CBM Blog: Dominating the queen – a Knightmare

by ChessBase
10/2/2011 – Ready for some more endgame lessons from GM Karsten Müller? He shows us how, in a queen ending, the activity of the queens and the safety of the kings is of paramount importance. In the second example a knight has to make an important decision on which path to take – White went astray and lost instead of winning. Find out why, learn and become a better player.
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Dominating the queen

In a queen ending the activity of the queens and the safety of the kings is often very important:

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.e4 e5 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.h3 b5 13.Bb3 exd4 14.Nxd4 Nc5 15.Bg5 Be5 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Nxc6 Bb7 18.Nd4 Nxb3 19.Qxb3 Rad8 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 Bxd4 22.Rxd4 Qe5 23.Rad1 Rd6 24.a4 bxa4 25.Qxa4 g6 26.Qc4 Rfd8 27.b4 Qf5 28.h4 h5 29.g3 Kg7 30.Kg2 Kg8 31.Ra1 Rc8 32.Qf1 Qe5 33.Qd1 Re8 34.Ra2 Qf5 35.Rc2 Re4 36.Rc5 Rf6 37.Rxe4 Qxe4+ 38.Kg1 Qxb4 39.Rc6 Qb2 40.Rxf6 Qxf6 41.d6 Qd8 42.Qd5 Kf8 43.Qc5 f6 44.Qc7 Ke8 45.Qc6+ Kf7 46.Qc4+ Ke8 47.Qg8+ Kd7 48.Qxg6 Qh8 49.Qd3 a5 50.Qd4 a4 51.Qc5 Ke6 52.Qc6 a3 53.Qa6 a2 54.Qxa2+ Kxd6 55.Qf7 Ke5 56.Qd7 Qh6 57.Qe8+ Kd6 58.Qd8+ Ke6 59.Qg8+ Kd6 60.Kg2 Ke7 61.f4 Qf8 62.Qd5 Qe8 63.Qc5+ Ke6 64.Kf3 Qg6 65.Kf2 Kf7
66.f5! Despite the reduced winning potential Black is now lost as he can not activate his queen. Qh6 After 66...Qg4 67.Qc7+ Kf8 68.Qd6+ Kf7 69.Qe6+ Kg7 70.Qe7+ Kg8 71.Qxf6+- Black has no check. 66...Qg7?! 67.Qc7+ Kg8 68.Qxg7+ Kxg7 69.Ke3 69.g4?? hxg4 70.Kg3 Kh6 71.Kxg4 Kg7 72.Kf4 Kh6 73.Ke4 Kh5 74.Kd5 Kxh4= 69...Kf7 70.Kd4 Ke7 71.Kc5 Kd7 72.Kd5+- and 66...Qg8?! both lose directly: 67.Qd5+ Kg7 68.Qxg8+ Kxg8 69.Ke3+- 67.Qc7+ Kg8 68.Qc4+ Kh8 69.Qe2 Kg7?! 69...Qf8 70.Qxh5+ Kg8 is more tenacious. 70.Qe3! Qh8 71.Qe7+ Kh6 72.Ke3 Deadly zugzwang. A tragicomical picture! Qg8 73.Qxf6+ Kh7 74.Qg6+ 74.Qg6+ Qxg6 75.fxg6+ Kxg6 76.Ke4! Diagonal opposition Kf6 77.Kf4+- 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aronian,L2805Karjakin,S27881–02011D468th World Teams3

Knightmare

It is often very difficult to direct a knight into the right direction. White is winning but loses quickly. Which route must his knight take?

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bb6 5.a4 a6 6.0-0 d6 7.c3 Be6 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.d3 Nf6 10.Na3 0-0 11.Nc2 Bxc4 12.Qxc4 Qe6 13.Qxe6 fxe6 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.Nxe3 Nh5 16.Ra2 Nf4 17.Ne1 g5 18.g3 Nh5 19.Ng4 Kg7 20.Kg2 Nf6 21.Nxf6 Kxf6 22.Nc2 a5 23.b5 Nb8 24.Ne3 Nd7 25.d4 Ke7 26.Rd1 c6 27.bxc6 bxc6 28.Rb2 Rab8 29.Rdb1 exd4 30.cxd4 d5 31.Rb7 Rxb7 32.Rxb7 Rb8 33.Ra7 Rb4 34.Ng4 Kd8 35.exd5 exd5 36.Rxa5 Rxd4 37.Ne3 c5 38.Ra8+ Kc7 39.Ra7+ Kc8 40.Nf5 Rd1 41.Nd6+ Kd8 42.Nf7+ Kc8 43.Nd6+ Kd8 44.Nf7+ Kc8 45.Nxg5 c4 46.Ne6 Nf6 47.a5 Kb8 48.Rc7 Re1 49.Rc6 Ne4 50.Nd4 Rb1 51.f4 c3 52.f5 Rb4 53.Nf3 Kb7 54.Ne5 Rb2+ 55.Kh3 d4 56.f6 Rb5 57.a6+ Ka7 58.f7 Ng5+ 59.Kg4 Nxf7 60.Nxf7 Rd5
61.Nd6? Allows Black to interfere powerfully. 61.Ng5! is the right direction: d3 62.Nh3! 62.Ne4?! Rd4 62...c2 63.Nf2 Rd6 64.Rc3+- 63.Kf3 Rxe4 64.Rxc3 Rd4 65.Rc1 Kxa6 66.Ke3 Rd6 67.Rd1 Rh6 68.Rd2 Kb5 69.Kxd3 Kc5 70.Ke4+- 62...d2 62...c2 63.Nf2 d2 64.Rxc2 d1Q+ 65.Nxd1 Rxd1 66.Rc7+ Kxa6 67.Rxh7+- 63.Nf2 d1Q+ 63...Rd3 64.Nd1+- 63...Re5 64.Nd1+- 64.Nxd1 Rxd1 65.Rxc3 Kxa6 66.Rc7+- 61...Rxd6! This blow was probably overlooked by Reimold. I guess that he had expected 61...d3?? 62.Nc8+ and White wins, e.g. Ka8 62...Kb8 63.a7+ Ka8 64.Rb6+- 63.Nb6+ Ka7 64.Nxd5 c2 65.Nc3 Winning in the attack. It is also possible to stop the pawns with 65.Ne3+- 65...d2 66.Nb5+ Kb8 67.a7+ Kb7 68.Rc7+ Kb6 69.a8Q d1Q+ 70.Kh4+- 62.Rc8? Now it is all over. 62.Rxd6 still saves half a point as the queen cannot break the fortress after c2 63.Rxd4 c1Q 64.Rd7+ Kxa6 65.Rxh7= 62...d3 63.Rxc3 d2 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Reimold,J2037Nabavi,P22140–12011C518th LGA Premium Cup6.52

Since 1988 grandmaster Dr. Karsten Müller from Hamburg has been playing for the Hamburger Schachklub in the Bundesliga, and in 1996 and 1997 he finished third in the German Championship. As an internationally renowned endgame expert he is the author of the endgame column in the ChessBase Magazine and the author of the Endgame Corner column on ChessCafe.com.

You will find a whole series of his very popular endgame DVD in the ChessBase Shop here.

Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

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