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FIDE Trainers Commission

Trivial Endings
Revealing the Secrets

Efstratios Grivas

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 1


First published in Greece by FIDE 2013
First Edition 1.750 copies
Copyright FIDE 2012 (office@fide.com - www.fide.com)

The rights of Efstratios Grivas to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted in
accordance with the International Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.

All rights reserved. This book is distributed for free to the FIDE certified trainers, subject to the
condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, sold, hired out or otherwise circu-
lated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar
condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent owner.

Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: FIDE makes no representation or warranties with
respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any
implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be
liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special,
incidental, consequential, or other damages.

ISBN-13: 978-960-99379-4-8
Dedications
To all past and present top-trainers.

Cover by Nicolas Sphicas


A chess game, 2009, aquatint, 14,5x19 cm
(sphicasn@otenet.gr - www.chess.gr/sphicas - www.logicalchess.com/info/graphics/sphicas)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Edited by Efstratios Grivas (www.GrivasChess.com)


Typeset by Efstratios Grivas & Vassilios Vrettos
Cover Image by Nicolas Sphicas
Proof-Reading by Kevin OConnell (www.kochess.com)
Printed in Greece by Apollon Ektipotiki O.E. (Georgios Mihailidis - mihailidis@ath.forthnet.gr)
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 2
Contents
Title-Description 1
Colophon .... 2
Contents ................ 3
Bibliography .. 3
Foreword - Kirsan Ilyumzhinov ..... 4
Symbols ................. 4
FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) . ....... 5
Rook & Pawn vs. Bishop & Pawn - Same Flank . 6
Rook & Rook-Pawn vs. Bishop & Rook-Pawn . 22
Rook & 3 Pawns vs. Bishop & 3 Pawns - Same Flank - Same colour-corner Bishop . 36
Rook & 3 Pawns vs. Bishop & 3 Pawns - Same Flank - Opposite colour-corner Bishop 52
Wrong Bishop vs. Pawn(s) 67
Training in Typical Endgame Motifs . 89
A Curious Queen Ending . 93
Rook & 3 Pawns & a-pawn vs. Rook & 3 Pawns 95
Index of Games .. 125
Curriculum Vitae ... 128

Bibliography
Chess Analytics - Training with a Grandmaster * Efstratios Grivas - Russell Ent. 2012
Chess Today * Alexander Baburin - 2000-2012
ChessBase * Various Authors - MegaBase 2012
Informator * Various Authors - 1966-2012
NewInChess * Various Authors - Magazines/Yearbooks 1984-2012
Practical Endgame Play - Mastering the Basics * Efstratios Grivas - Everyman 2008

I feel obliged to especially thank Russell Enterprises Ltd for allowing me to use material from
my recent book Chess Analytics - Training with a Grandmaster and GMs Alexander Baburin,
Mihail Marin and Karsten Muller for their valuable contribution in the theory of chess endings
(and not only!).
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 3
Foreword
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
Chess has existed as a sport played at a competitive level for centuries. The common code gov-
erning the Laws of Chess is relatively recent, and the foundation of Fdration Internationale des
checs (FIDE), in Paris in 1924, is even more modern. FIDE currently has 177 member federa-
tions in all continents. Titles for players were introduced by FIDE in 1950, and titles for Arbiters
and Organizers followed. Now we are moving to a new phase, with titles for Trainers.
Chess is on the increase in schools across the world. It is part of the mainstream curriculum in
many countries. It is a goal of FIDE to make chess an educational tool, and generate worldwide
popularity for the game. Examples of the many educational advantages of chess are: shows the
need to make people realise the importance of advance planning; develops analytic and accurate
thinking; shows the necessity for a combative spirit; teaches fair play and emphasises the need for
preparation and hard work for success. However, with the increasing population of chess players,
comes the need for trainers to assist with their development.
This is a new TRG book written by the well-known author Efstratios Grivas; a manual for train-
ers, which fulfils a considerable need in modern chess literature, concentrating on the technical
side of the game. Efstratios reveals trivial knowledge mainly on the rook vs. bishop theme, and
then continues with a very interesting section on the wrong bishop and concludes with some rare
endings. The most special part of it is the notorious ending of rook & 3 pawns & a-pawn vs. rook
& 3 pawns! I am sure that this book will ensure that the next generation of players will be at a
great advantage over those that have gone before.

Symbols
+ Check = equal position
++ double check unclear position
# Checkmate with compensation
!! brilliant move Black is slightly better
! good move Black has a large advantage
!? interesting move + Black is winning
?! dubious move 1-0 the game ends in a win for White
? bad move - the game ends in a draw
?? Blunder 0-1 the game ends in a win for Black
+ White is winning (D) see next diagram
White has a large advantage White to play
White is slightly better Black to play
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 4
FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG)
Efstratios Grivas
Concept
Were all born with a natural sense of curiosity. Its what drives us to create new things and de-
velop new ideas. At TRG, were committed to nurturing our members pursuit of advanced scien-
tific and technological knowledge through its many research initiatives. TRG is partnering with
leading global trainers in a variety of fields including seminars, training methods, publishing and
research. The results of this cooperation can be applied in ways that benefit TRG intellectually and
culturally by transforming it into a cutting-edge leader in the creation of human chess-knowledge.
But most of all, TRGs research aspirations aim to inspire the trainers, and the whole chess world,
to discover new ways of unlocking their potential.
The FIDE Trainers Committee, predecessor of the Trainers Commission (which was formed at
the start of 2009) was created in 2000 during the Istanbul Olympiad and was chaired by GM Yuri
Razuvaev (ex-Honorary Chairman). The Committee created a real and decent training environ-
ment and established the guidance for its functioning for about eight years; its role is impossible to
overvalue. Now, in our second period, we have to re-examine our position at the moment and to
create new tasks for the future.
The most important task of TRG was the introduction of a system of titles and licences, as de-
manded by the IOC. The main idea was that the titles will boost the importance of trainers posi-
tions in the chess world. Licences are necessary for keeping up the level of the trainers, but until
the Sofia 2010 FIDE Presidential Board, these licences were not approved for worldwide use.
Now we have instruments to improve the level of trainers, but we need cooperation from the
Continental and National FIDE affiliated federations to implement the system correctly and effec-
tively. Our important role is to protect trainers and to help them to conduct their duties effectively
and with dignity. For further information see http://trainers.fide.com/trg-council.html and
http://trainers.fide.com/trg-members.html.

Aims
The FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) is the official body of the World Chess Federation that
deals with trainers worldwide. TRG is responsible for and operates the following subjects:
1) Deals with any subject concerning trainers (http://trainers.fide.com).
2) Keeps the record of the list of trainers (http://trainers.fide.com/fide-trainers-system.html).
3) Keeps the record of the financial status of the trainers (as above).
4) Awards the highest training title worldwide, that of FIDE Senior Trainer (FST).
5) Endorses and records FIDE Academies (http://trainers.fide.com/fide-academies.html).
6) Prepares and follows its annual Budget (http://trainers.fide.com/minutes.html).
7) Runs the annual FIDE Trainers Awards (http://trainers.fide.com/awards-hall-of-fame.html).
8) Draws up the necessary Guidelines and Rules and proposes them to FIDE PB and GA.
9) Organizes the worldwide Educational Seminars for FIDE titles.
10) Organizes and supports various Youth Camps (http://trainers.fide.com/seminars.html).
11) Organizes Informative Meetings in various events (http://trainers.fide.com/minutes.html).
12) Lists its Recommended Books (http://trainers.fide.com/recommended-books.html).
13) Supports trainers with monthly Surveys, free of charge (http://trainers.fide.com/surveys.html).
14) Cooperates with CACDEC, ECU (European Chess Union) and IOC/ARISF (International
Olympic Committee / Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations), assuring
sponsored FIDE Trainers Seminars (for CACDEC federations) annually (2009-2012).
15) Supports trainers with valuable general information (http://trainers.fide.com).
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 5
Rook & Pawn vs. Bishop & Pawn - Same Flank
Concept Kosintseva Nadezhda
Rook & Pawn vs. Bishop & Pawn on the Lomineishvili Maia
same flank (and with no passed pawns) is an Dresden 2008
already very well analysed case in modern XABCDEFGHY
chess.
But still, chess players seem to ignore ba- 8-+-+-+k+(
sic strategy and rules that govern this case.
In this survey we will fully examine every-
7+-+-tR-+-'
thing that should be known for both sides. 6-+-+-+p+&
Lets start with the most basic - it is impor-
tant to know by heart - which are the theo- 5+-+K+-zP-%
retical won positions and which positions 4-+-+-+-+$
should be drawn.
3+-vl-+-+-#
Example 1
2-+-+-+-+"
XABCDEFGHY
1+-+-+-+-!
8-+-+-+-+(
xabcdefghy
7+L+-+-+-' This is a good piece of correct defence in a
6-+-+-+p+& top game. Black had few troubles to hold the
draw
5+-+-+-+-% 96...Lb2 97.Ke6 Lc3 98.Kd7 Lb2
4-+-+-+-+$ 99.Ke8 Lc3 100.Rf7 Lb2 101.Rf6 Kg7!
102.Ke7 Lc3 103.Rf3 Lb2 104.Rf7+
3+-+-mk-zP-# Kg8 105.Rf8+
2-+-tr-+-+" Fernandez Aransay Fernando
1+-+-+-mK-! Perez De Aranda Leonardo
Madrid 2011
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
White, fully in accordance with the principle
of economic defence, has maximized the 8-+-+-+-+(
efficiency of his pieces, keeping the black
king away from the pawn. The white king 7+-+-+k+-'
controls f1 and f2, the bishop controls f3, g2, 6R+-+-vlp+&
g4, h3 and the pawn covers f4 and h4. In this
way, the black king cannot penetrate into 5+-+-+-+-%
White's camp, as the imaginary defence-line 4-+-+K+P+$
f1-f2-f3-f4-g4-h4 is strong.
1...g5 2.Lc6 Rf2 3.Lb7 g4 4.Lc6 3+-+-+-+-#
The careless 4.Lc8? Kf3! 5.Lxg4+ Kxg3
would lose, as the white king is in the wrong
2-+-+-+-+"
corner. 1+-+-+-+-!
4...Rf3 5.Kg2!
Of course not 5.Lxf3? Kxf3 6.Kh2 Kf2, xabcdefghy
with a won pawn ending. 48...Le7?
5...Rf6 6.Lb7 Rb6 7.La8 The bishop should be maintained on the long
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 6
diagonal (a1-h8) at all costs. Now White can Gelfand Boris
win. Ivanchuk Vassily
49.Ke5 Lh4 50.Ra7+ Kf8 51.Ke6 Lg5 Monaco 2011
52.Rb7 Lh4 53.Rd7 Lg5 54.Rd5! XABCDEFGHY
The winning idea.
54...Lc1 8-+-+-+-+(
54...Lh4 55.g5 allows the white king to 7+-+-+-mk-'
enter the important f6-square: 55...Kg7
56.Rd7+ Kg8 57.Kf6. 6-+-+K+p+&
55.Kf6 Lb2+ 56.Kxg6 Ke7 57.Rf5
10
5+-+-+-+-%
The previous game was lost because Black 4-+-vl-+-+$
didnt follow the correct approach. Well, 3+-+-+-+-#
there are a handful of examples of bad de-
fence and some of those can be seen in the 2-+-+-+-zP"
next two games. In the first, Black failed
but, in the second he defended well!
1+-+-+R+-!
Hatanbaatar Bazar xabcdefghy
Miton Kamil 61.Rf7+ Kg8
Dresden 2008 61...Kh6 draws as well, but when you are
XABCDEFGHY not sure, go with the tested version!
62.Rf4 Lc3 63.Rg4 Kg7
8-+-+-+k+( 63...Kh7? loses to 64.Kf7 Kh6 65.Rxg6+
Kh5 66.Rg3.
7+-+-+-+-' 64.Rg2 Lf6 65.Rc2 La1 66.Rc7+ Kg8
6-+-+-+p+& 67.h4 Lb2 68.Rc2 Ld4 69.Rd2
White should have tried 69.Rc4 as then
5+R+-vl-zP-% Black can draw only with 69...Le3!
4-+K+-+-+$ (69...Lb2? 70.Rg4 Kh7 71.Kf7 Kh6
72.Rxg6+ Kh5 73.Rg2 +) 70.Rg4 Kh7
3+-+-+-+-# 71.Kf7 Kh6 72.Rxg6+ Kh5 =.
2-+-+-+-+" 69...Lc3 70.Rd3 (D)

1+-+-+-+-! XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+k+(
The position is drawn, but some accuracy is 7+-+-+-+-'
expected... Probably Black was feeling 6-+-+K+p+&
safe and thought that every move leads to
Rome 5+-+-+-+-%
101...Lg7?
101...La1 or 101...Lf4 are the only moves 4-+-+-+-zP$
for Black to draw the game. 3+-vlR+-+-#
102.Rb6 Kf7 103.Rb7+ Kg8
R
104. xg7+! 2-+-+-+-+"
The trick - White wins the pawn ending. 1+-+-+-+-!
104...Kxg7 105.Kd5 Kf7
And simultaneously Black resigned due to xabcdefghy
106.Kd6. 70...Le1!
10
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 7
Only this draws (70...Lb2? 71.Rg3 Kh7 75.Rf7+ Kg5 76.Rf3 Ld6 77.Kf7 (D)
72.Kf7 Kh6 73.Rxg6+ Kh5 74.Rg2 +) - XABCDEFGHY
Black should attack the white pawn.
71.Kf6 Lxh4+ 72.Kxg6 Kf8 8-+-+-+-+(
The black king is able to escape to the cor-
rect corner.
7+-+-+K+-'
73.Rh3 Ld8 74.Rh7 Ke8 75.Kf5 Kf8 6-+-vl-+p+&
76.Ke6 Lg5 77.Rf7+ Kg8 78.Rd7 Kf8
79.Rd5 Lc1 80.Rd1 Lb2 81.Rf1+ Kg7 5+-+-+-mk-%
81...Ke8? 82.Rb1 is a 'usual' blunder! 4-+-+-+-+$
82.Rf7+ Kg6 83.Rf2 Lc1 84.Rg2+ Kh5
85.Kf5 Kh4 86.Rc2 Le3 87.Ke4 La7 3+-+-+R+P#
88.Ra2 Lb6 89.Kf4 Lc7+ 2-+-+-+-+"

Grivas Efstratios
1+-+-+-+-!
Minasian Artashes xabcdefghy
Debrecen 1992 77...Kh4 78.Kxg6 Lg3 79.Kf5 Kxh3
XABCDEFGHY 80.Re3 Kg2 81.Kg4 Ld6 82.Re2+ Kg1
83.Kf3 Lc7 84.Rg2+ Kh1
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-' In the next example, Black didnt blunder -
6-+-+-+pmk& his position was simply not holdable

5+-+R+pvl-% Short Nigel


Cheparinov Ivan
4-+-+-+-+$ Wijk aan Zee 2008
3+-+-+KzPP# XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+-+-+" 8-+-+-+k+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7+-+-+-vl-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-+-+p+&
White can win by bringing his king to e6, 5+-+-+-+p%
when Black will be forced into a defensive
setup with his king on g8 and his bishop on 4-+-sn-+-+$
the long diagonal a1-h8. Then, the advance
h4-h5 will follow, breaking up Black's line
3+-+-vL-+P#
of defence. 2-+-+-+P+"
62.g4? fxg4+ 63.Kxg4 1+-+-+R+K!
After 63.hxg4 Lf6, the position is a theo-
retical draw, as analysed above. Of course, xabcdefghy
63.Kxg4 also leads to a drawn position, but 47.Kg1
a move had to be played! White tried for 47.Lxd4? Lxd4 would lead to a draw, as
several more moves, but Black knew well Black has a fortress. But the presence of
what he had to do. another pair of minor pieces makes the end-
63...Lc1 64.Kf3 Lg5 65.Rd4 Kg7 game won for White.
66.Ke4 Lc1 67.Kd5 Kf6 68.Kd6 Le3 47...Nf5 48.Lc5 Le5 49.Re1 Lc3
69.Re4 Lc1 70.Kd7 Kf7 71.Re7+ Kf6 50.Re4 Kf7 51.Kf2 Lf6 52.Ra4 Ke6
72.Ke8 La3 73.Ra7 Lc5 74.Rc7 La3 53.Ke2 Kf7 54.Lf2 Ke6 55.Kd3 Kf7
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 8
56.Ra7+ Ke6 57.Ra6+ Kf7 58.Ke4 Lb2 we looked at beforehand - the difference is
59.Rc6 Lg7 60.Le1 Lf6 61.Lc3 that there are pawns on the h-file. This al-
White is happy to exchange bishops, as the lows Black to win:
resulting ending would be easily won for 1...h4!
him. As Black threatens ...h3 with mating nets,
61...Lh4 62.Le5 Lg5 63.Ra6 Lh4 White is obliged to capture on h4.
64.Lf4 Lf6 65.g4 hxg4 66.hxg4 Ng7 2.gxh4 gxh4
67.Le5 Le7 68.Kd5 Ne8 69.Ra7 Nf6+ Now Black threatens to play ...h3 again.
(D) 3.Le6 Kf3 4.Ld5+ Kf4 5.Le6 Re2
XABCDEFGHY The black rook will try to eliminate the
bishop's checks, allowing its king to pene-
8-+-+-+-+( trate safely on the light squares.
6.Ld7 Rd2 7.Lc8 Rd8 8.Le6 Kf3
7tR-+-vlk+-' As the d5-square is covered by the rook, the
6-+-+-snp+& king is allowed on the critical f3-square.
9.h3
5+-+KvL-+-% White is forced to surrender the important
4-+-+-+P+$ g3-square. 9.Lb3 was clearly losing: 9...h3
10.Kf1 Rb8 11.Ld1+ Ke3 +.
3+-+-+-+-# 9...Kg3 10.Lg4 (D)
The white king cannot escape anywhere:
2-+-+-+-+" 10.Kf1 Rf8+! 11.Kg1 (11.Ke2 Re8)
1+-+-+-+-! 11...Re8 12.Lc4 Re1+.
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
70.Lxf6! Kxf6 71.g5+! Kf7 72.Rxe7+! 8-+-tr-+-+(
And again the transposition to a won pawn
ending is the easiest solution!
7+-+-+-+-'
10 6-+-+-+-+&
When the stronger side can exchange all 5+-+-+-+-%
pawns at the appropriate moment, then the
win is in sight. Some examples will help: 4-+-+-+Lzp$
Example 2 3+-+-+-mkP#
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+-+"
8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-mK-!
7+-+-+-+-' xabcdefghy
6-+-+-+-+& 10...Rf8!
And as the white king is boxed, the win is
5+-+L+-zpp% rather easy.
4-+-+-+-+$ 11.Ld7 Rf6 12.Lg4 Rf7
And White is in zugzwang.
3+-+-mk-zP-# 13.Lh5
2-tr-+-+-zP" There is no salvation - White is busted:
13.Le6 Re7 14.Lc4 Re1+ 15.Lf1 Ra1
1+-+-+-mK-! 16.Kh1 Rxf1 #.
13...Re7 14.Kf1 Kxh3 15.Kf2 Rg7
xabcdefghy 16.Lf3 Rf7 17.Ke2 Kg3 01
This position looks similar to the position
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 9
Mastrovasilis Athanasios 82...Lb4!? is more tenacious, but White will
Potapov Alexander win in any case, e.g. 83.Kf5 La5 (83...Lc3
Aix-les-Bains 2011 84.Rd3 Lb2 85.Kg4 +) 84.Rd5 Lb4
XABCDEFGHY 85.Rd4 La3 (85...Lc3 86.Rd3 Lb4
87.Kf6 La5 88.Rb3 Ld8+ 89.Kf5 La5
8-+-+-+k+( 90.Kg4 +) 86.Rd3 Lb4 (86...Lb2
7+-+R+-+p' 87.Kg4 Lg7 88.Rd8+ Kf7 89.Kh5 Lf8
90.Rd7+ Le7 [90...Kg8 91.g6!] 91.Kh6
6-+-+-+-+& +) 87.Kf6 La5 88.Rb3 Ld8+ 89.Kf5
La5 90.Kg4 Ld2 91.Kh5 Lf4 92.Rb5
5+-+-+-zPK% Ld6 93.Kg4 La3 94.Kf5 Ld6 95.Kf6
4-vl-+-+-+$ Lc7 96.Rd5 Lb6 97.Rd7 La5 98.Rg7+
Kh8 99.Kf7 +.
3+-+-+-+-# 83.Rd3 Lg7 84.Kh5 Lf8 (D)
2-+-+-+-+" XABCDEFGHY
1+-+-+-+-! 8-+-+-vlk+(
xabcdefghy 7+-+-+-+p'
The following position was thought to be 6-+-+-+-+&
drawn until Noam Elkies proved in 1993
that White always wins: 5+-+-+-zPK%
75.Kg4!
White must combine the following plans: 4-+-+-+-+$
1. To invade with the king via f6 or h6. 3+-+R+-+-#
2. Play the advance g6 to invade via g6.
But first the bishop must be dominated. The 2-+-+-+-+"
immediate 75.g6? is too early as Black's 1+-+-+-+-!
king can leave the dangerous corner:
75...hxg6+ 76.Kxg6 Kf8! =. 75.Kh6 can xabcdefghy
now be met by 75...Lf8+. The text shortens the win by around 10
75...Lc3 76.Rb7 Ld4 77.Kf5 Lc3 moves! More 'stubborn' was 84...Lb2
78.Rb3 Ld4 79.Rb8+ Kf7 80.Rd8 Lc3 85.Rd8+ Kg7 86.Rd7+ Kh8 (86...Kg8
81.Rd7+ Kg8 82.Kg4 (D) 87.Kh6 Lc3 88.Rd8+ Kf7 89.Kxh7 +)
XABCDEFGHY 87.g6! (87.Kh6?! is met by 87...Lg7+!)
87...h6 88.Kxh6 Lg7+ 89.Kg5 Lc3 and
8-+-+-+k+( now 90.g7+ wins quickest as Black's king
7+-+R+-+p' cannot leave the dangerous corner: 90...Kh7
91.Rf7 Ld4 92.g8Q+ Kxg8 93.Kg6 Lg1
6-+-+-+-+& 94.Rf1 Lh2 95.Rf2 Lg3 96.Rg2 forces
5+-+-+-zP-% the bishop to leave the shadow of the kings.
85.g6!
4-+-+-+K+$ Finally everything is ready for this advance.
85...hxg6+
3+-vl-+-+-# After 85...h6 White can exchange into the
2-+-+-+-+" pawn endgame: 86.Rd8 Kg7 87.Rxf8
Kxf8 88.Kxh6 Kg8 89.g7 Kf7 90.Kh7 +.
1+-+-+-+-! 86.Kxg6 Le7 87.Rc3
xabcdefghy White wins: 87...Ld6 (87...Kf8 88.Rc8+)
88.Rc8+ Lf8 89.Ra8 - Black resigned. 10
82...Lb2
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 10
Delemarre Jop XABCDEFGHY
Peralta Fernando
Vlissingen 2007 8-+-+-vl-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-+-mkp'
8-+-+-+-+( 6-+-+-+-+&
7+L+-+-+-' 5+-+-+-+-%
6-+-+-+-+& 4R+K+-+-+$
5+-+-+-mkp% 3+-+-+-+-#
4-+-+-+p+$ 2-+-+-+P+"
3+-+-+-zP-# 1+-+-+-+-!
2-+r+-+-zP" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-mK-! This is a theoretical win for White, but not
an easy one.
xabcdefghy 56...Kg6 57.Ra5 Le7 58.Kd4 Lf6+
73...h4 59.Ke4 Lc3 60.Rd5 Lb2 61.Kf4 Lc1+
As usual, the stronger side must create mat- 62.Kg4 Lb2 63.Rd6+ Lf6 64.Ra6 Kg7
ing threats or penetrate with his king. The 65.Kh5 Ld4 66.Rd6 Lc5 67.Rd7+ Kg8
main secret in these positions is that the rook 68.g4 Le3 69.Re7 Lc5 70.Rc7 Ld6
vs. bishop plain ending is lost because we 71.Rb7 Lf4 72.g5
have the wrong corner case - same colour as It seems that White rushed with g5. She first
the bishop. had to get her rook into the best position and
74.gxh4+ restrict the movement of the enemy bishop.
White is 'obliged' to make this capture, as a According to tablebases, the rook had to
waiting policy with 74.Lg2 doesn't help: perform a strange 'dance' here: 72.Rb3 Le5
74...h3 75.Le4 Rd2 76.Lc6 Kf6 77.Lb7 73.Rd3 Lb2 74.g5 Le5 75.Rd7 Kh8
Rc2 78.Le4 Rc1+ 79.Kf2 Ke5 80.Lb7 76.g6 (76.Kh6 Lg7+!) 76...h6 77.Kxh6
Rc2+ 81.Kg1 Kd4 and mate will follow. Lf4+ 78.Kh5 Lc1 79.g7+ Kh7 80.Rf7
74...Kxh4 Le3 81.g8Q + Kxg8 82.Kg6 (D)
And now we have the position of the previ- XABCDEFGHY
ous example.
75.La6 Kg5 76.Lb7 Kf4 77.Ld5 Rc5 8-+-+-+k+(
78.Lb7 Rf5 79.Kg2 Rb5 80.Lc6 Rb2+
81.Kg1 Rd2 82.Lb7 Re2 83.Lc6 Re6
7+-+-+R+-'
84.Ld5 Re5 6-+-+-+K+&
But here Black offered a draw! He wasn't
familiar with the winning method: 85.Lc6 5+-+-+-+-%
Re6 86.Lb7 Rb6 87.Ld5 Rd6 88.Lb7
Kg5 89.Kf1 Kh4 90.Kg1 Rd1+ 91.Kg2
4-+-+-+-+$
Rd2+ 92.Kh1 (92.Kg1 Kh3 +) 92...g3 3+-+-vl-+-#
+. At least he could try for some more moves
without the slightest risk by the way
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
Zawadzka Jolanta xabcdefghy
Botsari Anna Maria The black king is locked up in the 'wrong'
St Petersburg 2009
corner and the end is nigh: 82...Lg1 83.Rf1
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 11
Lh2 84.Rh1 Lg3 85.Rh3 Ld6 86.Rd3 A much easier case, as the bishop is poorly
Lc7 87.Rc3 Ld8 88.Rc8. placed.
72...Ld6 (D) 55...f4! 56.gxf4+
XABCDEFGHY 56.La6 Rxh2 (56...fxg3? 57.hxg3 =)
57.gxf4+ Kxf4 +.
8-+-+-+k+( 56...Kxf4 57.Kf2 Kg5 58.Kf1 Kh4
And White resigned due to 59.Kf2 Kh3
7+R+-+-+p' 60.Kf1 Rxe2 61.Kxe2 Kxh2.
6-+-vl-+-+& 01
5+-+-+-zPK% Mateo Ramon
Korchnoi Viktor
4-+-+-+-+$ Donostia 2011
3+-+-+-+-# XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+-+-+" 8-+-tR-+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7+-+-+k+p'
xabcdefghy 6-+-+-+-+&
73.g6? 5+-+-+-+-%
The winning line is puzzling: 73.Kg4 Lf8
74.Kf5 Lc5 75.Rd7 Lb4 76.Rd4 La3 4-+-+-+-+$
77.Rd3 Lb4 78.Kf6 La5 79.Rb3 Ld8+ 3vl-+-+K+-#
80.Kf5 La5 81.Kg4 Ld2 82.Kh5 Lf4
83.Rb5 Ld6 84.Kg4 La3 85.Kf5 Ld6 2-+-+-+P+"
86.Kf6 Lc7 87.Rd5 Lb6 88.Rd7 La5
89.Rg7+ Kf8 90.Rxh7 +.
1+-+-+-+-!
73...hxg6+ 74.Kxg6 Kf8! 75.Kf6 Ke8? xabcdefghy
Black missed her only chance to stay in the A won position, but once more White didn't
game - 75...Lg3! =. know how to handle it.
76.Ke6! Lf4 77.Rb4 Lc7 78.Ra4 10 49.Kg4 Kg6 50.Rg8+ Kf7 51.Ra8 Lb2
Chernoukhov Alexandr 52.Kf5 Kg7 53.Ra7+ Kg8 54.Rb7 Lc3
Gusev Dmitriy 55.Ke6
Alushta 2011 55.g4 is 'well-known' and wins with the
XABCDEFGHY methods described in the previous examples.
But of course the idea used by White wins as
8-+-+-+-+( well.
55...Ld4 56.Rb4 Lc3 57.Rb3 Le1
7+-+-+-+-' 58.Re3 Lf2 59.Re4 Kg7 60.Rg4+ Kh6
6-+-+-+-+& 61.Kf7 Kh5 62.Rg7 h6 63.Ke6?!
Quick and efficient was 63.g3! Le1 64.Rg8
5+-+-+pmk-% Lf2 65.Ke6 Le1 66.Kf5 Lf2 67.Rg4.
4-+-+-+p+$ Now the win takes much longer...
63...Kh4! 64.Kf5 h5!
3+-+-+-zP-# 64...Le1?! loses fast to 65.Rg4+ Kh5
2-tr-+L+-zP" 66.Rf4. Korchnoi seems to know what to do
and at least he takes his chances
1+-+-+K+-! 65.Ke4 Lg3 66.Kf3 Lb8 67.Rg8 Lc7
68.Rc8 Ld6 69.Rc6 Lb8 70.Rc5 Ld6
xabcdefghy 71.Rc4+ Kg5 (D)
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 12
XABCDEFGHY 92.Kg2! Kf6 93.Kh3.
92.Kf4 Lh6+! 93.Ke5 Ld2 94.Rc6+
8-+-+-+-+( Kg5! 95.Rc8 Kg4
7+-+-+-+-' 95...Kg6 draws as well.
96.Rg8+ Kf3 97.Kf5 Le1 98.Rh8 Kxg3
6-+-vl-+-+& And the old fox gained the draw - he surely
deserved it!
5+-+-+-mkp%
4-+R+-+-+$
Of course, not every position is won for
3+-+-+K+-# the stronger side. There are cases where pos-
2-+-+-+P+" session of important squares is much more
important than material:
1+-+-+-+-!
Miton Kamil
xabcdefghy Cyborowski Lukasz
72.g3? Wroclaw 2011
But now it's a draw, as the white pawn is an
endless target on g3. An alternative such as
XABCDEFGHY
72.Ra4 was good enough. 8-+-+-mk-+(
72...La3 73.Ra4 Lb2 74.Kg2 Lc3
75.Rc4 Lb2 76.Kf3 La3 77.Ra4 Lb2 7+-+-+p+-'
78.Ra5+ Kg6! 6-+-+-+-+&
78...Kh6? loses to 79.Kf4 Lc1+ 80.Kf5.
79.Kf4 Lc1+ 80.Ke4 Lb2 81.Rc5 Lg7! 5+-+-+KzP-%
It is curious that the text move and 4-+-+-+-+$
81...La3! are the only moves for Black to
draw - all others lose! Those two moves are 3+-+-tR-+-#
the secret of defence in a lot of positions.
82.Rc8 Kg5 83.Rg8 Kf6 84.Kf4 Lh6+
2-vl-+-+-+"
85.Kf3 Lc1 86.Kg2 Kf5 87.Rh8 Kg4 1+-+-+-+-!
88.Rc8 Lb2 89.Rc4+ Kf5 90.Kf3 Lg7
91.Rc5+ (D) xabcdefghy
This is a drawn position, as every time Whi-
XABCDEFGHY te exchanges the pawns, the black king will
8-+-+-+-+( have the time to escape to the queenside.
73.g6 fxg6+ 74.Kxg6 Ld4 75.Re4 Lc3
7+-+-+-vl-' 76.Kf5 Kf7 77.Rc4 Le1 78.Rc1 Lg3
6-+-+-+-+& 79.Rc3 Ld6 80.Rh3 Ke7 81.Rh7+ Kd8
82.Ke6 Lg3 83.Kd5 Lf4 84.Kc6 Lg3
5+-tR-+k+p% 85.Rd7+ Ke8!
4-+-+-+-+$ Black should not be dogmatic: 85...Kc8? is
losing to 86.Rg7.
3+-+-+KzP-# 86.Rd3 Lf4 87.Rd4 Lg3 88.Re4+ Kf7
2-+-+-+-+" 89.Re3 Lh2 90.Rh3 Lb8 91.Kd5 Kf6
92.Rh6+ Ke7 93.Ke4
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy Sjugirov Sanan
91...Kg6! Nepomniachtchi Ian
The only move to draw! 91...Le5 loses to St Petersburg 2009
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 13
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-mk-' 7+-+-+-+-'
6-+R+-+-zp& 6R+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-+-% 5+-+-+lmk-%
4-+-+-mK-+$ 4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+K+-#
2-+-+-+-zP" 2-+-+-+P+"
1+l+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
Here Black can defend as long he keeps the 10
h5- and g6-squares out of the white's king
influence. Well, positions with just one pawn for
51...Ld3 52.Ke5 Lb1 53.Rd6 Lc2 54.h4 each side come from positions with more
Lb1 55.Rf6 Lc2 56.Ke6 Lb3+ 57.Ke7 pawns for both sides! So, we should be in-
Lc2 58.Rf2 Lb1 59.Rg2+ Kh7 60.Kf6 formed about such cases and how they can
Kh8 61.Rb2 Ld3 62.Rb7 Lc2 63.Ke5 reach our already examined positions.
Kg8 64.Kf4 Kh8 65.Rd7 Kg8 66.Kg4 The following position is rather important
Forcing Black to make one precise move, and has similarities with our very first one:
which is, however, completely obvious.
66...Lg6! Example 3
The white king cannot get to h5. XABCDEFGHY
67.Ra7 Kh8 68.Kf4 Lc2 69.Ke5 Kg8
70.Kf6 Lb1 71.Rg7+ Kh8 72.Kf7 Lc2
8-+-+-+-+(
73.Kf8 Lb1 74.Rc7 Ld3 75.Rc6 Kh7 7+k+-+-+-'
76.Rxh6+
6-zpl+-+-+&
Of course, all the above cases have a 5zp-+-+-+-%
meaning when we are dealing with a bishop 4-+-mK-+-+$
of the same corner colour; the dark-squared
one. When we have to deal with the light- 3+-+-+-+R#
squared bishop, problems do not exist
2PzP-+-+-+"
Fridman Daniel 1+-+-+-+-!
Agasiyev Kamal
Baku 2008 xabcdefghy
The principle of economical defence is also
(see next diagram)
evident in this example. White cannot win,
In these cases, the win is rather easy, as the as Black controls all the vital entry squares
stronger side can easily penetrate to the im- of the white king (b5, c5, c6, c7, c8).
portant f6-square. 1.Ke5 Kc7 2.Rh7+ Kb8 3.Kd6 Lf3 4.a4
47.Ra5 Kf6 48.g4 Le6 49.Kf4 Lc4 Le4 5.Rf7 Lg2 6.b4 axb4 7.Rf4 Kb7
50.Rc5 Ld3 51.Rc6+ Kf7 52.Rc7+ Ke6 8.Rxb4 Ka6 9.Kc7 Ka5
53.Rg7
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 14
Example 4 Or 16...Ld6 17.Rd2 Lc5 18.Kf4 Le7
XABCDEFGHY 19.Rd7 Lf8 20.Kg3 Ld6+ 21.Kh3 Lf4
22.Rd5+ .
8-+-+-+k+( 17.Ke4 Lh6 18.Rh2 Lg7 19.Kf4 Lf8
7+R+-+-+-' 20.Kf3 La3 21.Ra2 Le7 (D)

6-+-+K+p+& XABCDEFGHY
5+-+-+-+p% 8-+-+-+-+(
4-+-+-+-zP$ 7+-+-vl-+-'
3+-vl-+-zP-# 6-+-+-+-+&
2-+-+-+-+" 5+-+-+-+k%
1+-+-+-+-! 4-+-+-+-zP$
xabcdefghy 3+-+-+K+-#
As we already know, this is a drawn posi- 2R+-+-+-+"
tion. But still some accuracy is needed. 1+-+-+-+-!
1...Ld4?
1...La1! is the correct square for the bishop. xabcdefghy
The text move allows White to win a critical And now White shows his point, which is
tempo. based on a beautiful zugzwang position:
2.Rb4! Lc3 3.Rc4 Lb2 22.Re2 Lf6
Or 3...Le1 4.Kf6 Kh7 5.Rc6 Lxg3 22...Lxh4 23.Rh2 Kg5 24.Rh1 Kh5
6.Kg5 +. 25.Kf4.
4.g4! hxg4 5.Rxg4 Kh7 6.Kf7 Kh6 23.Kf4 Ld8 24.Rc2! Le7 25.Rd2 Lb4
7.Rxg6+ Kh5 (D) 26.Rd8 Lc3 27.Kg3 Le5+ 28.Kh3 Lf4
XABCDEFGHY 29.Rd5+ Kg6 30.Kg4 10

8-+-+-+-+( Leko Peter


Beliavsky Alexander
7+-+-+K+-' Istanbul 2000
6-+-+-+R+& XABCDEFGHY
5+-+-+-+k% 8-+-+-+-+(
4-+-+-+-zP$ 7+-+-+-mk-'
3+-+-+-+-# 6-+-+K+p+&
2-vl-+-+-+" 5+-+-+-+p%
1+-+-+-+-! 4-+R+-+-zP$
xabcdefghy 3+-+-+-+-#
8.Rg2! 2-+-+-+P+"
And White wins, although it is far from
easy: 1vl-+-+-+-!
8...Lc3 9.Rh2 Le1 10.Kf6 Lg3 xabcdefghy
10...Lxh4+ 11.Kf5 +.
This is a good example of how to hold the
11.Rh1 Lf2 12.Kf5 Le3 13.Rh2 La7
position with accuracy.
14.Ra2 Lb6 15.Rb2 Lc5 16.Rc2 Le3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 15
72.g4!? hxg4 73.Rxg4 Kh6! 80.Kg5 +) 78.g4 hxg4 79.Rxg4 Kh7
This counter-attack against the weak h4- 80.Kf7 Kh6 81.Rxg6+ Kh5 82.Rg2 +
pawn secures the draw. was winning.
74.Rg5 Lc3 75.Kf7 Le1 76.Rxg6+ Kh5 76...hxg4 77.Rf4 Lc3 78.Rc4 Le1!
77.Rg1 Lf2 That's the difference, as Black can avoid
77...Lxh4 is also a draw. 78...Lb2?.
78.Rg2 Le1 79.Kf6 Kxh4 79.Rxg4 Kh7 80.Kf6 Kh6 81.Rxg6+
79...Lc3+ draws as well. But 79...Lb4? Kh5 82.Kf5 Kxh4
loses! And it's a draw.
80.Kf5 Lg3 81.Rc2 Kh3 82.Rc3 Kh4 83.Rg1 La5 84.Rg4+ Kh3 85.Kf4 Kh2
83.Rc8 Ld6 84.Rc3 Lb8 85.Rc8 Ld6 86.Kf3 Lb6
86.Rg8 Kh3 87.Ke4 Kh4 88.Rg6 Lc7
89.Kf3 Kh5 90.Rc6 Lb8 91.Rb6 Lc7
92.Rb7 Ld8 93.Kf4 Kg6 94.Ra7 Kf6 Vera Gonzalez Reynaldo
95.Ra6+ Ke7 96.Ke5 Lc7+ 97.Kd5 Lg3 Baburin Alexander
98.Ra3 Lf4 99.Rf3 Lc7 100.Rh3 Lf4 Istanbul 2000
101.Rh8 Lg3 102.Rh6 Lf4 103.Re6+
Kf7 104.Rb6 Ke7 105.Ke4 Ld6 XABCDEFGHY
106.Kf5 Kd7 107.Rb2 Lc7 108.Rg2 8-+-+-+k+(
Kd6 109.Rg6+ Kd5 110.Rg7 Kd6
111.Ke4 Kc6 112.Rg6+ Kc5 7+-+-+R+-'
6-+-+K+p+&
Zarkua Davit 5+-+-+p+p%
Malakhatko Vadim
Dubai 2011 4-+-vl-+-zP$
XABCDEFGHY 3+-+-+PzP-#
8-+-+-+-+( 2-+-+-+-+"
7+-+-+-mk-' 1+-+-+-+-!
6-+-+K+p+& xabcdefghy
5+-+-+-+p% 80.g4?
Tempting, but wrong! White had to play
4-+-+-+-zP$ 80.f4 and then break with g4 - the winning
3+-vl-+R+-# plan in these cases!
80...hxg4 81.fxg4 fxg4 82.Rf4 Lc3!
2-+-+-+P+" This is the problem with 79...Ld4?! - Black
1+-+-+-+-! has no time to play 82...Kg7. Nevertheless,
he can still draw. Apparently, 82...Lb2?
xabcdefghy would lose after 83.Rxg4 Kh7 84.Kf7
74...Ld4? Kh6 85.Rxg6+ Kh5 86.Rg2 +.
Black falls in the trap! He should have opted 83.Rxg4
for 74...Lb2 75.Rf7+ Kg8 76.Rf4 Kg7 =. Now, after 83.Rc4, Black can go for
75.Rf7+ Kg8 76.g4? 83...Le1! =.
And White immediately returns the favour. 83...Kh7 84.Kf7 Kh6 85.Rg5 Le1
The 'well-known' 76.Rf4! Lc3 77.Rc4! 86.Rxg6+ Kh5 87.Kf6 Kxh4
(77.g4? hxg4 78.Rxg4 Kh7 79.Kf7 Kh6 And again a draw is in sight.
80.Rxg6+ Kh5 81.Rg3 Le1 =) 77...Lb2 88.Kf5 Ld2 89.Rg2 Le3 90.Rb2 Kg3
(77...Le1 78.Kf6 Kh7 79.Re4 Lg3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 16
I used to teach my trainees all the above XABCDEFGHY
(and much more) and I was hoping that it
would prove to be a useful step in their chess 8-+-+-+-+(
education. And suddenly the chance arose in
the European Team Championship 2011, at
7+k+-+-+-'
a critical stage of the match Turkey-Georgia, 6-zp-mK-+-+&
when the score was 1:1, with the follow-
ing game remaining: 5zp-+-+-+-%
Can Emre 4P+-+l+-+$
Mchedlishvili Mikheil 3+P+-+-tR-#
Porto Carras 2011
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+-+"
8-+-+-tR-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
7+k+-+-+-' xabcdefghy
79...Kb8?
6-zpl+-+-+& A 'well-known' blunder. 79...Lh1! was the
5zp-+-+-+-% correct reply and Black could feel safe.
80.Rg4! Lf3 81.Rf4! Lg2
4-+-mK-+-+$ 81...Ld1 82.Kc6 +.
3zPP+-+-+-# 82.b4 axb4 83.Rxb4 Ka7 84.Kc7 Ka6
85.Rxb6+ Ka5 86.Rb2!
2-+-+-+-+" This is the usual winning method - White
will preserve his pawn by tactical means and
1+-+-+-+-! then he will drive away the black king.
xabcdefghy 86...Lf3 87.Ra2 Ld5 88.Ra1 Lf7
As we already know, this is a drawn posi- 88...Lb3 89.Kc6 Lxa4+ 90.Kc5 wins on
tion. But of course White can try his chances. the spot.
63.Kc4 Kc7 64.Rf7+ Kb8 65.Rg7 Kc8 89.Kc6 Le8+ 90.Kc5 Lf7 (D)
66.Kd4 Kb8 67.Ke5 Lf3 68.Rf7 Lg2 XABCDEFGHY
69.Rf2 Lc6 70.Kd6 Le4 71.Rf4
If the white a-pawn was already on a4,
8-+-+-+-+(
White would win here. 7+-+-+l+-'
71...Lg2 72.Rh4
Now 72.b4 is not winning: 72...axb4 6-+-+-+-+&
73.Rxb4 Kb7! (73...Ka7? 74.Kc7 +) 5mk-mK-+-+-%
74.a4 Ka6 =.
72...Lf3 73.Rh3 Lg2 74.Rg3 Le4 4P+-+-+-+$
75.Rh3 Lg2 76.Rh4 Lf3 77.a4 3+-+-+-+-#
Sooner or later White will have to go for this.
77...Kb7! 2-+-+-+-+"
Black seems to know well his 'obligations'
Wrong would be 77...Lg2? 78.b4 +.
1tR-+-+-+-!
78.Rh3 Le4 79.Rg3 (D) xabcdefghy
At this moment, I was watching the game
91.Ra3
next to my player and I was disappointed -
A bit quicker was 91.Rf1 Lh5 92.Rf2
the draw is more obvious and the match Ld1 (92...Kxa4 93.Kc4 Ka3 94.Kc3
would end in a draw 2:2 as well - not a bad
mates in 18 moves) 93.Kc4 Lg4 94.Rf4
result but who doesnt hope for the best?
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 17
Le6+ 95.Kc3 Lg8 96.Rf8 Le6 97.Ra8+
+. 91.Kd4 Lh5 92.Kc3 Lg6 93.Ra2
XABCDEFGHY
Lb1 94.Rb2 Lg6 95.Rb4 is another alter- 8-mk-+-+-+(
native win.
91...Le6 92.Re3 Lg4 93.Re7 Ka6
7+p+-+-tR-'
94.Kb4 Lf5 95.Rf7 Lg4 96.Rf6+ Kb7 6p+lmK-+-+&
97.Ka5
97.a5 Le2 98.Kc5 Ka7 99.a6! Ld3
5+-+-+-+-%
(99...Lxa6 100.Rf7+ Lb7 101.Kb5 Kb8 4-+-+-+-+$
102.Kb6 +) 100.Rb6 Le2 101.Rb7+
Kxa6 102.Rb6+ Ka7 103.Kc6 wins as 3zP-+-+-+-#
well - the black king is in the wrong corner. 2-zP-+-+-+"
97...Le2 98.Rb6+ Kc7 99.Rb2 Lf1
100.Rb1 Ld3 101.Rd1 Le2 102.Rd2 1+-+-+-+-!
Lf1 103.Rb2 (D)
xabcdefghy
XABCDEFGHY Black wasn't able to play ...b6 and ...a5 in
8-+-+-+-+( time, so White's task is much easier...
71.Kc5 Ka7 72.Rc7 La4 73.Re7
7+-mk-+-+-' 73.Kb4 Le8 74.Re7 Lc6 75.Ka5 Ld5
6-+-+-+-+& 76.b4 Lc6 77.a4 Lh1 78.b5 axb5 79.axb5
+ was good as well.
5mK-+-+-+-% 73...Ld1 74.Rf7 Lb3 75.Rh7 Lc2
76.Rd7 La4 77.Rf7 Lb3 78.Rg7 Lc2
4P+-+-+-+$ 79.Rc7 Ld1 80.Rg7 Lc2 81.Rg4 Ld1
3+-+-+-+-# 82.Rf4 Lc2 83.Kd6 Kb8 84.Rf8+ Ka7
85.Kc7 La4 86.Rb8 Lc6 87.Rh8 La4
2-tR-+-+-+" 88.Rh6 Ld1 89.Rb6 Lf3 (D)
1+-+-+l+-! XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+-+(
103...Ld3 7mkpmK-+-+-'
A bit more stubborn was 103...Kc6 althou-
gh White wins as well after 104.Kb4 Kb6 6ptR-+-+-+&
105.a5+ Ka7 106.Kc5 Ka6 107.Rb6+.
104.Kb4 Kc6
5+-+-+-+-%
104...Kb6 105.Kc3+. 4-+-+-+-+$
105.Kc3 Lf1 106.Kd4
And Turkey won against Georgia 2:1! 3zP-+-+l+-#
10 2-zP-+-+-+"
Well, the position we just examined is
drawn, but what happens if the weaker side
1+-+-+-+-!
is not able to place his forces correctly? xabcdefghy
What happens if he is not in time to place White played many moves with his rook but
his pawns on a5 and b6 (a4 & b3) and his he finally understands that he has to use his
bishop on the long diagonal? Well, the an- pawns as well!
swer is simple; he is just losing: 90.b4! Le4 91.a4 Lf3 92.b5 axb5 93.axb5
Peralta Fernando Le4 94.Re6 Ld3
Aloma Vidal Roberto 94...Lg2 95.Re3 mates.
Sabadell 2010 95.Ra6+!
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 18
And Black resigned due to 95...bxa6 96.b6+ 68.g4!
Ka8 97.b7+ Ka7 98.b8Q #. If we add pawns on h4 and h5, this plan
10 won't work for White, but here it is best.
68...fxg4 69.Rxg4
Efimenko Zahar And Black is losing his pawn, without even
Landa Konstantin coming close to the enemy one.
Dagomys 2010 69...Kg7 70.f4 Lf6 71.f5
XABCDEFGHY 71...g5 72.Rc4 Lb2 73.Ra4 Lc3
74.Ra7+ Kh6 75.f6 +.
8-+-+-+-+( 10
7+-+-+pmk-' So, as we just observed, in the case that the
stronger side has f- and g- pawns, the win is
6-+-+-+pvl& easier.
5+-+R+-+-% It is even easier when the stronger sides
pawn structure is healthy!
4-+-+-+-+$ Lets see why:
3+-+-+-+-# Coenen Michael
2-+-+-zPP+" Polaczek Richard
Roux 2011
1+-+-+-mK-! XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+-+(
51.Kf1
Maybe here 51.g4!? is even better. 7+-+-+k+-'
51...f5 52.Ke2 Kf7 53.Rd6 Lf4 54.Rc6 6R+-+-+pzp&
Le5 55.Ke3 Lf6 56.Kf4 Lh4 57.Ke5
Ld8 5+-+-+-+-%
Or 57...Lxf2 58.Rc7+ Kf8 59.Kf6 +.
58.f3 La5 59.Rf6+ Kg7 60.Ke6 Lc3
4-+-+K+-+$
61.Rf7+ Kg8 62.Rb7 Ld4 63.Rc7 Lb2 3+-+-+P+P#
64.Kd5 Lf6 65.Ke6 Lb2
Black has got the maximum out of his posi- 2-vl-+-+-+"
tion, but he is still lost. 1+-+-+-+-!
66.Rc2 Ld4 67.Rc4! Lb2 (D)
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
49.f4!
8-+-+-+k+( White will break down Black's fortress by
the f5 advance.
7+-+-+-+-' 49...Lc3 50.h4 h5 51.f5 Lf6 52.Ra7+
6-+-+K+p+& Kg8 53.fxg6 Lxh4 54.Rh7 Lf6 55.Kf5
Lb2 56.Rxh5
5+-+-+p+-% And the rest is easy.
4-+R+-+-+$ 56...Lc3 57.Rh7 Lg7 58.Rh1 Lc3
59.Rc1 Lb2 60.Rc7 La1 61.g7 Kh7
3+-+-+P+-# 62.Rf7 Ld4 63.g8Q+ Kxg8 64.Kg6 Lg1
2-vl-+-+P+" 65.Rf1 Lh2 66.Rf2 Lg3 67.Rg2
10
1+-+-+-+-! But the next game reveals that this case is
xabcdefghy not that easy as well:
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 19
Golubev Mikhail XABCDEFGHY
Minasian Artashes
Yurmala 1985 8-+-+-+k+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-+-zp-'
8-+-+-+k+( 6-+R+-+-zp&
7+-+-+-zp-' 5+-+-+PvlK%
6-+-+-+-zp& 4-+-+-+-+$
5+-+-+-+-% 3+-+-+-+-#
4-+R+-+-+$ 2-+-+-+-zP"
3+-+-+P+-# 1+-+-+-+-!
2-+-vl-+KzP" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-+-! 45...Kh7?
Both sides were focused on the 'ultimate
xabcdefghy fortress' idea. Black's last move was a big
In this example the black g-pawn is still on mistake. After 45...Kf7! it is highly doubtful
his initial square, so there is no way that that White can win. For example, 46.Rc7+
White could exchange it for his f-pawn Le7 (46...Kf6 47.Kg4 Le3!? is maybe
without Blacks help. Now Black is threat- sufficient too) 47.h4 (47.Rxe7+ never could
ening ...Lg5-f6 with equality. The black win) 47...Kf6! 48.Kg4 Kf7 49.Kf4 Kf8
king will be placed on h7 and the bishop will 50.Rc8+ Kf7 51.h5 Lf6!? 52.Ke4 Lb2
just carefully move along the diagonal, be- and there seem to be no further ideas for
tween a1 and f6. And White can do abso- White. Note that when the black king is on
lutely nothing. f7, it would be very nice for White to have
40.f4! the pawn still on f4 and the f5 square re-
It was also possible to prevent ...Lg5 by served for his king (Kf5 and then a check
playing 40.h4!, but White's hopes lie with by the rook from the 7th rank). But it was
the eventual f5-f6 pawn advance. So he ad- impossible for White to get something like
vanced his 'main' pawn first. this, because Black puts his king on f7 only
40...Kh7! 41.Kf3 La5 42.Rc6 Ld8 43.f5 after f5.
It will be explained below that f5 has one 46.h4!
inevitable drawback. But after, say, 43.Kg4 Now White achieves critical progress.
Le7, 44.f5 must be played anyway. Curi- 46...Le3?!
ously, at this stage engines are not helpful. 46...Lf6? is bad even here with the white
They do not understand the concept of for- king on h5: 47.Rxf6! gxf6 48.Kg4 Kg7
tress, and make absurd assessments all the 49.Kf4 Kf7 50.Ke4 Ke7 51.Kd5 Kd7
time. At the very end, however, we will en- 52.h5! Ke7 53.Kc6 and wins. The most
ter into the area of absolute knowledge stubborn was 46...Le7 47.Ra6 (the idea is
(Nalimov 6-man tablebases), which is quite 47...Ld8 48.Re6! with zugzwang)
a different story. 47...Lc5 and after 48.f6! g6+ 49.Kg4 Kg8
43...Lg5 White hardly has anything quicker than
It is important to note that, 43...Lf6? here 50.h5 (if 50.Kf4 Ld4! 51.Ke4?! Lb2)
and on the next moves loses to 44.Rxf6! 50...Kf7 51.Rc6 Ld4 52.Rc7+! Kxf6
(otherwise it is a draw) with a winning pawn 53.Rc6+ Kf7 54.Rxg6! (54.hxg6+? Kg7
ending. So Black still may not place his is a draw according to tablebases) 54...Le3.
bishop on the long diagonal. This position is winning for White, but not
44.Kg4 Kg8 45.Kh5 (D)
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 20
easily. 'Win in 38' according to tablebases. is simpler. The black bishop does not have
47.f6! gxf6 access to the g5-square.
Or 47...g6+ 48.Kg4 Kg8 49.Rc7 h5+ 52.Rc8+ Ke7 53.Rc3 Ld2 54.Rc2 Lf4
50.Kf3 Ld4 51.f7+ and then the king goes 55.Kf5
to e6. The bishop cannot go to e3 because of Re2,
48.Rc7+ Kg8 49.Kg6 Kf8 50.Kxf6 so it must leave the c1-h6 diagonal.
Ld4+ 51.Kg6 Le3 (D) 55...Lg3 56.Kg4! Le5 57.Rc6 Lf6
XABCDEFGHY 58.Kh5 Kf7 59.Rc7+ Kf8 60.Rh7 Kg8
61.Rxh6 Kf7 62.Rh7+ Lg7 63.Kg5
8-+-+-mk-+( 10
7+-tR-+-+-'
6-+-+-+Kzp&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-zP$
3+-+-vl-+-#
2-+-+-+-+" Conclusion
1+-+-+-+-! There are many positions that lead to a
draw but there are many more traps and
xabcdefghy blunders waiting in the dark.
Here, with the white pawn on h4 (instead of Knowledge can reveal them and protect us
h5 as it was in the 46...Le7 line) the victory from the evil darkness of ignorance.

