8c71-0
Since the rook is not a good blockader of enemy
passed pawns, it is generally the king that
should take on this task. So it is often a good
idea to cut the king off from any passed pawns.
Owing to his passive king and the constant
need to protect against a back-row mate, the
weakness of his a-pawn will cost Black the
game.
18 ... llfS 19 .l:1c8+ Af8 20 .l:1a8 11xbS 21
Ab6~h4
After 2 I...11g5 22 Axa5 .l:1xg6 23 Ab4 .l:1f6 24
11xf8+ 11xf8 25 Axf8 @xf8 26 a5 +- (Postny)
the king is outside the square of the pawn.
2211xaS .l:1c4+ 23 @d3 .l:1c6 24 Ae3 .l:1c8 25
1.fa7 eS 26 as Ab4 27 Ab6 .l:1b8 28 @c4 Af8
29 ~7 e4 30 gd8 .l:1xd8 31 Axd8 e3 32 a61-0
A typical te.chnique for keeping a king out of
the game is to cut it off with a rook. In rook endings
especially, this theme often plays an important
role.
The easiest way for White to win in the following
diagram is:
1 ~l!@e6
1....l:1b2+ 2@c511b8 3 @d6 +-.
B
1.15
V.Korchnoi -A.Karpov
Baguio City Wch (23) 1978
It is essential for Black to prevent the white
king from getting in front of the d-pawn.
1 ... d312@f2
2 a7 d2 3 <M2 (3 a8\W dl'&+=; 3 gdl ~8 =)
3 ... 11e8 =.

ACTIVITY 27
2 .. ..:es!
This barrier forces the exchange of the passed
pv.11s. In contrast, 2 ... d2?? would be prema-
~-e. since the white king could deal with the
p:;.ssed pawn: 3 We2 Wf6 4 Wdl We5 5 a7 +-.
3~a2!?
3 a7 d2 =.
3 .. ..:e7! 4 Z!d2 l:!.e6 11z_11z
In the following example too, everything depends
on how dangerous the central passed
;'::l.wnis:
10 axb4 axb4 11 h5 l:!.a2 12 h6 l:!.a7 13 g4 l:!.b7
141:!.dS+ WeS 15 l:!.c8 Wd4 16 !id8+ @e4 17
l:!.e8+ Wd3 18 l:!.d8+ Wc2 19 l:!.d4 c3 20 h7
Z!xh7 21 l:!.xb4 @d3 22 l:!.b8 l:!.d7 23 @f2 c2 24
l:!.c8 l:!.d4 0-1
It often happens that when the opposing king
is confined against the edge of the board it is in
?ang~r of b~ing mated. The following example
is quite typical:
B
Y.Grunfeld - M.Stean
Skara Echt 1980
1 e6?
After this Black is clearly better. White's
only real trump is the passed pawn on e6, but
cow the black king can neutralize it. l 1:1.fl !!
was necessary: l...l:!.d2 (l...l:!.d5 2 l:!.f5 a5 3 h4
c4 4 h5 b4 5 axb4 axb4 6 l:!.f4 =; 1...Z!e4 2 X!f5
followed by activating the king gives White
good counterplay) 2 e6 X!e2 3 ID'S c4 4 a4 bxa4
0 ... b4 5 l:!.c5 @f8 6 l:!.xc4 l:!.xb2 7 l:!.c6 =) 5 X!f4
;;xb2 6 X!xc4, and then:
a) 6 a3?? 7 X!c8+ Wh7 8 e7 +-.
b) 6 Wf8 7 l:!.c6 a5 8 l:!.c5 (8 ~a6?? X!b5
-+) 8 a3 9 l:!.xa5 a2 10 Wh2 We7 11 f!a6 =.
c) 6 X!e2 7 ~xa4 l:!.xe6 8 Wf2 and White
should be able to hold.
1...~f82 Z!fl+
2 .l;:e5 c4 3 a4 b4 4 ~a5 !id2 5 l:!.c5 l:!.c2-+.
_ 2 .•.@e7 3 Z!f7+ Wxe6 4 !txg7 ~d2 5 X!g6+
iid56~xh61:l.xb2 7 X!h8 c4 8 X!c8 as 9 114 b4
1.17
E.Berg- L.McShane
Bundesliga 2002/3
l .•. Wd4!
McShane rightly seeks his chances in an attack
on the white king in a rook ending.
2 l:!.xe3 Wxe3 3 X!xe6 ~3! 4 l:!.c6 l:!.d5 51:!.cl
e3(DJ
6b4

28 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
6 ~fl+ 'it>e2 7 @g2 f4 8 gxf4 ~d7 9 ~cl (9
Jlal ~dl IO ~a2+@d3 11 @f3 ~fl+ 12@g4
e2-+) 9 ... ~g7+ IO@h3Wd2-+.
6 ... f4!
"Obviously a multi-purpose pawn move
(line-closing, line-opening, passed-pawn formation,
deflection), which has been repeatedly
looming as a possible threat. However, without
the inclusion of the move ... f4, 6 ... e2?? would
be a real blunder: 7 ~c3+ ~d3 8 I!xd3+ 'it>e4 9
@f2@xd3 JO@el +-."(C.D.MeyerinCBM).
7b5?!
7 gxf4~d8! 8 'it>fl (8 a5? ~g8+ 9@hl e2 10
a6 ~d8-+) 8...~d2! 9 a5 l:txh2 10 'it>gl ~g2+
11 @hi e212a6@f213~c2~g6-+(Meyer).
7 ••. e2! 8 ~c3+ ~d3!!
The fantastic point.
9 ~xd3+ 'it>e4 10 ~b3
IO@f2@xd3 11 @el f3! 12 b6@e3 13 b7
f2#.
10 ••• el'lfi+ 11 @g2 'li'ie2+ 12@h3 'lfihS+ 13
@g2f3+0-1
El.06 /**
Black to play and win.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 285- 7)
El.07 **/
How can White save the game?
El.05 /*
How should Black defend?
El.08 ****/
How can White polish off his opponent?

ACTIVITY 29
El.09 ***/
White found the only winning move.
Can you?
El.12 */
At first sight Black seems to have
sufficient counterplay. But what is the
truth of the situation?
A3) Barriers
Naturally it is not only the major pieces that can
restrict the enemy king. Sometimes the other
pieces can erect an impenetrable barrier. We
shall deal with pawn-barriers in Chapter 11
('Fortresses'). Therefore here we shall examine
only the capabilities of the knight and bishop.
El.10 ***/
White to play and win.
1.18
V.Chekhover
1938
El.11
Is Black (to move) lost?
/**
The entire c-file and the b3-square are
'mined', so that Black can make no progress.
For example, 1 ...@b3 2 lt:le4 fS 3 lt:lg3 f4 4 lt:le2
f35 lt:ld4+ =.

30 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1.19
Black's barrier e7-d7-d6-d5 gains the tempi
needed for the draw.
l@e5
1 @f7 @g3 2 @e8 @f4 3 @d8 'iPe5 4 <f,;c7
li:la8+ 5 <f,;b7 'iPd6 6 @xa8 7ic7 stalemate.
1 •.. <f,;gJ 2 @d4 <t,;r4 3 '.tlc5 lba8 4 '.tlc6 @es
S @b7 @d6 6 @xa8 @c7
stalemate.
Exercises
(Solutions on page 287)
El.14 **/
Is the black king close enough
to the safe comer?
A4) The Bodycheck
Now let us look once again at the king's active
possibilities. By 'bodycheck', in chess we mean
a manoeuvre by which one king becomes active
and simultaneously denies the opposing king
access to important squares.
This method plays a fundamental role in the
endgame of rook against pawn as well as in
pawn endings.
El.13 */
How can White prevent the black king from
heading towards the comer square al?
1.20
Ermeni - Cvetkovic
Skopje 1991
White must act precisely:
1@27!
The game continued l eS'iM/?? l;txe8 2 '.tlb7
@c5 3 a6 l;te7+ 0-1.

A CTN/TY 31
1....l::te8
l ... @c7 2 a6 .l::th8 3 e8'@° .l::txe8 stalemate.
2@b6!
The first bodycheck, to prevent the approach
of the black king.
2 ... .l::txe7 3 a6 Itel 4 @b7!
4 a7? .l::tbl + 5 @a6 @c7 6 a8lti+ @c6 7 @a7
.l::tb2-+.
4 ... @c5
Or: 4 ... .l::tbi+ 5 @c8! =: 4 ... @d7 5 a7.l::tbl+ 6
@a8=.
5 a7.l::te7+ (D)
From the very first move, Black must hinder
the approach of the white king.
1 ...@c5!!
Not:
a) l...a5? 2 .l::th5! and the barrier is absolutely
deadly, since 2 ... a4 fails to 3 @f7 a3 4
.l::th3 a2 5 .l::ta3 +-.
b) 1 ...@b5? 2 @f7 a5 3 @e6 a4 4 @d5 (this
is the point; after l. .. @c5 this approach is not
possible) 4 ... @b4 5 @d4 @b3 6@d3 a3 7 .l::tb8+
+-.
2 @f7 a5 3 @e6 a4 4 .l::ta8 @b4 5 @d5 a3 6
@d4@b37@d3
7 .l::tb8+ @c2 ! =.
7 @b2!
7 a2? 8.l::tb8+@a3 9@c2al'@° 10.l::ta8+ +-.
8.l::tb8+@cl
The black king again prevents its opposite
number from reaching the c2-square.
9 .l::tc8+ @b2 10 .l::tc2+ @b3 11 .l::tc7 @b2! =
6@a6! =
This final bodycheck by White ensures the
half-point.
Exercises
(Solutions on page 287)
1.21
M.Dvoretsky
Technique for the Tournament Player, 1995
El.15 /*
Can Black win?

32 How TO PlAY CHESS ENDG!:MES
AS) The Reti Manoeuvre
The king frequently has several routes to his destination,
but usually they are not all of equal
value. It is often possible to give the opponent
another bodycheck, or head for two destinations
simultaneously. The following masterpiece illustrates
this principle excellently:
El.16 **/
How can White exploit his extra piece?
1.22
R.Reti
Kagans Neueste Schachnachrichten, 1921
El.17 */
Is the black king close enough to help
the bishop?
At first sight this looks hopeless for White,
since it is not possible to stop the h-pawn by
normal means. However, there is a saving resource.
1~g7!h42 ~f6 (DJ
Suddenly the king threatens to support its
own pawn. This threat enables the king to gain
time to catch the h-pawn,
El.18 ***/
How should White organize a bodycheck?

ACTIVITY 33
2 .. .<t>b6
2 ... h3 3 <"lJe7 h2 4 c7 <t>b7 5 <t>d? =
3 <t>eS!! .
The king is now "chasing two hares", as the
study composer Gurvich put it.
3 ... h3
After 3 ... <t>xc6 White can enter the s
the h-pawn: 4 <t>f4 =
quare of
4 <t>d6 h2 5 c7 hl\W 6 c8\W =
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 28?-8)
.
w
-. -~
.\B
-/,
-
,_./,
mm,~
.
~
-- -·
.J • ,
,-
•
~
-/, - ,- 0~
- - -/, ~
..- .
El.19 . **/
It looks as if White is hopelessly lost.
But appearances are deceptive ...
El.20 ***/
White to play and win.
B) Rook Activity
!he importance of rook activity in the endgame
is well-known. The rook was not created t
blockade enemy passed pawns or protect it~
own p~wns. Instead, it excels in the attack
spreadmg fear and trepidation among un ~
tected enemy pieces · and forcing the king pro to
seek shelter from checks.
1.23
V.Kramnik - A.Grishchuk
Wijk aan 'Zee 2005
he Black will lose unless he moves his rook into
t heart of the action right away.
1 ... l':ld6!!
Not: l ... e3? 2 <t>d3 l':le6 3 <t>e2 <t>g4 4 a6 +-·
L..<t>g4? 2 <t>d4 <l;f5 3 <t>e3 l':lg6 4 <t>f2 l':la.6 5
l':la.4 <t>e5 6 <t>e3 <t>d5 7 l':ld4+ +-
2 a6 .
2 <t>c5 l':ld3! (once again activity is the on!
;rrect way; the passive 2 ... l':la.6? fails to 3 <t>d~
f5 4 <t>e3 { the king is the ideal blockader
here} 4 ... l':lg6 5 <t>f2 l':la6 6 l':la4 <t>e5 7 <t>e3
<t>d5 8 g4 +-) 3 .l:!.a4 (3 l':lal <t>g4 4 a6 <t>xg3 5
a7 !'18 =) 3 ... e3 4 l':le4 <t>f5 5 l':le8 (D).
o_w Black seems to be in a bad wa
but
~ere_ is one salvation. If only the white ro:k can
Bl d~~lodged fr_om its optimal position, then
ac s rook will be able to deal with the a-
pawn: 5 ... <t>f6 6 <t>c4 l':la3 7 <t>b4 <l;f7 8 It
l1d3 and the checking distance is real! 1::
short but the rook can give check on the ~-fil
and from behi d h . 1 e
n , so t at it can cope: 9 a6 l':ld6

34 How TO PLAl' CHESS ENDGAMES
B
10 ..t;,bs .lid3 11 a7 lta3 12 ..t;,b6 llb3+ 13 ..t;,c7
.lic3+ 14 ..t;,b7 .lib3+ = since the white king's
only shelter from the checks is in front of the a-
pawn.
2 ... e3 3 a7 e2 4 a8'& el~
White's own pawn prevents him from winning,
even though he can give the important
first check:
5 .liaS+ ..t;,g4 6 ~g8+ @£3 7 ~f7+
For the rest, see exercise El3.03.
In rook endings it is often justifiable to give
up a pawn in order to activate the rook.
3 ... bS 4 b4 .!ld4 5 ll:b3 hS 6 ..t;,g2 ..t;,£7 7..t;,f3
7 f4!? was simpler, as Lukacs showed in
CBM: 7 ...@e6 8 ..t;,f2 ..t;,f5 9 @f3 .lie4 10 .lic3
.lixb4 II b3 =.
7 ....lic4 8 ..t;,e3 g5!
Following the principle of two weaknesses,
Sokolov seeks activity on the kingside as well,
to complicate White's task further.
9f4?!
This move creates a lot of holes and weaknesses,
yet the margin of the draw in rook endings
is so great that even this does not overstep
it. It would have been much better to create a
passed pawn of his own and become active: 9
hxg5 fxgS 10 f4 gxf4+ 11 gxf4 ..t;,e6 12 .lid3
.lixb4 13 b3 ms 14 lld5+ ..t;,g4 15 llg5+ ..t;,h4
16 llgl .lixb3+ 17 ..t;,e4 = (Lukacs).
9 ... gxh4 10 gxh4 ..t;,g6 11 .lic3! .lixb4 12
ltcS!
Textbook active defence.
12 ....lib3+ 13 ..t;,e4 ~xb214 rs+ ..t;,h615 .lic6
.lib4+ (D)
w
B
1.24
E.van den Doel -1.Sokolov
Dutch Ch ( Leeuwarden} 2004
1..J!d8! 2 .lixa7 ltd3 3 lta3
The roles of the rooks have been completely
reversed, but it is not so easy for White to release
his rook from its passive role.
16@f3?
But now White displays fatal passivity. 16
..t;,d5! was necessary: 16 ... llxh4 !7 :l;{xf6+ ..t;,g5
18.lif8.lihl 19 f6..t;,g6 20@e5 lle1+21..t;,f4 b4
22 "1b8 .!if!+ 23 ..t;,g3 .libl 24 .lib6 =.
16 .•. ~xh4 17 llxf6+ @gS 18 ~g6+
18 ltb6 .lif4+ 19 ..t;,g2 ltxf5 -+.
18 ... ..t;,xfS 19 llb6 ltb4 0-1
It is also very important in the endgame of
rook against two minor pieces for the side with
the rook to seize the initiative and play actively,

ACTIVITY 35
;;0 that the minor pieces are unable to stabilize
±e position in their favour.
1.25
G.Kamsky - V.Anand
Sanghi Nagar FIDE Ct (2) 1994
7 lad8 Ae6 8 lad6 @f6 9 r!xa6 lZlc4 10 lac6
lZle5 11 nb6 1'2-1'2
Naturally the timing of any activity is important.
The rook must immediately find a new role:
1.l;le3!
Passive defence loses without a prayer: 1
:;;d2? .ic4 2 .l;ldl 0J7 3 d6 @e6 4 d7 @e7 5
:d2 Ae6-+.
1 ... AxdS 2 nes .ib7 3 nxc5 lt:lc4 4 nc7
8xa5 5 nh7 g;>g6 6 nd7 (DJ
1.26
E.Kolesnikov - D.Bocharov
Russian Cht (Sochi} 2004
The rook dominates the enemy anny almost
single-handedly and frustrates any hopes of a
win by Black.
6 Ac8(D)
6 Ac6 7 nd6+ @g7 8 @fS .ib7 9 ng6+
@h7 10 @f6 Ads 11 ng7+ @h8 12 nd7 and
White's activity ensures the draw.
Against a single g-pawn, passive defence
would suffice. Against doubled g-pawns, however,
the defence must be active, but not immediately.
1 nbS?
Now both white pieces will be driven into fatal
passivity on the back rank.
1 nb7? is also bad, because after l ... na2+ 2
@gl @h3 3 laxg7 @g3 4 @fl laat+ 5 'it>e2
ngt ! -+ Black will reach the Lucena position.
White must first wait until the g-pawn advances
to g3: 1 nb2! na4 2 lac2 g5 3 nb2 g3

36 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
(3 ... 1:lf4 41:lb8 g3 5 1:la8 .ID'2+ 6 ~gl ~h3 7
1:lh8+ =) 41:lb8 ee,
1 ... 1:la2+ 2 @gl @h3 31:lb3+ g3 41:lbl 1:la3 B
51:lcl gS 61:lbl g4 71:lcl g2 81:lbl 1:lf3 0-1
White resigned in view of 9 1:lal 1:lfl+ 10
1:lxfl gxfl WI+ 11 @xfl ~h2 -+.
Exercises
{Solutions on pages 288-9)
El.23 /**
Black to move and hold the draw.
El.21 /****
In an almost hopeless position,
Black found a way out. Can you?
El.24 /***
At first sight it seems that White has
everything under control. How did Black
show that this was not the case?
C) Activity in General
To end this chapter, we shall look at another game
which shows not only that active pieces are
generally better than passive ones, but also that
it is important to keep sight of the big picture.
1.27
M.lonescu - V.lordachescu
Bucharest 2003
El.22 /***
How could Black have saved the game here?
1 lbf3 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 dS 4 d4 dxc4 5 .i.g2
.i.b4+ 6 .i.d2 .i.e7 7 Wla4+ .i.d7 8 W!xc4 .i.c6 9
lbc3 lbe4 !

ACTIVITY 37
In view of White's space advantage, Black
szives to exchange as many pieces as he can
.m.:: to hold up White's advance in the centre for
;,;s Ieng as possible, until it can be dealt with sati::--fu:torily.
IO l..f4 lZ'lxc3 11 '&xc3 lZ'ld7 12 0-0 lZ'lf6 13
:.fdl 0-0 14 a3 tZ'ldS 15 Wid2 lZ:ixf4 16 Wixf4
»si a»
Black will become active on the queenside
:Zer. unless White weakens himself by playing
17 e4 Abs
The direct 17 .. .fS?! is certainly active but
creates light-squared weaknesses that White
could highlight by 18 'li{(es ~d6 19 dS.
18 ~fl?!
Xow Black takes over the initiative. But it
seems that Black has fully adequate counter-
;!ay after the consistent 18 dS; for example,
18 ... i.cS 19 dxe6 Wie7 20 'l,1Vg5 '&xgS 21 lZ:ixgS
:"xe6 22 lZ:ixe6 .txf2+ 23 @h 1 'f!f7 24 lZ:id8 'f!e7
:S 8xb7 JJ..c6 26 es JJ..xg2+ 27 @xg2 iJ..b6 =.
18 ... ~xfl 19 @xfl c6 20 @g2 a4 21 'l,1Vd2
~ 22 .llacl libs 23 zr.c2 Af6 24 ~e2 Wib6
Slowly but surely, Black activates his entire
army,
25 .l;!dd2 (D)
White's apparent passivity is deceptive. Black
must constantly keep in mind that, in the absence
of Black's major pieces, White's space
advantage might well be converted into an attack
on the kingside. Furthermore the a4-pawn
requires constant protection. It is not a serious
problem for White that his pieces are currently
engaged in almost exclusively passive roles; in
fact this is illusory.
25 ••• g6 26 h4 I.(dS
After 26 ... cS?, with the idea of opening the
position for the bishop, the energy lying dormant
in the white forces would be released with
a single blow: 27 lZ:ie5! ±.
27 'f!c4 '&a6
Black is fully mobilized, but it is not easy to
improve his position or open the position favourably.
So, for instance, 27 ... e5? would rebound
after 28 dxe5 .E!xd2 29 'lfixd2 .l:lxb2 30
.l:lc2 .l:lxc2 31 'li!lxc2 JJ..e7 32 Wixa4, owing to
White's chances on the kingside.
28 l!dc21lb3 ( D)
28 ... e5 29 dxe5 Axe5 30 .!':Ib4 gives White
counterplay.
29 lZ'ld2 !l.b6 30 tZ'lf3 @g7?!
Now White takes over the initiative on the
kingside. Once again 30 ... 'f!b3 was indicated.

38 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
31 hS
White probes. Here 31 '®'e3!? also came into
consideration; for example, 31..Jlb3 (Black
must watch out that the side-lining of his major
pieces does not bring about his downfall:
3 J •. Jlb5? 32 \\Y/f4 \\Y/a7 33 e5 il.e7 34 h5 lib3 35
log5 il.xg5 36 '®'xg5 with a strong attack for
White) 32 \\Y/f4 \\Y/b5 33 loe5 il.xe5 34 'r'k'xe5+
\\Y/xe5 35 dxe5 and White's activity gives him a
slight advantage, which in a rook ending should
not be underestimated.
31 ...\\Y/bS 32 hxg6?!
32 e5 il.e7 33 '®'e3 is far more dangerous.
After the text-move there is a great risk that
Black will benefit more than White from the
opening of the h-file.
32 ... hxg6 33 \\Y/e3 (D)
36 ...\\Y/bl 37 \\Y/cl?
Probably in time-trouble, White wants to exchange
the most dangerous black piece. But he
is jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. 37
\\Y/c3 nhI 38 @e3 was necessary, with an unclear
position.
37 ...'~xcl 38 nxcl nxb2+ 39 @e3 il.e7!
The rook stands offside at a4.
40 ndl (D)
Also after 40 nc3 Black can increase the
pressure; forexarnple,40 ... nhI 41 l!a7 nal 42
loe5 il.b4 43 nd3 naa2 44 nxb7 il.d2+ 45
nxd2 nxa3+ +.
B
B
33 ...'&hS!?
Black rates activity and attacking chances
more highly than the a4-pawn! Of course, it is
important to ensure that this is not just a flash in
the pan. The initiative can quickly peter out,
whereas the sacrificed pawn is lost forever.
34~a4nh835@fl ~1+36@e2
After 36 log!!? nbs 37 e5 s.a 38 \\Y/f3 \"¥h2
39 loe2 nd8 40 lof4 il.g5 Black's activity gives
him sufficient compensation.
40 .. AhSI
The second rook is also activated via the fifth
rank. Very original!
41 nas nhbS 42 .!ld3 na2 43 a4?
Now it is all over. The last chance lay in activating
the knight: 43 lod2 nbb2 44 e5 +.
43 .. J!bb2 44 nes
The desirable relief operation with 44 nd2?
would fail to 44 ... il.g5+ -+.
44 ... il.b4 45 eS .lhf2 46 nhS gS 47 @e4
47 g4? nfe2#.
47 g4 48 l!xb7 nxa4
48 nxBi?.
49 log.5 @g6 50@e3 .l:!aa2 51 nh3 c.&xgS 0-1

2 The Art of Pawn Play
[Pawns] are the very Life of this Game.
F~AN<;O!S·ANDRE DANICAN PHIL!DOR
The older I get, the more I value pawns.
P.~UL KERES
In contrast to all the other pieces, pawns cannot
move backwards. They take tiny steps and there
are often long delays between each pawn move.
On account of this leisurely progress, it is often
the case that the pawn-structure changes only
very slowly and hence it leaves its stamp on the
position for some considerable time. Of course,
you can never deduce the best move just from a
consideration of the pawn-structure alone, but
in most cases this does give definite clues as to
the direction in which one's thoughts should be
pointed. This fact alone is enough to demonstrate
the great importance of the pawns. So
consider each pawn move carefully!
Before we become immersed in the subjectmatter,
we should like to point out that this
theme also overlaps with other chapters. You
can find related subject-matter, for example, in
Chapter 6 on the theme of pawn weaknesses, in
Chapter S on support-points for pieces, and in
Chapter 4 on pawn exchanges. Finally, the important
rule of thumb 'don't move pawns on the
wing where the opponent has the advantage' is
closely examined in Chapter 17.
A) Passed Pawns
For me, the passed pawn has a soul, just like a
human being, unacknowledged desires slumbering
deep within, and fears, of whose existence
it is scarcely aware.
ARON NJMZOWITSCH
In the endgame, passed pawns increase enormously
in importance, in comparison with the
other phases of the game. In the endgame they
either play a diversionary role or are even the
decisive factor. The former case arises if the
passed pawn is so dangerous that it draws the
fire of the opposing forces, who are th us forced
to abandon the main battle-zone. Thus, for instance,
an outside passed pawn (see Al) often
diverts the enemy king. Protected passed pawns
(see A2) have the advantage that they compel
enemy pieces to adopt defensive duties, yet do
not require protection by their own pieces. Thus
the presence of protected passed pawns generally
increases the overall activity of the side
that has them.
Passed pawns are generally a decisive factor
if they are so powerful that, despite all obstructions,
they succeed in promoting, or if
they force the opponent to give up material to
prevent their advance. For example, connected
passed pawns (see A3) advancing in 'close
formation' are as a rule extremely hard to stop.
Not only can they can defend each other, but
they can also help one other by controlling the
squares that each needs to move to.
Basically, when there are passed pawns, the
following rules of thumb are applicable:
1. Passed pawns must be pushed.
2. In any race between passed pawns, it is not
the quantity but the quality of the passed pawns
that counts.
All these aspects will now be enlarged upon,
point by point.
Al) Outside Passed Pawns
In pawn endings and minor-piece endings, an
outside passed pawn is a particularly powerful
force, since it diverts the main defender.
In the diagram on the following page, Larsen's
king must deal 'personally' with the a-
pawn, enabling White to seize the advantage on
the kingside:

40 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
The rule formulated by Botvinnik that "knight
endings are just like pawn endings" applies especially
when an outside passed pawn is present,
since in knight endings this also generally
constitutes a great advantage. The knight cannot
lose a tempo, so that zugzwang plays an important
role, just as in pawn endings. Furthermore,
a sound extra pawn is normally a winning advantage.
Naturally there are also some differences,
such as the sacrifice of the knight and
other tactical resources by the tricky knight.
But now, back to the outside passed pawn:
2.01
R.Fischer - B.Larsen
Denver Ct (5) 197 I
w
1 @d4 'it>d6 2 aS f6 3 a6 'it>c6 4 a7 @b7 5
<&d5h4
5 ... [5 6 h4+-.
6@e61-0
The next example illustrates the genesis of
an outside passed pawn:
w
2.02
J.Hjartarson - E.Gausel
Nordic Ch (Reykjavik) 1997
1 h4 'it>e6
The actual game continuation was I...f5 2
'it>f4 'it>f6 3 a4 c5 4 b3 (zugzwang) 1-0.
2g4
White creates a passed pawn on the h-file.
2 ••• hxg4+ 3 'it>xg4 c:J;f7 4 @fS a4 5 h5 c5 6
b3 axb3 7 axb3 @g7 8 h6+ 'it>xh6 9 <llxf6 +-
2.03
N.Robson - K.D.MOller
corr. 2005
White should win, since he has the outside
passed pawn and the slightly more active king.
1 'it>e2 @f8 2 ltlc6 @e8!?
The king should be brought into play. The
game continued 2 ... c3 3 @d3 ltlc4 4 lbd4 ltlxa3
5 'it>xc3 and the knight was dominated, since
after 5 ... f5 6 @b3 ltlbl 7 ltlf3 the cage was
closed. With 7 ... g5 8 'it>b2 g4 9 'it>xbl gxf3
Black was able to avoid immediate loss of material,
but the pawn ending was hopeless: 10 g3 !
(10 gxf3? @f7 11 'it>c2 @g6 12 'it>d3 @g5 13
'it>e3 h5 ::;) I O ... 'it>f7 11 @c2 'it>g6 12 @d3 'it>f6
13 'it>e3 1-0.
3 lbb4 'it>d7 4 'it>e3 'it>d6 5 'it>d4 g6 6 ltla2
ltldS 7 h4 ltlb6 8 ltlc3 'it>c6 9 a4 'it>b7 10 'it>cS
<&a611 'it>b4f512f4h513g3'it>b714'it>b5+-
As just demonstrated in exemplary fashion,
in minor-piece endings an outside passed pawn

THE ART OF PAWN PI.AY 41
is generally a very dangerous weapon. But with
rooks, matters are very different if the defend-
:rig rook can get behind the passed pawn. Thus
±e following position is only a draw:
7 •.• g5!! 8 fxg5
8 hxg5 h4 9 !'f.h6 h3 10 @b2 !'f.a5 11 @c3 h2
12 !'f.xh2 !'f.xa6 13 @d4 !'f.e6 =.
8 ... f4 9 @d2 f310 !'f.b7+ @g6 11 a7 !'f.a2+ 12
@el @f5 13 !'f.£7+ '@g614 !'f.xf3 lha7 15 !'f.£6+
@g7 16 !'f.h6 !'f.a4 17 !'f.xbs L6 =
The white rook is boxed in.
A2) Protected Passed Pawns
2.04
G.Levenfish and V.Smyslov
1957
A lot depends here on which piece blockades
the pawn and how restricted this piece is by
having to act as a blockader. If a strong blockading
knight stands in its way, a protected
passed pawn loses much of its power and influence.
In a pawn ending, however, a protected
passed pawn is a real force, since the
king himself has to deal with it.
1 ... @£72<Be2
After 2 a7?1 @g7 the white king no longer
has any shelter on the queenside.
2 ••• @g7
2 ... 1:txg3? runs into the old outflanking trick
3 a7 ll:a3 4 ll:h8 +-.
3 <i;d2 lhg3 4 !'f.b81!a3 5 !'f.b7+@£6 6 !'f.b6+
6 a? @e6 7 @c2 @d5 8 @b2 !'f.a6 9 @b3 @c5
6 ... @g7 7 @c2 (D)
Now Black gains some much-needed counterplay:
2.05
N.Grigoriev (end of a study)
'64', 1930
White can win even if it is his move.
1 @g4
Black must now either give up his f-pawn or
leave the square of the b5-pawn.
1 ... @e4
l...'Be6 2 @xf4 @d6 3 @e4 @e6 4 @d4 @d6
5 @c4 @c7 6 @d5 @b7 7 @d6 @b6 (D).
Now White wins the battle for the opposition,
since Black is barred from the squares a6
and c6: 8 @e6 @c7 9 @e7 @b6 10 @d6 @b7 11
@d7 @b6 12 @c8 @a7 l3 @c7 @a8 14 @b6
+-.
2 b6 f33 @g31

42 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
A very important zwischenzug,
which en-
ables White to liquidate into a pawn ending after
both pawns promote.
3 •.• @e3 4 b7 f2 s b8¥'.i n ¥!S 6 \Wes+ @d2 7
¥'.ixaS+ @dl 8 ¥'.ids+ @cl 9 Wies+ <;t;dl 10
'&d4+ @c2 11 W/f2+ +-
Naturally at this point we should also like to
include an example which illustrates the importance
of a protected passed pawn in a piece ending.
However, we must admit that it was (rather
surprisingly for us) not very easy to track down
a suitable position. In the database you generally
find either games in which a protected
passed pawn is securely blockaded and which
end in favour of the blockading side, or else
positions in which the side with a protected
passed pawn is so obviously on top that they are
not really suitable as instructive examples for
this book. But it would be wrong to conclude
from this that a protected passed pawn can play
an important role only in pawn endings. The
truth seems to be that players have such great
regard for the protected passed pawn that they
allow the opponent to create one only if they are
in great difficulties or if, on the other hand, they
are quite sure that it can be securely blockaded.
1..tc2
Botvinnik's plan consists of undermining
the black queenside pawns with b3 followed
by a4.
1 ...lbd7
Let us hear what Botvinnik has to say about
this position: "Tai has created definite counter-chances.
His immediate aim should be to
2.06
M.Botvlnnik- M.Tal
Moscow Wch (13) 1961
blockade the pawn with his knight, which in
this case would be fulfilling a mass of useful
functions, without itself being in danger. After
this, the queenside pawns could have gradually
begun to advance. In concrete terms it
could have taken the following form: 2 ©e2
gac8, and then 3 ... lbf6, 4 ... lbe8 and 5 ... lbtl6.
Of course, while manoeuvring, Black would
have to adapt to the opponent's plans and
moves. But even if there occurred 4 ... lbf6,
6 ... ©e8 and 8 ... lbtl6, this would do Black no
harm. After rejecting this plan, Tai was faced
with the sad necessity of blockading the pawn
with the rook. The blockade theorist Nimzowitsch
would have condemned him for this.
One should blockade with a piece which, in so
doing, retains its ability to attack."
2 lbe2 ..tf8 3 lbc3 a6?!
Once again let us listen to Botvinnik: "Perhaps
the losing move. The bishop at b7 is shut
out of play for a long time and, most importantly,
White can carry out his plan unhindered.
Black should have decided on 3 ... b4."
4 b3 nacs S ..td3 lbb6 6 ..te2 l:.d6 7 @b2 rs
7 ... b4 8 lbbl c4 9 bxc4 lbxc4+ 10 ..txc4
l:.xc4 11 Ik 1 also leaves White with a clear advantage.
8.l:.cll:.f6(DJ
9a4!
Now that White has completed all the necessary
preparations in peace, he implements his
plan with this move. Black can no longer prevent

THE ART OF PAWN Pl.AY 43
Connected passed pawns are generally very
powerful as long as they cannot be properly
blockaded. Thus a lone rook cannot stop two
the infliction of irreparable weaknesses on the connected passed pawns on the 6th rank. Hence
queen side.
the struggle often revolves round the creation of
9 ... bxa4 10 bxa4 as 11 @c2 c4 12 .l:!.bl connected passed pawns.
Fritz's suggestion 12 f4!? also seems to be
very strong, but would not be appropriate for a
human player on practical grounds, since it
would make the position unnecessarily dy- B
narnic, which White does not really want.
12 ... Ab4 13 lba2 .i.cS 14 .bcS .l:!.xcS 15
-8c3 i.c8 16 !l:b2 .i.d7
16 .. .fxe4 17 fxe4 i.d7 18 .l:!.hbl Axa4+ 19
,'2ixa4 lbxa4 20 .l:!.b8+ !l:f8 was stronger according
to Botvinnik, but in fact White wins easily
with 21 i.g4 or 21 .l:!.xf8+.
17 .l:!hbl _\ha4+ 18 lbxa4 lbxa4 19 .l:!.b8+
'tig7
l 9 ... f!.f8 20 d611cc8 21 !l:xc8 l:hc8 22 .l:!.b5
20 f!.lb7+ !l:f7 (DJ
Now there is no suitable blockader left and
the protected passed pawn can advance in safety.
21 .l:!.xb7 22 .l:!.xb7+ @f6 23 .l:!.xh7 .l:!.c8?!
23 .l:!.c6 24 d7 !l:d6 25 i.xc4 lbc5 26 .l:!.f7+
'i!tg5 27 Ab5 fxe4 28 fxe4 .l:!.d4 was more tenacious.
24 d7 .l:!.d8 25 i.xc4 lbcS 26 .l:!.f7+ @gS 27
.i.bS fxe4 28 fxe4 1-0
A3) Connected Passed Pawns
2.07
¥.Pelletier - G.Vescovi
Poikovsky 2003
21 d6!
Black is willing to give up a pawn in order to
set his centre pawns in motion.
1. •. aS 2 dxcS bxcS! 3 .l:!.xaS d4 4 .l:!.a7+ @d6
51:!.bl?
White should have sought counterplay with
his own passed pawns right away, to avoid being
overrun; for example, 5 a4 .l:!.a8 6 .l:!.xa8
11xa8 7 .l:!.al i.d5 8 g4 d3 9 g5 with counterplay.
5 ... .l:!.a8
Vescovi exchanges the active white rook, in
order to activate his f8-rook.
6 .l:!.bb7 11xa7 7 .l:!.xa7 .l:!.b8 8 @g3?! .i.dS 9
a4 d3 10 @f2 .l:!.b2+ 11 'i!te3 .i.xf3 12 @xf3 c4
13 !l:a6+ @cS 14 .l:!.a7 c3 15 .l:!.c7+

44 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
15 l:.xd7 c2 -+.
15 ... @b4 16 l:.b7+ 'it>a5 0-1
A4) Passed Pawns Must be Pushed!
In a pawn race, it is generally the quality rather
than the quantity of the passed pawns that
counts.
2.08
S.Kudrin - A.Onishchuk
USA Ch (San Diego) 2006
Despite his extra pawn, White has his back
to the wall and can save himself only with very
accurate defence.
1. •• d4 2 h5?
Correctly, White wants to get his most important
asset moving, but the fastest run is one
that is carried out in a technically clean manner.
a) Not 2 f3+?@d3 -+.
b) 2 g4? also fails: 2 ... d3 3 l:'le6+ \.t>f3 41.t>ei
c4 5 g5 l:'lcl+ 6 @d2 l:.c2+ 7 @di @xf2 8 g6
l:.b2 9 l:'lc6 @e3 IO l:.e6+ @d4 11 l:.d6+@c3 12
@el l:.e2+ 131.t>fl @d2 14 g7 l:.e8 15 h5 c3 16
h6 c2 17 l:.c6 cl~+ 18 l:.xcl @xcl 19 h7 d2
-+.
c) White should first have compelled the
opposing king to come to a decision: 2 l:.e6+!
@d5 (2 ...@d3 3 g4@c2 4 l:.e2+@d3 5 l:l:e6 =) 3
l:'le8 c4 (DJ.
Now the pawn should start motoring:
cl) 4 ~e2?! l:.c2+ 5 @f3 c3 6 h5 l:.b2 7 h6
(7 l:.d8+? @c4 8 l:.c8+ @d3 9 h6 l:'lb7 10 g4
@c2 -+) 7 ... l:.b7 8@e2 l:.c7 9 g4 (9 @dl? d3
-+) 9 ... c2 10 h7 cl'& I I h8~ =,
c2) 4 h5 l:.b3 5 h6 l:.bl+ 6 @e2 d3+ 7 @d2
l:.b2+ 8 @c I l:.xf2 9 h7 c3 10 l:.d8+ @e4 11
l:.e8+@d5=.
2 .•• d3
The immediate 2 ... l:.cl+ 3 @e2 d3+ 4 @d2
l:.c2+ 5@dl c4 -+, transposing to the game, is
somewhat simpler.
31.t>el
3 l:.e6+ \.t>d5 4 l:.el c4 5 h6 l:'la3 6 h7 l:.a8-+.
3 ... l:.cl+ 4 @d2 l:'lc2+ 5 @di c4 6 h6 c3 7
l:.e6+
7 l:'lc6 l:.xf2 8 l:.xc3 @e3 9 @el l:.xg2 10
@fl l:'lh2 11 l:.c6 l:'lhl+ 12@g2 d2-+.
7 ... @d5 8 l:'le5+@c4 (DJ
9l:.e4+
9 h7 is met by 9 ... l:.a2 followed by mate.
9 .•• @b310l:.e3
10 l:'ld4 l:.xf2 11 l:.xd3 l:'lxg2 12 @cl l:.h2 13
l:.d6 l:'lhl+ 14 l:'ld! l:'lxh6 -+.
10 ... l:.d2+ 0-1

THE ART OF PAWN Pl.AY 45
White resigned in view of 11 @el (11 @cl
~ 12 @bl c2+ 13 @cl l::Ial+ 14 @d2 l:ldl#)
l J...'&'c212f4l::Ixg2 13 h7 d2+ 14@fl l::Ih2-+.
B
If the king can support its own passed pawns,
this is generally a great advantage.
2.09
D.Tyomkin - I.Krush
Montreal 2005
2.10
E.Eliskases - S.Flohr
Semmering/Baden 1937
4 ... l!c4 5 g3 i::Idc8 6 ii.g2 i::Icl+ 7 i::Ixcl
l::Ixcl+ 8 l::Iel l::Ixel+ 9 @xel rs 10 f3 fxe411
fxe4 bS 12 @d2 as 13 @d3 @f6 14 ii.f3 @e7
15 h4 h616 ii.di @d817 a4 (D)
The black king is out of play, which Tyomkin
neatly exploited:
1 l::Id7!! @f6
After l ... c2 2 @d8 c l 'tij' White has the allimportant
first check: 3 e8'tij'+ @h6 4 'tij'h8+
it>g5 5 'tij'e5+ +-.
2 @d8 l::Ig8+ 3 eS'tij' i::Ixe8+ 4 @xe8 @es 5
ad3! 1-0
B
AS) Blockade
For me, the passed pawn is a criminal that
should be kept under lock and key.
ARON NIMZOWITSCH
Since passed pawns have such strong forward
momentum, blockading them is often an absolute
priority; for this task a knight often renders
good service.
First Black paralyses White's central majority:
1 .•• eS 2 d5 lt:\c4 3 l!e2 ~d6 4 l!bl
In the next phase, Black activates his pieces,
before addressing the mobilization of his own
majority.
17 ... bxa4?
This reduces the winning potential and loses
control, since the white king can now penetrate
the queenside. 17 ... b4 was more accurate; for
example, 18 ii.c2 @c7 19 ii.b3 @b6 20 ii.c2
@c5, and then:
a) 21 ii.b3 ~e8 22 ii.c2 (22 ii.di ~f6 23
ii.f3 @b6 24@c4 ~d7 25 ii.di lt:\c5 26 ii.c2 h5
-+) 22...~f6 23 ii.di @b6 24 ii.c2 ~h5 25 g4
~f6 26 ii.di g5 27 h5 @c5 28 ii.f3 b3 29 @c3
~e8 30@xb3@d4 31 ii.di ~d6 -+.
b) 21 g4 g5 22 hxg5 hxg5 23 ii.b3 lt:\e8 24
ii.di ~f6 25 ii.f3 b3 26@c3 lt:le8 and now:

46 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
bl) 27 ..ie2 b2 28 ..id3 lt'if6 29 ©xb2 lt'ixg4
30 @c3 lt'if6 31 @d2 @b4 32 i.c2 g4 33 @e3
'i&c3 34 i.d3 g3 35 i.fl lt'ie8 36 @f3 lt'id6 37
@xg3 (37 i.h3 @b4 -+) 37 ... lt'ixe4+ 38 'i&f3
@d4-+.
b2) 27 @xb3 @d4 ( D) and Wbite loses, since
he has no counterplay whatsoever:
B
28 @c2 (28 ..idl ltJd6 29 i.c2 @e3 30@c3
'i&f3 31 @d3 @xg4 32 @e2 'i&g3 33 @fl 'i&h2
-+) 28 ... @e3 29 i.hl lt'id6 30 @di @f4 31
'i&e2 @xg4 32 @f2 <c&f4 33 i.g2 g4 34 'i&gl
lt'ib7 35 @f2 'i&g5 36@g3 lt'ic5 37 d6@f6-+.
18 i.xa4 'i&c7 19 i.c2 'i&b6 20 'i&c3 @bS 21
@b3@c5
2l...a4+!? came strongly into consideration.
However, we were unable to find a win: 22 @c3
@c5 23 i.d3 h5 24 @b2 @b4, and here:
a) 25 i.bl? lt'ic4+ 26 <Bc2 (26 'i&a2 @c3 27
'i&al @d2-+) 26 ... a3 27 i.a2 lt'id6 28@d3 and
now a triangulation decides matters: 28 ...@a4
29 @e3 'i&b5 30 @d3 @b4 -+.
b) 25 i.c2 a3+ 26 @a2 'i&c3 27 i.a4 @d4
(27 ... lt'ixe4 28 i.e8 =) 28 ..ic2 lt'ib5 29 i.dl
'i&xe4 (29 ... lt'ic3+ 30@xa3 :a) 30 i.c2+ 'i&xd5
31 i.xg6 e4 32 ..ixh5 =.
22 <Ba4 lt'ic4 23 i.b3 lt'id2 24 i.c2 lt'ifl 25
'i&xa5 l2Jxg3 26 @a4 ( D)
It seems that Black cannot win this position,
since White always has counterplay with the
d-pawn. The side with the knight should always
strive to keep complete control, but here that is
impossible, since either the king or the knight
must always keep an eye on the d-pawn.
26 ... lt'ihS
26 ... lt'ifl 27 'i&b3 g5 (White also holds after
27 ... l2Jd2+ 28 @c3 lt'if3 29 h5 gxh5 30 ..idl
lt'ig5 31 @d3 h4 32 @e3 h3 33 ..if3 h2 34 i.g2
and 27 ... h5 28 'i&c3 lt'ie3 29 <Bd2 lt'ig2 30 @e2
ltJxh4 31 'i&f2 g5 32 .id l g4 33 @g3 lt'ig6 34
i.e2) 28 hxg5 hxg5 29 @c3 g4 30 @d3 g3 31
@e2 ltJd2 32 i.a4 lt'ixe4 33 @f3 =.
27 @b3 @d4 28 @b4?
28 @b2 ! lt'if6 29 @cl @e3 30 d6 ltJd7 31
i.a4 =.
28 ... lt'if6 29 d6 gS 30 hxg5 hxg5 (D)
3l@b5?!
31 i.d l !? @xe4 32 @c4 @f5 33 i.c2+ @e6
34 'i&c5 g4 35 @c6 g3 36 i.e4 lt'ixe4 37 d7 g2
38 d8°& gl°& 39 '&c8+ @e7 40 °&d7+ @f6 41
°&d8+ @f5 42 °&d7+ @f4 43 °&f7+ it'if6! 44
\Wxf6+ 'i&e4 is a won queen ending for Black.
31 ••. g4 32 ..idl g3 33 i.f3 'i&e3 34 i.hl @f2
35 @c6 g2 36 i.xg2 @xg2 37 d7 lt'ixd7 38
'i&xd7@f3 0-1

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY
47
A further example of the legendary strength
of a blockading knight:
B
2.11
I.Bondarevsky- V.Smyslov
Moscow Ch 1946
White cannot really profit from his lead in
development, since he cannot open the position
in his favour. In fact, he should already be
thinking about damage limitation, since Black
has the following idea at his disposal:
1 ... fS! '
The aim is to set up a light-squared blockade.
2 eS?
A serious positional mistake which deprives
White of any counterplay. 2 it.gs! ~xgS 3 lbxgS
h6 (Wells in CBM) was more accurate, even if
Black's position is still slightly preferable.
2 ... lbe6 3 it.d2 gS 4 lbe2 cS!
It is very important that White cannot exchange
the e6-knight.
5 .i.c3 bS 6 b3 ~b7 7 lbg3 g4 8 lbd2 .i.e7 9
:::ihs 'llf7 10 lbfl @g6 11 lbf6 1:lad8 (DJ
Thanks to the mighty blockading knight,
within a very short time Smyslov has completely
outplayed his opponent.
12 J;l.adl J;l.xdl 13 J;l.xdl 1!d8 14 J;l.xd8
l.xd8 15 lbe3 f4 16 lbdl .i.xf6 17 exf6 .i.e4
18 .i.b2 b4!
The presence of opposite-coloured bishops
is here no indication of drawing chances; instead
it merely accentuates Black's advantage.
19 f3 .i.xc2 20 lbf2 gxf3 21 gxf3 .i.bl 22
:::ie4 it.xa2 23 lbd2 as 24 @f2 lbd4 25 .i.xd4
cxd4 26 @e2 ~xf6 27 @d3 'lleS 28 @c2 a4 29
bxa4 c5 30 as c4 31 a6 d3+ 0-1
The rook is not a good blockader since, in
contrast to the knight, it exerts no active power
from its blockading square. Furthermore it can
easily be dislodged by pieces of lesser value.
2.12
H.Kmoch - A.Nimzowitsch
Bad Niendorf 1927
Nimzowitsch disrupts the white blockade
with a fantastic move, which gives him three
connected passed pawns:
1 ... 1;!.b4!! 2 cxb4 a4 3 bS+ @xbS 4 .i.a3 c3 S
1:lbl @c4 6 f4 @xd4 7 @£2 @c4 8 @el d4 9
@e2 'i&dS 10 @f3 .i.b7 111:lel @c4+ 12 @f2
b2 13 fS exfS 14 e6 it.c6 0-1
In the next example Black succeeds in breaking
the blockade:

48 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
B) Creating a Passed Pawn
Bl) Mobilizing a Pawn-Majority
The natural way to create a passed pawn is to
set a pawn-majority in motion. There is an important
rule that applies in such cases: candidate
first! The candidate is the pawn on whose
file no enemy pawn stands.
2.13
J.Polgar - V.Korchnoi
Buenos Aires 2001
In same-colour bishop endings, the main need
is for passed pawns of one's own; Korchnoi single-mindedly
works towards this goal:
1...hS!
Highlighting the h4-pawn as a weakness
fixed on the same colour as the! bishop.
2 'it>e2 @es 3 @d3 @dS 4 .i.el g6 5 Af2
.i.eS 6 .i.el rs 7 Af2 'it>cS 8 Ael Ah2 9 g3
9 .i.f2 @b4 IO @xd4 b5 -+.
9 ... Agl 10 'it>e2 Ae3 11 'it>d3 'it>dS 12 'it>e2
(D)
2.14
A.Dreev - C.Hansen
Esbjerg 2003
Dreev is not afraid of ghosts and activates his
queenside majority ready for the endgame:
1 b4! @f8 2 @b2 Ae8 3 ~d6 \'J\Vxd6 4 n.xd6
'it>e7 s n.d2 gs 6 @b3 hS (D)
w
Now Black can finally create the desired
passed pawn:
12 .•• f4! 13 gxf4
13 @d3 g5-+.
13 .•. .i.xf414 Ar2 g5 15 @d3 gxh416 .i.xh4
.i.eS 17 Af2 .i.f618 Ag3 h419 Ah2 .i.eS 0-1
So far everything has run like clockwork. But
now, how can White make further progress?

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY 49
7c5!!
A fantastic way of making use of his pawnmajority.
7 a4? would be answered strongly
with 7 ... a5.
7 ... bxc5 8 bS! Itb8 9 Wc4lbd710 gdl h4?
This only helps White, who can now open a
file on the kingside more easily. Black should
prefer 10 ... Itb6, although after 11 a4 a5 12
bxa6 !l:xa6 13 @b3 Ita8 14 i.b5 lbb6 15 i.xe8
~xe8 16 Itd6 Itb8 l 7 lbb5 (Dreev) White has a
strong initiative.
11 i.fl f6 12 i.e2 Itb7 13 g3!
Black can no longer prevent a file from being
opened on the kingside.
13 hxg3
13 Itc7 14 gxh4 gxh4 15 Itgl ±.
14 hxg3 !l:b8 15 g4 Itb7 16 blhl ~d6 17
.:hs !l:b818 Ith7@c7 19 a4 @b6 (D)
22 i.c4 lbb6 23 b!a7 b!a8 24 .l:txa8 lbxa8 25
bxa6 i.d7 26 a7 lbb6
26 ... @b6 27 i.b5 i.c8 28 @c4 lbc7 29 a5+
Wxa7 (29 ... @xa..'i 30 Wxc5) 30 @xc5 lbxb5 31
lbxb5+ @a6 32 @b4 i.d7 33 lbc3 f5 34 lba4
+-.
27 i.b5 i.xbS 28 lbxb5 @a6 29 aS 1-0
Black resigned in view of 29 ... ~8 30 @c4
Wxa5 31 @xc5 @a6 32 @c6! lbb6 33 a8~+
lbxa8 34 lbc7+ +-.
A dangerous majority can even justify a
pawn sacrifice.
w
2.15
Y.Razuvaev- K.Honfi
Cienfuegos 1976
20Ite7
"An important aspect of technical chess is
to collect advantages and later cash them in together.
White first created an advantage on the
queenside, then consolidated, then opened the
kingside to invade with the rook. Only now is
he actually trying to use his advantages ac-
tively." (Aagaard in Excelling at Technical
Chess).
20 'it>as
20 lt::if8 21 a5+ @xa5 22 b!xa7+ @b6 23
:.a6+ @c7 24 @xc5 lbd7+ 25 @b4 lbb6 26
~a4+-.
2l@b3! a6
2l...c4+ 22 i.xc4 lbc5+ 23 @a3 i.d7 24
·'::ldl !l:h8 25 lbb2 blh3 26 i.e2 +-.
1 e5! dxeS 2 b5
White obtains a very dangerous majority,
which can hardly be stopped.
2 ••. i.e8 3 cS lbd7?!
3 ... lbc8 4 lbe4 f6 5 c6 bxc6 6 bxc6 lbb6 7
$..a6±.
4 lbdS e6 5 lbe7+ @gl 6 c6 bxc6
6 ... Wf6 7 cxb7 Irb8 8 lbc8 blxb7 9 lbd6 blb8
IO &7 lbb6 ll lbe4+ @g7 12 Itxa7 +-.
7 bxc6 lbb6 8 c7 i.d7 9 Itfdl i.a4 10 Itd6!
'it>f6
10 ... lbc8? 11 lbxc8 Itaxc8 12 $..a6 +-.
11 Itxb6 @xe7 12 Itb7 @f6
12 ... @d6 13 Itb2 +-.
13 !:kbl
13 i.a6 $..d7 14 b!dl $..c6 (after 14 ... $..c8?
the point of White's play is revealed: 15 !l:b8
$..xa6 16 b!dd8 +-; with a far-advanced passed

50 How TO PI.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
pawn, such combinations often crop up naturally)
15 !'.!.b4 We7 16 !'.!.c4 i.d7 17 i.b7 !'.!.ae8
18 !'.!.c3 (18 !'.!.xd7+? Wxd7 19 i.c6+ fails to
19 ... Wc8) 18 ... f5 19 Wf2 +-.
13 ••• i.c6 14 !'.!.b8 !'.!.c8 15 !'.I.cl .!Iaxb8 16
cxb8WI !'.!.xb8 17!'.!.xc61:l.b2 18 Ac4 hS 19 h4
gS 20 hxgS+ <hgS 21 Wh2 !'.!.b4 22 i.b3 as 23
!'.!.a6 !'.!.bS 24 !'.!.a7 'M6 25 i.a4 1-0
There is often a duel between a majority on
the queenside and one on the kingside, separated
by an open d-file. In addition to the question
of control of the d-file, vital roles are
often played by the activity of the kings and
the ease with which the respective majorities
can be mobilized. It is important to be clear
that the queenside majority does not constitute
an automatic advantage in itself, but requires
additional supporting factors.
after 4 ... 1'.!.cl+! 5 Wd2 !'.!.gl 6 g3 a4 Black's
drawing chances would have remained intact.
s Wxd4Il.d8+
5 ... Wf8 6 Il.b5 Il.c6 7 c5 bxc5+ 8 Il.xc5 Il.d6+
9 Wc3 Il.a6 10 Wc4 ±.
6 Wc3 <li>f8 7 cS Il.c8 8 Wc4! f6 9 WbS!!
fxeS?
Now the white pawn gets through. Black
should have remained in the rook ending:
9 ... bxc5 10 Il.xc5 !'.!.d8 11 a4 Il.b8+ 12 Wc4 Il.a8
13 b4 axb4 14 Wxb4 ±.
10 cxb6 We7 11 b7 Il.b8 12 Wc6 e4
12 ... Wd8 13 f3 +- would result in a tragicomic
zugzwang.
13 Wc7 Il.d8 ( D)
B
2.16
I.Nataf - J.Chabanon
French Cht (Pon Barcares) 2005
The white king is more active and his queenside
majority is easier to mobilize.
1. .. aS?
Violating the rule: don't move on the side
where the opponent is stronger (see Chapter
17, 'Typical Mistakes'). 1..Jk7 is more accurate.
2 !'.I.es b6 3 Wc3 :!!ldl 4 !'.!.d4 !'.!.xd4?
You should always think twice before swapping
off your active rook. Here it plays right
into White's hands, since now White's king has
no more worries. In the double-rook ending
14a3!!
A strong prophylactic move. The immediate
14 b8'&? Il.xb8 15 Wxb8 Wd6 (Lukacs in CBM)
would allow Black counterplay.
14 eS
14 Il.d7+ 15@b6~d8 (15 ... Il.d3 16 b4 +-)
16Wxa5 Wd617 Wb6 +-.
15 b8'& Il.xb8 16 <hb8 Wd6 17 Wb7 WcS
18 Wc7 Wd4 19 Wd6 Wc3 20 b4 axb4 21 axb4
@xb4 22 <axes 1-0
The following example of majorities on opposite
wings was examined in detail by Christopher
Lutz in Endgame Secrets (additional
examples in which the kingside majority has the
whip hand are 4.01 Taimanov-Uhlmann, 4.12
Paaske-Lund and 4.32 Yusupov-Spraggett). It is
clear that the aggressive potential of a kingside
pawn-majority is not just a middlegame factor.

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY 51
6 ... li:le4 7 1td7 1tc8 8 li:le5 @f6 9 f4 ltc2+ l O
@f3 li:ld2+ 11 @e2 li:lc4+ 12 @d3 li:lxe5+ 13
fxe5+ @e6 = (Lutz).
7ltd61tc8?
Black must defend actively here, which is
absolutely typical of the endgame n+li:l against
lt+li:l: 7 ... li:le4 8 ltd7 ltc8 9 li:le5 @f6 =.
8 li:ld4 bS? (D)
8 ... li:la4! is better (Lutz).
2.17
V.Kramnik - C.Lutz
Bundesliga 1993/4
1 Wd4li:lc5?!
Black will have problems in the endgame because
of White's activity. The white pawn-majority
can easily move into the attack, whereas
Black's majority is harder to mobilize. 1 ... We6!
2 ~c4 °®'e8 would have led to equality (Kramnik
in CBM).
2 Wxd7 li:\xd7 3 l:tdl li:lcS (D)
4 g4!
This prevents Black from setting up his best
defensive formation with pawns on f7, g6 and
h5, and also enables the white king to become
active.
4 ... g6 S @g2 @g7 6 ltd21?
A good prophylactic move, directed against
.. Jk8.
6 ..• a6
9h4!
White would like to undermine the black
structure by playing h5. Naturally there is more
than one way of making use of a majority. It is
not always the candidate, the pawn on whose
file there is no enemy pawn, which should advance
first.
9 •.. b4 10 1ib6 as 11 ltbS li:ld3 12 ltxaS
li:lel+ 13 @g3 li:lc2 14 li:lb3?!
An inaccuracy. The knight should set off immediately
in the direction of the Achilles' Heel
at f7: t4 li:\f31 ltc3 15 li:le5 @f6 (15 ... lta3 16
nxa3 bxa3 17 li:\d3 +-) 16 @f4 g5+ 17 hxg5+
hxg5+ 18 @e4 +- (Kramnik).
14 •.• li:la3151;ta4 ltc4 16 li:ld4 li:lc2 17 li:lf3
nts 18 na gS?
This surrenders f5 to White. I 8 ... li:la3 is
more tenacious; e.g., l 9 li:ld4 <i&f8 20 l:ta6 @g7
(20 ... li:lc2? 21 ltc6 nxc6 22 li:lxc6 +-) 21 ltb6
1;tc4 221;tb7 li:lc2 23 li:lf3 1!c5 24 @f4 ±.
19 hS 'i&g8 20 li:ld2 li:la3 21 li:le4 nc2?!
21 ... ltc6 22 l,;!.a41ib6 (22 ... li:lc2? 23 @f3 +-
followed by transferring the knight to f5) 23
li:lc5 1tb5 (23 ... @g7? 241;ta6 1tb8 25 l:lc6 li:lb 1
26 li:le4 lta8 27 li:ld6 ltxa2 28 li:lf5+ +-) 24

52 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
tub3 .l::tb6 25 tud4 tub l 26 tuc2 b3 27 axb3
.l::txb3 28 tud4 .l::tb6 29 tuf5 tud2 30 .l::td4 tub3
31 .Eid5 ± and owing to the misplaced black
knight White has excellent winning chances.
22 .l::tb7 .l::txa2 23 .l::txb4 .l::tc2 24 .l::tb6 @h7
24 ... @g7 25 tud6 +-.
25 .l::tb7 @g8 26 tud6 .l::tc6 27 tuxf7 tuc4 28
.l::td7 .l::tf6 29 .l::td4 i-o
Black resigned in view of 29 ... tuxe3 30
tuxh6+ .l::txh6 31 fxe3 +-.
82) Pawn Breakthrough
Another typical way to create a passed pawn is
by a pawn breakthrough. This is a tactical operation
in which an enemy pawn is diverted to leave
the way open for a friendly pawn to run on.
Since a pawn breakthrough is always based on
the sacrifice of one or more of one's own pawns,
it generally leads to a considerable sharpening of
the struggle and requires accurate and concrete
calculation.
We start with a simple but classic example:
2.19
A.Shikova - E.Kalmukova
Sofia 1971
Owing to the weakened black pawn-structure,
as well as her own active king, here too
White can win with the help of a breakthrough.
But first she must carry out a few preparatory
measures:
1 b4 @e7 2 bS 'it>f7 3 gS fxgS 4@xg5 @gl 5
h3@f7
5 ... h6+ 6 @f5 @f7 7 h4 @g7 8 @e6 +-.
6 @h6 @g8 7 h4 @h8 (D)
2.18
J.Capablanca - Ed.Lasker
London 1913
1 h6!
Preparing the decisive breakthrough with 2
g6. The immediate l g6?? would be premature,
however, since after l...hxg6 2 h6 @f6-+ Black
even wins.
l. .. @e6 2 g6! hxg6 3 h7 1-0
The following example is more complicated:
8c5!
At this precise moment, just when the black
king is situated as far as possible from the
queenside, the vital breakthrough works.
8 dxcS
8 @g8 9 c6 bxc6 IO dxc6 d5 11 a5 bxa5 12
b6 cxb6 13 c7 +-.
9 as bxaS

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY
53
9 ... @g8 10 a6 +-.
10 b61-0
Black resigned in view of 1 O ... cxb6 11 d6.
The more pawns remain on the board, naturally
also the more potential breakthrough possibilities
there are.
8th rank, so they will be captured, one after the
other: 8 h6 @g6 9 e5 '.9xh6 10 e6 @g7 -+.
2 fxg4 @d5 3 h5 gxhS 4 gxhS @e6 5 @d3
@fS 6 @c4 @g5 7 @xb3 @xhS 8 @c2 @g4 9
b4 c.9f3 10 bS! axbS (D)
IO ... @e2 11 bxa6 d3+ l 2@b2 d2 13 a7 di'&
14 a8'& should also be a draw.
2.20
M.Neubauer-A.lliushin
Antalya Ech 2004
l ... fxg4?
Instead of making this fatal exchange, Black
could have carried out a brilliant breakthrough
idea, viz. 1...@d5 2 gxf5 gxf5 3 h5 @e6 4@d3
f45@c4(D).
11 a6 @e2 12 a7 d3+ 13 @b2 d2 14 a8'&
dl '& 15 '&e4+ 'it>f216 ~xe5 °iWd317 '&c3 '&ds
18@a3 '&d6+ 19 '&b4 '&a6+ 20 @b3 '&e6+ 21
@a3 '&c6 22 '&d4+ @e2 23 @b4 '&c4+ 1'2-'h
Of course, such breakthrough possibilities
do not only crop up in pawn endings. Let us
now see how a pawn breakthrough can take
place even with pieces on the board:
Now he can win with 5 ... e4! ! 6 fxe4 (after 6
@xd4 e3 7 h6 @f6 -+ the protected passed pawn
is decisive) 6 ... f3 7 @d3 @f6 - the common
square of the white pawns has not reached the
2.21
I.Donev - H.Mittelberger
Gotzis 1996

54 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1 c4!!
Without this move, White can make no progress.
1 ••. dxc4
l...bxc4 2 b5 axb5 3 Ab7 +-.
2 d5 Ad8 3 Ab6 @e7 4 Axc7 Axc7 5 Ab7
Ab8 6 Axa6 L7 7 Axb5 c3 8 L4 @d8 9
@b3 Ad4 10 @c4 Ae5 11 b5 @c8 12 b61-0
Of course, a breakthrough does not always
lead automatically to the promotion of a pawn.
In the following example a breakthrough is the
only possibility for White to try to win:
a) 9 ... g2+? IO@gl @h7 ll@h2@g7 I2h5
gxh5 13 f5 h4 14 f6+@f7 151:!h8 +-.
b) 9 ... 1:!b3? 10 @g2 @h7 11 @h3 g2+ 12
@xg2@g7 13 h5 +-.
10 @gl @g7 11 h5!
The only way. In such positions a passed h-
pawn is no use at all.
11 ... gxhS 12 rs h4 13 f6+ (D)
B
2.22
M.Stean - G.Sosonko
Hastings 1975/6
Despite the two extra pawns, at first glance it
seems impossible for White to improve his position.
His rook is passive and his king cannot
rush to its assistance, since Black would then
bombard the king with checks. Stean finds the
only practical chance, which resides in a pawn
breakthrough on the kingside.
1 f4 !!el+ 2 @d5 l'.!bl 3 @d41:!b2 4 @d3
1:!b3+ 5 @c21:!b6 6 g4!?
Unfortunately White cannot play this with
his king on h3, since after@h3 Black could always
pin the g3-pawn with .. J!b3.
6 .•. hxg47@d2
Before White proceeds on the kingside, his
king must first deal with the black passed
pawns.
7 ... g3 8 @e21:!b2+ 9 @fl @h71
Not:
13 ••• @f7!
13 ... @h7? 14 f7 l!bl+ (14 ... h3 )51:!h8+@g6
16 b8'& +-) 15 @g21:!b2+ 16 @h3 1:!h2+ 17
@g4 g2 18 @h5 ! g I~ I 91:!h8+ <.&xh8 and now,
as usual with so much firepower available, the
first check is decisive: 20 f8~+ @h7 21 ~h6+
@g8 22 b8~+ @f7 23 Wt'bf8#.
141:!h81:!bl+ 15 @g2 I!b2+ 16@h3 .a.b2+
17@g4 g218 @f5
181:!f8+ @g6 19 l!g8+ @xf6 20 @h5 gl\%'
21 1:!xgl I!b2 =.
18 ... gl~ 19 !'rh7+ @g8 20 1:!g7+ Wfxg7 21
b8'&+ ~f8 22 ~xh2 ~c8+ 1/i-111
Naturally the breakthrough can sometimes
be used to create counterplay.
In the following diagram, Leko seized the
chance to create a passed pawn:
1 f4! l'.!e3+ 2 Wf2 gxf4 31:!bS l:l:b3
3 ... l:l:g3 4 !'rf8 1:!xg4 5 b6 1:!g7 (5 @c6 6
1:!c8+ @xb6 7 Ihc4 =) 61:!xf4 @c5 (6 1:!b7 7
b3 =) 7 l:l:f3 @b4 (7... d5 8 b3 =) 8 @e3 @c5 9
@d2 @xb6 IO b3 =.
4 b6?!
Since the black rook is already controlling
the b-pawn, it would have been better to allow

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY
55
a) 6 g5 .l:Ixb2+ 7 @f3 .l:Ixb6 8 g6 llb7 9
lle4+ (9 @xf4 c3 IO g.>f511b5+ 11 g.>f6 c2 12
llc8 llc5 -+) 9 ... @c3 IO@xf4 llg7 11 g.>f5 d5
12 lle3+ @d2 13 llg3 c3 14 <Bf6 c2 15 g.>xg7
cl\W-+.
b) 6 lle2 f3! 7 lld2+ @e4 811xd611xb2+ 9
g.>g3 c3 IO !Ie6+ (10 llc6 c2 11 b7 f2 12 g.>g2
@d3 13 lld6+ @e2 14 lle6+ g.>d2 15 lld6+
@cl 16 g.>xf2 g.>b) -+ Shipov) IO. .. g.>d5 11
!!el f212 !!cl g.>c4 l3@f3 <Bd3 14 lldl+ g.>c2
15 llfl 11xb6 l6 llxf2+ g.>d3 17 g.>g3 (D).
2.23
P.Leko - V.Kramnik
Brissago Wch ( I 3) 2004
the g-pawn to advance: 4 g5 !? .l:Ixb2+ 5 g.>f3
g.>e5 6 b6 c3 7 .l:Ie8+ g.>f5 8 .l:If8+ g.>xg5 9 .l:Ixf4
d5 JO.l:Id4=.
4 ••• g.>e4
4 ... .l:Ixb2+!? 5 00 c3 6 b7 (6 g.>xf4? 11xb6!
-+) 6...g.>d4 7 .l:Id8 .l:Ixb7 8 .l:Ixd6+@c5 9 .!:tdl
.l:If7 10 g5 g.>c411 g6 .l:Ig7 12 .l:Id6 c2 13 .§.c6+
g.>b3 14 .l:Ib6+ ~3 15 .l:Ic6+ g.>d2 16 .l:Id6+
g.>c) 17 .l:Ie6 = (17@xf4? .l:Ic7 18 g.>g5 g.>bl 19
.l:Ib6+ ~1 2011a6+ @b2 21 .l:Ib6+ g.>c3 -+ ).
5 .l:Ie8+? (D)
Now the g-pawn should be set in motion: 5
g5! .l:Ixb2+ 6 g.>el c3 7 g6.l:Ibl+ 8 g.,[2 c2 911c8
!!b2 IO g.>fl .l:Ixb6 11 g7 .l:Ib8 12 .l:Ixc2 =.
5 ... g.>d3?
Allowing the following defence. 5 .. ,g.>d4!
would have won:
Now Black takes advantage of his lead in the
race with the typical 17 ... llb4!! 18 ~h4 c2 19
llxc2 g.>xc2 20 g.>g5 g.>d3 21 g.>f5 llb5+ 22 g.>f4
g.>d4 23 g5 llbl 24 g.>f5 g.>d5 25 g.>f6 g.>d6 26 g6
llfl+ -+.
6 lle2!
The counterplay with the g-pawn ensures
Leko the draw.
6 d5
6 g.>d4 7 b7 !!xb7 8 @f3 llf7 9 g5 =.
7 <&1'3 d4 8 g5 c3
8 ... llxb6 9 llg2 =.
9 bxc3 dxc3 10 llg2 llb2
l0 ... c2 11 llxc2 g.>xc2+ 12 g.>xf4 llxb6 13
g.>f5 g.>d3 14 g6 =. .
11 b7 llxb712 <Bxf4 llb213 llgl c214 llcl
!!bl 15 llxc2 g.>xc2 16 g6 g.>d3 17 g.>fS llb5+
18 g.>f6 llb6+ 19 g.,r7 llxg6 20 <Bxg6 112-112
To conclude this subsection, we should like
to show that a pawn breakthrough does not always
have to be aimed at the creation of a
passed pawn. In the following example White

56 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
succeeds, with help of a pawn breakthrough, in
opening new avenues of attack for his pieces:
w
2 ... @d6? 3 axb6 sl.c6 (3 ... '.9c6? 4 Axc5 +-)
4 Ac8 .i:th8 5 b7 '.9c7 6 Axc5 Axb7 7 Axb7
'.9xb7 8 Axb4 ±.
3 .i:tal a4?!
After 3 ... sl.d7!? 4 Axc5+ '.9d8 5 %txa5 sl.xf5
6 exf5 b3 the passed b-pawn still gives Black
counter-chances.
4 Axes+ 'it>f7 5 Axb4 Ae7?! 6 Ac3 Ad6 7
.i:tbl a3 8 .i:tb7+ '.9f6?
8 ... '.9f8 9 .i:ta7 .i:thl IO .i:ta5 ±.
9 .i:tb6 '.9e7 10 c5 Axc5 11 %te6+ '.9d8 12
%txe8+ '.9xe8 13 Ag6+ 1-0
83) Eliminating Enemy Pawns
2.24
Tseitlin - Szilagy
Hungary 1985
1 b4!?
Opening a second front, to be able to take advantage
of the greater mobility of the white
forces (the closely-related principle of the second
weakness is covered in Chapter 6). But
with best defence this should not lead to a win.
1 ••. a.xb4
l...cxb4? 2 Axb6 Axa4 (2... Iih2 3 Axa5
Iib2 4 c5 Axa4 5 '.9c4 b3 6 Ac3 Iif2 7 .i:tal .i:ta2
8 Ag4 ±) 3 Axa5 b3 4 .i:taI b2 5 lib! Iih2 6
sl.d2 g4 7 Axg4 Ac2+ 8 '.9xc2 sl.g5 9 '.9xb2
'.9d6 I0'.9b3±.
2a5 (DJ
The third possibility of creating passed pawns
is based on eliminating the opposing pawns.
This generally occurs either by means of a
piece sacrifice (usually of a bishop or a knight)
or by infiltrating the enemy camp (mostly with
a rook or king). For both cases let us show an
example.
w
B
2.25
V.Anand - A.Shirov
Leon adv 2000
2 •.. bxa5
1 loxgS!
I Axg5 also wins; for example, I...loxb3
(l...hxg5 2 loxg5 loxb3 3 loxf7 locl+ 4 '.9c2
loe2 5 g5 loxd4+ 6 '.9b2 lof5 7 g6 d4 8 lod6
+-)2Ae3 loal 3 h4'i&b64g5 hxg5 (4 ... h5 5 g6
fxg6 6 log5 also wins for White) 5 loxg5 b3 6
Acl +-.
1...hxg5 2 sl.xg5 loxb3 3 h4 loal (D)
4Acl!

THE ART OF PAWN PU.Y
57
w
Do not rush! 4 h5? b3 5 .Itel (5 h6 b2 -+)
L..llh6!-+.
4 •. .lt~b3 5 ..lle3 ~aS 6 g5 lbc4 7 ..llcl 1-0
w
3 ... @h7 4 a4 .!:r.b3
After 4 ... g5?! (4 ... e5?! 5 .!:r.a6 .!:r.a3 6 h4 ±) 5
.!:r.a6 .!:r.a3 White clearly has the whip hand.
s b5 gs 6 @e2 eS?
6 ... .!:r.b2+ 7 Wd3 .!:r.xg2 is necessary and
should give Black sufficient counterplay.
7@d2f6
After 7 ... .!:r.b2+ White's king is now close
enough: 8 @c3 .!:r.xg2 9 a5 .!:r.a2 10 Wb3 .!:r.al 11
a6 and the queenside pawns are decisive.
8 Wc2 .!:r.b4 9 Wc3 .!:r.d4 10 .!:r.a6 @g6 11
.!:r.xb6 .!:r.xa4 12 .!:r.a6 .!:r.d4 13 b6 1-0
C) The Minority Attack
More often than not, you want to get your own
pawn-majority moving. But it can also be advantageous
to operate against the other wing instead,
in order to open lines there and weaken
the enemy's compact structure.
2.26
A.Alekhine - M.Euwe
The Hague Wch (27) 1935
The natural activation of the pawn-majority
with 1 c4?! .!:r.c8 2 .!:r.cl @f8 3 c5? bxc5 4 bxc5
@e7 does not work here, since the black king
helps to stop the c-pawn. So Alekhine decides
on the plan of capturing the black queenside
pawns:
1 .!:r.d7! .!:r.c8 2 .!:r.xa7 .!:r.xc3 3 .!:r.a8+
The suggestion by Levenfish and Smyslov of
3 @e2 can be parried by, for example, 3 ... .!:r.c2+
4 @d3 .!:r.xg2 5 @c4 g5 6 Wb5 g4 7 fxg4 .!:r.xg4,
throwing a spanner into White's works, whilst
Black can gain counterplay with his own passed
pawn: 8 a4 rs 9 .!:r.e7 f4 10 .!:r.xe6 f3 =.
2.27
J.Capablanca - D.Janowski
New York 1913
With the typical g4-g5 Capablanca opens invasion-routes
for his pieces and creates targets
on the kingside:
1 g4! b6 2 b4 @b7 3 @f2 b5 4 a4!?
Capablanca proceeds according to the principle
that you should not rush and first he fixes
the queenside as favourably as possible, before
resuming his attack on the kingside.
4 •.• l1d4 S .!:r.bl .!:r.e5 6 @e3 .!:r.d7 7 a5 .!:r.e6 8
.!:r.bfl.!:r.de7(D)

58 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
8 ... h6 9 h4l:tde7 10 g5 hxg5 11 hxg5 fxg5 12
l:txg5 l:th6 13 l:tfgl l:th3+ 14 @d4 +-.
w
2.28
A.Karpov - J.Lautier
Dortmund 1995
9g5!
The typical line-opening of the minority attack.
9 ... fxg5 10 .§.xgS l:th6 11 l:tg3 .!;ihe6 12 h4
g613 l:1g5 h6?!
13 ... @c8 is more tenacious, but should not
be sufficient; for example, 14 l:tg4 @d7 15 d4
@d6 16 e5+ @d7 (16 ...@dS 17 @d3 +-) 17
@e4 l:1g7 I 8 l:tf8 l:te8 19 l:tf6 l:te6 20 .§.gf4
l:tge7 21 l:tf8 l:te8 22 l:t4f7+ l:t6e7 23 l:txe7+
@xe7 24 l:tf6 @d7 25 @f4 .§.e7 26 @g5 +-.
14l:tg4!
Prophylactically slopping ... c5 followed by
... @c6xc5.
14 •• J!g7
Now after 14 ... cS 15 bxc5 @c6 16 d4 the
e4-pawn is overprotected.
15 d4 @c8 16 l:tf8+ @b7 17 e5 g5 18 @e4
l:tee7 19 hxg5 hxg5
Now Capablanca gathers in the harvest:
20 l:tf5 @c8 21 l:tgxg5 l:th7 22 l:th5 @d7 23
.§.xh7 1ilh7 24 l:tf8 l:th4+ 25 @d3 l:th3+ 26
@d2 c5 27 bxc5 l:ta3 28 dS 1-0
Since this theme is also very commonly applicable
in the middlegame, here is another example
of it (see following diagram):
First White acts on the queenside with a4
and b4-b5, to open lines and to isolate the black
c-pawn:
1 b4lt:lg62a4a63 Ac3 'r'Bg54Ad4Axd45
lt:lxd4 J..d5?! 6 e4?!
6 lt:ldf5 ! followed by f4 was stronger.
6 Ae6 7 lt:lf3 'fff4 8 b5 axb5 9 axb5 lt:le5
9 Axh3? IQ e5 ±; the tactical computermove
9 ... c5 !? came strongly into consideration;
for example, IO 'f'Bxc5 Ab3 11 lt:le2 lt:lxe4 12
'r'Bb4 'fff6 13 'l'M'xb3 lt:lc5 14 'f'Hc3 \IM'xc3 15
lt:lxc3 lt:\xd3 =.
10 lt:lxe5 'f'Hxe5 11 bxc6 bxc612 l:tacl (D)
B
White has achieved his strategic goal: the
c6-pawn is very weak. Now he sets about mobilizing
his own majority.
12 ... l:td6 13 \'f/c3 lt:\d7 14 i.e2 .!;ixdl+ 15
J..xdl \IM'xc3 16 1ilc3 l:tc8 17 f4 f6 18 lt:le2 c5
19lt:ld4 J..f7?
l 9 ...@f7 was necessary, after which the white
advantage is kept in bounds.
20 J..g4 l:1e8 21 lt:lbS lt:lb6

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY
59
2I....l;{e7 22 lt:\d6 i.e6 23 sl.h5 ±.
22lt:\d6lt:\a4?
22 ... .l;{d8 23 lt:\xf7 @xf7 °24 .l;{xc5 ± was
more tenacious.
23 .!la3 .!las 24 es i.dS 25 e6 1-0
Lautier resigned in view of 25 ... @f8 26 .l;{e3
.!la7 27 lZlc8 +-.
D) Undermining
By undermining, we mean that the head of the
pawn-chain can be separated from the rest. Say.
for example, White has a f3-g4-h5 pawn-chain
and can be forced to play gxf5, leaving the h5-
pawn loose. Of course, outposts can also be undermined:
P.Svidler - V.Topalov
Morelia/Linares 2006
1 a4!
Creating squares for the white rook to become
active on a new front, whilst Black is
rather tied up on the kingside.
l...bxa4
I ... sl.d6 2 .!la! b4 3 cxb4 axb4 4 a5 @e6 5
.l;{el+@f76.l;{cl +-.
2 .l;{eS cS 3 sl.f4 .l;{h8 4 i.g3
Zugzwang.
4 ••• i.h6 5 .l;{e7+ @c6 6 sl.f4 sl.xf4 7 'i.t?xf4
.l;{hS 8 .l;{eS :lxh4+ 9 @gS .!lhS+ 10@xg6 .l;{xeS
11 f7 .l;{e6+ 12 @gS .!leS+ 13 'i!?g4 Ite4+ 14
@g3 .!le3+ 15@f2 a3!? 16 f8°*' (D)
2.29
J.Polgar - V.Kramnik
Wijk aan Zee 1998
B
l. .. a4! 2 bxa4
2 hxg5 a3 3 llf2 f3 4 lt:\b4 .l;{e2 5 Wgl .l;{b2
-+.
2 ... .l;{e43@gl
Or: 3 hxg5 .l;{xc4 4 .!ld3 .l;{c5 -+; 3 ltc3 .l;{xc4
4 .l;{xc4 i.xd5+ 5 @g I i.xc4 6 hxg5 sl.d5 7 @f2
f3 -+ (Krarnnik in Informator).
3 ... .l;{xc4 4 :ld3 g4 5 aS g3 6 .l;{dl f3 7 lt:\e7
f2+ 8 00 sl.b5 9 @g2 .l;{c2 0-1
Undermining can sometimes also take place
even if it is not absolutely desirable in the structural
sense, yet one's own pieces gain new targets
thereby.
16 ••• axb2
16 ... a2 17 '&c8+! (17 °*'h6+? Wb5 18 °*'hi
.l;{h3! 19 °*'al a4 20 "*'xa2 .l;{hl ! = and the white
queen is trapped; more on this theme in the

60 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
chapter on fortresses) 17 ... ~%5 18 'l!Yd7+ .t>b6
19 ~a4 !th3 20 \\H/xa2 'it;b5 21 'lifbl +-(Postny
inCBM).
17 Wc8+ .t>b5!? 18 'l!Yb7+ .t>a419 'it;xe3
After 19 'l!Yxb2?? !tf3+ = White cannot escape
the desperado. More on this theme in the
chapter on stalemate.
19 .•• .t>a3 20 ~5 a4 21 '&xc5+ 'it;b3 22
'&b4+ 'it;c2 23 \Wxa4+ 'it;xc3 24 '&a5+ .t>c2 25
'ili'f5+ .t>cl 26 '&fl+ 1-0
1 •. J!dl!! 1-0
White resigned in view of 2 !txdl c2 3 !tfl
cl\\H/-+.
The following sacrifice to create such a
pawn-roller is absolutely typical:
w
E) Pawn Power
Without pawns nothing works.
ALEXANDER KOTOY
Although the pawn is the weakest piece on the
chess board, it actually contains a lot of venom
and vitality, so that from time to time it can
play a very powerful role. In the endgame its
importance increases considerably, since promotion
to a queen always beckons, and the
number of pieces that can engage it is constantly
diminishing. Sometimes therefore the
creation of one or more dangerous passed pawns
can even be worth great material losses. In this
section we want to demonstrate a few especially
impressive achievements of the mighty pawn.
In the first example the great endgame expert
Averbakh shows the power of his pawn-mass:
2.32
H.Zoebisch - A.Diickstein
Austrian Ch (Lienz] 1981
1 .bc5! dxc5 2 !txc5
Black's position is already very difficult.
2 ••. a6 3 !ta5 !ta7 4 c5 .t>e7 5 c6 lZle8 6 c4
lZld6?
It is essential for the king to move in front of
the pawn: 6 ... 'it;d6 7 c5+ .t>c7 and Black still
has some drawing chances.
7 c5 lZlb5 8 .t>c4 !ta8 9 !tat lZld4
"Other moves are also insufficient, since the
white rook either penetrates on the f-file after
the pawn moves h4, g5 and g6, or can even be
sacrificed for the knight on d4 if the black rook
is on a7." (Zoebisch).
10d6+
White's pawn avalanche can no longer be
stopped.
10 ••• .t>e6 U c7 lZlb5?
I I....t>d7 12 'it;d5 +-.
12 l:!xa6! 1-0
2.31
E.Geller - Y.Averbakh
USSR Ch (Kiev) 1954
A further reason for the extraordinary power
of the pawn in the endgame lies in the fact that
it can often be helped by the king on the way to
promotion. In the following example, Romanishin
wins with a typical combination and also

THE ART OF PAWN PLAY
61
profits from the better situation of his king,
among other things:
enabled the defending king to participate effectively
in the struggle against the passed a-
pawn: 4 .tc5 Wf7 5 Wd4 We8 6 Wd5 Wd7 =
and White cannot break through.
3 a6 <1Je6 4 a7 nds 5 we4 Wd6
5 .. J!a8 6 .i.e3 (zugzwang) 6 ... We7 7 Wd5
Wd7 8 .td4 +- (Ribli in CBM).
6 .te3 Jlta8 7 .tf4+ Wc6 8 .tbs 1-0
Sometimes a strong passed pawn can even
compensate for a piece:
2.33
O.Romanishin - S.Smagin
Essen 2001
White can act immediately, since his king is
well placed to reach the queenside more quickly.
1 nxh5! axb5
t...nxd4+ 2 '.ttc3 Jltxg4 3 nb6+ Wg5 4 nxa6
.;lxg3+ 5 '.ttc4 h5 6 nas h4 7 a6 +-.
2 We3? (D)
2 Wd3 ! would have prevented the favourable
transfer of the rook to e6.
2 ... «m
Also after 2 ... nd6? 3 .tc5 the black king
cannot reach the queenside in time, nor is his
counterplay on the other wing quick enough:
3 ... J.:ie6+4 Wd4 Wg5 5 Wd5 Jlta66 .tb6Wxg4 7
;s>c6 +-. But 2 ... I!e7+! 3 Wd3 Jlte6! would have
2.34
M.Neubauer - B.Thorfinnsson
Antalya Ech 2004
r .l;ial
This pin looks deadly at first glance, but all
that glitters is not gold.
l ... Wc6!!
An amazing move! 1 .. .ll'lxb3? 2 lha6+ ±.
2 l'ixa5 I!xa5 3 ll:lxa5+ @b6 4 ll:lb3 b4
Now we have been unable to find any win for
White. Most remarkable!
5 g5
Also after 5 Wg3 Wb5 6 f4 exf4+ 7 Wxf4
hxg4 8 Wxg4 Wc4 9 ll:lcl '.ttc3 IO Wf4 Wc2 11
ll:le2 Wd3 12 Wf3 (D) Black can hold:
12 ... g5!! (sheer witchcraftl) 13 h5 g4+ 14
@xg4Wxe2 15 h6 b3 16h7 b217 h8'&bi'&=.
5 •.• fxg5 6 hxg5 Wb5 7 ll'ld2
7 f4 exf4 8 @g2 ~c4 9 ll:la5+ Wd4 l O Wf3
h4 11 Wxf4 h3 12 Wg3 Wxe4 13 Wxh3 @f5 14
Wh4 Wf4 15 ll'lb3 We4 16 Wg4 we3 17 ll:la5
We4 18 ll:lc6 b3 19 ll:la5 b2 20 ll:lc4 blll:l =.
7 ... wcs 8 Wg3 Wd4 9 f4 h4+ 10 wxh4

62 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1 c5! tbe6
l...dxc5 2 l:td7 tbe6 3 l:te7 +-.
2 cxd6! tbxd8 3 dxc7 lbb7! 4 c8l:t! tbxa5 5
l:tc5 lbb7 6 l:tc6#
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 289-92)
10 @f3 exf4 11 @xf4 (11 lbb3+ @e5 12
tba5 h3 13 tbc6+ @d6 14 tbxb4 h2 15 @g2
©e5 =) 1l...h312e5 h2 13 tbf3+@c3 14 lbxh2
b3 15 e6 b216 e7bl\W 17 e8~~f5+ =.
10 •.. exf4 ll @g4?!
11 e5 @xe5 12@g4 b3 13 lbxb3 f3 14 tbd2
f2 15 tbfl @e4 =.
u ... @e3
Now White must even force the draw.
12 e5! @xd2 13 e6 b3 14 e7 b2 15 e8\W bl~
16 @xf4 '&rs+ 11 @g3 \Wxg5+ is @CJ ~rs+
19 @g3 g5 20 '&d8+ @el 21 ~d4 ~r4+ lfl.1/z
Naturally the power of the pawn has also attracted
the interest of study composers. The
following study was considered by Selezniev
himself as his best achievement.
E2.01 */
Who is better?
2.35
A.Selezniev
Deutsche Schachzeitung. 1919

THE ART OF PAWN PI.AY
63
E2.03 /**
How can Black convert his advantage?
E2.06 ***/
Vaganian found the win for White.
Can you see it too?
E2.04 ****/
If you are prepared to do some calculation
here, you can inunediately force a win.
E2.07 **/
Can White save the game?
E2.05 /*
What has White overlooked with
his last move, J;lc3-c5?
E2.08 ***/
Structures with doubled pawns sometimes offer
breakthrough possibilities. Exploit this!

64 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
E2.09 /***
Black to play and win.
E2.12 /***
At first sight, things are not looking good for
Black. But there is still a way out - find it!
E2.10 /*****
This is one of the most beautiful demonstrations
of the power of a far-advanced pawn.
How did Black manage to queen a pawn?
E2.13 ****/
How can White create a dangerous
passed pawn on the queenside?
E2.ll **/
Is the outside passed pawn decisive?
E2.14 ****/
How did White exploit his space advantage?

3 Do Not Rush!
Insufficient patience is probably the most common
reason for a lost game.
BENT LARSEN
I reject the misconception that each move must
immediately achieve something; waiting moves
and quiet moves also have their right to exist.
ARON NJMZOWITSCH
In positions with a permanent advantage, in
which the opponent has no real counterplay and
you have everything well under control, good
endgame technique consists of not trying to
force matters prematurely. Committal decisions,
such as pawn moves or piece exchanges, should
always be delayed until you are completely
sure that you have strengthened your position
to the maximum in every respect. Innumerable
winning endgames are not in fact won. simply
because the side with the advantage wants to
force the win as quickly as possible and lacks
the necessary patience to strengthen the position
as much as possible before taking decisive
action.
This principle is also valid even if you cannot
calculate any concrete benefit from improving
your position in this manner. You never
know how useful a small improvement to your
position might be in the further course of the
game. However, such a leisurely way of proceeding
often brings other advantages along
with it: this way of playing often exerts psychological
pressure in particular, lulling the opponent's
vigilance, or disguising what is in fact
the only plan. Sometimes the opponent will
also lose patience and weaken himself voluntarily,
or mistakenly try to force matters himself.
However, we should caution you against
misunderstanding this principle. In every situation
you must be prepared to act energetically,
and in certain positions you should not wait for
too long, because the opponent will naturally try
to eliminate his weaknesses. Hence we should
like to emphasize once again that proceeding
according to the principle 'Do not rush' applies
first and foremost to less dynamic positions, in
which the opponent does not really have any
counterplay and in which his weaknesses are of
a permanent nature.
A) Preparatory Measures
The following position is easy to understand:
w
3.01
V.Anand - R. Ponomariov
Wijk aan Zee 2005
White has a clearly winning position. In addition
to being a protected passed pawn up,
White also has the more active pieces and the
possibility of creating a second passed pawn on
the queenside. It is clear that the decisive breakthrough
will come with the c4 advance. But
Anand would not be Anand if he did not effect
this advance in the best possible conditions.
With a beautiful technical manoeuvre he first of
all improves the position of his knight and only
then lands the winning blow:

66 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1 @e3 @d6 2 .i.e2 @e7 3 .i.d3 @d6 4 @f3
@e7 5@g4
Now the gS-pawn is protected and White can
move his knight.
s .. .tors 6 tog1 toh1 1 tof3 wd6
Now the black king is also tied to the protection
of the e5-pawn.
8 @g3 .i.e8 9 @f2 .i.c6 10 @e3 .i.d7 11 c4
bxc4 12 .i.xc4 .i.c8 13 a4 .i.b7 14 aS .i.c8 15
.i.d3! 1-0
Another good technical move. Of course 15
b5 also wins, but then 15 ... @c5 would have to
be taken into account. Anand wants to play b5
only on the next move and thus deprive Black
even of this slight hope. Ponomariov saw the
writing on the wall and resigned.
The next example is substantially more complicated:
I 6 ... .i.xf5? 17 @xfS loc7 18 .i.g7 loe8 19
.i.h8 (zugzwang) +- (Ribli).
17 srs .i.d318 .i.e7+@c719 loe3@c8 20
@g4 @c7 21 @h5 log7+ 22 @h6 toes
22 ... lof5+? fails because of the boxed-in
black king: 23 loxf5 .i.xfS 24 .i.xf6 +-.
23h4
Before undertaking any concrete action,
White improves his h-pawn's position, so that
if it comes down to a pawn-race the h-pawn
will have less distance to cover.
23 ... @cS 24 hS @c7 25 log2 @c8?
Under pressure, Illescas makes an error.
Since the king's best square is c7, he should
have made a waiting move with the bishop,
such as 25 ... .i.c2.
26 lof4 .i.c2 (D)
3.02
V.Kramnik - M.Illescas
Dos Hermanas 1997
First White should improve his knight, hence
his king must protect c4:
1 @d2! .ae4 2 .i.cl .i.g2 3 @c3.an 4 .i.h6
.i.g2 5 .i.f4 .i.fl
Now the knight can be transferred to e3,
where it defends c4:
6 lob2 00 7 lodl .i.g2 8 loe3 .i.e4 9 .i.h6
toes
Next the king moves back to the kingside:
10 @d2 loc7 11 we2 toes 12 ~r2 loc7 13
@g3 .i.d3 14@g4 loe8 15 @f4 .i.bl 16 lofS+
~d8
All White's pieces are now in their best positions
and the time has come to act decisively.
However, Krarnnik selects the wrong piece sacrifice:
27 .i.xf6?
27 log6! (Nunn) 27 ... hxg6 28 hxg6 @c7
(28....i.d3 29 g7 loxg7 30@xg7 .i.xc4 31 .i.xd6
.i.xb5 32 @f8 +-) 29 g7 loxg7 30 @xg7 .i.d3
31 @f7 .i.xc4 32 .i.d8+ @b7 (32... @c8 33 e7
.i.xb5 34 e8'& .i.xe8+ 35 @xe8 bS 36 .i.xf6 b4
37 @e7 +-) 33 @xf6 .i.xb5 34 @e7 c4 35
@xd6 c3 36 .i.f6 c2 37 .i.g5@c8 38 @e7 +-.
27 ... loxf6 28 @g7 loe8+ 29 @f7 loc7 30 e7
h6
30 ... .i.dl !? 31 h6@d7 32 Wf8 .i.c2 33 loe6
foes 34@f7 .i.g6+ 35 @f8 lof6 36 lof4 .i.e8 37
loe6 log4 38 log7 .i.g6 39 e8'lW+ .i.xe8 40

DO NOT RUSH! 67
lbxe8 lbxh6 41 ibf6+ @d8 42 lbxh7 lbg4 43
@f7 lbe5+ 44 @e6 lbxc4 45 lbg5 leads to a
draw.
31 lbe6 .i.dl! 32 @g6 ibe8 33 ibfS .i.e2 34
@xh6 .i.xc4 35 @g6 .i.xd5?!
35 ....i.d3+! 36 @f7 c4 37 @xe8 c3 38 @f7
.i.xb5 39 h6 c2 40 h7 cl®' 41 h8WI °'&f4+ 42
W/f6 .i.e8+ = (Ribli in CBM).
36 h6 c4?
36 ... lbc7 37 lbe6 .i.xe6 38 h7 @d7 39 h8WI
@xe7 (LB.Hansen in Secrets of Chess Endgame
Strategy) was the last hope of setting up a
fortress.
37 h7 .i.e4+ 38 @f7 .i.xh7 39 @xe8 .i.g8 40
ibd7 c3 r-e
B) Subtle Technical Moves
Before implementing your real plan, it is often
worthwhile to probe with a preparatory move
or a twischenzug. For instance, before a rook
moves to a certain square, it can sometimes harass
the opposing king with a zwischenschach
(i.e. a zwischenzug that is check):
5 .. Jk7 6 l!h6+!
Once again the zwischenschach puts Black
in an awkward situation.
6 ... .i.g6 7 !!h4 .i.f5?
This walks straight into White's central ad-
vance. 7 .. JJ.g7 was more tenacious;
for exam-
ple, 8@g3 h5 9@f4 .i.e8 10 ibd3 l!g! 1 J lbc5
!!bl 12 lbxb7 1'1xb4 13 lbc5 l!b5 14 lbxa6
~xa5 15 lbc5 ±.
8 e4 dxe4
8 ... @g5? fails tactically: 9 exf5 @xh4 10 f6
+-.
9 fxe4 .i.g6 10 ~f4+!
Another strong zwischenschach which forces
the black king to commit himself.
10 ...@e6 ll @e3
First of all Flohr calmly improves his king,
before embarking on the decisive regrouping
with lb<l3-c5.
n ... l!g7 12 ibd3 @d6?! 13 lbc5 !!e7 14
xrs @c7 15 e5 !!e8?!
Now it is all over. You should always think
very carefully before exchanging a pair of rooks
(see Section E of Chapter 4). However, Black's
position was already very difficult.
16 !!xe8 .i.xe817@f4 b6 (D)
w
3.03
S.Flohr - I.Bondarevsky
Leningrad/Moscow (training) 1939
1 !lh6+! .i.g6 2 l!ht .i.r5 31kt
The threat of a6 forces Black to fix his queenside
pawns on light squares.
3 ... a6 4 !!bl l!g751'1h21?
A strong waiting move that places Black in a
sort of zugzwang.
18 iba4!
Flohr stops any counterplay and targets a6 as
a weakness. The rest is just death throes.
18 ... bxa5 19 bxa5 ~7 20 lbcs .i.c4 21 @gs
.i.e2 22 @h6 @d8 23 @xh7 @e7 24 @g6 .i.fl
25 @f5 .i.h3+ 26 We4 .i.g2+ 27 @e3 .i.fl 28
Wd2 @f7 29 i.>c3 @g6 30 @b4 @f5 31 ibb7
1-0

68 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Naturally the queen can also make subtle
technical moves.
3.04
U .Andersson - U. Kunsztowicz
W. German open Ch ( Dortmund) 1973
Here the Swedish virtuoso demonstrates his
fantastic technique with a subtle zwischenzug:
1 ~d8!
Black is hopelessly lost due to the mate threat.
In contrast, I Wixc7? at once would be premature
because of I ... \'Wxd3 2 \1Wxd6 \1Wxe4+ 3 @h2
W/f3 4 'it>gl e4 5 W'e5 g5 with drawing chances.
1. .. gS
I ... \1Wxd3? 2 '&h8+ @g5 3 '&h4#.
2 ~xc7 \'Wb4
2 ... \'.l:'fxd3 3 \1Wxd6+@h7 4 'f:4'xe5 +-.
3 @h3@g6 4 \1Wd7 '5'c5 5 '&f5+@h6 6 @g4
'f:4'c7 7 \IWxgS+ '9h7 8 \'!!lhS+ @g7 9 \'We8 @h7
10 'f:4'c6 °&d8 11 Wib7+ @g8 12 @f3 @h8 13
@e2 ~g8 14 @d2 @f8 15 @c2 @g8 16 @b3
'it'f817@a4@g818@b5 1-0
3.05
A.Beliavsky - V.Korchnoi
Paks 2004
1. .. °&dl+ 2 '&fl
Here the great fighter Alexander Beliavsky
chose, probably instinctively, the only playable
move.
2 ... W'c2 3 Wig2 °&dl+
But now he wanted to avoid the repetition:
4@h2?
However, he was severely punished for this:
4 ... 'f:4'd3 5 ~a8+@h7 0-1
In the next example we join the game somewhat
earlier, so that we don't miss seeing how
Khalifman first stops any counterplay:
C) Repeating Moves
By repeating moves you can show who is boss.
You also give the opponent the hope that he is
perhaps going to be let off with a draw, only to
dash all his hopes with your next move. You can
also get closer to the time-control and if the
time-limit includes an increment per move you
can even gain extra thinking time for yourself.
In the following case, Korchnoi profits from
Beliavsky's uncompromising will to win:
3.06
A.Khalifman - L.van Wely
Ter Apel 1997
1 cxbS!

Do NOT RUSH!
69
1 l:i:Jxf7? would be premature because of
l...bxc4 2 bxc4 !!.b2.
1 ... cxb5 2 l:i:Jxf7 ~e8 3 @fl!
Once again Khalifman calmly prevents the
activation of the black rook.
3 ... .tc3 4 l:i:Jh6+ @h8 5 g4!
With the idea of playing g5, drawing the net
tighter round the black king.
5 axb3
5 1:!.el+?! 6 @g2 l:!.e2? 7 !!.d8+ <tlg7 8 g5
+-.
6 axb3 lli8 7 g5 l:!.e8 (DJ
in view of possible stalemate defences Khalifman
must calculate everything very precisely.
32 ... :!;(.xd8 33 l:i:Jf7+ @g7 34 l:i:Jxd8 i.c3 35
@f5 .td2 36 l:i:Je6+ @f7 37 l:i:Jf4 @g7 38 l:i:JdS
@f7 39 h6! @g8!? 40 l:i:Jf6+ @h8 (DJ
w
Now Khalifman makes repeated use of l:i:Jt7+
and l:i:Jh6+ in order to reach the time-control
and also exert psychological pressure. After
that he can calmly set about activating his king
and his kingside majority.
8 l:i:Jf7+ @g8 9 l:i:Jh6+ @h8 10 h4 b4 11
l:i:Jf7+ <tlg8 12 l:i:Jh6+ @h8 13 @g2 l:!f8 14
l:i:Jf7+@g8 15 l:i:Jh6+ @h816 f4
Now White is close enough to the timecontrol
to start advancing, especially since he
can again use the knight checks.
16 ... i.b2 17 l:i:Jf7+ @g8 18 l:i:Jh6+ @h8 19
@f3.tc3 20 l:i:Jf7+ Wg8 21 l:i:Jh6+ @h8 22 @g4
i.g7 23 l:!.b7 .tc3 24 l:i:Jf7+@g8 25 4Jh6+@h8
26 rs gxfs+ 21 l:i:Jxfs i.d2 28 l:!.d7
28 h5? would be premature due to 28 ... l:!.g8.
The bishop must first be dislodged from the
c I-h6 diagonal.
28 ....tcl 29 l:!.dl! i.b2 30 h5 !i.g8 31 l:i:Jh6
Jae832 l:!.d8!
The exchange of a pair of rooks will deprive
Black of any chances of counterplay. However,
41 l:i:Je4!
Eliminating the danger of stalemate. Both 41
g6? hxg6+ 42 @xg6 .txh6! = and 41 @g4?
i.xg5 ! = would be premature.
41 ••• .tcl 42 ~g4 @g8 43 l:i:Jf6+ @h8 44
l:i:JdS i.d2 45@h5@g8 46 g61-0
Van Wely resigned because after 46 ... hxg6+
47 @xg6 .tel 48 h7+ @h8 49 l:i:Je7 .tg3 50
l:i:Jc6 +- he cannot protect b4, d8 and e5 all at
the same time.
D) The Art of Manoeuvring
An important advantage, if you have everything
under control and don't rush, lies in the fact that
the opponent often experiences extra psychological
pressure and loses patience, doing your
job for you. So, for example, he might allow an
unfavourable exchange, mistakenly open the
position, or create fresh weaknesses for the
sake of active counterplay,
In the following position. the skilful Russian
grandmaster Konstantin Aseev (prematurely
deceased) gradually outmanoeuvred his
young opponent.
l l:i:Jb2!
Prophylactically preventing the lever ... a5-
a4 and thus depriving Black of any counterplay.

