Endgames from Chennai (3)

by Karsten Müller
8/5/2022 – Over 650 games are being played daily at the record-breaking Chess Olympiad in Chennai. GM Karsten Müller is attentively following the games, looking for instructive endings. Naturally, all sorts of setups and typical patterns show up with so many encounters running concurrently. Go over our in-house expert’s analyses, and you are sure to find something to learn or, at the very least, something to enjoy! | Pictured: Teodora Injac (Serbia) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Six instructive positions!

Giri’s powerful sacrifice

The Dutch team arrived in Chennai as the seventh favourites. After recovering from a loss against Israel in round 4 with back-to-back victories, the Europeans stand two points behind the Armenian leaders.

Elite GM Anish Giri is playing on top board, and has collected victories over Nils Grandelius, Eric Hansen and Baadur Jobava. Facing the creative Jobava in round 6, Giri played an outstanding positional exchange sacrifice to get an unstoppable duo of passed pawns!

 
Giri, Anish27601–0Jobava, Baadur2585
44th Chess Olympiad Open 2022
Chennai03.08.2022[Mueller,Karsten]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 d6 6.Nf3 0-0 7.Be2 e6 8.0-0 exd5 9.exd5 Bg4 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nbd7 12.Bf4 Ne8 13.Qd2 Ne5 14.Be2 f5 15.Rfe1 Nf7 16.Rab1 g5 17.Bh2 Be5 18.Bh5 Bxh2+ 19.Kxh2 Ng7 20.Bxf7+ Rxf7
Anish's amazing sacrifice. A passed pawn can be very powerful: 21.Re6‼ What a move! Nxe6 21...Rf6 22.Rbe1 h6 23.h4 gxh4 24.Qf4+- 22.dxe6 Rg7 23.Nd5 g4 23...Qf8 24.Qc3+- 24.Re1! The rook belongs behind the passed pawn. Rg6 25.Qf4 gxh3 26.g3 Rc8 27.Qxf5 Qf8 28.Qxf8+ Kxf8 28...Rxf8 is also met by 29.f4! for example Rg7 30.f5 Rxf5 31.e7+- 29.f4!
The pawn wave will roll all over Black. 29...Re8 30.f5 Rg5 31.Rf1 Rg4 32.Rf4 32.Rf4 Rxf4 32...h5 33.Kxh3+- 32...Rg5 33.Nf6 Re7 34.Nd7+ Ke8 35.f6+- 33.gxf4 Kg7 34.f6+ Kg6 35.f5+ Kxf5 36.f7 Ra8 37.e7+- 1–0

The sting of the scorpion

Not only top-GMs’ games provide instructive positions to study and learn. The encounter between Anousha Mahdian (Iran) and Toritsemuwa Ofowino (Nigeria) from round 4 of the women’s tournament saw the Iranian winning an endgame with rook and pawn against bishop and knight — an oft-seen material distribution.

Ofowimo failed to find the most resilient defensive king manoeuvre on move 49.

 
Mahdian, Anousha21611–0Ofowino, Toritsemuwa1870
44th Chess Olympiad Women 2022
Chennai01.08.2022[Mueller,Karsten]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Bf4 Nf6 5.e3 Qb6 6.Nc3 Qxb2 7.Qc1 Qxc1+ 8.Rxc1 Bd7 9.Nf3 e6 10.Ne5 Bb4 11.Bd3 Nc6 12.Nxd7 Kxd7 13.Ke2 Nh5 14.Be5 f6 15.Bg3 Nxg3+ 16.hxg3 f5 17.Na4 Rac8 18.Rb1 Rc7 19.g4 g6 20.gxf5 gxf5 21.Rh5 h6 22.g4 fxg4 23.Rg1 Ne7 24.Nb2 Ba3 25.Nd1 Rc1 26.Bb5+ Kd6 27.Ba4 b5 28.Bxb5 Rc2+ 29.Kf1 Rxa2 30.Rxg4 Rb8 31.Be2 Rb1 32.Rxh6 Raa1 33.Rf4 Rxd1+ 34.Bxd1 Rxd1+ 35.Ke2 Rb1 36.Rff6 Rb2+ 37.Kf3 a5 38.Rxe6+ Kd7 39.Ra6 Bb4 40.Rhf6 Be1 41.Ra7+ Ke8 42.Kg2 Bb4 43.Kh3 Rc2 44.Kg4 Be1 45.Re6 Bb4 46.f4 Kf7 47.f5 Rf2 48.Rh6 Kg7 49.Rb6
Rook and pawn against bishop and knight. In an endgame both are often of equal strength, like in this case: 49...Kg8? But this retreat is too passive. After 49...Kf7! White can not make progress, e.g. 50.Re6 Rf1 51.e4 dxe4 52.d5 e3 53.d6 Bxd6 54.Rxd6 Rxf5= 50.f6!
The sting of the scorpion. 50...Ng6 50...Rg2+ 51.Kf3 Nc8 52.Rb8 Rc2 53.Raa8+- 51.Rg7+ Kf8?! 51...Kh8 52.Rxg6+- 52.Rb8# 1–0

