Riddle solved: Réti could have held Rubinstein to a draw

by Karsten Müller
9/9/2021 – At the height of his career, Akiba Rubinstein was considered a possible challenger for World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker. Rubinstein was considered to be particularly strong in the endgame, and Rubinstein’s victory over Richard Réti in the tournament in Gothenburg 1920 is regarded as a typical example of his endgame skills. Karsten Müller has now taken a closer look at this endgame with the help of ChessBase readers — the verdict: Reti could have held a draw! | Photo: Deutsche Schachzeitung 1908
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R. Réti vs A. Rubinstein, Gothenburg 1920

In this endgame, the black bishop has an edge since White has a number of weaknesses and Black not only has an active king but also a very mobile minor piece. Black indeed won the game, and Rubinstein’s play seems to be a model for this type of positions, in which the stronger side plays on both sides to seek for a win.

However, Réti could have drawn on move 37.

The duel knight against bishop can be very deep. Often the knight wants a static position and control, while the bishop is better in dynamic setups. Here the bishop is better, of course, but Réti could have defended as late as move 37.

Once again, Zoran Petronijevic sent the best solution, with Charles Sullivan adding a few contributions.

Conclusions:

  1. The position after 28…Kxe8 is better for Black in practical terms due to his better pawn structure. After proper play, however, White can equalize.
  2. The move 30.g4, contrary to Gelfand’s assessment, does not lose, although White should play a lot of subtle moves in order to make a draw (the main line which leads to a draw was found by Charles Sullivan). The game move, 30.Ke3, is better from a practical point of view.
  3. 30...Ke6 is an imprecise move — 30…Bd7 is stronger. Still, White can hold.
  4. The move 31.g4 is a good defending idea. Another good idea is an old suggestion by Euwe: 31.d4.
  5. The game move 32.h3 is okay. Another good move is 32.f5, which gives a relatively easy draw.
  6. The move 33.d4 leads to even play, much like the game move, 33.Kd2.
  7. The move 34.Nf3 is okay, as well as Gelfand’s suggestion, 34.Ng2.
  8. The move 34…h6 is more challenging than the text. Still, Gelfand proved that White can hold.
  9. According to Gelfand, 36.Nh2 loses. His suggestion is 36.Nh4, which leads to a draw. Still, 36.Nh2 is not a decisive mistake — according to my analysis, White can still hold.
  10. The decisive mistake is 37.Ke2. White has two moves that lead to a draw: 37.Kd2, suggested by me, and 37.Kf2, suggested by Charles Sullivan. The move 37.a3 also leads to draw, transposing to the line with 37.Kd2.