70 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
11 ... gS?
He should wait with, for example, I I....te7.
12 hxgS hxg513@f3@g714 <;i,e4
14@g4~g615llhl .te716f3llh8 I7l;!.dh2
'1xh2 18 ~xh2 ± (Stohl) also came strongly
into consideration.
14 ••• .te7 15 '1hl ~h8 16 l:lddl <;i,g6 17
lixh8 ltxh8 18 llcl .td8 19 ~bl!? (D)
3.07
K.Aseev- E.lnarkiev
Russian Ch (Elista) 2001
1. ..tbd4 2 J1cdl .tb7 3 ~d2 lies 41;.!fdl as
5 @fl .taS 6 h4 lia7 7 .te3 h6?!
Every pawn move creates weaknesses and
represents a commitment, since a pawn cannot
be moved back.
8 .txd4 exd4 9 e5!
White seizes the chance to break up the black
bishop-pair.
9 .•. .trs
9 ....txg2+ 10 @xg2 .txe5 11 Xle2 .tf6 12
~xe6 @f7 13 J;rdel lie? 14 lixe7+ Le7 15
lbd3 .td6 16 @f3 ;!;.
10 .txas ~xa8 11 @e2 ( D)
This mysterious rook move in the timetrouble
phase is a shrewd one. White would
like to implement his pawn-breaks a3 or f4 as
favourably as possible and hopes that Black
will do something rash.
19 ••• .tb6
19 ... .te? 20 Xlal llf8 21 lbd3 ± (Stohl); the
opening of the second front with a3 follows.
20 lift llh2 21 lbd3 ssa 22 M3 .tb6?!
Jt would be better to move his rook back to
h8.
23@g4 h7 24 llgl .tb6 (D)
Now lnarkiev commits a typical error and
plays on the wing where he is weaker, which in
the end only leads to an opening of the position
favourable to White:

DO NOT RUSH!
71
25 f!al!
Very strong; White threatens to open a second
front with a3, so that Black has to take on
additional weaknesses.
2S ... i.a7 26 a3 bxa3 27 ll.xa3 i.b6 28 f!al
gh8(D)
48 ... @c7 49 lt:\e5 @d8 50@c6 Ac7 51 e7+
+-(Stohl).
49 @c6 i.d8 SO ltJxcS d3 51 ltJxd3 @xe6 52
lt:lcS+ @eS S3 lt:lb7 i.e7 54 ltJxaS @d4 SS @bS
i.d6 56 b4 @c3 57 cS Af4 58 lt:\c4 @d4 59
lt:lb6 Ag3 60 c6 i.d6 61 lt:la8 l-O
Now Aseev switches to concrete action.
29 f4?
However, in accordance with the principle of
'do not rush', White should first have made one
further preparatory move: 29 f!fl ! i.a7 30 f4
gxf4 31 f!xf4 +- and, in contrast to the position
in the game at move 31, Black would be unable
to undertake any direct active counter-measures.
29 •.. gxf4 30 ltJxf4+ @f7 31 fill ll.g8+?
31...i.a?, to make counterplay with ... ~b8
possible, was far more tenacious.
32 @f3 i.c7 33 lt:\d3
In the next phase, White will try to exchange
the rooks, in order to deprive Black of any
counter-chances. In the long run, Black has no
good way of avoiding this, since otherwise the
white rook would penetrate decisively.
33 .. JtgS (DJ
33 ... i.b6 34 Iihl f!g7 35 f!h6 +-.
34 f!el f!hS 35 @g2
Aseev does not rush, since he can easily push
the black pieces back.
35 ... f!gS 36 f':te4 i.b6 37 f!f4+ @g7 38 @f3
l:1hS 39 z:!f6 grs+ 40 f!xfS exfS 41 g4! fxg4+
41...@g6 42 @f4 +-.
42 lt>xg4 @f7 43 @fS i.a7 44 @e4 @e6 45
lt:\f4+ @e7 46 @dS @d7 47 lt:ld3 i.b6 48 e6+
@e7
In the following example you should pay
particular attention to the manoeuvres of the
white rook.
3.08
H.Kallio - V.Dinstuhl
Bermuda 2003
l@f3!
Provoking the pawn move that will spell
doom for Black.
1. .• hS 2 <i;e3 lt:lh7 3 f!c2 @d8 4 b4 lt:\f8 S
f!f2 @e7 6 g3 lt:lh7 7 ~2 @d8 8 ll.cl!?
A typical situation for this strategy: Black
does not know precisely what he should do,

72 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
consumes time on the clock and experiences
psychological pressure.
8 ... lbf8 9 sn @e7 10 h4!?
Of course, manoeuvring won't work on its
own, so Kallio now takes more concrete measures
and fixes the weakness at hS.
10 ••• gxh4 ll gxh4 (D)
E) Playing with the Whole
Army
If you have everything under control, it is often
a good idea to bring all your forces into position
and only then proceed with concrete action.
B
11. .. lbg6?
A bad decision. It was essential for Black to
eliminate the monster at b6: l l...lbd7! 12 lbxd7
@xd7 13 nn+ @d8 14 nh7 .!k8 was far more
tenacious.
12 nc1 nrs (D>
12 ... @d8 13 .§.gl lbxh4 14.§.g7 +-with total
domination.
13 nc7+ @d8 14 .§.d7+ @e8 15 nxb7 nf4
15 ... lbxh4 16 bS +-.
16 bS 1-0
Black resigned in view of 16 ... axbS 17 a6.
V.Kramnik - P.Leko
Budapest rpd (9) 2001
Black has no active counterplay and in the
next phase Kramnik does all he can to keep it
that way, so that he can allow all his pieces and
pawns to participate in the attack.
1 Ae2 Ae6?!
This walks straight into f4-f5, which White
wants to play anyway. t...Ac6 is more tena-
cious.
2 f4 g6 3 .i.d3 .i..c8 4 ne7 @g7?!
4 ... nd7 is better, trying at least to relieve the
pressure to some degree.
s Abs @f6 6 nc1 nd6 7 nec3 ndd8 s .§.e3
nd6 9 a4 :!:tdd8 10 @f2 nd6 11 g4 ndd8 12
@g3 gS 13 f5!
Total domination. The pawns are also an im-
portant part of your army. Treat them well!
13 ... hS 14 nee7 hxg4 15 hxg4 @g7
Now the king is introduced, to decisive effect:
16 @1'3 @f6 17 @e3 @g7 18 @d3 @f6 19
@c3 'i;g7 20@b4@f6 21 @a3 @g7 22 b4@f6
23a5 (D)
This allows the exchange of the weakness at
b6 but this is unimportant, since there is no way
of taking advantage of it. The really important

DO NOT RUSH! 73
8
thing is the decisive penetration of the black
camp by the white king.
23 •.. bxaS 24 bxa5 @g7 25 @b4@f6 26 @cS
@g7 27 Jle2 ~de8 28 Ihe8 lhe8 29 Jlf3 1-0
on principle to put this pawn on a light square,
since this reduces White's control of the dark
squares. The g4 advance should be made only if
it brings clear benefits. The prophylactic I Jle4
would have won sooner or later; for example,
1 ... Jlel 2 g4 hxg4+ 3 hxg4 luxe4 4 @xe4 @h6
5 @xe5 @g5 6 @e4 +-.
1. .. hxg4+ 2 hxg4 @h6!
This activation of the king saves the day.
Now White can no longer win, since 3 .l:!xf6?
can be answered by 3 ... e4+.
3 Jle4 @g5 4 .!!e6 Jld4 5 Jlc2 Jlc3 6 @g3
Jlel + 7 @h3 Jlc3 8 @g2 luxg4 9 Jlxg6 @f4 10
JlhS lue3+ 11 @r2 eirs 12 .l:!f6 11z.11z
In the following example we see even a
world-class player acting too hastily.
F) Too Much of a Rush
It often happens that rash pawn moves spoil the
win, since by definition pawns cannot move
backwards.
A.Shirov - V.Anand
Wijk aan Zee 2001
3.10
A.Bisguier- E.Mednis
USA Ch (New York) 1969
1 g4?
Now, thanks to a tactical trick, Black is able
to set up a fortress. Also it is of course not good
I .l;IbS?
This allows the activation of all Black's
forces. Instead, White should first simply improve
his position, since his rooks are able to
contain Black's counterplay: 1 b3 .l:!c2 2 .l:!d2
.l:!c6 3 .l:!2d4 f5 4 .l:!c4 .l:!b6 5 .l:!cc8 Jle7 6 .l:!d7
Jld6 7 f4 h5 8 @g2 +-.
1 ••• .l;Ic2 2 .l:!bb7 JlcS 3 .l:!xf7+ @g6 4 .l:!xh7
Jlxf2+ 5 @fl .l:!xb2 6 .l:!h4 JlcS! 7 .l:!c4 .trs 8
~c8 Jld6 9 .l:!c6 JleS 10 .!!xa6 @CS 11 .l;Ibb6
@e4 12 ~xe6 .l:!xh2 13 ~xf6 11z.11z

74 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 292-4)
E3.03 ~
What finesse did White exploit here?
E3.0l ***/
White has a great space advantage, whereas
Black must protect his weak d6-pawn and is
practically reduced to shuffling his king between
f7 and f8. It is obvious that in the long
run White can only make progress with the
breakthrough g5. Can you see a way for
White to improve his position first?
E3.04 /*
Find the best move for Black.
E3.02 **/
How should White make use of
his initiative?
E3.05 /*
Which subtle technical move would have
brought Black victory?

E3.06 ***/
Can White breach the wall?
~-~·~
. . . •••• ~--~-0.A
~~-~--~
~
DO NOT RUSH! 75
w
~-~
tf.LJ, ~ ~
~
a:• ••-
..
•• ~--
d ~ ,,,,,,,, """
• ~J • ~o
••
~ ~ g
"l:)~
~ ~ ~
E3~7 ~
White can take the a-pawn immediately, but
then the technical task will be very tricky because
of the defensive power of the bishop.
How does he solve the problem?

4 The Right Exchange
Bobby Fischer has no bad pieces - he exchanges
them. Only his opponents have bad pieces.
WISE SAYING OF A RUSSIAN CHESS TRAINER
The right exchange is actually one of the most
difficult positional themes in a game of chess.
By this we mean the relative gain of material or
positional value and ultimately this is what the
game of chess is all about. Whereas in the opening
or in the middlegame an erroneous exchange
can sometimes be put right, with every
reduction in material, exchanging correctly acquires
ever greater importance. The fewer pieces
there are left on the board, the more serious the
consequences of a bad exchanging decision usually
are.
A) The Importance of
Exchanges in the Game
of Chess
Exchanging is the soul of chess.
GEORG KIENINGER
Before we examine concrete exchanging situations
in the endgame, we should like to demonstrate
to our readers, by means of a complete
illustrative game, the importance of exchanging
for the whole game. It is a very good training
method for improving your feel for the right
exchange if you study your own games, or
games by stronger players, in the light of the
exchanging problem. From this it will soon become
clear that you need to take responsible exchanging
decisions practically throughout the
whole game and you will become especially
aware of the interconnections between the particular
stages of the game.
Many an exchanging decision made in the
opening or in the middlegame has an effect
only in the endgame; for example, consider a
Nimzo-lndian game in which on the 72nd move
Black captures the doubled white pawn on c4,
which White had voluntarily accepted on the
fifth move. In the course of a game we carry out
many exchanges which are obvious to us. They
do not substantially change the character of the
position and therefore we generally don't think
about them for long. Other transactions involving
an exchanging manoeuvre are in practice
dictated by knowledge of opening theory and
so we don't pay them any special attention. In
order to stimulate readers into greater awareness
of this theme, we have deliberately commented
on these (generally considered trivial)
situations in the annotations to the following
game.
4.01
M.Taimanov -W.Uhlmann
Belgrade (USSR­RoW) 1970
1 d4 iof6 2 c4 g6 3 loc3 d5
White is confronted for the first time in the
game with the problem of the right exchange.
Should White occupy the centre with 4 cxd5
ioxd5 5 e4 or will he maintain the tension and
exert pressure on the centre with further developing
moves? Here. this is a matter of taste, and
White chooses the latter option.
4~g5
Now Black is posed the question about the
right exchange: can he support his centre by
means of 4 ... c6 or does he have to give up the
centre with the immediate 4 ... dxc4?
4 ... loe4!
The is the correct decision; after 4 ... c6?!
White would be able to head for a favourable
position with an exchange: 5 ~xf6 exf6 6 cxd5
cxd5 7 ~b3 loc6 8 e3 ±; if 4 ... dxc4 ?! then 5 e4
±.
Now once again White must make an important
exchanging decision. 5 loxe4?! dxe4 would

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
77
be a particularly faulty exchange here, since the
e4-pawn would considerably hamper the hannonious
development of the white pieces.
5ii..h4!
White preserves his bishop from possible exchange.
After 5 cxd5?! lcixg5 6 h4 lcie4 7 lcixe4
'&xd5 8 lcic3 '&a5 the exchanges would bring
about the first material imbalance; Black would
have the bishop-pair. Theory evaluates the resulting
position as favourable to Black.
5 .•• cS 6 cxd5! lcixc3
6 ... '&a5 7 '&d3 ±.
7 bxc3 @xd5 8 e3 (D)
B
20 ... l;!.f7?!
Black does not take advantage of his opportunity.
After 20 ... lcixb? 21 l::txb7 (21 ~xd7?
l:!f7 22 l:!xf7 @xf7 23 l::tc I ii..f6 leads to equality)
21...ii..c6 22 l:!xa7 l:!a8 23 l:!xa8 l!xa8 24
toe I b5 ;!; he has legitimate hopes of a successful
defence.
21 ii..a6 ii..a4 22 l:!bcl ii.rs 23 l:!Ic4 l:!xc7 24
l:!xc7 lcic6 25 ii..c4 (DJ
B
Question: should Black play 8 ... cxd4?
8 ••• cxd4?!
Black answers the exchanging question incorrectly.
He seeks simplification, but this does
not always bring any real relief. 8 ... loc6!? or
8 ... ii..g7!? should be preferred.
9 '&xd4! '&xd4 10 cxd4 lcic6 11 ii..b5 ii..d7
12 lcif3 ii..gl 13 0-0 e6 14 l:!abl 0-0 15 lcid2!
White transfers the knight to the queenside,
to provoke weaknesses there.
15 ••.f5 16 lcib3 b6 17 l:!fcl l:!ac8 18 ii..a6
.§ce8
18 ... l:!bS? 19 ii..g3 eS 20 ii..bS ±.
19 ii..b7 lcid8 (DJ
20l:!c7?!
This time it is White who makes the wrong
exchanging decision. It is understandable that
he wants to invade the seventh rank as quickly
as possible, but in doing so he allows the exchange
of his important light-squared bishop.
He should have played 20 ii..f3! ± first.
What should Black play here?
25 ii..gl?
25 lcib4! is the best move - pawn exchange
as a defensive strategy! If Black manages to exchange
the a2-pawn his drawing chances will
increase quite considerably; for example, 26
.§xa7 b5 27 ii.fl lcixa2 28 lcicS ii..xcS 29 dxc5
l:!c8 30 ii..e? (30 ii..f6 :!!xc5 with counterplay)
30 ... lcic3 31 ii..d3 ;!; (31 l:!b7 lcie4 32 ii..xb5
loxes 33 ii..c4 ii.ct? =).
26:!!c8

78 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
This exchange is fine, since it wins the important
e6-pawn. But 26 Ag3!? would have
kept the active rook on the board and this was
possibly even stronger: 26 ... Af6 27 lbd2 lbb4
28 ~xa7 b5 29 Ab3 Axb3 30 lbxb3 ±.
26 ... l;!xc8 27 Axe6+ @f8 28 .bc8 lbb4 29
lbcl @f7 30 Ag3 ars 31 Ab7?
This loses valuable time, since White cannot
directly capture the a7-pawn anyway. 31 i.b8
@e7 32 g4 was more accurate.
31...@e6 32 i.b8 @d7! 33 i.f3
33 i.xa7? @c7 +.
33 .• ..i.bS 34 i.dl a5 35 a4 Ac4 36 g4!
White would like to create a basis for play on
the kingside.
36 ... b5 37 gxf5 gxf5 38 Ae5 lbc6 39 Ah8
Aa3 40 axb5 (D)
49 Ae5+ @g6 50 @f4 Ae6 51 Aa4! Af8
(D)
Why not now continue with the exchanging
manoeuvre 52 i.e8+ Af7 53 Axf7+ @xf7 54
@xf5?
52e4
52 i.e8+? would be a serious mistake; after
52 ... Af7 53 Axf7+ @xf7 54 @xf5 a4 tfie a-
pawn guarantees Black vigorous counterplay.
52 ... Ah6+ 53 @g3 fxe4 54 fxe4 Ad2 55 d5
Ael+ 56 @f3 Ah3 57 Ae8+ 'it>h6 58 Af6 1-0
B) Critical Moments in the
Endgame
Black faces a very difficult decision: should
he capture on c I or on b5?
40 ... i.xcl?!
After 40 ... Axb5 41 lt:\b3 @e6 Black keeps
better control of the play on the light squares;
for example, 42 lbc5+ Axc5 43 dxc5 a4 44
i.b2 lbe5.
41 bxc6+ <t>xc6 42 Aa4+ @d5?
A mistake, as White benefits from the presence
of the light-squared bishop. Black should
have immediately broken the blockade of the a-
pawn with 42 ... Ab5; for example, 43 Ac2 a4 44
Axf5 i.c4 and Black still has drawing chances.
43 Ac2 @e6 44 @g2 Aa3 45 i.eS i.f8 46
Ac7 Ads+ 47 f3 i.b4 48 @g3 q;,f6
48 ... i.d6+ 49 Axd6 @xd6 50 @f4 Ae6 51
e4+-.
We start with a classic example in which Capablanca
was successful because he did not just
take the exchanging problem into consideration,
he even based his strategy on it. His opponent
was, however, intent upon exchanging as many
pieces as quickly as possible, thinking that this
was the easiest way to force a draw. At this
point we should like to warn readers against
such a course of action. Any such measures
normally involve maki_ng concessions and the
opponent gradually accumulates small advantages.
The diagram position on the following page
looks easy - dead drawn, wouldn't you say?
But be careful. Black has some tiny advantages
which he can build on. His rooks are actively
placed on both the half-open files and
his pawn-structure is both more compact and

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 79
B
4.02
I.Kan - J.Capablanca
Moscow 1936
error. The exchange on eS improves the black
position, strengthens his pawn-structure in the
centre and allows him to attack on both wings.
4 ... fxe5 5 !Xd3 b5 6 llid2 c5 7 @f2 ~a4 8
@e3@f7 9 !Xdl ~e610@d2?!
White should take measures against the imminent
minority attack on the kingside with 10
h4.
10 ••• !Xb8 11 !Xc3 g5 12 h3 h5 13 !Xh 1 Itd4+
14@e2 !Xg8 15 !Xd3 ~a416 !Xhdl g4 17 hxg4
hxg4 18 @e3?! (D)
This gives up the open h-file for nothing.
Kasparov's 18 !Xhl! gxf3+ 19 gxf3 !Xg2+ 20
@d I b4 21 !Xb3 is active and better.
more dynamic. But of course, with sensible
play, White should be able to hold this position
- at least in theory. In practice, though,
Capablanca's world champion class plays the
vital role.
1.. ..i.c8!
A good plan. His opponent is in possession
of the bishop-pair and therefore Capablanca
wants to exchange one of the enemy bishops.
Since his knight is well-placed on eS, Capablanca
would rather give up his hitherto somewhat
passive light-squared bishop for the white
bishop on d3 and he now plans ... .i.a6.
2 .i.fl?!
White docilely allows Capablanca to carry
out his planned exchange. If he had sufficiently
appreciated his great opponent's intentions, he
would surely have managed to find 2 !Ia!.
which prevents ... .i.a6. In contrast, 2 f4?! is premature,
since after 2 ... lbxd3 3 cxd3 dS Black
has a dangerous initiative, helped by the very
important factor of opposite-coloured bishops.
2 •.• .i.a6 3 .i.xa6?!
Once again White answers the question of
the right exchange incorrectly. 3 !Xd4! would
have forced the exchange of the active black
rook. White has not realized that his own rooks
have little to do, whereas the black rooks are
well posted on both half-open files.
3 ...!Xxa6 4 i.xe5?
Whereas the preceding white moves were
merely small inaccuracies, this move is a serious
B
18 •• 1Ih8! 19 !Xb3
19 fxgd? !Xg8 20 gS (20 @f3? !Xf8+ 21 @e3
nf4 -+) 20 ... !XxgS 21 @f3 !Xa8 +.
19 ...!Xh2 20 !id2 !Xd4 21 !Xe2 c6 22 !Xc3?
Now White is easily crushed. 22 fxg4 was
necessary.
22 ... g3 23 !Xd3 !Xht 24 f4 nm 25 f5+ 'it>r6
26 c3 !Xxd3+ 27 @xd3 d5!
"Black's pawn-avalanche begins moving.
sweeping away everything in its path." (Kasparov).
28 b3 c4+ 29 bxc4 bxc4+ 30 @e3 !Xal 31
@f3 Itxa3 32 @xg3 l:txc3+ 33 @h4 !Xcl 34 g4
~bl+
Nipping any counterplay in the bud.
35 @g3 d4 36 na2 d3 37 @g2 !Xel 38 @f2
ll.xe4 39 ~f3 0-1
After exchanges and combinations in which
many pieces have disappeared from the board,

80 How TO PI.A y CHESS ENDGAMES
and thus the character of the position substantially
alters, it is essential to assess the newlyarisen
position correctly and precisely. It often
happens that pieces which had little or no
scope before the exchanging combination are
suddenly able to develop previously unforeseen
activity after the exchange of the other
pieces. In the following game Polugaevsky
played a combination which won two pawns
and even activated his rook, and yet he still
Jost.
6 •• Jlb3+ 7 ~e2 !lb2+ 8 ~el f6 9 g6 !la2 10
!lc8 1·0
B
The following position is hard to evaluate:
B
4.04
V.Epishin - I.Sokolov
Groningen FIDE KO 1997
4.03
V.Tseshkovsky - L.Polugaevsky
Riga IZ 1979
1 •. Jie2+ 2 !!f2 .!ixf2+ 3 ~xf2 .!oxb2? 4
~xb2 .!hc2+ 5 ~e3 !txb2 6 !lcl! (DJ
B
Unfortunately for Black, it turns out that he
now has no good way of parrying the threat of 7
!k8 followed by .!oe7+.
Black enjoys an extra pawn. However, in return
White has the bishop-pair and his queen is
very active. A further important criterion for assessing
this position is the contrasting situation
of the kings. Whereas with queens on the board
the white king is always going to be a bit insecure,
after the exchange of queens, the king can
venture forward and actively join the fight. But
with his next move Black discounts this factor.
l. ..'&c7?!
Black answers the question of the right exchange
incorrectly. He wants to exchange the
active white queen but the exchange of queens
only plays into White's hands. Correct was
1...'&d7 2 ~e3 ~d8, since after 3 \l!Ub6? the
black queen will become active: 3 ... ~f6+ 4
~d4 '!Wh4 S h3 '&el +.
2 '&xc7 .!oxc7 3 .i.e3 ( D)
3 ....!oa8?
Once more Black fails to solve the problem
of the right exchange. It was time to look for a
way of drawing the game. 3 ... .i.b51 would not
only have split up the white bishop-pair, but it
would also have prepared the exchange of the
a2-pawn; for example, 4 ~xb5 loxb5 5 ~c5 (5
~b3 lt'Jc3 6 a4 .!obi =) 5 ... lt'ic3 6 ~b3 f5
(6 ... a4+? would be rash, since after 7 ~xb4

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
81
lt:lxa2+ 8 @c4! ! +- the knight is dominated) 7
exf5 exf5 8 a4 lt:ld5 9 @c4 lt:lc3 =.
4 ..ia6 ..ic6 5 @b3 <MS?
For a third time Black solves the exchanging
problem incorrectly. He badly needs to seek
further pawn exchanges by 5 .. .f5 6 ..ic4 fxe4 7
..ixe6+ @f8 8 fxe4 ..ixe4 even if the bishoppair
grants White further winning chances.
6 @c4 lt:lc7 7 @cS ..id7?
7 ... lt:lxa6+? is also bad, in view of 8@xc6 a4
9 ..icl ! +-. but 7 ... ..ixe4!? is most resilient: 8
fxe4 lt:lxa6+ 9 @b6 lt:lb8 IO 'it>xa5 ±.
8 Ac4lt:le8
8 ... lt:la8 9 ..ib5 +-.
9 @b6 a4 10 AcS+ @g8 ll ..ixb4 l-O
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 294-6)
E4.02 **/
How should White make progress?
E4.03 /****
White's last move was lt:lc6. How should
Black react?
E4.01 /**
Decide between l...~xdl and i..Jlxel+.
E4.04 /***
Decide between 1.. . ..ixc5 and I... ..ic6.

82 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
always calculate accurately and right to the
end. The following game shows that even the
greatest players can slip up here:
E4.05 /**
Which exchanges should Black allow?
V.Topalov - G.Kasparov
Linares 2005
E4.06 **/
Decide between 1 i.b3 and 1 i.xb2.
1. .. ~xfl+?
He should have chosen I...lt:lxd4!? 2 W/xf6
~xf63cxd4%lf34ndt g55 g4d5=or I...'&d8!
2 '&d 1 (2 '&e2 ltlxd4 3 cxd4 \Wb6 =) 2 ... lt:lxd4 3
cxd4 \Wf6 =.
2 nxfl %lxfl+ 3 Wxfl lt:lxd4 4 cxd4 d5?!
It would be more tenacious to leave the pawn
on d6.
5 Wf2 We7 6 Wf3 Wf6 (DJ
C) Exchanging into a Pawn
Ending
Exchanging the last piece should not be a decision
taken lightly. In the other phases of the
game, and even in other types of endgame, in
view of the complexity of the positions you
sometimes have to be content with general
evaluations such as 'White has the initiative',
'Black has compensation' or 'the position is unclear'.
In pawn endings, however, the only evaluations
are 'win', 'loss' or 'draw'. Owing to the
reduced material, mistakes in pawn ending can
no longer be corrected and therefore you must
7h4?
This is too wasteful of tempo moves. 7 @g4
g6 8 b4 and White wins as in the game.
7 ••• g6? (D)

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
83
Kasparov returns the favour. 7 ... h6 would
have held the draw: 8 @g4 (8 h5 @g5 9 g4 g6
10 hxg6 @xg6 11 @g2 @g7 12 @g3 wn =; 8
g4 g5 =) 8 ... g6 9 b4 b5 10 a3 a6 and White cannot
gain the vital tempo: 11 Wf4 g5+ 12 Wg4
Wg6 13 hxg5 hxg5 =.
at least the torture will stop', allows the transition
to a lost pawn ending. In the following
game Black had had his back to the wall for
some time:
B
8 b4 bS 9 @f4 h6 10 @g4! 1-0
It is really surprising that Kasparov took the
risk of entering such a complicated pawn ending,
when there were several continuations
available to him in which he could prove sufficient
compensation for his pawn minus. To be
fair to Kasparov though, we should be aware of
the special psychological situation surrounding
this game. Before the tournament Kasparov had
already decided to declare his retirement from
professional chess after this game and he was
therefore under tremendous pressure, all the
more so as a draw in this game would have
secured a convincing tournament victory. As
he himself said in subsequent interviews, he
wanted to escape from the unbearable pressure
as quickly as possible and so he took the decision
to enter the pawn ending. Like Kasparov
himself, we are certain that under other circumstances
Garry would never have made this mistake.
Such a fully understandable psychological
wish, to terminate an unpleasant pressure situation
as quickly as possible, has deprived many a
player of the fruits of their stubborn defence. In
our database there are many examples in which
a player can stand it no longer and, acting in accordance
with the motto 'If it's not drawn then
4.06
V.Gavrikov - Y. Yakovich
USSR Ch (Kiev) 1986
Now Black could stand the pressure no longer
and acquiesced to a pawn ending. However,
if he could only have mustered enough energy
to continue to defend a slightly worse position,
he would have had good chances of a halfpoint:
1. .. !1f6?
After I .. Jib8! 2 c4 (2 Wf2 !? Wg8 3 We3 l"{c8
4 Wd4 l"{c6 5 c4 ;t) 2...~c8! 3 l"{xb6 h6 4 !1b5
!!xc4 5 l"{xa5 l"{c I+ 6 Wg2 l"{c2+ Black has excellent
chances of saving the game.
2!1fi@g8
2...l"{xfl+ 3 @xfl @g8 4 @e2 @f7 s @d3
@e6 6 @c4 @d6 7 @b5 @c7 8 c4 @b7 9 cs
bxc5 10@xc5 @a6 11 g4 +-.
3 );Ixf6 gxf6 4 wr2 @f7 s @e3 @e6 6 @d4
@f5
6 ... @d6 7 g4 h6 8 @c4 @c6 9 h3 @d6 10
@b5 @c7 +-.
7@d5 l-O
Another frequently-occurring mistake in exchanging
into a pawn ending is a far-too-generous
attitude to material. In his excellent book
Practical Endgame Lessons, Ed mar Mednis set
out the five golden rules for 'How not to win a
won game'. One of these rules states: "Give up

84 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
material!". We have actua!Jy found in our database
numerous examples by low-rated players
in which overwhelmingly won positions, sometimes
with great material advantage, were spoilt
through an over-hasty liquidation to a pawn
ending. The reason was generally a lazy attitude
towards calculating variations and the desire
for a quick and easy victory in the pawn
ending. So at this point we give a word of
warning: it is not important to win quickly; the
important thing is to win! On this theme here
is another example showing that even 2700-
players are merely human:
with ... g5. 4 ... @e7? loses: 5 @f3 @f7 (5 ... @d7
6 @f4 @c6 7 @g5 @d5 8 @f6 a5 9 b3 +-) 6
@f4 a5 7 @g5 @g7 8 b3 -!-.
5@f3@f7 6@e4 (D)
6 b3!? Wg7 7 @e4 @h6 8 @e3 g5! 9 @d4
@g6 10 @e4 @h6 =.
B
6 ... gS! 7 @d4 ~g6 8 @c5
8@e4? a4-+.
8 ••. gxh4 9 gxh4 @f5 10 @b5
IO@d6? a4 -+.
10 ... @xeS 11 @xa5 @d4 112.11z
4.07
V.lvanchuk - R.Kasimdzhanov
Elista OL 1998
1 l!xe6??
An utterly unbelievable error for a player of
Ivanchuk's class; unbelievable not so much because
of his miscalculation of the pawn endgame
- with such a difficult pawn ending this
can obviously happen even to an Ivanchuk -
but because of his impatient approach. I l';!.d7!
would have won easily. 1...lZ'.ig7 ( l...lZ'.ic5 2 l';!.c7
~d5 3 e6 +-) 2 l!a7 lZ'.if5 (could this have been
what Ivanchuk feared?) 3 l';!,xf5 (otherwise there
follows ... lZ'.ie3-g4+) 3 ... gxf5 4 Wlg5+ @h8 5
'&xh5+ @g8 6 '&g5+ @h8 7 ~xf5 +-.
1 ••.'*'xe6 2 '&xe6 fxe6 3 I!xf8+ @xf8 4 ~g2
a5!?
It is essential for Black to keep his king on
the kingside, on the one hand to prevent the
white king from penetrating there and on the
other hand to have the possibility of breaking
We shouldn't like to move onto the next section
of exercises without showing you that the
best player of all time is of course capable of
better:
4.08
G.Kasparov - M.Vukic
Skara Echt 1980

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 85
1 .i.xf6! gxf6 2 :l.dl! 1-0
Black resigned in view of the inevitable
breakthrough on the kingside: 2 ... :1.xdl (2 ... e5
3 ~xd6+ 'i&xd6 4 g5 fxg5 5 fxg5 We7 6 gxh6
wra 7 b4 +-) 3 Wxdl Wd6 (3 ... Wc5 4 g5 fxg5 5
fxg5 hxg5 6 h6 +-) 4 g5 fxg5 5 fxg5 We7 6
gxh6 Wf8 7 b4 +-.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 296-8)
E4.09 ****/
Calculate the consequences of I lbxe4.
E4.07 **/
White has two ways of preventing ... ~h8#.
Which would you choose?
E4.10 /**
Assess the outcome of the exchange 1.. . .i.xf3.
E4.08 /**
In the game, Black played I ... .i.xh5 and still
had to fight hard for his half-point. Could he
have drawn more easily with I ... .i.xf5?
E4.l l **/
Can White force the transition to a
won pawn ending with 1 ltlc6?

86 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
D) Exchanging into a Rook
Ending
This is a common method of defence because
of the strong drawing tendency of rook endings.
The defender relies on activity and is
sometimes even prepared to give up material
to achieve it.
E4.12 r=:
Black played l...~xe4 2 ~xe4 ~e4 3 dxe4.
How do you evaluate his decision?
B
4.09
L.Psakhis - LB.Hansen
Istanbul OL 2000
E4.13 ***/
Was l litxd7+ a good choice?
1 ... d4!?
Hansen seeks to activate all his forces and is
prepared to sacrifice his d-pawn, which is sickly
in any case, to achieve this. I ... l!ac8? 2 lbf3
@f6 3 lbd4 i.d7 4 l!ael would grant White a
stable long-term advantage in view of his agile
knight and the weak dark squares in the black
camp.
2 lite2 .i.d5 3 l:!eS ~hd8 4 !!xfS+ @g8 5 ~f4
&c8 6 l!xd4 .bg2 7 llxd8+ li!.xd8 8 'ittxg2
l!xd2
This is the position that Black was aiming
for. White's winning chances are close to zero
because of the active rook on d2.
9 llcl @f7 10 @f3 @f6 11 a4 nds 12 llet
l!fS+ 13 @g2 l!gS+ 14 @ht l!cS 15 lle2 l!c4
16 b3 llc317@g2 g518 ~d2@e619 h3 hS 20
@h2 h4 21 Wg2 b6 22@h2 as 23 @g2 @e5 24
Wh21'2-1/z
The margin of the draw is often so great that
sometimes a pawn-down rook ending can be

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE
87
held, even against such a super-technician
Vladimir Kramnik:
as
Actually it is Black's job to exchange pawns,
but in any case White cannot win.
16 ••• gxf4+ 17 g}xf4 hS 18 a3 hxg4 19 hxg4
~f2+ 20 ©e3 ~a2 21 ~aS l;tal 22 a4 llel + 23
M3 l;{f1+24©g3 ~gl+ 25@h3 l:thl+ 26©g2
na1 27 @f2 ~a3 28 @g2 1f2-1'2
The rook generally harmonizes better with
a bishop than with a knight. So in the next example
it is important that Black activates his
knight and if possible exchanges it:
Khalifman reduces the pressure in a radical
way:
1 ... d4!? 2 ..ixc6 l;txc6 3 cxd4 cxd4 4 'l/lixe7+
@xe7 5 ~b7+ @f8 6 exd4 l;tc4 7 ~e2
7 d5 l;tc5 8 d6 ~c6 9 d7 a6 ! == (Donev in
CBM).
7...~cxd4 8 ~a7 ~dl+ 9 @h2 i!ld2 10
i!xd2 ~xd2 11 @g3 ( D)
4.11
I.Sokolov - A.Onishchuk
Poikovsky 2006
1...lue6!
I ... i!xg4? 2 l:ta8 plays into White's hands.
2 l:thl?!
White should have tried to prevent the exchange
of the minor pieces with 2 l:th7+.
2 ... lud4 3 l:th7+@d6 4 l;txa7 luxb3 (DJ
This is the type of position that Black had in
mind when he simplified. It is supposed to be a
theoretical draw and Khalifman has no special
trouble proving this.
11 ••. gS 12 @f3 ©g7 13 <t>eJ i!b214 g4@g6
15 ~a6+ f6 16 f4?!

88 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
S lta6+ @e7 6 axb3 l'tb5
Despite his two extra pawns, White has not
the slightest chance of winning.
7 l!a3 I:lb4 8 'it>g3 'M7 9 'it>h4 'it>g6 10 l!a6
g;,g711z.112
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 298-9)
E4.17 /****
How should Black defend?
E4.15 **/
Should White exchange into a bishop
ending with 1 ltxc8+ or is the transition
to a rook ending by l .l:!f7+ followed
by 1Ixf5 the right way?
E4.18 /****
Find the best move for Black.
E4.16 */
Decide between 1 ~ee7 and 1 .i.e5.
E4.19 **/
White played l g3 here.
What is your opinion about this?

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 89
E) Exchanging a Pair of
Rooks
This theme crops up with particular frequency in
the endgame, since from their starting positions
in the comer the rooks usually do not enter the
fray until later. Often it is a question of retaining
or eliminating attacking potential against
the king, preventing counterplay by a powerful
rook or else bringing about a pure 'Fischer endgame'
of rook and bishop against rook and
knight. You should also always keep in mind
the great margin of the draw in pure rook endings
when making decisions about related exchanges.
The exchange of a pair of rooks has particular
importance in positions in which all the rooks
are still on the board. Two rooks are generally a
powerful force and therefore the exchange of
one pair of rooks should be considered very
carefully. Often it is expedient for the side with
the advantage to exchange a pair of rooks, to
deprive the opponent of chances of active counterplay.
But there are also situations in which in
order to play for a win you should keep all the
rooks on the board, to take advantage of their
great potential activity. In pure rook endings,
for example, the presence of both rooks is generally
an advantage for the side with the upper
hand. So have we have further subdivided this
theme:
El) The Attacker Wants to
Exchange a Pair of Rooks
Here it is generally a question of reducing the
possibilities of counterplay. The following example
is an excellent illustration of the great
practical importance of this theme (see following
diagram).
White would like to exchange all the rooks, or
none. Conversely, Black would like to exchange
just one pair of rooks, as Jacob Aagaard explained
in Excelling at Technical Chess. Then
with only a single rook the possession of the d-
tile would be of no benefit to White, since he
would not be able to penetrate.
lf4?
w
4.12
A.Paaske- E.Lund
Copenhagen 2003
I lld2 .i.c6 2 !!ad! = was indicated. Then,
to neutralize the pressure on the d-file, Black
would have to exchange all the rooks and White
would be able to hold the pure minor-piece ending,
since Black would not be able to develop
sufficient dark-square pressure. With just a single
rook each, however, it is another story.
1. .. !!hd8 2 f!d2 .i.c6 3 !!adl llxd2 4 llxd2
h6 5 g3(DJ
B
5 •.• EtgS!?
Black wants to mobilize his majority and
open a file for his rook.
6li:ld6?
The knight develops no real activity here,
since Black can easily play round it. The prophylactic
6 h4! f5 7 li:lc5 g5 8 hxg5 hxg5 9 li:ld3
was necessary, to stabilize the situation.

90 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
6 ... gS 7 fxgS hxgS 8 lt:lc4 !Ih8 9 lt:leS i.e8!
The bishop is only apparently passive here.
It can be activated at any moment. But the white
knight is insecure from now on.
10 l!f2 f6 11 lt:lg4 IU8 12 c4 i.hS 13 h3
i.g614 ~d2 ~c8 15 b3 a616 a4?! aS 17 tzlf2
~h8 18 @d4 ~d8+ 19 @c3 ~xd2 20 @xd2
@d6 21 lt:ldl i.fS 22 h4 gxh4 23 gxh4 Ag6 24
@c3 fS 25 b4 axb4+ 26 @xb4 f4 27 a5 eS 28
tzlf2 e4 29 hS i.fS 30@c3 e3 31 tzld3 f3 32 cs+
@c7 33 lt:lb4 Ae4 34 h6 f2 35 h7 fl~ 36 h8'&
~al+0-1
Sometimes it can be a question of gaining
time, or being able to carry out a different plan.
10 ... i.xe2 11 @xe2 @e7 was indicated.
11 AbS lt:ld3+ 12 @g3 !!d8 13 ~c7 lta8 14
lt:lc4 lt:lb4 15 ~xb7 Ad3 16 tzleS .11.fS 17 lt:ld7+
@g8 18 an lt:ld3 19 ~b8+ ~xb8 20 lt:lxb8
lt:lcS 21 a6 lt:la4 22 it:ld7 1-0
But reducing the opponent's attacking potential
and limiting counterplay generally constitute
the main reason for exchanging rooks.
4.13
B.Gelfand - R.Felgaer
Khanty­Mansiisk FIDE Wcup 2005
White wants to open the queenside and therefore
removes a pair of rooks from the board.
1 ~xd8+ ~xd8 2 b4 ~d4?
2...lt:ld5 3 tzlxd5 ~xd5 4 bxa5 !!xa5 5 .i.b5
e5 6 !tel lla.8 7 ~c7 l!b8 offered better survival
chances.
3 bxaS lt:lxa4 (D)
4lt:ldl!
Naturally White avoids the exchange, to retain
more winning potential.
4...~d2
4...~d7 5 !Icl f5 6 ~b5 f!d4 7 lt:le3 +-.
s @fl ~d7 6 ~cl rs 7 exfS?
7 @el fxe4 8 ~c4 +-.
7 .•. i..xfS 8 lt:le3 Ad3 9 @f2 lt:lb2 10 f!c3
~g6?
4.14
K.Sakaev - Y.Melster
Russian Chr (Sochi) 2004
Meister draws the teeth from White's counterplay
right away:
1..J!hS!!
Without his rook White is completely defenceless.
2l'!xh5
2 ~e I @f7 3 !!d I ~h2 4 ~d3 ~b2 also wins
for Black.

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
91
2 •.• gxhS+ 3 @xhS @f7 4 @g4 lt'ixd4 5 .ic3
lbc2 6 .ib2 lt'ie3+ 7 @f3 lt'ic4 8 .icl @e6 9
@e2
9 @g4 d4 10 f5+ @f7 11 @f3 d3 12 .ig5
lt'ixa3 13 @e3 lt'ic4+ 14@xd3 a3 -+.
9 ... lbaS!
Good technique to the end! Black prevents
any counterplay.
10 .id2 lt'ib3 11 ..ie3 @f6 12 @d3 @fS 13
..igl
13 @c3 @e4 -+.
13 •.• @xf4 14 @c3 @e4 15 @b4 d4 16 @xa4
lt'ixcS+ 17 @b4 d3 0-1
E2) The Defender Wants to
Exchange a Pair of Rooks
This actually contradicts the rule of thumb that
the defender should exchange pawns and the
attacker should exchange pieces, but nevertheless
it happens frequently. Often it is a question
of exchanging into a rook ending or a
bishop ending. With rooks on the board, opposite-coloured
bishops can still provide good
attacking chances. Without them it is often a
dead draw.
Naturally such relief operations can also
work with other combinations of material.
4.16
A.Grishchuk - A.Grosar
Batumi Ecl111999
1. .. .Etd7!
Drawing the teeth from White's attack. In
contrast, l .. Jlg8? 2 l2'if4 was better for White in
N.Short-A.Yermolinsky, Wijk aan Zee 1997.
2 l;txgS .EtxdS 3 .EtxfS+
3 .Etxd5 .ixd5 4 .Etxf5+ @e7 with counterplay,
according to Gofshtein in CBM.
3 ... @e7 4.EtgS
4 .Etxd5 .ixd5 5 .Etf6 .&!.g8 6 b3 I!.g5 =.
4 •.. -EtgS S .Etxg8 .Etxdl+ 6 .ixdl .ixg8 7 .ig4
..ie6 8 ..if3 .if7 9 a4 bxa4 10 ..ie2 as 11 @cl
.idS 12 .ig4 ..ie613 .if3 .ic4 14 @d2 @e6 15
@c3 ..ia2 16 .ie2 (D)
4.15
A.Yusupov - R.Polzin
Bundesliga 2005/6
l .Etcl!
Now the black rook cannot escape.
l ... ..icS
1...g5 2 .Etc4 .Etb2 3 .l:!c2 .Etb4 4 .Etc4 =.
2 .Etc4 gS 3 .Etxb4 ..ixb4 4 a4 lfi.lfi
16 ... .idS

92 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
16 ... @xeS? 17.i.c4.i.bl 18 ..i.g8 h5 19@d2
+-.
17 .i.b5 @xe5 18 .. ba4 h5 19 .i.b3 @d6 20
h4 ..i.xb3 21 @xb3 ezi>c6 22 <Zi>a4 @b6 23 c4
@a6 24 'it>b3 @b6 25 @c3 a4 26 b4 axb3 '1:T
@xb3 1/2-1/2
26 ggs h4 27 ghS @84 28 gd8 b4 29 lldl
@a3 30 f6 !lc4+ 31 @bl :!W'6 32 !la5+ @b3
33 !la2 !tc3 34 !lhl h3 35 gah2 !lff3 36 !le2
:!lg3 37 :!leh2 @c4 38 ~al !ta3+ 39 @bl
:!lgb3+ 40 !ib2 !lxb2+ 41 @xb2 !tg3 0-1
However, the exchange does not always take
place:
Exercises
(Solutions on page 300)
4.17
A.Miles - M.Hebden
British Ch (Millfteld) 2000
White would really like to exchange a pair of
rooks, but Hebden does not cooperate:
1 .. Jlf2!
The attacker's chances of bringing in the full
point are often better in a double-rook endgame,
and this is no exception, since i..J!xdl?
2 !txd I !tf3 3 !id6 !txf4 4 l:!h6 is totally drawn.
2 !id4
2 l:!dfl !tee2 3 fixf2 !txf2 4 !tgl !txf4 +
would already constitute too great a concession
by White.
2 ... J!ee2 3 !tb4 @c7
The rest of the game saw Black triumphing
instructively in the double-rook ending. Of
course, 3 ... !txh2 also came seriously into consideration.
4 h3 b5 5 !tgl @b6 6 fig8 !ie6 7 !ib8+ @cs
8 l:l.g8 h6 9 !tg7 !tf6 10 !tg4 @b6 ll a4 @85 12
@a3 If.d6 13 axbS cxbS 14 !lg3 !idl 15 II.e4
II.al+ 16 @b3 II.bl 17 @c3 !tfxb2 18 :!lg7
!ib3+ 19 S:t>c2 II.lb2+ 20 \Pel fS 21 !teS :!lf2 22
lhfs .lhh3 23 !lgl l:!h4 24 :rs hs zs rs !thf4
E4.20 */
What is the easies! way for White
to convert his advantage?
E4.21 */
Should White exchange here?

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 93
B
invest a lot of time and energy in order to make
the right decision. To break off from a promising
attack, you need to be 100% sure that the resulting
endgame offers winning chances that
are at least as good as you would get from continuing
the attack. When carrying out such a
liquidation, you should not let yourself be
fobbed off too cheaply. But you must have the
necessary positional understanding, as well as
sufficient confidence in your endgame technique,
to make the right decision, and you must
play whatever the position may require.
E4.22 /*
Who would benefit more from
an exchange of rooks?
w
4.18
M.Gurevich - M.Krasenkow
Jakarta 1996
E4.23 ***/
Should the rook be exchanged with l ~b6?
F) Simplification into an
Endgame
If one side has the possibility of exchanging
into an endgame, this is always a critical point
in the game. In such a situation you often have
to calculate many moves ahead and accurately
evaluate a position of a completely different
character compared with the type of position
reached in the game up to that point.
Often you are faced with the difficult decision
between continuing an attack or going into
an endgame. Such a moment is always a real
turning-point in the game, where you have to
White has the difficult choice between continuing
his attack with I Wt'b8+ and liquidating
into an endgame with l lbxf6. What would you
have done?
l lbxf'6?
I '&b8+! would have won by force: l...@e7 2
~c7+!@xe6 (2...<l,Jf8 3 e7+!@e84lbd6+1:ixd6
5 '1¥ixd6 +-; 2 ... <t>e8 3 lbd6+! l:ixd6 4 '1¥ixd6 +-
intending '&g3) 3 lbc5+ Wd.5 (3 ... @f5 4 ~xh7+
l;ixh751:ixd4 +-) 4 ~d8+@xc5 5 '&xd4+ <t>b5
6 '&a4+ @b6 7 '&b3+! @c7 (7 ... <t>c5 8 '&b4+
<t>d5 9 l:id4+ @e6 10 Wib3+ @f5 11 W/d3+ @e6
I 2 l;id6+ @e5 13 '&d4+ <t>f5 14 l:ixf6+ l:ixf6 15
\Wd3+ is also winning for White) 8 Wlg3+ @b6
9 J;ib4+ @c5 10 Wlc3+ <l,>d6 11 l;id4+ @e7
(I l...@c7 12 W/a5+ +-) 12 Wle3+@f8131:id8+
@g7 14 l:id7+ +-.
l. .. l;ixf4 2 lbxh7+ l:txh7 3 l;ixf4+ <t>e7 4
l;if7+!?

94 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
4 ~e4 ~h6 5 f4 ~xe6 6 @f3 1he4 7 @xe4
@e6 =; in contrast to the game continuation,
White has no spare tempo-moves with his f-
pawn available.
4 •• JXxf7 5 exf7 @xf7
Probably Gurevich assessed this endgame as
easily won for White in view of his outside
passed pawn. As complicated analysis later
showed, however, Black can defend, since there
is so little winning potential left on the board.
6@f3 @1'6 7@e4 'it>e6 8 @f4@f6 9@e4 @e6
10 f3 @f6 11 @f4 b6 12 @e4 @e6 13 f4 as 14
rs+ 'it>d615 'it>f4 a416@g5 a317 bxa3 @e7 18
@g6 @f8 19 @f6 c5 20 @e5 'it>f7 21 a4 @e7 22
as bxa5 23 a4 @f7 24 @d5 @f6 25 @xc5 >&xf5
26 @b6 @e61:7 @xa5 @d7 28 @b6 @c8 1/z-1/l
Even when you are a pawn down, you should
not completely rule out exchanging queens,
especially if the enemy queen is posted in an
extremely dominant position and your own is
contributing less.
of~+~ vs ~+ft), in which his activity counts
for a lot.
4l2:id7!
4 ~c5? ~xc5 5 ~c3 kxb3 6 1axc5 ~d8 +
(C.D.Meyer in CBM).
4...~xa3 5 li:lf6+ @g7 6 li:lxd5 ~d8 7 li:lb6
~d4 8 ll:lc4 ~cs 9 ~f3 b6 10 @fl fS 11 @e2
@f6 12 ~c3 ~e4+ 13 @f3 ~e6 14 l;!d3 h6 15
~d5 g5 16 hxgS+ hxg5 17 li:le3?
White should have played 17 g4! fxg4+ 18
@xg4 l;Ie4+ 19 @g3 ~el (19 ... l;Id4 20 l;Ixd4
kxd4 21 f4) 20 f4 = (Meyer).
17. .. ~es (D)
w
B
4.19
E.Kengis - J.Heissler
Bundesliga 2002/3
The bishop-pair gives Black good compensation
anyway, but after the following move he
has a dangerous initiative:
1 '&dS!
l 1Ic3? 2 '&xb7 is not what Black had in
mind.
2 ~xdS ~xd5 3 ~e3 ~f8!
Once again, exchanging is the correct decision.
Black wants to head for a Fischer endgame
18 JaxeS?
"The transition into a bishop vs knight ending
is clearly an error at this point, in view of
Black's greater activity as well as the weakness
of the white queenside pawns. The black king
arrives at e4, and very soon the spectre of zugzwang
appears. White has various alternatives;
for example: 18 ~d8!? g4+ 19 @e2 ~e4 20
'it>d3 +; 18 ~d3!? l;Ie4 19 g4!? +." (Meyer).
18 ••• @xeS 19 ll:lc2 g4+ 20 @e2 @e4 21 ll:le3
@d422li:ldl
22 li:lxf5+ 'it>c3 -+.
22 .•. .tr8 23 f3?? gxf3+ 24 @xf3 @d3 zs
ll:le3 @c3 26 li:ldS+ @xb3 27 li:lxb6 ~cs 28
ll:ld7!? ~d4?
28...~d6wins.
29 ll:lb8 @xa4 30 li:lc6 1/z-1/l
Liquidation into an endgame with an unequal
material distribution is an especially difficult
decision.

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
95
4.20
V.Gashimov - R.Dautov
Istanbul Ech 2003
Dautov has the choice between carrying out
the standard plan of ... cS or liquidation into such
an endgame. He made the correct decision:
1 ...tllxeS!
After l...cS?! 2 t2:lxd7 llxd7 3 dxcS White
has counterplay.
2 dxeS ~xeS 3 '&xeS '&xeS 4 l!xeS t2:lc3+ S
bxc3 l!xdl +
Black is better; furthermore the position is a
lot easier for him to play. However, the game
was later drawn.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 300-2)
E4.25 ***/
Calculate the lines after 1 t2:lxd5.
Would you choose this move?
E4.26 **/
How do you assess I '&d4?
E4.24 ***/
Gauge the consequences of 1 t2:ld2.
Should White play this?
E4.27 /*
How should Black make progress?

96 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
G) The Defender Exchanges
Pawns, the Attacker
Pieces
In a rook ending, this important rule is very often
relevant, since pawn exchanges are, along
with the activation of the rook, one of the most
important defensive techniques.
Again Black relies on exchanging pawns.
5 exfS+ exfS 6 @f2 f4 7 @e2 b4 8 @f2 @CS
9 g3 .U.a7 10 @g2 .U.as 11 @h3 fxg3 12 @xg3
J;ra6 13 .U.cs+ 'it>f6 14 .U.bS .U.xa2 15 .U.xb4 llb2
(D)
4.21
J.Hellsten - N.de Firmian
Bermuda 1997
Black will try to exchange as many pawns
as possible, at the same time activating his
king:
1 ... gS! 2 hxgS?!
This falls in with Black's wishes. 2 h5!? was
more promising, avoiding exchanges and restricting
Black's king.
2 ... hxgS 3 l;!c2 ~g6 4 f3 fS! (D)
Black has achieved his goal, because "the
small and weak pawn-mass offers no winning
chances." (Hecht in CBM).
16 llb7 @fS 17 b4@f6 18 llb8 @CS 19 bS
@f6 20 b6@g6 21@h3@f622@g3@g6 23 f4
gxf4+ 24 'it>xf4 'it>f6 25 b7 @g/ 11z_11z
Exercises
(Solutions on page 302)
E4.28 **/
Is I h3 a good choice?

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
97
3 ••• ~e3 (DJ
H) Eliminating the Last
Pawn
Since in pawnless endings you often need to be
at least a rook up to win, the last pawn is frequently
worth its weight in gold:
4lbd5
4 '&g7+ <hh3 5 g4 '&f4+ 6 @c5 '&xg4 =.
4 ... ~d4+ lf1.1/z
In the following example White can win, but
must be really vigilant:
4.22
N.Liogky- S.Savchenko
USSR 1988
Black takes advantage of the fact that the
pawnless endgame of queen and knight against
queen is only a draw:
1 •.. g3! 2 hxg3
2 '&xg3 '&xg3 3 hxg3 @g4 =.
2 ... @g4 3 l2Jc3
Or: 3 lbd4 '@°d2+ =; 3 lbd6 '&d2+ 4 @a3
~d3+ 5 @a4 @xg3 =.
4.23
B.Thelen - J.Florian
Zlin 1945
The white b-pawn will provide the vital winning
potential: ·
1 aS?!
1 @xa7 .l'lxa4+ 2 @b7! is much more accurate.
The b4-pawn will decide the issue.
1. •. bxaS 2 bxaS?
Here 2 b5! 1;!.bl 31;!.h? would have still won.
2 ...@eS
The game ended later in a draw.

98 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercises (Solutions on pages 302-3)
E4.30 /****
How can Black prevent both his pawns from
being exchanged?
E4.33 /****
How could Black have saved himself?
I) The Defender of a
Weakness Must be
Exchanged
Sometimes just one strong piece holds the whole
show together. If it can be exchanged, the defence
often falls apart.
E4.31 /***
How did Black secure the draw?
4.24
A.Rubinstein - O.Duras
Kar/shad 19JJ
E4.32 /**
In the game Black lost. Can you do better?
The black queen currently protects all the
weaknesses on the queenside, so Rubinstein
prepares to exchange it:
1 \'!'(fl! ! lt:icS 2 lt:id2 \'!'i'b4 3 '&c4 \'!'i'xc4 4
lt:ixc4 !tab8 5 lt:id2 .!k7 6 !txa6
and White went on to win.

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 99
4.25
F.Vallejo Pons - V.Tkachev
Biel 2002
The black queen protects c7 and exerts a
strong influence on both wings, which White
will not be able to withstand, so he played ...
1 W/a3! '&xa3?
I.. .c6 was necessary.
2 bxa3 ltle8
Not 2 .. J::tc8? 3 1'.h3 ltlg4 4 ltlh4 g6 S ~3
+-.
After 2 ... c6 a possible continuation is 3 ltleS
cS 4 !!b2 cxd4 S exd4 :!:!.d6 6 l:tcbl ltlg4 7 f4
~ee6 8 1'.f3 fS 9 ~c I ~e7 10 :!:!.bc2 .l;!de6 11
.l;!c7 ltlf6 i 2 ltlg6 ±.
3 it.fl it.as 4 a4 f6? (DJ
4 ... @f8? is also bad: S 1'.bS 1!c8 6 ltle5 +-
(Gershon in CBM).
4 .. ~b7 S 1'.bS @f8 6 1'.xe8 :!:!.dxe8 7 :!:!.xc7
llxc7 8 .l;!xc7 'f!e7 (Gershon) 9 :!:I.cl± was relatively
best.
Sltlh4!
Taking advantage of the second weakness on
hS. Black is lost and so tries another exchange
sacrifice, but his counterplay fails because of
the passive bishop:
S ••.llld6 6 ltlg6 ~ed7 7 .i.h3 @f7 8 .1t.xd7
:!:!.xd7 9 ltlf4 ltlc4 10 e4!
This powerful break forces the issue.
10 ... c6
After this, the black bishop will need too
much time to rejoin the game.
11 lllxhS bS 12 eS fXeS 13 dxeS d4 14 ltlf4
'lie7?
Allowing the knight to reach the blockading
square d3. 14 ... ltlxeS had to be tried, but with a
few precise moves White can demonstrate that
the counterplay is insufficient: 15 :!:I.cs ):Ke7 16
):Kdl +-.
15 ltld3 :!:!.dS 16 f4 1'.b7 17 @£2 it.cs 18
axbS cxbS 19 l;txc4!? bxc4 20 :!:!.xc4 it.fS
20 ... .1t.a6 21 :!:I.cs +-.
21 @e2 :!:!.d7 22 @d2 @e6 23 1!c6+ @dS 24
:!:!.c5+@e4 25 e6 1-0
4.26
B.Jobava - K.Miton
Skanderborg 2005
The c6-knight is Black's last defender against
an invasion on the dark squares. So ...
I it.xc6! 1'.xc6
I ... ~xc6 21!xc6 .1t.xc6 3@c3! aS (3 ... 1'.dS 4
a3 as S b4! +-) 4 @d4 it.dS S @c5! +- (Krasenkow
in CBM).
2 @e3 @e7 3 lbgS h6 4 ltle4 :!:!.c7

JOO
How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
4 ... i.d7 5 .:i;(xc8 i.xc8 6 lbd6 i.d7 7 @d4 +-
(Krasenkow).
5g4!
Targeting the black h-pawn as a (second)
weakness in typical fashion.
5 .•• @d8 6 lbf6 as 7 h4 @c8 8 lbg8! h5 9
gxhS gxhS 10 lbf6 @b7 11 lbxhS b4 12 .:!;(cl
l:td7 13 lbf6 l:td8 14 hS i.bS 15 'iM4 .:i;(d3 16
~hl 1-0
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 303-4)
J) Transformation
The transformation of one position-type into a
fundamentally different one is among the most
difficult positional themes in chess. During a
game of chess we perform many exchanges
which are quite obvious to us. They do not
substantially alter the character the position
and so, if they seem natural to us, we generally
do not have to think about them for very long.
Sometimes, however, there are sharp, forced
exchanges that alter the character of the position
very substantially. We call such transactions
'transformations'. Whereas the elements
of time and space play a great role in any transformation
that takes place in the middlegame, a
transformation in the endgame mostly involves
the creation of a new, unbalanced distribution
of material. In the following example, Black
has at least a slight advantage because of his
queenside pawn-majority.
B
E4.34
How would you deal with the
threat to the e5-pawn?
*/
4.27
R.Hubner - A.Karpov
Tifburg 1977
As Karpov proved, however, his pieces are
also better placed to fight for the c-file. With a
little combination he transformed the position
into a won endgame:
1 ... i.h6! 2 e3
Forced - White has no choice but to allow
the following combination. Not 2 .:i;(fdl? ~xcl
3 i.xc I lbc:3 4 l:te I .:i;(c8 5 lbb3 i.xc 1 6 lbxc I
lbb5 7 a4 lbc:3 -+.

THE RIGHT
EXCHANGE
IOI
2 .•• ~xe3!
Of course' Black wins a rook and two pawns
for bishop and knight, which is more than sufficient.
3 fxe3 ~xe3+ 4 @f3 ~xfl 5 ~xfl !txcl
Here Black forces this exchange mainly to
seize the c-file. However, it is generally accepted
that, with the present distribution of material,
the exchange of a pair of rooks generally
favours the side with the two rooks.
6 ~xcl ~c8!
The black rook becomes active, taking advantage
of the fact that the white pieces are momentarily
uncoordinated and also eyeing the
important a3-pawn.
7 ~b2~c2!
After 7 ... e5? 8 ~e3! White overprotects the
invasion point c2, after which he can still offer
strong resistance.
8 ~xf6 :Sa2 9 'ite3 ~a3
The rook has cleared the way for his a- and
b-pawns. Now Black should win.
10 ~d2 b5 ll toe4 b4? (D)
Carelessly played; Black complicates his
task. Now the white king gains access to the
c4-square and holds up the black passed pawns
for the time being. 11.. .a5 was more precise.
18 ~e7 e5
To break down White's defences, Black must
bring his king into the game.
19 g4 ~cl+ 20@b3@d5 21..tgS ~bl+ 22
@c2~hl
Again threatening ... a4.
23 @b3 ~3! 24 ~f6+
24@c2a4-+.
24 ... @d4 25 ~xh7 ~xd3+ 26 @c2 a4
Now the advance of the black passed pawns
can no longer be prevented.
27 ~e7 ~c3+ 28 @bl 1k7 O·l
Exercises
(Solutions on page 304)
E4.36 /***
How is this position with Black
to move to be evaluated?
12 @d4 as 13 Wc4
White threatens to trap the black rook with
14 ~b2 ~a2 15 @b3.
13 •• J:fa2 14 h4 @c6 15 ~d4 ~e2 16 .i.e5
lXel 17 ~f6 libl
Black threatens to get his pawns moving
with ... a4.
E4.37 /**
Black to play and win.

102 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
E4.38 /**
Black is clearly better, but at the moment
White threatens both Jlxa5 and l2:ld3.
Demonstrate good technique!
K) What is Important is
What is Left on the
Board, Not What
Disappears
From this it follows that the only important
thing is to assess the position that arises. It is
irrelevant whether your own piece was more
powerful than the enemy piece.
prizes. The vital question is how can White
make progress.
I l2:lxd7+!!
After this exchange, the way is open for all
White's pieces, whereas Black can do little
more than defend passively. 1 g4? Ab5 2 g5
l2:lh5 gives Black unnecessary counterplay.
I ... l:!.xd7 2 l;I.cl ± l;I.d6 3 llc7 l2:ld7 4 l;I.e2 g6
5 'it>f2 hS 6 f4 h4 7 'it>f3 fS?
7 ... d4 was more tenacious.
8@e3d4+
8 ... 'it>e7 9 l;I.ec2 +-.
9 'it>d2 l2:lb6 IO l;I.ee7 l2:ld5 11 ~f7+ ©eS 12
l;I.b7 l2:lxb4
12 ... l;I.bS 13 ~a7 l;I.a8 14 l;I.x.a8+ @xf7 15
Jlc4 +-.
13 Jlc4 I-O
L) Avoiding an
Unfavourable Exchange
Obviously, when two pieces are placed such
that they can be exchanged, you should not necessarily
exchange them. Yet in games between
weaker players we see such captures being
made time after time, almost without thinking.
How important it can sometimes be to resist
this temptation is illustrated in the following
examples.
B
4.28
R.Fischer - T.Petrosian
811e11os Aires Ct (7) 1971
At first sight the white knight on c5 dominates
the scene. But in chess there are no beauty
4.29
I. .. Jlc8!
G.Sosonko - A.Karpov
Waddinxveen 1979

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 103
Karpov shows a profound feeling for strategy
and retains his bishop-pair. The present pawnstructure
means that there will be play on both
wings and so, with the open centre. the bishoppair
will exert strong pressure. The light-squared
bishop will thus have an especially important
role to play. After I ... il.xg2? 2 @xg2 it is not at
all clear who is better. The white king comes to
the centre more quickly than its opposite number
and also the black queenside pawns might
prove weak.
2 il.e4 il.d4 3 lbd3 as 4 @g2 fS!
Black forces the exchange of the e5-pawn,
which is favourable to him since otherwise this
pawn restricts Black's activity. This exchange
brings about an opening of the centre, which on
principle favours the owner of the bishop-pair.
4 ... il.a6 5 f4 il.xd3? 6 il.xd3 il.xb2 would of
course be a clearly erroneous exchange and not
at all what Karpov had in mind. In view of the
opposite-coloured bishops, despite the win of a
pawn the position would be drawn.
5 exf6
5 il.f3 il.a6 6 il.e2 il.xb2! (naturally not
6 ... il.xd3?? 7 il.xd3 il.xbH) 7 lbxb2 il.xe2-+.
5 ... gxf66 g4@f87 b3'i&e7 8 @g3@d6 (D)
9 ... il.d7 10 h3 il.bS 11 f3
11 'i&g3!? il.c3 12 @f4 il.d2+ 13 @g3 il.d7
and White cannot prevent the advance ... f5: 14
lbb2 (14 f4!?) 14 ... @eS 15 lbc4+ @xe4 16
lbxd2+ @d4 +.
11 ... il.d7 12 @g3
12 lbel? il.f2!! 13 lbd3 e5+ !4 lbxe5 fxe5#.
12 ... rs 13 gxf5 exf5 14 il.b7 il.bS 15 lbel
il.c3 16 lbc2 il.d3
Now White loses the a2-pawn and quickly
goes under.
17 lbe3 @c5 18 lbc4 a4 19 @f4 il.xc4 20
bxc4 b3 21 axb3 a3 0-1
w
4.30
V.Loglnov - V.Orlov
St Petersburg 1996
Black first centralizes his king. With the
bishop-pair and an open centre this is generally
not difficult to achieve.
9@f4
Now Black must destroy the ideal white defensive
set-up of d3-knight plus e4-bishop. This
will be achieved by playing .. .f5 at an opportune
moment.
White has not only an extra pawn, but also a
great positional advantage, since the black king
position is considerably weakened. How should
White continue?
1 '&dl!
Excellent. White must absolutely avoid the
exchange of queens, since the simplest way to
exploit the weakened black king position is to
use the queen to attack it. After I '&xe4? l;lxe4 2
le'!.b I Black's hopes of a draw would still be very
much alive. Without the queens, the weakness
of the black king position would no longer be
relevant and rook endings are sometimes very
drawish, With 2 ... a5 ! ? • for example, Black could
try to exchange the queenside pawns, after
which the position would be an easy draw.
1. .. le'!.e82E.{d4

104 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
One is perhaps first inclined to play 2 l'td2, to
exchange the active rook. But Loginov understands
the position better. To begin with he retains
all the major pieces on the board, to be
able to take maximum advantage of the weakened
black king position. After 2 ~d2? l:tel 3
l;!.xel ~xel+ 4 'i!'/xel l:txel+ 5 @g2 l;!.e4 Black
has legitimate hopes of a successful defence.
2 .. .'&fS 3 'il,.f4 ~es 4 ~d7 'l!le7 5 ~g4+ ©h7
6 l:tdl (D)
11 'il,.g4+
II l:te4!?.
ll ...@h8
11...©f8 12 \1!1ih7! +- (12 l:te4!? ~g5 13
\1!1ih7 ~g7 14 ~xg7+ Wxg7 15 'il,.e7 +- wins
also).
12 l:te4 ~f8 13 ~f6+ @g8 14 l;l.e7 'il,.b8 15
l:tc7
Zugzwang.
15 ... ~e8 16 ~xh6 \'!1ie4+ 17 f3 '®'e2+ 18
@h3 '®'xf319 ~cS 1-0
In the next game, Yusupov skilfully prevents
exchanges.
6 ... ~el+?
An erroneous exchange. Now Black needs
this rook for defence. 6 ... l;l.e6 ±.
7 l;!.xel \1!1ixel+ 8 Wg2
In view of Black's weakened king position
and passively-placed pieces, White should win.
8 W'e7
8 l:te7 9 ~f5+ 'it>g8 10 'il,.g4+ ©f8 11 \1!1ih7
+-.
9 as l:td810 \'!1ff5+@g7 (DJ
1 e3!
White does not want to exchange any pieces,
in order to retain his full attacking potential.
I...'il,.d6 2 h4 h6 3 'il,.e4 'fl,.fd8 4 .i.h3!
Preventing the exchange of rooks.
4 @f7
4 e5?! 5 Wg2 l;l.di 6 1:txdl l;l.xdl 7 .i.c8 ±
(Yusupov in Informator).
5@g2
Enabling the activation of the fl-rook without
allowing an exchange by means of ... 'il,.dJ+.
5 .. Ae8 6 l:tcl!? 'il,.e7 7 l:tc2 b6?
This deprives the knight of its secure support-point
and makes an unprovoked weakness
of the light squares. 7 ... l;l.ed7 8 l;!.c5 a6 9 h5 t.
81:tf4@g6
8 ... Wg8?9ltld2e51Ql;!.fc4tbcl8 l l ltle4±.

THE RIGHT EXCHANGE 105
9 g4! sLal
9 .. .lbe5?! 10 g5 and then:
a) 10 ... hxg5? 11 hxg5 lbd3 12 gxf6 lbxf4+ B
13 exf4 ..t>xf6 (13 ... gxf6? 14 f5+! +-) 14 lbg5
+-.
b) 10 ... lbd3 11 ltg4 (11 h5+!?) 1 l...sLb2
(11...sLal 12 ..t>h I ±) 12 h5+ ..t}f7 13 ..t>g3 ±.
10 ltcl sLb2 11 ltc2 ..tal 12 a4!? lbes 13
lbxeS+
White can no longer avoid the exchange, but
his attack continues unabated.
13 ••. ..txeS 14 ltf8 ltdd7?! 15 f4 'JJ.c7 (D)
Now there is nothing to be done against the
while attack. Only 20 ... g6 still offered any
chance.
21 ..t>f3 ID"7 22 !!.h8 es 23 ..tg4 exf4 24 !!.dS!
With the fatal threat of sLh5#.
24 ••• fxe3+ 25 ..t>g3 1-0
Exercise
(Solution on page 304)
16!!.d2
White evades the exchange, so as not to diminish
his attacking potential.
16 ... ..tcJ 17 !!.d6 ~h7 18 gS hxgS?
Further resistance was possible only with
18 ... g6.
19 hxgS sLb4?
An error, but his position was already very
difficult.
20!!.ddS? (D)
Missing a forced mate: 20 g6+! ! ..t>h6 21
sLf5 exf5 22 !l.h8#.
20 ... 'i&g6?
E4.39 **/
Is I b5 a good choice?

5 Thinking in Schemes
I know at sight what a position contains. What
could happen? What is going to happen? You
figure it out. I know it!
JOSE RAUL CAPABLANCA
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to
victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before
defeat.
SUNTZU
On the one hand, chess is a very concrete game,
in which even the smallest alteration to a position
can have important repercussions; on the
other hand it would be hardly possible for humans
to master the game if they could not make
use of certain schemes and rules of thumb. In
the endgame, a schematic way of thinking is
particularly appropriate. By this we mean the
ability to recognize desirable positions and
piece set-ups, and then work out a plan to reach
them. If you ask a grandmaster about the assessment
of an endgame position, you won't
generally hear any concrete variations at first,
but rather phrases such as "If White succeeds in
exchanging the rooks he should win" or "If
Black manages to put his bishop on the long diagonal,
he has a certain draw".
Typical themes and issues that lend themselves
to schematic thinking are, for example:
• how to match the pieces with the pawn-structure
• optimal deployment of the pieces or improving
the piece set-up
• consideration of the right exchange
• fortresses
• weak squares
• knight outposts
• pure opposite-coloured bishop endings
Of course, when applying this way of thinking,
it is absolutely essential not to think about
the position in too static a manner - on no account
should you neglect the dynamic factors.
A) Target Positions
If you have everything under control, but are at
a loss how to make progress. it is sometimes
beneficial just to visualize desirable target positions
and only then to examine whether and
how you can achieve them.
5.01
M.Karttunen - V.Rasik
Rethym11011 ECC 2003
In view of the wrong rook's pawn, White
cannot allow his knight to be exchanged. But
then how can he win? If you try to find a win
here by concrete calculation alone, you wilJ immediately
realize that this is by no means easy.
Instead of wasting time on difficult computations,
it is much more sensible here for White to
think about the best possible arrangement for
the pieces. Black's bishop is already restricted
as much as possible; the knight will need to
support promotion threats, so the idea comes of
sticking the king on b5 and the knight on d5. In
fact, once this set-up has been achieved, the win
is quite easy.
I...'i:tla8 2 'i:tldS 'i:tlb73 .ii.d4@a8 4 logs 'i:tlb7
5 loe6 i.h2 6 'i:tlc4 .ii.g3 7 'i:tlbS .ii.h2 8 i.b6

THINKING
IN SCHEMES
107
.ig3 9 lt:lc5+ ct;>a8 10 lt:le4 .ih2 ll 4Jc3 @b7
12 .id4 .ig3 13 4Ja4 .ih2 14 .if2 .af4?!
This makes it easy for White. 14 ... .ic7! 15
lt:lc3 (D) and now the black bishop can twist
and tum all it likes, but there is no escape, as
Hecht showed in CBM:
B
22 .ad4 @c8 23 .i.a7 @d8 24 4Jd5
The first step on the W; the knight will end
up on g7, via e7-f5, each time preventing the
black king from heading back to the safe a8-
comer. From e7 the knight controls c8 and from
o. e8.
24 ... We8 25 @d6 @f7 26 lt:le7 Wf6 27 .i.e3
@f7 28 .i.d4 @e8 29 @e6 Wd8 30 .i.b6+ @e8
314Jf5 Wf8 32 .i.c7@e8 33 lt:lg7+ Wf8 34@f6
@g8 35 .ad6 @h7 36 lt:lr5 @gs 37 @g6 @h8
38 .i.c5 1-0
B) Make a Wish!
This theme is closely related to the last section
on target positions, only in this case you allow
your creativity completely free rein.
a) 15 ... .ih2 16 4Jd5 .i.d6 (16 ... .i.e5 17 lt:lb6 B
is similar) !7 4Jb6 Wxa7 l 8 lt:lc8++ +-.
b) 15 ... .i.e5 16 00 .ah2 17 @a5 (zugzwang)
+-.
c) 15 ... .i.d8 !6lt:ld.5 .ig5 (16 ... Wa8 17@a6
+-) 17 4Jc7 +-.
15 lt:lb6 Wxa7 16 lt:ld5+ @b717 lt:lxf4 @c7
18 .ic5 @b7 19 lt:ld5 @b8 20 @c6 @a8 21
lt:lc7+Wb8(D)
Now we have achieved the standard position,
in which the famous 'W-manoeuvre' of
the white knight comes into effect (incidentally,
this is also very schematic).
5.02
N.Vlasov - D.Sokolov
Alushta 1994
At first sight White's defensive set-up seems
impregnable, but we should not give up so easily.
Which black piece could still be improved?
That's right: the king. But where would the
king go if he had a free choice of any square on
the board? Obviously: to a5, since then the b5-
pawn would fall. From this a clear plan can be
formed, one which is achievable:
1 ... We4 2 .i.d3+ @e3 3 .an .ae6 4 .i.d3
.ag4 5 .ag6 h2 6 .i.e8 sn 7 .i.c6
Also after the more tenacious 7 .i.d7!? there
is a way through: 7 ... @e2 8 @c2.ag2 9 .i.f5
@el 10 .ag6 .af3 11 @cl (11 .i.f5 .i.dl+ 12

108 HOW TO PL4.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
@c3 .lie2 13 .lid? @di -+) l l...h2 12 .lie8
.lid3 13 .lic6 - so far Vlasov and Shipov in
Informator. Our analysis continues 13 ... @e2
14 .lid7 @e3 15 .lic6 Wd4 16@b2 c4 17 .lies
c3+ 18 @b3 .lie4 19 .lih5 @d3 20 .lid! @d2
-+.
7 •.•@e2 8 @c2 .lih3 9 .lie8 .\ifs+ 10 @c3
@dl 11.lihS+ @cl 12 .lie2 @bl 13 .lic4
13 Wb3 .lie6+ 14 @c3 'it>a2 -+.
13 ...@al 14@b3 .libl! 15 @a3
15 @c3 .lia2 16 .lid3 .lid5 intending ... @a2-
a3-a4-a5 -+ and 15 h2 .lia2+ 16 'i&a3 .lids 17
.\id3 .1l.e6 (zugzwang) 18 .lie4 .lic4 19 .lic6
@bl -+ are both lines given by Vlasov and
Shipov.
1S ....lic2 16 .lie2 @bl 17 .lifl
The stalemate trick 17 .lid!!? is answered by
17 ... @cl!. ·
17 •••@cl 18 .\ic4 .lidl 19 .lie6 .lie2 20 .lid7
@c2 21 .lic6@c3 22 .lid7 c4 23 .lic6 @d2 0-1
6@h6
White has reached the haven of his dreams
and can now set the b-pawn rolling.
6 ••. ndS7b4
7 l:l.b7+ @f6 8 lile7 l:l.d3 9 lilxg6 .lhg3 10
lilf4+-.
7 •.. .\idl (D)
7 ... .\if5 8 b5 .lie4 9 l:l.b7 + @f6 IO l:l.b8 @f7
11 b6 l:l.b5 12 l:l.b7+ Wf6 13 l:l.d7 +-.
8 bS .lia4 9 lila7 .\ic2 10 nc6 .lie4 11 b6
11 lilc8 would have won more quickly.
u ... nd812 l:l.c8 Z!d3 13 li\c6 hc614 l!c7+
Ad71Sb7l:l.b316~d7+@e617l:l.g7@f518
l:l.xg6 l:l.xb7 19 l:l.gS+ @f6 20@xh5 1-0
5.03
Av.Bykhovsky - M.Roiz
Israeli Cht 2004
The white king would very much like to support
the attack, without being harassed by the
enemy rook. But before the king can set off for
g5 or h6, the knight must be posted in a more
central position:
1 l2Jd4 l:l.dl 2@e3 l:l.el+ 3 @f4 l:l.dl 4 lilc6
Z!fl+ s WgS ru-5+?
Only the bold 5 ... @e6! ! held out any promise
of salvation, based on the activity of Black's
pieces.
C) Improving the Position of
a Piece and Makogonov's
Principle
If there is no question of a race, and if there is
no obvious candidate move, then Makogonov's
Principle, that you should improve the position
of your worst-placed piece, can come in very
useful. You could even get into the habit of extending
this to sounding out all your pieces, to
check whether they are happy and have options
for the future. If a piece is in a very flexible position
and can quickly come into action, anywhere
on the board, then generally this piece is
well-placed. But if a piece is going to be tied
down for a long time performing a not so important
function, then it should always be regarded

THINKING
IN SCHEMES
109
as a candidate for improvement. Quite often
improving the knight is the key to solving the
problem of the position.
7 ... ltJxc5 8 ltJxc5 na& was more tenacious,
but of course Black is strategically busted.
8 ltJb4 ~b7 9 ltJxb7 nhxb7 10 .l;ixc6 as 11
nxb6 axb4 12 nxb7 .l:Ixb7 13 nxb4 1-0
In the next example too, things very much
turn on the prospects of both sides' knights.
B
5.04
J.Capablanca - J.Mieses
Bad Kissingen 1928
In this 'Karlsbad' pawn-structure, d3 and d6
are ideal squares for knights, since from there
they can be redeployed quickly and flexibly on
both wings.
1 ~1! @e8 2 ltJd3 nbs 3 f3 ne7 4 @f2
ltJf8 5 .l:Ib3 ltJd7 6 g4 bS?
If Black remained passive with, for example,
6 ...@d8, then White could open a second front
on the kingside, when the d3-knight would again
render good service: 7 h4 a5 8 ltJb6 ltJxb6 9
.l:Ixb6 na& 10 ltJf4 @d7 11 g5 ±.
7 ltJacS (D)
B
7 ••. ltJb6?
5.05
Em.Lasker - J.Capablanca
St Petersburg 1914
1. .. ~b7?
Now the e6-square and the d6-pawn will be
very weak. Instead it was much better to keep
the pawn-structure as it is and bring all the
pieces to good squares, as Capablanca indicated
after the game: l...~xf4! 2 nxf4 c5! 3
.!:id 1 ~b7 4 nr2 nad8 5 .l:Ifd2 nxd2 6 l!xd2
ltJc6 7 nd7 .l:Ic8 and in view of his activity and
the great e5-square for his knight Black stands
no worse. This schematic evaluation works well
here. Of course, you should still always verify
this with some concrete variations.
2 ~xd6 cxd6 3 ltJd4 nad8?
3 ... ~c8 was necessary. Capablanca underestimates
the power of the knight landing on e6.
4 ltJe6 nd7 5 ~ad 1 ltJc8 6 nr2 bS 7 nrd2
'1de7 8 b4 @f7 9 a3 ~a8?!
9 ... ~xe6 IO fxe6+ nxe6 was by far the least
of the evils, even though White retains good
winning chances.
10@f2 na7 11 g4 h612 nd3 aS?
Ultimately the opening of the a-file just helps
White, whose forces can more easily exploit it
owing to his space advantage.

110 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
13 h4 axb4 14 axb4 13ae7 15 @f3 .§.g8 16
@f4 g617 .§.g3 gS+ 18@f3 lt:lb619 hxgS hxgS
20 .§.h3! .§.d7 21 ©g3 @e8 22 .§.dhl i..b7 ( D)
23e5!
A beautiful clearance sacrifice, which allows
the last white piece to join in the attack powerfully
via e4.
23 ... dxeS 24 tbe4 lt:ldS 25 lt:l6c5 i..c8 26
lt:lxd7 i..xd7 27 .§.h7 ms 28 1331 <Bd8 29
.§.38+ i..c8 30 lt:lcS 1-0
D) Plans
Developing very elaborate long-term plans in
the opening and in the middlegame is generally
inappropriate, since too much depends on what
the opponent does. In the endgame, however, it
can be a very different story, especially if the
opponent has no real counterplay.
In the following diagram, White's winning
plan consists of the following steps:
Step 1: knight to f5;
Step 2: king to e5;
Step 3: king to e6;
Step 4: threaten to transfer the knight to e7,
which leads to the diversion of both defenders
and consequently to the win of the d5-pawn
which, with the active white king, will decide
the game.
1 lt:lg6 i..g2 2 lt:lh4 i..hl
The pawn ending after 2 ... i..h3 3 lt:lf5+ is
hopeless for Black. since after 3 ... i..xf5 4 @xf5
the white king is on a key square with respect to
5.06
Original
the d5-pawn: 4 ... @d7 5 @e5 @c6 6 @e6@c7 7
@xd5+-.
3 lt:lfS+ ©d7 4 @es i..e4 S lt:le3 @c6 6 @e6
i..f3 7 lt:lfS i..g4 8 @es @d7
Now both black pieces are out of position
and 9 lt:le3 +- is decisive.
End games with rook vs bishop are similar to
knight vs bishop endgames where the side with
the knight is in control.
5.07
J.Speelman - I.Nataf
Esbjerg 2001
Speelrnan's plan is as follows: first he fixes
the enemy pawns on dark squares, and then he
keeps using the same zugzwang-based scheme
over and over again to force back the black
king:

THINKING
IN SCHEMES
Ill
1 f4! gxf4 2 @f3JI.es 3 @e4@e7 4 .§.bl @f6
5 llxb6@e6 6 f3 (DJ
@h7 20 @f7 .i.d4 21 l!xd6 .i.e3 22 .§.g6 .i.f2
23 @f6 .i.e3 24 @gS .i.d2 25 .§.d6 .i.e3 26
.§.d7 + @g8 27 @f6 .i.b6 28 @g6 1-0
Of course, a plan can also be very long-term
and include many intermediate goals.
Now, owing to White's light-squared domination
and zugzwang, Black will be forced further
and further back. The underlying scheme is
typical of the struggle of a rook against a bishop
which lacks targets.
6 ... @f6 7 .§.c6 @e6 8 g{a6 @f6 9 @dS @f7
10 g{a7+@f6 ll l!d7@g5 12 .§.d8 (D)
5.08
N.Rashkovsky-A.Orlov
St Petersburg 1999
1 '&bS!
White should exchange all the major pieces,
so that his king can then penetrate the queenside
unhindered. In contrast, the minor pieces
should all remain on the board, at least for the
time being, so that White's space advantage can
play its part.
l...'i¥xb5 2 lZ:lxbS lbb6
Also after 2 ... .i.e7 3 lbc4 ± Black would not
be able to delay the exchange of rooks for long.
3 l!xa8 lbxa8 4 lbc4 .i.e7 5 @f2 lbac7 (D)
12 ••• @h4
12 ...@f6 13 l!e8 @f7 14 X!e6 @f8 15 lt;e4
@f7 16 @f5 @f8 17 @g6 (zugzwang) +- was
given by Hazai in CBM. We continue the analysis
as follows: 17 ... .i.c3 I 8 l!xd6 ©e7 (18 ... .i.e5
J 9 .§.d5 .i.c7 20 l!d7 .i.e5 21 @f5 +-) 19 g{dJ
'i!Je6 20@g5 .i.e5 21 ~el lt;d5 22@f5 Jl..c7 23
!l.e4+-.
13 .§.g8 @hS 14 .§.g4 @h6 15 @e6 @hS 16
@rs lt;h6 17 l!g2 <&>h7 18 l!g6 @h8 19 @e6

112 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
6lt':ia7!
Naturally White declines to exchange, since
the black pieces are treading on each other's
toes. In fact this example could also have ended
up in the section 'Converting an Advantage
(Space Advantage)'.
6 •.• h5
6 ... lt':if6 7 q.>f3 ..tf8 8 ..td2 h5 9 ..ta5 lt':ice8 10
h3 ±.
7 '.t>e2 <Bf7 8 @d3 lt':ia6 9 lt':ic8 lt':iac7 IO
..td2 lt':ib5 11 lt':ia5 lt':if6
1 l...lt':iec7 12 lt':ic6 ..tf8 13 _ta5 lt':ie8 14
lt':id8+ q.>f6 15 lt':ie6 ..te7 16 c3 (zugzwang) +-
(Alterman in CBM).
12 lt':ib7 lt':ie8 13 ..ta5 lt':id4 14 c3 c4+ 15
q.>xc4 lt':ic2 16 q.>b5 lt':ie3 17 q.>c6 lt':ixg2 18
lt':ibxd6+ lt':ixd6 19 lt':ixd6+ q.,(6 20 lt':ic4 g5 21
d6 g4 22 dxe7 q.>xe7 23 lt':ixe5 lt':ie3 24 ..tc7
lt':in 25 lt':ig6+ q.>f6 26 lt':ih4 q.>g5 21 lt':ig2 1-0
B
E5.02 /*
How did Black demonstrate to his opponent
the hopelessness of his situation?
In conclusion, we should once more like to
give you a warning:
1) No amount of thinking in schemes can
completely rule out the need for concrete calculation.
2) You should not think in too static terms
and should never rule dynamic possibilities out
of consideration.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 305-7)
E5.03 **/
How can White further improve his position?
E5.0l **/
How should White make progress?
E5.04 ***/
Work out a winning plan for White.

THINKING
IN SCHEMES
113
E5.05 /***
Which concept did Black employ
to breach White's defences?
E5.06 r=:
The position hangs in the balance;
find the right way for Black.

6 Weaknesses
Try to saddle your opponent with the sort of
pawn-formation that will give him problems.
ARON NJMZOWTTSCH
A weakness is a defect in the position which is
of a long-term nature. As a rule, weaknesses
consist of squares, pawns or whole complexes
of squares which can no longer be defended by
their own pawns. However, the opponent must,
at least in the long term, be in a position to take
advantage of the weakness; otherwise the term
is inappropriate. But you should not fool yourself:
it is not enough for you just to follow an
active plan, to which the opponent must keep
reacting, with the result that your weakness is
not directly noticeable at first. As soon as the
initiative runs out and the dynamic possibilities
diminish, any static weakness generally becomes
all the more significant.
A) Pawn- and Square-
Weaknesses
Al) Pawn Weaknesses
Ala) Isolated Pawns
A pawn on a half-open file with no friendly
pawns on the two neighbouring files is called
an isolated pawn. Since such a pawn always
needs the protection of pieces, it tends to become
a weakness, and especially quickly in the
endgame. In the following example, first White
prevents any counterplay and then he takes aim
at the black pawn weaknesses one by one, especially
the isolated c-pawn, condemning the
black pieces to passivity:
1 'fl.cl cS 2 'i!:i>e3 'i!:i>f7 3 'll.c4 X!d7 4 l1a4 hS 5
na6'll.c7
5 ... c4 6 'll.c6'll.d3+ 7 @e4 'll.xh3 8 lt:ld4 'll.h2 9
'll.c7+ ~e8 10 loxe6 +-
.. •.• ,.
~--~---
-
~
•
~
R r~ •
w ~J ...... .,.­, .....,.,
••• .. -
~ ~
~
~~
~­ ·lb= '"'1 ~. i
~~."'---~~.
=~L __ • ~ ~
6.01
Ki.Georgiev - l.lvanlsevle
Topola 2004
6 lt:lc3 c4 7 lt:lbS 'll.d7
7 ... l!b7 8 a4 +-.
8'i!:i>e4!
Black can no longer hold his weak pawn.
8 ....tcs 9 'll.c6 a6 10 lZ\d6+ .txd6 11 exd6
@f612 'i!:i>d4a5
12 ... 'i!:i>fS 13 @xc4 @xf4 14 'i!:i>c5 e5 15 'll.c7
'l1d8 16 d7 e4 17 'i!:i>d6 +-.
13 'i!:i>xc4 'll.b714 'll.c81-0
By the way, it is absolutely typical that positions
with many pawn weaknesses are particularly
suitable for knights, since in that case they
have more secure bases and can frequently gain
the upper hand, at least if the opponent has few
or no dynamic possibilities available. However,
with an unweakened structure, the side with
the bishop can operate more easily against the
knight, as, for example, in 9.0 I Englisch-Steinitz.
Further examples of a weak isolated pawn
in the endgame, as well as the techniques of
blockade and siege, are 4.29 Fischer-Petrosian
and I 7 .09 Rublevsky-L utier,

WEAKNESSES 115
Alb) Doubled Pawns
Isolated doubled pawns are especially weak.
6.02
A.Yusupov - L.Christiansen
Las Pa/mas 1993
First White brings all his pieces into better
positions for a siege:
1 ltJel! tZ)e8 2 lt:id.3 tZ)d6 3 Af2 b6 4 Ag3
tZ)f7 5 a4 aS?
This gives White a potential pawn-break to
open a second front. 5 ... @f6 was indicated.
6 ~cl! @f6 7 b4 ~d8 (D)
7 ... axb4 8 cxb4 tZ)d4+ 9 @e3 c6 IO a5 bxa5
11 bxa5 ~a7 12 tZ)xe5 tZ)xe5 13 Le5+ @xe5
14 ~c5+ +- (Yusupov in Informatori.
9 ••• ~b8
9 ... ~c8 IO c4 c5 11 bxc6 ~xc6 12 c5 bxc5 13
~xc5 ~xc5 14 tZ)xc5 tZ)c6 15 tZ)b7 +- (Yusupov).
10c4
Now the opening of a second front can no
longer be prevented.
10 ••• cS 11 tZ)xcS
11 .txc5! bxc5 12 tZ)xc5 }'.ld8 13 tZ)b3 was
probably a simpler win.
11 ... bxcS 12 Axes tZ)d8 13 i.d6 ~b7 14
~dl tZ)dc6 15 bxc6 tZ)xc6 16 AcS ~b2+ 17
.!ad2 ~b3 18 ~d6 l:i:Je7 19 i.b6 tZ)g6 20 AxaS
tZ)f4+ 21 @d2 tZ)xg2 22 cS ltJeJ 23 Ad8+ @f7
24 ~d3 tZ)c4+ 25 @c2 ~b8
25...~d3 26 @xd3 tZ)b2+ 27 @c2 tZ)xa4 28
i.b6 +- (Yusupov),
26 c6 @e8 27 c7 ~a8 28 ~c3 tZ)b6 29 as
~xaS 30 c8"& 1-0
If the doubled pawn is part of a compact
pawn-mass, things are generally not so simple,
since they often provide support-points for
pieces; the pawns themselves have great resilience
and do not constitute a static weakness.
However, only rarely do they exhibit any dynamism.
S.Rublevsky - Y.Geller
Russian Cht (Soehl) 2004
8 bS tZ)e7 9 Af2!
Important prophylaxis, since the immediate 9
cd? could be answered by 9 ... c5 ! IO bxc6 tZ)xc6.
The black structure is still compact, but he
must watch out for White eventually playing
b5.
l ... ~e8?!

116 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Black should instead give urgent priority to
activating the passive rook on b7: l...Wc7 2
li'!d4 Wb8 (Postny in CBM) with the plan of
.. ..!k7-c8-e8, and White's advantage is only
slight.
2 li'!d4 h5 3 lilb3 l:te7 4 li'!cS l:tc7 5 h4
White is in no rush and first fixes the kingside
favourably for his bishop. Next he will activate
his king.
5 .•• l:te5 6 lh6 l:te8 7 .ie2 We5 8 @el d6 9
lild3+ We610 a4l:tb8 (D)
w
w
11 b5!
A decisive undermining of Black's structure.
ll ... §.b6
After 11...cS 12 .if3 d4 13 .ic6 (Postny)
White dominates the position.
12.!iaS
White rightly avoids the exchange of rooks,
which with this distribution of material is generally
correct, since the white rook is operating
virtually as the conductor of the minor pieces.
12 ... cxbS 13 axb5 §.bb7 14 .if3 l:tc3 15
@d2 l:tb3
Now White can round off the game with a
fine combination:
16.ixdS+! @xd517 b6+Wc418 lh4+ 1-0
Ale) Backward Pawns
A backward pawn is a pawn on a half-open file
that can no longer be protected by another
pawn and the square in front of which can not
be protected either. Such a pawn therefore has
a strong tendency to become a weakness.
1 li'!bl!
Lasker sends his knight on its way to act as a
blockading knight on e5, which will keep the
backward pawn securely blockaded and se-
verely cramp Black.
I...1;lae8
I ... es 2 dxe5 l:tae8 (2 ... l:txe5? 3 l:tf7 +-) 3
li'ld2 is a transposition to the game.
2 li'ld2 lilh6
The following serves as an illustration of a
'siege' of the weaknesses caused by the backward
pawn. In the game Pillsbury dissolved his
backward pawn immediately with 2 ... e5!? but
in return had to accept the activation of the
white knight: 3 dxe5 l:txe5 4 lilf3 l:te3 5 lilg5
l:txg3?! 6 hxg3 h6 7 li'!f7+ @g7 8 li'!d6 l:te7 9
lilxb7 and Lasker prevailed in the end.
3 lilf3 lilf5
3 ... lilf7? 4 l:th3 h6 5 li'!h4 +-.
4 l:tg5 l:tgS 5 l:txgS+ @xg8 6 @d2 1;tg7 7 g3
lild6 s lileS .tes 9 ~f6 1;le7 10 l:th6 ±
Black is paralysed.
Ald) A Pawn that has Advanced
Too Far
Sometimes a far-advanced pawn secures a space
advantage, which can then slowly but surely be
increased (more about this in Chapter 15). But
things can turn out quite differently; the unit
that has strayed far from its base can sometimes
be surrounded, besieged and finally captured.

WEAKNESSES 117
8 ... lilc3? 9 ~xc3 bxc3 JO lilb4 ± (Karpov in
lnformator), since the c3-pawn is too far advanced
and is likely to be very weak.
9 ~xd3 @e7 10 @f2 @d6 11 ~d2 tild7 12
~c4 lil7b6 13 @e2 h5 14 @d3 @c6 15 g3 g6
(DJ
6.05
A.Karpov - U.Andersson
Skellefted 1989
l .. .'&c6?
An amazing error of judgement for an endgame
virtuoso of Andersson's stature. Presumably
he thought that, with only one weakness,
he would be able lo hold the position. In contrast,
1... bxa3 2 bxa3 '&c6 3 ~xc6 i.xc6 offered
very good drawing chances.
2 '&xc6 i.xc6 3 axb4 axb4
A single weakness is usually not much of a
problem, provided that it can be comfortably defended.
Hence the great importance of the principle
of the second weakness, which we shall
consider in Section E of this chapter. But sometimes
even a single weakness can prove fatal.
4 tilf4 lilb6 5 b3 tilfd5 6 lild3 i.bS 7 ~c2
@f88~el (DJ
Now White reaps the harvest:
16 ~xd5+ tilxdS 17 @c4 f5 18 h3 @b6 19
~xb4 lile3+ 20 @d3 tild5 21 ~d2 @b5 22 g4
tilf6 23 ~g5 tildS 24 gxh5 gxh5 25 ~d2 tilf6
26@e3 tild5+ 27 @f2 lile7 (D)
8 ... i.xd3
In view of the strong light-squared blockade
it is now hard for White to breach Black's
defences. Here too the principle of the second
weakness retains its importance. After Karpov's
next move it should definitely be drawn;
however, it remains doubtful whether he had a
significantly better continuation at this point.
28 ~g5?! lilc6

118 How TO PLA y CHESS ENDGAMES
28...ibd5? 29 @g3 @b4 30 @h4 @xb3 31
@xh5 @c4 32 @g6 @xd4 33 h4 +- (Karpov in
lnformator).
29 $.f6f4?
29 ... loa.5 30 b4 (30 @g3 lt:lxb3 31 @h4 lt:ld2
32 f4 lt:le4 33 $.e5 ibf2 also leads to a draw)
30 ... @xb4 31 @g3 lt:lb3 32 @h4 lt:ld2 33 f4
lt:le4 34 $.e7+ 'iSc4 35 @xh5 @xd4 36 @g6 e5
30 @e2 @b4 31 @d3 @xb3 32 @e4 @c4 33
$.e5 lt:le7 34 $.xf4 lt:lc6 35 $.e5 lt:le7 36 h4
lt:ld5 37 $.h8! lt:le7 38 $.g7 lt:lg6 39 $.{6 tors
40@e51-0
A2) Weak Squares
A square that can no longer be defended by a
friendly pawn is weak.
B
ioxd4 3 lt:lxd4 $.b7 4 'IJ.hc l @d7 5 X!c4 a5 6
'!J.acl ±.
2 '!J.acl $.d7 3 '!J.c5 '!J.hc8 4 '!J.hcl f6
4 ... loa7 5 l;!'.xc8 ~xc8 6 '!J.xc8 lt:lxc8 7 @e3
lt:lb6 8 @d4 $.b5 9 loc 1 ± M.Kreuzholz-
F.Kuczera, W.Gennan U-18 Ch (Munster) 1990.
5 @e3 lt:la7?! 6 '!J.xc8 lt:lxc8 7 lt:led4 loa7 8
h4!?
A strong waiting move which impedes a
later ... g5 break.
8 .. .'!J.c8 9 '!J.xc8 $.xc8?1
Now the a7-knight stands offside, since it
should not really be exchanged for a white
knight.
10 ibd2 $.d7 11 lt:12b3 fxe5 12 fxe5 lt:lc6 13
loxc6+ $.xc6 14 g3
White does not rush.
14 ... $.a4 15 @d4 $.b5 16 a3 bxa3 17 bxa3
@f7 18 loc5 a5 l 9 lt:lb7 @g6 20 lbxa5 @f5 21
lt:lb7 L6 22 loc5 $.c8 23 a4 @g4 24 a5 @xg3
25 loxe6! @xh4 26 loxg7 @g5 27 @xd5 1-0
B) A Complex of Weak
Squares
One weak square often turns into a whole complex
of weak squares. This is especially often
the case if the pawns are fixed on squares of one
colour and the bishop of the opposite colour has
been exchanged.
6.06
Reefat bin Satter - E.Hossain
Dhaka 1999
White will abstain from playing d4 and instead
will use the important d4-square as a transit-point
for his pieces.
1. .. @e7
l...a5 2 ~ac l @d7 3 lt:led4 lt:lxd4 4 lt:lxd4
$.a6 5 'it>e3 l;!'.hc8 6 lt:lb3 '!J.c7 7 '!J.xc7+ 'it>xc7 8
'!J.cl+ @b6 9 lod4 ± T.Kiihn-J.K.lemm, Hamburg
U-18 Ch 1994.
On principle, even l...d4 comes into consideration,
to enhance the prospects of the bishop
and to be able to take advantage of the d5-
square. In the present case, however, the compensation
should not be sufficient: 2 lt:lexd4
6.07
M.Adams - C.Lutz
Leon Echt 2001

WEAKNESSES 119
Black sorely misses his dark-squared bishop,
or at least a knight, as we shall see.
1 c4!!
This move completely changes the situation.
1. .. bxc4
After l...dxc4 the rooks penetrate directly: 2
1:!d6+ @g7 3 !le7 ± and the king soon follows.
2 @c3 l!b8 3 ~el !tb5 (DJ
First White exchanges the annoying knight:
1 llJe2 loxe2 2 Axe2 Ac6
Then he brings all his pieces into position:
3 .if3 h4 4 ~d2 @d7 5 ~hdl ~hd8 6 lec4
@c7 (DJ
4 f4!
Before he transfers the struggle to the b-file,
White prophylactically prevents any counterplay.
Good technique!
4 ... Ad7 5 ~ddl Ae6 6 l!bl !las 7 ~b6 rta8
8 ~dl @g79 I!dbl @f610 ~b8 ~7 11 ~lb7
laa6 12 ~d8 ~c6 13 @d4 1-0
Now comes the vital breakthrough which, as
often happens, takes place not on the dominant
colour-complex but on the other:
7 c3! bxc3 8 ~c2
"Black is in a lost position. His weak pawns
and his endangered king tell their own story."
(Wahls).
8 ... d5 9 exd5 e4 10 Axe4
10 dxc6? exf3 11 ~xd8 ~xd8 12 gxf3 Ab4 +
(Ftacnik in CBM).
10 ... Ab411 lexa3 Ab5 (DJ
l l....ixa3 12 ~xc3 ~b6 13 @c2 +-.
6.08
N.Short - P.Popovic
Moscow OL 1994
12 lexb5+ ~xb5 13 lad4 @d6 14 !lc4 ~e8
15 l:re2 !le516 @c2 l:rbxd5 17 ~xb41-0

120 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
The black king has reached the destination
of his dreams. White cannot withstand the pressure
for much longer.
21 Aes .i.gS! 22 lXdl .i.h6 23 nhl .i.f8 24
.i.b8.i.e70-1
The following example is even clearer, since
the attacker also has the bishop-pair (more on
this mighty weapon in Chapter 9):
6.09
B.Belotti -A.Miles
Forti 1991
Black has a pleasant advantage, although
one that should not be sufficient for victory
against precise defence. He is clearly superior
on the light squares and can easily activate his
king.
1...@g7 2 ik2 l!ah8 3 h3 f4 4 .i.d2 Af6 s
.l:'!fcl gS 6 @fl @g6 7 .i.b4 m'S 8 .i.d61Xg8 9
ncs ghh8 10 ~xg8 nxg8 11 @e2 g4 12 hxg4+
!:txg4(DJ
6.10
L.Portisch - M.Krasenkow
Jakarta 1996
Black is hopelessly lost, since his queenside
is full of light-squared holes.
l lt:'ib5 nrdS 2 b4 lt:'ir6 3 f3 lt:'ie8 4 Af21Xdb8
s .i.d7 lt:'iac7 6 na1 (DJ
13@fl?
This passive move allows the black king to
penetrate. 13 Xlg! ngs (13 ... @e4 14 lt:'id2+
@xd4? runs into 15 lXcl) 14 @d3 was necessary.
13. .. ggs 141Xc2@e4151Xe2+
15 b3 a6+.
15 ... @d3161Xd2+ @c4 17 .i.eS Ae7 18 g3
fxg3 19 Axg3 Af6 20 ~e2 @b3
Thanks to his light-squared superiority, White
is able to seize the a-file.
6 ... nxal 7 nxal .i.d2

WEAKNESSES 121
7...lt:ixb5 8 ..llxb5 ..lld2 9 l!a4 lt:ic7 10 ..llc6 b5
11 '!l.a7 lt:ie8 12 l!xf7+ +- (Ftacnik in CBM).
8 lt:ixc7 lt:ixc7 9 bS @g8 10 ua lt:ie8 11 l!a6
lt:if6 12 ..llc6 ..llaS 13 \t;fl \t;f8 14 c;t;e2 @e7 15
c;t;d3 l!c8 16 'f!,a7+ \t;f8 17 \t;c4 l!b8 18 \t;b3
..\ld2 19 !'l.a6 \t;e7
19 ... ..lla520\t;a4\t;e721 l!a7+c;t;f822l!xa5
bxa5 23 .Ila? l!d8 24 b6 +-.
20 ..llxb6 lt:id7 21 ..llf2 lt:ic5+ (D)
Now comes a neat trick, based on the power
of the far-advanced passed pawn.
22 \t;c4! i.h6
22 ... lt:ixa6 23 bxa6 +-.
23 !ia7+ \t;f6 24 na3 ..llf8 25 ..lle3 @g7 26
~a7 c;t>gS 27 ..\ld2 rs 28 exfS gxfS 29 ..llgs e4
30 fxe4 fxe4 31..llf4 lt:id3 32 ..lle3 lt:icS 33 l!a8
1-0
C) Creating and Fixing a
Weakness
6.11
J.Ehlvest - L.Christiansen
New York 2003
2l!d5..llf8
Or: 2 ... l!a6 3 l!cc5 +-; 2 ... l!e6 3 l!c7 b6 4
l!b7 +-.
3 ..llb6 ..llh6 4 l!c7 l!xc7 5 ..llxc7 l!c8 6
..llxaS l!cl+ 7 \t;g2 l!c2 8 i.b6 ..llg7 9 l!d8+
1-0
Often it is a matter of fixing pawns on the colour
of the opponent's bishop.
la4!
White fixes the queenside, intending to target
the black pawns. At the same time, White
prevents Black from relieving his position by
pawn exchanges.
1. .• hS
Active counterplay with I ... ..llb2 does not
help either, since after 2 !ic2 ..lla3 3 l!d.5 ..llb4 4
..\lg5! net+ 5 \t;g2 l!bl 6 l!c7 ± (Postny in
CBM) both white rooks would be active.
6.12
M. Taimanov - von Elst
USSR 1953
First White fixes f5 as a weakness, which simultaneously
restricts the bishop. After that he
wins by opening the queenside, which is a typical
application of the principle of the second
weakness.
1 f4 h6 2 b4 l!e7 3 'it;f2 ssn
3 ... c5 4 lt:ic2 ..lle6 5 ..llfl b6 ;t.

