How To Play Chess Endgames PDF
How To Play Chess Endgames PDF
Contents
1 Activity 15
A) King Activity 15
A1) An Endgame is Not a Middlegame 15
A2) Cutting Off the King 24
A3) Barriers 29
A4) The Bodycheck 30
A5) The Réti Manoeuvre 32
B) Rook Activity 33
C) Activity in General 36
3 Do Not Rush! 65
A) Preparatory Measures 65
B) Subtle Technical Moves 67
C) Repeating Moves 68
D) The Art of Manoeuvring 69
E) Playing with the Whole Army 72
4 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
6 Weaknesses 114
A) Pawn- and Square- Weaknesses 114
A1) Pawn Weaknesses 114
A1a) Isolated Pawns 114
A1b) Doubled Pawns 115
A1c) Backward Pawns 116
A1d) A Pawn that has Advanced Too Far 116
A2) Weak Squares 118
B) A Complex of Weak Squares 118
C) Creating and Fixing a Weakness 121
D) Manoeuvring 123
E) The Principle of the Second Weakness 129
F) The Exploitability of a Weakness 131
G) Fatal Passivity with Structural Weaknesses 132
10 Zugzwang 173
A) A Powerful Endgame Weapon 173
B) Theoretically Important Endings 177
C) Reciprocal Zugzwang 179
D) Triangulation and Spare Moves 180
11 Fortresses 183
A) Elementary Fortresses 183
B) A Secure Camp 190
B1) Fortresses against a Bishop 190
B1a) Averbakh’s Barrier 190
B1b) The Bishops Inhabit Different Worlds 191
B1c) The Well-Entrenched Knight 192
B2) Fortresses against a Rook 194
B2a) The Knight Fights Well in a Confined Space 194
B2b) Typical Drawing Fortresses with Bishop against Rook 196
B3) Fortresses against the Queen 199
C) Pawn-Barriers 200
D) Incarcerating Pieces 204
6 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
12 Stalemate 216
A) The Last Chance 216
B) Theoretically Important Stalemate Positions 217
C) Desperado 219
D) Underpromotion to Avoid Stalemate 219
13 Mate 222
A) An Incarcerated King 222
B) The All-Important First Check 223
C) Rooks in Seventh Heaven 225
D) Attacking with Opposite-Coloured Bishops 227
E) The Knight in the Attack 231
F) Long-Term Mating Attacks 233
14 Domination 235
A) Total Domination 235
B) Theoretically Important Endings 237
C) Methods of Restriction 238
C1) Restricting a Bishop 238
C2) Restricting a Knight 239
C3) Restricting the Whole Enemy Force 241
C4) Incarcerating a Piece 242
Bibliography 345
Index 347
THE ART OF PAWN PLAY
[Pawns] are the very Life of this Game. other phases of the game. In the endgame they
FRANÇOIS-ANDRÉ DANICAN PHILIDOR either play a diversionary role or are even the
decisive factor. The former case arises if the
The older I get, the more I value pawns. passed pawn is so dangerous that it draws the
PAUL KERES fire of the opposing forces, who are thus forced
to abandon the main battle-zone. Thus, for in-
In contrast to all the other pieces, pawns cannot stance, an outside passed pawn (see A1) often
move backwards. They take tiny steps and there diverts the enemy king. Protected passed pawns
are often long delays between each pawn move. (see A2) have the advantage that they compel
On account of this leisurely progress, it is often enemy pieces to adopt defensive duties, yet do
the case that the pawn-structure changes only not require protection by their own pieces. Thus
very slowly and hence it leaves its stamp on the the presence of protected passed pawns gener-
position for some considerable time. Of course, ally increases the overall activity of the side
you can never deduce the best move just from a that has them.
consideration of the pawn-structure alone, but Passed pawns are generally a decisive fac-
in most cases this does give definite clues as to tor if they are so powerful that, despite all ob-
the direction in which one’s thoughts should be structions, they succeed in promoting, or if
pointed. This fact alone is enough to demon- they force the opponent to give up material to
strate the great importance of the pawns. So prevent their advance. For example, connected
consider each pawn move carefully! passed pawns (see A3) advancing in ‘close
Before we become immersed in the subject- formation’ are as a rule extremely hard to stop.
matter, we should like to point out that this Not only can they can defend each other, but
theme also overlaps with other chapters. You they can also help one other by controlling the
can find related subject-matter, for example, in squares that each needs to move to.
Chapter 6 on the theme of pawn weaknesses, in Basically, when there are passed pawns, the
Chapter 5 on support-points for pieces, and in following rules of thumb are applicable:
Chapter 4 on pawn exchanges. Finally, the im- 1. Passed pawns must be pushed.
portant rule of thumb ‘don’t move pawns on the 2. In any race between passed pawns, it is not
wing where the opponent has the advantage’ is the quantity but the quality of the passed pawns
closely examined in Chapter 17. that counts.
All these aspects will now be enlarged upon,
point by point.
A) Passed Pawns
A1) Outside Passed Pawns
For me, the passed pawn has a soul, just like a
human being, unacknowledged desires slum- In pawn endings and minor-piece endings, an
bering deep within, and fears, of whose exis- outside passed pawn is a particularly powerful
tence it is scarcely aware. force, since it diverts the main defender.
ARON NIMZOWITSCH In the diagram on the following page, Lar-
sen’s king must deal ‘personally’ with the a-
In the endgame, passed pawns increase enor- pawn, enabling White to seize the advantage on
mously in importance, in comparison with the the kingside:
40 HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES
2.01
R.Fischer – B.Larsen
-+-+-+k+
Denver Ct (5) 1971 W S-+-+pz-
1 Êd4 Êd6 2 a5 f6 3 a6 Êc6 4 a7 Êb7 5 -s-+-+-z
Êd5 h4 +-+-+-+-
5...f5 6 h4 +ø.
