Endgame Lab/ Instruction
Cracking the Berlin Wall If you want to head straight from the opening right into an endgame, the
Berlin Defense is for you. By GM PAL BENKO
AFTER A LONG TIME IN DISFAVOR, THE Berlin defense seems to have experienced a rebirth. It has entered the armory of top players such as GMs Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik, who have all enjoyed success with it. This makes it worthy of study from both sides of the board. In the following games, we’ll study some instructive examples that White won that show how to exploit dis- advantages within the black camp. We begin with a game from a women’s world championship match.
Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense (C67) GM Yifan Hou (FIDE 2591, CHN) GM Humpy Koneru (FIDE 2600, IND) 2010 Women World Championship, Antalya (TUR)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8
11. b3 a5 12. a4 Be6 13. Bb2 h5 14. Nfd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Rd8 16. Nxe6 fxe6
Black gives up the bishop pair intention- ally with the hope of blockading the white pawn majority.
17. Rad1 Kf7 18. g3 Bb4 Possibly 18. ... g6.
19. Kg2 Bd2 20. Kf3 Rd5 21. Ke2 Rhd8 22. c4 R5d7 23. Bc1 Bc3
The rook ending may have been a bet- ter choice for Black. Usually any trade of pieces brings White closer to her own strategic aim.
24. Rxd7+ Rxd7 25. f4 g6 Interesting is 25. ... Kg6!?. 26. Rf3 Bb4 27. Rd3 Rxd3 28. Kxd3 Be7 This avoids the pawn-ending that would
have appeared after 29. Bd2, but in any case Black was too optimistic about her chances in the bishop ending.
29. Be3 c5 30. Ke4 b6 31. Kf3 Bf8 32. g4! Be7 33. Kg3 c6 34. Kh3! Bd8 35. Bf2 Bc7 36. Bh4 hxg4+ 37. Kxg4 Kg7 38. Bf6+ Kf7 39. Bh4 Kg7 40. Bf6+ Kf7 41. Kg5 b5
Temporarily helping the passive bishop since after 42. axb5 cxb5 43. cxb5 Bb6, ... c5-c4 is on the horizon.
42. Kh6 bxa4 43. bxa4 Bb6
This is the basic position of the main line of the Berlin Defense—after only nine moves we are already in an endgame. Against the White kingside pawn majority and Black’s loss of castling rights, Black has the bishop pair.
10. Ne2
An uncommon continuation that pre- sumably targets the usual ... Be6 setup.
11. ... Be7 Also possible is 10. ... Bc5. 42 November 2012 | Chess Life
44. Be7 This idea could work, but it must be pre-
pared via 44. h3 Bc7 45. h4 Bb6, while 44. h4! Bc7 45. Kg5 Bb6 46. f5! exf5 47. h5 gxh5 48. Kxf5 Ke8 49. Kg6 etc. was a pos- sible winning breakthrough.
44. ... Bc7?
Misses an escape chance. Better to ask for proof than endure torture. 44. ... Kxe7 45. Kxg6 Bd8 46. h4 Kf8 47. h5 Kg8 48. h6 Bh4 49. h7+ Kh8 50. Kf7 Kxh7 51. Kxe6. At this point we can see that White would win with the extra tempo (44. h4) if she could play 51. Kf7, but now after 51. ... Kg7 Black has good drawing chances.
45. Bxc5 Bd8 46. Bf2 Be7 47. c5 Bf8+ 48. Kg5 Be7+ 49. Kg4 Ke8 50. Be1 Bxc5 51. Bxa5 Be7 52. Kf3
Or 52. h4.
52. ... Kd7 53. Ke4 c5 54. Kd3 Kc6 55. Kc4 Bh4 56. Bd2 Bf2 57. h3 Bg1 58. Bc1 Bf2 59. Bd2 Bg1 60. Kd3
Better is 60. a5!.
60. ... Bf2 61. Be3 Be1 62. Kc4 Bb4 63. Bf2 Kb6 64. Be3 Kc6 65. Bg1 Kb6 66. Bf2 Kc6 67. Bh4 Bd2 68. Bg5 Be1 69. Be7 Bf2 70. a5! Be3 71. Bg5 Bf2
No other move could have helped since a5-a6 is coming sooner or later.
72. h4 Bg3 73. a6 Bf2 74. h5!
At long last! This bishop ending took longer than was necessary.
74. ... gxh5 75. f5 exf5 76. e6 Bg3 77. e7 Kd7 78. a7, Black resigned.
Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense (C67) GM Judit Polgar (FIDE 2699, HUN) GM Sergey Karjakin (FIDE 2788, RUS) World Cup 2011
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 h5
This is a frequent, though radical, move lately in order to stop g2-g4, but the draw-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76