The world's greatest endgame expert: Yuri Averbakh

by ChessBase
6/20/2022 – On May 7, 2022 the world received sad news when it was announced from Moscow that Yuri Averbakh passed away. Averbakh excelled in many fields and at this peak he was one of the world's best ten players but he is best known for his contributions to endgame theory. To pay tribute to the endgame expert, Zoran Petronijevic had a look at endgames that were close to Averbakh's heart. | Photo: Eric Koch / Anefo

Rules of thumb are the key to everything when you are having to set the correct course in a complex endgame. In this final DVD of his series on the endgame, our endgame specialist introduces you to the most important of these rules of thumb.

The world's greatest endgame expert: Yuri Averbakh

By Zoran Petronijevic

He was born in 1922 in a city called Kaluga but he spent the majority of his life in Moscow. Averbakh graduated from university as an engineer, but chess was always an essential part of his life.

At the peak of his career he was among the top 10 best players in the world. As a man of many interests, Averbakh excelled in a wide variety of fields. He was known to be an excellent organizer, he was the president of the chess federation in Soviet Union, he was the editor of two chess magazines, he was a chess historian, he was a chess arbiter at important international tournaments, he wrote many chess books, and he was a chess coach to some of the best players (Petrosian, Spassky).

Perhaps, the greatest contribution to chess that Averbakh will be known for, is his contribution to the development of the endgames. His contribution to the endgames is so significant that it is often said, "you should know Averbakh", which means that you should know endgames. As Raymond Keene wrote, among professional chess players he was known by the nickname "Mr. Endgame".

Averbakh became interested in studying endgames very early on during his chess career. His interest of studying the typical endgame positions had started in 1946 when one evening he and David Bronstein analyzed an adjourned position from a game between Mark Taimanov and David Bronstein, played in Moscow.

In the following diagrams we can see the Taimanov-Bronstein game with the analyses of Averbakh, as well as the positions that Averbakh explored in order to gain deeper insights into this type of endgame.

 
 
Taimanov,M-Bronstein,D
Leningrad1946
1.Ra7+ Here the game was adjourned and Bronstein showed his position to Averbach. Averbach wrote: "In those old times we were just masters and we only dreamed of chess heights. The position is so interesting and I analyzed it carefully. We managed to find exceptional, just study opportunities. Later, I showed our analysis to Master Peter Romanovsky. He advised me to analyze a number of similar positions to find their characteristic features. This job attracted me, even though it was quite difficult. It was only a few years later that my first theoretical article on endings came out. My interest no longer faded, and I continued to systematically analyze various types of endings." Kf8 2.f5?= Taimanov made a mistake after the edjournment and the game ended in a draw. Averbakh and Bronstein found a study path to win: 2.Rd7! Today it is enough to turn on the engine and see how to win. At that time, the way to the win required deep analysis. Kg8 Black has a fortress with his king, pawn and Knight. The winning way for white is studious. 2...Ke8 loses after 3.Rh7 Kf8 4.f5+- 3.Ke6! By sacrificing his pawn, White succeeds in breaking down the enemy fortress: Nxf4+ 3...Kf8 4.Rf7+ Kg8 4...Ke8 5.Rf6! Kd8 6.Kf7+- 5.Ke7 Kh8 6.Kf8 A faster win 6.f5 as we can see in TBS. 6...Ng3 7.Rg7 Nh5 8.Rxg6+- 4.Kf6 Nh5+ 4...g5 5.Kxg5+- The Knight is separated from his own King and will soon be lost. 4...Kh8 5.Rd4! g5 6.Rd7 g4 6...Kg8 7.Kxg5+- 7.Rd4 Ng2 8.Rxg4 Ne3 9.Re4 Nd5+ 10.Kf7 White wins. 5.Kxg6+- Nf4+ 6.Kg5 Ne6+ 7.Kf6 Nf4 7...Nf8 8.Rd8 Black is in zugzwang. 8.Rd4 Ne2 9.Rg4+ Kf8 10.Rc4 Kg8 11.Kg6 11.Ke5 also wins - TBS. 11...Kf8 12.Kg5 Ng3 13.Kg4 Ne2 14.Kf3 Ng1+ 15.Kg2 Ne2 16.Kf2+-

