CBM training: Endgames from Tata Steel

by ChessBase
1/26/2012 – Another installment of instructive endings, picked out by our resident endgame expert GM Karsten Müller from the games that are being played in Wijk aan Zee: Ivanchuk-Giri, Nyzhnyk-Harikrishna and Ernst-Potkin. His popular ChessBase Magazin section will carry plenty more, but here for now are three current and topical examples. Learn and enjoy.

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Ernst's Attack

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 e6 6.e4 Bb4 7.Bg5 Qa5 8.e5 Ne4 9.Bd2 Nxd2 10.Qxd2 c5 11.Bxc4 cxd4 12.Qxd4 Nc6 13.Qe3 0-0 14.0-0 Bd7 15.Bd3 Rfd8 16.Qe4 g6 17.Qf4 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qxc3 19.Qh6 Qxd3 20.Ng5 Nxe5 21.Rae1 Nf3+ 22.gxf3 Qf5 23.Re4 Bc6 24.Rg4 Bxf3 25.Rg3 Bc6 26.Re1 Rd2 27.Qxh7+ Kf8 28.Nxe6+ fxe6 29.Qh6+ Ke7 30.Qxd2 Rd8 31.Qh6 Rf8 32.Qh4+ Kd7 33.Qd4+ Kc8 34.h3 a6 35.Rc3 Qg5+ 36.Rg3 Qd5 37.Qxd5 exd5 38.a5 Rf6 39.Rg4 Kd7 40.Re5 Kd6 41.Reg5 Be8 42.Rb4 Bc6 43.Rbg4 Be8 44.Rh4 Kc5 45.Rh8 Re6 46.Rh7 Bc6 47.Kf1 Bb5+ 48.Kg2 b6 49.Rc7+ Kd4 50.Rg4+ Ke5 51.Rc1 Kf5 52.Rc3 Kf6 53.Rf4+ Kg5 54.Kg3 bxa5 Two rooks form a formidable attacking force and can weave a mating net even in the endgame: 55.Rc7! 55.Rc8? allows the king to escape with Kh6 55...Kh6 There is no escape from White's mighty rooks, e.g. 55...Bd3 56.Rf8 Kh6 56...Rf6 57.f4+ Kf5 58.Re8+- 57.f4 g5 57...Re3+ 58.Kh4+- 58.f5+- or 55...Re4 56.h4+ Kh6 57.Rff7+- It seems that the attack comes from all angles. 56.Rh4+ Kg5 57.Rf7 57.Rf7 Rf6 58.Rg4+ Kf5 59.Rf4++- 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ernst,S2606Potkin,V26841–02012D4474th Tata Steel GMB6

The Rule of the Square

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Bf4 Nf6 5.e3 0-0 6.Rc1 c5 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.Nf3 Rd8 9.Qc2 Nc6 10.a3 h6 11.Be2 dxc4 12.Nd2 Qxc5 13.Nxc4 Qf5 14.Bf3 Nd4 15.Qxf5 Nxf3+ 16.gxf3 exf5 17.Rg1 Kf8 18.Nb5 Ne8 19.Ke2 g5 20.Be5 f6 21.Bc3 Bd7 22.Nd4 Rac8 23.Bb4 Bxb4 24.axb4 Ke7 25.Rgd1 f4 26.b3 fxe3 27.fxe3 Be6 28.Ra1 a6 29.Ra5 Bxc4+ 30.bxc4 Nd6 31.c5 Nc4 32.Ra2 Kf7 33.c6 Rc7 34.Ne6 Rxd1 35.Nxc7 Rb1 36.b5 Nd6 37.bxa6 bxa6 38.e4 f5 39.e5 Nb5 40.Nxb5 Rxb5 41.Kd3 Ke6 42.Rc2 Rb8 43.Kd4 h5 44.c7 Rc8 45.Rc6+ Kd7 46.Rh6 Rxc7 47.Rxh5 Rb7 48.Rh7+ Kc8 49.Rh8+ Kd7 50.Rh7+ Kc8 51.Rxb7 Kxb7 Pawn endgames must be calculated very precisely: 52.f4! Only this move wins the resulting races so that no queen endgame has to be played. 52.e6?? backfires completely due to Kc7 53.f4 53.Ke5 Kd8 54.Kf6 Ke8 55.Kxg5 a5 56.Kxf5 a4-+ 53...Kd6 54.fxg5 Kxe6 55.h4 a5-+ and one of Black's pawns will queen. 52.Kd5?! should win as well, but the resulting queen endings are not so easy: f4 52...a5 53.Kd6 a4 53...g4 54.f4 a4 55.e6 a3 56.e7 a2 57.e8Q a1Q 58.Qb5+ Ka7 59.Qxf5± 54.e6 a3 55.e7 a2 56.e8Q a1Q 57.Qb5+ Ka7 58.Qxf5 Qd4+ 59.Ke7± 53.h3 a5 54.Kd6 a4 55.e6 a3 56.e7 a2 57.e8Q a1Q 58.Qb5+± 52...gxf4 52...g4 53.e6 Kc7 54.Ke5 Kd8 55.Kxf5 Ke7 56.Ke5 a5 57.f5+- and White wins as his king is inside of the square of the a-pawn. 52...a5 53.fxg5 a4 54.g6 a3 55.Kc3 a2 56.Kb2 f4 57.g7 f3 58.g8Q+- 53.h4 a5 54.e6 Kc7 Black is in the square of the e-pawn 54...f3 55.Ke3 Kc7 56.h5 Kd6 57.h6 Kxe6 58.h7+- 55.h5 but not in the square of the h-pawn. a4 56.e7! Neccessary precision. After 56.h6? Black is just in time: a3 57.Kc3 a2 58.Kb2 f3 59.e7 a1Q+ 60.Kxa1 f2 61.e8Q f1Q+= 56...Kd7 57.h6 and Giri resigned as Ivanchuk will queen first and with check: 57.h6 a3 58.h7 a2 59.e8Q+! Of course not 59.h8Q?? a1Q+-+ 59...Kxe8 60.h8Q++- 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
Ivanchuk,V2766Giri,A27141–02012D3574th Tata Steel GMA9

