Tactics,
Openings, Endgames - Visit ChessBase Magazine Online
The tragedy of a single tempo
Even a simple looking pawn ending can turn out to be a hard nut to crack, and
sometimes only a single, tiny tempo is the margin between a win and a draw.
In this example from the European Rapid Chess Championship Black (whose move it
is) is in possession of a trump card - the distant passed pawn. The only
question is whether to play it straight away with 40...b3 or whether it is
cleverer to hold back with it. Over the board, Black was obliged to take a quick
decision. Fortunately for you, you can spend a bit more time on the analysis.
Analysis Mikrut - Vachier-Lagrave by GM Karsten Müller.
![](/portals/all/_for_legal_reasons.jpg)