Notable endgames from the Grand Swiss - Karsten Müller analyses

by Karsten Müller
10/31/2021 – High-level chess is being played in Riga at the open and women’s sections of the Grand Swiss. Our in-house endgame expert has been following the games closely, and sent us a few analyses from instructive positions played by Harika Dronavalli, Meruert Kamalidenova and Jeffery Xiong. | Photo: Anna Shtourman
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

Instructive endgames

In a week’s time, we will know which two players from each section get spots in the next edition of the Candidates. But first we will get to enjoy top-level, over-the-board games, with very strong and motivated players showcasing their preparation in a tense, lengthy event.

GM Karsten Müller, a well-known endgame specialist, is keeping a close eye on the games, and sent us three instructive positions for us to learn and enjoy.

Harika Dronavalli vs Antoaneta Stefanova

Not all rook endgames are drawn! In round 3, Harika calculated precisely before entering a winning pawn ending from a materially balanced position.

 

58.Rxf6 would have let go of the advantage, while Harika’s 58.Rf5 allowed her to win a second consecutive game in Riga.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.a4 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 b4 11.a5 0-0 12.d3 Rb8 13.Nd2 Na7 14.Bc4 bxc3 15.bxc3 Nb5 16.Nb3 Ba7 17.Bd2 c6 18.Nc1 d5 19.Bxb5 Rxb5 20.Bg5 h6 21.Bh4 Re8 22.Ne2 Re6 23.Rfb1 dxe4 24.dxe4 Rxa5 25.Rxa5 Qxa5 26.Rb7 Qc5 27.Ng3 Qxf2+ 28.Qxf2 Bxf2+ 29.Kxf2 g5 30.Bxg5 hxg5 31.Ke3 Ne8 32.Nf5 Nd6 33.Nxd6 Rxd6 34.Rb6 a5 35.Ra6 f6 36.Rxa5 Kf7 37.Ra7+ Ke6 38.Rc7 f5 39.exf5+ Kxf5 40.g4+ Kg6 41.Ke4 Kf6 42.Rh7 Re6 43.Rd7 Re8 44.Rc7 Re6 45.Rh7 Kg6 46.Rd7 Kf6 47.c4 Re8 48.Rc7 Re6 49.c5 Kg6 50.Rd7 Kf6 51.Rh7 Kg6 52.Rh8 Kg7 53.Rd8 Kf7 54.Rc8 Ke7 55.Rg8 Kf6 56.Rf8+ Kg7 57.Rf3 Rf6 Not all rook endings are drawn. Rook endings have a large drawsh tendency contrary to pawn endings: 58.Rf5!? Good technique based on exact calculation! Not the direct 58.Rxf6? Kxf6 59.Kf3 Ke6 60.Ke4 Kf6= 58...Rxf5 58...Kg6 is met by 59.Kxe5+- 59.Kxf5 Of course not 59.gxf5?? Kf6-+ 59...e4 60.Kxe4 Kf6 61.Kf3 White is just one tempo too quick now: Ke5 62.Kg3 Kd4 63.h4 gxh4+ 64.Kxh4 Kxc5 65.g5 Kd6 66.Kh5 c5 67.g6 Ke7 68.Kh6 68.Kh6 Kf8 69.Kh7 c4 70.g7++- 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
Harika,D2511Stefanova,A24751–02021C78FIDE Womens Grand Swiss 20213.5

Meruert Kamalidenova vs Pia Cramling

White is a pawn up, but she has a knight against a bishop in a race with passed pawns on both flanks. Cramling could have won with Black from the following position!

 

58...h3 was too hasty. Can you find the winning move?