NOTES

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 21


Rook & Rook-Pawn vs. Bishop & Rook-Pawn
Concept Example 1
The ending of Rook & Pawn vs. Bishop & XABCDEFGHY
Pawn in general is an easy win for the side
with the rook. 8-+r+-+-+(
However, the attacking side must be care-
ful, avoiding certain exceptional cases that
7+-+-+-+-'
lead to a draw. 6pvL-+-+-+&
Rook pawns (a and h) require the utmost
attention. As here the concepts that apply to 5zP-+-+-+-%
all other pawns are not in force, the king and 4-mk-+-+-+$
the rook must cooperate in order to force and
cut off the enemy king as far as necessary, to 3+-+-+-+-#
a file from which he will be unable to return
to the battlefield in time to secure the draw.
2K+-+-+-+"
As there are a lot of drawing possibilities, 1+-+-+-+-!
the theoretical understanding of this particu-
lar ending is needed. xabcdefghy
We can create a table showing us the file 1...Rc2+ 2.Kb1 Kb3 3.La7
on which the defending king must be cut off The only way not to lose the bishop. Black
in order to employ the winning plan, accord- proceeds with his plan (3.Ld8? Rd2).
ing to the placement of his fellow pawn. 3...Rh2! 4.Kc1 Kc3?
Naturally, in several cases the win can be Black should not allow the white king to
achieved by cutting the king off even on a escape to the opposite flank of his pawn. A
file nearer to the pawns. simple win is on the cards with 4...Rh5!
5.Lb6 Rd5!.
Edge Pawn Cut-off File 5.Kd1!
a2 / h2 e/d If 5.Kb1? Rb2+ 6.Ka1 (6.Kc1 Ra2!)
a3 / h3 f/c 6...Kb3! 7.Lb6 Rh2!.
a4 / h4 g/b 5...Rd2+ 6.Ke1
a5 / h5 h/a 6.Kc1 Ra2! with a double threat.
a6 / h6 h/a 6...Kd3 7.Lb6 Rh2! 8.Ld8 Rh1+ 9.Kf2
Rh8 10.Lb6 Re8 11.Kf1
In general, we should know that when the Wrong is 11.Kg1? Ke2! and the white king
pawns are placed on a4/h4, a5/h5 and a6/h6, will be cut off in the undesirable h-file.
then the defending side's king cannot be 11...Kd2 (D)
forced across onto the appropriate cut-off
file. (see next diagram)
And if he has escaped to the opposite flank
of his pawn, then the position should be 12.Lc5?
characterised as a draw. White could hold the draw with 12.Kf2! (or
Of course, many secrets have to be re- 12.Kg2) 12...Rf8+ 13.Kg2 Ke2 14.Kg3!
vealed in this quite difficult ending as Black cannot force the white king to
Lets start with a basic example from my move to the h-file.
book Practical Endgame Play - Mastering 12...Re5! 13.Lb4+
the Basics (Everyman 2008), which can be The alternative effort 13.Lb6 Rf5+
really helpful in terms of understanding the 14.Kg2 Kc3! 15.Kg3 Kb4 16.Kg4 Rxa5
various problems that both sides can face in 17.Lxa5+ Kxa5 18.Kf3 Kb4 19.Ke2
their efforts to reach the desired result. Kb3 20.Kd2 Kb2 would also be in vain.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 22
XABCDEFGHY Example 2

8-+-+r+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+-+-' 8-+-+-+-+(
6pvL-+-+-+& 7+-+-+-+-'
5zP-+-+-+-% 6-+-+-+-+&
4-+-+-+-+$ 5zpL+-+-+-%
3+-+-+-+-# 4P+-+-+-tr$
2-+-mk-+-+" 3+-+-mk-+-#
1+-+-+K+-! 2-+-+-+-+"
xabcdefghy 1+-mK-+-+-!
13...Kd3 14.Kf2 Rb5! 15.Le1 Rf5+ xabcdefghy
16.Kg3 Ke2! 17.Kg4 This is an important theoretical position.
Or 17.Lb4 (17.Lc3 Rf3+) 17...Rb5 The evaluation and the recommended meth-
18.Lc3 Rb3!. ods of play have varied through the decades.
17...Rc5! (D) Of course, things have been settled from the
XABCDEFGHY theoretical point of view since the creation
of the six men tablebases, but in many cases
8-+-+-+-+( one understands very little about the end-
game by learning that a couple of moves
7+-+-+-+-' draw, while all the others lose in 38 moves
6p+-+-+-+& or less.
A good source to rely on is Yuri Aver-
5zP-tr-+-+-% bakhs five volume endgame manual. His
4-+-+-+K+$ analysis does not contain real mistakes and
although the tablebases sometimes recom-
3+-+-+-+-# mend lines that win in one or two moves less
(36 instead of 38, for example), it is more
2-+-+k+-+" important to stick with the human lines, be-
1+-+-vL-+-! cause they are easier to explain as a part of
the same general plan.
xabcdefghy Computer lines sometimes rely on casual
Winning either the bishop (18.Lb4 Rc4+) tactics, which are nice, but are more difficult
or the pawn (18.Lg3 Rxa5). to remember if you get this endgame over
0-1 the board.
To start with, the diagrammed position is
So, a mistake by the defending side drawn. Black's only winning chance consists
handed the full point to the opponent; this is of sacrificing the exchange for the a4-pawn,
something that happens often in this ending, but he cannot achieve this under favourable
as the defence must be accurate, while the circumstances.
stronger side is often allowed even to be Things would be different if the pair of
inaccurate! pawns was placed on any other file, but it is
This kind of ending either you know, or known that rook pawns offer additional sav-
else you fail ing chances in pawn endings.
Of course, this is the right of the mate- In order to reach the desired result, White
rial-up side! Lets see a second example: has to avoid three (!) main situations:
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 23
1. His king has to avoid being pushed onto Kg8 4.Rg7+.
the b-file or further. 3.Rg7+ (D)
2. His king has to avoid being pushed onto XABCDEFGHY
the fifth rank or further.
3. His king has to avoid being trapped in the 8-+-+-+k+(
immediate neighbourhood of the pawn!
The first two points are easy to explain. In
7+-+-+-tR-'
case of an exchange sacrifice, the king has to 6-+-+-+-mK&
be in time to reach the b1-square. However,
the latter aspect is far from obvious and, for 5+-+-+-+-%
many decades, remained unnoticed by theo- 4-+-+-+-+$
reticians.
3+-+-+-+-#
But one main question remains: how does 2-+-+-+-zP"
the rook win if it is able to capture the oppo-
nents pawn? Here is the solution: 1+l+-+-+-!
Rook pawns are an exception to what we xabcdefghy
know so far, assuming of course that the
And now Black has two main options:
defending king occupies the promotion
a) 3...Kh8 4.h4 Ld3 5.h5 Lb1 6.Rb7
square. La2 7.Rb8+ Lg8 8.Kg5 Kg7 9.Rb7+
If this square is of the same colour as that Kh8
on which the bishop moves, then the king is
in the wrong corner and thus the side with Or 9...Kf8 10.h6.
the rook wins easily. 10.Kg6 Lc4
If, however, the defending side has a The rook must follow the bishop's steps and
bishop moving on the opposite colour, then move accordingly so as to prevent any
the win is attainable only if the pawn has not checks until the very end.
crossed its 4th rank. 11.Rh7+ Kg8 12.Rd7! Kh8 13.h6 La2
14.h7 Lb1+ 15.Kh6 10
Example 3 b) 3...Kf8 4.h4 Ld3 5.Rg3 Le4 6.Rg5!
XABCDEFGHY (D)

8-+-+-+-mk( XABCDEFGHY
7+-tR-+-+-' 8-+-+-mk-+(
6-+-+-+-+& 7+-+-+-+-'
5+-+-+l+-% 6-+-+-+-mK&
4-+-+-+-mK$ 5+-+-+-tR-%
3+-+-+-+-# 4-+-+l+-zP$
2-+-+-+-zP" 3+-+-+-+-#
1+-+-+-+-! 2-+-+-+-+"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
The winning process is long and laborious. xabcdefghy
The first step is to force the defending king The white king must now free the path of his
to the f-file. pawn by retreating via the h5-square, at the
1.Kg5 Lb1 2.Kh6 Kg8 same time without allowing the opponent's
Nothing is changed by 2...La2 3.Rh7+ king to return to h8. Here it becomes evident
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 24
why the pawn must not have crossed its 4th Wijk aan Zee 2008
rank. XABCDEFGHY
6...Kf7!
The best defence, as 6...Ld3 7.Kh5 Le2+ 8-+-+-+-+(
8.Kg6 Kg8 9.Rd5 Kf8 10.h5 is a simple
win for White.
7+-+-+-+-'
7.Rg3 Lc2 6-+-+-+-+&
Or 7...Kf8 8.Kg5! Kg7 9.Kf4+.
8.Kh5 (D) 5zpL+-+-+-%
XABCDEFGHY 4P+-+-+-tr$
8-+-+-+-+( 3+-+-mk-+-#
7+-+-+k+-' 2-+-+-+-+"
6-+-+-+-+& 1+-mK-+-+-!
5+-+-+-+K% xabcdefghy
We have reached the diagram in Example 2.
4-+-+-+-zP$ 46.Kc2 Rh7 47.La6 Rc7+ 48.Kd1!
3+-+-+-tR-# The only good move! 48.Kb2? is analysed
in Example 4 (p.27).
2-+l+-+-+" 48...Rc6 49.Lb5 Rc3 50.La6 Ra3
1+-+-+-+-! 51.Lb5 Ra2 (D)

xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
8...Kf6 8-+-+-+-+(
Alternatively, 8...Lb1 9.Rg5 (intending 7+-+-+-+-'
Kg4-f4 and h5-h6) 9...Lc2 10.Kg4 Lg6
11.h5 Lb1 12.h6 Lg6 13.Kf4 Kf6 6-+-+-+-+&
14.Rb5 Ld3 15.Rb7! and 16.h7 or
8...Ld1+ 9.Kg5! Kg7 10.Rc3 Le2 11.h5
5zpL+-+-+-%
Lf1 12.h6+ Kh7 13.Rc7+ Kh8 14.h7 and 4P+-+-+-+$
15.Kh6.
9.Rg5 Ld1+ 10.Kh6 Kf7 11.Rg7+ Kf6 3+-+-mk-+-#
Or 11...Kf8 12.Kg6 Le2 13.Kf6 intending
Rg5, h5-h6, Rg7 and h7.
2r+-+-+-+"
12.Rg1 Le2 13.Rg2 Ld3 14.Rf2+ Lf5 1+-+K+-+-!
Or 14...Ke7 15.h5 Lb1 16.Kg7. xabcdefghy
15.h5 Ke6 16.Rxf5! Kxf5 17.Kg7 10
52.Kc1!
At the start of 2008 I was playing the We can notice an important element. Being a
Corus C in Wijk aan Zee and I was lucky long-range piece, the bishop, too, can act on
enough to watch the following game (that both wings. Here, the control of the d3-
was played in the A section) in the flesh. I square is as important as the defence of the
have to say that I was impressed by Rad- pawn. For instance, the careless 52.Lc6?
jabovs excellent knowledge of the ending. would lose to 52...Rd2+! 53.Kc1 (53.Ke1
The analysis of this game is made by the allows 53...Rc2 with a double [and deadly]
excellent GM and author Mihail Marin: threat) 53...Kd3 followed by ...Kc3. How-
ever, 52.Le8 is playable, too. After
Radjabov Teimour 52...Rd2+ 53.Ke1! the bishop is safe on e8,
Van Wely Loek because the interposition of the black king
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 25
on the e-file prevents the double attack 77.Kf4!
...Re2+. The king has to approach the dangerous 5th
52...Kd4 53.Kd1 Kc3 54.Ke1 Rd2 rank in order to maintain the diagonal oppo-
55.La6 Rd4 56.Lb5 Kc2 (D) sition. 77.Kf2? loses to 77...Rd3 78.Lb5
Re3 with zugzwang. If the bishop moves, it
XABCDEFGHY will be attacked by the rook, followed by a
8-+-+-+-+( check on the c-file, while 79.Kf1 Rf3+
immediately drives the king into the forbid-
7+-+-+-+-' den zone.
6-+-+-+-+& 77...Re3 78.Lb5!
Again, the control of the d3-square is essen-
5zpL+-+-+-% tial. After a careless move such as
4P+-tr-+-+$ 78.Lc6? Black establishes a frontal opposi-
tion with 78...Kd3 79.Lb5+ Kd4, forcing
3+-+-+-+-# the king to go further up than he would have
2-+k+-+-+" wished. 80.Kf5 (80.Ld7 is met by the fa-
miliar manoeuvre 80...Re7 81.Lb5 Rf7+)
1+-+-mK-+-! 80...Re4 81.Lc6 Re5+! 82.Kf6 (or
82.Kf4 Re6!) 82...Re3 83.Kf5 and now
xabcdefghy Black starts his decisive attack on the oppo-
Finally, Black switches plans. He will try to site wing with 83...Kc5 84.Lb5 Kb4
push the enemy king as far as possible. 85.Kf4 Ra3 86.Ke4 Rxa4 87.Lxa4 Kxa4
57.Ke2 Re4+ 58.Kf3 Re7 59.Kf2 Kc3 88.Kd3 Kb3 winning.
60.Kf3 Kd4 61.La6 Re3+ 62.Kf2! 78...Re7 79.Kf3 Kc3 80.La6 Kd4
One important defensive method is the di- 81.Lb5 Re6 (D)
agonal opposition. In case of 62.Kf4? Black
achieves the situation from point 1 with
XABCDEFGHY
62...Re6 63.Lb5 Rf6+ 64.Kg3 when 8-+-+-+-+(
64...Kc3 followed by the exchange sacrifice
on a4 ensures an elementary win. 7+-+-+-+-'
62...Ke4 63.Lb5 Kf4 64.La6 Re4 65.Lb5 6-+-+r+-+&
Re6 66.Lc4 Re4 67.Lb5 Rd4 68.Ke2
Rd6 69.Ld3 Rh6 70.Lb5 Ke4 71.Ld3+ 5zpL+-+-+-%
Kd4 72.Lb5 Rh2+ 73.Kf3 Ra2 74.Ld7
Ra3+ 75.Kf2 Kd3 76.Kf3 Kd2+ (D)
4P+-mk-+-+$
XABCDEFGHY 3+-+-+K+-#
8-+-+-+-+( 2-+-+-+-+"
7+-+L+-+-' 1+-+-+-+-!
6-+-+-+-+& xabcdefghy
82.Kf2!
5zp-+-+-+-% Radjabov deals correctly with the last dan-
4P+-+-+-+$ gerous moment for White in this game.
82.Ld7? loses to 82...Re3+ 83.Kf2 Kd3.
3tr-+-+K+-# 82...Re5 83.Kf3 Kc5 84.Kf2 Kb6
2-+-mk-+-+" 85.Ld3 Kc5
And, having convinced himself that Radja-
1+-+-+-+-! bov knows 'everything' about this endgame,
Van Wely resigned himself to the draw.
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 26
In 1954, Baranov discovered that Black retreat 56.Ka2 leads to a crucial position
can avoid being pushed too far and that the after 56...Rc1 57.Le8 Kb4 58.Kb2 Rc5
logical result would have been a draw. His (D)
conclusions are valid up to this moment, but XABCDEFGHY
only for the case when the defending king
escapes the zone surrounding the pawns. 8-+-+L+-+(
Later, the renowned endgame expert
Maizelis (who was one of Y.Averbakh's
7+-+-+-+-'
collaborators for the first edition of his 6-+-+-+-+&
books, published in the late 1950s), discov-
ered the dangers facing the king in the 5zp-tr-+-+-%
neighbourhood of the pawns. 4Pmk-+-+-+$
Lets return to the previous game after
Whites potential wrong 48th move: 3+-+-+-+-#
Example 4
2-mK-+-+-+"
XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+-+-!
8-+-+-+-+( xabcdefghy
Black has made his regrouping and White
7+-tr-+-+-' will get into successive zugzwang positions.
6L+-+-+-+& It is typical for such endings that the rook
restricts both enemy pieces at the same time.
5zp-+-+-+-% The next step is to push the enemy king onto
4P+-+-+-+$ the back rank: 59.Lb5 Rc8 and now, apart
from king retreats, which is precisely what
3+-+-mk-+-# Black aims to provoke, White has only one
move: 60.Ld7 but this places the bishop on
2-mK-+-+-+" a vulnerable square, allowing the rook to
1+-+-+-+-! switch to lateral attacks, without letting the
king escape from the corner: 60...Rd8!
xabcdefghy 61.Lb5 Rd2+ 62.Kc1 Kc3 and Black has
Here is a sample based on the analysis of the made further progress and now the same
endgame expert Maizelis: method as on the previous step ensures him
48...Kd2 49.Kb3 Rc6 50.Lb5 Rc3+ the win: 63.Kb1 Kb3 64.Kc1 Rd8 (D)
51.Kb2 XABCDEFGHY
Black's pieces are not optimally placed yet.
In order to win, he has to carry out a major 8-+-tr-+-+(
regrouping. His king should reach b4, in
order to restrict the bishop's mobility, but the 7+-+-+-+-'
enemy king should not be allowed to escape 6-+-+-+-+&
from the dangerous zone at the same time!
51...Rh3 52.Ld7 Rh4 53.Le8 Rb4+ 5zpL+-+-+-%
54.Ka3 Kc3 4P+-+-+-+$
Black has strengthened his domination, but
the b4-square is not available yet. 3+k+-+-+-#
55.Lf7 Rb1 56.La2
White stubbornly keeps his king on a3,
2-+-+-+-+"
keeping b4 defended, but his bishop will not 1+-mK-+-+-!
be able to return to the b5-e8 diagonal under
favourable circumstances. The voluntary xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 27
White is in zugzwang again. The only move sential regrouping in the meantime.
that maintains the pawn defended and avoids 63...Rc7 64.Le8 Rc5 65.Lb5 Rc8
mate in one is 65.Lc6 but this loses the And we have reached a familiar zugzwang,
bishop to 65...Rc8. so White has to give up sooner or later.
56...Rc1 01
Avoiding the trap 56...Ra1? with complete
Here is an old and very famous example:
domination and... draw by stalemate - this is
one of the tricks to be alert for! Salwe Georg
57.Lb3 Ra1+ 58.La2 Kd4 Rubinstein Akiba
The king retreats in order to enable lateral Prague 1908
attacks by the rook. With the a4-pawn vul- XABCDEFGHY
nerable now, White cannot save the game.
59.Kb2 Re1 60.Lf7 (D) 8-+-+-tr-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-+-+-'
8-+-+-+-+( 6-+-+-+-+&
7+-+-+L+-' 5+-+-+-vLp%
6-+-+-+-+& 4-+-+k+-zP$
5zp-+-+-+-% 3+-+-+-mK-#
4P+-mk-+-+$ 2-+-+-+-+"
3+-+-+-+-# 1+-+-+-+-!
2-mK-+-+-+" xabcdefghy
1+-+-tr-+-! According to endgame tablebases Black
wins with best play in 48 moves!
xabcdefghy 60...Rf7 61.Lh6 Rf3+ 62.Kg2 Rd3?
A desperate attempt to return the bishop to Now, as we have seen in the previous exam-
the b5-e8 diagonal. 60.Lb1 leaves the c4- ples, White should be able to survive!
square undefended, allowing a relatively Rubinstein obviously wanted to push the
easy win after 60...Kc4 61.Lf5 Kb4 enemy king away from the pawn and then
62.Ld7 Rd1 63.Lb5 Rd2+ 64.Kc1 Kc3 sacrifice the exchange. This plan does not
and so on, like in the variation starting with work against the best defence. The correct
56.Ka2 above. 60.Lb3 keeps the c4-square plan is pretty much the opposite: to keep the
defended, but deprives its own king of the white king closer to the pawn, so his bishop
b3-square and places the bishop on a vulner- won't be much help in defence.
able square: 60...Kc5! 61.Kc3 Re3+! With 63.Lg5?
the bishop on a favourable square, the white White missed the defensive idea with
king could escape now to the right wing, but 63.Kf2! =.
here this is impossible: 62.Kb2 Kb4 63...Kf5?
63.Ld1 Rg3 64.Lc2 Rg2 65.Kc1 Kc3 63...Rf3! was again correct. Rubinstein
and it is all over. managed to win the game, but only by a...
60...Re7 61.Lh5 mistaken method! He chased the king away
Or 61.Lg8 Kc5 62.Kc3 Re3+ 63.Kb2 from the dangerous zone and eventually suc-
Kb4 with a familiar position. ceeded in pushing it to the fifth rank, after
61...Kc4 62.Lf3 Kb4 63.Lc6 which the win was relatively easy.
Finally, the bishop has returned to the 'good' 64.Kf2!
diagonal, but Black has carried out his es- Finally, White found the correct idea.
64...Kg4 65.Ke2 Rf3 66.Lh6 Kg3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 28
67.Lg5 Rf8 68.Ke3 Re8+ 69.Kd3 Kf3 88...Rb4?
70.Kd4 Re6 (D) But here Black goes wrong. Correct was
XABCDEFGHY 88...h3! 89.Lg3 Rg7 90.Lf4 Rg2 91.Ld6
Rd2 +.
8-+-+-+-+( 89.Kg2!
And now, according to databases, this is a
7+-+-+-+-' drawn position!
6-+-+r+-+& 89...Kg4 90.Le5 Ra4 91.Ld6 Ra2+
92.Kh1 Kh3 93.Lc5?
5+-+-+-vLp% And White returns the favour! 93.Kg1
4-+-mK-+-zP$ Ra1+ 94.Kf2 = was good enough.
93...Ra1+ 94.Lg1 Kg4!
3+-+-+k+-# This is the winning method already pre-
2-+-+-+-+" sented above.
95.Kh2 Ra2+ 96.Kh1 Kg3 97.Lc5
1+-+-+-+-! Rh2+ 98.Kg1 Rd2 99.Kh1 h3
And White was forced to resign
xabcdefghy 01
71.Kd5?
But not like that! White should have opted Mistakes are the salt and pepper of modern
for 71.Kc4 Ke4 72.Kc3! (the only move) knowledge. The next four examples are
72...Rd6 73.Kc2!! again, the only move - quite instructive, as much salt and pepper
White must keep diagonal opposition - this can be found!
is the key idea in this ending. But the winning and defending methods
71...Re4! 72.Lf6 Kf4 73.Ld8 Kf5 are the same and one must study them:
74.Lg5 Rg4!
After White's wrong 71st move, Rubinstein Mortensen Erling
plays nearly always the strongest moves. Baburin Alexander
75.Le7 Rg7 76.Lf8 Rd7+ 77.Kc6 Rd4 Copenhagen 1994
78.Le7 Ke6 79.Kc5 Rd5+ 80.Kc4 Rf5 XABCDEFGHY
81.Ld8 Kd7 82.Lb6 Rf4+ 83.Kd3
Rxh4 84.Ke2 Ke6 85.Kf3 Rg4 86.Lf2 8-+-+-+-+(
Kf5 87.Lg3 h4 88.Lh2 (D) 7+-+-+k+-'
XABCDEFGHY 6-+R+-+-+&
8-+-+-+-+( 5zp-+-+K+-%
7+-+-+-+-' 4Pvl-+-+-+$
6-+-+-+-+& 3+-+-+-+-#
5+-+-+k+-% 2-+-+-+-+"
4-+-+-+rzp$ 1+-+-+-+-!
3+-+-+K+-# xabcdefghy
2-+-+-+-vL" According to tablebases, this position is a
draw. Indeed, the black king is in the right
1+-+-+-+-! zone - not too close to the pawn.
xabcdefghy 71...Ke7 72.Ke5 Kd7 73.Kd5 La3
A position (similar) which we saw in our 74.Rc2 Lb4 75.Rh2 Kc7
This move is still OK but conceptually it is
Example 3 (p.24).
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 29
better to move away from the pawn: XABCDEFGHY
75...Ke7!.
76.Rh7+ Kb6 77.Rh6+ (D) 8-+-+-+-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-+-+-'
8-+-+-+-+( 6-+K+-+-+&
7+-+-+-+-' 5zp-+-mk-+-%
6-mk-+-+-tR& 4Pvl-+-+-+$
5zp-+K+-+-% 3+-+R+-+-#
4Pvl-+-+-+$ 2-+-+-+-+"
3+-+-+-+-# 1+-+-+-+-!
2-+-+-+-+" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-+-! Both players seem to ignore the basic rules
of the ending. Correct was 88.Kc5 Lb4+
xabcdefghy 89.Kc4 +.
77...Kb7? 88...Kd4!
77...Kc7! was the only move, but it wasnt Back to the draw!
the only mistake in this game 89.Rh4+ Ke5! 90.Rh1 Kd4 91.Kb5
78.Kc4? Lb4 92.Rd1+ Ke5 93.Rd8 Ke6 94.Kc6
Now White returns the favour. He had to cut Ke5 95.Rh8 Lc3 96.Rh5+ Kd4
off the black king with 78.Rc6!. Here is 97.Rh4+ Ke5 98.Rc4 Lb4 99.Rc1 Ke6
White's path to victory: 78...La3 79.Rc4 100.Rd1 Ke5 101.Rd3 (D)
Lb4 80.Ke6 La3 81.Kd7 Kb6 82.Rc6+
Kb7 83.Re6 Lb4 84.Re5 Lc3 85.Rb5+
XABCDEFGHY
Ka6 86.Kc6 Ld4 87.Rd5 Lf6 88.Rd6 8-+-+-+-+(
Le7 89.Re6 Lb4 90.Re8 Ka7 91.Kb5
Kb7 92.Rd8 Kc7 93.Rd1 Kb8 94.Rd7 7+-+-+-+-'
Kc8 95.Kc6 Lc3 96.Rd1 Lb4 97.Kb6 - 6-+K+-+-+&
the key position - White wins.
78...Kc7 79.Kb5 Ld2? 5zp-+-mk-+-%
Of course it is not easy to defend. Here 4Pvl-+-+-+$
79...Kd7! = was correct.
80.Rc6+? 3+-+R+-+-#
White could achieve a winning position with 2-+-+-+-+"
the 'well known' 80.Rh1! Lb4 81.Rd1 +.
80...Kd7 81.Rc4 Lb4 82.Kb6 Kd6 1+-+-+-+-!
83.Rd4+ Ke5 84.Rd8 Ke6 85.Kc6 Ke5
86.Rd3 (D)
xabcdefghy
101...Ke4?
(see next diagram) Repeating the same mistake!
102.Rd5! Lc3 103.Kd6 Lb4+ 104.Ke6?!
86...Ke4? 104.Kc6 Lc3 105.Kc5 Lb4+ 106.Kc4
The black king moves to the undesired zone. wins.
Black could have drawn with a lot of other 104...Lc3 105.Rd1 Lb4 106.Kd7?!
moves, e.g. 86...Ke6, 86...Kf5 and The final 'mistake'. The correct continuation
86...Kf6. according to 'theory' was 106.Rd5! Lc3
87.Rd5! Lc3 88.Rh5?
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 30
107.Kd6 Lb4+ 108.Kc6, although Black 89.Lg5 Re8+ 90.Kd4 Kf5 91.Kd3 Kg4
could then claim a draw by threefold repeti- 92.Kd4 Kf3 93.Kd5?
tion! White voluntarily leaves the safe zone.
106...Ke5 107.Kc6 Ke6 108.Kb5 Ke5 93.Kd3 was correct.
109.Kc4 Ke6 110.Rd5 Le1 111.Kd4 93...Re4! 94.Lf6 Kf4 95.Ld8 Kf5!
Lc3+ 112.Kc4 Le1 113.Rd1 Lb4 Black has finally found the correct plan.
114.Kd3 96.Lg5 Rg4 97.Ld8 Rg8 98.Le7 Rg7
(D)
Aloma Vidal Roberto
Cabrera Alexis XABCDEFGHY
Calvia 2007 8-+-+-+-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-vL-tr-'
8-+-+-+-+( 6-+-+-+-+&
7+-+-+-+-' 5+-+K+k+p%
6-+-+r+-+& 4-+-+-+-zP$
5+-+-+-vLp% 3+-+-+-+-#
4-+-mK-+kzP$ 2-+-+-+-+"
3+-+-+-+-# 1+-+-+-+-!
2-+-+-+-+" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-+-! 99.Lf8 Rd7+ 100.Kc6 Rd8 101.Le7
Re8 102.Lg5 Rg8 103.Le7 Ke6
xabcdefghy 104.Lc5 Rc8+ 105.Kb5 Kd5
According to the endgame tablebases, this 105...Kf5 also wins.
position is a draw. Interestingly, if the white 106.La7 Rc2 107.Kb4 Rh2 108.Kb3
king were on f2, Black would be winning! Rxh4 109.Kc3 Ke4 110.Kd2 Kf3 01
Black should try to get the white king closer
to the h-pawn - and then attack it, forcing the Kuzmicz Krystian
white bishop to leave its post on g5. The Musialkiewicz Jan
other plan - to push the white king far away Warsaw 2009
from the pawn and then sac the exchange -
does not work against best defence.
XABCDEFGHY
82...Kf3 83.Kd5? 8-+-+-+k+(
White had three moves which would draw
with correct play: 83.Kc4, 83.Kc3 and 7+-+-+-+-'
83.Kd3. 6-+-+-+K+&
83...Re4! 84.Lf6 Ra4?
Only 84...Kf4! 85.Ld4 Kf5 86.Lf6 Rg4 5+-+-+-+R%
87.Ld8 Rg1 88.Le7 Rg7 89.Lb4 Kg4 4-+-+-+-zp$
90.Le1 Rf7 91.Kd4 Rf1 + or 84...Ke3!
win - the former in 27 moves and the latter 3+-+-+-vlP#
in 29 moves.
85.Lg5?
2-+-+-+-+"
85.Ke5! =. 1+-+-+-+-!
85...Kg4?
85...Re4!. xabcdefghy
86.Ke5! Rb4 87.Ld8 Rb5+ 88.Ke4 Rb8 White is winning, as long as he can keep the
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 31
enemy king in the right (wrong) corner. GM Viktor Bologan isn't familiar with this
77.Rb5? endgame... 88...Kd3! 89.Kg3 Ke2 90.Kg2
But not like that! Correct was 77.Rf5! Lh2 Rd7 91.Lf4 Rd4 92.Kg3 Rc4 93.Lg5
78.Rd5 Kf8 79.Rd4 Lg3 80.Re4 and Rg4+ 94.Kh3 (D)
Black is in zugzwang. XABCDEFGHY
77...Kf8!
Black escapes from the box and finds salva- 8-+-+-+-+(
tion.
78.Kf6 Ke8 79.Ke6 Kd8 80.Rg5 Kc7
7+-+-+-+-'
81.Rc5+ Kb6 82.Kd5 Kb7 83.Rc6 Lf2 6-+-+-+-+&
84.Rh6 Lg3 85.Rh7+ Kb6 86.Rh6+
Kb7 87.Rg6 Lf2 88.Ke4 Lg3 89.Kf3 5+-+-+-vLp%
Kc7 90.Ke4 Kb7 91.Kd5 Lf2 92.Rg7+
Kb6
4-+-+-+rzP$
3+-+-+-+K#
Deszczynski Adam 2-+-+k+-+"
Bologan Viktor 1+-+-+-+-!
Warsaw 2009
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
94...Kf3 95.Le7 Rg3+ 96.Kh2 Kg4
8-+-+-+-+( 97.Lg5 Rf3 98.Kg2 Rf8 99.Le7 Re8
7+-+-+-+-' 100.Lg5 Re2+ 101.Kf1 Kf3 102.Lf6
Re8 103.Lc3 (103.Lg5 Kg3 +) 103...
6-+-+k+-+& Kg3 104.Le1+ Kg4 105.Lf2 Kf3 +.
89.Kg3?
5+r+-+-vLp% Missing 89.Kf2! =.
4-+-+K+-zP$ 89...Rb2? 90.Le7?
90.Lh6!.
3+-+-+-+-# 90...Rb3+? 91.Kg2? Kf4?
2-+-+-+-+" 91...Rf3!.
92.Lg5+ Kg4 93.Kf2! Rf3+ 94.Ke2
1+-+-+-+-! Kg3 95.Le7 Rf5 96.Lg5 Re5+ 97.Kd3
Kf3 98.Kd4 Re1 (D)
xabcdefghy
This is drawn, but White must know how to XABCDEFGHY
defend. As said, the key idea is to avoid the 8-+-+-+-+(
area close to the h-pawn.
79.Kd4 Rb4+ 80.Kd3 Kd5 81.Lf6 Rf4 7+-+-+-+-'
82.Lg5 Rf3+ 83.Ke2 Ke4 84.Le7 Rb3
85.Kf2
6-+-+-+-+&
This move does not lose, but it would be 5+-+-+-vLp%
easier to defend after 85.Kd2!.
85...Rb2+ 86.Kg3? 4-+-mK-+-zP$
Now the white king gets locked up near the 3+-+-+k+-#
h-pawn. Black will create mating threats,
forcing the enemy bishop to abandon the 2-+-+-+-+"
pawn. Of course 86.Ke1! = would do the 1+-+-tr-+-!
job...
86...Rb7! 87.Lg5 Rf7 88.Kg2 Rb7? xabcdefghy
It is clear that even such a strong player as
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 32
99.Kd5? 61.Re3 + is equivalent, but 61.Rb6+?
Only to mess it up again! As said, White (in Kf7 62.Kf5 Ke7 = allows Black's king to
general) should not go above the 4th rank in escape from the dangerous corner.
such positions, so 99.Kc4 as a must. 61...Le1
99...Re4! 61...Kh6 62.Rf6+ Kg7 63.Kg5 Lc7
Finally, Black wins by the usual trick. 64.Re6 Kf7 65.Re4 Lg3 66.Re3 Kg7
100.Kd6 67.Rf3 Le1 68.Rf1 Lg3 69.Kh5 Kh7
Black's task would be much more difficult 70.Rf7+ Kg8 71.Kg6 Lh2 72.Rd7 Kf8
after 100.Ld8 but of course still wins: 73.Rd4 Lg3 74.Re4 and zugzwang! We
100...Kf4 101.Lg5+ Kf5 102.Ld8 Rg4. will see this method (and final position) in
100...Kg3 101.Kd5 Rxh4 the game as well.
01 62.Re3 Lf2
Similar is 62...Lg3 63.Re6+ Kf7 64.Kf5.
Although our first example had the pawns
on a5 and a6 (h5 & h6), up to here we have 63.Re6+ Kf7 64.Kf5
seen games where the pawns were placed on 64.Re2! Lg3 65.Kg5 is slightly faster.
the 4th and the 5th ranks. 64...Lg3 65.Re4 Lf2 66.Kg5 Lg3
In this case the situation is slightly differ- 67.Re2
ent, as the defending side has an advantage See the 64.Re2! line.
of space, due to the presence of pawns on 67...Kg7 68.Re7+ Kf8 69.Kf6 Lf2 (D)
the above mentioned ranks. XABCDEFGHY
Kramnik Vladimir 8-+-+-mk-+(
Ponomariov Ruslan
Moscow 2009 7+-+-tR-+-'
XABCDEFGHY 6-+-+-mK-+&
8-+-+-+-+( 5+-+-+-+-%
7+R+-+-+-' 4-+-+-+-zp$
6-+-+-+k+& 3+-+-+-+P#
5+-+-+-vl-% 2-+-+-vl-+"
4-+-+-+-zp$ 1+-+-+-+-!
3+p+-+-+P# xabcdefghy
2-+-+-+K+" 70.Re6
70.Ke6! Le1 (70...Ld4 71.Rh7 +) 71.
1+-+-+-+-! Rc7 Lg3 72.Ra7 Lh2 (72...Le1 73.Kf6
Lc3+ 74.Kg6 Le1 75.Ra4! Lg3 76.Re4
xabcdefghy +) 73.Rf7+! Kg8 (73...Ke8 74.Rh7 +)
58.Kf3! Ld2 59.Kg4 Le1 60.Rxb3 74.Kf6 Lg3 75.Kg6 - 61...Kh6.
From now on, the tablebases show the end- 70...Lg3 71.Kg6 Lh2 72.Re4 Lg3
ing is winning for White. Although Kramnik We have already seen that White must
doesn't always take the most straightforward achieve this position with Black to move,
path, he knows the basic principles of the thus forcing zugzwang.
winning method and he will never endanger 73.Kf6 Lf2 74.Kg6
his victory. If the black king could cross the 74.Re7! Ld4+ 75.Ke6 Lc3 76.Rh7 Le1
e-file then apparently it would be a draw. 77.Rc7 Lg3 78.Ra7 - 70.Ke6!.
60...Lg3 74...Lg3 75.Re2 Ld6 76.Kg5 Lg3
Or 60...Kf6 61.Rf3+ Kg6 62.Re3 +. 76...Le7+ 77.Kf5 Lc5 78.Re4 Lf2
61.Rf3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 33
79.Kf6 Lc5 (79...Lg3 80.Kg6) 80.Ra4 Pinter Jozsef
Le7+ (80...Ke8 81.Ke6) 81.Ke6 Lg5 Kasparov Garry
82.Ra7 Kg8 83.Kf5 Le3 84.Ra3 Lc5 Auxerre 1993
85.Ra5 Ld6 86.Ra4 Lg3 (86...Le7 XABCDEFGHY
87.Kg6) 87.Kg6 Kf8 88.Re4 +.
77.Kf6 Lf4 78.Re4 Ld6 8-+-+-+-+(
78...Lc7 79.Rc4 Ld8+ 80.Kf5 Kf7 7+-+-+-+-'
81.Rd4 Le7 82.Rd7 +.
79.Rd4 (D) 6-+-+-+R+&
XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-+-+-%
8-+-+-mk-+( 4-+-+-+-zp$
7+-+-+-+-' 3+-+-+-vlP#
6-+-vl-mK-+& 2-+-+-mk-+"
5+-+-+-+-% 1+-+-+-+K!
4-+-tR-+-zp$ xabcdefghy
3+-+-+-+P# 84.Rg4 Kf1 85.Rg5 Kf2 86.Rf5+ Ke3
87.Kg2 Ke4 88.Rf7 Kd5 89.Re7 Kd6
2-+-+-+-+" 90.Re2 Kd5 91.Kf3 Kd6 92.Kg4 Kd7
1+-+-+-+-! 93.Kf5 Kd6 94.Re8 Kd7 95.Re6 Kc7
96.Ke4 Kd7 97.Kd5 Kc7 98.Re7+ Kb6
xabcdefghy 99.Rf7 Lh2 100.Rf2 Lg3 101.Rc2 Kb7
79...Lc7 102.Rc6 Lf4 103.Kc5 Lg3 104.Kd5
More resilient, but equally hopeless is Lf4 105.Rc2 Lg3 106.Ke6 Kb6
79...Le7+ 80.Kf5 Kf7 (the king won't es- 107.Kd7 Kb5 108.Rc6 Lh2 109.Rc2
cape: 80...Ke8 81.Ke6 Kf8 82.Rf4+ Ke8 Lg3 110.Ke6 Kb6 111.Kf5 Kb5
83.Ra4 +) 81.Rd7 Kf8 82.Ke6 Lg5 112.Ke4 Kb6 113.Kf3 Kb5 114.Kg4
83.Rb7 Ld2 (83...Kg8 84.Kf5 Ld2
85.Kg6 Kf8 86.Rb5 Lc1 [86...Le1 Of more interest is the next game. Just like
87.Rf5+] 87.Rh5 +) 84.Rf7+! Kg8 in the lines above, the king was trapped in
(84...Ke8 85.Rh7) 85.Kf6 Le1 86.Kg6 the surroundings of the pawns. Apparently,
Lg3 87.Re7 Kf8 88.Re4 +. this should be less dangerous, because the
80.Kg6 Lg3 81.Re4 king has more space available, but on the
This is the position we saw above, after other hand the bishop's good diagonal is
move 72 when White was to move. Now it is shorter!
Blacks turn and he is in zugzwang, there-
fore he resigned. Kasparov Garry
10 Jussupow Artur
Linares 1993
If the king is free, the attacker has to push (see next diagram)
him one file further than in the previous ex-
91.Rb4 Kc5
amples, namely to the opposite edge of the
The black king cannot escape the queenside,
board.
at least not before he puts his bishop on b3.
In Kasparov's game against Pinter, the ex-
92.Kg3 Lb5 93.Kf4 Kb6 94.Ke3 Ka5
World Champion managed to avoid this and
95.Kd4 Le2 96.Rb1 Lh5 97.Re1 Lf7
achieved a draw.
98.Kc5 Lb3 99.Re8 Ka6 100.Kc6 Ka7
It looked like a very easy defence after all:
101.Kb5
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 34
101.Re7+ Kb8 (101...Ka6 102.Kc5 and the XABCDEFGHY
king is boxed) 102.Rc7 was rather simple.
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
8-+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-mk-'
7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-tR-+&
6-+l+-+-+& 5+-+-+-mK-%
5+-+k+-+-% 4p+-+-+-+$
4p+R+-+-+$ 3zP-+-+-+-#
3zP-+-+-+-# 2-+l+-+-+"
2-+-+-+-mK" 1+-+-+-+-!
1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy
Curiously, the evaluation remains the same:
xabcdefghy the side with a rook should win by succes-
101...Kb7! (D) sive zugzwang positions. For a while, Kas-
101...Ld1?! 102.Re7+ Kb8 103.Kb6 Kc8 parov conducted his technique in the best
104.Re4 Lb3 105.Rd4 creates a zugzwang. way, but then let the enemy king escape,
XABCDEFGHY with an inevitable draw...

8-+-+R+-+(
Conclusion
7+k+-+-+-' According to the excellent researcher and
6-+-+-+-+& publisher of Chess Today, GM Alexander
Baburin, the defending side should avoid
5+K+-+-+-% two main situations:
4p+-+-+-+$ 1. His king is locked in the low right corner
(f2/f7, f1/f8, g2/g7, etc) with the rook cut-
3zPl+-+-+-# ting it off along the e-file.
2. His king is above the 4th (5th) rank and is
2-+-+-+-+" left of the e-file (i.e. the white king is on d5,
1+-+-+-+-! while Black has a rook on e4).
So, in conclusion, we can create a detailed
xabcdefghy guide of important facts:
102.Re7+? 1. The stronger side wants to sacrifice the
Letting the king out of the box. 102.Rd8 exchange back, when the defending king is
Kc7 103.Rd4 is secure. Now it's a draw... too far away.
102...Kc8 103.Kc6 Kd8 104.Rd7+ Ke8 2. Therefore the defending side must not
105.Kc7 Lc2 106.Rd2 Lb3 107.Re2+ allow his king to be pushed away beyond the
Kf7 108.Kd6 Lc4 109.Re7+ Kf8 c- or f-file.
110.Re4 Lb3 111.Kd7 Kf7 112.Rf4+ 3. The defending side should not move his
Kg6 113.Kd6 Kg5 114.Ke5 Kg6 king past the 4th (5th) rank either.
115.Rf3 Kg7 116.Rf6 Lc4 117.Kf5 Lb3 4. Usually the defending side should place
118.Kg5 Lc2 (D) his king in diagonal opposition to the enemy
And after all these useless moves, the ad- king (i.e. Kc2 vs. Ke4).
versaries decided that they had seen enough 5. The defending side does not want his king
and agreed to a draw. to be too close to his pawn either - there the
king will be in real danger.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 35
Rook & 3 Pawns vs. Bishop & 3 Pawns
Same Flank - Same colour-corner Bishop
Concept squared bishop implies a weakening of the
This particular type of ending (rook vs. f2-square. Therefore, Black must:
bishop) is often met in practice: 1. Bring his king to e1, forcing White to
XABCDEFGHY push the f-pawn to f4 in view of the threat of
...Rb2.
8-+-+-vlk+( 2. Then, Black will prepare the ...g5 advance
by placing his rook on g7.
7+-+-+pzpp' 46...Ke7 47.La2 h6 48.Lb3 Rc7 49.La2
6-+-+-+-+& Kd6 50.Kh3 Ke5 51.Kg4 Ra7 52.Lb3
Rb7 53.Ld1
5+-+-+-+-% 53.La2 Ke4! is even simpler.
4-+-+-+-+$ 53...Rb2 54.Kf3 Kd4 55.Le2 Rb3+
56.Kg2 Kc3 57.Lf3 Rb5 58.Lc6 Rc5
3+-+-+-+-# 59.Le8 Rc7 60.Kf1 Kd2 61.La4 Rc1+
2-+-+-zPPzP" 62.Kg2 Ke1 63.Lb3 Rc7 64.f4 Ke2
Commencing the second stage of the plan.
1+-+-+RmK-! 65.Ld5 Ke3 66.La8 f6! 67.Kg1 (D)
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
Rook & three pawns vs. Bishop and three 8L+-+-+-+(
pawns, on the same flank and symmetrical.
In this survey we will examine the case 7+-tr-+-+-'
when the bishop is moving on the same col- 6-+-+-zppzp&
our squares as his nearest pawn-corner.
5+-+-+-+-%
Speelman Jonathan
Kasparov Garry
4-+-+-zP-zP$
Graz 1981 3+-+-mk-zP-#
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+-+"
8-+-+-mk-+( 1+-+-+-mK-!
7+-+-+p+p' xabcdefghy
6-+-+-+p+& 67...Rg7! 68.Kg2 g5 69.hxg5 hxg5 70.fxg5
Rxg5!
5+-tr-+-+-% White resigned in view of 71.Lc6 f5
4-+-+-+-zP$ 72.Kh3 Kf2.
01
3+L+-+-zP-#
2-+-+-zPK+" Of course this is an oft repeated winning
motif and a trained chess player should
1+-+-+-+-! know the pros and cons of these positions.
xabcdefghy Grischuk Alexander
Such endings are easily won for the side Carlsen Magnus
with the rook. The presence of a light- Astana 2012
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 36
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-mk-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-mk(
7+-+-tR-+-' 7+-+-+-zp-'
6-zp-mK-+-+& 6-+-+Lzp-zp&
5zp-zp-+-+-% 5+-tr-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-+-zP-zP$
3zP-zP-+-+-# 3+-+-+-zP-#
2-zP-+-+l+" 2-+-+-+K+"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
This is another, recent, example, which 40...g6!
proves that specific knowledge of motifs Black slowly prepares the activation of his
counts... king and later on the application of the win-
49.b3 Lh1 50.Re2 Kb7 51.Rb2! Lf3 ning method.
52.b4! (D) 41.Lg4 Rc2+ 42.Kg1 Kg7 43.Lf3 Rb2
XABCDEFGHY 44.Ld5 Kf8 45.Le4 Kf7 46.Ld5+ Ke7
47.Le4 f5!
8-+-+-+-+( The ideal pawn structure is slowly formed!
7+k+-+-+-' 48.Ld5 Rd2 49.Lc6 Kf6 50.Lf3 Rc2
51.Ld5 Rc5 52.Lf3 Ke6 53.Lb7 Rc2
6-zp-mK-+-+& 54.Lf3 Kd6 55.Lb7 Rb2 56.Lf3 Kc5
57.Lg2 Kd4 58.Lf3 Ke3
5zp-zp-+-+-% And the king has arrived on e3 as well!
4-zP-+-+-+$ 59.Ld5 Rd2 60.La8 (D)

3zP-zP-+l+-# XABCDEFGHY
2-tR-+-+-+" 8L+-+-+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7+-+-+-+-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-+-+pzp&
Here it is again! 5+-+-+p+-%
52...cxb4 53.axb4 axb4 54.Rxb4! Le2
55.c4 Ka6 56.Kc6 Ka5 57.Rb5+ Ka4
4-+-+-zP-zP$
58.Kd5 3+-+-mk-zP-#
10
2-+-tr-+-+"
Modern chess players tend to think that
theory only applies to openings. This is a 1+-+-+-mK-!
very wrong attitude, as logic and practice xabcdefghy
have proven that theory counts for every part
of a game - see the next example as well: 60...Rd8!
The rook belongs behind the black g-pawn!
Wagner Florian 61.Lb7 g5 62.fxg5 hxg5 63.hxg5 Rg8
Herning Jens 64.Kh2 Rxg5 65.Lc8 Kf2 66.Lxf5 Rxf5
Nuremberg 2009 67.g4 Rg5 01
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 37
Pavlovic Dej Pap Gyula
Solomunovic I. Sahu Sekhar Chandra
Kraljevo 2011 Budapest 2010
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-vl-+-+(
7+-+-mkp+-' 7+R+-+-+-'
6R+-+-+p+& 6-+-+k+p+&
5+-+-zp-+-% 5+-+-+p+p%
4-+K+P+-+$ 4-+-mK-+-+$
3+-+-+PzP-# 3+-+-+-+P#
2-+-vl-+-+" 2-+-+-zPP+"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
An easily won position, as the black pawns 46...g5
cannot restrict the white king. As 46...Lf6+ 47.Kc4 Le5 48.Rb6+ Kf7
48.Kd5 Le1 49.Kxe5 Lxg3+ 50.Kd5 49.Kd5 Lc3 50.f4 is known to be won,
Le1 51.e5 Lc3 52.Ra7+ Kf8 53.Rc7 Black tries some alternative defence. But the
The simplest is 53.e6 fxe6+ (53...f5 54.Kd6 text move fatally loses control over the f5-
+) 54.Kxe6 Kg8 55.Ra2 Kg7 56.Rg2 square.
Ld4 57.f4, reaching a known winning posi- 47.f3 h4 48.Rb4 Lc7 49.Kc4 Ld6
tion. 50.Ra4 Lh2 51.Kb5 Lg3 52.Kc6 Ke5
53...Lb2 54.Rc2 La3 55.Rc7 Lb2 53.Rb4
56.Ke4 53.Ra2 Ke6 54.Re2+ Le5 55.Re1 Kf6
Obviously White wasn't familiar with the 56.Kd5 Lf4 57.Re6+ Kf7 probably goes
winning method. nowhere. White rightly tries to invade via
56...La3 57.Kf4 Le7 58.Rb7 Ke8 Black's back rank.
59.Rb8+ Kd7 60.Ke4 Lc5 61.Kd5 Le3 53...Ke6 54.Rb3 Le5 55.Rb5 Ld4
62.Rb7+ Ke8 63.e6! 56.Kc7 Lf6 57.Rb6+ Ke7 58.Ra6 Ld4
Finally! 59.Kc8 Lf6 60.Rb6 Ld4 61.Rb5 Ke6
63...fxe6+ 64.Kxe6 Kd8 65.Rd7+ Kc8 62.Kd8 Le5 63.Ke8 Ld6 64.Ra5 Lb4
66.Rd3 Lf4 67.Kf6 g5 68.Rd5 Kc7 65.Ra6+ Ld6 66.Rb6
Black resigned due to 69.Rxg5 Lxg5+ Black is in zugzwang and must allow the
70.Kxg5 +. way in to the white king.
10 66...Ke5 67.Kf7 g4 68.Rxd6! gxh3
69.gxh3 10
The following two examples indicate an
alternative plan for the stronger side. Some-
times it is quite effective and sometimes, if
In this simple ending there are many op- not properly applied, can only cause head-
tions for both sides, some good and others aches. I would surely prefer the tried and
bad (depends of course on which is your tested path
side!), so we might examine some interest- Espig Lutz
ing cases, where something out of the ordi- Wagner Florian
nary happened. Germany 2009
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 38
XABCDEFGHY Sibenik 2010