It is really hard to find many of the subtleties in this endgame. Probably new engines will find a new verdict after analysing this game.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nxc3 7.bxc3 d6 8.exd6 Bxd6 9.0-0 0-0 10.d3 10.d4= 10...Be7 10...b6 with Bb7 suggested by Gelfand is not the best idea: 11.Nd4 cxd4 12.Bxc6 Rb8 13.cxd4 Petronijevic 10...Qc7= Gelfand 10...Bd7= Gelfand. The game move also seems OK. 11.Be3 11.Rb1 Gelfand 11...Bd7 12.Qd2 12.Nd2 Gelfand. 12...Qc7 13.Rfe1 Rad8 14.Bf4 Bd6 14...Qc8! Gelfand. 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.Qe3 b6 17.Nd2 17.a4! Gelfand. 17...Ne7 18.Nc4 Qc7
19.Qe5? 19.a4= Gelfand. 19...Qxe5 20.Nxe5 Ba4! "Rubinstein immediately puts pressure on White’s main weakness." Gelfand. 21.Re2 If White understands that his position is worse, he should try the passive 21.Rac1!? when White has solid chances to make a draw: Nd5 22.Bxd5 exd5 23.d4 cxd4 24.cxd4 Rc8 25.Nd3 Rfd8 26.c3 This defensive position should allow White to hold. Kf8 27.Re3 Bb5 28.Rb1 Ba6 29.Nb4 Bc4 30.Rb2 g5 31.Nc2 Rd6 32.g4 Re6 33.Rxe6 fxe6 34.Ne1 Ke7 35.Kg2 b5 36.Kg3 Bf1 37.Rc2 Rc4 38.f3 Ra4 39.f4 gxf4+ 40.Kxf4 Bc4 41.Nf3 Rxa2 42.Rxa2 Bxa2 43.Ne5 a5 44.Ke3 a4 45.Kd2 Kf6 46.h4 Bb1 47.Kc1 Be4 48.Kb2 Kg7 49.g5 Bf5 50.Ka3= 21...Nd5
22.Bxd5?! 22.c4 Nb4 23.Rc1 f6 23...Nxa2? 24.Ra1 Nc3 25.Ree1 " would give White the advantage. Black’s pieces are in a lot of trouble." Gelfand. I agree. 24.Nf3 Bxc2! "The simplest way to ensure a long-term advantage." Gelfand 24...Kf7!? "with an advantage is also good." Gelfand. 25.Rexc2 Nxc2 26.Rxc2 Rxd3 "Black has serious winning chances. Bishop and knight are said to be worth the same as a rook and one and a half pawns. If you follow this guideline, Black is half a pawn up. On top of this, the white pawns are split on the queenside and Black is more active. A key strategy for Black will be to exchange the white rook, after which his advantage will be obvious." Gelfand, 22.Re4 Be8! 22...Bxc2? 23.Rc1 Nxc3 24.Ree1 Nxa2 25.Rxc2 Nb4 26.Rc3 23.c4 Nb4 24.c3 24.Re2 Ba4 24...Nc2 24...Nc6 25.Nxc6 Bxc6 26.Re3 Ba4 "when White is passive and has weaknesses, but also where Black will have to do a lot of manoeuvring to exploit them." Gelfand. Is Black so dominant that he can win? I do not think so: 27.Bf3 g5 28.Bd1 Be8 29.f4 h6 30.Kf2 Kg7 31.a4 a5 32.d4 cxd4 33.Rd3 Rc8 34.Rxd4 White has enough counter-play to make a draw. Petronijevic 25.Rc1 Ba4 26.Re2 After 26.Bf1 White has a passive but holdable position: f6 27.Nf3 Kf7 28.Nd2 g5 29.Nb3 f5 30.Re2 Na3 31.Re3 Kf6 32.d4 Rc8 33.dxc5 g4 34.f3 gxf3 35.cxb6 axb6 36.c5 Bxb3 37.axb3 bxc5 38.Rxf3= 26...Na3 27.Re3 Rd6 In my opinion, although Black has some edge, we cannot say Black is better. For instance 28.f4 Petronijevic. 