CBM Blog: Kramnik's King and Giri's flash of genius

by ChessBase
7/31/2011 – In endings with rook and knight vs rook and bishop the knight often wants to have full control to compensate for its relative slow maneuvering ability. And in rook endings it is usually bad to advance the pawn so far that the attacking king has no shelter – unless you have a special plan. Our endgame expert Dr. Karsten Müller presents instructive lessons from the current Dortmund tournament.
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Kramnik's King

In endings with rook and knight vs rook and bishop the knight often wants to have full control to compensate for its relative slow manovering abilities. Another important factor is the strength of the bishop. If it is passive and the other color complex weak, then the knight often has good winning chances:

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.Bg2 d5 8.Qb3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nc6 10.cxd5 Na5 11.Qc2 Nxd5 12.0-0 Qc7 13.Re1N Bd7 14.e4 Nb6 15.e5 Ba4 16.Qd3 Qc4 17.Qf3 Nc6 18.Re4 Nxd4 19.Rxd4 Bc6 20.Rxc4 Bxf3 21.Rc7 Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Rab8 23.Rb1 Rfc8 24.Rxc8+ Rxc8 25.Rb3 h5 26.Be3 Nd5 27.Bd4 b6 28.f4 Rc4 29.Kf1 Ra4 30.Rb2
30...Kh7! The king starts its long march. 31.Kf2 Kg6 32.Rc2? 32.Kf3 Ra3 33.h3 was a better way to implement Nakamura's defensive concept. But Black should win in the long run after Nxc3 34.Rb3 Rxb3 35.axb3 Nd5 32...Ra3! 33.h3 33.c4 Nb4 34.Re2 34.Rd2 Kf5-+ 34...Kf5 35.h3 Nd3+ 36.Kg2 h4 37.g4+ Kg6 38.Be3 Rc3 39.Kf3 Nb4 40.Kf2 Nc2-+ After the passive 33.Ke2 Kf5 34.Kd2 Kg4 35.Kc1 b5 36.Kb2 Ra4 37.Kb3 a6 38.a3 g6 39.Rf2 Kh3 40.Rd2 Black undermines the structure with h4-+ 33.Kf3 Nb4 34.Rc1 Nc6 35.Ke4 Rxa2 36.h3 Rh2 37.Kf3 Rb2 38.g4 Rh2 39.Kg3 Rd2 40.Be3 h4+ 41.Kxh4 Rd3 42.Bf2 Rf3 43.Bg3 b5-+ 33...b5 34.Rb2 After 34.Bc5 Rxc3 35.Rxc3 Nxc3 36.Bxa7 Nxa2 37.g4 b4 38.Ke3 Nc3 39.Kd3 Nd5 40.Ke4 Black opens the gates with Kh7 41.Bc5 g5 42.fxg5 hxg4 43.hxg4 Kg6-+ 34...a6! Kramnik calmly keeps control. 34...Nxc3? 35.Bxc3 Rxc3 36.Rxb5 Rc2+ 37.Kf3 Rxa2 38.g4 would be too hasty due to the large drawish tendency of rook endings. 35.Rc2 35.Kf3 b4-+ 35...Kf5 Finally the king marches on. 36.Kf3 b4 37.g4+ hxg4+ 38.hxg4+ Kg6 39.Ke4 bxc3 40.Rh2 40.Be3 Ra4+ 41.Kf3 Rb4 42.Bc1 Rd4 43.a3 f6 opens a second front to penetrate with the king to the heart of White's position. 44.exf6 Kxf6 45.Kf2 e5 46.fxe5+ Kxe5 47.Kf3 Rd3+ 48.Ke2 Ke4-+ 40...Ra4 41.Rf2 a5 42.Kd3 c2!? 43.f5+ 43.Rxc2? Nb4+-+ 43...Kg5 44.Bb2 Nb4+ 45.Kc3 Rxa2 46.Rf1 Kxg4 47.fxe6 fxe6 47...fxe6 48.Rg1+ Kf3 49.Rxg7 c1Q+ 50.Bxc1 Rc2+-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nakamura,H2770Kramnik,V27810–12011E2039th GM4

Giri's Flash of Genius

How did wunderkind Anish Giri break Ponomariov's defense: with 62.a7 or with 62.Kd2?