122 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
4 .§.bl @gl 5 a4 c5 6 4Je2 .ba4?
6 ... .i.c6 7 .i.xc6 bxc6 8 b5 ± and 6 ... ,i.e6 7
l;l'.c2 4Jd8 8 a5 f!.c7 9 b5 ± are more resilient.
7b5 l;l'.fe6
7 ... axb5 8 4Jc3 +-.
8 4Jc3 axbS 9 cxb5 !txe3 10 4JdS gxf4 11
gxf4 l-O
Every pawn move creates a weakness, since
pawns cannot be moved backwards. So can it
can be worth investing a good deal of time to
provoke a weakening pawn move.
.§.c6 (6 .. .f5 7 f4 .i.f6 8 l;l'.d6+ @e7 9 .§.b6 .i.xh4
10 fxe5 ±) 7 @cl;!; or 3 ... g6!? 4 g3 (4 .§.a5? f5
gives Black good counterplay) 4 ... 4Jc5 5 .i.xc5
dxc5 6 4Ja2 1.
4 4Ja2 .§.a6 5 4Jc3 !tcc6 6 a4 .i.d8 7 4J b5 g6
8 f4 .i.e7 9 g3 @f7 10 .§.fl @g7 11 @cl 4Jf8 12
rs g5 13 @d2 4Jd7 14 @c3 g4 15 !tfdl @f7 16
4Ja3 .i.d817 4Jxc4
and White won after a few more moves.
Even healthy structures can sometimes be
breached, if you have sufficient activity avail·
able.
6.13
S.Tiviakov - C.Pedersen
Gausdal 2005
1 a3 @e6 2 4Ja2 J;l'.cc8 3 4Jb4 (DJ
3 ... a5?
Fatally weakening the b5-square. He should
prefer 3 ... 4Jc5 4 ,i.xc5 dxc5 5 4Ja2 g6 6 4Jc3
6.14
P.Leko- M.Adams
Dortmund Ct 2002
White is able to alter the structure on the
kingside in his favour in the medium term,
since Black is tied down to the support-point at
e6 and using his own pawn-breaks would endanger
his king.
1 g4!
Not:
a) I f3? 4Jg3 2 .§.e5 4Jf5 (Stohl in CBM)
would give Black counterplay.
b) I .i.xd5? .i.xd5 2 lt:lxd5 .§.xd5 3 Etxe4
.§.c2=.
l. .. 4Jf6
l...f5? loses to 2 f3 +-, while Black's pawnbreak
I ... h5 would merely open the position to
White's benefit: 2 f3 4Jf6 3 !:te5 hxg4 4 hxg4
@g6 5 .i.c2+ @h6 6 @g2 !tc4 7 l;!.hl+ @g7 8
l:Ixg5+ @f8 9 a3 l;l'.xd4 IO .i.d3 ±.
2@g2l;l'.d6 3 f3

WEAKNESSES 123
Restricting both the bishop and the knight.
For more on such a policy of restriction, see
Chapter 14, 'Domination'.
3 •.. .i.d7 4 @g3 @f8 (DJ
This transfer of the knight to e3 brings the
black position to collapse. Instead, 13 f4?! 1Ic4
would give Black unnecessary counterplay,
13 •.• JieS
13 .. .lk4 14 ;gi:h2 .i.a6 15 @f4 lbe8 16 .i.d3
1Ic6 17 .i.xa6 bxa6 18 lbe3 lbc7 19 lbf5+ +-.
14 lbe3 Jice7 15 @f4 .i.c6 16 ~c2 ~d7 17
gS 1-0
D) Manoeuvring
If the opponent's weaknesses are fixed, a long
phase of manoeuvring often ensues.
B
Now White can finally prise open the black
structure:
5 h4!
Black cannot hold the g5-square.
5 .••.i.bS 6 JieS gxh4+ 7 @xh4 .i.c4 8 .i.c2!
.i.bS
8 ... .i.xa2 9 b3 incarcerates the bishop.
9 a31
Leko does not rush and first protects the b4·
knight prophylactically against .. Jk4.
9 ••. Jids 10 @g3 @g7 ll .trs @CS?!
l I ... 1Ic4 was a more tenacious defence for
Black.
12 iihl @g7 (DJ
13 lbc2!
N.Mitkov - V.Akopian
Erevan Wcht 2001
1 ... aS!
Fixing White's queenside on light squares.
In the next phase Akopian first improves all his
forces, before opening the position.
2 l2'ld3 @f6 3 lbbl b6 4 lbd2 lbb8 5 l2'lbl
l2'la6 6 lbc3 ~f7 7 @g2 lbc7 8 @f2 lbe6 9 lbe2
~hS 10 @g2 lbg5 11 lbgl @e6 12 l2'lel (DJ
12 •.• dS!
Akopian now widens the area of operations
(more on this in Chapter 15, 'Converting an
Advantage'), now that he has brought his whole
force into position.
13 cxdS+ cxdS 14 exdS+ @xdS 15 l2'le2
.i.g616 @f2 l2'le617 lbcl @d418 l2'la2 "9c519
c3 @d6 20 lbcl lbcS 21 b4?
Desperation, but the situation is hopeless
anyway; for example, 21 c4 .i.h7 22 @g2 lbe6

124 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
23 l2:ied3 l2:id4 24 l2:ie l l2:ic:2 25 l2:ied3 i.xd3 26
l2:ixd3 l2:id4 27 l2:icl (27 b4 axb4 28 l2:ixb4 l2:if5
29@f2 l2:ie3-+) 27 ... @e6 28@f2@f5 29~g2
e4-+.
21 ••• axb4 22 cxb4 l2:ixa4 23 l2:ib3 @dS 24
l2:id2 l2:ic3 0-1
For the following two examples we make
grateful use of annotations by Rustem Dautov:
s .•• l;i.xel 61hel as 7 @d2 1;i.d8 8 net @e6
8 ... l2:ic:8?! 9 l2:ib5! i.xb5 (or 9 ... l2:ie7 JO l2:ia7!)
10 axb5 and the white rook penetrates to c7.
9l2:idl!
The knight is transferred to e3, to support the
f5 advance.
9 .•• @d6
The correct defence was 9 ... l2:ic8! 10 ~c5
@d6 11 l2:ie3 (11 nxa5?? b6 12 !ia6 ~b7)
l l...b6 12 nc1 l2:ie7 ;!;,
10 l2:ie3 l2:ic811 rs± gS?! (DJ
1 I ... l2:ie7 12 fxg6 hxg6 13 h4 ± with the creation
a white passed pawn did not appeal to
Black, but was the lesser of the evils. But why
can Black not just sit tight?
R.Dautov -V.Milov
Essen 1999
White is more active and has the better
bishop.
1 i.f3 i.c6 2 b31;i.fe8 J l;i.hel f6 4 @c2
4a4!?.
4 ... ©f7(D)
5 a4!
First White forces ... a5, to have the possibility
of l2:ib5 available.
12 l2:idl!
After a hard day's work, the knight returns to
the key square c3, and it gradually becomes
clear that the white rook has the e6-square in its
sights. In contrast, 12 h4 h6 13 hxg5 hxg5 14

WEAKNESSES 125
.llhl 0.e7 15 1;th7 1;tf8 would be premature,
since Black's passive defence is holding successfully.
12 •. J:::!eS 131;tc5!
White provokes ... b6, after which the c6-
square is weakened.
13 ... b6 141;tcl l£Ja715 l£Jc3 l£Jc8 16 liJdl
The last few moves were played in mutual
time-trouble.
16 ••. l£Ja7 17 l£Jc3 l£Jc8 (D)
this counterplay, the white king must either defend
the d4-pa wn from d3 or else transfer to f4.
18 h4!
The black rook is looking after the weakness
at e6; the time has come to divert it. To this end
the h-file will be opened.
18 gxh4
18 h6 19 hxg5 hxg5 20 1;thl puts Black in
zugzwang; for instance: 20 ... l£Je7 (20 ... l£Ja7 21
1;th6 l'.!f8 22 1;th7 l£Jc8 23 .bd5! ~xd5 24
l£Jb5+ @c6 25 l:!c7#; 20 ... l:If8 21 l:!el l£Je7 22
!:!e6+@d7 23 ~e2 l:If7 24 ~b5 ~xb5 25 l£Jxb5
l£Jc8 26 l£Jc3 +-) 21 l:Iel ! ~d7 22 l£Jb5+ ~xb5
23 l;Ie6+ @d7 24 axb5 +-.
19 l:Ihl h6 20 llxb4 l;Ib8 21 l;Ib2 l£Je7
21...l'.!h7 22 l'.!hl ! (zugzwang) 22 .. Jfo8 23
l'.!el changes nothing; infiltration at e6 cannot
be prevented.
22 !Ie2 'itld7
Setting a trap. If 22 ... hS, then 23 ~h2 ! h4 24
@e3, and the h4-pawn soon drops.
23@d3! (D)
The hasty 23 l;Ie6? would have deprived
White of the fruits of his hard work: 23 h5 ! 24
l:::!xf6 (24 gxh5 l£Jxf5 25 l:::!xf6 l£Jxd4) 24 hxg4
25 ~xg4 1;th4 with counterplay, To eliminate
23 ... 1;tg8
Or: 23 ... h5? 24 gxh5 l£Jxf5 25 ~g4 +-;
23 .. J!!h7 24 l::Ie6 h5 25 gxh5 l£Jxf5 26 l:Ixf6 +-.
241;tb2
Not 24 l:Ie6? h5 with counterplay.
24 l:!hS 25 1;tbl l'.!h7
25 @d6 26 l::Iel +-.
26@e3! @d6 27 l'.!cl (D)
B
27 ... liJgS??
This loses immediately.
a) 27...~h8 28 @f4 ~d7 29 l£Jb5+ ~xb5 30
axb5 ~e8 31 l:Ic2! 'i.&d7 32 lle2 +-.
b) 27 ... l:If7 was the most tenacious. 28 @f4
l£Jg8 29@g3! (291;tel ua. 29 liJbS+ ~xb5 30
axb5 l:!c7 31 1;txc7 @xc7 32 @g3! also wins,
but after 32 ... h5! it would take longer) 29 ... l:Ie7
30 l£Jb5+, and then:

126 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
bl) 30 ..... bb5 31 axb5 l;ie3 (31...l;ic7 32
l:!xc7 @xc7 33 @h4 +-) 32 l:!c8 t:{je7 33 ms
+-.
b2) 30 ... @d7 31 @f4 l:!e8 32 lt:ic7! @xc7 33
i..xd5 t:{je7 34 i..xc6 l:[jxc6 35 d5 +-.
28 i..xdS! ~e7+
28 ... i..xd5 29 l:[jb5+ @e7 30 l:!c7+ +-.
29 i..e61-0
idea of g l:[je3 (9 t:{jb6!? l;id2 IO @fl ;t; with the
plan of t:{ja4 and @el) 9 ... l:!d2 10 @fl (10
l:!xd2 l:!xd2 ll l:tc2 !!xc2 12 l:[jxc2 @f6 =: the
minor-piece ending is not dangerous for Black)
10 .. .f5 11 @el ~2d4 with counterplay.
9 tbe3 l:!d2 10 t:{jfl! !!xc2 11 !!xc2 cS 12
t:{jd2fS(D)
In the next example White has yet to inflict
any pawn weaknesses:
w
6.17
R.Dautov - V.Milov
Essen 2000
I l:[jdS!
Good technique! The knight immediately
tries to reach its ideal square on c4. The imrnediate
1 it..xc6 would be premature: l...bxc6 2
l:!fd I f5 and Black has more counterplay.
1 ... it..f8
1...@f8!?.
2l:[jb6
2 !!fd l l!d6 3 l:[jb6 !!xdl+ (3 ... !!ad8 4 !!xd6
l!xd6 5 l:[jc4 !!d4 6 it..xc6 bxc6 7 ~c 1 ;t;) 4 !!xd I
l:!d8 5 l:!xd8 l:[jxd8 6 l:[jd7 i..d6 =.
2 ... l:!ab8 3 it..xc6 bxc6 4 l:[jc4 ;t;
The knight manoeuvre ends with its arrival
at the dream square c4. Next White doubles his
rooks on the c-file,
4 .•• e4! 5 b3 !!bS 6 l;iacl @gl 7 l:!c2 ~bdS 8
!!fcl hS?
An inaccuracy which allows White to exchange
a pair of rooks under favourable conditions
.. Better was the immediate 8 ... c5 with the
13 f3!
An original idea. White exchanges the e4-
pawn but retains his e2-pawn, intending to manoeuvre
his knight to f4 via f3, el and d3. Then
the black pawn on g6 provides the famous 'second
weakness' (the first weakness is the damaged
black queenside).
13 e3 h4 14 @fl @h6 15 @e2 @h5 gives
Black counterplay, but 13 h4!? is also promising;
White centralizes his king and relieves the
rook for the manoeuvre ~c4-a4, viz. 13 ... <ilf6
14 e3 g5 15 hxg5+ @xg5 16 lt>fl h4 17 gxh4+
@xh4 18 @e2 ;!; with the idea l!c4-a4.
13 •.. exf314 t:{jxf3@f6 15 h4 i..e7
15 ... i..h6!? 16 l:[jeJ it..e3+ (16 .. .f4 17 l:[jd3
fxg3 18 Wg2 i..e3 19 WxgH) 17 WgH.
16 Wf2 @e6 17 !!c4!
After i7t:{jeJ @d5 !8l:[jd3i..d6 J9!!c4Wc6
the black king is in time to defend the a6-pawn.
17 •..@dS 18 !!a4 l!d619 tbel i..d8 20 l:[jdJ
~c6
20 ... g5? 21 hxg5 i..xg5 22 l:!a5 ± l:!c6?? 23
l:[jb4+ +-.
21 t:{jf4+ @eS (DJ
Once again the white knight has reached its
target square. Black will be hard-pressed to defend
all his pawn weaknesses.

WEAKNESSES 117
.!'!b5 ! c3 30 lbd5+ @e6 31 lbb4 i.a7 32 lbc2 ;!;
is slightly better for White. However, Dautov
was hoping to achieve more using his active
rook.
27 .•. axb3 28 axb3 '&'f6 29 e3 i.aS! (D)
This is really Black's only move, but it is sufficient
to hold the position. 29 ... g5? 30 .!'!h7 ±.
22l:tc4
22 @e3 g5 with counterplay,
22 ••. a5 23@f3
Transferring the king to the queenside came
into consideration: 23@e3 !? i.b6 24 Wd3 ~d6+
25 'it>c3 @f6! (25 .. Jif6? 26 l;!a4 with the idea
@c4-b5) 26 l;!a4 ;!;,
23 ••• i.b6 24 J;!c3?! (DJ
This at first glance logical move allows Black
to relieve the pressure by means of a pawn sacrifice.
Otherwise:
a) 24 e4?! l;!d6 gives Black counterplay.
b) 24 a3 ! t is correct, so as to have the move
b4 available in many variations. For example,
24 ... ssn (24 ... ru6 25 };{c3 ;!;) 25 b4 axb4 26
axb4 i.d6 27 bxc5 i.xc5 28 .!'!xc5+ l;!xc5 29
lbd3+ @d4 30 lbxc5 @xc5 3 I @f4 +-.
24 ..• a4! 25 ~e3+ @d4 26 J;!d3+ 'it>eS 27 ~d7
Accepting the sacrifice was also possible;
the position after 27 bxa4 c4 28 l;!d5+ @f6 29
30@e2
30.!'!b7 l;!d6=.
30 ••• i.b4?
30 ... i.c3 ! 31 l;tb7 (31 lbd5+ @e6) 3 l...i.e5
= would have allowed Black to solve all his
problems. After the move in the game, White
can increase the pressure.
31 l;tb7! i.a5
3 l...J;!d6? 32 lbd3 i.a3 33 };{a7 .li.b4 34
lbxb4 cxb4 35 l;!b7 ±.
32 l;ta7!
32 @d3? .Ii.el.
32 •.• i.d8 33 @d3 g5! 34 hxg5+
34 J;!h7?? l;!d6+ 35 @c4 gxf4 -+.
34 .•• <&>xg5 35 J;!g7+ @h6 (DJ
36~g8?
This error in time-trouble lets slip White's
advantage. With both sides short of time, Dautov
failed to find the best way: 36 l;!d7 ! i.c7
(36 ... .li.a5? 37 ~d5! 'it>g5 38 e4 ±) 37 @c4, and
despite the reduced material Black comes under
strong pressure: 37 ... i.xf4 38 exf4 ±.
36 ....li.35 37 'it>e2
37 @c4 i.d2 38 lbd5 J;!e6 =.
37 ... i.c3 38 @f3 J;!b6 = 39 J;!c8 l;!xb3 40
l;!c6+ @h7 41 l;!c7+ @h6 42 .!'!c6+ @h7 43
~xc5 .li.d2 44 l;!e5 @h6 45 ~e6+ @g7 46

128 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
ltJxhS+ @f7 47 !!es @g6 48 t:2Jf4+ @f6 49
l!e6+ @f7 50 @e2 Ac3 51 I!a6 AeS 52 @f3
Axf4?
An error in time-trouble. 52 ... Ab8 53 l:2Je2
Ae5 54 t:2Jf4 i.b8 55 t:2Jg2 Ae5 56 t:2Jh4 Axg3
57 @xg3 I!xe3+ draws without any problems.
53 @xf4 I!bS 54 Iih6 ~b3?
With little time left it is hard to find the only
defence: 54 ... I!d5! (Milov) 55 .l;th5 @e6 56
I!h6+ (56 I!g5 !!di 57 I!g6+ @f7 58 @xf5
!!fl+ 59 @g5 l;ff3 =) 56 @f7 57 Iib6 I!a5 58
Iih6 (58 @g5 I!e5 =) 58 .!;tdS =.
55 ~hS @e6 56 IixfS I!xe3 57 g4 I!h3 58
@gS I!h8 59 I!f6+@e7 60 @fS I!a8 61 gS I!g8
62 g6 .l;tg7 63 @g5 llg8 64 I!f7+ 'i3.'e6 65 Iia7
1-0
White first hinders the mobilization of the
black kingside and then directs the play against
the weaknesses on the queenside:
1 g4 I!b8 2 c3 f6?
This move is very slow and weakens the
light squares. 2 ... Iie2 3 I!h2 I!xh2 4 Axh2 g6
was more appropriate for gaining counterplay.
3 Iid7 I!e7 4 l:thdl @e8 5 I!7d2 ~c8 6 @c2
c6 7 i.d6 Iie3 8 I!d3
"It is correct to exchange the only active
black piece." (Rozentalis in CBM). However, 8
Ac5 I!e5 (8 .. Jlxf3? 9 ~d7 +-) 9 b4 came
equally into consideration.
8 ••• I!e2+ 9 Iild2 ~xd2+ 10 I!xd2 cS 11 c4!
Fixing the weakness at c5.
11. .. Iic612 I!dS Ae713 Af4!? @f714@d3
@e6?
Now Black can no longer become active,
which is generally fatal when you have static
weaknesses. 14 ... g5 15 i.e3 @g6 would still
have given Black some counterplay.
15 i.e3 I!c8 16 f4!
White first improves his position on the
kingside before concentrating on the invasion
of the queenside.
16 •.• i.d617 rs+ @e7 18 b3 as (D)
E.Rozentalis - I.Glek
Budapest ECC 1996
Black would like to exchange his weak a-
pawn and then gain counterplay on the a-file.
But it doesn't happen:
19 a4! I!c6
After 19 ... l!b8 20 i.xc5 Axc5 21 I!xc5
I!xb3+ 22 @d4 I!g3 23 Iixa5 I!xg4+ 24 @d5
+- White can convert his superior activity directly
(Blatny).

WEAKNESSES 129
20@e4 I!c8 21 ~f2 I!c6
Now White prepares the decisive invasion by
his king:
22I!d3!
'The rook clears the d5-square for the king
and simultaneously protects the weak b3-pawn
from d3. In addition it prepares the exchange of
bishops by ~g3."(Rozentalis).
22 ... ~c7 23 I!f3 ~b6 24 ~g3 ~a7 25 @dS
@d7 26 I!e3 .l!b6 27 ~f4 I!b7 28 ~d6 @d8 29
I!d3 @d7 30 ~xcS ~xcS 31 @xcS+ @c7 32
I!e3 Wd7 33 'it>d4 .§.b8 34 Wc3 g6 35 I!d3+
@c7 36 fxg6 I!g8 37 I!dS I!xg6 38 I!xaS !txg4
39 .§.fS!?
Good technique!
39 .. J:!:g6 40 as @d6 41 a6 1-0
E) The Principle of the
Second Weakness
The defender can generally protect one weakness
quite comfortably. But in doing so he naturally
loses some flexibility. The attacker is often
able to take advantage of this by creating a second
weakness or opening a second front, since
he can switch his forces more easily.
In order to breach Black's defences, however,
White must open a second front and inflict a
second weakness on the enemy.
1 I!bl!
Planning b4. The game continued with the
hasty I g6? hxg6 2 ~gt I!f6 3 .§.g5 b6 1h-1h.
1. .. b6
l ... a5 2 c3! (2 a3?! is weaker, since after
2 ... !:l.f8 3 b4? cxb4 4 axb4 a4 the black passed
pawn guarantees definite counterplay) 2 ... I!f8
3 b4 cxb4 4 cxb4 axb4 5 .l;!xb4 b6 (5 ... I!b8 6
I!b5 @f7 7 a4 is winning for White) 6 I!a4 @f7
7 !ta7 @e8 8 h4 and Black is condemned to
complete passivity.
2 b4 cxb4 3 I!xb4 @f8
3 ... a6 (Black wants to prevent .§.b5, but that's
not really a threat) 4 !tc4 @f8 5 .l;!c6 @e7 6 d4
exd4+ (6 ... lhf3+!? 7 @xf3 exd4 would perhaps
be a better chance) 7 lt'lxd4 e5 8 4Jf5+
~d8 9 g6 hxg6 10 !txg6 +-.
4 ~c4 as 5 ~c8+ @e7 6 l:!h8 g6 7 c3 I!xf3+
7 ... @d6 8 tZ'ld2 +-.
8 Wxf3 lt'lf8 9 We3 @f7 10 d4 @g7 11 .l;!xf8
'iilxf812@d3 +-
In the following example Kasparov brings
all of his available forces into play, to create and
exploit the second weakness:
6.19
R.Spielmann - S. Tarra sch
Bad Kissingen 1928
White has a clear advantage. Black's pawnstructure
is damaged and the black knight has
to guard the weakness at e5. In addition, White
has more space and his pieces are more active.
6.20
G.Kasparov - LI.Andersson
Belgrade (5) 1985
White still needs targets on the kingside, so
he uses his h-pawn to undermine Black's structure:

130 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1 h4! ©f7 2 hS 'itJg7 3 'itJg2 .Ete7 4 !lb6 l!f7 S
~dS l!fd7 6 l!lbS !Ie7 7 'it;g3 !led7 8 hxg6
hxg6 9 'itJf4 !lc2 (D)
6.21
A.Yusupov- E.Sutovsky
Essen 2001
Now the second weakness at g6 can be exploited:
10 'itJgS! !Ixf2
10 ... lbf7+ ll .ixf7S>xf7 12~f6+'itJe8 13
!le5+ !le7 14 ~xg6 l!xe5 15 dxe5 !Ixf2 16 'itJf6
+-.
11 !Ixg6+ 'itJf812.ib3 lbf7+ 13m'6 f4 (D)
l 3 ... !lb2 l4 l!e5 !ld6+ 15 .ie6 +-.
How should White make progress? First the
white rook must be activated:
1 <ii>f3
Releasing the rook from defensive duties
and threatening lbxe5.
1 ... lbf7
!....llf8+ 2 'itJe3 lbc4+ 3 @d3 b5 4 J;(f2 +-
(Krasenkow in CBM).
2 !Ie3@f8 3 !la3! (D)
14 e4 ID>215 es f316 e6 f2 17 .ic4 1-0
Andersson resigned in view of 17 ... fl~+
( 17 ... ~xb5 18 .ixb5 !!c7 I 9 l:!g2 lbd6 20 .id3
+-) 18 .ixfl !lf2+ 19 .§JS !lxf5+ 20 'itJxf5
!lxd4 21 !lf6 +-.
It is especially good if you can create weaknesses
where the opponent is actually stronger.
3 ..• 'itJe7
After 3 ... a6 4 !lb3 b5 5 l:!a3 !la8 6 !Ic3
(Krasenkow) White penetrates decisively on
the queenside, even though that's where Black
is nominally the stronger party.
4 !lxa7 .!lc3+ S 'i!?g2 lbd6 6 lbf6 h6 7 lbg8+
©f7 8 lbxh6+ 'itJg7 9 lbg4 l!c2+ 10 'if;f3 l!c3+
ll 'itJe21-0

WEAKNESSES 131
To conclude, here is another especially impressive
example:
6.23
J.Hajtun - L.Szabo
Hungarian Ch (Budapest) 1955
Rozentalis opens a second front on the queenside
and, slowly but surely, penetrates in that
sector:
1 ~a3!! ~xa3?! 2 bxa3 !td8 3 !tb2 !tc7 4
!tbS !tdd7 S@f2 g6 6 @e3@g77 !tt'bl @f78
l!!cS @e79 .l'.!bbS !txcS?
Playing into White's hands. 9 ...@d8 was indicated.
10 dxcS!
Making the d4-square available to his king.
10 ... @dS ll a6
Now Black's ramparts are finally hreached.
11 ...@cS
11...bxa612lla5 d4+ 13 cxd4c314c6c215
!tc5 +-.
12 !tb6!! .i.g8
12 ... axb6 13 a7 +-.
13 m6 l!!d814@d4 bxa6 15 l!!d6 1-0
F) The Exploitability of a
Weakness
A weakness that cannot be exploited is not a
weakness.
In the following diagram, White even benefits
in a certain sense from his doubled and isolated
pawns, since Black can only make progress by
exchanging pawns.
1 !tb7 11a5 2 l!!c7 @g7 3 !tb7 !tdS 4 !tc7
@f8 S nb7 @e8 6 l!!a7 l!!d7 7 !ta8+ <;;e7 8
!tal @f6 9 !taS !tdS 10 !ta7 es 11 fxeS+
!txeS 12 !ta6+ @fS 13 !ta3 !tdS 14 !ta4 gS
15 hxgS <;;>xgS 16 !tb4 !td3 17 l!!bS+ rs 18
l!!b41/z-1/z
Sometimes apparently weak doubled pawns
can even prove to be very powerful if the blockade
cannot be maintained.
B
6.24
V.lvanchuk -V.Anand
Linares (I) 1992
l ••• hS!
This undermines the white structure and so
weakens the blockading forces.
211gl hxg4 3 fxg4

132 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Now comes a stroke of genius, again completely
founded upon the struggle against the
light-squared blockade of d5 and f5:
3 ... ~c4!! 4 b3 ~xfl 5 El.xfl El.h3 6 lie2
6 ~gl @d7 7 lid3 lih4! 8 El.g3 (8 h3 libh8 9
~ff3 f5!! =F) 8 ... El.g8 9 h3 ligh8 101ilff3 f5! 11
exf5 (11 l;Ixf5 lixh3 12 lixh3 lixh3 13 ~f2
@e6 =F) l l...e4 12 lie3 d5 =F (Anand in CBM).
6 ..• @d7 7 gS @e6 8 gxf6 ~xf6 9 ~d2 ~e7
10 .tel f6 ll ~g3 dS 12 exdS+@xdS (DJ
13 El.f5!
Introducing the idea of a sacrifice on e5.
13 ••.@c6! 14 .llef2?
Now the blockade will sooner or later be
broken and the rest is a matter of technique.
According to Anand, 14 lif3 ! .!!h7 15 El.c3+
..t>b7 was considerably more tenacious, since
the black king is now a long way away from
the action.
14 •. Ah6 15 @b2 @d7 16 1ie2 ~d6 171ilf3
~c8 18 ~el @e6 19 :i;Id3 lih7201ilg3 ~c5 21
@a2 lid7 22 lic3 l;Icc7 23 h41ildl 24 ~f2 .id6
25 !!g3 e4 26 lixe4+ .ie5 27 lixe5+ fxe5 28
@b2lid20-l
6.25
S.Flohr - M.Vidmar
Nottingham 1936
I...:i;Ib8?
I ... @c7 2 @c5 @b7 with a changing of the
guard and very good drawing chances: 3 ~a3
l;Ie8 4 @d6 g5 5 lic3 (5 g3 g4 6 fxg4 fxg4 7 El.c3
!!f8 leads to equality) 5 .. .f4 6 exf4 gxf4 with
counterplay.
2a3 El.as 3e4!
Widening the operational front. White now
wins in textbook fashion by using the principle
of two weaknesses.
3 •.. fxe4 4 fxe4 dxe4 5 @xe4 lia7 6 @£4 h6 7
h4@e6 8@g4 lia8 9 h5 g5 10 g3 !!a7 11 @f3
lia8 (D)
G) Fatal Passivity with
Structural Weaknesses
If you have structural weaknesses, you should
generaJly not play completely passively.
It is absolutely essential for Black to activate
his rook and protect the a-pawn with the
king.
12 S>e4 El.a7 13 @d4 @d6 14 @e4 @e6 15
El.es+ @d6 16 lie8 c5 17 :i;Id8+ S>c6 18 lic8+
@b6 19 ~xc5 ~h7 20 lies @c6 21 El.e6+ @b5
22@f5 lif7+ 23 :i;If6 1-0

WEAKNESSES 133
Exercises (Solutions on pages 307-11)
E6.0l */
How did White open a second front?
E6.04 ***/
How could White have taken advantage
of the weaknesses here?
E6.05 **/
Which of the black pawns should
White go after first?
E6.03 ***/
How did White break through?
E6.06 ***/
Find the only winning move.

134 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
·' ..
.,..,..-·-~·w.-
-
w _J • ••11 .. I
~
- .if. -
1 .....••• ~
~ ~ ~~ ~
! ~• ..
•• n ;:,,J ~ ~­­.]
~
-~~ B~~~~
E6.07 **/
How did White highlight the
weaknesses in the black camp?
E6.10 */
How did White open a second front?
E6. l l ***/
How did White open the position?
E6.09 /**
How should Black increase the pressure
against White's weaknesses?
E6.12 /**
Should Black defend actively or passively?

7 The Fight for the Initiative
Initiative means superiority.
JOSE RAUL CAPABLANCA
Nowhere is time-wasting
ished than in chess.
SAMUEL RESHEVSKY
more severely pun-
Just as in the other phases of the game, the
struggle for the initiative also plays an important
role in the endgame. Only the side that has
the initiative can impose his own ideas and simultaneously
compel the opponent to drop his
own plans. So always try to fight for the initiative
and dictate the course of events. A game of
chess does not win itself!
The possession of the initiative is a dynamic
advantage and therefore not necessarily longlasting.
Consequently the difficulty often resides
not only in seizing the initiative, but also
in retaining and exploiting an existing initiative.
We shall examine several examples of both
these themes in this chapter.
A) The Importance of the
Initiative
If an advantage is of a short-term and dynamic
nature, then rapid and active exploitation is indicated.
Only if you can manage to remain in
control, do you have the chance of retaining or
transforming the advantage.
We should like to illustrate this first through
the especially interesting special case of the
endgame of rook and knight against rook and
knight. Here a slight initiative can often be
enough to make life hard for the opponent.
The following position is almost symmetrical,
but the white knight is actively placed and it
is White to move.
1 f!.acl li:ld7 2 f!.fdl li:lcS 3 b4 li:la4?!
7.01
V.Smyslov - P.Benko
Monte Carlo 1969
3 ... li:le4 4 llc6 e5 5 lldcl f!.xc6 6 li:lxc6 Vf6
is almost equal.
4li:lb5
If 4 li:lc6?! then 4 ... lac7 stops the white initiative
in its tracks.
4 ... J;ixcl S J;ixcl aS 6 a3 1ld8 7 l;l.c7 f!.dS 8
li:la7 axb4 9 axb4 e6
9 ... @f6!?.
10 li:lc6 (D)
8
10 ... J;id2?

136 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Now the side-lining of his knight finally
proves fatal for Black. With I O ... llib2! he would
have had good chances of saving the game; for
example, 11 e4 l;ld2 12 llie5 ltJd3 13 l!xf7+
@g8 14 llic4 ( 14 °fJ.d7?? backfires: 14 ... l!xf2+
15 Wgl llixe5 -+) 14 .. Jk2 15 ltid6 ltJxb4 16
l1b7 llid3 and White still has the initiative but
objectively Black's counterplay should be sufficient
for the draw.
11 llies l!xe2 12 ltJxf7 hS
I 2 ... @f6 13 h4 'fJ.b2 14 llih81 g5 (14 ... 'fJ.xb4
15 l!f7+ @e5 16 l1xh7 and the g6-pawn also
drops) 15 l!f7+ @e5 16 hxg5 llic3 17 @h3 +-.
13 lligS+ @f6
13 ... @g814'2i'fl ne5 15 f4ne3 16'2i'f2llb3
17 llixe6 +-.
14 @fl nxr2+
After 14 ... nb2 15 f4 @f5 16 h3 the black
king is caught in the mating-net.
15 ~xf2 @xgS 16 @e3 @g4 17 bS <t>h3 18
l!c4 llib2 19 l!c2 1-0
4 ... l!d8 5 l,:lc I l!bb8 6 f4 with the initiative.
5 f3 ltJd5?!
5 ... lld7 6 l!xd7+ ltJxd7 7 e4 ;!; (Khuzman in
CBM).
6 a3
Necessary prophylaxis against ... llib4.
6 ... l!d8?! 7 @f2 (D)
B
7 •.. gdd7
7 ... ltJb4 8 .Eixb6 nxb6 9 lhd8 @xd8 10
llixb6 ltJd3+ 11 @fl @c7 12 ltJc4 '2i'c6 13
lliaS+ @b5 14 @e2 ltJc5 15 b4 ±.
8 e4 ll)f6 9 ndd6 bS 10 l!xd7+ nxd7 11
ltJeS l!a7
I I...lld2+ 12 @e3 nxg2 (12 ... l!b2 13 'fJ.xa6
nxb3+ 14@d4l!b215l!a7+@e816g4±) 13
l!xa6 l!xh2 14 na7 + @e8 15 llixf7 ±.
12 l;.tc2 nb1 13 @e3 llid7
13 ... llie8 14 nc6 ttJc7 15 llid3 a5 16 f4 :a7
17@d4 ±.
14 ltJc6+ @e8 15 ltJb4 l!b6 (D)
White must act precisely so as not to fritter
away his slight initiative.
1 llk4!
After I nd6?! Black can deploy his rook actively
with 1...ncs and White has nothing: 2
l;tad I @f8 3 llic4 'fJ.cc7 4 f3 @e7 5 l;l6d2 f6 6
@f2 !l.c6 = V.Golod-A.K.harlov, Rethymnon
ECC 2003.
l...@f8 2 l!d6 @e7 3 nadl l!db8 4 'fJ.c6 ll)f6

THE FIGHT FOR THE INITIATIVE
137
16 llc6?!
This exchange of the active white rook is not
very convincing. Admittedly White also retains
the advantage in the knight endgame, but with
an active rook too it would be easier to exploit
it: 161Xc8+@e717 llc7 @e8 (17... a5 18 lud3
a4 19 bxa4 bxa4 20 lla7 +-; 17 ... @d6 18 lla7
+-) 18 luc6 luc5 19 b4 llb7 20 llxb7 luxb7 21
@d4+-.
16 .•. 1Xxc6 17 luxc6 eS?!
Now White's king penetrates decisively on
the queenside. 17 ... luc5 18 b4 lud7 19 @d4 f6
was necessary, even if there would still be a
strong probability that White could gradually
turn his advantage into a win.
18@d3 g6 19@c3 rs 20 @b4 fxe4 21 rxe4
luf6 22 @as luxe4 23 @xa6 lees+ 24 @xbS
luxb3 25 luxeS @e726 lur3 @d627@b4 luc5
28 a4 lue4 29 @c4 hS 30 h4 lur6 31 a5 lud5 32
a6 lue7 33 @d4 tors+ 34 @e4 @c7 35 @r4
@b6 36 @gs lue3 37 luel tors 38 lud3 @xa6
39 lur4 @bS 40 luxg6 lue3 41 lur4 @c6 42
@xhS@d6 43 g4 1-0
From a practical point of view, this is a serious
mistake. After 2 ... 1Xxb8 Black should clearly
hold the draw.
31Xb6luxe4
After 3 ... 1Xe8 4 f3 led! 5 .ic5 .ia7 6 llc6
.ixc5+ 7 llxc5 (Roiz in CBM) Black would
have some problems with the d l -knight.
4 llxe6 lug5 5 llc6 .ir4 6 .ixr4 luxr4 7 lud6
lug6 8 g3 luf3+ 9 ©g2 (D)
B
Even if all the remaining pawns are on one
wing, the initiative can sometimes work wonders.
7.03
Y.Visser - F.Nijboer
Dutch Ch (Leeuwarden) 2004
1. •. luc3!
Ushering in some simplification, since Black
needs to ease his position.
2 llxb8 .ixb8?
9 ... lufeS?
Now the knights are treading on each other's
toes, a phenomenon which is also known as
'the superfluous knight'. 9 ... luge5 was necessary:
10 llc7 lld8 11 luf5 g6 12 .ie2 and although
White's initiative is still troublesome,
the position must of course be objectively a
draw.
10 llc7 lld8
10 ... luh8 11 f4 luef7 12 .ic4 g6 13 g4 h6 14
·f5 @o7 15 lle7 +-
u"'turs 1Xd7?? ·
Now it is all over immediately. But Black
was in a bad way in any case; for example,
i i...luf7 12 .11.c4 luge5 (12 ... lugh8 13 lud6'
llf8 14 g4 g6 15 l!e7 +-) 13 .ib3 @f8 14 f4
lud7 15 lud4 +- (Roiz).
12.ic4+luxc413~d7luce514llxg7+ 1-0
B) Passed Pawns and the
Initiative
With passed pawns everything often depends on
whether they are strong or weak, and sometimes

138 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
this is by no means easy to decide. Often the
possession of the initiative is the deciding factor.
7.04
J.Lautier - G.Kasparov
Moscow rpd 2002
Both sides have passed pawns, but Black is
in the driving seat.
1. ..l2Jc4! 2 'fil'e8+ @g7 3 'iJf3
3 l2Jxf5+? gxf5 4 b3 d2 5 "&e2 "&d4 6 ~h5 h6
7 Af3 Wlf2+ 8 @hl l2Je3 and Black wins (Ribli
inCBM).
3 ••. 'l&'e3!!
A fantastic exchanging operation: Black's
initiative will only count if the queens come off.
Not 3 ... d2? 4 Wle2 '&a5 5 b3 Ac2 6 bxc4 dlW/7
'&e5+ with perpetual check (Ribli).
4 W/xe3 l2Jxe3 5 lod2 l2Jc4! 6 l2Jxc4 bxc4 7
Af3 d2 8 Adi @f6 9 Wg2 h5!
Fixing the weakness at h3.
10 g4 Ae4+ 11 Wf2 h4! 12@e3 .i..xd5 (D)
13 g5+?
13 @xd2 .i..g2 14 Ae2 (14 We3? @e6 +)
14 ... Axh3 15 @e3 still offered legitimate drawing
chances.
13 .•. @e7
13 .. .'~f5?? 14 .i..g4#.
14 Wxd2 Ae6 15 .i..g4?
15 .i..e2 c3+ (15 ... .i..xh3? 16 Axc4 .i..e6 17
Axe6 @xe6 18 We3 @d5 19 @f3 Wd4 20 ~g4
@d3 21 Wxh4 a5 22 a4 =) 16 bxc3 (16 Wxc3
Axh3 17 Wd4 Ag2 18 @e3 .i..d5 +) l6 ... Axa2
+.
15 ... .i..xg4 0-1
C) Psychology
One important advantage of having the initiative
is of a psychological nature. It is much easier
to set the opponent problems when for the
foreseeable future he has to adopt the (frequently
prophylactic) mindset of a prolonged
defence, without any prospects of counterplay.
Even as strong a grandmaster as Adams went
astray in the following example:
7.05
P.Leko - M.Adams
Dortmund 2001
Black actually has the better minor piece for
a struggle on two wings, but the slight white
initiative proves to be extremely unpleasant.
1 ~fcl ~fd8?
Being attracted to a flashy move is a typical
error. The exchange of pawns only strengthens

THE FIGHT FOR THE INITIATNE 139
White's pressure, since after the disappearance
of the a-pawn the prospects of the al-rook are
improved. l...c4!? 2 4Jf5 l;;.fd8 was much better.
2 I;lxc5 $..xa2 3 h3 $..f7
An almost completely passive set-up with
3 ... Ae6 4 I;lc7 I;ldb8 5 I;la5 Ac8 6 g4 g6 was
also possible. But who would willingly embark
on that? Trying to free the position with 6 ... a6?
would, however, be premature owing to the activity
of the white rooks: 7 bxa6 $..xa6 8 4Jf5 g6
9 4Jd6 I;lb6 JO I;ld7 I;lab8 11 I;lc5 $..b5 12 lox b5
I;lxb5 13 I;lcc7 with the initiative.
4lof5 ~d5 (D)
4 ... $..e8 5 I;la6 gives White the initiative;
e.g., 5 ... ~d7? 6 b6 +- (Leko in NiC).
4Je4+ @f7 22 @g5 sn 23 g3 $..e2 24 4Jd2
@gl 25 f4 Adl 26 loc4 1-0
Adams resigned in view of 26 ... $..c2 27 4Je3
$..d3 28 f5 +-.
D) Sacrificing Structure for
Initiative
Sometimes it is even worth accepting long-term
structural weaknesses in order to seize the initiative.
The following position arose after the
moves I d4 d5 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 d4 4 a3 loc6 5 e3
dxe3 6 \'t'Jxd8+ @xd8 7 $..xe3 4Jxe5 (D).
5 I;lxd5 $..xd5 6 I;la5
6 loe7!? came equally strongly into consideration,
but Black still seems to be able to hold;
for example, 6 ... Si.b7 7 l::idl h6 8 l::id7 (8 4Jf5
~b8) 8 ... I;lb8 9 4Jf5 $..e4 10 4Jd4 $..b7. In either
case White has an initiative, but not should
be able to win against best defence.
6 g6
6 !!b8?? 7 b6 +-.
7 4Jd4 $..b7 8 loe6 h5?
After a long and stubborn defence, Adams
finally puts a foot wrong. After 8 .. .f5 ! 9 f4 @g8
Black should still be able to defend.
9 locS I;lb8 10 4Jd7 I;la8 11 loxf6 a6 12
bxa6 I;lxa6 13 I;lxa6 $..xa6
Leko now won easily owing 10 the weak dark
squares in the black camp:
14 h4! @gl 15 loe4@f7 16 @h2 Ad3 17 f3
$.fl 18@g3@e619 4Jd2 $..d3 20@f4@f621
S.Jasny - J.Lukac
Tatranska Lomnica 1999
8 ffi!?
This move proves surprisingly effective, because
all White's pieces can quickly join in the
attack.
8 .•. 4Jxf3+ 9 gxf3 $..e7?!
Now the white initiative becomes extremely
dangerous. 9 ... $..e6 10 4Jc3 @c8 11 0-0-0 b6 is
more solid.
10 loc3 c6110-0-0+?!
11 ~gl g6 12 0-0-0+ $..d7 13 4Je4 was more
accurate, since the dark squares in the black
camp are now badly weakened.
11. ..@e812 $..d3?
Black easily deals with this. Once again, 12
I;lg I was indicated.
12 .•. f5! 13 I;lhel @f7 14 loe2
14 c5 would be answered with 14 ... $..e6.

140 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
14 •.• Af6?
But this is going too far. Black should press
on with his development by 14 ... lbf6: 15 c5
lbd5 16 .lii.c4 .lii.e6 17 lbd4 .lii.d7 and Black has
weathered the first storm.
15 lbf4lbe7
15 ... g5 16 lbh5 f4 17 lbxf6 lbxf6 18 .lii.c5
f!.e8 19 f!.xe8 lbxe8 20 1i.xh7 ±.
16c5 (D)
E) Sacrificing Material for
Initiative
In technical endgames it is seldom sensible to
sacrifice material. However, it is often worth
doing so in order to activate a rook.
B
16 ••• g6?
I 6 ... f!.e8 is necessary; for example, 17 .lii.c4+
@f8 18 lbh5 lbd5 ! and White retains a strong
initiative, although it is still too early to talk
about a win.
17 .lii.c4+@g/ 18 .lii.d4 :!l:e8 19 ..bf6+@xf6
20 f!.d6+ @g7 21 lbe6+ i.xe6 22 f!.dxe6 ©f7
23 ~xe7 ++ 1-0
In this game White was rewarded for his
bold decision. There are, however.just as many
cases in which a player was punished for a similarly
uncompromising decision with a defeat.
We therefore issue you with this warning:
Please always keep clearly in mind that voluntarily
weakening your structure is an extremely
committal decision. You need to be really sure
that it is worth the risks involved, and also that
the initiative gained is lasting and sustainable.
It is no use to you if all that happens is that you
are able to brandish some threats for a few
moves, after which your initiative, once the opponent
has successfully parried your short-term
threats, gradually seeps away. In such a case the
structural weakness that you have created will
just be all the more clearly exposed.
7.07
V.lvanchuk - N.Short
Amsterdam 1994
1 lbdS!? lbxdS
Not I ... c6? 2 lbb6 @d6 3 lbc4+ @e6 4 :!l:f2
:!l:d8 5 h6 f!.g8 6 hxg7 :!l:xg7 7 :!l:f6+ @d7 8
lbxe5+ @c7 9 lbf3 +-, while 1...:!l:c8? 2 @g3
only helps White.
2 exdS+ @xdS?
Now White's whole forces will become active.
2 ... @e7! was necessary, to prevent the infiltration
by the rook on the seventh rank. Then:
a) 3 :!l:f5? g6 4 hxg6 (4 f!.xe5+ @d6 5 d4
cxd4 6 cxd4 gxh5 7 @h3 :!l:f8 =) 4 .. Jlxg6 5
:!l:xe5+ @d6 6 .!!f5 h6 =.
b) 3 @g3 and now:
bl) 3 :!l:d8? 4 c4 g6 5 hxg6 hxg6 6 :!l:el
@d6 (6 @f7 7 f!.xe5 :!l:h8 8 I;le6 X!hl 9 :!l:f6+
<llg7 10 d6 +-) 7 lih I c6 8 f!.h6 cxd5 (8 ... :!l:g8 9
dxc6 bxc6 IO @f3 @e6 11 @e4 @d6 12 f!.h7 ±)
9 :!l:xg6+ @e7 10 :!l:b6 ±.
b2) 3 ... c6 4 dxc6 (after 4 d6+? Black just ignores
the pawn and sets up an impregnable fortress:
4 ...@e6 5 @g4 h6 6 g6 :!l:d8 7 f!.f7 f!.d7 8
b3 @xd6 9 @f5 :!l:e7 =) 4 ... bxc6 5 :!l:f5 ©e6 6
©g4 and Black can still put up a stubborn fight.
3~f7 b6

THE FIGHT FOR THE INITIATIVE 141
3...©d6 4 @f3 @c6 5 @e4 @d6 6 b3 b5 7
axb6 cxb6 8 B:a7 a5 9 c4 +-.
4 B:xc7 bxa5 5 ~f3 11:fS+
5 ... h6 6 g6 !!f8+ 7 11:fl +-.
6 @e3 h6 7 B:xg7 hxg5 8 11:xgS B:f4 9 c4+
©c6 10 l;!g6+ @b7 11 b3 11:h4 12 h6 e4 13
dxe4 llh3+ 14@f4 B:xb3 15 ~g3 1-0
F) Opposite-Coloured
Bishops
The initiative is particularly important when
there are opposite-coloured bishops present.
You will find some attacks based on the power
of the unopposed bishop in the chapter on
checkmate. Here is a further example, in which
the attack on the king does not feature prominently
at first.
3 ... d3 4 tllc3 i..xg4 5 e5 ~ac8 6 @xd3 ~fd8
7 tlle4±.
4 e5 i..xe2 5 @xe2 ~fc8 6 ~adl 11:c3 7 ~d3
11:acS?
The rook is badly placed here. 7 ... b5 was
more tenacious; for example, 8 d6 a5 9 ~gl
@f8 IO ~xd4 ±.
8d6 b5
This allows White a combinative finish, but
his position was already very difficult.
9 B:xc3! dxc3
9 ... ~xc3? 10 d7 +-.
10 e6@f8
!O ... i..f8 11 e7 ~xe7 12 dxe7 ~e8 13 fxg5
l;!xe7+ 14@d3 b4 15 ~fl @g7 16 ~f5 wins for
White.
11 e7+ ©e8 12 i..xf7+ 1-0
In view of 12 ... @xfl 13 d7 ~e8 14 d8'&,
Svidler laid down his arms.
G) When the Queen is in
her Element
No other piece is so very dependent on having
targets as the queen. If everything is securely
protected, the queen is unable to display her full
power. But if there are a lot of unprotected
pieces and an exposed king in the enemy camp,
then the queen is in her element.
7.08
V.Kramnik - P.Svidler
Dortmund 1998
Kramnik single-mindedly liquidates into a
endgame with rooks and opposite-coloured
bishops, in which his central passed pawn will
prove decisive.
1 h3! exd4
1 •.• lllf6? 2 fxe5 lllxe4+ 3 @e3 +-.
2 hxg4 g5
2 ... d3 3 tllc3 ~xg4 4 e5 ~f5 5 d6 ±.
3g3!
A typical strategy: the pawns should restrict
the opposing bishop.
3 •.•. .bg4
1 \'!Yg4+
G.Timmerman -T.Oim
corr. 1996

142 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
The zwischenschacn is often an important
weapon for the attacker. The immediate 1 '&xh4?
.l:td2 2 ~g3+ (2 h3 J:l.e5) 2 ... @h7 gives Black
good counterplay.
l ••• @f8 2 '&xh4 .l:te2 3 '&xf6 itJc4 4 "&h6+
@e7 s '&gs+ @f8 6 \Wes+ @g7 7 h4 .l:tdd2 8
\WgS+ @f8 9 @h2 itJe3
9 ... .l:txg2+? IO W/xg2 ltJe5 11 @h3 J:l.xg2 12
@xg2 +-.
10 WicS+ @g8 11 "&gs+ @f8 12 ~cs+ @g8
13 @g3 gxg2+ 14 @f4 ltJc4 15 hS .l:th2 16
.i.xc4 bxc417 a4 (D)
Queen and knight make an especially fearsome
duo in attack. The following example illustrates
Capablanca's Theorem, according to
which queen and knight are frequently a superior
tandem to queen and bishop:
7.10
V.Kupreichik-V.Gavrikov
USSR Ch (Frunze) 1981
17 ... J:l.h4+?
Now White will end up with two connected
passed pawns on the queenside. l 7 ... .l:tdg2 18
b5 c3 19 "&c8+ @h7 20 "&xc3 axb5 21 axb5
gh4+ 22 @e3 J:!.xh5 23 b6 ~h6 24 \':!Yd3+ ~hg6
offered better drawing chances.
18@g3 lldh219 ~g5+@f8 20 "&d8+@g7
21 '&gS+ @f8 22 \Wh6+ @e7 23 W/xa6 llxhS
24 as ll5h3+ 25 @£4 gh4+ 26 @e3 lla2 27
\We8 l:la3+ 28 @f2 e3 29 'fil'cS+ @d7 30 bS e2
3l@g3
31 "&xa3?! J:l.hl 32 \Wd3+ @e7 33 \We3+
@d7 34 \':!Yd2+ @e7 35 a6 c I°& 36 \':!Yxc I l!xc I
37 a7 +-.
31....l:tb4
3 i...J:l.ha4 32 \':!Yxc2 .l:txa5 33 b6 +-.
32 '11Hc6+!
Once again a decisive zwischenschach. After
the rash 32 \':!Yxc2? .l:txb5 33 ~d2+ @e6! White
cannot win either of the rooks.
32 ••• @dS 33 \':!Yxe2 llxbS 34 \':!Yd2+ 1-0
Oim resigned since one of his rooks is lost.
At first sight there does not seem to be much
danger, but Kupreichik has an expert understanding
of how to develop his initiative on the
light squares.
1 itJaS "&b4
After I .. .'&d3 2 '&xd3 exd3 3 @fl b6 4 LtJc4
+- Black loses a pawn.
I ... "&c8!? does not help either: 2 "&d5 '&g4 3
itJxb7 .i.xh4 4 lud.6 \Wf3+ 5 @gl .i.xg3 (D).
6 "&xf7+! (this liquidates into a won pawn
ending based on the outside passed pawns; not

THE FIGHT FOR THE IN/TIAT/VE
143
6 fxg3?, after which the black queen has the upper
hand and can secure the draw: 6 .. .'~xg3+ 7
@fl 19f3+! = - such a zwischenschacn is typical;
Black will take the e3-pawn with check and
equalize) 6 1kxf7 7 0.xf7 @xf7 8 fxg3 @e6 9
@g2g5 (9 @d5 IO@h3@c4 11@g4@b412
@f4 @xa4 13 @xe4 +-; 9 ... h5 IO g4 h4 11 g5
+-) IO g4 @d5 11 @f2 ~c5 12 @e2 @b4 13
'it>d2 ~a4 14@c3 @b5 15 'it>d4 +-.
2 ~dS ~xa4 3 loxb7 il.e7 4 0.35 il.b4 5
0.c6 il.c3 (D)
7 0.e7+ @g7 8 0.f5+@g6
The king has to leave home, since 8 ... @g8
fails to 9 19d8+ <&>h7 IO ~7 @g7 11 1kg8+
@f6 12 0.d5+ +-.
9 0.h4+ @g7 10 °IWxhS
The knight will now gallop into f5 to win the
day.
10 ... 1kd7 11 0.fS+ <M6 12 °1Wxh6+ @es 13
g4 f6 14 °1Wh8 .tas 15 °IWbS+ sa 16 1Dh2+
'it>e6171Dh3+ 19d5 18 0,g7+ 1-0
Exercises (Solutions on pages ~11-13)
B
Now comes the typical 'can-opener':
6 hS!
The whole light-squared colour-complex will
be decisively weakened.
6 ... gxhS (DJ
Now the king perishes in a whirlwind attack.
But the queen ending after 6 ... @g7 7 hxg6 fxg6
8 0,d4 il.xd4 9 '*1/xe4 '&a5 IO exd4 is also won
for White.
E7.0l /****
The struggle is finely balanced and Black is
faced with a difficult decision. Should he grab
the b2-pawn and let White have a passed a-
pawn, or first defend the a7-pawn with 1....:.n?
E7.02 ***/
In view of his static weaknesses, White must
either seize the initiative or perish. How did
the computer playing White continue?

144 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
E7.03 /***
How did Black defuse White's initiative?
E7.05 **/
How should this position be assessed?
E7.04 **/
How did White convert his advantage?

8 Prophylaxis and Prevention of
Counterplay
To demand of a piece only direct attacking activity
is the stamp of a mere wood-shifter. The
keener chess mind quite rightly demands of the
pieces that they also undertake preventive action.
ARON N!MZOWJTSCH
You never play a game of chess on your own,
but always in combat with an opponent. He too
will be trying to give of his best. He will try to
implement his own strategies and plans and do
everything to mould the course of the game in
accordance with his own ideas. It is therefore in
the nature of things that you can only be successful
if you manage to come to grips with the
intentions your opponent and combat them effectively.
And so, of course, first of all you must
discern them.
Many of the opponent's ideas are quite obvious
on the basis of your prior chess know ledge.
You apprehend others intuitively or you discover
them by calculating variations. In addition,
there is another important aid to detecting
the opponent's intentions more effectively.
We are talking here about the technique
known as 'prophylactic thinking'.
By this is meant the skill of regularly asking
yourself during a game: what is my opponent
planning? What would he do, if it were his turn
to move?
Only by conducting this sort of interior
monologue during a game, regularly asking
yourself these or similar questions, can you
penetrate really deeply into your opponent's
thinking.
Applying this way of thinking is of special
importance in the endgame. Since both players
in the middlegame and in the opening usually
have several plans and ideas available,
you don't generally manage to eliminate all
the opponent's options. In the endgame, however,
owing to the reduced material, the range
of possibilities worth considering is generally
much narrower. Here if you are able to foil the
opponent's intentions then success is generally
not far away. In addition, this thinking method
also helps you spot zugzwang positions.
Prophylactic thinking is extraordinarily important
in converting an advantage. In such situations
it is often an urgent necessity to recognize
the opponent's possible counter-chances at the
right moment and nip potential counterplay in
the bud.
Try to learn this technique. Study the games
of the great prophylactic players such as Karpov
or Petrosian and then always pay attention
to what your opponent's last move threatens or
plans.
A) Foiling the Opponent's
Plans
Has this ever happened to you? Just when you
get a good idea, your opponent makes a move
that stops everything and you are frustrated.
In the following example, Black was deprived
of his last glimmer of hope by a prophylactic
move.
White's main plan obviously consists of exploiting
the pin. But after the immediate 1
~a4? Black escapes with 1...tal4. Of course,
White would then avoid the exchange of rooks,
but he would still have to work hard for the full
point in the~+~ vs ~+ltl ending. However,
since he has time due to the fact that Black has
no way to escape the pin, he simply rules out
Black's escape clause:

146 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
8.01
A.Beliavsky- P.Nikolic
Polanica Zdroj 1996
1 @hl! 1-0
There is now no defence against the threat of
Aa4.
If Alekhine had also now thought prophylactically,
he would surely have found 1 ... g4!,
which sets White the greatest possible problems
in activating his pawn-majority. l...sl..b5?
is no use now: 2 cxb5 +-.
The game continued l...'i!?e7?!, after which
White had no further difficulties in converting
his superiority into a win: 2 f4 gxf4 3 gxf4 @f6
(3 ... @d6 4 e4 @c7 5 @f2 @b6 6 !!b2+ @c7 7
!:ib7 + @d8 8 l':!xg7 +-; 3 ... r{g6+ 4 @f2 sl..d7 5
r{xa7 r{h6 6@g3 r{g6+ 7@f3 r{h6 8 e4 r{xh2 9
e5@e8 !Oe6+-)4 e4 g5?! 5 f5! h5 (5 ... @e5 6
@f2 h6 7 @e3 {zugzwang} 7 ... h5 8 h4 gxh4 9
@f2 +-) 6 h4! gxh4 7 'itih2 @g5 8 @h3 r{a5 9
sl..b7! @f6 10 sl..d5 @g5 11 sl..b7 @f6 12 Ac8
1-0.
Pawn moves are often used to deny the opponent
the use of important squares or prevent his
play.
M.Euwe -A.Alekhine
Amsterdam Wch (20) 1935
White has the better prospects, since the black
pieces are in a pin. However, Black is threatening
to unpin with 1...sl..b5!, after which the position
would no longer be clear, in view of
Black's passed a-pawn.
1 !fa2!!
With this move, Euwe prevents this relief operation
in elegant fashion. The pin is now permanent
and White can exploit his pawn-majority in
the centre.
8.03
E.Bacrot - J.Dorfman
French Ch (Marseilles) 2001
1 h4!
Crippling the entire black kingside and
thereby giving White a free hand on the rest of
the board.
1 ... aS 2 Ac8 a4 3 @d2 !:ih8 4 sl..f5?!
Th.is wins, but the direct 4 f5! ltle5 5 r{xe5
fxe5 6 f6 gxf6 7 Ae6# (Ribli in CBM) is even
better.
4 ... nh6 5 a3 r{d8 6 @c3
Bacrot does not rush and calmly improves all
his forces.

PROPHYLAXIS AND PREVENTION
...
OF COUNTERPI.AY 147
. - ··~
,.,
- ~ts-~
-~ ~1i0~• ~.
,,.... c. ~- • •
6 .. .'.t>h8 7 i.b6 l:ta8 8 i.c8 @g8 9 i.d4 l:th8
10 i.e6+ @h7 11 i.xf6 l:the8 12 l:txg7+ @h6
13 l:tc71-0
.!~. ··~
w - - ~ -
Bl8 mlD
i;sB
.
~~ ~~ ~
~-
~
B B..t~
..
8.05
S.Grigoriants - T.L.Petrosian
Stepanakert 2005
In the present position the immediate I
i.xa6? fails to 1 ... l:ta8 2 f4 ltJg4 3 i.e2 ltJe3,
when the black knight is annoying. With this
variation in mind, the right idea is easy to find:
1 h3!
Depriving the knight of the g4-square.
1...c4
Or: 1...!l.b8 2 i.xa6 !l.a8 3 i.b5 l:txa2 4 f4 +-
(Ribli in CBM); 1 ... d3 2 c4 l:tb8 3 i.d5 +-.
2 bxc4 ltJxc4 3 i.gS ~b8 4 i.xa6 ltJa3 5
i.d3 @g7 6 i.cl hS 7 g3 ltJbl 8 a4 i.b4 9 i.f4
i.xel 10 i.xb8 i.aS 11 i.eS+ 1-0
3 .. l!ba8 4 l:tdxb4 l:txb4 5 ~xb4 l:txa2 6
l:tbl @g7 7 f4 @f6 8 l:tb6 @g7 9 l:tc6 ltJd3 10
i.fl ltJf2 11 i.g2 lt)g4 12 .!:tel ltJe3 13 i.f3
ltJc214 l:tdl ltJa3 151:tel ltJbS 16 l:te2 l:ta3 17
i.g2 h6 18 ~b2 l:ta519 h4 ,.t;,f6 20 @f2 gS 21
hxgS+ hxgS 22 i.f3 ltJc3 23 !l.b3 l:ta2+ 24 @e3
ltJa4 25 l:tb7 l:ta3+ 26 @f2 g4 27 i.xg4 ltJc5 28
eS+ dxeS 29 l:tb6+ @g7 30 fxe5 ltJd3+ 31 @g2
!l.a2+ 32 @fl ltJxeS 33 i.e2 l:td2 34 l:tb7 @f6
35 l:tb6+ ..t>g7 36 l:tb7 ..t>r6 37 l:tb6+ ..t>rs 38
l:tb7 lt)g6 39 i.hS ltJeS 40 l:txe7 @f6 41 l:ta7
l:txdS 42 i.e2 @fS 43 ~a4 f6 44 l:tf4+ 111.111
The next example is more difficult:
B) Mysterious Rook Moves
Of course, rooks normally belong on open fi Ies.
But sometimes it is better to deploy them on
files which either you or your opponent will
soon open.
Without ... a4 Black will get bogged down,
so ...
11:tbl! a4 2 bxa4 ~xa4 3 l:tb2
Now White's queen's rook is ideally placed,
since it combines both attack and defence. With
precise play White was able to hold the position.
8.06
A.Chemin - B.Alterman
Beersheba 1992

148 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1 ~bl!?
If, for example, 1 @f3 i.xg3 2 hxg3 then
comes 2 ... ~g8 with the idea of ... ~g5 with
counterplay, Also I i.xd6 ~xd6 2 @g3 (2 ~gl
b5 with counterplay) 2 .. J!d8 3 @h4 ~g8 fails
to bring the desired result.
1...i.xg3+?
Alterman goes ahead with his plan of simplification.
He could have changed course with
I ... b5 and taken advantage of the drawbacks of
~h 1: 2 cxb5 c4 3 i.xd6 l;txd6 4 ~d I a6 and
Black has good drawing chances.
2 hxg3 b5 3 cxb5 ~xd5 4 ~xh5 c4
4 ... ~d2+ 5 @e31;txa2 6 ~h7 + @g8 7 ~c7 ±.
5 a4 @g7
5 ... c3 6 ~h7+ @e8 7 ~c7 ±.
6~h4
6@e2!?.
6 .•• c3
6...~f5+ 7 @e3 ~c5 8 Wd2 ±.
7 ~c4 ~d2+ 8 @e3 ~a2 9 ~c7 + @h6 10
~xa7 @g5 11 @d3 c2 12 @d2 @xf5 13 b6
1-0
C) Preventing Counterplay
It all depends on Black not being able to free
himself, either by gaining play with his passed
e-pawn or activating his rook.
1 h4!
I g4? hxg4 2 hxg4 e5 (and not 2 ...@g7? 3
@f4 @f6 4 g5+ @e7 5 @e5 ~xd7 6 ~xd7+
@xd7 7 @f6 +-) would reduce the winning potential
and give Black unnecessary counterplay.
1. .• e5 2 ~d6? (D)
A clear violation of the 'do not rush' principle.
The useful waiting move 2 g3! would have
won clearly, since Black's bid for freedom with
2 ... @g7 (2 ... e4 3 @f4 @e7 4 @xe4 l;txd7 5
l;txd7+ @xd7 6 @d5 +-) 3 ~d5 @f7 would
come at too high a price: 4 ~xe5 l;txd7 5 l;txa5
@g7 6 !!b5 (6 &5 .lia7 7 a5 +-) 6...~c7 7 a5
.lia7 8 l;td5 @h7 (8...~a6 9 ~d7+ @f8 10 @h6
~xa5 11 ~g7 +-) 9@f6~c7 IO@e6~c411 a6
l;ta4 12 ~d7+ @h6 13 a7 g5 14 @d5 gxh4 15
gxh4 @g6 16 @c6 @f5 17 @b7 ~b4+ 18 @a6
~a4+ 19@b6@g4 20~d5~xa721 l;td4++-.
B
In rook endings in particular it is often important
to retain full control and eliminate any activity.
In the following example we have referred to
analysis by Claus Dieter Meyer.
8.07
L.Vogt - G.Fish
Bundesliga 200617
2 ...@e73 ~xg6 @xd74 @xh5?!
This allows the opponent to become extremely
active with his passed e-pawn, However,
it is very doubtful whether4@f5!? would
give White more than a draw after 4 ... l;te8 5
@e4 ~c8 6 @xe5 ~c4 7 ~d6+ @e7 8 ~d4
~c5+ 9 @f4 @e6. After the move played in the
game, however, there are several paths leading
to a draw.
4 ... ~e8
Black would do better to save this tempo and
advance thee-pawn right away: 4 ... e4!? 5 ~b6
(5 @g4 ~e8 6 ~b6 e3 7 ~bl ~e4+ 8 @f3 ~xh4

PROPHYLAXIS AND PREVENTION OF COUNTERPU.Y
149
is a transposition to the game) 5 ... e3 6l!bl @e6
S@g4
Here 5 I:l.b6 seems more critical; for example,
5 ... e4 6 libl (6 @g5 e3 7 I:l.bl I:l.g8+ 8 @f4
I:l.xg2 9@xe3 I:l.h2 10 I:l.dl+ @e6 I I I:l.d4@e5
=) 6 ... @e6 7 g4 (7 @g4@e5 and Black should
be able to hold) 7 ... e3 8 @g5 (8 g5 <tlf7 9 @g4
e2 10 I:l.el !te4+ 11 @g3 @g6 =) 8 ... @e5 9 h5
ggs+ IO @h4 e2 I I @g3 @e4 12 @f2 @d3
(12 ... l!xg4? 131:l.hl) 13@el <t>c214I:l.b5I:l.xg4
15 @xe2 I:l.xa4 16 I:l.c5+@b3 17@d3 l!al 18
l:Ic3+ @b2 I 9 l!c2+@b3 20 I:l.h2 l!d 1 + 21 <t>e4
.l:l:d7=.
S .•. e4 6 I:l.b6 e3 7 I:l.bl ~e4+ 8 @f3 I:l.xh4 9
g4 l!h3+ 10 @g2 l!h8 11 !!el
11 I!dl+@e612I:l.el <tle5131:txe3+@f4is
also a draw.
ll ... l!b8 12 .!he3 l!b4 1'2-1/z
The next case is clearly simpler.
4 ... f3 s @xf3 @rs 6 @e3 @es 7 I:l.bS e6 8
dxe6+ @xe6 9 @d4 @d7 10 @dS @c8 11 @c6
dS 12 I:l.aS 1-0
The plan to be hindered can also be a longterm
one.
8.08
Y.Shulman - A.Khalifman
Khanty­Mansiisk (FIDE Wcup) 2005
White must first neutralize the passed pawn
on f4.
1 <tld2!
The precipitate I b7? I:l.b8 2 @d2 f3 3 @e3
<t>g3 gives Black unnecessary counterplay.
1 l!b8 2 @e2 l!b7 3 @f3 <t;>gS
3 @xh3 4 @xf4+ @h4 5 @f5 (zugzwang)
+- (Stohl in CBM).
4<tle4 (D)
Zugzwang.
8.09
T.Petrosian - B.Spassky
Moscow Wch (12) 1966
I g4!!
A excellent prophylactic move. Black threatened
to bring his king to d6, in order to force
through the pawn advance ... c5. The successful
implementation of this plan would give Black
the advantage. With the text-move followed by
activation of his king, White can meet this manoeuvre
successfully. However, I h3 should
also just be playable: l...@f6 2 g4 h4 3 I:l.f2+
@e7 4 I:l.c2 (4 ~f5+? i..xf5 5 I:l.xf5 I:l.b6 +; 4
g5? I:l.a8 +) 4 ... I:l.b6!? (4 ... @d6 5 I:l.f2! =) 5 l!c5

150 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
@d6 6 !lxa5 c5 7 t2Jb5+@e5 8 @g 1 !lbB 9 @g2
1 ... hxg4
Not: 1...h4? 2@h3 ±; l...i.xg4? 2 !lxc6 ±
2 ~g3 @£6 3 ~f4 !lb6 4 !lcS !la6 5 !lc2
!lb6 6 !lc5 1h·1'1
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 313-14)
E8.03 ***/
Find the only winning move.
E8.0l ***/
White underestimated Black's counterplay
and the game ended in a draw.
Could you do better?
E8.04 **/
How did White stop Black's counterplay?
E8.02 /*****
Black is the exchange up, but White threatens
i.a6-d3 winning a piece. Is there anything
Black can do about this?
E8.05 **/
What are White's priorities?

9 The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame
The bishop-pair ... something to win with.
TONY MILES
Wilhelm Steinitz understood that the bishoppair
is stronger than bishop + knight, since the
basic disadvantage of the bishop-that it can influence
only the squares of its own colour - is
offset by the presence of its colleague. Note that
when one bishop is exchanged, its colleague is
also weakened, because then the opponent's
pieces can safely operate on squares of the opposite
colour. Since the bishops are long-range
pieces, the advantage of the bishop-pair is especially
(but not exclusively, as we shall see) apparent
in open positions.
A) Steinitz's Method of
Restriction
This is based on the relative lack of mobihty of
the knight, which sometimes makes it very hard
for it to reach or leave particular complexes of
squares. The following classic is such an excellent
demonstration of this that we really must
include it (see next diagram).
Besides the bishop-pair, Black also has complete
control over the position and a slight initiative,
which prove to be a deadly mixture.
l. ..!l.ad8
Naturally not I...i.xb2?2 !I.ab) i.e5 3 !l.xb7
which would needlessly allow White activity
and provide his pieces with some supportpoints.
It is particularly important to deprive the
knight of any prospects.
2 c3 llie8
Activating the last piece and threatening
... Eixe3.
3 't)b3
3 't)f3 b6 4 Eiadl c5 runs in similar channels
to the game.
3 .•. b6!
B
9.01
B.Englisch - W.Steinitz
London 1883
With this Black begins to increase the scope
of the g4-bishop, which has no opposite number,
and simultaneously restricts the range of
activity of both white minor pieces.
4 h3 i.e6 5 !l.fdl ?!
5 i.d4?! can be answered easily with 5 .. .f6.
The advantage of the bishop-pair should be
greater and easier to exploit in practice than the
rook ending after 5 ... i.xb3 6 axb3 i.xd4 7 cxd4
+.
However, 5 't)d4!? came strongly into consideration;
for example, 5 ... i.d5 6 !l.fel c5 7
't)b5 i.c6, and now:
a) After 8 ltJc7? the great power of the
bishop would be revealed: 8 ... !l.xe3 ! 9 !l.xe3
i.h6 (9 ... !l.c8!?) 10 l;teel (10 .i'.te5? i.f4 11
!l.ael i.xe5 12 !!.xe5 !!.di+ 13 @h2 !l.d2 -+)
10 ... i.f4 11 ltJa6 i.bS 12 ltJxc5 bxc5 13 .i'.tadl
!l.d6+.
b) 8 ltJxa7?! would also be playing with
fire: 8 ... i.a4 9 b3 i.d7 JO laadl i.xc3 11 !I.fl
i.f5 12 i.f4 i.d3.
c) In contrast, with the correct move 8 a4!?
White can still fight tenaciously.
5 ... c5 (DJ

152 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
the infiltration by the black rook on the d-file
(for more examples of such a transformation of
one advantage into another, see the next section).
18 .i.xgS?!
18 @e3 was more tenacious and should be
answered by Tartakower's I 8 ... @g6 +, since
18 ... lle8+ ?! 19 @f21:!.xel? would be a mistake:
20 @xel .i.xf4 21 gxf4 @e6 22 @f2 @d5 23
@e3 .i.fl 24 h4 @c4 25 @d2 and Black is unable
to penetrate; for example, 25 ... b5 26 @e3
b4 27 cxb4 cxb4 28 axb4 @xb4 29 @d4 =.
18 ••• hxg519@e3@f6 (D)
This deprives the white pieces of the important
support-point d4 and in particular restricts
the knight further.
6 .tgs r6 1 .tr4 wr1 s n gs
Steinitz uses his whole army to gain ever
more space.
9 1:!.xd8 1:!.xd8 10 .i.e3 h6
Now all Black's pawns are on dark squares.
The next step is to advance the f-pawn to f4.
111:!.el rs 12 f4 .tf6 13 g3 as!
With the aid of the deadly threat of rolling up
White's queenside with ... a4-a3, the knight will
be forced back further.
14 lt::lcl a4 15 a3 .i.c4 16 @f2 (D)
B
16 ... gxf4
16 .. J!d5 with the idea of ... b5-b4 was the alternative.
17 .bf4 .i.gS!
The strongest defender will now be exchanged,
after which it will be hard to prevent
20 h4?
This loses by force, but White seems to be in
a bad way in any case; for example, 20 1:!.h I
We5 21 fig! f4+ 22 ~f3 li.d5+ 23 @f2 (23@e2
@e4 24 gxf4 gxf4 25 fig7 .i.c4+ 26 Wei f3 27
h4 @e3 281:l.e7+ ~f4 291:l.g71:l.d6 30 h5 ~e3
31 fie7+ .i.e6 -+) 23 ... 1:!.h8 24 ~el+ @d6 25
gxf4 gxf4 26 c4 .i.c6 27 lt::ld3 ~xh3 -+ or 20
fig! @e5 21 h4 f4+ 22 gxf4+ gxf4+ 23 ~f3
.i.d5+ 24 @e2 @e4 -+.
20 ... gxh4 21 gxh4 1:!.e8+ 22 @f2 1:!.xel 23
@xel@eS!
23 .. .f4? allows the knight to slip away: 24
lt::le2 @f5 25 h5 @g5 26 h6 .i.d3 27 @f2 b5 28
c4 b4 29 lt::lc I li.g6 30 @f3 ==.
24 lt::le2 .ixe2 25 @xe2
In spite of the outside passed pawn, the pawn
ending is an easy win for Black owing to the
greater activity of his king.
25 ...@f4 26 c4 @g4 27 @e3 f4+ 28 @e4 f3
29@e3 @g3 0-1

THE BISHOP-PAIR
IN THE ENDGAME
153
B) Transformation
Apart from the applicability of the Steinitz restriction
method, one of the greatest advantages
of the bishop-pair lies in the fact that it is generally
easier to exchange a bishop than a knight.
Of course, liquidation into pure oppositecoloured
bishop endings should always be very
precisely calculated because of their strong
drawing tendency.
The following famous example is substantially
more complicated:
A.Delchev - B.lvanovic
Subotica 2003
Delchev won by force:
l _bc6! bxc6 2@b4 f4 3@a5@e8 (D)
After 3 ... Ac8 4 ©b6 @e6 5 Axf4 @d7 6 g3
h5 7 h4 +- Black is in a fatal zugzwang.
3 ... i.g4 4 @xa6 Ad I 5 b4 Ae2 6 @b6 Axc4 7
'i9xc6 Afl 8 Axf4 Axg2+ 9 @c7 +- does not
help either.
4 @xa6 Ag4 5 cs Adi 6 a4! Axb3 7 as f3 8
gxf3@d7 9 @b7 1-0
A.Karpov - B.lvkov
Bugojno 1980
1Ae4!
I Axc4+?! bxc4 2 Ad4 ©e7 is only a draw
of course.
1 ... Ad7!
Black cannot exchange, since he needs the
bishop for defence of the b5-pawn and for
counter-attack. l...Axe4? 2 @xe4 and White
wins, since the principle of the second weakness
comes fully into force: 2 ... @e8 (2 .. .ltle5 3
@d5 ltixg4 4 @c6 @e8 5 @xb5 ltie5 6 i.d6
ltif3 7 @c5 @d7 8 b5 @c8 9 @b6 ltid4 10 @a6
+-) 3 @d5 lties 4 @d6 @d8 5 Ab6+ @c8
(5 ... @e8 6 @c5 +-) 6 @e6 ltixg4 7 Ac5 ltie5 8
i.f8 ltid3 9 Axg7 ltif4+ 10 @xf6 ltixh5+ 11
@f7 +-.
2 i.d4 @e7 3 Aa8 Ae8 4 @e4 Af7 S i.a7
@d7 6 ©d4ltieS 7 AdS!? (D)
7 Ac5 ltixg4 8 i.f8 @e8 9 Axg7 Ac4
(9 ... i.xh5!?) 10 Af3 @f7 11 Axg4 @xg7 12
i.f3 @f8 13 Ac6 @e7 14@c5 i.d3 leads to a
draw.
Karpov has set a nasty trap, into which Ivkov
promptly falls:
7 ••. ltic6+?

154 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercises (Solutions on pages 314-15)
Liquidation into an opposite-coloured bishop
ending is now, surprisingly. a mistake. 7 ... Axd.5 !
was the safest way to draw: 8 @xd5 lt:lxg4 9
Agl (9 Ac5 lt:le5 10 .ars lt:lg4 11 Axg7 @e7
=) 9 ... lt:le5 10 i.c5 lt:lg4 11 Ad4 lt:le5 12 Axe5
fxe5 13 @xe5 @e7 14 @d5 @f6 15 @c5 @xf5
16 @xb5 g5 17 hxg6 @xg6 =.
7 ... Ae8?! is very risky, but should also hold
in the end; for example, 8 Ac5 lt:lxg4 9 Af3,
and now:
a) 9 ... lt:le5?! 10 Ae2 lt:lc4 11 .i.f8 lt:"ld6 12
@c5 and then:
al) 12 ... lt:lxf5? 13 Axb5+ @d8 14 Axe8
(14 .i.d3? fails to 14 ... lt:lg3 and Black should
still keep afloat; but not 14 ... g6? 15 b5 +- or
14 ... Ad7? 15 b5 @c8 16 b6 @b8 17 Ae4 @c8
18@b4+-) 14 ... @xe815b5©d7 !6@b6@c8
17 @a6 lt:ld4 18 b6 +-.
a2) 12 ... lt:le4+ 13 @b6 lt:ld6 14 Ag4 lt:lc4+
15 @c5 lt:le3 16 Ae2 @c8 17 Axg7 lt:lxf5 18
Ag4 Ad7 19 .i.xf6 lt:"lg3 20 Af3 Ae8 21 Ae5
Axh5 22 Ad5!? (22 Axh5 lt:lxh5 23 @xb5 @d7
24 @c5 @e6 25 @d4 lt:lf6 =: 22 Ac6 lt:lfl 23 B
Axb5 (23 Af4 Ae2 =} 23 ... lt:"ld2 =) 22 ... lt:le2
23 @xb5 lt:lgl (23 ... lt:lci !?) 24 @b6 @d7 25
Ac6+ @e6 (25 ... @c8? 26 b5 Af3 27 .i.d4
Axc6 28 @xc6 lt:"lf3 29 Ac3 wins for White) 26
Ac7 Ae2 27 b5 lt:"lf3 28 @c5 lt:le5 29 .i.d5+
@f5 and Black seems to be able to hold the position.
b) 9 ... i.xh5 10 i.e2 @d8 11 .i.f8 @e8 12
Axg7 @f7 13 Axh6 lt:"lxh6 14 Axh5+@e7 15
@e4 @d6 16 Ae8 lt:lg8 17 Axb5 lt:le7 18 Ad3
lt:ld5 19 b5 @c5 20 @f3 lt:le7 =.
8 Axc6+ @xc6 9 Ac5 Ac4 10 @e4 1-0
E9.0l /*
Black to play and win.
E9.02 /**
How did Black convert his advantage?
E9.03 /***
Can Black still save the game?

THE BISHOP-PAIR
IN THE ENDGAME
155
E9.04 **/
How did White stamp out Black's resistance?
C) Control
One of the main aims of the side with the bishops
is to gain the control of the position, so that
he can open it on his own terms. In the following
example, Krarnnik keeps increasing his advantage
slowly but surely:
absolutely no counterplay. 9 .!ih5? is too artificial:
9 ... 0.b4 IO a3 li:Jg3+! 11 'i5'd2 0.xh5 12
gxh5 li:Ja6 13 llgl .!ie5! =.
9 .•. 0.acS
After 9 ... 0.ec5, according to Kramnik in
CBM White can open the position right away:
10 g5! 0.xb3 11 .!igl with a strong attack.
10 b4 axb4 11 axb4 li:Ja6 12 bS!?
The control of the a-file is ruore important
than the knight outpost at c5.
12 0.acS 13 .!ial li:Jf6
l 3 li:Jb3 14 lla7 lf:Ja5 15 .ixe4 !!'.xe4 16
.!ixc7 .!ixc4 17 !hc4 0.xc4 18 .id4 f6 19 @d3
.!ic8 20 g5 fxg5 21 hxg5@h7 22 gxh6 gxh6 23
f4+-.
14llddl
It is not worth giving up the bishop-pair just
to disrupt the black kingside pawns: after 14
.1xf6? gxf6 Black is well entrenched on the
dark squares.
14 ... li:Jfe4 15 .!ia7 <it>f8
To see how Kramnik now opened the position
for his bishops, refer to 9.07.
Control and initiative are sometimes worth
more than a pawn.
1 !!'.fdl h6?!
This makes it easier for White to open the
kingside later.
2 e3 li:JcI7 3 'i5'fl !le7 4 @e2 .!ide8 5 g4 .!ie6 6
h4 .!i6e7 7 .if3 li:JdcS 8 .!idS li:Ja6 9 a3!
Preparing the advance of the queenside
pawns. White can act calmly, since Black has
G.Kamsky - V.Kramnik
Monaco (Amber blindfold) 1996
1 ... .1c61 2 li:Jxf6+ We7 31:i:JhS .!ig8 4 f3 .!igS
5 li:JC4 hS 6 h4 .!ieS 7 li:Jd3 .ih6+ 8 Wbl .!ie3
8 ... 1;!.d8!?.
9llel?!
9 lf:Jc5 .!ia8 10 .id3 seems more natural.

156 How TO PIAY CHESS ENDGAMES
9 ... l:tg8 10 l:txe3 .ltxe3 11 c3 rs 12 @c2 ( D)
12 c4!? bxc4 13 lt:le5 .ltd5 14 lt:lxc4 came
into consideration, to provide the knight with a
better support-point.
B
22 axb4 axb4 23 cxb4 l:tc8+ 24 @b2 .ltd4+
25@bl }la8!
Now the black rook penetrates decisively.
26 @cl l:tal + 27 @d2 .l:ia2+ 28 @cl .lte3+
29 @bl l:td2 30 b5 l:tdl+ 31 @c2 l:tcl+ 32
Vb2 .ltxd3 33 b6 l:txfl 34 b7 .ltd4+ 35 'it>a3
.lteS 0-1
Naturally you have to prevent the defender
from setting up a secure blockade.
w
12 ...@f6 13 J:!h3 f4 14 @di?! e5 15 ~e2
.ltd7 16 l:thl .ltf517@dl l:td8
I 7 ... .ltxd3? 18 .ltxd3 }lxg2 19 .lte2 allows
White to get off lightly.
18 @c2 e4 19 fxe4 .ltxe4 20 b3 a5 21 a3?
(DJ
This allows an instructive finish. But White
is lost anyway; for example, 21 l:th3 l:tg8 22
l:th2 l:tc8 23 l:th3 a4 24 bxa4 b4 25 c4 }lxc4+ 26
Vb2 @f5 27 l:tf3 1:!.d4 28 @c2 @e6 29 a5 @d5
30 a6 @c4 31 a7 }ld8 -+.
21...b4!
Krarnnik opens the position more and more,
to exploit the fact that the rook is practically out
of the game on hi.
9.06
W.Uhlmann - S.Gligoric
Hastings 1970/1
1 a5!
The automatic I @fl? is a serious mistake,
since after I. .. a5 the queenside is securely barricaded.
1 •.• lt:le8 2 .ltd2 h5 3 @fl .ltd4 4 b3 lt:lg7 5
.ltc2 lt:le8 6 lt:le2 .ltb2 7 f3 lt:lg7 8 @f2 .ltf6 9
lt:lc3 .ltd4+ 10 @e2 rs 11 f4
White has increased his control and has the
pawn-breaks b4 and g4 available.
11 ... lt:le8 12 .ltd3 .ltxc3
An interesting decision, made in the hope
that, with an opening of the position, he will
gain support-points for the knights. Of course,
12 ... h4!?, with the idea of 13 .Itel .ltf6 14 lt:la4
lt:lg7 15 @f3 lt:lh5, also came strongly into consideration.
13 .ltxc3 lt:lef6 14 .Itel @f715 @e3 <tie7 16
.ltc2@f717b4
Uhlrnann plays his first trump, now that he
has strengthened his position as much as possible.

THE BISHOP-PAIR IN THE ENDGAME 157
17 ... cxb4 18 £xb4 lZ:icS 19 @d4 lZ:ifd7 20
£dl @e7 21 g4 hxg4 22 hxg4 @f6 23 @e3 ( D)
25 ... bxc5 26 ..ta4@e7 27 @f3 lZ:if8 (27 ... lZ:ib8
28 @g3 @f6 29 @h4 @g6 30 ..tc6 @f6 31 £b7
@g6 32 £c8 @f6 33 @h5 +-) 28 @g3 lZ:ig6
(28 ... lZ:ih7 29 ..tb5 lZ:if6 30 £xa6 lZ:ih5+ 31 @f3
@d7 32 £b5+ @c7 33 £e8 lZ:ig7 34 ..tg6 @b7
35 @g3 +-) 29 £b5 @d8 30 ..txa6 @c7 31
£b5 @b7 32 £e8 lZ:ie7 33 @h4 +-.
26 axb6 aS 27 £c2 @e7 28 @d2 @d8 29
..txfS lba4 30 b7 @c7 31 ..tc8 lZ:icS 32 rs lZ:ie<I+
33 @c2 @b8 34 @b3 lZ:id2+ 35 @a4 lZ:ixc4 36
f6 lZ:ieS 37 @xaS 1-0
D) Opening the Position for
the Bishops
It looks as if White cannot win after all.
However, Black must continue to defend stubbornly.
23 ... b6?
This allows White a winning liquidation,
based on the many light-squared weaknesses.
Gligoric should have continued to hold firm;
for example, 23 ... @e7 24 gxf5 gxf5 25 ..tc2
@f6 26 £c3+ @g6 27 ..td4 lZ:if6 28 £xc5 dxc5
29 d6 lZ:ig4+ 30 @f3 lZ:ih6 31 d7 lZ:if7 =.
24 gxf5 gxfS
24 ... @xf5 25 @f3 l&f6 (25 ... g5 26 ..tc2+
@f6 27 ..tc3+ +-; 25 ... bxa5? 26 ..tc3 lZ:ie4 27
£c2 lZ:idc5 28 £xa5 +-) 26 £xc5 bxc5 27 £a4
lZ:ib8 28 @g4 @f7 29 @g5 @g7 30 £e8 +-.
25..txcS (DJ
25 ... lZ:ixcS
If the side with the bishops can open the position
on his terms, the superiority of the long-range
piece usually becomes devastatingly obvious.
9.07
V.Kramnik - M.Ulybin
Khalkidhiki 1992
Kramnik has completed all his preparations
and now strikes:
1 gS!!
I J!d5?! is easily answered with l...lZ:if6.
l...hxgS 2 hxgS lZ:ixgS
2 ... @g8 3 l:ld5 (3 l:lgl? is countered by
3 ... lZ:ixf2) 3 ... @f8 (3 ... @h7 4 £g4 ±) 4 l:lal
lZ:ib3 5 l:lhl @g8 6 lih4 l:le6 7 l:ldl lZ:ixg5 8
:!:l:dhl +-.
3 ..tc6 lac8 4 l:lhl @g8 5 l:laal!
Kramnik brings all his forces into the attack.
s ... lZ:ice6

158 How TO PT.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
5 .. .f6 6 1:lagl (6 .i.d5+?! is premature in
view of 6 ... lbge6) 6 ... lbh7 (6...@f7 7 f4 lbge6 8
.i.d5 +-) 7 f4 lbd7 8 .i.d5+ @h8 9 f5 lbdf8 10
.i.xf6+-.
6.l::!.h4f6
6 ... lbh7 7 .l::!.ahl lbef8 8 .i_e4 g6 9 .i.d51:ld8
10 f4 +- (Kramnik).
7 .l::!.gl @f7 8 .i.dS!
Surprisingly, 8 f4 is also decisive: 8 ... lbxf4+
(8 ... lbh3 9 .l::!.g3 lbhxf4+ IO exf4 lbxf4++ 11
@f3 +-) 9 .l::!.xf4 lbh3 10 1:lxg7+ @xg7 11
.i.xf6+ @f7 12 .l::!.fl 1:lee8 13 .i.g2 +-.
8 .•• @e8 9 .l::!.h8+ lbfS 10 f4 lbe6 11 00 f5
I 1....l::!.b8 12 .i.xe6!? .l::!.xe6 13 1:lxg7 .l::!.e7 14
.i.xf6 ~f7 15 .i.d4 +- (Kramnik).
12 .l::!.g6! lbcS 13 hg7 1:lf7 14 .i.xf8 1-0
In the following examples Kasparov shows
how to do it:
B
way is open for the bishops. 6 .l::!.ed3 ! was necessary.
In Informator, Kasparov gives 6 ... @h7 7
b3 f6 8 c4 .i.g6 9lbxe61:lxd3 10 .l::!.xd3 with unclear
complications.
6 .i.c6!?
6 .l::!.xdl 7 @xdl .i.b5, with pressure, also
came into consideration.
7f3
7 .l::!.xd8+ .i.xd8 8 f3 .i.b6 9 ~d3 .i.b5 IO :!Id6
.i.c5 I 1 lbd4 .i.xd6 12 exd6 .i.d7 +(Kasparov).
7 ..•:!Ixdl 8 @xdl .i.cS 9 :!Id3?!
9 lbd4!? .i.d5 10 b3 ~d8 11 @c2 .i.b7 12
:!Id3 .i.a6 13 :!Idl bxc3 14 .i.f2 :!Ic8 with a
black initiative.
9 ....i.bS 10 :!Id2 h3 11 1:ld6 bxc3 12 lbxcJ
12 bxc3 .i.c4 13 a4 :!Ib8 + (Kasparov).
12 •...i.fl 13 .i.h4?! (D)
9.08
P.Svidler - G.Kasparov
Linares 1999
1 ....i.e8!
A very poisonous move. l.. ..i.d5 is harmless:
2 lbb5.
2c3
2 .l::!.xe4? .i.c6 3 .l::!.eel .i.xg2 plays into Black's
hands.
2 .. Jlac8 3 @c2 b5 4 ~xe4 b4 5 .l::!.e3 a5 ( D)
The critical moment is reached. White must
play precisely to neutralize Black's initiative.
6 lbe2?
The desire to relieve the pressure through exchanges
is clearly understandable, but now the
B
This provocation backfires, because Black
would like to advance his kingside pawns anyway.

THE BISHOP-PAIR
IN THE ENDGAME
159
13 ... gS! 14 ~el hg2 15 @e2 ~f4 16 i..g3
i..cl 17 loa4 hS 18 l!dl h4 19 ~el ~f4 20
i..c3
20 ~xa5 ..i..xe5 21 @f2 h3 22 ..i..c3 ..i..xh2 23
lob6 lic7 24 l!d8+@h7 25 lod7 @g6 -+ (Kasparov).
20 ••• @g7?!
20 ... .§.c6 is more accurate.
21 lob6 :l:h8 22 @f2 h3 23 ~d2?
23 loc4! g4 24 l!d4! ~xh2 25 l!xg4+ @f8
26 l!xg2 hxg2 27 @xg2 a4 28 lob6 a3 29 bxa3
i..f4 +.
23 ... ..i..xh2 24 tod7 @g6 25 ~3
25 ~xa5 g4 26 fxg4 ~c6 -+ (Kasparov).
25 ... g4 26 fxg4 i..c6 0-1
You should naturally prevent the opponent
from setting up a solid line of defence.
Now the h-pawn will be very weak. However,
after 4 .. .f6 Black's defences are breached
with 5 h6 +-.
5 gxh6 gxh6 6 eS locS 7 @f4 ~dS 8 ~c2 f6
9 e6 @g7 10 ~b4 lob3 11 @e3 cS 12 ~c3 @f8
1-0
This was the sealed move and Smyslov re-
signed the adjourned game without resumption.
For example, I 3 Ae4 ~xe4 14 @xe4@e7
15 @d5 +- leaves Black in zugzwang.
Other sealed moves such as 12 ... loc! 13
~a4 ~c6 14 hc6 bxc6 15 ~d2 lob3 16@d3
tod4 17 i..xh6+ +- or 12 ... c4 13 ~e4 +- would
not have saved the game either.
9.09
G.Kasparov - V.Smyslov
Vilnius Ct (9) 1984
Kasparov instructively prevents Black from
building a wall with ... lod7 and .. .f6:
1..i..c3!?
After I rs, with l...~b3 2 .!!ld2 c5! 3 ~3
Elxd2 4 ~xd2 lod7 5 @f4 f6! (D) Black can set
up a defensive line.
However, in the end it cannot be held: 6 ~c3
c4 (6 @f7?! 7 e5 fxe5+ 8 ~xe5 loxe5 9@xe5
+-; 6 i..a4?! 7 ~c4+ ~f8 8 ~6 ~b5 9 e5
loxe5 10 gxf6 gxf6 11 ~xe5 fxe5+ 12 @xe5
+-) 7 @e3 @f7 8 @d4 loe5 9 @c5 tod3+ 10
@d6±.
1 ... .§.xdl 2 .bdl tod7 3 rs ~c4 4 hS! h6
Exercises
(Solutions on page 316)
E9.05 /**
How should the position be evaluated?

160 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
lt:lc6 11.d3 8 lt:lxd4 11.xe2 9 lt:lxe2 and it is not
clear whether Black can win.
21!d3 (DJ
Or:
a) 2 JJ.d.7 11.c33l!c211.xaS 411.xa411.c7 -+.
b) 2 11.xa4 il.c3 (2 ... l!a8 3 11.b3 !ixa5 4
11.xe6 fxe6 5 l!c2 !ia7 should also work) 3 lt:lc4
11.xc4 4 J!c2 1!38 -+.
E9.06 ***/
How did White increase his advantage?
E) Supporting Passed Pawns
Bishops are very strong in support of their own
passed pawns. since they can lend a hand both at
short range or from a distance. If all goes well,
they can simply escort the pawn all the way.
2 •.• 11.b2! 3 11.xa4?!
After 311.d7! !ia8 4 .Le6 (4 lt:lc6? 11.c4-+)
4 .. .fxe6 5 lt:lc4 a3 6 lt:lxa3 11.xa3 Black still
faces considerable technical difficulties, although
he should prevail in the end.
3 ... l!a8 4 JJ.d.7 J!xaS 5 c6 11.c4 6 c7 J!cS 7
!id2!ixc7 0-1
Exercises (Solutions on pages 316-17)
9.10
S.Beshukov - V.Filippov
Russia Cup (Perm) 1997
1....si.e6!
In order to win Black must keep his bishops:
a) I ... 11.c3? 2 lmb3 axb3 3 l!d 1 b2 (3 .. ..!k8
4 11.a4 =) 4 Sl.e4 and White should defend.
b) 1 ... J!c8 is not so convincing: 2 !id3 (2
lt:lxb3? !ixc6 3 lt:lcl J!xc5 4 lt:la2 +) 2 ... 11.c2 3
l!e3 11.d4 (3 ... 11.b2? 4 !ie2 a3 5 J!xc2 J!xc6 6
lt:lb3 =) 4l!e211.bl 511.xa4l!a8611.c211.xc2 7
E9.07 ***/
Where is Black's fatal vulnerability?

THE BISHOP-PAIR IN THE ENDGAME 161
F) Attack
Of course, in the endgame the bishop-pair can
sometimes also operate directly against the enemy
king.
E9.08 /***
What is Black's strongest move?
9.11
U.Adianto - P.Wolff
Buenos Aires 1997
E9.09 **/
How would you increase White's advantage?
Patrick Wolff takes advantage of the precarious
position of the white king and, despite the
reduced material, he launches a powerful attack:
l ... i.fl! -+
I .. Jl:h5?! 2 @g2 +.
2 ;J;Ig6 ;J;Ih3+ 3 llg3 llhSI
3 ... e4+ 4 @f4 i.d6+ 5 @xf5 .bg3 6 fxg3
;J;Ixg3 7 @xe4 + (Khuzman in CBM).
4;J;Xg1(D)
4 ;J;Igl e4+ 5 @g3 i.d6+ 6 f4 ;J;Ih3+ -+.
E9.10 /***
How do you assess this position
with Black to move?

162 How TO PT.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
4 •.. @e8 5 ngl
5 il..cl nh3+ 6 :g3 nh2 7 :g1 e4+ 8 @f4
nxf2+ 9 @e5 @f7 -+.
s e4+ 6@g3 il..d6+ 1 f4 E{h3+ s 'it>r2 nr3+
8 nxe3!? -+ (Khuzman).
9 @el il..d3 10 @d2?
10 ll:ld! and 10 il..cl were both more tenacious.
10 •. .nxe3! ll l:Ig5 il..xf4 12 nxr5 l:If3+ 0-1
At first glance the following position has
nothing to do with this theme, but just wait.
9.12
A.Rustemov -1.Sokolov
Internet 2001
l il..hl!?
Rustemov keeps playing courageously and
is rewarded in the end. Of course, Fritz prefers
I i.xd5+ nxd5 2 nxb6 =.
1...ll:le2+ 2 Wfl ll:lec3 3 ~b3 ll:le4 4 :d3
~d7
4 ... @f7!?.
5 g4 ll:ldf6 6 nxd7 ll:lxd7 7 gxfS gxfS 8 @e2
@f7 9 @e3 ll:\df6 10 i.f3 @e6 11 i.e2 ll:ldS+
12@d4 ll:\f4?! 13 .ic4+ @f6 14 i.b2
Now Black must be very careful not to lose.
14 •••@g6?!
Not, of course, 14 ... ll:lxf2?? 15 @e3+ +-,
but 14 ... ll:lg2 was necessary.
15@e5 ll:lh316 f3 ll:ld2 17 .ids bS 18 hS+
@xhS 19@xf5 (D)
Sokolov's position is clearly unenviable, but
still not hopeless.
19 •.•@h4?!
19 ... ll:lgl 20f4ll:le2=.
20 i.c3 ll:lc4?
The vital mistake. 20 ... ll:lfl ! was the last saving
possibility: 2! il..el+@h5 22 il..f7+@h6 23
il..e8 ll:le3+ 24@f6 ll:\f4 25 il..xb5 @h5 26 i.d2
@h4 27 @e5 ll:lg6+ 28 @e4 ll:lg2 =.
21 il..el+@hS 22 "7+ @h6 23 @f6 ll:lg5
23 ... ll:lf4 loses to 24 il..xc4 ll:lh5+ (24 ... bxc4
25 il..d2@h5 26 i.xf4@h4 27 il..g5+ @g3 28 f4
@g4 29 f5 c3 30 i.h6 c2 31 @e6 +-) 25 @f7
bxc4 26 il..d2+ +-.
24 i.e8 ll:lxf3?
This mistake allows a nice mate. But even after
24 ... ll:ld6 25 i.c6 ll:lgf7 26 il..b4 +- Black
would be completely defenceless.
25 i.b4 ll:lceS 26 "841(1-0)
Exercises (Solutions on page 318)

THE BISHOP-PAIR
IN THE ENDGAME
163
B
E9.12 /**
How did the game finish?
G) Two Bishops against
Rook and Minor Piece
In the endgame it is sometimes not clear which
of these combinations of pieces is the stronger.
It generally depends on the other material or on
positional factors.
This is better than:
a) Naturally 4 !!al? is wrong and serves
here only as an illustration of the power of the
bishops: 4...tbc:4 5 Ac! .ic5 6 a4 i.d4 7 !ia2
Ae3 8 ~al Axel 9 ~xcl lba5 -+.
b) 4 ~xd6? Axd6 5 .tel g5 6 fxg5 fxg5 7
.ixg5 (7 Wf2 .ixf3 8 Wxf3 Af4 -+) 7 ... i.a3 8
Wf2 c I~ 9 Axel Axe I should be theoretically
lost, but not within the limits of the 50-move
rule. Of course, I (KM) am not claiming that I
would have won it.
c) 4 ~fl?! lbb5 (4 .. .ll:ic4? 5 Acl Axel 6
~cl lbd2 7 1:Ixc2! is not Black's intention) 5
Wg3 (5 Ac!? Axel 6 ~xcl lbc3 -+) 5 ... Ad3
(5...lbc3 6 lbd4 Ab2 7 Acl! Axel 8 ~xcl
lbxa2 9 1:Ixc2 =) 6 ~el lbc3 7 lbd4 i.b2 8
lbxc2 (8 Wf3 lbxa2 9 lbb3 +) 8 ... .ixc2 9 Ad4
Aa4 =.
4 •.. Ab4 (D)
If 4 ... lbc4? 5 i.c I Axel 6 ~xcl lbd2 then,
as in the variation with 4 ~fl, comes 7 &c2!.
After 7 ... lbxf3 8 ~c7+ Wg6 9 Wf2 only White
has winning chances, since his rook is very
powerful on the open board. This stands in
marked contrast to the note to White's 7th move.
after which the white rook is completely dominated,
even though there is only one additional
minor piece left on the board. This is in accordance
with the general rule of thumb, that the
side playing against the rook should not exchange
pieces. Generally. the more open and
empty the board. the stronger the rook.
I.Hausner - K.Mi.iller
Hamburg 1990
Black's dangerous passed pawn enables him
to play for a win without any risk.
l Axa7?!
This is very risky. After I Wf2!? White
should not be worse; for example, 1.. .hxg4 2
hxg4 c3 3 .ixc3 .ic2 4 We2 =.
1...hxg4 2 hxg4 c3 3 .ie3 c2 4 !let!
5~e2
Or:

164 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
a) 51:tal? li'lc4 6@f2 li'lxe3 7 @xe3 .ixf3 8
@xf3 .ia3 -+.
b) 51:tfl?! li'lc4 (5 ... li'lb5!?) 6 .tel (6 @f2?
.ixf3 7 @xf3 li'ld2+ -+) 6 ... li'ld2 7 l!f2 li'lxf3 8
l!xf3 @e6!? (8 ... .iel ?! 9 g5 =) 9 @f2 .ixf3 10
Wxf3 @d5 11 @e3 @c4 :t.
c) 5 !tel!? li'lc4 (5 ... li'lb5!?) 6 @f2 .ia3
(6 ... li'lb2 7 li'ld4 {7 li'lel? li'ldl+ 8 @e2 .ixel 9
@xel li'lxe3 -+} 7 ... li'ldl+ 8 @e2 li'lc3+ =) 7
li'ld4 .ixc 1 8 .ixcl i.
S ••• .id3 (D)
23 ... @d3! 24 li'le3 .tf7 25 a3 li'la4 26 li'lg2
li'lcS 27 li'lel + @c3 28@e3 .ig6 29 .id2+ @b2
30 li'lxc2 .ixc2 -+
and Black won after a few more moves.
In the following position too, the bishop-pair
is able to put up an amazingly stubborn resistance:
6li'ld4?
The sheepish retreat 6 !tel was necessary.
6 ... lt:'lc4 7 .tel!
7 li'lxc2? .ixc2 and the white rook is stuck.
7 ... .tc3 8 li'lbS
8 l!xc2 .ixd4 -+.
8 •.• .txe2
8 ... .tb2? 9 !tel! +-.
9 li'lxc3 .txg410 li'ldS .te6 11 li'lb4 .trs 12
@f2.ie413li'la6~e614li'lcS+'it>dS 1Sli'lb3
15 li'lxe4? @xe4 16 @e2 @d4 is winning for
Black.
15 ... .ifS 16 @e2 .ig6 17 li'ld2 li'lb6 18 li'lfl
@d4 19 .tb2+ @e4 20 .tel @d4 21 .ib2+
@e4 22 .tel .thS+ ( D)
23 @f2?
23 @d2 was considerably more tenacious
and would have probably still held the draw;
for example, 23 ... .idl 24 li'le3 @xf4 25 li'lxdl
cxd!W/+ 26 'it>xdl+ @f3 27 .ib2 li'ld5 28 a4 g5
29 a5 g4 30 a6 g3 31 a7 g2 32 .id4 (32 a8'&!?)
32 ... li'lc7 33 @el f5 34 .ib6 li'la8 35 .ic5 f4 36
.id4 @g3 37 .tf2+ @h2 38 @e2 =.
9.14
J.Pinter - G.Kasparov
French a« (Au.xerre) 1993
Black is surely lost, but his resources should
not be overlooked.
1. .. .id4!?
I...li'lxfl + 2 l!xfl .ig3+ 3 @gl @xb5 4 l!c I
+-.
2li'ld7+'it>aS
2 ... @b7 3 l!dl .ie3 4 .ic4 +-.
3 l;Cdl
3 b6 .ic6 and then:

THE BISHOP-PAIR IN THE ENDGAME 165
a) 4 !ixc6? lLlxfl+ 5 Whl l2Jg3+ =.
b) After 4 .!::{d I? ( D) the bishops show their
skills:
16 .!::{gl?
Careless. 16 !ia2+ Wfl 17 rs .i..xf5 18 .!::{a6!
was indicated (but not 18 l2Jxh4? because of
18 ... .!.f4+ 19 @hl .i.e4+! I 19 ... .i..xh3?? 20
.!::{a3! +-} 20 l2Jg2 .i..g3! = Pinter): 18 ... .!.xg6
19 gf6+! (the point) 19 ... @e2 20 .!::{xg6 .i.f4+
21 @g2 .i.c7 22 l;tg4 .i.d8 23 .!::{d4 .i..g5 24
.!::{e4+ @d3 25 @f3 .i..d8 26 .!::{e8 .i..c7 27 .!::{e3+
@d2 28 .!::{e4 .i..g3 29 .!::{g4 +-.
16 ... .i..xg6 17 .!::{xg6 .i..xf4+ 18 @hl .i.g3! =
Kasparov thus held his position together, so
that the game was later agreed drawn.
Exercises (Solutions on page 318)
4 ... lLlxfl+ 5 .!::{xfl f3 6 b7 fxg2 7 .!::{xf5+ (7
~al+ .bal 8 b8'& .i.d4!! 9 Wfc7+ @b5 10
~b8+ @a5 = Pinter) 7 ... @a6 8 b8l2J+ @b7 9
gg5 gl'&+ 10 .!::{xgl .i.xgl + 11 @xgl .i.b5 and
Black draws.
c) 4 .i..d3 .i..xd7 5 b7 .i..a7 6 .!::{c8 +-.
3 ••• lLlxfl+ 4 .!::{xfl <;t>xbS S l2Jf8@c4 6 l2Jg6
.i..f6 7 .!::{xf4 .i.gS 8 zn
8 .!::{xh4? .i..xh4 9 l2Jxh4 f4 = (Pinter).
8 ••• @d3 9 g3@e210 .!!al f4
10 ... hxg3+ 11 @xg3 @e3 12 h4 .i.h6 13
.f!a3+ .i..d3 14 l2Je7 .i..f4+ 15 @g2 @e2 16
l;ta2+ .i..d2 17 l2Jg6 @e3 18 h5 f4 19 !ixd2
.i..e4+ 20 @h2 @xd2 21 l2Jxf4 ~e3 22 'it>g3
.i..f5 23 l2Jg6 @e4 24 'it>h4 +-.
11 .!la2+ @e3 12 .!::{a3+@f2 13 gxf4 .i.h6 14
.!la2+@fl 15 .!::{al+@f2 (DJ
E9.13 **/
White to play and win .
E9.14 /***
How should this position be assessed,
with Black to move?