22...exd5! "An important move. Black is better because of the c2-pawn and because his bishop is superior to the knight. In order to exploit these factors to the maximum, Rubinstein chooses the best pawn structure, where the knight will find no stability and where Black can exchange the rooks in order to increase the advantage." Gelfand. 23.Rae1 23.d4 Rc8 24.Rc1 Bb5 25.Re3 Rfe8 26.Ng4 Re6! 27.Rxe6 fxe6 28.Ne3 cxd4 29.cxd4 Rc3 "White’s position is desperately awful." Gelfand. 23.Kf1 was the best - Gelfand. 23...Rfe8 24.f4 24.Ng4 Rxe2 25.Rxe2 d4! 24...f6 25.Nf3 Kf7 26.Kf2 Rxe2+ 27.Rxe2 Re8 "According to plan, Black is exchanging the rooks, clarifying his advantage. This is a common technical idea. By exchanging the rooks, active counterplay becomes far less likely. Traditionally rook and bishop is considered better than rook and knight, but every endgame is slightly different. In this case, the position has a semi-closed nature and White has weaknesses on both flanks. By exchanging the rook, White will find defending c2 more troublesome, while Black will be able to use his king actively." Gelfand. 28.Rxe8 28.Rd2 Bd7 Gelfand. 28...Kxe8 Sources: 1. Gelfand,Boris: Technical decision making in chess, Quality chess 2020. 2. Averbah, Sahmatine endspili, Slon protiv Konja, Ladja protiv legkoj figuri, FIS, Moscow 1981. 3. Minev, Donaldson, The life and games of Akiva Rubinstein, Rusell enterprises, 2018. 4.Hans Kmoch, Rubinstein viigrivaet, Moscow, 2011. 5. Razuvaev, Murakhvery - Rubinstein, Moscow FIS 1980. 6. Reuben,Fine, Basic chess endings, Serbian translation, Zagreb 1982. example no 245. Evaluation: It is obvious that Black is better due to White's weak pawns. However, after a proper play, Black should hold. 29.Ne1 Ke7 30.Ke3
According to Gelfand (1) move 30.g4 It is much harder for White to make a draw after Kd6 30...d4 (!) Gelfand (1). His analysys goes 31.cxd4 cxd4 32.Nf3 Bxc2 33.Ke2 Ba4 34.Nxd4 Bd7 Gelfand's sentence means that he was not sure about Black's win ("in practice"). My opinion is that objectively the position is a drawn. Possible lines are: 35.h3 Kd6 36.a3 Kc5 is more active which, however, also leads to even play: 36...a5 37.Kd2 Kc5 38.Kc3 h6 39.Nb3+ Kd5 40.Nd2 b5 41.Nf1 g5 42.Ne3+ Kc5 43.d4+ Kd6 44.f5 Be8 45.Nd1 Bf7 45...Kd5 46.Kd3 46.Kc2 Bd5 47.Ne3 Be4+ 48.Kb2 Kc6 49.Kc3 and we have a very interesting fortress on the whole board. 37.Ke3 g6 38.Ne2 a6 39.Ng3 f5 40.gxf5 Bxf5 41.h4 h5 42.Ne4+ Kb5 43.Nd6+ Ka4 44.Nxf5 gxf5 45.Kd4 Kxa3 46.Ke5 b5 47.d4 b4 48.d5 b3 49.d6 b2 50.d7 b1Q 51.d8Q Qe4+ 52.Kf6 Qxf4 53.Qe7+ Kb3 54.Qf7+ Kb4 55.Qxh5= 31.Ke3 Bd7 32.h3 Kc6 It is extremely hard to find 33.Kd2‼ after which White has good chances to make a draw (line was found by Charles Sullivan): 33.f5 loses: g6 34.fxg6 hxg6 35.Nf3 g5 36.Kd2 Be6 37.a3 loses after 37.Kd1 loses after Bc8 38.Nd2 Bb7 39.Nb3 Kd6 40.Ke2 Ke5 41.Ke3 Bc6 42.a3 Be8 also wins (Charles Sullivan). 