8-+-+-+k+( XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+p+p' 8-+-+-+k+(
6-+-+-+p+& 7+-vl-+pzp-'
5+-+-+-+-% 6-+-+-+-zp&
4-vl-+-+-+$ 5+-+-+-+-%
3+-+-+-zP-# 4L+-+-+-+$
2-+-+-zP-zP" 3+-+-vL-zPP#
1+-+-+RmK-! 2-tr-+-zPK+"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
37.g4 Kg7 38.Kg2 Kf6 39.Rb1 Ld2 xabcdefghy
40.Rb5! 54...g5
Preparing the h4-h5 plan. With hindsight, I would have preferred
40...Lc1 41.Kf3 Lg5 42.Ke4 Ld2 43.f4 54...Lb6 55.Lxb6 Rxb6 56.h4 g6 +.
h6?! 55.Ld7 Lb6 56.Lxb6 Rxb6 57.Lf5 Kg7
This gives White an easy game. Black 58.Le4 Rb3 59.Lc2 Rc3 60.Lb1 Kf6
should hold his h-pawn back: 43...Kg7 61.La2 Ra3 62.Lc4 h5 63.Le2 h4?!
44.h4 Kf6 45.h5 Kg7 when White can go Although this must win, it gives Black some
for: more problems to solve en route. The calm
a) 46.hxg6? hxg6 47.g5 Lc3 48.Rc5 Lb2 63...Kg6 64.Ld1 Ra1 65.Lc2+ Kf6
49.Kd5 Kg8 50.Kc6 Ld4 51.Rc4 Lb2 66.Ld3 Ra4 67.Le2 h4 was fine.
52.Kd7 f6! (52...Kg7? 53.Ke8 f5 [53...f6 64.gxh4 gxh4
54.Rc7+ Kg8 55.gxf6 Lxf6 56.Rc2 +] Now Black should opt for exchanging the f-
54.Ke7 Kg8 55.Rc8+ Kg7 56.Ke6 La1 pawns, reaching a won ending.
57.Ra8 Ld4 58.Kd5 Lb2 59.Ra2 Lc3 65.Lf3 Ke5 66.Lb7 Kd4 67.Lc6 Ra6
60.Ra3 Lb2 61.Rb3 and Black loses: 68.Le8 Rf6 69.Kf1 Kd3 70.Lb5+ Kd2
61...La1 62.Rb7+ Kf8 63.Kc4 Kg8 71.Lc4 Rf5 72.Lb3 f6 73.Le6 Rf3
64.Rb1 Lg7 65.Rb8+ Kf7 66.Rb7+ Kf8 74.Ld7 Rf4 75.Le6 Re4 76.Ld7 Re7
67.Rxg7 Kxg7 68.Kd5+) 53.gxf6 77.Lc8 Rg7 78.Le6 Kd3 79.Lf5+ Kd4
(53.Ke6 fxg5 54.fxg5 Kg7 =) 53...Kf7 =. 80.Lc2 Ke5 81.La4 Rc7 82.Le8 Ke4
b) 46.Rb2! Le1 47.Rh2 gxh5 (47...Lc3 83.Lg6+ f5 84.Le8 Rc8 85.Lh5 Rf8
48.h6+ Kf8 49.Rc2 +) 48.Rxh5 (for the 86.Ke2 Kf4 87.Kf1 Rg8 88.Lf7 Rd8
48.gxh5 pawn structure see the next game) 89.Lh5 Ke4 90.Kg2 Rg8+ 91.Kf1 Rh8
48...h6 49.Rf5 Ld2 50.Ke5 Kg6 51.Rf6+ 92.Ld1 Rc8 93.Kg2 Rg8+ 94.Kf1 Rg7
Kg7 52.Rc6 Le3 53.f5 Lg5 54.Kd6 Kf6 95.Lc2+ Kf4 96.Ld1 Rc7 97.Kg2 (D)
55.Kd7+ Kg7 (55...Ke5 56.Ke8 f6 (see next diagram)
57.Rc4 +) 56.Ke8 +.
44.h4 Le1 45.h5 Ld2 97...Rc3! After many useless moves, Black
45...gxh5 46.Rxh5 was examined above. found the correct strategy; to cut off the
But now White can achieve a passed pawn. white king and try to place his f-pawn on f3.
46.Rb6+ Kg7 47.hxg6! fxg6 48.Ke5 98.Lh5 Ke4 99.Lg6 Rc7 100.Kf1 Rg7
Lc3+ 49.Ke6 10 101.Le8 Kd3 102.Lc6 Kd2 103.Ld5
Rc7 104.Le6 f4 105.Lg4 Rc3!
Malakhov Vladimir Going again in the correct direction after
Bologan Viktor some 'tries'....
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 39
XABCDEFGHY But why should the weaker side place his
pawns on h5 and g6 (h4 & g3)?
8-+-+-+-+( If we can borrow a financial term and
think about the value of economy, we can
7+-tr-+-+-' easily understand that the pawns should be
6-+-+-+-+& placed on the opposite colour of the squares
of the bishop.
5+-+-+p+-% Well, this is the best by test pawn forma-
4-+-+-mk-zp$ tion and the following two examples can
help to prove it.
3+-+-+-+P# Reinecker Kai
2-+-+-zPK+" Ivaska Romas
Germany 2010
1+-+L+-+-! XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy 8-+-+-+-+(
106.Kg2
106.Lf5 f3 is curtains, so White must give 7+-+-+pzpk'
ground to the black king.
106...Ke1 107.Lh5 Ra3 108.Lg4 Ra2 6-+K+-+-zp&
109.Kf3 Rxf2+ 110.Ke4 Rf1 111.Lf3
Kf2 112.Kxf4 Rb1 (D)
5+-+-vl-+-%
XABCDEFGHY 4-+-+-+-+$
8-+-+-+-+( 3+-+-+-+-#
7+-+-+-+-' 2-+-+-zPPzP"
6-+-+-+-+& 1+R+-+-+-!
5+-+-+-+-% xabcdefghy
33...f6
4-+-+-mK-zp$ Weakening the light squares and placing the
pawns on the same colour squares as the
3+-+-+L+P# bishop's cannot be a correct strategy. Black
2-+-+-mk-+" had to fight with 33...g6.
34.Kd7 g5 35.Ke6 Kg6 36.h3 h5 37.g4
1+r+-+-+-! hxg4 38.hxg4
xabcdefghy And now White, by some rook check, will
win either the f5 or the f7-square for his
A won ending has arisen - White has little to
king.
fight for.
38...Ld4 39.f3 Le5 40.Rc1 Lb2 41.Rc8
113.Lc6 Rb4+ 114.Ke5 Kg3 115.Ld7 Kg7
Rc4 116.Le6 Rc1 117.Lg4 Ra1
41...Le5 42.Rg8+ Kh7 43.Kf7 Ld4
118.Lc8 Rc1 119.Lg4 Rc7 120.Kd4
Rg7 121.Le6 Kg2 44.Rg6 +.
42.Kf5 Le5 43.Rd8 Kf7 44.Rd7+ Ke8
121...Rg6! 122.Lc8 Rg8 123.Lf5 Rf8
45.Ke6
124.Le6 Rd8+ 125.Kc5 Rd2 was good.
And next comes the Rf7-xf6 continuation.
122.Kd3 Re7 123.Lg4 Kf2 124.Kd4
Re3 125.Kd5 Kg2 10
White resigned: 126.Kd4 Rxh3 Fressinet Laurent
127.Lxh3+ Kxh3 128.Ke3 Kg2. 01 Petrosian Tigran L.
Paris 2009
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 40
XABCDEFGHY usual method.
46.Kg2 Ke7 47.Kf3 Ld4 48.Ra2 Ke6
8-+-+-+-+( 49.Ke4 Lc5 50.Ra6+ Kd7 51.f4 Ke7 (D)
7+-+-+-+-' XABCDEFGHY
6-+-+-zp-zp& 8-+-+-+-+(
5+-+r+-zp-% 7+-+-mkp+-'
4-+-+-mkP+$ 6R+-+-+p+&
3+-+-+-+P# 5+-vl-+-+p%
2-+-+LzPK+" 4-+-+KzP-+$
1+-+-+-+-! 3+-+-+-zP-#
xabcdefghy 2-+-+-+-zP"
Again Black has an easy task, as White has 1+-+-+-+-!
given up important squares such as f4.
54.Lc4 Rd2 55.La6 Rb2 56.Lc8 Ke4 xabcdefghy
So, Black's plan should be to force White to 52.f5!
move his f-pawn as well. Then the black But here an extra chance is not kicked away!
king will have a party on the e3-, f4- and g3- Usually this is a blunder when the black king
squares! is on g7 and the bishop on the long diagonal.
57.La6 Kd4 58.Kf3 Rb3+ 59.Kg2 Kc3 Here we have an exception; Black is forced
60.h4 Kd2 61.hxg5 hxg5 62.Lc4 Rc3 to capture and destroy his pawn structure.
63.Ld5 Ke1 64.f3 Ke2 65.Kg3 Ke3 52...gxf5+ 53.Kxf5
66.Le4 Rc1 67.Lb7 Rg1+ 68.Kh2 Kf2 But now the white king will try to penetrate
01 or simply attack Black's h-pawn.
53...Le3 54.Ra2 Lh6 55.Ra7+ Kf8
Some extra chances might arise from time
56.Kf6
to time - see the following two games:
10
Croad Nicholas
Bennett Hilton Petrie Roktim Bandyopadhyay
Queenstown 2009 Swapnil S Dhopade
New Delhi 2007
XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+k+pvl-'
7+-+-+-+p'
6R+-+-+p+&
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-+p%
5+-mk-+p+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
4-+-+-zP-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
3+-+-+-zP-#
2-+-+-zP-zP"
2-+r+-+LzP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
1+-+-+K+-!
xabcdefghy
White has a won position and can go for the
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 41
White is late to form a decent defence, so Siebrecht Sebastian
here we can see another winning motif: Brandenburg Daan
39.h4 Rxg2! Dieren 2010
The pawn ending is clearly won for Black. XABCDEFGHY
40.Kxg2 Kd4 41.h5
41.Kf3 Kd3 42.Kf2 h6 43.Kf3 Kd2 8-+-+-+k+(
44.Kf2 h5 +. 7+-+-+p+-'
41...gxh5 42.Kh3 Ke3 43.Kh4 Kf3
44.Kxh5 Kxg3 45.Kg5 h5! 46.Kxf5 h4 6-+-+-+pzp&
47.Kg5 h3 48.f5 h2 49.f6 h1Q
01
5+L+-+-+-%
Obviously, the weaker side might have 4-+-+-+-zP$
some problems in defending well. This can 3+-+-+-zP-#
be exacerbated by numerous sporting prob-
lems: time trouble, ignorance, fatigue, etc. 2-+-+-zPK+"
Carlsen Magnus
1+-tr-+-+-!
Ponomariov Ruslan xabcdefghy
Moscow 2007 39.g4
XABCDEFGHY A horrible move! White had to play 39.f4
and get his bishop to the long diagonal - but
8-+-+-vlk+( Black still wins.
7+-+R+p+-' 39...g5 40.hxg5 hxg5 41.Kf3 Re1 42.Ld3
Kg7 43.Lf5 Kf6 44.Ld7 Ke5 45.Le8 f6
6-+-+-+p+& 46.Ld7 Ra1 47.Lc8 Ra3+ 48.Kg2 Kf4
5+-+-+-+p% 49.Le6
Here Black found a quicker way to force the
4-+-+-+-+$ white pawn onto f3.
49...Ra8! 50.Lf5 Rh8 51.Ld7 Rh4
3+-+-+-zPP# 52.Le6
2-+-+-zPK+" 52.f3 Rh7 53.Lf5 Rb7 +.
52...Rxg4+! 53.Lxg4 Kxg4 54.f3+ Kf4
1+-+-+-+-! 55.Kf2 f5
xabcdefghy 01
64...Kg7 65.Kf3 Lc5 66.Rd2 Kf6 Recalde Augusto
67.Ke4 Kg7 68.Rc2 Lb6 69.Kd5 La7 Britez Jorge
70.Kd6 Ld4 71.Kd7 Kf6 Asuncion 2008
A 'blitz' move that loses quickly. 71...Le5
(see next diagram)
72.Ke8 f5 73.f4 Ld4 74.Ke7 is also known
to lose! 40.g4?
72.Ke8 Ke6 73.Rc6+ Kd5 74.Rc2 Ke6 White had no clue of the winning method, so
75.Re2+! Kf6 76.Re7 he easily falls into a drawn position.
And a pawn is gone as well. 40...hxg4 41.hxg4 Le1 42.Rb7+ Kf6
76...g5 77.Rxf7+ Ke6 78.g4 hxg4 79.hxg4 43.Rb6+ Kg7 44.f5 gxf5+ 45.Kxf5
Lf6 80.Kf8 Ke5 81.Kg8 Ke6 82.Rf8 45.gxf5 Ld2 is another drawn position.
Le7 83.Rf5 45...Lc3 46.Rb7 Kf8 47.g5 Ke8
83.Re8 Kf6 84.Rxe7 Kxe7 85.Kg7 + 48.Rb8+ Ke7 49.Rb3 Lg7 50.Rh3 Kf8
was winning as well. 51.Rh7 Kg8 52.g6
10 A last try...
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 42
XABCDEFGHY White had to play 43.g4! fixing the pawn on
g5. Then he needs to force Black to push the
8-+-+-+-+( f-pawn, so the white king can get access to
the e6-square: 43...Kf6 44.Kg2 Ke6
7+-+-mkp+-' 45.Kf3 f5 46.h3 Le7 47.Rb6+ Ld6
6-tR-+-+p+& 48.Ra6 Kd5 49.Ke3 Ke5 50.Ra5+ Ke6
51.Kd4 Lf4 52.Ra6+ Kf7 53.Kd5 Lh2
5+-+-+-+p% (53...fxg4 54.hxg4 Lh2 55.Re6 Lf4
4-+-+KzP-+$ 56.Re4 Lh2 57.Kc6 Lb8 58.Kd7 Kf6
59.Re6+ Kf7 60.Re3 Lf4 [60...Lh2
3+-vl-+-zPP# 61.Rf3+ Kg7 {61...Lf4 62.Rxf4+ gxf4
2-+-+-+-+" 63.g5 +} 62.Ke6 Lb8 63.Rf7+ Kg8
64.Kf6 +] 61.Rf3 Kf6 62.Ke8 Ke6
1+-+-+-+-! 63.Ra3 Ld2 64.Ra6+ +) 54.Kc6 Lf4
55.Kd7 Lh2 56.Ra5 Kf6 57.Ke8 Lf4
xabcdefghy 58.Ra6+ Kg7 59.Ke7 and soon White will
52...fxg6+? play Ke6 and Ra7+, getting access to the
And Black falls into the trap. He could have f6-square.
drawn by 52...Kf8. 43...g4! 44.Kf1
53.Kxg6 Lb2 54.Rb7 La3 55.Ra7 Lc5 Now White's only plan is to go to e6 with his
56.Ra8+ Lf8 57.Rb8 king and then try to play f3.
10 44...f5 45.Ke2 Lf6 46.Kd3 La1 47.Kc4
A rare case is that of doubled pawns. It Kf7 48.Ra5 Lb2 49.Ra2 Le5 50.Kd5
shouldnt be that much of a problem for the Lc3 51.Kd6 Ld4 52.Kd7 Lc3 53.Kd6
stronger side, but still Ld4 54.Kd5 Lc3 55.Ra3 Lb2 56.Rb3
La1 (D)
Stokke Kjetil
Djurhuus Rune XABCDEFGHY
Bergen 2009 8-+-+-+-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+-+-+k+-'
8-+-vl-+-+( 6-+-+-+p+&
7+-+-+pmk-' 5+-+K+p+-%
6-+-+-+p+& 4-+-+-+p+$
5+R+-+-zp-% 3+R+-+-zP-#
4-+-+-+-+$ 2-+-+-zP-zP"
3+-+-+-zP-# 1vl-+-+-+-!
2-+-+-zP-zP" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-mK-! 57.f3! gxf3 58.Rxf3 Lf6 59.h4?
xabcdefghy But this throws away the win. White should
have opted for 59.Rf1 Kg7 60.Ke6 Lb2
In such endgames, the defender can often
61.Rb1 Ld4 62.Rb7+ Kh6 (62...Kg8
build up a fortress, placing his pawns on
63.h4 +) 63.Rb4 Le3 64.Kf6 Lg5+
light squares and controlling the dark
65.Kf7 Le3 66.Rb8 +.
squares with his bishop. The pawn on g5
59...Ld8 60.Rc3
makes this position unusual though.
60.h5 gxh5 61.Rxf5+ Kg6 62.Ke6 Lg5 =.
43.Kg2?!
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 43
60...La5 61.Ra3 Le1 62.Ke5 Kg7 XABCDEFGHY
63.Rd3
Or 63.h5 Kh6 64.hxg6 Kxg6 =. 8-+-+-+k+(
63...Kh6 64.Kf4 Lb4 65.Rd7 La3 7+R+-+-+-'
66.Rd1 Kh5 67.Kf3 Kh6 68.Ke3 Kh5
69.Kf4 Lb2 70.Rd6 Lc1+ 71.Kf3 La3 6-+-+K+p+&
72.Rc6 Lb4 73.Rc7 Kh6 74.Rd7 La3
75.Rb7 Ld6 76.Rb6 Lc7 77.Rc6 La5
5+-+-+p+p%
78.Ra6 Ld2 79.Re6 Lc1 80.Re5 Ld2 4-+-+-zP-zP$
81.h5 Kxh5 82.g4+ Kg5 83.Rxf5+ gxf5
84.gxf5 Kxf5 3+-+-+-zP-#
So, by now we have concluded that, apply- 2-+-+-+-+"
ing the methods examined, it shouldnt be a
great problem to convert the material advan-
1vl-+-+-+-!
tage to a win. But there is still another case! xabcdefghy
Had the stronger side placed his h-pawn on
Here Black smartly offered a draw and
h4 (h5) at some earlier stage, he would then
White (wrongly) accepted as he could not
be compelled to employ an alternative win-
find out how to proceed...
ning plan, one containing numerous tactical
nuances and complicated lines. Example 1
Hammar Bengt XABCDEFGHY
Cebalo Miso
Arco 2010 8-+-+-+-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7+L+-+-+-'
8-+-+-+-+( 6-+-+-+p+&
7+-+-+pmk-' 5+-+-+p+p%
6-+-+-vlp+& 4-+-+-zP-zP$
5+-+-+-+p% 3+-+-mk-zP-#
4-tR-+-zP-zP$ 2-+r+-+-+"
3+-+-tRKzP-# 1+-+-+-mK-!
2-+r+-+-+" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-+-! Here is the way to do the job; the following
breakthrough is the only way for the
xabcdefghy stronger side to prevail.
55...Rc3?! 1...g5!
It should be better for Black to postpone the The only way, as the pawn ending resulting
rook exchange as long as he could. Now from 1...Rc7 2.La8 Ra7 3.Lc6 Kd4
White has a free hand, as Black is lacking 4.Kf2 Kc5 5.Lf3 Ra2+ 6.Kf1 Ra3
any counterplay. 7.Kf2 Rxf3+ 8.Kxf3 Kd4 9.Kf2! is
56.Rxc3 Lxc3 57.Rb3 Ld4 58.Ke4 La1 drawn.
59.Kd5 Lf6 60.Kd6 Ld4 61.Ke7 f5 2.hxg5
Sooner or later, as White is threatening Ke8 No help is offered by 2.fxg5 f4 3.gxf4 (3.g6
and Rb7, Black will be forced to play this f3 4.g7 Rg2+ 5.Kf1 Rxg3) 3...Kxf4, when
move. the white pawns will be lost.
62.Ke6 La1 63.Rb7+ Kg8 (D) 2...h4 3.gxh4
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 44
Not 3.g6 Rc7!. Example 2 - Study Moscow 1973
3...Rc7! XABCDEFGHY
A very accurate move. 3...Rf2? seems to
lead to a draw after 4.Lg2!! (4.Lc8 Rxf4 8-+-+-+-+(
5.Kg2) 4...Rxf4 5.Lh3! Rxh4 6.Lxf5
Rh5 7.Ld7 Rxg5+, despite the fact that 7+-+-+-+-'
the white king is near the wrong corner. 6-+-+-+p+&
3...Kxf4? also fails to achieve the aim: 4.g6
Rc7 5.h5! (5.Ld5? Kg3 6.Kf1 f4!). 5+-+L+p+p%
4.Ld5 Rh7! 5.Le6 (D) 4-+-+-zP-zP$
XABCDEFGHY 3+-+-mk-zP-#
8-+-+-+-+( 2-tr-+-+-+"
7+-+-+-+r' 1+-+-+K+-!
6-+-+L+-+& xabcdefghy
5+-+-+pzP-% This study by R.Kholmov & R.Huebner is
also valuable.
4-+-+-zP-zP$ 1.Lc6 Rd2 2.Kg1 Rd6 3.Lb7 g5! 4.fxg5
3+-+-mk-+-# 4.hxg5 h4 5.Kg2 (5.gxh4 Kxf4 6.Kg2
Kg4 7.Lc8 Rg6 8.Kh2 Rc6 9.Ld7
2-+-+-+-+" Rc2+ 10.Kg1 Kg3 11.Kf1 f4 12.Ke1 f3
1+-+-+-mK-! 13.Lb5 f2+ 14.Kd1 Rb2 15.Ld3 Rb1+
+) 5...hxg3 6.Kxg3 Rd4 7.Lg2 Rxf4
xabcdefghy 8.Lh3 Rf3+ 9.Kh4 Kf4 10.g6 Re3 11.g7
5...Ke4! Rg3 12.Lxf5 Rxg7 13.Ld3 Rd7 14.Lg6
5...Kxf4 6.g6 Rxh4 7.Kf2 Rg4 8.Lf7 Rd8 +.
Ke4 9.Le8 Ke5 10.Kf3 is also fine. 4...f4 5.gxf4 Kxf4 6.Kf2 Rd2+ 7.Kf1
6.g6 7.Ke1 Rh2 8.g6 Rxh4 9.Lc8 Kf3
6.Kg2 Rxh4 7.Lf7 Rg4+ 8.Kh3 Kxf4 +. 10.Kd2 Rd4+ 11.Kc3 Rd1 +.
6...Rxh4 7.Lf7 Rxf4 8.Kg2 Ke3 9.Kh3 7...Kg3 8.g6 Rd4 9.Lc8 Rf4+ 10.Kg1
Rg4 10.Le6 Kf4 11.Lf7 Rg3+ 12.Kh4 Rc4 11.La6 Rc1+ 12.Lf1 Rc7 13.Lb5
Rg1 13.Kh3 Ke3 (D) (D)
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+L+-' 7+-tr-+-+-'
6-+-+-+P+& 6-+-+-+P+&
5+-+-+p+-% 5+L+-+-+p%
4-+-+-+-+$ 4-+-+-+-zP$
3+-+-mk-+K# 3+-+-+-mk-#
2-+-+-+-+" 2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-tr-! 1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
01
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 45
13...Rg7! 14.Le8 Re7 15.Lb5 Kxh4 Radev Nikolai
16.Kf2 Kg5 17.Ld3 Rd7 18.Lb1 Kf4 Pribyl Josef
19.Kg2 Rd2+ 20.Kh3 Rb2 21.g7 Rb3+ Tbilisi 1971
22.Kh2 Rg3 XABCDEFGHY
White wins the pawn and should win the
game. But his win isn't really trivial! Play 8-+-+-+k+(
might continue: 7+-+-+-+-'
23.La2 Rxg7 24.Le6 h4 25.Lh3 Re7
26.Lc8 (D) 6-+-+K+p+&
XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-+p+p%
8-+L+-+-+( 4-+-+-zP-zP$
7+-+-tr-+-' 3+-+R+-zP-#
6-+-+-+-+& 2-vl-+-+-+"
5+-+-+-+-% 1+-+-+-+-!
4-+-+-mk-zp$ xabcdefghy
3+-+-+-+-# 52.g4! hxg4
A tougher defence is 52...fxg4 53.f5 gxf5
2-+-+-+-mK" 54.Kxf5 Kf7 (54...La1 55.Kg6 +) and
1+-+-+-+-! now White has two winning continuations:
a) 55.Rd7+ Kf8 (55...Ke8 56.Rh7 g3
xabcdefghy 57.Rxh5 Lc1 58.Kf6 [58.Rh7? Lg5! =]
26...h3!! 58...Kd7 [58...g2 59.Rh8+ Kd7 60.Rg8
This is standard technique for such positions + ; 58...Lb2+ 59.Ke6 +] 59.Rd5+ Ke8
- Black gets rid of the pawn, but can then [59...Kc6 60.Rd8 Le3 61.Rg8 +]
attack the enemy king from all directions 60.Re5+ Kd7 [60...Kf8 61.Rc5 Lb2+
(the pawn acted as a shelter for the white 62.Kg6 +] 61.Re4 La3 62.Rg4 +)
king!). 56.Kg6! (56.Rh7? g3 57.Rxh5 Lc1
27.Lxh3 [57...Kf7 58.Rg5 Lf6 59.Rg4 Ke7 60.h5
27.Kxh3 Rg7 28.La6 Rg3+ 29.Kh2 Kf3 +] 58.Kf6 Kg8 [58...Lb2+ 59.Kg6 Lc1
30.Lc4 Kf2 31.La2 Rd3 32.Lb1 Rd1 60.Rf5+ Ke7 61.Rf3 +] 59.Rc5 Le3
33.Lc2 Rd2 34.Lf5 Rd5 35.Lg4 Rd6 [59...Lb2+ 60.Kg6 +] 60.Rc7 [60.Rc4
36.Lh5 Rh6 +. Lf2 61.Rg4+ Kh7 62.h5 Kh6 =]
27...Re2+ 28.Kg1 Kf3! 29.Ld7 Rg2+ 60...Lb6! [60...Ld4+? 61.Kg6 Kf8
30.Kf1 Rf2+ 31.Ke1 Ke3 32.Le6 Rf6 62.Rc2 Ke7 {62...Lf2 63.Re2! +}
33.Ld5 Rd6 34.Lf7 Rd7 35.Le6 Re7 63.Re2+ Kd6 64.Rg2 Lf2 65.h5 Ke5
36.Lh3 Rh7 37.Lg2 Ra7 38.Kd1 Ra1+ 66.h6 Kf4 67.h7 Ld4 68.Kh5 Kf3
39.Kc2 Ra2+ 40.Kb3 Rxg2 01 69.Rd2 Lf6 70.Rd6 Le5 71.Rd3+ Kf2
72.Kg4 g2 73.Rd2+ Kf1 74.Kf3 +]
By now we have understood the motif that 61.Rg7+ [61.Rb7 g2 62.Rg7+ Kf8
leads to the trivial win. 63.Rxg2 Ld8+ = ; 61.Rc2 Kh7! 62.Kf5
Well, not that trivial, since the stronger Lf2 =] 61...Kf8 62.Rxg3 Ld8+ =) 56...g3
side has to be careful to avoid some tactical
57.Rd5 Lc1 58.Rd8+! (an important in-
problems and some drawn positions.
termediate check that prevents the bishop
Surely, the defence is extremely difficult
from accessing e3 in the future - 58.Rd3
for the defender as well; this is not a picnic - Lf4 59.Rd8+! [59.Rf3? g2 60.Rxf4+
but on the other hand, he has nothing to lose Kg8 61.Kxh5 g1Q 62.Rg4+ Qxg4+
but a lost position!
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 46
63.Kxg4 = ; 59.Rd1? Le3! =] 59...Ke7 Or 56...Kh6 57.Ke5 Ld2 58.Rg5 +.
60.Rd1 +) 58...Ke7 59.Rd1 La3 57.Rxf4 Kg5 58.Ke5 g3 59.Ke4 g2
(59...Le3 60.Re1 + ; 59...Lf4 60.Kxh5 60.Rf8 Kh4 61.Rg8
+) 60.Rg1! (60.Kxh5? Lc5 =) 60...Ld6 10
61.Kxh5 Kf6 62.Kg4 Kg6 63.Re1 Lb8
64.h5+ Kh6 65.Re6+ Kh7 66.Rg6 Lc7 Svetushkin Dmitry
67.Kf5 Lb8 68.Rb6! +. Dreev Alexey
b) 55.Kg5 Le5 56.Kxh5 g3 57.Rd2 Kf6 Moscow 2009
58.Kg4 Kg6 59.Re2 Lb8 60.h5+ Kh6 XABCDEFGHY
61.Re6+ Kh7 62.Rg6 Lc7 63.Kf5 Lb8
64.Rb6! + (64.h6 Lf4 [64...Le5 65.Kg5 8-+-+-+-+(
Lf4+ 66.Kh5 +] 65.Kf6 Lc1 66.Rxg3
Lb2+ 67.Kg5 Lc1+ 68.Kh5 Lxh6
7+-+-+p+-'
69.Rc3 Ld2 [69...Lg7 70.Rc7 Kg8 6-+-+-mkp+&
71.Kg6 + ; 69...Lf4 70.Rf3 Le5
71.Rf7+ Kg8 72.Kg6 +] 70.Rc7+ Kg8
5+-+-+-+p%
71.Kg6 Kf8 72.Kf6! Ke8 73.Ke6 Kf8 4-+-vl-+-zP$
[73...Kd8 74.Rd7+ +] 74.Rf7+ Kg8
[74...Ke8 75.Rf2 Le3 76.Re2 +] 75.Kf6 3+-+-+KzP-#
+). 2-+R+-zP-+"
53.h5 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+-+-!
8-+-+-+k+( xabcdefghy
White must first force Black to play ...f5.
7+-+-+-+-' 59.Ke4 La1 60.Rc6+ Ke7 61.Kd5 Kf8
6-+-+K+p+& 62.Rc4 Ke7 63.Re4+ Kf8 64.Kd6 Lc3
65.Kd7 Lb2 66.Ra4 Lc3 67.Ra8+ Kg7
5+-+-+p+P% 68.Ke8 Ld4 69.Ra2 f5
69...Kg8 70.Rd2 Lc5 71.f3 and Black
4-+-+-zPp+$ must sooner or later play 71...f5.
3+-+R+-+-# 70.Ke7 Lf6+ 71.Ke6
Back to the critical (for the white king) e6-
2-vl-+-+-+" square.
1+-+-+-+-! 71...Ld4 72.Rd2 Lc3 73.Rd7+ Kg8
74.Rd3 Lb2 75.Kd5 Kf7 76.Rb3 La1
xabcdefghy 77.Kc4 Le5 78.Kd5 La1 79.Rb7+ Kf8
53...Kg7 80.f3 Lc3 81.Rc7 Lb2 82.Ke6 Kg8
Or 53...gxh5 54.Kxf5 Kg7 (54...Lc1 83.f4!
55.Kg6 Kf8 56.f5 +) 55.Rd7+ Kh6 After some 'checking' White proceeds with
(55...Kg8 56.Kg6 + ; 55...Kf8 56.Rh7 the correct plan.
+) 56.Rd6+ Kh7 (56...Kg7 57.Kg5 Lc1 83...Ld4 84.Rd7 Lc3 85.Rd3 Lb2
58.Rd3 +) 57.Kg5 Lc1 58.Rh6+ Kg8 86.Rd8+?!
59.Rxh5 +. From now on, White plays the endgame ter-
54.hxg6 Kxg6 55.Rd5 Lc1 ribly badly, allowing Black to escape with a
Black cannot be saved by either 55...Kh5 draw. After the correct 86.g4! Black's days
56.Kxf5 Kh4 (56...g3 57.Rd1 +) would be numbered...
57.Rd6! Lc1 (57...Kh3 58.Rh6+ Kg3 86...Kg7 87.Rd7+ Kg8 88.g4?!
59.Rg6 +) 58.Rh6+ Kg3 59.Rg6 +. 88.Rd2! Lc3 89.Rd3 Lb2 90.g4! +.
56.Rxf5 Lxf4 88...hxg4 89.h5?!

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 47


89.Rd1 Kg7 90.h5 was a better try, al- XABCDEFGHY
though it is not certain that White can pre-
vail. 8-+-+-+-+(
89...gxh5 90.Kxf5 g3! 91.Rd2 h4 92.Kg4
Lf6 7+-+-+Ltr-'
And Black secured his pawns - White cannot 6-+-+-+P+&
win any more.
93.Rg2 5+-+-+p+k%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+K+-!
Zilka Stepan xabcdefghy
Fodor Tamas Jr And this is a theoretical drawn position -
Olbia 2008 Black cannot win with his trapped rook!
XABCDEFGHY 92...Kg5 93.Kg1 Kf4 94.Kf2 Ke4
95.Ke2 f4 96.Kf2 Ke5 97.Kf3 Kf5
8L+-+-+-+( 98.Kf2 Ke4 99.Ke2 f3+ 100.Kf2 Kf4
7+-tr-+-+-' 101.Kf1 Ke3 102.Ke1 f2+ 103.Kf1 Kf3
104.Ld5+ Kf4 105.Kxf2 Rxg6
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+p+p%
Debashish Das
4-+-+-zP-zP$ Himanshu Sharma
3+-+-mk-zP-# Kolkata 2008

2-+-+-+-+" XABCDEFGHY
1+-+-+K+-! 8-+-+-+-+(
xabcdefghy 7+-+-+pmk-'
86...g5! 6-+-+-+p+&
86...Rc2 87.Ld5 Rd2 88.Lc6 Rd6 5+-+-+-+p%
89.Lb7 g5 is a well-known position already.
But the text move is fine as well. 4-+r+-+-zP$
87.hxg5 3+-+-wQPzP-#
87.fxg5 f4 88.gxf4 Kxf4 89.Ld5 Rg7 +.
87...h4 88.gxh4 2-wq-+LmK-+"
88.Kg2 hxg3 89.Kxg3 Rc4 +.
88...Kxf4?
1+-+-+-+-!
88...Rh7! is the correct way - the black rook xabcdefghy
should collect the pawns and then it should Black has won the exchange and he should
be placed behind the white g-pawn: 89.Ld5 now exchange queens, seeking the well-
(89.Kg2 Rxh4 90.Lf3 Kxf4 91.g6 Rh6 known position.
+) 89...Rxh4 90.g6 Rxf4+ 91.Ke1 Rg4 65.Qd3 Rc2 66.Qe3 Qc3 67.Qe4 Qc5+
+. 68.Qe3 Kf6 69.f4 Kg7 70.Qxc5 Rxc5
89.g6! Rg7 90.h5 Kg4 91.Ld5 Kxh5 71.Ld1 Rc3 72.Lf3 Kf6 73.Ld5 Rc5
92.Lf7 (D) 74.Lb3 Rb5 75.Lc4 Rb4 76.Ld5 Rd4
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 48
77.Lb3 Rd2+ 78.Ke3 Rg2 79.Kf3 Rb2 Accurate was 111...Rd8 112.Kh6 Rh8+
80.Lc4 Ke7 81.Ld5 Rc2 82.Ke3 Rc3+ 113.Kg6 Rg8+ 114.Kf6 Rxg5 +.
83.Kf2 Rc7 84.Kg2 Kd6 85.Le4 Kc5 112.Kh6 Rb4 113.Lf3 Rf4 114.Lh5
86.La8 Kd4 87.Kg1 Ke3 88.Ld5 f6 Ra4 115.g6 Kf6 116.g7 Ra8 117.Lg6
89.Kg2 Rd7 90.Lc6 Rd2+ 91.Kg1 Rb2 Rg8 118.Lxf5 Rxg7 (D)
92.Ld5 Rc2 93.Lb7 Kd4 94.La8 f5 XABCDEFGHY
95.Lb7 Ke3 96.Ld5 Rd2 97.Lc6 Rd6
98.Lb7 Rd1+ 99.Kg2 Rd2+ 100.Kg1 8-+-+-+-+(
Rb2 101.Ld5 Rb5 102.Lc6 Rc5
103.Lb7 Rb5 104.Lc6 Rb6 105.Ld5
7+-+-+-tr-'
Rd6 106.Lb7 (D) 6-+-+-mk-mK&
XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-+L+-%
8-+-+-+-+( 4-+-+-+-+$
7+L+-+-+-' 3+-+-+-+-#
6-+-tr-+p+& 2-+-+-+-+"
5+-+-+p+p% 1+-+-+-+-!
4-+-+-zP-zP$ xabcdefghy
3+-+-mk-zP-# White succeeded in exchanging all pawns,
but the unfortunate position of the white
2-+-+-+-+" king decides.
1+-+-+-mK-! 119.Lb1
119.Lh3 Rg3 120.Ld7 Rd3 121.Lg4
xabcdefghy Rd2 +.
I have noticed that the winning method is 119...Rg1 120.Le4 Rg4 121.Lf3 Rh4+
applied when everything else has been tried 122.Lh5 Rh2 01
already! This is probably due to the 'fear' of
the passed pawns that the weaker side tem- Hitzler Philipp
porarily will have and a lack of enough time Mons Leon
left to think about everything... Who wants Bayern 2009
to take a risk in this riskless position? XABCDEFGHY
106...g5! 107.hxg5
107.fxg5 f4 108.gxf4 Kxf4 109.Kg2 Rd2+ 8-+-+-+-+(
110.Kh3 Rd3+ 111.Kg2 Kg4 +. 7+-+-+-mkp'
107...h4 108.Kh2
Maybe White should have tried 108.gxh4, 6-+-+-+p+&
although Black smoothly wins as well: 5+-+-+p+-%
108...Kxf4 109.Kg2 Kg4 110.Lc8 Rg6!
111.Kh2 Rc6 112.Ld7 Rc2+ 113.Kg1 4-+-+-zP-zP$
Rc7 114.Le6 Re7 115.Lc8 Kg3
(115...Rg7 116.Kf2 [116.Kh2 Rh7
3+-tr-+L+-#
117.Kg2 Rxh4 118.g6 Rh6 +] 2-+-+K+P+"
116...Kxh4 +) 116.Kf1 f4 117.g6 f3 +.
108...hxg3+ 109.Kxg3 Rd4! 110.Kh4
1+-+-+-+-!
A last try of activity, as 110.Lf3 Rxf4 xabcdefghy
111.Lh5 Rb4 + was easy enough. 38...h5
110...Kxf4 111.Kh5 Ke5?! Easier was 38...h6 and then Black would
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 49
transfer his king to e3 and his rook to g7, Dobrovolskiy Konstantin
winning with ...g5. Kravchenko Leonid
39.Kd2 Ra3 40.Ke2 Kf6 41.Kf2 Ke6 Yuzhny 2010
42.Lc6 Ra6 43.Le8 Kd5 44.Kf3 Kd4 XABCDEFGHY
45.Lf7 Kd3 46.Le8 Kd2 47.Kf2 Re6
48.Lf7 Rb6 49.Le8 Rb4 50.Kf3?! 8-+-+-+-+(
This loses quickly. White should try 50.g3 7+-+-+k+-'
Rb6 51.Lf7 Kd3 52.Ld5 (52.Le8 Ke4
53.Lf7 Rb2+ 54.Kg1 Kf3 55.Lxg6 6-+-+-zp-+&
Kxg3 +) 52...Rb2+ 53.Kg1 Ke3, when
Black will proceed with the ...g5 method.
5+-+-zp-zp-%
50...Ke1! 51.Kg3 4r+-+P+-+$
Or 51.g3 Kf1! 52.Lf7 Rd4 53.Ke3 Rd6 +.
51...Rb6 52.Lf7 Kf1 53.Kh2 Kf2 3+-+-+P+-#
54.Le8 (D) 2-+-vL-+P+"
XABCDEFGHY 1+-+K+-+-!
8-+-+L+-+( xabcdefghy
7+-+-+-+-' The more centralized structure is to the
6-tr-+-+p+& stronger side's benefit, as the bishop has
fewer squares on which to manoeuvre.
5+-+-+p+p% 44...Ke6 45.Ke2 Kd6 46.Le3 Ra2+
47.Kf1 Kc6 48.g3?!
4-+-+-zP-zP$ White should go for the well-known pawn
3+-+-+-+-# structure with 48.g4 Kb5 49.Lf2 Kc4
50.Lb6. Then Black can win with:
2-+-+-mkPmK" a) 50...Ra6 51.Ld8 (51.Lf2?! loses to
1+-+-+-+-! 51...Ra1+ 52.Ke2 Ra2+ 53.Kf1 Rxf2+
54.Kxf2 Kd3 and the pawn ending is easily
xabcdefghy won) 51...Kd3 52.Kf2 (D)
54...Rb4 XABCDEFGHY
A lot of moves win for Black, for example
54...Ke3 55.Kg3 (55.g3 Kf3 56.Kh3 Rb1 8-+-vL-+-+(
57.Kh2 Kg4 +) 55...Re6 56.Lf7 Re7 +. 7+-+-+-+-'
55.g3
55.Lxg6 Rxf4 56.g3 Rf3 +. 6r+-+-zp-+&
55...Kf3 56.Lc6+
56.Lxg6 Kg4 57.Kg2 Rb2+ +.
5+-+-zp-zp-%
56...Kg4 01 4-+-+P+P+$
If we move the entire starting position of 3+-+k+P+-#
our survey (all pieces and pawns) one square
to the left, then Black would have to apply 2-+-+-mK-+"
another winning plan; the transition to a 1+-+-+-+-!
pawn ending. As the bishop is lacking a suf-
ficient number of squares available to move xabcdefghy
along the g1-a7 diagonal, the king of the And now Black should go for the white
stronger side would not have to move away pawns: 52...Ra2+ (52...Re6 53.Lc7)
from the theatre of action. He can choose 53.Kg3 Ke2 54.Lxf6 Ra3 55.Lxe5
between two ways to win: (55.Lxg5 Rxf3+ 56.Kg2 [56.Kh4 Kd3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 50
57.Kh5 Kxe4 58.Ld8 Rf1 +] 56...Rf8 54.Le3 Kd3 55.Lc5 Ke2 +.
57.Kg3 Kd3 58.Lh6 Rg8 59.Kf3 Rg6 48...Kb5 49.f4 g4 50.fxe5 fxe5
60.g5 Rg8 +) 55...Rxf3+ 56.Kg2 Rf4 01
57.Kg3 Ke3 58.Ld6 Rxe4 +.
b) 50...Kd3 51.Lc5 Rb2! (here the 'usual' Conclusion
plan 51...Rc2 52.Lb6 Rc6 53.La7 f5? This ending is nearly always won. We just
doesn't win: 54.gxf5 g4 55.Kg2 =) 52.La7 need to know the appropriate motifs and the
Kc4 53.Kg1 (53.Le3 Rb3 54.Ke2 way to handle them with accuracy.
Rxe3+ 55.Kxe3 Kc3 +) 53...Rb7

NOTES

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 51


Rook & 3 Pawns vs. Bishop & 3 Pawns
Same Flank - Opposite colour-corner Bishop
Concept 1. Will place his king on e7.
This particular type of ending (rook vs. 2. Will place his rook on f6.
bishop) is often met in practice: 3. Will push his pawn to f5.
XABCDEFGHY Let's see how all these can be applied:
58.Ke4 Lg4 59.Ke5 Kg7 60.Kd6 Le2
8-+-+-+k+( 61.Ke7 Ld1 62.Rb5 Le2 63.Rb4 Ld1
7+-+-+pzpp' 64.Rf4 Lb3 65.Rf6 Ld5 66.f4 Lc4 67.f5
(D)
6-+-+l+-+& XABCDEFGHY
5+-+-+-+-% 8-+-+-+-+(
4-+-+-+-+$ 7+-+-mKpmk-'
3+-+-+-+-# 6-+-+-tRp+&
2-+-+-zPPzP" 5+-+-+P+p%
1+-+-+RmK-! 4-+l+-+-zP$
xabcdefghy 3+-+-+-zP-#
Rook & three pawns vs. Bishop and three
pawns, on the same flank and symmetrical. 2-+-+-+-+"
In this survey we will examine the case 1+-+-+-+-!
when the bishop is moving on the opposite
colour squares to his nearest pawn-corner. xabcdefghy
White's plan has been fulfilled.
Kunte Abhijit 67...Ld5
Du Toit Stefan If Black captures on f5 with 67...gxf5, then
Ekurhuleni 2011 White wins as follows: 68.Rxf5 Kg6
XABCDEFGHY 69.Rg5+ Kh6 70.Kf6 Lb3 71.Rg7 Ld5
72.Rxf7 Lxf7 73.Kxf7 + . The occupa-
8-+-+-+-+( tion of the g5- and f6-squares is decisive.
7+-+-+p+k' 68.Rd6
White can also win by 68.fxg6 fxg6, plan-
6-+-+l+p+& ning first to get his king to g5: 69.Rf4 Lb3
70.Kd6 La2 71.Ke5 Lf7 72.Ra4 Lb3
5tR-+-+-+p% 73.Ra7+ Kh6 74.Kf6 Ld5 75.Rd7 La2
4-+-+-+-zP$ 76.Rd8 Kh7 77.Kg5 Lb1, and then win
the black g-pawn as follows: 78.Rd7+ Kg8
3+-+-mK-zP-# 79.Kf6 Lc2 80.Rg7+ Kf8 81.Rxg6 +.
2-+-+-zP-+" Now, after 68.Rd6, White wins by placing
his pawn on f6: 68...Lc4 69.f6+ Kh7, win-
1+-+-+-+-! ning the f7-pawn: 70.Rd8 Lb3 71.Rf8 +.
xabcdefghy 10
A typical won ending. White's plan can be
summarised as follows:
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 52
This winning method (when the stronger Philadelphia 2009
side already has his h-pawn on his fourth XABCDEFGHY
rank) is crystal clear and the only really reli-
able one. It is good to know it by heart and 8-+-+-+-+(
apply it in no time by this phase of the
game, there is often hardly any time left!
7+-+-+p+-'
Here are some more similar examples 6-+-+-+p+&
where the winning method is applied:
5tR-+lmk-+p%
Psaila Clarence
Snape Ian 4-+-+-+-+$
London 2011 3+-+-mKPzP-#
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+-zP"
8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
7+-+-+-zp-' xabcdefghy
6-+-+-zp-+& 44.f4+ Ke6 45.Kd4 Lb3 46.f5+
5+-+-+k+p% Here White applies the well-known method
immediately.
4-+-+-+-zP$ 46...Kf6
46...gxf5 loses to 47.Ra6+ Ke7 48.Rh6
3+r+-vL-zP-# Ld1 49.Ke5 Lg4 50.h4 +.
2-+-+-zPK+" 47.fxg6 Kxg6
After 47...fxg6, White wins as follows:
1+-+-+-+-! 48.h4 Le6 49.Ke3 Lc4 50.Kf4 Le6
xabcdefghy 51.Ra6 Kf7 52.Kg5 Lf5 53.Rf6+ Kg7
54.Rxf5 gxf5 55.Kxf5 +.
The same formation, so the same plan can be
48.Ke5 Ld1
applied:
Or 48...f6+ 49.Kd6 Ld1 50.h4 +.
38...Ke4 39.Lc5 g6 40.Le7 Kf5 41.Lc5
Rc3 42.Lb6 Ke4 43.Ld8 Rc6 44.Le7 49.Ra6+ Kg5 50.Rf6 Lb3 (D)
Re6 45.Lc5 Kd3 46.Kf3 Re5 47.Lb6 XABCDEFGHY
Rf5+ 48.Kg2 Ke2 49.Ld4 Rf3 50.Lb6
Black has achieved 2/3 of the above men-
8-+-+-+-+(
tioned plan, so the final stage of it is on the 7+-+-+p+-'
way:
50...f5! 51.Lc5 f4 52.gxf4 Rxf4
6-+-+-tR-+&
Note that if Black's g-pawn was on g4, we 5+-+-mK-mkp%
would have a draw, as the rook wouldn't be
able to drive the white king away from the 4-+-+-+-+$
important f3-square. 3+l+-+-zP-#
53.Kg3 Rg4+ 54.Kh3 Kf3 55.Lb6 Rg2
56.Lc7 Rxf2 2-+-+-+-zP"
Game over...
57.Ld8 Rf1 58.Kh2 Rd1 59.Lg5 Kg4
1+-+-+-+-!
60.Kg2 Rd3 xabcdefghy
01 51.Rf4! Kg6 52.Kd6 La2 53.Ke7 Lb3
54.h4 La2 55.Rf6+ Kg7 56.Rf5 Kg6
Kudrin Sergey 57.Rg5+ Kh6 58.Kf6 10
Hungaski Robert Andrew
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 53
Mueller Rudolf One must admit that this is a really easy
Bodach Hans winning ending - I do not understand how
Finsterbergen 2009 some people get away with it!
XABCDEFGHY 45.Kf3 Ra4 46.Lf4 Kc2 47.Le3 Kd3
48.Lc1 Ra5 49.Lf4 Rf5 50.g4
8-+-+-+-+( White hadn't much of a choice, as the alter-
native 50.Kg2 Rxf4 51.gxf4 Ke4 52.Kg3
7+-+-+p+-' f5 quickly wins.
6-+-+k+p+& 50...hxg4+ 51.Kxg4 g6 52.Le3 Ke4
53.Kg3 Rf3+ 54.Kg2 Rxe3
5+-+-+-+p% 01
4-tr-+-+-zP$
Is there something that the stronger side
3+-+-vLKzP-# should be aware of? Something that might
2-+-+-zP-+" cost the half point? See the next game:

1+-+-+-+-! Carlsen Magnus


Wang Yue
xabcdefghy Leon 2009
An identical plan, as in the previous exam-
ples, was carried out here as well:
XABCDEFGHY
34...Kf5 35.Kg2 Ke4 36.Lg5 Rb3 8-+-+-+-+(
37.Le7 Rf3 38.Ld8 Rf5 39.Le7 Kd3
40.Ld8 Ke2 41.Lb6 Rf3 42.Lc5 7+-+-+k+-'
And now, as usual, the solution is provided 6-+-mK-zp-+&
by the black f-pawn:
42...f5 43.Lb6 f4 44.gxf4 Rxf4 45.Kg3 5tR-+-+-+p%
Rg4+ 46.Kh3 Kf3 47.Lc5 Rg1 48.Kh2
Rg2+ 49.Kh3 Rxf2 50.Ld6 Rf1 51.Lh2
4-+-+-+lzP$
Rb1 3+-+-+-zP-#
01
2-+-+-+-+"
Junge Wolfgang 1+-+-+-+-!
Klundt Klaus
Berlin 2011 xabcdefghy
XABCDEFGHY This is a fortress - White can't get his king
close to the f-pawn. This is very definitely a
8-+-+-+-+( position to remember when advancing the f-
pawn to f5 - not to fall for it!
7+-+-+-zp-' 56...Kf8 57.Ra7 Lf5 58.Ra5 Lg4
6r+-+-zp-+& 59.Ra4 Lh3
59...Kf7? 60.Rxg4 hxg4 61.Kd5 +.
5+-+-+-+p% 60.Kc7 Ke7 61.Re4+ Kf8 62.Kd8 Kf7
4-+-+-+-zP$ 63.Re7+ Kf8 64.Ra7 Lg4 65.Kc7 Lh3
66.Kc6 Lg4 67.Kc5 Lh3 68.Kd6 Lg4
3+-+-vL-zP-# 69.Rb7 Lh3 70.Rb4 Kf7 71.Re4 Kf8
2-+-+KzP-+" 72.Kc5 Kf7 73.Kd4 Kf8 74.Ke3 Kf7
75.Ra4 Lf5 76.Ra7+ Kf8 77.Ra4 Kf7
1+k+-+-+-! 78.Kf3 Lh3 79.Kf4 Lg4 80.Ra5 Kf8
81.Ra7 Kg8
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 54
XABCDEFGHY
When the f- and g- pawns of each side
remain on the board, the stronger side can 8-+-+-+-+(
win as well, by exchanging the g-pawns and
trivially win with the f-pawns.
7+-+-+-+-'
This is an alternative winning plan, when 6-+-+-+k+&
(usually) the h-pawn of the stronger side has
not yet been placed on its fourth rank, but 5+-+-+pzpp%
has stayed behind. Or simply when the h- 4-tr-+-+-+$
pawns and later the g-pawns as well can be
exchanged: 3+-+-vLKzPP#
Kamsky Gata
2-+-+-zP-+"
Savchenko Boris 1+-+-+-+-!
Moscow 2007
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
41...Kf6 42.Ld2 Rc4 43.Le3 h4!
8-+-+-+-+( A good move. Black should only avoid
43...g4+? 44.hxg4 hxg4+ 45.Kg2 with a
7+-+-+p+p' draw!
6-+-+-mkp+& 44.gxh4
Or 44.Lb6 hxg3 45.fxg3 Rc3+ 46.Kg2
5+-+-+l+-% Ke5 and the passed f-pawn will decide.
4R+-+-+-+$ 44...Rxh4 45.Kg2 Kg6 46.Ld2 Kh5
47.Lc1 Rc4 48.Ld2 Rc2 49.Lb4 g4!
3+-+-+-+P# 50.hxg4+ Kxg4 51.La5 f4
2-+-+-zPP+" And the remaining pawn goes to f3, as in the
previous example.
1+-+-+-mK-! 52.Lb6 f3+ 53.Kh2 Rc6 54.Le3 Kf5
01
xabcdefghy
36.h4 h6 37.Ra6+ Le6 38.f3 g5 Schlehoefer Ralf
Black does not wish to remain passive - he Heinzel Olaf
knows that he is lost - so he tries to ex- Germany 2010
change some pawns.
39.hxg5+ hxg5 40.Kf2 Kf5 41.Ke3 Ke5
XABCDEFGHY
42.Ra5+ Kf6 43.Ke4 Lc8 44.Rb5 Ld7 8-+-+-+-+(
45.Rb6+ Le6 46.g3!
With the simple idea of getting his f-pawn to 7+-+-+-+-'
f6, winning trivially. 6-vL-+kzpp+&
46...Kg7 47.Ke5 Ld7 48.f4 gxf4 49.gxf4
Lg4 50.f5 Le2 51.f6+ Kg6 52.Rb8 Kh7 5+-+-+-+p%
53.Kd6 4-+r+-+P+$
And Black resigned due to 53...Kg6
54.Ke7 Lc4 55.Rg8+ Kf5 56.Rg7. 3+-+-+-mKP#
10
2-+-+-zP-+"
Here are some more identical examples:
1+-+-+-+-!
Richter Christian
Schlosser Philipp xabcdefghy
Germany 2010 57.gxh5 g5!
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 55
57...gxh5 is not bad either, but this is clearer. XABCDEFGHY
58.Le3 Kf5 59.Ld2 Rh4 60.Lc3 Rxh5
61.Lb2 Rh4 62.Lc3 Rc4 63.La5 Kg6 8-tr-+-+k+(
64.Ld8 Rc3+ 65.Kg2 Rc8 66.Le7 Rc7
67.Ld8 Rd7 68.La5 Kh5 69.Lc3 f5
7+r+-tRp+p'
70.Lf6 Rd2 71.Kg3 Rd3+ 72.Kg2 f4 6-+-+-+pvL&
73.Le7 g4 74.hxg4+ Kxg4 75.Lc5 f3+
76.Kh2 Rd5 77.Le3 Rh5+ 78.Kg1 Kf5
5+-+-+-+-%
And as the black king goes to e2 and the 4-+-+-zP-+$
rook to g2, winning the white pawn, White
resigned. 3+-+-+-+P#
01 2-+-+-+PmK"
Jacobsen Bo 1+-+-+-+-!
Meins Gerlef
Kallithea 2008
xabcdefghy
White's 'bad' pawn structure shouldn't drive
XABCDEFGHY him to exchange rooks. Of course White is
8-+-+-+-+( lost anyway, but with the rooks left on the
board, his bishop on h6 has a 'meaning'.
7+-+-+pzp-' 30.Rxb7?! Rxb7 31.g4 Rb3!
6-+-+-+-zp& The king is cut off - target is the f4-pawn.
32.Lg5 Kg7 33.Le7 f6 34.g5 f5
5+-vL-+-+k% 34...fxg5 35.fxg5 Kf7 wins as well.
4r+-+-+-zP$ 35.Lf6+ Kf7 36.Le5 Ke6 37.Lf6 Kd5
38.Le5 Ke4 39.Ld6 Kf3 40.Le5 Rd3
3+-+-+KzP-# 01
2-+-+-zP-+" Mishandling the ending is always an op-
tion for the stronger side. Ignorance, time
1+-+-+-+-! trouble, fatigue and other weak moments
xabcdefghy can lead to a draw as well:
Another trivial, identical win. Jovanovic Milos
44...g5 45.hxg5 hxg5 46.Lb6 f5 47.Lc5 Ugrcic Zoran
Rc4 48.La7 Rc3+ 49.Kg2 Kg4 50.Lb6 Belgrade 2010
Rc2 51.La7 f4 52.gxf4 gxf4 53.Ld4 f3+ XABCDEFGHY
54.Kh2 Rc7 55.Le5 Rh7+ 56.Kg1 Kh3
57.Kh1 Rd7 58.Lh2 Rd1+ 59.Lg1 Rd2 8-+-+-+-+(
01 7+-+-+-+-'
Some other cases are easier due to the
weaknesses of the weaker sides pawn struc-
6-+-+-zpp+&
ture. Pawn weaknesses are important in 5+-+-+k+p%
every part of the game, but especially the
endgame, which is invariably their fatal 4-+-vL-+-zP$
moment - the time when the truth will be 3+-+-+-zP-#
revealed
2r+-+-zPK+"
Bennett Dominic 1+-+-+-+-!
Wells Peter
Uplands Park 2011 xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 56
The win is trivial, but Black wasn't aware of drawn position, where Black cannot im-
it... prove: 69.Lb6 Kg4 70.Lc5 h3+ 71.Kh2
71...g5? 72.hxg5 fxg5 73.Le3 =. It must be noted that this is a drawn posi-
And now it's a draw - Black has no way to tion even without the white f-pawn and
improve. White to move: 71.Ld6!, as the bishop
73...Kg4 74.Lc5 Kf5 75.Le3 Kg4 should be preserved on the h1-b8 diagonal.
76.Lc5 Kf5 01
Moving the h-pawn leads absolutely no-
where: 76...h4 77.gxh4 Kxh4 (77...gxh4 Solozhenkin Evgeniy
78.Le3 is a tablebase draw) 78.Le3 g4 Pohjala Henri
79.Ld4 g3 80.Lc5 =. Jyvaskyla 2010
77.Le3 Ra5 78.Kf3 Ra3 79.Kg2 Rb3 XABCDEFGHY
80.Ld4 Ke4 81.Lf6 Rb5 82.Le7 Rf5
83.Ld8 Kd3 84.Lb6 Kd2 85.Le3+ 8-+-tR-+-+(
85...Ke2 86.g4 hxg4 87.Kg3 is simple. 7+-+-+pmkp'

Borgo Giulio
6-+-+l+p+&
Ghaem Maghami Ehsan 5+-+-+-+-%
Beijing 2008
XABCDEFGHY 4-+-+-zP-+$
8-+-+-+-+( 3+-+-+-+P#
7+-+-+-zp-' 2-+-+-+PmK"
6-+-+rzp-+& 1+-+-+-+-!
5+-+-+-+p% xabcdefghy
43.g4
4-+-vL-+-zP$ The 'obsession' with the g-pawn continues...
43...Kf6 44.Kg3 Kg7 45.g5?
3+-+-+-zP-# But this is too much! White could win by
2-+-+kzPK+" careful play: 45.Rb8 Kf6 46.Rb5 (stop-
ping an eventual ...h5) 46...Kg7 47.Kf3 and
1+-+-+-+-! so on.
xabcdefghy 45...h6! 46.h4 hxg5 47.fxg5
47.hxg5 Lb3 48.Kf3 Lc4 49.Ke4 Lb3
57...g5? 50.Ke5 Lc4 51.Kd6 Lb3 52.Ke7 Lc4
This was a blitz game, but this kind of ex-
53.Rd6 Lb3 54.Rf6 Ld5 55.f5 gxf5
cuse cannot stand - an educated player
56.Rxf5 Lc4 leads to a theoretical draw.
should play the ending with his eyes shut! I
47...Lc4 48.Kf4 Lb3 49.Ke5 Lc4
am sure that the experienced Iranian GM
50.Rd6 Lb3 51.Rb6
knows the correct procedure but somehow
No break and no plan any more
forgot it for the time being...

