Mueller on Endgames: Moscow mastery

by Karsten Müller
2/5/2015 – An opponent is most dangerous when his back is to the wall, and this is especially true in chess. In the first position, 13-year-old Iranian prodigy shows his alertness as he brings home the point. The obvious move can be wrong, but would you have seen it? How about the adage that states a rook belongs behind the pawn? So true, yet here it takes on a rather spectacular form.
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.

Avoiding the trap

Despite being only thirteen years old, Iranian M. Amin Tabatabaei showed
his knowledge and alertness as he avoided a final trap the more experienced
Aleksey Goganov had hoped would save him. Study the position and choose
your answer before replaying the analysis. Black to play and win.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Position not in LiveBook
45...Bb7‼ Though other moves with the same idea would also win, such as Ba8 or g6, the key is to realize that g5 cannot be played. Goganov had undoubtedly been holding out for this chance. 45...g5?? would be a blunder incredibly and would draw. The exchange will be captured, but it is vital a tempo be wasted first. 46.hxg5 Bxg5 47.Re4 Bxe4+?! It is better to play for zugzwang with 47...Bh6!? when practical winning chances remain. (Karsten Müller) 48.Kxe4! This is the key difference. The bishop is the wrong color to support the h-pawn and after the capture by the king, Black cannot avoid exchanging off his e-pawn and thus the draw. For example: Kd6 Or 48...Kf6 49.d5 e5 50.f4 exf4 51.gxf4 draw. 49.f4 Bf6 50.f5 and with the e-pawn eliminated they can shake hands. 46.d5 46.Ke2 g5 47.hxg5 Bxg5 48.Re4 Bxe4 49.fxe4 Kf7 and it is only a matter of time. 50.d5 e5! 46...Bxd5 47.g4 hxg4 48.Rxg4 Bxf3 49.Ra4 Kf7 50.Ke3 Bd5 51.Kf2 Kg6 52.Kg3 Kh5 53.Kh3 e5 54.Rb4 Be6+ 55.Kg3 Bf5 56.Ra4 g6 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
Goganov,A2615Tabatabaei,M24440–12015D20Moscow Open A 20154.13

The mating net

It is sometimes easy to forget that direct attacks also occur in the endgame. Hungarian junior
Petra Papp (left), playing White, reminded her opponent of this in the following position.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
50.b4? The wrong way to start the attack. After 50.Kc6! White's king is safe from checks, what can not be said about Black's, e.g. g2 51.b4 Ra3 52.Kc7 g1Q 53.Rxg1 Rg3 54.Ra1+ Ra3 55.Rxa3# 50...g2? Black misses the chance. 50...Rh4! was the only defense, when Black can defend due to 51.b5+ Kb7 52.Kb4 g2 53.Rxg2 Rxh5 54.Rg7+ Kb8= but care is of course still required. 51.Kc6 Now everything works like clockwork for White again. Rxh5 51...Ra3 52.Kc7 g1Q 53.Rxg1 Rg3 54.Ra1+ Ra3 55.Rxa3# 52.Rxh5 52.Rxh5 g1Q 53.Ra5# 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
Papp,P2285Rodionova,P21841–02015B19Moscow Open Students w3.5

The hunt

Take a minute to absorb the position. Black has a pawn ready to queen, and two
other pawns as backup. You are white and have a rook and two passed pawns,
including one on h5. Black just played Ne5 check. What do you play as White?

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
50.Kf5! The knight must be hunted. After 50.Kg7? Ng4 Black passed pawns are too quick, e.g. 51.h6 Nxh6 52.Kxh6 c5 53.g4 c4 54.g5 c3 55.g6 c2 56.g7 c1Q+-+ 50...Nf7 51.Kg6 Nh8+ 52.Kg7 c5 Passed pawns must be pushed. 52...Kc2?? is too slow due to 53.Kxh8 b1Q 54.Rxb1 Kxb1 55.h6+- 53.Rb1! The right way to deal with the passed pawns. 53.Kxh8? c4 54.h6 c3 55.h7 c2 is dangerous only for White as Black queens first. 53...Kc2 54.Rxb2+ Kxb2 55.Kxh8 c4 56.h6 c3 57.h7 c2 58.Kg8 c1Q 59.h8Q+ One finish might be 59.h8Q+ Qc3 60.Qxc3+ 60.Qh2+ Qc2 61.Qh8+ Qc3= 60...Kxc3 61.g4 e5 62.g5 e4 63.g6 e3 64.g7 e2 65.Kf7 e1Q 66.g8Q= 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
Tabatabaei,M2444Petrosian,T2663½–½2015B08Moscow Open A 20153.6

The rook belongs behind the passed pawn

Another day, another lesson. Black realised a non standard version of this guideline in the game.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Position not in LiveBook
46...Rh4+!? The start of a very nice finish. The standard autopilot (maybe turtle propagation is another name for the technique) 46...h4 47.Ke3 h3 48.Kf2 Rh1 wins as well. 47.Ke3 Rg4‼ Brilliant. The point is that after 47...Rg4‼ 48.Rxg4 hxg4 49.Kf2 gxf3-+ wins. 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
Rodionova,P2184Sukandar,I23920–12015C42Moscow Open Students w2.2

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.

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.