42...Bd7 43.Kf3 Kd6 44.Nd2 Kc6 45.c4 dxc4 46.Nxc4 46.dxc4 cannot help either: Kd6 47.Ke4 Ke6 48.Nf3 Bc8 49.Ke3 Kf7 50.Ke4 Kg6 51.Ke3 Bb7 52.Kf2 f5 53.c3 Kf6 54.Nd2 Ke5 55.Kg3 f4+ 56.Kf2 Bc6 57.Kf1 f3 58.Kf2 Kf4 59.Nf1 Ba4 60.Ne3 Bb3 61.Nd5+ Ke4 62.Nf6+ Ke5 63.Nh5 Bxc4 64.Kxf3 Bd5+ 65.Kf2 a5 66.Ng3 b5 67.Nf1 Kf4 68.Ne3 Be6 69.Ke2 Kg3 70.Kd3 Kxh3 71.Ke4 Bxg4 72.Kd5 Be2 73.Kxc5 Kg3 74.Nf5+ Kf3-+ 46...b5 47.Ne3 b4 48.a4 Kd6 49.a5 Ke5 50.Ke2 f5 51.gxf5 Bxf5 52.Nxf5 Kxf5 53.Kf3 a6 54.Kg3 Ke5 55.Kg4 Kd4 56.Kxg5 Kc3 57.h4 Kxc2 58.h5 b3 59.h6 b2 60.h7 b1Q 61.h8Q Qg1+ 62.Kf5 Qg3 63.Qa8 Qxd3+-+ 37...Bc8 38.Ng1 38.Nh2 loses after Kb5 39.Kc1 d4 40.Nf1 Kc6 41.cxd4 cxd4 42.Kd2 Kd5 43.c3 Bb7 44.Ng3 dxc3+ 45.Kxc3 Ke6 46.Nf5 Bg2 47.h4 gxh4 48.Nxh4 Bh3 49.Kc4 Bxg4 50.Ng6 Bf3 51.Kb5 Bb7 52.Kc4 Ba6+ 53.Kd4 Bc8 54.a4 Kd6 55.Nf4 Be6 56.a5 bxa5 57.Kc3 Bf7 58.d4 Kc6 59.Ng2 Kb5 60.Nh4 Be6 61.Ng6 a4 62.Ne7 a3 63.d5 Bf7 64.Kb3 Kc5 65.Kxa3 Bxd5 66.Nf5 Be6-+ 38...d4 39.cxd4 cxd4 40.Ne2 Kd5 41.c4+ dxc3+ 42.Nxc3+ 42.Kxc3 also loses - Charles Sullivan) 42...Ke5 43.Ke3 f5 44.d4+ Kf6 45.a4 fxg4 46.hxg4 Bxg4 47.a5 Be6! Move suggested by Charles Sullivan 47...bxa5? leads to a draw after 48.Ne4+ Kf5 49.Nxg5= 48.Ne4+ Kg6 49.axb6 axb6 50.Nc3 Bf5 51.d5 Kf6 52.Kd4 Bd7!-+ Charles Sullivan 33...d4 34.c4 Kd6 35.c3 dxc3+ 36.Kxc3 h5 37.gxh5 Bxh3 38.Nc2 Bd7 39.d4 Be8 40.Ne3 cxd4+ 41.Kxd4 Ke6 42.f5+ Kd6 43.h6 gxh6 44.Ng4 h5 45.Nxf6 Bf7 46.Ne4+ Ke7 47.a3 h4 48.c5 h3 49.cxb6 axb6 50.Nf2 h2 51.f6+ and the position is drawn - Sullivan, Charles. 30...Ke6 "The only bad move Rubinstein made in the game, allowing White to offer resistance." 30...Bd7 "was the strongest move, fixing the white pawns on the dark squares. They are not in danger from the bishop on those squares, but they are also unable to prevent the black king from penetrating the position, which is the greatest problem White is facing." Gelfand (1). In my opinion White still has chances to make a draw: 31.Kd2 Bh3 32.Nf3 Ke6 33.Ng1 Bf5 34.Nf3 Bg4 35.Ne1 Bh3 36.Ke2 It is still a question whether can White win. Petronijevic 31.g4 ! Gelfand (1). "But now this is a great resource. White is managing to block Black’s access to the kingside and make it much harder for him to convert his advantage. As we shall see below, White could hold the draw with accurate defence." Gelfand (1). 31.d4 Averbakh (2) . According to Euwe, this move gives good defending chances: Kd6 31...Kf5 32.Kf3 with the threat of 5. Ng2 and 6. Ne3 - Averbakh (2). 32.dxc5 bxc5 33.Nd3 leads to a relatively easy draw. ZP. 32.Kd2 Kc6 33.Ng2 ! Averbakh (2). Kb5 34.Ne3 , with good chances of a successful defence. Averbakh (2). 