166 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
H) The Bishop-Pair as a
Drawing Weapon
This section is devoted to the strong defensive
powers of the bishop-pair.
2 ••. .i.f2! 3 .i.e2 .i..d7 4 Ii'.e4
4 Ii'.d8 .i.f5 5 .an .i.e4 leaves White bogged
down.
4 ... .i.fS 5 ge8 .i..d7 112-112
The advantage of easier exchangeability also
comes in handy in defence, so that, for instance,
liquidation into an opposite-coloured bishop
ending is an important resource.
B
9.15
G.Kasparov - U.Andersson
Moscow 1981
It seems incredible, but White cannot win
here, despite being the exchange and pawn up.
1....i.d4!
Other moves are worse:
a) After l ... l:hb5? White can break up the
bishop-pair: 2 .i.e4 .i..d4 (2 ... .i.d7? 3 Ii'.g8 +-) 3
.i.xf5 gxf5 4 Ii'.g8+ 'it.>h6 5 Ii'.xf5 ±.
b) 1....i.d3?! 2 ~di .i.xb5 3 Ii'.b8 and the pin
is very painful, since Black should really not
exchange any material.
c) l....i.d7?! 2 Ii'.e2just helps White.
2Ii'.dl
Or:
a) 2 Ii'.b8 .i..c5 3 b6 .i.xb6 4 @h I .i..d3 5 Ii'.al
.i.f5 and White cannot take real advantage of
the pin.
b) 2 .i.e4!? sets a fiendish trap, since the obvious
2 ... .i.e5+? runs into the counter-blow 3
);Xxe5 dxe5 4 Ii'.bl !! (4 .i.xf5? gxf5 5 Ii'.dl Ii'.xb5
6 d6 Ii'.b8 7 d7 l:itd8 8 g3 e4 =) 4 ... 1:hbl 5 .i.xbl
.i.xbl (5 ... e4 6 b6 e3 7 @gl .i.c8 8 d6 +-) 6 b6
+-. Instead of this, Black should play 2 ... Ii'.e21
3 .i..xf5 (3 Ii'.dl .i.xe4 4 Ii'.xd4 Ii'.xg2+ 5 @h I
.i.f3 =) 3 .. Jhe8, when his activity ensures him
equality.
E.Magerramov - M.Ezat
Abu Dhabi 2003
At first sight Black appears to be dead lost.
But things are not so simple.
1. .. ltJgS! 2 ltJxgS hxgS 3 ltJxb4
3 f4?! gxf4 4 gxf4 .i.h6 5 ltJxb4 .i..xf4 (Stohl
in CBM) gives Black sufficient counterplay.
3 ... .i.xe54 a4
4 ltJc6!? .i.c3 5 b4 .i.b7 and after both 6 'Da5
.i..d5 7 a3 .i.b2 8 .i..g2 .i..e6 9 a4 .i.c3 10 ltJc6
.i.d7 11 b5 .i.xc6 12 .i..xc6 ~ and 6 b5 .i..xc6 7
bxc6 .i.a5, White's winning chances are better
than in the game .
4 .•. .i.c3 5 ltJdS .i..d2 6 g4?! e6?
6 ... .i.e6 7 .i..c4 .i.xd5 8 .i.xd5 e6 9 .i.c6 We7
IO @fl Wd6 11 @e2 .i..a5 12 .i.e8 f6 13 .i..xg6
e5 14 Wd3 Wc5 15 'it>e4 Wd6 16 f4 exf4 17 $'d4
f3 18 We3 We5 19 Wxf3 Wd4 =.
7 ltJh6 .i.h7 8 .i.hS? ( D)
White should choose 8 .i.g2 .i.a6 9 ltJd7+
We7 10 ltJb8 .i.e2 11 a5 (11 b4? Wd6 12 b5
.i..a5 13 ltJc6 .i.c7 14 .i..e4 Wc5 15 .i.c2 .i.f3 16
ltJe7 Wb4 17 ltJg8 Wc3 18 .i.bl Wb2 19 .i.d3
Wc3 =) l l....i.f4 12 ltJc6+ Wd6 13 ltJd4! (13

THE BISHOP­PAIR IN THE ENDGAME 167
b4?.lil.d214ll:id4i.d315i.fli.e416a6i.xb4
17 i.g2 i.c5 18 ll:ixe6 @xe6 19 i.xe4@e5 =)
13 ... i.d3 14 .lil.fl i.e4 15 a6 @c5 (15 ... i.e5 16
ll:ib5+ @c5 17 a7 .lil.a8 18 ll:ia3 @b4 19 ll:ic2+
@xb320i.g2+-) 16a7@b617 i.g2i.xg218
'i&xg2 @xa7 I 9 lbc6+ ~b6 20 ll:id8 +-.
15 i.e8@c5 16 i.xg6 eS 17@e2 Wd4
Shutting the white king out of the top half of
the board.
18 @di i.aS 19 @c2 i.b4 20 f3 .taS 11z.112
In modem chess it is not unusual for one side
to prefer to keep the bishops, instead of winning
the exchange.
8 ••• .tb4 9 ll:id7+@e710 !bes i.c3 ll ll:ic6+
11 lbd3 i.e4 i2 lbc5 i.d5 13 i.c4@d6 14
ll:id3 i.e4 =.
n ... i.xc6
l l...@d6? J2 ll:id8 +-.
12 i.xc6 fS 13 00 fxg4 14 hxg4 (DJ
B
14 ...@d6!
As so often in opposite-coloured bishop endings.
material is here less important than positional
factors. The main consideration is the
blockade of the white queenside pawns, in comparison
to which the Joss of the g6-pawn is unimportant.
P.Tregubov - A.Kornev
Russian Ch (Krasnoiarsk) 2003
1 ••• i.xc4!
l...lbc2?! 2 ll:id5 ll:ixal (2 ... ll:ixe3 is surprisingly
answered with 3 fxe3, when White keeps
complete control) 3 l!xal f5 4 l:tbl l!f7 5 b3
lifd7 6 a4@f7 7 h4 gives White a slight but enduring
advantage.
2 Sl.xd4 l!xd4 3 b3 .lil.e6 4 l!adl fild8 5
Elxd4 l!xd4 6 Eldl l!xdl+ 7 ll:ixdl
The strong bishops should guarantee Black
the draw in this theoretically important end-
game.
7 ... fS 8 ll:ie3 @f8 9 i.dS i.d7!
Naturally Black must avoid the exchange of
bishops.
10 ll:ic2@e7 11 f3 @d6 12 .lil.g8 h6 13@f2
as 14 >&e3 @cs 15 @d3 .tes 16 e3 i.b2 17
srt
17ll:id4!?'i&d618.lil.f7g519f4We720i.c4
gxf4 21 gxf4@f6 22 a4 .lil.a3 23 i.b5 i.c8 24 e4
fxe4+ 25 @xe4 i.h3 and Black should hold.
17 •.• gS 18 f4
18 ll:id4 f4 19 gxf4 gxf4 20 ll:ic2 .lil.f5+ 21 e4
.lil.c8 22 0£ I i.a6+ 23 @d2 i.f6 24 ll:ig2 @d4 =.

168 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
18 ... i.c6 19 @d2 bS 20 fxgS
20 i.g6 i.e4 21 g4 gxf4 22 exf4 i.xc2 23
@xc2 i.d4 24 g5 hxg5 25 fxg5 i.e3 26 h4 i.f2
27 h5 i.h4 28 h6 i.xg5 29 h7 i.f6 =,
20 ... hxgS 21h4gxh422 gxh4 (D)
I) Fighting against the
Bishops
Il) Blockade
This is without question the most important instrument
for preventing the bishops from gaining
complete control and avoiding the position
being opened in their favour. It is based on the
fundamental disadvantage of the bishop-pair,
that they can attack each square on the board
once only. Thus, in the following example,
White is very well dug in on the dark squares.
22 ... i.e4!
With the typical threat of simplifying into an
opposite-coloured bishop ending.
23lod4
23 hS i.xc2 24 @xc2 i.g7 25 i.e6 i.h6 26
@d3 f4 27 exf4 i.xf4 28 @e4 i.c I 29 @f5 ©d6
23 ••. i.xd4 24 exd4+ 'it.>xd4 25 hS @eS 26 h6
@f6 27 h7 @g7 28 i.g6 b4 29 'it.>cl 1f1.1/z
Exercise (Solution on page 318)
E9.15 ***/
White to play and draw.
9.18
T.Coote - S.Dhar Barua
British Ch (Torquay) 2002
1 loa2!
White begins a regrouping of his knights to
b4 and c3 by means of loa2-b4 and lodbl-c3.
This ensures him the draw.
1. .. h4 2 lob4 i.g3+ 3@gl i.b7 4 lobl! i.el
5 en i.xb4 6 axb4 i.a6+ 7 @f2 g4 8 loc3
i.c4 9 loxa4 @e6
9 ... g3+ IO ©el @f5 11 lob6 @g4 (1 l...i.b3
12 lod7 =) !2 loxc4 dxc4 13 @fl @f5 14 b5
@e6 15 b6 @d6 16 d5 =.
10 loc3 @d6 ll g3 h3 12 @gl 11z.11i
The white fortress is impregnable.
Even the following dark-squared blockade
is, surprisingly, impossible to break down.
1...log8! 2 i.d7 lof6 3 i.e6 @g6 4 @f3 loe4
5 i.cl 'lof6 6 i.b2 loe4 7 i.eS i.cS 8 i.d7

THE BISHOP-PAIR IN THE ENDGAME 169
B
B
9.19
A.Araujo - A. Fier
Brazilian Ch (Siio Paulo) 2005
8 @e2 li:ld6 9 @d3 h6 10 it.d4 it.b4 (not
10 ... .lil.xd4? 11 @xd4 @f6 12 @c5 li:lb7+ 13
@c6 li:ld8+ l 4 Wd7 li:lb7 15 it.g8 li:lc5+ 16 @c6
+-) 11 @c2 li:lb5 12 @b3 ( 12 it.e5 li:ld6 13 @b3
Sl.c5 14Wc3@h5 =) 12 ... li:lxd4+ 13@xb4Wf6
14 @c5 li:le2 15 it.gs li:lxf4 16 d6 li:ld3+ 17
@c6 li:le5+ 18 Wc7 f4 19 .lil.d5 Wg5 20 Wd8 f3
21 @e7 f2 22 .lil.g2 @f5 =. .
8 ... li:ld6 9 @e2 @h5 10 it.f6 @g6 11 .lil.d8
.ia3 12 it.c7 li:le4 13 it.e8+ @f614 it.c6 We715
@f3 .lil.c5 16 it.es it.a3 17 it.b5 li:ld6 18 it.d3
<tlf719 it.xd6 it.xd6 20 it.xf5 h6 21 @e4@£6 22
.ie6 it.b8 23 rs .tc7 24 @d4 it.h2 25 @cS @e7
26 @c6 .lil.g3 27 it.c8 .lil.h2 28 it.e6 it.g3 29 @cS
.ih2 30 @d4 @f6 31 @e4 it.b8 32 00 it.c7 33
@g4 .td6 34 @h5 it.f4 35 it.cs @g7 112.112
12) Total Sealing of the Position
This method is seldom feasible, but if the position
is already very closed and only a few
pawn-breaks are available, it can sometimes
be applied.
In the following position, if Black manages
to seal off the queenside, White will be unable
to make progress.
1...it.b7?!
l...a5 was correct. This theme also persists
in the following moves; for example, 2 h4 (2 a3
tZ:lb8 3 b4 axb4 4 axb4 li:la6 5 bxc5 tZ:lxc5 =)
2 ... li:lb8 3 @g3 li:la6 4 h5 it.d7 5 h6 tZ:lb4 6 it.bl
@e8 = (Hazai in CBM).
9.20
V.Bogdanovski - B.Gicev
Skopje 2002
2 h4 Sl.c8 3 h5 it.b7 4 a3 it.c8?!
Now 4 ... a5! was an urgent necessity.
5h6?!
5 b4 was indicated, to prevent the sealing of
the queenside with ... a5.
5 •.• li:lb8 6 it.f6 @e8 7 @g3 tZ:ld7 8 it.c3 li:lf8
9b4!
Finally White seizes his chance. Now Black
must be extremely careful
9 •.• it.b7 10 a4! it.c8?
Or:
a) 10 ... li:ld7? also loses: 11 a5 @f7 (1 l...bxa5
12 bxc5 li:lxc5 13 .lil.xf5 @f7 14 .lil.c2 it.cs 15
it.xa5 .lil.f5 16 it.xf5 gxf5 17 @f3 @g6 18 .lil.b4
li:lb7 19@e3 a520it.a3 a421 @d4@f722@c3
+-) 12 axb6 li:lxb6 13 bxc5 dxc5 14 @f2 tZ:lc8
15 @e3 li:ld6 (15 ... @fS 16 .lil.a5 We7 17 it.c7
@d7 18 it.xf5+ @xc7 19 it.xg6 +-) 16 it.e5
li:lc8 (16 ... li:les 17 it.c2 it.cs 18 il.a4 @e7 19
it.xe8@xe8 20 it.d6 +-) 17 it.c7 @f8 18 @d2
@f7 (18 ... @e8 19 it.xf5 gxf5 20 g6 tZ:le7 21
gxh7 li:lg6 22it.d6 also wins for White) 19 @c3
@f8 20 @b3 @f7 21 @a4 @f8 22 was @f7 23
.lil.b6+-.
b) 10 ... cxb4! is correct: 11 it.xb4 @e7 12 a5
bxa5 13 it.xa5 li:ld7 14 Wf3 .lil.c8 15 it.b4 lt:lc5
16 Sl.c2 it.d7 17 @e3 li:le4 =.
11 a5! bxa5
I l...li:ld7 12 it.xf5 gxf5 13 g6 li:lf8 14 g7
Wf7 15 gxf8'fil'+@xf8 16 axb6 cxb4 17 it.xb4
@e7 18 @h4 it.b7 19 @h5 it.cs 20 @g5 (zugzwang)
+-.

170 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
12 bxc5 dxc5 13 .ixa5 @d7 14 .ic3@e7 15
@f2 'it>f7 16 @e3 lt:ld7 17 .ia5 @e7 18 .ic7
lt:lf8 19 @d2.id7 20 .ic2 .ie8 21 @c3.id7 22
@b2 .ie8 23 @a3 @d7 24 .ib6 @d6 25 .ia7
lt:ld7 26 .ia4 @c7
26 ....if7 27 .ixd7 @xd7 28 .ixc5 @c8 29
@b4 @b7 30 .if2 @b8 31 @c5 @c7 32 .ie I
.ie8 33 .ia5+ S'd7 34 @d4 +-.
27 .ixc5 .if7 28 .id4 @d6 29 @b4 a5+ 30
@b5.ig8 31 .i.b3 a4 32 c5+ 1-0
B
Even the following two positions still appear
to be tenable:
.ic5+ lt:lxc5+ 13 dxc5 @d8 14 .ie6 .if2 15 c6
@c7 16 .ixd5 .ig3 =.
6 .ic8+ @f7 7 e6+! @e8
7 ... lt:lxe6 8 hxg6+ +-.
8 .id7+!1 lt:lxd7 9 hxg6 1-0
Nakamura resigned since the white pawns
will cost Black both his pieces: 9 ... .if8 IO
exd7+ @xd7 11 .if6 +-.
1 .if2!?
I gxf5?! is premature, since it makes the e6-
square available to Black: l...exf5 2 .if2 @e6 3
.ih4 lt:lb6 4 .id8 (4 .ia6 .ie7 5 .iel .ib4 =)
4 ... lt:lc8 5 .ie8 lt:le7 =.
1 ... lt:lf8
l...fxg4? 2.ih4+@e8 3 f5 .ie74 .iet @d8
5 .ixa5+ @c8 6 .ia6+ @b8 7 @e2 exf5 8 .id3
f4 9 .if5 f3+ 10 @f2 .ih4+ 11 @fl and Black
is lost.
2 .ih4+ S'f7 3 gxf5 exf5 4 .ic6 @e6 5 .ib7
(DJ
5 ... g6?
Missing the following brilliant liquidation.
Black must continue patiently waiting: 5 ... lt:ld7
6 .ic8 .if8 (6 ... .ie7? 7 .ixe7@xe7 8 @c3 @d8
9 .ixd7 @xd7 10 b4 +-) 7 .id8 .ib4 8 @e3
.ic3 9 @e2 .ib4 IO @d3 .iel 11 .ib6 @e7 12
9.22
F.Handke - R.Schmaltz
Bad Wiessee 2001
1 lt:lxe5?!
I .ih6 offered White better winning chances,
though we have not been able to prove this
exhaustively. For example:
a) 1...lt:lf6? 2 lt:lxe5 dxe5 (2 ... lt:lxh5 3 lt:lxf7
@d7 4 e5 dxe5 5 lt:lxe5+ We? 6 .icl @d6 7
@d4 @c7 8 .ia3 lt:lf6 9 d6+ +-) 3 .if3 lt:le8
(3 ... lt:ld7 4 .icl lt:lc5 5 .ib2 @d6 6 .ia3 lt:lc7 7

THE BISHOP-PAIR
IN THE ENDGAME
171
.i.g4 lba8 8 .i.hS f6 9 .i.g4 lbc7 10 .i.xc5+ bxc5
11 b6 lba6 12 .i.e6 lbb8 13 .i.c8 +-) 4 2.f8
lbd6+ s @b4 @d7 (5 ... lbc8 6 Ag4 f6 7 Ag7
lbe7 8 .i.xf6 @d6 9 Wc4 lbc7 IO .i.gS lbg8 11
Ae3 lbf6 12 .i.fS lba8 13 .i.h6 +-) 6 .i.g4+
Wc7 7 .i.g7 Wd8 8 Axe5 We7 (8 ... lbxe4 9 srs
f6 IO .i.f4 lbc5 11 d6 +-) 9 .i.xd6+ Wxd6 10
2.h5 f6 11.i.e8lbc712 .i.c6 We5 13 Wc4 f5 14
exf5 Wxf5 15 d6 lbe6 16 .i.d7 We5 17 Axe6
Wxe6 18 d7 We7 19 Wd4 Wd8 20 WeS Wxd7 21
@d5 +-.
b) 1...f6 2 2.g4 2.b2 3 .i.f5 lbe5+ 4 @b3
.i.al 5 .i.f8 lbf3 6 Wc2 lbel+ (6 ... lbd4+? 7
lbxd4 Axd4 8 Wd3 .i.eS 9 .i.e7 @b7 10 2.d7
+- followed by an invasion by the white king
on the queenside) 7 @d2 lbf3+ 8 We3 lbeS 9
2.h3 lbc4+ IO @f4 .i.e5+ 11 @f5 @d7 12 2.e7
lbc7 13 Axf6 Axf6 14 Wxf6+ We8 ;!; and Black
seems to be able to hold.
1. •• lbxe5+ 2 @d4
2 .i.xe5 dxe5 3 .i.xf7 does not win either:
3 ... Wd7 4 .i.e8+ We7 (4 ... @xe8? 5 d6 Wd7 6
@d5 +-) 5 .i.c6 lbc7 6 Wd3 Wd6 7 We3 Wc5 8
@e2 lbxb5 9 Axb5 'i!?xb5 IO Wd3 Wc5 11 Wc3
b5 12 @b3 b4 13 wa4 @c4 14 d6 b3 15 d7 b2
16 d8'& bl WI 17 '&d5+ @c3 18 '&xe5+ Wd3 19
~d5+ We3 20 e5 '&fS! =.
2 ... f6 3 .i.e8 lbd7 4 .i.g3 @d8 5 .i.xd7 @xd7
62.h4112·112
w
9.23
M.Harmonist - S.Tarrasch
Breslau 1889
4 .•. h5 5 @f3 .i.f5?!
The immediate 5 ... b5 is more accurate.
6@e3
6 lbdl !? is admittedly active, but should not
suffice against the bishops; e.g., 6 ... .i.xh3 7
lbe3+ We6 8 lbxc4 .i.f5 9 lbd6 .i.g4+ ID We3
h4 11 .i.h2 a5 12 c4 f6 13 lbe8 fxe5 14 fxe5
2.g5+ 15 @d3 a4 +.
6 .•. b5 7 @f3 a5 8 @e3 b4 (D)
13) Support-Points for the Knight
This method is based mostly on the fact that if
the knight is exchanged, a drawn opposite-coloured
bishop ending arises, as in the following
example.
1 Agl?!
1 lbd6! would have clearly drawn on the
spot; for example, l...@d7 2 f5 h5 3 .i.f4 a5 4
lbe4 =.
1...~c6 2 .i.f2 .i.d7 3 ~g3 @d5 4 lbf2?
This retreat seals White's fate. Both 4 lbd6
and 4 lbf6+ were better, but 4 h4! seems to
draw even more clearly, since the knight has
dark-squared support-points available; for example,
4 ... .i.h3 5 lbf6+ We6 (5 ... Wc6 6 lbg8
srs 7 h5 Ag4 8 lbf6 Ars 9 lbg8 @b5 10 .i.h4
=) 6 lbe8 wrs 7 @f3 .i.g4+ 8 @e3 h5 9 lbd6+
9@f3?!
9 @d2 @c6 IO h4 (10 a4 .i.d7 -+) 10 ... @bS
11 lbdl Wa4 12 axb4 (12 lbe3 bxa3 13 bxa3
2.d3 14 f5 Wxa3 15 lbdS 2.f8 16 e6 fxe6 17
fxe6 a4-+) 12 ... cxb4 13 .i.el (13 lbe3 .i.d3 14
cxb4 axb4 15 .i.f2 Wb3 16 lbdS .i.d8 17 Wei
c3 18 bxc3 bxc3 19 .i.el .i.aS -+) 13 ... @b3 14

172 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
@cl .i.cS 15 cxb4 axb4 16 .i.f2 .i.e7 17 q)e3
.i.e4 18 lbdl c3 -+.
9 ... @c6!
The threatened invasion by the black king at
b3 decides the game.
10 axb4 cxb4 11 cxb4
11 q)e4 .i.xe4+ 12 @xe4 bxc3 13 bxc3 a4
-+.
11 ... axb4 12 q)e4 @d5 13 q)d6 .i.xd6 14
exd6 c3! 15 bxc3 b3 0-1
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 318-19)
E9. l 7 /***
How should Black defend here?
8
E9.16 ***/
What is your assessment of this position?
Is 1 lbd4 a good move?
E9.18 /**
Can Black still save the game?

10 Zugzwang
Zugzwang is like getting trapped on a safety island
in the middle of a highway when a thunderstorm
starts. You don't want to move but
you have to.
ARTHUR BISGUIER
Normally it is a great advantage to have the
move, since you can parry or set up threats, or
simply continue with your plan. But if all your
own pieces are already optimally placed, then
this right to move can become an obligation and
thus a great problem. It would be nice if you
could pass and let the opponent move again, but
in chess this is just not allowed.
We should pause here briefly to make sure
we are thoroughly aware of the implications of
this. Without zugzwang you couldn't even force
checkmate with king and rook against a bare
king, and many pawn endings would be drawn,
since the defending king could just stay put on
his ideal square and no power in the world
could shift him. So we are grateful that a player
not only can move but actually must move. In
practice, zugzwang is a common weapon of the
attacker, facilitating the win and sometimes
making it possible in the first place.
A) A Powerful Endgame
Weapon
10.01
V.Topalov-A.Karpov
Cannes 2002
transfer to Black the right to move, or in this
case rather the obligation to move.
lilh7+!?@d8
Or:
a) I ... @d6 2 @c8 .llc4+ 3 @d8nb441lh6+
+-.
b) l...@e6 2 @c7 nc4+ 3 @b6 nb4+ 4@c5
nbI 5 nh6+ @f5 (5 ... @d7 6 nb6 is also winning
for White) 6 nb6 nc1+ 7 @d6 ndI+ 8
@e7+-.
2 nhs+@d7 3 nh6 (DJ
If all your opponent's pieces are well-placed
but he is short of moves, you should be sensitive
to this and always ask yourself what his
next move is actually going to be.
How should White make progress in the following
diagram? He asked himself what Black's
next move was going to be. The rook has to protect
the h4-pawn and the a-file, and the king has
to protect c8 and c7. So, that leaves only ... @d8,
but after nh7 the problem is the same. Consequently
all White has to do is to find a way to

174 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Zugzwang. Topalov has achieved the goal
and the game did not last much longer.
3 ... @d8 4.r!h7
It is zugzwang once more.
4 ... r!b4 S @37 r!a4+ 6 @b6 1-0
Similarly, the next position could not be won
without zugzwang.
Zugzwang again.
7 ... @b7 8 @cS @c7 9 i.b3 i.d7 10 i.a2
i.c811 i.c4
The final zugzwang.
1-0
An extra piece in the endgame generally
wins through the use of zugzwang.
10.02
A.Baburin - A.Skripchenko
Bundesliga 2003/4
Black is lost on account of her two weaknesses
at a6 and e6, since her bishop, in contrast
to White's, is unable to lose a move.
1 g3 h6 2 i.b3 i.d7 3 i.a2 it.cs 4 Ac4
Zugzwang. Black's bishop cannot move and
her king must prevent the white king from penetrating
via c5. Since she will soon run out of
pawn moves, Black is doomed.
4 .•• hS s i.b3 Ad7 6 it.al i.c8 7 1£.c4 (D)
B
10.03
Y.Erturan - K.Haznedaroglu
Antalya Ech 2004
The white bishop is the right one for controlling
the queening square of White's h-pawn, so
the win is only a question the time.
l@gl g42@f2
2 hxg4+ ?? @xg4 3 @f2 h5 4 i.d6 h4 5 i.e5
h3 =.
2 ••. hS
After other moves Black also ends up in a fatal
zugzwang:
a) 2 ... @g5 3 i.d6 @h4 4 i.e7+ @h5 5 i.d8
+-.
b) 2 ... gxh3 3 gxh3 @g5 4 @g2 h5 5 i.d6
+-.
3 h4 'l;e4 4 Ac7 @fS S @e2 @e4 6 i.d6 @fS
7 i.e7
7 @d3 would bring about the decisive zugzwang
right away. In the game White manoeuvres
a little before he uses this method.
7 @e6
7 ©e4 8 Af6@f5 9 i.d8 @e4 10 i.c7@f5
11 @d3 +-.
8 i.gS@fS 9 @d3 @es 10 Ae7 WdS 11 it.gs
@es 12 i.d8 'itlt'S 13 i.c7

ZUGZWANG 175
Zugzwang. Now Black must make a concession.
13 g3
l3 f3 14 gxf3 gxf3 15 ..li.g3 @g4 16 ..li.f2
@f4 17 @d4 @f5 18 @e3 @g4 19 .Ii.el (zugzwang)
+-.
14 ,.t;>e2 @g4 15 ..li.d8 f3+
15...@f5 16 @f3 @e5 17 ..li.c7+ +--.
16 gxf3+ @h3 17 @fl @h2 181l.c7 @hl!?
Setting a last trap. If 18 ... @h3, then 19 @gl
g2 20 ..li.h2 @xh4 21 @xg2 +-.
19@e2!
Not, of course, 19 ..li.xg3?? stalemate.
19 ••• g2
19 ... @h2 20 f4 g2 21 f5+ 1.>hl 22 ..li.b6 also
wins for White.
20 ..li.b6 @h2 21 r4 @h3 22 rs 1-0
Zugzwang now costs Black the game, as it
also does after 2 ... lZ'ib8? 3 lZ'ib4 e4 4@d4 +- or
2 @e6? 3 @e4 +-, but Burgess's suggestion
2 e4 3 lZ'if4 lZ'ie5 draws; e.g., 4 lZ'ixh5 lZ'ic6 5
lZ'ig7+ (5 lZ'ig3+ @g4) 5 ... @e5.
3 @e4 @xh4 4 @fS e4 5 lZ'if4 1-0
Black resigned in view of 5 ... lZ'if8 6 g6 lZ'ixg6
7 lZ'ixg6+ Wg3 8 @xe4@g4 9 lZ'ie7 @g3 1 O@e3
@g4 J l lZ'id5 h4 12 lZ'ic7 @g3 13 lZ'ixa6 h3 14
lZ'ic5 h2 15 lZ'ie4+ Wg2 16 lZ'if2 +--.
The side with the bishop can also happily
play for zugzwang in the duel against a knight.
B
The rule of thumb 'knight endings are like
pawn endings' is also based in part on the fact
that the knight is unable to lose a move and
therefore zugzwang plays a similarly great role
here as in pawn endings.
10.05
Z.Rahman - K.Sashikiran
Asian Ch (Doha) 2003
10.04
R.Vaganian - S.Pedersen
Bundesliga 2004/5
How should White seek to make progress?
Of course; he tries to give Black the move.
1 @f3!? SlfS!
Activity is the orderof the day. After l...@f7?
White continues to triangulate and wins: 2 @e3
We7 3 g6We6 (3 ... @f64@e4@e65lZ'ixe5 +-)
4 @f3 @e7 5 @e4 @f6 6 @d5 +-.
2@e3@g4?
1...\Wd3!
In view of the many light-squared weaknesses
in the white camp, the endgame is a
smooth win. With queens on, Black would always
have to worry about an attack on his king.
2 '&xd3 1l.xd3 3 f3
3 @f3 is no help either: 3 ... @f6 4 @f4 e5+ 5
dxe6 fxe6 6 g4 e5+ 7 @f3 hxg4+ 8 lZ'ixg4+ @e6
9 lZ'ie3 @d7 (zugzwang) -+ (Stohl in CBM).
3 ...@f6!
A further advantage of the exchange of
queens is that the black king can now be activated
much more effectively than its white
counterpart.
4 @f2 @eS 5 @el
After 5 g4?! hxg4 6 lZ'ixg4+ Wd4 7 lZ'ih61l.bl
8 lZ'ixf7 ..li.xa2 -+ Black wins the race by a mile.
S ...@d4 6 @d2 fS!

176 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Pre-empting g4 and undermining the d5-
pawn.
7 exfS .ixf'S! 8 g4
Or: 8 lt'ixf5+ gxf5 9 g4 fxg4 l O fxg4 hxg4 I 1
h5 @e5 I 2 @e3 @f5 13 h6 @g6 14 @f4 @xh6
15 @xg4 @g6 16 @f4 @f6 17 @e4 @g5 -+
(Stohl); 8 lt'ic4 a4 9 lt'ie3 a3 -+.
8 ... .id7 9 gxhS
After 9@e2 @c3 10 g5 the bishop displays its
superiority in the race on two wings: 10 ... .ib5+
11 @di @b2 12 f4@xa2 13 f5 .ie8 -+.
9 ... gxhS 10 lt'ic4
IO lt'ig2 .ie8 l l lt'if4 @e5 12 @e3 sst (zugzwang)
-+ (Stohl).
10 ... a4!?
Playing for zugzwang is stronger than the alternative
10 ... @xd5.
lllt'ib6
I J lt'ie3 axb3 12 axb3 .ic8 13 lt'ic2+ 'it>c5 14
lt'iel.ia615lt'ig2.ib716lt'if4.ixd517lt'ixh5
.ixb3 -+.
11 ••• axb3 12 axb3 srs (D)
The b-pawn is lost anyway.
21 lt'id3 h4 22 lt'if2 .ixb3 23 lt'ie4+ @g2 24
lt'ixd6 h3 25 lt'ie4 h2 26 lt'if2 .ie6 27 @e2 .ifS
28@e3 .ig4
Zugzwang.
29 lt'ihl 'it>xht 30 ®f2 Ah3 0-1
Black wraps up the game stylishly with a
zugzwang.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 320-1)
El0.01 ***/
It is surprisingly difficult to
finish Black off, isn't it?
Zugzwang.
13 lt'ia8 @xdS 14 lt'ic7+@e5 15 @e3
15 lt'ia6 @f4 16 @e2 (16 lt'ixb4 @xf3 17
lt'id5 e5-+) 16 ... @g3!? 17 lt'ixb4 .ie6 18 lt'ic6
@xh4 19 lt'ixe7 @g3 -+ (Stohl).
15 ... .ic816f4+@f517 lt'id5 .ie618lt'ixe7+
18 lt'ixb4 .ixb3 !9 lt'ic6 e5 20 fxe5 dxe5 21
lt'ie7+ @e6 22 lt'ic6 .id5 23 lt'ib4 Ab7 24 lt'id3
@f5 25 lt'ic5 .ic6 26 lt'id3 e4 27 lt'if2 .ib7 (zugzwang)
28 lt'idl @g4 29 lt'if2+ @xh4 30 @f4
Ac6 (zugzwang) -+ (Stohl).
18 ... @g419 lt'ic6@xh4 20 lt'ixb4@g3!
El0.02 ***/
How did White place his opponent
in a fatal zugzwang?

ZUGZWANG 177
El0.03 **/
Rook endings are often drawn,
but not pawn endings ...
El0.06 /***
Black to play and win.
El0.04
How did the game finish?
**/
El0.07 /**
After Black's next move, White resigned.
What sealed his fate?
B) Theoretically Important
Endings
El0.05 /***
Can Black still hold?
In many of these cases, zugzwang plays an important
role, in particular if there are no pawns
left on the board. The great French player and
chess researcher Philidor had a great flair for
this (see following diagram).
White easily gives Black the move:
I ~dS 'it?a8 2 ~a2+ Wb8 3 '&as
Now the rook has to separate from its king.
3 ••• 1.'.!.bl
Or: 3 ... !'.!.b2 4 ~e5+ +-; 3 ... !'.!.b3 4 '&e5+
©a8 5 ©c7 +-; 3 ... x;!.h7 4 '&e5+ 'it?a8 5 '&al+

178 HOW TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
10.06
A.Philidor
1777
Wb8 6 \$'bl++-; 3 .. J!f7 4 '&es+ Wa7 5 '&e3+
+-.
4 \$'d8+ wa7 5 \$'d4+ Wa8 6 \$'h8+ Wa7
6 .. J!b8 7 \$'al#.
7~h7++-
Philidor also laid the most important foundations
of the endgame of rook and bishop against
rook.
The best square for the rook. Alternatives:
2 ... l!e3 3 l!d7+ We8 4 !!a7 Wf8 5 l!f7+ We8 6
!!f4 Wd8 7 .l1l.e4 +-; 2 ... l!el 3 .l1l.f3 and White
wins in similar fashion to the main line; 2 ... Wc8
3 l!a7 l!d8+ 4 Wc6 Wb8 5 l!b7+ Wa8 6 ~bl
Wa7 7 Wc7 +-.
31!h7
White uses zugzwang to force the rook to
leave its 2nd rank.
3 ... l!el 4 l!b7
The rook must occupy b7 or f7 for the opera-
tion to work. This side-to-side oscillation is
typical for this particular ending. Not 4 i.f3?
We8!=.
4 !!cl
4 ©c8 5 l!b4 l!dl 6 l!h4 Wb8 7 l!a4 +-.
5 i.b3
This is the underlying winning idea. You can
see why the white rook must move to b7 and the
black rook be forced onto the back rank. Black
is now in zugzwang and must decisively weaken
his position.
5 ... ~c3
5...Wc8 6 .l:1b4 Wd8 7 l!h4 !lei (7 ... Wc8 8
.l:l.d5 Wb8 9 l!a4 +-) 8 i.a4 Wc8 9 i.c6 ~di+
10 i.dS ! Wb8 I I l!a4 +-.
6 i.e6 ~d3+ 7 .l:l.d5! l!c3 8 l!d7+ Wc8 9
~h7 @b8 10 l!b7+ Wc8 11 l!b4 Wd8 12 i.c4
Wc8 13 i.e6+ Wd8 14 ~b8+ .li!.c8 15 1!xc8#
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 321-2)
10.07
A.Philidor
l'Analyze des Echecs, 1749
1 ll:f8+!
Black was threatening to set up a 'secondrank
defence' with .. J!d7+, so White must first
seize the 7th rank.
1..J!e8 2 l!f7! l!e2
El0.08 **/
Prove that White wins here.

ZUGZWANG 179
El0.09 /**
How did Black save the game?
10.08
Original
Black is also on the edge of a precipice.
2We4We6
2 ... Wg6 3 Wf4 (zugzwang) leads to the main
line.
3Wf4
3 g6? Wf6 4 g7 ~xg7 5 ~f5 Wf7 = and
Black holds the draw thanks to the opposition,
which is ultimately also based on zugzwang.
J wr, 4 wrs wg7 s g6 @h6 6 g7i ~h7
6 Wxg71 @g5 +-.
7 g8\W+ @xg8 8 @g6 @h8 9 gs @g810 @h6
+-
El0.10 ***/
White to play and win.
Once again, endings with knights provide
the most examples.
C) Reciprocal Zugzwang
In contrast to normal zugzwang positions, here
both sides are in zugzwang. So the greatest caution
is required if you discover a mutual zugzwang
position in a relevant variation. Since by
definition this can no longer be interpreted simply
as a weapon for one side, both sides must
tread with great circumspection.
In the following position, White must exercise
the greatest vigilance right from the start.
l~f3!
I Wf4? Wg6 (zugzwang) would lead directly
to the loss of the g5-pawn.
1 ...@f7!?
10.09
Based on Z.Varga-P.Acs
Budapest 1999

180 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Here zugzwang helps the defender for once:
l. ..'i&c4!!
Reciprocal zugzwang No. I. Alternatively:
a) l ...@d5? 2 a5 @c6 3 a6 @b6 4 a7 @b7 5
@d3 ~g5 6 @e4 @a8 7 @f5 Ad2 8 @g6 @b7 9
lt:ld6+ +-.
b) l...@b4? 2 lt:lc3 (zugzwang) 2 ... Af8 3
@d2 Ah6+ 4 @e2 .i.f8 (4 ... Ag7 5 @d3 Af8 6
@e4 and the bishop cannot cope with the pincer
movement: 6 ... @xc3 7 a5 @b4 8 a6 Ac5 9 h6
@b5 10 h7 +-) 5 @f3 Ag7 6 lt:le4 @xa4 7 @g4
@b5 8 @f5 @c6 9 @g6 Ae5 (9 ... Af8 10 lt:lf6
@d6 11 lt:le8+ We7 I2 lt:lg7 +-) 10 h6@d7 11
@f7 .i.h812 h7@c613@g8 Ab2 14lt:lg3@d7
15 lt:lf5 +-.
2lZ:lc3@b4
Reciprocal zugzwang No. 2.
3@d3
Now we have reached the game, which forthwith
provides reciprocal zugzwang No. 3:
3 ... Ag7
Zugzwang again.
4 @c2 Ah6 5 @d3 .i.g7 6 lt:ldS+ @xa4 7
@e4@b5 8 @fS ~cS 9 @g6 Ad4 10 lt:lf4 @d6
11 h6 @e7 12 h7 Ab2 =
and a few moves later a draw was agreed.
squares available to manoeuvre with his king
than White has, which makes the theory of corresponding
squares relevant. But this is not
something we shall go into here. The interested
reader should refer to Fundamental Chess Endings,
Secrets of Pawn Endings or Averbakh's
standard work on pawn endings. As in the next
section, we shall consider it here just as a sort of
triangulation manoeuvre, to lose a move.
l ... @c7!
Black could also start with l...@d7.
2@d3@d7
Kasparov has worked out the triangulation
manoeuvre and brought White into a decisive
zugzwang.
3@e3
3 @c4 @c6 4 @d4 @d6 5 @c4 @e5 6 @d3
b3 7 ~c3 @xe4 8 @xb3 @d4 -+.
3 ... @c6 4@d3 (D)
4 @d2 @d6 5 @c2 @e5 6 @d3 b3 -+.
But not all positions which seem at first
glance to be mutual zugzwang tum out to be so.
4 @cS 5 ~e3 b3!
5 Wc4? 6 e5 @d5 7 e6 would only draw.
6@d3@b4 7 es @a3! 0-1
Accurate to the end. 7 ... fxe5? 8 f6 e4+ 9 @d2
e3+ 10@xe3 b2 11 f7 bl '1i¥ 12 f8'i;IY+ @xa4 13
\Wf4+ ~ 14 '&g5 would still give White
drawing chances.
10.10
Y.Seirawan - G.Kasparov
Nikiit: 1983
It seems that Black is unable to make progress
because of zugzwang, But Black has more
D) Triangulation and Spare
Moves
These are the main methods to win a zugzwang
duel.

ZVGZWANG 181
10.11
R.Reti - F.Marshall
Baden­Baden 1925
The white knight is on its best square and in
any case cannot lose a move, so the king must
do the job himself. Since the black king has to
stay on the f-file, he cannot copy the triangulation
manoeuvre.
l@g3
Or l @h3 @f5 2 @g3 @f6 3 @g4 +-.
1 ... @fS 2@f3 ©f6 (D)
On each turn the black king has to move to a
square of the opposite colour, whereas White
can stay on light squares: 2 ... g4+ 3 @g3 +-.
10.12
Y.Shulman - A.Abdulla
Dhaka 1999
1 .•• @e7!
Since both sides have an equal number of
spare moves available, Black dare not step on
the 'mined' e6-square: l ... @e6? 2 @d4 h6 3 h3
g5 4 g4 +-; l ... g5? 2 @d4@e6 3 g4 h6 4 h3 +-;
l ... h5? 2 @d4 @e6 3 h4 +-, with a fatal zugzwang
in each case.
2@d3!
White cannot advance either.
2 ... @d7 3 @c3 @e7 1/z.1/z
Exercises
{Solutions on page 322)
3@g4 1-0
The number of spare moves that both sides
have available is often a very important factor
in pawn endings. It is not always so prominent
as in the following 'Don't touch me' position.
El0.11 /**
Can Black make any progress here?

182 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
El0.12 **/
White to play and win.

11 Fortresses
Dig or die.
TRADITIONAL ARMY ADVICE FOR DEFENDER
CONSTRUCTING FORTIFlCATION
In times gone by, a nobleman with just a handful
of followers had good chances of saving his
bacon against a superior enemy force. All he
had to do was take refuge inside his castle, raise
the drawbridge and hope that the besiegers
would go away before hunger and thirst got the
better of the defenders.
In many endgames, setting up such an impregnable
position is the only method of defence.
A secure set-up of pieces and pawns,
which the opponent cannot overwhelm, even
with a great material or positional advantage, is
known as an impregnable fortress. Since chess
pieces, unlike noblemen, generally do not suffer
from either hunger or thirst, a fortress that cannot
be stormed generally leads in chess to a
draw. In this chapter we shall present all the
types of fortress that can occur in a chess game.
However, we are not concerned so much here
with a theoretical investigation of these positions,
but rather with the practical aspect. If our readers
add the fortress concept to their arsenal of defensive
weapons, we shall have achieved our goal.
A) Elementary Fortresses
By elementary fortresses, we mean theoretically
drawn positions with reduced material, in
which passive defence is sufficient to draw, despite
the weaker party having a clear material
disadvantage.
The following diagram shows the best known
of all fortresses. Despite the huge material advantage
of a minor piece and a pawn, White cannot
win. For positions of this sort, the following
definition of a draw applies: an endgame with a
bare king against an opposing rook's pawn and
11.01
Fortress I
a so-called 'wrong bishop', i.e. a bishop which
cannot control the queening square of the pawn,
is drawn if the defending king can reach the
queening square of the pawn, or one of the three
neighbouring squares (in this case a7, b7 and
b8). The side with the bishop can stalemate the
opposing king in various ways, but he can never
evict it from the comer, nor promote the pawn
without it being immediately captured.
Of course the difficulty is not in holding this
absolutely drawn position; a novice can manage
this after his third lesson. No, as with all the
positions in this chapter, the great difficulty lies
in recognizing the existence of a concealed defensive
idea at the right moment. The following
position looks clearly favourable for White (see
diagram on following page).
White has not only an extra pawn, but also
the more active king and a dangerous passed
pawn on thee-file. However, if Black notices at
the right moment that White has the wrong
bishop relative to his h-pawn, his defensive
strategy is obvious: he must try to eliminate the
white e- and f-pawns and can do this even at the
cost of all his pawns and even the knight.

184 How TO PI.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
11.02
Petushov - Kuznetsov
l. .. gS! 2 eS+
Or:
a) 2 f5?! h6 and the blockade on the dark
squares promises Black an easy draw.
b) 2 fxg5+ Wxg5 3 i.e6!? (3 e5 ltJxe5 ! =; 3
i.xh7 ltJf6 4 i.f5 ltJxe4! =) 3. .. ltJf6 4 e5 h5 5
i.c8 (5 h4+ @g6 6 i.c4 ltJg4 7 e6 @f6 8 Wc5
We? =; 5 i.c4 h4 6 e6 ltJg8 7 We5 ltJe7 8 i.d3
ltJc6+ 9 Wd6 Wf6 =) 5 ... ltJg8 6 Wc5 ltJe7 7
i.b7 ltJg6 8 e6 Wf6 9 Wd6 h4 =.
2 ... Wg7 3 i.e6
Or: 3 fxg5 Wxg8 4 e6 ltJb6 =; 3 e6 ltJf6 4
i.xh7 ltJxh7 5 fxg5 ltJxg5 6 e7 @f7 7 h4 ltJf3+
3 ••. ltJf8 4 i.fS
4 f5 ltJxe6+ 5 fxe6 Wf8 6 We4 h5 7 Wf5 g4 8
hxg4 hxg4 9 Wxg4 We?=.
4 ... gxf 4 5 @e4 @h6 6 Wxf4 @hS
Now White has the latent problem that he
cannot advance his e-pawn.
7<;;'f3
7 i.e4 Wh4 8 il.g2 @h5 9 @f5 Wh6 also
leads to a draw.
7 .. .<#JgS 8 We4 hS 9 h4+ Wxh4 10 Wf4
ltJe6+ 11 i.xe6 1'2-1'2
It is very important to know that the presence
of one or more extra g-pawns sometimes complicates
the defender's task considerably or even
makes it impossible. The defending king can in
this case be stalemated, after which the g-pawn
is forced to move and the 'ugly duckling' rook's
pawn turns into a knight's pawn 'swan'.
11.03
Dombrovska - Llsovska
Poland 1987
1Wh2!
The game continued I Wgl? Wh3 0-1 (2
Whl i.c5 3 g4 hxg4 4 h5 g3 5 h6 g2#).
l ... il.es 2 Wg2 i.d4 3 Wh2 Wf3 4 Whl! =
4 Wh3?? il.gl 5 g4 hxg4#.
The following study demonstrates the typical
winning method in such situations.
11.04
Y.Averbakh
1954
Black will be put in zugzwang and his king
'stalemated'. Then ... b4 is forced and after
axb4 the winning passed pawn appears.
1 il.f6! Wb7 2 i.d8 Wc8 3 i.b6 Wb7 4 Wes
<;;'c8
4 ... b4 5 axb4 a3 6 Wb5 a2 7 i.d4 +-.

FORTRESSES 185
S @c6 @b8 6 .id8 @a8
6 ... @a7 7 .ic7 @a6 8 .ib8 b4 9 axb4 +-.
7 @b6 @b8 8 .ic7+ @c8 9 @c6
Zugzwang.
9 ... b4 10 axb4 a3 11 bS a2 12 b6 al'ili' 13
b7#
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 322-3)
El 1.03 **/
Without the black b-pawn, the position
would obviously be an immediate draw.
Can White talce advantage of the
presence of the b-pawn?
**********
Ell.01 ***/
How did White defuse the
black pawn-majority?
11.05
Fortress II
El 1.02 ***/
It is clear that the white rook will have
to be sacrificed for the connected black
passed pawns. But can the white king
then manage to get into the corner?
This fortress is much less well known. Since
the bishop cannot move, the black king cannot
be evicted from the comer, because after I @b5
@a8, 2 @a6 is stalemate, and the pawn ending
following 2 .ib8 @xb8 is drawn: 3 'li'c6 @c8 4
b7+ @b8 5 @b6 =.
Now for a practical example of this fortress
(see diagram on following page):
1 gxh4!
I hxg4? is not sufficient to draw: l...hxg3 2
ltJe2 (2 ltJg2 @f3 3 ltJe3 .ig6 -+) 2 ... g2 (not

186 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
**********
11.06
G.Podolny - F.Duz-Khotlmirsky
Vilnius 1949
2 ... @f3?? 3 lbxg3 =) 3 tbgl (3 @el ~c44lbg!
@d3-+; 3 g5 ~h5 4 tbgl @f4 5 @d3 ~g6+ 6
@e2@g3-+) 3 ... @f44 @e2@g3-+.
l. ..@xf42 hxg4 @xg43 @c2 ~a2
3 ...@xh44 @bl =.
4b4
The simplest. 4 @c3 is equally playable, but
11.07
Fortress Ill
White is unable to evict the black king from
the corner:
1 @c6@c8
I ...@a8?? 2 @c7#.
2 @d6@b8 3 @d7
Stalemate. The position would still be drawn
then after 4 ...@xh45 @b4 ~b3 White must get · if the a 7 /a6-pawns formed the bases of chains,
back as quickly as possible: 6 @c3@g37 @d2 i.e. there were black pawns on b6, c5, etc., and
(7 @d3?@f3 8 @d2@e49 @c I ~a2 10 b4 a3 white pawns on b5, c4, etc.
-+) 7 ... @f3 8 @cl=.
4 ••. axb3+ 5 @b2 1/l-1/z Even if there are more pawns, with such formations
caution is always the primary duty.
Exercise
(Solution on page 323)
El 1.04 ***/
Can White take advantage of the cramped
situation of the bishop?
11.08
A.Yusupov - V.Malaniuk
USSR Ch (Minsk) 1987
1 tbg5+?

FORTRESSES 187
After · . this premature . . move , Whit es ' pawnmajority
on the kingside is devalued. Instead
Yusupov should have increased hi
•
vantage with I g4!.
s space ad-
1. ... bgS! 2 fxgS .i.e6 3 Ad3 itJcS 4 Ml
Now Malaniuk forced the draw·
4 .•• a6!? 5 bxa6 itJxa6 •1i-•1i ·
1 @d7 @a8 2 Ac6 @b8
A~ so on. But not 2 ... bxc6?? 3 @c7 c5 4
b 7+ Y::ra7 5 b8Wt'+ @a6 6 Wib6#.
Exercise
(Solution on page 323)
11.10
Fortress V
. Also with a dark-squared bishop the black
king cannot be dislodged from the safe comer
Even an extra pawn on c7 would b f b .
fit to White.
e o no ene-
**********
T~e _f~llowing example demonstrates how
crucial it is to recognize at the right moment the
emergence of a possible fortress:
11.09
Fortress IV
11.11
C.Landenbergue-1.Hakki
Hamar 1983
Once again the black king cannot be di -
lodged from his hideout.
is
The game continued:
1 d7?

188 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
If White had realized in time that there was a
possible fortress, he would surely have chosen
I @g3. But after l...@e6 2 f5+ Black can draw
by 2 ... @xf5, since he will reach a similar fortress
to the one in the game. But note that
2 ... @d7? 3 @xg4 tbxd6 most probably loses,
even after 4 .i.f8?! (D) (4 .i.xd6 is a clear win),
owing to the bishop's superiority; e.g.:
into play: 14 ... @f8 15 g6+-) 12g5 tbc413 g6+
@g8 14 .i.d4 b2 15 f6 -t-.
l ...@xf42d8~
2 .i.f8!? at this point would definitely force
Black to play precisely, but should bring no real
advantage. 2 ... @f5 3 il..xg7 h5 (3 ... @e6 4 @g3
@xd7 5 <Bxg4 tbd6 6 b6 tbc4 7 .i.d4 @c6 =) 4
@g3 @g5 5 .i.e5 h4+ 6 <Bh2 h3 7 g3 @f5 8 il..c7
@e4=.
2 ... tbxd8 3 hd8 gS 4 il..c7+ WfS 5 @g3 hS 6
@f2 h4 7 @e3 g3 8 @f3 g4+ 9 @e3 @e610 @f4
h3 11 r,t;xg3 hxg2 12 @xg2 @dS 13 @g3 @cS
14 b6 Wc6 15 'ittxg4 @d7 16 Wf4 @c8 1/2-1/z
A drawn outcome is practically forced.
Exercises (Solutions on page 324)
a) 4 ... lbxb5 5 Wh5!?@e8 (5 ... tbd6? 6 .i.xd6
-t-) 6.i.xg7 tbd6 (6 ... Wf77 .i.xh6 tbc3 8 g4 b5
9 g5 tbe4 10 @g4 +-) 7 g4 b5 8 @xh6 @f7 9
.i.e5 lbc4 10 .i.f4 b4 II g5 b3 12 g6+ @g8 13
.i.cl -t-.
b) 4 ... h5+5Wg5lbxb56@xh5@e87.i.xg7
@f7 8 .i.al !? (so that later on Black will not be
able to win a tempo for supporting his passed
pawns with ... tbc4) 8 ... tbd6 9 g4 b5 (D)
El 1.06 **/
White can prevent the creation of a
fortress in two ways. Find them.
10@g5 b4 ll Wf4 b3 (after ll...tbc8 12 g5
tbe7 13 @e4 b3 14 .i.b2 zugzwang will come
Ell.07 /**
How does Black force the draw?

FORTRESSES 189
**********
Normally with a rook's pawn, the knight
wins as long as it can protect the pawn from behind.
The exception is if the pawn has already
advanced to the seventh rank.
Ell.09 ****/
You are surely wondering what this
pawn ending is doing here. How can
White force Black to underpromote?
11.13
Fortress VI
**********
The next fortress is based on the fact that the
knight cannot lose a move.
White can make no progress owing to stalemate.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 324)
11.14
Fortress VII
1 @f2
1 @fl? lbc6 2 Wf2 ibe5 3 @fl lbg4 -+.
l. .. lbc6 2 @fl lbes 3 Wf2 lbg4+ 4 @fl
lbe3+5@f2=
El 1.08 ***/
Find the way for White to save the game.

190 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercise
Exercise
(Solution on page 324) (Solution on page 325)
Ell.10 ***/
White to play and draw.
**********
The proximity to the comer also rescues
Black in the following configuration:
El 1.11 /*
How does Black draw easily?
B) A Secure Camp
If the defender has only a tightly restricted area
to defend, a very great material superiority does
not necessarily win.
11.15
Fortress VIII
Bl) Fortresses against a Bishop
Since the bishop can cover only half the squares
on the board, fortresses are especially common
against it. The defender needs only to dig in on
the squares of the opposite colour and then ensure
that he does not fall into zugzwang or allow
a dangerous passed pawn to be created.
Bla) Averbakh's Barrier
In the diagram on the following page, to be
able to penetrate White's camp, the black king
would have to stray too far over to the queenside.
1 ... @f6 2 @dS .tel 3 rs gs 4 @d6 .tr4+ s
@dS@e7 6 @c6 i.g3 7 @dS@d7 8 @cs Af4 9
@dS .td6 10 @e4 1'2-1'2
A draw was agreed in view of 10 ... @c6 11 f6
@d7 12 @f5 i.f4 13 @g6 @e8 14@g7 i.e5 15
@g6.

FORTRESSES 191
In the following example, Black simply gives
up his superfluous pawn, which could have interfered
with his stalemate defence:
11.18
M.Vukic-W.Martz
Ybbs U­26 Wehr 1968
Blb) The Bishops Inhabit
Different Worlds
In pure opposite-coloured bishop endings, fortresses
represent the main theme. Thus positional
nuances are frequently more important
than material.
11.20
A.Sokolov - L.McShane
Bundesliga 200213
1..,c4!?
Just waiting with I ... i.d4 2 h5 i.h8 3 h6
i.d4? would be fatal, since the white king will
sneak round the back: 4 h8W ~xh8 5 @h7 ~e5
6 'xi'g8 @f6 7 i.c2 +-.
2 i.xc4 @f8 3 hS @e7 4 ~b3 'i&f8 5 f6 @e8
(DJ
11.19
J.Lautier - S.Rublevsky
Poikovsky 2003
Black simply digs in on the light squares:
l. .. 'i&f'S!
I ... f5? 2 @g6 would be fatal.
2 @xf7 ~hS+ 3 ~g7 ~dl 4 ~e7 11z.11z
After 4 ... ~e2 5 <;!;>h6 ~dl 6 h5 Black just
keeps waiting with 6 ... ~e2.
lf2.1f2
Peace broke out since White cannot break in:
6 ~a4+ @f8 7 h6 i.xf6 8 ~xf6 stalemate.
Fortresses which are based on the principle
of one diagonal are also very important.

192 How TO PI.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
2 @f2 @f5 3 @f3 .i.xg2+ ! changes essentially
nothing.
2 ... @f"S 3 @f2 @e4 4 .i.xf6
4 @e2 a3 5@d2 d4 6 .i.al f5 -+.
4 ... d4 5 i.e7 @d3! 6 .i.c5 @c4 7 s.a @b3
0-1
This famous finale could well serve as an
endgame study.
Blc) The Well-Entrenched Knight
Of course, knights can also build a fortress.
11.21
V.Topalov -A.Shirov
Linares 1998
Shirov's next move highlights in a most impressive
way the relative worth of the black
bishop:
1 ... i.h3!!
Initiative above everything else! This is the
only way to breach the defence based on the
principle of one diagonal (al-h8) and is consequently
the only winning possibility. 1.. . .i.e4?
is less effective: 2 g3 f5 3 @f2 @d6 4 @e3 @c5
5 .i.f6 @c4 ( D).
11.22
K.Bischoff - J.Gustafsson
German Ch (Altenkirchen} 2005
Bischoff has ensured that his knight always
has enough squares. So Black could even capture
the f2-pawn and still the fortifications
could not be stormed.
1 4Jf4 @g5 2 4Jh3+ @g4 3 lt:if4 ~f3 ( D)
White holds the draw, since everything is
taking place on the al-h8 diagonal and White
cannot be placed in zugzwang: 6 .i.e5 ~b3 7
@d2 and the white king must bar the way to his
opposite number: 7 ... @a2 8 @c I ! @b3 9 @d2
2gxh3

FORTRESSES 193
4 ltihS @xf2 5 ltif4 @£3 6 ltihS .i.c8 7 ltif4
.i.b7 8 ltihS .i.c6 9 ltif4 f6 10 ltie6 .ie8 11 ltif4
sn 12 ltih3 @g3 13 ltif4 '.t>f3 1ll-1ll
Shredder could have held the following endsame
asainst 'Yet Another Chess Engine', but
;he idea"is hard to find for a computer program.
On the queenside there is nothing doing:
3 ... '.t>d6 4 @e3 @c6 5 @d2 .lg4 6 ltigl ~bS 7
@c3 .ifs 8 ltif3 and Black can make no more
progress, as the bishop cannot simultaneously
control d3, e2, f3 and h3.
4 ltigl .tb3 (DJ
4 ... .il..c2 5 ltie2 .te4 6 ltigl @g6 7 '.t>g4 @h6
8 '.t>h4 .tfS 9 '.t>g3 @g5 10 '.t>xg2 '.t>f4 l l ltie2+
'.t>e3 12 ltic3 ~xd4 13 ltixa4 =.
11.23
Shredder - YACE
Paderborn 2003
1 e6!
The game instead continued 1 '.t>f2? @e4 2
@xg2 '.t>xd4 3 ~g3 .il..d7 4 @f2 (4@f4 @c3 S
lt}f3 @b2 -t-) 4 ... '.t>xeS 5 ltie2 d4 6@el Sl.bS 7
loci .lc4 8 @dl '.t>f4 9@d2 '.t>e4 10 '.t>c2 '.t>e3
11 @bl 0-1.
1...@xe6 2@f4 (DJ
s lt:Jf3 .il..c4 6 ltigl .tfl 7 '.t>g4 '.t>g6 8 @f4
@h59 ltih3@h4
9 ... .il..e2 IO '.t>g3 =.
10 ltigl (DJ
White's fortress cannot be breached.
2 ... Sl.dl 3 ltih3 @£6
Reciprocal zugzwang with Black to move.
10 Sl.d3
10 .ta6 11 '.t>f3 @g5 12@xg2 '.t>f4 13 '.t>f2
@e4 14 '.t>el @d3 15 ltie2 @c2 16 ltif4 .il..c4
(16 ... Sl.b7 17 ltig2 @d3 18 '.t>dl @xd4 19 ltif4
'.t>c3 20 @cl d4 21 ltie2+ = and the white king

194 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
reaches the safe comer against the wrong rook's
pawn) I 7 itJg2 gJb2 18 gJd2 g}xa3 19 ~c3 ~a2
(19 ... ~e2 20 ltJe3 ~f3 21 ltJc2+ @82 22 @b4 W
@b2 23 itJa3 ~d I 24 itJbS =) 20 itJe3 =.
11 'it>f3 ~e4+ 12 @f2 @g4 13 ltJe2 ~f3 14
ltJc3 @f4 15 ltJxa4 g}e4 16 ltJcS+ @xd4 17
ltJe6+ @c4 18 lt)gS =
So, don't despair if you constantly lose against
your computer. Fortunately there are things between
Heaven and Earth that the machines still
don't understand.
Exercises (Solutions on page 325)
El 1.14 **/
How can White hold his position together?
Ell.12 */***
Can Black hold the draw if it is his move?
What about with White to move?
8~•~•1
.,.,
CB
•
m
•.t• ••.
.---
~
....
• ,B n ~
~ ~r<hB ~
d kl~~
- -
~
El 1.13 /***
~~-~-~ - ~
Of course, the bishop can sometimes also
erect a fortress against the knight. This
generally arises through activity and that is
also how Black managed it in this case.
El 1.15 /**
How did Black storm the white citadel?
82) Fortresses against a Rook
When the struggle occurs in a confined space,
the rook is sometimes unable to profit from its
ability to travel rapidly round the whole board .
82a) The Knight Fights Well in a
Confined Space
In the following diagram, White quickly
pulls his small force together and then holds
the position:
1 ltJeS @gS 2 @g3 @f6
2...rlgl + 3 @h3! 1:!cl 4 @g3 =.
3 itJf3 J:!a4 4 @h3 J:!aS S @g3 r!bS 6 @f4
1:lb4+ 7 @g3 rlb8 8 ~f4 1:!f8 9 @g3

FORTRESSES 195
3 ••. .l:la3 4 lt::ic2 lla2 5@d3 .l:la4 6@e3 !ic4!
Forcing the knight further away from his
dream square.
7 lt::id4 .l:lc3+ 8 ">tie2 .l:lc5 9 lt::if3 @hS 10 lbes
!ic3 11 @f2@h412 'it>g2 .l:lb3 0-1
Typical methods of blowing up such a fortress
include creating a passed pawn and the use
of zugzwang themes.
11.24
N.Vasovski - P.Orlov
Pancevo 2003
9 g5+ @e6+ 10 'it>g4 .l:la8 11 lt::ih4 =.
9 .. J!d810 @f4 .l:ld5 ll @g3 g512 'it>f2 .l:la5
13 @g2 .l:la4 14 'it>g3 .l:lb4 112_11z
However, the defender must be able to reach
his ideal position.
11.25
A.Shirov - A.Fishbein
Kerteminde 1991
Black cannot let White's knight reach e3.
l lt::id4 llh3+?
1...'ltg6 2 lt::ic6 'it>h5 3 'it>f3 .l:lh3+ 4 'it>g2 .l:lc3
5 lt::ie5 'it>h4 6 'ltf2 @h3 -+.
2 ~2 'it>g6 3 'it>e2?
3 lt::if3 .l:lh7 (3 ... 'it>h5 4 'it>g2 'it>g4 5 lt::ie5+
'it>xf4 6 lt::ig6+ @g4 7 lbe5+ =) 4 lbel 'it>h5 5
'it>f3 l'!c7 6 lt::ig2 .l:lc3+ 7 lbe3 =.
11.26
R.Bergstrom - R.Akesson
Stockholm 1999/00
l lla5 lt::if4
1...lt::ih4 2 f4 gxf4 (2 ... g4 3 llh5 lt::if5 4 l'!xf5+
exf5+ 5 'it>d5 +-) 3 'it>xf4 lt::ig6+ 4 'ltg3 +- and
the white h-pawn will win the day.
2h4!
Undermining Black's knight outpost.
2 ... lt::ih3 3 h5
3 .l:la2 also wins: 3 ... gxh4 4 f4 lt::igl 5 .l:lg2
lt::ih3 6 l;!h2 lt::igl 7 l'!xh4 lt::ie2 8 .l:lh6+ @e7 9
@e5 +-.
3 ... lt::if4 4 h6@g6 5 'it>e5@xh6 6 'it>f6 lt::ih5+
7@f7 lt::ig3
After 7 ... lt::if4 8 lla8 'it>h7 9 l'!e8, zugzwang
destroys the black citadel: 9 ... lt::ig6 10 .l:lxe6
lt::ih4 l I .l:lf6 lt::ig2 12 .l:lg6 +-.
8 l'!a8 g4 9 fxg4 @g5 IO .l:lg8+ 'it>f4 11 g5
11 'it>xe6 lt::ie4 J 2 .l:lg6 lt::ic5+ 13 'it>f7 lt::id7 14
g5 lt::ie5+ 15 'it>f6 +-.
11 ... eS 12 g6 lt::if5 13 'it>e6 'it>g5 14 'it>xe5?
14 xrs lt::ig7+ 15 @f7 lt::if5 16 lld8 (16 g7?
lt::ixg7 17 'it>xg7 e4 =) 16 ... 'it>f4 17 .l:ld! e4 18
.l:lfl + 'it>e5 19 llxf5+ 'it>xf5 20 g 7 +-.

196 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
14 ... lbe7 15 !'lg7 lbxg6+ 16 @e6 @h5 17
@f5 lbh4+ 18@f6 lbf'3 lfl.lfl
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 325-6)
Ell.16 **/
How did White storm the city walls?
11.27
Original
l ••• h5!
Setting up the correct pawn-formation and
preventing the h7-pawn from becoming a weakness.
Now White has to exchange more pawns
if he wants to advance on the kingside, which of
course suits the defender. This theme crops up
in many endgarnes. After 1 ... il.d4? White stops
... h5 by 2 g4!:
a) 2 ... h6 3 h4 il.c3 and then:
al) After 4 g5? hxg5 5 hxg5 il.d4 6 !:tf7 il.c3
7 !'lf6 Black simply ignores the rook: 7 ... @g7! =
(7... il.xf6? 8 @xf6 +-).
a2) 4 h5 gxh5 5 gxh5 il.d2 6 @f6 il.g5+ 7
@g6@f8(D).
Ell.17 **/
Should White roll up in a ball or
become active?
B2b) Typical Drawing Fortresses
with Bishop against Rook
The following two fortresses with two pawns
against two on one wing are worth knowing.
The set-up of the defending pawns depends on
whether the bishop controls the corner square.
Now White wins through repeated use of
zugzwang, domination and the possibility of
simplifying to a won pawn ending, as Enevoldsen
showed: 8 !'lf7+ @e8 (8 ... @g8 9 Itf2 il.e3

FORTRESSES 197
l O l;Ie2 +-) 9 !l:f5 gd2 10 !l:f2 gg5 11 @g7
@e7 12 !l:e2+ @d7 13 @f7 @d6 14 !l:e4 @d5
15 !l:e6 +-.
b) 2...gr2 3 g5 gd4 4 h4 gr2 5 @e5 gc5 6
@f4 gd4 7 @g4 ge5 8 h5 gxh5+ 9 @xh5 and
White wins, as Elkies pointed out (see 14.04).
2h4(D)
gcs 17 !l:c2 ge3 (l 7 ... gd6 18 !l:d2 gc5 19
@f4 ge7 20 !l:d7 .ars 21 @g3 gd6+ 22@h3
gf4 23!l:d5++-) 18@e4gh6 19 !l:h2gg7 20
@f4 gf8 21 @f3 ga3 22 !l:a2 ge7 23 !l:e2 gf6
(23 ... gxh4 24 !l:h2@g5 25 l;Ihl and Black is in
zugzwang and loses his bishop) 24 @f4 gd8
(D).
Now Black must exercise the utmost caution:
2 ... gal =
This is the correct square for the bishop,
since after 2 ... gd4? White can gain a decisive
tempo: 3 !l:b4 gc3 4 !l:c4 gb2 (4 ... geJ 5 @f6
@h7 6 !l:c6 gxg3 7 @gS +-) 5 g4 hxg4 6 !l:xg4
@h7 7 @f7 @h6 8 !l:xg6+ @hS (D) and White
wins, but it is still amazingly complicated:
25 !l:c2! (domination!) 25 ... ge7 26 !l:d2 gb4
27 !l:d8 gc3 28 @g3 ge5+ 29 @h3 gf4 30
l;Id5+@g6 31 @g4 +- and White wins easily,
now that the king and the rook have exchanged
roles.
The second fortress is:
9 !l:g21 gc3 10 !l:h2 geJ 11 @f6 gg3 (if
I i...gxh4+?\, then 12@f5 +-) 12!l:hl gf2 13
@fS ge3 14 J;!h2 ga7 15 !l:a2 gb6 16 !l:b2
11.28
S.Tiviakov - R.Korsunsky
Frunze 1989
This fortress is vulnerable, however, since
the a7-gl diagonal is shorter and the white king

198 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
must not be allowed to penetrate at c6. So
... @b6 is often necessary, which further reduces
the scope of the bishop.
1 @e4 .if2 2 !US .igl 3 !tfl .i.c5 4 @d5
.ie3 5 !tf7+ @b6 6 !tf3 .igl 7 xn .ie3 (DJ
13 @c3@b6 14 @d4 'it>a5 15 !tc2 .i.h6 16
!!g2 .i.cl 17 !tc2 .ih618 ssn
Now Black should be OK again, with accurate
play. 18 !tg2 Ac 1 ( l 8 ... Af8 19 @c3@b620
!tg6+ @b7 21 b4 +-) 19 ~e2 @b6 (19... Ah6
20 @c3 .ig7+ 21 @b3 Af6 22 !te6 .id4 23
@a2 b4 24 axb4+ @b5 25 @b3 +-) 20 @d5
.i.g5 (20... a5 21 @d4 a4 22 @d5 b4 23 !tc2
.ie3 24 axb4 @b525 !tc8 also wins for White)
21!te6+@b722@c5.id823 b3 .i.g5 24 !tb6+
'it>a7 25 @c6 +-.
18 ...@b6 19 !te7 Acl!
Not I 9 ... .i.g5? 20 !te6+ @b7 21 @c5 i.d8
22 b3 .ih4 23 !tb6+ 'lla7 24 @c6 and White
wins.
20 !te6+ 'it>b7 21 !te2 (D)
If21 @c5, then 21....ixb2 22 !te7+ 'llb8! 23
@b6.id4+ 24 @xa6.ic5 =.
Tiviakov has systematically restricted the
bishop and now forces it to leave the g1-a7 diagonal:
8@e4.ig5
8 ... i.c5 9 b4 .i.e7 IO @d5.i.g5 11 !tel .i.h4
12 !te6+ @b7 and Black holds.
9!tf5 .icl 10!tf2.ig511 @d4(DJ
B
11 ... Acl?
Now Black will not be able to reach the a7-
gl diagonal at the right moment, since it will be
dominated. l l...@c6 was necessary.
12!te2@a5
12 ... .i.g5 13 !te6+@b7 14 @c5.id8 15 b4
.ih4 16 !tb6+ @a7 17 @c6 +-.
Now the black bishop must immediately rush
back; otherwise the white king penetrates.
21...@b6?
This is wrong. Alternatives:
a) 21...Af4? also fails: 22 !te7+ @b6 23
!te6+ 'it>b7 24 @c5 .i.g5 25 !tb6+ 'it>a7 26 @c6
+-.
b) 21...i.g5! 22 @c5 i.h4 is correct. Black
holds in all these cases:
bl) 23 !tg2 .ie7+ 24 @d5 .ih4.
b2) 23 !te4 .if2+ 24 @b4 .ib6 25 ~e7+
@c6 26 ~e6+ 'it>b7.
b3) 23 b3 @c7 24 !te6 Af2+ 25 @d5 (or 25
@b4 .ib6 26 !tf6 @b7 27 a4 bxa4) 25 ... @b7.
22@d5 i.g5
Or:

FORTRESSES 199
a) 22 a5 23 Wd4 a4 24 @d5 b4 25 Rc2 83) Fortresses against the Queen
.ie3 (25 bxa3 26 Rxc I axb2 27 Rb! a3 28
@c4 +-) 26 axb4 S>b5 27 Rc8 +-.
If the position is securely blockaded, the queen
b) 22 ...@a5 23 Rc2 .ie3 (23... .if4 24 lic6 can find no targets and the defender cannot be
+-) 24 Rc6 b4 25 axb4+@b5 26 Rc8 .if4 27 placed in zugzwang, then a rook (and minor
lic5+ @b628 @c4 +-.
piece) can frequently set up a fortress.
23 Re6+ @b7 24 @c5.id8
24 ... .ih4 25 l;I.b6+@a7 26@c6 +-.
25 b3 i.h4 26 l;I.b6+ @a7 27 @c6 .if2 28
llb7+ @a8 29 Rf7 .igl 30 Rr4 <t;a7 31 a4 B
bxa4 32 Rxa4 i.f2 33 b4 .ie3 34 bS @b8 35
lixa6 1-0
The more pawns there are on the board, generally
the greater the winning chances of the attacker.
This applies in the following position:
ll.30A
R.Meulders - C.lonescu
Dubai OL 1986
1. .. lia6 i1z_11z
White can make no further progress, since
his king cannot penetrate anywhere.
11.29
R.Felgaer - L.Dominguez
Havana 2004
Black wins by creating a passed pawn:
1 ... gS!! 2 hxg5
2 fxg5 f4 3 gxf4 (3 @g2 f3+ 4 .ixf3 'fJ.d2+
-+) 3 ... @xf4 4 <t;g2@g4 5 i.e4 Rd4 6 i.f3+ (6
.ih7@xh4 7 g6Rf4-+) 6 ... @xh47 g6'fJ.d2+8
@fl Rd7 9 @g2 @g5 IO i.e4 @f4 -+.
2 ... h43@g2
3 gxh4 @xf4 4 @g2 @g4 5 .ic8 Rc6 6 .id?
E.c2+ 7 @fl 'fJ.c7 8 i.e6 E.g7 -+.
3 ... hxg3 4 @xg3 Rd4 5 i.g2 llxf4 6 i.h3
X{f3+ 7 @h4 'it>f4 8 g6 Rb3
8 ... Rg3? 9 .ixf5 =.
9 g7Rg310 .ixf5Rxg7 ll .id3Rd712i.c4
12 i.g6 Rd8 -+.
12...lih7# (0-1)
11.308
I.Lutsko - D.Bocharov
Voronezh 2006
1. .. @f6 1'2-1/2
The light-squared blockade is unbreakable;
e.g., 2 i.a6 @e5 3 .tb5 c4 4 .ixc4@e4 5 .ie2 =.

100 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercises (Solutions on page 326)
C) Pawn-Barriers
Sometimes the defender succeeds in constructing
a fortress system in which the whole board
is divided by an impenetrable bani er of pawns.
Then even a very great material advantage is often
not sufficient to win, since the king (or
sometimes also other pieces of the attacker)
cannot enter the enemy half of the board. Probably
the best-known example of a such pawnbanier
is the following:
Ell.18 **/
How did White break through?
B
11.31
A.Petrosian - L.Hazai
Belgium 1970
Ell.19 /**
How did Black set up a fortress?
El 1.20 **/
How did White destroy Black's set-up?
1...'&b6!? 2 loxb6+??
Humans are simply too greedy! With 2 \Wd2,
followed by @b3, lob2, @a4 and lod3-cl-b3,
White would have won the a5-pawn and subsequently
the game.
2 ... cxb6 3 h4
Otherwise Black would have blocked the position
completely with 3 ... h4.
3 ••• gxh4 4 ~d2 h3!
When White played 2 loxb6+ ??, was this the
move that he overlooked?
5 gxh3 h4 1/z-1/z
In this example, the pawn-banier was so impenetrable
that no pieces at all were able to penetrate
it. This is not always necessary for a
successful defence.
In the following diagram, it is sufficient for
Black to keep the white king out of his camp
using a pawn-barrier. The white rook alone is

FORTRESSES 101
1...lLJcS! 2 !txa7 @xa7 3 bxcS dxc5 =
Black has a simple drawing plan: he puts his
king on c7, after which the queenside is safe
against any infiltration by the white king, and
then he simply oscillates his bishop between d6
and e7. Black's fortress cannot be breached by
a bishop sacrifice at h6 either: if the white king
stays on the queenside, then .i.h6 will always
be answered by ... i.f8, with the threat of ... gxh6.
If White prepares the .i.h6 sacrifice by @h5,
Black need not take on h6 (since then g7 follows),
but can simply wait with a king move.
11.32
A.Korolev- Kalnins
Latvian Ch (Riga) 1963
unable to break down Black's defensive setup.
l ... l!xc4+! 2 bxc4 'i!le8 3 !th8+ @d7 4 !ta8
.i.d8 5 l:!.a7+ .i.c7 6 @d3 @c8 7 l:!.b7!? 112-112
A peculiar kind of drawn position has arisen.
The great defensive power of Black's bishop
stands in stark contrast to its minimal attacking
potential.
The pawn-barrier is also an important defensive
idea in pawn endings themselves. Take a
look at what happened in the following game:
B
B
11.33
Paulic - Vasovic
Yugoslavia 1976
In both preceding examples, the pawn-chains
of future barriers were easy to foresee. In this
position, however, the contours of a possible
pawn-barrier are somewhat obscured. But with
the right idea, this position too is easy to defend.
11.34
A.Manzone - S.Plazaola
Argentine U­18 Ch (Esperanza) 2003
White has an extra protected passed pawn
and obviously should be clearly winning. Black
is unable to keep the kingside closed and with
precise play White will penetrate there in a few
moves.
1. •• e4!?
Or: l...@c7 2 g4 +-; 1...f5 2 e4 @c7 3 exf5
gxf5 4@e3@b7 5 g4 +-.
2f3
This move does not spoil anything. How-
ever, 2 g4! is technically more convincing.
2 ... rs 3 fxe4??
White plays extremely carelessly and is apparently
unaware of any danger. 3 'i9f2 would
have still won easily. After, for example, 3 ... <;t;c7

202 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
(3 ... g5 4 g4 +-) 4 g4 White penetrates on the
kingside.
3 •.. fxe4 =
Unbelievable, but true. Now the position is
drawn and White can no longer prevent the creation
of an impenetrable pawn-barrier.
4 h4 h6!
Not 4 ... @b6?? 5 <&>f2 h6 6 @g2 g5 7 @h3
and White wins.
5@d2
5 @f2 gS 6 @g2 g4 =.
5 •.. a4 6 @e2 g5 7 g4 @b6 11z.112
Pawn-barriers can truly appear out of a clear
sky, as the following example also highlights:
5 exf6+ @xf6 6 c4 e5+ 7 Wd5 Wf5 8 Ae4+
@f6 9 @c6 @gs 10 @b7 @g4 11 Axg6 'it>xg3
12 'iPxa7 @f4 13 Abs e4 14 c5 1.0
11.35
E.Schiller - N.Nath
USA 1996
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 326-9)
Here too White nearly threw away half a
point through carelessness:
1 b5?!
1 aS a6 2 b5 axb5 3 Axc6 would be the clearest
way to the win.
l. .. cxb5 2 axb5?
With 2 a5! White could still have corrected
his inaccuracy.
2 ..• b6 = 3 @e4 @e7 4 @d4 fS??
This is suicide. Passive defence would have
sufficed to draw. White can still improve his po·
sition a little but as long as Black simply marks
time, his fortress is impenetrable. For example,
4 ... @d7 5 c4 @c7 6 cs @d7 7 c6+ @c7 & @e4
@d8 9 '.t>f4 @c7 10 @g4 @d8 11 @h4 @c7 12
g4 @d& 13 gS hS 14 AxhS @c7 (D) =.
B
El 1.21 I*
An easy exercise to begin with.
How can Black ensure that the
game is drawn right away?

FORTRESSES 203
El 1.22 /**
Black appears to be in great difficulties
due the strong threat of lld8+.
Can you find a way out?
El 1.24 /**
Can you find a winning plan for Black?
El 1.25 ***/
Hard to believe, but this fortress can also be
breached. Can you find a way to win?
Ell.23 ***/
Naturally the pawn-barrier theme has also
aroused the interest of study composers.
Can you see how White can erect
an impregnable fortress here?
In the preceding examples it was always a
question of erecting an impenetrable pawnbarrier.
In the following examples, however, it
is rather a question of how to breach a possible
pawn-barrier or how to prevent one from being
set up in the first place.
El 1.26 /*****
Can you find a plan to breach
the white fortress?

204 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
El 1.27 ***/
Is the existing pawn-chain really
impregnable, or can White penetrate?
Ell.28 **/
How did White breach the wall?
D) Incarcerating Pieces
Dl) An Incarcerated King
Sometimes the defender manages to incarcerate
the enemy king on the edge of the board and
thus keep him out of the game. Without their
leader, the remaining pieces are often then powerless.
In the following example, it is obviously
not possible for White to stop the black passed
pawns. However, if White is familiar with the
above-mentioned fortress theme, he can still
manage to draw the position by putting the
black king behind bars.
11.36
C.Behting
2nd-5th Prize, Bohemia, 1906
I 'it>c6!!
Not:
a) l 4Jxh4? 'it>xh4 2 4Jf3+@g3 3 4Jgl h5 4
'it>d4 'it>f2 5 4Jh3+ 'it>e2 6 'it>xc4 'it>f3 7 d4 'it>g4 8
4Jgl h4-+.
b) l 4Jf3? h3 2 4J5h4 h2 3 4Jxg2 hl'& -+.
c) 1 4Jg7+? 'it>g5 2 4Jf3+ 'it>g4 3 4Jh2+ 'it>f4
4 4Jh5+ @g5 5 4Jg3 hxg3 6 4Jf3+ 'it>g4 7 'it>e4
h5 8 4Je5+ 'it>h3 94Jf3 gl'& 104Jxgl+ 'it>g2 11
4Je2 'it>f2 12 4Jf4 g2 -+.
1. .. gl'&
l ... h3 2 4Jg3+ 'it>h4 3 4Je2 h2 4 4Jf3+ 'it>h3 5
4Jxh2 'it>xh2 6 'it>c5 gl'&+ 7 4Jxgl 'it>xgl 8
~xc4=.
24Jxh4
Now it will be clear why the white king had
to go to c6 on the first move. If he now stood on
any other square, the black queen could give a
zwischenschach and then capture the knight on
h4.
2 ... '&hl+ 3 4Jhf3
and the draw is obvious, since the black king
can no longer escape his prison on the edge of
the board.
For a proper understanding of this method of
defence, it is absolutely essential to know that, to
draw, it is generally not enough just to incarcerate
the opposing king. It must also be established
that he will remain in his prison 'for life'. There
are particular Positions in which the stronger
side can use zugzwang to force the jailer to

FORTRESSES 205
unbolt the door. As Cheron proved, the following
drawing study by Zakhodiakin is incorrect:
7 ... ~f3 s @gs '1Wh3 9 rs ~f3l01&h4 \Wxrs
l l l&g3 ~e4 12 l&f2 ~d3 13 l&el ~c2 14 l&fl
~d2 15 l&gl ~e2 16 l&hl ~f2 -+
Zugzwang.
In the following game, Svidler succeeded in
overcoming his opponent's defensive plan with
a similar zugzwang idea:
11.37
G.Zakhodiakin
'64', 1929
1 gS+ 'it>h7 2 srt c2 3 ~hS cl \W 4 g6+ 'it>h8
S@g4
Now, according to Zakhodiakin, White can
draw. In fact, though, Black can capture the f-
pawn and White is then forced by zugzwang to
release the black king:
5...~e3 6 f4 (D)
6 l&g3 ~g5+ 7 l&f2 ~f4 8 l&g2 (8 l&e2 '&d4
9 l&fl ~d2 10 l&gl "&e2 -+) 8 ... \\'1/h4 9 l&fl
~h2 10 i.d5 ~g3 11 i.e4 l&g8 -+.
6...'Wd3 7 l&h4
Or: 7 l&g5 '&h3 8 i.d5 ~h6+ 9 @f5 '&h5+
-+; 7 f5 \'¥/e4+ 8 l&g5 ~f3 9 i.e6 ~g3+ 10
'i?i'h5 '&f4-+.
11.38
S.Dvoirys - P.Svidler
Russian Ch (Elista) 1997
Without the black h-pawn, the white position
would be truly impregnable. Unfortunately,
Black can easily capture White's g-pawn, after
which Black's h-pawn can be stopped only by a
piece sacrifice.
l g3!
The only chance. To maintain the incarceration
of the black king, White willingly sacrifices
his knight.
l...~g4 2 tbf4 ~xg3 3 tbxhS '&es+ 4 l&b3
'&xhS 5 c3
5 @b2 makes no difference: 5 ... W/e2 6 l&b3
~d2 7 ~c4 (for 7 c3 '&e2, see the game continuation)
7 ... '&e3+ 8 c3 ~e4 9 sr: and once
more we have reached the game continuation.
5 ... \We2 6 i.c4 ~dl+ 7 l&b2 ~d2+ 8 l&b3
"&cl 9 sn
9 i.d3@g8-+.
9 ... ~bl+ 10 l&c4 (D)
10 l&a3 '&c2 11 c4 ~bl 12 c5 ~c2 (zug-
zwang) -+.
l0 ...\Vbc2 ll l&d4 ~e2 12 l&cS ~d3 13 c4
W/a3 14 l&b6 \Wxb4+ 15 l&xa6 ~cs 16 l&b7

206 How TO PI.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
@g2 22 ~e3 @h2 23 ~f3 @gl 24 '&as @f2 25
~xa3 bxa3 26 b4 +-
There are truly many different possibilities
of incarcerating a king. In the following example,
White needed only a pair of pawns to shut
the enemy king out of the game:
~d6 17 @c8 ~c6+ 18 @d8 ~b7 19 .ie6 ~e4
20 .if7 \Wc6 21 @e7 ~c7+ 22 @e8 0-1
In view of 22 .. .'&d6 23 c5 ~c7 24 c6 'ii'ld6 25
c7 'W/xc7 26 .ie6 ~g3 27 @f7 ~d6 and the
blockade is finally lifted.
On an open board, using this zugzwang
method the queen can drive the enemy king
from one corner of the board to the other. In the
following study, White can win only if the queen
drives the enemy king to the first rank:
11.40
J.Gdanski - P.Staniszewski
Polish Ch (Cetniewo] 1991
1 '&xe2
1 c7!? is a very courageous suggestion by
Fritz which, however, also leads to a draw. After,
for example, l...el'i&+ 2 @g2 ~c3 3 ~d7
Af8 4 g6 'Wif3+ Black is forced to give perpetual
check.
1 ... ~e2 2 g6 Ac2 3 bS Ac5 4 @g2 Axb5 5
f4 Ac5 6 g4 !l:xc6 7 f5 (DJ
11.39
After O.Blathy
Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1962
1 ~c6+ @a7 2 '&cs ~b6 3 '&as @c7 4
~a7+ @c8 5 '&lb6 @d7 6 \Wb7+ @d8 7 \Wc6
'it>e7 8 ~d5 <MS 9 '&e6 @r;T 10 \Wf5 @h8 11
'Wic8+ 'it;r:, 12 \We8 ~h7 13 ~f8 @g6 14 ~e7
@h6 15 ~f7 @g5 16 ~e6 @hS 17 °'&f6 @g4 18
\Wes @h4 19 'i&r5 @g3 20 ~e4 @h3 21 \Wf4
7 ... Axg6!? 8 fxg6 11z-•11

FORTRESSES 207
In the next example, the black king is surprisingly
incarcerated by a rook:
11.41
G.Zakhodiakin
3rd Prize, Shakhmaty v SSSR. 1949
El 1.29 ***/
White has two ways to draw. Find one of them.
1 nc7!
I :§:xe7+? @f6 2 nc7 :§:b8+ 3 @d7 gb7 4
~b7cl'ffr'-+.
1 ... nbS+ 2 @xe7 nb7! 3 nxb7 cl WI 4 @e6+!
@g6
4 ... cJ;f8 s nbs+ 1;g1 6 nb1+ =.
5 hS+! @xhS
5 ... @g5 6 ng7+ @xh5 7 @e7 =.
6 ng7! 'ffr'fl 7 @e7! 'WfS 8 ngS Wih7+ 9 cJ;fS
W/d7 10 ng7 ~e6 11 ngs W/d6+
Or: 11... Wif6+ 12 @e8 =: 11...Wi'fS+ 12 @e7
= (12 'l)e8? W/f6 -+).
12 cJ;f7! =
Black cannot free his king.
Ell.30 **/
The sprint of the b-pawn cannot
be stopped, can it?
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 329-30)
It is impossible to show here all the known patterns
for incarcerating the king. But if you manage
to solve the following exercises, you will
learn a few more.
Ell.31 **/
Turn the stray white horse into a monster!

208 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
2.1i.xb6@e7!
The b6-bishop is imprisoned for ever in the
black camp and can sacrifice itself for a pawn at
best. White cannot force the bishop's release,
since Black has available some easy waiting
moves with the b4-bishop.
The following marvellous composition by
the then 7-year-old Smyslov gives an impressive
illustration of a rook being shut out of play:
Ell.32 ***/
There seem to be two ways to set up
a fortress. Which is the right one?
02) Pieces Shut Out of Play
Of course, the king is not the only piece that can
be shut out of play; it can happen to any of the
other pieces too. In the following example,
Black seems in serious trouble but can save
himself by putting a bishop behind bars.
11.42
Kobaladze - M.Tsereteli
Tbilisi 1970
1 ...@e8!
The exclamation mark is for the fantastic
idea. Actually 1...ll:ia8 is not worse, since after,
e.g., 2 ii.d7 @f8 or 2 ii.h5+ @f8 Black can still
always play ... ll:ib6! and set up the same fortress
as in the game.
11.43
V.Smyslov
4th Prize, Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1938
Owing to the threat of l .. Jfa6+ followed by
...@xh5 White appears to be in great difficulties.
It is incredible, but to hold the draw, White
must give up his bishop and his h5-pawn:
1 ii.f6+!!
l f4? ~a6+ 2 @g7 @xh5 -+.
1 ... exf6 2 f4 ~h8+ 3 @g7 ~xh5
3 .. J1a8 4@g6 (4 h6? @h5 5 h7 !la7+ 6 @g8
@h6 7 h8'tl!t'+ @g6 -+) 4...~g8+ 5 @f7 ~h8 6
@g7::;.
4 a4 ~5+ 5@h8!!
5 @h7?@h5 6 @h8 @g6 -+.
5 ~g6
5 @h5 6 'i&h7 Elg6 7 @h8 ~h6+ 8 @g7 ::;_
6@h7@h5 7 @h8 !lh6+ 8 @g7 ~g6+ 9 @h8
And, no matter how Black twists and turns,
his rook can no longer escape the prison.
In the next position White even succeeds in
simultaneously shutting out of play the enemy
queen and knight:

FORTRESSES 209
11.44
E.Somov-Nasimovich
Honourable mention, '64 ', 1938
El 1.34 */
How can you take advantage of
the cramped black position?
1 @e4 f2
1 ... ©xa6 2 I!.xa8 f2 3 ~c8 axb6 (Black even
loses after 3 .. .fl'&? 4r!cl+@e2 5 I!.xfl @xfl 6
bxa7) 4 I!.cl+ ==.
2 b7 fl Wf 3 bxa8Wi Wig2+ 4 @e3 Wixa8 5 d5
@dl 6 @d3 @cl 7 @c3
Black can make no progress.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 330-1)
El 1.35 */
Will the new queen be able to escape?
El 1.33 r:
How did Black make his camp secure?
El 1.36 ***/
White to play and draw.

210 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
E) Tied and Pinned Pieces
Sometimes the weaker side succeeds in saving
a tricky situation in which one or more of the
hostile pieces is tied down by a strong threat.
The tied pieces are then incapable of developing
any activity and this makes the conversion
of a material advantage impossible.
El) Tied to a Pawn
Often the stronger side is unable to convert his
advantage, since the defender threatens to capture
the last pawn ( or one of the last pawns) and
thus bring about a distribution of forces that is .
stone-cold drawn. The pieces are then tied to
the defence of the pawn and are thus unable to
develop sufficient active power to breach the
enemy defences. The following example is a
beautiful demonstration of what this means:
B
11.46
Z.Ribli - A.Ozsvath
Hungary 1971
1. .. h4!
Black is even willing to sacrifice his own
pawn to tie White up yet further by activating
his king.
2!'txh4
2 !'tf6+ @h5 3 !'th6+ (3 g6 l!!.g8 =; 3 @c3 h3 4
!'tf3 @g4 5 !'tf2 @h5 6 @c4 'it>g6 =) 3 ... @g4 4
@c3 h3 5 g6 @f4 6 g7 !'tg8 7 lbc5 h2 8 lbe6+
@e5=.
2. .. 'i&fS! 3 @c3 !'tdl 4 @c4 !'td8 5 'it>cS l!!.d3
6@c6 !'tdl 7@c7 !'td3 8 !'thl!? 11z_11z
The game was agreed drawn in view of
8 ... !'te3 9 !'th4 !'td3 =.
E2) Tying
11.45
M.Liburkin (end of a study)
Bulletin Match Moscow­Prague, 1946
Despite his great material advantage, Black
is unable to win, since his rook is tied to the defence
of the e6-pawn.
1 ... 1!!.cS+ 2 @b4!
2 @d4? I:ld5+ -+.
2 .. J!eS 3 'it>c3 !'tel 4 'it>d2 ~e4 5 'it>d3 .l!e5 6
@c3=
Also in the next case the attacker is paralysed
by being tied to the defence of the last pawn.
Another form of tie occurs when the weaker
side manages to tie down the enemy forces by
particular threats by pieces. In the diagram on
the following page, shutting the king out of the
game is also involved.
1 ~c4!
I «n lbc7+ ! 2 @d7 lba8 3 'it>c8 !'tf8+ 4 @b7
!'td8 5 ~c4+ @f8! 6 i.b3 @e7 7 ~c4 @d6 8
~f71!!.d7+-+.
1. .. @h8!
l...!'txg6 2 @d7 !'tgl 3 ~xe6+ 'it>f8 4@c7 is
a draw.
2 a7 lbc7+ 3 'i!>d7!
3 'i&d8? lba8 4 srt !'tc6 -+.
3 ... lba8 4 sst l!!.a6 5 Wc8 !'txa7 6 @b8 ~1
7 @b7 !'taS 8 i.e6!

FORTRESSES 211
w
l <t>fl ! was imperative. The king must immediately
head for the queenside to combat the
future black passed pawn. Always remember
that king activity is often a decisive factor in the
endgame! l...c4 (l...e4 2 .l;te7 =) 2 bxc4 b4
(2 ... bxc4 3 .l;tc7 =) 3 ~cl .l;tc8 (3 ... e4 4 c5 ~e5
5 .l;td5 =) 4 i.d2 i.f8 5 c5 ~xc5 6 .l;tb7 ,l;tf8 7
~el e4 8 f4 exf3 9 i.xb4 =.
1 ••• c4 2 bxc4 b4 3 ~cl e4 4 c5 b3 5 c6 b2 6
~xb2 .l;txb2? ( D)
6...~xb2 7 .l;td7 .l;tc8 8 c7 ~f6 +.
11.47
A.Belov
Gorkovskaya Pravda, 1972
8 ~c4? l:oc7-+.
8 ..• .l;teS 9 srt .l;taS 10 ~e6 =
E3) A Dangerous Passed Pawn
Sometimes you can prevent the stronger side
from exploiting his material advantage by tying
his pieces to a dangerous passed pawn. He must
then either guard against its advance or block it.
The tied pieces are then unable to develop any
activity and make the conversion of a material
advantage impossible. The following example
demonstrates such a case:
7'1Xd71h-1h
After 7 ... .l;tc2 8 c7 i.f8 9 <t>fl = Black can
move neither his bishop nor his king and his
rook must keep watch over the c7-pawn.
Exercises (Solutions on page 331)
l 'fl.c7?
Ell.37 **/
The white passed pawn looks easy to stop.
Can it nevertheless save the day for White?

212 How TO PI.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
El 1.38 /***
Aie the passed pawns dangerous?
E4) Pinning
Another form of permanent tie of one or more
pieces is the pin. It is often not possible for the
stronger side to make use of his material advantage
if one of his pieces is permanently pinned.
The following game greatly amused the whole
chess world. Anand took very clever advantage
of the horizon effect of his electronic opponent
and provided mankind with an instructive example
of this type of fortress.
2~d7!?
And Anand also provokes it into helping itself.
2 •.• .i.b2 3 'lrg2!?
Furthermore Anand does not mind if Black
captures on a2 with the rook.
3 ... llxa2? 4 r!dd2 1'2-1/2
Now the trap has snapped shut and Fritz's
operator was forced to give the position up as a
draw. The bishop is absolutely worthless, since it
is tied by the pin for the rest of the game. But to
be fair to Fritz it should be noted that, in the original
position, converting the extra piece looks
very difficult or even well nigh impossible anyway.
But humans can also land themselves in
such permanent pins. In the following position
White looks in a very bad way and it seems as
if he will have to give up his rook for the black
a-pawn. But he found a brilliant saving idea:
w
11.49
V.Anand - Fritz 6
Frankfurt rpd (2) 1999
1 r!c2!? .i.a3
The computer pounces unsuspectingly
the a2-pawn.
on
11.50
V.Mamoshin - Kolker
Liepaia 1972
1 'lrd2! 'lrxal 2 @c2 r!c4
After 2 .. Jla3? Black even loses, since White
simply pushes his pawn: 3 gS +-.
After the text-move, a fascinating positional
draw has appeared on the board. Black is unable
to make any use of his material advantage,
because he cannot escape the pin. Since the
black pieces are so tied down, at first glance it
even appears as if White could think about taking
the full point. But if Black plays correctly,

FORTRESSES 213
the triumphant procession of the white
will r · pawns
7 emam only a dream. If the white bishop is
at g or h8, then Black to move al I
.. Jk6 with the threat of ~6 If h w~ys ~ ays
· ···'' · t e white bisho
::c~/~ :i;~· ~:~~~~r, ~t ~lahck simply ai
a · e ng t moment to
gree a draw, you might think. In the zame
however, further incredible things happened: '
3 g5 l:!.c7 4h5l:!.c85 h6l:!.c6 6f4l:!.f6?? (Dj
,<h 6
.. !6 7 .i.xf6 l:!.xf6 8 gxf6 ltJe2 9 f7 tbct4+ IO
'e'CI "l..le6 =.
lfz.lfz
to r; a;oment of chess blindness White now
o a aw. 7 g6! would have won on the spot.
1 c5+!@xc5
Neither l...@xe6 2 cxb6 1:1.xel 3 b7 l:!.e2+ 4
t: _ne3+ s @c4 l:!.e4+ 6 @cs II.es+ 7 @c6
el - nor l ... @c6 2 cxb6 = is of an hel
2 .i.f2 l:!.bxe6 3 @d2 @d4 4 _t { P·
and d espite · his · huge material g advanta e
!l:~!lcfafnnot whin, ~ince he is unable to relea!e
-·
rorn t e pm.
Exercises
.• •• . ~-~~
(Solutions on page 331)
w •• ,. ~ • ~
i ~~ B,
r.
!­·~·· . ~~-
·~·-,•.
,~
~-~
B 'B.1
" .i ~ ......
Ell:39 **/
What is White's last remaining resource?
Naturally the theme of the 'eternal pi • W
also taken up by study composers. n was
11.51
A.Gurvich
Shakhmaty, J 927
El 1.40 ****/
Help the power of the bishop
to show to its best advantage.
F) A Typical Mistake
To co~clude this chapter, we would like to draw
attention to another typical mistake that very

214 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
frequently leads to the creation of a fortress. It
sounds incredible, but it is true: perusing our
database we have found many hundreds of examples
in which a player spoiled a completely
winning position by the over-hasty promotion
of a pawn to a queen. The scenario was always
the same: the stronger side was so dazzled by
the chance of a quick promotion that he forgot
to pay any heed to the opponent's possibilities.
And in the time it took for the pawn to reach
the eighth rank, the weaker side managed to
construct a fortress. It is as if the prospect of
getting a queen blinds one to everything else.
The following example shows such a case.
White saw the possibility of a promotion,
switched off all the alarms and sent his pawn
on its journey.
Just thinking about a queen seems co make
even a grandmaster weak. We shall provide a
few further examples.
In the following position White is clearly all
set to win easily with his extra exchange and
dangerous passed pawn:
11.53
D.Barua - G.Barbero
Thessaloniki OL 1988
11.52
G.Hertneck - I.Marinkovic
Bundesliga 199112
1 d7??
1 ~d4! would have won easily. For example,
l...!kl+ 2@b7 l:!.bi+ 3@c7 l!cl+4@d8 f65
d7 Ya! 6@e7 ~7 7 ~d5+ @e4 8 @e6 +-.
1...@xe42 dS'fil'
Now White has his queen, but he will go
home with only half a point.
2 .. JU5 3 ~dl @f4 4 '&gl @£3 5@d6@f4 6
\3'g2 @e3 7 'fil'g3+@e4 8 @e7 @d4 9 @f8 @e4
10 @g7 @d4 11 '&el @d3 12 @f8 @d4 13
'&g3 @e4 14 @e7 @d4 15 @d6 @e4 16 @c6
@d4 17 '&el l:!.c5+ 18 Wb6 l:!.f5 19 \'1fe2 1/i-1/i
'That was just an exception, perhaps in extreme
time-trouble', you might think. Wrong!
In the game White now saw the possibility of
promoting his pawn immediately into a queen,
and played over-hastily:
1 b7?!
l l!b3! would have won easily; for example,
l ... l:!.xb3 2 @xb3 tl:lxb6 3 l:!.xb6 +-. Bue 1 l:!.b2
also leaves White's victory in little doubt; for
example, l ... l:!.d4+ 2 @a5 tl:lxb6 3 l:!.bxb6@f4 4
l:!.xf6+ @g3 5 l:!.f5 +-.
1. •• tl:lxb4 2 b8'&??
With 2 @xb4! White could have corrected
his mistake: 2 ... l:!.d8 (2 ... l:!.d 1 3 l:!.c3 l:!.d8 4 l:!.c8
+-) 3 l:!.c8 l:!.dl 4 b8'fil' l:!.bl+ 5 @c3 l:!.xb8 6
Yxb8 @f4 7 l:!.f8 @xf3 8 l:!.xf6+ @g3 9 @d2
@xh3 10 l:!.f5 +-.
2 ... tl:lxc6 3 'fil'c8+ @g6 4 'fil'xc6 l!d4+ =
Now White has his queen alright, but in the
meantime Black has managed to erect an impregnable
fortress.
5 @b5 h4 6 '&e6 @g7 7 \We8 l:!.d2 8 \Wh5
l:!.d8 9 'fil'g4 l:!.d2 10 \Wgl l:!.d8 11 @c6 @f7 12
<lic7 l:!.d4 13 'fil'bl l:!.c4+ 14 @b6 @g7 15 @b5
l:!.d4 16 @c6 l:!.d2 17 '&b4 l:!.d4 18 'fil'e7+ @g6
19 ~f8 l:!.d2 20 'fil'g8+ @f5 21 '&f7 l:!.d8 22
@c7 l:!.d2 23 'fil'g8 l:!.dl 24 ~c8+ @g6 25 ~e8+

FORTRESSES 215
Wg7 26 Wie7+ Wg6 27 '&f8 l:Id2 28 ~gs+ wrs
29 Wc6 !td4 30 ~7+ We6 11z_11,
course of the game and then demonstrate a way
to win instead.
Also in the following example White was so
infatuated with the possibility of a quick promotion
that he was oblivious to all the warning
signs:
El 1.41 **/
11.54
I.Glek - S.Lputian
Dortmund 1992
1 a7??
Too hasty. 1 ~e4 l:Iei (1 ... 1:Ial 2 Wb6 +-) 2
~b7 +- would have won easily.
1. .. l:Ixhl 2 as'& l:tdl!
Now White can no longer win.
3 '&e4+ WdS 4 '\Was+ We7 s 'li'Ub7+ WdS 6
'li'Ub6+ We7 7 'li'Uc7+ Wf'S s Wlbs+ Wf7 9 Wlb7+
Wf610 c4
10 b6 hl~ 11 '&xhl 1:Ixhl 12 b7 l:tbl 13
Wc6 Wf5 14 Wc7 Wxf4 15 b8'1W l:Ixb8 16 Wxb8
@e4=.
10 ... hl'& 11 '&xhl l:txhl 12 b6 l:Ibl 13 Wc6
wrs 14 c5 We4!
14 ... Wxf4?? 15 Wb7 +-.
is rs
15 b7 Wd4 16 f5 ll:xb7 17 Wxb7 Wxc5 =.
15 ... WxfS 16 Wb7 We6 17 c6 bicl 18 Wc7
llz­''2
El 1.42 **/
Exercises (Solutions on pages 331-2)
In each of the following examples, the player to
move spoiled a winning position by an overhasty
promotion. In each case try to guess the
El 1.43 **/

12 Stalemate
Stalemate - chess's version of tragicomedy.
SAVIELLY TARTAKOWER
A) The Last Chance
Players often behave as if a newly-promoted
queen automatically wins the game. At the end
of the previous chapter we have already shown
what fatal consequences this error can have.
Here is another example:
A good player knows the right moment to resign
PROVERB
No doubt there is some truth in this aphorism,
since plodding on in a completely lost position
not only makes no sense at all, but also shows a
lack of respect towards the opponent. However,
as the following examples show, it can sometimes
- if you have discovered a hidden stalemate
possibility- be worth putting on a straight
face, making another couple of moves and putting
your faith in your very last chance.
12.02
Menas - Braunstein
Bucharest 1960
1 b7 l2Je3 2 b8~ ttJn+ 3 @gl
3 @hi!? l2Jg3+ 4 @gl l2Je2+ 5 @h2 +-.
3 •.. @g3 4 @xfl h2 (D)
12.01
E.Sutovsky- V.Beim
Rishon le Zion 1994
White tried a spite check:
1 ~el+!?
But this was unexpectedly crowned by suecess:
l .. JWxel ?? (stalemate) 112-112
l...'~fl would have won.
5~h8??