 

 
 
Averbakh,Y-
11948
Using the advice of Master Konstantinopolsky, Averbakh analyzed a number of similar positions on different parts of the board and came to important conclusions. He was able to conclude when a position is winning and when a position is a draw The resulting position is a draw. When White moves his king towards the opponent's pawn, Black will be able to push his pawn and reduce the scope of the rook against the knight, which will result in a draw. 1.Kc2 White tries to attack the Black pawn with his king. Kb5 2.Rh8 Ka4 3.Rb8 It reduces the maneuverability of Black, but it still can not bring Black into zugzwang. Ka3 4.Ra8 Ka4! 5.Kd3 Kb5 6.Kd4 6.Kc2 leads to the same position after Ka4 6...b3! This is simplest, although according to TBS also 6...Nc6+ leads to the draw. 7.Rb8+ Ka4 Aberbakh concludes: "If this position is moved one or two files to the right, and the resulting positions are moved up the board, all these positions will be drawn, since White has no way of successfully attacking the enemy king with his rook."

 

 
 
Averbakh,Y-
21948
The same type of position in the center gives greater chances to the stronger side because White has more mobility for his Rook and king. However, with proper play, Black can hold a draw. 1.Ra4+ This position differs significantly from the previous one. White can attempt to attack the king with his rook from the left, in combination with manoeuvring the King. Ke5 2.Kb3 Ne7 Black wants to put his Knight on f5 with the constant threat of e4-e3 which leads to a draw. 2...Nf6? loses: 3.Kc4 Kf4 3...e3 loses after 4.dxe3 Ke4 5.Ra6 Ng4 6.Re6++- 4.Ra3 According to TBS faster is 4.Kd4 4...Ke5 5.Ra5+ Kf4 6.Kd4 Ng4 7.Ra8 Kf3 8.Rf8+ Ke2 9.Kxe4 Kxd2 The Knight is separated from his own king and will be lost. 10.Rf4 Nh6 11.Kd5 Ke3 12.Ke5 Ng8 13.Rh4 Ne7 14.Rh6 Kd3 15.Re6 Nc8 16.Kd5 Na7 17.Kc5 , and the knight is caught. According to TBS Black can also make a draw either after 2...Kf4 or 2...Nb6 3.Kc4 Nf5 4.Ra8 Kf4 5.Rf8 Ke5 6.Re8+ Kf4! 7.Kd5 Averbakh: "This is the maximum that White can achieve, but there follows" e3! 8.d4 Kf3! 9.Re5 9.Kc4 e2 Averbakh misses a winning move 9...Nd6+-+ 10.Kd3 Nxd4 9.Rf8 leads to a draw after Kf4 10.Ke6 Ke4! 11.Rxf5 Kxd4= 9...Ng3 10.Kc4 Ne4 11.Kd3 Nf2+ 12.Kc2 Ne4 13.Kd1 13.Rf5+ leads to a draw as well: Kg4! 14.Rf1 e2 15.Ra1 Kf3 16.Kd3 Nf2+ 17.Kd2 Ne4+ 18.Ke1 Ke3 19.d5 Nc5 20.Ra3+ Kd4 21.d6 Kd5= 13...Nf2+ 14.Ke1 Nd3+ 15.Kf1 Nf4 16.Re8 e2+ 17.Ke1 Nd3+ 18.Kd2 e1Q+ 19.Rxe1 Nxe1 20.d5 Ke4 21.d6 Nf3+ 22.Kc3 Ne5= Averbakh's conclusion is: "The same plan of defence leads to a draw in positions obtained by moving the pieces (apart from the rook) in this example one file to the right. But moving it two files to the right changes the evaluation."