31...Kd6 32.h3 32.f5 gives a relatively easy draw: Bd7 33.d4 The problem is that Black cannot penetrate. g6 34.fxg6 hxg6 35.Kf3 g5 36.Ng2 Be8 37.Ne3 a5 38.Nf5+ Kc7 39.Ke2 Bg6 40.Ne3 White will drive his king to b2 and the position is even. Petronijevic 32...g6 33.Kd2 Seems that after 33.d4 Bd7 34.Ng2 g5 35.f5 the position is even. Petronijevic. 33...Bd7 34.Nf3 "At this point White could have improved his defensive resources in the following surprising way: 34.Ng2 "The idea is simple. White wants to play d3-d4 and Ne3, when he has managed to plug the holes on the light squares on the kingside to a significant degree." Gelfand (1). d4 34...h5 35.Nh4! hxg4 36.hxg4 Bxg4 37.Nxg6= 35.cxd4 cxd4 36.c4 h6 this move cannot help much either: 36...Kc5 37.Ne1 b5 37...h5 38.gxh5 gxh5 39.h4= Gelfand (1). 38.cxb5 Bxb5 39.h4= Gelfand (1). 36...dxc3+ "A logical move, giving a pawn majority on the queenside. But as we shall see, White is not without defensive resources." Gelfand (1). 37.Kxc3 g5 38.f5 38.fxg5 "also makes sense" Gelfand (1). fxg5 39.Kd4 Be6 40.a3 a5 41.Ne3 b5 42.Ke4 Bf7 43.Kd4 Kc6 44.Nc2 Bb3 45.Ne3 b4 46.axb4 axb4 47.Nc4= Petronijevic 38...Bc6 38...Ke5 39.Ne3 Bc6 39...b5 40.Nf1 a5 41.Ng3 Bc6 42.Nh5 b4+ 43.Kc4 Bd5+ 44.Kc5 Bxa2 45.d4+ Ke4 46.d5 b3 47.d6 b2 48.d7 b1Q 49.d8Q Qb4+ 50.Kc6 a4 51.Nxf6+ Ke3 52.Nd5+ Bxd5+ 53.Qxd5= 40.Nc4+ Kf4 41.Nd6= Kg3? 42.Ne4+! Bxe4 43.dxe4 Kf4 44.Kd4 b5 45.e5 fxe5+ 46.Kd5+- 39.Ne3 Bf3 40.d4 Kc6 41.a3= Gelfand. 37.Nh4 g5 38.fxg5 hxg5 39.Nf3 Kc5 40.Ke2 b5 41.cxb5 Bxb5 42.Nd2 Kb4 43.Ne4 Ka3 44.Kd2 Kxa2 45.Kc2 Ba4+ 46.Kc1 a5 47.Nxf6 Kb3 48.Ne4 Bb5 49.Nxg5 Bxd3 50.Ne6 Kc3 51.Nxd4 Kxd4 52.Kb2= Petronijevic 34...Ke7 "Threatening h5." - Fine (6). 34...h6 35.Ke3 g5 "The following variations should not be seen as forced in any way, but as an illustration of White's resources." Gelfand (1). 36.Ne1 Kc6 37.Nf3 Kb5 38.f5 Ka4 39.c4! dxc4 40.Nd2 cxd3 40...Bc6 41.Ne4 cxd3 42.Kxd3! c4+ 43.Kd4 Bxe4 44.Kxe4 Ka3 45.Kd5 c3 46.Ke6 Kb2 47.Kxf6 Kxc2 48.Kg7 Kb1 49.f6 c2 50.f7 c1Q 51.f8Q Qc6 52.a4= 41.Kxd3 Bb5+ 42.Ke3 Kb4 43.Ne4 Bc4 44.a4‼ 44.Nxf6 Kc3 45.Ne4+ Kxc2 46.f6 Bxa2-+ 44.c3+ Ka3 45.Nxf6 Kxa2 46.Ke4 Bf7!-+ 44...Kxa4 44...a5 45.Nxf6 b5? 46.axb5 Kxb5 47.Nd7! a4 48.Kd2+- 45.Nxf6 Ka3 46.Nd7 Kb2 47.Kd2 Bd5 47...a5? 48.Nxb6+- 48.f6 b5 49.Nxc5 a5 50.Ne4 a4 51.Nc3 Bf7 52.Nxb5 a3 53.Nc3! 53.Nxa3 Kxa3-+ 53...a2 54.Nxa2 Bxa2 55.Kd3 Ka3 56.c4 Kb4 57.Ke4 Bxc4 58.f7! 58.Kf5 Bf7-+ 58.Ke5 Kc5 59.f7= ZP 58...Bxf7 59.Kf5= Gelfand (1). 35.Ke3 h5 36.Nh2 According to Gelfand (1), this move is a mistake due to the awful knight on h2. In my opinion, although the knight on h2 is awful, the move is OK and leads to a draw. 36.Nh4! Kf7 36...hxg4 37.hxg4 Bxg4 38.Nxg6+= 36...g5 37.Nf3= 37.gxh5! 