CL_11-2008_benko_JP_r7:chess life 10/8/2008 1:02 PM Page 49

Problem I Problem II
Benko’s Bafflers Yochanan Afek, Israel-Holland Velimir Kalandadze, Tbilisi, Georgia
Benko 80 Benko 80

Most of the time these studies

resemble positions that could actu-
k+ + + + R +
+ +
ally occur over-the-board. You must + + + + + +
 p +
simply reach a theoretically won + + + + + + +P+
position for White. Solutions can be + +pP + + + + p
found on page 71. + P + + + + +Pq
Please e-mail submissions for + + + + +K+ + p
Benko’s Bafflers to: pbenko@ + n + K + + +P+
uschess.org + + + + +k+ + +
White to play and draw White to play and draw

Also drawing is 5. ... Kf5 6. Ke7! Be6 7. A missed draw

h5 Bc8 8. Kd8. Jozsef Foldi
84. Rb6! Kb8 85. Rh6 Ka7 86. Rxh3 Ra3 87.

Jozsef Gonda
Kf4 Rd3 88. Rxg3 Rd8
“Can White win? Perhaps there is some
Budapest, 1951
way to give up the pawn at the right
6. Kc8!! b5 7. Kd7 Bf5+ 8. Kd6 b4 9. h5 Kg5

moment to win the rook and bishop vs.

10. h6 Kxh6 11. Ke5 Bc8 12. Kd4, draws.
With these additions to the front and + + + + rook ending. By the way, here is the dia-
back ends, this classical endgame can
gram after 88. ... Rd8, reached it seems
start a new life. This last addition resem- + + + +
to me more or less by force if I have time
bles a better-known positional draw—also +l+ k + to continue the game.”
on the b-file.
+ + + + I answered IM Taylor that the position
is drawn because whenever the white
Safe shelter pK + + + king approaches it is always possible to
L.I. Kubbel 1934
+p+ + R chase it away with checks. Of course, it
is fatal to trade rooks. I had worked this
+ k + + P + +p+ theme out in an artistic endgame some
+ +l + + + + + years before.
White to play
+ + +P+ P. Benko
+ + + + Sakkelet, 1997—First Prize
Buried bishop
Another positional draw is given in the
p + + + +k+ + +
+ +l+ + next letter from Californian IM Timothy + + K p
Taylor.
“This is my game, where I lost on time
P + L + + + + +
+ + K + in what appears to be a winning position. + + + +
White to play and draw But no one can show me how to win,
and I am baffled myself. The computer is + R + +
no help either. I am also including this + + + +
game in my next book.
1. Bb6+ Kd7 2. Ba5 b3 3. Kd2 Bxg6 4. Kc1
And now we have a positional draw. +r+ + +
After 5. Bd2 it is impossible to remove the IM Timothy Taylor (2383)
GM Robert Fontaine (2683)
bishop from the c1-h6 diagonal and after
+ + + +l
trading, the white king can’t be chased Las Vegas, Nevada 2006 White to play and draw
away from c1 (it can only be stalemated).
It is useful to get acquainted with such L+ + + +
positional draws, otherwise failures can
1. Rd8+ Kc7 2. Rg8 Rg2 3. Kf7 g5 4. Ke6! g4

occur over the board as happened in this

5. Rg7+ Kc6 6. Rg6! g3 7. Kf5+ Kd7 8. Rg5
kP+ + +
next case:
Rf2+ 9. Kg4 g2 10. Kh3 Rf5 11. Rg7+ Ke6 12.
+R+ + + Kh2 Kf6 13. Rg3 Rg5 14. Rf3+ Ke5 15. Kg1!

+ + +K+ Not 15. Re3+? Kf4 16. Re1 g1=Q+! 17.

Rxg1 Rh5 mate.
(see position top of next column)
White lost after playing 1. Kc4, but a r+ + + +
draw arises after: 15. ... Rf5 16. Rg3, Draw.
+ + + pp
White chased the g7-pawn as far as
g2 to bury the h1-bishop, thereby reach-
1. Rxg2!
+ + + +
Not 1. Kc5? a3.
+ + + + ing a positional draw.
Take a look at this month’s “Bafflers” for
1. ... Bxg2 2. Kxa4 Bd5 3. Kb4
Now the white king can reach the safe
c1-square with the draw assured.
White to play