58.hxg5 fxg5 59.La7 Rf6 60.Lc5 Rf5
61.Ld4 Rd5 62.Lb6 Rf5 63.Ld4 Kd3 As was easily noticed, the fifth square of
64.Lb6 Ke4 65.La7 Rf3 66.Lb6 h4 the g-file (g5 or g4) is very important for the
67.gxh4! final assessment of the position.
67.Lc5? hxg3 68.fxg3 Rb3 is curtains. The stronger side should keep it empty in
67...gxh4 68.La7 Kf4 order to place his rook (or king) there after
And here White resigned, as he thought he the f5-f4 advance and the exchange on f4
was losing. But this is another theoretical by the weaker side.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 57
Webb Simon 88.Lf6 Rb3 89.Lg5 g3!?
Vukic Milan A last try, but a futile one nevertheless.
Skara 1980 90.fxg3 Rb2+ 91.Kg1 Kf3 92.Lf4 Ra2
XABCDEFGHY 93.Le5 Rg2+ 94.Kh1 Rxg3 95.Lxg3
Kxg3 96.h5!
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+r+pmk-' In the previous example, Black hardly
6-+-+-+p+& could do anything about his g4-pawn; it had
been there for some time.
5+-vL-+-+-% But in the following example, Black com-
4-+-+-+pzP$ pletely mishandled the position, not knowing
the details of this notorious ending:
3+-+-+-zP-# Anton Teodor
2-+-+-zPK+" Nanu Ciprian Costica
Cluj 2008
1+-+-+-+-!
XABCDEFGHY
xabcdefghy
The doubled black g4-pawn occupies the
8-+-+-+-+(
important g4-square, which is needed for the 7+-+-+-zpp'
black king/rook after the ...f5-f4 advance.
Thus, the position is drawn. 6-+-+-+-+&
64.Le3 Kf6 65.Lc5 Kf5 66.Le3 Ke4 5+-vL-+p+-%
67.Lg5 f5 68.Le3 Kd3 69.Kf1 Rb7
70.Lf4 Rb1+ 71.Kg2 Ke2 72.Le3 Rb3 4-+-+k+-+$
73.Ld4 Rf3 74.Lc5 Kd3 75.Ld6 Ke2 3+r+-+-zP-#
76.Lc5 f4 77.gxf4 Kd3!? 78.Ld6
After 78.Le7 Ke4 79.Lg5 Kf5 80.Lh6 2-+-+-zPKzP"
Ra3 81.Lg5 Rh3 White must continue
with 82.Le7 and not with 82.Kg1 g3!.
1+-+-+-+-!
78...Ke4 79.Lc7 Kf5 80.Ld8 Rxf4 xabcdefghy
81.Le7 Rf3 82.Ld8 Ke4 83.Lg5 Kd3 51...g5?
84.Le7 Ke2 85.Lc5 Rh3 86.Le7 Kd3 Here 51...f4! would do the job in no time.
87.Ld8 Ke4 (D) And of course the known and trivial win is
XABCDEFGHY with 51...Kd3 - we have studied all these
beforehand!
8-+-vL-+-+( 52.Le7! h6 53.h4! Rb7 54.Lf6 g4
7+-+-+-+-' Black would be happy if, after 54...gxh4
55.Lxh4, he could exchange his h-pawn for
6-+-+-+p+& the white g-pawn, reaching a winning posi-
5+-+-+-+-% tion. But as this is only an illusion, the posi-
tion remains drawn.
4-+-+-+pzP$ 55.Lc3 h5
55...f4 56.gxf4 Kxf4 57.Ld2+ =.
3+-+k+-+r# 56.Ld2 Kd3 57.Le3 Ke2 58.Lf4 Rb3
2-+-+-zPK+" 59.Ld6 Rd3 60.Lc7 Rd4 61.Le5 Rc4
62.Ld6 Rc3 63.Lb4 Rc2 64.La5 Rb2
1+-+-+-+-! 65.Lc3 Rb3 66.Ld4 Rf3 67.Lc5 f4
xabcdefghy 68.gxf4 Rxf4 (D)
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 58
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-' 7+-+-+pmk-'
6-+-+-+-+& 6-tR-+-+p+&
5+-vL-+-+p% 5+-+-+l+p%
4-+-+-trpzP$ 4-+-+-zP-zP$
3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+P+-#
2-+-+kzPK+" 2-+-+-mK-+"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
Black succeeded in carrying out the well- In this position White can, if necessary, em-
known plan (Ke2, Rf3 and ...f5-f4) ploy the f5 breakthrough twice; this eases
but the position remains drawn as the black his task.
g-pawn on g4 occupies a very important 62.Ke3 Lc8 63.Kd4 Lh3 64.Ke5 Lc8
square for the black win. 65.Rf6 Lh3 (D)
69.Le3 Ra4 70.Lc5 Ra2 71.Ld4 Ra3 Black could not save himself with 65...Lb7
72.Lc5 Rb3 73.Ld4 Rh3 74.Lf6 Kd3 66.f5 Lxf3 67.fxg6 Ld5 68.gxf7 Lxf7
75.Le7 Ke4 76.Ld8 Kf5 77.Le7 Rb3 69.Kf5 either.
78.Lg5 Ke4 79.Lf6 Rh3 80.Le7 Rd3 XABCDEFGHY
81.Lf6 g3
A last try as usual... 8-+-+-+-+(
82.fxg3 Kf5 83.Lg5 Kg4 84.Lf4 Rf3
85.Ld6 Rb3 86.Le5 Re3 87.Lf4 Re2+
7+-+-+pmk-'
88.Kg1 Kf3 89.Ld6 Rg2+ 90.Kh1 Rc2 6-+-+-tRp+&
91.Lf4 Kg4 92.Kg1 Ra2 93.Kh1 Kh3
94.Kg1 Rg2+ 95.Kf1 Rb2 96.Kg1 Kg4 5+-+-mK-+p%
97.Kh1 Kf3 98.Kg1 Rb1+ 99.Kh2
Rb2+ 100.Kg1 Rg2+ 101.Kh1 Kf2
4-+-+-zP-zP$
102.Le5 Kf1 103.Lf4 Kf2 104.Le5 3+-+-+P+l#
Rxg3 105.Lxg3+

2-+-+-+-+"
A weakened pawn structure is not neces- 1+-+-+-+-!
sarily a disadvantage. All details must be xabcdefghy
taken into account before we evaluate a par-
66.f5! Lg2
ticular ending.
The continuation 66...Lxf5 67.Rxf5 gxf5
Analysing data is not only a job for com-
68.Kxf5 f6 69.Ke6 Kg6 70.f4 leads to a
puters, but also the job of a well trained
won pawn ending.
chess player.
67.fxg6 fxg6 68.f4 Lh3 69.Ra6 Lf5
In the next game, the doubled f-pawns
help the stronger side to claim the win as 70.Ra7+ Kh6 71.Kf6 Le4 72.Rd7 Lc2
well: 73.Rd8!
And as usual, it is curtains!
Andreev Vladimir 73...Kh7 74.Kg5 Lf5 75.Ra8 Le4
Chepukaitis Genrikh 76.Ra7+ Kg8 77.Kf6 Ld3 78.Rg7+
St Petersburg 1998 Kh8 79.Rxg6 10
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 59
As it seems that the defence with placing XABCDEFGHY
the pawns on the same colour squares as
those of the bishop is not of real help, an 8-+-+-+k+(
alternative strategy, of placing the pawns on
the opposite colour squares of the bishop,
7+-+-+-+-'
might be applied. 6-+-+-+p+&
Practice has proved that the weaker side
has better chances to hold the draw, although 5+-+-trp+p%
everything depends on the full placement of 4-+-+-+-zP$
the pawn structures:
3+-+-vLPzP-#
Meszaros Gyula
Schlager Thomas
2-+-+K+-+"
Germany 2009 1+-+-+-+-!
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
8-+-+-+-+( If any of the black f- and h-pawns was fur-
ther back, then Black could play ...g5 and
7+-+-+p+-' after an eventual exchange on g5 he could
6-+-+-+p+& go ...g4, gaining the critical f3-square. But
here Black's pawns are 'crippled' and White's
5+r+-+k+p% bishop is well placed to restrain them.
4-+-+-vL-zP$ 65.Kf2 Kf7 66.Lf4 Rb5 67.Lh6 Rb3
68.Lg5 Ke6 69.Lh6 Kd5 70.Lg5 Kd4
3+-+-+PzP-# 71.Ke2 Rb2+ 72.Ke1 Kd3 73.Lf4 Re2+
2-+-+K+-+" 74.Kf1 Re6 75.Kf2 Ra6 76.Kf1 Kc2
77.Ke2 Re6+ 78.Kf2 Kd3 79.Kf1 Ra6
1+-+-+-+-! 80.Kf2 Ra2+ 81.Kf1
There is no way for Black to improve, there-
xabcdefghy fore a draw was agreed.
White has applied the ultimate defence, but
Black can still win with the correct plan:
49...Rb3 50.Lc7 Ke6 51.Lf4 Kd5 Khasin Alexander
52.Lg5 Ra3 53.Lf4 Kd4 54.Lg5 Ra2+ Filipenko Alexander
55.Kf1 Ke5 56.Lf4+ Kf5 57.Lc7 f6! Moscow 1985
The easiest plan to prevail. XABCDEFGHY
58.Ld6 g5 59.hxg5 fxg5 60.Kg1 g4
61.fxg4+ hxg4 8-+-+-+-+(
Now that the critical f3-square is prepared to
host the black king, the win is trivial.
7+-+-mkp+-'
62.Lc7 Ke4 63.Ld6 Kf3 64.Lc7 Rg2+ 6-+-+l+p+&
65.Kf1 Rxg3 66.Lxg3 Kxg3 67.Kg1
Kh3 5+R+-+-+p%
01 4-+-+-zP-zP$
But what happens if the f-pawn of the 3+-+-mK-zP-#
stronger side has already moved too far
away? 2-+-+-+-+"
Jorgensen Jorgen 1+-+-+-+-!
Rukavina Josip
Condino 2009 xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 60
Here again, the white pawn structure is no shouldn't push/exchange his f-pawn so
help and Black can defend: quickly. White should opt for 58.Ra8 Kg7
51...f6! 52.Kd4 Lh3 53.Rb6 Lg4 54.Kc5 59.Kd4 Lg2 60.Ra3 Kg6 61.Kc5 Kf7
Lh3 55.Rd6 Lg4 56.Kc6 Lf3+ 57.Kc7 62.Kd6 Lh1 and now 63.h4 is good:
Lg4 58.Rb6 Lh3 59.Rd6 Lg4 60.Rd3 63...gxh4 (63...Lg2 64.f4 Kg6 65.Ra5
Lh3 61.Re3+ Kf7 62.Kd6 Lg4 63.Re7+ gxf4 66.gxf4 Lh3 67.Ke7 Lg4 68.Ra6
Kf8 64.Ra7 Lh3 65.Ra5 Kf7 Kf5 69.Rxf6+ Ke4 70.Kf7 Lf5 71.Rb6
Draw agreed, as even the following attempt Kxf4 72.Kf6 +) 64.gxh4 Lg2 65.f4 Le4
with 66.f5 doesn't prevail: 66...Lxf5 66.Ra5 Lf3 67.f5 +.
67.Rxf5 gxf5 68.Kd7 Kg6 69.Ke6 Kg7 58...Kg7 59.Rb8 Kg6 (D)
70.Kxf5 Kf7 =. XABCDEFGHY

Some more difficult cases will be exam-


8-tR-+-+-+(
ined in the coming examples. But the truth is 7+-+-+-+-'
that the weaker side should try to place his
pawns on squares of opposite colour to his 6-+-+-zpk+&
bishop - the rule of economy is important 5+-+-+-zpp%
here as well.
Steingrimsson Hedinn
4-+-+-zP-+$
Navara David 3+-+-mK-zPl#
Reykjavik 2010
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+-zP"
8-tR-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
7+-+-+-+-' xabcdefghy
60.fxg5?
6-+-+-zpk+& This early exchange allows Black to obtain a
theoretically drawn position. White should
5+-+-+-zpp% have played 60.Rb5! and then exchanged
4-+-+K+-+$ on g5.
60...fxg5?
3+-+-+PzPl# Black should have opted for a similar posi-
2-+-+-+-zP" tion to the game Carlsen,M-Wang Yue,
Leon 2009, playing 60...Kxg5! 61.Kd4
1+-+-+-+-! Kg6 62.Kd5 Kf7 63.Rb7+ Kf8!
xabcdefghy (63...Kg6? 64.Kd6 Lg2 65.Rb2 Lh3
66.Ke7 +) 64.Ra7 Lg4 (in the mentioned
This position is more difficult to win than it game, here the white h-pawn was already on
looks at first sight. h4) 65.Ra4 Kf7! (65...Lh3? 66.Rh4 Lg4
45.Rh8 Lg2 46.Ke3 Lh3 47.Kf2 Ld7 67.Rxg4! hxg4 68.Ke6 +) 66.Rb4 Ke7!
48.Kg2 Lc6 49.Rc8 Ld5 50.Rc5 Le6 (66...Lh3? 67.Rh4 Lg4 68.h3 Lf3+
51.Ra5 69.Kd6 Le2 70.Rb4 Lf1 71.Rb7+ Kf8
Here 51.h4! gxh4 52.gxh4 would lead to a [71...Kg6 72.h4! +] 72.Ke6! + [72.h4?
winning position for White, as can be seen Lh3! =]) 67.Rb7+ Kf8 68.Ra7 Lh3
below. But White tried to 'check' Black 69.Ke4 Lg4 70.Kf4 Lh3 =.
first...
61.Rh8 Lg4 62.Ke4 Kg7 63.Rb8 Lh3
51...Ld7 52.Rd5 Lc6 53.Rd6 Lb7 64.Ke5 Lg4 65.Rb5 Lh3 66.Rb7+ Kg6
54.Kf2 Lc8 55.Rd8 Lh3 56.Rh8 Ld7 67.Rb6+ Kg7 68.Ra6 Lg4 69.Ra8
57.Ke3 Lh3 58.f4?! Now the winning plan with 69.h4? is not
This is a mistake - as usual, the stronger side
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 61
good yet: 69...gxh4 70.gxh4 Kf7! = and not 93.Rg5+ Kh6 94.Rg8 Le6 95.Rg1 Kh7
70...Lh3? 71.Rf6! +. White can win only 96.Ke5 Lg8 97.Kf6 Kh8 98.Kg6 Lh7+
if he has boxed the black king. A sample line 99.Kf7 Lc2 100.Rg8+ Kh7 101.Rb8
is 69.Rb6 Lh3 70.Rf6! Kh7 71.Kd6 Ld3 102.Kf6 Lc2 103.Rc8 Lb1
Kg7 72.Ke7 Lg4 73.h4! gxh4 74.gxh4 +. 104.Rc1 La2 105.Rh1+ Kg8 106.Kg6
69...Lh3 70.Kd6 Kf6 71.Rf8+ Kg6 Lf7+ 107.Kf6 La2 108.Rf1 Kh7
72.Ke7 (D) 109.Rf2 Lc4 110.Rf3 La2 111.Rh3+
XABCDEFGHY Kg8 112.Rh2 Lb3 113.Rb2 Lc4
114.Rf2 Kh7 115.Rd2 Lb3 116.Rd7+
8-+-+-tR-+( Kg8 117.Rg7+ Kh8!
7+-+-mK-+-' 117...Kf8? 118.Rb7 +.
118.Kg6 Lc2+ 119.Kh6 Lb3
6-+-+-+k+&
Socko Monika
5+-+-+-zpp% Malik Jan
4-+-+-+-+$ Ostrava 2009

3+-+-+-zPl# XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+-+-zP" 8-+-+-+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7+-+-+kzp-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-vL-zp-zp&
72...h4!? 5+-+-+-+P%
Black understood that he must change his
policy, as he cannot stay put any more:
4-+r+-+P+$
72...Lg4 73.Rf6+ Kg7 74.h4 gxh4 3+-+-+-mK-#
75.gxh4 +, is a well known (at least accord-
ing to the above analysis) winning position. 2-+-+-zP-+"
73.Rh8? 1+-+-+-+-!
And again White misses the road. 73.gxh4!
gxh4 74.Kd6 + is a tablebase win. xabcdefghy
73...Kg7 74.Rh5 Kg6 75.Rh8 Kg7 The white bishop's targets on the kingside
76.Rb8 hxg3 77.hxg3 Kg6! are serious (g7, h6), so Black should think of
The only move to draw! - the black king can exchanging both the h- and g-pawns, reach-
efficiently attack White's last pawn. ing winning positions with only the f-pawns,
78.Rb5 Kh5 79.Kf6 Kg4 80.Rxg5+ Kf3 as in the previous examples.
81.Ke5 Lg4 82.Rg7 Lh3 44...Ke6
82...Kxg3 is drawing as well: 83.Ke4 Kh3 44...g6! would do the job: 45.Lf4
84.Kf4 Le2! (84...Le6? 85.Rg3+ Kh4 (45.hxg6+ Kxg6 46.f3 h5 47.gxh5+
86.Rg6 +) 85.Ke3 Lg4 =. [47.Lb8 hxg4 48.fxg4 Kg5 +] 47...Kxh5
83.Kd4 Lg4 48.Lf4 f5 49.Le5 Kg5 +) 45...Rc3+
A theoretical drawn position. White tried to 46.f3 (46.Kg2 gxh5 47.gxh5 Rc5 +)
win but in vain. 46...Kg7 47.Ld6 Rd3 48.Lc7 Rd5
84.Kd3 Lh3 85.Rg5 Lg4 86.Rg8 Lf5+ 49.Kh4 Rd1 50.hxg6 Kxg6 51.Kg3 h5
87.Kd4 Lh3 88.Rg7 Lg4 89.Rf7+ Kxg3 52.Lf4 Rd3 53.Kg2 Rc3 54.Kf2 Rc4
90.Ke3 Lc8 91.Rg7+ Kh4 92.Kf4 Kh5! (54...h4 55.Kg2 h3+ [55...f5? 56.gxf5+
Going for the 'correct' corner. 92...Kh3? Kxf5 57.Ld6 =] 56.Kg3 h2 57.Kxh2
would lose to 93.Rg3+ Kh2 (93...Kh4 Rxf3 58.Lc1 Kf7 +) 55.gxh5+ Kxh5 +.
94.Rg8 +) 94.Kf3 Le6 95.Kf2 +. 45.Lf8 f5?!

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 62


The 'wrong' pawn exchange. Black should 56.Kg2 Rf7 +.
go for the previous (easy) lines with 51.g5!
45...Kf7 46.Ld6 g6 +. With the text move Now, as the black king is far away and the
he makes his life more difficult. black rook not properly placed, White finds
46.f3 the time to exchange the pawns.
And of course, not the naive 46.gxf5+?! 51...hxg5
Kxf5 47.Lxg7? Rg4+ +. 51...Rc6 is not good enough: 52.Kg4 Ke5
46...Rc7 53.Lf4+! Ke4 54.gxh6 gxh6 55.Lxh6!
Looks like 46...f4+? wins, but after 47.Kg2 Rxh6 56.Kg5 =.
Kf7 48.Ld6 g6 49.hxg6+ Kxg6 50.Kf2 h5 52.Lxg5 Rc6 53.Kf4 Kd5 54.Kf5 Re6
51.gxh5+ Kxh5 52.Kg2!, it's a draw! 55.Ld2!
47.Lb4 fxg4 Targeting the g7-pawn.
More accurate was 47...Rc8! (defending 55...Re2 56.Lc3 Rg2 (D)
against the threat Lf8) 48.Ld2 Rc2 XABCDEFGHY
49.Lf4 fxg4 50.fxg4 (50.Kxg4 Rc4
51.Kg3 Kf5 52.Le3 Ra4 53.Ld2 Ra1 8-+-+-+-+(
54.Lc3 Rh1 55.Kf2 Rxh5 56.Lxg7 Kf4 7+-+-+-zp-'
+) 50...Rc3+ 51.Kg2 Kd5 52.g5 (52.Lb8
Ke4 53.Ld6 Rc6 54.Lb8 g6 55.hxg6 6-+-+-+-+&
Rxg6 56.Kh3 Kf3 +) 52...hxg5 53.Lxg5
Ke4 54.h6 Rc5! +. 5+-+k+K+P%
48.fxg4 Ke5 4-+-+-+-+$
Also good was 48...Rb7 49.Lf8 Ke5 +.
49.Kf3 Rc4 3+-vL-+-+-#
Again best was 49...Rc8! 50.Ld2 Rc4 2-+-+-+r+"
51.g5 hxg5 52.Lxg5 Kf5 +.
50.Ld2 (D) 1+-+-+-+-!
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
8-+-+-+-+( 57.Lxg7! Rxg7 58.h6 Rg8 59.Kf6 Rg1
60.h7 Rf1+ 61.Kg7 Rg1+ 62.Kf7
7+-+-+-zp-' Kotsur Pavel
6-+-+-+-zp& Guliev Sarhan
Dubai 2009
5+-+-mk-+P% XABCDEFGHY
4-+r+-+P+$ 8-+-+-mk-+(
3+-+-+K+-# 7+-tR-+-zp-'
2-+-vL-+-+" 6-+-+-zp-zp&
1+-+-+-+-! 5+-+-+-+-%
xabcdefghy 4-+-+K+PzP$
50...Kd4?
50...Rc6 51.Lf4+ Kd5 52.Ld2 Kd4 3+-+-+P+-#
53.Le3+ is not a real improvement for
Black. But 50...Rc2! seems to do the job:
2l+-+-+-+"
51.Lf4+ Kd4 52.Le3+ Kd3 53.Lf4 1+-+-+-+-!
(53.g5 hxg5 54.Lxg5 Rh2 55.Kg4 Ke4
+) 53...Rc5 54.Ld6 Rc1 55.Lg3 Rf1+ xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 63
White can win here as his pawns are not White returns the favour. 59.Ra7! Lc6
exposed and the well timed breakthrough g5 60.Re7 Kf8 61.Rc7 Lb5 (61...Le8 62.f6!
will do the job. +) 62.Kg6 Le8+ 63.Kh7 + was good
51.f4 Le6 52.f5? enough.
But not like this. 52.g5! is good: 52...hxg5 59...Lf7! 60.Ra7 (D)
53.hxg5 Lg4 (53...fxg5 54.fxg5 La2 XABCDEFGHY
55.Rb7 Lf7 56.Rb8+ Ke7 57.Kf5 Le8
[57...g6+ 58.Ke5 Lc4 59.Rb7+ Ke8 8-+-+-+k+(
60.Kf6 Ld3 61.Rg7 +] 58.Rb7+ Kf8
59.g6 +) 54.gxf6 gxf6 55.f5 Kg8 56.Ra7
7tR-+-+lzp-'
Kf8 57.Rh7 Kg8 58.Rh4 Ld1 59.Kd5 6-+-+-+-+&
Lb3+ 60.Kd6 Kf7 61.Rh7+ Kf8 62.Rb7
Lc4 63.Rb4 La2 64.Kc5! Ke7 65.Rb2 5+-+-+PmK-%
Lf7 66.Rb7+ Kf8 67.Rxf7+! Kxf7 4-+-+-+-+$
68.Kd6 +. There is little sense in providing
targets for the enemy bishop... 3+-+-+-+-#
52...Lf7 53.Rc8+ Ke7 54.Kf4 Le8 (D) 2-+-+-+-+"
XABCDEFGHY 1+-+-+-+-!
8-+R+l+-+( xabcdefghy
7+-+-mk-zp-' 60...Le8?
6-+-+-zp-zp& 60...Kf8! reaching the right set-up (see the
notes on Black's 57th move), was necessary.
5+-+-+P+-% 61.Rc7 Lf7 62.Re7?
Again, White doesn't want to win!
4-+-+-mKPzP$ 62.Rc8+! Kh7 63.Ra8 Lg8 64.Ra7 Kh8
3+-+-+-+-# 65.Rc7 Lh7 66.Rc4 Lg8 67.Rh4+ Lh7
68.Kf4 + was the winning method.
2-+-+-+-+" 62...Kf8! 63.f6 Kg8
1+-+-+-+-! 63...g6 is another tablebase draw, but
63...gxf6+? 64.Kxf6 loses.
xabcdefghy 64.Rc7 gxf6+
55.g5 Now this capture is fine - and the only move
The text move leads to a draw, but White as well!
hardly had anything better: 55.Rc7+ Kf8 65.Kxf6 Ld5 66.Rc5 La2 67.Rc8+ Kh7
56.Ke4 (56.g5 hxg5+ 57.hxg5 fxg5+ 68.Rc2 Ld5 69.Rc7+ Kg8 70.Rc5 La2
58.Kxg5 Lf7 59.f6 Kg8 =) 56...Lf7 71.Rg5+ Kh7
57.Kd4 Lb3 58.Rc1 Ke7 59.Kc5 Lf7 As the corner is the right one for the bishop,
60.Ra1 Lb3 61.Rb1 Lc2 62.Rb7+ Kf8 Black has an easy task. He only has to avoid
63.Kd6 Ld1 64.Rb4 Kf7 =. Also 55.Rb8 continuations like 71...Kf8? 72.Ra5 +.
Lf7 56.g5 fxg5+ 57.hxg5 hxg5+ 58.Kxg5 72.Rg7+ Kh8 73.Kg6 Lb1+ 74.Kf7
allows Black to draw with 58...Kd7! but not La2+ 75.Kf8 Lb1 76.Rg1 Lc2 77.Rg3
with 58...Le8? 59.Rb7+ Kf8 60.f6 +. Le4 78.Re3 Lg6 79.Re2 Ld3 80.Rf2
55...hxg5+ 56.hxg5 fxg5+ 57.Kxg5 Kf7? Lg6 81.Rd2 Lh7 82.Kf7 Lg8+ 83.Kf6
But this loses. Black had to play 57...Lf7! Lh7 84.Rd7 Lc2 85.Rd8+ Kh7 86.Rd2
58.Rc7+ (58.Rh8 Le8 59.Rh7 Kf8 60.f6 Lb3
gxf6+ 61.Kxf6 Kg8 =) 58...Ke8 and White
Ipatov Alexander
has no way to improve.
Berg Emanuel
58.Rc7+ Kg8 59.Re7? Warsaw 2008
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 64
XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-mK-mk-+(
7+-+-+-zp-' 7+-+-tR-zpl'
6-+-mk-zp-zp& 6-+-+-zp-zp&
5+l+-+P+P% 5+-+-+P+P%
4-+-+R+P+$ 4-+-+-+P+$
3+-+-+-+-# 3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-mK-+-+" 2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
Here there is no winning method, as Black's 83.h6 Lxf5
bishop cannot be restrained from reaching The alternative 83...Kg8 loses to 84.Rxg7+
the a2-g8 diagonal and he can even accept a Kh8 85.Rg6! (85.Ke7? Lxf5 86.Kxf6
passive position on h7. Also, with the g5 Lc2 87.Kxg5 Ld3 =) 85...g4 (85...Lxg6
breakthrough, White cannot reach a winning 86.fxg6 g4 87.Ke7 +) 86.Rxf6 (86.Ke7?
position. g3 87.Rxg3 [87.Kxf6? Lxg6 +]
66.Re6+ Kd7 67.Ke3 Lc4 68.Re4 Lf7 87...Lxf5 88.Kxf6 Le4 =) 86...g3
69.Kd4 Kd6 70.Re3 Lg8 87.Rf8+ Lg8 88.Re8 +.
Black can also opt for 70...Kd7 71.Ra3 84.Rxg7 g4
Ke7 72.Ra7+ Kf8 73.Ra8+ Ke7 74.Kc5 84...Le4 loses to 85.Re7 Lg6 86.h7 +.
Lb3 75.Ra7+ Kf8 76.Ra1 Lf7 77.Ra3 85.Kc7! Le6 86.Rg6
Ke8 78.Ra8+ Ke7 79.Rb8 La2 80.Rb7+ 86.Kd6 Lf5 87.Kd5 wins as well.
Kf8 81.Kd6 Lc4 and there is nothing that 10
White can do to improve his position the
g4-pawn is weak as well. More rooks on the board is not helpful.
71.Ra3 Ke7 72.Ra7+ Kf8 73.Ra8+ Kf7 But there is a solution to every problem:
Now the black bishop is restricted to only Krush Irina
two passive squares: h7 and g8, but there is Grivas Efstratios
still nothing that White can do. Wijk aan Zee 2008
74.Kc5 Lh7 75.Kd6 Lg8 76.Kd7 Lh7 XABCDEFGHY
77.Kd8 Lg8 78.Kd7 Lh7 79.Re8 Lg8
80.Kd8 Lh7 81.Re7+ 8-mk-+-+r+(
81.Rh8 Lg8 82.Kd7 Kf8 =.
81...Kf8 (D)
7zpp+-+-trR'
(see next diagram) 6-+p+-+-+&
It is time for White to play his last card... 5+-+-+-+-%
82.g5 hxg5?
And immediately Black blunders. He could 4-+-mK-+-+$
have drawn with 82...fxg5! 83.f6 Lc2 3zP-+-+-+-#
84.Rxg7 (84.fxg7+ Kg8 85.Kc7 Lb3
86.Kd6 Lf7 =) 84...Ld1 85.Kd7 Lxh5 2P+P+L+-+"
86.Ke6 Lg4+ 87.Ke5 Le2 88.Rg6 h5 1+-+-+-+-!
89.Rxg5 Lg4 90.Rg7 Le2 = but not with
the naive 82...Lxf5? 83.g6! +. xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 65
The ending is of course theoretically lost for XABCDEFGHY
White, but some care is needed. If Black
succeeds in exchanging a pair of rooks, then 8-+-+-+R+(
his king will deliver the final blow by enter-
ing White's camp - but White will surely not
7+-mk-+-+-'
cooperate! 6-zpp+-+-+&
42.Rh6 Kc7 43.Kc3 a5 44.a4 Rg3+
45.Kb2 Kb6 46.Lc4 R8g6 47.Rh7 Rg7 5zp-+-tr-+-%
48.Rh8 R3g4 49.Lb3 Kc5 4P+-+-+-tr$
The naive 49...c5? leads to a drawn position:
50.c4 Rg2+ 51.Ka3, as Black cannot break 3zPL+-+-+-#
down White's fortress! So, ...b5 is prepared. 2-mKP+-+-+"
50.Ra8! b6 51.Rf8 R7g5 52.Ra8 Rh4!
(D) 1+-+-+-+-!
XABCDEFGHY xabcdefghy
8R+-+-+-+( Or 64.Rb7 c4 65.La2 Re6 66.Rf7
(66.Kc3 Kc8 67.Ra7 Re3+ 68.Kb2 c3+
7+-+-+-+-' 69.Kb3 Kb8 70.Rg7 b5! +) 66...Re7 +.
6-zpp+-+-+& 64...Rxa4 65.Rb7
65.c4 Re3 +.
5zp-mk-+-tr-% 65...Rg4 66.Rxb6 Kc7 67.Re6 Rxe6
4P+-+-+-tr$ 68.Lxe6 Rg3
And now, after the exchange of a pair of
3+L+-+-+-# rooks, the black king will march.
69.Lc4 Kd6 70.Le2
2PmKP+-+-+" Or 70.Lb5 Kd5 71.c3 Rg1 72.a4 c4 +.
1+-+-+-+-! 70...Kd5 (D)
xabcdefghy XABCDEFGHY
Black finds the correct plan: to double his 8-+-+-+-+(
rooks on the h-file, threatening ...Rh8 and
...Rh7. This will force the white rook to 7+-+-+-+-'
retreat, allowing the ...b5 advance. 6-+-+-+-+&
53.a3?!
White 'loses' the drawing possibility noted in 5zp-zpk+-+-%
the comments on Black's 49th move. A bit 4-+-+-+-+$
'tougher' was 53.Ra7 Rgh5 54.Rg7 (54.
Ra8 Rh8 55.Ra7 R4h7 +) 54...b5 +. 3zP-+-+-tr-#
53...Rg6
The plan mentioned above was still fine, but
2-mKP+L+-+"
as White self-destroyed her potential for- 1+-+-+-+-!
tress, Black decided to go for ...c5 finally.
54.Ra7 Rhg4 55.Ra8 Rg7 56.Kc3 Rh7 xabcdefghy
57.Kb2 Rgh4 58.Rg8 R7h5 59.Rf8 Re5 01
60.Ra8 Kd6! 61.Rd8+ Kc7 62.Rg8 (D)
Conclusion
(see next diagram) The win in this ending is more or less not
62...c5! that difficult. Still, there are winning meth-
Now it's all over. ods, things to know how to apply and many
63.Rg7+ Kd8 64.Lg8 positions to avoid.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 66
Wrong Bishop vs. Pawn(s)
Concept
Bishop and pawn against king wins in al-
XABCDEFGHY
most all cases. One typical drawing excep- 8-+-+-+-+(
tion occurs when the pawn is on a rook file,
the promotion square is of a different colour
7+-+-+-+-'
than that of the bishop and the defending 6p+-+-+-+&
king controls it.
The following example may prove to be 5+l+-+-+-%
illuminating: 4-zP-+-+-+$
Example 1 3+-+-+-+-#
XABCDEFGHY 2-zP-+-+-+"
8k+-+-+ mk( 1+-+-mK-mk-!
7+-+-+-+-' xabcdefghy
6-+-+-+-+& The doubled b-pawns condemn White to
defeat. Black's plan is to put the white king
5+-+-+-+-% in a stalemate position, so as to force White
4P+-vLK+-zP$ to push the b4-pawn. The presence of the
b2-pawn is necessary to this plan, so that
3+-+-+-+-# after the capture of the front b-pawn, a
stalemate doesn't occur. If White had no
2-+-+-+-+" pawns, or if these were on a different part of
1+-+-+-+-! the board, the position would be drawn.
93...Kg2 94.Kd1 Kf3 95.Kd2 Ke4
xabcdefghy 96.Kc3 Ke3 97.Kc2 Ke2 98.Kc1 Ld3!
Since White has a dark squared bishop, the 99.b3 Ke1 100.Kb2 Kd2 101.Ka1 Kc2
a-pawn will only draw while the h-pawn 102.Ka2 Kc1 103.Ka1
wins. In the first case, White cannot expel Or 103.Ka3 Kb1 104.Ka4 Kb2.
the black king from the promotion square. 103...Lb1!
There are some exceptions to this rule, in- Requiring resignation in view of the forced
volving the presence of pawns of the defend- 104.b5 axb5 105.b4 Ld3.
ing side. 01
But of course, there are some cases where
common knowledge and logic are left be- Of course, the above example is just an
hind in favour of a more advanced logic exception to the general rule, but it does
and, of course, knowledge as well! exist and should be known.
The concept always remains the same: he Before we move to more complex exam-
who knows will succeed - he who doesnt ples, we should know the basics; where we
know is preparing to fail are heading for and what we are looking
Here come the assets of concrete calcula- for
tion and zugzwang methods, things that usu- Trivial knowledge is an important step to
ally dominate endgame thinking the higher titles
A very interesting and difficult case we
Short Nigel will examine in the next four examples. A
Kasparov Garry bishop of the wrong corner tries to win
Belgrade 1989 against one or two opposing pawns:
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 67
Example 2 8.Kd6 Kb5 9.Kd5 Ka5! 10.Kc6 Ka6
XABCDEFGHY 11.Le3 Ka5 12.Kb7 Kb5 13.Lb6 Kc4
14.Kc6 Kb3 15.Lc5 Kc4 16.Le3 Kb3
8-+-+-+-+( 17.Lc1 Kc4 (D)
7+-+-+-+-' XABCDEFGHY
6-+-+-+-+& 8-+-+-+-+(
5+-+-+KvL-% 7+-+-+-+-'
4p+-+-+-+$ 6-+K+-+-+&
3zP-+-+k+-# 5+-+-+-+-%
2-+-+-+-+" 4p+k+-+-+$
1+-+-+-+-! 3zP-+-+-+-#
xabcdefghy 2-+-+-+-+"
White must keep the black king away from 1+-vL-+-+-!
his pawn's promotion square, as otherwise
the game will be drawn. The win can be xabcdefghy
achieved if White succeeds in confining the 18.Lb2! Kb3 19.Kb5! 10
black king inside an imaginary prison, the
borders of which are outlined by the squares Example 3 - Rauzer Vsevolod 1928
a6, b5, c4, d3, e4, f3, g4, h5. The winning XABCDEFGHY
process is as follows:
1.Lf4 8-+k+-+-+(
If the move belongs to Black, White can
bring about the diagram position with him to
7+-+-+-+-'
move anyway, as follows: 1...Kg3 2.Lf6! 6-+K+-+-+&
Kf3 (2...Kh3 3.Kf4 Kh2 4.Kf3 Kh3
5.Lg5 Kh2 6.Kg4 Kg2 7.Lf4 as in the
5+-+-+-+-%
main line) 3.Le5 Ke3 4.Lb2!! (4.Lb8? 4pvL-+-+-+$
Kd4! 5.Ke6 Kc5 6.Kd7 Kb6 with a draw)
4...Kd3 (4...Kf3 5.Lc1 Kg3 6.Lg5 Kf2
3zP-+-+-+-#
7.Kf4 Ke2 8.Ke4 Kf2 9.Lf4) 5.Ke5
Ke3 (5...Kc4 6.Kd6 Kb5 7.Ld4 Kc4
2-+-+-+-+"
8.Lc5 Kb5 9.Kd5) 6.Lc1+ Kf3 7.Kf5! 1+-+-+-+-!
Kg3 8.Lg5 Kf3 (8...Kh3 9.Kf4) 9.Lf4. xabcdefghy
1...Kg2 2.Kg4!!
The famous theoretician Vsevolod Rauzer
A draw occurs after 2.Ke4?! Kh3! 3.Kd5
Kg4 4.Lh2? (4.Ke4!) 4...Kf5 5.Kc6 did considerable analysis on this situation.
Ke6. White cuts off and then drives the king away
from the corner; yet still, he cannot win. The
2...Kf2 3.Lc1 Ke2 defensive method is simple: just keep the
Or 3...Kg2 4.Le3 Kf1 5.Kf3 Ke1 6.Lf4 king in the upper half of the board. Then,
Kd1 7.Ke3 Kc2 8.Kd4 Kb3 9.Ld6.
any attempt to remove the a4-pawn will al-
4.Kf4 Kd1 low Black's king to get back to the safe cor-
Or 4...Kd3 5.Le3 Kc4 6.Ke5 Kb3 7.Lc5 ner a8. If, in Rauzer's starting position, we
Kc4 8.Kd6 Kd3 9.Kd5 Kc3 10.Ld6
move the pawn on a3 back to a2, the evalua-
Kd3 11.Kc5 Ke4 12.Lh2.
tion changes. White will try to stalemate the
5.Le3 Kc2 6.Ke5 Kb3 7.Lc5 Kc4 enemy king (while still keeping him away
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 68
from the corner, of course), in order to force bishop can occupy it is if the black king gets
the move ...a3, after which the bishop can too frisky. If he follows the above-cited rule
pick off the pawn. If Black tries to avoid this of defence instead, then White will be un-
scenario, then he must move his king into able to keep the bishop on the necessary
the centre, which will allow White, by play- diagonal and keep the king out at the same
ing a3 at the right moment, to obtain the time.
'bad' black king situation we have already 8.Ld6 Kf7 9.Kd7 Kf6 10.Lh2 Kf7
seen. 10...Kf5 11.Ke7 Kg5 (11...Ke4? 12.Ke6
1.Ld6 Kd8 2.Kb7 Kd7 3.Lc7 Ke6 +) 12.Ke6 Kg6.
4.Kc6 Ke7 5.Lb6 Ke6 6.Lc5 Ke5 11.Le5 Kg6
7.Lf8 Ke6 But not 11...Kg8? 12.Kc6 Kf7 13.Kb5
If the king goes into the lower half of the Ke6 14.Kxa4! +. 11...Kf8 = is good as
board instead with 7...Kd4? then after well.
8.Ld6! (8.Lg7+? Ke4! [8...Kc4? 9.Lb2 12.Ke6 Kg5 13.Lb2 Kg6 14.Lf6 Kh6
Kb3 10.Kb5! +] 9.Kd6 Kf5 10.Le5 15.Kf7 Kh7 16.Le5 Kh6 17.Lg7+ Kh7
Kg6 = [10...Ke4? 11.Ke6 Kf3! 12.Kf5 18.Kf8 Kg6 19.Kg8 Kf5 20.Kf7 Kg5
Ke3 13.Lb2!! {13.Lb8? Kd4 14.Ke6 21.Lf8 Kf5 22.Le7 (D)
Kc5 15.Kd7 Kb6 16.Kc8 Kc6 17.Lc7
Kd5 18.Kd7 Kc5 19.Ld8 Kd5 20.Le7
XABCDEFGHY
Ke5 =} 13...Kd3 {13...Kf3 14.Lc1 Kg3 8-+-+-+-+(
15.Lg5 Kf2 16.Kf4 Ke2 17.Ke4 Kf2
18.Lf4 Kg2 19.Kd4! Kf3 20.Lh2 +}
7+-+-vLK+-'
14.Ke5 Ke3 {14...Kc4 15.Ld4 Kb3 6-+-+-+-+&
16.Lc5 Kc4 17.Kd6 Kb3 18.Kc6 +}
15.Lc1+ Kf3 16.Kf5 Kg3 17.Lg5 Kf3 5+-+-+k+-%
18.Lf4 Kg2! {18...Kf2 19.Ke4 Kg2 4p+-+-+-+$
20.Kd4 Kf3 21.Lh2 +} 19.Kg4!
{19.Ke4? Kh3 20.Kd4 Kg4 21.Lh2? 3zP-+-+-+-#
Kf5 =} 19...Kf2 20.Lc1! Ke2 21.Kf4
Kd1 {21...Kf2 22.Le3+ Kg2 23.Kg4
2-+-+-+-+"
Kh2 {23...Kh1 24.Lf4 Kg2 25.Lg3} 1+-+-+-+-!
24.Lf4+ Kg2 25.Lg3 Kg1 26.Kf3 Kh1 xabcdefghy
27.Lb8! Kg1 28.Ke3 Kg2 29.Kd3 Kf3
30.Kc4 Ke4 31.Kb5 Kd5 32.Lh2 + ; White has managed to drive the king closer
21...Kd3 22.Le3! Kc4 23.Ke5 Kb3 to the centre; but now he has to keep him
24.Lc5 Kc4 25.Kd6 Kb5 26.Kd5 Ka5 from returning to a8. The way is once again
27.Kc6 Ka6 28.Lg1 Ka5 29.Kb7 Kb5 open to the upper half of the board.
30.Lb6 Kc4 31.Kc6 Kb3 32.Lc5 +} 22...Ke5
22.Le3 Kc2 23.Ke5! {23.Ke4? Kb3 Planning ...Kd5-c6-b7, with a draw.
24.Lc5 Kc4 25.Le3 Kb3 26.Lc1 Kc4 =} 23.Ke8 Ke6 24.Lf8 Kf6 25.Lb4 Kg7
23...Kb3 24.Lc5 Kc4 25.Kd6 Kb3
26.Kc6 Kc4 27.Ld6 {27.Le3 Kb3 Korchnoi Viktor
28.Lc1 Kc4 29.Lb2 Kb3 30.Kb5 +} Karpov Anatoly
27...Kd4 28.Kb5 Kd5 29.Lh2 Ke6 Baguio City 1978
30.Kxa4 Kd7 31.Kb5 Kc8 32.Kb6+]) The position is similar to the previous ex-
8...Ke4 (8...Kc4 9.Lc5 Kd3 10.Kb5) amples, except of course that there is an ex-
9.Kb5 Kd5 10.Lh2 Ke6 11.Kxa4 Kd7 tra black pawn on b5. If White would con-
12.Kb5 Kc8 13.Kb6 +. From this varia- tinue as in the previous example with
tion we can see how vital the h2-b8 diagonal 100.Kg4 then a draw will occur after
is to the bishop. However, the only way the 100...Kf2 101.Lc1 Ke2 102.Kf4 Kd3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 69
103.Le3 Kc4 104.Ke5 (104.Ld2 b4 61.Kf2 Kd2 62.Kf3 Ke1 (D)
105.axb4 a3 106.Lc1 a2 107.Lb2 Kxb4) The white king must leave the dangerous
104...b4. zone near the pawns, where he can get in
XABCDEFGHY zugzwang: 63.Kg2? Ke2 64.Kg3 Ke3
65.Kg2 Lf4 66.Kf1 Lg3 67.Kg2 Kf4
8-+-+-+-+( 68.Kf1 Kf3 69.Kg1 Le1 70.Kh2 Lf2
71.Kh1 Le3 72.Kh2 Kf2 73.Kh3 Lg5
7+-+-+-+-' 74.Kh2 Lf4+ 75.Kh3 Kf3! (75...Lg3??
6-+-vL-+-+& 76.g5 hxg5 77.Kg4 Lf4 78.h6 =) 76.Kh4
Lh2 77.Kh3 Lg3 78.g5 hxg5 79.h6 g4 # .
5+p+-+K+-% XABCDEFGHY
4p+-+-+-+$ 8-+-+-+-+(
3zP-+-+-+-# 7+-+-+-+-'
2-+-+-+k+" 6-+-+-+-zp&
1+-+-+-+-! 5+-+-+-vlP%
xabcdefghy 4-+-+-+P+$
100...Kf3 101.Lh2 Kg2 102.Lc7 Kf3
103.Ld6 Ke3 104.Ke5 Kf3 105.Kd5 3+-+-+K+-#
Kg4 106.Kc5 Kf5 107.Kxb5 Ke6
108.Kc6 Kf6 109.Kd7 Kg7 110.Le7
2-+-+-+-+"
Kg8 111.Ke6 Kg7 112.Lc5 Kg8 1+-+-mk-+-!
113.Kf6 Kh7 114.Kf7 Kh8 115.Ld4+
Kh7 116.Lb2 Kh6 117.Kg8 Kg6 xabcdefghy
118.Lg7 Kf5 119.Kf7 Kg5 120.Lb2 63.Ke4! Kd2 64.Kf3 Kd3 65.Kf2 Kd2
Kh6 121.Lc1+ Kh7 122.Ld2 Kh8 66.Kf3 Ke1 67.Ke4 Ke2 68.Kd4 Kf3
123.Lc3+ Kh7 124.Lg7 69.Kc3 Le3 70.Kd3 Lc5 71.Kd2!
The only move.
Vovk Yuri
71...Lb4+ 72.Kd3 La5 73.Kc2 Ke2
Bobras Piotr
74.Kb3 Kd3 75.Kb2 Ld2 76.Kb3 Lc3
Cappelle la Grande 2007
77.Ka3 Kc2 78.Ka4 Ld2 79.Ka3 Kc3
XABCDEFGHY 80.Ka4 Kc4 81.Ka3 Lc1+ (D)
8-+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+-+-' 8-+-+-+-+(
6-+-+-+-zp& 7+-+-+-+-'
5+-+-+-vlP% 6-+-+-+-zp&
4-+-+-+P+$ 5+-+-+-+P%
3+-+-+-+-# 4-+k+-+P+$
2-+K+-+-+" 3mK-+-+-+-#
1mk-+-+-+-! 2-+-+-+-+"
xabcdefghy 1+-vl-+-+-!
As already mentioned, this is a draw. xabcdefghy
58.Kd1 Kb2 59.Ke2 Kc2 60.Ke1 Kd3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 70
82.Ka4! although he will have to find some more
Again the only way. 82.Ka2? is losing to accurate moves, which makes his task in a
82...Kc3 83.Kb1 Lb2 84.Ka2 Kc2. practical game more difficult.
82...Lb2 83.Ka5 La3 84.Kb6! 100...Lf1! 101.Kg1 Lg2
84.Ka6? Kc5! 85.Kb7 (85.Ka5 Lb4+ And White resigned as he will find himself
86.Ka6 Kc6 87.Ka7 La5 88.Kb8 Lb6 in a deadly zugzwang after 102.Kh2 Kf2
+) 85...Lb2 +. and he will have to opt for 103.b5 axb5
84...Lb4 85.Kc7? 104.a6 b4 105.a7 b3 106.a8Q Lxa8.
Finally White breaks down. He had to play 01
85.Kc6! Lc5 86.Kb7! Kd5 87.Ka6! with It is obvious that the drawing mechanism
a draw. is not that simple at all! The defending side
85...Kc5! 86.Kd7 Kd5 87.Kc7 Ke4 should have deeply understood all the pros
88.Kc6 Kf4 89.Kd5 Kxg4 90.Kd4 and cons of this position and he should be
Lc5+! able to apply them in a short time, as playing
The last detail, which White forgot about in the 30 second range should be a fact
and he had to resign due to 91.Kxc5 nowadays! Lets see a final example:
(91.Ke4 Lb6 92.Kd3 Kxh5 93.Ke2 Kg4
94.Kf1 Kf3 +) 91...Kxh5 92.Kd4 Kg4 Huschenbeth Niclas
Grover Sahaj
93.Ke3 Kg3 94.Ke2 Kg2 +.
Chennai 2011
01
XABCDEFGHY
Perdek Miroslaw
Grivas Efstratios 8-+-+-+-+(
Kallithea 2007
7+-+-+-+-'
XABCDEFGHY 6p+-+-mK-+&
8-+-+-+-+( 5zP-+-+l+-%
7+-+-+-+-' 4-zP-+-mk-+$
6p+-+lmk-+& 3+-+-+-+-#
5zP-+-+-+-% 2-+-+-+-+"
4-+-+-+-+$ 1+-+-+-+-!
3+-+-+-mK-# xabcdefghy
2-zP-+-+-+" 95.Ke7?
1+-+-+-+-! As White's king can not safely retreat into
the drawing zone (c2-c3-c4-d5-e6-f7-g6-h5-
xabcdefghy h4-h3-h2-g1-f1-e1-d1), he had to run along
Another drawn position. the edge of the board: 95.Kg7! Ke5
73...Ke5 74.Kf3 Kd4 75.Ke2 Kc4 76.b4 (95...Kg5 96.Kf7! Lg4 97.Ke7 Kf5
Lf5 77.Kd2 Le4 78.Ke3 Lg6 79.Kd2 98.Kd6 Ke4 99.b5 axb5 100.Kc5 =)
Lf5 80.Kd1 Kc3 81.Ke1 Lg4 82.Kf2 96.Kh6! (96.Kh8? Kf6 97.Kg8 Lg6
Kd2 83.Kg3 Ld1 84.Kf4 Kd3 85.Ke5 98.Kf8 [98.Kh8 Kf7 99.b5 axb5 100.a6
Lf3 86.Kf4 Lh5 87.Ke5 Lf7 88.Kf4 Le4 +] 98...Lf7 99.b5 axb5 100.a6 Ld5
Lg6 89.Kf3 Lf5 90.Kf4 Le4 91.Kg3 +) 96...Kf6 (96...Kd4 97.Kg5 Kc4
Ke3 92.Kg4 Lh1 93.Kg3 Lf3 94.Kh4 98.Kxf5 Kxb4 99.Ke4 Kxa5 100.Kd3
Le4 95.Kg3 Lf3 96.Kh4 Kf2 97.Kh3 Kb4 101.Kc2 =) 97.Kh5 and he has
Lh5 98.Kh4 Le2 99.Kh3 Kf3 100.Kh2? reached the drawing zone, so he should be
With 100.Kh4! White would save the draw, safe: 97...Ld7 98.Kh4 (98.Kh6? Le8 +)
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 71
98...Kf5 99.Kg3 Ke4 100.Kf2 Kd4 With two pawns for the wrong bishop it
101.Ke2 Kc4 102.Kd2 Kxb4 103.Kc2 =. looks like lessening the defenders task. But
95.Kf7? loses as well after 95...Ke5 certain difficulties, mechanisms and plans do
96.Kg7 Kd5 97.Kf6 Lh7 98.Kg5 Kc4 exist.
99.Kf4 Kxb4 100.Ke3 Kxa5 101.Kd2
Kb4 102.Kc1 Kc3 +. Adams Michael
Anand Viswanathan
95...Ke5 96.Kf7 Lh7 97.Ke7
Wijk aan Zee 2001
White cannot be saved either after 97.Kg7
Kd4 98.Kxh7 (98.b5 axb5 99.Kxh7 Kc5 XABCDEFGHY
+) 98...Kc4 99.Kg6 Kxb4 100.Kf5 Kxa5 8-+-tr-mk-+(
101.Ke4 Kb4 102.Kd3 Kb3 103.Kd2
Kb2 104.Kd3 a5 +. 7+-+-+pzp-'
97...Kd5 98.Kf6 Kc4 99.Ke5 Kxb4 6-+-sn-+-zp&
100.Kd4 Lg6! (D)
A deadly zugzwang! Black should avoid 5zP-zpR+-+-%
100...Kxa5? when by 101.Kc3 White's king
reaches the saving corner. And he should 4-+-+-+-+$
avoid as well the alternative bad option 3+-+-+-zP-#
100...Lg8? 101.Kd3 when the white king
reaches Rauzer's drawing zone (all squares 2-+-+-+-zP"
covered by the line a2-b3-c4-d5-e4-f5-g4- 1+-+-+LmK-!
h3) safely: 101...Kb3 102.Kd2 Lh7
103.Kc1 Kc3 104.Kd1 Kb2 105.Kd2 xabcdefghy
Lc2 106.Ke3 Kc3 107.Kf4?! Kd4 29...Nb7!
108.Kg5?! Ke5 109.Kg4 with a draw, but An excellent piece of defence, resulting in a
not 109.Kh6? Kf4 110.Kh5 Ld3 111.Kh4 drawn ending.
Lf5 112.Kh5 Kg3 113.Kg5 Lg4 30.Rxd8+ Nxd8 31.Lg2
114.Kf6 Kf4 115.Kg6 Lf3 116.Kf6 Lc6 31.a6? Nc6 and Black is OK.
117.Ke6 Lb7 118.Kd6 Ke4 119.Kc5 31...Ne6 32.a6 Nc7 33.a7 Ke7
Kd3 120.Kb4 Ld5! 121.Kc5 Lg8 Now White will win the black knight, but
122.Kb6 Lc4 123.Kc5 Kc3 124.Kd6 the ending is drawn.
Kb4 125.Kc6 Kxa5 126.Kc5 Lg8 +. 34.Kf2 Kd6 35.Ke3 c4 36.a8Q
XABCDEFGHY Of course not 36.Kd4? Nb5+ =+.
36...Nxa8 37.Lxa8 Ke5 (D)
8-+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+-+-' 8L+-+-+-+(
6p+-+-+l+& 7+-+-+pzp-'
5zP-+-+-+-% 6-+-+-+-zp&
4-mk-mK-+-+$ 5+-+-mk-+-%
3+-+-+-+-# 4-+p+-+-+$
2-+-+-+-+" 3+-+-mK-zP-#
1+-+-+-+-! 2-+-+-+-zP"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
Now White cannot defend: 101.Ke3 Kxa5
102.Kd2 Kb4 103.Kc1 Kc3 +. 01 xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 72
White has no time to stop the pawn ex- but that isn't easy to do.
changes, as he has also to win the black c- 38...f5
pawn. Black will be forced to move his pawns at
38.Lf3 f5 39.Le2 g5! 40.Lxc4 f4+ some point; for example: 38...Kf6 39.Kd4
41.Kf2 Ke7 40.Kc5 Kd7 41.Lc6+ Ke7 42.La4
41.gxf4+ gxf4+ = as White remains with the f5 43.Lb5 e5 44.Kd5 Kf6 45.Lc4 e4
'wrong colour' on h8. 46.Kd4, with a similar position as in the
41...fxg3+! 42.hxg3 g4 game.
And now comes ...h5-h4, with an easy draw. 39.Kd4 Kf6 40.Ld1
43.Lf7 Kf6 44.Le8 Kg5 45.Ke3 h5 The bishop has no better diagonal: 40.Lb7
46.Lxh5 Kxh5 47.Kf4 Kh6 48.Kxg4 h5 41.La6 h4 42.Lc8 e5+ 43.Kd5 e4
Kg6 44.Kd4 Kg5 45.Ke5 h3 46.g3 Kg4 with a
draw, as the king infiltrates.
Bacrot Etienne 40...h5 41.Lf3 h4 42.Le2 (D)
Anand Viswanathan
Nanjing 2010 XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
8-+-+-+k+( 7+-+-+-+-'
7+-+-+p+p' 6-+-+pmkp+&
6-+-+p+p+& 5+-+-+p+-%
5+-tR-+-+-% 4-+-mK-+-zp$
4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-#
3+-zp-+L+-# 2-+-+L+PzP"
2-+-+K+PzP" 1+-+-+-+-!
1+r+-+-+-! xabcdefghy
xabcdefghy 42...g5?
It seems that this natural-looking move is a
The c-pawn is lost and Black has to choose serious mistake. Black could have played
his line of defence. There is no big theory on 42...e5+! 43.Kd5 e4 44.Kd4 Kg5! 45.Ke5
this endgame, but by keeping the rooks on and then 45...f4!! 46.h3 (46.Kxe4 h3 47.g3
the board Black should have an easy draw.
[47.gxh3 f3 48.Lxf3 Kh6 49.Kf4 g5+
35...Rc1?! 50.Kf5 Kh7 =] 47...fxg3 48.hxg3 h2
Precise was 35...Rh1! 36.h3 Rc1 37.Kd3
Kg7 38.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 39.Kxc3 f5 40.Kd4 49.Lf3 h1Q 50.Lxh1 Kg4 =) 46...f3
Kf6 41.Le2 h5 42.Ld1 h4 43.Le2 g5! 47.gxf3 (47.Lxf3 exf3 48.gxf3 Kh6 =)
47...exf3 48.Lxf3 Kh6 49.Kf6 Kh7
44.Ld1 g4! 45.hxg4 Kg5 46.gxf5 exf5
50.Kf7 Kh8 (for the time being, Black
47.Ke3 f4+ 48.Kf3 h3! and a draw, as should keep his king on h7-h8 and his pawn
White remains with the wrong pawn; his
should remain on g6) 51.Ld5 Kh7 52.Lc4
light-squared bishop is no longer useful! Kh8 53.Kf8 Kh7 54.Le6 Kh6 55.Kg8 g5
36.Kd3 Kg7 37.Rxc3 Rxc3+?!
56.Lg4 (56.Kf7 g4! 57.Lxg4 [57.hxg4
As explained beforehand, Black should pre- Kg5 =] 57...Kh7! [57...Kg5? 58.Kg7 Kf4
serve the rooks on the board. Then there is
59.Kf6 +]) 56...Kg6 57.Kf8 Kf6 58.Ke8
probably no way for White to triumph. Ke5! and this is a draw, as you cannot
38.Kxc3
stalemate the black king, forcing the ad-
Of course now Black would be very happy
vance of his g-pawn - see the previous ex-
to trade all his pawns for the white g2-pawn,
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 73
amples. 42...h3? is simply losing to 43.g3 g5 As Black is lacking any counterplay, White
(43...f4 44.g4 Kg5 45.Ke5 Kh4 46.Kxf4 has an easy task.
g5+ 47.Kf3 e5 48.Lb5 e4+ 49.Kxe4 Kxg4 77.Re4! Kg8 78.Re7 Rxe7 79.Lxe7
50.Le8 Kh4 51.Kf3 g4+ 52.Kf4 g3 Microplan 1 fulfilled!
53.hxg3 #) 44.Lf3 g4 45.Lh1 e5+ 46.Kd5 79...Kf7 80.Lc5 h5
f4 (46...e4 47.Lxe4 fxe4 48.Kxe4 +) Black has no real options. If he doesn't push
47.Le4 +. his kingside pawns, then White will enter the
43.La6! kingside, winning further material.
An important change of diagonal. Bad 81.Kf2 g5 82.Ke3 Kg6 83.Ke4 h4
would be 43.Lf3? due to 43...e5+ 44.Kd5 84.Le7 Kh5 85.Kf5 g4 86.Kf4 h3
e4 45.Le2 g4 46.Lxg4 fxg4 47.Kxe4 g3 87.gxh3 gxh3 88.Kg3
48.h3 Ke6 49.Kf4 Kd5! 50.Kg4 Ke4 Microplan 2 fulfilled!
51.Kxh4 Kf4 52.Kh5 Ke3 =. 88...h2 89.Kxh2 Kg4 90.Lc5 Kf5
43...g4 44.Lb7 91.Kg3 Ke6 92.Kf4 Kd7 93.Ke5 Kc8
The bishop always dominates the pawns! 94.Kd6 Kb8 95.Kd7 Ka8 96.Kc7 (D)
44...e5+ XABCDEFGHY
44...h3 45.g3 e5+ 46.Ke3 f4+ 47.Ke4 fxg3
48.hxg3 h2 49.Ke3 + ; 44...f4 45.Le4 f3 8k+-+-+-+(
46.g3 +. 7+pmK-+-+-'
45.Kd5 f4
45...e4 46.Kd4 Kg6 47.Ke3 Kg5 48.g3 +. 6p+p+-+-+&
46.Ke4 10
5zP-vL-+-+-%
Kamsky Gata
Leko Peter 4-zP-+-+-+$
Nice 2009 3+-+-+-+-#
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-+-+"
8-+-+-+-mk( 1+-+-+-+-!
7+p+r+-zp-' xabcdefghy
6p+p+-+-zp& Microplan 3 fulfilled as well and Black re-
5zP-vL-+-+-% signed: 96...b5 97.axb6 a5 98.b7#.
10
4-zP-+-tR-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+P+"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy Khalifman Alexander
Leko Peter
Black has only got two pawns for his miss- New Delhi/Teheran 2000
ing piece and his prospects dont look rosy. One pawn for the bishop doesnt look like
Here White's plan seems rather simple: good news for the defending side. Still, due
1. Exchange the rooks. to the problem of the wrong colour bishop,
2. Create weaknesses on the kingside, even- difficulties do exist and should be taken care
tually exchanging/winning a pawn on that of, in order to avoid nasty surprises Here
flank. Black has just a weak c-pawn to compensate
3. Create a zugzwang position on the other for his missing piece, so the end should not
flank. be far away.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 74
XABCDEFGHY Kramnik Vladimir
Carlsen Magnus
8-+-+-+-+( London 2010

