10/17/2017 – Our Study of the Month author Siegfried Hornecker has a mystery to solve, and he needs your help! Larissa Volpert, the professor for philology and chess master, died in New York City on October 1st, 2017, at the age of 91. A game fragment from a 1961 Soviet chess magazine provides a glimpse into one of her greatest triumphs — a pawn ending so elegant that it resembles a composed study. But was the rest of the game as equally awe inspiring?
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When chess imitates studies
Remembering Estonian WGM Larissa Volpert
As a chess composer — especially on the field of endgame studies — the material of kings and pawns yields the opportunity to show interesting struggles, consisting of zugzwang, mined squares, promotion struggles, and sometimes even an interesting stalemate idea. In theory, of course, every study can happen in a real game, although for some motifs it is more probable than others. However, in a truly extraordinary moment a pawn endgame might arise in a practical game that couldn’t have been composed any better!
Larissa Volpert, the professor for philology and chess master, died in New York City on October 1st, 2017, at the age of 91. According to her Wikipedia entry, she completed her doctorate in philology (which combines literary criticism, history, and linguistics) at Leningrad State University in 1955. Her work focused on the relationships between late 18th and early 19th centuries Russian (Pushkin, Lermontov) and French literature. At the same time she became an accomplished chess player, winning the Soviet Women's Championship twice — in 1954 and 1959.
The following game fragment, first published in the “Shakhmaty v SSSR” magazine, issue 2/1961, by Igor Bondarevsky, might be the most aesthetical endgame she ever won. It was played at the USSR team championship 1960, and I hope the readers that didn’t know it yet will find at least the ending as much pleasing as did Hans-Hilmar Staudte and Milu Milescu, who reprinted it in their book “Das 1x1 des Endspiels”. Yet, I found it to be widely unknown in the chess world, and for most readers it will be the first time seeing it.
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This endgame was published in "Shakhmaty v SSSR", issue 2/1961, by Igor
Bondarevsky under the heading (latinized) "Edyutnoe okonchanie" - roughly
translated "studylike endgame". The Black player, Mrs. Tatyana Zatulovskaya,
is to move against Mrs. Larissa Wolpert, who leads the White pieces. She can
try to keep the orthogonal opposition, which is the move that many players
might have chosen, or try to go for a diagonal opposition. In the
following analysis, we follow Bondarevsky in the source given above.41...Ke7‼The natural idea is41...Kc742.Kd5Kd7but now White can sacrifice
his g-pawn.43.g5!fxg543...hxg5??44.h6+-44.Kxe5Ke745.Kf5Ke846.Kf6Kf847.e5Kg848.Ke7or even48.e6if White avoids the
stalemate and zugzwang traps:Kf8!49.Ke5!49.exf7?g450.fxg4=49.Kf5?Ke750.exf7Kxf7=49...Ke750.exf7Kxf751.Kf5+-48...Kg749.e6fxe650.Kxe6+-Not better either is41...Ke642.Kc6Ke743.Kc7Ke643...Ke844.Kd6Kf845.Kd7Kg846.Ke8Kg747.Ke7+-44.Kd8+-42.Kd5Kf8‼43.Kc6‼The players both find the best moves, and the
quick retreat of the Black king prevents already43.g5?forhxg544.Kd644.h6?Kg845.Kd6Kh746.Ke7f5!47.exf5e4!only this pawn, not47...g4??48.fxg4e449.g5e350.Kxf7+-48.fxe4g449.e549.Kxf7g350.e5g251.e6g1Q-+49...g350.e6fxe651.f6g252.f7g1Q53.f8QQc5+!-+and no cigar for White.44...f545.Kxe545.exf5??g4-+
Bondarevsky thought also45...e4wins here, but the pawn must be chosen
carefully:46.fxe4g447.e5g348.e6g248...Ke8??49.h6+-49.Kd7=45...fxe446.fxe4Kg747.Kf5f6=43...Kg743...Ke744.Kc7+-43...Ke844.Kd6+-Transposing is43...Kg844.Kd6Kh745.Kd7Kh8!=44.Kc7!Kh7‼It is beautiful to see two grandmasters play who
deserve that name! Again Zatulovskaya is at her height, although44...Kg845.Kd6Kh7=draws.Possible is also44...Kh845.Kd8Kh746.Kd7Kh8!=45.Kd7Kh8!White needs to act.46.g5!hxg5!And again, the