Rooks in Seventh Heaven

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Rc1 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.g3 Qb4 10.Qc2 Qxc4 11.Nxe4 Qxc2 12.Rxc2 dxe4 13.Nd2 e5 14.Nxe4 exd4 15.Rxc7 Na6 16.Rc1 Bd7 17.Bg2 Bc6 18.Rg1 Rfe8 19.Nc5 Bb5 20.Bxb7 Rxe2+ Two rooks on the seventh rank are a very powerful attacking force. In the game Harikrishna can even sacrifice a piece to achieve this set up: 21.Kd1? Surprinsingly Black can not use the battery after 21.Kf1‼ Rxb2+ 21...Rb8 22.Bxa6 Bxa6 23.Nxa6 Rbxb2 24.Rg2 d3 25.a3 Rec2 26.Rd1 22.Kg2 Nxc5 22...Re8 23.Bxa6 Bc6+ 24.Kf1 Rxa2 25.Bd3 23.Bxa8 Nd3 24.Rc8+ Kh7 25.Be4+ g6 26.Ra1 Bd7 27.Rc7 Nxf2 28.Rc2 Rxc2 29.Bxc2 and White is for choice in all cases. 21...Rb8 22.Bxa6 Bxa6 23.Nxa6?! Now Black's rook will rule the board in seventh heaven. 23.b3 Rxa2 24.Re1 offers better practical chances. 23...Rbxb2 24.Rc8+ Kh7 25.Nb4?! 25.Rb8?! Rbd2+ 26.Kc1 Rxa2 27.Nc5 Rac2+ 28.Kd1 Red2+ 29.Ke1 Rxf2 30.Nd7 h5-+ 25.a4 is relativly best but still insufficient, e.g. Rxf2 26.Rb8 Rxb8 27.Nxb8 Rb2 28.Re1 Rb1+ 29.Kd2 Rxb8 30.Re7 a5 25.Rd8? Rxf2 26.Kc1 Rxa2-+ 25...Rxf2 26.a3 a5! Forces the knight to leave its proud post. 27.Nd5 27.Nd3 is met by Rbd2+ 28.Kc1 28.Ke1 Rfe2+ 29.Kf1 Rxh2 and White is lost as 30.Ne1?! runs into Rhf2# 28...Rxd3-+ Of course not 27.Nc2?? Rb1# 27...Ra2 28.Re1 d3 The d-pawn joins Black's rooks which decides the day: 28...d3 29.Ree8 Rfd2+ 30.Ke1 30.Kc1 Rxh2 31.Kd1 d2-+ 30...Rxh2 31.Kd1 d2 32.Nf4 Ra1+ 33.Kc2 d1Q+ 34.Kc3 Rc1# 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
Nyzhnyk,I2568Harikrishna,P26650–12012D5374th Tata Steel GMB9

Karsten Müller in ChessBase Magazine

Do you like these lessons? There are plenty more by internationally renowned endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller in ChessBase Magazine, where you will also find openings articles and surveys, tactics, and of course annotations by the world's top grandmasters.

Click to go to the ChessBase Magazine page

Apart from his regular columns and video lectures in ChessBase Magazine there is a whole series of training DVDs by Karsten Müller, which are bestsellers in the ChessBase Shop.

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

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