7+-+-+-+p' XABCDEFGHY
6-+-+-+p+& 8-+-+-+-+(
5+-+-+pmk-% 7+-+-+-zp-'
4-+r+-+-+$ 6-+ksn-+-zp&
3tR-zp-mKP+P# 5+-tr-+-+-%
2-+L+-+P+" 4-+-+-+-+$
1+-+-+-+-! 3zp-sN-+-zP-#
xabcdefghy 2L+-+-+P+"
42.Ra4! f4+ 1+-+R+-mK-!
42...Rxa4 43.Lxa4 Kh4 44.Kf4 +.
43.Kf2 Rxa4
xabcdefghy
If the rook retreats, then 43...Rc7 44.h4+ 62.Rxd6+
Kxh4 45.Rxf4+ Kg5 46.Rg4+ Kf6 62.Rd3 would have been a good practical
47.Ke3 + is the simplest way. decision, and would probably have been
44.Lxa4 Kh4 45.Lc2 Kg5 46.g3! answered by Carlsen's resignation. The latter
Sooner or later, this exchange should be of- said so at least, but such a remark must be a
fered. White reduces material but he wins part of some psychological warfare. It goes
more ground, forcing the black king to re- without saying that he would have continued
treat and not threatening any more the active regardless. In view of White's doubled
...Kh4-g3. pawns, his technical job will not be so easy...
46...fxg3+ 47.Kxg3 Kh5 48.f4 But on a 'scientific' approach, the text move
48.h4 is good as well: 48...g5 49.hxg5 Kxg5 is the best!
50.Lxh7 + ; 48...Kh6 49.Kg4 Kg7 50.h5 62...Kxd6 63.Ne4+ Kc6 64.Nxc5 Kxc5
gxh5+ (50...Kf6 51.hxg6 hxg6 52.f4 +) Kramnik 'carelessly' entered into the end-
51.Kxh5 h6 52.f4 + ; 48...h6 49.Lb3 g5 game, which is not winning easily. But from
(49...c2 50.Le6 c1Q 51.Lg4 #) 50.Lf7 #. such outstanding players, the low rated audi-
48...Kh6 49.Kg4 Kg7 50.h4! ence has its own demands...
Threatening 51.h5, as in the previous note. 65.Kf2 Kd4 66.Kf3
50...h6 51.Kf3 Kf7 52.Ke4 Kf6 53.Kd4 Garry Kasparov had just arrived at the
g5 54.hxg5+ hxg5 55.f5 g4 56.Ke4 Olympia playing hall and proposed 66.Ke2
Resigned, due to 56...Kg5 57.Ke3 +. because Black anyway does not have time to
10 go with his king to b2: 66...Kc3 67.Ke3
Kc2 68.Lf7 Kc3 69.g4 Kc2 70.Kd4 Kd2
71.Lb3! (guarding c2) 71...Ke2 72.Kc3
Kf2 73.Ld5 which wins, for example
73...g6 74.g5 h5 75.Kd4. But of course
there is nothing wrong with Whites natu-
A more difficult case appeared in the next ral choice after all. The problem is that
game, which has been extensively analysed later, White seemed not to know how to win
in various sources and many have called the game; he missed the details
Carlsen's escape 'magic'. Well, there is noth- 66...Kd3 67.g4 Kd2 68.Le6
ing magical; just pure logic and plain calcu- Black's big hope is the position after
lations, which White failed to show... 68.Kf4? Ke2 69.g5 hxg5+ 70.Kxg5 Kf2!
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 75
71.g4 which is a draw: 71...Kf3 72.Kf5 77.Le6 Ke3
g6+! 73.Kg5 Kg3 74.Ld5 Kh3 75.Kf4 White is unable to activate his king without
Kh4 76.g5 Kh5!. losing the g4-pawn, so the draw is evident.
68...Kd3 (D) 78.Kh2 Kf2 79.Lc4 Ke3 80.Kg1 Kf4
XABCDEFGHY 81.Le6 (D)
81.Kf2 Kxg4 82.g3 Kf5 83.Kf3 g4+
8-+-+-+-+( 84.Ke3 h5 is also drawn.
7+-+-+-zp-' XABCDEFGHY
6-+-+L+-zp& 8-+-+-+-+(
5+-+-+-+-% 7+-+-+-+-'
4-+-+-+P+$ 6-+-+L+-zp&
3zp-+k+K+-# 5+-+-+-zp-%
2-+-+-+P+" 4-+-+-mkP+$
1+-+-+-+-! 3zp-+-+-+-#
xabcdefghy 2-+-+-+P+"
69.Kg3? 1+-+-+-mK-!
69.Lf7? was bad as well after 69...Kd2!
(instead 69...g5? 70.La2 Kd4 71.Le6 Kd3 xabcdefghy
72.Lf7 Kd4 73.Ke2 Ke4 loses to 74.g3 81...Ke5 82.Lb3 Kf4 83.Le6 Ke5
Kd4 75.Kd2 Ke4 76.Kc3 Kf3 77.Lh5! 84.Lb3 Kf4 85.Le6 Ke5 86.Lb3
+) 70.Ke4 Ke2 71.Kd4 Kf2 72.Ld5
Kg3 73.g5 but now Black escapes: 73...h5! An interesting case is the one with 3:2
pawns on one side for the defender. There
(not 73...a2? 74.Lxa2 Kxg2 75.g6 + ; are many difficulties and the win (if any) is
73...Kf4!? 74.g6 h5 =) 74.g6 (74.Ke5 more hidden than someone might expect.
Kg4! 75.g6 Kg5! 76.Lf7 h4 =) 74...Kf4
Highly important is the placement of the
75.Kc3 h4 76.Kb3 Ke5 = and White can- rook pawns.
not win because Black later goes with his
king to f8 and White cannot achieve pro- Portisch Lajos
gress. But 69.g5! wins. The main idea is Stein Leonid
after 69...hxg5 (69...Kd4 70.Kf4!) to play Sousse 1967
70.g3! and later White will capture the g5- XABCDEFGHY
pawn, having his own pawn already on g3
(so, Black cannot force White to play g4 8-+-+-+-+(
early!), and it is gradually winning after- 7+-+L+p+p'
wards, as tablebases confirm: 70...Kd4
71.Kg4 Ke5 72.La2 Ke4 73.Kxg5 Kf3 6-+-+-mkp+&
and now 74.Kh4! is the killer, e.g. 74...g5+
75.Kh3 Ke3 76.Kg4 Kf2 77.Ld5! +.
5+-+-+-+-%
69...Ke3 70.Kh4 4-+-+-+-+$
Or 70.g5 Ke4! (70...hxg5? 71.Kg4 Kf2
72.g3 g6 73.Ld5 +) 71.Kg4 Ke3 =. 3+-+-+-zPP#
70...Kf2 2-+-+-mK-+"
Unfortunately for Kramnik, now it is a draw.
71.Ld5 g6 72.Kh3 g5! 73.Kh2 Kf1 1+-+-+-+-!
74.Le6 Kf2 75.Lc4 Ke3 76.Kg3 Kd4! xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 76
It seems that White would have an easy Example 4 - Averbakh Yuri 1972
task... XABCDEFGHY
49.Le8!
Every tempo counts here; we will see why. 8-+-+-+-+(
49...Ke7 50.Lb5 f5
50...Kf6 51.Lc4 or 50...Kd6 51.Lc4! f5?!
7+-+L+-+-'
52.Lg8 doesn't change much. 6-+-+-+-+&
51.Ke3 Kf6 52.Kd4!
White has managed to get his king to d4, but 5+-+-mkpzp-%
the win is still quite tricky. 4-+-+-+-+$
52...h5
52...Kg5 leaves White with the hardest task: 3+-+-+KzP-#
53.Ke5 h5 54.h4+! (54.Le2? h4 55.g4 fxg4 2-+-+-+-+"
56.Lxg4 Kh6 57.Kf6 Kh7 =) 54...Kg4
55.Kf6 Kxg3 56.Kg5 f4 57.Le8 f3 1+-+-+-+-!
58.Lxg6 f2 59.Ld3+; while not much
different is 52...Ke6 53.Lc4+ Kf6
xabcdefghy
54.Ld5. 1...f4!
53.Ke3 (D) 1...Kf6? is a blunder 2.Ke2 Ke5 3.Kd3
Kf6 as now the white king can come to d4:
XABCDEFGHY 4.Kd4 Kg6 5.Ke5 +. We should note here
8-+-+-+-+( that even if White had an extra pawn on h3
or h5 and Black one on h6, still the text
7+-+-+-+-' move was good enough to draw!
6-+-+-mkp+& 2.g4 Kd4 3.Ke2 Kc3!
Black should keep his king in/near the cen-
5+L+-+p+p% tre, as long as it is needed.
4.Lb5 Kd4 5.La6 Kc3 6.Ld3 Kd4
4-+-+-+-+$ 7.Kd2 (D)
3+-+-mK-zPP# XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+-+-+" 8-+-+-+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7+-+-+-+-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-+-+-+&
53...h4
Black is helpless: 53...g5 54.Kd4 f4 55.g4
5+-+-+-zp-%
+ or 53...Ke5 54.h4 + or, finally, 4-+-mk-zpP+$
53...Kg5 54.h4+ Kg4 55.Kf2 Kh3 (55...f4
56.Ld7 #) 56.Lc6 +. 3+-+L+-+-#
54.g4 Ke5 55.Lf1 Kf6 56.Kf4 g5+ 2-+-mK-+-+"
57.Ke3 Ke5 58.La6
10 1+-+-+-+-!
In order to better understand the pros and xabcdefghy
cons of this ending, it is essential to know That's the best that White can do...
the next two studies and how the drawing 7...Ke5! 8.Kc3 f3!
and winning mechanisms are applied. Forced, but good enough to draw.
I found both of them to be quite instruc- 9.Kd2 Kf4 10.Lf5 f2! 11.Ke2 Kg3
tive. Believe it or not, the first one is a 12.Kf1 Kf3
drawn position! And Black keeps his king on f3/g3.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 77
Example 5 - Speelman Jonathan 1981 It is not easy at all to win the resulting end-
XABCDEFGHY ing, so White should preserve his f-pawn
with 40.f4 +/ or, even better, 40.Rb7 Kd6
8-+-+-+-+( 41.b5 Rxf2 42.b6 Na6 43.Ra7 +/.
40...Rxf2 41.b6 Na6 42.Ra8 Nc5 43.b7
7+-+-+-+-' Nxb7 44.Ra7
6-+-+-+-+& The point of White's 40th move.
44...Rb2!?
5+-+-vLp+-% The position that can arise after 44...Kf6
4-+k+pzP-+$ 45.Rxb7 Kg7 46.Kg1 Rf5 47.Le4 Re5
48.Lc2 h5 49.Lb3 Rf5 (D) should be ex-
3+-+-mK-+-# tensively examined.
2-+-+-+-+" XABCDEFGHY
1+-+-+-+-! 8-+-+-+-+(
xabcdefghy 7+R+-+pmk-'
If we move everything one file to the left, 6-+-+-+p+&
then White wins as his king has room to get
round on the kingside: 5+-+-+r+p%
1.Ld4 Kd5 2.La7 Kc4 3.Kf2 Kd3
4.Kg3 e3 5.Kh4 e2 6.Lf2 Ke4 7.Kg5
4-+-+-+-zP$
10 3+L+-+-zP-#
If now we place a rook on the board for 2-+-+-+-+"
each side, then we have a completely differ- 1+-+-+-mK-!
ent mission for both players. Typical posi-
tions and plans need to be known in depth xabcdefghy
time trouble would never allow us to dis- White has no easy plan at his disposal, as
cover them Black's position is rock solid and has only
one weak spot on f7, which is well guarded.
Grivas Efstratios Also, the presence of the white h-pawn on
Georgandzis Konstantinos h4 doesn't allow White to exchange rooks
Athens 1986 (in most of the cases), as shown below and
XABCDEFGHY furthermore, it doesn't allow the winning
plan which is shown in the next example.
8-tR-+-+-+( Play might go: 50.Kg2 Rf6 51.Ld5
7+-sn-mkp+p' (51.Rb4 Rd6 [Black should change his
way of protecting his f-pawn, as 51...Rf5?
6-+-+-+p+& loses to 52.Rf4 Rxf4 53.gxf4 +] 52.Rf4
Rd2+ 53.Kh3 Rd7 [it is too early for
5+-+-+-+-% 53...f6 54.Rc4 g5 55.Rc7+ Kh6 56.hxg5+
4-zP-+-+-zP$ fxg5 57.Rc6+ Kg7 58.Lc2 Rd5 59.Lg6
h4 60.g4 Ra5 61.Lf5 Kf7 62.Rg6 and
3+-+-+-zP-# White should win: 62...Ra3+ 63.Kh2
2-+-+rzPLmK" Ra2+ 64.Kg1 Ra1+ 65.Kf2 Ra2+
66.Ke3 Ra3+ 67.Kd2 Ra2+ 68.Kc3
1+-+-+-+-! Ra3+ 69.Kb2 Ra8 70.Rh6! {70.Rxg5?
Rh8 71.Ld3 h3 72.Rf5+ Kg7 73.Rf1 h2
xabcdefghy 74.Rh1 Kf6 75.Kc3 Kg5 76.Lf5 Kf4
40.b5?
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 78
77.Kd3 Rd8+ =} 70...Kg7 71.Rb6 Rh8 47...Kf6 48.Kf3 g5?
72.Kc3 h3 73.Rb1 +] 54.Lc4 Ra7 This loses. White must be ready to answer
55.Kg2 Rd7 56.Kf3 Ra7 57.Ke4 Re7+ 48...h5? with 49.Kf4, not allowing ...g5, but
58.Kd4 Ra7 59.Rf3 Rc7 60.Ld5 Ra7 Black could draw with 48...h6! because the
61.Kc5 Ra5+ 62.Kd6 Ra6+ 63.Ke5 Ra7 white king cannot reach d4 in time: 49.Lc6
64.Rb3 Re7+ [64...f6+ 65.Ke6 Ra6+ (49.Ke2 h5! 50.Ke3 g5 =) 49...g5
66.Ke7 Ra7+ 67.Rb7 Rxb7+ 68.Lxb7 g5 (49...Ke5 50.Lb5 g5 51.h5 [51.hxg5 hxg5
69.hxg5 fxg5 70.Lf3 g4 =] 65.Kf4 Re1 52.Ke2 f4! {52...Ke4? 53.Ld7 Ke5
and White has made no progress) 51...Rf5 54.Kd3 +} 53.g4 Kd4 =] 51...f4
52.Le4 Rf6 53.Lf3 Rf5 54.Kf2 Rf6 [51...Kd4 52.Ld7 Ke5 53.Ke2 Ke4
55.Ke3 Rd6 56.Le4 Kf6 57.Lc2 Re6+ 54.Lc8 Ke5? 55.Kd3 +] 52.g4 Kd4 =)
58.Kf4 Kg7 59.Lb3 Rf6+ 60.Ke4 Kg8 50.h5 f4! 51.g4 Ke5 52.Ke2 Kd4 53.Lb5
61.Ld5 Kg7 62.Ke5 Rf5+ 63.Kd6 Rf2 Kc3 54.Ld3 Kd4 55.Kd2 Ke5 56.Kc3
64.Ke7 Rf5 65.Rd7 g5, and the best White f3! =.
can hope for is to end with rook & bishop 49.h5!
vs. rook, which is of course drawn, but in a 49.hxg5+? Kxg5 50.Lc8 h5 =.
practical game the chances to win are many. 49...Ke5
45.Rxb7+?! 49...f4 now loses to 50.g4 Ke5 (50...h6
A bad move, leading to a quick draw, due to 51.Ke4 +) 51.h6! +.
the presence of the white h-pawn on h4. 50.Lc8?
White should have tried 45.Kh3 h5 A comedy of errors - 50.h6! wins: 50...Kf6
46.Lxb7 Rf2 47.Ld5+ Kf8. 51.La6 Kg6 52.Ld3 Kf6 53.g4! +.
45...Rxb7 46.Lxb7 (D) 50...Kf6?
XABCDEFGHY Black once more missed the well-known
50...f4! 51.g4 h6 =.
8-+-+-+-+( 51.Ke2!
The correct concept! White must keep in
7+L+-mkp+p' mind to avoid the e3-square at all costs:
6-+-+-+p+& 51.Ke3? f4+ =.
51...h6
5+-+-+-+-% 51...f4 here doesn't help: 52.g4 Ke5 53.Kd3.
4-+-+-+-zP$ 52.Ld7 Ke5 (D)

3+-+-+-zP-# XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+-+-mK" 8-+-+-+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7+-+L+-+-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-+-+-zp&
46...f5?! 5+-+-mkpzpP%
And Black immediately returns (in a way)
the favour! He could easily draw with a
4-+-+-+-+$
well-known mechanism: 46...h5! 47.Ld5 f6 3+-+-+-zP-#
48.Kg2 Kf8! 49.Kf3 Kg7 50.Kf4 Kh6
51.Lf7 g5+ 52.hxg5+ fxg5+ 53.Kf5 g4!, 2-+-+K+-+"
and ...h4 is next, while 54.Lxh5 Kxh5 1+-+-+-+-!
55.Kf4 Kh6 56.Kxg4 Kg6 is easy as well.
47.Kg2 xabcdefghy
Now, as the pawn structure favours White, 53.Kd3! Kf6 54.Kd4 g4 55.Ke3! Kg5
Black should be very careful... 56.Le8 10

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 79


Kindermann Stefan It is too early for 64.g4?, as after 64...Ke4
Adams Michael 65.gxh5 gxh5 66.Kg3 Le5+ 67.Kg2 Ra5
Garmisch Partenkirchen 1994 68.Rf8 Ra6 69.Rf7 Lf6 White will not
XABCDEFGHY hold - rooks are still on the board!
64...Ra6 65.Rb7?
8-+-+-+-+( This loses on the spot. Correct was to adopt
7+-+-+k+-' a waiting policy with 65.Kg2 as after
65...Rf6 66.Rxf6 Lxf6 67.g4! (67.f3?
6-+-+-vlp+& Ke3 +) 67...hxg4 68.Kg3 White draws.
65...Rf6 66.Rb3+ Kc4
5+-+-+-+p% 01
4-+-+-+-zP$
In the previous two examples, the stronger
3+-+-+RzP-# sides rook pawn was already on its fourth
2-+-tr-zPK+" rank and the win could not be achieved, as
after the exchange of the rooks, the drawing
1+-+-+-+-! mechanisms were obviously effective.
It is also obvious that handling such posi-
xabcdefghy tions is beyond human understanding in
As has already been mentioned, this is a many cases. But lets see what happens
drawn position. Of course Black tried to when the pawn is not yet on the fourth rank:
push White into making a mistake - he had
nothing to lose! Example 6
41.Rf4 Rd4?!
Too naive - Black did not know
XABCDEFGHY
42.Kf3?! 8-+-+-+k+(
Simple was 42.Rxd4! Lxd4 43.f3 =.
42...Rd5 43.Ke4 Re5+ 44.Kf3 Ke6 7+R+-+p+-'
45.Ra4 Rb5 46.Kg2 Rb2 47.Rf4 Le5 6-+-+-trp+&
48.Rf8 Ld4 49.Rf4 Ke5 50.Rf8 Ke4
51.Rf7 Rb6 52.Re7+ Kd3 53.Ra7 Rf6 5+-+-+-+p%
54.Ra2 Lc5 55.Kf1 Rb6 56.Kg2 Ld4 4-+-+-+-+$
57.Ra8 Rf6 58.Ra2 Lc3 59.Kf1 Re6
60.Ra8 Re1+ 61.Kg2 Re2 62.Rf8 Ld4 3+L+-+-zP-#
63.Rf7 Ra2 64.Kf1 (D)
2-+-+-+KzP"
XABCDEFGHY
1+-+-+-+-!
8-+-+-+-+(
xabcdefghy
7+-+-+R+-' Here White can win, as his h-pawn is not on
6r+-+-+p+& h4. First, he should centralize his king and
then push his g-pawn (with h3 first) to g5.
5+-+-+-+p% Then he will return the extra material on f7,
4-+-vl-+-zP$ achieving a winning pawn ending.
1.Ld5 Kg7 2.Lf3 Ra6 3.Kf2 Ra2+
3+-+k+-zP-# 4.Le2 Kf6 5.Ke3 Ra3+ 6.Ld3 Kg7
7.Kd4 Ra5
2-+-+-zP-+" 7...Ra2 8.Rxf7+ + or 7...h4 8.g4 Kf6
1+-+-+K+-! 9.h3 +.
8.Lc4 Rf5 9.Ke4 Rf2 10.h3! Rf5 (D)
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 80
Of no help is 10...Kf8 11.Ke3! (11.g4? Hansen Curt
hxg4 12.hxg4 f5+! =) 11...Rf5 12.g4 hxg4 Kasparov Garry
13.hxg4 Rf6 14.Ke4 g5 15.Ke5 Rf4 Thessaloniki 1988
16.Ld3 (16.Le2 +) 16...Rxg4 17.Kf6 +. XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
8-+-+-+-+( 7tR-+-+p+-'
7+R+-+pmk-' 6-+-+-mkp+&
6-+-+-+p+& 5sn-+-+-+p%
5+-+-+r+p% 4-+-+-+-+$
4-+L+K+-+$ 3+-+-+-zPP#
3+-+-+-zPP# 2P+-+rzPLmK"
2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-!
1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy
xabcdefghy 32...Rxa2!
11.g4 hxg4 12.hxg4 Rf2 13.g5 Rf5 14. Black tries to be 'smart' and get a known
Rxf7+! Rxf7 15.Lxf7 Kxf7 16.Kd5 10 drawn position, as after the natural 32...Nc4
White would be on top: 33.Lf1! (33.Ld5?
Jussupow Artur Rxf2+ 34.Kg1 Rc2 35.Rxf7+ [35.Rc7
Boensch Uwe Rc1+! {35...Ne3? 36.Rxc2 Nxc2 37.a4
Germany 2001 Nb4 38.Lc4 Nc6 39.Kf2 +/} 36.Kf2
XABCDEFGHY Rc2+ =] 35...Ke5 36.Lxc4 Rxc4 =)
8-+-+-mk-+( 33...Rxf2+ 34.Kg1 Rc2 35.Rc7 Ne3
36.Rxc2 Nxc2 37.a4 Ke7 38.a5 Kd6
7+-+-+p+p' 39.Lc4! +.
33.Ld5! Rxf2+?
6-+L+-+p+& Black should have opted for 33...Ra3! 34.f4
5+-+-+-+-% (34.h4 g5 ) 34...Kg7 35.Rxf7+ Kh8 .
34.Kg1 Rf5 35.Rxa5 Kg5 (D)
4-+-tr-+-+$ XABCDEFGHY
3+-+-+-zP-# 8-+-+-+-+(
2-+R+-+-zP" 7+-+-+p+-'
1+-+-+-mK-! 6-+-+-+p+&
xabcdefghy 5tR-+L+rmkp%
A typical winning position for White. The
winning method is already known... 4-+-+-+-+$
34...h5 35.Lf3 Rd7 36.Rb2 Kg7 37.Kf2
Rd6 38.Rb7 Rd2+ 39.Le2 Rd6 40.Lc4 3+-+-+-zPP#
Rf6+ 41.Ke3 Kf8 42.h3! 2-+-+-+-+"
The preparations are beginning!
42...Kg7 43.g4 hxg4 44.hxg4 Kf8 45.Rc7 1+-+-+-mK-!
Kg7 46.Ke4 Rf2 47.g5 Rf5 48.Rxf7+!
Rxf7 49.Lxf7 Kxf7 50.Kd5 10
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 81
36.h4+? A very early action, which is dangerous for
Time trouble and ignorance gave birth to Black. Of course he could opt for 37...Kg7
such an ugly move! After 36.Rb5! Kh6 and just wait... When White tries to unpin
(36...h4 37.g4 Re5 38.Lc4 Rxb5 39.Lxb5 the rook with 38.Lc4, then he will go for
f5 40.Ld7 Kf4 41.Kf2 Ke4 42.Lc6+ Kf4 the known method: 38...Rxb5 39.Lxb5 f6
43.Lf3 fxg4 44.hxg4 h3 45.Ld1 +) 40.Kf2 Kh6 =.
37.Lc4 Rxb5 (37...Rf6 38.Rb7 Kg7 38.Kg2 g5 39.hxg5+?
39.Kg2 +) 38.Lxb5 Kg5 (38...f5 39.Kf2 A blunder. White would be on top after
Kg7 40.Kf3 g5 [40...Kf6 41.Le8] 41.Ke2 39.Ra5 Re5 (39...Kg7 40.Ra7+ Kh8
Kf6 [41...f4 42.g4 hxg4 43.hxg4 +] 41.Le4 +) 40.Kf3 Rf5+ 41.Ke3 Re5+
42.Le8 +) 39.Kf2 f6 (39...f5 40.Kf3 Kf6 42.Kd4 gxh4 (42...Rf5 43.Ra7 gxh4
41.Le8 +) 40.Kf3 Kh6 41.Kf4 Kg7 and 44.Le4 +) 43.gxh4 Rf5 44.Ke3 Re5+
now: 45.Kf4 +, as the rooks are still on the
a) 42.Le2 Kh6 43.Ke4 Kg5 44.Ld1 Kh6 board and in this case the wrong bishop case
45.Kd5 Kg5 46.Ke6 h4 47.g4 f5 48.Kf7! is not that important.
fxg4 49.Lxg4 Kh6 50.Kg8 Kg5 (50...g5 39...Kxg5 40.Kh3 Re5
51.Kf7 Kh7 52.Lf5+ Kh6 [52...Kh8 And now White can make no progress, so...
53.Lg6 g4 54.hxg4 +] 53.Kf6 Kh5
54.Ld3 g4 55.Lg6+ Kh6 56.hxg4 h3 57.g5 In the next example, Black obviously
#) 51.Kg7 Kf4 52.Kf6! Ke4 (52...g5 knew the winning method, but somehow he
53.Le6! Ke4 54.Kxg5 Kd4 55.La2! Ke5 did not apply it correctly
56.Lb3! Kd6 57.Kxh4 Ke7 58.Kg5 Kf8
Totsky Leonid
59.Kf6 +) 53.Ld7 Kf4 54.Le6 Ke4 Gyimesi Zoltan
55.Lb3 Kf4 56.Kxg6 Kg3! 57.Le6 Kf4 Budapest 1996
58.Kf6 Ke4 59.Kg5 Ke5 60.Lb3 +.
b) 42.Ld3 Kh6 43.Lc2 Kg7 44.Ke4 Kh6 XABCDEFGHY
45.Kd5 Kg5 46.Ke6 f5 (46...h4 47.g4 f5 8-+-+-tR-+(
48.Lxf5 +) 47.h4+!! Kg4 48.Kf6 f4
(48...Kxg3 49.Kg5 +) 49.gxf4 Kxf4 7+-+-+-+-'
50.Ld1! +. 6-+-+-+-+&
36...Kh6
And now it is drawn! 5+-+-mk-zp-%
37.Rb5 (D)
4-+-vl-+-+$
XABCDEFGHY
3+-+-+-zP-#
8-+-+-+-+(
2-tr-+-zP-+"
7+-+-+p+-'
1+-+-+K+-!
6-+-+-+pmk&
xabcdefghy
5+R+L+r+p% 67...g4?!
4-+-+-+-zP$ Although winning, Black could go for the
'safer' 67...Ke4 68.Kg2 Lc5 69.Rf7 Ke5
3+-+-+-zP-# 70.g4 Ke4 71.Rf5 Le3 +.
2-+-+-+-+" 68.Re8+!
Or 68.Rf4 Rxf2+ 69.Rxf2 Lxf2 70.Kxf2
1+-+-+-mK-! Kd4 + as usual!
xabcdefghy 68...Kf5 69.Rf8+ Ke4?
Although the text move wins, 69...Lf6 was
37...f6? a 'must'. Humans are not computers...
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 82
70.Rf4+ Kd3 71.Rxg4 Rxf2+ 72.Ke1 Tseitlin Mark
Rf3 73.Rf4 (D) Finkel Alexander
XABCDEFGHY Beersheba 1996

8-+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+-+-' 8-+-+-+-+(
6-+-+-+-+& 7+-+-+-+-'
5+-+-+-+-% 6-+-+-+p+&
4-+-vl-tR-+$ 5+-vl-+r+p%
3+-+k+rzP-# 4-+-+-+-zP$
2-+-+-+-+" 3+-+k+-zP-#
1+-+-mK-+-! 2R+-+-zPK+"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
73...Rxg3? xabcdefghy
Leading to a drawn position, while A drawn position but not all moves lead to
73...Lc3+ 74.Kd1 Re3 75.Rf1 Ld2 76.g4 Rome...
Re2 would have mated in 22 moves! 69.Kf1?
74.Rf1 Ke3 75.Rh1 Le5 76.Kf1 Rf3+ 69.Kg1 was good enough.
77.Kg2 69...Lxf2! 70.Kg2
77.Ke1? Kd3 78.Kd1 (78.Rg1 Rf5 Black won an important pawn as White
79.Rh1 Lg3+ 80.Kd1 Rb5 81.Kc1 Lf4+ could hardly go for 70.Rxf2 Ke3! 71.Rxf5
82.Kd1 Rb1 #) 78...Lf4 79.Re1 Ld2 gxf5 72.Kg2 Ke2 +.
80.Rg1 Rf2 81.Rg3+ Le3 82.Ke1 Rf4 70...Lb6 71.Rb2 Ld4 72.Ra2 Ke4
83.Rh3 Ra4 84.Kf1 Rg4 85.Rh1 Kd2 73.Re2+ Le3 74.Ra2 Rd5 75.Ra4+ Kf5
86.Rh2+ Kd1 +. 76.Kf3 Ld4 77.Ra3 Le5
77...Rf2+ 78.Kh3 Kf3 79.Kh4 Kf4 01
80.Kh3?
80.Kh5! =. Leko Peter
80...Kf5! 81.Kh4 Lf4? Topalov Veselin
81...Rf3! 82.Kh5 Rd3 83.Kh6 Rd7 Dortmund 2002
84.Rh5+ Kf6 85.Rh4 Rd8 86.Kh7 Kf7 XABCDEFGHY
+.
82.Rh3! Rg2 83.Rh1? 8R+-+-+-+(
83.Ra3 =. 7+-+-+kzp-'
83...Ra2! 84.Kh3 Kg5 85.Rg1+ Kh5
86.Rg2 Ra3+ +. 6-+-+-zp-+&
01 5+-+-zp-+p%
A trick to be remembered can be seen in
the next example. A theoretical drawn posi-
4-+-+-tr-zP$
tion doesnt always lead to the desired draw 3+-vL-+PmK-#
- the human factor has an important role to
play and unfortunately humans tend to err 2-+-+-+P+"
Well, nobody is perfect in this ugly and
cruel world - its a blunderful world by any
1+-+-+-+-!
means! xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 83
In this example, the bishop is the correct 69.f4 exf4 70.gxf4 Ra8 71.f5+ Kh7
one, nonetheless the technique of winning 72.Ld4 is an alternative win.
such endings is perfectly shown by P.Leko. 69...Rd8+ 70.Ke6
White should recruit his king by any means, White has achieved his purpose. The end is
to attack and capture Black's only real weak near.
spot - the g7-pawn. 70...Ra8 71.Ld6 Re8+ 72.Le7 Ra8
53...Rc4 54.Ld2 73.Rb7 Ra6+ 74.Ld6 Ra8 (D)
White's position is technically winning, but XABCDEFGHY
P.Leko plays cautiously not to spoil the de-
served point. 8r+-+-+-+(
54...Kg6
The rook exchange almost always favours 7+R+-+-zp-'
the stronger side. If Black defends his 2nd 6-+-vLKzpk+&
rank with 54...Rc7, then follows 55.Le3
Rd7 56.Ra7 +. 5+-+-zp-+p%
55.Ra7 Rd4 56.Le3 Rc4 57.Rb7 Rc3 4-+-+-+-zP$
58.Ld2 Rc2 59.La5 Ra2 60.Ld8 Ra8
61.Lb6 Rc8 62.Rc7 Rb8 63.Lc5 3+-+-+PzP-#
Now Black should always guard the f8-
square, so his rook must stay passive, allow-
2-+-+-+-+"
ing the white king to enter the battle. 1+-+-+-+-!
63...Re8 64.Kf2 Rh8 65.Ke3 Ra8
66.Kd3 Ra4 xabcdefghy
Also there is no rescue after 66...Ra5 75.f4!
67.Lf8 (67.g4 hxg4 68.fxg4 Ra4 69.Lf8 With the aim of winning the f7-square for
Rxg4 70.Rxg7+ Kh5 71.Rh7+ Kg6 his king.
72.Rh6+ +/) 67...Ra8 68.Lxg7! 75...exf4 76.gxf4 Ra6
(68.Rxg7+?! Kh6 69.Rg3+! [69.Rg8+ 76...Ra5 77.f5+ Kh7 78.Lf8 Re5+
Kh7 70.Rg7+ Kh6 71.Rf7+ Kg6 =] 79.Kf7 Rd5 80.Re7! + and not
69...Rxf8 70.Ke4 +/) 68...Rd8+ 80.Lxg7?? Rd7+ 81.Rxd7 =.
(68... g8 69. e4 xg7 70. xg7+ Kxg7
R K R R 77.Rd7 Ra8
71.Kf5 Kf7 72.g3! Kg7 73.g4 hxg4 77...f5 78.Ke7 Ra8 79.Le5 +.
74.Kxg4! Kg6 75.h5+ Kh6 76.Kf5 +) 78.f5+ Kh7 79.Kf7 Ra4 80.Lf8 Rg4
69.Ke3! Rg8 70.Ke4 Rxg7 (70...Ra8 81.Lxg7!
71.Lxf6 Kxf6 72.Rc6+ Kg7 73.Kxe5 +) The final touch: 81...Rxg7+ 82.Ke6 Rxd7
71.Rxg7+ Kxg7 72.Kf5 Kf7 73.g3 +. 83.Kxd7 (distant opposition) 83...Kg8
67.g3 84.Ke7 Kg7 85.Ke6 +.
67.Lf8 Rxh4 68.Rxg7+ Kf5 69.Rh7 10
seems good, but there is no need for ex-
changes.
67...Ra8
67...Ra1 loses to 68.Ke4 Rc1 (68...Re1+
69.Kd5 Rf1 70.Ke6 Rxf3 71.Lf8 +)
69.Ld6 Rd1 70.Lf8 Rd8 71.Rxg7+ Bareev Evgeny
(71.Lxg7 Rg8 72.g4 +) 71...Kh6 72.Kf5 Morozevich Alexander
Rxf8 73.Rg6+ Kh7 74.Rxf6 Rg8 Monte Carlo 2002
75.Rf7+ Kh8 (75...Kh6 76.g4) 76.g4 e4 Finally, a nice example which once more
77.g5! exf3 78.g6 Rg7 79.Rf8+ Rg8 proves that the king is an important piece
80.Rf6 Re8 81.Kg5 +. and should be recruited in the battle. Black
68.Ke4 Rh8 69.Kd5 correctly attacked with all his pieces White's
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 84
most vulnerable spot, the g2-pawn and he is
about to harvest...
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+R+(
Exercises
7+-+-+-+-' To complete this research into this very
6-+-+-+-+& interesting subject, here are eleven related
positions which will help you to practice the
5+-+-+p+-% knowledge that was just presented.
The reader already has got an enormous
4-+-+-zp-zP$ training from the previous 25 examples, so it
3+-+l+P+-# shouldnt be that difficult to try to solve the
next 11!
2-+-+-mkPmK" If it is still difficult, the solutions will be
1+-+r+-+-! enough to help enlighten!

xabcdefghy 1ABCDEFGH
80...Lf1?!
80...Rg1! was immediately decisive: 81.h5 8-+R+-+-+(
Lf1 82.h6 Lxg2 +.
81.Rg5
7+L+-+pmkp'
There is also no way out for White after 6-+-+-+p+&
81.h5 Rd6 82.Kh3 Rh6 83.Kh4 (83.Rg5
Ld3 84.Kh4 Rh7 85.Rg6 Lf1 +) 5+-+-+-+-%
83...Lxg2 84.Kg5 Rh7 85.h6 Kxf3 4-+-tr-+-+$
86.Kg6 Rd7 87.h7 Rxh7 88.Kxh7 Kf2
89.Kg6 Le4 90.Kg5 f3 + or after 81.Ra8 3+-+-+-+P#
Rd6 82.Ra2+ Le2 83.Kh3 Rg6 +. 2-+-+-+PmK"
81...Rd6 82.h5 Rh6
01 1+-+-+-+-!
Conclusion
xabcdefghy
The ending is more difficult than it seems
at first sight and can cause headaches to the 2ABCDEFGH
stronger side.
Some advice can be generated after the 8-+-+-+-mk(
examination of the above examples: 7+-+-+-zp-'
1. The king of the superior (sometimes of
the weaker as well!) side should play an im- 6-+-+-+Rzp&
portant role, assisting the rest of his army.
2. The placement of the rook pawns is of
5+-+-+-+P%
great importance (in general). 4-vl-+-zP-+$
3. The defending side should try to preserve
the rooks on the board, in order to try to 3tr-+-+-zP-#
achieve counterplay by attacking the enemy 2-+-+-+K+"
pawns.
4. But of course, when the rook pawn of his 1+-+-+-+-!
opponent has moved, then he should most xabcdefghy
often exchange them and go for the drawing
mechanisms.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 85
3ABCDEFGH 6ABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-zpk' 7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+& 6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-tR-% 5+-+-+k+-%
4-+-+-+-zP$ 4-+r+l+R+$
3+r+-+-zPK# 3+-+-+-+P#
2-+-+-vl-+" 2-+-+-+PmK"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
4ABCDEFGH 7ABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-' 7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+p+& 6-tr-+-+-zp&
5+-+-+-+p% 5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-zP-+$ 4-+-mk-+-+$
3+-+-+kzPK# 3+-+-+R+P#
2-+r+-vl-zP" 2-+-vl-zPK+"
1tR-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
5ABCDEFGH 8ABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+( 8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-mkp' 7+R+-+pmk-'
6-tR-+-+-+& 6-+-+-+p+&
5tr-+-+P+-% 5+-+-+-+p%
4-+-+-+K+$ 4r+-+-+-+$
3+-vl-+-+-# 3+-+-mKL+P#
2-+-+-+-zP" 2-+-+-+P+"
1+-+-+-+-! 1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 86
9ABCDEFGH Solutions

8-+-+-+-+( Exercise 1 (Page 85): Kasparov Garry-


Shirov Alexei Linares 2000
7+-+-tR-zp-' Solution: 35.g4?! 35.Rc7 +. 35...h5!
6r+-+-+-zp& 36.g5? 36.gxh5 gxh5 37.Kg3 +. 36...h4
37.Rc7 Rf4 37...Rd2+ 38.Lg2 Ra2
5+-+-+-+-% 39.Rc4 Ra5 40.Rg4 Rf5 41.Le4 Ra5
42.Kg2 Rc5 43.Kf2 Ra5 44.Ke3 Ra3+
4-+-vl-+-zP$ 45.Ld3 Ra5 46.Kf4 Ra3 47.Lf1 f6
3+-+k+-zP-# 48.gxf6+ Kxf6 49.Ke4 +/. 38.Lc8 Rf2+
39.Kg1 Rf4? [39...Rf3 = ; 39...Re2
2-+-+-zPK+" 40.Rc4 Re5 =. 40.Kg2 Kf8 41.Lg4 Kg7
1+-+-+-+-! 42.Rc5 Kf8 43.Lf3 Kg7 43...Ra4
44.Kf2 Ra3 45.Ke2 Kg8 46.Rc4 Ra5
xabcdefghy 47.Rg4 Kf8 48.Ke3 Kg7 49.Rg1 Ra4
50.Rh1! Rb4 51.Le4 Ra4 52.Kf4 Rb4
0ABCDEFGH 53.Re1 Rb3 54.Kg4 +. 44.Kf2 Ra4
8-+-+-+-+( 45.Ke3 Ra3+ 46.Kf4 Ra4+ 47.Ke5 Ra3
48.Ld5 Re3+ 48...Rxh3 49.Rc7 Re3+
7+-+-+-+-' 50.Kf4 Re2 51.Rxf7+ Kh8 52.Lf3 Rb2
6-+-vl-+-+& 53.Kg4 Rb4+ 54.Kh3 +. 49.Kf4 Rd3
50.Lc4 Rd7 51.Rc6 Re7 52.Rf6
5+-+-+-+p% 52...Rc7 53.Ld5 Rd7 54.Ke5 Ra7
4-+-+-+kzP$ 55.Rxf7+ Rxf7 56.Lxf7 Kxf7 57.Kd6
Kf8 58.Ke6 Kg7 59.Ke7 +. 10
3+-+-+-zP-#
Exercise 2 (Page 85): Polugaevsky Lev-
2-+-+-+-+" Portisch Lajos Portoroz 1973
1+-+-+-mK-! Solution: 42...Le1 43.Kh3 Kg8 44.Kg2
Kf7 45.Kh3 Re3! 46.Kg2 Re6 47.Rg4
xabcdefghy 47.Rxe6 Kxe6 48.Kf3 Kd5 49.g4 Ld2
+. 47...Ra6 48.Rh4 Ra2+ 49.Kh3 Lf2
1ABCDEFGH 50.Rg4 Ra5 51.Kg2 Ld4 52.Rh4 Lf6
53.Rh1 Ra1 54.Rh3 54...Ke6 55.Kf3
8-+-+-+-+( Kf5 56.g4+ Ke6 +. 01

7+-+-+pmk-' Exercise 3 (Page 86): Padevsky Nikola-


6-+-tr-+p+& Ermenkov Evgenij Varna 1973
Solution: 1...La7 2.Kg2 Lb8 3.Kh2 Rb6
5+R+L+-+p% 4.Rh5+ Rh6 5.Rb5 Ld6 5...Rxh4+?
4-+-mK-+-+$ 6.Kg2 =. 6.Kh3 Rg6 7.Rb3 Kg8 8.Rf3
Rf6 9.Rb3 Kf7 10.Rb7+ Le7 11.Ra7
3+-+-+-zP-# Ke6 12.Rb7 Rf3 13.Rb5 Rd3 14.Ra5
Lf6 15.Ra4 Ld4 16.Ra6+ Kf5! 17.Ra4
2-+-+-+-zP" Rd1! 18.Ra5+ Le5 19.Ra3 Rh1+
1+-+-+-+-! 20.Kg2 Rc1 21.Ra4 Rc3 22.g4+ Ke6
23.h5 Rg3+ 24.Kf2 Rd3 25.g5 Rh3 01
xabcdefghy
Exercise 4 (Page 86): Kenez Pal-
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 87
Meleghegyi Csaba Hungary 1973 66.Rf7 Rf2 67.f4 Kf3 68.Rc7 Rc2
Solution: 1...h4!! 2.Ra3+ 2.gxh4 Kxf4 69.Rd7 Rd2 70.Rc7 Ld4 71.Rb7 Rd1
3.Ra6 Kf5 4.Ra5+ Lc5 + ; 2.Ra6 hxg3 72.Rb3+ Le3 73.Kh2 Re1 74.Rb7 Lf2
3.hxg3 Rc5 4.g4 Rc8 +. 2...Le3 3.Kxh4 74...Lg1+ 75.Kh3 Lb6 76.Kh2 Rb1
Rc5! 4.g4 Kxf4 5.Kh3 5.Ra4+ Kf3 77.Rxg7 Rb2+ 78.Kh3 Lg1 +. 75.Rxg7
6.Ra3 Rc2 7.h3 Rc5 +. 5...Kf3 5...Kf3 Lg1+ 01
6.Ra8 Rc7 7.Rh8 Lf4 8.Kh4 Rc2 9.h3
Rc5 10.Rf8 Rh5+ 11.gxh5 g5 #. 01 Exercise 10 (Page 87): Dombrowska-
Lissowska Anna Warsaw 1988
Exercise 5 (Page 86): Thorsteins Karl- Solution: 72.Kg1? 72.Kh2! Kf3 73.Kh3
Dreev Alexey Kiljava 1984 Lc5 74.Kh2 Ld4 75.Kh1! = (75.Kh3?
Solution: 41...Ra4+ 42.Kh5 Lf6 Lg1 76.g4 hxg4 #). 72...Kh3! 73.Kf1
R
43. b7+ K R
g8 44. b8+ K R
f7 45. b7+ (73.Kh1 Lc5 74.g4 hxg4 +) 73...Kh2 or
Le7 46.f6 Kxf6 47.Rb3 Kg7 48.Rg3+ 73...Lc5 +. 01
Kh8 49.Rh3 Re4 50.Kh6 Re5 51.Rf3
Lc5 51...Re6+ 52.Kh5 Re4 53.Rh3 Rf4 Exercise 11 (Page 87): Suba Mihai-
54.Kh6 Rf5 +. 01 Gurevich Dmitry Eksjo 1982
Solution: 45.Rb3 45.Rb7 Rf6 46.h3 Rf1
Exercise 6 (Page 86): Timoscenko Gen- 47.Ke4 Rf6 48.g4 hxg4 49.hxg4 Rf1
nadij-Beliavsky Alexander Tbilisi 1978 (49...g5 50.Ke5 Rf4 51.Le6 Rf6 52.Lf5
Solution: 56...Rc3 57.Kg1 Ke5 58.Kh2 Ra6 53.Rb5 Rc6 54.Le4 Rf6 55.Kd4
Lf5 59.Rh4 Rc2 60.Kg1 Rb2 61.Kf1 Kh6 56.Rf5 Rd6+ 57.Ld5 Kg6 58.Kc5
g5! 62.Ra4 Ld3+ 63.Kg1 Le4 64.Ra5+ Rd7 59.Kc6 Re7 60.Lb3 Ra7 61.Lc4
Kf4 65.g3+ Ke3 66.Ra3+ Ke2 01 Re7 62.Ld5 Ra7 63.Kd6 Ra6+ 64.Ke7
Ra7+ 65.Kf8 f6 66.Le4 +) 50.Lc4 Rf6
Exercise 7 (Page 86): Cebalo Miso- 51.g5 Rf5 52.Rxf7+ Rxf7 53.Lxf7 Kxf7
Mikhalchishin Adrian Ptuj 1995 54.Kd5 +. 45...Ra6 46.Rf3 Ra7 47.Rf2
Solution: 57...Ke4 58.Ra3 Rg6+ 59.Rg3 Rd7 48.Kc5 Ra7 49.Kc6 f5 50.Kd6 Kf6
Rc6 60.Rf3 Lf4 61.Ra3 Rg6+ 62.Kf1 51.Re2 Kg5 52.Re6 Rg7 53.Ke5 Kg4
Le5 63.Re3+ Kf4 64.Rg3 Rd6 65.Kg2 54.Ra6 Kh3 54...Kg5 55.Ra4 Re7+
Kf5 66.Rf3+ Lf4 67.Ra3 Rg6+ 68.Kf1 56.Le6 +. 55.Ra2 h4 56.Kf6 Rc7
Lh2 69.Ke2 Rg1 70.Rd3 Kg5 71.Rd1! 57.gxh4 Kxh4 58.Kxg6 Rc5 59.Le6 Rc1
Rxd1 72.Kxd1 Kf4 73.Ke2 h5 74.Kf1 60.Kxf5 Rf1+ 61.Ke5 Re1+ 62.Kf6 10
Kf3 75.h4

Exercise 8 (Page 87): Mukhitdinov Ak-


malkhon-Krogius Nikolai Soviet Union Efstratios Grivas
1957
Solution: 1...Ra1 2.Ld5 Rf1 3.Ke4 Rf6
4.g4 hxg4 5.hxg4 Rf2 6.Lc4 g5 6...Rf6
7.g5 Rf2 8.Rxf7+ Rxf7 9.Lxf7 Kxf7
10.Kd5 Ke7 11.Ke5 Kf7 12.Kd6b+.
7.Ke3 Rf4 8.Le6 Rf1 9.Lf5 Kf6
10.Rb5 Rf4 11.Rc5 Ra4 12.Le4 10

