Karsten Müller analyzes endgame highlights from the Chessable Masters tournament

Endgame highlights from the Chessable Masters 2020

The Chessable Masters saw a number of fascinating endgames. I picked some gems and sorted them according to material.

A) Rook against pawns

A1) Rook stops passed pawns

Usually, a rook is of course much better than the pawns. However, far advanced pawns are tricky:

B) Rook endings

B1) The safety zone

Usually, the attacker should only move his passed pawn to the seventh or second rank if this wins more or less directly. Otherwise, this often leads to a draw, as in the example below:

B2) The problematic pawn push

Thorsten Cmiel indicates that the pawn push ...e6-e5 is often not good in the constellation below.

Indeed, in Artemiev - Nepomniachtchi 34...e5? was a decisive mistake.

This endgame reminded Cmiel of an endgame between Rasmus Svane and Markus Ragger, played in the Bundesliga:

However, Svane found an antidote to Cmiel's winning attempt, and analyses indicate that Black can hold when he refrains from ...e5.

B3) Outside passed pawn

In the example below Black's counterplay is fast enough. But though the position was drawn, Ding lost the game because of an internet disconnect.

But in the following case the win is rather simple:

The next case is more complicated.

B4) Three rook endgames by Anish Giri

Giri set up the typical f2-g3-h4 constellation and now shows good defensive technique.

In the following game Giri also showed good defensive skills.

In the next example, Giri attacks, but the result is the same: a draw.

B5) An endgame by Magnus Carlsen

The following example is so complicated that even Carlsen failed to find the win.

C) Bishop endings

C1) Zugzwang is a sharp endgame weapon

Bishop endings have drawish tendencies. In the example below White did not play precise enough to win.

D) Bishop against knight

In a race of passed pawns a bishop is usually better than a knight.

E) Rook and bishop rook and bishop with bishops of opposite colours

E1) Opposite coloured bishops favour the attacker

Endgames with opposite coloured bishops, in which only bishops remain on the board, have drawish tendencies. However, if other pieces remain on the board, the rule of thumb quoted above, comes into play.

F) Minor piece endgames

When to exchange and when not to exchange is an important question in chess.