The Practical Endgame / Instruction
Blazing A Path
In his first column for Chess Life, GM Daniel Naroditsky begins his endings investigations with a look at pawn-only endgames. By GM DANIEL NARODITSKY
IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT WE introduce our new endgame column and columnist, GM Daniel Naroditsky’s “The Practical Endgame.” You can read more about “Danya” in the April Chess Life and on page 16 of this issue. The column’s title resurrects a title from decades ago in this magazine, penned by the late GM Edmar Mednis. The focus will be on endings by American players.
Endgames can be divided into two cat-
egories: theoretical endgames, in which the correct move or plan (and the result of the game) has already been determined by prior analysis, and practical endgames, in which it is impossible to rely on endgame theory as a crutch. Both are equally impor- tant, but I will focus on the latter. Practical endings arise more frequently in tourna- ment practice, and they are replete with complex and aesthetically pleasing motifs. My endgame credo is simple: there is no replacement to a healthy mix of verbal and analytic explanations. With that, I invite you to join me in blazing a path through the sea of practical endings! Fittingly enough, we will start with
endgames involving no pieces at all. Pawn endings are tremendously difficult to play and master, simply because one hasty or inaccurate decision—one incorrect king move, for example—could instantly alter the result of the game. King plus pawn versus king endgames have been thor- oughly examined, and it is tempting to assume that if you know about opposition and triangulation, you have mastered pawn endings. However, this naïve belief could not be farther from the truth. In the following two games, we will see just how intricate and complex pawn end - games—even those with just one or two pawns for each side can be.
(see diagram top of next column) The position appears to resemble a
stereotypical case of an outside passed pawn deciding the outcome of the game: since Black’s king cannot move from the
46 June 2014 | Chess Life
Black’s pawns—as weak as they are— have succeeded in breaking through on their own. Once again, the consequences of regal neglect are put on full display.
AFTER 43. ... Ke5
fifth rank (he cannot allow Kd4), White must simply await the perfect opportunity to sacrifice his passed pawn in order to expose Black’s vulnerable kingside pawns. Unfortunately, the immediate 44. g5 does not quite work: 44. ... Kf5 45. Kd4 Kxg5 46. Kxc4 and Black is in time to defend his pawns: 46. ... Kf6 47. Kd5 Ke7. Fischer panics not: he simply moves his king back and forth, forcing Bisguier to advance his own pawns and make them easily acces- sible to White’s king.
44. Kf3 a5 45. Ke3 a4 Forced. 45. ... b5? 46. g5 Kf5 (trading
pawns does not help: 46. ... b4 47. g6 bxc3 48. bxc3 Kf6 49. Kd4 and White will pick up both pawns) 47. Kd4 Kxg5 48. Kc5 and Black’s neglectful king, in his own greedy pursuits, has left his pawns to the wolves.
46. g5 (see diagram top of next column) The attempt to induce a further advance
of Black’s pawns with 46. Kf3 could have backfired: 46. ... Kf6 47. Kf4 Kg6 48. g5 b6 and now White is best advised to settle for a draw with 49. Ke4, since 49. Kg4?? actually loses to 49. ... b5! 50. Kf4 b4 51. cxb4 c3! and it suddenly turns out that
46. ... Kf5 47. Kd4 Kxg5 48. Kxc4 Kf4 49. Kb4 Ke3 50. Kxa4 Kd2
Unfortunately for White, the immediate
51. Kb5? does not work on account of 51. ... Kc2 52. Kb6 Kxb2 53. c4 Kb3 54. c5 Kb4, so Fischer tries to patiently outma- neuver Black’s pesky king before ad vanc ing his pawns.
51. Kb3 Kd3 52. c4 Kd2 Black’s king cannot travel too far back.
After 52. ... Kd4? 53. Kb4 Kd3 54. Kb5 Kd4 55. b4 Black cannot stop 56. c5 fol- lowed by 57. Kb6.
53. Ka4 Kc2 54. Ka3 Fischer continues his patient triangula-
tion, trying to reach a position in which Black must either move his b-pawn or move his king to an unfavorable position. Such a strategy works 99 cases out of a 100 …
54. ... Kd3 55. Kb3 At this point, Fischer must have
breathed a sigh of relief. 55. ... Kd2 allows the c-pawn to move forward, and 55. ... Kd4 allows the b-pawn to advance uncon- tested. Clearly under the same impression, Bisguier folds:
55. ... b6?? This is clearly tantamount to capitula-
tion, but what else could be done? As
Don’t stereotype! GM Robert James Fischer GM Arthur Bisguier U.S. Championship (1), New York, 12.18.1959
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