Exercise 9 (Page 86): Honfi Karoly-Gufeld


Eduard Kislovodsk 1968
Solution: 59...Rf6 59...Ra2! 60.Rf7 g5
+. 60.f3 Rf5 61.Rd7 Rb5 62.Re7 Re5
63.Rd7 Re2+ 64.Kh3 Ke3 65.h5 Lc3
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 88
Training in Typical Endgame Motifs
Concept Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ke8 (D)
The vast majority of opening books con- XABCDEFGHY
centrate on the first 15-20 moves (if you are
lucky enough to remember them!), trying to 8r+l+kvl-tr(
show the right handling of the opening in
question.
7zppzp-+pzpp'
But then comes chaos, as the reader is not 6-+p+-+-+&
really well armed on how to handle the typi-
cal middlegame motifs or, even worse, the 5+-+-zPn+-%
endgame pawn structure types and typical 4-+-+-+-+$
endgame motifs.
In my opening book Beating the Fi- 3+-sN-+N+-#
anchetto Defences, I started the presentation
of each opening with an examination of
2PzPP+-zPPzP"
typical endgames, then I went on to present 1tR-vL-+RmK-!
typical middlegame ideas and only then did I
discuss the opening theory. In this way I xabcdefghy
believe that the reader would be fully armed 10.Ne2
for the coming lengthy battle. This is considered to be a side line. More
Many low-rated players are trying to win common is 10.h3, for example: 10...h5
in the opening, believing that their chosen 11.Lg5 Le6 12.Rfd1 Le7 13.g3 f6
opening variations are strong or simply 14.exf6 gxf6 15.Lf4 Rc8 16.Kh2 Kf7
that their opponent has no good answers 17.Rd2 Rcd8 18.Rxd8 Lxd8 19.Rd1
Well, the truth is that many things in chess Re8 20.Nd4 Nxd4 21.Rxd4 Lf5 22.Rd2
theory, as in life, are relative and a matter of Le7 23.Nd1 Rd8 24.Rxd8 Lxd8 25.Ne3
taste. Actually there are no good or bad Le4 26.g4 hxg4 27.hxg4 Le7 28.Lxc7
openings. There are openings that you know Lc5 29.c3 Lxe3 30.fxe3 Ke6 31.Kg3 a6
and understand, and openings that you do 32.Kf4 Lc2 33.e4 Ld1 34.a3 Le2
not know and do not understand. 35.Lb6 Ld1 36.Ld4 Le2 37.Le3 Ld1
In this chapter we will examine an end- 38.Ld4 Le2 39.Le3 Ld1 Anand,V-
game of the very popular Berlin Wall of Kramnik,V London 2010.
the Ruy Lopez. The game was played in 10...Le7
the semi-final phase of the FIDE Women Black has also gone either for 10...c5
World Championship 2010, and it gave Hou 11.Nf4 b6 12.Nd5 Kd7 13.Ng5 Kc6
Yifan the ticket to the final, where she was 14.c4 Le6 15.Rd1 Nd4 16.Le3 Lxd5
able to win it, becoming the FIDE Women 17.cxd5+ Kxd5 18.Rac1 Le7 19.Nf3
World Champion. Ld8 20.Lxd4 cxd4 21.Rxd4+ Ke6
22.Rc6+ Ke7 23.Rd5 Re8 24.Nd4 Kf8
Hou Yifan 25.g3 g6 26.Kg2 Re7 27.f4 Ke8 28.f5
Koneru Humpy gxf5 29.Rh6 c6 30.Nxc6 Re6 31.Rxe6+
C67 Antakya 2010 fxe6 32.Rd6 Lc7 33.Rxe6+ Kd7 34.Rh6
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Lb5 Nf6 Re8 35.Kf3 Re6 36.Rxe6 Kxe6 37.Kf4
The 'Berlin Defence' is quite the fashion at a5 38.Nd4+ Kd5 39.Nf3 Ke6 40.Kg5
the moment. Black was hoping to gain a Ld8+ 41.Kh6 Kd5 42.Kxh7 Ke4 43.Kg6
more or less easy (or difficult) draw with the 10 Gashimov,V-Carlsen,M Nice 2010 or
black pieces and then try her chances with
for 10...Ne7 11.h3 Ng6 12.b3 h6 13.Lb2
the white ones.
c5 14.Rad1 Le6 15.Nc3 Le7 16.Nd5
4.00 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Lxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 89
Ld8 17.c4 a5 18.a4 c6 19.Nc3 Le7 usually holds the draw, as it is not easy for
20.Ne4 Rd8 21.Rfe1 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 Nf4 White to benefit from her healthy kingside
23.La3 b6 24.Nd6+ Kf8 25.Kf1 g5 pawn majority. A good analysis of this end-
26.Lc1 Kg7 27.Lxf4 gxf4 28.Nd2 Lxd6 ing (in general) can be found in FIDE/TRG
29.exd6 Rd8 30.Ne4 f5 31.Nc3 Kf6 Yearbook 2010, by Alexander Beliavsky.
32.Ke2 Lf7 33.d7 Lh5+ 34.f3 Ke6 18.g3 Lb4 19.Kg2
35.Ke1 Lf7 36.Ne2 Ke5 37.Nc1 Le6 The white king must be activated on e4...
38.Nd3+ Kf6 39.Nxf4 Lxd7 40.Kf2 Ke7 19...Ld2 20.Kf3 Rd5 21.Ke2
41.Ng6+ Ke6 42.f4 Rb8 43.g4 Le8 But first has to defend some vulnerable
44.Nh4 fxg4 45.hxg4 b5 46.Nf5 bxa4 spots!
47.bxa4 Rb4 48.Rd6+ Kf7 49.Rxh6 21...Rhd8 22.c4 R5d7 23.Lc1 Lc3
Rxa4 50.g5 Kg8 51.Nd6 Lf7 52.Nxf7 23...Lxc1 is good enough for the draw:
Kxf7 53.f5 Rxc4 54.Kf3 Rb4 55.Rh7+ 24.Rxd7+ Rxd7 25.Rxc1 Kg6!.
Kg8 56.g6 10 Efimenko,Z-Malakhov,V 24.Rxd7+ Rxd7 25.f4 (D)
Khanty Mansiysk 2010. Black's choice XABCDEFGHY
seems more solid.
11.b3 a5 12.a4 8-+-+-+-+(
12.Lb2 a4 13.Nf4 h5 14.Rfe1 Le6 was 7+pzpr+kzp-'
probably not much, as in Oll,L-Dautov,R
Tbilisi 1985. 6-+p+p+-+&
12...Le6 13.Lb2 h5
This is a novelty. Previously 13...Rd8 was
5zp-+-zP-+p%
seen: 14.Rad1 (14.Nf4 h5 15.Rad1 Rxd1 4P+P+-zP-+$
16.Rxd1 g5 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Lc1 +=
Sokolov,A-Salov,V Bukhara 1981) 3+Pvl-+-zP-#
14...Ld5 15.Nfd4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Rg8 2-+-+K+-zP"
17.Rfe1 Lb4 18.c3 Lc5 19.c4 Lxd4
20.Rxd4 Le6 21.Red1 Marini,L- 1+-vL-+R+-!
Maderna,C Mar del Plata 1950. But proba- xabcdefghy
bly the assessment of the position doesnt
change much 25...g6?
14.Nfd4 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 Rd8 16.Nxe6 This is really passive. With the active
fxe6 17.Rad1 Kf7 (D) 25...Kg6! Black would have limited trouble
to hold the draw: 26.h3 Kf5 27.g4+ hxg4
XABCDEFGHY 28.hxg4+ Ke4.
8-+-tr-+-tr( 26.Rf3 Lb4 27.Rd3! Rxd3 28.Kxd3
Le7
7+pzp-vlkzp-' Koneru thought that this position was solid
6-+p+p+-+& enough for a draw, but White has a kingside
majority, more space, and a more active
5zp-+-zP-+p% king. Keeping the king passive with 25...g6?
was not a good idea.
4P+-+-+-+$ 29.Le3 c5
3+P+-+-+-# 29...b6 looks solid enough and although
Black will suffer for a long time, her
2-vLP+-zPPzP" chances to draw seem to be rather good. But
1+-+R+RmK-! this is not the case! After 30.c5! Ld8
(30...b5 31.b4! +) 31.h3 Ke8 32.g4 hxg4
xabcdefghy 33.hxg4 Kf7 34.Ke4 Ke8 35.f5 gxf5+
This is a notorious endgame, where Black 36.gxf5 exf5+ (36...Kf7 37.f6 Kg6 38.Kf4

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 90


Kh6 39.Kg4+ Kg6 40.Ld2 +) 37.Kxf5 46.Le7! Kxe7 (46...La7 47.Ld8 +)
b5 (37...Kd7 38.e6+ Ke8 39.Ld4 b5 40.b4 47.Kxg6 Kf8 (47...Ld8 48.Kg7 +) 48.h5
+) 38.Ld2 b4 39.Lxb4! axb4 40.Ke4 Ld8 49.h6 Kg8 50.h7+ Kh8 51.Kf7
Kd7 41.Kd4 Lg5 42.a5 Kc8 43.Kc4 + Kxh7 52.Kxe6 Kg7 53.Kd6 +.
White wins as well. 44...Lc7?
30.Ke4 b6 31.Kf3 Lf8 32.g4 XABCDEFGHY
White makes her life more difficult! Good
training means to know well how to win 8-+-+-+-+(
technical positions: 32.h3! Le7 33.g4 Lf8
34.Ke4 and now:
7+-+-+k+-'
a) If Black refrains from capturing on g4 6-vlp+pvLpmK&
with 34...Le7, then White wins by 35.gxh5
gxh5 36.f5 c6 37.Lc1 Lh4 38.Lh6! (a 5zp-zp-zP-+-%
position from the game Howell,D-Parker,J 4P+P+-zP-+$
Nottingham 2005) 38...Ke7 (38...Le1
39.Lg5 +) 39.Kf4 Kd7 40.Lf8 Le1 3+-+-+-+-#
41.Kg5 Lg3 42.Kf6 +. 2-+-+-+-zP"
b) 34...hxg4 35.hxg4 Le7 36.Lf2! (36.f5?
gxf5+ 37.gxf5 Lh4 38.Kf4 Le1! gives 1+-+-+-+-!
Black counterplay) 36...Ld8 37.Kf3 Le7
38.Kg3 Ld8 39.Kh3 c6 (39...Le7 40.Lh4
xabcdefghy
+) 40.Lh4 Lc7 41.Lf6 Kg8 42.Kh4 And Black immediately returns the favour!
Kf7 43.Kg5 b5 44.Kh6! (a winning plan She should have captured the bishop and
that was first seen in Dominguez,C-Visconti then some precise moves guarantee the
Buenos Aires 1959) 44...Lb6 45.Kh7 Lc7 draw: 44...Kxe7! 45.Kxg6 Ld8 46.h4 Kf8
46.Lh4! Lb6 47.Lf2 bxa4 48.bxa4 La7 47.h5 Kg8 48.h6 (48.f5 exf5 49.Kxf5 Kg7
49.g5 Lb6 50.Le3 La7 51.f5! exf5 50.Ke6 Lc7 =) 48...Lh4 49.h7+ Kh8
52.Lf4 Lb6 53.e6+ Kxe6 54.Kxg6 +. 50.Kf7 Kxh7 51.Kxe6 Kg7 52.Kd7 Kf8
32...Le7 33.Kg3 c6 34.Kh3 Ld8 35.Lf2! 53.e6 (53.f5 Lg3 54.e6 Lh4 55.Kxc6
Kg7! [55...Le7? 56.Kb5 Ld8 57.Kxc5
The typical plan; the white bishop must oc-
cupy the h1-d8 diagonal in order to attack Ke7 58.Kd5! Kf6 59.c5 +] 56.Kxc5
the black queenside pawn base on b6. Le7+ 57.Kb5 Kf6 =) 53...Lf6 54.f5 Le7
35...Lc7 36.Lh4 hxg4+ 55.Kxc6 Kg7 56.Kb6 Kf6 57.Kxa5 Kxf5
36...Ke8 37.Lf6 Kf7 38.Kh4 makes no 58.Kb6 Ld8+ (58...Kxe6? 59.Kc7! +)
difference. 59.Kxc5 Kxe6 60.Kb5 Kd7 61.a5 Lxa5
37.Kxg4 Kg7 38.Lf6+ Kf7 39.Lh4 Kg7 62.Kxa5 Kc6 =.
40.Lf6+ Kf7 41.Kg5 b5 45.Lxc5
The only move. If the black king moves, she White won a pawn and now, with some pre-
loses the g6-pawn and if the bishop moves, cise technique, the game.
then 42.Ld8 follows. Black has now at her 45...Ld8 46.Lf2 Le7 47.c5! Lf8+
disposal the moves ...Lb6-c7, but the black 48.Kg5 Le7+ 49.Kg4 Ke8 50.Le1 Lxc5
queenside pawns become vulnerable. Black has no real option. The alternative
42.Kh6 bxa4 43.bxa4 Lb6 (D) 50...Ld8 loses to 51.Lh4 Lc7 52.Lf6
Kf7 53.Kg5 Lb8 54.Ld8 La7 55.Lb6
(see next diagram) +.
44.Le7? 51.Lxa5 Le7 52.Kf3
Correct idea but wrong execution! Before 52.h4 Kf7 53.Ld2 Ld8 54.a5 Lc7 55.h5
Kg7 56.hxg6 Kxg6 57.f5+! exf5+ 58.Kf4
she goes for this trick, she should have in-
Ld8 59.a6 Lb6 60.Lc3 also wins. But
serted 44.h4!, an important tempo as can be
seen by the analysis: 44...Lc7 45.Kh7 Lb6 White is in no hurry; she can afford to play

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 91


around! (zugzwang) 44...Lh4 45.Lc7 Ke7 46.Kf5
52...Kd7 53.Ke4 c5 54.Kd3 Kc6 55.Kc4 +.
Lh4 56.Ld2 Lf2 57.h3 Lg1 58.Lc1 32.gxh5 gxh5 33.f5 Kf7 34.b3 Ke7
58.f5 is another tactical win: 58...gxf5 35.Lh6 Kf7 36.Kf4 Le1 37.Ke4 Lh4
(58...exf5 59.e6 Lh2 60.a5 +) 59.h4 Lh2 38.Le3 Ke7 39.Lg1 Lg3 40.Le3 Lh4
60.h5 Lxe5 61.h6 f4 62.a5 f3 63.Le3 +. 41.Lc1 Kf7 42.Lh6 Ke7 43.Kf4 Kd7
58...Lf2 59.Ld2 Lg1 60.Kd3 Lf2 44.Lf8 Le1 45.Kg5 Lg3 46.Kf6 exf5
61.Le3 Le1 62.Kc4 Lb4 63.Lf2 Kb6 47.Kxf5 h4 48.Kf6 Ke8 49.Ld6 Kd7
64.Le3 Kc6 65.Lg1 Kb6 66.Lf2 Kc6 50.Kf7 Kd8 51.Lb8 Kc8 52.e6 Kxb8
67.Lh4 Ld2 68.Lg5 Le1 69.Le7 Lf2 53.e7 Kc7 54.e8Q 10
The alternative 'defence' was 69...Lb4 when
Dominguez Christobal
White wins by 70.Lf8! (70.Ld8 Ld2!)
Visconti
70...Kb6 71.Ld6! Kc6 72.Le7 Kb6
Buenos Aires 1959
73.a5+! Kxa5 (73...Lxa5 74.Ld8+ +)
74.Lxc5 Ld2 75.Ld4! Lxf4 76.Kc5 +. XABCDEFGHY
70.a5 Le3 71.Lg5 Lf2 72.h4 Lg3 73.a6 8-+-vl-+-+(
Lf2 74.h5! gxh5 75.f5 exf5 76.e6 Lg3
77.e7 Kd7 78.a7 10 7zpp+-+k+-'
I am sure that Hou had a good knowledge 6-+p+p+p+&
of the two mentioned games. Maybe she
couldnt remember exactly the moves, but 5+-zp-zP-+-%
Howell David 4-+-+-zPP+$
Parker Jonathan 3+-+-+K+-#
Nottingham 2005
XABCDEFGHY 2PzPPvL-+-+"
8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
7+-+-+k+-' xabcdefghy
This is one of the oldest examples of this
6-zpp+p+p+& type of endgame in the databases.
5zp-zp-zP-+p% 26...a6 27.c4
Common sense was honoured in the year
4P+P+-zPPvl$ 1959.
27...b5 28.b3 b4
3+-+-+K+P# Black prevents the white king from travel-
2-zP-vL-+-+" ling to a4 after an eventual trade on c4; he
had little choice
1+-+-+-+-! 29.Le3 Lb6 30.Lf2 Ke7 31.Lh4+ Kf7
xabcdefghy 32.Lf6 Lc7 33.Kg3 Lb6 34.Kf2 Kf8
35.Kf1 Kf7 36.Kg1 Kf8 37.Kh2 Kf7
31.Ke4 Ke7 38.Kh3 Kf8 39.Kh4
Black retains the h-pawns, trying to prevent
Black resigned: 39...Kf7 40.Kg5 Lc7
the white bishops penetration on d8, since
41.Kh6 Lb6 42.Lh4 Lc7 43.Lf2 Lb6
the white king cannot get to g4. It does not
44.Kh7 La7 45.g5 Lb6 46.Lg1 La7
work anyway. 31...hxg4 32.hxg4 Lf2 33.f5
47.f5 exf5 48.e6+ Kxe6 49.Kxg6 Lb8
gxf5+ 34.gxf5 Lh4 35.Kf4 Lf2 36.b3
Lh4 37.Kg4 Ld8 38.Lg5 Lc7 39.Kf4 50.Kh7 Le5 51.g6 f4 52.g7 Lxg7
53.Kxg7 f3 54.Kf8 Ke5 55.Ke7 Ke4
(zugzwang) 39...exf5 40.Kxf5 Ke8 41.e6
Kf8 42.Lf4 Ld8 43.Ld6+ Ke8 44.Ke4 56.Kd6 Kd3 57.Kxc6 Kc2 58.Kxc5 Kb2
59.Kxb4. 10
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 92
A Curious Queen Ending
Concept Black has an extra pawn. In any other type
Queen endings are among the most diffi- of ending (e.g. a rook ending) his win would
cult and at the same time interesting types of be in serious doubt. In a queen ending, how-
ending. ever, a material advantage of one pawn can
The difficulty lies in the usually immense prove decisive.
number of variations and moves that occur 43.f3 h5 44.h4
due to the corresponding mobility of the White cannot really do without this move. If
most powerful chess piece, the queen. instead he follows a waiting policy, after
The rules that govern queen endings are 44.Qb2 g5 45.g4 h4 46.Qb1 Qc5 Black
many and significant. The side with the ad- will penetrate to the important f4- and g3-
vantage, either a material or a positional one, squares, while his king will assist as well.
has several ways in which to seek victory, 44...Qc5 45.Qd2 Kf6
such as a direct attack aiming at checkmate, The black king must assist the ...d5 advance.
the exploitation of a passed pawn, the con- 46.Qg5+ Ke6 47.g4
stant pressure on a weak pawn structure or, A logical push. White seeks pawn ex-
finally, the conversion of a material plus. changes, hoping to eventually reach a drawn
The defending side mainly has one single queen & pawn vs. queen ending. Although it
aim, perpetual check, although it is not nec- gives Black a future king path to the king-
essarily unique. In this specific type of end- side, if White refrains from this advance,
ing, we encounter certain special characteris- then Black will organize a future ...f5 break.
tics, brought to the fore by the great power 47...Qc2+ 48.Kf1 hxg4 49.Qxg4+ Ke7
of the queen. Thus, the problem of the de- 50.Qg5+ Ke8 51.h5
fending side delivering perpetual check is Otherwise the h-pawn will remain weak.
not the only one facing the attacker. 51...gxh5 52.Qg8+ Ke7 53.Qg5+ Kd7
In this chapter, we will examine a not- 54.Qf5+ Ke8 55.Qxh5
often-met queen ending; 5:4 on the same White has managed to keep the game close
side with a backward extra pawn! It is diffi- to a draw, but there is still a long way ahead
cult to solve these at the board in order to achieve this result. It is of great
importance that Black's remaining pawns are
Rajkovic Dusan central. If we move all the pawns two files to
Skembris Spyridon the right, then a draw would be most natural,
Sofia 1986 as the black king has entrance squares only
XABCDEFGHY from one side.
55...Qd1+ 56.Kf2 Qd2+ 57.Kf1 Ke7
8-+-+-+-+( Black will try to infiltrate White's lines with
7+-+-+pmkp' the king, initially via the kingside. Then he
will exchange one more pawn (his d-pawn
6-+qzp-+p+& for the white e-pawn). Finally, the decisive
invasion will be accomplished via the
5+-+-zp-+-% queenside. This whole plan appears simple
4-+-+P+-+$ in its conception and fully realizable. Be-
sides, Black is risking nothing, as it is im-
3+-+-+-zPP# possible to lose. In contrast, White must be
2Q+-+-zPK+" constantly vigilant.
58.Qh4+ Kd7 59.Qg4+ Kc7 60.Qg8
1+-+-+-+-! If 60.Qf5 then 60...Qa2!, but not 60...Qf4?
61.Qxf4 exf4 62.Ke2 Kc6 63.Kd3 Kc5
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 93
64.Kc3 f5 65.exf5 Kd5 66.f6 Ke6 67.Kd4 Now Black 'found' the correct way and
Kxf6 68.Kd5 =. slowly but steadily improves the placement
60...Qf4 61.Ke2 d5! of every one of his pieces.
The backward d-pawn is finally exchanged. 87.Qg2+ Kh4 88.Qh2+ Kg5 89.Qg3+
62.exd5 Qc4+ 63.Ke3 Qxd5 64.Qe8 Kd6 Kf6
65.Qd8+ Ke6 66.Qe8+ Kf5 67.Qc8+ Qe6 Since now the white queen is very passive,
68.Qc2+ Kg5 69.Qg2+ Kf6 70.Qb2 Qf5 protecting her last pawn, Black commences
71.Qb6+ Kg7 72.Qc7 Qf4+ 73.Ke2 Kg6 the last stage of his plan: the infiltration of
Black is on the right path. The black d-pawn his king via the queenside.
has been exchanged, the queen's placement 90.Qh4+ Ke6 91.Qh5
has been improved and the black king now 91.Qc4+ Kd6 92.Qb4+ Qc5 93.Qd2+
sets off on its journey to the g3/g2 squares. Qd4 94.Qg5 Qd3+ 95.Kf2 Kc5.
74.Qd6+ Kg5 75.Qf8 Kh4 76.Qg8 91...Qd3+ 92.Ke1 Kd6 93.Kf2 Qd2+
76.Qh8+ Kg3 77.Qg7+ Kh3 78.Kf2 f5 94.Kf1 Qc1+ 95.Kf2 Qc2+ 96.Kf1 f4!
79.Qg6 Qd4+ is possible as well. White's queen must now keep an eye on the
76...f6 77.Qh7+ Kg3 78.Qg7+ Kh3 f-pawn to prevent its loss. But how can a
79.Qg6! queen simultaneously protect a pawn, preve-
No help is provided by 79.Qh7+? Kg2 nt mating threats and try to give perpetual
80.Qg6+ Qg3! 81.Qxf6 Qf2+!, as Black check? Even for a queen this is too much to
would win the resulting pawn ending. ask.
79...Qc4+ 80.Ke3 Qc1+ 81.Ke2 Qf4 97.Qg4 Qh7 98.Ke2 Qb1 99.Qh5 Qc2+
82.Qg7! 100.Kf1 Qd3+ 101.Kf2 Qe3+ 102.Kf1
It is important for White to keep the white Kc5 103.Qh3 Kb4
king away from the vital g2-square. 103...Qd3+ 104.Kf2 Qd2+ 105.Kf1 Kd4
82...f5 83.Kf2? is an easier line.
White could defend with 83.Qg6! Qc4+ 104.Qg4 Kc3 105.Qc8+ Kd2 106.Qa8
(83...Qg3 84.Qxf5+ Kg2 85.Qg4 =) Qd3+ 107.Kf2 Qd4+ 108.Kg2 Ke3
84.Kf2 Qd4+ 85.Ke2 Qf4 86.Kf2 Qd2+ Or 108...Ke1 109.Kh3 Kf2.
87.Kf1, when there is no way to improve... 109.Qa3+ Ke2 110.Qa6+
83...Qd2+! 84.Kf1 Qc1+? The standard discovered check could occur
Black wrongly tries to repeat the position in after 110.Qa2+ Qd2 111.Qa8 Qc2!
order to gain some time. He should directly 112.Qa6+ (112.Qe8 e4) 112...Ke3+.
go for 84...Qe3!. 110...Qd3 111.Qc6
85.Kf2? Qd2+ 86.Kf1 Qe3! (D) 111.Qa2+ Ke1 112.Qf2+ Kd1 113.Qg1+
Kd2 and White has no useful move left.
XABCDEFGHY 111...e4!
8-+-+-+-+( And White had to resign, due to 112.fxe4
f3+ 113.Kh2 f2.
7+-+-+-wQ-' 01
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-zpp+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-wqP+k#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+K+-!
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 94
Rook & 3 Pawns + a-pawn vs. Rook & 3 Pawns
Concept Plans
Rook endings with three pawns on the Basically, the superior side can choose
same flank for each side and one extra between two plans in this type of endgame:
passed a-pawn for one of the two players is 1. To move his pawn to a6 (a3) and then to
often encountered in practice. move the king to the queenside, rescuing it
There are many possible cases, but certain from checks at a7 (a2).
rules can be formulated to help us under- 2. To move his pawn as far as a7 (a2) and to
stand the finer points. The evaluation of the try winning the opponent's pawn on the
position (won or drawn) depends first of all kingside, using zugzwang. The latter plan
on the placement of the rooks and then on may be efficient if the pawn structure is
that of the pawns. locked or the opponents king is misplaced.
Here we will look at cases where the 'Pas- The former concept works if the weakest
sive Rook' (in front of the pawn) of the supe- side does not succeed to eliminate, in timely
rior side is to the fore. fashion, one or two of the superior side's
This is the most difficult category, as pawns on the kingside and to create a passed
there are many sub-cases. In general this pawn, supported by its own king.
ending is considered drawn, but great care is
required of the inferior side. Introduction
It will usually conclude in an ending of Some basic knowledge must be gained:
rook vs. pawn(s), as the superior side suc-
ceeds in winning the enemy rook, but the Example 1 - Study 1957
opponent has already managed to capture at Levenfish Grigory & Smyslov Vassily
least one pawn on the kingside (other side). XABCDEFGHY
Some basic guidelines are as follows (refer-
ring to Black as the inferior side): 8R+-+-+-+(
1. The inferior side must seek to create
weaknesses in the opponent's pawn struc-
7+-+-+-mk-'
ture, so as to create counterplay by attacking 6P+-+-+p+&
them or creating a passed pawn.
2. The inferior side, if it cannot follow the 5+-+-+p+p%
above guideline, must keep its pawn struc-
ture healthy (pawns on f7, g6, h5).
4-+-+-zP-zP$
3. The inferior side's rook must be perma- 3tr-+-+-zP-#
nently aimed at the pawn it will capture as
soon as the enemy king abandons the king-
2-+-+-mK-+"
side to head for the queenside. 1+-+-+-+-!
4. The defending king must move on the
squares e6, f6, f5, so as to be ready to attack xabcdefghy
the enemy pawns. Here Black is faced with quite unpleasant
5. When the king of the superior side aban- problems: even after gaining the g3-pawn,
dons his kingside pawns to assist his a-pawn, he cannot activate his king, and creating a
the defending rook must immediately (ex- passed pawn is difficult, too. In addition,
ceptions always exist!) capture the targeted each initial move harms his position in some
pawn, so as to give its king enough time to way, so he has to choose the least evil.
achieve the draw. Black nevertheless manages to hold by a
correct defence.
1...Kf7!
An attempt to force matters loses: 1...Ra2+?
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 95
2.Ke3 Ra3+ 3.Kd4 Rxg3 4.Rc8 Ra3 XABCDEFGHY
5.Rc7+ Kf6 6.a7 Ke6 7.Kc5 Ra1 8.Kb6
Rb1+ (8...Kd5 9.Rc5+ Ke4 10.Ra5) 8-+-+-+-+(
9.Kc6 Ra1 10.Kb7 Kd5 11.a8Q Rxa8 7tr-+-+-mk-'
12.Kxa8 Ke4 13.Rg7 Kxf4 14.Rxg6
Ke3 15.Rg5 +. 1...Kh7?! is also dubious, 6-+-+-+-tR&
as after 2.Ra7+! Kh6 3.Ke2 Rxg3 4.Rb7
Ra3 5.a7, the black king is poorly placed on 5+-+-+-zPp%
h6. 4-+-+-+-zP$
2.Ke2
2.a7? Kg7 =. 3+-+-+-+-#
2...Kg7!
Black has to lose a tempo, because
2-+-+-+-+"
2...Rxg3?? 3.a7 Ra3 4.Rh8 + is bad. 1+-+-mK-+-!
3.Kd2 Rxg3 4.Rb8 Ra3 5.Rb7+ Kf6 xabcdefghy
6.Rb6+
In case of 6.a7, the black king breaks loose: 16...Ra4 17.Rxh5 Ra6!
6...Ke6 7.Kc2 Kd5 and if 8.Kb2 Ra6 Forever imprisoning the white rook!
9.Kb3 then 9...Kc5! =.
6...Kg7 7.Kc2 (D)
Example 2 - Study 1988
XABCDEFGHY Kantorovich Vadim
8-+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+-+-+-mk-' 8-+-+-+-+(
6PtR-+-+p+& 7tR-+-+p+-'
5+-+-+p+p% 6P+-+-mkp+&
4-+-+-zP-zP$ 5+-+-+-+p%
3tr-+-+-+-# 4-+-+-+-zP$
2-+K+-+-+" 3+-+-+-zP-#
1+-+-+-+-! 2r+-+-zP-+"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-mK-+-!
8...g5! xabcdefghy
A pawn sacrifice to create a passed pawn,
Black's only resource, but a sufficient one. This study by V.Kantorovich (1988) pro-
8.fxg5 f4 9.Kd2 f3 10.Rb7+ Kg6 11.a7 vides an illustration of this ending. White
Ra2+ 12.Ke1 Kf5 13.Rf7+ cannot cross the 3rd rank with his king
13.Rg7 Re2+! 14.Kf1 Ra2 =. (Black replies to Kf1-g2 with ...Ra3!) and
13...Kg6 14.Rxf3 Rxa7 15.Rf6+ Kg7 is therefore obliged to immediately give up
his f-pawn.
16.Rh6 (D)
1.Kd1 Rxf2 2.Rb7 Ra2 3.a7 Kf5 4.Kc1
Kg4 5.Kb1 Ra6 6.Kb2 f5
Black can also play 6...Kxg3 7.Rb3+
Kxh4 8.Ra3 Rxa7 9.Rxa7 Kg3 10.Rxf7
h4 with a draw.
7.Rg7 Kh3! 8.Kb3 Ra1
8...f4 also leads to a draw: 9.gxf4 Kxh4
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 96
10.Kb4 Ra1 11.Kb5 Kh3 12.Kb6 Kg4 5.Rf6 Kxg3 6.Rxg6+ Kxh4 7.Kc5 Kh3
13.Rxg6+ Kxf4 14.Rg8 h4. 8.Kb6 h4 the draw is quite near.
9.Rc7!? Ra6! 1...f6!
And not 9...Kxg3? 10.Rc3+! Kxh4 1...Kf6 has been considered a prelude to an
11.Rc4+ and 12.Ra4, with immediate vic- easy draw for many years. However in 2003
tory. the evaluation of this position was radically
10.Kb4 Ra1 11.Kb5 Kxg3 12.Rc3+ changed due to an excellent fifth move sug-
Kg2 13.Kb6 f4 14.Rc5 Rxa7 15.Kxa7 f3 gestion by J. Steckner: 2.Kd4 (2.Ra8? Kf5
16.Rg5+ Kh3 3.f3 Ra3+ 4.Kd4 Rxf3 5.Rf8 Ra3
6.Rxf7+ Kg4 7.Rf6 Kxg3 8.Rxg6+
Kxh4 9.Kc5 Kh3 10.Kb6 h4 =) 2...Rxf2?
(but then in 2011 V.Poghosyan proved that
2...g5!! draws as well!!) 3.Rc7 (3.Kc5
Rc2+ 4.Kb6 Rb2+ 5.Kc7 Rc2+ 6.Kb8
Ra2 7.Ra8 Ra3 8.Ka7 Kf5 9.Rf8 Kg4
10.Rxf7 Kxg3 =) 3...Ra2 4.a7! (4.Rc6+?
Kf5 5.Kc5 Kg4 6.Kb5 Kxg3 7.Rc4 f6
Basic Positions [7...f5 8.Ra4 Rb2+ 9.Kc6 Rb8 10.a7 Ra8
The J.Steckner & V.Poghosyan discover- 11.Kb7 Rxa7+ 12.Kxa7 f4 =] 8.Ra4
ies must be studied carefully: Rb2+ 9.Kc6 Rb8 10.a7 Ra8 11.Kb7
Rxa7+ 12.Kxa7 g5 13.hxg5 fxg5 14.Ra5
Example 3 - Study 2003 h4 15.Rxg5+ Kf2 16.Rh5 Kg3 17.Kb6
Position: Steckner Johannes h3 18.Kc5 h2 19.Kd4 Kg2 20.Ke3 h1Q
XABCDEFGHY 21.Rxh1 Kxh1 =) 4...Kf5 5.Kc4!!
(5.Rxf7+? Kg4 6.Kc5 Kxg3 7.Kb5!
8R+-+-+-+( Rb2+! 8.Kc6 Ra2 9.Kb7 Kxh4 10.Rf6
7+-+-+p+-' Rxa7+ 11.Kxa7 Kg5! 12.Rf8 h4 13.Kb6
h3 14.Kc5 Kg4 15.Kd4 h2 16.Rh8 Kg3
6P+-+-+p+& =) (D)
5+-+-+k+p% XABCDEFGHY
4-+-+-+-zP$ 8-+-+-+-+(
3+-+-mK-zP-# 7zP-tR-+p+-'
2r+-+-zP-+" 6-+-+-+p+&
1+-+-+-+-! 5+-+-+k+p%
xabcdefghy 4-+K+-+-zP$
The white king's position is clearly improved 3+-+-+-zP-#
in comparison with the previous example,
but the win is elusive. This position is very 2r+-+-+-+"
instructive and encompasses all the appro-
priate defensive methods. Note that Black's
1+-+-+-+-!
pieces are optimally placed: the rook holds xabcdefghy
the f-pawn in the cross hairs, while the king and now:
occupies the most active available square. a) 5...f6 6.Kb5! Rb2+ 7.Kc6 Ra2 8.Kb7
1.Ra7 Rb2+ 9.Kc8 Ra2 10.Rg7! Kg4 (10...g5
An interesting try as after 1.Kd4 Rxf2
11.Kb8!) 11.Rxg6+ Kh3 12.Rg7 Ra3
2.Rf8 Ra2 3.Rxf7+ Kg4; or 1.f3 Ra3+ 13.Kb8 Rb3+ 14.Rb7 Rxg3 15.Rb4 +.
2.Kd4 Rxf3 3.Rf8 Ra3 4.Rxf7+ Kg4
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 97
b) 5...Ra1 6.Kb5 Rb1+ 7.Kc6 Ra1 1.Kd4
8.Kb7 Rb1+ 9.Kc8 Ra1 10.Rxf7+ Kg4 His analysis has been endorsed by such great
11.Rg7! Kxg3 12.Rxg6+ Kxh4 13.Kb7 endgame authorities as M.Dvoretsky and
Rxa7+ 14.Kxa7 Kh3 15.Kb6 +. K.Muller. J.Steckner's discovery has been
c) 5...Kg4 6.Kb3! Ra6 7.Rc4+ Kxg3 regarded by M.Dvoretsky as a revolutionary
8.Ra4 Rxa7 9.Rxa7 Kxh4 10.Kc3! change in the theory of this endgame. But
(10.Rxf7? Kg3 =) 10...Kg3 (10...f5 11. V.Poghosyan from Armenia has found an
Kd3 g5 12.Rf7 f4 13.Rf5!! Kg4 14.Ra5 amazing way to save Black, which was first
h4 15.Ke2 +) 11.Kd3 h4 12.Ke2! +. presented in 2011. Many additions were
2.Ra8 made by K.Muller and W.Micawber in 2012
Threatening to transfer to a winning position as well. Here are the main points.
with a pawn on the 7th rank that we can see 1...g5!!
in the game Unzicker,W-Lundin,E Amster- That this draws is V.Poghosyan's discovery.
dam 1954, which follows. 1...Rxf2? 2.Rc7 Ra2 3.a7 Kf5 4.Kc4!
2.Kf3 g5 3.hxg5 fxg5 4.Ra8 g4+ 5.Ke3 loses, as J.Steckner proved in 2003.
Kg6= is not dangerous. 2.Kd5
2...Kg4! White doesn't do much with the other op-
2...Ra4? 3.f3! Ra3+ 4.Ke2 Ra2+ 5.Kd1 tions either:
Ra3 6.a7 +. a) 2.hxg5+ Kxg5 3.Kc5 (3.f3 h4 4.gxh4+
3.a7 f5 4.Rg8 Kxh4 5.Kc5 Kg3 =) 3...Kg4 4.Kb5 Rxf2
4.Kd4 Kf3!. 5.Ra8 Rb2+ 6.Kc4 Ra2 7.Rg8+ Kf3
4...f4+! 5.gxf4 8.Kb5 Rb2+ 9.Kc6 Ra2 10.Kb7 Rb2+
5.Ke4 Ra4+ 6.Ke5 Ra5+ =. 11.Ka8 f5! 12.Rg5 f4 (12...Rb6 13.a7 f4
5...Ra3+ 6.Ke4 14.gxf4 h4 =) 13.gxf4 h4 14.f5 Kf4 15.Rh5
6.Ke2 Rxa7 7.Rxg6+ Kxf4 =. Kg4 16.Rh8 Kxf5 17.Rxh4 Ke6 =.
6...Ra4+ 7.Ke5 Ra5+ 8.Ke6 Ra6+ b) 2.Kc5 gxh4 (Black can also draw with
9.Kf7 Rxa7+ 10.Kxg6 Ra6+ 11.Kf7+ 2...g4 which transposes to 2.Kd5 g4) 3.gxh4
Kxf4 Ke5 (D)

Example 4 - Study 2011 XABCDEFGHY


Position: Poghosyan Vardan 1 8-+-+-+-+(
XABCDEFGHY 7tR-+-+p+-'
8-+-+-+-+( 6P+-+-+-+&
7tR-+-+p+-' 5+-mK-mk-+p%
6P+-+-mkp+& 4-+-+-+-zP$
5+-+-+-+p% 3+-+-+-+-#
4-+-+-+-zP$ 2r+-+-zP-+"
3+-+-mK-zP-# 1+-+-+-+-!
2r+-+-zP-+" xabcdefghy
1+-+-+-+-! b1) 4.Kb6 Rb2+ 5.Kc7 Ra2! (5...Rc2+?
xabcdefghy 6.Kd8! +) 6.Kb8 f6 (6...f5? 7.Re7+ Kf6
8.Rh7 Kg6 9.a7! Kxh7 10.a8Q Rxa8+
V.Kantorovich considered this position in 11.Kxa8 f4 12.f3 + ; 6...Ke6 =) 7.Kb7
1989 as drawn with two tempi to spare. But Rxf2 8.Ra8 Rb2+ 9.Ka7 Kd6 =.
in 2003, J.Steckner came to the conclusion b2) 4.Ra8 Kf4 5.Kb6 Rb2+ 6.Ka7 (D)
that White, to play, wins with
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 98
XABCDEFGHY 9...Ra2! 10.Kb8 (10.Ra8 Kf4 11.Rf8
(11.Kb7 Kxf3 =) 11...Rxa6 = ; 10.Kd8 f5
8R+-+-+-+( 11.Re7+ Kf4 =) 10...f6 11.Re7+ Kd6
7mK-+-+p+-' 12.Rf7 Ke6 13.Ra7 Ke5 =.
2...g4!
6P+-+-+-+& 2...gxh4? loses - see next example. After the
text move, White can try different plans:
5+-+-+-+p% 1. The Ra8-Ka7 setup.
4-+-+-mk-zP$ 2. Exchanging the a6-pawn for the f7-pawn
and trying eventually to take the g4 and h5
3+-+-+-+-# pawns.
2-tr-+-zP-+" 3. King's transfer to h7, trying to exchange
the a-pawn for Black's kingside pawns. But
1+-+-+-+-! Black has apparently sufficient defensive
resources.
xabcdefghy 3.Kd6
b21) 6...Kg4? 7.Rb8 Rxf2 8.Rb4+ Kg3 Against 3.Ra8 (D)
9.Kb6 Ra2 10.Kb5! (10.Rb5? Kxh4 =)
10...f5 11.Ra4 Rb2+ 12.Kc6 Rb8
XABCDEFGHY
(12...Rc2+ 13.Kd7 Rd2+ 14.Ke7 Re2+ 8R+-+-+-+(
15.Kf7 Rd2 16.a7) 13.a7 Ra8 14.Kb7
Re8 15.a8Q Rxa8 16.Rxa8 + but not 7+-+-+p+-'
16.Kxa8? f4 =. 6P+-+-mk-+&
b22) 6...f5 7.Rg8 Kf3 (7...Rxf2 8.Ka8
Ke3 =) 8.Rb8 Rxf2 9.Rb5 (9.Rb4 f4 =) 5+-+K+-+p%
9...Re2! =. 4-+-+-+pzP$
b23) 6...Rxf2 7.Rg8 f5 8.Ka8 Ke3! (8...
Rb2? 9.a7 +) 9.a7 f4 10.Kb7 (10.Re8+ 3+-+-+-zP-#
Kd3 11.Kb7 Ra2 =) 10...Ra2 11.Re8+
Kd3 12.Re5 f3 13.Rxh5 f2 14.Rf5 Rb2+
2r+-+-zP-+"
15.Kc6 Ra2 16.Rxf2 Rxa7 =. 1+-+-+-+-!
c) 2.f3 gxh4 3.gxh4 Ra5 4.Kc4 Ke5
5.Kb4 (5.f4+ Kxf4 6.Rxf7+ Kg4 7.a7
xabcdefghy
Kxh4 =) 5...Ra2 6.Kb5 Rb2+ 7.Kc6 Black has two options:
Rc2+ 8.Kb6 Rb2+ 9.Kc7 (D) a) 3...Kf5 4.Kc6 (4.Rf8 Rxa6 5.Rxf7+
Kg6 = ; 4.Rh8 Kg6 5.Rg8+ Kf6 6.Rg5
XABCDEFGHY Rxa6 7.Kd4 Ra2 8.Ke3 Ra3+ 9.Ke2
8-+-+-+-+( Ra2+ 10.Kf1 Ra1+ 11.Kg2 Ra2
12.Rxh5 Ke6 = ; 4.a7 Kf6 5.Kd6 Rd2+
7tR-mK-+p+-' 6.Kc7 Rc2+ 7.Kd8 Ra2 [7...Rd2+?
6P+-+-+-+& 8.Ke8 Ra2 9.Kf8 Ra1 10.Kg8 Kg6
11.Kh8 Kf6 {11...Kh6 12.Rb8 Rxa7
5+-+-mk-+p% 13.Rb6+ f6 14.Rxf6 #} 12.Kh7 Ra2
4-+-+-+-zP$ 13.Kh6 Ra5 14.Rg8 Rxa7 15.Kxh5 Ra2
16.Rxg4 Rxf2 17.Kh6 +] 8.Ke8 Kg7 =)
3+-+-+P+-# 4...Ke4 (4...Rxf2? 5.Rb8 Rc2+ 6.Kb6
2-tr-+-+-+" Rb2+ 7.Ka7 Ra2 8.Rb4 +) 5.Kb7 Kf3 =.
b) 3...Ke7 4.Kc6 Rc2+ 5.Kb7 Rb2+
1+-+-+-+-! 6.Ka7 Rxf2! 7.Rb8 Kd6 8.Rb5 Kc6
xabcdefghy 9.Rxh5 Rf3 =.

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 99


But he has a third option which can lose!: = ; 15.Rh7 Rxg3 16.Rxf7 Rf3 17.Rxf3
c) 3...Kg7? (when the black king is on g7 or gxf3 18.Kb8 f2 19.a7 f1Q 20.a8Q+ Kd6
f6, then the Ra8-Ka7 setup is effective, but =) 15...Kc7 16.Rh7 Kc6 17.h5 Rxg3
not when the black king is on c7, e6 or 18.Rxf7 Rd3 (18...Rf3 =) 19.Rf6+ (19.h6
nearer to the a-pawn) 4.Kc6 Kf6 (4...Rc2+ g3 20.h7 Rd8 21.Rf6+ Kb5 22.Rb6+
5.Kb6 Rb2+ 6.Ka7 Rxf2 7.Rb8 +) Kc5) 19...Rd6 20.Rg6 g3 21.Kb8
5.Kb7 Rb2+ 6.Ka7! Rxf2 7.Rb8 Ke7 (21.Rxg3 Rd7+ 22.Kb8 Rd8+ =)
8.Rb5 Rd2 (8...f5 9.Kb7 +) 9.Kb7 21...Rxg6 22.hxg6 g2 23.a7 g1Q 24.a8Q +
Rd7+ 10.Kb6 Rd6+ 11.Ka5 Rd2 12.a7 Kd7 =.
+. 4...Rc2+ (D)
3.Kc4 is met by 3...Ke6! = but not Black also draws with 4...Ra2! 5.Kb6
3...Ke5? 4.Rxf7! Rxa6 5.Rh7 +. Rb2+ (but not 5...Rxf2? 6.Rb7 +) - see
3...Rd2+ the main variation after 5...Rb2+.
It seems that Black has many ways to draw XABCDEFGHY
here, such as 3...Re2 or 3...Ra3. To make it
shorter, we will follow V.Poghosyans main 8-+-+-+-+(
lines.
4.Kc6
7tR-+-+p+-'
4.Kc5 is the main alternative: 4...Rc2+ 6P+K+-mk-+&
5.Kb5 Rb2+ 6.Kc4 Ra2! 7.Ra8 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-+-+p%
8R+-+-+-+( 4-+-+-+pzP$
7+-+-+p+-' 3+-+-+-zP-#
6P+-+-mk-+& 2-+r+-zP-+"
5+-+-+-+p% 1+-+-+-+-!
4-+K+-+pzP$ xabcdefghy
5.Kb6
3+-+-+-zP-# White can also try 5.Kd7 Ra2! (5...Rxf2?
6.Rb7 Ra2 7.a7 +) 6.Ra8 Ke5! = or
2r+-+-zP-+" 5.Kb7 Rxf2! (5...Ke5? 6.Ra8 Rb2+
1+-+-+-+-! 7.Ka7 Rxf2 8.Rh8! Ra2 [8...f5 9.Rxh5
Rf3 10.Rh7 Rxg3 11.Kb8 Rb3+ 12.Rb7
xabcdefghy +] 9.Rxh5+ f5 10.Kb7 Rb2+ 11.Ka8
7...Ke6! (7...Kf5? loses to 8.Kb5 Rb2+ Ke4 12.a7 +), which transposes to the
9.Kc6 Rc2+ 10.Kb7 Rb2+ 11.Ka7 Rxf2 main line after 7.Kb7 Rxf2.
12.Rb8 +) 8.Kb5 Rb2+ 9.Kc6 Rc2+ 5...Rb2+ 6.Kc7 Rc2+
10.Kb7 Rb2+ 11.Ka7 Rxf2 12.Rb8 6...Ra2 draws as well.
(12.Rh8 Rf3 13.Rxh5 Rxg3 =) 7.Kd8
a) 12...Kd7 13.Ka8 (13.Rb3 Rf3! =) 7.Kb7 is another 'useless' try: 7...Rxf2
13...f5 14.a7 Kc7! 15.Rb7+ Kc8 16.Rb5 8.Ra8 Rb2+ 9.Ka7 Rb3 10.Rh8 Rxg3
Kc7 17.Rc5+ Kd6 18.Rc3 (18.Kb7 11.Rxh5 Ke6 (11...Rg1 = ; 11...Rh3 =)
Rb2+ 19.Kc8 Ra2 20.Rc7 f4 21.gxf4 g3 12.Rh8 (12.Rg5 f5 13.h5 f4 =) 12...Rg1
22.Kb8 g2 23.Rg7 Rb2+ 24.Kc8 Ra2) 13.h5 g3 14.h6 Rh1 15.h7 g2 16.Rg8
18...Rb2 =. Rxh7 17.Rxg2 f5+ =.
b) 12...Kd6! 7...Ra2!
13.Rb5 Kc6 14.Rxh5 Rf3 15.Rh6+ Black should avoid the losing 7...Rc6?
(15.Rh8 Rxg3 16.h5 Rh3 17.Rc8+ Kd7 8.Ke8 Re6+ (8...Kg6 9.Kf8 Rf6 10.Ra8
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 100
Rxf2 11.Rb8 Ra2 12.Rb6+ f6 13.Ke7 + 11.Rb6+ (11.Kg8 f4 12.Rg7+ Kf6
) 9.Kf8 Kg6 10.Ra8 (10.Rxf7? Rxa6 =) 13.Rf7+ Ke5 14.gxf4+ Ke4 15.a7 Ra2
10...Kf6 (10...Rf6 11.a7! Ra6 12.Kg8 +) 16.f5 g3 17.f6 Kf5 18.Kh7 g2 19.Rg7
11.Kg8 Kg6 12.Kh8 Kf6 13.Kh7 Ke7 Kxf6 20.Rxg2 Rxa7+ =) 11...Kh7
14.a7 Ra6 15.Rb8 +, which transposes to 12.Rf6 (12.a7 Ra2 13.Rb7+ Kg6 14.Kg8
9...Ra3?. f4! =) 12...Ra2 13.Kf7 (13.Rxf5 Kg6!
8.Ke8 14.Rg5+ Kh6 =) 13...f4! 14.gxf4 Ra5
After 8.Ra8 Black is quick: 8...Kf5! 15.f5 g3 16.Ke7 g2 17.Rg6 Rxf5
(8...Rxf2? 9.Rb8! Ra2 10.Rb6+ Ke5 18.Rxg2 Ra5 =.
11.Kc7 f5 12.Rb5+ Ke4 13.Kb6 f4 10...Ra2 11.a7
14.Ra5 Rb2+ 15.Kc7 Rc2+ 16.Kd7 After 11.Ke7 Black can once again be quick
Rd2+ 17.Ke7 Rc2 18.a7 +) 9.Kc7 Ke4 with his king: 11...Kf5! (11...f5 =) 12.Kxf7
10.Kb7 Kf3 11.Rh8 Rb2+ 12.Ka8 Kxf2 Ke4 =.
13.Rxh5 Kxg3 14.a7 Kh3 15.Rh7 g3 11...Ra3 12.Kg8 Ra6! 13.Kh8 Kf6
16.Rxf7 g2 17.Rg7 Kxh4 =. 14.Kh7 Ke7! 15.Kg7 Rg6+ 16.Kh8
8...Kg6! 9.Kf8 There is no real alternative winning try:
9.Ra8 Rxf2! =. 16.Kh7 Ra6 =.
9...Rxf2! 16...Rh6+
Black should be accurate (and a little bit The simplest defence. If the white king is on
greedy!) and avoid 9...Ra3? 10.Ra8 Ra2 g7/g8 or h8, Black keeps checking with his
11.a7! Ra5 (11...Kf6 12.Kg8 Ra6 rook. If White plays Kh7, Black answers
13.Kh8 Ke7 14.Kh7 Kf6 15.Kh6 Ra5 ...Ra6 and White is in a kind of zugzwang.
16.Rb8 +) 12.Kg8 Ra6 13.Kh8 Kf6
14.Kh7 Ke7 (D)
XABCDEFGHY Example 5 - Study 2011
Position: Poghosyan Vardan 2
8R+-+-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7zP-+-mkp+K' 8-+-+-+-+(
6r+-+-+-+& 7tR-+-+p+-'
5+-+-+-+p% 6P+-+-mkp+&
4-+-+-+pzP$ 5+-+-+-+p%
3+-+-+-zP-# 4-+-+-+-zP$
2-+-+-zP-+" 3+-+-mK-zP-#
1+-+-+-+-! 2r+-+-zP-+"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
15.Rb8! Rxa7 16.Kg7 Ke6 17.Rb6+
Ke5 18.Rf6! Rb7 (18...Ke4 19.Kh6 Ke5 xabcdefghy
20.Kg5 Rb7 21.Rf4 Rb8 22.Rxf7 +) 1.Kd4 g5!! 2.Kd5 gxh4?
19.Rxf7 Rb6 20.Rf4 Ra6 21.Rb4 Kf5 This loses, while 2...g4! draws. Let's see
22.Rb5+ Ke4 23.Rxh5 Ra7+ 24.Kf6 how.
Ra6+ 25.Ke7 Ra7+ 26.Kd8 Ra8+ 3.gxh4 Rd2+
27.Kc7 Ra7+ 28.Kb6 Rf7 29.Rg5 Rxf2 Black's alternatives are:
30.Rxg4+ +. a) 3...Kg6 4.Kc6 (4.Ra8? Kf5 5.Kc6
10.Ra8 Kg4 =) 4...Rc2+ (4...f5 5.f4 Rc2+ 6.Kd6
10.Rb7 dosen't help: 10...f5 (10...f6 =) Rd2+ 7.Ke7 Re2+ 8.Kf8 Ra2 9.Rg7+