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.a3 c5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.Be5 Bg4 12.Be2 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Bf6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Qc2 Rac8 16.Bxd5 Rfd8 17.Rd1 Qe5 18.Qc4 b5 19.Qa2 Rd7 20.0-0 Na4 21.Bb3 Rdc7 22.Rd4 Nb6 23.Rfd1 g6 24.Qb1 Kg7 25.g3 Nc4 26.Kg2 Qf6 27.Bxc4 bxc4 28.Qe4 Re7 29.Qd5 c3 30.bxc3 Rxc3 31.Rf4 Qc6 32.Qxc6 Rxc6 33.Rdd4 Rc2 34.Rd5 h5 35.Ra5 Rb7 36.h3 Ra2 37.Rfa4 Rbb2 38.Rf4 Rb7 39.g4 hxg4 40.hxg4 Rc7 41.Kg3 Rb2 42.g5 Rb1 43.Kg2 Rb2 44.Rfa4 Rcc2 45.Rf4 Rb7 46.Kg3 Rc1 47.Rd4 Rb2 48.Rf4 Rb7 49.Rd4 Rb2 50.f3 a6 51.Rxa6 Rb5 52.f4 Rb3 53.Re4 Rcc3 54.a4 Rxe3+ 55.Rxe3 Rxe3+ 56.Kf2 Ra3 57.Ra7 Kf8 58.a5 Ke8 59.a6 Kf8 60.Ke2 Ke8 61.Ra8+ Kd7
62.a7! Usually it is bad to advance the pawn so far that White's king has no shelter on the queenside anymore. But Giri has a plan. 62.Kd2? runs into Ke6 63.Ra7 63.a7 Kf5= 63...Kd5 64.Kc2 Ke4 65.Kb2 Ra5 66.Kb3 Kxf4 67.Rxf7+ Kxg5 68.a7 Kh5 But not 68...Kg4? 69.Rc7 g5 70.Rc4+ Kf3 71.Ra4 Rxa7 72.Rxa7 g4 73.Rf7+! This zwischenschach is an extremely important motiv. Ke2 74.Rg7 Kf3 75.Kc2 g3 76.Kd2 Kf2 76...g2 77.Ke1+- 77.Rf7+ Kg1 78.Ke2 g2 79.Rg7 Kh2 80.Kf2+- 69.Kb4 Ra1 70.Rc7 g5= 62...Kc6 After 62...Ke7 Giri's intention is revealed: 63.f5‼ gxf5 64.g6 to open up the seventh rank for the final trick fxg6 64...Kf6 65.gxf7 Kxf7 66.Rh8 Rxa7 67.Rh7++- After 64...Ra2+ 65.Kf3 Ra3+ 66.Kf4 Ra4+ White uses the pawn f5 as umbrella: 67.Kg5 f6+ 68.Kh5 Ra1 69.g7 Rh1+ 70.Kg6 Rg1+ 71.Kxf5 Rxg7 72.Rb8+- 65.Rh8 Rxa7 66.Rh7++- 62...Ra2+ 63.Kd3 Ra3+ 64.Kc4 Ra4+ 65.Kb5 Ra1 66.Rf8+- 63.Rc8+ Kb7 64.Rf8 64.Rf8 Kxa7 64...Rxa7 65.Rxf7+ Kb8 66.Rxa7 Kxa7 67.f5 gxf5 68.g6+- 65.Rxf7+ Kb8 66.Rf6+- 1–0
  • 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
Giri,A2701Ponomariov,R27641–02011D3739th GM7

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.

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