STALEMATE 217
White must give up his queen to break up the
stalemate pattern: 5 '!Wxf4+! @xf4 6 Wg2 +-.
5 ... hl'&+ 1'2-1'2
The following position is very well-known:
B
12.04
12.03
G.Kasparov - A.Karpov
Seville Wch (24) 1987
1-0
Anticipating the manoeuvre ~f3-e4, with
the idea of ~xg6, Black resigned, allowing
Kasparov to equalize the score in the world
championship match at 12-12 and consequently
retain his title. His position is indeed lost, but
with the courage of desperation Karpov could
have set his opponent a fiendish trap:
1 ...'!Wb4 2 ~f3 '&cs 3 ~e4 '!Wb4 4 ~xg6??
4 f3 ! '!Wd2+ 5 @h3 '!Wb4 (5 ... '!Wh6 6 f4 'i1!/g7 7
'i1!/xg7+ @xg7 8 ~c6 +-) 6 ~xg6 'Llxg6 7
Wixg6 °&xh4+ 8 S>g2 +-. Of course, Kasparov
would probably have seen this trap. But who
knows? Taking into account the enormous tension
that he had to endure during this game, it
would surely have been legitimate to try this
last trap. Perhaps then the course of chess history
would have been different...
4 ... lllxg6 5 '!Wxg6 '!Wb7+ 6 @h2 '!Wg2+ =
B) Theoretically Important
Stalemate Positions
Often the proximity of the corner sets problems
or allows defensive strategies.
With a centre pawn or bishop's pawn it would
make no difference which side the white king
moves to, but here he must go to the edge in order
to win.
1 @h6!
After I @f6?! @h7! White has to go back to
the diagram position starting with 2 @f7 (since
2 g6+? ruins things irreparably: 2 ... @h8 3 @f7
stalemate): 2 ... @h8 3 @g6 @g8 4 @h6 +-.
1. .. @h8 2 g6 @g8 3 g7 @f7 4 @h7 +-
B
12.05
1 ... @bl!?
Good technique! !...@cl?! 2 @c3 bl'Ll+ 3
@d3 is admittedly equally drawn, but very unpleasant
to play if short of time; for example,
3 ... 'Lla3 4 l:lh8 @b2 5 l:lb8+ @cl 6 l:lb7 'Llb! 7
l:lb3 'Lld2 8 ~c3+ @d 1 =.
2 @b3 @al 3 ~xb2 stalemate

218 How TO PLA y CHESS ENDGAMES
The following construction of a stalemate
box should also be part of your technical arsenal:
12.06
M.Chigorin - S.Tarrasch
Ostend 1905
1 gxf6'!
Now the more active black king is easily decisive.
1 Wg4 We4 2 g6 h6 3 @h5 was necessary,
when the white king cannot be dislodged
from his stalemate paradise.
l...gxf6 2 Wg4 We4 3 @h3 ~f4 0-1
The white rook denies its rival access to the
second rank, so that the white king can be
forced further back only in the very short term.
1 Ik2..i.c3
It seems that White is now in an unpleasant
zugzwang. But soon the point of his strategy
becomes apparent:
2@dl
White retreats voluntarily to the back rank.
His next move shows what he has in mind.
2 ...@d3 3 !Id2+!
Because White has this move available, Black
can make no real progress.
3 ...@c4 4 ~2 !Ie3 5 Wc2 l!el 6 !lg4+ ..i.d4 7
@d2 l!al 8 @e2 lla2+ 9 Wf3 @d310 l:!g6 !lf2+
11 Wg4 ..i.eS 12 l!gS We413!lg6!lg2+ 14@h5
..i.g315~g4+Wf316!lg7 Ila217 !lf7+..i.f418
@g6 @e4 19 @f6 ~6+ 20 ~e7 wes 21 @d7
.ig5 22 ID'S .if6 23 l!f7 @d5 24 @e8 !le6+ 25
@d7 Z'!d6+ 26 Wc8 Wc6 27 !lc7+ @b6 28 !lb7 +
®86 29 !Id7 l!e6 30 !lf7 .ie5 31 Wd7 !ld6+ 32
@e7 @b6 33 !If5 ..i.h2 34 l!f6 11z.112
Many draws in the endgame of queen against
rook rely on stalemate resources.
In the pawnless endgame of rook and bishop
against rook, the '2nd-rank defence' is based
completely on a stalemate trick.
12.07
L.Espig - T.Ernst
Thessaloniki OL 1988
1 @c6?!
Missing the offered chance to exploit the
cramped position of the black pieces: I Wfr'b8+ !?
@e7 2 @c6 l!d8 3 Wic7+ We8 4 Wfr'g7 and now
the rook must separate from his king, never to
return: 4 .. .lldl 5 W1g4 l!cl+ 6 Wd6 +-.

STALEMATE 219
We should note that I '&e6?! is a typical mistake,
since the queen should be kept slightly
further away, so as not to run into the following
surprise: l...l'.:Ib7+2 Wa6l'.:Id7 and 27 moves are
still required to mate.
1. .• m7! 2 '&gs+ We8 3 Wd6 Wf8?!
The stalemate trick 3 ... W6+! was much more
tenacious: 4 We5 l::Ia6 5 \Wd2 and Black has set
up the 3rd-rank defence, so that it still takes 20
moves until mate.
4 We6 l'.:Ih7 s \l!tf6+ @g8 6 '&g6+ 1::Ig7 7
'lf/e8+ Wh7 8 Wf6
Black is in a fatal zugzwang and loses his
rook wherever he moves it.
8 ... l;Ig4 9 '&h5+ Wg810 \l!txg4+ 1-0
C) Desperado
If one of the defender's pieces cannot be captured
because of stalemate, this is an example
of what is called a desperado. Rooks feature
here with especial frequency and sometimes it
is not easy to decide whether you can escape
from a series of desperado checks.
since he cannot escape the desperado: 2 ... Wxe6
3 l'.:Ia6+ Wd5 4 l'.:Ia5+@e4 5 l:Ia4+ We3 6 ~a3+
Wf2 7 ~a2+ Wgl 8 l:Ig2+ 'ii>fl 9 ~gl+ We2 IO
l::Iel+ @d3 11 l:Id!+ Wc3 12 l:Id3+ Wb4 13
~d4+ = (Leko in CBM).
l...l'.:Ie3?! is Leko's suggestion, but White
can hold his own here too: 2 l:Ixa7 l:If3 3 l'.:If7+?
(3 l'.:Ie4 is indicated: 3 ... l:I5xf4+ 4 l'.:Ixf4+ l::Ixf4+
5 Wxh5 e5 6 l:Ia! e4 7 l:Ia6+ 'ii>e5 8 l:Ia5+ Wd4 9
Wg5! =) runs into 3 ... Wg6!! (after 3 ... @xf7?
Black cannot avoid the rampaging rook: 4 l:Ia7 +
@f8 5 l::Ia8+ =) 4 ~g7+ Wxg7 5 l:Ia7+ and now
5 ... l:If7 -+ (Leko) puts an end to the nightmare.
However, l...~d5!? 2 l:Ie4 l:Ib6 3 ~xa7 l:Id3
still offers Black good winning chances.
2 ~e4?!
2 l::Ixa7 l::Ixa7 3 l:Ixa7 l:Ixf4+ 4 Wxh5 e5 5
~a8 Wf5 6 l:If8+ We4 7 l:Ie8 Wd4 8 @g5 =.
2 ... ~e7 3 l:Iea4 (D)
B
B
3 ~b5?!
3 Wg6 was worth another try.
4 l:Ixa7 l:Ixa7 5 l:Ixa7 ~b4 6 Wg3 l:Ib3+ 7
Wg2 wrs 8 l:Ias+ @xf4 9 1:Ixh5 11z.11z
12.09
V.Kramnik - P.Leko
Dortmund 1998
The white defence is based on stalemate and
in the following commentary, particular attention
should be given to the desperado variations.
1. •• l'.:Ib7?!
Leko gave up hope somewhat, as he realized
that his planned l...l'.:If3?! fails to 2 ~xe6+!!,
D) Underpromotion to
Avoid Stalemate
Normally when you promote a pawn you automatically
make it a queen. But chess is such a
complex game that even this rule of thumb has
exceptions. In such cases the power of a queen
or a rook can be too great, such that the opponent
is afforded a defence based on stalemate.

220 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
w
Exercises (Solutions on pages 332-3)
12.10
Reshko - Kaminski
USSR 1972
l a8lt:l?
Now there is certainly no stalemate, but the
slow-moving knight is too far away from the
action. Only 1 a8.i.! wins: 1...°1Wb3 2 .i.c6 'fka2
3 .i.d7 \Wg8 4 'fkxg8+ @xg8 5 @g6 +-. Black
was hoping for 1 a8i'lf? 'fkf7+ 2 Wixf7 stalemate.
1 ...'fka7 2 gS hxgS 3 hxgS fxgS 4 °&g6+ @g8
5 'fkc6 (DJ
El2.0l ***/
How can White hold his fortress?
El2.02 **/
How can the pawn-roller be stopped?
s .. :&r7+?
After 5 ... @h7! 6 'fkhl (or 6 lt:lb6 '&b8 =)
6 ... 'fkf2 the white forces are too fragmented to be
able to bring the knight into play and at the same
time prevent the exchange of the last pawn.
6@g4 1-0
Black resigned because he has run out of
checks.
El2.03 ****/
How could White have saved the day here?

STALEMATE 221
E12.04 **/
Can you see how White tried one last trick
here and Black promptly fell for it?
E12.07 ***/
Apparently White is hopelessly lost.
Can you find a way out?
El2.05 /***
Black has two drawing moves.
Find them both.
E12.08 **/
Also in this example White (to move)
is in a bad way. Can you see how he
exploited his last practical chance?
E12.06 /*
Can Black win right away with l...b2?

13 Mate
To you, Herr Lasker, I have only three words to
say: check and mate.
SIEG BERT T ARRASCH
B
In 19 endgames out of 20. you don't have to
worry about your king being unexpectedly
mated. But woe betide anyone who forgets the
exception!
EDMAR MEDNIS
One of the most important differences between
the middlegame and the endgame is the factor
of king safety. In the majority of endings you do
not have to think about the safety of your king
and therefore the direct attack on the king is
normally just a middlegame theme.
But mate is actually the goal of each game of
chess and therefore even in positions with only a
few pieces left there can be situations in which
the enemy king will be the target of a mating attack.
In contrast to the middlegarne, even your
own king can sometimes join in an attack on his
opposite number, which naturally leads to a dangerous
superiority in force in the relevant sector
of the board. Often the difficulty lies not so
much in the calculation of the relevant variations
as in adapting your thinking mode and
imagining a possible mating pattern at the appropriate
moment. This explains why some of
the mating situations that arise in endgames are
caused by carelessness, where one player has
simply not imagined that a mate was possible,
Make sure that in your own games you always
stay alert and never forget that the word
'mate' is not foreign to the endgame!
A) An Incarcerated King
At first sight the following position seems to be
totally drawn, but Frias still has a poisoned arrow
in his quiver:
13.01
Gimes - Frias
con: 1981
l ... ll:!g4!! 2 ll:!xg6 @f2 3 il:if4 @gl 4 lbd3
4 ll:!xh5 il:if2#. What a splendid picture!
4 ... @hl 0-1
White is in a fatal zugzwang.
Even in a pawn ending, a mating attack can
happen.
w
13.02
S.del Rio - P.Ramos
Alcobendas 1994

MATE 223
To have any drawing chance at all, the black Exercises
king must capture the a4-pawn but in doing so (Solutions on pages 333-4)
puts itself in prison.
1 @e4~b4
I ... @cs 2 b3 ~6 3 <&>d4 @d6 4 <&'c4 @c6 5
c3 @c7 6 @b5 @b7 7 c4 @c7 8 c5 +-.
2 @d4 @xa4 3 @c4 bS+ 4 @c3 b4+ 5 @c4 B
bJ 6 ex b3# (1-0)
Sometimes
bait.
you have to offer even bigger
El3.0l /*
Was l...'tft'cl+ a good choice?
13.03
P.Benko
I st Prize, Magyar Sakkelet, 1980*
1 g4 @b2 2 llf2+
Precise implementation of the idea is essential.
2 Zlal? is still too early: 2 ... @xal 3 @c2 h6 4
@cl a5 5 @c2 a4 6@cl h5! = and 2 @c4? al \'¥13
!lxal @xal 4 @b4 'ii>b2 is obviously drawn.
2 .. .'ii'b3
After 2 ... @bl 3 @c3 al'tft'+ 4 @b3 +- the
black queen is powerless thanks to the a6-
pawn.
3 llf6!
Forcing Black to use up his spare move
... a5.
J ... aS 4.l;tfl @b2 5 ltal!!
Sooner or later this bait must be swallowed
and the typical mating finish follows.
5 ... h6 6 @d2 'ii>xal 7 @cl hS 8 gs h4 9 g6
hJ 10 gxhJ a4 11 g7 a3 12 @d2 @b2 13 gS'&
al\'¥! 14 \'¥lg7+ @32 15 \'¥ff7+ @b2 16 ~b7+
@32 17 'tfidS+ @b2 18 'tfibS+ @a2 19 'tft'c4+
@b220~c2#
El3.02 */
Does 1 Wies win immediately?
B) The All-Important First
Check
If both sides obtain a new queen, in a rook ending
for example, then frequently the side that
can give the first check wins.
In the following diagram, Black actually succeeds
in promoting his c-pawn, but in the end
he is not able to make use of it.
1 @c2 llf7 2 g6 Z!r2+ 3 @dl cJ

224 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
13.04
E.Fucak - A.Brkic
Pula 2004
13.05
Zhang Pengxiang - Wu Wenjin
Yongchuan Z 2003
The passive defence 3 ... !'.!.fl+ 4 'iite2 1:'.l.f8 5
g7 !!.g8 loses hopelessly: 6 h4 c3 7 'iPdl 'iPb3 8
'iPcl 1:'.l.e8 9 g8~+ +-.
4 g/ !'.!.fl+ S @e2 c2 6 g8'& cl'& (DJ
The king gets in the way here. However, 1
~d6? also loses: l...l;!e2 21:'.l.a! f2 3 a71:'.l.e8! -+
and the black pawn wins the day (note that
3 ... l;l.eJ? is the wrong way now, even though
Black can then still hold the draw: 4 a8'& fl~ 5
1:'.l.a7+ @g6 6 ~g8+ @f5 7 1:'.l.a5+ @e4 8 'ii«d5+
@e3 9 i'.!.a3+ @f2 IO 1:'.l.f3+ g;>gJ 11 ~d4+ @g2
121:'.l.xfl l=txfl =).
The way for White to draw is to stay in the
rook ending, avoiding a 'ii«+!'.!. vs -&+n situation:
1 @f5 ! 1:'.l.e2 21:'.l.al f2 3 !'.!.fl =, and White
will safely neutralize the black pawns, in return
for his own a-pawn.
l..Jie2 21:'.l.al f2 3 a71:'.l.el 4 a8~ fl'& (D)
The black king will be hunted down.
7 '&b3+ @aS 8 ~a2+ @b6
Also after 8 ... ®b5 9 \l!Yd5+ @a6 IO 1:'.l.g6+ b6
II ~a2+@b7121:'.l.g7+@c613'®'a4+®d514
'&b5+ the king does not escape.
9 nb3+ @c7 10 ~as+ @b8 11 \Wes+ @a8
12 '&h8+ @a7 13 ~d4+ ©38 14 ~d8+ @a7
1-0
However, the side promoting first does not
always win, as the following example demonstrates.
l@d7?
White loses because of his open king, since
he has no checks.
S 1:'.l.a7 '&c4 6 ~b8 S>g6 7 W'b6 ~f7+ 0-1

MATE 225
Exercises
(Solutions on page 334)
El3.03 /**
What is your assessment of this position?
13.06
M.Botvinnik - G.Levenfish
Moscow/Leningrad (6) 1937
1 gS!? I;!.dl+?
Fatally denuding the defence. The other rook
should become active with 1. .. l;!.xb3, so that
White has nothing better than giving perpetual
check with 2 Xlxg7+ @h8 3 l;!.h7+.
2~2Xld2+
2 ... e3+ 3 @xf3 !If!+ 4 @e2 l:!f2+ 5 'i&xe3
l'.!bf4 6 l;!,xg7+@h8 7 gxh6 +-.
3 'it>el (DJ
El3.04 ***/
White to play and win.
C) Rooks in Seventh Heaven
Two rooks on the seventh rank exert great
power, but they are often unable to win on their
own. However, if support is available in the
form of the king or a pawn on the sixth rank,
then the situation will rapidly become precarious
for the defender, as in the following example.
White has the draw in hand and tries to bring
up the reserves:
3 ••• l;!.e2+
After 3 ... f2+ 4 @xd2 mW 5 l;!.e8+ '&f8 6
l;!,xf8+ @xf8 the rook is surprisingly lost: 7
'i&c3 +-.
400 hxgS
4 ... 'it>f8 5 gxh6 gxh6 6 Xlh7@g8 7 I;!.hd7 +-.
S l;!.xg7+ 1-0
Levenfish resigned in view of 5 .. .<.tJf8 6 h6.

226 How TO PIAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Drawing combinations are also common.
5 ndd7 l'.!f6 6 !!xg7+ @f8 7 l'.!h7 @e8 8
!!he7+ 1'2-1/z
Even a single rook on the seventh rank can
be very dangerous.
13.07
T.Zoetemeijer- G.Den Hollander
Haar/em /999
With his back to the wall, White lured his op·
ponent into a trap:
1 !!e4!? fS 2 !!e7 ltJc2? (D)
After 2 ... c5 3 ltJc3 !!c4 4 ltJd5 l!b8 5 na7
Black turns the tables with 5 ... l'.!b2 and should
win.
13.08
K.Plater - R.Kholmov
Moscow /947
The black king finds enough cover to be able
to strengthen the attack without interference:
1. .. @d4! 2@bl
2 a4@c3 3 l=!xh5 nc2+4@dl (4@bl ltJd2+
5 @;I ltJb3+ 6 @bl l'.!b2#) 4 ... ltJe3+ 5 S'el
@d3 6 f7 ne2#.
2 ••. @c3(D)
3 ltJc3 !!c4 4 l'.!dl !!xc3
It is already too late, since 4 ... ltJd4 does not
win either because of the activity of the white
pieces; for example, 5 ltJd5 (5 ltJb5? would
now be a fatal mistake because of 5 ... ltJxb5 6
l'.!dd7 l'.!g4!) 5 ... c5 6 nbl ltJc6 7 'ac7 ltJb4 8
ltJf4 g5?! (8 ... l'.!f7 9 !!c8+ srs =) 9 ltJg6 !!f610
!!c8+@g7 11 ltJe5 ~e4 = (and not i I...!k3? 12
!!c7+@g813ndl ltJa614na7+-).
3d6
Or: 3 @al !!f2 4 'af7 ltJb6-+; 3 nc? .l'.=!b2+ 4
@al !!f2 5 f7 @d4 -+.
3 ... ltJa3+ 4 Wal ltJc2+ 5@a2 ltJb4++ 0-1

MATE 227
Exercises (Solutions on page 334)
D) Attacking with Opposite-
Coloured Bishops
In pure opposite-coloured bishop endings the
drawing potential is extremely great. However,
if additional pieces, and thus more middlegame
elements, are present, this principle no longer
applies, since it is now in conflict with the rule
of thumb that opposite-coloured bishops favour
the attacker.
El3.05 **/
How did White exploit the power of his rooks?
13.09
J.Rowson - P.Wells
Blackpool 2004
El3.06 **/
How did White generate decisive threats?
El3.07 **/
Has the black king actually escaped?
White must try to get at the black king:
1 f5! gxf5
Or:
a) l...@f8? 2 fxg6 fxg6 3 .id3 @f7 4 c5 and
White wins.
b) I...'&e5 2 \Wd3 '&xf5 3 °&xf5 gxf5 - this
endgame offered the only remaining realistic
chances of a draw, since White's attack has
evaporated and he can only fall back on purely
technical methods.
2 '&e8+ .if8 3 ..llxh5 \Wf6?
3 .. .'flie7 was necessary.
4 c5 @g7 5 c6 .id6 6 '&d7!
Breaking the blockade.
6 .•. \WeS
6 ... a4 7 c7 .ixc7 8 '&xc7 a3 9 &a7 °&b2+ IO
~h3 a2 11 '&xf7+ @h8 12 °&f8+ @h7 13
°&xf5+ @h8 14 °&f8+ @h7 15 .ig4! followed
by mate (Rowson in CBM).
7 \Wxf7+ @h8 8 @h3!?

228 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
The white king escapes in typical style to a
more secure spot.
8 a4 9 .ig6 Wlg7 10 ~e8+!? .if8
10 ~g8 11 '&e6 +-.
11 c7 ~h6+ 12 .ihS 1-0
9 ... c3 10 .l;l'.f2 g5 11 hxg5 .l;l'.xg5 12 @xc3 ±
(Ribli in CBM).
10 .tr2 ~g6 11 c3 @d7 12 .ie3 .l;l'.g3 13 @cs
©c7 14 .igl .l;l'.g6 15 .ie3 ~g3 ( D)
The mere presence of rooks reduces the
drawing tendency enormously.
B
13.10
A.Volokitin - P.Haba
Bundesliga 2004/5
Black is fighting to survive, and it is essential
for him not to fall into total passivity.
1 ... hS?!
l...f5! is best:
a) 2 d5 exd5 3 exf5 d4 4 .ixd4 (4 .l;l'.dl d3 5
cxd3 .ia4 6 .l;l'.d2 ~d8 7 d4 .l;l'.e8) 4...~f8.
b) 2 ~el fxe4 (2....l;l'.d8? 3 @b2 ~d7 4 @c3
.ib5 5 d5 ! ! exd5 6 e5 ±) 3 fxe4 h5 4@b2 ~h6 5
g3 h4 6 .id6 hxg3 7 .ixg3 ~g6 8 @c3 ~g4 and
Black always has enough active counterplay to
be able to hold.
2@b2~h6?
Letting slip the last favourable opportunity
for .. .f5.
3 .l;l'.dl .!ag6 4 ~d2 .tbs s @c3 @d7 6 dS!
Note this typical attacking strategy: White
places as many of his pawns as possible on light
squares, to complement his own bishop and restrict
its opposite number.
6 eS
6 exd5 7 exd5 .l;l'.g5 8 @d4 h4 9 ne2 gives
White a clear advantage.
1 h4!? rs s @b4 ng3 9 .tg1 @d6
Now White takes advantage of zugzwang to
penetrate further with his king:
16 ~b2! @d7 17@b6@c8 18 .igl .ia4 ( D)
Or:
a) 18 ... @b8 19@c5 @c7 20 .ih2 .l;l'.g6 21 f4
exf4 22 .ixf4+ @d7 23 g3 .l;l'.g4 24 ne2 g5 25
hxg5 fxg5 26 i.d6 +- (Ribli).
b) 18...~g6 19 @c5 @d7 20 i.e3 .l;l'.g3 21
na2 @c7 22 nf2 ~d7 23 .id2 @c7 24 f4 also
wins for White.
19 d6?
With this - in principle undesirable - move
White creates difficulties for himself. Instead
of this, he could have penetrated with his king
into the heart of the enemy camp: 19 @c5 .ib5

MATE 229
20 @d6 @d8 21 ..tb6+ @e8 (21...@c8 22 @e7
+-) 22@c7 +-.
19 .•• ..tc6
19 ... ..tbS? 20!!xb5 axb5 21 a6 bxa6 22@c6
+-(Ribli).
20 @cS @d7 21 !id2 .tbs 22 ..te3 @c8 23
d7+!?
Opening new avenues of attack. Otherwise
the black blockade cannot be broken.
23 .....txd7 24 @d6 ©d8 25 l!b2 (D)
As usual with bishops, attack and initiative
often play a greater role than material.
B
B
2S ... l!g6?
After 25 ... ..tc6 it is not completely clear
whether the white attack is sufficient; for example,
26 l!d2 @e8 (after 26 ... @c8?? 27 ..tb6 +-
Black's king is caught in the mating-net) 27
@e6 l:tg6 28 ..tb6 ..td7+.
26 l!xb7 fS+ 27@xe5 fxe4 28 fxe4 l!e6+ 29
@dS..tc6+ 30@xe6 ..txb7 31 eS!
Now Black perishes on account of his many
weaknesses.
31.....txg2 32@d6 ..te4 33 e6 ..tc2 34 ..tgS+
@e8
34 ... @c8 35 @e7 +-.
35©c5 ..ta4
35 ... ..tfS 36 ©b6 ..txe6 37 @xa6 @d7 38
@b7 ..tdS+ 39 @b8 @e6 40 a6 ©e5 41 a7 @e4
42 ..td8 @d3 43 ..taS +- (Ribli).
36 @xc4 ..tdl 37 @cs ..tg4 38 @dS ..tf3+
39@d6 ..te2 40 ..te3 ..tc4 41 ..td4 g6 42@e5
@e7 43 ..tcS+ @e8 44 @f6 ..td3 45 ..tb4
Zugzwang.
45 ... ..tfS 46 c4 ..te4 47 ..td2 ..td3 48 cS ..te4
49 ..tgS ..td3 50 @es ..te2 51 @d6 ..tg4 52 c6
..tf3 53 e7 ..te4 54 ©c7 1-0
13.11
A.Shirov - J.Lautier
Munich 1993
Black derives no pleasure from his three extra
pawns and has to defend with care in order
not to lose quickly. With his sealed move, Joel
Lautier should definitely have activated the
g3-rook now.
1 ... @g8?
In our adjournment analysis, Alexei and I
(KM) had mainly worked on this move and not
found a win. Later, together with the German
trainer Claus Dieter Meyer, I was able to improve
on this adjournment analysis.
1..J!h3 21hg7+@h8 3@g6 f4+ 4 @g5 (4
@f7? 'f!.h7!) 4 ... ..tf3 (4 ... 1:.!.d3? is refuted by 5
l!e7+ i:lxd4 6 cxd4 g3 7 l!xe4 g2 8 !!el f3 9
@g6 f2 IO l!e8#) 5 @xf4..td 1 6 l!xg4+ @h7 7
l!g7+ @h6 and Black should be able to hold.
l ... 'f!.d3 is equally playable - for more precise
analysis. see Meyer's article in Schachmagazin
64 (12/1994).
2 @g6 ..tc6 3 ..tcSI?
Joel overlooked this tricky move in his adjournment
analysis and at the board the toughest
defence is not easy to find. To force White to
drive him towards the queenside, Black's king
must first take a step in the other direction:
3 l!d3?!
3 @h8!? 4 ..td4! @g8 White has lost nothing
by the repetition and can now unleash the stronger
5 lhg7+: 5 ... @f8 6 'f!.c7 ..tdS (6 ... ..tg2!? is

230 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
objectively the most tenacious: 7 m6 @e8 8
@e6 @d8 9 .Iles ..tb7 10 ..tf6+ @e8 11 fic7
lle3+ 12 ..te5 fixe5+ 13 @xe5 ..te4 14 @f4 and
it is still hard work for White to win) 7 fic5! (D)
(improving on the post-mortem analysis by
Shirov and Lautier: 7 @f6?@e8 8 fic5 ..tb7! 9
lle5+@d7 10 r!e7+ 'it>c6 11 r!e6+ =) and now:
13 fixd5 g2 14 @f7! +- (B.Certic in Informator).
7 llc7 ..te4+
7 ... ..td5 8 fic8+ ..tg8 9 :!;lf8 f3 IO d5 g3 11
r!xf3 ..txd5 12 !txg3 +- (Lautier).
8@h6..td5 (D)
a) 7 ... ..tb7? 8 lle5! ..tc6 9 ..tc5+ @g8 10
fie6 ..td7 11 lle7 lld3 12 fig7+ @h8 13 ..td4
+-.
b) 7 ... ..tf7+? 8 Wf6 @e8 9 ..te5 fig2 JO
llc8+ @d7 11 l;!.c7+ @e8 12 laxf7 llxb2 13
@e6+-.
c) 7 ... ..te6 8 @f6 ..td7 9 fic7 @e8 10 fia7
and then:
cl) 10 ... ..tc6 11 fie7+ @d8 (ll...@f8 12
llc7 i.e8 13 llc8 +-) 12 ..tb6+ @c8 13 llc7+
@b8 14 fixc6 and White should prevail in the
long run.
c2) !O ... @d8 11 ..tb6+ @c8 12 llc7+ @d8
13 fic5+ @e8 14 fie5+@f8 15 ..tc5+ @g8 16
r!e7 lld3 17 llg7+ @h8 18 ..td4 ..tc6 I 9 lac7
laxd4 20 cxd4 ..te4 21 @g6 f4+ 22 @h6 and we
have reached the game continuation after 8
@h6.
4 r!xg7+ @h8 5 ..td4 fixd4
5 ... ..te8+ 6 @h6 fih3+ 7 @g5 llh5+ 8 @f4
+-.
6cxd4 f4
6 ... g3 7 llh7+ @g8 8 r!c7 ..te8+ (8 ... @f8 9
llxc6 g2 10 @f6 @g8 11 r!c8+ 'l.'h7 12 l;!.c7+
@h8 13 llg7 +-) 9 @f6 f4 IO llg7+ @h8
(10 ... @f8 11 llg5 ..tc6 12 d5 f3 13 dxc6 f2 14
c7 fl'f!i+ 15 J;lf5 +-) 11 llg5 ..tc6 12 d5 ..txd5
Now Alexei uncorked a powerful move:
9 !tcS! ..tg8 10 dS f3 11 d6 ..te6
1l...f212 laf5 g3 13 d7 g2 14 d8il!f gl~ 15
~f6+ 'f!ig7+ 16 '&xg7#.
12 nes ..td7 13 fie7 f2 14 !txd7 @g8 15
lag7+ @f8 16 d7 1-0
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 334-5)
El3.08 */
Where is Black's weakest link?

MATE 231
El3.09 **/
Which is more important: White's attack or
Black's passed a-pawn?
13.12
O.Cvitan - F.Volkmann
Calvia OL 2004
E!xh3 9 lt::ld5 .!;tf3 10 @b5 .!;txf2 11 .!;te7+ @c8
12 !ixg7 @d8 13 @c6 (13 .!;tg6!?) 13 ... @e8 14
@d6@f8 15 .!;tc7.
7.!;te6+@xb7
7 ... Wb5? 8 lt::lc4 .!;txb7 (8...~a5? 9 lt::la3#) 9
lt::ld6+ +-.
8@c4(DJ
El3.10 /**
What is Black's best move?
E) The Knight in the Attack
The following example has similarities to the
attack with opposite-coloured bishops, since
White is operating mainly on the light squares.
Cvitan takes advantage of the unfortunate
position of the black bishop to unleash a very
dangerous attack:
1 @c3! bS 2 cxb6 cS
2 ... .!;te8? 3 .!;td4+ @e5 4 @c4 .!;tb8 5 lt::lc5 +-.
3 @b3 ~b4 4 b7 .!;te8 5 lt::lb6+ @c6 6 .!;txe4
.!;tb8?
6 ... .!;th8 was indicated, but the attack cannot
be stopped; for example, 7 .!;te6+ 'ttxb7 8 @c4
White is attacking with just three pieces and
yet Black is in the utmost danger.
8 .!;th8?
8 @a7 was more tenacious, but White's ad-
vantage is not in doubt; for example, 9 lt::ld7
~b7 10 lt::lxc5 ~xc5 I I @xc5 ±.
9@b5 fS?!
9 ... @c7 10 .!;tc6+@b8 11 .!;td6 +- followed
by Etd7 and @a6.
10 !ie7+@b8 11@a61-0

232 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercises (Solutions on pages 335-6)
E13.ll /**
Does Black's attack compensate for the pawn?
El3.14 **/
White to play and win.
E13.12 ****/
White to play and win.
El3.15 **/
What has Black overlooked with ... R.d8-b6?
E13.16 /*
How did Black tighten the net?

MATE 233
B
w
E13.17 /**
Can Black still save the game?
13.13
T.Engqvist- T.Wedberg
Stockholm 200 J
2 ... a6? 3 ltJa7 plays into White's hands.
3@xc4
Also after 3 ltJa3 .l;;!.dS 4 ltJxc4 .llhd8 5 .llxdS
exd5 6 itJd2 .llc8 Black has the initiative.
3 •.• a6 4 ltJc3 bS+ (D)
E13.18 /****
Which move wins on the spot?
F) Long-Term Mating
Attacks
Naturally in the endgame an active king is generally
a trump. But you should never underestimate
the dangers (see following diagram).
1 Axc6?
The surrender of White's strong bishop
proves to be a serious mistake. I !!ad!! was indicated:
1 ... ltJd5+ 2 @xc4 ltJa5+ 3 @d3 @e7
(3 ... ltJb4++? just forces the king where it wants
to go: 4 ~e4 ±) 4 @c2 -'lhf8 5 la:3! ltJxc3 6
.llxd8 @xd8 7 @xc3 I;!xf2 8 Af3 e4 9 Axe4
l!xe2 IO Axh7 = (Stohl in CBM).
1 ... ltJxc6 2 .lladl @e7
5@b3
5 @cS? -'lb8 6 -'ld6 /tJd4 7 .l;;!.xa6 l!hc8+ 8
@b4 .l;;!.c4+ 9 'it>a5 b4 -+.
s ... ltJd4+ 6 @a3
6 @b4 a5+ 7 @xa5 .lla8+ 8 @b4 .l;;!.hc8 9
l!xd4 exd4 10 ltJxbS .llxa2 11 @b3 !!a6 12
ltJxd4 -'lb6+ 13 @a2 I;!a8+ 14@bl .llab8 +.
6 .llb8 (D)
6 as!? 7 ltJe4 g{c8 8 b3 -'lc2 9 lld2 .llxd2 IO
ltJxd2 .l;;!.c8 11 e3 I;!c2 ( l l... itJc2+? 12 @b2
itJb4 13 ltJe4 -'lc2+ 14 @bl .l;;!.xa2 15 -'lei=) 12
exd4 .l;;!.xd2 13 dxe5 .llxf2 +.

234 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
13 ... e4 14 ltJxe4 !ic2+ 15 @bl ~xa2 16
Jld2?
16 Jlcl! !ib7 17 Jlhdl and White is not
worse.
16 ... J:Xxd217 ~d2 Jld8 18 ltJf3? (D)
18 ltJe4 was necessary.
7ltJbl?
This is a very unfortunate square for the
knight. It should instead have been centralized:
7 ltJe4 ltJxe2 8 b4 and the white king is safe for
now.
7 .• J:thc8?
7 .. J:thf8! 8 f4 b4+ 9 @a4 b3 10 axb3 ltJxb3
11 fxe5 Jlfc8 12 ~3 Jlc5 13 @a3 Jla5+ 14
ltJa4 ltJc5 15 Jld4 !ib3+ 16 @a2 Jle3-+.
8 e3 ~2+ 9 @b3 lbal+ 10@a3
10 ~b4?? Jlc4+ 11 @a5 Jla4#.
10 ... aS 11 b3! ~2+ 12 'it.>b2 ltJb4 13 ~3
After 13 Jld2? e4 14 J:Xhdl ltJd3+ 15@al a4
16 bxa4 bxa4 + (Stohl) the mighty knight gives
Black a clear advantage.
18 Jld3?!
18 Jlf8!? 19 ~4 Jlxf2 20 ltJxb5 Jle2 -+
(Stohl).
19 S'b2 a4 20 bxa4 bxa4 21 ltJd4?
21 Jlal 1tb3+ 22 @cl Jlc3+ 23 @b2 Jlc2+
24@a3~3+.
21 ••. a3+ 22@bl 1ld2 23!icl Jlxf224Jlc7+
@f6 0-1

14 Domination
Ninety percent of all games of chess are decided
by factors dependant on material or time,
such as mate, tactics or pawn promotion, for example.
The remaining ten percent are decided
by domination, absolute control and slow suffocation
of the opponent.
LUBOMIR PrACNIK
Playing for domination is one of the most i mportant
strategies in chess, which has been developed
to a very high level by players such as
Karpov and Kramnik. If you can manage to deprive
the opposing pieces of prospects and gradually
restrict them more and more, until in the
end they can hardly breathe, then generally just
one push, such as the opening of a second front
or, in the ideal case, zugzwang, is all that is required
to cause the whole edifice to collapse.
A) Total Domination
The black knight can no longer find a way
back into play.
l @d5 <lJd7
1...lt:lf4+ 2 @c6 lt:le6 3 .tf6+ @e8 4 d7+
@£7 5 .lth4 @g6 6 @d5 @f7 7 @d6 and Black
is in a fatal zugzwang.
2.tes +-
Zugzwang; the bishop dominates the knight.
By the way, a rook could not do this so easily,
since on its own it can dominate a knight on an
open board only if the knight is close to a corner;
for example, on g I, g2, h I or h2. Nevertheless,
playing for domination is the main weapon of
the player who is the exchange up, as we shall
see. Another knight or the king can totally dominate
a knight only if the latter is in the very corner
square.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 336-7)
We begin with the goal of the strategy, the total
restriction of the opponent's individual pieces
and at best his whole army.
w
14.01
Original
E14.0l ***/
At first sight this position seems to be
totally drawn, but the cramped situation
of the black Icing makes a surprising win
possible. Can you find it?

236 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
. . .
E14.02 **/
The black bishop seems to have complete
freedom.
~-A~~
But this is deceptive ...
~
••••
•••.• ... -
~
·CL}·~·
~ ~
~
~
w
. ··- •.:
E14.03 ~ **/
The black rook does not look especially
cramped, but it cannot escape. Catch it!
E14.05 **/
How can White win?
El4.06 ****/
White to play and win.
El4.04 ***/
White to play and win.
E14.07 ***/
White to play and draw.

DOMINATION 237
El4.08 ****/
White to play and draw.
B) Theoretically Important
Endings
In practice, the struggle of a rook against a minor
piece plays a particularly important role.
We shall thus confine ourselves to just a few
important cases in this area. Normally the pawnless
endgame of rook against knight is drawn, if
the knight is close to its king. Otherwise the
knight can quickly find itself dominated.
Cutting off the knight's retreat.
3 •••@g5 4 ~d5 lt:lb6+ 5@e5 lt:lc4+ 6@e4?!
Completing the triangulation with 6 @e6 was
more accurate: 6 ... @g6 7 1:l.g3+ @h5 8 @d5
lt:lb6+ 9 @e4 I.Zx:8 10 ~g7 lai6+ 11 @f4 @h6
12 ~e7 I.Zx:4 13 ~b7 lt:ld2 14 ~b2 lt:lc4 15 ~b4
lai2 16 @e3 lt:lfl+ 17 @f2 lt:ld2 18 @e2 +-.
6 •.. lt:lb6?!
6 ... @f6 7 ~d4 lt:\a5 8 ~a4 lt:lb7 9 ~a6+ @g5
IO@e5 lai8 11 srs lt:lb7 12 l;tf8I.Zx:5131:l.d8
@g6 14 ~d5 lt:lb3 15 @e4@f6 16@e3 @e6 17
l;tb5 lt:lcl 18 l;tb2 +-.
7 l;tdS lt:lc4 8 J;td4 lt:lb6 9 @es lt:\cs 10 @e6
lt:la711 @d71-0
In the duel with a bishop, often everything
depends on how long the defensive diagonal is.
8
Original
A.Karpov - L.Ftacnik
Thessaloniki OL 1988
In typical style, Karpov keeps everything under
control.
1...lt:lc4 2 ID"3+! @g4 3 ~d3!
Surprisingly, the h2-b8 diagonal is too short
here.
1. .. l;tdS 2 ii..c7
2 ii..a7 'l.'f4 3 ilf2 ~d2 -+.
2 ... l;td2+ 3 @gt l;td7 4 ii..b8 @dS!
The point.
5 ii..h2l;tb7
Depriving the bishop of its last square.
6 @g2 l;tb2+ 7 ~gt ~xh2 8 @xh2 @e4 9
@g2~e3-+
Such duels can be extremely complex. Thus
it was not until 1993 that the Israeli study composer
Noam Elkies proved that the following
position is won:

238 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
14.04
N.Elkies
American Chess Journal, 1993
The white rook tries to dominate the bishop
from b5 or d5, so that the king can penetrate either
via g4-h5-h6 or g4-f5-f6.
1 El:b3 .i.d6 2 @g4 srs
2 ... .i.c5 3 Etb5 ~d4 (3 ... .i.a3 4 @f5 .i.e7 5
Etb8+ @f7 6 Etb7 +-; there is nothing to be
done against the transfer of the king to h6) 4
@h5 .i.g7 5 g6 h6 6 ~b8+ srs 7 Etxf8+ @xf8 8
@xh6 +-.
3 @fS .i.c5 4 El:d3 .i.b4 5 @f6 .i.25 6 El:b3
~d8+ 7 @f5 .i.a5 8 @g4 .i.c7 9 nbs .i.d6 10
@f5 .i.c7 11 El:d5 +-
C) Methods of Restriction
14.05
A.Motylev - K.Chernyshov
Russian Ch ( Krasnoiarsk) 2003
I c5!
With this move, White dominates all the
black pieces and wins easily.
l ... a52a3@c8
After 2 ... a4 3 .i.e5+ @c8 4 El:d4 the white
rook penetrates advantageously: 4 ... .i.xc5 5
Etxa4@d7 6 l;ta8 .i.d6 7 .i.xd6 @xd6 8 Eth8 +-.
3 b4 a4 4 ~es .i.d8 5 @e3 .i.e7 6 l;td4 .i.d8
7 @d3 .i.c7 8 hc7 @xc7 9 l;td6 1-0
The white king will march unhindered to e5,
since Black cannot move.
The next example demonstrates impressively
that the defender can also employ this method.
Total domination is naturally only the final goal
of the strategy. The way to achieve this will be
discussed in this section.
Cl) Restricting a Bishop
According to Capablanca's rule, in same-colour
bishop endings you should in general place
your pawns on squares of the colour that the
bishop does not control. That way they complement
each other and the enemy bishop cannot
attack the pawns. But under favourable conditions
the reverse can also be correct: setting up
a solid pawn-formation on the colour of the opposing
bishop can sometimes condemn it to
complete passivity.
14.06
S.Sulskis - E.Slekys
Lithuanian Ch (Vilnius) 1994

DOMINATION 239
White must play for a pawn breakthrough, as
otherwise the gate will remain closed to him.
1 bS!
Not I c5? b5! (l...bxc5? 2 bxc5 @e7 3 ~a6
Ac6 4 ~c8@f6 5 h5 { zugzwang} 5 ... @e7 6 g5
hxg5 7 h6 g4+ 8 @e3 @f6 9 ~xe6 +- - Sulskis
in Informatory 2 ~c2 ~d7 3 Ab3 @g6 4 ~a2
@g7 5 g5 (5 h5 @f6 6 @g3 ~c6 7 g5+ hxg5 8
h6 ~d7 9 @g4 @g6 10 h7 @xh7 11 @xg5 @g7
=) 5 ... h5! (DJ.
w
14.07
z.mncic - M.Tosic
Yugoslav Ch (Subotica) 2000
Black locks the gate of his fortress, since according
to Sulskis the attempt to force a way in
with 6 ~d5!? can be parried by 6 ... exd5 7 exd5
Af5! =.
1...@e72 h5!?
White consistently follows his strategy, Here,
however, it serves not just to restrict the enemy
bishop but also to be able to stage a pawn breakthrough
effectively.
2 ... ~d7
Or: 2 ... @f6 3 c5 bxc5 4 b6 Ac6 5 ~a6 +-;
2 ... @d6 3 @g3 @c5 4 g5 +-.
3 c5 bxc5 4 b6 ~c8 5 gS hxg5 6 h6 @f67
~c4 @g68 ~xe6! ~b7
Sulskis also refuted 8 ... ~a6 convincingly: 9
~d5 @xh6 IO b7 ~xb7 11 ~xb7 c4 12 ~a6 c3
13 ~d3 @h5 14 @g3 @h6 (14 ... g4 15 ~c2
@g5 16 ~di+-) 15 @g4 @g6 )6 ~bl! @h6
17 ~c2@g618 ~di @h619@f5 +-.
9 ~d5 ~cs 10 b7 Axb7 11 ~xb7 c4 12
Acs Wxh6 13 Ag4 1-0
The following example would also have
been suitable for the chapter on the bishop-pair.
Black is already very cramped, but the bishop
still has a certain freedom of action. White alters
this radically:
1 ~dl! @d6 2 ~hS Itc6 3 f5! Ag8 4 ~e8 a6
5 Itb7 Itc7 6 lixc7 @xc7 7 g4!
White is in no rush and first strengthens the
perimeter wall against the g8-bishop.
7 ••. ~h7
7 ... @d8 is no help: 8 ~xd7 @xd7 9 Axc5
@e8 10 h4! (White plans to hem in the bishop
completely) 10 ... ~f7 ( 10 ... h5 11 g5 +-) 11 h5
~gs 12 ~d6 sn 13 @d3 ~gs 14 c5 Ab3 15
c6 ~di 16 ~f8 +-.
8 h3 @d8 9 ~xd7 @xd7 10 ~xcS g6
10 ... @e8 11 ~d6 g6 (l 1...~g8 12 h4 h5 13
g5 @d7 14 c5 Aa2 15 @d3 +-) 12 c5 gxf5 13
gxf5 Ag8 14 c6 ~a2 15 @d3 +-.
11 Af8 h5 12 ~g7 hxg4 13 hxg4 gxfS 14
gxfS @e7 15 c5 ~g8 16 c6 Aa2 17 ~xf6+!
@d6 18 ~xeS+ @xc6 19 @d4 Ahl 20 ~g3
@d7 21 @eS @e7 22 @f4 ~c2 23 e5 Ab3 24
~h4+ @f7 25 @e3 ~a2 26 @d4 Ab3 27 @cS
1-0
C2) Restricting a Knight
As a rule, the rather less mobile knight is more
easily restricted than the bishop and also gets
into zugzwang much more frequently. We have
already covered a prime example of this, Steinitz's
restriction method, in Chapter 9, Section
A. Now we present examples of the knight's

240 How TO PI.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
duels against bishop, knight and rook respectively.
l lt::ie6 lt::id3 2 lt::ic7 lt::icl
2 ... lt::icS 3 b4! lt::ixe4 4 lt::ixa6 lt::ic3 5 a3 lt::ibl 6
a4! lt::ic3 (6 ... bxa4 7 bS +-) 7 a5 (Wedberg in
CBM) 7...lt::idS 8 @fl ±.
3 lbxa6 lt::ixa2 4 @fl lt::icl
4 ... @g8 5 @el @f7 6 @d2 @e7 7 @c2 b4 8
Wd3 +- (Shirov).
s 0.cs lt::ia2 6 lt::id3 @g8 7 @el 'i&f7 8 @d2
b49 lt::ic5@e7
9 ... lt::ic3 10 @d3 We7 11 lt::ia6 lt::ia2 12 @c4
+- (Shirov).
10 lt::ia4 l-0
Naturally a rook makes a far more dangerous
opponent for a knight.
w
Pelletier has many ways to win open to him,
but he shows good technique and chooses domination:
1 @b4!? @h6 2 @bS @g6 3 ..t.e7!
Cutting off all the knight's escape paths.
3 ... @h6 4 a6 l·O
Black resigned in view of 4 ... bxa6+ 5 'i&c6
lt::ib8+ 6 @c7 winning the knight.
Also in the next example Black perishes on
account of the unfortunate position of his knight.
14.10
V.Korchnoi - A.Greenfeld
Beersheba 1997
14.09
A.Shirov - J.Piket
Madrid 1997
The position should be drawn, but Korchnoi
's fighting spirit creates such great difficulties
for Black that despite the Jack of material
he still manages to win.
11::reS!
The mighty defending rook must be exchanged;
otherwise the black fortress cannot be
effectively besieged.
1..JixeS 2 WxeS @h7?
Superfluous prophylaxis in time-trouble.
Black should immediately mobilize his passed
pawns by 2 ... aS! 31Xb7! (3@f5@h7 4@e6 a4 5
Wf7 a3 6 @f8 @h8 7 llxg7 a2 8 1Xgl lt::ic3 9
Wf7 bS also leads to a draw) 3 ... lt::ia3 ! 4@d4 bS
5 lla7 a4 61Xb7 b4 7 @d3 b3 81Xb4 @h7 9 @c3
lt::ib!+ 10 @b2 lt::id2 11 1Xxa4 lt::if3 12 @xb3

DOMINATION 241
ltJe5 13 'Ji.a? ltJg4 14 @c4 itJf6 15 l;!aS g5 =
(Knaak in CBM).
From a practical viewpoint, Black does well
to avoid 2 ... ltJc3?! 3 l;!xa7 @h7 4 l;!a3 (D),
though he can probably then also draw by a hair.
But the utmost caution is required in the following
duel, since White will try everything to
dominate the knight and not let it go back to f6:
4 ... itJb5 5 'Ji.d3 (5 'Ji.b3 itJc7 6 'fl.xb6 itJe8 7 @e6
itJf6 8 ~b5 @g8 =) 5 ... ltJc7 6 ~d8 itJa6 7 @f5
b5 8 'Ji.d7 itJb4 9 @e4 ltJc2 10 'Ji.d3 itJb4 11 l;!b3
forces the knight to head for the kingside immediately
with l l...itJc6! 12 ~xb5 itJe? 13 @e5
itJg8 14 'i!?e6 itJf6 = since 11...itJa2? would be
fatal: 12 'Ji.b2 lDc3+ 13 @d4 b4 14 ~b4 lDe2+
15 @e5 ltJg3 (15 ... fDc3 16 l;!b3 itJdl 17 'Ji.f3
itJb2 18@d4 ltJa4 19 'Ji.b3 +-) 16 'Ji.h4 ltJfl 17
'Ji.h3 itJd2 18 l;!c3 @g8 19 l;!d3 ltJc4+ 20 @d5
itJb6+ 21 @c5 ltJa4+ 22 @b5 itJb2 23 ~d2 +-.
3@e6 fDc3 4@f7 (D)
4 ltJe4
4 a5 5 @f8 @h8 6 'Ji.xg7 itJd5 7 'Ji.g4 b5 8
@f7 @h7 9 l;!g7+@h8 IO @g6 ltJf4+ 11 @xh6
ltJxh5 12 'Ji.a? itJf6 13 @g6 +-.
5 @f8 @h8 6 'Ji.xg7 ltJgS
6 ... itJf6 7 'fl.g6 +- (Knaak).
7 'Ji.xa7 b5
7 ... ltJe6+ 8 @f7 fDf4 9 'Ji.a4 itJxh5 JO ~M
+- (Korchnoi).
8 'Ji.a61-0
Greenfeld had seen enough. For example,
8 ...@h7 9 'Ji.b6 itJh3 10 'fl.b7+@h8 11 @f7 fDf4
12 'fl.xb5 @h7 13 @f6 @g8 14 l;!e5 @h7 15
'fl.e7+@g816'fl.e4lDxh5+ 17@g6lDg7 18'fl.e7
+-. This final domination would be an appropriate
end to the game.
C3) Restricting the Whole Enemy
Force
As we have already seen, there are several degrees
of domination ranging from the start of
this strategy right up to total domination, where
the opponent finds himself almost in zugzwang.
In the next example, Psakhis already has his opponent
practically bound hand and foot, but he
must play precisely in order to frustrate any manoeuvres
by Black aimed at freeing his position
or relieving it through exchanges.
B
1 ~h3! ltJa8 2 ltJca4 ltJxb6 3 fDxb6 lle8 4 f4
@f8 5 'Ji.adl @e7 6 @(2 'Ji.d8 7 @e3?!

242 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Here Psakhis could have tightened his grip
with 7 Z!xd8 lt:lxd8 8 e5! f6 9 @e3, since
9 ... esm can be answered by IO Z!cl 2..d7 11
Il.c7 +- (Psakhis in CBM).
7 ... Z!xd2 8 Z!xd2 f6 9 a3 hS! 10@d3
10 b4!? was more accurate. Since Black can
hardly move, White should not rush and should
first calmly strengthen the position; for example,
IO ... g5 l J 2-fl e512f5 lt:ld4132..e2! g414
h3! (Psakhis) 14 ... lt:lxe2 (14 ... gxh3 15 lt:ld5+
+-) 15 @xe2 gxh3 16 @f3 @e8 17 l:lh2 and
White wins.
10 ... 2..d711 @c4 h8 12 b4 (D)
B
17 lt:la7!?
17 @e8 18 Z!a2 (prophylaxis, the purpose
of which will soon be revealed, if you have not
worked it out already) 18 ... lt:la7 (White also
wins after I 8 ...@e7 19 lt:lxc8+ Z!xc8+ 20 @b6
~b8 21 'l/c7 or 18 ... @d8 19 Z!d2+ @e8 20
lt:lxc8 Z!xc8+ 21 @b6 Z!c3 22 a4 ltc4 23 Z!b2
+-) 19 @d6 lt:lb5+ 20@xe6 +-.
18 Z!d2 @f7 19 ltd7+ @g6 20 lt>d6 lt:lbS+
21 @xe6 lt:lxa3 22@e7 lt:lc2 23 lt:ld5 @fS 24 e6
lt:ld4 25 @f7 lt:lf3
25 ... lt:lxe6 26 lt:le7+ @e5 27 Z!d5+ +- (Psakhis).
26lt:le7+!?@e4 27 lt:lg6lt:lg5+! 28@e7@f5
29lt:lf4h4
29 ... @g4 30 Z!d8 ~xd8 31 ~xd8 lt:lxe6+ 32
lt:lxe6 b6 33 @c7 a5 34 b5 is winning for White
(Psakhis).
30 Z!dS+ 'it>g4 31 h3+ lt:lxh3 32 lt:lxh3 1-0
C4) Incarcerating a Piece
Sometimes you can trap an enemy piece with
your pawns, so that it cannot get out again, or
can do so only at great cost.
12 ••• lt:la7?
Now the white king penetrates decisively.
l 2 ... Z!d8 ! l 3 Z!xd8 lt:lxd8 (Psakhis), with some
relief through the exchange of rooks, was substantially
more tenacious.
13 @c5 loc814 eS fxeS 15 fxeS Ac616 2..g2
Axg2 17 ~xg2 (DJ
B
14.12
D.Evseev - A.Galliamova
Russia Cup final (Kazan) 2001
White makes a very sharp winning attempt,
relying on his superior structure and the reduction
of Black's dynamic possibilities:
1 ~c5!? Axd2
I ... a6? 2 b4 2..d8 3 ~xd5 ±.
2Z!xb52-cl?

DOMINATION 243
. A serious mistake, since the bishop will not
see the light of day again. After 2 ... i.h6 3 .l;Ixb7
a6 4 llle5 White has no more than good compensation.
3 e3! a6 (D)
the two white minor pieces should easily prevail
against the rook, since they have good support-points
as well as targets, whereas the rooks
are not looking very dangerous.
10 ... i.xe3 11 fxe3 llc4 12 @d2 h5 13 lllb4
a514 llld3 h4 15 llxbS hxg316 hxg3 llg417
.l;Ixa5 llxg3 18 .ld4 !tg2+ 19 @c3 llc8+ 20
@b3 gS 21 .lxf6 @f7 22 .ld4 lld2 23 llle5+
@e6 24 lllf3 lld3+ 25 'it>a2 llg8 26 .l.:ta6+ 1-0
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 337-9)
B
4.l;Ib6!
Naturally not the greedy capture 4 llxb7?
since 4 ... lleb8 then releases the bishop from
its dungeon.
4 ... llac8 5 @el lle7?
5....l;Ic2 6 .l;Ixb7 h6 7 llle5 i.d2+ 8 'it'd I E!ec8
9 lld7 i.a5 10 b4 .l;Ic I+ 1 I @e2 ll8c2+ 12 @f3
.);!fl 13 llld3 and White has more than enough
compensation.
6 @dl .l;Iec7 7 lllel! f6 8 llb3 b5 9 i.c3 lle8
(D)
El4.09 /*
Where is White's most vulnerable point?
10 lllc2!
Much stronger than 10 @xcl? d4 -+. The
bishop can now finally be snaffled, after which
El4.10 /*
How did Black cause White
severe problems?

244 How TO Pl.A y CHESS ENDGAMES
El4.ll */
Which of the two rooks stands worse?
E14.14 **/
How did White exploit his initiative?
El4.12 **/
How should White increase his advantage?
E14.15 /***
How did White win after I ... g;>f8? What
would he have played after l...i.b7?
E14.13 ***/*
Who is dominating whom here? Probe the
position with Black and White to move.

15 Converting an Advantage
Nothing is harder than winning a won game.
SAVIELLY T ARTAKOWER
As with many of his now famous aphorisms,
Tartakower was of course consciously exaggerating
when he said this. Nevertheless there is
more than a grain of truth in his words, since
converting an advantage is indisputably one of
the most difficult themes in chess. We can all
cite dozens of examples in which we have ruined
a favourable endgame and only drawn.
To understand better how to convert an advantage
in a masterly and technically clean
manner, it is first of all necessary to consider
why so many so-called 'won endings' are in
practice not won. At this point let us hand over
to two other chess writers.
In his book Practical Endgame Lessons,
Edmar Mednis gives five golden rules to ensure
that you do not win your won games. Here is
his slightly tongue-in-cheek list:
• Be careless. Don't expect your opponent to
have any tactical threats.
• Go for the prettiest continuation - it is bound
to win.
• Don't worry or work too hard -the game will
win itself.
• Change your plan as often as you like.
• Give up material.
In his book Technique for the Tournament
Player, Mark Dvoretsky dealt with the principles
for converting an advantage. He gave the
following typical sources of error as the causes
of problems in converting an advantage:
• Exhaustion towards the end the game
• Failure to keep your nerve
• Time-trouble
• Inadequate knowledge of endgame theory
• Poor technique (allowing unnecessary counterplay,
rushing, wrong exchanges)
• Unfocused activity at the critical moment
• Problems with the transformation of an advantage
Now please compare these lists with the contents
of this book. You will notice that we have
actually attached such great importance to all
these aspects of converting an advantage that we
have devoted whole sections to many of them.
You simply must master the following techniques
and principles if your 'won positions'
are truly going to be won:
• prophylactic thinking and preventing counterplay
(Chapter 8)
• the application of the principle 'Do not rush!'
(Chapter 3)
• the right exchange ( Chapter 4)
• the principle of the second weakness (Chapter
6)
• the avoidance of typical mistakes (Chapter
17)
In this chapter we are now going to deal with
aspects of the conversion of an advantage that
we have not already covered elsewhere, such as
transformation of one advantage into another,
space advantage, widening the operational front
and material advantage.
A) Transforming One
Advantage into Another
This is a very important aspect of the conversion
of an advantage. In the higher sense, the
whole game of chess can be regarded as the
transformation of one advantage or equilibrium
into another. From the point of view of the attacker,
it is above all a question of being able to
make progress. You cannot just obstinately sit
on an advantage but must always keep an eye
open for possible transformations.

246 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
Al) Bishops are Generally Easier
to Exchange
As we have already seen in the chapter on the
bishop-pair, one of the great advantages of the
bishop-pair is that you can exchange it more
easily.
B
15.01
A.Karpov- L.Kavalek
Nice OL 1974
After exchanging, White retains a very strong
attack with opposite-coloured bishops:
1 i.xcS! lhcS 2 h6
This nail in the coffin not only grants White
a space advantage, but reinforces his attack on
the king.
2 i.f8
2 .i.h8? 3 llbl l'!c8 4 g5 @f7 5 .i.dl a5 6
i.a4 l'!d8 7 l:Ib7 +-.
3@c3?
Now Black gets a breathing space. With 3 g5
White could have increased his space advantage
decisively. In learn from the legends,
Marin gives the following illustrative variations:
3 ... l'!a5 4 llbl @f7 (4...~a3+ 5 ~b3 l'!xb3+ 6
axb3 a5 7 @d4 @f7 8 c5 dxc5+ 9 @e5 +-) 5
i.dl ~a2 6 llb7 l'!a3+ 7 i.b3 a5 8 c5 dxc5 9
@c2+-.
3 ••. fxg4 4 hg4 @£7 S i.e6+ @£6 6 i.g8
'il,c7
6 ... .i.xh6? 7 ~h6 @g7 8 .!!xh7+ @xg8 9
~xe7 +-.
7 i.xh7 e6 8 i.g8 exdS 9 h7 (D)
9 i.xd5? ~h7 =.
9 ... i.g7?
After this the white attack crashes through.
9 ... llxc4+ 10 @d3 i.g7 11 i.xd5 ~c5 12 @e4
i.h8 was necessary.
10 b:dS .i.h8 ll @d3@fS 12@e3 l'!e7+ 13
@f3 as 14 a4 ~c7 15 i.e4+ @£6 16 llh6 llg7
17@g41-0
A2) Transforming a Static
Advantage into a Dynamic One
A good structure is definitely always desirable.
However, there are also situations in which it is
worth giving up structural advantages in exchange
for launching a dynamic initiative.
White has the bishop-pair and the better
pawn-structure. But this static advantage is not

CONVERTING
AN ADVANTAGE
247
easy to increase here, so Kramnik exploited the
favourable opportunity to open the position for
his bishop and generate some dynamism:
I cS!? bxcS 2 dxcS dxcS
2 ... d5? 3 i.xf6 dxe4 (3 ... gxf6 4 exd5 i.xd5 5
i.xdS exd5 6 ~f4 +-) 4 ~b4 gxf6 5 c6 ~xc6 6
~xc6 lla3 7 i.dl i.xc6 8 !l.xc6 !!.al 9 !l.d6 ±.
3 ~xcS i.c8 4 eS ~e8?
4...~d5 5 ~e4 i.d7 6 !!.di !l.a5 7 i.d4 ±.
S i.a4!
Dominating the black minor pieces.
S ... tea 6 i.a3 Wg8 7 ~e4! !l.xa4
Or: 7 ... !l.a7 8 i.d6 +-; 7 ... ~ba6 8 i.c6 !l.a7
9 ~d6 ~b8 JO i.b2 ~xc6 11 ~xc8 +-.
8 !ixc7 i.a6 9 ~cS! 1-0
We6 12 i.b2 a6 13 i.c3 ~d6 14 We3 ~e4 15
i.el wrs 16 !!.fl !l.h8 17 Wd3 bS 18 a3 !l.h719
i.aS fl.h8 20 i.b4 l;l.c8
The trick-shot 20 ... !l.hl? backfires: 21 !l.xhl
~xf2+ 22 We3 ~xh I 23 i.d6 a5 and neither
side can make further progress.
21 i.as logs 22 i.d2 ~e4 23 i.as Wg6 24
i.b4 rs 25 i.as !l.h8 26 We3 !!.es 27 Wd3 !!.cs
28 i.b4 !l.c7 29 i.aS !l.h7 30 We3 l;l.e7 31 Wd3
(D)
Especially if it is not possible to make further
progress, since your forces are already well
placed, opening the position at the appropriate
moment can be more important than retaining a
completely unspoilt structure.
15.03
S.Rosselli - A.Rubinstein
Baden­Baden 1925
Rubinstein takes advantage of a favourable
opportunity to open the queenside:
I. .. cS!? 2 dxcS i.xcS
Black's isolated pawn will be more than compensated
by his initiative on the kingside.
3 00 h4 4 gxh4
After 4 g4 ~h6 5 i.e3 b6 6 i.xcS bxcS 7
~h2 !l.b8 Black retains the initiative.
4 ... g4 S ~d4 i.xd4 6 cxd4 fl.xh4 7 i.c3
!!.hi+ 8 'i!?e2 fl.h2 9 fl.gl ~h410 g3 ~rs 11 b3
3t...r4!?
With this, Rubinstein opens avenues for his
king and rook to penetrate the enemy position,
since without these he cannot further develop
his strategic initiative.
32 gxf4 !l.h7 33 i.d2 ~d2 34 wxd2 !l.h3
3Sr3?
Probably based on a miscalculation. With
the active 35 !l.c I White can still offer stubborn
resistance.
35 ... gxf3 36 !l.r2?!
In rook endings, passivity is rarely to be recommended.
However, his position was already
very difficult; for example. 36 ~e3 f2+ 37
Wxf2 .l;l.'.xb3 38 ~el Wf5 39 !l.e5+ Wxf4 40
l;l.xdS (40We2 ftxa3 41 @d2!l.g3 42 !l.xdS'i&e4
43 l;l.d6 a5 -+) 40 ... we4 -+.
36 ... wrs 37 We3 Wg4 38 b4
38 f5 Wxf5 39 !l.xf3+(39!!.fl @g440 !l.gl +
!l.g341 fl.c 1 !l.g2-+) 39 ... !l.xf.3+ 40 'i!>xf3 a5 -+.
38 ...!l.hl 39 rs ~el+ 40 Wd3 !l.e40-1
In the following example, Suetin understands
admirably how to introduce dynamism into the

248 HOW TO PlAY CHESS ENDGAMES
game and he sets Black one difficult problem
after another.
w
White is structurally better, but can make no
further progress by static measures. So Suetin
decides to open the queenside:
1 c4?!
1 b3 is more accurate.
1 .tf8?!
l bxc4 2 b3 cxb3 3 .txa6+ @c7 4 !:txb3
l'3.eb8 is superior, since the black rooks then
have better prospects and White no longer has
any choice about which wing he would like to
open.
But not I ... dxc4? 2 .lg2 l'3.ed8 3 .lxe4 with a
large advantage for White.
2cxb5?
2 b3 is preferable. White should not rush. He
should maintain his threat to open the kingside,
in order to take advantage of the fact that his
rooks can switch wings more quickly.
2 •.• axb5 3 .lxb5 !:txa3+ 4 .!:Ixa3 cxb5 5 c6+
@xc661Ia6+ @b7 7 l'3.a7+ @c6
7 ... @b8 8 l'3.xf7 .lxb4 9 !:tf6 !:tc8 10 !:txe6
l:rc2 11 Itb6+ @c7 12 l'3.xb5 .ld2+ 13 @e2
.txf4+ 14 @di !:tel+ 15 @e2 .lxg3 16 ~d.5
.1l..xh4 17 b4 =.
8 f!xf7 .txb4 9 f!f6 @d7 10 lhg6 1Ic8 11
~g7+ @e8 12 !:tg8+ @d7 13 l:rg7+ @e8 14
!:tg8+ @d7 15 ~cs @xc8 16 g4 hxg4 17 @f2
R.d218@g3 (DJ
18 •.• e3?!
18 ... @d7 19 hS @e7 20 @xg4 @f8 21 f5
exf5+ 22 'i?i'xf5 e3 23 .lc5+ @g7 24 e6 e2 25
.tf2 ec,
19 h5 e2 20 .tf2 el'& 21 .txel .txeI+ 22
@xg4 .tb4 23 h6 .trs 24 h7 .tg7 25@g5 d4?
25 ... R.h8 26 @g6 d4 27 f5 d3 leads to the
game.
26c;i?g6?
26 f5 Ah8 (26 ... exf5 27 e6 d3 28 @g6 d2 29
e7 +-) 27 f6@d7 28 @f4 +-.
26 .••.thS 27 rs d3 28 fxe6 d2 29 e7 dl'& 30
e8\\'¥+ '&d831'&c6+@b832@f7~a733 '&d6
33 '&c5+ @b7 34 ~xb5+ @a7 35 '&c6 '&d4
33 ••• '&c8 34 e6 '&c2 35 e7 ~xh7+ 36 @e8
.txb2 37 ~d8 '&h4 38 ~cs '&e4 39 '&cS+
39 ~d7+ @b6 40 e8Wi?? '&a8#.
39 ••• @a6 40 Wid6+ @a7 41 @d8 '&h4 42
'&d7+ @b6 43 '&e6+ 'i?i'b7 44 ~dS+ 'i?i'b6 45
@d7 ~h7 46 Wie6+ @a7?
Finally comes the fatal mistake. 46 ... @b? 47
'&c6+ @a7 48 '&xb5 W/g7 would still have held
things together.
47 @c8 '&c2+ 48 @d8 @b7 49 ~d7+ @b6
50 Wid6+ ~b7 51 e8'& .tf6+ 52 @d7 1-0
A3) Returning Material
If you are absolutely sure that the resulting
endgame is won, returning some material can
sometimes simplify the task considerably. But
extreme caution is indicated in such cases. Not
for nothing is there a section in Chapter 17
('Typical Mistakes') with the heading 'Unnecessarily
Giving up Material'.

CONVERTING
AN ADVANTAGE
249
In the following example Vescovi stakes everything
on the strength of his passed pawn on
e7.
20 .i.b4 cS 21 @xcS Ek2+ 22 @b5 If.c8 23
.i.cS If.b8+ 24 @c4 .i.O+ 25 Wd4 libl 26 r:tf3
If.dl + 27 @eS @d7 281U8 tlel+ 29 @f6 Ite6+
30@g71-0
A4) Basic Considerations
Converting an advantage generally involves a
series of transformations.
15.05
G.Vescovi - T.Markowski
Bermuda 2003
1 tlxc6!?
"A pragmatic solution: White simplifies the
position. In view of the giant e7-pawn + g5-
bishop, the opposite-coloured bishops give Black
fewer drawing chances here." (Hom in CBM).
l bxc6 2 lhe5 .i.dS
2 d3 3 @fl +-.
3 b3 @g74 @fl aS S @e2 a4 6 bxa4 @f7 7
@d3 tla8 8 as @e89 .i.d2 llb8 10 @xd4 tlb2
11 @c3 If.xa2 12 @d3 tla3+ 13 @d4 na2 14
.i.el llc2 15 .i.c3 If.xf2 16 lle3 lla2 17 @cS
tla318 @d6 ~g219 .i.d2 tla2 (DJ
19 ... .l'lxe3 20 .i.xe3 .i.fl 21 Ac5 Ab5 22
@c7+-.
15.06
P.Leko - V.Anand
Moscow2004
White has the bishop-pair and the initiative.
As a first step he transforms this into superiority
on the dark squares:
1 .i.xc4! 'li¥xd4 2 cxd4 dxc4
2 ... bxc4 3 lllc5 i!i.
3ll!aS
3 lllc5 ll!d7 ;!;.
3 ... ll!d7 4 .i.c7 0-0 5 dS exdS 6 exdS lof6 7
~hel .i.d7 8 .i.e5 11fe8 9 @b2!
The king himself increases the pressure on
the dark squares.
9 .. Jiac8 10 .i.xf6
The next transformation: White destroys
Black's structure and relies on the superiority
of his knight over the very restricted bishop.
10 ... gxf6 ll @c3 @f8 12 @d4 c3
With this pawn sacrifice Anand tries to give
his pieces some air. If he stays put, his chances
are not rosy either; for example, 12 ... Af5 13 c3
lied8 14 lllb7 If.d7 15 lllc5 .l';!d6 16 llle4 .i.xe4
17 fxe4 ±.
13 If.xe8+ lhe8

250 HOW TO PU..Y CHESS ENDGAMES
13 ... @xe814~el+@f815g4h616a3f517
h3 fxg4 18 fxg4 ±.
14Wxc31k8+ 15@b3@e716f!.d2@d617
@b4
17 lbb7+!?@c7 18 lbc5 a5 19 lbe4 (Huschenbeth)
was even stronger. 17 c4? ! bxc4+ 18
lbxc4+ @c5, however, would give Black unnecessary
counterplay.
17 •.. l;rb818 c3 fS 19 a3 f6 20 l;rd4 hS 21 g3
i!e8 (D)
29 c4!
Good technique! White first exchanges his
weak c3-pawn and only then begins decisive
action against the black weaknesses.
29 .•• bxc4 30 @xc4 @e6 31 @b4 l;rb8+ 32
Wa4 l;rd8 33 @a5 l;rd2 34 a4 f4 35 gxf4! l;rd6
36 l;rxhS l;rd4 37 l;rcS J;rxf4 38 l;rc3 l;rh4 39
l;rb3@d7 40 f!.b4 nxh2 41 @xa61k2 42@b6
l;rc6+ 43 @bS l;re6 44 !ile4 l;rd6 45 l;rc4 l;rdS+
46 @b4 f!.d3 47 f4 l;rdl 48 as l;rbl+ 49 @a4
!ital+ 50 WbS l;tbl+ 51 l;rb4 J;rfl 52@b6 @c8
53 'i&c6 net 54@d6 i-e
The final transformation: White will win
with his f-pawn, so Anand resigned.
B) Practical Examples
Bl) Space Advantage
Every cramped position harbours within it the
germ of defeat.
SIEG BERT T ARRASCH
White has now finalized all his preparations
and is ready for the next transformation, to be
able to penetrate Black's position.
22lbc61 ~cs
22 ... i!xc6 23 dxc6+ @xc6 24 l;rf4 +-.
23 lbaS
Leko repeats moves, in order to show who is
boss.
23 •• Ab8 24 lbc6 l;rc8 25 @a5! i!xc6 26
dxc6+ @xc6 27 l;rh4 Wd6 28 @b4 l;rh8 ( D)
To have more space is not an advantage in itself.
It can even happen that advanced pawns leave
weak squares behind them, which the opponent
can exploit. In the endgame, however, the probability
that the possession of more space is an advantage
is high, since there are no longer so
many forces available for a counter-attack.
15.07
V.Anand - A.Shirov
Leon adv 2000

CONVERTING AN ADVANTAGE
251
White is in complete control and slowly but
surely increases the pressure on the cramped
black pieces:
llla2
First he doubles the rooks, to tie all Black's
forces to the queenside. Then, thanks to his initiative,
he will increase his space advantage and
seek a decision on the other wing.
1...llc7 2 llac2 l::rac8 3 a6 @f8
3 ... f5 !? came strongly into consideration, so
as not to let White gain so much space.
4 g4@e8 s rs
White brings up a pawn alongside the head of
his pawn-chain, to increase the pressure against
the enemy base.
s @d7 6 .i.f4 gs 7 .i.e3 h6?!
7 exf5 8 gxf5 g4 was more tenacious; for example,
9 lbel lbaS 10 l::rxc7+ llxc7 11 llxc7+
@xc 7 12 lbd3 @c6 I 3f6 .i.f8 14 lbf4 lbx b3 15
e6±.
8 f6!
The white pawn-chain splits the board in two
and paralyses Black. White will win on the
kingside, since Black cannot switch his forces
there quickly enough.
8 ... i.f8 9 @d3 lbaS 10 1hc7+ ~xc7 11
~xc7+@xc7 (D)
space, whereas he can switch more forces to a
new front.
15.08
V.Smyslov - T.Ernst
London 1988
1 .i.d3! l:irfc8 2 llacl @f8 3 @e3 lbb5 4 g4
Targeting the black h- and f-pawns as potential
weaknesses. A typical procedure.
4 ••. h6 5 h4 lba7 (D)
w
To see how Anand now exploited the typical
advantage of his far-advanced pawns, please refer
to example 2.25.
Normally the player with a space advantage
will avoid exchanges, so that the defender's
pieces tread on each other's toes in the confined
Black plans the exchange of all the rooks on
the c-file.
6l:ircfl!
Smyslov naturally evades the exchange, since
he need the rooks for his play on the kingside.
6 ... @g7 7 f4 llc5 8 hSl
Undermining the black structure, since 8 ... g5
can be countered with 9 fxg5 hxg5 10 h6+@g8
ll h7+Wg712h8\W+llxh813l:irxh8@xh814
llxf7 ±.

252 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
8 •• J!h8 9 hxg6 fxg6 10 ~hgl lt:ibS 11 a4
0.a7 12 ,z;>d4 as 13 es 0.cs 14 ~cl l2Jb6
14 ... b6 15 e6 ~f8 16 f5 gs 17 ~hi±.
15 J;lxcS dxcS+ 16 @xc5 l2Jxa4+ 17 ,z;>d4
l2Jxb2 (D)
17...)!d8 I8~1 lt:ixb2 l9~e4a420~a2+-.
18~b5!
Dominating the knight and decisively assisting
the d-pawn,
18 .•. a4 19 d6 exd6 20 exd6 ~d8 21 d7@f6
22 ~el a3 23 @c3 ~a8 24 ~e8 0.a4+ 25 ~xa4
1-0
Much too passive when he has so little space.
Black must seize space with l...a5 ! and gain
some squares for his pieces. Then he would be
only slightly worse; for example, 2 ~6 (2 !ic7
@d8; 2 f4 i.a6) 2...~a7.
2b4!
Fixing the weakness at a6.
2 ••• ~b7 3 f4 ~c8 4 ~c8 hc8 5 ~cl @d8 6
@f2 l2Jb8
Now sooner or later Black will be overrun
on the kingside. It was the last chance for 6 ... f6
7 exf6 0.xf6, which would at least provide
some counterplay. 6 ... a5? 7 b5 would play into
White's hands.
7l2Jc5
Good prophylaxis against ... ~d7-b5.
7 ••. ~c7 8 I;tc2 l2Jd7 9 l2Jh3 I;txc2+ 10 ~xc2
l2Jb8 11 l2Jd4 ~d7 12 g4 h6
Easing the pressure with l2 ... l2Jc6 fails to
save the game, as Magnus Carlsen showed con·
vincingly in New in Chess Magazine: 13 l2Jxc6+
~xc6 14 @e3 @c7 15 @d4 @b6 16 a4 ~d7
(16 ... a5 17 b5 ~d7 18 h4 ~c8 19 h5 ~d7 20 h6
~e8 21 fS +-) 17 as+ <li'b5 18 @c3 ~c8 19
,z;>b3 @c6 20 ~d3 +-.
13@e3@c714 a4@b6 (DJ
Both the following structures occur in practice
very frequently.
15.09
M.Carlsen - G.Vescovi
Wijk aan Zee 2006
1 ~acl ~a7?
15 a5+!
Carlsen fixes the queenside, so that his bishop
can exert very strong influence on both wings
via d3 or e2. A typical advantage for the side
with a space advantage is that his pieces often
have more room to manoeuvre.
15 ••• @b7 16 ~d3 ~a4 17 ~e2 l2Jd7 18 h4
l2Jb8

CONVERTING
AN ADVANTAGE
253
Not a good move, but waiting passively
with 18 ... @a? 19 h5 gxh5 20 gxh5 @b7 21 f5
+- does not help; nor does the counterattack
! 8 ... g5 19 h5 gxf4+ 20 @xf4 f6 21 lllf3 lllxe5
22 lllxe5 fxe5+ 23 @xe5 Jl.c2 24 g5 hxg5 25
h6 +-.
19 fS gxfS
19 ... Jl.d? 20 fxg6 fxg6 21 g5 hxg5 22 hxg5
lllc:6 23 lllxc6 Jl.xc6 24 il.d3 Jl.e8 25 @d4 +-
(Carlsen).
20 gxfS Jl.d7 21 il.hS 1-0
11. .. hxgS
l 1. .. lllf5? 12 ~xf5! exf5 13 gxh6 gxh6 14
~xh6 ~h8 15 ~f6 @d7 16 h6 ± (Lukacs in
CBM).
12 Jl.xgS (DJ
12 lllfS!
12 llld5 13 h6 +-.
13 ~di a414 b4 (DJ
V.Kramnik - E.Bareev
Wijk aan Zee 2003
1 g4 bS!
Black correctly fights for space on the queenside
light squares.
2 llld2
White must maintain the structure as it is.
The premature 2 c5?! lllc:8 3 llld2 0ie7 4 llle4
llld5 plays into Black's hands.
2...@d7 3@c2 il.d8 4 lllf3 Jl.f6 5 llle5+@c7
6 cs
Such a move should always be considered
very carefully, since Black now gains possession
of the central support-point d5. The flexible
6 Jl.f4 @b7 7 llld7 came strongly into
consideration.
6 ... Jl.xeS 7 dxeS lllc8 8 ~h3 llle7 9 ~f3
~hf8 10 ~d6 as 11 gS?!
Admittedly this increases the operational
range of the bishop, but at the same time it is
very committal.
B
14 ... @c8?
After this White penetrates decisively. Black
should keep his rooks connected: 14 ... ~h8 I 5
md3 ~af8 16 ~d7+ @b8 (Lukacs) and it is not
clear how White can make progress.
15 ~fd3 ~a716 ~d8+ ~xd8 17 ~xd8+ @b7
18 ~c3@a6 19 @d3 ~c7 20@e4@b7 21 ~dl
@c8 22 ~d8+ @b7 23 @f4 ~c8 24 ~d7+ ~c7
2S~d3@c8
25 ... @b8 26 @g4 (26 Jl.f6? gxf6 27 ~d8+
~c8 28~xc8+@xc8 29 exf6@d7 30@g5 llld4

254 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
31 @g4 lllf5 =) 26 ... @b7 (26 .. .!!b7 27 l!d8+
@a7 28 i.f6 +-) 27 i.d8 l!c8 28 l!d7+ @b8 29
@f4 @a8 30 i.c7 +-.
26.l!d8+@b7 (D)
15.11
D.Sahovic - E.Kengis
Biel 1990
The following could equally well appear in
the section on the power of the pawn:
27 i.f6!! g6
After 27 ... gxf6 the passed h-pawn and/or invasion
by the white king is decisive: 28 exf6
l!c8 (28 ... lllh4 29 @g4! lllf5 30 @g5 l!c8 31
l!xc8 @xc8 32 h6 +-) 29 l!xc8 @xc8 30 @g5
@d7 31 h6 lllxh6 32 @xh6 e5 33 @h7! e4
(33 ... @e6 34@g7 a3 35 f3 +- - it is zugzwang)
34 @g7 @e6 35 a3 (zugzwang) +- (Lukacs).
28 hxg6 fxg6 29 @gS 1-0
Bareev resigned in view of 29 ... l!c8 30 l!d7+
l!c7 31 l!d3 (31 'fl.xc7+?@xc7 32@xg6 @d7
is an impregnable fortress) 31...l!f7 32 @xg6
l!f8 33 l!d7+ @c8 34 l!h7 @b8 35 l!h5 llld4
36 l!h4 lllf5 37 .!!f4 @c7 38 1!xf5 exf5 39 e6
+-.
Bla) Widening the Operational
Front
This technique is closely related with the principle
of two weakness. If you are unable to
make progress on one wing or in too tight a
space, you should always explore the prospects
of opening additional fronts, if possible.
In the following example, in order to win,
White must penetrate on the kingside:
1 f4! f6 2 rs @e7 3 @e2 lllc4 4 i.b5 lllb6 5
@f3 @f7 6 @g4 llla8
6 ... @g8 7 @h5 '&'h7 8 g4 llla8 9 i.e8 lllb6 IO
b5 lllc4 11 g5 hxg5 12 hxg5 lllb6 13 i.c6 lllc4
14 i.d7 with the plan of i.e6, g6+, @g4-f3-
e2-d3-c3-b4-a5 and .il.d7 +- (Kengis in Informator).
7@h5 lllb6 8 g4 llla8 9 i.d7 lllb610 i.e6+
@£8 11 @g6 lllc4 12 bS lllb6 13 gS hxgS 14
hxgS fxg5 15 'it>xg5 @e7 16 @g6 'M817 i.f7
llld7 18 i.e8!! 1-0
Kengis resigned due to the line 18 ... lllb6
(18 ... @xe8 19 @xg7 +-) 19 i.c6 lllc8 20 f6
gxf6 21 @xf6 lllb6 22 @e6 lllc4 23 .il.d7 @g7
24 @e7 @g6 25 .lrl.g4 @g5 26 i.e2 +-.
15.12
A.Karpov - Z.Ribli
Bath Echt 1973

CONVERTING
AN ADVANTAGE
255
White liquidates the queenside completely,
in order to penetrate decisively on the kingside:
1 a6!@a7
l...b6 is no help either; for example, 2 Axd6
Axd6 3 !'!xb6+ @c7 4 !1b7+ @d8 5 flxg7 Ae7
6 a7 ~d7 7 g5 hxg5 8 hxg5 @d6 9 g6 1:la8 10
flh71:lxa7 11g71:la8 12 ~8 +-.
2 axb7 ~b8 3 Ad2 flxb7?!
Now White has a technical win. 3 ... Ab6, to
keep the rooks on the board, was more tenacious
but of course still very unpleasant for Black.
4 !'!xb7+ 'i&xb7 5 g5 hxg5 6 hxg5 .id8 7
@f3@c8 8@g4@d7 9@h5@e810 .ib4 ( D)
B
follows, because of their great practical importance,
we shall confine ourselves to discussing
the conversion of an extra pawn and the advantage
of the exchange.
B2a) An Extra Pawn
The following scenario is absolutely typical for
the endgame in general, even though the rule of
thumb applies above all to rook endings: for the
conversion of an extra pawn in a rook ending
with pawns on both wings, Fine gives the following
formula in Basic Chess Endings:
If the defending king is on the wing with an
equal number of pawns:
l) Place the rook and the king on the best
possible squares.
2) Advance the pawns on the other wing as
far as convenient.
3) Create an outside passed pawn.
If the defending king is on the side with the
extra pawn, then you can often win by penetrating
the other wing and plundering the pawns
there.
10 ••• fxgS
IO ... $.e7 11 gxf6 gxf6 12@g6 @f8 13 .iel
+-.
11 Axd6 Af6 12 Ab4 @f7 13 .id2 Ae7 14
Axg5 .ia315 Ad8 Ad616@g5 1-0
Ribli resigned in view of 16 ... @e& 17 f6
gxf6+ 18 Axf6 @f7 19 @f5 +-.
w
82) Material Advantage
Normally two healthy extra pawns are sufficient
to win, all other things being equal. However,
pure bishop endings and rook endings
have a strong drawing tendency, so that the attacker
should be very cautious about allowing
exchanges. In Chapter 4 ('The Right Exchange')
we have already seen that the general rule of
thumb is: the attacker exchanges pieces and the
defender pawns. We have discussed in the previous
section the transformation of one advantage
into another by returning material. In what
15.13
J.Nunn - Fritz 5 {training game)
Secrets of Practical Chess, 1998
Before activating his king, White first seizes
space on the kingside:
1 h4 b5 2 g4 a5 3 @g3 a4 4 a3 !'!dl 5 h5
It is often good to create such pawn-chains,
since then the rook only needs to protect the
base pawn.

256 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
5 ... nbl 6 c3 g5 7 hxg6+ hxg6 8 ©f4 nd1
(D)
nrt 24 nxb5 a2 25 na5 ©e7 26 ~a2 nr6+ 27
@g5 l-O
B2b) Converting the Advantage of
the Exchange
Rooks need open lines, as fish need water. Generally
the emptier the board, the greater their
power.
At this point Fine's rule of thumb comes into
play:
9@e3!?
Nunn would now like to prey upon the
queenside with his king or rook.
9 ... ©f6?
Playing into White's hands. 9 ... @e6! was
more tenacious, as after 10 !l.d2 _g[e 1 + 11 @d4,
I l...@d6 denies White access to the queenside.
10 ~2 _g[fl 11 nd5 c6 12 ~5 nb1 13
nxc6+ ©f714 @f4 ~b215@g5 nb3 (D)
15.14
G.Kasparov - L.Portisch
Debrecen Echt 1992
In order to exploit his material advantage,
Black must strive to find a favourable way to
open lines for his rooks on the kingside.
l ... nbS?!
l...g6 2 g4 (2 f6 ngs +) 2 gxf5 3 gxf5 ngs
+ (Portisch in Informatort; I @e7!? 2 g3 g6 is
possibly even more accurate.
2g4(D)
16 f4!
Good technique! After 16 ~7+? ©e6 17
@xg6 cad6 Black would gain unnecessary counterplay.
16 ... nxa3 17 nc7+ ©e6 18 ©xg6 @d6 19
ncs @d7 20 nc5 nb3 21 f5 a3 22 f6 nb1 23 f7

CONVERTING
AN ADVANTAGE
257
2 ••. g6?
Now White can close the kingside. 2 hxg4+
3 'it>xg4 'it>e7 4 'it>g31ib8 followed by g6 was
indicated.
3 gS! nb8 4 f6 libS 5 'it>e2 ncxcS 6 bxcS+
'it>c6 7 &4 lh:cS 8 .t!a2 lib5 1/z-1/z
In the following example White is even prepared
to sacrifice a pawn to increase his rooks'
prospects.
3 lieb3 .ic8
3 ... .ic6 4 .ib5 'it>e8 5 .ixc6+ bxc6 6 nb7 +-.
4 libS tt'lf4 5 .ic4 @c7 6 .if7 .id7 7 nc3+
'it>d8(DJ
w
15.15
P.Svidler - J.Polgar
San Luis FIDE Wch 2005
1 h4!? gxh4 2 gxh4 .id7 (DJ
With 2 ... tt'lxh4 Black can win a pawn, but the
coordination of her forces would be destroyed
and White would obtain ample compensation
in the shape of new open lines: 3 e5 tt'lf5 4 exf6
exf6 (4 ... tt'lxe3? 5 f7 +-) 5 neI na5 6 .ib5
tt'lg7 7 >lgl +-.
Now follows the transformation
of one ad-
vantage into another:
8 nxhS! tt'lxhS 9 .ixhS e6?
Now the passed h-pawn wins the day. With
9 ... liaS 10 .ig6 .ie8 11 .ixe8 'it>xe8 12 nb3 f5
± Black could still offer resistance.
10 .ig6 .ic6 11 hS @e7 12 f4 nas 13 h6
nhs 14 h7 rs is exrs 'it>f6 16 lid3 .ie4 11
lixd6 .ixfS 18 .ixfS 'it>xf519 lid7 b6 20 >lf7+
'it>g6 21 '1b7 @fS 22 c4 'it>xf4 23 nxb6 eS 24
nh6 e4 25 'it>c2 'it>e3 26 ~h2 r-o
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 339-40)
El5.0l **/
Outline White's plan.

258 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
El5.02 ****/
Black perhaps assumed that now 1 c6
had to be played. But White put a spoke
in his wheel. With which order of
moves did he begin his attack?
El5.04 ***/
How did White turn his advantage
to account?
El5.03 /****
How could Black have taken advantage
of a favourable opportunity to show off
his rooks to advantage?
El 5.05 /*****
How did Black exploit his advantage with a
spectacular transformation combination?

16 The Art of Defence
Defence demands great courage and great selfcontrol.
EMANUEL LASKER
Defence is an essential component of chess.
Anyone who seriously strives to master chess
must learn the art of defence. Without the ability
to defend tenaciously, resourcefully and
sometimes patiently, waiting for your chance
for hours at a stretch, success in many positions
is simply not possible.
From the psychological point of view, in
chess it is much more difficult to defend than
to attack, since the freedom of action of the defender
is usually limited in many respects.
Normally he has to follow the path prescribed
for him by his opponent and thus he often has
to make forced moves and concessions. When
a game follows this course it frequently leads,
especially with young and inexperienced players,
to a weakening of fighting spirit and concentration
and thus errors are likely. It is no
accident that it is in disadvantageous defensive
positions in particular that the most blunders
are committed.
Therefore, you need to make sure that if you
find yourself on the defensive you stay especially
alert. Always believe that there will be a
way out - you actually always get at least one
little opportunity. Pay attention first and foremost
to the concrete calculation of variations.
Always try to present your opponent with the
greatest possible difficulties in converting his
advantage. Make concessions to the opponent
only if there is absolutely no way to avoid
them.
Before we examine some practical examples,
we would like once again to alert you to
some possible thematic overlaps with other
chapters. In particular we have already examined
some important aspects of defence: the
'fortress' theme was talked about in Chapter
11, 'stalemate' in Chapter 12, 'counterplay by
activating the king or the rook' in Chapter I,
'defensive power of the bishop-pair' in Chapter
9 and 'exchanging pawns as a defensive
idea' in Chapter 4.
A) Defend Actively
The basic idea of every defence consists of first
eradicating the defects of your own position
and then ideally even to go over to the counterattack.
Therefore, even if you find yourself on
the defensive, you should never give up thinking
about your own active possibilities. Also on
purely psychological grounds an active defensive
strategy is advantageous. Your opponent
will generally have substantially more difficulties
if he also has to always take into account
your active possibilities.
It is almost always fatal, especially in positions
with serious structural weakness, to be
completely reduced to passivity. In such cases it
can often even be advantageous to give up the
weakness that the opponent is besieging at an
appropriate moment, in order to become active.
Usually then the pieces which previously were
occupied exclusively with defence develop a
hitherto unimagined activity. The following example
demonstrates such a case (see diagram
on next page).
White should abandon the weakness at a3
and activate his long-range bishop.
1.af4+
Not I @d3? lZ:le5+ 2 @e2 lZ:lg6 3 .ag5 ~a4,
when White is unpleasantly passive.
1...@c6 21;lb8! 1;lxa3
2 ... lZ:lxa3 31;lh8 lZ:lb5 41;lxh5 =.
3@d3?!
3 1;lc8+!? is more accurate, since the black
king has no good flight-square: 3 ... @d5 41;ld8+
@e6 5 1;le8+ and after both 5 ... @f7 61;lc8 and

260 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
- '~ ~ ,~,
..
8 ~ B ~
• m ~ w R
··-
~ • •
--·~
.. -
~
.,.,,,; ,,,,,,7, ••
,,,Jg.~
~
B B@B -~
~
-~~~~ .fj.
~ M. •-
16.01
K.Muller - E.Rozentalis
Bundesliga 200617
even must, be defended passively (mostly when
there are only a few pawns left on one wing). On
the other hand there are also positions that require
the defender to wait patiently for the appropriate
moment to begin counterplay. But
there are a large number of cases in which the
defending side lost his nerve, impulsively made
a last active attempt and, after this was repulsed,
found himself in a resignable position.
8) Prophylaxis in Defence
Try to figure out the opponent's plans and foil
them, before it is too late.
5 ... @d7 6 .!:lhB !ixc3 7 Z1xh5, White has sufficient
counterplay.
3 .. .Aa4 4 .tg3 f4 S .txf4 lt:ib2+ 6 Z1xb2
Z1xf4 7@e3 ric4 (D)
7 ... Itxh4 8 f4 Z1h3+ 9 @e4 !ixc3 10 na2
@b5 11 .§.b2+ @c4 12 Z1a2 =.
B
16.02
V.Epishin - P.Nikolic
Bundesliga 200112
8f4@d5
8 ... a5 9 Z1d2 !ixc3+ 10 @e4 Z1h3 11 f5 Z1xh4+
12 @e5 l:td4 13 Z1f2 .§.di 14 f6 Z1el+ 15 @f5
@d7 16Z1f4@e8 17 ~4=.
9 Z1d2+@e6 10 Z1g2 Z1xc3+ 11 @d2 ID'3 12
Z1g5 Z1xf4 13 Z1xc5 l;!xh4 14 @e3 .!:lh3+ 15
..t>e4 l;!h4+ 11z.11z
It should be mentioned that our encouragement
to defend actively is not unconditional. On
the one hand, there are positions which can, or
1. .•@e7?
Both 1...~e8!?and I...Z1c82~xa6nas1 (do
not recapture automatically; 2 ... bxa6? loses to
3 .txa6 ric7 4 .li.b5 .txb5 5 Z1xc7 ~e8 6 Z1b7
.txa4 7 a6 .tc6 8 @c3 +-) 3 q)b4 .txa4 4 Z1c5
I!d8 stop White's plan and should be tenable.
2 ~xb7 l:txb7 3 Z1xc6 Z1b2+ 4 !ic2 ffl>4 5
&2 q)e8 6 .txa6 ~d6 7 .tbS ~xbS 8 axb5
Z1xb5 9 a6 l:tb8 10 a7 Z1a8 11 @c3 @d6 12
..t>b4 @c6 13 !ia6+ @b7 14 @b5 1-0
C) Maintaining a Blockade
If you can completely prevent the opponent
from breaking into your camp, then sometimes

THE ART OF DEFENCE 261
passivity is sufficient to maintain the status
quo.
16.03
P.Cramling - L.Couso
Swedish Ch (Linkoping] 2001
Against precise defence, White cannot break
through.
l. ...th2?
Black had to play 1...gf8! 2 B'.d7 (2 .i.fl?
gd8 =) 2 ... .i.b8, keeping the blockade intact.
2 .i.fl! .i.gl 3 .i.d3 'it>gS
3 ... .thz? 4 gx.rs gx.rs+ 5 'it>g4 .tg1 6 .tx.rs+
'it>f6 7 'it>f4 .i.h2+ (7 ... .i.xe3+ 8 'i!i'xe3 'it>xf5 9
'it>f3 +-) 8 'it>e4 +- (A.Rabinovich in CBM).
4 ges .i.h2 s gds .tgl 6 e4 @h4?
Here the king has no prospects. It should
have gone in the other direction to join the fight
against the passed pawns: 6 ... @f6 7 e5+ 'it>e7 8
X'td6 ±.
7 es .th2 8 !ld8 1-0
16.04
M.Marin - R.Knaak
Stara Zagara Z 1990
the effect that "I won the exchange and got a
losing position". From this you see how difficult
it can be from the psychological point of
view to cope with a sudden radical alteration in
the course of the game.
3 •.. X'te8 4 gcs h6 s 'it>el @gl 6 'it>d2 @g6 7
ges ID'e7 8 f4 (D)
B
D) Defensive Sacrifices
After a sudden alteration to the pawn-structure,
the opponent can easily lose the plot (see following
diagram).
1 .i.dl!? tl"ld3+ 2 gxd3 cxd3 3 .i.b3
It is obvious that after this sequence, Rainer
Knaak completely lost confidence in his position
and quickly went under, even though objectively
it still looks very good for Black. In
Secrets of Chess Defence, Marin quoted Knaak
as having said in their post-mortem words to
8 •.. .i.d7?
8 ... 'it>g7! 9 f5 .i.d7 10 'it>xd3 exf5 11 X!xe7+
.!:!xe7 12 ex.f5 ges +.
9 .i.c4 as?
Black panics. You should never give up material
for no reason! 9 ... .i.c8 was better.
10 gxaS gxf4?!
Exchanges usually relieve the pressure on
the defender, but here it improves White's weak
structure and exposes Black's own king.

262 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
11 gxf4 eS?
Now all Black's pieces will be out of play.
1 l. . .ic6 was more tenacious.
12 I!.a6+ @hS 13 rs Il.g7 14 f6 I!.h7 is f7
I!.f8 16 II.as I!.hxf7 17 l:IxeS+ @h4 18 .ixf7
I!.xf719 ll:lt'S+
and White won after a few more moves.
This example is clear testimony to the most
important rule of thumb of the defender: you
should never collapse into panic and must always
believe that there is a way out. If you
don't, then none of the other rules and principles
will help you in the least.
The issue of putting up the greatest possible
resistance when you stand worse also arises in
the next example.
B
7 @g3 loe2+ 8 @h4?!
8 'i9f2!? loxc! 9 lbe3 is more accurate because
it keeps Black's counterplay under better
control, as 9 ... I!.g5? fails to 10 @el I!.xe5 11
@d2 l;re4 12 I!.a3 +-.
8 ••. lruccl 9 I!.a6+ @bS!
Kharlov strives consistently for activity.
10 Ztxe6 lbxa2 11 I!.d6 loc3 12 ll:lt'6 l:ig2 13
e6 I!.xc2?
But now Kharlov throws away the fruits of
his hard work in defence. The rook must immediately
get behind the passed e-pawn: 13 ... l;re2!
14 @g4@c4 and Black's activity still gives him
some drawing chances.
14'i9g5?
This horrendous mistake in time-trouble allowed
the game to be drawn in the end. 14 e7
would have won: 14 ... l::!.h2+ (14 ... I!.e2 15 e8~+
l::!.xe8 !6lbxe8 +-) 15@g4! l::!.g2+ 16@f3 +-.
E) Fight to the Death
No game was ever won/drawn by resigning too
soon. In contrast, with dogged, resourceful defence
you can hope for the opponent to show
signs of fatigue.
16.05
B.Socko - A.Kharlov
Batumi Ech 2002
Since White has two extra pawns and the
clear plan of .if4 followed by advancing the h-
pawn, and the black rook is tied to the protection
of g4, it is clear that a passive waiting strategy
has no chance of success. So Kharlov radically
alters the character of the position:
1. .•. lhh4! 2 gxh4 lruch4+ 3 @g3 ll:lt'S+ 4
@f4 lbd4 S lrucg4!
Returning the piece like this is best, since after
5 .ie3?! g3 6 lbg4 g2 Black should have no
problem holding the draw, according to Marin.
s ... lbe2+ 6 ~f3 lbd4+!
Driving the king further away from the action.
B
16.06
N.Paglietti - C.Garcia Palermo
Italian Ch (Montebelluna} 2006
Of course, with his two extra pawns and
better activity White is completely winning, but
Garcia Palermo uncorked one more trick.
1. •• c4+!?

White probably expected 1..Jigl. In the end
this activation leads nowhere and White copes
pretty easily; for example, 2 @e3 Iixg3 3 @f2
l=!h3 4 @g2 1;txh4 5 @g3 g5 6 fxg5 Iia4 7 g6
Iia8 8 g7 :rig8 9 ~e4 +-.
2©xc4?!
2 @d4!?I!.gl 3 I!.g7 I!.xg3 4 ~xh5 lt::lf8 5
~e2 +- would be better technique.
2 ... ~1
Now at least the rook can no longer be so
easily trapped and the knight can come into
play.
3 I!.g7 1;txg3 4 ~xhS lt::lb6+ 5 'i&d4 lt::lxd5 6
gxg6+ l;:!.xg6 7 ~xg6 lt::lxf4 (D)
Exercises (Solutions on pages 341-2)
El6.0l **/
How could White have saved the game?
B
So far White's handling of the game has
been irreproachable from an objective point of
view, but he has allowed a series of exchanges
all of which have helped Black. The upshot is
that now, because of his wrong rook's pawn,
White has to find a unique winning move.
8 hS?
Allowing a study-like solution. 8 ~d3! retains
the c-pawn and ensures the win; for example,
8 ... lt::le6+ 9 @e3 @e5 IO h5 @f6 11 h6
lt::lc5 12 c4 lt::lb3 13 ~c2 lt::la5 14 c5 lt::lc6 15
~e4+-.
8 ... lt::le2+9@d3
9@c4@e7 = (9 ... lt::lxc3? 10 h6 +-).
9 ... lt::lxc310 h6 lt::ld511 @e4
11 h7 lt::lf4+ 12 @e4 lt::lxg6 13 @f5 lt::lh8 14
@f6 @d7 15 @g7 @e7 16 @xh8 @f7 stalemate.
11 .•• lt::lf6+ 12 Wf5 @e7 13 WgS @f8 14 ©xf6
@g81h-1h
El6.02 /****
Is there any hope for Black?
El6.03 **/
Which square for the king?