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 101


Kf6 10.a7 Ke6 11.Rf7 Kd6 12.Rf6+ 9.a7 Kxf2 10.Rb8 Ra1 11.Rb5 Kg3
Kd5 13.Rxf5+ Ke4 14.Rf7 Ra5 15.f5 12.Rxh5 f5 13.Rh8 [13.Rxf5 Kxh4
Ra1 16.Kg7 Kf4 17.f6 + ; 4...Re2 14.Kb7] 13...f4 14.h5 f3 15.h6 f2 16.h7 +)
5.Rc7 +) 5.Kb6 Rb2+ 6.Kc7 Rc2+ 6.Kb6 Rb1+ 7.Ka7 Kf4 8.Rb8 Ra1
7.Kb8 Ra2 (D) 9.Kb7 Rb1+ 10.Ka8 Ra1 11.a7 f5
XABCDEFGHY 12.Kb7 +.
b3) 4...Ra2 5.Ra8 Ke5 (5...Rc2+ 6.Kb7
8-mK-+-+-+( Rb2+ 7.Ka7 Rxf2 [7...Rb4 8.Rb8 Rxh4
7tR-+-+p+-' 9.Rb6+ Kf5 10.Kb7 +] 8.Rb8 + ;
5...Kf5 6.Kb6 [6.a7? Kf4 = ; 6.Kb7 Rb2+
6P+-+-+k+& 7.Ka7 +] 6...Rb2+ [6...Rxf2 7.Rb8
Rb2+ 8.Ka7 Rg2 9.Rb5+ Kf4 10.Kb6]
5+-+-+-+p% 7.Ka7 Kg4 8.Rb8 Rxf2 9.Rb4+ Kg3
4-+-+-+-zP$ 10.Kb6 Ra2 11.Kb5 +) 6.Kb7 (6.Kd7?
Kf4 7.a7 Kf3 =) 6...Rb2+ (6...Kf4 7.Rb8
3+-+-+-+-# Rb2+ 8.Ka8 Rxf2 9.a7 Kg3 10.Kb7 + ;
2r+-+-zP-+" 6...Rxf2 7.Re8+ Kf4 8.a7 +) 7.Ka7
Rxf2 (7...f5 8.Rb8 Rxf2 9.Rb5+ Ke4
1+-+-+-+-! 10.Kb6 Ra2 11.Ra5 + ; 7...Kd6 8.Rh8
xabcdefghy +) 8.Rh8! (D)
a1) 8.f3? Ra4! 9.Kc7 (9.Kc8 Rxh4 XABCDEFGHY
10.Rc7 Ra4 11.a7 f5 =) 9...Rxh4 10.Ra8
Ra4 11.Kb6 Kg5 12.Rg8+ Kf4 =.
8-+-+-+-tR(
a2) 8.Ra8! Rxf2 9.Ka7 f5 10.Rf8 f4 7mK-+-+p+-'
11.Kb7 Rb2+ 12.Ka8 Rb4 (12...Rb6 6P+-+-+-+&
13.a7 Rb4 14.Rb8 Ra4 15.Kb7 Kf5
16.a8Q Rxa8 17.Rxa8 +) 13.a7 f3 5+-+-mk-+p%
14.Rxf3 Rxh4 15.Rb3 +.
b) 3...Ra5+ 4.Kc6 (4.Kc4? Ke5 =) (D)
4-+-+-+-zP$
XABCDEFGHY 3+-+-+-+-#
8-+-+-+-+( 2-+-+-tr-+"
7tR-+-+p+-' 1+-+-+-+-!
6P+K+-mk-+& xabcdefghy
b31) 8...Kd4 9.Rh6! (9.Rxh5? f5 10.Rh6
5tr-+-+-+p% f4 11.Kb7 Rb2+ 12.Rb6 Rxb6+ 13.Kxb6
4-+-+-+-zP$ f3 14.a7 f2 15.a8Q f1Q =) 9...f5 10.Kb7
+.
3+-+-+-+-# b32) 8...f5 9.Rxh5 Kd4 (9...Ke4 10.Rh6
2-+-+-zP-+" f4 [10...Rb2 11.Rb6 +] 11.Kb7 + ;
9...Rb2 10.Ka8 +) 10.Rh8 f4 11.h5 f3
1+-+-+-+-! 12.h6 Rh2 13.Kb7 f2 14.Rf8 Rxh6
xabcdefghy 15.Rxf2 +.
b33) 8...Ke4 9.Rxh5 f5 10.Rh6 f4 11.Kb7
b1) 4...Ra3 5.Ra8 +. Rb2+ 12.Rb6 Rxb6+ 13.Kxb6 f3 14.a7 f2
b2) 4...Ra1 5.Ra8 Kf5 (5...Ke7 6.Kb7 15.a8Q+ +.
Rb1+ 7.Ka7 Kd6 8.Rh8 + ; 5...Ke5
b34) 8...Ra2 9.Rxh5+ f5 10.Kb7 Rb2+
6.Re8+ Kf4 7.Kb7 Rb1+ 8.Ka8 Kf3 11.Ka8 +.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 102
c) 3...Kf5 4.Rxf7+ Kg4 5.a7 Kxh4 17.Rc5+ Kg4 18.Kb6 +] 17.Ka5 Ra1+
6.Rg7+. 18.Kb6 Rb1+ 19.Kc7 Rc1+ 20.Kb7
d) 3...Rxf2 4.Rc7 Ra2 5.a7 Kf5 6.Kc4! Rb1+ 21.Ka8 +) 15.Rc6+ Ke7 (15...Kf5
(similar to J.Steckners move Kc4, but in 16.Kc4 + ; 15...Ke5 16.Kc4 Ra2 [16...f5
better circumstances because White has al- 17.Kc5 Kf4 18.Kb6 +] 17.Kc5 f5
ready exchanged the g3pawn against the 18.Kb6 +) 16.Kb4 Kd7 (16...Kd8
g6-pawn) 6...Kg4 (6...Ra1 7.Kb5 Rb1+ 17.Kb5 Rb1+ 18.Ka5 Ra1+ 19.Kb6
8.Kc6 Ra1 9.Kb7 Rb1+ 10.Kc8 Ra1 Rb1+ 20.Ka7 Kd7 21.Rb6 Rc1 22.Rh6
11.Kb8 Kg4 12.Rc4+ Kg3 13.a8Q Rb1 23.Rxh5 Rb4 24.Rh7 Ke6 25.h5
Rxa8+ 14.Kxa8 + ; 6...f6 7.Kb5 Rb2+ Rf4 26.Ka8 Rxf2 27.a7 +) 17.Rf6 Kc8
8.Kc6 Ra2 9.Kb7 Rb2+ 10.Kc8 Ra2 18.Kb5 Rb1+ 19.Ka5 Ra1+ 20.Kb6 Kb8
11.Kb8 +) 7.Kb3 Ra6 8.Rc4+ Kg3 (20...Rb1+ 21.Ka7 +) 21.f4 Rb1+
9.Ra4 +. 22.Kc6 +.
4.Kc6 Rc2+ c) 8...Kg7 9.Ka7 Rxf2 10.Rb8 Rf4
4...Rxf2 5.Rb7 +. 11.Rb6 +.
5.Kb6 Rb2+ 6.Kc7 Rc2+ d) 8...Ke5 9.Ka7 Rxf2 10.Rh8 +.
6...Ke5 7.Rb7 + ; 6...Ra2 7.Ra8 +. 9.Ka7 Rh2
7.Kb8 Ra2 Black can also try 9...Ke6 10.Rh8 (10.Rb8
Or 7...Rc6 8.Kb7 Re6 9.f4 Re1 (9...Re7+ +)
10.Kb6 Re6+ 11.Kb5 Re1 12.Rc7 + ; a) 10...Kd5 11.Rxh5+ Kc6 12.Rh6+ Kc7
9...Kf5 10.Ra8 Re7+ 11.Kb6 Re6+ 13.Rb6 f5 (13...Rh2 14.Rb4 Kc6
12.Ka5 +) 10.Ra8 Rb1+ 11.Ka7 +. [14...Rh3 15.Rc4+ Kd6 16.Kb6 +]
8.Ra8 (D) 15.Rc4+ Kd5 16.Rf4 +) 14.h5 f4 15.h6
Re2 16.h7 Re8 17.Rf6 Rh8 18.Rxf4
XABCDEFGHY Rxh7 19.Rc4+ +.
8RmK-+-+-+( b) 10...Kd7 11.Rxh5 f5 (11...Rf4 12.Kb6
7+-+-+p+-' + ; 11...Kc6 12.Rh6+ f6 13.h5 +)
12.Rh8 Kc7 13.h5 Re2 (13...f4 14.Rf8 f3
6P+-+-mk-+& 15.h6 Rh2 16.Rxf3 Rxh6 17.Rc3+ + ;
13...Rh2 14.h6 f4 15.Rh7+ Kc6 16.Kb8
5+-+-+-+p% +) 14.h6 Re6 15.h7 Re7 16.Rb8 Kc6+
4-+-+-+-zP$ 17.Rb7 Re8 18.Rb6+ Kc7 19.Rf6 Rh8
20.Rxf5 Rxh7 21.Rc5+ +.
3+-+-+-+-# c) 10...Kd6 11.Rxh5 f5 (11...Rc2 12.Kb6
2r+-+-zP-+" Rc6+ 13.Kb7 Rc7+ 14.Kb8 +) 12.Rh6+
Kc7 13.h5 f4 14.Rf6 Kd7 (14...Rh2 15.h6
1+-+-+-+-! f3 16.Rxf3 Rxh6 17.Rc3+ +) 15.h6 Ke7
xabcdefghy 16.Rf5 Rh2 (16...Ke6 17.Rh5 +)
17.Rxf4 Rxh6 18.Kb7 +.
8...Rxf2 d) 10...f5 11.Rh6+ Ke5 12.Kb7 +.
A waiting policy doesnt help either: e) 10...Ra2 11.Kb7 Rb2+ 12.Ka8 Kd7
a) 8...Ra4 9.Kb7 Rb4+ 10.Ka7 Rxh4 13.Rxh5 Rb4 14.Ka7 Kc7 (14...Kc6
11.Rc8 Rb4 12.Rb8 Re4 13.Kb7 +. 15.Rh8 Rd4 16.h5 +) 15.Rc5+ Kd6
b) 8...Re2 9.Kb7 Re7+ 10.Kb6 Re6+ 16.Rf5 Ke6 17.Ra5 f5 18.h5 Kf6 19.h6
11.Kb5 Re5+ 12.Kb4 Re4+ (12...Re2 Kg6 20.h7 Kxh7 21.Rxf5 +.
13.Rh8 Rb2+ 14.Ka3 +) 13.Kb3 Re1 f) 10...Rb2 11.Rb8 +.
(13...Re6 14.Rh8 Kg7 15.a7 Kxh8 9...Kf5 also loses to 10.Rb8 +.
16.a8Q+ Kg7 17.Qa5 +) 14.Rc8 Ra1 10.Rh8! Ke5
(14...Rb1+ 15.Ka4 Ra1+ [15...Kf5 Again here Black can try alternative de-
16.Rc3 +] 16.Kb5 Rb1+ [16...Kf5 fences:
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 103
a) 10...Rxh4 11.Kb6 Rh1 (11...Ra4 18.Rf8 Re2 19.Kb7 Re7+ 20.Kb6 Re6+
12.Rxh5 Re4 13.a7 Re6+ 14.Ka5 Re8 21.Kb5 Rxh6 22.Rxf2
15.Rb5 +) 12.a7 Rb1+ 13.Kc5 +. And White wins.
b) 10...Kg7 11.Rxh5 Rb2 12.Ka8 +. 10
c) 10...Kg6 11.Kb7 Rb2+ 12.Ka8 Rb4
The Pawn on the 7th Rank
(12...Rh2 13.a7 Rxh4 14.Kb7 + ; 12...f5 If a pawn advance to a7 makes no sense,
13.a7 f4 14.Rb8 Re2 15.Kb7 + ; White leaves the pawn on a6 and brings his
12...Rb5 13.a7 Kg7 14.Rb8 +) 13.a7 f6 king to the queenside, where a refuge against
14.Rb8 (14.Rg8+ Kf5 15.Rb8 Rxh4 checks from the rear exists.
16.Rb5+ Kg6 17.Kb7 Ra4 18.Kb6! But it is a long way to go; the black rook
[18.Rb6? Rxa7+ 19.Kxa7 h4 =] 18...Rxa7 has enough time to kill one or two pawns.
19.Kxa7 f5 20.Kb6 Kg5 21.Kc5 +) Thereafter it will be sacrificed for the
14...Rxh4 15.Kb7 Ra4 16.a8Q Rxa8 passed pawn, and the resulting rook versus
17.Rxa8 +. pawn(s) endgame is usually drawn.
d) 10...Kf5 11.Rxh5+ Kg4 12.Rg5+ If the rook of the stronger side is placed in
Kxh4 13.Rf5 +. front of the pawn and the hostile rook is be-
11.Rxh5+ hind the pawn, a pawn advance to the 7th
11.Kb7? Rxh4 =. rank absolutely chains the opponent's forces.
11...f5 However, if there are no vulnerable points
11...Kd6 12.Kb6 + ; 11...Kf4 12.Ka8 in his camp, the game is still drawn because
Kg4 13.Rh8 f5 14.a7 f4 15.Kb7 + ; the king's march to the pawn is useless: no
11...Ke4 12.Rb5 +. refuge from rook checks from behind is
12.Kb7 Rb2+ 13.Ka8 Ke4 available.
13...Kf6 14.a7 f4 15.Rh8 Kg7 16.Rb8 The pawn position on the 7th rank has
Ra2 17.Kb7 + ; 13...Rb6 14.a7 Rb1 sense in the following situations:
15.Rh8 +. 1. When it can be traded for the enemy's
14.Rh8 f4 15.h5 f3 16.h6 f2 (D) pawns, achieving a winning endgame with
XABCDEFGHY pawns on one flank;
2. When a rook can be gained for it. As a
8K+-+-+-tR( rule, a passed pawn on the opposite wing is
required for this purpose; it will push the
7+-+-+-+-' hostile king away from a safe square. A re-
6P+-+-+-zP& minder: an advance of a bishop pawn can do
the job, while a knight or a rook pawn is
5+-+-+-+-% mostly useless;
4-+-+k+-+$ 3. When we can give the passed pawn away
in order to exchange the rooks (by means of
3+-+-+-+-# a check along the 7th rank), transposing into
a winning pawn endgame.
2-tr-+-zp-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy
17.Re8+
17.Rf8 Rd2 18.Kb7 (18.h7? Rd8+ =)
18...Rd7+ 19.Kc6 Rh7 20.Rxf2 Rxh6+
21.Kb5 +.
17...Kd5 Unzicker Wolfgang
Or 17...Kd3 18.Rf8 Rb6 19.a7 Rxh6 Lundin Erik
20.Rxf2 +. Amsterdam 1954
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 104
XABCDEFGHY 51.g4+? would give Black the chance to
survive after 51...Kf4! = but not with
8R+-+-+-+( 51...hxg4? 52.fxg4+ Kxg4 53.h5! +.
7+-+-+-+-' 51...Ra5 52.Kc4 Ra3 53.Kc5 Ra1
In case of 53...Rxf3, the simplest solution is
6P+-+-zpp+& 54.Rf8 Ra3 55.a8Q Rxa8 56.Rxa8 Kg4
57.Ra3 g5 58.hxg5 fxg5 59.Kd4 h4
5+-+-+-+p% 60.gxh4 gxh4 61.Ke3 Kg3 62.Ra8 +.
4-+-+k+-zP$ 54.Kd6 (D)
3tr-+-+-zP-# XABCDEFGHY
2-+-+KzP-+" 8R+-+-+-+(
1+-+-+-+-! 7zP-+-+-+-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-mK-zpp+&
Black has 'spoiled' his pawn structure, with- 5+-+-+k+p%
out getting any activity in return.
48.f3+!
4-+-+-+-zP$
The direct 48.a7? would be a grave mistake: 3+-+-+PzP-#
48...Ra2+ 49.Kd1 Kf3 =.
48...Kf5 49.a7! 2-+-+-+-+"
Black is now restricted to rook moves only. 1tr-+-+-+-!
The position is instructive, as White can win
by transferring his king to h6. Then, with the xabcdefghy
help of his rook, he will be able to capture 54...Ra3?!
the black pawns. When Black's pawn stands Nor would 54...Ra6+ 55.Ke7 Ra5
on f7, his king can return to f6 or g7 with an 56.Kf8! Ra6 57.Kf7! (57.Kg7?! g5
absolutely drawn position. 58.hxg5 Kxg5 59.Kf7 Kf5 60.g4+?
49...Ra2+ (D) (60.Ke7! +) 60...hxg4 61.fxg4+ Kf4) pre-
XABCDEFGHY vent White's plan, but it had to be preferred.
55.Ke7?!
8R+-+-+-+( After 55.Rc8! Ra6+ 56.Rc6 Rxa7
7zP-+-+-+-' 57.Rc5 # provides a spectacular finish.
55...Ra6
6-+-+-zpp+& 55...Ra2 is the 'toughest' defence: 56.Kf8!
5+-+-+k+p% (56.Kf7?! Ra6 57.Kg7 g5 58.hxg5 Kxg5
59.Kf7 Kf5 60.g4+? (60.Ke7! +)
4-+-+-+-zP$ 60...hxg4 61.fxg4+ Kf4 = with an important
circumstance: the f6-pawn is protected by
3+-+-+PzP-# the rook. The squares a6 and f7 are corre-
2r+-+K+-+" sponding.) 56...Ra6 57.Kf7 Ra3 58.Kg7
+.
1+-+-+-+-! 56.Kf7 Ra3 57.Kg7 Ra1
xabcdefghy With the black rook not standing on a6,
57...g5 here doesn't help: 58.hxg5 Kxg5
49...Ra6 50.Kd3 Rd6+ 51.Kc4 Rd7
59.Kf7 Kf5 60.g4+! hxg4 61.fxg4+ Kf4
52.Kc5 Re7 53.Kd6 Re6+ (53...Rb7
62.Kxf6 +.
54.Rb8! Rxa7 55.Rb5 #) 54.Kd7 Ra6
58.Kh6! (D)
55.Ke7 is not really any different.
White's plan is complete and the black
50.Kd3 Ra1 51.Kd4
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 105
pawns are doomed. The rest of the game was XABCDEFGHY
rather easy
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
8R+-+-+-+( 7tR-+-+p+-'
7zP-+-+-+-' 6P+-+-+p+&
6-+-+-zppmK& 5+-+-mk-+p%
5+-+-+k+p% 4-+-+-+-zP$
4-+-+-+-zP$ 3+-+-mK-zP-#
3+-+-+PzP-# 2r+-+-zP-+"
2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-!
1tr-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy
Black can bring about the already analysed
xabcdefghy theoretical draw with 52...Ke6 or 52...Kf6,
58...Ra6 59.Rb8 Rxa7 60.Rb5+ Ke6 but the text move is not bad either.
61.Kxg6 Ra8 52...Ra3+ 53.Kd2 Ra2+?!
61...Ra3 62.Rf5 +. Black missed an 'easier' draw with 53...f5!
62.Kxh5 Rg8 63.g4 Rh8+ 64.Kg6 54.Kc2 f4 55.Kb2 Ra5 56.Kb3 fxg3
10 57.fxg3 Kf5 58.Kb4 Ra1 59.Kb5 Rb1+!
(59...Kg4? 60.Rd7! [60.Rc7? Rb1+
61.Kc6 Kxg3 62.a7 Ra1 =] 60...Rb1+
[60...Kxg3 61.Rd4 +] 61.Kc5 Kxg3
[61...Rc1+ 62.Kb6 Rb1+ 63.Kc7 Ra1
64.Rd4+ Kxg3 65.Kb6 +] 62.Rd4 Ra1
63.Kb6 Rb1+ 64.Ka5 Rb8 [64...Ra1+
65.Kb5 Rb1+ 66.Rb4 Ra1 67.Ra4 +]
65.a7 Re8 66.Rb4 +) 60.Kc6 Rc1+
61.Kb6 Rb1+ 62.Kc7 Ra1 63.Ra8 Kg4
64.Kb7 Kxg3 65.Rg8 Kxh4 66.Rxg6
The Pawn on the 6th Rank Kh3 =.
The most usual case, when the superior 54.Kc3 Rxf2 55.Rb7! (D)
side has real practical winning chances. XABCDEFGHY
Some tips to remember are:
1. Quick activation of the king is a high pri- 8-+-+-+-+(
ority for the weaker side.
2. In case of a standard pawn structure, post-
7+R+-+p+-'
ing the rook on a6, with the idea of confin- 6P+-+-+p+&
ing the black king to g7, is no less dangerous
in a practical sense than a pawn advance to
5+-+-mk-+p%
a6. 4-+-+-+-zP$
3. The weaker side has a rather good
counter-plan at his disposal: f6 followed 3+-mK-+-zP-#
by g5. 2-+-+-tr-+"
Svidler Peter 1+-+-+-+-!
Akopian Vladimir
Kallithea 2002
xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 106
The familiar move! The great difference in Rxa7 62.Rxa7 Kxg3 63.Kc4 h4 64.Kd3
this position is that the white king is already h3 65.Ke2 h2 66.Rg7+ Kh3 67.Kf2
on the c-file (instead of the d-file) when h1N+ 68.Kf3 Kh2 69.Rg8 +.
Black captures the white f-pawn. 58.Kb5 Rb1+
55...Ra2 56.a7 Kf6? 58...Kf5 59.Rxf7+ Kg4 60.Rf4+ Kxg3
Black could not play 56...Kf5? 57.Rxf7+ 61.Ra4 +.
Kg4 58.Kb3! Ra1 59.Rf4+! Kxg3 59.Kc6 Rc1+ 60.Kb6 Rb1+
60.Ra4+ but he could still draw with 60...Ra1 61.Kc7 Kf5 62.Rb5+ Kg4
56...f6! 57.Kb4 (57.Kc4 Kd6 58.Rg7 63.Kb6 Rxa7 64.Rg5+ +.
Kc6 59.Rxg6 Ra4+ 60.Kd3 Rxa7 61.Kc7 Ra1 62.Kb8 Kf5 63.Rb4
61.Rxf6+ Kd5 62.Rf5+ Ke6 63.Rxh5 10
Ra3+ =) 57...Kd6 (57...Rb2+ 58.Kc5
Rxb7 59.a8Q Rc7+ 60.Kb6 + ; 57...Kf5 Bacrot Etienne
58.Rb5+ Kg4 59.Ra5 +) 58.Rf7 Robson Ray
(58.Rg7 Kc6 59.Rxg6 Rxa7 60.Rxf6+ Khanty Mansiysk 2011
Kd5 61.Rf5+ Ke4 62.Rxh5 Rg7 =)
XABCDEFGHY
58...Ke6 59.Rg7 g5 60.Kc5 Kf5 61.Kb6
Kg4 62.hxg5 fxg5 63.Rg6 h4 (63...Rxa7 8-+-+-+-+(
64.Kxa7 Kxg3 65.Rxg5+ Kh4 66.Rg8 7tR-+-+p+-'
Kh3 67.Kb6 h4 68.Kc5 Kh2 69.Kd4 h3
70.Ke3 Kh1 71.Kf3 h2 72.Kg3 Kg1 6-+-+k+p+&
73.Kh3+ Kh1 74.Ra8 + ; 63...Kxg3
64.Rxg5+ Kh4 65.Ra5 +) 64.gxh4 Kxh4
5zP-+-+-+p%
65.Kb7 Rxa7+ 66.Kxa7 g4 67.Kb6 Kg3! 4-+-+-+-zP$
68.Kc5 Kf3 69.Rf6+ Ke3 =.
57.Kc4! (D) 3+-+-mK-zP-#
XABCDEFGHY 2r+-+-zP-+"
8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
7zPR+-+p+-' xabcdefghy
6-+-+-mkp+& On the board, there's a typical position with
an extra rook's pawn for White, with the
5+-+-+-+p% rook of the weaker side positioned in the
rear behind the passed pawn, and a standard
4-+K+-+-zP$ pawn structure on the kingside. We shouldn't
3+-+-+-zP-# be too hard on the players' subsequent ac-
tions, bearing in mind that they only had
2r+-+-+-+" their incremental seconds left. Although
1+-+-+-+-! we're probably still justified in drawing
some conclusions about their endgame abili-
xabcdefghy ties, and contemplating how thorough
57...Ra1 knowledge and understanding of theory
The alternatives do not help: 57...Kf5 might have influenced the players' actions,
58.Rxf7+ Kg4 59.Kb3 Ra6 60.Rf4+ even in such extreme circumstances. But the
Kxg3 61.Ra4 Rxa7 62.Rxa7 Kxh4 main purpose of investigating the game is to
63.Kc4 Kg3 64.Rg7 h4 65.Rxg6+ Kf3 inform (or remind) readers about some typi-
66.Rh6 Kg3 67.Kd3 h3 68.Ke2 h2 cal ideas in this kind of ending.
69.Kf1 + or 57...g5 58.hxg5+ Kxg5 58...Kf6?!
59.Rxf7 Kg4 60.Rg7+ Kh3 61.Kb5 In such situations, White sends his king to-
wards his passed pawn at the appropriate
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 107
moment, sacrificing one or two pawns on the As the Swiss player Johannes Steckner
kingside. His opponent has to give up his proved, the king has to move forwards with
rook for the passed pawn, and the outcome the rook specifically on a7, but not on a8.
of the battle depends on whether or not The main variation is 60.Kd4! Rxf2
Black succeeds in his counterplay on the 61.Rc7 Ra2 62.a7 Kf5 63.Kc4!! Kg4
kingside. In the coming race, every tempo 64.Kb3! Ra6 65.Rc4+ Kxg3 66.Ra4
may be decisive. Direct pursuit of the pawn Rxa7 67.Rxa7 Kxh4 68.Kc3, and so on -
loses: 58...Ra3+? 59.Kd4 Rf3 60.a6 Rxf2 the rook turns out to be stronger than the
61.Rc7 Ra2 62.a7 Kf5 63.Kc4! - we'll three pawns. Black can defend differently,
have more than one reason to come back to the position contains quite a few subtleties,
this important variation later. At the same but he won't find a way to save himself
time there's no point in Black waiting pas- anywhere.
sively. Any move that is useful for the future 60...Kf6?
race must be made. 58...f6! 59.a6 Kf5 60.f3 Ray Robson is not only unaware of the latest
(60.Ra8 Kg4 61.a7 Ra3+) 60...Ra3+ theoretical discoveries, but apparently is
61.Kd4 Rxf3 62.Rc7 Ra3 63.a7 Kg4 completely unfamiliar with the ideas in this
gave an easy draw. kind of ending - probably because of his
59.a6 (D) youth, he just hasn't had time to study them.
XABCDEFGHY Of course, he should have positioned his
king more actively at the first opportunity:
8-+-+-+-+( 60...Kf5!. An 'educated' player would have
made this move automatically, regardless of
7tR-+-+p+-' how much time he had left. Robson's blun-
6P+-+-mkp+& der clearly wasn't accidental: as we already
saw this kind of mistake on the fifty-eighth
5+-+-+-+p% move, and we'll see more of them.
4-+-+-+-zP$ 61.Kf3?!
This move, and the following unsuccessful
3+-+-mK-zP-# one, by White was provoked by severe time
trouble. Bacrot had obviously decided to
2r+-+-zP-+" tread water in order to carve out a little time
1+-+-+-+-! to think.
61...Ra4 62.Ke2?! Ra3 63.Ra7 Ke6
xabcdefghy 64.Kd2 (D)
59...Ke6? XABCDEFGHY
If on the previous move, the right decision
could be made based on common sense and 8-+-+-+-+(
an understanding of the general principles of
this kind of ending, then here even a very 7tR-+-+p+-'
strong grandmaster would hardly be capable 6P+-+k+p+&
of making a choice without precise knowl-
edge of the theory, and besides that the the- 5+-+-+-+p%
ory is very complicated and comparatively 4-+-+-+-zP$
new, having been worked out only in 2003.
The draw can only be achieved with 3tr-+-+-zP-#
59...g5!, or to be even more precise:
59...Ra4! 60.Kd3 g5!!. The move in the
2-+-mK-zP-+"
game should have led to defeat. 1+-+-+-+-!
60.Ra8?
Etienne Bacrot doesn't know or doesn't re- xabcdefghy
member the conclusions of modern theory. 64...Ra2+?!
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 108
Why let the king advance? The situation Kxg3 = ; 68.Kc5 Kg4 69.Kb5 Kf3
reminds me of the one with which we began 70.Rf8 Kxf2 71.Rxf7+ Kxg3 72.Rg7
our analysis of this endgame (see the fifty- Kxh4 73.Rxg6 Kh3 74.Rg5 h4 75.Kb6
eighth move). It's dangerous to pursue the Kh2 76.Ra5 Rxa5 77.Kxa5 h3 78.a7 Kg1
pawn: 64...Rf3? 65.Rc7 Rxf2+ 66.Kc3 79.a8Q h2 =, when White's king is out of
Ra2 67.a7, but it was worth playing 64...f6!. the winning zone (d1-d2-d3-d4-e4-e5-f5-g5-
65.Ke3 h5) 68...Kg4 69.Rxf7 Rxa6 70.Ke5 g5
In time trouble, White doesn't go for 65.Kc3 71.Rg7 (71.hxg5 Ra5+ 72.Kf6 Ra6+
Rxf2 66.Rc7 Ra2 67.a7. 73.Ke7 Kxg5 =) 71...Kf3 72.Rxg5 Kxf2
65...Kf6 66.Ra8? 73.Kf4 Ra4+ 74.Kf5 Ra6! 75.Rxh5
Bacrot repeats the same mistake as on the Kxg3 =. R.Dautov's defence 67...g5? comes
sixtieth move. 66.Kd4 is correct. too late in this position: 68.hxg5+ Kxg5
M.Dvoretsky in his Endgame Manual, from 69.Kc5 Kg4 70.Kb6 Rb3+ 71.Ka7 Kf3
an identical position, wrote that the proposed 72.Rb8 Ra3 73.Rb5 Kxf2 74.Rxh5
move wins. However, Vardan Poghosyan Kxg3 75.Rf5 +.
from Armenia recently proved that, instead 68.Kc5 Rxf2
of 66...Rxf2?, Black is saved by 66...g5!! 68...Kf5 is refuted by 69.f3 f6 (69...Ra3
67.Kd5!? g4!!. 70.Kb4 Ra2 71.Kb5 Rb2+ 72.Kc6 Rc2+
66...Ra3+? 73.Kd6 Ra2 74.Ke7 f6 75.a7 +) 70.a7
A move that, even if it isn't losing, is still (D)
deserving of condemnation for two reasons.
First, Black again misses a chance to acti-
XABCDEFGHY
vate his king: 66...Kf5! =. Second, it point- 8R+-+-+-+(
lessly takes the attack off the f2-pawn - now
taking it with the rook will entail the loss of 7zP-+-+-+-'
a tempo. 6-+-+-zpp+&
67.Kd4 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 5+-mK-+k+p%
8R+-+-+-+( 4-+-+-+-zP$
7+-+-+p+-' 3+-+-+PzP-#
6P+-+-mkp+& 2r+-+-+-+"
5+-+-+-+p% 1+-+-+-+-!
4-+-mK-+-zP$ xabcdefghy
Normally this advance is not recommended
3tr-+-+-zP-# as it destroys the shelter of White's king on
2-+-+-zP-+" the queenside, but here the king can invade
successfully on the kingside. There's an im-
1+-+-+-+-! portant theoretical position in the diagram
that is famous from the game W.Unzicker-
xabcdefghy E.Lundin Amsterdam, 1954. White wins
How to start counterplay in this position? easily by transferring his king to h6 and then
67...Ra2? playing 1.Rb8 Rxa7 2.Rb5+: 70...Ra6
This takes too much time and allows White's 71.Kb5 Ra1 72.Kc6 Rc1+ 73.Kd6 Rd1+
rook to activate itself powerfully. The king (73...Ra1?! allows the short cut 74.Rc8
must come anyway, so it should advance Ra6+ 75.Rc6 Rxa7 76.Rc5 #) 74.Ke7
immediately: 67...Kf5! 68.Ra7 (68.f3 Ra1 75.Kf8 Ra6 76.Kf7 Ra1 77.Kg7
Rxf3 69.Rf8 Ra3 70.Rxf7+ Kg4 71.a7 Ra3 78.Kh6 Ra6 79.Rb8 Rxa7 80.Rb5+

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 109


Ke6 81.Kxg6 +. This time Robson guessed the right move.
69.Rd8 73...Rb3? 74.a7 Kf5 75.Rb8 Rxg3 loses
As Muller pointed out, 69.Rb8! Rc2+ (or to 76.Rb5+ Kf4 (76...Kg4 77.Rg5+)
69...Ra2 70.Kb6 +) 70.Kb6 Rb2+ 77.Rb4+ Kf5 78.Kb7 Ra3 79.a8Q Rxa8
71.Ka7 Re2 72.Rb5 + is more precise. 80.Kxa8 f6 (80...g5 81.Rb5+ Kg4 82.hxg5
69...Ra2 70.Kb6 Rb2+ 71.Kc6 h4 83.Kb7 h3 84.Kc6 h2 85.Rb1 Kxg5
The direct 71.Ka7! leads to 73.Ka7! + 86.Rh1) 81.Kb7 g5 82.Kc6! +.
(see below). 74.a7
71...Rc2+ 72.Kb7 Rb2+ (D) 74.Rb8!? is met by 74...Ra2! 75.Rb5+
Another critical but very important position (the pawn is under fire, so there's no time to
has arisen. Keep in mind that both players put the rook on b4) (D), but is more danger-
are in great time trouble ous for his opponent, and it should have
XABCDEFGHY been tried:

8-+-tR-+-+( XABCDEFGHY
7+K+-+p+-' 8K+-+-+-+(
6P+-+-mkp+& 7+-+-+p+-'
5+-+-+-+p% 6P+-+-+p+&
4-+-+-+-zP$ 5+R+-+k+p%
3+-+-+-zP-# 4-+-+-+-zP$
2-tr-+-+-+" 3+-+-+-zP-#
1+-+-+-+-! 2r+-+-+-+"
xabcdefghy 1+-+-+-+-!
73.Ka8? xabcdefghy
Leaves the a-pawn unprotected for one deci- a) In the variations that arise with 75...Ke4?
sive moment. In time trouble, any knowl- 76.a7 Kf3 77.Rb3+ Kg4 78.Kb7 Black
edgeable player would put his king specifi- lacks precisely one tempo to save himself:
cally on a8 - so as not to prevent the pawn 78...Ra1 (on 78...f6 or 78...f5, there follows
from taking a step forward. In the over- 79.Rb6! [threatening 80.Ra6] 79...Rxa7+
whelming majority of similar situations this 80.Kxa7 +) 79.a8Q! (79.Rb6? Rxa7+
logic is justified, but not here! Only with 80.Kxa7 Kxg3 =) 79...Rxa8 80.Kxa8 +,
time to think would you manage to recog- and, with a pawn on f7, Black's counterplay
nize the necessity of leaving the a-pawn un- comes too late.
der the defence of the king, which makes b) A draw can only be achieved by means of
itself plain in the variation 73.Ka7! Kf5 75...Kg4! 76.Rg5+ Kh3 and Black sur-
(73...Re2 74.Rd5 Rb2 75.Rd6+ Kf5 vives: 77.Kb7 (77.a7 Rb2 =) and now the
76.Rb6 Re2 77.Rb4 + ; 73...Rb3 white rook, which is able to protect the king
74.Rb8 Rxg3 75.Rb5 Re3 76.Kb6 Re6+ from vertical checks, doesn't help it against
77.Ka5 Re7 78.Rc5! [the rook prepares to the horizontal checks. So Black plays
shelter the king from both directions] 77...Rb2+ 78.Kc6 Rc2+ 79.Kb6 Re2
78...Ke6 79.Kb6 Re8 80.a7 f5 81.Ra5 f4 80.a7 Re6+ 81.Kb5 (81.Kc7 Re7+
82.a8Q Rxa8 83.Rxa8 Kf5 84.Kc5 Kg4 82.Kb8 Re8+ =) 81...Re8 =.
85.Kd4 Kxh4 86.Ke4 Kg3 87.Rg8 +) 74...Kg4 75.Rb8 Ra2 76.Rb3 (D)
74.Rb8! Re2 75.Rb4! +. 76.Kb7 doesn't help: 76...Kxg3 77.a8Q
73...Kf5! Rxa8 78.Rxa8 Kxh4 79.Kc6 Kg3

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 110


80.Kd5 h4 =. XABCDEFGHY
XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+(
8K+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-'
7zP-+-+p+-' 6-+-+-+-tR&
6-+-+-+p+& 5+-+-+-+-%
5+-+-+-+p% 4-+-+-+-+$
4-+-+-+kzP$ 3+-+-mK-mkp#
3+R+-+-zP-# 2-+-+-+-+"
2r+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-!
1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy
xabcdefghy 87...h2?
76...f6 Too hasty. An important position has been
76...f5 77.Kb7 f4 78.gxf4 Kxh4 79.a8Q created that should be included in the arsenal
Rxa8 80.Kxa8 Kg4 = isn't bad either. of every player's endgame knowledge. If
77.Rb6 Robson had known it, he would automati-
77.Kb7 g5 =. cally have played 87...Kg2! (Black must
77...g5 play for body-checks) 88.Rg6+ (88.Ke2 h2
Or 77...Kxg3 78.Rxf6 Kxh4 =. 89.Rg6+ Kh1! =) 88...Kf1! (body-check!)
78.Rxf6 gxh4 79.gxh4 Kxh4?! (88...Kh1? 89.Kf3 h2 90.Re6 Kg1
With his flag hanging, Black doesn't manage 91.Re1 #) 89.Rh6 Kg2 90.Ke2 h2
to work out that besides the planned pawn 91.Rg6+ Kh1 =.
capture, he had another candidate move at 88.Rg6+ Kh3 89.Kf2! h1N+
his disposal, a stronger one: 79...Rb2!. The 89...h1Q 90.Rh6+ Kg4 91.Rxh1 +.
h4-pawn is still lost, but White only man- 90.Kf3 Kh2 91.Rg7 10
ages to free his king from confinement with
Lerner Konstantin
a substantial loss of time: 80.Rf8 Kxh4
Dorfman Josif
81.Rb8 Ra2 82.Kb7 Kg3 =.
Tashkent 1980
80.Kb7 Rxa7+!
Public enemy number 1 must be eliminated XABCDEFGHY
as after 80...Kg3? 81.Ra6 the a-pawn will 8R+-+-+-+(
queen: 81...Rb2+ 82.Kc7 Rc2+ 83.Kd7
+. 7+-+-+pmk-'
81.Kxa7 Kg3 82.Rg6+!
The zwischenschach is good technique, but
6-+-+-+p+&
in this case insufficient to win. 5zP-+-+-+p%
82...Kf3 83.Rh6!
An interim check to win a tempo is a stan- 4-+-+K+-zP$
dard method in a rook versus pawn battle.
Bacrot is familiar with it, and so he success-
3tr-+-+PzP-#
fully uses it even in severe time trouble. 2-+-+-+-+"
True, the position still remains drawn but
some accuracy is needed.
1+-+-+-+-!
83...Kg4 84.Kb6 h4 85.Kc5 h3 86.Kd4 xabcdefghy
Kg3 87.Ke3 (D)
58...Ra4+?
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 111
The rook was placed ideally, while the king's =.
position could be improved. After 58...Kf6! b) 61.Kc5! Kf5 (61...Rxf3?! 62.Rd8 Ra3
59.a6 (White could also try 59.Ra6+ Kg7 63.Kb5 Ke5 64.Rd7 f6 65.a7 Ke4
60.Kd5 Rxf3 61.Rb6 Rxg3 62.a6, leading 66.Rc7! +)
to a position which occurred in the game, b1) 62.Kb5 Rxf3 63.Rc8 Rb3+ 64.Ka4
but with White to move. With a tempo less, Rb1 65.Rc3 Rb8 66.Ka5 Kg4 (66...Ra8
he could hardly have expected to win) 67.Kb6 Kg4 68.Kb7 Re8 69.a7 f5
59...Ke6 60.Kd4 Kf5! Black would have 70.a8Q Rxa8 71.Kxa8 f4 72.gxf4 Kxh4
had no problems: 61.Kc4 Rxf3 62.Rd8 73.Kb7 [73.Rf3 Kg4 74.Rf1 Kg3
(62.Kb4 Rf1 63.Rc8 Rb1+ =) 62...Ra3 75.Kb7 Kg2 76.Ra1 Kg3! 77.Ra4 h4
63.Kb5 Kg4 64.Rd4+ Kxg3 65.Ra4 78.Kc6 h3 79.Kd5 h2 =] 73...Kg4 74.Rc4
Rb3+ 66.Kc6 Rb8 67.a7 Ra8 68.Kb7 h4 75.Kc6 h3 76.Kd5 h2 77.f5+ Kg3 =)
Rxa7+ 69.Kxa7 f6 70.Kb6 g5 =. 67.a7 Re8! (67...Ra8? 68.Kb6 f6 69.Kb7
59.Kd5 Ra3 60.a6 Rxa7+ [69...Re8 70.Rc8 Re7+ 71.Kb8
Black has not placed his king in the appro- Rxa7 72.Kxa7 Kxg3 73.Rg8 +]
priate triangle (e6, f6, f5) and now there is 70.Kxa7 g5 71.Kb6 +) 68.Kb6 f6
no longer any salvation. 69.Kb7 g5 70.Rc8 Re7+ 71.Rc7 Re8
60...Rxf3?! 72.Rg7 Kxg3 73.hxg5 fxg5 74.Rxg5+
Black's king will be cut off along the 6th rank Kh4 75.Ra5 Kg4 =.
now. 60...Kf6!? was the alternative try, b2) 62.Ra7 f6 63.Kb4 Rxf3 64.Rb7 Rf1
when White has to be quite accurate: 65.Rb5+ (65.a7 Rb1+ 66.Kc5 Ra1
a) 61.Kc6? 67.Rg7 g5 68.Kb6 Kg4 =) 65...Kg4
a1) 61...Kf5? 62.Kb5 Rxf3 63.Rc8 Rb3+ 66.Ra5 Rb1+ 67.Kc5 Rb8 68.a7 Ra8
64.Ka4 Rb1 65.Rc4! (65.Rc3 Rb8 69.Ra3 g5 =.
66.Rc4! [66.Ka5? Kg4 67.a7 Re8 b3) 62.Kb4! (D)
68.Rb3 {68.Kb6 f6 69.Kb7 g5 70.Rc8
Re7+ =} 68...Ra8 69.Ka6 f5 70.Kb7 XABCDEFGHY
{70.Rb8 Rxa7+ 71.Kxa7 Kxg3 =} 8R+-+-+-+(
70...Re8 71.Ra3 Rf8 72.a8Q Rxa8
73.Rxa8 Kxg3 =] 66...f6 67.Ka5 g5 68.a7 7+-+-+p+-'
Re8 69.Kb6 +) 65...Rb8 (65...Ke6 6P+-+-+p+&
66.Ka5 Kd5 67.Rb4 Rxb4 68.Kxb4 + ;
65...Ke5 66.Ka5 Rd1 67.a7 Rd8 5+-+-+k+p%
68.Kb6+ ; 65...f6 66.Ka5 +) 66.Ka5 f6 4-mK-+-+-zP$
67.a7 Rd8 68.Rb4 +.
a2) 61...Rxf3! 62.Rb8 Ra3 63.Rb6 Kf5 3tr-+-+PzP-#
64.Kb7 Kg4 65.a7 Rxa7+ 66.Kxa7 Kxg3 2-+-+-+-+"
67.Rb4 f6 (67...f5 68.Kb6 f4 69.Kc5
Kxh4! [69...f3? 70.Kd4 f2 71.Rb1 Kxh4 1+-+-+-+-!
72.Ke3 Kg3 73.Ke2! {73.Rf1? h4
74.Rxf2 h3 75.Rf3+ Kg2 76.Rf6 h2
xabcdefghy
77.Rxg6+ Kf1 =} 73...h4 74.Kf1 g5 62...Ra1 63.Kb5 Rb1+ 64.Kc6 Ra1
75.Rb3+ Kh2 76.Kxf2 g4 77.Rb2!! (64...Rc1+ 65.Kd7! [65.Kb7? Rb1+
{77.Rb1? g3+ 78.Kf3 h3 79.Ra1 g2 66.Ka7 Rb3 67.Rb8 Rxf3 68.Rb5+ Kg4
80.Kf2 g1Q + 81.Rxg1} 77...g3+ 69.Kb6 Re3 70.a7 Re8 =] 65...Ra1
78.Kf3+ Kg1 79.Ra2 Kh1 80.Ra4 g2 66.Ke7 +) 65.Ra7! (65.Kd7? Ra3!)
81.Rxh4+ Kg1 82.Rg4 Kh1 83.Kf2 +] 65...f6 (65...Kf6 66.Kd7! followed by
70.Kd4 [70.Rxf4+ Kg3 =] 70...Kg3 67.Ke8 ; 65...Ke6 66.Kb6 Rb1+ 67.Kc7
71.Ke4 h4! 72.Rb3+ Kg4 73.Rb1 Kg3! Ra1 68.Kd8 +) 66.Ra8! Ra3 67.a7 +
74.Rg1+ Kf2 =) 68.Kb6 g5 69.Kc5 gxh4 reaching a well-known winning position from
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 112
Unzicker,W-Lundin.E Amsterdam 1954. The Pawn is not yet on the 6th or 7th Ranks
61.Rb8! Ra3 62.Rb6! Usually these cases transpose to the above
Now the black king is cut off. mentioned types. But of course there are
62...Rxg3 63.Kc6 Ra3 64.Kb7 (D) many tricks that we should be aware of:
By placing his king on b7, White has
reached an ideal position, having also pre- Akopian Vladimir
vented the black king from being activated. Georgiev Kiril
So now there isnt much hope for Black Las Vegas 1999
64...g5
Black tries to quickly create a passed pawn.
XABCDEFGHY
64...f6 65.a7 Rxa7+ 66.Kxa7 g5 67.Rb4 8-+-+-+-+(
Kg6 68.Kb6 Kf5 (68...gxh4 69.Rxh4
Kg5 70.Rh1 h4 71.Kc5 Kg4 72.Kd4 h3 7+-+-+pmk-'
73.Ke3 Kg3 74.Rg1+ +) 69.Kc5 g4 6-+-+-+p+&
70.Rb1 (70.Kd4 Kf4 71.Kd3+ +)
70...Kf4 (70...g3 71.Rf1+ Kg4 72.Rxf6
5+-+-+-+p%
Kxh4 73.Kd4 Kh3 74.Ke3 Kg2 [74...h4 4R+-+-+-zP$
75.Kf3 Kh2 76.Rg6 Kg1 77.Rg4 Kf1
78.Ra4 +] 75.Rh6 Kf1 76.Ra6! Kg2 3zP-+-mK-zP-#
77.Ra2+ Kh3 78.Kf3 h4 79.Ra4 g2 2r+-+-zP-+"
80.Rg4 +) 71.Kd4 g3 72.Rf1+ Kg4
73.Rxf6 would not help him. 1+-+-+-+-!
65.hxg5 h4 66.a7 h3 67.a8Q xabcdefghy
67.Ra6? h2 =.
67...Rxa8 68.Kxa8 h2 69.Rh6 f6 34...Ra1?!
70.Rxh2 fxg5 (D) Perhaps Black rejected 34...Kf6! in view of
35.Rf4+ Ke6 36.a4 but he could play
XABCDEFGHY 36...f6! then, followed by ...g5, driving the
8K+-+-+-+( rook back from its comfortable position on
f4 where it has been protecting all the white
7+-+-+-mk-' pawns.
6-+-+-+-+& 35.Ra6 Ra2 36.Ra4 Ra1?!
As 'usual', Black does not care about the
5+-+-+-zp-% activation of his king.
37.Ra6! Ra2 38.a4 Ra3+?!
4-+-+-+-+$ The same pernicious strategy is usually fatal.
3+-+-+-+-# Here the a-pawn is still two steps away from
a6 but White does not need extra time for
2-+-+-+-tR" bringing his rook from the 8th rank to the 6th.
1+-+-+-+-! Black should have performed the useful
pawn advance 38...f6!, followed by 39...g5;
xabcdefghy then a draw could have been achieved rela-
71.Rf2! tively easily.
The winning move. By cutting off the black 39.Kd4 f6!
king, White secures victory. The rook pre- The other option was 39...Ra2. The position
vents the shouldering manoeuvre that was pos- is also difficult after 40.a5!? (40.f4? Ra3
sible after 71.Kb7? Kf6 72.Kc6 Ke5! =. 41.a5 Rxg3 42.Rb6 Rf3 43.Ke4 Ra3
71...Kh6 72.Kb7 g4 73.Kc6 Kg5 74.Kd5 44.a6 Ra5 = ; 40.f3 Ra3 arose [with re-
g3 75.Rf8! Kg4 76.Ke4 versed colours] in the game Krakops,M-
10 Dautov,R Batumi 1999):
a) 40...Rxf2? 41.Rc6! (D)
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 113
XABCDEFGHY and now he must be careful:
a211) 44...f5? 45.a7 f4 46.Rc8! (46.Rc7+?
8-+-+-+-+( Kf6 47.Rc5 Rxa7! [47...f3? 48.Ra5 Rxa5
49.Kxa5 f2 50.a8Q f1Q 51.Qf8+ +]
7+-+-+pmk-' 48.Kxa7 f3 49.Rc3 Kf5 50.Rxf3+ Kg4
6-+R+-+p+& 51.Rf6 g5! [51...Kxh4? 52.Rxg6 Kh3
53.Kb6 h4 54.Kc5 Kh2 55.Kd4 h3
5zP-+-+-+p% 56.Ke3 Kh1 57.Kf3 +] 52.hxg5 Kxg5 =)
4-+-mK-+-zP$ 46...Kf6 47.a8Q Rxa8 48.Rxa8 Kf5
49.Kc5 +.
3+-+-+-zP-# a212) 44...f6? 45.a7 g5 46.Kb7 Rxa7+
2-+-+-tr-+" 47.Kxa7 gxh4 (47...Kg6 48.Kb6 Kf5
49.Kc5 Kg4 50.Kd4 Kxh4 51.Rxf6 Kg3
1+-+-+-+-! 52.Rf5 Kg4 53.Rf1 +) 48.Kb6 h3
xabcdefghy (48...Kg6 49.Kc5 Kf5 50.Kd4 Kf4
[50...h3 51.Ke3 +] 51.Rxf6+ Kg3
a1) 41...f5 42.a6 (42.Ke5 Rf3 or 42.Kc5 f4 52.Ke3 +) 49.Rc3 Kg6 50.Rxh3 Kg5
43.gxf4 Rxf4 followed by 44...Rxh4, is not 51.Kc5 Kg4 52.Rh1 h4 53.Kd4 Kg3
dangerous for Black: he will give up the 54.Ke3 +.
rook for the passed pawns in time and a213) 44...g5! 45.hxg5 (45.Rc5 gxh4
achieve the draw) 42...f4 43.a7 Ra2 46.Rxh5 [46.a7 Rxa7 47.Kxa7 Kg6
44.Rc7+ Kf6 45.gxf4 Kf5 46.Kc5 Kg4 48.Kb6 h3 =] 46...h3 47.a7 Ra1! 48.Rxh3
(46...Kxf4 47.Kb5 Kg3 48.Rc3+ Kh2 [48.Ra5 Rb1+ 49.Kc7 h2 50.a8Q h1Q =]
49.Rc2+ Rxc2 50.a8Q Rg2 51.Kc5 +) 48...Rb1+ 49.Kc7 Ra1 50.Kb8 Rb1+
47.Kb5! Rb2+ (47...Kxh4 48.f5! +) 51.Ka8 f5 52.Rc3 Kf6 53.Rc8 Ke5
48.Kc4! (48.Kc6? Ra2 49.Kb7 Rb2+ 54.Rb8 Ra1 =) 45...h4 46.a7 h3 47.Rc3!
[49...Kxh4] 50.Kc8 Ra2 51.Kb8 Kxh4 =) (47.Rh6 Rb3+ 48.Kc7 Rc3+ 49.Kb7
48...Ra2 49.f5! Kxf5 50.Kb5 +. Rb3+ 50.Rb6 h2 51.Rxb3 h1Q+ 52.Kb8
a2) 41...Rg2 and now: Qh2+ =) 47...Rxc3! (47...Ra1? 48.Rxh3
a21) 42.a6? Rxg3 43.Kc5 (43.Rc3 Rg4+ Rb1+ 49.Kc6 Rc1+ 50.Kb7 Rb1+
44.Kc5 Ra4 [44...Rxh4? 45.Ra3 Re4 51.Ka8 Kg6 52.Rh8 Kxg5 53.Rb8 Ra1
46.a7 Re8 47.a8Q Rxa8 48.Rxa8 +] 54.Kb7 f5 55.a8Q Rxa8 56.Rxa8 f4
45.Kb5 Ra1 46.Rc4 g5 47.hxg5 f6 48. 57.Kc6 f3 58.Rf8 + or 47...h2? 48.Rxa3
gxf6+ Kxf6 49.Ra4 Rb1+ 50.Kc6 Rc1+ h1Q 49.a8Q + are losing; in the last line,
51.Kb7 Rb1+ =) 43...Ra3 44.Kb6 (D) the white king finds asylum on the kingside,
XABCDEFGHY on h2) 48.a8Q Rg3 =, as White can elimi-
nate the h-pawn only at the cost of his g5-
8-+-+-+-+( pawn; thereafter the black rook will be
7+-+-+pmk-' placed on g6 with an easy draw: 49.Qc6
Rxg5 50.Qc3+ Kg8 51.Qxh3 Rg6+ =.
6PmKR+-+p+& a22) 42.Rc3! Ra2 43.Rc5 Ra3!?
5+-+-+-+p% (43...Kf6 44.Kc4 Ke6 45.Kb5 Kd6
46.Kb6 + ; 43...f6 44.Kc4 g5 45.hxg5
4-+-+-+-zP$ fxg5 46.Rxg5+ Kh6 47.Rc5 Ra3 48.Kb5
3tr-+-+-+-# Rb3+!? [48...Rxg3 49.a6 Rg8 50.a7 h4
51.Kb6 h3 {51...Rf8 52.Kb7 Rf7+
2-+-+-+-+" 53.Kb8 Rf8+ 54.Rc8 +} 52.Rc3 Rg6+
1+-+-+-+-! 53.Kb5 Rg5+ 54.Kb4 Rg4+ 55.Kb3
Rg8 56.Rxh3+ +] 49.Kc6 [49.Ka4?
xabcdefghy Rxg3 50.a6 Rg7 51.Kb5 h4 52.Kb6
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 114
Rg6+ 53.Kb7 h3 54.Rc3 Rg7+ =] on the f2-pawn does not save Black.
49...Ra3 [49...Rxg3 50.a6 h4 51.a7 Ra3 b) After 40...f6! 41.f4!? Ra3 42.Ra7+ Kh6
52.Kb6 h3 53.Ra5 +] 50.Kc7 Kg6 43.a6 g5 (D) (43...Rxg3? 44.Rf7 f5 45.a7
51.Kb6 Rb3+ 52.Rb5 Rxg3 53.a6 +) Ra3 46.Kc5 +)
44.Kc4 Rxg3 45.a6 Ra3 46.Kb5 f5 (D) XABCDEFGHY
(46...f6 47.Kb6 Kh6 48.Ra5 Rb3+
49.Kc7 Rc3+ 50.Kd7 Rd3+ 51.Ke7 8-+-+-+-+(
Re3+ 52.Kf7 +)
7tR-+-+-+-'
XABCDEFGHY 6P+-+-zp-mk&
8-+-+-+-+( 5+-+-+-zpp%
7+-+-+-mk-' 4-+-mK-zP-zP$
6P+-+-+p+& 3tr-+-+-zP-#
5+KtR-+p+p% 2-+-+-+-+"
4-+-+-+-zP$ 1+-+-+-+-!
3tr-+-+-+-# xabcdefghy
2-+-+-+-+" we have:
1+-+-+-+-! b1) 44.hxg5+ fxg5 45.f5 h4 46.gxh4 gxh4
47.Ra8 h3 =.
xabcdefghy b2) 44.f5 Rxg3 (44...gxh4 45.gxh4 Ra4+
47.Rc7+!! (47.Kb6? f4 48.a7 f3 49.Rc7+ 46.Kc5 Rc4+ [46...Rxh4? 47.Ra8 Ra4
[49.Rc3 Rxc3!? {49...Ra1 =} 50.a8Q f2 48.a7 Kg5 {48...Kg7 49.Kb6 Rb4+
=] 49...Kh6 50.Rc3 Ra1 51.Rxf3 Rb1+ 50.Ka5 +} 49.Rg8+ Kxf5 50.a8Q Rxa8
52.Kc7 Rc1+ 53.Kb7 Rb1+ 54.Ka8 g5 51.Rxa8 h4 52.Kd4 Kf4 53.Rh8 Kg3
55.Rf6+ Kg7 56.hxg5 h4 57.Rh6 Rb4 = ; 54.Ke3 f5 55.Rg8+ Kh2 56.Kf3 +]
47.Rc4? g5! 48.Ra4 Rb3+ 49.Kc6 Rc3+! 47.Kd6 Rxh4 48.Ke6 Ra4 [48...Rb4
[49...Rb8? 50.a7 Ra8 51.Kb7 +] 50.Kd7 49.Kxf6 h4! {49...Rb6+? 50.Ke5 Rb5+
Rd3+ 51.Ke6 Rd8 52.a7 Ra8 53.Kxf5 51.Kf4 Rb4+ 52.Ke3 Rb3+ 53.Kd2
gxh4 =) 47...Kh6 (47...Kf6 48.a7 Ke5 Rb2+ 54.Kc3 Ra2 55.Ra8 Kg7 56.a7 h4
49.Rc5+ +) 48.Rc4 g5 (48...f4 49.Rxf4 57.f6+ +} 50.Ra8 Kh7 =] 49.Kxf6 h4 =)
g5 50.Ra4 Rb3+ 51.Kc6 Rc3+ 52.Kd5 45.Ra8 Ra3 46.a7 Ra4+! (46...Kg7
+ ; 48...Kg7 49.Ra4 Rb3+ 50.Ka5 Rb8 47.hxg5 fxg5 48.f6+ Kf7 49.Rh8 Ra4+
51.a7 Ra8 52.Kb6 g5 53.Kb7 Rf8 50.Kc3 Ra3+ 51.Kb2 Rxa7 52.Rh7+
54.a8Q Rxa8 55.Rxa8 gxh4 56.Kc6 Kf6 Kxf6 53.Rxa7 h4 54.Kc3 Kf5 55.Kd3 +
57.Kd5 Kg5 58.Kd4 Kf4 59.Ra3 Kg4 ) 47.Kd5 Ra5+ 48.Kc6 gxh4 49.Kb6 Ra1
60.Ke3 Kg3 61.Ke2+ Kg2 62.Ra8 +) 50.Rh8+ Kg5 51.a8Q Rxa8 52.Rxa8
49.Ra4 Rb3+ 50.Kc6 Rb8 (50...Rc3+ Kxf5 =.
51.Kd7 Rd3+ 52.Ke7 Re3+ 53.Kf7 +) b3) 44.Ra8 gxh4 45.a7 (45.gxh4 Kg6 =)
51.a7 Ra8 52.Ra6!! (52.Kb7? Rxa7+ 45...Ra4+ 46.Kd3 Kh7 47.gxh4 Kg7!
53.Kxa7 gxh4 =) 52...Rxa7 (52...gxh4 (47...f5? 48.Kc3 Kg7 49.Kb3 Ra1
53.Kb7+ + ; 52...Kg7 53.hxg5 +) 50.Kc4 Ra5 51.Kb4 Ra1 52.Kc5 Ra2
53.hxg5+ (53.Rxa7 gxh4 54.Kd5 Kg5 53.Kd6 Ra6+ 54.Ke5 Ra5+ 55.Ke6 +)
55.Kd4 +) 53...Kxg5 54.Rxa7 h4 48.Kc3 Kh7 =.
55.Kd5 Kf4 56.Kd4 h3 57.Rh7 Kg3 40.Ra7+ Kh6 41.a5 g5
58.Ke3 +. This extremely complicated Again, the attack on f2 with 41...Rf3 is not
analysis brings us to conclude that the attack working: 42.a6 Rxf2 43.Rc7 (43.Rf7?
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 115
Ra2 44.a7 g5! 45.Kc5 Kg6 =) 43...Ra2 (55...Kf7 56.Ra7+ Rb7 57.Qb3+ +)
44.a7 g5 45.Kc5 is quite hopeless for Black: 56.Qd6+ Kf7 57.Qd7+ Kf8 58.Qc8+
45...gxh4 (45...Kg6 46.Kb6 +) 46.gxh4 f5 Kf7 59.Ra7+ +.
47.Kb5 (threatening Rc6-a6) 47...Rb2+ b) 46...Rh2! 47.Rc2 (47.Rf4 Kg5 48.a6
48.Kc6 Ra2 49.Kb7 Rb2+ 50.Kc8 Ra2 Kxf4 49.a7 Rxf2 50.a8Q h4 =) 47...Rh4+
51.Rc6+ Kg7 52.Kb7 +. (47...h4? 48.a6 Rh1 49.Rc3! +) 48.Kb5
42.Kc5 gxh4 43.gxh4 (D) Rh1 49.Ra2 Rb1+ 50.Kc6 h4 (50...Rc1+
XABCDEFGHY =) 51.a6 Rc1+ 52.Kb6 Rb1+ 53.Ka5 h3
54.f3 Rb8! (54...Re1? 55.a7 Re8 56.Kb6
8-+-+-+-+( Kg5 57.a8Q Rxa8 58.Rxa8 Kf4 59.Rh8
Kxf3 60.Rxh3+ Ke4 61.Kc5 f5 62.Rh8
7tR-+-+-+-' f4 63.Kc4 Ke3 64.Kc3 f3 65.Re8+ +)
6-+-+-zp-mk& 55.Rh2 (55.a7 Ra8 56.Kb6 Kg5 =)
55...Re8!! (55...Rh8? 56.a7 +) 56.Rxh3
5zP-mK-+-+p% Re5+ 57.Kb4 Re6 =.
4-+-+-+-zP$ 44.a6 Ra2
Capturing the last pawn with 44...Rxh4
3tr-+-+-+-# does not help: 45.Ra8 Ra4 46.a7 Kh7
2-+-+-zP-+" (46...Kg7 47.Kb6 Rb4+ 48.Ka5 +)
47.Kb6 h4 48.Rd8 Kg6 (48...h3 49.a8Q
1+-+-+-+-! Rxa8 50.Rxa8 h2 51.Ra1 +) 49.a8Q
Rxa8 50.Rxa8 Kg5 51.Kc5 Kg4 52.Rh8
xabcdefghy +.
43...Ra4? 45.Ra8 Kg6 46.Kb6 Rb2+ 47.Ka7 Rxf2
A completely illogical move; it makes sense 48.Rb8!
only in connection with a capture on h4, but The thematic continuation, allowing the
Black cannot take this pawn. White also white king to extricate himself.
wins after 43...Ra2? 44.f3 Ra3 45.Kb4 48...Rf4 49.Rb5!
Rxf3 46.Rc7!, but it seems that 43...Kg6!
Cutting off the black king. White now wins
saves the day: 44.Kb4 Rh3! (44...Rf3? by transferring the game into a winning rook
45.a6 Rxf2 46.Rd7 + ; 44...Ra2? 45.Rc7 vs. knight ending.
Kf5 46.Rc3 +) 45.Rc7 Rxh4+ 46.Rc4
49...Rxh4 50.Kb6 Re4 51.a7 Re8
and now: 52.Ra5 h4 53.a8Q Rxa8 54.Rxa8 Kg5
a) 46...Rh1? 47.a6 h4 48.Kb3! (48.Kb5? 55.Kc5 h3 56.Rh8 Kg4 57.Kd4 Kg3
h3 49.a7 Ra1 50.Ra4 Rb1+ 51.Kc5 58.Ke3 Kg2 59.Ke2! h2 60.Rg8+ Kh3
[51.Ka5 h2 52.a8Q h1Q 53.Qg8+ Kh6 61.Kf2 h1N+ 62.Kf3 Kh2 63.Rg2+ Kh3
54.Qh8+ Kg6 55.Rg4+ Kf5 56.Qc8+ 64.Rg6 Kh2 65.Rxf6 Kg1 66.Rg6+
Ke5 57.Qe8+ Kd6 =] 51...Rc1+ [51...h2?
10
52.a8Q h1Q 53.Qg8+ Kh6 54.Qh8+
Kg5 {54...Kg6 55.Rg4+ Kf5 56.Qc8+
Ke5 57.Qe8+ Kf5 58.Qd7+ Ke5
59.Qd6+ Kf5 60.Rf4+ +} 55.Qg7+ Kh5
56.Qh7+ Kg5 57.f4+ Kg4 58.Qg6+ +]
52.Kd6 [52.Kd4 h2 53.a8Q h1Q =]
52...Rd1+ 53.Ke7 Re1+ =) 48...h3 49.a7
Ra1 50.Ra4 Rb1+ 51.Ka2 h2 52.a8Q
(52.Rh4 Rb4 53.a8Q Rxh4 54.Qh1 +/)
52...h1Q 53.Qe8+! Kh6 54.Qe3+ Kg7
(54...Kg6 55.Qd3+ Kh6 56.Qxb1 +)
55.Qg3+! (55.Ra7+? Rb7 =) 55...Kf8

