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Learning Chess (#06), by A.J. Goldsby I
"Odds and Ends" |
This past month ... I have been very busy. {This is good for the pocketbook, but not necessarily so great for the creative processes!} This lesson - for a number of factors - is very late, and I just wanted to apologize to any readers out there. (I had saved the lesson ... on a digital "memory stick." When Tropical Storm Arlene blew through, it knocked the power off for 8-10 hours. Additionally, it also cleared the memory of the "diskless storage device." This meant - O joy of joys! - that I got to start all over again from scratch.)
I never got any blinding flash of light, {a super-duper inspiration}; this month ... so I eventually decided to simply make this column a combination of different things. (A ... "potpourri" of different items, if you will.)
Take a look at the position below ... it arose in an off-hand game at the Pensacola Chess Club.
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The end of the game ... is really quite shocking.
1...d3+; 2.Kf2 g3+; 3.Kf1 f3; 4.Ba5 Ke3; 5.c6 f2; 6.c7 Kf3; 7.c8Q g2#.
The above ending ... led to many weeks of furious research. I also took out several reference books, like "The Encyclopedia of Chess Endings." I found out ... that there were many "simple" endgame positions, (wins); that I was unable to solve.
The ending below is a case in point.
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A famous type of occurrence in B+P endings ... that is very worthwhile to know.
It is
White to move - in this position.
[ See the excellent book: "Basic Chess Endings," by
IGM Reuben Fine / and revised by Pal Benko. Published by McKay Chess Library/ David McKay Books. {Now a division of Random House Puzzles & Games, Publishers.} Original Copyright (c) 1941 by R. Fine and D. McKay -
which was renewed in 1969. Copyright (©) of the revised version in 2003 by Pal Benko
... and also Random House. ISBN: # 0-8129-3943-8 Chapter IV;
page # 136 / diagram # 276. ]
{The ratings come from the
website of Jeff Sonas, see the
January, 1888 rating
list.}
1.Kd4!! Kc6;
This is probably the best defense.
[ Black can also try:
1...b5!?; 2.a6!! Kc6; 3.Kc3 Kc7; 4.Kb4 Kc6; 5.Ka5 b4;
Black was in zugzwang.
6.Kxb4 Kc7; 7.Kc5 Kc8;
The machine confirms that this is the best defense.(Or if 7...Kd8!?; then 8.Bb8!, "+/-" )
8.Kc6 Kd8; 9.Kb7, "+/-"
and the game has been decided in White's favor - Black
cannot stop the White a-Pawn from reaching the promotion square.***************************************************************************************
White also wins after:
1...Kc8; 2.Kc5! Kc7; 3.Kb5! Kd7; 4.Be3! Kc7; 5.Bf4+!,
The Black King cannot be allowed to reach the corner - if he does ...
its a dead draw. (If the White King approaches, Black can stay near
the edge of the board, the best that White can do is stale-mate.)( But not 5.Kc5?? Kb8; "=" )
5...Kd7; 6.Kb6 Kc8; 7.Bc7! Kd7; 8.Kxb7, "+/-"
and it is a relatively easy win for White from this position. ]
2.Bb6! Kd6; 3.Kc4! Kc6;
4.Kb4!,
A fierce battle has developed over the control of the critical b5-square.
[ White definitely should not play: 4.Kc3?, as then the simple 4...Kb5; gives
Black a lot of play in this ending ... and {even} possible drawing chances. ]
4...Kd6; 5.Kb5! Kd7;
6.Be3!!,
A major improvement over the method given by Fine & Benko.
I must easily confess ... that without the aid of a very powerful computer ... and also the help of the NALIMOV TABLE-BASES ... I would never be certain enough of my findings to be bold enough to correct the aforementioned authors in print.
(Note to the readers: I have a fairly good
computer, the processor is a 3.4 GHz, Pentium IV; I also have right at 2.5 GB of
RAM.
I recently was able - thanks
mainly to a very generous donation
{from a patron}
for that {exact} purpose - to acquire ChessBase 9.0,
the up-dated Fritz engine, and all the goodies that go along with this. This
included the five-DVD set of disks that, when installed, run
the new {updated}
Nalimov Tablebases. Certain endgames, with less than seven pieces, have been
analyzed ... from every possible
conceivable position!)
[ The team of Fine/Benko only provide the following continuation ...
which is grossly inferior to the text here.6.Kc5!? Kc8; 7.Ba7 Kc7; 8.Kb5 Kd7; 9.Bb8 Kc8;
10.Bh2 Kd7; 11.Kb6, "+/-"
White is winning here, but this line adds many moves to the
winning procedure. ]
6...Kc7;
7.Bf4+ Kd7; 8.Kb6 Kc8; 9.Bc7 Kd7; 10.Kxb7, "+/-"
Even the most robust defender would be forced to concede that this position is an easy win for White
... from here.
Now take a look at the diagram given just below.
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It is BLACK to move in the diagram, above. (Its not really a B+P ending, but I think the motif is highly similar to the first endgame that we looked at. Also - I give it - just because I like it!)
We
are not going to analyze it ... this is kind of your "self-discovery"
project for the month.
(homework)
39...g4!;
40.h4 f4!; 41.Ke2 Kf5!; 42.Kf1 Ke4;
Please note how aggressively Black has used his King.
