Endgames from Vrnjacka Banja (1)

by Karsten Müller
3/8/2023 – With close to 250 games being played daily, the European Championship is one of the strongest opens in the chess calendar. Moreover, the players are fighting for an entrance to the World Championship cycle via the World Cup, which makes for very competitive struggles. Karsten Müller is keeping an eye on the games, and has sent us many notable endgames with instructive analyses. Replay here his first seven finds! | Pictured: Marius Gramb | Photo: European Chess Union
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Winning or drawing?

Can you figure out whether the following positions are winning for the stronger side or if there is enough for the defender to save a draw?

 
Clarke vs. Saric - Round 2
White to play

Does Ivan Saric (Black) have enough of an advantage with his extra pawn? It turns out he does. In the game, imprecisions by both players led to the Croatian GM’s win, but only after Brandon Clarke missed a couple of chances to keep the balance.

 
Sanikidze vs. Indjic - Round 2
White to play

Knight endgames require precise calculation. Tornike Sanikidze (White) demonstrated that he had enough time to save the draw here against Aleksandar Indjic’s extra pawn. A knight on the rim is not always dim!

 
Vocaturo vs. Eren - Round 1
Black to play

Material is even, but it is looking more difficult for Black to create a passed pawn on the kingside, where he has the majority. An imprecise move in this position by Atarbek Eren (Black) cost him the game against Daniele Vocaturo.

These are only three of the seven instructive endgame positions which you can study and enjoy in our dynamic replayer below!

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
Position not in LiveBook
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Bd3 cxd4 5.cxd4 e5 6.Nf3 exd4 7.Nxd4 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.Nde2 Re8 11.h3 Nd7 12.Nd5 Nc5 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Nc3 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Be6 16.b3 Rad8 17.Ba3 Qg5 18.f4 Qa5 19.Bb2 d5 20.exd5 Bxd5 21.Nxd5 Qxd5 22.Qg3 Qc5+ 23.Kh2 Qf8 24.Rae1 f6 25.Rxe8 Rxe8 26.Re1 Rxe1 27.Qxe1 Kf7 28.Qd2 Qe7 29.Qd3 h6 30.f5 Kg8 31.a3 Kh8 32.b4 a6 33.Bc3 Qc7+ 34.g3 Ne7 35.Bb2 b5 36.Qe4 Qd7 37.g4 Kh7 38.Kg3 Qd6+ 39.Kh4 h5 40.Bc1 hxg4 41.Bf4 Qd4 42.Qxd4 Nxf5+ 43.Kxg4 Nxd4 44.Be3 Nc2 45.Bc1 Kg6 46.h4 Nd4 47.h5+ Kf7 48.Bb2 Nc6 49.Kf5 Ne7+ 50.Ke4 Ke6 The right knight road. The duel bishop against knight can be very deep: 51.Bc1? White loses control. 51.Kd4! Kd6 51...Nc6+ 52.Ke4= 52.Ke4= 51...Nc6? The wrong knight road. 51...Nd5 wins, e.g. 52.Bb2 f5+ 53.Kf3 Nf6 54.Bxf6 Kxf6 55.Kf4 g5+-+ 52.Be3? Now Black can make progress on the kingside. After 52.Bd2 White controls both wings, e.g. f5+ 53.Kf4 Kf6 54.Bc3+= 52...f5+ 53.Kf4 Kf6 54.Bd2 g5+ 55.hxg6 55.Kf3 is met by f4 56.Ke4 Kg7-+ 55...Kxg6 56.Bc3 Nb8 57.Ke5 57.Be5 Nc6 58.Bc3 Nd8 59.Ke5 Kg5-+ 57...Nd7+ 58.Ke6 Nb6 59.Bd2 Na4 60.Bc1 Nc3 61.Ke5 Nd1 62.Ke6 62.Kf4 Kf6 63.Kf3 Ke5 64.Ke2 Nc3+-+ 62...Nf2 63.Bd2 Nd3 64.Kd5 Kh5! The final invasion. 65.Kc6 f4 65...f4 66.Kb7 66.Bxf4 Nxf4 67.Kb6 Nd5+ 68.Kxa6 Nc3-+ 66...f3 67.Be3 Nb2 68.Kxa6 Nc4 69.Bf2 Nxa3-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Clarke,B2475Saric,I26740–12023B222.9
Sanikidze,T2459Indjic,A2636½–½2023D37EICC 20232.22
Vocaturo,D2619Eren,A23081–02023C85EICC 20231.34
Bernadskiy,V2611Spasic,P22981–02023B881.40
Kovalev,V2623Piliposyan,R23141–02023A071.30
Panic,N2295Ivic,V2606½–½2023B93EICC 20231.45
Sargissian,G2699Parkhov,Y24851–02023D38EICC 20232.1
 

Let endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller show and explain the finesses of the world champions. Although they had different styles each and every one of them played the endgame exceptionally well, so take the opportunity to enjoy and learn from some of the best endgames in the history of chess.

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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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