The pawn race

Studying basic pawn endgames is frequently the first step of any chess player on his or her learning path in the final phase of the game. This is the simplest kind of setup, but that does not mean one should take it for granted — precision is often required even when very few pawns are left on the board.

Sudan’s Mohammed Ibtihal beat the Bahamas’ Trinity Pinder with the black pieces after the latter erred in a pawn race with two pawns per side.

 
Pinder, Trinity11830–1Ibtihal Mohammed1445
44th Chess Olympiad Women 2022
Chennai03.08.2022[Mueller,Karsten]
1.d4 c5 2.e3 cxd4 3.exd4 Nf6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Be2 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.c4 d5 8.h3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nbd7 10.Be3 Nb6 11.b3 Nxc4 12.bxc4 Bf5 13.Nc3 Rc8 14.c5 b6 15.Rc1 bxc5 16.dxc5 Qa5 17.Qa4 Qxa4 18.Nxa4 Rfd8 19.c6 Be4 20.Nd4 Ne8 21.Nb5 Rxc6 22.Nxa7 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Bd4 24.Bxd4 Rxd4 25.Nc5 Bd5 26.Nb3 Ra4 27.Nc8 Re4 28.Nc5 Re5 29.f4 Re2 30.Kf1 Rd2 31.Nxe7+ Kg7 32.Nxd5 Rxd5 33.a4 Nc7 34.Ke2 Ne6 35.Nxe6+ fxe6 36.Rd1 Ra5 37.Rd4 Kf6 38.Kf3 h6 39.g4 g5 40.fxg5+ hxg5 41.Re4 e5 42.Ke3 Ke6 43.Kd3 Kd5 44.Rb4 Kd6 45.Kc3 Rc5+ 46.Kb3 Kd5 47.Rb5 Rxb5+ 48.axb5 Kc5 49.Kc3 Kxb5 50.Kd3 Kc5 51.Ke4 Kd6 52.Kf5 Kd5
The pawn race. Pawn endings should be calculated very carefully: 53.Kxg5? Now White loses the race. 53.h4‼ was forced: gxh4 54.g5 h3 55.g6 h2 56.g7 h1Q 57.g8Q+ Kd4 58.Qd8+ Qd5 59.Qb6+ Kd3 60.Qb1+= 53...e4 54.Kf4 54.Kh6 is met by e3 55.g5 e2 56.g6 e1Q 57.g7 Qe6+ 58.Kh7 Qxh3+-+ and 54.Kh4 by e3 55.Kg3 Ke4 56.g5 Kd3 57.g6 e2 58.g7 e1Q+-+ 54...Kd4 55.g5 e3
Both queens will queen, but White's queen will be lost directly by a typical skewer. 56.Kf3 56.g6 e2 57.g7 e1Q 58.g8Q Qf2+ 59.Kg5 Qg1+-+ 56...Kd3 57.g6 e2 58.g7 e1Q 59.Kg2 59.g8Q Qf1+ 60.Kg3 Qg1+-+ 59...Qe4+ 60.Kf1 Qf3+ 0–1

The good knight, the bad king road, and the successful invasion

In the remaining three examples, two relevant topics are explored: the good knight versus bad bishop ending, and the precision needed to find the correct paths for the king in opposite-coloured bishops endgames.