43.Ke2 fxg3;
44.fxg3 Kd4; 45.Kd2 e4; 46.Ke2 e3; 47.Ke1 Kd3;
48.Kd1 e2+!;
Black will wind up sacrificing this Pawn ... to penetrate further into White's
defenses.
49.Ke1 Kc2;
50.Kxe2 Kxb3; 51.Kd3 Kxa4; 52.Kc2 Bxh4!!;
53.gxh4 g3; 54.Nf4 Kb4;
"-/+" White RESIGNS.
Black will pick off the remaining button ... and shove his Pawns home.
White is helpless to do anything about Black's plan.
HYDRA CHIMERA (2500?) - A. Nickel (2586)
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Now take a look at the diagram ... just below.
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(Black to play his eleventh move here.)
Its not hard to see - or guess - that the opening arose from a Sicilian Defence.
The
uncommon thing is ...
A.) White's last move was apparently new to master-level practice;
B.) That both players are GM's - both are in the "Top Ten" in the
world, as a matter of fact.
Now take a look ... at the next diagram, given below. (Its from the exact, same game, only about ten moves later than the previous position, given just above.)
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(White to play his twenty-second move here.)
It might be easy to assume ... that Black is in a lot of trouble. But actually, White loses very rapidly from the given position.
Do you know who the players are? (Both of the contestants?) Or where the game was played - or when?
-----> If you are truly stumped - then click HERE.
One
of my all-time favorite books is:
"The Most Instructive Games of Chess
Ever Played," (62 Masterpieces of Chess
Strategy); by the one and only ... Irving
Chernev. (First published - by
Simon & Schuster of NY - and copyrighted in 1965.)
In that book, the great one takes some of the nicest and most interesting games ever played ... and he takes them apart. He does this in a manner that anyone, from a near-beginner to a Grand-Master, could appreciate and understand. But most importantly, he takes just one core idea - A THEME - and he hammers away at it. This wonderful approach made a really big impression on me. I am sure that studying this elegant, graceful volume - in detail, over and over again - made it possible for me to play games, such as the following:
Steve
Schaefer (1776) - A.J. Goldsby I (2173)
[A45]
Billy Bowlegs Tournament (Open)
Ft. Walton Beach, FL; (R#2),
06,06,1992.
[replay
this game]
This was from a tournament I won ... many years ago.
1.d4 Nf6; 2.f4 d5;
This is good, although today I would probably play 2...g6 here, and head for a King's-Indian type set-up.
3.e3 c5;
4.c3,
White is heading for a "Stonewall Attack" formation out of the opening.
[ 4.Nf3, ('!?') ]
4...Nc6;
5.Bd3 Qc7; 6.Nf3 Bg4; 7.0-0 e6; 8.Nbd2!? cxd4; ('!')
This is a great move ... that permanently disfigures White's Pawn
structure.
9.cxd4 a6;
10.a3 Be7; 11.b3 0-0; 12.Bb2 Rac8; 13.Rc1 Qb6;
14.h3 Bh5;
15.g4 Bg6; 16.Bxg6 hxg6; 17.Ne5 Nxe5;
18.fxe5 Nh7;
This looks like a passive move ... but the Knight is headed for the e4-square!
19.Nf3 Bg5;
20.Qd3,
This is a reasonable move.
[ After (</=) 20.Nxg5?! Nxg5; 21.h4 Ne4; "=/+" White's endgame is bad. ]
20...Qb5!;
This is an excellent move ... although it looks like it would be bad to allow the doubled Pawns. But appearances can be deceiving!
21.Rfd1 Rxc1;
22.Bxc1 Rc8; 23.Qxb5 axb5; 24.Bd2 Be7!; 25.b4!?,
This only makes things worse for White, as his Bishop is rapidly becoming a tall Pawn!
[ Maybe just 25.Rc1!?, instead? ]
25...Ng5;
26.Nxg5 Bxg5; 27.Rc1 Rc4!;
Another move - but with the same strategy in mind. (Gain a passed Pawn, and DOMINATE the light squares!)
28.Kf2 f6!;
29.exf6 gxf6; 30.Bc3?! e5!; 31.Rc2 Kf7;
Its time to involve my last piece ... even though it is my King!
32.Kf3 Ke6;
33.Ke2,
White does not seem to have made any major mistakes ...
but suddenly and without warning, he is lost.
{See the diagram just below.}
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The
game/position has become a chess problem ... "Black to move and
win."
33...Bxe3!!;
34.Kxe3 exd4+;
Favorably regaining the material.
35.Kd3 Rxc3+;
36.Rxc3 dxc3; 37.Kxc3 g5!; 38.Kd4 Kd6;
"-/+" (White Resigns.)
My opponent decided not to continue.
This contest was played in the true Alekhine formula ... constantly improve your position, and when you feel you have reached a maximum level of energy ... look for a tactical solution!!!
That about wraps things up for this month. This was a tough month for me, (last Tuesday, a car ran over my foot); but I hung in there and took care of business. While this might not be one of my more brilliant columns, I pray that you have found it fun, entertaining, informative and maybe even ... (just a little) educational!
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I hope you have enjoyed this month's lesson. Please contact me if you have any questions. Also, be sure to contact the webmaster here, and let him know what you think of this lesson. Thank you for your time and attention ... and I will see you next month!
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2005.
All
rights reserved.