37.f5 g5 38.Nf3 h4 Gelfand did not give a precise evaluation, except that Black has winning chances. Let's see a possible line: 39.Ne1 39.Ke2 Ba4 40.Kd1 Ke7 41.Kd2 Kd6 42.d4 Bb5 43.Ke1 Bc4 44.a3 Kc6 45.Nd2 Ba6 46.Nf3 Bb5 47.Nd2 a5 48.Nf3 Ba6 49.Kf2 Bc8 50.Nd2 cxd4 51.cxd4 Kb5 52.Ke3 Bb7 53.Nf3 Bc6 54.Kd3 Ka4 55.Ne5 Be8 56.c4 dxc4+ 57.Nxc4 b5 58.Nd6 Bc6 59.Ne4 Bxe4+ 60.Kxe4 b4-+ 39...Ke7 40.Ke2 Ba4 41.Kd2 Bc6 42.Ke3 Kd7 43.Nf3 Kd6 44.Nd2 Ba4 45.Nb3 Ke5 46.d4+ Kd6 47.Kd2 Kc6 48.Kd1 Bb5 49.Ke1 Ba6 50.dxc5 bxc5 51.Nd2 Kd6 52.Kf2 Bb7 53.Nb3 Bc6 54.Ke2 Ba4 55.Kf2 Bb5 56.Nd2 Bc6 57.Nb3 Ba4 58.Kg2 Kc6 59.Kf3 Kb6 60.Ke3 Bb5 61.Nd2 Bc6 62.Kd3 Kb5 63.Nf1 Bb7 64.Ne3 Kc6 65.c4 dxc4+ 66.Ke2 c3 67.Kd3 Ba6+ 68.Kxc3 Kd6 69.Kd2 Ke5 70.Ke1 Bb5 71.c3 Ke4 72.Kf2 Bc6 73.Ke2 Bb7 74.Kd2 Kf4 75.c4 Ke5 76.Kd3 Bc6 77.a3 Be4+ 78.Kc3 Bf3 79.Kd3 Bc6 80.Kc3 Ke4 81.Kd2 a5 82.Nd1 Kd4 83.Nf2 Kxc4-+ 37...gxh5 38.f5 Ke7 39.Ng6+ Kd6 40.h4 40.Nf4? h4 40...Bxf5 41.Nf4 Bg4 42.d4= "White has created a fortress. Black has no reasonable way to make progress, as anything active would cost him a pawn." Gelfand (1). 36...Kd6 37.Ke2? 37.gxh5? This move loses. gxh5 38.h4 Bh3 38...Ba4? 39.Nf1! Bxc2 40.Kd2 Ba4 41.Ng3 Be8 42.d4 Kc6 43.Kc2 Kb5 44.Kb3= Gelfand (1). 39.Nf3 Ke6! 39...b5?! 40.Nd2 Bg4?! 41.Nf1!= Gelfand (1). 40.Nh2 b5 41.Kf2 41.a3 a5 42.d4 cxd4+ 43.cxd4 Kf5 44.c3 Bg2 45.Kf2 Bh1 46.Ke3 Be4 47.Nf1 Kg4-+ Gelfand (1). 41...Kd6 42.Ke3 a5 43.Nf3 Ke6 44.Nh2 a4 45.Kf2 45.a3 Kf5-+ 45...a3! 45...d4 is faster. ZP 46.Ke3 Kf5 Faster is 46...b4 47.cxb4 d4+ 48.Kd2 cxb4 49.Ke2 Kd6 50.Nf1 Be6-+ ZP 47.Kf3 Kg6 47...Ke6 Is faster ZP. 48.Ke3 d4+ 49.cxd4 Be6 50.Kd2 Bxa2 51.Nf1 51.dxc5 Bd5 52.Kc1 Kf5 53.Nf1 Kxf4 54.Nd2 f5-+ 51...Be6 52.Kc1 cxd4 53.Ng3 Bg4 54.Kb1 b4 55.Ka2 Kf7 56.Kb1 Ke6 57.Ka2 Bf3 58.Kb1 Kd5 59.Ka2 Kc5 60.Kb1 b3 61.cxb3 Kb4 62.Ka2 Bd1-+ Gelfand (1). 37.Kf3 is also mistake, which loses the game. d4 37...Ba4 is move suggested by Fine (6): " Black wins a pawn." However, this position is even after proper play: 38.f5 hxg4+ 39.Nxg4 gxf5 40.Ne3 d4 41.cxd4 cxd4 42.Nxf5+ Ke5 43.Ne7 Bxc2 44.Nc6+ Kd6 45.Nxd4 Bxd3 46.h4 Kd5 47.Ke3 Bg6 48.Ne2 Ke5 49.Ng3 Bf7 50.a3 b5 51.Ne2 a6 52.Nf4 Kf5 53.Nd3 a5 54.Kd4 Bg6 55.Nc5 Kg4 56.Nb7 f5 57.Nd6 f4 58.Nxb5 Kxh4 59.Nc3 Kg4 60.Nd5 a4 61.Nxf4= Petronijevic. 38.cxd4 cxd4 39.h4 39.f5 hxg4+ 40.Nxg4 Bxf5 41.Nxf6 Bxh3 42.Ke4 Kc5 43.Ke5 Bf5 43...Kb4 Is easier ZP 44.Ne4+ Kb4 45.Kxd4 Ka3 46.Nc3 Kb2-+ Gelfand (1). 39.Ke4 Kc5-+ Fine (6). 39...Bc6+ (?) In my opinion, Gelfand's suggestion is a clear mistake which throws away all his advantage. 39...Be6 is a winning move: 40.a3 a5 41.gxh5 gxh5 42.Kf2 a4 43.Ke1 Bh3 44.Nf3 Kd5 45.Nd2 b5 46.Ne4 b4 47.axb4 a3 48.Nc5 Bd7 49.Nb3 Ba4 50.Na1 Ke6 51.Ke2 Kf5 52.Kf3 Bc6+ 53.Kg3 Bd5 54.b5 a2 55.b6 Ke6 56.Kf2 Kd6 57.Ke2 Kc5 58.Kd2 Kxb6 59.c4 dxc3+ 60.Kxc3 Kc5 61.Nc2 Bf3 62.Kb2 Be2 63.d4+ Kc4 64.Kxa2 Bd3 65.Na1 Kxd4 66.Kb2 Ke3 67.Nb3 Kxf4-+ Petronijevic. 