Can you find the correct king road for White in this position? She is, in fact, winning with her two extra pawns despite the presence of opposite-coloured bishops.

 
Marwa (Sudan) vs. Thomas (Bahamas) - Round 6

Find the solution to this problem and analyses for two more endgames in the replayer below.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Bf5 3.Bf4 Nf6 4.c4 c6 5.Nc3 Ne4 6.e3 Qa5 7.Qb3 b5 8.cxb5 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Qb6 10.Be2 a6 11.bxc6 Qxb3 12.axb3 Nxc6 13.Rxa6 Rxa6 14.Bxa6 Bd7 15.0-0 e6 16.Ra1 Be7 17.b4 Bd8 18.Bb5 0-0 19.Bxc6 Bxc6 20.Ra7 f6 21.Nd2 Bb5 22.h3 Bc6 23.Nb3 Rf7 24.Rxf7 Kxf7 25.Na5 Bxa5 26.bxa5 Bb5 27.g4 f5 28.Kg2 Kg6 29.Kg3 h5 30.f3 fxg4 31.hxg4 hxg4 32.Kxg4 Bd3 33.Be5 Bf5+ 34.Kg3 Bd3 35.Kf4 Kh6 36.e4 g5+ 37.Ke3 Bc4 38.exd5 exd5 39.Kf2 Kh5 40.Kg3 Be2 41.Bd6 Bc4 42.Kf2 Kh4 43.Be7 Kh5 44.Kg3 Be2 45.Kf2 Bc4 The wrong king roads. Pure opposite colored bishop endings have a very large drawish tendency: 46.Ke3? The wrong king road. 46.Kg3 wins, e.g. Be2 47.f4 gxf4+ 48.Kxf4 Kg6 49.Ke5 Kf7 50.Bh4 Bc4 51.a6 Bxa6 52.Kxd5 Bb7+ 53.Kc5 Ke6 54.c4 Ba8 55.Bg3 Bb7 56.d5+ Kd7 57.Kb6 Ba8 58.Ka7+- 46...Kh4? The wrong king road, as this just loses a pawn. The right king road is the passive 46...Kg6! which draws, e.g. 47.Bd6 Kf5 48.Bg3 Ke6= The active 46...g4? loses as well due to 47.f4 Kg6 48.Bh4 Kf5 49.Bg3 Ke6 50.Kd2 Kf5 51.Kc2 Ke4 52.Kb2 Kf3 53.f5 Kxg3 54.f6 Kh2 55.f7 g3 56.f8Q g2 57.Qf2 Kh1 58.Qh4+ Kg1 59.Kc2 Kf1 60.Qf4+ Ke2 61.Qg3 Kf1 62.Qf3+ Kg1 63.Qf4 Kh1 64.Qh4+ Kg1 65.Kd2+- 47.f4 Kg4 48.fxg5 Kf5 49.Kf3 Kg6 50.Kf4 Bd3 51.Ke5 Bc4 52.a6 Bxa6 53.Kxd5 Kf7 54.Bf6 Bc8 55.c4 Be6+ 56.Kc5 Ke8 57.d5 Bf7 58.Kd6 Bg6 59.c5 Bc2 60.c6 Ba4 61.Kc5 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Marwa,J1316Thomas Nelissa-1–02022D1544th Chess Olympiad Women 20226.65
Kiolbasa,O2376Ciolacu,A21631–02022C6044th Chess Olympiad Women 20225.4
Sebag,M2447Injac,T23720–12022C8844th Chess Olympiad Women 20224.5

In over 4 hours in front of the camera, Karsten Müller presents to you sensations from the world of endgames - partly reaching far beyond standard techniques and rules of thumb - and rounds off with some cases of with own examples.

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Karsten Müller is considered to be one of the greatest endgame experts in the world. His books on the endgame - among them "Fundamentals of Chess Endings", co-authored with Frank Lamprecht, that helped to improve Magnus Carlsen's endgame knowledge - and his endgame columns for the ChessCafe website and the ChessBase Magazine helped to establish and to confirm this reputation. Karsten's Fritztrainer DVDs on the endgame are bestsellers. The mathematician with a PhD lives in Hamburg, and for more than 25 years he has been scoring points for the Hamburger Schachklub (HSK) in the Bundesliga.
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