defense stands:46...Kg7?47.gxh6+or even47.gxf6+Kxf648.Kd6Kg549.Kxe5Kxh550.Kf6!+-47...Kxh648.Ke7Kg749.h6++-46...f5?47.exf5also winning is47.gxh6fxe448.fxe4Kh749.Kd6or49.Kd8f550.exf5Kxh651.f6e452.f7+-49.Ke7?f5=49...Kxh649...f550.exf5e451.f6e352.f7e253.f8Qe1Q54.Qg7#50.Ke7‼50.Kxe5?Kxh551.Kf651.Kf5Kh4!52.e5Kg3=51...Kg452.e5Kf4=50...Kxh550...f551.exf5e452.f6e353.f7e254.f8Q++-50...Kg751.h6+!+-47...hxg5leads to a position I published as study only knowing
the ending - i.e. I wondered what game could happen before or what would be
similar, but is indeed anticipated by the analysis by Bondarevsky.48.f6!Kg848...e449.fxe4g450.e5g351.e6fxe652.f7Kg753.Ke7+-48...g449.fxg4e450.g5e351.g6Kg852.Ke8!e253.gxf7+Kh754.f8Qe1Q+55.Qe7+!+-49.Ke8!+-49.Ke7?=leads to variations we see
later.We already have seen the consequences of46...fxg5?47.Kd6+-47.Ke7Of course, White can try more tricks:47.Ke8Kg7!48.Ke748.h6+?Kxh649.Kxf7g4!50.fxg4Kg551.Kg7Kxg452.Kxf6Kf4-+48...f549.exf5=and now only one move draws, see below.47...f547...Kg7?48.h6+48.exf5# Diagram after 48.-exf5 Until now, both players found
the correct moves, a perfect play so far, but now Mrs. Zatulovskaya makes a
mistake that will cost her the game.e4?48...g4?49.fxg4e450.Kxf7e351.g5e252.g6e1Q53.g7+Kh754.g8Q+Kh655.Qg6#But what else
is in this position? There is one silent move of extraordinary power,
postponing the decision, giving White a tempo, but building up a move matrix
found only in the masterpieces of chess composition otherwise, one that will
be gone into detail in the article.48...Kg8‼49.h6And yet White seems
to win:49.f6g449...e4?50.fxe4g451.e5g352.e6g253.exf7+Kh754.f8Qg1Q55.Qf7+Kh856.Qe8+Kh757.Qg6++-50.fxg4e451.g5e352.g6e253.gxf7+Kh754.f8Qe1Q+55.Kf7and the game is over. - Yes, it is
over, but not as White might have wanted it, as Black now has one piece too
much to draw, and she can sacrifice it:Qe6+‼56.Kxe6stalemate.49...e449...g4?50.fxg4e451.g5e352.g6fxg653.fxg6e254.h7+Kg755.h8Q+Kxh856.Kf7e1Q57.g7+Kh758.g8Q+Kh659.Qg6#50.fxe4g451.e5g352.e6fxe653.f6g254.f7+Kh755.f8Qg1Q=49.fxe4g450.Kxf7!g351.f6g252.Ke8g1Q53.f71–0
I don't know how — or if — the game continued, but White won. Black, a queen ahead, finds herself in a position that can only occur once in a blue moon in a practical game. She is a queen ahead against three pawns, but damned to losw as she can't prevent the promotion. Isn't this truly remarkable? Play of the highest level, a hidden stalemate, and — by missing it — an even more study-like win. All that happening in a practical game, and in the analysis of Igor Bondarevsky! Wonderful!
Now let us for one moment look at the matrix in this position:
Position after 47...f5
White to move - Play through the moves right on the diagram!
48.exf5 In the game followed 48...e4?, losing in style, while 48...Kg8 would have saved the game. Notice that before Kh8-g8 has been played both 48...e4? and 48...g4? are questionable, as shown above. However, after 48...Kg8, both moves draw if Black can play: 49...e4! or 49...g4!
I.e. 49.h6 g4?, but 49...e4! Or 49.f6 e4?, but 49...g4!
I don’t know what this is called in the problemist jargon (Black Fleck theme?), but Black must precisely use the correct defense.
Unfortunately the entire game score seems to be missing and Larissa Volpert never replied to an e-mail I sent some years ago, so your author hereby offers a small bounty, to be collected by the first correct sender until December 31st, 2018: If you can find the real complete game score, I offer you a small prize at my discretion.
Correction October 18: Karsten Müller noted "44...Kg8 draws as well due to 45.Kd6 Kh7 and deserves no question mark". We've updated that note to Black's 44th move.
Siegfried HorneckerSiegfried (*1986) is a German chess composer and member of the World Federation for Chess Composition, subcommitee for endgame studies. His autobiographical book "Weltenfern" (in English only) can be found on the ARVES website. He presents an interesting endgame study with detailed explanation each month.
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