“Here I lost on time, but intended:

even more positional draws. .
Download a .pgn file at uschess.org.
CL_12-2008_benko_AKF_r7:chess life 11/10/2008
Endgame Lab
2nd Olympiad: The Hague 1928
Eighty years ago an American team comprised of amateurs finished second in the
By GM Pal Benko
Olympiad in the Netherlands. This month Benko examines the endgame technique
that played a key role in their excellent result.
The first time the U.S. sent a team to
an Olympiad was 80 years ago at The
Hague in the Netherlands. It was a suc-
cessful debut: Hungary 44, USA 39½,
Poland 37. There were 17 participating
teams from around the world.
The event was connected to the “main”
Olympic games that year, so the event’s
organizers advised that only players with
amateur status could play, effectively
barring Frank Marshall, Geza Maroczy
and Akiba Rubinstein from competition.
Never again was there such a rule at a
chess Olympiad—a rule which only
decreased the level of competition.
The Americans were led by Isaac Kash-
dan who scored 86 percent, the best
individual result of the Olympiad. The
rest of the team members’ scores were (as
percentages): Herman Steiner 65.6,
Samuel Factor 59, Erling Tholfsen 50,
and Milton Hanauer 33.
Our team defeated the eventually vic-
torious Hungarian team. Here are some
interesting endgames from this event.
Weak or strong pawn?
Isaac Kashdan (USA)
Endre Steiner (Hungary)
The Hague (Olympiad), 1928
r+ + +k+
+ r +ppp
+ +p+ +
p + + +
n+ + + +
P + L P
R+P+ P P
+ + +RK
Black to play
25. ... f6
Black is obviously better because of
the weak and under fire c2-pawn, so he
avoids the continuation 25. ... Nc3 26.
46 Chess Life — December 2008
5:05 PM Page 46
Rb2 Na4 which could have forced a draw.
But the win is not at all guaranteed since + r + k
after 25. ... Rac8, 26. Bd2 saves. +p+r+ p
p+n+R+ p
26. Kg2 Rb8
If 26. ... Rac8, then 27. Rc1 Nc3 28. Rb2 + P + +q
Ne2 29. Re1 Rxc2? 30. Rxe2.
+ + p +
27. Bd2 Rb5 28. Re1 Kf7 29. Re3 e5 30. Rd3
Ke6 31. Kf1 Nc5 32. Rc3 Rd7 33. Be3 Ne4 34. P Q +N+P
P + PP+
Rb3 Rbd5?
White is liberated by this mistake. The + R + K
right course was 34. … Rxb3 35. cxb3
White to play
Rd1+ 36. Kg2 Rb1 37. b4 a4 (37. ... axb4
38. axb4 Rxb4 39. Ra7 with equality)
keeping the edge.
32. Kh2
White is up a pawn so he should avoid
complications. The natural 32. Rce1 Rd3
35. c4 Rd1+ 36. Kg2 a4 37. Rb4 Nc3 38. Rc2
33. Re8+ with further simplifications
R1d3 39. Rb6+ Kf7 40. Ra6 Nd1 41. Bb6!
The weak c-pawn has been transformed could have been the best course.
into a mobile, and threatening well-sup-
ported, passed pawn. If 41. Rxa4?, then
41. ... Rxe3!
32. ... Rd3 33. Qe1
The more natural 33. Qc4 was better.
After 33. ... Rxf3, then 34. gxf3 Nd4 (if 34.
… Ne5 35. Rxe5) 35. Rd6 Nxf3+ 36. Kg2
41. ... Rxa3
There is no time for this. The immedi- could have still given chances to win.
ate 41. ... Rc3 was better.
34. ... Rxf3 34. Rxc6 bxc6 35. gxf3 Qxf3
Black has regained the pawn—and even
42. c5 Rc3 43. Rxc3 Nxc3 44. c6 Re7 45. Bd8!
has a slightly better position—but soon he
Nb5 46. Bxe7 Kxe7 47. Rxa4 Kd6 48. Rc4
commits a small error, apparently in time
Kc7
White has won an Exchange, but to trouble.
win either the rook or the king must infil-
trate Black’s position. 36. Rc3 Qd5 37. Qe2 Qd2 38. Rc2 Qd4 39.
Rc4 Qf6 40. Re4 Kh7 41. Re6 Qd4
Better was 41. ... Qf5! since the contin-
49. Kf3! f5 50. Ke3 Nd6
In case of 50. ... Na7, then 51. Rh4 h6 uation 42. Rxc6 f3 is dangerous to White.
52. Rh5 wins.
42. Rxc6 Re8 43. Qc2+ Kh8 44. Rd6 Qe5 45.
51. Rc5 Nf7 52. f4 exf4+ 53. Kxf4 g6 54. Rc2 Qc3
Stops the attack at the price of his
h6 55. h4 h5 56. Re2 Nd8 57. Kg5 Nxc6 58.
pawn structure’s destruction.
Kxg6 Nd4 59. Rd2 Nf3 60. Rf2, Black
resigned.
The other three games in this match
were drawn. Let’s examine one of them.
45. ... Qxc3 46. bxc3 Re5!
Goes for the golden rule: the rook must
be behind the passed pawn.
Pawn up
Kornél Havasi (Hungary)
Erling Tholfsen (USA)
47. Rc6 Kh7 48. Kg2 g5 49. Kf3 h5 50. c4 a5
The Hague (Olympiad), 1928
51. Rc8
uschess.org