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 116


Krakops Maris 53...Kc3 (53...Ka5? 54.Rxg6 a3 55.Rg2
Dautov Rustem Kb4 56.h5 Kb3 57.Rg3+ Kb2 58.h6 Rc6
Batumi 1999 59.Rg2+ =) 54.Ra6 (54.Rxg6 a3 55.h5 a2
XABCDEFGHY 56.Ra6 Kb2 57.Rb6+ Ka3 58.Ra6+ Ra4
+) 54...Kc2! (zugzwang!) 55.Kg3 Kb3
8R+-+-+-+( 56.Rb6+ Rb4 57.Rxg6 a3 +.
7+-+-+p+-' b) 48.Kf3 doesn't help as the pawn endgame
after 48...Kc5 49.Ke3 Kb4 50.Kd3 Kb3
6-+-+-mkp+& 51.Rb7+ Rb4 52.Rxb4+ Kxb4 is lost for
White due to Black's distant passed a-pawn.
5+-+-+-+p% b3) 48.Ra6 Kc5 49.Rxg6 a3 50.Ra6 Kb4
4p+-+-+-zP$ 51.f4 (51.f3 Kb3 52.Kh3 Ra4 53.Rb6+
Kc2 54.Rc6+ Kd2 55.Rd6+ Ke2
3tr-+-+-zP-# 56.Re6+ Kf2 +) 51...Rc2+ (an important
2-+-+-zPK+" check to force White's king to a bad square.
Such subtleties occur quite often in rook
1+-+-+-+-! endings. Watch out for them!) 52.Kh3
xabcdefghy (52.Kf3 a2 53.Ke4 Rc4+! 54.Ke5 Rc5+
55.Ke4 Ra5 +) 52...Rc5 53.g4 (53.f5
A drawish position, but Black can try! Rxf5 54.g4 Ra5 55.Rb6+ Kc3 56.Rc6+
43...Ke5 44.Ra7 Kd5 45.f3! Kd4 + ; 53.Kg2 Ra5 54.Rb6+ Ka4
The best defence, as the a-pawn is not far 55.Rb1 a2 56.Ra1 Kb3 57.g4 hxg4
enough advanced. It would be wrong to play 58.Kg3 Kb2 +) 53...Ra5 54.Rb6+ Kc3
45.Rxf7? Rc3 and now: 55.Rb1 (55.Rc6+ Kd2 56.Rd6+ Ke2
a) 46.f4 a3! (46...Ke4? 47.Rf6 a3 48.Rxg6 57.Re6+ Kf2 +) 55...a2 56.Ra1 (D)
a2 49.Ra6 Rc2+ 50.Kh3 = ; 46...Kc4?
47.f5 gxf5 48.Rxf5 a3 [48...Kb4 49.Rxh5 XABCDEFGHY
Rc5 50.Rh6 a3 51.Re6 a2 52.Re1 Ra5
8-+-+-+-+(
53.Ra1 Kb3 54.g4 Kb2 55.Rxa2+ Rxa2
56.h5 =] 49.Rxh5 Kb4 [49...a2 50.Ra5 7+-+-+-+-'
Kb3 51.h5 Rc4 52.Rxa2 Kxa2 53.Kf3
Kb3 54.g4 =] 50.Re5 a2 51.Re1 Kb3
6-+-+-+-+&
52.h5 Kb2 53.Kh3 Rc1 54.Re2+ Rc2 5tr-+-+-+p%
55.Re1 =) 47.f5 a2 48.Ra7 Rc2+ 49.Kf3
gxf5 50.Kf4 Kc4 51.Kg5 Kb4!
4-+-+-zPPzP$
(51...Kb3? 52.Kxh5! = [52.Rb7+? Kc3 3+-mk-+-+K#
53.Rc7+ Kb2 54.Rb7+ Ka3! {54...Kc1?
55.Ra7 Kb1 56.Kxh5 =} 55.Ra7+ Kb4! 2p+-+-+-+"
56.Kxh5 f4!! 57.gxf4 Rc5+ 58.Kg6 Ra5 1tR-+-+-+-!
+]) 52.Rb7+ Kc5 53.Ra7 f4! 54.Kxf4
Kb4 + as the threat ...Rc4+ and then xabcdefghy
...Rc5+ or ...Rc3+ is decisive. 56...Ra3!! 57.Rxa2 (57.Kg2 hxg4 58.f5
b) 46.Rg7 Rc6! 47.Ra7 Rc4 and Black Kb2 59.Re1 a1Q 60.Rxa1 Kxa1 61.h5
wins because of his active rook: Rh3 +) 57...hxg4+ 58.Kxg4 Rxa2 59.h5
b1) 48.f3 Kc5 49.g4 hxg4 50.fxg4 Rxg4+ Kd4 60.h6 Rh2 61.Kg5 Kd5 62.f5 Kd6
51.Kh3 Rc4 52.Ra6 Kb4 53.Rb6+ 63.Kg6 Ke7 64.f6+ Kf8 +.
(53.Rxg6 a3 54.Rg1 a2 55.h5 Kb3 56.h6 45...f5!?
[56.Rf1 Kb2 57.Rf2+ Kb1 58.Rf1+ Rc1 An interesting try, as 45...Ra2+ 46.Kh3
+] 56...Rc6! 57.Rg3+ Kb4 58.Rg4+ Ra1 47.Rxf7 a3 48.Ra7 = looks easy.
Kb5 59.Rg5+ Kb6 60.Rg1 Rxh6+ +) 46.Ra6 Ra2+ 47.Kh3 a3

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 117


47...Kc4 doesn't help after 48.g4! Rxa1 +) 60...a2 61.Kf6 Rb1 62.Rxh5 Rb
(48.Rxg6? Rf2 +) 48...Ra1 49.Rxg6 6+ 63.Kg7 Rb4 64.Re5 Rxh4 65.Rb5 =.
(49.gxh5? is nicely refuted: 49...gxh5 b2) 50...Kc4 51.Kf4 Kb3 52.Rb6+
50.Kg3 Kb5 51.Ra8 Rg1+ 52.Kf4 Rg6 (52.Kxf5 Rc1 53.Rb6+ Ka4 54.Ra6+
53.Kxf5 Ra6 54.Rb8+ Kc4 55.Rb1 a3 Kb4 55.Kg6 Rc5 56.f4 Ra5 57.Rb6+
56.Kg5 Ra5+ 57.Kg6 a2 58.Ra1 Kb3 Kc3 58.Rb1 a2 59.Ra1 Kb2 60.Rxa2+
59.f4 Kb2 60.Rxa2+ Rxa2 61.Kxh5 Kc3 Rxa2! 61.f5 Kc3 62.f6 Rf2 63.Kxh5 Kd4
62.Kg6 Kd4 63.h5 Kd5 64.h6 Ke6 65.h7 64.Kg6 Ke5 +) 52...Ka4 53.Ra6+ Kb4
Rg2+ 66.Kh6 Kf7 67.h8N+ Kf6 +) 54.Rb6+ Ka5 55.Rb8 Rc1 (55...Rf1
49...fxg4+ 50.fxg4 Rh1+ 51.Kg2 Rxh4 56.Kxf5 Rxf3+ 57.Kg6 = ; 55...Rh1
52.g5 Rg4+ 53.Kh2! (53.Kh3? a3 54.Ra6 56.Kg5 Rh2 57.f4 Ka4 58.Ra8+ Kb3
Kb3 55.g6 a2 56.Rb6+ Ka3 57.Ra6+ 59.Kxh5 Rg2 60.Rb8+ Kc2 61.Rc8+
Ra4 58.Rxa4+ Kxa4 59.g7 a1Q 60.g8Q Kb1 62.Rb8+ Ka1 63.Rb5 =) 56.Ra8+
Qh1+ 61.Kg3 Qg1+ +) 53...a3 54.Ra6 Kb4 57.Rb8+ Ka4 58.Ra8+ Kb3
Kb3 55.g6 a2 56.Rb6+ =. 59.Rb8+ Kc2 60.Rc8+ Kb2 61.Rb8+
48.g4 Ka1 62.Kxf5 Rg1 63.Rb5 a2 64.Kf6
48.Rxg6? Rf2 49.f4 a2 50.Ra6 Kc4 +. Rb1 65.Rxh5 Rb6+ 66.Kg7 Rb4 67.Re5
48...f4!? Rxh4 68.Rb5 =.
Black can hardly improve: 48...hxg4+ 49.gxh5
49.fxg4 f4 50.h5 gxh5 51.gxh5 Ra1 52.h6 = 49.Rxg6 is also possible: 49...Ra1 50.Ra6
or 48...Ra1 49.gxh5 and now: a2 51.Ra5+! (51.Kg2? hxg4 52.fxg4 f3+
a) 49...a2 50.Kg2 (50.Ra5+ Kd6 51.Kh2 53.Kf2 Rh1 54.Ra5+ Kc6 55.Ra6+ Kb7
[51.Ra6+ Ke5 52.Kg2 gxh5 53.Ra4 Kd5 56.Rxa2 Rh2+ 57.Kxf3 Rxa2 58.h5 Kc6
54.Ra5+ =] 51...gxh5 52.f4? [52.Kg2! =] 59.Kf4 Kd6 +) 51...Kd4 (51...Kc4
52...Kc6 53.Kg2 Kb6 54.Ra8 Kc5 52.gxh5! Rh1+ 53.Kg4 a1Q 54.Rxa1
55.Ra4 Kb5 56.Ra8 Kc4 57.Ra7 Kd3 Rxa1 55.h6 =) 52.Ra4+ (52.gxh5? Rh1+
58.Ra3+ Ke4 59.Ra4+ Ke3 +) 50...gxh5 53.Kg4 a1Q 54.Rxa1 Rxa1 55.Kxf4
and Black's king has no hiding place on the [55.h6 Ke3 +] 55...Ra5 +) 52...Kc3
queenside, so it is a draw. (52...Kc5 53.gxh5 Kb5 54.Ra8 = ;
b) 49...gxh5 50.Kg3 (D) 52...Ke3 53.Ra3+ Ke2 54.gxh5 = ;
XABCDEFGHY 52...Kd3 53.gxh5 = ; 52...Ke5 53.Ra5+
Kd6 54.Ra6+ Kc5 55.gxh5 =) 53.gxh5
8-+-+-+-+( Kb3 54.Ra8 Rh1+ 55.Kg4 a1Q 56.Rxa1
7+-+-+-+-' Rxa1 57.Kxf4 =.
49...gxh5 50.Ra5+ Kc4 (D)
6R+-+-+-+& XABCDEFGHY
5+-+k+p+p% 8-+-+-+-+(
4-+-+-+-zP$ 7+-+-+-+-'
3zp-+-+PmK-# 6-+-+-+-+&
2-+-+-+-+" 5tR-+-+-+p%
1tr-+-+-+-! 4-+k+-zp-zP$
xabcdefghy 3zp-+-+P+K#
b1) 50...Ke5 51.Ra5+ Kd4 52.Kf4 Kc3
53.Kxf5 Kb3 54.Rb5+ Ka4 55.Rb8 Rg1 2r+-+-+-+"
56.Ra8+ Kb3 57.Rb8+ Kc3 58.Ra8 Kb2 1+-+-+-+-!
59.Rb8+ Ka1 60.Rb5! (60.f4? a2 61.Kf6
Rb1 62.Ra8 Kb2 63.Kg6 a1Q 64.Rxa1 xabcdefghy
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 118
51.Rxh5? White will eventually have to advance his
The decisive mistake. White must first force kingside pawns, and every tempo could
the black king to the d-file or the first rank, prove decisive. This is why it makes sense to
with the help of stalemate tricks: 51.Rc5+! start active operations there as soon as pos-
Kd3 (51...Kb3 52.Rb5+ Kc2 53.Rc5+ sible. The standard plan in such positions
Kb1 54.Rxh5 Rb2 55.Ra5 a2 56.Kg4 =) would be 45.f3!, followed by 46.g4.
52.Rxh5 Ke3 and now T.Stark indicated 45...a5 46.Ra7!
the saving resource: 53.Ra5! (53.Rb5 as The obvious 46.Ra6+? Kd5 leads to a posi-
well: 53...Kxf3 54.h5 [54.Rb3+? Ke4 tion from the game Akopian,V-Georgiev,K
55.Rb4+ Kf5 56.Rb5+ Ke6 57.Rb6+ Las Vegas 1999, with colours reversed. The
Kd7 58.Rb7+ Kc6 59.Ra7 Ra1 60.Kg2 complicated analysis given in this example
a2 61.h5 f3+ +] 54...Ra1 55.Kh2 =) shows that White's counterplay comes too
53...Kxf3 54.h5 Ra1 55.Kh2 =. late, so his position is lost.
51...Ra1 52.Ra5 a2 53.Kg4 46...a4 (D)
53.Kg2 Kb3 54.Rb5+ Ka4 +. XABCDEFGHY
53...Rg1+ 54.Kxf4 a1Q 55.Rxa1 Rxa1
56.h5 Kd5 57.Kf5 Rh1 58.Kg6 Ke6 8-+-+-+-+(
59.f4 Rg1+ 60.Kh7 7tR-+-+p+-'
White resigned as after 60...Kf6 Black
mates in just 5 moves! 6-+-+k+p+&
01 5+-+-+-+p%
Kashtanov Ruslan
Inarkiev Ernesto
4p+-+-+-zP$
St Petersburg 2004 3tr-+-+-zP-#
XABCDEFGHY 2-+-+-zPK+"
8-+-+-+-+( 1+-+-+-+-!
7tR-+-+p+-' xabcdefghy
6p+-+-mkp+& 47.Ra5?
How many times can White make the same
5+-+-+-+p% double blunder? Again, he takes his rook off
4-+-+-+-zP$ the seventh rank, and postpones his kingside
counterplay. After 47.f3!, it appears that the
3+-+-+KzP-# position would still have been drawn.
2r+-+-zP-+" 47...Ra2?
The advance of the black king, sacrificing
1+-+-+-+-! the f7-pawn, is very dangerous for White,
either with the rook on a3 and White's king
xabcdefghy on g2 (as in the above cited endgame
A drawish position. Akopian,V-Georgiev,K Las Vegas 1999), or
42.Ra8?! with the rook on a2 and the pawn on a3.
42.Ke3 would have been 'much better'. In Inarkiev decided to play the second of these
such situations, the rook should keep an eye lines. Objectively speaking, 47...Kd6!, was
on the f7-pawn, and be ready to capture it as stronger, and should have won.
soon as the black king moves toward the 48.Kf3 a3 49.Ra7?
opposite wing. But mainly, the text move The concluding error, although a most ex-
allows Black to drive back the white king. cusable one. According to prior theory, the
42...Kf5! 43.Ra7 Ra3+ 44.Kg2 Ke6 text move assures White an easy draw. Only
45.Ra8?! in 2011 was it discovered that White's only
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 119
chance to save himself is 49.g4!! 41.Kf1 Ra2 42.Ke1 f6! 43.Kf1!
(V.Poghosyan). White retraces his steps, aiming to exploit
49...Kd5! the negative side of ...f6.
Of course; Black's f-pawn has to be sacri- 43...Kf7 44.Re4 Rb2 45.Kg2 Ra2
ficed in order to improve! 46.Kf1 Kf8 47.Kg2 Ra3 48.Rb4 Kf7
50.Ke3 49.Rb7+ Ke6
The main line is 50.Rxf7 Rc2 51.Ra7 a2 Compulsory, as 49...Kf8? 50.Ra7 Kg8
52.Kf4 Kc5!! (J.Steckner) 53.Kg5 Kb6 51.Kf1 Ra2 52.Ke1 Kf8 53.a5 Kg8 54.a6
54.Ra3 Rc5+ 55.Kxg6 Ra5 56.Rxa2 Kf8 55.Kd1! would win for White:
Rxa2 57.Kxh5 Kc6! +. 55...Rxf2 56.Rb7 Ra2 57.a7 and 58.Rb8.
50...Kc4 51.Rxf7 Rc2! 50.Ra7 Kf5
And Black instructively wins. Here 50...f5! (threatening 51...f4!) should be
52.Rc7+ Kb3 53.Rb7+ Kc3 54.Ra7 a2 OK: 51.f4 Kf6 52.a5 Ke6 53.a6 Kf6
55.f3 Kb3 56.Rb7+ Ka3 57.Ra7+ Kb2 54.Kf2 Ke6 55.Ra8 Kf7 56.Ke2 Kg7!
58.Rb7+ Kc1 59.Ra7 Kb1 57.Kd2 (if the black g-pawn was on g4,
01 White would win here with 57.a7! and then,
making use of zugzwang, the capture of the
Fernandez Garcia Jose Luis f5-pawn by his king) 57...Rxg3 58.Rb8
Kotronias Vasilios Ra3 59.Rb7+ Kf6 60.Rb6+ Kg7 61.Kc2
Dubai 1986 g5!! 62.fxg5 (62.hxg5 h4 63.Kb2 Ra5
XABCDEFGHY 64.Kc3 h3 65.Rh6 h2 66.Rxh2 Rxa6 =)
62...f4 63.Kd2 f3 64.Rb7+ Kg6 65.a7
8-+-+-+k+( Ra2+ 66.Ke1 Kf5 67.Rf7+ (67.Rg7
Re2+ 68.Kf1 Ra2) 67...Kg6 68.Rxf3
7+-+-+pzp-' Rxa7 and Black would have achieved a
6R+-+-+-+& theoretically drawn position after the further
69.Rf6+ Kg7 70.Rh6 Ra4! 71.Rxh5
5+-+-+-+p% Ra6!.
4-+-+-+-+$ 51.Ra8 Ra2 52.a5 (D)
3+-+-+-zP-# XABCDEFGHY
2P+-+-zPKzP" 8R+-+-+-+(
1+r+-+-+-! 7+-+-+-+-'
xabcdefghy 6-+-+-zpp+&
34.Rc6! 5zP-+-+k+p%
White avoids 34.a4 Ra1, when the draw is
not that difficult.
4-+-+-+-zP$
34...Rb2! 3+-+-+-zP-#
The only move, as after 34...Ra1? 35.Rc2,
the transfer of the white king to b2 would 2r+-+-zPK+"
ensure victory for White. 1+-+-+-+-!
35.a4 Ra2 36.Rc4 g6 37.h4 Kg7 38.Rf4!
White keeps his pawns (a4, f2) covered by xabcdefghy
the rook, thus freeing his king. It is obvious 52...Ra3?
that Black will have to proceed with ...f6 and Also playable was 52...Ke6!? 53.a6 Kf7
...g5, evicting the white rook from its superb 54.Kf3 (54.Ra7+ Ke6) 54...Kg7 =, but the
post. most accurate was 52...g5! 53.hxg5 fxg5
38...Ra3 39.Kf1 Ra2 40.Kg2 Ra3 54.a6 Kg6 55.Kf1 g4 =.

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 120


53.a6 Ra2 XABCDEFGHY
Here 53...g5 is of no help: 54.hxg5 fxg5
55.a7 Kg4 56.Rf8 Rxa7 57.f3 #. 8-+-+-+-+(
54.a7! Ra3
Or 54...Kg4 55.Rf8 Rxa7 56.Rxf6 +.
7+-+-+pmk-'
55.f3! (D) 6-+-+-+-zp&
XABCDEFGHY 5zP-+-+RzpP%
8R+-+-+-+( 4-+-+-+P+$
7zP-+-+-+-' 3+-+-+-mK-#
6-+-+-zpp+& 2-+-+-zP-+"
5+-+-+k+p% 1+-tr-+-+-!
4-+-+-+-zP$ xabcdefghy
3tr-+-+PzP-# The white rook is ideally placed on f5, sup-
porting both a5 and f2 while safely protected
2-+-+-+K+" from harassment. Of course, Black offered a
1+-+-+-+-! lot of 'help', as he refrained from the (fun-
damental) move ...h5 on several occasions,
xabcdefghy practically giving away the half point that
Reaching approximately the same position his position merited.
as in Unziker,W-Lundin,E Amsterdam 1954. 45...Ra1?!
55...Ra2+ 56.Kf1 Ra1+ 57.Kf2 Ra2+ Although the result will not change, Black
58.Ke1 Ra1+ 59.Kd2 Ra6 60.Kd3 should have continued with 45...Rc4! (D)
Ra3+ 61.Kd2 Ra6 62.Kd3 Ra3+ XABCDEFGHY
63.Kd4 Ra5 64.Kc4 Ra1 65.Kc5 Ra6
66.Kd5 Ra3 67.Kd6 Ra6+ 68.Ke7 Ra3 8-+-+-+-+(
69.Kf7 Ra4 70.Kg7 g5!? 7+-+-+pmk-'
A last 'try' as the waiting method is a well-
known losing one: 70...Ra1 71.Kh6 Ra3 6-+-+-+-zp&
72.Rb8 Rxa7 73.Rb5+ Ke6 74.Kxg6 +.
71.hxg5 Kxg5 72.Kf7 Kf5 73.g4+!
5zP-+-+RzpP%
Winning a second pawn, as the black king 4-+r+-+P+$
dare not expose himself to a check from the
white rook. 3+-+-+-mK-#
73...hxg4 74.fxg4+ Kf4 2-+-+-zP-+"
74...Kxg4 75.Rg8+ +.
75.Kxf6 Ra6+ 76.Kf7 Kg3 77.g5 1+-+-+-+-!
10 xabcdefghy
a) 46.f3? Rc2! 47.f4 (otherwise 47...Ra2,
Some Interesting Cases
and the king will never get out of g3)
Weaknesses in the inferior side's pawn
47...Rc3+! 48.Kf2 gxf4 49.Rxf4 Ra3
structure can be proven lethal, as the next
50.Rf5 f6 51.Rb5 (51.Ke2 Kf7 52.Kd2
example demonstrates: Ke6 53.Kc2 Rg3 =) 51...Kf7 52.Rb7+
Ke6 53.Rb6+ Ke5 54.a6 Kf4! 55.Rxf6+
Leko Peter Kxg4 56.Rxh6 Kg5 57.Rb6 Kxh5
Anand Viswanathan 58.Ke2 Kg5 59.Kd2 Kf5 60.Kc2 Ke5
Linares 2003
61.Kb2 Ra5 62.Rh6 (62.Kb3 Kd5
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 121
63.Kb4 Ra1 64.Rh6 Rb1+ 65.Ka5 Kc5 Ke5 59.Kb4 Ra1 60.Rc5+ Kd4! = - put-
=) 62...Kd4 63.Rh4+ (63.Kb3 Ra1 =) ting his king directly in front of its opponent,
63...Kd3 64.Rh3+ Kc4 65.Ra3 Rb5+ Black wards off the threat of blocking the a-
66.Kc2 Rb8 =. file by 61.Ra5) 58...Ke5 59.Rc5+ Kf4
b) 46.Kf3! Ra4 60.Kb6 +.
b1) 47.Ke3? Rxg4 48.Kd3 f6!? (48...Ra4 b22) 52.Rh7 Re4+ 53.Kd3 Ra4 54.Ra7
49.Kc3 f6 50.Kb3 Ra1 51.Kb4 Kf7 Rh4 55.a6 Rxh5 56.Rc7 Rh3+
52.Kb5 Ke6 53.Rc5 Kd7! [53...Ra2? (56...Kf4?! 57.a7 Rh8 58.Rc6 f5 59.Ra6
54.a6 Rxf2 55.a7 Ra2 56.Rc6+ Kf5 Ra8 60.Kd4 +) 57.Kc4 Ra3 58.a7 Ra1
57.Ra6 +] 54.Kb6 Rb1+ 55.Rb5 Rxb5+ 59.Kb5 Rb1+ 60.Kc6 Ra1 61.Kb7 Rb1+
56.Kxb5 f5 =) 49.Kc3 Kf7 (49...Ra4 62.Kc8 Ra1 63.Kb8 Kf4 64.Rc5!
50.Kb3 Ra1 51.Kb4 Kf7 52.Kb5 Ke6 (64.Rc3 Rb1+ = ; 64.a8Q Rxa8+
53.Rc5 Kd7! [53...Ra2? 54.a6 Rxf2 55.a7 65.Kxa8 Kf3 66.Rc2 g4 67.Kb7 f5
Ra2 56.Rc6+ Ke5 57.Ra6 +] 54.Kb6 68.Kc6 f4 =) 64...g4 65.a8Q Rxa8+
Rb1+ 55.Rb5 Rxb5+ 56.Kxb5 f5 =) 66.Kxa8 +.
50.Kb3 Ke6 51.Rc5 (51.a6 Kxf5 52.a7 46.Kg2! (D)
Rf4 53.a8Q Kg4 54.Qe8 Rxf2 55.Qg6 XABCDEFGHY
f5 56.Qxh6 Rh2 57.Qe6 Kxh5 58.Qxf5
Rh4 =) 51...Rg1 52.a6 Ra1 53.Rc6+ Kf5 8-+-+-+-+(
54.Kb4 Kg4 55.Rxf6 Kxh5 56.f3 Ra2 7+-+-+pmk-'
57.Kb5 Ra3 58.Kb6 Rb3+ 59.Kc7 Ra3
60.Kb7 Rb3+ 61.Ka8 (61.Rb6 Rxf3 =) 6-+-+-+-zp&
61...Ra3 62.a7 Rb3 =.
b2) 47.Rd5! Kf6 48.Ke3 Ke6!?
5zP-+-+RzpP%
(48...Rxg4?! 49.Rd4 Rg1 50.Ra4 +) 4-+-+-+P+$
49.Rb5 Rxg4 (49...f6?! 50.f3 +) 50.Rb6+
Kf5 (50...Ke5 51.Rxh6 Ra4 52.Ra6 +) 3+-+-+-+-#
51.Rxh6 f6 (D) 2-+-+-zPK+"
XABCDEFGHY 1tr-+-+-+-!
8-+-+-+-+( xabcdefghy
7+-+-+-+-' And of course not 46.f3? Ra2! with a draw.
6-+-+-zp-tR& White now wins easily, as Black is unable to
dent White's pawn structure.
5zP-+-+kzpP% 46...Re1
46...Ra4 47.f3 Ra2+ 48.Kf1 Kf8 49.Ke1
4-+-+-+r+$ Ke7 50.Kd1 Ke6 51.Kc1 +, was hope-
3+-+-mK-+-# less as well.
47.f3 Re6 48.Kf2 Kf8 49.Rb5 Kg7
2-+-+-zP-+" On 49...Ke7 50.Rb7+ Ke8 51.Rb6 + .
1+-+-+-+-! 50.Rf5
Here, Leko could have brought his rook
xabcdefghy around behind the passed pawn by 50.Rb3
and now: Ra6 51.Ra3 +.
b21) 52.Rh8 Re4+ (or 52...Ra4 53.Ra8 50...Kf8 51.Rc5 Kg7 52.Rb5 Kf8
Re4+ but not 53...g4?! 54.a6 Kg5 55.a7 + 53.Rb6 Re5 54.a6 Kg7 55.a7 Ra5
) 53.Kd3 Ra4 54.Ra8 Rh4 55.a6 Rxh5 56.Rb7 Ra3 57.Ke2
56.Rc8 (56.a7 Rh3+ 57.Kd4 Ra3 =) The white pawn structure has become ideal
56...Rh3+ 57.Kc4 Ra3 58.Kb5! (58.Rc6? and now the white king starts his journey.

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 122


57...Kf6 58.Kd2 Ke6 59.Kc2 f6 60.Kb2 The resulting rook ending is drawish as
Ra4 61.Kb3 Ra1 62.Kb4 Kd6 63.Rh7 Black's many weaknesses represent a major
Ke5 64.Kb5 Ra2 65.Kb6 hindrance.
10 32...Rc8 33.g3 Rc2 34.Rb6 Rxa2
35.Rxb7 Kg7 36.Rb6 a4 37.Ra6 a3
Saving a difficult position by transferring
38.Kg2 f6
to such an ending could be a valuable op-

tion:
Grivas Efstratios Doubled pawns in general can be useful
Hadzidakis Mihail for the superior side, as then it is harder for
Ermioni 2005 the inferior side to create a passed pawn:
XABCDEFGHY Grivas Efstratios
8r+-tr-+k+( Gelashvili Tamaz
Porto Carras 1998
7+p+-+pvlp' XABCDEFGHY
6-+-sN-+p+& 8-+-+-mk-+(
5zp-zPl+-+-% 7+-+-+p+-'
4-wq-sN-+-+$ 6p+-+p+-+&
3+-+-+-+-# 5+-+-+p+-%
2P+-wQ-zPPzP" 4-+-+-+-+$
1tR-+R+-mK-! 3zP-+-+-zP-#
xabcdefghy 2-zP-trPzPK+"
White didn't handle his superior middlegame
with accuracy and he had ended up in a dan- 1+-tR-+-+-!
gerous position. Here I thought for a long xabcdefghy
time, trying to figure out where I should
White has a tough choice to make, as both of
seek salvation.
his options (31.e3 and 31.b4) seem attrac-
26.Rab1!? Qxc5 27.N4f5! gxf5?!
tive. During the game I toyed with both
Black would be better off trying 27...Lc6
moves, but finally I played what my intui-
28.Nxg7 (28.Ne7+ Kf8 29.Nxc6 bxc6
tion guided me to. It wasnt that difficult, as
30.Rbc1 [30.Qf4 Rd7 31.Nc4 Rxd1+ I was always thinking that I was quite edu-
32.Rxd1 Re8 33.g3 Le5 34.Nxe5 Qxe5 cated and well trained by my trainers!
35.Qf3 Qe2 36.Qxe2 Rxe2 37.Rc1 Rxa2 31.e3!
38.Rxc6 Ke7 39.Ra6] 30...Qb6 31.Qf4 White's decision is justified, as the black
Rd7 =+) 28...Kxg7 29.Qf4 Rd7 30.Rbc1
pawns are doubled and, consequently, un-
Qh5 (30...Qb4 31.Rd4 Qa3 32.Rxc6
able to create a passed pawn easily. More-
bxc6 33.Nf5+ gxf5 34.Rxd7 Qxa2 over, as a general remark, the black pawns
35.Qg5+ =) 31.Rd3, where he has won a will be closer to the white king when he
pawn, but White has got ample compensa- heads for the queenside. Finally, Black does
tion for it. not have the squares e6 and f5 at the dis-
28.Qxd5 Qxd5 29.Rxd5 Lf8 posal of his king, which implies that he will
29...Ra6 30.Nxf5 Rxd5 31.Ne7+ Kf8 be 'slow' when the time comes to become
32.Nxd5 Rd6 33.Rb5 b6 34.Kf1 Ld4 active.
35.Ke2 =. 31...Rxb2 32.Rc6 Ra2 33.Rxa6 Kg7
30.Rbd1 Lxd6 31.Rxd6 Rxd6 32.Rxd6 34.a4 Kf6 35.a5 Kg7 36.Ra8 Kf6 37.a6

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 123


Ra1 66.Rb8 Rd3 67.Rb7+ Kc6 68.Rb2
White was threatening 38.Kf1. Rd8+ 69.Rb8 (D)
38.f4! Ra2+ 39.Kf1 Kg7 40.Ke1 Rg2 XABCDEFGHY
41.Kd1 Rxg3
Black has, as usual, won a kingside pawn, 8KtR-tr-+-+(
but he is still unable to obtain a passed pawn
because of his doubled pawns.
7zP-+-+-+-'
42.Kd2 Rg2+ 43.Kc3 Ra2 44.Kb4 Kf6 6-+k+-+-+&
45.Kb5 Ke7 (D)
XABCDEFGHY 5+-+-+p+-%
8R+-+-+-+( 4-+-+-zP-+$
7+-+-mkp+-' 3+-+-zP-+-#
6P+-+p+-+& 2-+-+-+-+"
5+K+-+p+-% 1+-+-+-+-!
4-+-+-zP-+$ xabcdefghy
69...Rd3?
3+-+-zP-+-# Time pressure has created excellent condi-
tions for the 'cultivation' of small - and great
2r+-+-+-+" - errors! 69...Rd7! is sufficient for a draw,
1+-+-+-+-! but now White could have won.
70.Rc8+! Kb6 71.Re8?
xabcdefghy 71.Kb8 + is not that difficult!
46.Rc8? 71...Kc7
46.Ra7+! Kf6 (46...Kd6 47.Rxf7 Rb2+
48.Kc4 Ra2 49.a7) 47.Rc7 gives an easy
win. Conclusion
46...Rb2+ 47.Kc6 Rc2+ 48.Kb7 Rb2+ The ending is drawn, but in practice it ap-
49.Ka8 Ra2 50.a7 pears quite difficult for the inferior side.
White cannot win anymore, but he should Knowledge and concrete ideas can make it
try 50.Rc6 when Black has to find a number even harder for the defender...
of accurate moves: 50...Rb2! (50...Kd7
51.Kb7) 51.Ka7 Kd7 52.Rb6 Rc2!
(52...Ra2 53.Kb7) 53.Rb3 (53.Rb7+ Kc8
54.Rxf7 Rc7+ 55.Rxc7+ Kxc7 =)
53...Kc7 =.
50...Kd7!
The game is drawn, as Black's king can con- Contributors
trol the critical c7-square. We must mention that in this ending a lot
of study and discoveries have been made by
51.Rf8 Kc7! 52.Rxf7+ Kc8 53.Rf6 Ra6
Mark Dvoretsky, Vadim Kantorovich, W.
54.Rh6 Rd6 55.Rh1 Rc6! 56.Rb1 Kc7
Micawber, Karsten Muller, Vardan Pogho-
57.Rb8 Rc3 58.Rb7+ Kc8 59.Rb6 Kc7!
syan and Johannes Steckner.
60.Rxe6 (D)
I am sure that many other respected re-
White won a second pawn, but there is no
searchers worked hard as well, but unfortu-
win in sight. This is because the white king
nately I do not know who they are!
is unable to participate in the battle.
Without their deep and excellent research
60...Rd3 61.Re7+ Kc6 62.Re8 Kc7
we wouldn't be able to draw correct conclu-
63.Re7+ Kc6 64.Re6+ Kc7 65.Re8 Rd7
sions. I would like to thank them all.
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 124
Index of Games
When a players name appears in bold, that player had White. Otherwise the first-named player
had White. A total of 147 games, examples and exercises are analysed in this book.

Adams Michael - Anand 72 Dreev Alexey - Svetushkin 47


Adams Michael - Kindermann 80 Dreev Alexey - Thorsteins 86
Agasiyev Kamal - Fridman 14 Du Toit Stefan - Kunte 52
Akopian Vladimir - Svidler 106 Efimenko Zahar - Landa 19
Akopian Vladimir - Georgiev 113 Ermenkov Evgenij - Padevsky 86
Aloma Vidal Roberto - Cabrera 31 Espig Lutz - Wagner 38
Aloma Vidal Roberto - Peralta 18 Fernandez Fernando - Perez 6
Anand Viswanathan - Adams 72 Fernandez Garcia Jose - Kotronias 120
Anand Viswanathan - Bacrot 73 Filipenko Alexander - Khasin 60
Anand Viswanathan - Leko 121 Finkel Alexander - Tseitlin 83
Andreev Vladimir - Chepukaitis 59 Fodor Tamas Jr - Zilka 48
Anton Teodor - Nanu 58 Fressinet Laurent - Petrosian 40
Baburin Alexander - Mortensen 29 Fridman Daniel - Agasiyev 14
Baburin Alexander - Vera 16 Gelashvili Tamaz - Grivas 123
Bacrot Etienne - Anand 73 Gelfand Boris - Ivanchuk 7
Bacrot Etienne - Robson 107 Georgandzis Konstantin. - Grivas 78
Bareev Evgeny - Morozevich 84 Georgiev Kiril - Akopian 113
Beliavsky Alexander - Leko 15 Ghaem Maghami Ehsan - Borgo 57
Beliavsky Alexander - Timoscenko 86 Golubev Mikhail - Minasian 20
Bennett Dominic - Wells 56 Grischuk Alexander - Carlsen 36
Bennett Hilton Petrie - Croad 41 Grivas Efstratios - Georgandzis 78
Berg Emanuel - Ipatov 64 Grivas Efstratios - Krush 65
Bobras Piotr - Vovk 70 Grivas Efstratios - Minasian 8
Bodach Hans - Mueller 54 Grivas Efstratios - Perdek 71
Boensch Uwe - Jussupow 81 Grivas Efstratios - Hadzidakis 123
Bologan Viktor - Deszczynski 32 Grivas Efstratios - Gelashvili 123
Bologan Viktor - Malakhov 39 Grover Sahaj - Huschenbeth 71
Borgo Giulio - Ghaem Maghami 57 Gufeld Eduard - Honfi 86
Botsari Anna Maria - Zawadzka 11 Guliev Sarhan - Kotsur 63
Brandenburg Daan - Siebrecht 42 Gurevich Dmitry - Suba 87
Britez Jorge - Recalde 42 Gusev Dmitriy - Chernoukhov 12
Cabrera Alexis - Aloma Vidal 31 Gyimesi Zoltan - Totsky 82
Can Emre - Mchedlishvili 17 Hadzidakis Mihail - Grivas 123
Carlsen Magnus - Grischuk 36 Hammar Bengt - Cebalo 44
Carlsen Magnus - Kramnik 75 Hansen Curt - Kasparov 81
Carlsen Magnus - Ponomariov 42 Hatanbaatar Bazar - Miton 7
Carlsen Magnus - Wang Yue 54 Heinzel Olaf - Schlehoefer 55
Cebalo Miso - Hammar 44 Herning Jens - Wagner 37
Cebalo Miso - Mikhalchishin 86 Himanshu Sharma - Debashish 48
Cheparinov Ivan - Short 8 Hitzler Phillip - Mons 49
Chepukaitis Genrikh - Andreev 59 Honfi Karoly - Gufeld 86
Chernoukhov Alexandr - Gusev 12 Hou Yifan - Koneru 89
Coenen Michael - Polaczek 19 Howell David - Parker 92
Croad Nicholas - Bennett 41 Hungaski Robert Andrew - Kudrin 53
Cyborowski Lukasz - Miton 13 Huschenbeth Niclas - Grover 71
Dautov Rustem - Krakops 117 Inarkiev Ernesto - Kashtanov 119
Debashish Das - Himanshu 48 Ipatov Alexander - Berg 64
Delemarre Jop - Peralta 11 Ivanchuk Vassily - Gelfand 7
Deszczynski Adam - Bologan 32 Ivaska Romas - Reinecker 40
Djurhuus Rune - Stokke 43 Jacobsen Bo - Meins 56
Dobrovolskiy Konstantin - Kravchenko 50 Jorgensen Jorgen - Rukavina 60
Dombrowska - Lissowska 87 Jovanovic Milos - Ugrcic 56
Dominguez Christobal - Visconti 92 Junge Wolfgang - Klundt 54
Dorfman Josif - Lerner 111 Jussupow Artur - Boensch 81
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 125
Jussupow Artur - Kasparov 34 Musialkiewicz Jan - Kuzmicz 31
Kamsky Gata - Leko 74 Nanu Ciprian Costica - Anton 58
Kamsky Gata - Savchenko 55 Navara David - Steingrimsson 61
Karpov Anatoly - Korchnoi 69 Nepomniachtchi Ian - Sjugirov 13
Kashtanov Ruslan - Inarkiev 119 Padevsky Nikola - Ermenkov 86
Kasparov Garry - Hansen 81 Pap Gyula - Sahu 38
Kasparov Garry - Jussupow 34 Parker Jonathan - Howell 92
Kasparov Garry - Pinter 34 Pavlovic Dej - Solomunovic 38
Kasparov Garry - Shirov 85 Peralta Fernando - Aloma Vidal 18
Kasparov Garry - Short 67 Peralta Fernando - Delemarre 11
Kasparov Garry - Speelman 36 Perdek Miroslaw - Grivas 71
Kenez Pal - Meleghegyi 86 Perez Leonardo - Fernandez 6
Khalifman Alexander - Leko 74 Petrosian Tigran L - Fressinet 40
Khasin Alexander - Filipenko 60 Pinter Jozsef - Kasparov 34
Kindermann Stefan - Adams 80 Pohjala Henri - Solozhenkin 57
Klundt Klaus - Junge 54 Polaczek Richard - Coenen 19
Koneru Humpy - Hou 89 Polugaevsky Lev - Portisch 85
Korchnoi Viktor - Karpov 69 Ponomariov Ruslan - Carlsen 42
Korchnoi Viktor - Mateo 12 Ponomariov Ruslan - Kramnik 33
Kosintseva Nadezhda - Lomineishvili 6 Portisch Lajos - Polugaevsky 85
Kotronias Vasilios - Fernandez 120 Portisch Lajos - Stein 76
Kotsur Pavel - Guliev 63 Potapov Alexander - Mastrovasilis 10
Krakops Maris - Dautov 117 Pribyl Josef - Radev 46
Kramnik Vladimir - Carlsen 75 Psaila Clarense - Snape 53
Kramnik Vladimir - Ponomariov 33 R & 3P +aP vs. R & 3P - Example 1 95
Kravchenko Leonid - Dobrovolskiy 50 R & 3P +aP vs. R & 3P - Example 2 96
Krogius Nikolai - Mukhitdinov 87 R & 3P +aP vs. R & 3P - Example 3 97
Krush Irina - Grivas 65 R & 3P +aP vs. R & 3P - Example 4 98
Kudrin Sergey - Hungaski 53 R & 3P +aP vs. R & 3P - Example 5 101
Kunte Abhijit - Du Toit 52 R & 3P vs. B & 3P - P1 - Example 1 44
Kuzmicz Krystian - Musialkiewicz 31 R & 3P vs.B & 3P - P1 - Example 2 45
Landa Konstantin - Efimenko 19 R & P vs. B & P - Example 1 6
Leko Peter - Beliavsky 15 R & P vs. B & P - Example 2 9
Leko Peter - Kamsky 74 R & P vs. B & P - Example 3 14
Leko Peter - Khalifman 74 R & P vs. B & P - Example 4 15
Leko Peter - Topalov 83 R & RP vs. B & RP - Example 1 22
Leko Peter - Anand 121 R & RP vs. B & RP - Example 2 23
Lerner Konstantin - Dorfman 111 R & RP vs. B & RP - Example 3 24
Lissowska Anna - Dombrowska 87 R & RP vs. B & RP - Example 4 27
Lomineishvili Maia - Kosintseva 6 Radev Nikolai - Pribyl 46
Lundin Erik - Unzicker 104 Radjabov Teimur - Van Wely 25
Malakhatko Vadim - Zarkua 16 Rajkovic Dusan - Skembris 93
Malakhov Vladimir - Bologan 39 Recalde Augusto - Britez 42
Malik Jan - Socko 62 Reinecker Kai - Ivaska 40
Mastrovasilis Athanasios - Potapov 10 Richter Christian - Schlosser 55
Mateo Ramon - Korchnoi 12 Robson Ray - Bacrot 107
Mchedlishvili Mikheil - Can 17 Roktim Bandyopadhyay - Swapnil 41
Meins Gerlef - Jacobsen 56 Rubinstein Akiba - Salwe 28
Meleghegyi Csaba - Kenez 86 Rukavina Josip - Jorgensen 60
Meszaros Gyula - Schlager 60 Sahu Sekhar Chandra - Pap 38
Mikhalshishin Adrian - Cebalo 86 Salwe Georg - Rubinstein 28
Minasian Artashes - Golubev 20 Savchenko Boris - Kamsky 55
Minasian Artashes - Grivas 8 Schlager Thomas - Meszaros 60
Miton Kamil - Cyborowski 13 Schlehoefer Ralf - Heinzel 55
Miton Kamil - Hatanbaatar 7 Schlosser Phillip - Richter 55
Mons Leon - Hitzler 49 Shirov Alexei - Kasparov 85
Morozevich Alexander - Bareev 84 Short Nigel - Cheparinov 8
Mortensen Erling - Baburin 29 Short Nigel - Kasparov 67
Mueller Rudolf - Bodach 54 Siebrecht Sebastian - Brandenburg 42
Mukhitdinov Akmalkhon - Krogius 87 Sjugirov Sanan - Nepomniachtchi 13
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 126
Skembris Spyridon - Rajkovic 93 Van Wely Loek - Radjabov 25
Snape Ian - Psaila 53 Vera Gonzalez Reynaldo - Baburin 16
Socko Monika - Malik 62 Visconti - Dominguez 92
Solomunovic Igor - Pavlovic 38 Vovk Yuri - Bobras 70
Solozhenkin Evgeniy - Pohjala 57 Vukic Milan - Webb 58
Speelman Jonathan - Kasparov 36 Wagner Florian - Espig 38
Stein Leonid - Portisch 76 Wagner Florian - Herning 37
Steingrimsson Hedinn - Navara 61 Wang Yue - Carlsen 54
Stokke Kjetil - Djurhuus 43 Webb Simon - Vukic 58
Suba Mihai - Gurevich 87 Wells Peter - Bennett 56
Svetushkin Dmitry - Dreev 47 Wrong B vs P(s) - Example 1 67
Svidler Peter - Akopian 106 Wrong B vs P(s) - Example 2 68
Swapnil S Dhopade - Roktim 41 Wrong B vs P(s) - Example 3 68
Thorsteins Karl - Dreev 86 Wrong B vs P(s) - Example 4 77
Timoscenko Gennadij - Beliavsky 86 Wrong B vs P(s) - Example 5 78
Topalov Veselin - Leko 83 Wrong B vs P(s) - Example 6 80
Totsky Leonid - Gyimesi 82 Zarkua Davit - Malakhatko 16
Tseitlin Mark - Finkel 83 Zawadzka Jolanta - Botsari 11
Ugrcic Zoran - Jovanovic 56 Zilka Stepan - Fodor 48
Unzicker Wolfgang
Georgiev Kiril
- Lundin 104

NOTES

Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 127


Curriculum Vitae
Efstratios Grivas is a highly experienced chess trainer and chess author
Has been awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) the titles of:
International Chess Grandmaster
FIDE Senior Trainer
International Chess Arbiter
International Chess Organizer
His main successes over the board were:
Silver Medal Olympiad 1998 (3rd Board)
Gold Medal European Team Championship 1989 (3rd Board)
4th Position World Junior Championship U.20 1985
5 Balkan Medals (2 Gold - 1 Silver - 2 Bronze)
3 times Winner of the International Acropolis Tournament
28 times Winner of Greek Individual & Team Championships
Winner of Various International Tournaments
Rating Record in 1999 *2528* (equal to today 2630 ~)
An opening variation has been named after him. The Grivas Sicilian is charac-
terized by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6.
What he did/does nowadays:
Secretary of the FIDE Trainers Commission
Head Trainer of the Turkish Mens National Team (2006-2012)
Winner of the FIDE Boleslavsky Medal 2009 (best author)
Winner of the FIDE Euwe Medal 2011 (best junior trainer)
Trainer of Various GMs & IMs - In 2009-2011 alone, he formed 5 GMs!
Worked over 14.000 hours on training!
Lecturer at FIDE Seminars for Training & Certifying Trainers
Author of Various Books
Co-operating with the Worlds Most Important Magazines
www.GrivasChess.com
Chess Analytics: Trai-
ning with a Grandma-
ster (August 2012) -
by Efstratios Grivas
Russell Enterprises
Inc. (320 pages - 240
mm by 170 mm)
http://www.russell-
enterprises.com/
Trivial Endings - Revealing the Secrets 128

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