264 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
El6.04 **/
The black e-pawn looks hopelessly
out of reach - and yet?
El6.07 /**
How should Black conduct the defence?
El6.05 ***/
Should White defend actively or passively?
El6.08 /***
Black resigned here. Was this justified?
El6.06 /*
Should Black exchange bishops?

17 Typical Mistakes
The mistakes are all there, waiting to be made.
SAVIELLY TARTAKOWER
"I was totally winning!" 'Tm so stupid; that
was completely drawn!" "One more good move
and he would have immediately resigned!" If
we are honest, each of us has complained some
time in this sort of way to our team-mates, lamenting
a missed opportunity or a stupid blunder.
For some of us, moaning like this might be
a way of coping successfully with our frustration.
However, this generalJy does nothing to
help us avoid making similar mistakes in the future.
Instead of trying to elicit the sympathy of
your team-mates, it is considerably more profitable
to ask yourself about the reasons for your
mistakes, to think about whether you have particular
weaknesses (psychological, physical or
chess-educational) which are responsible for
these mistakes and to consider how (not if!) you
can eliminate them. In this chapter we shall catalogue
typical mistakes and their causes and
thus make our contribution.
A) Deficient Knowledge of
Endgame Theory
The successful conversion of a superior position
or the precise defence of an inferior endgame
very often requires liquidation into theoretical
known positions. It is obvious that in such situations
a deficient knowledge of endgame theory
can be the cause of fatal mistakes. How can
you expect to reproduce in a few minutes at the
board, just by calculating variations, the same
analytical work that famous endgame theorists
achieved over several centuries?
We warn readers: to avoid mistakes in this
area it is not sufficient just to have examined
the relevant theoretical positions once, superficially.
It is absolutely essential to become so
familiar with them that you can actually reproduce
and apply your knowledge off pat in each
situation, even when short of time. But as so
often in chess, mere knowledge alone is not
enough; it is of critical importance, at the critical
moment, to be able to remember it. And the
probability that you can manage to do this is
all the greater, the better you have studied endgame
theory.
In Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, Mark Dvoretsky
says that there are about eighty relevant
theoretical positions which every player should
know. We recommend that readers put together
a database of these positions and study this
'Endgame-ABC' regularly, similarly to what
you already do perhaps with a favourite opening
variation.
Let us now consider a practical example.
We can safely assume that both players possessed
the necessary endgame knowledge to
solve the problems of the position. But at the
critical moment, under pressure and possibly
in time-trouble, neither player succeeded in
applying their theoretical knowledge.
B
17.01
Zhu Chen - M.Taimanov
Roquebrune (Veterans­Women) I 998

166 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
I ••. Iia4! 2 Jlc8 Jld4! 3 !td8 J;:!a4! 4 .:bs
.:d4! 5 1lc8 Jldl 6 J;:!c2 @e8! 7 @c6 «a 8
.:e2+ @d8! 9 1lh2 ( D)
his rook on the h-file it would be far enough
away from the king and could draw by giving a
barrage of checks.
14 Iie8?
After 14 d6! Iig6+ 15 @e7 Jlg7+ it is clear
that the checking distance is too short: 16 @f6
Jld7 17@e6! +-.
14 ... Il.gS?
As explained above, by 14 ... !tg6+! 15 @d7
1lh6! = Black could have secured the important
h-file.
15 d6! 1lg6+ 16 @d7?
16@e7 Il.g7+ 17@f6 !th7 181le7+ +-.
16 •.. !tgl? (D)
Once again Taimanov turns down the chance
of occupying the h-file and commits his third
mistake. 16 ... !th6! =.
9 ••• J;:!cI+?
After making several 'only' moves, Taimanov
now surprisingly goes astray. It is essential
for the rook to stay behind the d-pawn. In this
respect 9 ... @e7 is logical, but 9 ... Jld3, 9 ... 11d4
and 9 ... @e8 are also OK.
10@d6!
Now White should win. But let us see what
happens now. We have only just seen the beginning
of what became a real comedy of errors.
10 ...@cS 11 Iih8+1 @b7 12 @d7 Jlc7+ 13
@e6! Jlg7 ( D)
Here, White is able to win precisely because
her rook is so well placed on the h-file, and thus
the checking distance of the black rook is shortened.
On the other hand, if Black could place
17 Jle7?
The rook was already correctly placed on the
eighth rank.
17 ... JlgS?
Once again the rook should have gone to the
h-file: 17 ... !thl! -=.
18 Jlh7
Aha!
18 .•. IifS 19 @e7 gn 20 d7
20 @e8+ @c6 21 d7 Iiel+ 22 Jle7 Jlhl 23
Jle6+! +- is simpler.
20 •• l!el+ 21 @d8 @c6
Giving up almost without a fight. After
21. .. Jle2 White would have won by building a
bridge: 22 Jlh4 .:el 23 l;tb4+ @a7 24 @c7
Jlcl+ 25 @d6 .:dl+ 26 @c6 Jlcl+ 27 @dS
l;tdl+ 2811d4 +-.

TYPICAL MISTAKES 267
22@c81-0
He did not wait to be shown 22 ... 1:!al 23
1:!h6+.
The end of this game probably took place in
horrendous time-trouble. Nevertheless, it is
clear how useful precise knowledge of the important
positions of the endgame of rook and
pawn against rook is, since this endgame is
met in practice quite frequently .
Of course a good knowledge of endgame
theory is not only essential for the defence of
inferior positions; it is also an indispensable instrument
for converting a winning position into
a point.
w
•
-
• ••
•••
••••
. . ··~
~. ·gJ-
17.02
M.Lombardi - B.Rosen
Essen 1981
1.a • • .D~
Here White threw the game away in one
move. Stop and check if you know or can work
out what is the simplest way to a clearly drawn
position.
11:!b6?
l @gl !? would have led to an elementary
drawn position. l El.g6 is the only other move to
draw; for example, 1...@f3 2 @gl ! g4 3 1:!f6+!
@g3 41:!fl! =.
l. ..@g3! 21:!b3+ @h2!
Black controls the queening square with his
king. The Karstedt manoeuvre (flank attack by
the rook) is not possible here, so Black can
slowly build a bridge.
3 1:!b4 1:!g2 4 1:!b8 g4 5 1:!h8+ @g3 6 1:!f8
El.32 7 El.f7
7 1:!g81:!al+ 8 @e2El.gl -+.
7 ...!!al+ 8 @e2 @g2 9 1:!f2+ @gl 10 1:!f8 g3
11 El.g8 g212 El.g7 El.as 13 l:!g61:!e8+ 14 @dl
!!es 15 1:!g8 @h2 161:!hS+ @g3 17 .§gs+ @h3
18 @d21:!e4 0-1
17.03
A.Yusupov - V.Kotronias
Bundesliga 19960
1 i..xd6?
This sins against the principle that you should
not rush, since the d6-pawn cannot be saved in
any case; it also allows the activation of the
black king, so that Black is now able to reach
Centurini's famous drawn position. White could
have first improved his king: I i..h4! @e8 2
@c7 .tb4 3 .tgS .tcS 4 i..d8 i..b4 5 @c8 i..c3 6
f6 i..eS 7 i..e7 i..d4 8 @c7 i..eS 9 @c6 @f7 IO
@d7 .tc3 11 @xd6 +-.
I...i..b2 2 .tg3 @f6 3 d6 @xfS 4 .th4 .tc3 5
d7 i..aS 6 @d6 @g6 7 @e7 @fS 8 'i.t>d6 ( D)
B

268 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
8 @e8 @e6 9 .i.d8 .tel 10 Ab6 Ah4 11 Ac5
it.g5 (D) is a draw, since the black king covers
e7.
17.05
V.Schilow - C.Pedersen
2nd Bundesliga 2005
Centurini's drawing fortress is based on this
principle, and it holds here, since both diagonals
are long enough.
8 •.• @g6 9 @e6 .tb6 llz.llz
Black had been winning for some time.
1 h6!?
However, he now fatally believed his opponent:
1...g6??
The position after l...gxh6 2 Xlxa2 .i.xd4 -+
is theoretically winning for Black, since White
is unable to force the exchange of rooks.
2 lha2 .txd4 3 !las+ @f7 4 h7 gc2+ 5
@hi i.h8 6 lhh8 @g7 7 Xla8@xh7 (D)
17.04
R.Kleeschatzky- W.Pajeken
Znd Bundesliga 1999100
1 b6?
As White admitted after the game, he was
worried that after something like 1 lt:if5 Ihdl+
2 We21:la.1 3 lt:ixe3 lha3 4 i.d5 he would have
problems mating with knight and bishop.
1 •. Jbd4 2 .lhd4 i.xd4 3 b7 .ta7 4 We2 g5
5 @d3 g4 6 @c4 @g7 7 @b5 @f6 8 'itrxa4 @e5
9 .tg2 @d6 10 @b5 l/z-1'2
s lla5 @h6 9 Wgl g5 10 &4 @h5 11 Xla3
@h4 12 Xlb3 g4 13 ~a3 l'lb2 11i.112
To remain true to the theme of this book, we
will not make a deep digression into the realm
of endgame theory at this point. However, to
help our readers become more sensitive to this

TYPICAL
MISTAKES
269
theme, we now provide some exercises based
on games in which one of the players missed
the transition into a drawn position of theoretical
importance. We suggest that you regard these
exercises as a little test of your knowledge of
endgame theory. We strongly recommend that
any reader who has difficulties solving these exercises
should make a thorough study of the fundamental
theoretical endings.
Exercises
(Solutions on pages 342-3)
El7.03 **/
Apparently neither player here possessed the
necessary theoretical knowledge, since the
game took the following course: 1 f6 gxf6 2
gxf6 @b2 3 f7 c3 4 rs'& c2 s ~r2 @bl 6
\Wb6+ @xa2 7 \WxaS+ @bl 8 \Wb4+ @a2 9
'&c3 @bl 1'2-1'2. In your opinion, how many of
the moves played deserve a question mark?
E17.0l /*
In view of the two connected white passed
pawns, Black resigned. Can you come
up with anything better?
El 7.02 **/
Here White threw the game away in one
move. What is the simplest way to reach a
well-known theoretically drawn position?
El 7.04 /***
Play continued as follows: 1 ••• h6 2 @n hS 3
@el @e4 4 @f2 @f4 5 @n @rs 6 @f2 @g4
7 @n @gs 8 @f2 @f4 9 @fl h4 10 @f2 @e4
11 @n ~e312@el f2+ 13@n @f3 0-1.
In your opinion, how many of the moves
played deserve a question mark?

270 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
El?.05
*/ Ell.OB r=
Can White show that he is not in zugzwang? Black faces the difficult choice as to which
way his king should go. In the game he did
not manage to make the right decision. Show
how, with a few precise moves, he could reach
a familiar theoretically drawn position.
El7.06 /**
Black can win, even though the checking
distance of the white rook is actually long
enough. Do you know the procedure?
El 7.07 /***
How could Black have saved himself here?
B) Carelessness I Loss of
Concentration
'It's a game of 90 minutes', goes the old soccer
adage and in the metaphorical sense this naturally
also applies to a game of chess. Humans
are not machines and it is obvious that towards
the end of an energy-sapping struggle you will
feel tired. It is therefore imperative that in the
final phase of the game you mobilize once again
all your reserves of energy and concentration.
There are innumerable examples in which one
of the players became tired towards the end of a
game. We urge our readers to take care, as tactical
possibilities often arise in apparently harmless
positions. Let us see what happened in the
following game (see diagram on next page).
With his dangerous passed pawn on e3, Black
is clearly winning, since White can no longer
stop the pawn. However, White's last move has
set a fiendish trap.
1 <&>d6??
l <&>d8 was necessary: 2 lb<:6+ @e8 3 l!a8+
<&>d7 4 1!xa6 1!xh2 5 tbe5+ @d8 6 <&>gl l;!.d2 7
l!a8+ <t/c7 8 l!a3 l!c2 -+.
2 l'.!d7+ <&>cS 3 l!c7+ <&>b4
3 ... <&>d4 4 l!c4+ <&>d5 5 l!xc3 +-.
4 tbd3+ 1-0

TYPICAL MISTAKES 271
gb3 .ic3 7 lt:lg6 e6 8 lt:le7+ @c4 9 X!xb2 .ixb2
10 lt:lxc6 .ixd4+ -+.
The last practical chance lay in 2 :!;if2! but
Black is winning now: 2 ... :!;id!+ 3 @e3 :!;lei+ 4
'i&f3 (4 @d3? cS S dxcS :!;I.di+ 6 @e3 :!;ihJ -+)
4 ... :!;ih I S h8~ :!;lxh8 6 lilxh8 @xd4.
2 ... b2 3 '&d8+ i.d6 4 @e3 bl~ 5 lt:lxd6
'®'cl+ 0-1
In view of 6 @f2 ~gl + 7 @e2 :!!a2+ 8 @d3
'&xd4#.
17.06
B.Gelfand - I.Sokolov
Wijk aan Zee 1996
When the superior side is close to queening a
pawn, his concentration frequently wanes (there
are further examples at the end of the chapter on
fortresses).
When there is the possibility of an enemy
pawn breakthrough you should be especially on
your guard.
B
17.08
P.Cladouras - M.Lindinger
2nd Bundesliga 2003/4
17.07
Ru.Rodriguez - B.Larsen
Riga JZ 1979
1 h7?
I El.fl! b2 2 @c2 i.c3 (2 ... gaJ 3 !lb! +-) 3
h7 Axd4 4 h8\'fl :!!xh8 S lilxh8 ©xeS 6 lt:lg6+
@d6 7 lilh4 @dS 8 lilfS es 9 li:lxd4 exd4 IO :!!f6
cs l l :!;ib6 +-.
1. .. llall
l...b2? 2@c2 +-.
2 h8'&??
2 @e2? also makes things easy for Black:
2...:l!el + 3 s&f2 :!;ih I 4 h8'& :!;lxh8 S lilxh8 b2 6
Black is winning and should not allow any
counterplay.
1 ... g5?!
Now things become complicated. A better
line was l ....td6; for example, 2 @d3 .icS 3
@e2 b6 4 @f3 gS -+.
2g4! hxg4
2 ... gxh4!? 3 gxhS h3 4 @f3 @e6 is clearly
better for Black owing to the superiority of his
long-range bishop.
3 h5 ~e4 4 h6 rs s ltlel .teS?
Black plays carelessly again. Now the knight
can win valuable tempi. Instead, with S ... .td8 6
li:ld3 @d4 7 b4 axb4 8 lilxb4 f4 9 a5 Af6 IO h7
@c4 11 lt:lc6 d4 he could have developed vital
activity.
6 lild3 .td4 7 h7 b6 8 b4 axb4?

272 How TO PUY CHESS ENDGAMES
Now the second breakthrough
of the game
decides the issue. After 8 .. .f4 9 bxa5 f3+ 10
@d2 bxa5 11 lt:ic5+ @f5 12 lt:ib3 i.e5 only
Black would have winning chances.
9 a5 bxa5 10 lt:Jc5+ i.xc5 11 hS'ifY f4 12
°&h7+ @d4 13 'i1Ud3+ lt>eS 14 ~g6 f3+ 15@d3
i.xf216 'i/Uxg5+ \t>d6 17 \Wxg4 i.cS 18 'i1Hxf3
lt>c6 19 'i/Uf7 i.b6 20 \Wes+ \t>cS 21 \Wd7 d4 22
'i/Uxd4+ 1-0
In the following example Lautier treats the
looming dangers too lightly and acts with insufficient
resolve. If you have pawn weaknesses, it
is often a good idea to become active, to try to
get rid of them.
exchange all the pawns on one wing if possible,
just as in the present case.
5 ©e2!:1.e8?!
5 ... cxb3 6 axb3 a5 was once again indicated.
6!:l.d4!
Here the rook not only blockades the d-pawn
but can also operate rapidly on either wing.
Now Black is no longer able to shed the weakness
at a7.
6 ... @g7 7@d2 cxb3 8 axb3 (D)
B
17.09
S.Rublevsky - J.Lautier
Poikovsky 2004
The position should be drawn of course, but
Black cannot afford to be careless.
l@gl
First Rublevsky brings his king closer to the
centre and simultaneously eliminates any backrank
mate ideas.
1. ..!tfS 2 @f2 liae8 3 lt:ie3
Now he starts to play against d5.
3 ..,gxn+ 4 \t>xf3 ID"S+?!
A mistake, which just drives the white king
where he wanted to go anyway. Instead, Black
should have tried to exchange as many pawns
as possible: 4 ... cxb3 5 axb3 a5 6 lt:ixd5 lt:ixd5 7
!:l.xd5 !:l.b8 8 !:i.d3 gb4, followed by ... a4, would
have led to a drawn rook ending (Postny in
CBM). In general the defender should strive to
8 ... hS?
White is glad to see this, since the pawn is
weaker here than on h7 and White can also, as
necessary, exchange it much more easily. Black
definitely had to chance 8 ... a5 here.
9@d3!
With the powerful threat of lt:ixd5. Theimmediate
9 lt:ixd5?? would fail to 9 ... I:!.d8 -+.
9 ... I:l.e510 ID"4 I:l.e8 ll @d4
There are a lot of comings and goings on the
blockading square, which highlights one of the
main disadvantages of the isolated pawn: the
square in front of it is weak and can be used by
the opponent at will.
11 ...\t>g612 b4
Making it hard for Black to shed the weak
a7-pawn.
12 .•. gb813M!
Confining the black king. The backward g2-
pawn is not really weak, since White can exchange
it at any moment.
13 I:l.eS 14 lt:ixd5 lt'ixd5
l4 !:l.d8 15 ~f6+ lt>g7 16 !:l.f5 +-.
15 \t>xd5 !:l.e2 16 g4

TYPICAL MISTAKES
273
There is still enough material left for White
to win, since the black king cannot come to the
queenside at the right moment.
16 ... hxg4 17 :llxg4+ @h5 18 :llc4 :llb2 19
Wc6:llbl 20<it>b71-0
Lautier laid down his arms in view of20 ... a5
(20 ... :lla! 21 :llc5+ @xh4 22 :lla5 !lb! 23 b5
+-) 21 :llc5+ <Bxh4 22 b5 a4 23 b6 a3 24 :lla5
:llb3 25 @37 +-.
Exercises
(Solutions on page 343)
C) Playing to the Gallery
This phenomenon crops up time and again, especially
in superior positions. In impatient expectation
of the opponent's resignation, the
player with the advantage is no longer content
just with the full point in the score table, but
wants to win in style. In chess this all-too-human
trait can prove fatal. The following position
is an easy win, as the black rook is doomed.
B
El 7.09 **/
White played 1 Wh4 here.
What do you think about that?
17.10
Sharkov - Koshelev
con: 1973
Black will have to fulfil his obligation to
move and so 1 b4! d4 2 lbc4+ would have easily
won.
Instead White played i lbc4+? dxc4 2 b4 ( D ).
El7.10 /**
Black is very close to a draw, since the a7-
pawn is hopelessly weak. He now prepared
the decisive attack on this pawn with l...h6.
Was this a good choice?
Now Black escaped with 2 ... .l:ld4 =.

274 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Exercises (Solutions on pages 343-4)
B
El7.11 */
White played l @d5. to counter I .. .:!!gs+
with 2 e5+. Was that clever or not?
17.11
M.Blumich - S.Tarrasch
Breslau 1925
resigned. Do you see the flaw in Tarrasch's
analysis?
1 ... a3 2 llg3 !ta4 3 h7 a2 4 llgl llg4+!!
Tarrasch overlooked this move in his calculations.
reckoning instead on 4 ... llh4? 5 h8\W
l;txh8 6 ~8 @b5 7 llal +-.
5 X:txg4 al'&+
White cannot avoid the perpetual check.
Exercises
(Solutions on page 344)
El7.12 /***
Black played I ... '1Yfr'f4, planning to put his
queen on b8. What do you think of this idea?
D) Premature Resignation
Resign only if you are absolutely sure that your
position is hopelessly lost. If there is any room
for doubt, it can do no harm to make a few more
moves, which is exactly what did not happen in
the following examples.
In the following diagram, Black worked out
the variation 1...a3 2 Xlg3 l;ta4 3 h7 a2 4 l;tgl
al'&+ 5 Iha! l;txal 6 h8'& and therefore he
E17.13 **/
Here White calculated the variation l ~fS
@xc4 2 @xf6 "1?b3 3 @gS @xa3 4 @xhS @b3
5 @g6 a4 6 h4 a3 7 hS a2 8 h6 al'& -+ and
therefore resigned. W at did he overlook?

TYPICAL MISTAKES 275
after which his opponent simply resigned in a
position that was in fact still tenable. This phenomenon
is caused by trusting the opponent's
calculations, combined with a kind of state of
shock following an unexpected move, as in the
following example:
B
El7.14 /**
Black worked out l...@d3 2 4.'lxe4 b3 3 4.'lc5+
@e2 4 @g3 b2 5 4.'la4 b I Viii 6 4.'lc3+ and
therefore resigned. Where is the flaw
in his calculation?
17.12
R.Tischbierek- M.Wahls
German Ch (Bremen) 1998
El7.15 **/
White saw that after 1@d6@c82 .!kl+
@b7 3 I:ibl + @a6 4 @c6 g;a5 5 @c5 @a4 6
@c4 @a3 7 <;t>c3 @a2 he runs out of mate
threats, so he resigned. But if he had pursued
this variation further, he would surely have
spotted that there is in fact a way to reach a
draw. Can you see the possible way out from
the diagram position?
DI) Trusting the Opponent I Shock
after an Unexpected Move
Perusing our database, we have found a great
many examples in which one player made a
surprising, impressive-looking tactical move,
Here a possible continuation for Black would
be I ... I:ixb2 2 I:ixb2 .bb2 3 @fl il.f6 with
equality. But Black decided on a surprising
move:
1. .• il.c3!? 0-1
... and it worked, since his opponent resigned
on the spot! Instead of this, 2 I:ic2! .l;{xb2 3
il.d4+ <;t>g8 4 I:ixb2 il.xa5 would have held the
position.
E} Passivity
Defend actively! This applies especially in rook
endings.
In the following diagram Black appears to be
in great difficulties. While his king must prevent
infiltration by the opposing king, his rook
is limited at the moment to the dreary task of
guarding the e6-pawn.
1. .. I:ie8?
Apparently he believes that his position is impregnable
and he dreams of succeeding through
purely passive defence, but unfortunately (or
perhaps thank goodness?!) not all dreams come

276 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
B
B
17.13
J.Dueball - M.Hoffmann
Bundesliga 1985/6
true. However, if Black had also considered his
active possibilities, he would surely have seen
the following solution. For a successful defence
it was imperative for Black to activate the rook.
With the pawn sacrifice l...f4! 2 l::[f6 f3 3 l::[xf3
Black could have gained enough time to activate
his rook sufficiently: 3 .. ,l::[h7 (the stalemate
trick 3 ... l::[f7? unfortunately fails to 4 gf6
+-) 4 l::[d3 (4 'fl.f4 l::[hl =) 4 ...'fl.h4+ 5 l::[d4
l::[xd4+ 6 Wxd4 = and the pawn ending is not
winning for White.
21::[f6'fl.e7?
Again Black should have tried to activate his
rook, by 2... Wd7 3 l::[f7 + (3 Wb5 'fl.b8+ 4 Wxa5
@c6) 3 ... @c6 4 l::[a7 f4 5 'fl.a6+ Wb7 6 'fl.b6+
Wc7 7Wd3 ±.
However, 2 ...f4? no longer works, since after
3 l::[xf4 l::[h8 4 'fl.d4 +- Black is short of the
tempo which he wasted on the first move.
3 l::[f8 l::[g7 4 l::[c8+
4 l::[a8?? l::[g4+ 5 Wd3 Wd5 +.
4 ••• Wb7
Or: 4...Wd7 5 l::[a8 +-; 4 ... 1::[c? 5 l::[e8 @d7 6
'fl.a8+-.
5 'fl.e8 l::[g3 6 l::[xe6 l::[c3+ 7 @b5 'flxb3 8 c6+
Wc7 9 l::[e7+ 1-0
Also in the following example Black must
become active:
1 •.. l::[e7?
l...'i.t>eS! 2 llxb7 l::[cJ+ 3 Wd3 l::[xc5 4 'fl.xg7
'fl.xa5 = (Tsesarsky in CBM).
B
17.14
P.Nikolic - M.Narciso Dublan
Ohrid Ech 2001
2 'fl.b6+ @fS 3 c6 bxc6 4 'fl.xa6 'fl.es 5 @b4
llbS+ 6 Wa4 'fl.cs 7 ~7 'i.t>f6 8 a6 hS
8...'fl.c2 9 'i.t>a5 +-.
9 'fl.b7 ~4+ 10 'fl.b4 'fl.cl 11 was 'fl.al+ 12
~4 'fl.el 13 a7 'fl.e814 Wb6 WgS 15 a8~ 'fl.xa8
16 'fl.xa8 Wh417 ~31-0
F) Inappropriate Activity
Sometimes, however, you must just hold firm,
as any action only weakens your own position.
17.15
S.Dolmatov - M.Makarov
Russian Ch (Elista) 2001
Black is securely entrenched and should simply
wait, since White cannot attack any easy

TYPICAL
MISTAKES
277
targets and also there is no question of a race.
Only if, for example, the white king makes his
way to the distant queenside should Black then
become active on the kingside.
1 .•• e4?
"This is a typical psychological mistake.
Black loses patience and would like to show
that he too can play actively. But this move
only helps his opponent." (Ribli in CBM). After
1...@g5!? it is not clear how White should
make progress, since after 2 llg8+ @f4 3 l.;1h8
@g5 4 f4+ @xf4 5 l.;1xh4+ @g5 6 l.;1h8 @g4
Black could finally advance his pawns.
2 fxe4 fxe4 3 l.;1g8 Ad4?
3 ... Ab6 was necessary.
4 h3 wrs s l.;1d8?
5 l.;1g4 Af6 6 @e3 Ag5+ 7 @d4 Af6+ 8 @d5
e3 9 l.;1e4 iL.g5 10@d4 +-.
s AeS?
5 Ac5 6 !lg8 Ab6!, with the idea of7 l.;1g4
iL.d8 8 @e3 Ab6+, would still have allowed resistance.
6 l.;tfs+ Ar6 7 @e3 @e6
7 ... @e5 8 !!e8+ +-.
8 @xe4 Ac3 9 l.;1a8 iL.b4
9 ... Ab2 10 l.;1a6 @e7 11 @d5 +-.
10 l.;1h8 Ael 11 l.;1h6+ 1-0
G) Don't Play on the Wing
where Your Opponent
has the Advantage
Normally it is not advantageous to become active
on the wing where the opponent is superior.
This usually just creates fresh weaknesses or
points of attack.
In the following diagram, Black is well entrenched
on the light squares and should have
simply continued in that vein.
1 ... gS?
1...00 2 @f3 f5 3 !le5 g6 and it is not clear
how White should storm the black ramparts.
2llhl
Now White profits enormously from his
passed pawns on the kingside.
2...lt)fs 3 h5 lb.d6 4 @f3 @e6 s g4 lb.c4 6
l.;tel+ @f7 7 l.;1e2 l.;1d8 8 Ael l'.!ds 9 Ag3 l.;1d7
B
17.16
R.Kholmov- G.Kasparov
Daugavpils 1978
10 @e4 :te7+ 11 @d3 l.;1d7 12 h6 !!d8 13 h7
l.;1h8 14 l.;1h2 We7
14 ... @g6 15 d5 cxd5 16 Wd4 +-.
15 dS!
Decisively opening the way for the white
king.
15 cxdS 16 @d4@f7 17 Ac7 @e6
17 @g6 18 l.;1h3 l.;1xh7 19 l.;1xh7 @xh7 20
@xd5 +-.
18 l.;1h6 @e7 19 WxdS lb.e3+ 20 @c6 lb.xg4
21 l.;ths <'t:le3 22 Ab6 lb.rs 23 Acs+ @e6 24
@b7 @d7 25 @b6 lb.d6 26 l.;1h6 lb.e4 27 Ad4
g4 28 Axf6 lb.xf6 29 l.;1xf6 l.;1xh7 30 llg6 l.;1e7
31 l.;1xg4 l.;1e6+ 32 @b7 @e7 33 l.;1g5 l.;1d6 34
l.;tcS i-e
H) Unnecessarily Giving up
Material
Be extremely careful about giving back material.
In particular, you must be completely sure
of what you are doing when you simplify all the
way down to a pawn ending.
In the diagram on the following page, Black
should win, and by manoeuvring against the
white defences he would surely have garnered
the full point.
1. .. l.;txbS?
Areshchenko had probably seen that, owing
to his protected passed pawn, he would win the
white f-pawn. But he had failed to see that

278 How TO PLA y CHESS ENDGAMES
@d3 @e5 10 @c3 @d5 11 @b3 @c5 12 @a4
@c4 13 @a3 @xb5 -+ ).
7 @dS @h8 8 @d4 @g8 9 @e4 @f8 10 @d4
@f7 11 @dS @g7 12 @eS @h6 13 @d4 @h7
14 'iti'dS @g8 IS <Be4 @f816@d4@f717@d5
@f6 18 @d4 @gS 19 @es 112.112
I} Greed
17.17
A.Shirov - A.Areshchenko
Foros 2006
White can hold the draw by taking the opposition.
In any event it was simpler not to give
back the exchange but to activate the king instead;
for example, l...@e7 2 .i.c6 @d6 3 .i.e8
II.bl 4 .i.b5 @d5 5 f5 l!b3+ 6 i.d3 @e5 7 @d2
l:i:b4 8 i.c2 b5 9 axb5 a4 10 'it>c3 a3 11 @xb4
(11 .i.b3 !i:xb5 12 .i.e6 Il.b2 13 i.d7 !i:h2 14
.i.e6 a2 -+) l 1...a2-+.
2 axbS @fS 3 @d3 'it>xf4 4 @d4
Opposition.
4 ••• @gS S@eS <Bh6 (D)
How easy it is to make a mistake like this: you
spot a neat combination that gains material
and you play it almost without thinking. But in
the endgame too it is important to assess the
resulting position accurately. In particular, you
should never underestimate an active rook or a
dangerous passed pawn.
17.18
G.Antal - A.Goloshchapov
Miskolc 2004
6@d4
Virtual opposition.
6 •.. @h7
6 ... @g6 is met by 7@e4! = with diagonal opposition
(7@c4? is mistaken, since White cannot
go to the c5-square: 7 ... @g5 8 @c3 @f5 9
I I!.xc8?
This wins material alright, but with the disappearance
of the white rook the passed a-pawn
will increase enormously in value. Instead of
this, the knights should initiate the following
combination: 1 lbf4+ @f6 (l...@g5? 2 lbed5
+-) 2 lbed5+ @e5 3 lbd3+ @xd5 4 lbxb2 =
(Ribli in CBM).
l .. Axc8 2 lbe7+ @gS 3 lbxc8 f4 4 lbc4
!i:xc2 S lb8b6 @fS 6 g3 l!a2 7 gxf 4 @xf4 8
lbd5+@g4 9 lbc3 .§al+
9 ... I!.c2?? 10 lbe3+ +-.
10 @g2 II.cl 11 lbe3+ @114 12 lbe4 as 13
@f3?!

TYPICAL MISTAKES 279
13 itJd6 a4 14 itJb5 !(bl 15 lba3 I(b2+ 16
ltJec2@g4 l7 @gl @h3 18 @hl h5 also wins
for Black.
13 ••• a4 14 ltJg2+ ?! ©h3 15 itJf2+ @xh2 16
ltJg4+ @gl 17 ltJf4 !tfl+ 18 ©g3 I(xf4! 19
@xf4 a3 20 lZ:le3 a2 21 itJc2 M2 22 @e4 hS 23
ltJal h4 0-1
Driving the king offside.
2 •.• @aS 3 @e4 @a6 4 d4 ©a7 5 I(b2 !(el+ 6
@fS I(eS 7 dS I(b8 8 I(xb8 @xb8 9 @e6 @c7
IO rj;e7 l-O
Sometimes even several extra pawns are not
sufficient to win.
In rook endings in particular, activity is often
more important than a pawn.
17.19
K.Badev-A.Bozov
Sunny Beach 2006
It is imperative for Black to activate his rook.
1 ... ©xb4?
1...I(hl is correct since from the south-east
comer the rook can give checks on the kingside
and the first rank: 2 I(b8+ @c6 3 @c4 .l:lc I+ 4
@d4 .l:lh l and White does not get through.
2I(b8+ (D)
17.20
B.Damljanovic- E.Rozentalis
Gothenburg Echt 2005
1.l:lg8?
Damljanovic underestimates the counterplay
resulting from Black's passed c-pawn. Now the
game should be drawn. However, after the positional
I I(d2 I(xc4 2 ~a2 +- White's extra
pawn should sooner or later prevail.
l ••• I(xc4 2 !!xg7 I(xa4 3 I(xh7 c4 4 I(M
@d6 5 m4 @cS (D)
6 I(xf7

280 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
6 h4 ~a7 7 @fl (7 @f3 @b4 8 h5 @b3 9 h6
c3 10 h7 ~a8 11 ~xf7 c2 12 ~b7+ @a2 13 ~c7
@bl !4g4~h8=)7 ... @b48h5@b39h6c310
h7 ~a8 11 l:txf7 c2 =.
6 ... c3 7 ~c7+ @b4 8 h4 @b3 9 hS c2 10 h6
~6 11 f4 ~xh6 12 e4 ~7 13 ~c5 ~d7 14 eS
~d3 15 e6 ~e3 16 fS (D)
17.21
A.Yusupov - J.Timman
Linares Ct (7) 1992
16 ... nes
l 6...~c3 17 nxc3+ @xc3 18 e7 c I'& 19 e8°@'
°@'c2+ is also a draw but in practice a more complicated
one.
17 ~xc2
17 nxe5 cl Vi¥ 18 @h3 (18 em \'¥/b2+ -+)
18 ... '&fl+ 19@g4 '&d3 =.
17 ... @xc2 18 g4 @d3 19 @f3 @d4 20 @f4
~e4+ 21 @gS @dS 22 'i&f6 ~xg4 23 e7 ~e4 24
@f7 @d6! 25 e8Wfr' nxe8 26 @xe8 @es 27 f6
@xf6 lf2_1'2
from any defensive duties, after which the win
is only a matter of time.
1 ... ~aS 2 @e3 eS 3 @e4
3 fxe5+@xe5 4@d3 @d5 5 @c3 @c6 6 @b4
~e5 = (Yusupov).
3 ... exf4 4 @xf4 @e6 5 @e4 gS 6 hxgS ~xgS
7 @f3 ~as 8 net+ @f5 9 ~e4 ncs 10 ~e3 ~s
11 ~a3 @eS 12 @e3 @e6 13 @e2 @d6 ( D)
13 ... h4? would be premature (typical mistake:
unnecessarily giving up material): 14
gxh4 ~h5 15 ~e3+ 'i&d5 16 ~h3 +-.
J) Following Rules of
Thumb Too Mechanically
Tarrasch's old rule of thumb, that a rook belongs
behind a passed pawn, whether your own
or the opponent's, is surely one of the most
helpful of its type. But actually there are many
exceptions (see following diagram).
1 nal?
After 1 ne4! the white rook has everything
under control, so that the white king is released
14 @f2 @e6 15 fie3+ @dS 16 ~3 @e6 17
@e3h418g4@f619@f4@g620@f3@g521
~a2h31/z-1'2

18 Rules of Thumb
The most implacable rules in chess are- the exceptions.
SAVIELLY TARTAKOWER
In this book we have repeatedly emphasized
important principles and rules for your general
guidance. For a better assimilation and as a motivating
summary of what you have learnt from
studying this book, we would now like to bring
all these separate rules of thumb together here.
If you are familiar with all these rules, and
know where and how to apply them, then we
congratulate you on already being a pretty
strong player. If you are uncertain about any of
these rules, however, then please refer once
more to the appropriate chapter and study the
relevant examples.
There is a saying that every rule has its exception
and obviously this also applies to chess.
We advise you therefore that these rules should
be treated only as broad guidelines, which are
admittedly helpful in the vast majority of cases,
but please bear in mind that even the best rule is
worthless without a corresponding calculation
of the variations.
A) 20 Golden Rules of the
Endgame
1) An endgame is not a middlegame,
2) Activate your king.
3) Fight to the death.
4) Do not rush (unless you're in a race).
5) Normally each exchange benefits just
one of the players.
6) If you are material up you should exchange
pieces; if you are material down exchange
pawns.
7) If you have the advantage, you should
retain pawns on both wings.
8) Passed pawns must be pushed.
9) Passed pawns should be blockaded by
the king or by a knight.
IO) The rook is very strong on the counterattack.
However, it is not a good blockader of
enemy passed pawns.
11) Rooks belong behind passed pawns,
your own or the enemy's.
12) Pure opposite-coloured bishop endings
have an extremely strong drawing tendency.
13) Rook endings also have a considerable
drawing tendency. If you are in a worse position
therefore think very carefully before you exchange
the last rook.
14) Isolated and doubled pawns are weak
and should generally be avoided.
15) The bishop-pair is a powerful weapon.
16) In the endgame each mistake can be the
last; therefore the value of each move is very
high.
17) If you have no pawns left, you generally
need to be at least a rook up to be able to win.
18) Wing pawns are often more valuable than
centre pawns, since they can divert the opponent
more. Rook's pawns are often especially
dangerous against a knight; in other endgames
they are usually less valuable.
19) Memorize the draw with bishop and
wrong rook's pawn.
20) Study your opponent's moves carefully.
Ask yourself what he is threatening or planning,
and think prophylactically,
B) Rules of Thumb
I) Always improve the position of your
worst-placed piece.
2) Always try to limit the activity of the enemy
pieces.
3) Improve especially the position of your
strongest piece (in the following order of priority:
queen> rook> king> minor piece).

282 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
4) The fewer pieces there are remaining on
the board, the more important is the position of
the king.
5) The more pieces there are remaining on
the board, the more insecure is an exposed king.
6) Not all routes of the king to a certain
goal are equivalent. Don't forget the ideas of
the bodycheck and the Reti manoeuvre.
7) Rook endings occur in practice with
great frequency. Study them precisely.
8) Fight for the initiative.
9) If you make material or structural concessions
in the fight for the initiative, then make
sure that your initiative is lasting and sustainable.
IO) Opposite-coloured bishops favour the
side with the initiative.
11) In endgames with knights, the initiative
and control often play very important roles.
12) If your advantages are of a dynamic nature
and threaten to disappear in the near future,
then you should play actively and concretely and
not flinch from sacrificing material, ifnecessary.
Naturally this applies in the middlegarne even
more strongly than in the endgame.
13) A weakness is a pawn or a square that
can no longer be protected by a friendly pawn.
Often a weakness does not occur in isolation
but as part of a whole weak colour-complex.
14) A weakness is only real if it can be exploited.
15) The enemy pieces guarding a weakness
must be exchanged.
16) The principle of the second weakness is
of great importance.
17) When attacking, always look for possibilities
to open a second front or to create an additional
weakness.
18) If you have many static weaknesses in
your own camp, you should generally not play
purely passively but should instead strive for the
initiative, to keep the opponent occupied, so that
he can't calmly lay siege to your weaknesses.
19) In the endgame, a wrong exchange is often
impossible to put right.
20) With exchanges, what matters is what
stays on the board and not what disappears.
21) With an exchange into a pawn ending,
the pawn ending must be calculated to the end.
22) The queen is particularly strong if it has
many targets to attack and if the enemy king is
insecure. Static positions in which everything is
protected do not suit the queen.
23) The most important criterion for the exchange
of queens is generally the situation of
the kings.
24) If you are promoting a pawn into a
queen, be especially alert. The promotion of a
pawn is often a critical moment at which mistakes
occur.
25) If both sides queen simultaneously,
then the side that can give the first check often
wins.
26) Don't play on the wing where the opponent
is stronger.
27) If your opponent is in a static position
without counterplay, then strengthen your position
as much as possible before striking the decisive
blow.
28) If you have enough time, take advantage
of every possibility of improving your position,
even if you cannot yet work out any concrete
benefits from doing so.
29) Think schematically and consider how
to achieve your target positions and dream positions.
30) With a repetition of moves you can show
who is boss.
31) Pawns cannot move backwards. Think
carefully about each pawn move.
32) Passed pawns must be pushed.
33) In a race between passed pawns, what
counts is not the quantity but the quality of the
passed pawns.
34) Connected passed pawns are very powerful.
If they have reached the sixth rank, a rook
alone cannot stop them.
35) If the king can support a passed pawn,
this is generally an advantage.
36) A queenside pawn-majority is favourable
for creating an outside passed pawn. A
kingside pawn-majority is an advantage in the
attack on the king.
37) The more pawns there are remaining
on the board, the more potential breakthrough
ideas there are too.
38) Knight endings are like pawn endings
(Botvinnik's rule).

RULES OF THUMB
283
39) In bishop endings, take into consideration
the principle of one diagonal.
40) Capablanca's rule for same-coloured
bishop endings says that you should place your
pawns on squares of the colour not controlled
by the bishop. In that way they complement
each other and the pawns cannot be attacked by
the enemy bishop. However, under favourable
conditions, the reverse can also be correct: by
setting up a solid pawn-formation on the colour
of the enemy bishop, you can sometimes reduce
it to complete passivity.
41) Queen and knight are a better attacking
pair than queen and bishop (Capablanca's theorem).
42) Rook and bishop work together better
than rook and knight (Fischer's endgame).
43) If you have the bishop-pair, try to gain
control and then open the position on your
terms,
44) One advantage of the bishop-pair lies in
the fact that you have better possibilities of exchanging.
45) Sometimes two bishops are so strong
that they compensate for a rook and a knight.
46) Zugzwang represents a powerful endgame
weapon.
4 7) Triangulation manoeuvres and spare
moves are the main weapons for winning a
zugzwang duel.
48) Stalemate is an important theme in defence.
Always keep it in mind. Don't be too
proud to set your opponent a last stalemate trap.
It can be well worthwhile.
49) Always remember that mating patterns
can also appear in the endgame.
50) Two rooks on the seventh rank are very
powerful. If they are assisted by the king or a
pawn on the sixth rank, they are generally decisive.
51) If you find yourself on the defensive, always
believe that your inferior position can still
be defended.
52) Setting up an impregnable fortress is an
important defensive idea. When appropriate,
try to think about fortress ideas.
53) Passive positions hold the seed of defeat.
54) Defend actively.
55) Study thoroughly the theoretical endings
that are most relevant to actual practice.
56) Stay alert right to the end.
57) The important thing is to win, not lo win
prettily.
58) Don't resign because of variations that
you've worked out in your head; always make
another couple of moves.
59) Don't give up material without good
reason.
60) Moments when the character of a position
substantially alters are critical moments at
which mistakes frequently happen. This applies
to the moment when an endgame arises.
61) Make only those concessions to your
opponent that are absolutely unavoidable.
62) You should never give way to panic and
must always believe that there is a way out. If
you sin against this rule, then all the other rules
and principles will not help you in the slightest.
63) No rule can substitute for concrete calculation
- all 'rules' have exceptions. The calculation
of variations in the endgame is at least
as important as in the middlegame.
64) The art lies in finding the exceptions,
but you are already a very strong player if you
know the principles and understand where and
how they are to be applied.

Solutions to the Exercises
Chapter 1
El.01
H.Aloni
Shahmat, 1963
As the slowest unit, the king has absolute
priority.
1 @f7!@g42 @e6 hS 3@e5 h4 4@d4! h3
Or:
a) 4 ...@f45 ID16Wg3 6@e3 f4+ 7@e2 +-.
b) 4 ...f4 5 @e4 f3 (5... @g3 6 ~g6+ @f2 7
@xf4 h3 8 ~a6 h2 9 ~a2+ @gl 10@g3 +-) 6
@e3(6 ~f3? h3 =) 6 ... h3 7 @f2.
S @e3 h2 6 ~g6+ @h3 7 Wf2 hllZ:i+ 8@f3
@h2 9 ~g2+ @h3 10 ~gs @h2
10 ... 'it>M ll ggl +-.
11 I!.xfS lllg3 12 ID'8 lZ:ifl 13 @f2 +-
El.02
V.Kovacevic- D.Rajkovic
Yugoslavia 1983
It is essentially a question of the activity of
the kings.
J ••.f4!!
Therefore this move is relatively easy to understand.
However, the game went l...gxh4? 2
gxh4 and Black resigned in view of 2 ... ~a8 3
~c7 ~xa3 4 ~d7+@c4 5 ~d6 b5 6 l;!xe6 ~al 7
:!;{c6+ @d3 8 d5 +-. l...g4+? is also hopeless
because of 2 @f4 followed by infiltration of the
kingside.
2gxf4
Or:
a) 2 exf4 @xd43 !ib3 g4+ 4 @e2 b5 gives
Black compensation.
b) 2 hxg5 fxe3 3 @xe3 £lg7 4 ~b3 ~xg5 5
~b6 l;!xg3+ 6 @f2 ~xa3 =.
2 ... g4+ 3 @g2@e4
Black has compensation; his king - in the
starting position apparently in terrible distresshas
been converted into an active piece.
El.03
V.Kozlovskaya - J.Carvajal
Rio de Janeiro worn IZ 1979
l. .. ~xa3??
This is too greedy. It was necessary for the
king to get involved in the struggle against the
passed pawns: l...~c2! 2 c6 @e7! 3 ~xe5+
@d6!=t.
2~cl!
Now the white rook assists its passed pawns
in the ideal manner.
2 •..@e8 3 c6 @d8 4 c7+ @c8 S d6 ~d3 6
£lc61-0
El.04
M.Narciso Dublan - LI.Andersson
Pamplona 200112
I Ad2?
Played too superficially. White must immediately
mobilize all his forces. After 1 £!el ! the
drawbacks of the active king are also evident:
l...@c6 (J. . .f6? 2 fxe5 fxe5 3 Af2 Wd6 4 Ag3
+-) 2 Ad2 lZ:ixf4 3 .bf4 exf4 4 ~e4 ± (Ribli).
l. . .f6 2 ~el @d6
Black has counterplay. "Steinitz would have
been pleased - he said 'The king is a strong
piece!'" (Ribli in CBM).
3 fxe5+ fxeS 4 @b2 ~hb8+ S ~b3 lZ:ib6! 6
@cl lZ:ic4 7 ~b8?
Now the initiative goes completely over to
Black. After 7 Ab4+ @d5 8 g4 the situation is
dynamically equal.
7 ... ~xb8 8 Ab4+ @d5 9 ~e2 e4 10 g4 e3 11
~@e4
The king follows his pawn, which thus acquires
great power.
12 @dl £lc8 13 ~g3
13 @e2 lZ:ie5 14@fl (14@dl @f3 15 ~g3+
@f216Ael+@fl 17 Ab4~b8+-) 14 ... d3 l5
cxd3+ lZ:ixd3 16 .lla2@f3 -+.
13 ... lZ:ib2+14@cl lZ:id3+ lS@dl lZ\f2+0-l

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
285
El.OS
E.Bareev - J.Lautier
Wijk aan Zee 2002
It is essential to nail the white king to the
edge of the board.
l ••• e3+?
This is thus incorrect.
a) I ... !ib4? is also bad: 2 a5 ! !ixb5 3 a6 !ib8
4 a? !if8 5 nb7 +- is a typical win because of
the absolute control the seventh rank.
b) Black should choose l...!ib2+! 2 Wei (2
@gl bib!+ 3 @h2 e3 and White cannot make
progress) 2 ... e3 3 !ie4 (3 a5 !ixb5 4 a6 !ibl+ 5
@e2 !ib2+ 6 @dl bib!+ =) 3 ... g5 4 h4 h6
(Stohl) and Black's activity ensures him the
draw.
2@f3
The contrast in the activity of the kings
speaks volumes.
2 ••.@f8
2 ...!ib4 3 a5 +-.
3~e5@f7
3 ... l!a3 4 !ie4! g5 5 nb4 !ia2 6 b6 !if2+ 7
@g4 e2 8 b7 +- (Stohl in CBM) and the black
king will not survive the attack of the major
pieces.
4 Wxf4 !ib4+ 5 @xe3!ixa4 6 !ie4 na3+ 7
@d4 na2 8 g4 !ih2 9 !ie3 !ib2 l0 @c5@f6 ll
b6 @gS 12 !ic3 1-0
El.06
J.Barle - S.Shipov
Ljubljana 1992
We hope you didn't grab the f3-pawn too
soon.
1...!ibl+!
First the white king must be forced away
from the short side of the pawn, so that he impedes
his own rook from giving check. Premature
are both 1...!ixf3+? 2 @gl 1lb3 3 !ig2+
@f3 4 !if2+ We3 5 @g2 @e4 6 !ie2+ !ie3 7
@f2 = and 1 ... @xf3? 2 fil2+ =.
2@e2@g2!
2 ... !ihl? 3 !ia8 !ih2+ 4@fl @xf35 na3+ =.
3!ia3
3 !ic2 !ib3 4 ncs !ib2+ 5 @el @xf3 6 !if8
!ibl + 7 @d2!ifl -+ and Black will reach the
Lucena position.
3 ...!ib8 4 !ic3 !ie8+ S @dl ~2 0-1
Faced with the fatal threat of ... !ie3, White
laid down his arms.
El.07
F.Bogatyrchuk - I.Mazel
USSR Ch (Moscow) 1931
The game continued:
1 nxh7??
By I nM+ White would have given his king
access to f3 and thus easily held the draw.
l...@d3 2 !ixh7 1lc2+ 3 @f3!ixa2 4 g4 fxg4+ 5
hxg4 c3 6 !ld7+ @c2 7 g5 !ia6 8 !ic7 @d2 9
@f4 c2 IO@f5 cl\W 11 !ixcl @xcl 12 g6 =.
l •••!ic2+ 2 @el !ixa2 3 !ie7+ @d3 4 !id7+
@c2 S ndS c3 6 !ixfS @bl 7 !ifl !ih2 0-1
El.OS
B
Fedorov - Chernikov
Krasnodar 1974
1 ltlg4!
The game continued schematically 1 @f2?,
after which Black began to exchange the active
white pieces by l...lbc6. After 2 lbxc6 bxc6 3
!icl White admittedly won a pawn but allowed
Black to activate his rook. After a protracted
struggle and a few more inaccuracies by White,
Black finally achieved a draw.
1 lbc6 2 !in! lbd8
2 g5!? is no help either. 3 b4 a6 (after
3 ... lbxb4? White mates in six moves: 4 lbxe6+
@g6 5 lbe5+ @h5 6 g4+ @h4 7 @h2 !if8 8
!ixf8 .ixf8 9lbf3#) 4 a4@g6(4 ... b5 5 a5 +-) 5
b5 axb5 6 axb5 lbd8 7 lbes+ @g7 8 g4 xrs 9
!idl @g8 IO lbd7 nf3 11 na1 !ixe3 12 na8 +-.
3h4!(D)

286 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
White is completely winning. Whereas Black
is condemned to complete passivity, after 4 ~f2
White brings his king to the queenside and wins
easily.
El.09
K.Lerner - I.Dorfman
Tashkent 1980
lru'2!!
Surprisingly this is the only winning move,
since it is essential to avoid a bodycheck.
a) l Wb7? 'i&f6 2 @c6 $'e5 ! ! (bodycheck) 3
1!g2 Wf4 4 <i;ds g4 s 1!f2+ $>e3! 6 1!a2 g3 7
We5 @f3 8 1!a3+ @f2 9 Wf4 g2 10 !Xa2+ @gl
11 $>g3Whl =.
b) 1 !Xa2? @g6! (l...Wh6? 2 Wb7 Wh5 3
$>c6 $>g4 4 @ds <i;f 4 s Wd4 $>f3 6 We5 g4 7
l;!a3+ +-; L..<j;f6? 2 1!a5 +-) 2 l:Ia5 $'h5 3
$>b1(D).
El.11
A.Stefanova - Zhu Chen
Jakarta 2004
No, Black can draw.
1..Jk3+?
l ... 1!f7? is also bad: 2 1!xf6+ 1!xf6+ 3 exf6
wxf6 4 Wf4 +-.
The correct way is l...Wf5! 2 exf6 (21!xf6+
Wxe5 3 1!h6 l:If7+ 4 Wg2 1!f5 also leads to a
draw) 2 ... 1!c3+ 3 $'f21!c2+ (3 ... $>g6 is equally
playable) 4@e31!c3+ 5 $'d41!c7 6 $'d51!d7+
7 $'c61!a7 =,
2 <j;f21!c2+ 3 $'f31!c3+ 4 $'f21!c2+ 5 $'el
<j;f5 6 exf6? (DJ
6 1!xf6+ $'xe5 7 1!h6 +-.
Now a bodycheckrescues Black: 3 ... $>g4 ! ! 4
$'c6 $>f4 5 $>d5 g4 :::.
l •.• $'h6 2 $'b7 g4 3 $'c6 @gS 4 @dS g3 5
1!f8 $>g4 6 $'e4 1-0
El.10
A.Selezniev
Tidskrift for Schack, 1923
1 l!gl+!
Not: 1 exf5? 1!a7+ =: l l;!xf5? 1!a7+ 2 We6
1!a6+ 3 @e5 1!a5+ 4 @f4 l:Ixf5+ 5 ~f5 @f7
1 ... $'h7 2 eS! 1!xe5+
2 .. .f4 3 e6 f3 4 <j;f6 +-.
3 Wf7 Wh6 4 @f6 +-
6 ..• $>g67001!a2 8 <j;gl 1!c2 9 l!bS l!cl+
10 @g2 1!c2+ 11 $'0 1!c3+ 12 <j;f4 1!c4+ 13
~es ~c3 141!b71!c5+ 15 $'d41!a5 16 f7 $'g7
17 We4 ~a4+ 18 Wf3 1!a3+ 19 <j;g2 1!a2+ 20
$>gl 1!al + 21 <j;f21!a2+ 22@e31!a3+ 23 Wf4
1!a4+ 24 wrs 1!g4 25 f8'&++ $>xf8 26 Wf6
<j;g8 271!b3 $'h7 281!b5 l:Ig6+ 29 $'f7 1!g7+
30 Wf6 1!g6+
30 ... 1!xg3 ?? 31 1!xh5+ $'g8 32 1!g5+ 1!xg5
33 hxg5 +-.
31@e71!g7+ 32 $'e61!g6+ 33 ~fS 1!xg3
34 1!b7+ $>h6 35 l;!b6+ wg7 36 1!b7+ @h6
112-1/2
El.12
G.Levenfish
1 l!bS!
White cuts off the black king from his passed
pawn, so that he is unable to support its advance.

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES 287
Not I @b7? !lxa7+ 2 @xa7 @f5 3 @b6 g3 4 5 .••@fl 6 @g4 @f2 7 @xh4 @f3 8 @gS +-
@c5 @e4 =.
l ... g3 2 @b7 g2 3 !!bl !lg8 4 as'& !lxa8 5 El .17
@xa8 @fS 6 !lgl +-
V.Halberstadt
La Strategie, 1936
El.13
I tz'id7 @c6 2 .i.d3
The barrier prevents the breakout. A possible
finish is:
2 ... @c7 3 .i.e4 @d8 4 @d6 ©e8 5 .ig6+
@d8 6 lZ'icS ©c8 7 .i.hS @d8 8 lZ'ib7+ @c8 9
@c6@b8 10 @b6 @cs 11 .i.g4+ ©b8 12 .trs
@a8 13 lZ'icS @b814 lba6+@a815 .i.e4#
El.14
A.Troltsky
Shakhmaty Ziumal, 1896
No.
1 .i.e6!@e7
L..<;t,;,f8 2h6 +-.
2 h6 @f6 3 ii.rs @f7 4 .i.h7 ! @f6
Now the king himself closes the barrier:
5@f4+-
l@c4!
Not 1@c5?@a42@c4 SLb6 =.
1 ••• @a4 2 'it>cS @a3 3 @bS @b3 4 @a6@a4
5@b7 l-O
El.18
J.Dobias
Narodny Usry, 1926
l@d4!
Not: 1 f4?@c4 2@e5 @d3 =: I @d5?@b4 2
@d4 @b3 3 f4 @c2 4 @e5 @d3 5 @f6 @e4 =.
1...@c6
Or: 1 ...@b4 2 f4 +-; l ... g5 2 @e5@c4 3@f5
@d3 4 @xg5 @e2 5 f4 +-.
2 @eS @cs 3 f4!
Because of the bodycheck, the black king
cannot approach.
3 ...@c4 4 @f6 @d4 5 ©xg6 +-
El.IS
Based on analysis of E.Eliskases-S.Flohr,
Semmering/Baden 1937.
1...@e3!
l...@f3? 2 ©d2 e4 3 @el =.
2@c2'it>e2!
The white king must still be kept at a dis·
lance. Not 2 ... e4? 3 SLg2 =.
3 .ig2
3@c3 e4 4@d4 e3 -+.
3 ... @f2 4 .i.dS g2 0-1
El.19
M.Zinar
Shakhmatny Biulletin, 1982
White must keep an eye on the black a-pawn
and so force the g-pawn to advance.
l@d6!
1 @e6? @h6! 2 @f5 @h5 3 @f4 @h4 4 @f3
g5 5 @g2 @g4 and the g-pawn runs.
1...gS 2@c5! (D)
El.16
K.A.L.Kubbel (end of a study)
Rigaer Tageblatt, 1914
The black king must be drawn deep into
White's own camp.
1 tz'ic3
I tz'if2?! is the wrong plan: l...@f4 2@e6? (2
lZ'ie4! transposes to the main line) 2 ... @f3 3
@f5 @xf2 4@f4 @e2 5 @g4 @e3 6 @xh4 @f4
1. .. ©f4 2 lZ'ie2+ ~f3 3 lZ'igl+ @g2 4 @e4
@xgl 5@£3!
The vital bodycheck.
2 .•• g4

288 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
2...Wg6 3 Wb6 g4 4 wxa6 g3 5 Wb7 g2 6 a6
gl'tlU 7 a7: and the black king is outside the
winning zone.
3 Wd4 g.>g6 4 @e3 WfS 5 @f2
White holds the draw in accordance with
Bahr's Rule. For example, 5 ... q;f4 6 Wg2 We4
7 @g3 @d4 8 Wxg4 @c4 9 Wf3 Wb4 IO q.>e2
Wxa5 11 Wd2 Wb4 12 Wc2 :.
El.20
J.Moravec
Sachove Umenie, 1950
The white king has to deliver a whole series
of bodychecks before he can bring home the
harvest.
1 WcS!
Not:
a) 1 g4? Wb3 2 Wc5 Wc3 3 Wd5 Wd3 4 We5
q.>e3 5 wrs Wf3 6 g5 @g3 7 Wg6 Wg4 =.
b) I @c6? Wb3 2 Wd5 Wc3 3 We4 Wd2! 4
g4 We2 5 g5 Wf2 6 Wf4 Wg2 7 g6 Wh3 8 Wf5
Wh4 9q;f4 =.
1 ... @b32Wd4!
2 'i&d5? Wc3 3 We4 Wd2! and Black holds
the draw.
2 •.• wc2
2 ... @b4?! 3 g4Wb5 4 Wd5 Wb65 Wd6@b7
6 g5 Wc8 7 We7 +-.
3 We3! @dl 4 g4 Wel 5 g5 Wfl 6 Wf3!
6 Wf4? Wg2 7 Wf5 Wg3 8 Wg6 @g4 =.
6 ... Wgl 7 g6 Wh2 8 Wg4!
8 Wf4?Wh3=.
8 ••. Wo.,2 9 WfS @f310@e6 @g4 l l wf7 1-0
El.21
M.Brodsky - D.Yakovenko
Russian Cht (Sochi} 2004
1. ..!{bl+!
The active rook holds the draw even against
two pawns; after other moves, White's activity
is too strong. For instance, I ... c4? 2 @c5 c3 3
~7+, and now:
a) 3 ... 'i&c8?!4Wc61lbl 5d6Wb86d7!{dl
7 ~b7+ Wa8 811:bl 1!d3 (8 ... c2 9 ~I ~d2 10
Wc7 +-) 9 ~b5 +-.
b) 3 ... We8 4 Wd6 11:al 5 1le7+ Wd8 6 :Sh7
We8 7 1lh2 Wf7 8 ~f2+ (8 Wd7? Wf6 9 d6 @e5
=) 8 ...@e8 9 Wc7 1lxa3 IO ~e2+ Wf7 I! d6
1!a7+ 12 Wb6 ~4 (12 ... 11:al 13 d7 c2 14 d8't1H
11:bl+ 15 Wa5 11:al+ 16 Wb4 ~bl+
17 Wa4
11:al+ 18 @b3 +-) 13 d7 1ld4 14 Wc6 Wf6 15
Wc7 1!c4+ 16 Wd8 c2 17 We8 cl~ and now
White has the all-important first check: 18
d8't1U+ Wf5 19 't1Hd3+ +-.
2 Wxc51!cl+!
White cannot break through, since his rook
can no longer break free.
3 Wb61lbl+ 4 wa7 ~b5 5 d6
5 a4 1!b4 6 a5 1lb5 =.
5 ~b3 6 a4 1lb4! 7 as 11:bS
7 !lbl? 81lb61lal 9 a6 Wc8 10 d7+ Wxd7
11 Wb71lcl 12 a7 1!c7+ 13 @a61lc8 14 ~b8
+-.
8 was We6 1/z-1'2
El.22
V.Anand - S.Lputian
Moscow tt 2004
1 .•. 1ld8+?
Of course, the rook must abandon the a-
pawn, but this is the wrong way. Alexander
Baburin showed the right idea in Chess Today:
l...1!f8!! (D) prepares to set up Vancura's drawing
position:
a) 2 Wc5 Wxg5 31lxa51lf4 4 ~a8 Wg6 5 a5
~f5+ 6 @c6 Wg7 = (Vancura).
b) 2 @e4 !{e8+! 3 Wd3 (3 ~e5 1!xe5+ 4
Wxe5 Wxg5 =) 3 ... ~f8!! 4 ~xa5 ~f4 =.
c) 21lxa5 ~4+ 3 Wc3 1!f3+ 4 Wb4 ~f4+ 5
Wb5 'ii>xg5 6 ~a8 1lf5+ 7 Wc6 1lf6+ 8 Wd5
~f5+ 9 We61lf6+ 10 We7 Wg6 11 a5 ~f7+ 12
We61lf6+ 13 We51lf5+ 14 We4 ~b5 (Baburin)
15 a6 Wg7 16 ~c8 1la5 17 1!c6 q;f7 =.

289
SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
@es nh3 20 @e4 nh4 21 .i.e2 l:!h2 22 @f3 4 @f2 nc2+ 5 @fl hxg3 6 l:ixg3 g6 7 ngs
@d4 23 .t.n nht 24 @£2 f{hS 112.112 nc4 8 ng4 @fS 9 l:!gS+ @e4 10 @f2 nc3 -+.
2@c4!ndl
Now it is too late for 2 ... nf8 3 ncs +-.
Chapter 2
3 nxa5 na1 4@b3 nhl+ 5 @a3 1-0
E2.01
El.23
S.lonov- N.Pushkov
V.Anand - A.Shirov
Wijk aan Zee 2004
Russian Ch (Elista) 2001
1 ncS+! @h7 2 e6 1-0
1...ngS!
Passively clinging on to the a-pawn would be
Black threw in the towel since a pawn is getting
through: 2 .. .fxe6 3 f7 +-.
fatal: l...@e6? 2 @g3 +-.
2f5
E2.02
Or:
a) 2 nxa7 @e6 3 nas ng4 4 fS+ @f6 =
(Khuzman in CBM).
b) 2 l:!gS nxgS 3 fxgS @eS 4 @g3 @fS 5
@h4 @g6 6 a4 a5 =.
L.Thiede - O.Wegener
Bundesliga 2005/6
1 b4! axb4 2 as 1-0
Black resigned in view of 2 ... b3 3 a6 .i.e3 4
l:!d7+ Sld4 5 a7 b2 6 a8'& bl'& 7 'm'e4+ +-.
2 ...@e7 3 ~xa7 + @£6 4 l:!aS l:!g4 5 a4 l:!b4?
Shirov wants to set up the Vancura position, E2.03
but it comes just too late. Instead of this he
should simply maintain the barrier on the g-file.
Without his king, White cannot achieve anything:
s ... ng8 6 nbs l:!g4 1 a5 @gs 8 ndS @f6
9 @h3 ng1 IO @h4 l:!g2 = (Khuzman).
A.Aleksandrov - V.Popov
Moscow2006
White's structure is weak and Black exploits
this in textbook fashion:
1...nc4!(D)
6 @g3 nc4 7 @f3 nh4 8 @e3 ng4 9 @d3
l:'.!.f4 10 ~as @g7 11 na1+ @1'6 12 ~5 l:!h4 13
@c3 :W-4 14 @d3 l:!h415 nasr 'it>xfS 16 a5 @g6
I 6 ... @e6 17 a6 @d7 18 «t l:ia4 19 l:!h8 +-.
17 a6@g7 18 na7+!
18 @c3? nh6! 19@b4 l:!f6 = (Vancura).
18 .••@£6
18 ...@g8 19 nh1 +-.
19 @c3! ne4 20 nh7 na4 21 a7 1-0
El.24
V.lvanchuk - V.Kramnik
Linares 1998
1 ... c4! ! 2 bxc4
After 2 .i.xc4? nd2+ 3 @e3 nxc2 4 <'t:lf3
!Ixa2 Black holds all the trumps.
2 ... nbs 3 c5 nb2 4 c6 @e7! 5 lt:lxg6+ @d6 6
2g3
2 ngs+@h6 3 g3 nd4(3 ... h4?! 4l:!g4 hxg3??
lt:leS nxa2 7 <'t:lc4+
5 !lh4+ @g6 6 fS+ +-) 4 l:!aS (4 @f2 .t!dS 5
7 @e3 na1 8 .i.c4 a2 9 .i.xa2 nxa2 =. nxdS exdS 6 @e3 @g6 7 @d4 @fS 8 @xdS h4
7 @c7 8 @g3 !!al
-+) 4 ... h4 5 l:!a7 @g6 6 na3 hxg3 7 nxg3+ @f6
8 l:!xc2? 9 lt:lxa3 lk3? 10 <'t:lbS+ +-.
8 l:!g4 g6 9 ~f2@f5 10@g3 f6 -+.
9 <'t:lxa3 nxa3 lO@h4 'it>xc6 11 @g5 l:!aS 12
.i.xfS @d6 13 @g4 @e7 14 .i.d3 lk5 15 @£3
@d6 16 @e4 l:!hS 17 c4 nh4 18 @f5 @c5 19
2 ... h4
The vital undermining.
3 l:!g5+ @£6 4 .tl:g4

290 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
4 ... hxg3 5 @g2 g6 6 @xg3 l!c3+ 7 Wg2 <MS
8 1Xh4 Zk4 9 @g3 f6 10 l!g4
10 l!h6 l!xf4 ll l!xg6 @xg6 12 @xf4 @h5
13 Wg3 e5 -+.
10 ... gS 11 fxgS ~xg4+ 12 hxg4+ @xg5 13
@f3 eS 14 @g3 0-1
E2.04
K.Muller - P.Acs
Retltymnon ECC 2003
l l!xd7+!!
1 gxh6? g5+ plays into Black's hands.
l ~d7 2 gxh6 lt:'.lxh6
2 @e6 doesn't save the game either: 3 h7 !
@f64 a4+-.
3 @gS lt::\fS 4 @xg6 lt.Je7+!?
Forcing White to play extremely precisely.
5 @f7 lt::ld5 6 h4 lt.:lxc3 7 hS lt::le4 8 @g6!
8 h6? lt::lg5+ 9 @g6 lt::le6 throws away the
win, since the knight can stop the h-pawn on its
own and the king is consequently free to deal
with the white queenside majority.
8 ... lt.:lcS (D)
8...S>e7 9 h6 lt.:lf6 10 a4 +-.
9@f61!
The only winning move, since it serves two
purposes: transferring the white king to the
queenside via e5 and shielding the advance of
White's h-pawn.
9 lt::le6
9 We8 l0h6lt:'.ld7+ I l@e6b4 !2@d6+-.
10 S'eS @e7 11 h6 <M7 12 b4!?
The simplest. 12 h7 lt::lf8 13 h8lt::I+ should
also win (13 h8'&? lt::lg6+ is only drawn).
12 ... lt::ld8 13 @d6 @g6 14 @cs ~h6 15
@xbS Wg6 16 a4 @£617 as We6 18 a6@d7 19
a7 lt::le6 20@b61-0
Acs resigned in view of 20 ... lt::lc7 21 @b7
@d6 22 b5 @d7 23 b6.
E2.05
B.Gelfand - J.Lautier
Belgrade 1997
The game ended 1...i.c4?? 2 Wd2 1-0.
What both players missed was:
l ... b4 2 l!xdS b2 3 ~dl bxa3-+
E2.06
M.Marin - A.Minasian
Debrecen Ec/111992
1 l!a3?
I l!d3!! (Vaganian) l...lt:'.lf4+ (l...lt:'.lc3+ 2
@xe3 di~ 3 Z!xdl lt::lxdl+ 4@d2 +-) 2 Wxe3
lt.:lxd3 3 @xd2 +- (Marin in lnfonnatori.
1 .•. lt::lc3+ 2 l!xc3+ @xc3 3 a7 Wc2 If2-l/2
E2.07
A.Stefanova - O.Kulicov
Kava/a 2006
White has to choose the right square here.
1@d7!!
Not 1 @d6? l!b6+ 2 @d7 (the sheepish return
to the path of virtue with 2 @c7 no longer
helps either, because of2 .. Jhb7+ 3@xb7@e3
-+) 2 ... @e3 3 b8'& l!xb8 4 @xe6 @e4 5 @f6
l!b6+ 6 e6 @dS -+.
I b8~? also fails: L.J!xb8 2 Wxb8 We3 3
@c7 @e4 4 @d6 @f5 -+.
1. ••@e3 2 @xe6 @e4 3 Wd6 l!xb7 4 e6
l!b6+ 5 @d7 l!xe6 11z_11z
Or 5 ...@d5 6 et l!b7+ 7 @d8 @d6 8 e8lt::I+
@c6 9 lt:'.lf6==.
E2.08
S.Mamedyarov - I.Sokolov
Hoogeveen 2006
l@c4?
White should play I f5 gxf5 (1...b3 2 @c3
@d5 3 f6 gxf6 4 h5 gxh5 5 gxh5 Wxe5 6 h6 +-)
2 gxf5 b3 (2 ... @d7 3 h5 +-) 3 S>c3 Wd5 4 e6
fxe6 5 f6 gxf6 6 h5 +- since the e6-pawn prevents
its king from entering the square of the
black h-pawn.

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES 291
l ..• b3 2 @xb3 @dS 3 gS @e6 4 @c4 @e7 S
@bs (D)
B
s r6?
5 @e6 6 @c5 @e7 7 ©d5@d7 8 Wd4 (8 f5
gxf5 9 h5 @e7 =) 8 ... @e7 9 @e3 @e6 10@e4
We7 11 f5 gxf5+ 12 @xf5 g6+ =.
6 gxf6+ gxf6 7 @c5 @e6 8 @d4 'i&d7 9 @dS
@e710 e6@d8 11 Wd6@e812 e7 1-0
E2.09
G.Flear- D.Hergott
Londo111987
1...hS?
This immediate undermining is premature.
The passed pawn must advance first. Then Black
can successfully play ... h5 if White's h-pawn
moves: 1...d5! 2@e3 (2 h4 h5 -+; 2 h3 d4 3 a3
@d5 4 h4@e5 5 h5 @f6 6 @e4@g5-+) 2 ... d4+
3 @d3 (3 @f3 @d5 -+) 3 ...@d5 4 @d2 @e4 5
We2 d3+ 6 @d2 @d4 7 a3 @e4 8 @el We3 9
@di @f3 IO ©d2 'it>xg4 11 @xd3 @h3 -+.
2 h3 dS 3 @e3 hxg4
3 ... d4+ 4@d3 @d5? 5 gxh5@e5 6 f6 +-.
4 hxg4 d4+ S @d3 'it>r4 6 @xd4@xg4 7@e4
@gs 8 @e5 @g4 9 @e4 112.112
E2.10
M.Ortueta Esteban - J.Sanz Aguado
Madrid 1934
1...1;txb2!! 2 lt:lxb2 c3! 3 llxb6
3 4Jd3 c4+ 4 lt:lf2 c2 -+.
3 c4!!
3 axb6? 4 lt:ld3 stops the pawn.
4 llb4 aSI S fuc4 c2 0-1
E2. l l
V.Sanduleac - S.Drazic
Subotica 2003
1 a4?
1 @e3! We5 (l ... a4 2 Wf2 =) 2 a4 g3 3 @f3
@d4 4 @xg3 @xc4 5 @f3 @b4 6 @e2 @xa4 7
@d2@b3 8 @cl=.
1...@f4! 2 c5 @es 3@e3 @dS 4@f4 @xcS S
@xg4 'ii>b4 6 @f4 @xa4 7 @e3 @b3 0·1
E2.12
K.Landa - V.Yandemirov
Russia Cup ( Novgorod) 1997
1. •• hxg3
Not:
a) I...f6? 2 @f3 f5 3 exf5+ 'it>xf5 4 gxh4
gxh4 5@e3 e4 6 f3exf3 7@xf3@g5 8@e4+-.
b) l...@f6? 2 @f3 hxg3 3 fxg3 @g7 4 @g4
©g6 5 h4 f6 6 h5+ @h6 7 @f5 @xh5 8 @xf6
@g4 9 @xe5 @xg3 l0 @f5 g4 11 e5 @f3 12 e6
g3 13 e7 g2 14 e8~ gl'& 15 ~e4+ @f2 16
~d4++-.
2 fxg3 g4!! (D)
With this move. Black closes White's road to
the kingside and prepares a breakthrough idea
that prevents the white king from making progress
on the queenside. A fantastic concept!
3 h4@f6 4@d3 @g7 S @c4 f6 6 @b3 @f7 7
@a4@g78@b3
8Wa5?f59@xa6f410b5f3 ll b6f2 l2b7
fl~+ 13@a7'l!Vf714@a8~a2+ 15@b8~a5
16@c8 ~xcS -+.
8 •••@g6 9 @b2 @g7 10 @a3 @g6 11 @b3
@f7 12 @a4 @g7 13 @33 @g6 14 @b3 112.112

292 How TO PU..Y CHESS ENDGAMES
E2.13
R.Fischer - M.Taimanov
Palma de Mallorca IZ 1970
11:!.bS!
Threatening c5.
l .. Jid4
l...E!dd8 2 c5 bxc5 3 .l:!.cxc5 ±.
2cS!
2 g3? 1;td2 with counterplay.
2 ... E!xh4+ 3 @gl ~b4 4 E!xb4! axb4 S ~c4
bxcS 61;txcS @g7 7 as .l:!.e8 8 .!:!.cl!
Essential prophylaxis, as 8 ... ~el+ followed
by ... .!:!.al cannot be allowed. One's own rook
belongs behind the passed pawns.
8 ... E!eS 9 E!al E!e7 10 @f2 ltle8 11 a6 .l:!.a7
12 @e3 ltlc7 13 ~b7 ltle6 14 E!aSI
14 ... ltlc5 must be prevented.
14. .•@f6 IS @d3 @e7 16@c4 @d6 I 7 E!dS+
@c7 18 @bS! 1-0
E2.14
H.Pillsbury- I.Gunsberg
Hastings 1895
1 fS!!
Prying open the black structure on the kingside.
l. .. gS
Or: 1...ltlc6 2 ltlf4 +-; l...gxf5 2 gxf5 exfS 3
ltlf4 +-.
2 ltlb4 aS 3 c6 @d6 4 fxe6 ltlxc6
4 ... a:xb4 5 e7 @x.e7 6 c7 +-.
S ltlxc6 @xc6 6 e4!
This breakthrough is the point of White's
play.
6 ••. dxe4 7 dS+ @d6 8 @e3
White wins, since the black majority on the
kingside is crippled.
8 ... b4 9 @xe4 a4 10 @d4 hS 11 gxhS a3 12
@c4 rs 13 h6 f4 14 h7 1-0
Chapter 3
E3.0l
Z.Milev - R.Byrne
Vama OLJ962
1 gS?
This probably throws away the win, and is at
the very least poor technique. The point is that
Black still has the spare move ... aS. The correct
plan for White consists of bringing his king to
b2 and, by playing a3, forcing the reply ... a5.
Then White plays a4, which completely seals
the queenside and deprives Black of his spare
move. Another disadvantage of the pawn-formation
with ... a5 for Black is that in some circumstances
the white knight can attack the
pawn via e7 and c6. So if the white knight is at
f5, ... @g8 is no longer possible for Black. This
manoeuvre should definitely have been carried
out, even if it was not clear whether it was actually
necessary: 1 @e3 @f8 2 @d2 @f7 3
@c2 @f8 4 @b2 @f7 5 a3 a5 6 a4 @f8 7 @c2
@f7 8@d3 @f8 9 @e4 @f7 (9 ... @g8 10 ltle7+
+-) 10 @f4 @f8 11 g5 fxg5+ (l l...'i~i'f7 12
@g4 @f8 13 g6 +-) 12 @xg5 @f7 13 @h6
@f6 14 ltlg3 +-.
l .•• fxgS+ 2 @xgS @f8
2 ... @g8? 3 @h6 a5 4 ltlg3 ltlf6 5 @g5 @f7 6
h6 ltxl.7 7 ltlf5 +-.
3 ltlg3 (D)
B
3 @g7
3 @f7? 4 @h6 @g8 (4 ... ltlf6 5 ltlf5 ltle4 6
@xh7 @f6 7 ltlg7 @f7 8 ltle6 ltlg3 9 ltld8+
@f6 10 ltlb7 lbxh5 11 ltlx.d6 +-) 5 ltle4 a5 6
@g5 @f7 7 h6 @e7 8 @f5 @f7 9 ltlg5+ +-.
4 h6+?!
4 ltlf5+ was a better try: 4 ... @f7 5 @h6 @g8
6 ltle7+ @f7 7 ltlc6 ltlf6 8 ltlb8 @g8 9 ltlxa6
ltle4 and the white king is shut out of play, so
that a win, even if one is possible, would require
study-like means to be achieved.
4 ... @f8

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
293
4 ... @f7 5 loe4 @e7 6 @f5 a5 (the spare
move!) 7 @g5 @f7 8 log3 lof6 9 ©f5 @e7 and
Black can defend.
s @g4 lof6+ 6 @f4 <;t,(7 7 @gs toes 8 loe4
@e79ffi as
The spare move!
10 <;t,(4 @f8?
10 ... lof6 holds the position, since if l I log5?!
then 11 ... log8 ! wins back the white h-pawn.
11 ©g4! @(7
ll...@g812@f5@f713log5++-.
12 @gs @e7 13 <;t,rs 1-0
E3.02
L.Bruzon - S.Tiviakov
Esbjerg 2002
1 :!.'.d7?! (DJ
Too hasty, since Black cannot prevent the infiltration
of the white rook anyway. First White
should play 1 g4!? or 1 e4 g6 (1...00 2 :!.'.d7+
@g6 3 lob5 f5 4 exf5+ @xf5 5 :!.'.xg7) 2 g4, in
each case with a very dangerous light-squared
initiative.
B
1. .. fS! 2 e4 fxe4 3 loxe4 .i.f6 4 @fl :!.'.b8 5
:!.'.a7 :!.'.d8
5 ... b5? 6 cxb5 :!.'.xb5?? 7 :!.'.a8+ +-.
6@e2:!.'.d4 7f3h68:!.'.xa4 @f7 9:!.'.a7+ ©g6
10 r!a6 :!xc4 11 r!xb6 :!.'.c2+ 12 @d3 :!.'.xh2 13
loxes :!.'.a2 14 :!.'.a6 11z_11z
E3.03
E.Rozentalis - M.Carlsen
Malmo/Copenhagen 2004
1 @f41
1 :!xa7? :!.'.e8 2 @f4 g5+ 3 hxg5+ fxg5+ 4
@f5 :!.'.e3 gives Black unnecessary counterplay.
1 ••• gS+ 2 hxgS+ fxgS+ 3 @e4 l;tcl 4 @xd4
4 :!.'.xa7? :!.'.gl 5 :!.'.a6+ @g7 6 ©f5 :!.'.g3 once
again gives Black too much activity.
4 •• .:!.'.gl 5 :!.'.e4 :!al (DJ
6 @cs
White stakes everything on his passed d-
pawn. However, 6 @e5 also wins; for example,
6 ... :!xa3 7 d4, and then:
a) 7 ... :!.'.a4 8 @f6 l;ta6+ (8 ... :!.'.b4 9 :!.'.e6 +-) 9
@e7 :!.'.a4 10 :!.'.e6+ @g7 ll d5 :!.'.xg4 12 d6 +-.
b) 7 ... @g6 8 d5 @f7 9 :!.'.c4 @e8 (9 ... a5 10
:!.'.c7+ @e8 ll l;ta7 a4 12 @f6 +-) 10 :!.'.c7 Ela4
11 @e6:!.'.e4+ 12@f5:!.'.e7 I3nc6:!.'.d7 14@xg5
:!.'.xd5+ 15@h6 Eld8 16 nc7 Eld6+ 17 @h7 a5 18
g5 a4 19 Elc3 :!.'.d7 + 20 @h6 nd4 21 g6 :!.'.h4+ 22
@g5 :!.'.h2 23 @f6 nf2+ 24 @g7 +-.
6 :!.'.xa3 7 d4 @g6
7 :!.'.c3+ 8 @b4 ~d3 (8 ... :!.'.c8 9 d5 a5+ 10
©b5 +-; 8 ... :!.'.f3 9 d5 :!.'.f4 IO :!.'.xf4 gxf4 11 @c4
+-)9@c4:!.'.a3 !0:!.'.el +-.
8 dS :!c3+ 9 @bS @f6
9 ... a6+ 10 @b6 +-.
10 d6 :!.'.d3 11 @c6 aS 12 d7 nc3+ 13 @b7
l;tb3+ 14 ©c7 :!.'.c3+ 15 @d8 @f7 16 l;te7 + @f8
17 :!.'.eS l-0
E3.04
A.Stripunsky - V.Golod
Oak Brook 2004
1...@eS!
The immediate 1.. ..i.xg2? would unnecessarily
allow 2 @d4.

294 How TO Pl.AY CHESS ENDGAMES
2 @e3 .. bg2 3 lt:le2 .id5 4 a3 .ie4 5 lt:lc3 rs
6 lt:la2
Or: 6 lt:le2 a5 7 lt:\f4 .ic2 8 @d2 .ibl 9 @e3
..te4 IO lt:le2 @d5 11 lt:lc3+ @c4 -+; 6 lt:la4
.ic2 7 lt:lc5 a5 8 a4 .ibl 9 lt:lb3 .ie4 10 lt:lxa5
..td5-+.
6 .... a5 7 lt:lc3 .ic6 8 @d3
8 lt:le2 @d5 9 @f4.id7 10 lt:lcl @c4 11 @e5
.ic8 -+.
8 ••. f4 9 gxf4+ @xf4 10 lt:le2+ @e5 11 'ttte3
@dS 12 lt:\d4 a4 13 lt:lc2 @c4 14 lt:lb4 .id7 15
lt:ld3 filS 16 lt:lcl
16 lt:le5+ @b3 17 lt:lxg4 ..txg4 18 @d2 .if5
19@cl @xa3 -+.
16 .•.'.t.>c3 17 lt:le2+ @b2 18 @d4 @xa3 19
@c3 @a2 20 @b4 a3 21 lt:lc3+ @b2 22 lt:la4+
@c2 0-1
E3.05
P.Leonhardt - R.Spielmann
San Sebastian 1912
l...@xd4?
Now Black gets in zugzwang. He could have
won with the zwischenzug J...@c3: 2 l:Ic7+
@xd4 3 };{g7 (3 };{b7 I!xg5 4 };{xb4+@c3 -+)
3 ...@c3 4 };{c7+@b3 5 };{g7 d4 6 l:Ig8 d3 7 g6
d2+ 8@dl @b2 9 I!g7 b3 10 };{g8@bl 11 };{b8
b212};{b6@a213};{a6+@b314};{b6+@c315
};{c6+@d416 Z!b6 bl'&+-+.
2g6
Zugzwang.
2 ...@d3 3 };{d7 d4 4 g7
Black cannot win in view of the active white
rook.
4 ... l:Ig6 5 @b2 I!gl 6 @b3 1/z-lfi
E3.06
Em.Lasker - F.Bogatyrchuk
Moscow 1935
1 e4? (D)
This premature move allows Black to block
everything up and leave the e4-pawn standing
in the way.
The king must be brought back to d4: I @g5
@£7 2 ..tg6+@e7 3 @f4@f8 4 @f3 @g7 5 .ie8
..tb7 6 @e2 @f8 7 .ih5 eo 8 @d3 @f8 9 @d4
@e7 10 e4 .ic8 (1 O ... dxe4 11 ~xe4 kc8 12
@f4 kb7 13 @g5 kc8 14 @g6 .ib7 15 @g7
.ic8 16 .if3 .ib7 17 ke4 .ia8 18 b5 axb5 19
B
a6 +-) 11 .ig4.ib7 (l l...@d7 12 exd5cxd5 13
ke2 @c6 14 @e3 ..tb7 15 @f4 .ic8 16 @g5
.ib7 17 @f6 .ic8 18 @e7 +-) 12 exd5 exd5 13
@e3@f714.id7@e715e6@f6 l6@f4(zugzwang)
+-.
l. .. d4! 2 kc4 .ib7 3 @g5 .ic8 4 @f4@d7 5
@f3 .ib7 6@e2 .ic8 7@d3 kb7 8 @xd4 .ic8
9@e31/i-1/z
E3.07
P.Svidler - K.Landa
Bundesliga 2004/5
Svidler takes advantage of the fact that the
bishop cannot evade the white knight:
l lt:ld7! kg5
1....ie7 2 l:Ib8+ @h7 3 lt:lf8+ .ixf8 4 J;!xf8
@g65 };{a8 +-.
2 };{b8+ @h7 3 lt:lf8+ @g8 4 ©e6+ @h7 5
lt:lxg5+ hxg5 6 I!a8 ltiel+ 7 '.t.>h2 f6 8 };{xa6
lt:\d4 9 g3 lt:lf3+ 10 @g2 lt:leS 11 @fl @g6 12
@e2 @f5 13 I!a7 @g6 14 @e3 ©c6 15 I!c7
lt:\eS?
This makes it easy for White, but the situation
was hopeless anyway.
16 f41-0
Chapter 4
E4.0l
A.Zapata - J.Becerra Rivero
Matanzas 1995
1 ...\Wxdl!
This is the correct move. The game continued
I ... };{xe I+?! 2 \Wxel and the draw was still

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
295
a long way off. The presence of oppositecoloured
bishop favours a possible attack and
therefore it is imperative to get the queens off
the board. In the game Black was unable to
cope with the fresh difficulties and lost quickly:
2 ... g5 (2 ... @f7 3 h4!? with the initiative) 3 h3
f4? (3...<;1;>f7 is better) 4 '&e5 ± 't&cl+ S <;1;>h2
\11Jd2 (Black should try S ...\\\k2!?, but he should
still lose: 6 '&b8+ @h7 7 .if8 \\Wg6 8 '&c7+
<;1;>g8 9 '&c8 @h7 IO '&d7 + <;1;>g8 11 .td6 \\Wf7 12
\11Jc8+ <tlg7 13 b4 +-) 6 \'!'/f6 ~c2 (6 ... .ixf3 7
Wk°g6+ <;1;>h8 8 '&xh6+ @g8 9 '&xgS+ @h7 IO
.tf8 +-) 7 \'!'/f8+ <t>h7 8 'i&f7+<tlh8 9 .ie7 1-0.
2~xdl ~e2
White's advantage is only minimal. In view
of the opposite-coloured bishops and the active
set-up of the black pieces it will scarcely be
possible for White to exploit his extra pawn.
For example, 3 !:tc 1 .tc4 4 b3 .txb3 S c4 .ta4 6
.td6 .tc6 = or 3 b4 ~c2 4 ~d3 .ic4 5 ~d8+
@f7 6 .l;!.c8 .id3 =.
E4.02
O.Averkin - Y. Razuvaev
Sochi 1982
1 '&dS+! 'i&xdS 2 lixdS!
The only way! After 2 exd5? it would be
much more difficult for White to activate his
di-rook; for example, 2 ... @f7 3 d6 ~d8 ;!;,
2 •.•.l;!.bl!?
2 ... .l;!.c8 3 .l!d7! ± with the idea of ~g2 or
3 ... h5 4~g2.
3 .l!e2?!
White decides not to rush, and did win eventually,
but we shall leave the game at this point,
because the straightforward 3 eS! was even
stronger.
E4.03
Ki.Georgiev - L.Brunner
Moscow OL 1994
I ••• .tf6! (D)
This is the correct move. The game continued
l...'&xc6? 2 \\Wxd8+ @h7 3 f3 and now Black
could no longer prevent White from reaching a
promising endgame with three pawns against a
knight, which Georgiev eventually won: 3 . ..lllb6
(3 .. .f6 4 .ixf6 gxf6 S '&e7+ @g8 6 '&xf6 hS 7
'&g6+@f8 8 '&xhS ±) 4 '&f8 f6 5 .txf6 gxf6 6
\\Wf7+ <;1;>h8 7 iW/xf6+ <;1;>h7 8 '&f7+ @h8 9 \\Wg6
lild7 IO '&xh6+ ©g8 11 '1:1¥g6+ <t>f8 12 h5 lile5
13 \\Wh6+<t>e7 14 \\Wg5+@d6 15 \\Wd8+ tild7 16
h6 \\Wc2+ 17 @h3 °&di 18 @g4 <;1;>c6 19 't&h8
°&hi 20 eS lilxe5+ 21 \\WxeS \\Wxh6 22 Wk°c5+
@d7 23 't&a7+ @e8 24 °®'b8+ @d7 25 '&b7+
@e8 26 '&c8+@e7 27°®'g8 °&h2 28 \\Wg7+©e8
29 '&g6+@e7 30 '&gS+@d7 31 '&g7+ @e8 32
'&e5 <;1;>e7 33 \3'c5+ ©d7 34 \\Wa7+ @e8 35
~xa61-0.
2~c2
Or: 2 .txf6 \\Wxc6 =: 2 \\Wd6 .txe5 3 lilxeS (3
lile7+ @f8 4 lilg6++!? @g8 =) 3 .. .'&c2 4 '&c6
'&xc6 5 lilxc6 lilc3 6 <;1;>f3 lilbl =.
2 .•• \\Wd7 3 .txf6 gxf6 =
Black easily holds the draw because of his
better piece set-up. The white knight must return
to as and the black queen will be very active
on d4. The weakness of the black king
position will not matter.
E4.04
L.011 - V.Zviagintsev
Pu/a Echt 1997
1.. ..ixcS!
Now Black's activity is hard to contain. In
contrast, after I ....tc6? 2 I:Ib4 =Whiteis comfortable.
2 .txcS
2 .tgl ~c7+.
2 ... ~xcS 3 .l;!.xb7 .tc6 4 .l;!.a7 I=!d8 5 c3?
This attempt to stabilize the situation is too
slow. The king must leave the endangered corner
immediately: 5 <;1;>gl .l;!.d2 6 <;1;>f2 c3 7 <;1;>e3

296 How TO PL4.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
l:tc4 8 lt:ixc3 l:txc2 and White can still offer
tough resistance, even though Black is of course
in the driving seat.
5 ..• l:td2(D)
61:tel
6 lt:id4 Axg2+ 7 @gl .i.d5 8 l;.{xa6 l:tg2+ 9
@fl l:txh2 +.
6 .• lta5 7 l:txf7 lb:a4 8 @gl l:taa2 9 @f2
Ae8 0-1
E4.05
S.Volkov - L.Aronian
Russia Cup (Omsk) 1996
Here it is imperative for Black to look for a
variation in which he can turn the bishop-pair
to advantage. In the game he allowed the exchange
of one of his bishops:
t ... lt:ic5?
Better moves:
a) After l...dxe3?! 2 lt:ixe3 :!:tel+ 3 lt:idfl
i.d8 Black has compensation. But this isn't his
best option.
b) 1. .. 1:tcl+! 2 .i.fl (2 lt:ifl? lt:ic5 3 .a.xe7
lt:ixd3 +) 2 ... .i.xd5 3 l:txd7 dxe3 4 fxe3 .i.c5! 5
l:txd5 (5 @f2 .i..c6 6 l:tc7 .i.d6 7 l:tc8 >lc2 8 .i.e2
.i..xa4 9 l:txc2 .i.xc2 =i=) 5 ... .i.xe3+ 6 @h 1 .i.xd2
7 g3 l:txfl+ 8 @g2 l:tdl 9 @f3 f5 10 @e2 l:tal
11 l:txd2 l:txa4 12 @f3 'f.
2 lt:ixe7 dxe3 3 fxe3 l:ta8 4 l:tb5 lt:ixd3 5 a5
l:ta7 6 lt:id5 .i.d7 7 l:tb3 lt:ic5 8 l:ta3 lt:ib7 9 lt:ic4
.i.e610 lt:idb6 @f6 11 @f2 @e7 12 e4 @d8 13
@e3 @c7 14 lt:id5+ @c615 @d4 rs 16 lt:ic3?
16l:tb3! +-.
16 .•. fxe4?
I 6 ... .i.xc4 17 @xc4 l:txa5 =.
17 lt:ie5+ 'li'd618 lt:ib5+ 1-0
E4.06
Dao Thien Hai - V.lvanchuk
Moscow OL 1994
White should seize his opportunity:
1Ab3!
This move heads for a position with opposite-coloured
bishops (I i.d3 is another way).
Despite picking up a second pawn then, Black
cannot win.
The game continued 1 .i.xb2? lt:ie3+ 2 "*1e2
lt:ixc4 +, after which Black had the more active
minor piece as well as the better pawn-structure.
3 Ac I @f5 4 @d3 ( 4 gxf4 exf4 5 h3 g4 6 hxg4+
hxg4 7 fxg4+@xg4 8 @f2 lt:id6-+) 4 ... lt:id6 5
a4 g4 6 fxg4+ @xg4? ( 6 ... hxg4 is better) 7 gxf4
exf4 8 i.b2 f3 9 Ad4 @h3 JO a5@xh2 11 axb6
axb6 12 .i..xb6@g2 0-1.
1. . ..i.xcl 2 .i.xc2 fxg3
2 ... .i.xa3 3 gxf4 =.
3 hxg3 .i.xa3 4 .i.e4 .i.xb4 5 @g2 .tel 6
@h3 @e6 7 .i.b7 @d6 8 .i.c8 @c5 9 .i.a6 @d4
10 .i..c8=
E4.07
A.Nimzowitsch - S.Tarrasch
San Sebastian 1911
l@h5?
1 @h7 ! would have held the draw: 1...l:tb5 2
X:lxb5 axb5 3 g4 b4 4 g5 fxg5 5 hxg5 b3 6 g6+
@f6 7 g7 b2 8 g8'& bJ'lif+ 9 @h8 =.
1..ltb5 2 @g4 l:txf5 3 @xf5 a5 4 @e4 rs-: 5
@d4f4! 0-1
White resigned since his pawns will now
drop off one after the other.
E4.08
A.Dreev- V.Zviagintsev
Russian Ch (Elista) 1997
No:
1. •• .i..xf5?
Black correctly played 1....i.xh5! and eventually
drew .
2 exf5 @d5 3 g4 @e5
3 ... @c5 4 g5 hxg5 5 f6 gxf6 6 h6 +-.
4 @xc4 <li'f4 5 @c5 @xg4 6 <li>b6 @xh5 7
@xb7 @g5 8 @xa6 h5 9 @b6

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
297
9 b4? h4 10 b5 h3 11 b6 h2 12 b7 bl'& 13
b8~@xf5 =.
9 ... h4 10 a6 h3 11 a7 h2 12 a8\'&' +-
E4.09
F.Bracker - H.Langrock
Hamburg 2005
We have made use here of some analysis by
Hannes Langrock.
l lt:ixe4!
This is the right moment for White to go into
the pawn ending.
In the game he left the knights on the board
and faced what was in practice an almost impossible
defensive task: 1 cxb5? axb5 2 lt:if3 (2
lt:ixe4? fxe4+ 3 @xe4 @xb3 wins for Black)
2 ... luc5+ 3 ~2? (only 3 @d4!? still promised
saving chances) 3 ... lt:ixb3 4 g3 f4 5 gxf4 gxf4 6
@d3 (6 lt:ih4 lt:id4+ 7 @d3 lt:ie6 8 @e4 @b3 9
@e5 @xb2! -+) 6 ... lbc:5+ 7 @d4 lbe6+ 8 @e5
lt:ig5 9 @xf4 (9 lt:id2 lt:ixh3 IO @f5 lt:if2 11
@xf4 lt:id3+ 12 @g4 lt:ixb2 13 @h5 lt:ia4 14
@xh6 @c3 -+) 9 ... lt:ixf3 IO @xf3 @b3 11 @g4
@xb2 12 @h5 b4 13 @xh6 b3 14 h4 @c2 15 h5
b2 16 @g7 bl'& 17 h6 ~b7+ 18 @g8 '&c8+ 19
@g7 '&d7+ 20 @g8 '&e8+ 21 ©g7 ~e7+ 22
@g8 ~g5+ 23 @h7 @d3 0-1.
l ... fxe4+ (D)
2 @d4
2 @xe4? bxc4 3 bxc4 ~c4 -+.
2 ... e3 3 ~e3 bxc4 4 bxc4 ©xc4 5 @d2
@b3 6 @cl h5 7 @bl @b4
Or:
a) 7 ... g4 8 hxg4 hxg4 9 ©cl @c4 10 q;d2 =.
b) 7 ... h4 8 @cl a5 9 @bl @c4 10 @c2 @d4
11 ~d2 a4 (l l...@e4 12 @e2 @f4 13 @f2 a4 14
@e2 =) 12 @e2 @e4 13 @d2 m4 14 @e2@g3
15 @fl g4 16 hxg4 @xg4 17 @e2 =.
8@a2
Not8@cl?@c59@d2@d410@e2@e4 ll
g3@d412@d2g413h4@c414@c2@b4-+.
8 ...@c4 9 g4 hxg4 10 hxg4@d4 ll @b3 =
E4.10
E.Agrest - M.Parligras
Antalya Ech 2004
l ....i.xf3! 2 @xf3 @c5 3 @e4 @xb5 4 @xe5
@c4!
4 ... @c5? 5 g4 +-.
5 @e4 @c5 6 g4 @d6 7 @f5 h5! 8 gxh5
8 g5 h4 9 g6 @e7 =.
8 .••@e7 9 ©g6 m8 10 h6@g8 11 h7 + @h8
12@h61'2-1'2
E4.11
S.Belavenets - V.Rauzer
Moscow 1937
1 lt:ic6! .i.xc6 2 bxc6 @d6 3 c7 @xc7 4
@xd5 @d7 5 e4 @c7 6 e5?
The king needs this square: 6 h4 @d7 7 @e5
@e7 8 g5 hxg5 9 hxg5 @d7 10 @f6 @e8 11 e5
+-.
6. ..@d7 7 f5 gxf5 8 gxf5@c7?
8 ... h5t (Burgess) draws as can Black can
construct a fortress: 9 h4 @c7 10 e6 f6! =.
9 e6 f6 10 h3 h5 11 h4 a6 12 a4 a5 13 @c4
@c6 14 e7 @d7 15 @b5 1-0
E4.12
A. llyin-Zhenevsky - A.Alekhlne
Moscow 1920
l...Wixe4!
Alekhine has calculated it precisely, right to
the end. Not l...@f6? 2 g5+! @g7 (2 ... @xg5 3
'&g2+ +-) 3 '&xe5+ dxe5 4 @xh4 ±.
2:l.xe4
2 dxe4? ©g5 3 f3 d5 ~-
2 .!;!xe4! 3 dxe4 @g5 4 f3 ( D)
4 a5!!
The only move to draw! Consider:
a) 4 b5? 5 b4 +-.
b) 4 d5? 5 exd5 cxd5 6 b4 +-.
c) 4 c5? 5 a4 b5 6 axb5 axb5 7 b3 +-.

298 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
E4.14
T.Ochsner - P.H.Nielsen
Danish Ch (Esbjerg) 1997
1 i.d2?
Unfortunately this does not work. After 1
i.b2, with the idea of i.cl, White should be
able to hold.
1 •.• ~xd2+
Liquidating into a won pawn ending.
2 @xd2 ~xe2 3 @xe2 @e6 0-1
White resigned in view of 4 @e3 @f5 5 @f3
b6 6 a4 a5.
d) 4 ... b6? 5 a4 b5 6 a5 c5 7 b3 +-.
5 c4 bS 6 cxbS cxbS 11z.11z
E4.13
S.Brynell - T.Hellborg
Swedish Cht 2002
No.
1 ~xd7+?
This move leads to catastrophe, and 1 ~d2
was indicated.
1 ••• @xd7 2 lab6+ @c7 3 laxc8@xc8 4 @dS
(DJ
B
E4.15
B.Avrukh - W.Arencibia
Linares open 2001
1 lhc8+?
This is a bad mistake. The ensuing bishop
ending is lost for White, since two of his pawns
are fixed on the same colour squares as his
bishop and moreover he has difficulties in activating
his king. The transition into a rook ending
by means of l ~f7+!@e8 (l...@g8?2 ~b3!
+-) 2 ~xf5 ~xc4 3 @e2! would have easily
held the draw.
1. .. ~xc8 2 @e2 ~b7?
2 ... @e7 3@d3 ~b7 4@d4 ~xf3 5 @e5 ~c6
-+.
3 ~d3 h6 4 ~e4 ~a6+ 5@d2? (D)
5 ~d3 ~cg 6 ~c2 @e7 7 @d3 ~f5+ 8 @d2
~d79@d3~c610~d4@d611 ~di=.
Brynell had probably calculated this far and
was now expecting his opponent to resign. But
something different happened:
4 ... fS! 5 f4
5 @xeS g4! 6 fxg4 fxg4 7 @f4 gxh3 8 @f3
@c7 and sooner or later White slides into a fatal
zugzwang.
s ... exf4 6@e5 g4 7 hxg4 h3 0-1
5 ... @e7 6 Ad3 ~c8 7 ~c4 @d6 8 @e2
8@d3~b79~e2@e5 IO~b3@d4 ll sn
~c612Ab3~d713@d2~e814@e2~c6-+.

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
299
8 ...@cS 9 Sl..f7 @d4 10 @d2 Sl..d7 11 Sl..b3
Sl..e8
Zugzwang.
12 Sl..c2 @c4 13 Sl..dl .tc6 14 h3 .td7 15 h4
Ac6 16 h2+ @b3 17 @cl @32 18 Ac4+ b3
0-1
E4.16
L.Aronian-A.Volokitin
Bundesliga 2005/6
1 .teS!
Not I 'll,ee7? Ii'.d3 2 Ii'.a7 Ii'.dd8 3 Ii'.ed7! a3,
when Black has winning chances.
1...Ii'.b3 2 .i.xb2 Ii'.xb2 3 Il'.ee7 Ii'.b4 11z.11z
Or 3 ... Ii'.f8 4 Ii'.a7 Ii'.b4 5 f3 @h8 6 @g3 =.
E4.17
J.Piket - V.Topalov
Monte Carlo (Amber blindfold) 2000
l. ..'fil'xa4? (D)
1...~6? is also bad: 2 \Wf3 't¥/xb2 3 'll,xc4 ±
(Stohl in CBM). Black must enter the rook ending.
Therefore I •.. Ii'.xb2 2 '&xc4 \Wxc4 3 Ii'.xc4
Ii'.a2 or l...\\l¥xc3 2 Il'.xc3 Ilxb2 3 Ii'.xc4 l:ta2 was
necessary and should be tenable.
2 \Wd4! 'fil'a6
2 ... &2 3 Il'.el \Wb5 4 '&d8+ @g7 5 Ii'.e8
Ii'.xb2 (5 ... @h66l:te7 \Wxb2 7 Ii'.xf7 +-) 6 Ii'.g8+
@h6 7 'fil'f8+ @g5 8 'fil'e7+ 'it>h6 9 g4! +-
(Stohl).
3 laxc4 l:txb2 4 \Wd8+ @g7 5 Ii'.c8 Ii'.bl + 6
@h2 'l:Yle6 7 \Wd4+?
Instead of this move, which only led to a
draw in the end, White could have won with 7
'fil'f8+ @f6 8 \Wh8+ @g5 (8 ... @f5 9 'll,c5+ 'it>e4
10 f3+ @e3 11 Ii'.e5+ +-) 9 Il'.c5+ f5 (9 ... 'it>h6
10 \\l¥f8#) 10 'l'Wd8+ @h6 ll ~4+ «a 12
Ii'.c7+ +- (Stohl).
E4.18
C.Bauer - J.Speelman
Escaldes Z 1998
1 .txc3?
I Ii'.g3 ! 2 loxa4 'it>b5 3 loc3+ .txc3 4 @xc3
(4 bxc3 Ii'.xf3+ 5 @d2 'it>a4 -+) 4 ... Ii'.xf3+ 5
@d2 @xc5 + (Finkel in CBM).
2 @xc3 'it>xcS 3 Ii'.el Ii'.c2+ 4 @d3 @dS
4 ... Ii'.xb2 5 :l:xe5+@d6 6 Ii'.e4 Ii'.f2 7 h4 =.
5 Ii'.e2 Ii'.c4?
Allowing White to exchange the rooks very
favourably. Black should prefer 5 ... Ii'.cl 6 Ii'.e4
6 Ii'.xeS+ 'it>xeS 7 @xc4 h4 8 @b4 @f4 9
'it>xa4 @g3 10 f4!
Good technique, retaining connected passed
pawns.
10 ... @xh3 11 rs 'it>g4 12 f6 h3 13 r1h214
f8\\l¥ hl\W 15 \Wg8+ @fS 16 \\l¥f7+ @eS 17
@xb3 'it>d6 18 \la'c4 @d7 19 a4 '&el 20 \Wd4+
We6 21 @a2 \We2 22 as @e7 23 @a3 'it>e8 24
a6 l-0
E4.19
A.Felsberger - S.Dolmatov
Kazan ECC 1997
1 g3?!
This is a serious inaccuracy, since now Black
has the opportunity to make some progress. After
I b3! Axd3 2 cxd3 a draw would be practically
unavoidable; for example, 2 ... d4!? 3 Ii'.c4!
l. .. Il'.b6! +
Now it is no longer easy to resist Black's
pressure. Felsberger makes no big mistakes but
fails to combat Black's activity with sufficient
energy.
2 hc4 Il'.xc4 3 b3 Ii'.cS 4 Ii'.e3 Ii'.bc6 5 Ii'.d3
bS 6 axbS axbS 7 b4
7 c3 b4 8 Ii'.c2 f6 9 Ii'.cl @f7 10 Ii'.c2 g5! +
(Finkel in CBM).
7 •.• Il'.c4 8 c3 Ii'.a6 9 Il'.c2 f6!
Opening a second front.
10 I!d4 'll,c8 11 exf6+ @xf6 12 @e3?