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.f4 d6 8.Qe2 Nbd7 9.g4 Nc5 10.g5 Nfd7 11.Be3 b5 12.Rg1 Nb6 13.h4 b4 14.Nd1 e5 15.Nb3 Be7 16.Qf2 exf4 17.Qxf4 Ne6 18.Qf1 Nd7 19.Nf2 Ne5 20.0-0-0 0-0 21.Ng4 Nxg4 22.Rxg4 a5 23.Kb1 a4 24.Nd2 Nc5 25.Rf4 Be6 26.Bc4 Rac8 27.Bd5 a3 28.Bxc5 Qxc5 29.Qd3 axb2 30.Qb3 Bxd5 31.exd5 Rfe8 32.Rxb4 Qf2 33.Qf3 Qxf3 34.Nxf3 Bf8 35.Nd2 Re2 36.Re4 Rxe4 37.Nxe4 Rc4 38.Re1 Rd4 39.Kxb2 Rxd5 40.Nc3 Rc5 41.Kb3 h6 42.gxh6 gxh6 43.a4 f5 44.Nb5 Kf7 45.Rd1 d5 46.Rf1 Be7 47.Rxf5+ Kg6 48.Rf4 Kh5 49.Nc3 Bxh4 50.Rd4 Bf2 51.Rd2 Be1 52.Rxd5+ Rxd5 53.Nxd5 Kg5 54.Nc3 h5 55.a5 Kf5 56.a6 Bf2 57.Ne2 h4 58.Kc4 Good bishop v bad knight. In pawn races the bishop usually is superior: h3? Black rushes. 58...Ba7! wins due to 59.Nd4+ 59.Kb5 Kg4 This domination distance of king against knight can be called "the Karpov distance". 60.c4 h3 61.c5 h2 62.c6 h1Q 63.c7 Qd5+-+ 59...Kg4 60.Nc6 h3 61.Nxa7 h2 62.Nc6 h1Q 63.Kb5 Qb1+ 64.Kc5 and now Kf4 Not, however 64...Qxc2+? 65.Kb6 Qf2+ 66.Kb7 Qf7+ 67.Kb6 Qe8 68.Kb7 Qd7+ 69.Kb8 Qxc6 70.a7= and Black's king is ouside the winning zone. 65.Kd6 Qb6 66.a7 Qb7 67.c4 Ke4 68.c5 Qa8 69.Kc7 Kd5-+ 59.Ng3+! 59.a7? Bxa7 60.Ng3+ Kg4 61.Nh1 Kf3-+ Now the knight in the corner is a forlorner. 59...Kg4 60.Nh1! Here the knight in the corner is not a forlorner but a giant. Ba7 61.Kb5 Kf3 62.c4 Kg2 63.c5 Bxc5 64.Kxc5 Kxh1 65.a7 h2 66.a8Q+ White's king is just outside the winning zone. Kg1 67.Qg8+ Kf2 68.Qf7+ Kg1 69.Qg6+ Kh1 70.Kd4 ½–½
  • 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
Kamalidenova,M2339Cramling,P2447½–½2021B82FIDE Womens Grand Swiss 20213.21

Haik Martirosyan vs Jeffery Xiong

Opposite-coloured bishop endings have a large drawish tendency. Here Black is two pawns up, but he needs to find a way to “break the wall”.

 

Does White matinain the blockade along the light squares?

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.a4 c5 7.e4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 Qxd4 9.Nxd4 Bd7 10.Ndb5 Bxb5 11.axb5 Nbd7 12.Bxc4 h6 13.Bd2 Bc5 14.Ke2 g5 15.f3 Ke7 16.Bb3 Rhg8 17.Bc2 h5 18.Nd1 h4 19.Ne3 Nh5 20.Nc4 Nf4+ 21.Kf1 Rac8 22.g3 hxg3 23.hxg3 Rh8 24.Rh5 Rh7 25.Rxh7 Rf8 26.Rh8 Rxh8 27.gxf4 Rh1+ 28.Ke2 Rxa1 29.fxg5 Rg1 30.f4 Nb6 31.Ne3 Rg3 32.b3 Nd7 33.b4 Bd4 34.Kf2 Rh3 35.Ke2 Nb6 36.f5 Nd7 37.Nc4 Ne5 38.Nxe5 Bxe5 39.Bd3 b6 40.Bc4 Bc3 41.Bf4 e5 42.Be3 Bxb4 43.Bd5 Kf8 44.Bc4 Kg7 45.Bd5 Bc5 46.Bd2 Ra3 47.Bc6 Rb3 48.f6+ Kg6 49.Bd7 Rg3 50.Bf5+ Kh5 51.Bd7 Rg2+ 52.Kd3 Bf2 53.Bf5 Bd4 54.Bd7 Rg3+ 55.Ke2 Ra3 56.Bc8 Bc3 57.Be3 Be1 58.Bf5 Bh4 59.g6 fxg6 60.f7 Be7 61.Be6 g5 62.Bc1 Rg3 63.Be3 g4 64.f8Q Bxf8 65.Bf7+ Kh4 66.Bf2 Bc5 67.Bxg3+ Kxg3 68.Be6 Kf4 69.Bd7 g3 70.Bh3 Kxe4 71.Bg2+ Kf4 72.Kd3 Breaking the wall. Opposite colored bishop endings have a large drawish tendency, and the attacker often has to sacrifice material to break a fortress: a5! The resulting passed b-pawn will overload the defense, whlie Black can easily deal with the passed a-pawn. 73.bxa6 b5 74.Bh1 Ba7 75.Bc6 b4 76.Bh1 b3 77.Kc3 Ke3! 77...e4? 78.Kxb3 e3 78...Ke3 79.Kc2 Kd4 80.Kd2= 79.Kc2 e2 80.Kd2= 78.Kxb3 Kd3! Black's point. 78...Kd3 79.Kb2 e4 80.Kc1 e3 81.Kd1 e2+ 82.Ke1 Bf2# Of course not 78...Kf2? 79.Kc4 g2 80.Bxg2 Kxg2 81.Kd5 Bd4 82.a7 Bxa7 83.Kxe5= 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
Martirosyan,H2624Xiong,J27000–12021D44FIDE Chesscom Grand Swiss 20214.36

Links

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.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.