CBM Blog: Opposition and the Horwitz Manoeuvre

by ChessBase
9/12/2011 – The first games of the World Cup semi-finals did not produce a lot of material for commentary. So we use this analytical pause to bring you two endgame lessons by GM Dr. Karsten Müller. The examples are taken from earlier games in Khanty-Mansiysk and give you insights into complex opposition and a classical winning technique that Ruslan Ponomariov executed perfectly. Look and learn.
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Opposition

Pawn endings are deceptively simple. But mastering a few techniques helps a lot. One of the most important is the opposition, as it is the main weapon when the king fights to occupy one of three adjacent key squares:

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5 Na6 7.f4 c6 8.Qd2 d5 9.Bxf6 exf6 10.exd5 cxd5 11.Nxd5 Re8 12.Nf3 Be6 13.Ne3 Qe7 14.0-0 Bd7 15.Kf2 Bc6 16.Rae1 Rad8 17.d5 Nc5 18.Bd3 Qc7 19.g3 a5 20.Kg2 Bd7 21.Nd1 f5 22.b3 b5 23.cxb5 Ne4 24.Bxe4 fxe4 25.Nd4 Qc5 26.Nc6 Bxc6 27.bxc6 Rxd5 28.Qf2 Qxc6 29.Ne3 Bd4 30.Qc2 Qxc2+ 31.Nxc2 Bc5 32.Re2 Red8 33.Rc1 f5 34.Kf1 Kf7 35.Ne3 Bxe3 36.Rxe3 Rd1+ 37.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 38.Re1 Rxe1+ 39.Kxe1 Ke6 40.Kd2 Kd5 41.Kc3 Kc5 42.a3 Kd5 43.b4 axb4+ 44.axb4 h6 45.h3 h5 46.h4 Kc6 47.Kc4 Kb6? Golubev showed the way in Chess Today 3957: 47...Kc7! 48.Kc3 I add 48.b5 Kb6 49.Kb4 e3 50.Kc3 Kxb5 51.Kd3 Kb4 52.Kxe3 Kc3-+ Opposition 48...Kb6 49.Kc4 Kc6 and now e.g. 50.Kd4 Kb5 51.Kc3 e3 52.Kd3 Kxb4 53.Kxe3 Kc3-+ Opposition 48.Kb3? Too passive. The active 48.b5! saves the day: Kc7 48...Ka5 49.Kc5 e3 50.b6 e2 51.b7 e1Q 52.b8Q= (Golubev) 49.Kd4 Kb7 50.Kc3! Kb6 51.Kc4 e3 52.Kd3 Kxb5 53.Kxe3 Kc4 54.Ke2= Diagonal opposition. Opposition is, when all corners of the rectangle around the kings have the same color: in this case are all light squares. The side not to move has the opposition: here White. 48...Kb5 49.Kc3 e3 50.Kd3 Kxb4 51.Kxe3 Kc3! Opposition. The key squares are e1,e2, e3 and f3. 52.Ke2 Kc2 Opposition on the main line, which goes through the middle of the 3 key squares e1,e2 and e3. 52...Kc4? blows it as the opposition after 53.Kd2 Kd4 is not enough (e3 and f3 are only two adjacant key squares and so opposition does not work in this direction) as it can not be improved to the opposition in the direction left to right: 54.Ke2 Ke4 55.Kf2 Kd3 56.Kf3!= and White has the all important opposition. 53.Ke3 53.Ke1 Kd3-+ 53...Kd1! The typical way to exploit the opposition. 54.Kf2 The counterattack 54.Kd4 Ke2 55.Ke5 Kf3 56.Kf6 Kxg3 57.Kxg6 runs into Kg4‼-+ 54...Kd2 55.Kf3 55.Kf1 Ke3-+ 55...Ke1 56.Ke3 56.Kg2 Ke2 57.Kg1 Kf3 58.Kh2 Kf2 59.Kh3 Kg1 60.g4 hxg4+ 61.Kg3 Kf1 62.Kh2 Kf2-+ 56...Kf1 57.Kf3 Kg1 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Potkin,V2682Grischuk,A27460–12011E73FIDE World Cup 20114.4

The Horwitz Manoeuvre

Ponomariov certainly knew the classical winning technique:

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Rd1+ Ke8 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.Nd4 Bd7 12.Ne4 Ng6 13.f4 Be7 14.Re1 c5 15.Nf3 Be6 16.Nfg5 Bxg5 17.Nxg5 Bf5 18.Ne4 b6 19.Ng3 Ne7 20.Nxf5 Nxf5 21.c3 h5 22.Kf2 Rd8 23.Be3 Ke7 24.Rad1 f6 25.exf6+ Kxf6 26.Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Bc1 a5 28.a4 c4 29.g3 Rd3 30.Ke2 Ke6 31.Bd2 Rd5 32.Rf1 g6 33.Rf3 Kf7 34.Rf1 Rd8 35.Bc1 Ke6 36.Re1 Rd3 37.Bd2 Rd8 38.Kd1+ Kf7 39.Re5 Nh6 40.Kc2 Ng4 41.Re2 Nf6 42.Be1 Rd6 43.h3 Rd3 44.b3 Rf3 45.bxc4 h4 46.gxh4 Rxf4 47.c5 Rxa4 48.cxb6 cxb6 49.Re5 Re4 50.Rxe4 Nxe4 51.c4 Ke6 52.Kb3 Kd6 53.Kc2 Ke5 54.Kd3 Kf4 55.Kd4 Kf3 56.Kd3 Nc5+ 57.Kd4 a4 58.Bb4 Ke2 59.Kc3 Ke3 60.Ba3 Ne4+ 61.Kb4 Kd3 62.Kb5 Kc3 63.Be7 Kb3 64.Kxb6 Kxc4 65.Kc6 Ng3 66.Kd7 Kd5 67.Ke8 Ke6 68.Ba3 Nf5 69.Kf8 Nxh4 70.Kg7 Kf5 71.Kh6 Nf3 72.Be7 Ke6 73.Ba3 Kf6 74.Bc5 Nh4 75.Bd4+ Kf5 76.Bc5 g5 77.Be7 Nf3 78.Kh5 Ng1 79.Bxg5 a3 80.Bc1 a2 81.Bb2 Nxh3 82.Kh4 Nf4 83.Kg3 Ke4 84.Ba1 Nd3 85.Kg2 Ke3 86.Kg3 Nc5 87.Kg2 Ke2 88.Kg3 Na4 89.Kg2 Nb6 90.Kg3 Nc4 91.Kg2 Ne3+ 92.Kg3 Nd1 93.Kg2 Ke3 94.Kg3 Kd2 95.Kf3 Kd3 96.Kf4 Kc2 97.Ke4 Nb2 98.Ke3 The Horwitz Manoeuvre Ponomariov certainly knew the classical winning technique: Na4! The direct 98...Kb1? blows it due to 99.Kd2 Kxa1 100.Kc1! 100.Kc2? Nd3-+ 100...Nd3+ 101.Kc2= and Black can not win as the knight can not lose a tempo. It changes the color of the square it stands on with every move. 99.Ke2 Kc1 100.Kd3 100.Ke1 Nc5 101.Ke2 Kb1 102.Kd2 Nb3+-+ is the point of the Horwitz Manoeuvre. 100...Kb1 101.Kd2 Nb2 Puts White in fatal zugzwang. 101...Kxa1?? 102.Kc2= 102.Kc3 Kxa1 103.Kc2 Nd3 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
Gashimov,V2760Ponomariov,R27640–12011C67FIDE World Cup 20115.2

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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