300 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
12 gd3 was more tenacious.
12 ••. ga3 13 f!.d3 f!.c4 14 '.t>d2 '.t>f5 15 ge3
f!.e4 16 ~d3?! f!.xe3+ 17 @xe3 e5 18 fxe5
@xe5 19 '.t>f2 @e4 20 fl.el+ '.t>d3 21 ge6
'.t>xc3 22 f!.xg6 d4! 23 fl.gs d3 24 f!.xb5?1 fl.a 1
25 f!.xh5 d2 26 IldS dl'IW 27 .lhdl .lhdl 28
'.t>e3 '.t>xb4 29 h5 @cs 30 '.t>e4 '.t>d6 31 @f5
'.t>e7 0-1
E4.20
P.Leko - R.Hiibner
Dortmund 2000
1 gb4! (D)
B
After the exchange of the active rook, the
rest is just a matter of technique.
l...exd5
Or: I ... 'f1d 1 2 E{e4 +-; I ... l!xd5 2 .i.xd5 exd5
3 f!.ba4 .i.f5 4 gas +-.
2 .lhd4 exd4+ 3 '.t>xd4 .i.e6 4 '.t>e5 .i.f7 5
f!.38 .!has 6 .i.xa8 d4 7 '.t>xd4 '.t>e7 8 '.t>e5 .i.e6
9 .i.e4 .i.d7 10 c3 .i.e6 11 .i.g61 .i.c8 12 .i.h5
.i.d7 13 f3 .i.e6 14 .i.g4 .i.f7 15 MS '.t>d6 16
'.t>xg5@c5 17 f4 '.t>c418 f5 '.t>xc319 f6 gxf6+
20 '.t>xf6 .i.c4 21 h4 b5 22 h5 b4 23 h6 b3 24 h7
b2 25 .i.fS! .i.d3 26 hd3 1-0
E4.21
V.Kramnik - B.Gelfand
Astana 2001
1 f!.f7+!
By exchanging rooks, Kramnik demonstrates
good technique. The minor-piece ending is easily
won, whereas with rooks still on the board
Black could put up stiff resistance.
1 '.t>xf7
l '.t>g6 2 'f1c7 +-.
2 ltid6+ '.t>e7 3 ltixc4 '.t>d7 4 '.t>f3 '.t>c6 5 e4
'.t>cS 6 ltie5 fxe4+ 7 '.t>xe4 '.t>b4 8 ltic6+ '.t>xa4 9
ltid4 '.t>b4 10 ltixe6 ~c4 11 g4 .i.f6 12 h3 .i.b2
13 h4 .i.c314 f5 .i.b2 15 ltixg7!? .i.xg7 16 g5
1-0
E4.22
A.Yusupov - S.Dolmatov
Wijk aan Zee Cr (6) 1991
1 •• Jlb8!
Black must retain the rook to be able to generate
effective counterplay with the b-pawn. After
1 ... 'f1xg2+? he would inevitably slip sooner
or later into zugzwang: 2 '.t>xg2 .i.el 3 '.t>f3
i.g3 4 ge3 .i.h2 5 Ilel .i.g3 6 ge2 +-.
2'f1gl
2 'f1g5 b3 3 ~xc3 b2 4 'f1gl b!'IW 5 l!xbl
l!xbl 6 'f1c2 'f1b4 7 'f1g2 'f1xa4 8 'f1g7+ '.t>e8 9
'f1d7 'f1xc4 IO 'f1xd6 'f1d4 = (Yusupov),
2 .•. .i.d4 3 'f1bl 'f1g8 4 'f1db3 .i.f2! 5 zn
.i.g3+ 6 '.t>h1 'f1g7 1 'f1b2 ggs s rrb3 'f1g7 9
'f1b2 'f1g8 10 'f1bbl 'f1g7 11 'f1f3 'fl,.g8 12 'f1bfl
'f1g7 13 'f1e3 'f1g8 1/z-1/z
E4.23
V.Epishin - P.Smirnov
Russian Ch (Elisca) 2001
Yes.
1 'f1b6! .lhb6 2 .i.xb6 '.t>e6
2 ... .i.h6 3 g5+!! +-.
3.i.d8?!
3 .i.c7! .i.f6 4 f3! i.g7 5 g5 (zugzwang)
5 ... .i.h8 6 .i.a5 .i.g7 7 .i.c3 +- followed by f4
(Tsesarsky in CBM) .
3 .•• .i.f8 4 g5?
4.i.c7 +-.
4 •••.i.33 5 g6 .i.f8 6 .i.gS .i.g7 7 .i.h4 .i.h6 8
f3 fil8 9 .i.d8 .i.h6 10 .i.h4 i.f8 11 f4 exf412
'.t>xf4 .i.g7 13 '.t>g5 '.t>e7 14 '.t>fS+ @f815 .i.f6
@g816.i.xg7 '.t>xg717 '.t>g5'.t>g818 '.t>h6 '.t>h8
19 g7+ 1/z-1/z
E4.24
L.Stein - M.Tal
USSR Ch (Leningrad) 1971
l ltid21 .i.xg2 2 ltixc4!
2 '.t>xg2?! ltib6 is unclear.

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
301
2 ••• ~b4 3 ll'ia2 .ie4 4 ll'ixb4 .ixc2 5 ll'ixc2
ll'ib6 6 ~xd8+ .ixd8 7 ll'i2e3 (D)
B
After the previous exchange of blows, the resulting
endgame favours White. He has a dangerous
queenside pawn-majority, which will be
assisted by all his pieces. The c4-knight and the
f4-bishop offer Black little hope of a blockade.
7 ... ll'ixc4 8 ll'ixc4 lbcl5 9 ~dl! ll'ib6
More stubborn was 9 ... ll'ixf4 IO gxf4 .ic7 11
f5 @f8 ( 11...nds? ! 12 nxd8+ .txd8 13 @g2
©f8 14@f3 @e7 15 @e4 ±) 12 @g2@e7 13
nds .tbs 14 h3 g6 1s@r3±.
10 lbcl6 ~8 11 aS ll'ia4 12 ll'ic4 ll'ic3
Black's last hope, but this double attack fails
because of the weak back rank.
nne1 .ixaS
Capitulation, but Black has no good moves
left. 13 ....if6 is met by 14 b6 axb6 15axb6+-.
14 ll'ixaS ll'ixbS 15 ~5 ll'id4 16 !lxcS 1-0
E4.25
A.Petrosian - A.Panchenko
Vilnius 1978
l ll'ixdS! .txf2+
I...~xd5 2 '&xd5 ll'ixd5 (2....ixf2+ 3 llxf2
ll'ixd5 4 ll'ig5 .te6 5 ll'ixe6 ±) 3 nxc5 nxe2 4
.ixg7 ©xg7 5 ~xd5 .txf3 6 .ixf3 ~xa2 7 nd7
ll'ie5 8 .ixb7 ±.
2 nxf2 ll'ixd5 3 ll'ieS!
The justification of I ll'ixd5 ! .
3 ... ll'ie3
Or 3 ... ll'ixe5!? 4 nxc8 .ixc8 5 ~xd5 ~c7 6
nfl !, but not 3 ... .ie6? 4 ll'ixf7 .txf7 5 l;txf7
@xf7 6 .txd5+ @g67 nc4 +-.
4 ~xd8 ll'ixd8 5 ll'ixg4 nxcl + 6 .txcl ll'ixg4
7 nn ll'ic6 8 ndl ! ntl8?!
Black should avoid 8 ... nxe2? 9 .ixc6 +-,
but 8 ... h6!? was well worth trying.
9 nxd8+ ll'ixd8 10 .if4 @f8 11 .if3 ll'if6 12
@f2@e7 13@e3 ll'id7 14 @d2 ll'if815 .te3 a6
16@c31-0
E4.26
N.Short - S.Sulskis
EU Ch (Liverpool) 2006
1 ~d4!
Black cannot avoid the exchange of queens
and will be subjected to a strong attack in the
endgame. A remarkable strategy!
1...~xd4 2 cxd4 .ixbS (D)
2 ... llxb5 3 nxc4 .ib3 4 nc7 ±.
w
Jnc1nrs
3...!Id8 4 nxr?+@g8 (4 ... @h6 5 nc1~xd46
ll'if7+ @g7 7 ll'id6+ +-) 5 nb7 .ia4 6 na7 .tb5
(6 ... .ic2 7 ll'id7 @f7 8 d5 @e7 9 ll'ie5+ @f6 IO
ll'if7 nes 11 d6 .ixe4 12 d7 +-) 7 d5 nes 8 ll'if7
llxe4 9 ll'id6 nd4 IO ll'ixb5 nxd5 l I ll'ic3 +-.
4h4@g85@g3
The king sets off in person to support the attack.
An absolutely typical phenomenon in the
endgame.
s ... nds 6 dS rs 1 @f4 .ie8
Or:
a) 7 ... fxe48@xe4.ta49nxc4.ib310ncs
+-.
b) 7 ... nd68nc8+@g79nc5.ia6 !0llc7+
@f8 11 ll'ic6 fxe4 12 'i:ti>e5 +- and the rook is
trapped.

301 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
8 lt:lxc4 fxe4 9 Wxe4 sn 10 1k5 Wg7 11
lt:leS Ag8 12 gc7+ Wf6 13 l'ac6+ @g7 14 d6
Ae61Sd71-0
E4.27
V.Bologan - S.Rublevsky
Poikovsky 2006
1 ... ~cS!
Without the queens, White's attack against
the king is history, whereas Black penetrates
decisively on the c-file. In contrast, 1...~b2? 2
.!;lei still gives White counter-chances on the
kingside.
2 ~xcS I!xcS 3 I!el gxhS 4 I:!M I!bc8 5
1ixh5 I!cl 6 l'ixcl .!;lxcl 7 f4 lt:lc5 8 1ih3 ~1
8 ... d4!? 9 @f2 I!c2+ 10 Wel 1ixa2-+.
9 a41ibl 10 wr2 I!b2+ 11 @gl @g7
1 l...1ixb3!? 12 ~xb3 lt:lxb3 13 Wf2 lt:lc5 14
Ab5d4-+.
12 I!g3+ Wf8 13 .!;lc3 lt:le4 14 ~c8+ ctJg7 15
£d3lt:lg3161ib81id217 .i.a6d418@h2lt:lf5
19£b7
19 b41ib2-+.
19 ...l'itb220 Ae4 lt:le3 211id8 lt:ln + 22 Wgl
lt:lg3 23 Ad3 1id2 24 Ac4 lt:lrs 25 g4 lt:le3 26
rs Wh6!
The king participates personally in the attack.
27 fxe6 fxe6 28 .i.xe6 WgS 29 .i.c4 ~4 30
e6 @g331 An 1if2 32 Ah31ie2 33 An gel
34 !tf8 d3 0-1
WcS 26 Wc7 WbS 27 Ac8 WcS 28 Ag4 WbS 29
.i.e2+ WcS 30 .i.f3 WbS 31 Ab7 @cs 32 .i.c6
@b4 33 @d6 @as 34 Ads Wb6 35 @d7 @cS
36 @e6 @b6 37 Wd6 Wa7 38 @es Wb6 39
©d6 Wa7 40 .i.c4 Wb6 41 .i.b3 @b7 11z.11z
E4.29
L.Aroshidze - P.H.Nielsen
Kalamaria 2006
1 g4! fxg4
1...g62 gxf5+ gxf5 3 I!c5 =.
2 @xe4 Wd6 3 WfS 1ixc6 4 I!d2+ @e7 5
Wxg4 @f6 1/z-1'2
E4.30
E.Schmittdiel - K.Aseev
Mehlingen 1990
Play continued l ... bxa5? 2 bxa5 Aa7 3 c5+
Axc5 4 a6 1'2-112.
Instead, Black should simply wait, to start
with:
1. .. Ae3! (D)
E4.28
A.Gershon - T.Thorhallsson
Bermuda 1999
1 h3?
White should play I @g5 h3 2 g3 @b8 3
Wh4 Wc7 4 Af5 @xb7 5 Axg4 +-.
l ... gxh3 2 gxh3 Aa6 3 ©gS Axb7 4 .i.xb7
Now Black has an unpleasant surprise ready:
4 ... @d7!
He is within Rauzer's drawing zone and can
save himself. Not 4 ... @xb7? 5 @xh4 +-.
5 ~6 @e8 6 Wg7 @e7 7 Ads ©e8 8 Ae6
©e7 9 Af7 ©d8 10 ~6 Wd7 11 Ag6 Wd8 12
@e6 ©c7 13 Ae8 Wd8 14 .i.a4 @c7 15 We7
Wc8 16 .i.bs Wc7 17 Ad7 Wb818 @d6 @b7
19 Ae6 @b8 20 ~6 Wa7 21 @c7 'i&a8 22
Ads+ Wa7 23 Ahl Wa6 24 @b8 @b6 25 .i.b7
2axb6
2 c5+ Axc5! 3 bxc5+ bxc5 4 @b6 c4 5 Wxb7
c3 6 a6 c2 7 a7 cl~ 8 a8~'&b2+ 9 ©a6 ~a3+
10 ctJb7 ~b4+ 11 Wa6 Wt'a4+ 12 Wb7 ~5+ 13
@a7Wc7-+.
2 ... Af4t
Now Black switches diagonals, to prevent a
breakthrough. He wins since White's own pawn
on b6 is in the way.
Not 2 ... .i.f2? 3 c5+ Wd5 4 c6 bxc6+ 5 Wa6
.i.g3 6 b7 =.
3c5+

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
303
3 @a4 @e5 4 @b3 @d4 5 c5 Ae5 -+.
3 ... @dS4c6
4 Wa5 Wc4 5 c6 bxc6 6 b7 Ac7+ 7 Wa4 Wd3
8 @b3 @d4 9 @a4 @c4 IO @a3 @b5 11 @b3
..id6-+.
4 ... bxc6+ S Wa6 Wc4 6 WaS
6@b7@b5-+.
6 •.• Ad6 7 b7 Ac7+ 8 @a4 @dS 9 @b3 @d4
IObS cs-+
E4.31
I.Naumkin - M.Cornette
Montecatini Terme 2006
l. .. g6!
Not: 1...@g8? 2 @e5 @f7 3 @f5 +-; l...g5?
2 @e5 @g8 3 @f6 g4 4 @g6 g3 5 lbf4 @h8 6
@xh6 @g8 7 @g6 @h8 8 h6 @g8 9 h7+@h8 IO
@h6 g2 11 l2:ig6#.
2 l2:if8+ @g7 3 l2:ixg6 @f6 4 l2:if4 ©gS! ( D)
4 ... @f5? 5 l2:ie6 ©!6 (5 ... c.t.g4 6 l2:ig7 @g5 7
@e6 +-) 6 c.t.d6 @f5 7 We? Wg4 8 l2:ig7 +-.
3..idl h4
3 ... l2:ic4 4 a4 +-.
4g4! @f4
After 4 ... l2:ixg4+ 5 Axg4 @xg4 6 a4 the
black king is unable to enter the square of the
pawn.
S a4 lbc6 6@h3 @gS 7 Af3 l2:id4 8 aS lZ:ibS 9
Ac6 l2:ia7 10 ..ib7 lZ:ibS 11 a6 l2:ia7 12 Ads 1-0
E4.33
P.Leko - J.Piket
Monte Carlo (Amber rpd] 2001
1...lZ:ifS+?
The correct way is l...g4! 2 Axc6 (2 Ac2
l2:if5+ 3 @c5 g3 4 fxg3 l2:ixg3 5 @xc6 l2:ie2 =)
2 ... l2:if5+ 3 @c5 (3 @d3 @e5 4 b5 g3 5 f4+ @d6
=) 3 ... g3 4 f4 lbe3 5 b5 @e7 6 b6 @d8 =.
2 @cS c.t.eS 3 Axc6 l2:id4 4 bS lZ:ixbS S @xbS
@f4 6 @c4 g4 7 Ahl g3 8 f3 @e3 9 ©dS 1-0
E4.34
V.Mikhalevski - A.Vydeslaver
Israeli Ch (Jerusalem) 1996
1 AfS! (DJ
B
S@e5
5 @e6 Wxf4 6 @f6 @e4 7 @g6 @e5 8 @xh6
@f6=.
s •.. @g4 6 @e4 @gS 7 @f3 @h4! 8 @f2@g4
9 @e3 @gS IO @f3 c.t.h4 11,.11,
E4.32
P.Bakalar - J.Lechtynsky
Czechoslovak Ch (Brno) 1990
1 ... @g6 2 Axa4 @xgS?
Too violent. 2 ... l2:ic4 draws: 3 Ac2+ @xg5 4
Ad3 (4 a4 h4 =) 4 ... l2:ixa3 5 @h3 @f6! (5 ... h4?
6 g4 +-) 6 @h4 @e5 7 @xh5 @d4 =.
White obviously does nothing at all about
the threat to the e5-pawn. Once the g6-bishop
disappears from the board, White penetrates
with his rooks to the seventh rank.
l. .. AxeS 2 Axg6 fxg6 3 Axes ~xeS 4 ~ff7
White now safely turns his advantage to account.
4 ... ~cs s ~g7+ c.t.rs 6 !txh7 @g8 7 !tdg7+
@f8 8 Itxb7@g8 9 ~bg7+ @f810 .l:I.f7+ ©g8
11 Ithg7+ @h8 12 !txg6 b4 13 axb4 !tb8 14

304 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
~d6 l;te2 15 .l;{f2 !tel+ 16 Wg2 .!hb4 17 l;td7
l;te8 18 l;tdS g419 l;tdfS !leb8 20 Wgl l;txb2 21
l;txb2 l;txb2 22 l;thS+ @g7 23 ~gS+ Wh6 24
!txg4 Wh5 25 l;th4+ Wg5 26 1:!f4 l;ta2 27 .l;{f2
1;ta4 28 wg2 @g4 29 z;te2 z;tb4 30 h3+ @fS 31
@1'31-0
E4.35
V.Smyslov - S.Reshevsky
The Hague/Moscow Wch 1948
l .i.xe6!
I '&h4? ! ll:lg5 2 '& g4 ll:\d7 3 ..te3 ll:le6 ±.
l. .. fxe6 2 '&h4!
The d-pawn can no longer be held.
2 ...'&d7
2...'!Wxh43 gxh4 ll:lc6 4 l;txd6 l;te8 5 b4@g8
6 a4 @f7 7 b5 axb5 8 axb5 ll:lb8 9 .i.a5 +-.
3 ~d8+ \\l'ixd8 4 .i.xd8 ll:ld7 5 .i.c7 lbcS 6
l;txd6 l;tc8 7 .i.b6 ll:la4 8 l;txe6 ll:lxb2 9 ~es
ll:lc4 10 l;te6 ll:lxb6 11 l:!xb6 l;txc3 12 l;txb7
l;tc2 13 h4 l;txa2 14 Wg2 a5 15 h5 a4 16 !la7
@g8 17 g4 a318 @g3 z;te2 19 ffi ~a2 20 we3
@f8 21 f3 l;tal 22 @f4 a2 23 e5 @g8 24 wfS
.l;{fl 25 l;txa2 .l;{xf3+ 26 Wg6 Wf8 27 1:!a8+ We7
28 ~a7+ 1-0
E4.36
R.Pogorelov - R.Vera
Seville 2001
1 ....!hc5!
Now White can save the game only with
great difficulty.
2 dxcS l;txdl 3 1:!xdl c3 4 bxc3 WxcS 5
l;td8?
5 h4? loses to 5 ... Wc4 6 f3 Wxc3 7 g4 b2 8 h5
@c2 -+, but 5 @fl! is the path to a draw:
a) 5 ... Wc46We2ll:le4(or6 ... b27Wd2Wb3
8 l;teJ and now 8 ... a5 =, avoiding 8 ... ll:\d5? 9
c4! +-) 7 We3 ll:lxc3 8 l;td4+ Wc5 9 Wd3 b2 10
l;tc4+=.
b) 5 ... ll:le4 6 h4 b2 7 ~el ll:\d2+ 8 We2 bl'&
9 l;txbl ll:\xbl 10 Wd3; it seems White can hold.
5 •.. ll:ldS 6 ~b8 ll:lb6 7 l;td8 ll:lxa4 8 1:!c8+
WbS 9 l;tb8+ ll:lb6 10 X!d8 ll:ld5 0-1
E4.37
Y.Estrin - A.Zaitsev
Moscow 1963
l. .. ll:lg3+1
l ... ll:lg7? 2 dxe6 ll:lxe6 =.
2We3Wxd5!
2 ... ll:lfl + ?! 3 Wf2 (3 We2 ll:lxh2 4 dxe6 ll:lxg4
5 exf7 We7 6 @fl ll:le5 +) 3 ... ll:ld2 +.
3@f2 ll:lhl+ 4 @gl @d4 5 @xhl @c3 6 f4
6b4@d2-+.
6 ... Wxb3 0-1
E4.38
R.Kempinski - D.Rogozenko
Hamburg 1999
With the following exchanging combination,
Black breaks a possible white blockade and enters
an easily won endgame:
l ... l;txc3+!
Both l...Wd5?! 2 .i.xa5 and l...a4?! 2 ll:\d3
are clearly better for Black, but White can still
offer tough resistance.
2 bxc3 @dS 3We2 e4 (D)
4 ll:\c2
4 Wd2 Wc4 5 ll:lg2 Wb3 6 h4 f3 7 ll:le3 gxh4
8 ll:ld 1 h3 9 ll:lf2 Wxa3 1 0 ll:lxe4 h2 11 ll:lf2 b4
-+.
4 ... @c4 S ll:\d4 b4 6 axb4 axb4 7 Wdl bxc3
8 ll:lc2 f3 9 h3 h6 10 @el @b3 11 @dl f2 12
ll:le3 c2+ 0-1
E4.39
P.Svidler- S.lvanov
St Petersburg 1997
l l;tbl!
Very good! Prophylactic thinking was required.
I b5?! looks natural, but by l...d4! 2 .i.b2
ll:lb4 Black can bring about a very favourable

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
305
transition into an opposite-coloured bishop
endgame: 3 ..ixd4 toxd3 4 cxd3 ..id5 ;!; and, despite
White's extra pawn, it is extremely doubtful
whether he can win the game, in view of
Black's light-squared blockade.
1 ... :as 2 bS toas 3 ..ixaS!?
A strong transformation, since infiltration by
the white rook cannot be prevented.
3 ... r!xaS 4 r!b3! (DJ
1 toel @g7 2 ..ihS @f8 3 toc2 ..ie6?
Now either f5 or b5 drops. Instead, Black
should have abandoned d5: 3 ... We7 4 (oe3 ..ig7
5 toxd5+ @d6 6 sn .if& 7 @h4 (DJ.
B
White will reach the seventh rank via c3.
4 ••• b6
4 ... r!a4 5 nc3 r!xf4 6 r!c7 r!f2+ 7 We3 l:!xg2
8 r!xb7 ±.
5 r!c3 r!a7 6 r!c6 !'.!b7 7 c4!? dxc4 8 ..ixc4
..id79~d6
White now won owing to his tremendous activity.
9 ... wrs 10 ..id5 l:!c7 11 r!xb6 r!cS 12 ..ic6
..ixc6 13 bxc6 @e7 14 r!b7+ @e6 15 r!c7 hS
16 Wd3 h4 17 h3 g6 18 @d4 r!c2 19 r!c8 We7
20 WdS r!d2+ 21 WcS r!xg2 22 r!b8 r!c2+ 23
@b6 r!b2+ 24 Wa7 r!a2+ 25 Wb7 r!b2+ 26
'i!i>c8 r!c2 27 c7 gS 28 fxgS We6 29 Wd8 1-0
Chapter 5
E5.01
E.Torre - P.H.Nielsen
Bled OL2002
The knight should be transferred to e3, after
which a black pawn drops. However, whether
this is sufficient to win is not clear, in view of
the strong defensive power of the bishop-pair.
Now 7 ... ..ie8! hinders White from infiltrating;
for example, 8 ..ig8 ..id7 9 toe3 @e7 and
Black can fight on.
4toe3@e7
4 ... @g7 5 ..ie8 +-.
S ..ig6 ..ig7 6 ..ixfS ..if7 7 ..ic8 ..if8 8 ..ia6
1-0
E5.02
L.Fressinet - T.Radjabov
Pamplona 200112
1. ••@g7! 0-1
The black king holes up at h7, after which
the white kingside pawns fall like ripe fruit.
E5.03
A.lstratescu - V.Milov
Antalya Ech 2004
In view of the structure, the knight belongs
on b4.
1 toeI ! toe7 2 toc2 tors 3 ..ih2 tod6 4 ..ixd6!
Nipping any counterplay in the bud.
4 ••• r!xd6 s tob4 .ars 6 J;tb7+ r!e7 7 r!aS
..ic8 8 !'.!b8 J;tc7 9 r!cS We7 (DJ
All White's pieces have reached their objectives.
Now he widens the operational area:
10 e4! dxe4 11 dS rs 12 dxc6 ..ie6
12 ...!tdJ+ 13@h2Wd614!'.!xc4g515!'.!b7
+-.
13 r!cbS ..ic8

306 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
w
13 ... !ld8 14 !l5b7 !lxb8 15 !lxc7+ +-.
14 lod5+?
Although Istratescu won after this move, we
shall leave the game at this point because 14
!l5b7 ! i.xb7 ( 14 ... Wd8 15 !la8 +-) 15 axb7 +-
would have been immediately decisive (Ribli in
CBM).
ES.04
Khalilbeili - Volovich
Moscow 1964
First White should achieve the a4 advance,
without allowing the black bishop to come to
h6. This can be done by either Wd3-c2-b2 followed
by a4, or Wf3-g3-h4-g5 followed by
i.cl and a4. After a4 there are two possibilities:
a) If Black captures on a3, then White plays
g5, after which the invasion of the queenside
with Wa4 and the threat of £a5-d8-e7 is decisive.
b) If Black waits and allows the a4-pawn to
live, White brings his king to g5, compels the
black king to remain on the queenside on account
of the a-pawn and, after a bishop sacrifice
on c5, forces his way through to the black f-
pawn with Wh6.
1 @f3
Or:
a) I Wf4?? i.h6+ 2 g5 (2 <Zi'f3 £xe3 3 Wxe3
g5 =) 2 ... i.f8 =.
b) I @d3 @b6 2 'it>c2 wa5 3 @b2 @b6 4 a4
and White wins as in the game.
1 ... wd7 2 'it>g3 'it>c8 3 wh4 @d7 4 @gs 'it>c8
5 i.cl Wc7 6 a4 bxa3
6 ... Wb6 7 £e3 Wc7 8 a5 Wc8 9 a6 Wc7 l O a7
Wb7 11 i.xc5 £xc5 12 Wh6 i.d4 13 Wg7
i.xe5 14 Wxf7 +-.
7 i.xa3 Wd7 8 i.b2 Wc7 9 £c3 Wb6 10
wf4@a611 g51-0
Black resigned in view of 11 ... Wb6 12 We3
wa613@d3@b6 I4@c2@a615@b2@b616
@a3 @a6 17 wa4 @b6 18 i.a5+ @b7 19 i.d8
'it>c8 20 i.b6 +-.
ES.OS
E.Eliskases - B.Larsen
Mar del Plata 1958
After an exchange of bishops White's situation
will be untenable. So:
1. .. i.f7! 2 £g4 (D)
Or:
a) 2 .llel !lh3 3 !lgl £h5 4 i.xh5 !lxh5 5
!lg2 !lh 1 6 !le2 !lg! 7 !le3 !lg2 8 !ld3 g4 9 !le3
b6 10 !ld3 !le2 -+.
b) 2 i.dl !? i.h5 3 g4 was the most tenacious,
but Black should sooner or later be able
to break down the wall; for example, 3 ... i.g6 4
f!:g3 b6 5 l'id3 1:l:h4 6 !lg3 £f7 7 i.e2 i.e6 8
i.f3 !lh6 9 i.e2 !lh I I O i.d3 !lh2 11 £fl ( 11
£c2 !lf2 12 i.dl !lf4 13 @d3 Wb4 14 !lg2
i.f7-+) ! 1...!lf2 12i.g2!lf413£f3 i.f7-+.
2 ••• i.h5 3 i.c8
3 £xh5 !lxh5 4 !lf3 !lh3 5 l'id3 g4 6 !le3
1:i:h2 7 !lei !lg2 8 !le3 !lf2 9 !ld3 .lle2 -+.
3 •.. i.e2! 4 i.xb7 £g4 5 !ld3 !lg2 6 i.xc6?!
Wxc6-+
and Larsen turned his advantage to account
after a few more moves

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
307
E5.06
S.Djuric - A.Vusupov
Sarajevo 1984
Black's plan consists of deploying his pieces
optimally with ... t:Z)e4 and ... llh2.
1. .. lae8! 2 llxd5
2 J;tb7+ $'f6 3 llb6 t:Z)e4 4 i.f4 <lle7 5 i.xd6+
t:Z)xd6 6 ll)e2 .!lf8 7 <llg3 llg8 +.
2 ••• t:Z)e43 i.el
3 i.e3 (or 3 i.cl) is met by 3 ... llh8 4 l;lxd6
t:Z)xd6 5 i.f4.!ld8 6 i.xd6 llxd6 7 'i&g3 J;te6-+.
3 ••• J;th8! 4 'i&fl
Or: 4 ll)f3 gxf3+ 5 $>xf3 l;le8 +; 4 l;la5 l;lh2+
5 @fl 'i&f6 6 l;la8 'i&f5 7 llc8 llb2 8 llxc4.!lbl 9
'i&e2 t:Z)g3+ 10 i.xg3 i.xg3 +.
4 ••• l;lh2 5 bS l;lb2 6 t:Z)e2 llbl
Zugzwang.
7 b6 l;lxb6 8 i.h4 l;lbl + 9 'i&g2 llb2 10 ©fl
'i&g6 11 l;laS g3 12 J;ta8 @hS 13 i.xg3 t:Z)xg3+
14 ll)xg3+ sl..xg3 15 l;lc8 'i&g416 l;lxc4 'i&f317
l;lb4 llh2 18 'i&gl l;lh8 19 l;lb2 lle8 20 l;lbl
i.f2+ 21 <li'fl l;lh8 0-1
Chapter 6
E6.0l
V.Malakhov - R.Dautov
Istanbul Ech 2003
1 g4! (DJ
2 J;ta8 J;te8 3 gxhS gxhS 4 @g3 i.e6?
4 ... llg8+ 5 <li'f4 i.h3 6 llxg8 <li'xg8 7 i.g6
+-.
5 i.g6+ 1-0
E6.02
E.Bareev - M.Rivas
Leon 1995
1 t:Z)b3! b6
l...c4 2 l2:)c5 i.c8 3 i.xc6 llxdl + 4 llxdl
bxc6 5 J;td8 'i&f8 6 t:Z)a6 l;lb6 7 t:Z)c7 +- (Ftacnik
inCBM).
2 llxd71 ~xd7 3 i.xc6 lld6 4 i.bS t:Z)c7 S
i.d3 t:Z)dS 6 t:Z)d2 t:Z)xc3 7 bxc3 b5 s t:Z)e4 J;tc6 9
a4 c4 10 axbS! 1-0
E6.03
K.Aseev-A.Vaulin
Russian Ch (Elista) 2001
1 i.xe7! l;lxe7 2 llxe7+ 'i&xe7 3 b5!
White wins, since Black has three weaknesses
and the white king can penetrate.
3 axbS
3 i.e8?! 4 bxa6 bxa6 5 i.xe8 'i&xe8 6 'i&f4
'i&e7 7 'i&f5 'i&f7 8 f4 +- (Khuzman in CBM).
3 ...'i&d6 4 b6 srt (D) and now a triangulation
wins the vital tempo:
1 lle7
l hxg4 2 fxg4 @g7 3 lla8 l;lf8 4 llb8 f5 5
gxf5 gxf5 6 h5 'i&h6 7 i.a6 bxa6 8 b7 i.xb7 9
l;lxf8 +-.
5 'i&g2 i.g6 6 'i&f2 i.f7 7 'i&e3 i.g6 8 'i&f4
with a deadly zugzwang; for example, 8 ... i.d3
(8...i.f7 9 'i&f5 @e7 10 i.c6 i.e6+ 11 'i&g6 +-;
8 ...'i&e6 9 sl..c6 bxc6 10 b7 +-) 9 i.e8 +-.
4 i.xbS 'i&d6 5 'i&f4
The start of the long march into the enemy
camp.

308 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
5 •.• @c7 6 Aa4 *d6 7 *e3 @c7 8 '.t>d2 ~d6
9*c3Af7
Passive waiting is also insufficient to defend:
9 ... @c7 10@b4@d6 I 1 Abs Af7 12Ae2Ae8
13 Ad3 +- with a decisive zugzwang (Khuzman).
10 Ac2 @c7 11 @b4 b6
Black must do something to avoid falling
into zugzwang.
12 a6@b813@b5@a7 (D)
l. .. J;i.d7 2 J;i.f4+ lt:lf6 3 lldl l;i.ed8 4 J;i.fd4 d5
5 cxd5 'bxd5 6 *f3@e7 7 J;i.cl a6 8 'bc3 l!f8+
9 @g2 'bxc310 l;!.xd7+ @xd7 11 J;i.xc3 );i.f512
@fl h5 13 @e2 a5 14 J;i.f3 @d6 15 J;i.c3 112_11z
EG.05
A.Kharlov - S.Zagrebelny
Cappelle la Grande 2000
1 l;!.c8! (D)
The weakness at e4 should be left on the
board, to be picked up later. Not l lbd2? l;i.xc3 2
lbxe4 l;i.c6 =.
B
14@c6l!
Black's days are numbered.
14 ... @xa6 15 @d7 @b5 16 @e.7 Ag8 17
@xf6 'it>c418 @eS b5 19 Ag6 b4 20 Axh5 b3
20 ... Ah7 21 Af7 b3 22 Axd5+ @c3 23
Axb3 +-.
21 Ag6 b2 22 Ahl Af7 23 f4 'it>c3 24 rs
@d2 25 f6 @e3 26 h5 AxhS 27 @xd5 Af7+
27 ... @f4 28 @e6 @g5 29 d5 +-.
28 *es Ac4 29 dS Ad3 30 f7! Axbl 31
f8'& Ac2
3 l...@d2 32 '&b4+ @c2 33 '&a3 +- (Khuzman)
and the d-pawn decides the issue.
32 ~a3+ 1-0
EG.04
N.Nusken - A.Peschel
Pardubice 2004
1 lt:lb5?
Missing a shot: I 4Jc:6! J;i.d7 (l...l;i.c7 2 l;i.xe6!
+-) 2 );i.dl and now d6 drops: 2 ... @g7(2 .. .lk8
3 lt:le5+ +-) 3 ~ed4 d5 4 cxd5 exd5 5 l;i.xd5
l;i.xd5 6 l;i.xd5 ± with a technically winning position
(Nilsken).
l. .. l;i.xc3
l ... b5? 2 lt:le5 ±.
2 lbxb6 @f7 3 /bd5 l;!.cS 4 ~xc7+ l;i.xc7 5
lbxc7 @f6 6 lbb5 Ab4 7@g3@g5 8 h4+ @h5
9 lbd4 Ad6+ 10@h3@g6 ll @g4 Ab4? (DJ
1 I ... @f6 was necessary.
12 lbe2?

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
309
12 lZle6 ii.el 13 h5+ @h6 14 lZld4 @g7 15
lZlf5+ @f6 16 lZld6 We5 17 lZlf7 + @f6 I 8 lZlg5
+-.
12 ... Ael 13 lZlf4+@f614 lZlh3@e515@g3
WfS?
I 5 ... h6 was more accurate.
16 lZlgS h6
16 ... h5 17 lZlh3 ilc3 18 lZlgl ile5+ 19 @h3
ilc3 20 lZle2 ii.el 21 lZlg3+ @e5 22 @g2 +-.
17 lZlf7 hS 18 lZld6+ @eS 19 lZle8 @fS 20
lZlg7 + @g6 21 lZle6 ilb4 22 lZlf4+ @h6 23
@h3 ii.el 24 @g2 1-0
E6.06
U.Andersson -A.Zapata
Havana 2003
1 lZlxe61
Not: 1 Axc6? Axc6 2 lZlxc6 lZlxf4 =; I
lZlxc6? lZlxf4 2 lZla7 lZle6 =.
1 •.•@xe6 2 @f2 @f6 3 'it>e3 @e7 4 @d4 @f6
5 a3 ile8 6 Ae4 ild7 7 @c3ii.es 8@b2 ild7 9
a41-0
Black resigned since he will be outmanoeuvred:
9 ... Ae8 JO a5 ild7 11 @c3 @g7 12 @d4
@f6 13 ilg2! ile8 (13...'i!i>e7 14 @e5 ile8 15
Ae4 +-) 14 ilh3 +-(Meulders in CBM).
E6.07
A. Yusupov - V.Anand
Wijk aan Zee FIDE Ct (4) 1994
1 g4! 'i!i>f8 2 lZlc4 rs 3 f3! (D)
3 gxf5? exf5 =.
B
3 ... ilf6 4 'it>f2 @g7 5 @fl ild8 6 e4 fxe4 7
fxe4 '&cs
7...'&d4 8 '&b2 ±.
8 ~f2 Wle7 9 ~d4+ @g8 10 @e2 ilb6?
10 ... ~c7 is more tenacious.
11 lZlxb6 axb6 12 '&xb6 '&a313 '&d8+ @f7
14 ~d2 @e8 15 @f3 cS?! 16 \Wd6 @f7 17
'&d7+ @f6 18 ~d8+ @f7 19 es '&a6 20 '&d7 +
@g8 21 @e3 '&xa2 22 '&xe6+ @f8
22 ... Wg7 23 ~d7+ Wf8 24 ~d5 +-.
23 ~xh6+ @e8 24 ~e6+ 'it>f8 25 ~rs+ @e8
26 '&c8+ m 27 '&d7+ @f8 28 '&d8+ @f7 29
~dS+ 1-0
E6.08
G.Flear - M.Turner
London (Redbus KO) 2000
l@f2?
I fxg6 fxg6 2 Itg5 ! was the right way, according
to Turner and Rowson, since the rook
has everything under control and his majesty
can calmly advance; for example, 2 ... @e7 3
@f2 @d7 4 @e3 @e7 5 @e4 @e6 6 ~gl @d6 7
Itdl+ 'i!i>e7 (7 ... We6 8 Itd8 lZld7 9 @d4 +-) 8
@e5 lZld7+ 9 @d4 @d6 10 l:!ft @e6 11 Itgl
@f5 12 Itel +-.
l. .. lZlh7! 2 fxg6 fxg6 3 @e3 @d6 4 Wd4
lZlf8 5 Ite8
Not 5@e4??, allowing zugzwang by 5 ... lZle6
-+.
5 •.• lZle6+ 6 @c3 gS 7 hxgS lZlxgS 8 Itd8+
@c7 9 Ith8 lZle6 10 ItxhS @d6 1 l llh6 @dS 12
Ith8 cS 13 Ita8 cxb4+ 14 @xb4 lZlc7 15 Ita7
@c6 16 @b3 @d6 l 7 @c2 @d7 18 ~b7 @c8 19
Itb6 lZldS 20 Ith6 lZle3+ 21 @b3 lZlc4 22 @b4
<Bb7 23 Ith7+ @b8 24 Itg7 @a8 25 Ite7 @b8
26 Ith7 @a8 27 @cs @b8 28 Ith8+ 1/z-1/2
E6.09
P.Leko - A.Shirov
Tzlburg 1996
1 Wg7?
l '&a5! forces White to isolate his doubled
pawns: 2 dxe5 (2 '&c2? '&xc3 -+) 2 ... dxe5 3
~d3 lZlb7 4 lZlg5 lZlc5 5 ilxf7+ @g7 6 ~c4
'&xc3 +.
2 ild3 lZle6 3 '&b2 '&c7 4 ilc2 h6 5 @e2?
The king has no prospects in the centre in
view of the presence of the queens. After 5 ~b4
lZlg5 6 lZld2 White is only slightly worse according
to Shirov, The instructive remainder of

310 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
the game follows, with just very brief annotations.
S •. .tllgS! 6 lllxgS
6 llld2 d5 +.
6 .•. hxgS 7 .i.d3 g4
7 ... d5!?.
8 hxg4 \Wd7 9 @fl \'!Nxg4 10 \We2 \Wh4 11
\Wf2 '&bl+ 12 @e2 \Wal 13 "&el \Wa2+ 14 \Wd2
'&e6 15 \Wc2 cS 16 dxcS dxcS 17 @el \'!Nc6 18
c4 'l!+"b6 19 'l!+"c3 llld7 20 @e2 '&e6 21 .i.c2
\Wg4+ 22 @fl ~g3 23 \Wet '&h2 24 \Wf2 lllf6
25 @e2 \'!Yhl 26 \Wfl \Wh4! (D)
lf3
The aim is to follow by g4, after which either
a passed h-pawn appears or the black pawn on
h5 will be weak and in this case will drop immediately.
1 f4? would be a typical mistake. Admittedly
White completely restrains the black position,
but also deprives himself of his dynamic possibilities.
1. .. .i.b7
I ... c5 2 .i.xa8 cxb4 3 g4 +-.
2g4.i.a8
2 ... hxg4 3 fxg4 .i.a8 4 h5 gxh5 5 gxh5 @f8 6
@f6 +- (Ftacnik in CBM).
3 gxhS gxhS 4 f4 .i.b7 5 i.f3 .i.a8 6 @xhS
1-0
E6.11
E.Grivas - B.Avrukh
Iraklion 1995
1 e4 fxe4 2 .i.xe4!
2 fxe4? e5 3 @f3 (3 f5 lllf6) 3 ... exf4 4 @xf4
Il.f7+5 We3 llle5 6 .i.e2 @f6plays into Black's
hands.
2 ... lllf6 3 @f2 @d8 4 Il.h6 ~f7 5 @e3 'it>e8 6
rs exfS
After 6 ... e5 the rook penetrates on the queen-
Black needs the queens on.
side: 7 Il.hl @f88Il.al h5 9Il.a6h4 IO@f2±.
27 \Wf2 \Wh2 28 \Wf3 llle8! 29 .i.d3 llld6 30 7 .i.xfS @e7 8 .i.d3?! (D) .
\'!Nfl \Wh4 31 \'!Nr2 \We7?!
8 @f4 is more accurate.
31 ... ~g4+ 32 \Wf3 \We6 + is much more accurate.
32 \Wfl \Wb7?! 33 'l!+"al! @f6 34 \Wa5 lllxe4
35 Axe4 \Wxe4 36 \WxcS'l!+"xg2+ 37 ©d3 Wi'fl+ B
38 ©d2 \Wf2+ 39 @d3! 'l!+"fS+ 40 @c3 gS 41
\Wb6+?
41 \Wf8! offers more resistance according to
Shirov.
41 .••@g7 42 cS g4 43 c6 g3 44 c7 g2 45 e4
~fl 46 1:!i'd2 gl\W 47 'l!+"xgl+ '&xgl 48 c8\W
\Wd4+ 49 @e2 \Wxe4+ 50 ©f2 '&f4+ 51 @e2 e4
52 \Wc3+ @g6 53 'filc6+ @gS 54 \Wes+ @g4 55
~c8+ Wg3 56 \Wes @g2 57 \WdS ~f3+ 58 @el
~e3+0-l
E6.10
A.Karpov - J.Lautier
Biel 1992
White won with a typical procedure:
8 •. .'~f8 9 Il.hl I!e7+ 10 @f2 f!.d7 11 @e3
Il.e7+?!
Positively encouraging White forward,
12Ae4 Il.c7

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
311
Activity is no help either: 12 .. J!d7 13 @f4
nd4 14@f5 lt:lxe4 15 fxe4 nxc4 16 nxh7 and
White wins.
13 'it>f4 h5?!
13 .. Jfo7 is more tenacious.
14 @fs nr7 15 @e6 lt:le8
15 ... lt:lxe4 16 fxe4 nh7 17 :§.h4 +-.
16 @e5 ne7+ 17 @f4
1 7 @d5 lt:lf6+ 18 @xc5 lt:lxe4+ i 9 fxe4 nxe4
20 nxh5 is simpler.
17 ..• lt:lg7 18 ~d5 nc7 19 @es @e7 20 f4
nc8 21 nal nc7 22 f5 lt:le8 23 l:!a6 @f8 24
nh6 ne7+ 25 ~e6 <tJg7 26 nxh5 :§.c7 27 I{gs+
@h6 28 ng8 lt:lg7 29 r6 1-0
E6.12
G.Kamsky-A.Yusupov
Tilburg 1992
l. ..@c6?
If you have weaknesses, you can generally
not afford to play passively. Thus Black should
play J...I{f5! 2 <tJxb5 (2 f4 @c6 =) 2 ... :§.xf3 3
nxd5+@c7 =.
2l:!g4nh6
2 ... nf5 3 f4 nf6 4 lih4 nf5 5 I{h6+ @c7 6
@xb5 nxf4 7 nh7+@d8 8 @b6 nc4 9 c6 +-.
3 f4 ru6 4 I{h4 l;tf7 5 nh6+ @c7 6 @xb5
nxr41 nh1+ 'it>t8 8 @b6 no 9 :§.h8+ @d710
c6+ @d6 ll nd8+ 1-0
8
Now Black can construct the coffin: 6 ... g4! 7
nb3 na2 8 @fl na3 9 nb5 @d6 10 lt:ld4 :§.xa7
11 @e2 :§.al -+.
2 lt:ld4+ 'it>d6 3 nbs lid7 4 b3 @c7
4 ... g4!?.
5 lt:lc2 @c6 6 nb8 @cs 7 nb7 lt:les 8 lt:lxb4
(D)
8
Chapter 7
E7.0l
M.Wahls - F.Dottling
Bundesliga 20002/3
1...nr7?
Black can win by t...nxb2! 2 lt:lxa7 ~bl+ 3
@g2 b3, and then:
a) 4 lt:lb5 b2 5 a7 (5 lt:la3 :§.al 6 a7 bl~ 7
a8~ '&fl#) 5 ... ngr+ 6 @xgl (6 @f3 lt:le5+ 7
@e3 bl~ 8 lt:ld4+ @f6 9 a8~ \Wd3+ 10 @f2
~xd4+ -+) 6 ... bl\W+ 7 @g2 ~c2+ 8 @h3
lt:lf2+ 9 @g2 lt:ldl+ IO@hJ (10@h3 ~f5+ 11
@g2 lt:le3+ 12 @gl ~fl#) JO ... ~e4+ 11 @gl
~el+ 12 @g2 i'.!rf2+ 13 @h3 ~fl+ 14 @g4
lt:le3+ 15@h5 \Wf7#.
b) 4lt:lc6 b2 5nb5 (5 a7 ngI+-+) 5 ... lial 6
a7 (D).
Admittedly the b4-knight will have no squares
after Black's reply, but White can always sacrifice
it, if pressed.
8 ..• nd2
8 ... nd4 9 nxa7 @xb4 (9 ... nxb4? 10 nc7+
@b6?? 11 nb7++-) 10nb7+@c51 I b4+@c6
12 b5+@c5 13 a7 ~a4 14 b6 lt:lc4 =.
9 h3! l:!b2 10 nxa7 @xb4 ll nb7+
Ii l:!a8? @b5 12 a7 @b6 13 b4@b7 is naturally
not what White intended.
11 •.•@cS 12 b4+ @d6
12 ... nxb4?? 13 nxb4 <&xb4 14 a7 +-.
13 a7 na2 14 b5 lt:lc4 15 b6 @c6 112-1'2

312 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
E7.02
Deep Blue - G.Kasparov
Philadelphia ( 3) 1996
11:tcbl! b6 2 i.b8! l:ta4 3 ~b4 l:ta5
3 ... l:ta6!? is more accurate, and keeps a minimal
advantage; for example, 4 c4 (4 l:tc4 0-0 5
i.d6?! b5! with the initiative) 4 ... @e7 5 i.e5
l!d8 6 f3 ~e8.
4 l:tc4 0-0 5 i.d6 l:ta8 6 l:tc6
Now the activity of White's pieces compensates
for his worse structure.
6 .•• b5 7 @fl l:ta4 8 l:tbl a6 9 @e2 hS 10
@d3 l:td8 11 i.e7 l:td7 12 .bf6 gxf6 13 l!b3
@g7 14 @e3 es 15 g3 exd4+ 16 cxd4 l:te7+
J 6 ... l:tdxd4 17 l:txa6! =.
17@f3 l:td7 18 l:td3 lhxd419 l:txd4 l:txd4
20 l:txa6 1/2-112
E7.03
A.Suetin - M.Botvinnik
USSR Ch (Moscow) 1952
Black would really like to exchange a pair of
rooks:
1 ... i.h6! 2 fxe6 fxe6 3 l:txf6 l:tcf8 4 l:txf8
i.xf8!
The bishop-pair offers more than enough
compensation for the lost pawn.
5 l!f2 .i.h6 6 i.c4 i.e3 7 ~e2 i.gl 8 g3
Suetin reduces the winning potential, but his
position was already very difficult, as the following
variation shows: 8 h3 .i.e8 9 ~dl .i.h5
10 l:td2 i.h2 11 c3 i.f4 12 ~f2 i.g3 13 l:td2
i.el 14 l:tc2 i.xdl 15 ~cl i.h5 16 !txel !txg2
+.
8 .•• hxg3 9 hxg3 l!xg3 + 10 a3 i.e8 11 @82
i.h5 12 !tel i.d4 13 l!hl !tg5 14@b3 i.e5 15
i.d3 i.g6 16 !th4 l:tg317 a4 i.f6 181:thl l!g4
191:tel i.e5 20 ~dl !tf4 21 ~c3 !tf3 22 ~bl
i.g3 23 !tgl he4 24 ~d2 i.d5+ 25 @a3 l!f2
26 lbe4 i.h2 27 !tg6 i.xe4 28 i.xe4 d5 29
i.d3 i.e5 30 !tg8 @d7 31 b4 i.f6 32 !tgl !th2
33 @b3 @d6 34 !tdl @e7 35 c4 l!b2+ 36 'iPa3
dxc4 37 i.xc4 !tc2 38 i.b3 i.b2+ 39 @a2 !tf2
40 i.c4 a5 41 bxa5 i.c3+ 42 ~b3 i.xa5 43
i.b5 b6 44 @c4 @f6 45 ~d4 l:tf4+ 46 @e3
~es 47 !thl J;{e4+ 48 @d3 !tg4 49 l:th5+ @d6
50 !th8 @e5 51 l:th5+ @f4 52 !th3 l!g8 53
l:th4+ @es 54 !th5+ @d6 55 ~h4 ~g3+ 56
@e4 i.d2 57 i.d3? (D)
Now there followed an instructive attack to
conclude.
However, we shall not provide the game continuation
at this point, since this is exercise
E 13. IO - please try to find the win yourself.
E7.04
R. Kasimdzhanov - M .Adams
Tripoli FIDE Welz (4) 2004
lf4! {D)
B
1. •• i.xf4
l...~xf4+ 2 i.xf4 i.xf4 3 !txg7 b4 4 l;!dd7
l;!a2+ 5 @f3 i.h2 6 e5 +-.
2l!g6~f7
2 ... .i.xe3 3 l:txe6+ @f7 4 ~xc6 i.f4 5 l:tf3 g5
6l:txc7+ +-.
3 l;!xe6 @xe6 4 i.xf4 J;la4 5 @f3 ~c4 6 .i.e3
b47 l;!d4l;!xd4
7 ... l;!xc5 8 l;!xb4 l:tc2 9 h4 +-.
8 i.xd4 g5 9 @e3 1-0

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
313
E7.05
A.Pashikian - Y.Pelletier
Stepanakert 2004
1 '&f8!
The active white queen together with the
passed h-pawns ensure White an easy draw. I
'&h7 is equally playable.
1. ...ll:.a6 2 '&d8+ We4 3 '&c8 .ll:.bb6 4 'i!Uc4+
We3
4 ... @f5?? 5 Wig#.
s W/c3+ @e4 6 W/c4+ we3 112-112
6gxf4?!
After6.ll:.xdl ?? the underlying idea of Black's
pawn advance is revealed: 6 ... f3+ -+.
6 ii.d2?? lZlxf2 -+.
6Wf3! was necessary: 6 ... nd4 7 @e2!? (again
threatening gxf4 followed by Ad2) 7 ... .l;Xd5 =.
6 ... gxf4(D)
w
Chapter 8
ES.01
V. Yandemirov - S.lvanov
USSR 1989
White must keep the black king out of play:
1.ll:.h2!
Stopping ... Wb3 and now threatening the advance
of the h-pawn. As soon as the black rook
goes to attend to the h-pawn, White can imprison
the black king on the edge of the board
with Wc2. In contrast, 1 h6? would be premature:
l...Wb3 2 h7 .ll:.h8 3 Wd2 .ll:.d8+4 We2 .ll:.h8
5 We3 Wxc3 6 We4+ Wb2 7 Wd4 c3 =.
l. .. .ll:.b3
I ... bih8 2 Wc2 .ll:.b8 3 .ll:.h4 +- (V.Kuporosov
in Informatori.
2 h6 .ll:.xc3+ 3 Wdl! .l;Ib3
3 ... .ll:.d3+ 4 Wc2 .ll:.d8 5 Wc3 +-.
4 .ll:.h4 .ll:.b8 5 .ll:.xc4 Wb3 6 .ll:.c7 .ll:.b6 7 h7
.!;Xh6 8 We2 wb4 9 00 WbS 10 Wg4 Wb6 11
nn i-o
ES.02
L.Psakhis- J.Speelman
Hastings 1987/8
Speelman found a way to reach out an arm to
rescue his knight. In what follows we make use
of analysis by Speelman in Jon Speelman 's
Best Games.
1. .. gS!!
1...nd2? 2 Axd2 .!;Xxd2 3 nc1 ±.
2 Aa6 f4 3 ii.d3 .l;Xxd3 4 exd3 .l;Xxd3 5 We2
.!;XdS!
5 ....l;Xd4? 6 gxf4 gxf4 7 ii.d2 l2Jxf2 8 il.c3
ftd3 9 ii.el±.
7 .!;Xcl?
7 Wf3 la:3 8 Axc3 .l;Xd3+ 9 Wxf4 .l;Xxc3 +·
7 ... l2:lb2 8 Ac3 lZld3 9 J;Xgl lZlb410 J;Xg7+?
IO ii.xb4 axb4 11 lig7+ Wd6 12 llxh7 f3+
13@e3 l:tdl +.
10 •.• wrs 11..tb2 nd3 0-1
ES.03
J.Noomen - H.Corti
corr. 2000
I Wgl!
Not: 1 Wg3? J;Xf7 =: I f3? J;Xf7 2 .l;Xa7 il.d4 3
J;Xa4 ii.es+ 4 f4 Axf4+ 5 g3 ii.xg3+ 6 Wxg3
.l;Xxe7 =.
1 ... m, 2 .ll:.d7! il.c3
Or: 2 ... ii.f6 3 lZld5 .l;Xxd7 4 lZlxf6+ +-;
2 ... ..tf8 3 lZld5 +-.
3 @fl ..teS 4 We21-0
ES.04
T.Pahtz - O.Borik
Bundesliga 1990/1
1.l;Xa4!
Not: I Wc6? f4 2 b7 f3 3 .ll:.a2 We5 =; 1 blb5?
.l;Xcl+ 2 @d4 .l;Xdl+ = .
1 ... .l;Xcl+
Or:

314 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
a) l. .. @d7 2 1l:a7+ @e6 (2 ... @c8 3 ~xh7
+-) 3 b7 1:1:cl+ (3 ... @e5 4 1l:a5! +-) 4 @b6
1:1:bl+ 5 @c7 1:1:cl+ 6 @b8 1:1:bl 7 @a8 +-
(Armas in lnfonnator).
b) l...@e5 2 1l:b4 1:1:cl+ (2 ... 1l:xb4 3 @xb4
@d6 4 @b5 f4 5 @a6 +-) 3 'i!tb5 @d6 41l:d4+
@e5 51l:c4! 1:1:bl+ 6 llb4 +- (Armas).
2 WbS 1:1:bl+ 3 @a6 @dS
3 ... @e5 4 b7 f4 51:l:aS+ @d6 6 @a? @c? 7
1l:c5+ ~d6 81:l:cl +-.
4 b7 @c6 5 1l:c4+ <li>dS 6 1l:c8 f4
6 ... 1:1:al+ 7 @b61l:bl+ 8@c7 f4 9 b8\\IY 1l:xb8
10 1l:xb8 <li'e4 11 Il.h8 +-.
7 b8'& )hb8 81l:xb8 f3 91l:h8 @e4 10 ~xh7
f2 11 ~f7 We3 12 @bS @e2 13 @cS fl\':!' 14
)hfl @xfl 15 @d4 @g2 16 @eS @g3 17 @f6
1-0
E8.05
G.Bastrikov - S.Kiselev
Sverdlovsk 1946
11:l:el! (DJ
It is essential for White to prevent the set-up
with .. .f6 and ... es. 1 1:1:gl+ achieves nothing:
I...Wh7 21l:g5 (21l:g7+ @h6 followed by .. .f6
and ... e5) 2 ... f6! (2 ... <li'h6? 3 i.e3 ±) 3 .ll:xh5+
Wg6 and after ... e5 Black has good counterplay.
White heads single-mindedly towards a won
pawn ending. 4 i.e3 was also very strong.
4 ••• b6 51:l:xhS eS 6 i.xeS! bxcS 7 i.f6@e8 8
1l:h8+ @d7 9 )hd8+ llxd8 10 .i.xd8 @xd8 11
@f3
The outside passed h-pawn wins the day.
11 •.• @e7 12 @e4 <t>e6 13 @f4 rs 14 h4 @f6
15 hS @e6 16 @gS 1-0
Chapter 9
E9.0l
J.Votava - B.Macieja
Czech Cht 2003
1 ... hc3+!
a) Not 1...i.d4? 2 ~xb5 @xb5 3 .i.b7 i.gl
4 .i.c8 i.xh2 5 .i.xe6 i.xg3 6 i.xf5 i.xf4+ 7
@e2 h2 8 .i.e4 =.
b) Li.fl?! 2 ~a4+ <li'a7! also wins: 3 i.c6
(3 @el i.b5 4 i.hl .i.d4 -+) 3 ... .i.g2 4 i.d7
i.h4-+.
2@xc3 srn (D)
B
The white bishop is surprisingly unable to
escape.
3 b4 i.g2 4@c4 cxb4 0-1
1..J:tfe8
Or: l ... 1l:ae8 2 ~c5 ±; I ... e6 2 ~5 ±.
2 !!gl+ @f8
2 ... <li>h7 31l:g7+ ±.
3 ltJcs 1l:ed8
3 ... 1l:ec8 4 ~d7+ @e8 5 ~e5 ±.
41:l:gS!?
E9.02
J.Pinter - A.Shirov
Izmir ECC 2004
1 ....i.xe3!
After l.. ..i.a2? 2 ~c2 it is not clear how the
white fortress should be breached.
2 'i!txe3 .i.c4! 3 i.d7 bS 4 axbS .i.xbS S i.e6

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
315
5 .ixb5 Wxb5 6 Wd4 Wc6 -+.
5 ... a4 6 .ia2 a3 7 @f3.lc4 8 .ibl @d4 9 e5
Wc3 0-1
E9.03
G.Antal - T.Fogarasi
Budapest 2002
1 •.•@c7?
Black absolutely must head for a same-
coloured bishop ending by I....ixd2! 2 @xd2
Wc7 3 Wc3 Wb6 4 .ib3 (4 h3 'i&c5 =) 4 ... .lg4 5
h3 .ie2 6 h4 h6 =.
2 .ib3! .ixd2
2 ... .ic8 3 lt:if3 Wb6 4 lt:ig5 h6 5 lt:if7 h5 6
lt:ig5 @c5 7 .le6 .lb7 8 srt +-.
3 .lxe6 (D)
B
15 Wg6 .lf4 (15 ... e4 16 Wf5 e3 17 .le2 +-) 16
Wf5 @c5 17 .if3 @d6 18 Wg4 .le3 19 g3 We6
20 .le4 Wf6 21 h4 gxh4 22 gxh4 Wg7 23 Wf5
.id4 24 We6 +-.
4 h4 h6 5 g4 .ia3 6 srt
6 g5 +-.
6 •.• gS 7 hS! .icS 8 @c4 .ixe3 9 WdS .icS
9 ... @d7 10 .le6+ We7 (IO ... Wc7 11 .if5
+-) 11 .if5 .lc5 12 Wc6 Wd8 13 b6 +-.
10 We6 Wd8 11 Wf6 1-0
E9.04
R.Fischer - B.Spassky
Sveti Stefan/Belgrade (17) 1992
l .id2! (D)
Not I l;!xc5? .lb! 2 .l::te5 .l::td8 3 .id2 (3 .l::tb5
.ixd3 4 .l::txb4 .lxe4 5 .lc7 =) 3 ... lt:ixd3 4 l;!e7
(4 l!a5 .l::te8 5 .l::txa7 h5 =) 4 ... a6 5 .id5 Wf8 6
:!l'.xf7+ We8 7 .l::tf5 l;!b8 8 b3 lt:ib4 9 .!!e5+ Wd7
IO .if7 .ic2 with only a slight advantage for
White in view of Black's counterplay.
B
3 ....icl?!
Although Black cannot stop the decisive infiltration
of the white king, 3 ... .iel ! was much
more tenacious. For example, 4 .lg8 h6 5 Wc4
.if2 (5 ... g5 6 srt g4 7 g3 .if2 8 Wd3 +-) 6
sn g5 7 .ih5 .lxe3 8 Wd5, and then:
a) 8 ... .lgl 9 h3 .lc5 10 We6 @b6 11 @f5
.ie3 12 Wg6 Wc5 13 'i&xh6 Wd4 14 .lg6 @c5
(14 ... 'i&c4 15 Wg7 Wb3 16 .le8 d5 17 'i&f6 d4
18 b6 d3 19 b7 .la7 20 @xe5 d2 21 .ih5 Wxa4
22@d5@b5 23 e5Wb6 24 e6Wc7 25 .idl +-)
15 @g7 @b4 16 .le8 .ib6 (16 ... d5 17 Wf6 d4
18 @xe5 d3 19 Wd5 d2 20 .ih5 Wxa4 21 Wc4
.if4 22 b6 .ib8 23 .id 1 + Wa3 24 Wd5 Wb2 25
e5 +-; 16 ... Wxa4 17 b6+ Wb4 18 b7 s.a 19
srt +-) 17 Wf6 Wxa4 18 Wxg5 +-.
b) 8 ... .ic5 9 h3 .ia3 10 We6 @b6 11 Wf5
@c5 12 Wg6 .lei 13 Wxh6 d5 14 exd5 @xd5
1.. . .idS
Not: i...lt:ia6? 2 .l::tal +-; i....l::tc8?? 2 .lxb4
+-.
2 .ixdS lt:ixdS 3 .l::txc5 lt:ib6 4 Wf1 f6?!
4 ... lt:id7 5 .1::td5 lt:ie5 6 f4 lt:ixd3 7 b4 ±.
5 .!!aS l;!e7 6 .lb4 .l::td7 7 .icS Wf7 8 We2 gS
8 ... We6 9 f4 .l::td5 (9 ... g6 IO f5+ +-) 10 Wf3
g6llb4+- .
9 'it>f3 Wg6 10 We4 hS 11 .ixd4
Fischer now safely turned his advantage to
account.
ll ••. .!!e7+ 12 Wf3 h4 13 .icS .!::tel 14 :!l:xa7
lt:idS 15 .tf8! .l::te8 16 .id6 .!!e6 17 .l::td7 lt:ib6

316 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
18 I:!.d8 ll:ldS 19 b4 !:!.el 20 bS !:!.bl 21 I:l.b8
llb3 22 @e4 ll:lc3+ 23 Wd4 ll:lxbS+ 24 @c4
1k3+ 25 @xbS I:!.xd3 26 @c6! ltxh3 27 @dS
~f3 28 @e6 ~xf2 29 ~g8+ @h7 30 'llf7 I:!.a2
31 ltg7+ @h6 32 .H8 ~a7 + 33 @xf6 lta6+ 34
Wf7 l-O
E9.05
M.Tissir - R.Kasimdzhanov
Ca/via OL 2004
Black has a substantial advantage after his
next move:
1 ... gs? 2wn
Also after 2 @g3 Black can exert powerful
pressure: 2 ... ltd5 3 ll:lgl ..ic7+ 4 @g2 I:!.d7 5
h3 h5 6 ll:le2 ..ib6 7 ltc3 g4 8 hxg4 hxg4 9 ll:lgl
..ic7 10 @fl ltd!+ 11 ©g2 £b8 12 lte3 ..ia7
+.
2 •.. ~dl+ 3 @e2 ~bl 4 £4 gxf4 5 ll:lxf4 ltxh2
+ 6 ll:ld3 ..ibS 7 J.:tf3+ @e6 8 I:!.e3+ 'lld7 9 'llel
Elhl+?!
9 ... @c8l?.
10 'lld2 ..igS 11 f4 J.:th2+ 12 @dl ~h6 13
©cs+ @c8 14 !k3 ..ic6 15 ll:ld3 @d8 16 ..id6
lthl+ 17 'lle2~h2+ 18@dllth319'llc2..ie4
20 @d2 "5 21 .i.c7+ @es 22 .i.eS ..if8 23
©b4 ltxc3 24 @xc3 hS 25 £f6 Wf7 26 ..igS
We6 27 a4 .i.g7+ 28 @d2 £e4 29 We3 £bl 30
©d3 'lldS 31 ©es ..ic2 32 aS ..if8 33 ..id8 ~fS
34 @f3 £b4 35 i.b6 h4 36 ll:lg4 @e6 37 ll:le3
~d2 38 £d8 £el 39 'lle2?
39 @g2 is better.
39 .•• h3 40 WfJ?
40 ©fl is necessary.
40 •.• ..ie4+!! 0-1
E9.06
V.Smys\ov- M.Taimanov
Leningrad 1951
1 b4! ll:le4 2 f3 tbc3 3 e4 ltc7
3 ... ..ixa2 4 b5 ltc7 5 ..ib4 ..ib3 6 lta3 +-.
4 £d6 ltd7 5 i.eS f6 6 ~d3!
The point.
6 ©a4
6 lbxa2 7 i.c3 lbxc3 8 ltxc3 ..ic6 9 b5 +-.
7 exdS fxeS 8 dxe6 J.:txd3 9 ..ixd3 @f8 10
ltel ~dS 11 ..ic2 ©c3 12 ~xeS <#Je7 13 i.b3
ltd2 14 ltc5 ll:le2+ 15 wn ll:ld4 16 ltc7+ @e8
17 ltxb7 i-e
E9.07
V.Kramnik-V.Topalov
Novgorod 1997
Krarnnik made short work of it:
1..ic4!
The killer move. Other moves allow Black to
fight on; for example, 1 .i.b4? ltc7, l ltcl?
..ic7, 1 I:!.d7? ~xd7 2 cxd7 @e7 or 1 £d8?
ll:lxd8 2 .!lxd8 ..ic7.
1 ... f4
Or: l ... ll:ld6 2 ..id8! ll:lxc4 3 I:!.d7 +- (Khuzman
in CBM); I ... i.c7 2 £b4 +- (what a powerful
bishop'): J...lte8 2 c7 ltc8 3 I:!.d7 ©d6 4
..ia6+-.
2 ltd7 t-o
E9.08
R.Biolek - V.Laznicka
Olomouc 2004
1 .•...if2! (D)
l. ...ic7?! shonld definitely also win but is a
lot more complicated; for example, 2 ..ic6 (2
ll:le7? ..ia5+ 3 @di £d8 4 lbc6+ We3 5 ll:lxd8
Wxf3 6 h5 @g3 7 lbe6 f4 -+) 2 ... f4 3 h5 ~a5+
4 @cl @e3 5 lbe5 ~d2+ 6 @di ..ie2+ 7 @c2
i.a5 8 h6 ..ic7 9 ll:ld7 ..id3+ 10 @dl ..id8 11
..ixa4 ..ie2+ 12 @c2 f3 13 ..ic6 f2 14 ..ig2@d4
15 ll:lfB £d3+ 16 'lldl ..if6 17 ll:le6+ We3 18
lbc5 fl'&+ 19 ..ixfl .ix fl -+.
2h5
Or:
a) 2 ©f8 ..ie3+ 3 @di ..ih6 4 lbd7 @e3 5
lbe5 £g7 6 ll:lxd3 Wxf3 7 lbc5 f4 8 ll:lxa4 £d4
-+.

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
317
b) 2 i..c6 i..e3+ 3 @dl i..e4 4 i..xa4 (4
i..xe4 @xe4 5 h5 Ah6 6 !oe7 i..g7 7 @c2 f4 8
!oc8 f3 9 !od6+ @d5 10 !of5 f2 11 !og3 @e5
12 !of! @f4 13 !od2 @e3 14 !ofl+ @e2 15
!od2 i..xb2-+) 4 .. .f4 5 i..c2 i..xc2+ 6 'it>xc2 f3
7 @di i..cl 8 h5 @e4 9 h6 (9 !oh4 f2 10 @e2
i..xb2 11 @xf2 c3 -+) 9 ... i..xh6 10 !oh4 i..g7
11 !oxf3 @xf3 12 @c2 @e4 -+.
2 ... i..e3+ 3 @dl i..gS 4 i..c6 f4 S i..f3 @e3 6
toes i..f6 7 !og4+ @xf3 8 !oxf6 @g3 9 !odS
9 h6 f3 10 h7 i..xh7 -+.
9 ... f3 10 tZ'le3 f2 11 h6 @f3 12 @d2 i..h7 13
ton @g2 14 !oe3+ 'it>f3 rs ton i..rs 16 !oe3
i..d3
Zugzwang.
17 !oft!? i..xfl 18 h7 i..d3 19 h8'& fl'& 20
'&f6+ @g2 21 '&gS+ @bl 22 '&dS+ @gl 23
'&gS+ '&g2+ 24 '&xg2+ @xg2 25 @c3 @f3 26
@b4 'it>e3 27 @xa4 @d2 0-1
E9.09
M.Kobaliya - V.Chuchelov
Istanbul Ech 2003
1 @fS
Not 1 i..xb5? !of3+ 2 'it>g6 !oxd4 3 exd4
i..h6=.
1 @f4!? is a good alternative though:
a) l ... g5+ 2 @xg5 !oc6 3 i..b6 !ob4 (3... b4 4
Adi !oe7 5 Ab3 +-)4i..xb5 !oxa25<Bf5 +-.
b) I...!oc42h4@e63h5@f7(3 ... a44i..xg7
tZ'lxe3 5 @e4 !of5 6 Ag4@f7 7 i..e5 !og7 8 @d3
Ah6 9@c3 +-) 4i..f3 (after4 a4? !oxe3! White
has the wrong rook's pawn: 5 i..xe3 i..xe3+ 6
'it>xe3 bxa4 =) 4 ...@g8 (4... !od6 5 i..d5+ Wf8 6
i..c6 @f7 7 @e5 !oc4+ 8 @e4 !od6+ 9 @d3 i..e I
10 e4 i..g3 11 i..b6 a4 12 i..d4 i..h4 13 e5 !of5
14 i..b2+-; 4 ... g5+ 5 @e4@g8 6@d3 i..b4 7 a4
!od6 8 ax b5 !ox b5 9 i..f6 +-) 5 i..c6 !oa3 6 i..c5
b4 7 <Bf5 !oc2 8 @e4 !oei 9 i..b6 @h7 10 i..e8
@h6 11 i..c7 @g5 12 i..xa5 +-.
t...!oc4 (D)
l...g6+ 2 @e4 !oc6 3 i..b6 b4 4 i..dl! Acl
(4 ... !oe5 5 i..xa5 !oc4 6 @d3 !oxa5 7 @xd2 g5
8 @d3 'it>e5 9 h3 +-) 5 i..a4 i..d2 6 h3 !oe5
(6 ... i..el 7 @d3 !oe5+ 8 @e2 !oc4 9 i..d8 i..c3
10 i..e8 +-) 7 i..b3 !oc6 8 @d3 i..c3 9 @c4
i..d2 10 @b5 g5 11 Adi !oe5 12 i..xa5 !od3 13
i..e2 !of2 14 Axb4+ i..xb4 15 @xb4 tZ'lxh3 16
a4 !of2 17 a5 g4 18 @b5 @c7 19 a6 +-.
2 e4!?
2 Axg7 should also win, despite the small
number of pawns remaining; e.g .• 2 ... !oxe3+ 3
@e4 !oc4 (3 ... !od5 4 i..xb5 !oc3+ 5 @d3 !oxb5
6@xd2 +-) 4 a4 'it>e6 5 axb5 !od6+ 6 @d3 i..f4
7 h3 +-.
2 Ah6
2 g5 3 i..f6 g4 4 i..d4 +-.
3 i..xc4! bxc4 4 eS+ @e7
4 ... @d5 5 i..c3 +-.
S i..c3 a4 6 i..b4+ @e8 7 e6?!
7 @e4! i..cl (7 ... @f7 8 @d5 +-) 8 @d4
i..b2+ 9 i..c3 a3 10 @xc4 @f7 11 @b3 +-
(Ftacnik in CBM).
7 ... i..cl 8 i..c3 a3 9 @e4 i..b210 i..b4 g611
@e3 @d8 12 @d2 @c7 13 @c2! @c6 14 i..c3
i..xc3
14 ... @d6 15 i..xb2 axb2 16 @xb2 'it>xe6 17
@c3 ©d5 18 h4@c5 19 a4 +-.
15 @xc3 @d6 16 'it>xc4 @xe6 17 @b3 @dS
18 'it>xa3 @c4 19 h4 @dS 1-0
E9.10
E.Pahtz - V.Tkachev
Retlrymnon ECC 2003
1...@f4! 2 !of7 i..d4+ 3 @el?!
After the more resilient 3 @fl f2 4 !od6 ( 4
!od8 Af3 5 i..e2 i..e4 6 i..a6 i..e3 7 !of7 'it>g3 8
@e2 i..f4 9 'it'd 1 i..f3+ 10 @c2 Ad5 11 !od8
i..g5 -+) 4 ... i..c5 5 h6 i..xd6 6@xf2 i..f3 Black
should win in the long run.
3 ... f2+4'it>e2
4@fl @g3-+.
4 ... i..g2 S @d2 i..e3+ 6 <Bdl i..f3+ 0-1
In view of 7 @c2 i..d5 -+.

318 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
E9.ll
V.Baklan -A.Kovaliov
Leon Echt 2001
1...h3!! 2 gxh3
Or:
a) 2 g3 .\;{c5 3 .\;{c2 .\;{d5 4 .\;{cl .\;{d3 5 Wa2
kg2 6 .\;{e2 .i.d4 7 @bl f5 -+.
b) 2 fuf6 hxg2 3 .\;{xg2 .\;{xg2 -+ since 4
lhf7?isrefuted by4 ....\;{gl+5 'it>a2.i.d5+-+.
2....l;{gl+ 3 Wa2 .i.e4! 4 .i.h2 .\;{cl 0-1
5 .l;{xf6 .i.bl + 6 Wal .i.c2+ 7 Wa2 kb3#.
3...Wg7 4 lbh5+ Wh6 5 .\;{xe3 'i&xh5 6 .\;{e5+
+-.
4lbe4+-
E9.14
S.Volkov - R.Ponomariov
Ohrid Ech 2001
Ponomariov uncorked an incredible move:
1...'i&d7!! (D)
After l ... <Bxe8? 2 g4! White wins one of the
bishops.
E9.12
W.Uhlmann - D.Yanofsky
Tel Aviv OL 1964
Uhlmann received an unpleasant surprise:
1 ....i.eS! (D)
2 g4 kxc3 3 gxf 5 .i.xf'S 4 h4 .i.d3 5 I'!a2
'i!.>xe8 6 'i!.>e3 kd4+ 7 Wd2 .i.bl 8 lha7 c3+ 9
@cl .i.e4 0-1
2.\;{d7+
2 !tc6?? .i.f4#.
2 •.. Wg6 3 .i.c7 .i.xd4+!
3 ... .\;{b7? 4 .i.xe5 .\;{xd7 5 f4 =.
4'i!.>xd4
4 .\;{xd4?? :!te2#.
4 ••. .l;{d2+ 5 'i!.>xc4 .\;{xd7 6 .i.b6 .\;{f7 7 @dS
fuf3 8 eS g4 9 @e6 zn 10 Wd7 .\;{dl+ 11 We7
wrs 0-1
E9.13
H.Rinck
L'ltalia Scacchistica, 1924
1 'i!.>g3+@g8
l ...@g7 2 :!tel .i.b5 3 :!txe3 .i.xd7 4 .\;{e7+
+-.
2 I:tel .i.bS 3 lbf6+ 'i&f7
E9.15
G.Kasparian
Revista Romana de Sah, 1978
1 'i!.>r7! .\;{xc6 2 .i.gS+
2 .i.xb8? .!1b6 -+.
2. •• @c7
2 ... Wc8 3 .i.e6+ lbct7 4 We7 .\;{c7 5 .i.e3 =.
3 M4+ Wc8 4 ke6+ lbd7 5 We7 lbab6 6
.i.e3 Wc7 7 kf4+ Wc8 8 .i.e3 =
E9.16
D.Feletar - M.Adams
Bosnian Cht (Neum) 2002
1 lbd4?
White cannot hold his fortress, even with
more accurate defence, but this move makes it
too easy for Black.
I .i.h7 is more stubborn. For example, l ... .i.b5
2 .i.f5 @g5 3 .i.h7 .i.d7 4 @g3 h4+ 5 @g2 .i.e6

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
319
6 Ad3 @f6 7 Ah 7 (7 lt:Jd4? ! Axd4 8 exd4 @g5
-+) 7...<$Je5 8 Ad3 @d6 (8 ... Af5? 9 Axfs
@xf5 IO @f3 @e5 11 @f2 =) 9 Ag6 @c5 10
Ad3 d4! (opening the position for the bishops)
11 exd4+ Axd4 12 Ae4 ( I 2 lt:Je I Ad5+ I 3
lt:Jf3?! Axb3 -+) 12 ... Aes 13 Ag6 Ad6 14
Ae4 (14 Ah7 @d5 15 Ag6 Acs 16 @h2 @es
17 @g2 @f4 18 <$Jh2@f3 -+) t 4 ... Ac8 ts Ad3
(15 lt:Je3 @d4 16 Af5 Ab7+ 17 @f2@c3 -+)
15 ... @dS 16 Ag6@e5 17 Ad3@f4-+.
I .. Axd4! 2 exd4 ( D)
B
2 ... Adl
Now, owing to his many weaknesses, White
falls into a fatal zugzwang.
3 Abt @gs 4@£2 <$Jf4 0-1
White threw in the towel in view of 5 h4 Af3
6 Ag6 Ae4 7 Axh5 Ac2 -+.
E9.17
M.Illescas - M.Krasenkow
Dos Hermanas 2001
1...J:!.c7?
Or:
a) I ... ~d8? 2 Axes (2 Ac3? J:!.xd5 3 Ae4
~d7 4 Axa5 Aa3 5 J:!.c3 Ae7 =) 2 ... ~xd5 and
now:
al) 3 @e4? ~xc5 4 J:!.xc5 bxc5 5 @d5 c4 6
Axc4 (6 Ac2!?) 6 ... lt:Jxc4 7 @xc4 and the pawn
ending is not won: 7 ...@e6 8 @b5 @f5 9 @a6
@xf4 IO@xa7@g31 l @b8!<&>xg212a4f513
a5 f4 14 a6 f3 15 a7 f2 16 a8~+ @gl 17 '&a7
h5=.
a2) 3 Axb6 axb6 4 ~c7+@e6 5 @e3 J:!.h5 6
g3 @d6 7 ~f7 <$Je6 8 J:!.g7 ±.
b) l...lt:Jb7! was necessary, as Krasenkow
showed in CBM: 2 Aa6 J:!.e8! 3 Axb7 Axd4 4
l:l.c7+ <$Jg8 5 g3 J:!.e3+ 6@g2 Ac5 7 Aa6 J:!.e7
and Black can hold.
2Aa6Ad6?
After the exchange of rooks, the knight can
get back into play only by means of a pawn sacrifice.
Alternatives:
a) 2 ... lt:Jb7? 3 Axb7 J:!.xb7 4 Axc5 bxc5 5
J:!.xc5 f5 6 J:!.aS +-.
b) 2 ... @e7 is more tenacious, but should also
lose in the long run; for example, 3 J:!.e I +@f7 4
Ab2 .l:!.d7 (4 ... lt:Jb7 s g4 Ae7 6 Ad3 lt:Jd6 7 h5
±) 5 Ac8 J:!.c7 6 Ae6+ @e7 7 g4 lt:Jc4 8 d6+
lt:Jxd6 9 Ab3+ ±.
3 lhc7+ Axc7 4 g4 h6
There follows a typical finale, which you
should not skip.
S gS! hxgS 6 hxgS fxgS 7 fxgS Ab8 8 Ac3
Ad6 9 @e4 Aa3 10 Ad2 @e7 11 <$Jes Ad6+
12 @e4 Aa3 13 Af4 bS
13 ... Ad6 14 Axd6+ @xd6 15 @d4 b5 16
Axb5 lt:Jb7 17 Ad3 +- (Krasenkow).
14 AxbS lt:Jb7 1S @f3 lt:Jd6 16 Acl3 m 17
Ae3 as 18 Ad2 a4 19 Ac2 lt:Jc4 20 Af4 lt:Jb6
21 @e4 Acs 22 Aes ltJc4 23 Af6 lt:Jd6+ 24
@d3 a32S<$Jc3
Zugzwang.
zs ..• Ae3 26 @b4 Acl 27 @cs Af4 28 Ad3
lt:Jc8 29@c6 ltJd6 30 Ad8 lt:JfS 31 AxfS gxfS
32 d6 Ad2 33 d7 @g6 34 @dS 1-0
E9.18
J.Stocek - H.Stefansson
Antalya Ech 2004
1. .• Ac3?
Or:
a) I ... Ae5? 2 Axes bxc5 3 @a6 Ab8 4 g6
c4 5@b7 +-.
b) I. .. Aa3? 2 Ad4+ @f8 3 g6 lt:Je6 4 Aes
Ac5 5 Abl +-; the bishop moves out of range
of the knight - a typical theme.
c) I...lt:Je6! 2@a6 Ad4 and now:
c I) 3 Axd4+? ! lt:Jxd4 4 Ad3 lt:Je6 5 Af5 (5
@xa7 lt:Jc5 6 Ac2 lt:Jxa4 7 Axa4 @g6 also
draws) 5 ... lt:Jc5+ 6 <$Jb5 a5 =.
c2) 3 Ad2 lt:Jc5+ 4 @b5 lt:Je6 5 Af5 @f7 6
@c4 (6 g6+ @f6 7 Axe6 @xe6 8 Af4 @f6 9
Ab8 @xg6 10 Axa7 @f7 =) 6 ... Ab2 7 @d5

320 How TO PU.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
locS 8 i.c2 loe6 9 @d6 locS 10 i.e3 @g7 11
i.f4 ltJa6 12 i.d2 ltJcS and Black should be
able to hold.
2 i.xcS 1-0
Chapter 10
El0.01
C.D.Meyer
The Magic of Chess Tactics, 2003
1 l!g6!
I l:!.g7? i.cS 2 l:!.g2 @hS 3 @a2 .i.d6 =.
1 ... i.cS 2@a2!! (D)
I ... 1:!.xf7
l...@h8 2 \Wxg6 \Wxg6 3 ~xf8+ @h7 4 itJfS
+-.
2itJf5 a5
2 ... °1Wh8 3 \Wxg6 @f8 (3 ... l!xf5 4 exf5 @f8 S
~e6 +-) 4 \We6 +-.
3 a4@h8 4 \Wxf7 lof4 5 0.e7 1-0
El0.03
S.lvanov- V.Emelin
St Petersburg Ch 1998
1 ~c6+-
Zugzwang. Other moves are far less effective:
a) 1 l!al? l!xc7 =.
b) I d7?@e7 2 dxc8~ laxc8 3 @b3 @d6 4
Wxb4 l:txc7 5 l!xc7 @xc7 6 @c5 f6 7 g3 @d7 8
@d5 @e7 9 @c6 @e8 =.
c) I @b3? g6 2 d7 l!xc7 3 l:txc7 ~+ 4
@xb4 l:td3 and Black has good drawing chances
with his active rook.
l ... g6
1...g5 2 d7+@e7 3 dxc8'& l!xc8 4 hxgS +-
(Golod in CBM).
2d1+(D)
This puts Black in a fatal zugzwang,
2 •.• @h3
2 ... @hS 3 l!g3 @h4 4 !ha3 +-.
3 l!g5 .i.d6
3 ... ©h4 4 !hcS bxcS S @xa3 @g4 6 @a4
+-.
4 l:tb5 .i.c5 5 1:!.xc5 +-
El0.02
S.Erenburg - T.Banusz
Budapest 2004
This exercise could also have been classified
in the section on domination.
1 °1We6!!
1 l:txf8+? ltJxf8 2 ~c8 g6 is not so clear.
However, Erenburg's suggestion 1 l!xc7 l!xfS
2 ltJxfS is also interesting. The move in the
game is better, of course, but here too White
should have good winning chances in view of
the dominated black queen.
8
2 @e7
2 @g7 3 f6+@h7 4dxc8~1:!.xc8 S@b3 +-
(Golod).
3 dxc8\W ~xc8 4 fxg6 @d7 5 l:tc5 fxg6 6
@b3l:txc7
6 ... l:tf8 7 c8\W+ l!xc8 8 l:txc8 @xc8 9 @xb4
+-; White will be able to progress to e5, the key
square of the pawn.
7 l!xc7+ @xc7 8 @xb4

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
321
White will win the zugzwang duel owing to
his spare moves.
s @d6
8 Wb6 9 @c4 Wc6 IO g3 (zugzwang) +-.
9 WbS gS 10 g3! 1-0
3@d6
3 @f6 @f4 4 h6 (4 g5 @g4 5 g6 @xh5 6 g7
..i.d4+ 7 @f7 ..txg7 8 @xg7 @g5 -+) 4 ... Jl.d4+
5 @e6 @g5 6 h7 @g6 -+.
3 ... @d4(DJ
El0.04
Jung- Sabos
Hungary 1952
1 \\\l'xh4+!!
Black only reckoned on I ..i.f6+? with a
likely draw after l...©xf6 2 °1Wxh4+ =.
1 ••.@xh4 2 ..i.f6+ gS 3 .Qc3
Zugzwang.
3 ... W'f2 4 ..tes 1-0
Black is in zugzwang once more.
El0.05
S.Movsesian - M.Adams
Bundesliga 199819
1. ...1l.f3?
l.. ...i.c8! is correct:
a) 2 ..i.c5 Wd8+ (2... Wc6+? allows zugzwang
by 3 @g5 +-) 3 Wg5 We8 =.
b) 2 Wxg4 Wc6+ 3 Wh5 @xb6 4 g4 Wc6 5
g5 @d7 6 g6 @e8 7 g7 .1l.e6 8 @g6 .1l.g8 =.
2..i.b4
Zugzwang. Not 2 b7? ..i.xb7 3 Wxg4 We6
with a draw.
2 ... Wc8 3 @e6 ..i.c6 4 We7 Wb7 S ..i.cS Wc8
6 ..i.d4 .tbs 7 d7+ Jl.xd7 8 b7+ Wxb7 9 @xd7
1-0
El0.06
Based on L.Christiansen-E.Kengis
Manila OL 1992
1. .. @e4!!
Other moves fail:
a) 1...Wd4? 2 Wg6 ..i.e3 3 h6 Wxc4 4 h7
..td4 5@f7 =.
b) 1 ... @f4? 2 @e6 @e4 3 @d6 @d4 4 @e6
Wxc4 5 @f5 ..i.e3 6 g5 =.
c) 1....1l.e3? 2 Wg6 Wf4 3 g5 We5 4 h6 ©e6
s @h5 @f7 6 g6+@g8 7 h7+ @g7 8 @g4 ..i.d4
and now 9 @g5 draws by zugzwang (and not 9
@f5? Wh6 -+, when White ends up on the
wrong end of the zugzwang).
2We6 .1l.e3
Zugzwang.
4@e6
We have now reached the game continuation.
4 ...@xc4 5 Wf6 @dS 6 gS c4 7 g6 c3
Black resigned here, in view of8 g7 ..i.d4+ 9
Wf7 ..i.xg710Wxg7 c2 11 h6 clWi 12 h7 Wfc7+
13 @g8 @e6 14 h8Wi Wif7#.
El0.07
A.Shirov - L.Aronian
Moscow2006
1 .. JU7 0-1
Shirov resigned in view of the fatal zugzwang
after 2 h7 .l;tf8 3 Wg7 .l;th8!! 4 Wxh8
Wf7, since his own b-pawn dooms him.
l ....l;th8 2 Wg7 .l;tf8 3 h7 .l;th8 wins similarly.
El0.08
Based on I.Maizelis
White must take advantage of the congestion
in the top left-hand comer to put Black in zugzwang:
1 .l;td6 ..i.b4 2 .l;td7+ @c8 3 Wc6 ..i.c3 4 ~d3
..i.b4 s @b6 .tel 6 Z!dS ..i.b4 7 f{dl +-
El0.09
P..Smirnov - A.Kharlov
Russian Ch ( Krasnodar) 2002
t ... @a8!

322 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Not l...@c8? 2 @c6 fixd6+ 3 @xd6 c3 4
fib4 (zugzwang) +- (Wedberg in CBM).
2 @c611xd6+!
2 ... i.d4? 3 ~b8+ @a7 4 Iib4 @a8 5 ~a4+
s.a 6@d5 ~r6 7 .icS ~f7 8 ~xa7+ +-.
3 @xd6 c3 4 ~bS @a7 S @c7 @a6 6 ~cs
6 @c6 @a7 7 ~b7+ @a6 8 ~b4 @a7 = (and
not 8 @a5? allowing zugzwang by 9 ~c4 +-).
6 .id4 7 ~c4 11i.11i
Agreed drawn since Black now has available
7 ... @bS! =.
El0.10
J.Horwitz and B.Kling (end of a study)
The Chess Player; 1851
l@c8(D)
Not I <t;>b8?@d8! 2 ~b7+@d7 (zugzwang)
3 @xa8 @c8 ! = since the knight is on the wrong
track and is unable to Jose a tempo.
B
After 2 @g3!? @g6 3 @g2 (3 @f4 @hS and
after the completion of the manoeuvre, White is
in a fatal zugzwang) 3 ... @h5 4 @h3 it is the
rook's tum to lose a move: 4 ... ~b8 5 @g3 ~b4
-+.
2 ..• @g6
2 ... fib4'? 3 @f2 ~xh4 -+.
3@f4<t1hS
Zugzwang.
4@g3~b4
Another zugzwang.
S @£2 @xh4 6 @e3 @g3 7 figl + @h2 8 ~bl
@g2 9 f4 fib3+ 10 @d2 @g3 ().1
El0.12
M.Botvinnik- V.Sozin
Novgorod 1929
l@d7@fS
1 ... <t1f7 2 rs i.h7 3 g6+ .ixg6 4 fxg6+@xg6
5 @c6 @xh6 6 @bS @g6 7 @xa4 @f6 8 @bS
<t;>e7 9 @c6 @d8 10 @b7 +-.
2 @e8 @g6 3 @e7
By triangulating with his king, White has put
Black in zugzwang.
3 ••. @h7
3 ... i.b3 4 rs+ @h7 s f6 @g6 6 h7 @xh7 7 f7
i.xr7 8@xf7 +-.
4 rs i.b3 s f6@g6 6h7@xh77f7 .ixf7 r-e
Chapter 11
1 ... @e8 2 ~c4 <t1e7 3 @b8 @d8
Or: 3 ... i.g2 4 ~a5 +-; 3 ... @d7 4 ~b6+@d8
5 ~xa8 +-.
4 ~d6 @d7 S ~b7
Zugzwang.
S ••• @c6 6 @xa8 @c7 7 ~d6 +-
It is zugzwang again.
El0.11
K. Begunov - l.lbragimov
St Petersburg 1994
Triangulation works here:
1. ••@h6
1...@xh4?? 2 ~hl#.
2@e3
Ell.01
L.Lopez -A.Redolfi
Cordoba I 966
1 g3!
Not:
a) I g4? .ie3 -+.
b) I ~xf4?? gxf4 2@xf4 i.c7+3 'i&g4 i.g3
4 @f3 @e I 5 @e3 @fl 6 ~f3 @g I 7 @e2 @xg2
-+ and now admittedly Black has the 'wrong'
bishop for his rook's pawn, but it is also the
wrong king in the comer!
l. .. hxg3
t...rxg3 2 ~xg3 hxg3 3 @xg3 leads to the
game continuation.
2 ~xg3 fxg3 3 'it>xg3 @e2 4 @g4!
4 h4?? i.f2+ 5 @g4 i.xh4-+.
4 ....id8 s h4 gxh4 6 @h3 @fl 7 @h2 112.11z

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES 323
Ell.02
I.Krikheli
Shahmat, 1985
1 :i;tc4 e3 2 :i;td4+
2 Ib.f4? e2 3 :i;te4 el'tlV+ 4 Ib.el+ @xel 5
'i.t?g4!?(5@g3@fl -+; 5 'i.t?h3@f2-+) 5 ...@e2!
6 @h4 @f3! 7 @h3 @f2! 8 @g4 @g2 9 @h5
.le3 -+.
2 ...@c23 l:txf4 e2 4 :i;te4 @d3 5 :i;txe2
5 :i;te8?? Ae3 -+.
s ...@xe26 @g4!@el 7 @f3@fl 8 @g3 =
El 1.03
Khasanov - Borisov
Russia 1995
1 a4! (D)
Not I @d5? b6 2 a6 b5!, when Black holds
the draw. As soon as his king is so hemmed in
that he can no longer move, he sacrifices his b-
pawn to draw by stalemate.
1 ... b4
l...bxc4 2 @d2 @c5 (2 ... .ta2 3 @c3 =) gives
White a choice between 3 @c I and 3 @c3 = intending
e4-e5-e6 and @xc4.
2@dl!
2 @d2??@c5 (zugzwang) 3 @cl (3 c3 b3 4
@cl Ae4 -+) 3 ... Aa2 4 c3 bxc3 5 @c2 @xc4
-+.
2. .. @cS
2 ... .ta2 3 c3 bxc3 (3 ... b3 4@cl =) 4@c2 =.
3@d2!
3 @cl??.la2-+.
3 @xc4
3 .ta2 4 c3 b3 5 @cl=.
4 @cl .ta2 5 @d2! !
The point. Not 5 @b2?? Ab3 6 cxb3+ @d3
-+.
s ... @cS 6 c3 b3 7 @cl=
Ell.OS
T.Thiel - K.Miiller
Bundesliga 1997/8
l@e3!! (D)
This is the move White should have played.
Other ideas fail:
a) I .lc2? f4 2 gxf4 .ld7 -+.
b) I .le2? f4 2 gxf4 .ld7 -+.
c) I Afl? f4 2 gxf4 g3 3 Axh3 (3 hxg3 h2 4
.lg2 .lh3 5 .lxb7 .ld7 -+) 3 ... gxh2 4 .lg2
.th3 5 Ahl Ad7-+.
d) The game featured I .lc4? f4 2 gxf4 .le6
3 .tfl .ld5 4 @e3 g3 0-1.
1 b6 B
l @b82 @d5@a83 @d6@b84 @d7@a8
5 Ag3! (5 @c8?? b5 6 axb5 a6 =) 5 ... b6 6 a6 b5
7 a5 b4 8 .lf2 @b89 .lb6 Wa8 10 @c7 b3 11
axb3 axb6 12 @xb6 +-.
2 a6 '.tb8 3 @dS @38 4 @d6 @b8 5 @d7
@a86 @c7 bS 7 as b4 8 .lb6 b3 9 axb3 axb6
10@xb61-0
Ell.04
P.Kiriakov
Comm., Shakhmatnaya Kompozitsia, 1997
1 c4!
Not I @d2??.la2-+.
1 ... @cS 2@f4 @b4 3 a6!
3 Axf5? .txf5 4 @xf5 @xa5 5 Wxg4 b5 -+.

324 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
3 ... bxa6 4 il..xa6 .ixa6 5 @xfS .icS+ 6 @e4
@c37@e3 =
Ell.06
K.Berg - H.Hansen
Gausdal 1992
1 il..xd4??
I @d3 ~xa4 2 @c4! d3 3 .ie3 @a54 @c5
@a45 @b6@b46 .id2+ @c47 ii.as+- or I a5
@xb52 @d3@c6 3 @xd4@d74 @c5@c8 5
s.a @c76 @b5 b6 7 a6 +- would have won.
1 ...@xa42 b6 @b5 3 @d3 @c64 @e4@d7
5 .ieS @c66 il..c7 @d77 @f5@cS S @f6@d7
9 @f7 @cS 10 .ig3 @d7 11 @f6@c6 11z.11z
Ell.07
R.Siemms - 0.Panno
Copenhagen jr Wch 1953
l...e4+
l ...@f7? 2 c6 e4+ 3 'i!?g2 bxc6 4 b7 .ia7 5
il..d6 @xf66 @xg3 +-.
2 @g2 e3 3 @f3 g2 ! 4 @xg2.ixh4 5 @f3
@d5 6 .idS .ixf6 7 .ixf6 @xcs S .ids @c69
@xe3@d7 10 .ic7 @cs 11 @f4 @d7 12 @gs
@cs 13 'it>xhS @d7 14 @gs @cs 15 @f6@d7
16 @f7 @cs 17 ~es 11z.11z
B
1...h3
l...4Jel+ 2 @di h3 3 .igl =.
2 ii.gt lt:lel+ 3 Wdl!
3@d2? 4Jf3+ 4@e2 lt:lxgl+ 5@f2 4Je2 -+.
3 ... 4Jf3 4 .ih2!!
4 @e2? lt:lxgl + 5 @f2 4Je2 -+.
4 ... 4Jxh2 5 @e2!
5 @el? lt:lg4 -+.
5 lt:lg4
5 @e6 6 @f2 4Jg4+ 7 @g3 h2 8 @g2 =.
6 @f3 @e6 7 @g3 h2 S @g2 =
Ell.09
H.Reddmann
Inselschach, 1981
l@e6!
Not: 1 @f7? h5 2 gxh5 @xh7 -+; I @f6?
~xh7 and it is White to move in a position of
reciprocal zugzwang.
1 ... hS 2 gxhS! g4 3 @fS g3 4 @g6 g2 5 @h6
(DJ
Ell.OB
A.Guliaev
2nd Prize, Dagestan Committee
Fizkultura i Sport, 1952
1.icS! (DJ
Not I il..g7? @e6! 2 .id4 h3 3 .igl luel+ 4
@dl 4Jf3 5 .ih2 (5 @e2 lt:lxgl + 6 @f2 4Je2
-+) 5 ... lt:lxh2 6 @e2@f57 @f2@g4-+.
5 gllt:l
5 gl'& or 5 ... gl!t is stalemate, while 5 ... gl.i
leads to fortress 11.07.
6@g5 lt:le2 7@f5 lt:lc3 S @es lt:lxa2 9 @d4
Now the unfortunate fellow on a2 is standing
in the way of his pawn and is unable to reach c4
or b5 in time, so that fortress 11.13 arises.
9 ... 4Jb4 10 @c3 a2 11 @b2 =
Ell.10
l@f2!
L.Falk
Springaren, 1990

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
325
1 .tf2? h3 2 .tg3 (2@xd4 @g2 -+) 2 ... @g2
3 Ab8 tZ)fS+ 4 <i9e2 tZ)g3+ -+.
1 ... tZ)rs
I...tZ)e22@f3 tZ)xgl+ (2 ... @xgl 3@g4=) 3
@g4 h3 4 @g3 h2 5 @f2 =.
2 @n tZ)g3+ 3 @f2 tZ)e2 4 @f3 tZ)xgl+ s
@g4h3 6@g3h27@f2tZ)f3 S@fi =
Ell.11
E.Lobron - P.Blatny
Erevan OL 1996
1 ....txb6
Not l...axb6? 2 @b5 +-.
l...@c6?! 2 b7 .tg3 is also still drawn, but
Blatny's game continuation is naturally safer.
2tZ)xb6@c7
2 ... axb6? 3 a7 +-.
3 tZ)ds+ @bS 4@bS @ass @c6 @bS 6 tZ)b6
axb6 7 @xb6 @aS S a7 1'2-1'2
Ell.12
J.Timman - G.Kuzmin
Bled/Portoroi. 1979
If White were to move, he could prevent the
activation of the black king with 1 @c6 @e7 2
@d5 and win.
In the game, however, it was Kuzmin to
move, and he drew:
1 ...@f7 2@c4@e6 3@d3@fS 4.te3@g4 S
@e2 @g3 6 .tf2+ @g4 7 Ae3 @g3 S .td2 b4 9
@n h3 10 @gl h2+ 11 @hl @h3 12 .tr4 @g4
lf2-lf2
Ell.13
G.Timmerman -V.M.Anton
corr. 1996
1. .. AgS!?
Not 1 ... Ac8? 2 @g3 .tb7 3 @f2 @h4 4 @e2
+- (Anton), when the white king penetrates decisively
on the queenside.
Although I ... @g6?! 2 @g3 @f6 3 f5 .txf5 4
tZ)xd5+ @f7 5 @f4 Ae6 6 tZ)b4 should still be
drawn in view of the reduced material, it would
not be pleasant, since White would have complete
control of the position, which is always
very nice for the side with the knight.
2 tZ)fs Ah7 3 tZ)d6 @h4 4 tZ)xbS Ae4+ s
@e3 @g4 6 tZ)d6 .tg6 7 tZ)cs Ae4 S tZ)e7 .thl
9 tZ)gS @fS 10 tZ)h6+ @g6 11 tZ)g4 <MS 12
tZ)h6+ @g6 13 tZ)g4 @rs 14 tZ)es .te41S tZ)f7
.thl 16 tZ)h6+ 1'2-1'2
Ell.14
K.Guseinov - A.Khuzman
Istanbul Ech 2003
1 tZ)gl?
1 tZ)d2+! is correct:
a) l...@d3 2 tZ)b3 Ac6 3 tZ)c5+@d4 4 tZ)e6+
@e5 5 tZ)cS =.
b) l ... @e5 2 tZ)f3+ @f5 3 tZ)d2 @g5 4 tZ)e4+
@h45@f3 =.
c) 1...@f5 2 tZ)f3 @f6 3 tZ)gl (3 h4? opens a
path for the king: 3 ... @f5 -+) 3 ... Ae6 4 tZ)e2
@e5 5 @f3.td5+ 6 @f2 h5 7 tZ)g I h4 8 tZ)e2 f3
9 tZ)c3 .tc6 10 @e3 =.
l ....te6 2@e2.tf7 3 @!2 Abs 4 h4 .tg4 s
hS .txhS 6 @g2.tg4 0-1
Ell.15
S.lvanov - A.Khalifman
Russian Cht (Sochi) 2004
l ••• f4!!
Not l...h2? 2 @g2 hl\\\'i+ 3 @xhl @f3 4
Axa5 @xe3 5 .td8 .txa4 6 .tf6 =.
2.tc7
After 2 exf4? .te4 3 @gl @g3 -+ the f4-
pawn shields the black king.
2 •.. f3 3 @gl .td3 4 @f2
4 .txa5? h2+ 5 @xh2 f2-+.
4 ....tc2 S @gl @fS 6 .txaS @e4 7 .tel
@xe3SaS.il.d3
An illustration of the principle of one di ago·
nal.
9 .tr2+ @e2 10 .tg3 .ta6 11 b4 f2+ 12
Axf2h2+ 0-1
Ell.16
J.Granda - H.Nakamura
Wijk aan Zee 2004
l@dS!
The king heads for g5, against which nothing
works.
1...@g8 2 @e4 tZ)f6+
2 ... tZ)h6 3 @e5 tZ)g4+ 4 @f4 tZ)h6 5 @g5 +-.
3 @eS tZ)b7 4 @e6
Black is in a fatal zugzwang.
4 ..• gS S hxgS 1-0
In viewof5...tZ)xg5+6@f5 tZ)f7 7@g6+-.