40.Kg3 (? ZP) 40.Kf2 leads to a draw: a5 41.gxh5 gxh5 42.Nf1 a4 43.Ke2 a3 44.Nd2 Ke6 45.Nb3 Kd5 46.Kd2= and White has fortress on the whole board! Petronijevic 40...hxg4 41.Nxg4 Ke6 42.Nh2 f5! 42...Ba4 43.Nf3 Kd5 44.f5!= 43.Kf2 Kd6 44.Nf1 Kc5 45.Ng3 a5-+ "Black will win on the Queenside." Gelfand (1). 37.Kd2! This move was not analysed by Gelfand and seems to lead to even play: Kc6 37...d4 38.cxd4 cxd4 39.Nf3 Kc5 40.Nh4 Be8 41.Kc1 a6 42.a3 Bd7 43.Nxg6 hxg4 44.hxg4 Bxg4 45.Kd2 b5 46.Ne7 Be6 47.Kc1 Kd6 48.Ng6 Bf5 49.Nh4 Bg4 50.Kb2= 38.a3 Kc7 39.Ke3 Kd6 40.Kd2 Ke7 41.Ke1 Kf7 42.Kd2 g5 43.fxg5 fxg5 44.Ke2 Be6 45.Ke1 Kg6 46.d4 Kh6 47.Kd2 Bd7 48.Ke2 Bb5+ 49.Ke1 Be8 50.Nf3 Bg6 51.c4 Be4 52.Kf2 dxc4 53.dxc5 bxc5 54.c3 Bd5 55.Nd2= Petronijevic. 37.Kf2! Also leads to a draw according to Charles Sullivan: hxg4 38.Nxg4! saves the day: 38.hxg4? loses after Ba4 38...d4 also wins: 39.cxd4 cxd4 40.Nf3 Kd5 41.Nh4 Bxg4 42.Nxg6 Kc5 43.Ne7 Kd6 44.Ng6 Bd1 45.Ke1 Bxc2 46.Kd2 Bb1 47.a3 b5 48.Nh4 a5 49.Nf3 Kc5 50.Ne1 Ba2 51.Kc1 Be6 52.Nc2 Bf5 53.Kd2 Be6 54.Kc1 Bb3 55.Ne1 b4 56.Kb2 Bd1 57.Kc1 Bh5 58.Kb2 bxa3+ 59.Kxa3 Bd1 60.Ng2 Kb5 61.Ne1 Kc6 62.Kb2 Kc5 63.Kc1 Bh5 64.Kd2 Bg4 65.Nc2 Be6 66.Na3 a4 67.Kc2 Bf7 68.Kd2 Kb4 69.Nc2+ Kb3 70.Nxd4+ Kb2-+ 39.Ke3 Bxc2 40.Nf3 Bd1 41.Nh2 Ba4-+ 38...Ke7 39.Ke3 b5 39...Ba4 40.Kd2 d4 41.cxd4 cxd4 42.Nh2 Bc6 43.Ke2 Kd6 44.Nf3 Kc5 45.Nh4 g5 46.fxg5 fxg5 47.Nf3 Bxf3+ 48.Kxf3 Kb4 49.Kg4 Kc3 50.Kxg5 Kxc2 51.h4 Kxd3 52.h5 Kc4 53.Kf4‼ 53.h6 d3 54.h7 d2 55.h8Q d1Q 56.Qc8+ Kb4 57.Qf8+-+ 53...d3 54.Ke3 Kc3 55.h6 d2 56.h7 d1Q 57.h8Q+= 39...a5 40.d4 40.Nf2? loses due to g5 41.Ng4 Be6 42.Kf3 d4 43.c4 Bd7 44.Nf2 Ke6 45.Kg4 Kf7+ 46.Kg3 Ba4 47.fxg5 fxg5 48.h4 gxh4+ 49.Kxh4 Kf6! 49...Bxc2 is a mistake because of 50.Kg5 Ke6 51.Kf4 Bb1 52.a3 Bc2 53.Ke4 Ba4 54.Kf4 b5 55.Ne4 bxc4 56.dxc4= 50.Kg3 Ke5 51.Kf3 Bxc2 52.Ng4+ Kf5 53.Nf2 Bb1 54.a3 Bc2 55.Ke2 Ba4 56.Ne4 Bd7 57.Ng3+ Kg4 58.Ne4 Kf4 59.Nd2 Bf5 60.Nf1 Bg6 61.Nd2 Bh5+ 62.Kf2 Ke5 63.Ke1 Bg6 64.Ke2 Kd6 65.Nf3 Bh5 66.Kf2 Kd7 67.Kg3 Ke6 68.Kg2 Bg6 69.Ne1 Be8 70.Kg3 Kd6 71.Kf2 b5 72.cxb5 Bxb5 73.Ke2 Bd7 74.Ng2 Ke5 75.Ne1 Bg4+ 76.Kd2 a4 77.Ng2 Bh5 78.Ke1 c4 79.dxc4 Bf3 80.Nh4 Be4 81.Kf2 Kd6 82.Kg3 Kc5 83.Kf4 Bh7 84.Nf3 Kxc4-+ Sullivan,Charles 40...Kd6 40...Bxg4 41.hxg4 Kd6 42.Kd3 Kc6 43.c4! dxc4+ 44.Kxc4 b5+ 45.Kd3 Kd5 46.dxc5 Kxc5 47.Ke4 a4 48.g5 fxg5 49.fxg5 Kb4 50.Ke5 Ka3 51.Kf6 Kxa2 52.Kxg6 Kb2 53.Kf5 a3 54.g6 a2 55.g7 a1Q 56.g8Q Qa4 57.Kf6 Qxc2 this position is a theoretical draw. 41.Nxf6 Bxh3 42.Nh7 c4 43.Ng5 Bf5 44.Kd2 Ke7 45.Nf3 Kf6 46.Ne5 Ke6 47.Nc6 Be4 48.Ne5 Kf5 49.Ke3 Bxc2 50.Nd7 b5 51.a3 Ke6 52.Ne5 Kd6 53.Kd2 Bf5 54.Nf7+ Kc7 55.Ne5 Be4 56.Ng4 Kd6 57.Ne5 Ke6 58.Nc6 Kd7 59.Ne5+ Kd8 60.Nf7+ Kc7 61.Ne5 Bf5 62.Nf7 Kb6 63.Ne5 Ka6 64.Nf7 Bd7 65.Ne5 Be8 66.Ng4 Kb6 67.Ne5 Kb7 68.Ng4 Kc6 69.Ne5+ Kd6 70.Ke3 Ke6 71.Kf3 Kf6 72.Ke3 Kf5 73.Kf3 g5 74.fxg5 Kxg5 75.Ke3 Kf5 76.Kf3= Sullivan,Charles 40.Nf2 g5 41.fxg5 fxg5 42.d4 Kd6 43.a3 Bf5 44.Nd3 cxd4+ 45.cxd4 Bxh3 or 45...Kc7 46.Nc5 Bxh3 47.c3 and White is not in any danger 46.Ne5 Ke6 47.c3 Kf6 48.Nc6 Bc8 49.Ne5 White is a pawn down, but he can hold. Sullivan, Charles. 