 

 
 
Averbakh,Y-
31948
When the weaker side does not threaten to advance the pawn, in order to draw, it must position the Knight so that it attacks the pawn. The following example is a typical set-up: 1.Ra6+ Kf5! 1...Ke7? is passive and loses: 2.Rh6 Kd7 2...Kf7 3.Rd6 Ke7 4.Kc5 Kf7 5.Kb6! Ke8 6.Kc7 Ke7 7.Kc6 Black is in Zugzwang. Kf7 8.Kd7 Ne2 9.Re6 Nf4 10.Rxe5 Nxd3 11.Re3 And the Knight is far from his own king, which leads to defeat. 3.Rh4 Ng2 4.Re4 Kd6 5.d4! exd4 6.Kxd4 And here also the Knight is lost. 2.Rb6 2.Rd6 leads to a draw after e4 according to TBS Black has a lot of moves which lead to a draw. 3.d4 e3 4.Rd8 4.Kc3 e2 5.Kd2 Ke4 6.Rd8 Nd5= 4...e2 5.Rf8+ Kg4 6.Re8 Kf3 7.Kc3 Ng2 8.Kd2 e1Q+ 9.Rxe1 Nxe1 10.d5 Ke4 11.d6 Nf3+ 12.Kc3 Ne5= 2...Ne2 3.Rb2 Nf4! 4.Rf2 Kg5 5.Kc3 5.Rf3 also cannot win: Kf5 6.Re3 Ng2 7.Rg3 Nf4 8.Kc5 Ne2 9.Re3 Nf4 10.Kd6 Kf6 We can see why the Knight should be on f4 - Pe3 is under attack. 11.Rf3 Kf5 12.Rg3 e4! and in case of 13.d4 Black has Ne2= 5...Kf5 6.Kd2 Ke6 7.Ke3 7.d4 Kd5 8.Ke3 Ne6 7...Kd5 8.Ra2 Ne6=

 

 
 
In this position Black draws. 1.Ra7+ Kf6! Black's King is active 2.Rb7 2.Rd7 cannot win as well: Kg6 3.Kc6 Kf6 4.Kc7 Kg6 5.Kd8 Kg5 ! 6.Ke8 Kf4 7.Kf7 Ke4= and draw is obvious. 2...Ne3 3.Rb3 Nf5! 4.Rf3 Kg6 Or 4...Kg5= according to TBS. 5.Rf4 Kf6 6.Re4 Ng3 7.Rg4 Nf5! 8.Kc6 Ne3 9.Re4 Nf5! 10.Kd7 Kf7! 11.Rf4 Kf6 12.Rg4 and now it is time for e5! 13.d5 Ne3 with a draw. In case of violent 14.d6? White even loses: Nxg4 15.Kc7 Nh6 16.d7 Nf7-+

 

 
 
In this position, Black loses because there is not enough room to maneuver his pieces. 1.Ra8+ Kf7 2.Rb8 Ne4 3.Rb4 Nf6 4.Rf4 Kg7 5.Rf5 Kf7 6.Kc7 Kg6 6...e6 loses due to 7.Rxf6+ Kxf6 8.d6+- 7.Re5 Kf7 8.Kd8 Kf8 8...Ng8 cannot help as well: 9.Re1 Kf8 10.Rf1+ Kg7 11.Rg1+ Kf7 12.Rxg8+- 9.Rf5 9.Rg5 is a bit faster accoring to TBS. 9...Kf7 10.Rg5 e6 10...Kf8 11.Re5 and Black is in zugzwang. 11.d6! Ne4 12.d7 Nxg5 13.Kc8+-

Averbakh published his analyses in countless articles, as well as in a large number of books, which have been translated into the most important languages. With a group of masters, Averbakh wrote a book on endgames in three volumes (1956, 1958 and 1962), which was revolutionary in the development of endgame studies and was indispensable for any serious player. For example, Robert Fischer deeply analyzed these books.