326 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Ell.17
L.Fressinet - Ni Hua
Internet 2004
l it:lg4? (D)
The white position is not a fortress. Active
counterplay with 1 g4 was indicated: 1..Jle6 2
g5 l!e5 3 @g3 @d3 (3 ... l!xg5+ 4@f4 =) 4@f4
@d4 5 lt:ixe4 l;he4+ 6 @f5 =.
1 ... nrs 2 c&gl @el 3 @g2 ru3 4 @gl rus s
@g2 @e2 6 @gl J;!g5 0-1
White resigned in view of 7 lt:ih2 (7 lt:ie3
l!xg3+ 8 fxg3 @xe3 9 g4 @d2 -+) 7 ... e3 8 it:lfl
(8 fxe3 l!xg3+ 9@hl ~f2-+) 8 ... exf2+9Wg2
l!g410lt:ih2X!d4 i l it:lf! l!dl 12lt:ih2fl'&+ 13
lt:ixfl l!xfl 14 g4 !tf3 15 g5 l!f5 -+.
Ell.18
V.Golod - G.Gurevich
Israeli a« 2004
l 'iWhS+! <Bd7
1 ... @e72 'iWg7+Wd8 3 'iWb7 l!a54@f6+-.
2 'iWbS ..lc4 3 Wt'b7 + @d8 4 Wf6 l!b6
4 ... ..te2 5 'iWb8+ @d7 6 a4 ..if! 7 @f7 Ae2 8
\Wb7+@d8 9 'iWe7+ 'Bc8 JO 'iWxe2 +-.
5 \Wxa7 na6 6 'iWbS+ @d7 7 \Wb7+ @d8 8
@e6 ..txd5+ 9 Wxd5 l!xa2 10 @c6 @eS 11
'iWd7+ @fS 12 'iWxd6+ ~g7 13 Wt'e7+ @hS 14
'iWfS+ i-e
Ell.19
A.Mons!lly - H.Haugsrud
Norwegian Chi 2004
l •.• lt:ixe41? 2 'iWxe4 l!xc3+ 3 Wg2 l!c5 4
'iWd4 rus
Since the rook has secure support-points at
f5 and h5, there is no way through.
5 \Wxa7 l!h5 6 'iWe7 rus 7 @g3 .ilh5 8 @g4
nrs 9 @h3 mis 10 @g4 nrs 11 'iWd6 l!hs 12
'iWf6 rus 13 'iWd4 111.112
Ell.20
E.Postny - J.van Mil
Tel Aviv 2001
l .i.aS!
1'iWg8+@h62 ..ia5 also works.
l .. Jlxa5 2 'iWgS+ @h6 3 'iWhS+ @g6
3 ... @g5 4 'iWg7#.
4 \WeS+ @g5 5 'iWxc6 h3 6 gxh3 @h4 7 'iWb6
@xh3 8 'iWxa5 @g3 9 'iWel+ Wxf310@c2 Wg2
ll@d2 i-e
Ell.21
B.Larsen - E.Torre
Brussels 1987
l ... r!xf5!
The game continued 1 ... l!d7? 2 .l;Ifl @g8 3 a4
h5 4 Wf2 lof6 5@e3 @f8 6 a5 l!d8 7 @d3 l!d7 8
a6 b6 9 l!gl lt:ig4 IO l;hg4! (the long pawn-front
now helps White enormously, since the black
rook has no active prospects) 10 ... hxg4 11 @e3
r!d812@f2@g8 13@g3 l!d714@xg4@f8 15
@g5 @g8 16 h5 @h8 17 h6 gxh6+ 18 it:lxh6
@g7 19 lof5+ @f8 20 @f6 1-0 (20 ... l!f7+ 21
@e6+-).
2 exf5it:lf6=
White can no longer penetrate the pawnbarrier.
Ell.22
Khramov - Roshal
Moscow 1970
1 ... lt:ih3+! 2 00 'Bc81
The game continued instead 2 ... lt:if4? 3 l!d8+
Wixd8 4 Axd8 it:lxd5 5 h4!? +-.
3 l!dS+ 'iWxdS 4 AxdS @xd8!
4 ... lt:if4? 5 Ae7 it:lxd5 6 Ji..xd6 +-.
5 gxh3 b6! =
White cannot win this position despite his
two extra pawns. All Black has to do to draw is
to oscillate with the king between g8 and h8.
The white king cannot progress further than h6
and a breakthrough on the queenside is not possible.

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
327
Ell.23
L.Pachman
Ceskoslovensky Sach, 1959
l .if4.l;lc8
Or:
a) 1 ... nc6?? loses to 2 g4+ fxg4 (2 ... Wxg4 3
.l;lxg6++-) 3 .l;lh8+ .ih7 4.§.xh7+ Wg65 .l;lh6+
+-.
b) I....l;ld7?! makes life easier for White: 2
.l;lh8+ .l;lh7 3 nxh7+ .ixh7 4 .ixd6 =.
2 g4+! fxg4 3 .ixd6!!
Not 3 .l;lxg6? Wxg6 4 .ixd6 g3 -+ and Black
can penetrate the light squares on the kingside.
Surprisingly, 3 nxc8! also leads to a draw:
3... lbxc8 4 .ig3 ! lbe7 5 We I lbd5 6 Wd2 W g5
7 Wei! (7 .ih2? g3 -+) 7 ... lbxc3 8 Wd2 lbd5 9
c3 =.
3 ••• .§.xgS 4 .ig3 =
The position is drawn, since neither the black
king nor the black bishop can overcome the
pawn-barrier, whereas the black rook cannot
achieve anything on its own.
El 1.24
V.Eingorn - M_Socko
Bydgoszcz 2000
1. •. wrs
1...g5?? 2 g4 =.
2Wg2Wg5!
Only with this plan can Black win. Toe game
continued 2 ... h5? =, after which the black position
is no longer a win. After 3 Wh2 .ic3 4 Wg2
.ie5 5 Wgl the players agreed a draw.
3 Wfl WhS 4 Wgl gS 5 <.&g2
5 g4+ Wh4 6 Wg2 .iel -+.
5 ... g46 h4
6 hxg4+ @xg4 7 Wh2 Wf3 -+.
6 ....ic3 7 wh2 .if6 8 @g2 .ixh4 -+
Ell.25
B.Horwitz
The Chess Monthly, 1884
1 lbb8 @e8 2 lba6 We7 3 Wd4 We8 4 Wc4
We7 5 lbb4 axb4
5 ... We8 6 lbd3 We7 7 lbf4 We8 8 lbe6 +-.
6 Wxb4 We8 7 as bxaS+ 8 Wxa5 We7 9 Wa6
We8 10 Wb7 We7 11 Wc8! We8 12 b6 cxb6 13
c7 .ixc7 14 Wxc7 bS 15 Wxd6 @d8 16 WcS
Wc717 WxbS Wd618 Wc4 +-
Ell.26
B.Avrukh - R.Dautov
Istanbul OL 2000
In what follows we make grateful use of
analysis and annotations by Rustem Dautov,
l.._.id8!
The following winning method has an almost
study-like character.
2Wg3
A beautiful variation occurs after 2 lbe5+
We8! (2 ... Wg7? 3 lbc6 .ixh4+ 4 Wg2 =: 2 ... Wf8
3 We2!) 3 lbg6, and now:
a) 3 .if6? is ineffective: 4 We2 Wf7 5 lbe5+
Wg7 (5 .ixe5 6 dxe5 =) 6 .iel lbc3+ 7 .ixc3
bxc3 8 lbc4 .ixh4 9 lbxa3 .ie7 10 lbc2 h4 11
Wf2 = and at the right moment the white king
goes to the blockading square h3.
b) 3 ... lbc3! (the only possibility of taking advantage
of the remoteness of the white knight) 4
.ixc3 bxc3 5 We2 (5 Wei? Wf7 6 lbe5+ Wg7 7
lbc4 .ixh4+ 8 Wdl .ie7 -+) 5 ... Wf7 6 lbe5+
Wg7 7 lbc4 (DJ.
B
Now 7 ... .ie7!! is a splendid move that puts
White in zugzwang. His king must move one
step further in the direction of the queenside
and does not reach h3 in time: 8 Wdl .ixh4 9
lbxa3 .ie7 10 lbc2 h4 11 We2 Wh6 12 Wf2
Wh5 13 a4 Wg4 14 a5 .id8 15 a6.ib6 16 b4 h3
17 b5 h2 18@g2 hi°®'+ 19 Wxhl Wf3 20 Wgl
We2 -+ and Black wins the c2-knight and the
game.
2 ....ie7 3 Wh3!
Avrukh is on his guard. On tactical grounds
the g3-square is unfavourable for the white

328 How TO PUi.Y CHESS ENDGAMES
king. But it is still not clear how the white fortress
can be conquered. In the event of ... lZlc3
White always has the 'get-out' of lZlxa3. Not 3
~el?, when after 3 ... lZlc3, 4 lZlxa3 loses to
4 ... lZle2+ 5 @f2 lZlxf4 -+.
3 ... WeS 4 ~el Wd7 s ~d2
Somewhat more tenacious was 5 @g2! Wc6
6 @fl! (D), bringing the white king closer.
Black must play very precisely:
B
a) 6 ... lZlc3? (exchanging the a3- and a2-
pawns is, as usual, not promising for Black) 7
lZlxa3 (but not 7 ~xc3? bxc3 8 We2 Wb5! 9
Wdl Wb4-+and 10 ... ~xh4) 7 ... lZlxa2 8 lZlc4!
(keeping the important b3-pawn on the board,
to make the infiltration by the black king impossible)
8 ... lZlcl 9 lZld2 Wb5 (9 ... lZld3 10 ~g3
=) 10 ~g3 lZlxb3 !? 11 lZlxb3 Wa4 12 lZld2 @a3
13 We2 b3 14 lZlxb3 Wxb3 15 ~f2 =, and the
white bishop oscillates between f2 and g3 with
a draw.
b) 6 ... Wb5! 7 Wg2 (7 We2? lZlc3+ 8 ~xc3
bxc3-+) 7 ... lZlc3! 8 lZlxa3+ bxa3 9 ~xc3 ~xh4
(not, of course, 9 ... ~b4 ?? 10 ~xb4 Wxb4 11
@f2 Wc3 12 We2 @b2 13 @d2 wxa2 14 @c2
+-) 10 'i&h3 ~e7 11 ~d2 (11 ~el? ~b4 12
~f2 ~d2 13 Wh4 Wb4 -+) \ l...~b4. Neither
Dautov nor we have managed to find a way for
White to save this bishop ending:
bl) 12 ~xb4 Jeads by force to a bad, probably
lost, queen ending: l 2 ... Wxb4 13 Wh4 Wc3
14@xh5@d3 15 b4 @xe3 16 b5 Wf3 17 b6 e3
18 b7 e2 19 b8\W el \\,\Y 20 Wg5 (20 \\.\Ya8+ ~xf4
21 'ffi'xa3 \\.\Ydi+22Wg6'&xd4+)20 ... \WgJ+21
@f6 '&xd4+ 22 <i.>xe6 \\.\Yb2 +.
b2) 12 ~cl ~e 1 ! and then:
b2 J) 13 ~xa3 ~d2 and after the win of the
e3-pawn the black e4-pawn is hard to stop; e.g.,
14 @h4 ~xe3 15 Wxh5 ~xf4 16 ~e7 e3 17
a4+ @a5 18 ~h4 ~d6 -+, 14 ~e7 ~xe3 15
Wg3 ~xd4-+or 14~d6~xe3 15 a4+Wa5 16
~c7+Wb4-+.
b22) 13 @g2 Wb4 14 @fl ~c3 15 @g2 h4
l 6Wf2 h3 17 'it.g3 ~el+ 18@xh3 'i&c3 and the
black king penetrates with decisive effect and
successfully assists the passed e4-pawn:
b221) 19 ~xa3 ~d2 20 d5 (20 ~c5 ~xe3
21 b4 ~xf4 22 Wg2 e3 -+; 20 ~e7 ~xe3 21
Wg3 ~d2 22 b4 e3 23 @f3 'i&d3 -+) 20 ... exdS
21 ~c5 Wd3 22 a4 ~xe3 23 ~xe3 Wxe3 24 a5
d4 25 a6 d3 26 «t d2 27 a8'& d I'&-+.
b222) 19 b4 Wxb4 20 Wg2 Wc3 21 ~xa3
~d2-+.
b223) 19 Wg2 Wd3 20 ~xa3 (20 @fl? ~b4
-+ followed by ... Wc2) 20 ... Wxe3 21 ~c5 Wd3
-+.
5 ... Wc7 6 ~el Wb7 7 ~d2 @c6 8 lZleS+
8 ~el ! @b5 9 Wg2 transposes to note 'b' to
White's 5th move.
8 ... WbS 9 lZlc4 (DJ
B
9 ... lZlc3!
Forcing a breach in the white citadel.
10 lZlxa3+ bxa3 11 ~xc3 ~b4!
The point! Now, with the white king far
away at h3, Black takes immediate advantage
of the breach at b4.
12~xb4
12 ~al ~d2 13 d5 exd5 14 ~d4 ~el 15
~f6 ~f2 16 ~d4 @b4 -+.

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
329
12 ...@xb4 13 @g3 @c3 14 <t>f2 @b2
It was still not too late to throw away the win:
14 ...@d3? 15 b4@c416@e2 @xb417 @d2 =.
15 b4 Wxa2 16 b5 @b3?! (D)
Dautov foresaw the won queen ending that
now arises as early as the 2nd move. But he had
missed that with the white king on the second
rank he could force a transition into a pawn
ending: 16 -...@bl! 17b6a218b7al~19b8'&+
'&b2+ 20 '&xb2+ @xb2 -+.
w.
5 ... @a6 6 b4 c4 7 b3 +-.
6b4+
6 g3 b4+ 7 @a2 @b5 8 @bl @c6 9 @c2 @b6
IO@d3@b5 I I g5 fxg512g4<t>b613@c4+-.
6 ••• cxb4+ 7 @b3 bxc3 8 bxc3 @a6 9 @b4
@b6 10 c4 bxc4 11 Wxc4 @c6 12 g5 fxg5 13
g4@d614@b5 i-o
Ell.28
Ro.Hernandez - Z.Sula
Thessaloniki OL 1984
1 /bf8!! (D)
17 b6 a2 18 b7 al'& 19 b8~+ <t>c3
The white position is beyond salvation. His
pawns fall like ripe apples.
20 \Wc8+ @d2 21 \Wxe6 '&el+ 22 @g2 \We2+
23 @hl '&fl+ 24 @h2 ~f2+ 25 @hl \Wxh4+ 26
@g2 \Wg4+ 27 @h2 Wxe3 28 '&b3+ @xd4 29
'&b6+ @d3 30 '&bl+ @e2 31'i¥/c2+Wf30-1
Ell.27
A.Ryskin - Y.Zezulkin
Czestochowa 1992
On the queenside there is a hole in the black
wall.
l@d2
Not:
a) I c4? b4 =.
b) 1 b4? cxb4 2 <t>d3 (2 cxb4 =) 2 ... bxc3 3
@xc3 (3 bxc3? @c5 4 @c2 @c4 5 g3 b4 6 cxb4
@xb4 7 @d3 @b3 -+) 3 ... @c5 4 b3 b4+ 5 @d3
@b5=.
c) 1 <t>f3?! @e6 2 g5? fxg5 3 @g4@f6 4 g3
@e6=.
1. •.@c6 2 '&>c2 @b6 3 ~bl @a6 4 @a2 @b6
5@a3@a5
1 'it>xf8
I @g8 2 /be6@f7 3 @g4@g6 4 ~f4 @xh6
5 @f5 <t>h5 (5 ... /bg7+ 6 @xf6 /bh5+ 7 @f7
/bg3 8 /bxc5 +-) 6 /bf8 @h6 7 @e6 <t>g7 8 @e7
h5 9 /be6+ @h6 10 @xe8 h4 11 b4 +-.
2@e6
Zugzwang,
2 •••/bg7+ 3 hxg7+ Wxg7 4 Wxd6 h5 5 @e7
h4 6d6 h3 7 d7 h2 8 d8'&hl~ 9'&f8+<t>h710
~f7+ @h8 11 \Wxf6+ 1-0
El 1.29
V.Chekhover
Gachinskaya Pravda, 1954
1 l!bl!
1 l!h8+ @g4 2 l!f8 cl'& 3 h3+ @f4 4 R.e6
@e5 5 R.xf5 \Wa3 6 l!f7 \Wf3+ 7 @gl e3
(7 ...'&h5 8 l!f8 '&di+ 9 @g2 ~d6 IO l!f7 e3
11 R.d3 =) 8 l!e7+ Wf4 9 l!xe3 ~di+ 10@g2
@xf5 11 l!g3 =.
1. .. cxbl\W 2 R.xbl e3! 3 R.xf5 e2 4 .tg4!
4 h3? g4! -+.

330 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
4 ... el WI s h3 'tlYcl 6 @f3!
6 'i&h2? '&fl --+.
6 ... 'tlYfl 7 'i&e3 '&g2 8 @e2 =
Ell.30
J.Hasek
La Strategic, 1928
1 'li'e6 (D)
1 it:lf2 b3 2 it:ld3 f5 3 'i&e6 f4 4 it:lxf4 (4 Wf7?
loses) 4 ... b2 5 it:lxd5 = transposes, as Nunn
points out, and so is a 'cook'.
Ell.32
J.Gunst
Trjdschrift v.d. KNSB, 1950
1 bS+!
i lt::ixa5 d2 2 lt::ic4 di WI 3 it:ld6 Wlcl 4 a3 (D)
and Black first wins the g-pawn and then manages
to break free with his king.
8
1 ... b3
After 1...d4?? 2 it:lh6 d3 3 'li'f7 d2 4 @f8
dl'& 5 it:lf7# Black even loses.
2 it:lxf6! b2
Or:
a) 2 ... gxf6?? 3 Wf7 b2 4 g7+ Wh7 5 g8WI+
@h6 6 '®g6#.
b) 2 ... d4 3 lt::ie4 b2 4 it:ld2 =.
3 it:lxdS bl'& 4 lt::ie7!
Black cannot release his king, so the game is
drawn.
Ell.31
A.Troitsky
Tidskrift for Schack, 1910
1 it:lc6!
I it:ld7? loses to 1...d3 2 it:lf6 .i.b8+! -+
(2... d2? 3 g3+ @g5 4 lt::ie4+ =).
1. .. d3 2 lt::ixa7!!
2 lt::ie5? d2 3 f4 .i.gl +!--+ (3 ... dl '&?? 4 g3#).
2 d23 lt::ib5! dl'tlY 4lt::ic3 'tlYd6+5@hl 'tlYe6
5 @g5?? 6 lt::ie4+ +-.
6it:le4 =
For example, 4 ... 'tlYal 5 g4 'tlYa2+ 6 Wgl ~e2
7 g5 'tlYg4+ 8 Wf2 'tlYxg5 9 We2 'tlYg2+ 10 @di
Wlf2 II @cl Wle212@bl Wldl+ 13@b2~d2+
14@b3 °&d3+ 15 @b2 °&dl 16@c3 '&cl+ 17
Wb3 °&bl+ 18 Wc3 '&a2 --+.
1. .. @xbS 2 lt::ixeS d2 3 a4+ 'it>a6
3 ... Wb4 4 lt::id3+ Wxa4 5 c6 Wb5 6 c7 dl \'fl 7
c8'tlY '&xd3 8 '&xe6 =.
4 c6 di'& 5 tbd7
Black is unable to release his king.
Ell.33
H.Ree - V.Hort
Wijk aa11 Zee 1986
1. .. l;ixh4!
J....i.f2+? 2 @xf2 !txh4 appears equally interesting.
However, in view of the weaknesses at
d6 and g6 Black cannot prevent White from penetrating
his position: 3 We3 !th7 (3 ... !th3+ 4
'li'e2 !th2+ 5 'i&d3 !!h3+ 6@c4 !th4 7 Wb5 !lxf4
8 'li'c6 !th4 9 'it>xd6 ±) 4 Wd3 !tc7 (4 ... We7 5
Wc4 We8 6 Wb5 !tc7 7 Wb6 !tc5 8 Wa6 !tc4 9
W/g7 !tc5 10 '&l,7 ±) 5 Wih8 !tc5 6 Wd4 !tc7 7
Wlf6 !td7 8 'i&c4!tc7+ 9@b41ab7+ 10 @a5 !ld7
(10...!tb611'tlYxf8+'it>xf812 Wxb6 +-) 11 Wb6
!td8 12 Wc7 !td7+ 13 Wc8 +-.
2Wxh4.i.d4

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
331
Now the white queen is incarcerated. Black
has only to play ... We? (to protect the d6-pawn)
and can then just oscillate with his bishop between
al and d4.
3 @g3 @e7 4 @f3 ~al 111­111
Ell.34
J.Matansiev
Zadachi i Etiudy, 1929
1 gS+
After! lbf6? 'Wig?­+ the queen can escape.
l ...@g7 2 lbf6 ~h8 3 'i&d6 Vf/g7 4 @e7
With a draw, because Black's queen and king
are incarcerated.
Ell.35
G. Nadareishvili
V Poiskakb Krasoti, 1986
1 @cl al'Wi+ 2 ~bl <Jilf7 3 h7 @g7 4 h3!
4 h4 ?? allows a zugzwang after 4 ... Wh8 5 h5
@g7 6 h6+ @h8 -+.
4 ...@h8 5 h4 @g7 6 hS @h8 7 h6 l'Wa2 8
~d3 'Wial+ 9 ~bl=
Ell.36
A.Troitsky
L'Echiquier; 1930
l~c6+
Not: I ~d5? l;!.xe7 -+ (l .. .1ilxg6? 2 ~f7 =);
1 Wh5? l'.txe7 2 Wh6 ~e5 -+.
1 ... ©xe7 (D)
l...Wxc6? 2 g7 +-.
Not 6 @h6? ~e5 7 @h5 ~f6 8 @h6 Wg4 9
~e6+ Wh4 10 sn ~c3 and the rook escapes
from its prison.
6 ... @f4 7 @h3 ~e7 8 @g2 ~h4 9 @gl @f3
10 ©fl ~f2 11 ~dS+ =
Ell.37
G.Nadareishvili (end of a study)
Tidskrift for Schack, 1984
1 c7 'fl.h7 2 Wa8!! 'fl.h8+
2 ... 'fl.xc7 is stalemate.
3@b7=
Ell.38
R.Vaganian - T.Georgadze
Erevan Z 1982
l ...'i&e3!
Not: I...<Jilf3? 2 blg5 +-; l...~c2? 2 'fl.gs
~dl 3 'll.g6 +-; i...@e4? 2 'fl.gs ~e2 3 'll.g6
~d34'll.h6+-.
2'fl.g5
2 'll.g3+ We2 (2 ... Wf4 is also playable) 3 'll.g5
Wdl 4 'fl.xh5 Wei 5 'll.g5 ~e2 6 'll.gl+ ~di 7
l;!.g2 ~f3 8 J;!.h2 ~h5 =.
2 ... b2 3 @xb2 @d2 4 'fl.cs ~e2 1/2-1/i
Ell.39
A.Herbstmann (end of a study)
1935
1 ~c3+ J;!.b2+ 2 @di exd3 3 lbc2+
3 @cl? d2+ 4 @di bla5 5 ha5 'fl.bl+ 6
@xd2 @b2 7 lt:ic2 'fl.gt-+.
3 ... dxc2+ 4 @cl 'll.hbS 5 ~d4 =
Ell.40
A.Gurvich
3rd Prize, Shakhmaty, I 927
t lbb6+ @b8 2 ~g3+ lbd6 3 ~xd6+ @b7 4
~d7!!
4 ~c5? 'fl.xe8 5 lbc4 l;!.a6! 6 lai6+ Wc6 7
lbxe8 Wxc5 8 lbg7 'fl.f6 9 lbh5 'fl.f3+ 10 Wc2
@d4-+.
4 ...@xb6 5 ~eS! 'll.h4 6 ~g3 'fl.d4 7 i-f2
blaxd7 8 Wc3 WcS 9 ~e3 =
2 ~dS 'll.xg6 3 @hS 'fl.g7 4 g6 <Jilf6 5 sn
@fS 6Wh4
Ell.41
E.Mortensen - J.Lechtynsky
Copenhagen 1983
1 b6??

332 How TO PIAY CHESS ENDGAMES
1 g4! would have won; for example, 1...@e7
( 1.. .!!.f6 2 !l.86 +-) 2 @c6 !l.c2+ 3 @b7 !l.c4 4
b6 !!.xg4 S @a6 !l.b4 (S ... !!.g6 6 @a7 !l.g8 7 b7
'i&e6 8 @b6 'i&d7 9 llbS +-) 6 b7 'i&d7 7 !'l.fS
@e6 8 !l.bS +-.
I. .. !!.£5+ 2 @c6 fixa5 3 b7 !!.a6+ 4 @b5 !l.g6
5 b8'*Y+ @g7 6 '&e5+ @g8 7 \!We4 !l.e6 8 '*Yf4
lfz.1/z
Ell.42
K.Bryzgalin - M.Turov
Internet blitz 2004
1 b6??
White can actually get his pawn through
without sacrificing both bishops. For example,
I i.aS!? !!.al (1...!l.cS 2 i-b6!!.cl 3 ~e3 +-) 2
~c3 ~di+ 3 @c4 l!bl 4 ~e4 +-.
1..Axc6 2 b7 ~xc7 3 b8'*Y !!.d7+ 4 @e3 !!.d4
5 'i&f3 e4+ 6 @e3 !l.d5 7 '*Yxg3+ !!.gS 8 \!Wf2
!!.e5 9 '&b2 @g8 10 g4 @g7 11 '&b6 !l.g5 12
'i&f4 !l.eS 13 '*Ye3 ©g8 14 'i&g3 @g7 15 'i&f4
@g816 '*Yd4 e317~d8+@g718g5 !l.xg519
@xe3 !l.e5+ 20 'i&f4 !l.g5 21 '*Yes !!.e5 22 '*Yd7
!!.g5 ''2·'12
Ell.43
G.Kun - S.Tatar Kis
Balatonlelle 2004
1 ~d2??
White sees the possibility to promote and
loses sight of everything else. l @c4! would
have immediately won without any difficulties:
l...@g3 ( l...d2 2 ~xd2 +-) 2 @xd3 ~a7 3 ~c3
@xg2 4 ~d4 ~b8 S b4 +-.
l...~xd2 2 a7 ~cl 3 a8'*Y d2 4 '*Yd5 @e3 5
@c4 @e2 6 '&d3+ @el 7 \!We3+ @fl 8 \!Wd4
'i&e2 9 '&e5+ @fl 10 \!Wd5 @el 11 '&e6+ @f2
12 '*Yd6 @el 13 '*Ye7+ @fl 14 '*Yd7 @el 15
'&e8+ @f2 16 '*Yd8 @e2 17 '*Ye8+ 'i&f2 18
~d7@el 19 '*Ye7+@fl 20 '&d6 'i&e2 21 '*Ye6+
lfz.1/z
Chapter 12
E12.01
1 !!.h2!
A.Kotov - L.Pachman
Moscow­Prague 1946
After I @h2? '&f2+ 2 @h3 '*Ygl -+ Black
can slowly but surely make progress.
l...'*Ydl+
I ... @g4 2 !l.h4+ @xg3 3 !l.h3+ @xh3 stalemate.
2 @g2 '*Yd5+ 3 'i&f2 '*Yd2+ 4 @gl '*Yel+ 5
@g2 '*Ye2+ 6 @gl '*Yf3 7 m2 '*Ydl+ 8 @g2
'&el 9 !!.f4 '*Ye2+ 112-112
El2.02
T.Horvath - H.Angantysson
Reykjavik 1982
1 @el g3 2 @fl!! d3
2 ... g2+ 3 @gl @xe2 stalemate.
3!!.f2+ 1/z-''2
E12.03
M.Krakops - R.Dautov
Batumi Echr 1999
In the game, White made a decisive mistake
with I ~xhS?, and lost after 1...!l.al 2 !!.as a2 3
@g4!!.gl+4@xf4 al\!WS lhal !!.xal 6 hS@dS
7'i&t'S!l.hl 8@g6'i&e69f4!!.gl+ 10©h70-l.
He should have first driven the king with
checks to the d-file or the first rank:
1 !!.c5+@d3
1 .•• @b3 2 l!bS+ @c2 3 !!.cs+ @bl 4 !!.xhS
!l.b2 s !!.as a2 6 @g4 !l.h2 7 hS =.
2 !!.xh5 @e3 ( D)
Now Thomas Stark pointed out how to draw:
3 !l.35!
Instead of 3 !l.bS? @xf3 4 !l.b3+ 'i&e4 S !l.b4+
@fS 6 !l.bS+ @e6 7 !l.b6+ @d7 8 !l.b7+ @c6 9
!l.87 fiat IO@g2 a2 II hS f3+ -+.

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
333
3 ... @xf34h5
In rook endings, counterplay with a dangerous
passed pawn of one's own is often sufficient
to secure a draw.
4 ... i!al 5 @h2 =
E12.04
J.Sucher - D.Heilinger
Austria tt 1998/9
1 i!g6!? (D)
B
E12.07
Palevic - Luzniak
corr. 1981
1 c3! bxc3
l...@xf62cxb4@e53@bl@d54@cl@c4
5 @d2 @xb4 6 @d3 @c5 7 @c3 =.
2 lt.'ie4! c2
2 ... cxb2+ 3 @xb2 =.
3 lt.'ic5+! dxc5
Stalemate. It is also a draw after 3 ... @d5 4
lt.'ixb3 @c4 5 lt.'icl d5 6 b4 =.
E12.08
V.Jansa - S.Rublevsky
Ostrava 1992
1 i!e2! (DJ
I a6 @xf3 2 i!e5 'it>f4 3 i!xc5 g4 4 i!c6 g3 5
i!g6@f3 6 c5 g2 7 c6 i!xa6 8 c7 i!a8 is winning
for Black.
B
1. .. a5??
l...i!a4-+.
2 i!xh6+ gxh6 3 i!h7+ @xh7 (stalemate)
1/2-1/i
E12.05
The automatic stalemate defence is wrong
here:
1 •..@d8?
Black should play l @f'S 2 @d6@g7 3 i!e6
i!f7 4 @e5 @f8 = or l l'.k8 2 @d5 i!c7 3 i!g6
@d8=.
2 i!h8+ @e7 3 @b6 @d6 4 i!h6+ +-
E12.06
a.Bernstein - V.Smyslov
Groningen 1946
1 ... b2??
After 1 ...@e4 2 i!b4+ @d5 3 i!xf4 the trick
now works: 3 ... i!h I (3 ... b2 4 i!fl @c4 5 @d2
@b3-+) 4 i!b4 b2-+.
2i!xb2!@g4
2 ... i!h2+ 3 @f3 i!xb2 is stalemate.
3001'2-1/z
1 .. .i!xa5?
l ... i!a3 2 i!g2 !I.al 3 i!f2 @g3 -+.
2 i!a2!1 i!xa2 (stalemate) 1'2-1'2
Chapter 13
E13.0l
G.Levenfish - P.Romanovsky
USSR Ch (Leningrad) 1933
No, it was a catastrophe.
1. . .'&cl+??
l...g4 is better, but after 2 '&xc4 Black cannot
win.
2 @h2 '&f4+ 3 g3+ 1-0

334 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
El3.02
F.Pedersen - P.Bergstrom
Kallithea ECC 2002
White should play I g3 +-. The game continuation
featured a double blunder:
1 "t'!ieS?? 1-0??
In fact White himself would have had to lay
down his arms after I ... "t'!ixe5 2 fxe5 f4 followed
by 3 ... g5#.
El3.03
V.Kramnik - A.Grlshchuk
Wijk aan Zee 2005
Surprisingly White cannot win, since his own
g3-pawn provides shelter to the black king:
1. .. <it>g2!
1...<it>xg3?? 2 .!ig5+ <it>h3 3 °&f3+ <it>h2 4
Wig2#.
2 .!ia2+ <it>gl 3 "t'!ia7+ <it>fl. 4 Wif7+ <it>gl S
W/a7+ <it>f1 6 .!ial ndl 7 "t'!if7+ <it>gl 8 ea:
<it>fl. 9 lh:dl ~xdl 10 "t'!id4 "t'!ia4+ 11 <it>d3
~b3+ 12 "t'!ic3 "t'!idS+ 11z.11z
El3.04
Analysis by R.Kholmov
Shakhmatny Biulletin, 1977
1 l2.'id4 h4 2 l2.'ic6 h3 3 l2.'id8+ Wa8
3 ... <it>a7 4 ~xc8 h2 5 l2.'ic6+ <it>a8 6 @d7 h 1 '&
7 c8Wi#.
4 <it>xc8 h2 S <it>d7 hl"t'!i 6 c8"t'!i+ Wa77 l2.'ic6+
+-
E13.05
S.Skembris - J.Barle
Debrecen. Echt 1992
In typical manner, White deploys his rooks
correctly with tempo, so that his victory is in no
doubt:
l .!ig7+
l .!ibc7?! should also win, but is technically
much more demanding: 1..1!b8 2 b7 .!ie4 3 litd6
a24litxg6+<it>f8 5.!ia6.!iel+6<it>f2 al~7.!ixal
.!ixal 8 .!ic8+ <it>g7 9 .!ixb8 .!ibl IO <it>e3 +-.
1. .. <it>h8 2 l'.!.h7+<it>g8 3 l'.!.bg7+ <it>f8 4l;ia7!?
4 .!ic7 <it'g8 5 nhd7 nes (5 ... .!ib8 6 b7 .!ie4 7
l'.!.d6 a2 8 .!ixg6+ <it>f8 9 &6 ~xb7 10 l'.!.xb7
net+ 11 @f2 al WI 12.!ixal .!ixal 131ib5 +-) 6
ng7+ <it>h8 7 ~h7+ <it>g8 8 .!icg7+ @f8 9 ~a7
<it>g8 !Ob7 +-.
B
4 ••• Wg8 S .!ihc7 .!ie8
5 ... 1ib8 6 b7 1ie4 7 1ic8+ 1ie8 81ia8 +-.
6 b71-0
El3.06
A.Grishchuk- V.Tkachev
French Cht 2003
l 1ih7! (D)
After this little but very strong move, Black
has to defend on both sides against the danger
of mate, which overstretches him.
l ••. 1ie6
l...1ia8 2 l'.!.c7 <it>d8 3 ~cg7 1ial + 4 <it>h21ie6
5 <it>g3 1ie8 61ib7 <it>c8 7 l'.!.hc7+ <it>d8 8 1if7
<it>c8 91ibc7+ <it>b8 10 l'.!.c6 +-.
2 <it>h2 e4 3 Wg3 e3 41ia7 <it>d8 S fxe3 .!ixe3+
6 <Z.>g4 1ie5 7 <it>hS g4+ 8 <it>xg4 1ib4+ 9 <it>g3
l'.!.b3+10<it>h21ib8 ll h41ie412 hS rs 13 l'.!.h8+
1ie8 141ixe8+ <it>xe8 15 h6 l'.!.b6 16 h7 1-0
El3.07
I.Smirin - R.Kempinski
Groningen 1996
l 1ie6!! 1ig8
l...l'.!.h I+ 2 <it>xhl bl"t'!i+ 3 <it>h2 f3 (3...1ib6 4
h4+ ~g4 5 f3#) 4 l'.!.g7 + <Z.>h5 5 g4+ Wh4 6
l'.!.h6# .
2 f31-0
El3.08
P.Elianov -A.Fedorov
Dubai 2004
l ..t.dS! a32..t.g8 Wibl+3<it>h2 "t'!icl 4 '&h3+
1-0

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
335
In view of 4 ... @g5 5 f4+, Black had seen
enough.
E13.09
E.Solozhenkin - A.Cybulak
Gdynia 1989
1.i.eS! (D)
Black's winning potential is enormously reduced,
which puts his victory in doubt.
2 ..le2? tbhl+ 0-1
3 @e3 f4#.
E13.12
V.Platov and M.Platov
!st Prize, Rigaer Tageblatt, 1909
t .i.f6 d4 2 tbe2 al~ 3 tbcl!!
The mate threat costs Black his queen.
3 W!aS
3 h6 4 ..le5 +-.
4 .i.xd4+ wxd4 s tuh3+ +-
E13.13
Z.Ribli - A.Karpov
Amsterdam 1980
1 We4! (D)
1. .. '&f2
I...~c2 2 Wih8+ @g6 3 ~f6+ @h5 4 ..lf4
~g6 5 g4+ '&xg4 6 ~h6#.
2 \Wh8+ @g6 3 ~g7+ @h5 4 ~g4+ wh6 5
..lg7+ 1-0
Black did not wait to be shown 5 ... @h7 6
..ld4.
El3.10
A.Suetin - M.Botvinnik
USSR Ch (Moscow) 1952
1. ....lgS?
Black should tighten the net by l...Wc5! 2
l!ih5+ ..lg5 3 We5 !lxd3 4 !lxg5 !ld5+ -+.
2!lh5?
After 2 !lhl 1;tg4+ 3 Wf3 !lf4+ 4 We2 !lxa4
5 .l:tbl White can still fight hard.
2 ... wcs 0-1
E13.ll
K.Nikolaidis - N.Nikcevic
Aegina 1994
1 ..• We5
1...ftd2+? is a lot less clear; for example, 2
Wei ~g2 3 c5 g4 4 cxd6 gxh3 5 .l:ta4+ We3 6
.i.fl .l:tgi 7 !la3+ Wd4 8 ~a4+ Wc3 9 !lc4+
Wb3 10 !lxh4 f4 11 !lxh3 @c3 12 Wf2 and
1 .i.f8
l !lxf2? fails to the mating trick 2 tbd8 g5
(2 ... a3? 3 !lf7#) 3 h5 +-.
2 !la7 .i.d6 3 f4 !lh2 4 !la6 Wf7 5 toes+
..lxeS 6 WXeS Wg7 7 !la7+ Wh6 8 !lxa4 !lxh4
9 Wf6 !lhS 10 e4 !lh4 11 e5 fthS 12 e6 !lf5+ 13
ctle7 Wy;T 14 Wd6 ftf8 15 !la7+ Wf6 16 !ld7
1-0
E13.14
K.A.L.Kubbel
2nd Prize, Chigorin mem '64', 1938
1 turs+we8
Or: I...Wc7 2 tbe6+ +-; l...Wc8 2 !lei+
@b8 (2... @d8 3 tbe6+ +-) 3 tud7+ Wa7 4
!!al#.

336 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
2lZ'ie6ngs
2...!th7 3 !td8+ @f7 4 lbg5+ +-; 2 ... !tf7 3
Z!d8#.
3 l2.'ic7+ @f7 4 !!fl+ @g7 5 l2.'ie6+ @h6 6
!thl#
El3.15
J.Timman - B.Avrukh
Amsterdam 2001
1 bS+ 'i&cS 2 li.'ir6! 1-0
E13.16
G.Kamsky - G.Kasparov
New York PCA rpd 1994
1 hS+! 2 'iPxbS .lh8
2 l2.'ie5 3 !!be I (3 !txb2 !ta8 -+) 3 ... !txg2 4
.bg2 Zla8 -+.
3 @g4 ~h8 4 g3 !th2! S !thl !t8xh3 6 !txh2
!txh2 7 gxf4 !tg2+ 8 @h3 l2.'ixf4+ 9 @h4 @es
10 !tb7 @d411 !txf7 @e3 0-1
E13.17
V.Kramnik - M.Krasenkow
Wijk aan Zee 2003
1 .. JiaS+?
Black must immediately give himself some
luft: l...h5! 2 !tf8 !ta5+ 3 @f4 (3 @d4 !txf5 4
!txf5 @g7 5 !tg5 @f6 6 !tgl l2.'ie7 7 g7 l2.'if5+ =)
3...Z!a4+ 4 @f3 Z!a6 5 l2.'ie7 Zlf6+ =.
2 @£4 Z!a4+ 3 @f3 !ta3+ 4 @g4 !ta4+ S
@hS !ta7
5 ... !te4 6 IDS !te6 7 Zlf7 li.'if6+ 8 ©h4 +-.
6 zrs ID>7 7 @h4
7 !tf7 wins more quickly.
7 !tb4+
7 !tg7 8@h5 +-.
8 @g3 !tb6 9 l2.'ie7 @g7 10 !tf7+ 1-0
E13.18
R.Gadjily - L.Nisipeanu
Dubai 2002
l. .. ~gl+?
The best way forward is l...a2!! 2 Axa2 (2
~xa2 '&e5+ 3 @hi ~e3 4 @h2 '&g3+ 5 @hi
~xh4#) 2...~gl+ 3@h3 ~hl+ 4@g4 ~xg2+
5 @h5 (5 @f5 li.'id4+ -+) 5 ... lZ'if4+ 6 'i&h6
W/g6#.
I...~e5+ 2 g3 '&c3 actually also wins, but
after 3 c5+ @xc5 4 W/g8 it is still complicated;
forexarnple,4 .. .'&d2 (4 ... \'i!lb2!?) 5~g5+ ~xg5
6 hxg5 l2.'ic3?! (6 ... @d5) 7 g6 li.'ixbl 8 g7 a2 9
g8'& al'& IO ~c8+.
2@h3 ¥l'ihl+ 3 @g4 '&xg2+ 4@h5 li.'if4+ 5
@h6 '&f2 6 ~xa3 '&xh4+ 7 @g7 '&e7+ 8@g8?
8 @h6 '&f6+ 9 @h7 '&e7+ IO 'i&h6 '&e5 +.
8 ... li.'ihS 0-1
Chapter 14
E14.01
J.Capablanca and Em.Lasker
Vossische Zeitung, 1914
1 l2.'ixc7 l2.'ixc7 2 !ta8+!! l2.'ixa8 3 @c8
Zugzwang. The king alone dominates Black.
3 ... l2.'ic7 4 @xc7@a8 S @xb6 @b8 6@a6 +-
E14.02
Y.Roslov (end of a study)
2nd Prize, Russian Team Ch, 1996
1 f7+1
I !th7? Aa6+ 2 @f2 Ad3 3 .ID13 Af5 4 !th6
'Ml 5 'it>f3 Ag6 6 @f4 @xf6 =.
r, .. @e7 2 !td6!! Ahl 3 @gl +-
Even the long diagonal proves to be too short.
E14.03
H.Rinck
Basler Nachrichten, 1950
1 @eSI !td7
Or: I...!tc6 2 l2.'ib4+ +-; l...~a6 2 l2.'ib4+ +-;
l...!tg6 2 l2.'if4+ +-.
2 !tdl+@c4
2 ...@c2 3 l2.'ie3+ +-.
3 l2.'ie3+ +-
E14.04
R.Reti
Hastings and St Leonards Post, 1922
1 lbd4+@c5
l...@b7 2 @xh2 @a6 3 l2.'ib3 i.f4+ 4 @h3
@b5 5 @g4 Ab8 6 f4 'i&b4 7 f5 @xb3 8 f6 wins
for White.
2 <;;t>hl!l
Black is in a fatal zugzwang. You don't often
see a knight totally dominating a bishop on
an open board; normally it is the other way
round.

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES 337
E14.05
Based on A.Lastin - M.Novikov
Russian Ch qua/ 2004
1 Axc4!!
With this move we have reached a position
from the game; in the diagram we added a pawn
at c4, so that I Ab7? would no longer lead to
the same position.
l...il)xaS 2 AxdS
Without his knight, Black cannot hold his
porous kingside together.
2 ... fS 3 il)d3 Ac3 4 @g2 @gl 5 @f3 'it>f6 6
@f4 Aal 7 hS Ac3 8 g4 fxg4 9 <&xg4 Aal 10
f4 Ac3 11 e4 Aal 12 eS+ @g713 ll)c5 Ac3 14
il)e4Ad41Sil)d6Ac316 ll)f5+ @h717 Axf7
ll)c6 18 Ag6+ 1-0
E14.06
G.Kasparian
Variantim, 1997
1 lid8! Ae7
l ... Ad6+ 2 @f6 Ae7+ 3 ©xe7 g2 4 @f6 +-.
21:txd2 AxgS (D)
2 ... @xg8 31:td3 @f7 4 @f5 +-.
31:tg2!
Not: 3 lld3? g2 4 l!:tg3 Af4+ 5 @xf4 gl~ 6
1:txgl stalemate; 3 1:td4? g241:tg4 Af4+ ! 5 @f5
Ag3 61:txg3 gl '& 7 1:txgl stalemate.
3 ... Ae3! 4 @e6!!
White must avoid 4 1:txg3? Af4+ = and 4
@f6?.id4+! 5 @f7 Af2, when he is on the
wrong end of the reciprocal zugzwang.
4 ... Af2 s @f7 +-
Zugzwang.
E14.07
G.Kasparian
lst Prize, Schach Echo, 1969
1 <;&)c4
I @c3? il)e6 2 @c4 il)f7 3 @d5 il)fg5 -+.
1 ...@d2 2 @d4 e3 3 Aas+ @e2 4 @e4 il)d7
5Ad8il)f7
5...il)c5+ 6@d5 il)f7 7 Ab6 'i&d3 8 Axc5 e2
9Ab4=.
6Ae7
The white bishop dominates the whole black
army.
6 ...@d2 7 Ab4+@e2 8 Ae7 'it>f2 9 Ah4+
@e210.ie7=
E14.08
G.Kasparian
l st Prize, Problem, 1969
1Ah5+
These other moves are bad:
a) 1 il)d5? 1:tel 2 il)f4+ @g7 -+.
b) I Aa3? il)xg4 2 il)xg4 !te4 -+.
c) I Ab2? il)xg4 2 il)xg4 d3! 3 h8'& il)xh8
4 Axh8 d25il)f21:te2 6 il)dJ 1:tel 7il)f21:tfl
-+.
1. ..@g7!
l...@xf6 2 .lg5+! @xg5 3 Axf7 =.
2 Ab2! 1:te6+ 3@b5! ll)d6+ 4@c5! il)d3+ s
~dS il)f4+ 6 @xd4 1:txf6
6 ... il)f5+ 7 @c5 il)d3+ 8 @d5 1:td6+ 9 @e4
il)g3+ IO @e3 1:td8 11 Ac3 il)c5 12 il)e4+
©xh7 l3 il)g5+ ©g8 14 Af7+@f8 15 Ab4 =.
7 h8'&+ 'i&xh8 8 @eS! @g7 9 Aal ! ! il)xhS
lO©dS=
E14.09
N.Mitkov - Z.Azmaiparashvili
Moscow OL 1994
1. •• nxf3+
1...!td3+? 2@xd3 1:txf3+ 3 Wd4 ~d7 4@e5
~xh3 5 !td6+ gives White active counterplay
and consequently good drawing chances.
2@xf3.l;tf8+
The rook is trapped.
3@e3
3@g4@d741:te5 h6-+.
3 ... @d7 4 .!:IeS h6!
Tightening the net.
5 b4 @d66@d41:tc8! 0-1

338 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
El4.10
P.Tregubov - T.Markowski
Saint Vincent Ech 2000
l...Slxd5 2 cxd5 .11.f6!
The di-knight will no longer find its way
back into play, since if lof2-h 1, Black laughs at
the knight with ... .11.h4.
3 Slh5
3 .11.c4 lob6-+.
3 ...@xd5 4 .11.f7+ @d6 5 .11.gS tors 6 @c2
log6 7 @cl loe7 8 .11.f7 toes 9 .11.g8 @e7 10
@d2 lod6 11 .11.d5 @£8 12 @e2 @g7 13 @d2
@g6 14 @e2 lobs 15 .11.e6 lod6 16 .11.d5 .11.h8
17 .11.e6 .11.al 18 Sld5 @h5 19 @f2 @h4 20
@g2 .11.c3 21 .11.e6 @h5 22 @f2 Slh8 23 .11.d5
Slg7 24 Slg8 ©g6 25 .11.d5 .11.al 26 @e2 .11.f6 27
@£2 @g7 28 @e2 @g6 29 @f2 @h5 30 .11.e6
@h4 31 @g2 ilc3 32@h2 (D)
E14.12
M.Roiz - K.Lerner
Israeli Ch (Tel Aviv) 2002
1 Wt'c7! .11.xg2 2 '®xb81;lxb8 31;lc7!
The vital point. Black is totally dominated
and can hardly move. In contrast 3 @xg2? lodS
is still not so clear.
3 ...!!d8 4 @xg2 lod5 5 ~b7 f5 6 @f3 h6
Now White opens a second front:
7 g4! fxg4+
7 ... g6 8 gxf5 gxf5 9 Slf2 +- (Roiz in CBM).
s Wxg4 g6 9 loe4 rus 10 tor6+ ei1xr6+ 11
exf61;lf7
11 ... loxf6+ 12 .11.xf6 1;lxf6 13 ~xb6 l;lfS 14
1;lb7 (Roiz) 14 ... eS 15 fxe51;lxe5 16 @f41;lh5
17b6~b518a41;lb219@e5+-.
12 1;lb8+ 1;lf8 13 ~b7 ~f7 14 1;lb8+ 1;lf8 15
1;lxf8+ @xf8 16 a4! (D)
B
B
Now Black finally demonstrates the right
way:
32 ....11.d2! 33 @g2 .11.cl 34 @h2 @h5 35
@g2 @g6 36 @£2 @£6 37 .11.d7 c4! 38 bxc4
loxc4 39 ila4 lod6 40 @e2 lob7 41 lof2 lees
42 .11.c2@e6 43 lohl b3 44 ildl b2 0-1
El4.l l
V.Savon - A.Korotylev
Alushta 1994
1 c4! @£5?
l ... b5 2 axb6 ~xb6 3 @d4 @f5 4 c5 1;lb8 5
@c4 @f4 6 b4 +-.
2@d41-0
Black resigned in view of 2 ... b6 3 @c3 bxa5
4 l;lxaS+ @f4 5 @xb4 +-.
Black is dominated and has nothing with
which to oppose the following march of the
white king into the centre, except a fatal opening
of his kingside.
16 ... ©£7 17 @f3 g5 18 fxg5 hxg5 19 @g4
loxf6+ 20 @xg5 lod7 21 h4 e5 22 .11.e3 lof6 23
.11.xb6 loe4+ 24 @£5 lod6+
24 ... loc3 25 @xe5 loxa4 26 .11.d4 +- (Roiz).
25 @g4 loc4 26 ilc7 @e6 27 h5 e4 28 h6 e3
29 h7 e2 30 .11.xa5 toes+ 31 @g3 log6 32 @f2
1-0
El4.13
M.Roiz - I.Smirin
Israeli Ch (Tel Aviv) 2002
In the game it was W ite to move:

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES
339
1 c5!! ± lbxc5
I ... ~xc5? 2 .l:hc5 4Jxc5 3 Ac4+ @e7 4
Axh6+-.
2 Ab5! .l::td6 3 ~c5 bxc5 4 @e2 .l::tb6 5 a4
.l::ta8 6 4Jc4 .l::te6 7 Ad7!?
7 4Je3?! can be met strongly with 7 ... .l::td61;
of course the immediate 7 .l::td2! is also possible.
7 .l::te7
7 .l::tea6 8 Ab5 .l::te6 9 l"id2 c6 10 4Jb6 .l::tb8
l[ 4Jd7 +-.
8 Ac6 .l::ta6 9 Ab7 l"ia7 10 Ads+ @e8 11
.l::td2
Black is totally dominated.
11 ... rs 12 Ac6+ @f713 l"id8 Ag7
Now instead of his actual choice of 14 l;t.d5?,
Roiz should have played 14 4Jd6+! cxd6 15
Ad5+ .l::te6 16 .l::txd6 +- (Roiz in CBM).
If Black were to move, he would increase his
superiority over the dark squares: 1...Ac5! 2
Axes lbxc5 3 4Jb3 lbxb3 4 axb3 c5 +.
El4.14
V.Eingorn - E.Agrest
Kallithea ECC 2002
1 ~xa6 lbxa6 2 h6! Ah8 3 4Jh2 f6 4 f4 fxe5
4 ... .l::tac8 5 0-0 .l::tc2 6 4Jf3 l"ifc8 7 Ad2 ±.
5 fxe5 lbc7 6 Ae3 4Jb5 7 ©d2 .l::tac8 8 a4
4Jc3 9 ll.hcl lbe4+ 10 @d3 @f7 11 4Jf3 @e6
12 4Jg5+!
An instructive decision: exchanging knights
will highlight the sidelining of the bishop.
12 ... lbxgS 13 Axg5 @f5 14 Ae7 .l::tfe8 15
.l::txc8 .l::txc8 16 !!fl+ @e6
After 16 ... @g4 17 .!;t.f8 .l::txf8 18 Axf8 @g3
19 Ag7 +- the tragic fate of the bishop would
be particularly clear.
17 Ad6 a6 18 g4 g5 19 .i::trs .l::tg8 20 Aa3
.l::tg6 21 Ars .l::tg8 22 Ab4 a5 23 Ad6 .l::tc8 24
.lli.:g5 Af6 25 exf6 @xd6 26 .l::te5 b5 27 axb5 a4
28 f7.l::tf8 29 .l::tf5 1-0
El4.15
Y.Estrin - A.lvashin
corr. 1947
I. .. Ab7 is met by 2 Ad3! +- (and not 2
@xb4?, which allows the bishop to slip out of
jail: 2 ... Aa6! =).
2 @xb4 @e8 3 a5 1-0
Black is faced by 3 ... bxa5+ 4 @xa5 @d8 5
@b6 Ae8 6 @c5 @c7 7 Ad3, with a fatal zugzwang.
Chapter 15
ElS.01
V.Bologan - O.Romanishin
Nikolaev Z 1995
Bologan first talces over the d-file and then
penetrates with his king via e5, which puts
Black under strong pressure. However, with
precise play he would still have been able to
hold the game.
1.l::td6 .l::ta7
!....l::txd6? 2 cxd6 +-.
2 @c3 @f7 3 @d4 .l::tb7 4 !:ld8 .l::ta7 s Ad6
4Jd5 6 @e5 (DJ
B
The critical position is reached.
6 ...@g6?
After 6 ... g6! there seems to be no way into
the black position; for example, 7 .l::tf8+ @g7 8
.l::tc8 @f7 9 .l::txc6 4Jxb4 10 .l::tc8 .l::td7 11 c6
ltJd3+ 12 @d5 4Jxf4+ 13 @c5 4Je6+ =.
7 Ab8.l::ta8
7 ... ll.b7 8 .l::txd5 cxd5 9 Ad6 .l::td7 10 c6 .l::td8
11 c7 .l::tc8 12 @xd5 @f6 13 Ae5+ @e7 14 @c6
g6 15 @b6 +-.
8 @d6 lbxf4
8 ... 4Jxb4 9 @c7 4Jd5+ 10 @xc6 4Jxf4 11
@b7 +-.
9 @xc6 4Je6 10 ~d6 .l::txb8 11 .l::txe6+ @f7
12 .!::tel g5 13 hxg5 @g6 14 @d7 f4 15 c6 @xg5

340 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
16 c71:1b7 17 'i.t>c61:1xc7+ 18 ~c7 f3 19 'i.t>b6
1-0
E15.02
N.Short - M.Gurevich
Shenyang (FIDE Wcup) 2000
Short gave up his strong central pawn-pair in
order to get to grips with the black king:
1 d6! cxd6 2 c61:1c8 3 c71:1c5 41:1xc5 dxcS 5
.i.c41:1xc7
5 ... 'i.t>f8 61:1xf7+ 'i.t>e8 7 1:1h7 1:1xc7 8 1:1xh6
+-.
61:1xf7 'i.t>h8 7 'i.t>c21:1d7 8 'i.t>b3 as 9 f31:1d4
101:1xe7 a4+ 11 ~a4 !txc412 'i.t>bS 1:1c213 b3
'i.t>g8 141:1e5 1;!.xa2 15 1:1xc5 nas 16 ~b4 ms
17 ID'S 1:1b8+ 18'i.t>c31:1c8+ 19'i.t>b21:1b8 20 f4
1-0
E15.03
V.lvanchuk - I.Cheparinov
Khanty­Mansiisk (FIDE WCup) 2005
With I ... 1:1c7? Cheparinov missed the chance
to activate his rooks, and the game was drawn
after 2 'i.t>g5 'i.t>f7 3 h5 gxh5+ 4 'i.t>f5 1:1e8 5 lla2
1:1b761:1g2'i.t>f871:1h21:1bl 81:1xh51:1fl+9'i.t>g6
1:1gl+ IO.i.g5'i.t>g8 ll 'i.t>f51:1fl+ 12'i.t>g41:1gl+
lfi.lfi.
Shipov (at Chesspro.ru) pointed out the correct
move:
1. •• gS!! (DJ
2h5
Or: 2rl.al gxh431:1hl I!.g441:1xh41;!.dg7-+;
2 hxg5? 'i.t>f5 and White gets mated.
2 ... g4 3 1:1xc6+ 'i.t>rs 4 e6 lab7 5 e7 g3 6 .th4
Two alternatives require analysis:
a) 6 e8'l\lY 1:1xe8 7 .i.e5 1:1g8 8 l:tf6+ 'i.t>e4 9 c6
g2101:1f4+ 'i.t>e3 l 1lag41:1xg4 12 cxb7 1:1g8 13
.i.h21:1e8 14'i.t>g51:1b8 15 .i.xb8 gl\W+ 16 g;>f6
'l\lYbl 17 .i.e5 'l\1Yxb7 -+.
b) 6 'i.t>h7 lle8 7 .i.g7 1:1exe7 8 1:1f6+ 'i.t>g4 9
h6 g2 10 1:1g6+ 'i.t>h3 11 1:1g5 labl 12 1:1xg2
@xg2 13 'i.t>g6 1:1hl 14 h7 lle8 15 c6 1:1c8 16
h8'l\lY 1:1hxh8 17 .i.xh8 1;!.xh8 18 'i.t>f6 'i.t>f3 19
'i.t>e5 1:1h5+ 20 g;>d6 'i.t>e4 -+ .
6 ... g2 7 1:1f6+ 'i.t>g4 8 nrs 1:1b8 9 1:1xb81hb8
1 O .tr2 1:1e8 11 'i.t>g6 1:1xe7 12 h6 1:1e6+ 13 'i.t>g7
'i.t>r3 14 .tgl 1:1el 15 h7 1:1xgl 16 h8'& 1:1hl 17
~f8+ 'i.t>e3 18 'l\1Ye7 + 'i.t>d3 -+
El5.04
S.Gligoric - P.Trifunovic
Budapest 1948
White must open a way for his king:
1 d4!
I g4? .i.h7 2 gxf5 h5 plays into Black's
hands.
1. ..'i.t>d6 2 dxcS+ ~cs 3 a4! 'i.t>d6
3 ... a5 4 lt::ic4 +-.
4 b4 a6 s @d4 hS 6 lt::ic4+ 'i.t>e6 7@c5 .te8 8
a5 .ta4 9 lt::ie3 .tbs 10 lt::ic2 @e7 U lod4 .td7
12 bS axbS 13 a6 .tc8 14 a7 .i.b7 15 lt::ixbS
'i.t>d716 lt::id4 .te417 lt::ixf5 1-0
El5.05
A.Matanovic -V.Korchnoi
Hamburg Echt 1965
1 ... 1:1c3!l 2 lt::ixc3
2 .i.xe4 1:1xh3 3 .i.xf5 1:1xa3 4 .i.xe6 'i.t>xe6 5
lt::ixd4+ g;>f6-+.
2 ... dxc331:1dl
3 1:1f2 .i.xd3 4 cxd3 1:1c8 5 zn c2 6 !Ic 1
lt::ixf4 7 1:1e3 1:1c3 8 'i.t>fl lt::ie6 -+.
3 ... lt::ixf4 4 1:1h7 .txd3 5 1:1c7 lt::ie6 6 1:1c6
.i.e4 7 1:1xe6+ 'i.t>xe681:1xd8 'i.t>eS!
The point of the combination! The black c-
pawn remains on the board and the white one
disappears. You solved the exercise only if you
calculated this far.
9@f2
91:1dl .i.xc2 IOlkl 'i.t>d41I 1:1xc2'i.t>d3-+.
9 ... .txc2 10 g3 gS 11 'i.t>e2 f4 12 gxf4+ gxf4
13 1:1e8+ @d4 14 1:1d8+ 'i.t>c4 15 1:1d6 'i.t>b3 16
1:1xa6 'i.t>b2 17 1:1b6 .i.dl+ 0-1

SOLUTIONS TO THE EXERCISES 341
Chapter 16
ElG.01
D.Hausrath - E.van den Doel
Dutch ct« playoff ( Enschede] 2004
1 tbdS?
Now the outflanking manoeuvre of the black
king is successful. The counter-attack by 1 tbg6
would have saved White: 1...tbc6 2 f3 gxf3
(2 ... @dl 3 fxg4 fxg4 4 @e4 @e2 5 @dS =) 3
@xf3 @d3 (3 ... e4+ 4 'i!i>f4 @d3 5 @xf5 e3 6
tbf4+ =) 4 tbxeS+ tbxe5+ 5 @f4 =.
1 .•• @dl 2 0.e7
2 tbf6 @el 3 tbhS (3 tbd7 tbc2+ 4 @d3
tbb4+ 5 @c4 @xf2 6 tbxeS @xg3 7 @xb4 f4 8
@c3 f3 9 tbc4 f2 IO tbd2 @g2 -+) 3 ... tbe2 4
tbf6 la:3 5 @d3 tbe4 6 tbd5 @xf2-+.
2 ... @el 3 tbg6
3 tbd5 tbc2+ 4 @d3 @xf2 5 @xc2 @xg3 6
Wd2@f2 7 tbc3 g3 8 tbdl+@f3-+.
3 ... tbc2+ 4 @d3 tbb4+ 5 @c4 tbc6 ( D)
6@d5
6 tbh4 @xf2 7 tbxf5 e4 8 @dS e3 -+.
6 ... @xf2 7 @xc6
7 @e6 @xg3 8 @xf5 @h3 -+.
7 ... e48@d5
8 tbeS e3 9 tbd3+ @xg3 IO @dS e2 11 @d4
f4 12@c3 el'&+ 13 tbxel f3 14tbc2 f2 15 tbe3
@f3 16 @d3 g3 17 @d2 g2-+.
8 ... e39@d4
9 tbf4 e2 10 tbd3+ @e3 11 tbei (11 @c4
@d2-+) l l...@d212 tbg2 el\\\Y 13 tbxel Wxel
14 @e5 @£2 -+.
9 ... e2 10 tbf4 el'& 11 tbd3+ Wfl 12 tbxel
@xel 13 @e3 Wf1 0-1
ElG.02
P.Leko - V.Korchnoi
Wijk aan Zee 2000
1. ..@f8?
For better or worse, Black must activate the
bishop: 1...i.d4! 2 :i:l.xb7 :!:!.al 3 a4 i.c3 4 :i:l.e7
i.b4 5 :i:l.eS @f7 6 c5 @£6 7 :i:l.e4 a5 8 c6 @fS 9
:i:l.e2 .ktcl 10 c7 :i:l.xc7 ;\; (Korchnoi in CBM).
2a4
2 @e2!? nal 3 a4 :i:l.a2+ 4 @d3 :i:l.xf2 5 cS
i.d8 6 :i:l.xb7 +-.
2 ... i.d4 3 @e2 b6 4 :i:l.dS i.f6 5 tbd3 l:!c3?!
6 :i:l.bS hS 7@d2 h4 8 tbf4 h3 9 g3 @g8 10 tbdS
:i:l.f3 ll @e2 i.d412 tbe3 i.cS 13 b4 i.fS 14 aS
bxaS 15 bxaS a6 16 nh8 @f7 17 tbxg4 :i:l.fS 18
f41-0
ElG.03
B.Spassky-A.Shirov
Paris 2000
l@c2?
Now Black will retain at least one active
rook. 1 @cl! completely neutralizes the black
initiative: l ... :i:l.xe6 (I .. .fxe6 2 :i:l.dl :i:l.f8 3 f3 =) 2
ndl :i:l.de8 3 @c2 = (Finkel in CBM).
1. ..:i:l.e2+ 2 @b3 fxe6 3 :i:l.adl nd6! 4 :i:l.xd6
cxd6 5 :!:!.ti. dS 6 a4 @f7 7 a5 eS 8 @a3 @e6 9
b3 g5 10 @b4 hS 11 h3 e4 12 g3 @eS 13 @cs
:i:l.d2 14 @b4 h4 15 gxh4 gxh4 16 a6 bxa6 17
nat :i:l.xf2 18 :i:l.xa6 :i:l.f719 :i:l.h6 e3 0-1
ElG.04
A.Seleznlev
Shakhmatny Listok, 1930
1 @£7 e3 2 tbf6+ @h8 3 tbdS e2 4 tbf4 el'&
5 tbxg6+ @h7 6 tbf8+
with perpetual check.
ElG.05
R.Kuczynski - C.Bauer
Saint Vincent Ech 2000
1 l:!a8?
For once, passive defence is correct: 1 :!:!.al !
:i:l.b2+ 2 @fl .ktf2+ 3 @gl :i:l.c2 4 @fl @e3 5
:i:l.a3+ @d2 6 :!:!.al = (Hecht in CBM).
1 ••. :!:l.b2+ 2 wn ru2+?

342 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
2 ... :1.bl+ 3 @e2 h3 -+.
3 @gl :l.b2 4 00?
4:1.al! =.
4 .. Abl+ s @e2 h3 6 :!.a4+ @es 7 :I.as+
Wd6 81:la6+ Wc7 0-1
E16.06
Cekro - Todorovic
Tuzla 1990
l...i.d8!
Setting up an impenetrable blockade. Not
1...i.xe3?2fxe3 Wxe3 3 h3 +-(3 h4?We4=).
2 h3 gxh3+ 3 ©xh3 @f3 4 g4 Jl.e7 5 gS
Jl.xgS 6 i.xgS Wxf2 1'2-''2
7 ... Wf8 8 :l.e7 +-.
8 :l.g7+ 1-0
E16.08
N.Mitkov - I.Krush
Montreal 2006
1..Ac8
I ... :!.c4? 2 @f4 +-.
2 @f4 l!h8 3 !if6+ »o 4 @gs h4 s :l.d6
@£7 6 i.fS h3 7 :l.d7 + @e8 8 :l.a7 MS 9 i.xh3
!if7=
Chapter 17
El6.07
El7.0l
B.Abramovic - N.Djukic
Serbian Ch (Pancevo) 2006
l...e6+! (DJ
Not 1...llb5+? 2 @e6 :l.b6+ 3 @d7 @f7 4
:l.c8:l.b7+ S Wc6 !ia7 6 e6+ Wf6 7 :l.f8+ We5 8
llf7 lla6+ 9 @d7 lla7+ 10 We8 @d6 11 @f8
lla8+(11...:l.b712 f6! +-) 12@g7@e513:l.f8 E17.02
:I.al 14 @g6 lla2 (14... :l.gl+ 15 ffl +-) IS
:l.b8:I.a? 16 :l.b5+@d6 17 f6 +- (Krasenkow
inCBM).
P.Schlosser - P.Lukacs
Budapest 1992
1. ..:!.a3+ 2 wg4 :!.xh33 ©xh3 @g74 i.e4
4 f5 i.a5 5 @g4 Jl.d8 =.
4 ... i.aS s @g4 i.c7 6 rs i.d8 =
M.Ulybin - V.Bashkov
Cheliabinsk 1993
1 :l.g6!
In the game, White played I :l.b6??, and Jost
because after 1 ... Wg3 2 :l.b3+, Black's king can
advance rather than being forced back: 2 ... Wh2
3 llb4 :!.g2 4 :l.c4 g4 5 :l.c8 :l.g I+ 6 'i5'e2 g3 0-1.
1. .. @f3 2 @gl! g4 3 M6+! @g3 4 zrn =
2@cS
2 fxe6 :I.bi 3 e7+ Wf7 4 'i5'd6 :I.di+=.
2 llbl 3 f6 :I.di 4 @b6 :!.dS?
4 llel ! 5 :!.cS @f7 6 @c6 lld I =.
5 :!.cS :I.di
5 ... lld8 6 :!.c6 @f7 7 :l.c7+ Wg6 8 @c6 @f5
9 :l.d7 Xia8 IO @d6 +- (Krasenkow).
6 :!.c8+ @£7 7 llc7 + @g6
E17.03
L.Morice - R.Guillet
France 2001
A question mark for 2 gxf6, which allows
Black to employ a stalemate defence.
1 f6 gxf6 2 gxf6?
2 g6 f5+ 3 @e3 f4+ 4 Wf2 Wb2 5 g7 c3 6
g8'1W c2 7 '&b3+@cl 8 @e2 +-.
2 ... Wb2 3 f7 c3 4 f8'1W c2 S '&f2 @bl 6
Wlb6+ Wxa2 7 ~xaS+ @bl 8 °lWb4+ @a2 9
'&c3@bl 1'2-1'2
El7.04
N.Huschenbeth - A.Markgraf
Gromitz 2005
Black can win in several ways, but must be
careful not to squander his tempo moves.

SOLUTIONS
TO THE EXERCISES
343
1...h6?
The best way is to stalemate the white king
immediately and thus force the white pawn to
commit itself: l...f2+ 2 @fl @f3 3 h3 (3 h4 h6
4 hS @e3 S @g2 @e2 -+) 3 ... hS 4 h4 @e3 S
@g2@e2-+.
2 @fl hS 3 @el @e4 4 M2 @!4 s @fl @fS
6 @f2 @g4 7 @fl @gS 8 @!2 @f4 9@fl h4 10
@f2@e4 ll @fl?
11 @el @e3 12 @fl f2 13 h3 @f3 stalemate.
ll ... @e3 12 @el f2+ 13 @fl @f3 0-1
E17.05
V.Filippov - I.Novikov
Koszalin 1999
l@c2?
I @c4 = or I ~h I e4 2 !l.hS = was necessary.
1 ... @fS 2 ~fl+ @g4 3 !tel @f4 4 ~fl+@g3
The vital manoeuvre to reduce the checking
distance.
s ~el ~ds 6 ~gI+ @f3 1 ~gs @f4 s ~hs
@g4 9 ~h8 e4 IO @c3 e3 0-1
El7.06
0.Eminov- J.Pallardo Lozoya
Peniscola U­14 Ech 2002
1 ...@f3?
1..J'!h8! 2~gl (after 2~xh8 dl\W the queen
prevails against the rook - do you know how?)
2...@f2 3 ~al @e2 -+.
2 ~h3+ @e4 3 l!hl?
3 .l:!h4+ was necessary.
3 ...@e3? 4 ~h3+@e2 S ~h2+ @d3 6 ~h3+
@e4 7 ~hl? @d3? 8 ~h3+ 11z.11z
E17.07
C.Lutz - T.Luther
German Ch (Bremen) 1998
1 ... ~el+?
Black should play 1...~h I 2 d7 ~h8 3 d8\W
~xd8 4 ~xd8 @b2 S .§.b8+ @c3 6 !l.a8 @b3 7
@d4 a3 8@d3 (8 ~b8+@c2 ;;;) 8 ... @b2 9 ~b8+
@cl 10@c3 a2 =.
2 @d4! Z!dl + 3 @c4 ~cl+
After 3 ... .l:!xdS 4 @xdS @b2 S d7 a3 6 d8\W
a2 the white king is in the winning zone: 7
'&b6+@al 8\Wf2@bl 9'&el+@b2 IO'&d2+
@bl 11 Wc4 al\W 12@b3 +-.
4@bS ~bl+ s @as ~b8
Now White wins the black pawn:
6 ~d3+! ~b3 7 ~d4! ~b8 8 ~xa4+ @b3 9
~h4~b7
9 ... ~d8 10 ~h6 @c4 11 @b6 @dS 12 @c7
+-.
10 ~d4 @c3 11 .§.dl 1-0
E17.08
C.Meyer - G.Tischer
Bundesliga 1981/2
l. ..@g8! 2@e5
2 @g6 llg4+ 3 @fS ~a4 ;;;_
2 ••. b4 3 @d4 b3+ 4 @c3 b2! S @xb2 ~b4+ 6
@c3 ~b6 7 ~a8+ @g7
Black has set up Vancura's drawing position.
El7.09
M.Illescas - V.Epishin
Dos Hermanas 1994
l@h4? ~xe5!
In the game Black overlooked his chance:
J...!l.e8? 2 tbc4 .!he3 3 tbxe3 @g6 4 tbg2 1-0.
2 ~xeS tbf3+ 3 @xhS tbxes =
(Ribli in CBM)
E17.10
V.Topalov - V.Korchnoi
Madrid 1996
1 ... h6??
I...Zlb7 2 Ae3 Axe3 3 fxe3 @f8 4 !tdal
~xb2 = (Bologan in CBM).
2 b4! ~xb4
2 ... Axb4 3 i..e3 cS 4 .§.d7 Ad2 S @fl i..xe3
6 fxe3 ~b4 7 ~a5 c4 8 ~cs ~a4 9 ~cc7 ~f8 10
@e2+-.
3 ~xb4 Axb4 4 Ae3 @f8?!
This makes things easier, though Black is
losing anyway: 4 ... cS S ~d7 c4 6 Ab6 +-
(Bologan); 4 ... Aa5!? S @fl @f8 6 ~dS Ab6 7
i..xb6 cxb6 8 ~d7 +-.
S ~bl 1-0
Black resigned in view of S ... cS 6 AxcS+
Axes 7 ~b8+ +-.
E17.11
l@dS?
V.Epishin - Zhao Xue
Lausanne 2001

344 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
This was a fatal attempt to win a drawn position.
l. .. ©g6!
1...~g5+? 2 e5+ +-.
2 ~h8 ~gS+ 3 ©e6 ~hS 4 ~g8+ ©h7 5 @f7
~h3 0-1
E17.12
T.Petrosian - L.Portisch
Palma de Mallorca Ct (13) 1974
1 ... iWf4?
This offer to exchange queens is a mistake.
At the cost of a pawn, White can now establish
a dominating position and penetrate dangerously
into the black position. However, with
careful defence Black should have been able to
hold the position. For example, I ... iWe7 2 iWa6
'&°f6, with counterplay, came into consideration.
2 gxf4! ibxf4+ 3 @g3 ibxd3 4 ~c3!
Putting the knight off its stride. In contrast,
the immediate 4 ~c7? is premature because of
4 ... ~d6.
4 ••• lbb4
After 4 ... lbb2? 5 lbes ± the black knight
would be completely offside.
5 a3 iba6 6 b4 (DJ
B
6 ••• lLlbS?
Now the knight is in danger of being completely
dominated. 6 ... ~d7 7 ~c8+ ©h7 8 h5 b5
was indicated.
7 ~c7 a5 8 bS
8 bxa5 !? bxa5 9 lbe5 also came strongly into
consideration.
8 ibd7 9 @f4 hS?
9 ibf8 10 ~c6 lbg6+ 11 ©g4 r!b8 is more
tenacious.
10 lbes lbrs
JO ... lbxe5 11 ©xe5 f6+ 12 ©f5 '.t>h7 13 ©e6
±.
11 l!b7 f6?!
ll...ibe6+!? 12©e3f613lbc6~e814~xb6
±.
12 ibc6 ibg6+?! 13 <,;>g3 ~d6 14 ~xb6 ~e6
15 ~b8+ ibf8 16 ~as ~el 17 ibdS ©h7 18 b6
~bl 19 b7 ibd7 20 ~xaS 1-0
El7.13
Klovans - Elistratov
1 ©f5 ©xc4 2 ©xf6?
White must not touch this pawn. 2 h4 ©b3 3
©g6 '.t>xa3 4 ©xh5 ©b3 5 ©g6 f5 6 h5 f4 7 h6
f3 8 h7 f2 9 h8iW fliW 10 '&b8+ and White can
hold the game.
2 ... ©b33©g5©xa34©xh5©b35©g6a4
6 h4 a3 7 hS a2 8 h6 aliW-+
E17.14
G.Grimberg - P.Cerisier
France 1986
The variation that Black worked out is completely
plausible. However, there is a critical
improvement near the end.
1... ©d3 2 lbxe4 b3 3 ibcS+ 'it>e2 4 'it>g3 b2 5
lba4
Now an underpromotion is possible:
5 •.• blib!I
The knight fork on c3 now no longer works. If
he had simply made another couple of moves,
this way out would surely have come to mind.
White cannot win the resulting knight endgame;
for example, 6 f4 lbd2 7 f5 ©e3 8 ©g4 lbe4 9
lbc3 ibd6 IO f6 @d4 11 lba4 ©e5 =.
E17.15
A.Arulaid - B.Gurgenidze
USSR 1955
1 ©d6 ©c8 2 ~cl+ ©b7 3 ~bl+ ©a6 4 ©c6
©aS 5 @cs ©a4 6 ©c4 ©a3 7 ©c3 ©a2 8 zrn
h59©d3 h4
9 ... ©a3 IO ~xf2 gxf2 11 ©e2 =.
10 ©e3 h3 11 ©f3 g2 12 lhf2+ ©b3 13
~xg2 hxg214 ©xg2 =

Bi bl iogra phy
One-Volume Works on the Endgame
Basic Chess Endings, R.Fine, McKay 1941
Batsford Chess Endings, }.Speelman, J.Tisdall and R.Wade, Batsford 1993
Chess Endgame Training, B.Rosen, Gambit 2003
Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, M.Dvoretsky, Russell Enterprises 2003
Endspieltheorie und Praktik, A.Panchenko, Caissa 2001
Fundamental Chess Endings, K.Miiller and F.Lamprecht, Gambit 2001
Just the Facts, L.Alburt and N.Krogius, Chess Information and Research Center 2000
Practical Chess Endings: Algebraic Edition, P.Keres, Batsford 1984
Instructional Works on the Endgame
101 Chess Endgame Tips, S.Gidd.ins, Gambit 2007
Chess Endgame Lessons, P.Benko, Volume 1 1989
Chess Endgames, L.Polgar, Konernann 1991
Die Kunst des Endspiels, W.Smyslov, Bock & Kubler 1996
Die wichtigsten Ideen im Endspiel, I.Donev, self-published, 1997
Endgame Preparation, J.Speelman, Batsford 1981
Endgame Secrets, C.Lutz, Batsford 1999
Endgame Tactics, G.C. van Perlo, New in Chess 2006
Endspieltraining nicht nur fur Anfdnger; E.Mednis, Beyerverlag 1998
Essential Chess Endings, J.Howell, Batsford 1997
Excelling at Technical Chess, J .Aagaard, Everyman 2004
Gewinne das Endspiel, E.Mednis, Olms 2000
Grandmaster Secrets: Endings, A.Soltis, Thinkers Press 1997
Mastering the Endgame Vol. 1 and 2, L.Slutsky, M.Shereshevsky, Cadogan 1992
Modem Endgame Practice, A.Beliavsky, A.Mikhalchishin, Batsford 2003
Praktische Endspieltips, E.Mednis, Olms 2000
School of Chess Excellence 1 ­ The Endgame, M.Dvoretsky, Olms 2002
Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy, LB.Hansen, Gambit 2006
Strategie der Schachendspiele, M.Schereschewski, Sportverlag, Berlin 1987
Tactical Chess Endings, J.Nunn, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London 1981
Technique for the Tournament Player; M.Dvoretsky, A.Yusupov, Batsford 1995
Winning Endgame Strategy, A.Beliavsky, A.Mikhalchishin, Batsford 2000
Winning Endgame Technique, A.Beliavsky, A.Mikhalchishin, Batsford 1995
Works on Particular Endgames
Endspiele mit ungleichen Ldufern, E.Solozhenkin, ChessBase CD 2000
Practical Rook Endings, V.Korchnoi, Olms 2001
Secrets of Pawn Endings, K.Miiller, El.amprecht, Everyman/Gambit 2000
The Survival Guide to Rook Endings, J.Emms, Everyman/Gambit 1999
Further Literature
101 Winning Chess Strategies, A.Dunnington, Gambit 1999

346 How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Chess for Zebras, J .Rowson, Gambit 2006
Die Kunst der Bauernfuhrung, H.Krnoch, Das Schacharchiv 1967
Die Kunst der vereinfachung Band 1, 2 und 3, G.Nesis, Rudi Schmaus Verlag 1985
Die R11sse11 lehren Schach, Y.Averbakh 1998
From the Middlegame into the Endgame, E.Mednis, Cadogan 1994
Geheimnisse der Schachstrategie, M.Dvoretzki, Olms 1999
Grundziige der Schachstrategie, J.Capablanca, Beyerverlag 2002
Jon Spee/man's Best Games, J.Speelman, Batsford 1997
Mein System, A.Nimzowitsch, Das Schacharchiv 1965
Positional Play, M.Dvoretsky and A.Yusupov, Batsford 1996
Schach fiir Aufsteiger; N.Krogius, Sportverlag 1993
Schach fiir Einsteiger; N.Krogius, Sportverlag 1992
Secrets of Chess Defence, M.Marin, Gambit 2003
Secrets of Chess Training; M.Dvoretsky and A.Yusupov, Batsford 1991
Secrets of Chess Transformations, D.Marovic, Gambit 2004
Secrets of Modem Chess Strategy, J.Watson, Gambit 1998
Secrets of Practical Chess, J.Nunn, Gambit 1998
Stellungsbeurteilung und Plan, A.Karpow, A.Mazukewitsch, Sportverlag 1987
The Most Amazing Chess Moves of All Time, I.Emms, Gambit 2000
Theorie und Praxis der Schachpartie, M.Dvoretzki, Olms 2000
Periodicals and Magazines
Chess Today
Chess Base Magazine (CBM) especially the endgame section by HJ.Hecht (until 2004) and K.Muller
Endgame Comer, K.Muller, www.chesscafe.com, started January 2001
Infonnator
New in Chess Magazine
Databases and Programs
ChessBase Mega Database 2006
Fritz 9 and IO
Ken Thompson's 5- and 6-man databases
Nalimov's 5- and 6-man tablebases
Rybka2.2
Shredder 9 and IO
The Week in Chess

Index
Instructive examples
The following instructive examples are either very old or cannot be traced back clearly to a particular
author: I.I 9, El.13, 5.06, 10.08, 11.0 I. 11.05, 11.07, 11.09, 11.10, 11.13, 11.14, 11.15, 11.27,
12.04, 12.05, El2.05, 14.01, 14.03
Players
Abdulla IO. 12
Abramovic El6.07
Acs E2.04, 10.09
Adams 6.07, 6.14, 7.05,
E7.04, E9.16, El0.05
Adianto 9.11
Agrest E4.IO, El4.14
Akesson 11.26
Akopian 6.15
Alekhine 2.26. E4.12, 8.02
Aleksandrov E2.03
Almasi 8.04
Alterman 8.06
Anand 1.25, El.22, El.23,
2.25, 3.01, 3.11, 6.24,
E6.07, ll.49, 15.06, 15.07
Andersson 1.06, El.04, 3.04,
6.05, 6.20, E6.06, 8.04, 9.15
Angantysson El2.02
Antal E9.03, 17.18
Anton El 1.13
Appel 6.22
Araujo 9.19
Arencibia E4. I 5
Areshchenko 17.17
Aronian E4.05, E4.16,
EI0.07
Aroshidze E4.29
Arulaid El7.15
Aseev 3.07, 4.30, E6.03
Averbakh 2.31
Averkin E4.02
Avrukh E4. I 5, E6. l l,
El 1.26, El3.15
Azrnaiparashvili El4.09
Baburin 10.02
Bacrot 8.03
Badev 17.19
Bakalar E4.32
Baklan E9 .11
Banusz El0.02
Barbero 11.53
Bareev El.OS, E6.02, 15.10
Barie E!.06, El3.05
Barua 11.53
Bashkov E17.02
Bastrikov E8.05
Bauer E4.18, El6.05
Becerra Rivero E4.0l
Begunov E 10.11
Beim 12.01
Belavenets E4. ll
Beliavsky 1.10, 3.05, 8.01
Belotti 6.09
Benko 7.01
Berg, E. 1.17
Berg, K. El 1.06
Bergstrom, P. El3.02
Bergstrom, R. 11.26
Bernstein El2.06
Beshukov 9.10
Biolek E9.08
Bischoff 11.22
Bisguier 3.10
Blatny El 1.11
Blumich 17.1!
Bocharov 1.26, 11.308
Bogatyrchuk El .07, E3.06
Bogdanovski 9.20
Bologan E4.27, El5.0l
Bondarevsky 2.11
BorikE8.04
Borisov El 1.03
Botvinnik 2.06, E7.03,
EJ0.12, 13.06, El3.IO
Bozov 17.19
Bracker E4.09
Braunstein 12.02
Brkic 13.04
Brodsky El.21
Brunner E4.03
Bruzon E3.02
Brynell E4. I 3
Bryzgalin El 1.42
Bykhovsky 5.03
ByrneE3.01
Capablanca 1.04, 2.18, 2.27,
4.02, 5.04, 5.05
Carlsen E3.03, 15.09
Carvajal El.03
Cekro El6.06
Cerisier El7 .14
Chabanon 2.16
Cheparinov E!5.03
Chernikov El .08
Chemin 8.06
Chernyshov 14.05
Chigorin 12.06
Christiansen 6.02, 6.11,
El0.06
Chuchelov E9.09
Cladouras 17.08
Coote 9.18
Cornette E4.3 I
Corti E8.03
Couso 16.03
Crarnling 16.03
Cvetkovic 1.20
Cvitan 13.12
Cybulak El 3.09
D' Amore 1.02
Darnljanovic 17.20
Dao Thien Hai E4.06
Dautov 4.20, 6.16, 6.17,
E6.0l, Ell.26, El2.03
de Firmian 4.21
Deep Blue E7.02
de! Rio 13.02
Delchev 9.02
Den Hollander 13.07
Dhar Barua 9.18

348
How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Dinstuhl 3.08
Djukic El6.07
Dolmatov 1.07, E4.19, E4.22,
17.15
Dombrovska 11.03
Dominguez 11.29
Donev 2.21
Donner 1.14
Dorfman El.09, 8.03
Dettling E7.0l
Drasko 1.07
Drazic E2. I I
Dreev 2.14, E4.08
Duckstein 2.32
Dueball 17.13
Duras 4.24
Durie E5.06
Duz-Khotimirsky 11.06
Dvoirys 11.38
Ehlvest 6.11
Eingorn Ell.24, E14.14
Elianov E!3.08
Eliskases El.15, 2.10, E5.05
Elistratov E17.!3
Emelin El 0.03
Eminov El 7.06
Englisch 9.01
Engqvist 13.13
Epishin 4.04, E4.23, 16.02,
E17.09, E17.ll
Erenburg EI0.02
Ermeni 1.20
Ernst, T. 12.07, 15.08
Erturan 10.03
Espig 12.07
EstrinE4.37, El4.15
Euwe 2.26, 8.02
Evseev 14.12
Ezat 9.16
Fedorov El.08, El3.08
Feletar E9 .16
Felgaer 4.13, 11.29
Felsberger E4. I 9
Fier9.19
Filippov 9.10, El7.05
Fischer 2.01, E2.13, 4.28,
E9.04
Fish 8.07
Fishbein 11.25
Flear E2.09, E6.08
Flohr El.15, 2.10, 6.25
Florian 4.23
Fogarasi E9.03
Fressinet E5.02, El 1.17
Frias 13.0I
Fritz. 5 15.13
Fritz. 6 11.49
Ftacnik 14.02
Fucak 13.04
Fuller J.03
Gadjily El3.18
Galliamova 13.12
Garcia Palermo 16.06
Gashimov 4.20
Gause! 2.02
Gavrikov 4.06, 7. IO
Gdanski 11.40
Gelfand E2.05, 4.13, E4.21,
17.06
Geller, E. 2.31
Geller, Ya. 6.03
Georgadze El 1.38
Georgiev, Ki. E4.03, 6.0 I
Gershon E4.28
Gicev9.20
Gimes 13.0i
Glek 6. 18, 11.54
Gligoric 9.06
Golod E3.04, El 1.18
Goloshchapov 17. 18
Granda El 1.16
Greenfeld 14.10
Grigoriants 8.05
Grimberg El7.14
Grishchuk 1.23, 4.16,
El3.03, El3.06
Grivas E6. I l
Grosar4.16
Griinfeld, Y. 1.16
Gufeld 15.04
Guillet El7.03
Gunsberg E2.14
Gurevich, G. El 1.18
Gurevich, M. 4.18, El5.02
Gurgenidze E 17. 15
Guseinov El 1.14
Gustafsson 11.22, 14.11
Haba 13.10
Hajtun 6.23
Hakki 11.11
Handke9.22
Hansen, Cu. 2.14
Hansen, H. El 1.06
Hansen, L.B. 4.09
Harrnonist 9.23
Haugsrud E 11.19
Hausner 9.13
Hausrath El6.0I
Hazai 11.31
Haznedaroglu I 0. 03
Hebden 4.17
Heilinger El2.04
Heissler 4.19
Hellborg E4.13
Hellsten 4.21
Hergott E2.09
Hernandez El 1.28
Hertneck 11.52
Hjartarson 2.02
Hoffmann 17 .13
Honfi 2.15
Hort Ell.33
Horvath, T. El2.02
Hossain 6.06
Hilbner E4.20, 4.27
Huschenbeth El 7.04
lbragimov EI 0.11
Ilincic 14.07
Iliushin 2.20
Illescas 3.02, 9.21, E9.17,
El7.09
Ilyin-Zhenevsky E4.12
Inarkiev 3.07
Ionescu, C. l I .30A
Ionescu, M. 1.27
Ionov E2.0I
Iordachescu 1.27
Istratescu E5.03
Ivanchuk El.23, E4.06, 4.07,
6.24, 7.07, 12.08, El5.03
Ivanisevic 6.01
Ivanov, S. E4.39, E8.0I,
EI0.03, Ell.15
Ivanovic 9.02
Ivashin El4.15
Ivkov 9.03
Janowski 2.27
Jansa El2.08
Jasny 7.06
Jobava 4.26
Jung El0.04
Kaidanov 1.13

INDEX
349
Kallio 3.08
Kalmukova 2.19
Kalnins 11.32
Kaminski 12.10
Kamsky 1.25, E6.12, 9.05,
El3.16
Kan4.02
Karpov 1.15, 2.28, 4.27,
4.29, 6.05, E6. IO, 9.03,
10.01, 12.03, El3.13,
14.02, 15.01, 15.02, 15.12
Karttunen 5.01
Kasimdzhanov 4.07, E7.04,
E9.05
Kasparov 4.05, 4.08, 6.20,
7.04, E7.02, 9.08, 9.09,
9.14, 9.15, IQ.IQ, 12.03,
El3.16, 15.14, 17.16
Kavalek 15.01
Kempinski E4.38, El3.07
Kengis 4.19, EI0.06, 15.11
Keres 11.48
Khalifman 1.12, 3.06, 4.10,
8.08, El l.15
Khali!beili E5.04
Kharlov E6.05, EI0.09,
16.05
Khasanov El 1.03
Kholmov 13.08, 17.16
Khramov El 1.22
Khuzrnan El 1.14
Kiselev E8.05
K!eeschaetzky 17 .04
Klovans E17.13
Kmoch 2.12
Knaak 16.04
Kobaladze 11.42
Kobaliya E9.09
Kolesnikov 1.26
Kolker 11.50
Korchnoi 1.15, 2.13, 3.05,
14.10, El5.05, El6.02,
El7.IO
Komev 9.17
Korolev 11.32
Korotylev El4. l l
Korsunsky 11.28
Koshelev I 7. IO
Kotov El2.0l
Kotronias 17 .03
Kovacevic J.02
Kovaliov E9 .11
Kozlovskaya El.03
Krakops El2.03
Kramnik 1.01, 1.23, El.23,
2.17, 2.23, 2.29, 3.02, 3.09,
4.10, E4.2J, 7.08, 9.04,
9.05, 9.07, E9.07, 12.09,
El3.03, EI3.17, 15.02,
15.10
Krasenkow 4.18, 6.10, E9.17,
El3.17
Krush 2.09, EJ6.08
Kuczynski El6.05
Kudrin 2.08
Kulicov E2.07
Kun El 1.43
Kunsztowicz 3 .04
Kupreichik 7 .10
Kuzmin, G. El 1.12
Kuznetsov 11.02
Landa E2.12, E3.07
Landenbergue 11. l I
Langrock E4.09
Larsen 2.01, E5.05, El 1.21,
17.07
Lasker, Ed. 2.18
Lasker, Em. E3.06, 5.05, 6.04
Lastin Ei4.05
Lautier E!.05, 2.28, E2.05,
E6.10, 7.04, 11.19, 12.08,
13.11, 17.09
Laznicka E9.08
Lechtynsky E4.32, El 1.41
Leko 1.01, 2.23, 3.09, E4.20,
E4.33, 6.14, E6.09, 7.05,
12.09, 15.06, El6.02
Leonhardt E3.05
Lerner E!.09, El4.12
Levenfish El3.01, 13.06
Lindinger 17.08
Liogky4.22
Lipnitsky 1.08
Lisovska 11.03
Lobron E 11.11
Loginov 4.30
Lombardi, M. 17 .02
Lopez El I.OJ
Lputian El.22, 11.54
Lukac 7.06
Lukacs El7.01
Lund4.12
Luther El 7.07
Lutsko J J .30B
Lutz 2.17, 6.07, El7.07
Luzniak El2.07
Macieja E9.0l
McShane 1.17, 11.20
Magerramov 9.16
Makarov 17.15
Malakhov E6.0 I
Malaniuk 11.08
Mamedyarov E2.08
Mamoshin 11.50
Manzone 11.34
Marin E2.06, 16.04
Marinkovic 11.52
Markgraf E 17. 04
Markowski El4.JO, 15.05
Marshall 10.11
Martz l l.18
Matanovic El5.05
Maze! EJ.07
Mednis 3.10
Meister 4.14
Menas 12.02
Meulders l l.30A
Meyer El 7 .08
Mieses 5.04
Mikhalevski E4.34
Miles 4.17. 6.09
Milev E3.0J
Milov E5.03, 6.16, 6.17
Minasian E2.06
Mitkov 6.15, El4.09, E!6.08
Miton4.26
Mittelberger 2.21
Monsay El 1.19
Morice El 7.03
Morozevich I. 11
Mortensen El 1.41
Motylev 14.05
Movsesian EJ0.05
Miiller, K. E2.04, 9.13,
El 1.05, 16.01
Miiller, K.D. 2.03
Najdorf 11.48
Nakamura 9.21, El 1.16
Narciso Dublan E!.04, 17.14
Nataf 2.16, 5.07
Nath 11.35
Naumkin 1.12, E4.31
Neubauer 2.34
Ni Hua El 1.17
Nielsen E4.14, E4.29, ES.OJ
Nijboer 7.03

350
How TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
Nikcevic El3.1 I
Nikolai dis E 13.11
Nikolic 8.01, 16.02, 17.14
Nimzowitsch 2. 12, E4.07
Nisipeanu El3.18
Noomen E8.03
Novikov, I. E17.05
Novikov, M. E14.05
Nunn 15.13
Niisken E6.04
Ochsner E4.14
Oim 7.09
011 E4.04
Onishchuk 1.09, 2.08, 4.11
Orlov 4.30, 5.08, 11.24
Ortueta Esteban E2.10
Ozsvath I 1.46
Paaske4.12
Pachman El2.0J
Paglietti 16.06
Pahtz, E. E9.10
Pahtz, T. E8.04
Pajeken 1.05, 17.04
Palevic El2.07
Pallardo Lozoya El7.06
Panchenko E4.25
Panno El 1.07
Pantsulaia 7.02
Parligras E4. IO
Pashikian E7.05
Paulic l I .33
Pedersen, C. 6.13, 17 .05
Pedersen, F. El3.02
Pedersen, S. 10.04
Pelletier 2.07, E7.05, 14.08
Peschel E6.04
Petrosian, A. E4.25, 11.31
Petrosian, T. 4.28, 8.09,
El7.12
Petrosian, T.L. 8.05
Petushov I 1.02
Piket E4.17, E4.33, 14.09
Pillsbury E2.14, 6.04
Pinter E9.02, 9.14
Plater 13.08
Plazaola 11.34
Podolny 11.06
Pogorelov E4.36
Polgar, J. 2.13, 2.29, 15.15
Polgar, Zso. 1.02
Polugaevsky 4.03
Polzin 4.15
Ponomariov 3.01, E9.14
Popov E2.03
Popovic 6.08
Portisch 6.10, 15.14, El7.12
Postny El 1.20
Psakhis 4.09, E8.02, 14.11
Pushkov E2.0l
Radjabov E5.02
Rahman 10.05
Rajkovic El.02
Ramos 13.02
Rashkovsky 5.08
Rasic 5.01
Rauzer E4. l l
Razuvaev 2.15, E4.02
Redolfi El 1.01
ReeElJ.33
Reefat bin Satter 6.06
Reshevsky E4.35
Reshko 12.10
Reti 10.11
Riazantsev 1.09
Ribli 11.46, El3.13, 15.12
Rivas E6.02
Robson 2.03
Rodriguez, Ru. 17.07
Rogozenko E4.38
Roiz5.03, El4.12, El4.13
Romanishin 2.33, El5.0l
Romanovsky El3.0l
Rosen 17.02
Roshal El 1.22
Rosselli 15.03
Rowson 13.09
Rozentalis E3.03, 6.18, 6.22,
16.01, 17.20
Rubinstein 4.24, 15.03
Rublevsky E4.27, 6.03, 7.02,
11.19, El2.08, 17.09
Rustemov 9.12
Ryskin El 1.27
Sabos El0.04
Sahovic 15.11
Sakaev 4.14
San Segundo 14.08
Sanduleac E2. l I
Sanguinetti 1.06
Sanz Aguado E2.10
Sashikiran 10.05
Savchenko 4.22
Savon El4. l I
Schiller 11.35
Schilow 17.05
Schlosser E17.0l
Schmaltz 9.22
Schmittdiel E4.30
Seirawan 10.10
Sharkov 17.10
Shikova 2.19
Shipov El.06
Shirov El.23, 2.25, 3.11,
E6.09, E9.02, EIO.Q7,
Jl.2), 11.25, 13.11, 14.09,
15.07, El6.03, 17.17
Short 1.10, E4.26, 6.08, 7.07,
El5.02
Shredder 11.23
Shulman 8.08, I 0.12
Siemms El 1.07
Skembris El3.05
Skripchenko 10.02
Slekys 14.06
Smagin 2.33
Smirin El3.07, El4. I 3
Smimov E4.23, El0.09
Smyslov 1.03, 1.08, 2.11,
E4.35, 7.01, 9.09, E9.06,
El2.06, 15.08
Socko, 8. 16.05
Socko, M. El 1.24
Sokolov, A. 11.20
Sokolov, D. 5.02
Sokolov, I. l.24, E2.08, 4.04,
4.11, 9.12, 17.06
Solozhenkin EJ3.09
Sosonko 2.22, 4.29
Sozin EI0.12
Spassky 8.09, E9.04, El6.03
Speelman E4.J8, 5.07, E8.02
Spielmann E3.05, 6.19
Spraggett 4.31
Staniszewski I I .40
Stean 1.16, 2.22
Stefanova El.I I, E2.07
Stefansson E9.18
Stein E4.24
Steinitz 9.01
Stocek E9.18
Stripunsky E3.04
Sucher El2.04
Suetin E7.03, El3.10, 15.04
Sula El 1.28
Sulskis E4.26, 14.06

INDEX 351
Sutovsky 6.21, 12.01 Tosic 14.07 Votava E9.0l
Svidler 1.11, 1.13, 2.30, Tregubov9.17, E14.IO Vukic 4.08, 11.18
E3.07, E4.39, 7.08, 9.08, Tseitlin 2.24 Vydeslaver E4.34
11.38, 15.15 Tsereteli 11.42
Szabo 1.14, 6.23 Tseshkovsky 4.03 Wagner 1.05
Szilagy 2.24 TumerE6.08 Wahls E7.0I, 17.12
Turov El 1.42 Wedberg 13.13
Taimanov E2. I 3, 4.01, 6. 12, Tyomkin 2.09 Wegener E2.02
E9.06, 17.01 Wells 13.09
Tai 2.06, E4.24 Uhlmann 4.01, 9.06, E9.12 Wolff9.l l
Tarrasch E4.07, 6.19, 9.23, Ulybin 9.04, 9.07, El7.02 Wu Wenjin 13.05
12.06, 17.11
Tartakower 1 .04 Vaganian 10.04, El 1.38 YACE 11.23
Tatar Kis El 1.43 Vallejo Pons 4.25 Yakovenko E 1.21
Thelen 4.23 Van den Doe\ 1.24, E 16.01 Yakovich 4.06
Thiede E2.02 Van Mil El 1.20 Yandemirov E2. l 2, E8.01
Thiel El 1.05 Van Wely 3.06 Yanofsky E9.12
Thorfinsson 2.34 Varga 10.09 Yusupov 4.15, E4.22, 4.31,
Thorhallsson E4.28 Vasovic 11.33 E5.06, 6.02, 6.21, E6.07,
Timrnan El 1.12, El3.15, Vasovski 11.24 E6.12, 11.08, 17.03, 17.21
17.21 Vaulin E6.03
Timmerman 7.09, El 1.13 Vera E4.36 Zagrebelny E6.05
Tischbierek 17.12 Vescovi 2.07, 15.05, 15.09 Zaitsev, A. E4.37
Tischer El 7.08 Vidmar 6.25 Zapata E4.01, E6.06
Tissir E9.05 Visser 7.03 Zezulkin El 1.27
Tiviakov E3.02, 6.13, 11.28 Vlasov 5.02 Zhang Pengxiang 13.05
Tkachev 4.25, E9.10, EJ3.06 Vogt 8.07 Zhao Xue El7.I I
Todorovic E 16.06 Volkmann 13.12 Zhu Chen 1.11, 17.01
Topalov 2.30, 4.05, E4.17. Volkov E4.05, E9.14 Zoebisch 2.32
E9.07. 10.01, 11.21. Volokitin E4.16, 13.10 Zoetemeijer 13.07
El7.IO Volovich E5.04 Zviagintsev E4.04, E4.08
Torre E5.0I, El 1.21 Von Elst 6.12
Study Composers
Aloni Et.01 Hasek E 11.30 Nadareishvili El 1.35, El 1.37
Averbakh 11.04 Herbstmann El 1.39 Pachrnan El 1.23
Behting I 1.36 Horwitz EI0.10, El 1.25 Philidor 10.06, 10.07
Belov 11.47 Kasparian E9.15, El4.06, Platov, V. and M. E13.12
Benko 13.03 E14.07, El4.08 Reddrnann EI 1.09
Blathy 11 .39 Kholrnov E13.04 Reti 1.22, El4.04
Capablanca E14.0l Kiriakov El 1.04 Rinck E9.13, El4.03
Chekhover I.I 8, E 11.29 Kling El0.10 Rostov El4.02
Dobias El .18 Kricheli El 1.02 Selezniev El.10, 2.35,
Dvoretsky 1.21 Kubbel El.16, El3.14 El6.04
Elkies 14.04 Lasker El4.0l Smyslov 2.04, 11.43
Falk El 1.10 Levenfish El.12, 2.04 Somov-Nasirnovich 11.44
Grigoriev 2.05 Liburkin 11.45 Troitsky El.14, El 1.31,
Guliaev El 1.08 Maizelis El0.08 Etl.36
Gunst El 1.32 Matansiev El 1 .34 Zakhodiakin 11.37, 11.41
Gurvich 11.51, E 11.40 Meyer El 0.0 I Zinar El.19
Halberstadt EI .17
Moravec El.20

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In this CC>n'¥)811ion volume to Fundamental Chess Endings, MUler and Pajeken focus
on the practical side of peaying endgames. They CDVef an aspects of strategic:
endgarnes. with particular emphasis on thinking methods, a"ld ways to aeate
dfficulties for oppa,er1ts over the board.
Using hundreds of outstanding examples from modern practice, the authors explain
not only how to conduct 'classical' endgame tasks. such as exploiting an extra pawn
or more active pieces, but also how to handle the extremely unbalanced enangs that
often arise fr001 the dynamic openings favoured nowadays. All varieties of endgames
are covered, and there are more than 250 exerases for the reader, together with fub
solutions.
Majortopicsindude:
• Basic Prroptes and Methods
·AclMly
•SchernaticThinking
• The Fight for the Initiative
• Prophylaxis and Preventing Cou,terplay
• The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame
•Dominatioo
• The M of Defence
•Typical
Mistakes
• RUBS of Ttumb
Grandmaster Karsten MOiier is a world-renowned expert on all aspects of er,dgame
play. He is co-authcr (with Frank Lamprecht) of the acdaimed Secrets of Pawn
Encings and Fundameda/ Oiess Endings. He finished third in the German
Championship in 1996. and was rumer-lf) in 1997.
Wolfgang Pajeken is a FIDE Master from Hamburg who plays frequently in the
Gennan Bl.fldesftga, and other team and indMdual ~hips. He is also a chess
trainer, orgarizer and arbter.
Other chess titles from Gambit include:
ISBN•l3:'l7!-l-'lD'lbDD-!l.-2
ISBN•lD:l-'ID'II.DD-!.b-7