6 Êe6 1-0 -+p+-+-+
Z-+-+-+P
The next example illustrates the genesis of
an outside passed pawn: -+-+-ZP+
+-+-+K+-
-+-+-+-+ 2.03
W +-+-m-+- N.Robson – K.D.Müller
corr. 2005
-+p+-z-+
z-+-+-+p White should win, since he has the outside
passed pawn and the slightly more active king.
-+-+-+-+ 1 Êe2 Êf8 2 Ìc6 Êe8!?
+-+-+K+- The king should be brought into play. The
game continued 2...c3 3 Êd3 Ìc4 4 Ìd4 Ìxa3
PZ-+-+PZ 5 Êxc3 and the knight was dominated, since
+-+-+-+- after 5...f5 6 Êb3 Ìb1 7 Ìf3 the cage was
closed. With 7...g5 8 Êb2 g4 9 Êxb1 gxf3
2.02 Black was able to avoid immediate loss of ma-
J.Hjartarson – E.Gausel terial, but the pawn ending was hopeless: 10 g3!
Nordic Ch (Reykjavik) 1997 (10 gxf3? Êf7 11 Êc2 Êg6 12 Êd3 Êg5 13
Êe3 h5 =) 10...Êf7 11 Êc2 Êg6 12 Êd3 Êf6
1 h4 Êe6 13 Êe3 1-0.
The actual game continuation was 1...f5 2 3 Ìb4 Êd7 4 Êe3 Êd6 5 Êd4 g6 6 Ìa2
Êf4 Êf6 3 a4 c5 4 b3 (zugzwang) 1-0. Ìd5 7 h4 Ìb6 8 Ìc3 Êc6 9 a4 Êb7 10 Êc5
2 g4 Êa6 11 Êb4 f5 12 f4 h5 13 g3 Êb7 14 Êb5 +ø
White creates a passed pawn on the h-file.
2...hxg4+ 3 Êxg4 Êf7 4 Êf5 a4 5 h5 c5 6 As just demonstrated in exemplary fashion,
b3 axb3 7 axb3 Êg7 8 h6+ Êxh6 9 Êxf6 +ø in minor-piece endings an outside passed pawn
THE ART OF PAWN PLAY 41
-+-+-+-+ rs-t-+k+
W +-+-+-+- W zl+-+pvp
-m-M-+-+ -+-+-+p+
zP+-+-+- +pzPz-+-
P+-+-+-+ -+-+P+-+
+-+-+-+- +L+-VP+-
-+-+-+-+ PZ-+-+PZ
+-+-+-+- +-MR+-SR
2.06
A very important zwischenzug, which en- M.Botvinnik – M.Tal
ables White to liquidate into a pawn ending af- Moscow Wch (13) 1961
ter both pawns promote.
3...Êe3 4 b7 f2 5 b8Ë f1Ë 6 Ëe5+ Êd2 7 blockade the pawn with his knight, which in
Ëxa5+ Êd1 8 Ëd5+ Êc1 9 Ëc5+ Êd1 10 this case would be fulfilling a mass of useful
Ëd4+ Êc2 11 Ëf2+ +ø functions, without itself being in danger. After
this, the queenside pawns could have gradu-
Naturally at this point we should also like to ally begun to advance. In concrete terms it
include an example which illustrates the impor- could have taken the following form: 2 Ìe2
tance of a protected passed pawn in a piece end- Îac8, and then 3...Ìf6, 4...Ìe8 and 5...Ìd6.
ing. However, we must admit that it was (rather Of course, while manoeuvring, Black would
surprisingly for us) not very easy to track down have to adapt to the opponent’s plans and
a suitable position. In the database you gener- moves. But even if there occurred 4...Ìf6,
ally find either games in which a protected 6...Ìe8 and 8...Ìd6, this would do Black no
passed pawn is securely blockaded and which harm. After rejecting this plan, Tal was faced
end in favour of the blockading side, or else with the sad necessity of blockading the pawn
positions in which the side with a protected with the rook. The blockade theorist Nimzo-
passed pawn is so obviously on top that they are witsch would have condemned him for this.
not really suitable as instructive examples for One should blockade with a piece which, in so
this book. But it would be wrong to conclude doing, retains its ability to attack.”
from this that a protected passed pawn can play 2 Ìe2 Íf8 3 Ìc3 a6?!
an important role only in pawn endings. The Once again let us listen to Botvinnik: “Per-
truth seems to be that players have such great haps the losing move. The bishop at b7 is shut
regard for the protected passed pawn that they out of play for a long time and, most impor-
allow the opponent to create one only if they are tantly, White can carry out his plan unhindered.
in great difficulties or if, on the other hand, they Black should have decided on 3...b4.”
are quite sure that it can be securely blockaded. 4 b3 Îac8 5 Íd3 Ìb6 6 Íe2 Îd6 7 Êb2 f5
1 Íc2 7...b4 8 Ìb1 c4 9 bxc4 Ìxc4+ 10 Íxc4
Botvinnik’s plan consists of undermining Îxc4 11 Îc1 also leaves White with a clear ad-
the black queenside pawns with b3 followed vantage.
by a4. 8 Îc1 Îf6 (D)
1...Ìd7 9 a4!
Let us hear what Botvinnik has to say about Now that White has completed all the neces-
this position: “Tal has created definite coun- sary preparations in peace, he implements his
ter-chances. His immediate aim should be to plan with this move. Black can no longer prevent