37.a3 Also leads to draw after Kc6 38.Kd2 Transposing to the line 37...Kd2 37.d4 Is a suggestion by Euwe (Averbakh 2). However, Fine (6) found a win for Black: Kc6 38.Kd2 Kb5 39.Kd3 39.f5 hxg4 40.fxg6 g3 Fine (6) - this move is a mistake. 40...gxh3 wins the game - Petronijevic. 41.Nf3 Bxh3 42.Ke3 Bf5 43.Nh4 Bxc2 44.g7 Bh7 45.Nf5 g2 46.Kf2= 39...Bc8 39...Ka4 is faster ZP. 40.Kd2 cxd4 40...Kc4 This move suggested by Fine is a mistake and throws away the win. 41.dxc5? 41.f5 saves the game: hxg4 42.Nxg4 g5 43.Ne3+ Kb5 44.Nxd5 Bxf5 45.Nxf6 Bxh3 46.Ne4 g4 47.d5= 41...bxc5 41...Kxc5 is a winning move. 42.Nf1 d4 ! 43.cxd4 Kxd4? " when White cannot defend his weaknesses" - Averbakh (2). In fact, this position is even: winning line is 43...hxg4 44.hxg4 Kxd4 45.g5 fxg5 46.fxg5 Ke4 47.Ne3 Be6 48.a3 Kf4 49.Kd3 Kxg5 50.Ke4 Kf6 51.c3 g5 52.Nf1 Bf5+ 53.Ke3 Bc2 54.Nd2 Kf5 55.Kf3 g4+ 56.Ke3 Kg5 57.Nf1 Kh4 58.Kf2 Bd1 59.Kg2 Bf3+ 60.Kf2 Bc6 61.Ng3 Kg5 62.Ke3 Bd5 63.Nf1 Kf5 64.Nd2 g3 65.c4 Bg2 66.Nb3 Bf1 67.Nxc5 Ke5 68.Nd7+ Kd6 69.Nb8 a5 70.Kf3 g2 71.Kf2 a4-+ 44.gxh5 gxh5 45.h4 c4 46.c3+ Ke4 47.Ng3+ Kf3 48.Nxh5 f5 49.a3 Kg4 50.Nf6+ Kxf4 51.Nd5+ Kg4 52.Ke3= 41.cxd4 Kb4 42.f5 hxg4 43.Nxg4 Bxf5 44.Nxf6 Kc4 45.h4 Kxd4 46.Ng8 Kc5 47.Nf6 Kd6 48.Nh7 Ke5 49.Ng5 d4 50.Nf7+ Ke6 51.Ng5+ Kd5 52.a3 a5 53.Nh7 Ke5 54.Ng5 Kf4 55.Nf7 Kg3 56.Ne5 Kxh4-+ 37...d4! 38.cxd4 38.c4 Ke7 39.Ke1 39.Kd2 Bc6 40.Ke2 Bg2 41.gxh5 gxh5 42.h4 Ke6 43.Kf2 Bc6 44.Nf3 Ba4 45.Ne1 Kf5 46.Kg3 a6 47.a3 Kg6-+ Gelfand (1). 39...hxg4 40.hxg4 g5 41.f5 Bc6 42.Ke2 Kd6 43.Nf3 a6 44.Kf2 Ba4 45.Ne1 Ke5 46.Kg3 b5 47.cxb5 47.Nf3+ Kd6 48.Ne1 a5 49.cxb5 49.Kf3 Ke5 50.Kg3 bxc4 51.dxc4 Ke4-+ 49...Bxb5 50.Kf3 c4 51.a3 Kc5 52.Kg3 cxd3 53.cxd3 Kd5 54.Kf3 Ba4 55.Ke2 Ke5! 56.Nf3+ Kf4 57.Nxd4 Kxg4 58.Ke3 Kh3-+ 47...axb5 48.a3 b4 49.axb4 cxb4 50.Kf3 b3 51.cxb3 Bxb3 52.Ke2 Kf4 53.Nf3 Bd1+-+ Gelfand (1). 38...cxd4 39.Kd2 39.f5 cannot help either: hxg4 40.fxg6 gxh3 41.Kf2 Bc6 41...b5 also wins: 42.a3 a5 43.Nf3 Kc5 44.Nd2 a4 45.Ne4+ Kb6 46.g7 Be6-+ ZP 42.Kg3 Ke7 43.Kxh3 Ba4-+ Gelfand (1). 39...hxg4 40.hxg4 Bc6 41.Ke2 Bd5 42.a3 b5 43.Nf1 a5 44.Nd2
44...a4! 45.Ne4+ 45.Nb1 Kc5 46.c3 Ba2 45...Bxe4 46.dxe4 b4 47.Kd2 bxa3 48.Kc1 g5 0–1
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Reti,R-Rubinstein,A-0–11920B29Goteborg SSK 40th Anniversary Group A7

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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