The second edition of these books was published in 1980–1984. The book was split into five volumes and has been translated into all major languages. These volumes are still considered as the standard in endgame studies, regardless of the fact that they were written in the pre-computer era.

Averbakh analyzed endgames successfully before computers, and many relevant players consider him as the best endgame expert known to play the game. He analyzed all types of endings, and it is difficult to single out any analyses that would show all his qualities as an analyst.

But for this article, I chose a position from a game between Capablanca and Janowsky, which, according to Averbakh himself, was one of his favorites.

 
 
Capablanca, Jose Raul-Janowski, Dawid Markelowicz
New York
New York (USA)1916[Petronijevic,Zoran]
In regards to this position, Averbakh wrote: "Every theorist has his favorite analyses. One of my favorite analyses is the position from the Capablanca-Janowski game." (Sakhmaty V USSR, 1977/9). This position is really interesting and it seems that White is winning: his pieces are active and he has an outside passed pawn. Averbakch concluded that this position is a draw, contrary to previous analyses such as Cheron (1952) which claimed that White is winning. 1.Ke4 Averbakh: "is a typical Capablanca move. He is in no hurry to force events, but first tries every chance." If White tries 1.Kc5 Black has a draw due to b4 2.Kc4 Be1 3.Bc5 Kg7 4.Bxb4 Bg3! 4...Bf2 also does not lose, although in this case the draw is achieved in study-like fashion. After 5.Bc3+ Kxg6 6.b4 Kf7 7.Bd4 Bg3 8.b5 Bc7! Only move. 9.Kd5 Ke7 10.Kc6 Kd8 11.Bb6 and Black has nice Kc8‼ which saves the day. 4...Bh4? is a mistake which loses after 5.Bc3+ Kxg6 6.b4 Kf7 6...Kf5 cannot help as well 7.Kd5 Bd8 8.b5 Kf4 9.Be5+ Ke3 10.Kc6 Kd3 11.Bc7 Bg5 12.b6+- 7.b5 Bd8 7...Ke6 is not sufficient 8.b6 Kd7 9.Kb5 Bg3 10.b7 Kc7 11.Ka6+- 8.Kd5 Ke8 9.Kc6 and White wins by relocating his Bishop on c7 and next b6-b7. 5.Bc3+ Kxg6 6.b4 Kf7 7.b5 Bc7! 8.Kd5 Ke7 9.Kc6 Kd8 10.Kb7 Kd7 this position is a theoretical draw. 1...b4 2.Be3 Bc3 3.Kd3 Be1 4.Bd2 Bf2 5.Ke4 Bc5? This move loses. 5...Kg7 was the only way to make a draw: 6.Kf5 Bc5 7.Bf4 Bf2 8.Be5+ Kg8 Averbakh: "White would have had nothing better than to take his king to the c4 pawn, which should have led only to a draw. The move played allows White to gain the extra tempo he needs." 6.Kd5! Be7 6...Bf2 loses due to 7.Bxb4 Kg7 8.Bc3+ Kxg6 9.b4 Kf7 10.Bd4 Bg3 11.b5 Bc7 12.Kc6 Ba5 13.Be5 Ke8 14.Bc7 Bb4 15.b6+- 7.Kc4! Kg7 8.Bxb4 Bd8 9.Bc3+? This move throws away all his advantage. 9.Bd2 was a winning move Kxg6 10.b4 Kf5 11.Kd5+- 9...Kxg6 10.b4 Kf5 11.Kd5
In this position Janowski resigned, although, he could have drawn. Interestingly, Fischer knew this analysis and drew with Taimanov, 1960 in an identical way as in this analysis. 11...Kf4‼ 12.Bd4 12.Be5+ Ke3 13.b5 Kd3 14.Kc6 Kc4= 12...Kf3‼ 13.b5 13.Bc5 runs out on Ke2‼ 14.Kc6 Kd3! 15.Kd7 Bg5 16.b5 Kc4= 13...Ke2‼ The King goes behind the pawn. 14.Kc6 Kd3 15.Bb6 Bg5 and the position is even.

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