The Practical Endgame / Instruction
The Fighting OCBs “It is a cliche that most cliches are true, but then like most cliches, that
cliche is untrue.” —Stephen Fry By GM DANIEL NARODITSKY
MUCH OF THE TIME, OPPOSITE- col ored bishop (OCB) endgames live up to their drawish reputation. It is so difficult to induce Zugzwang or to promote a passer that even an ostensibly decisive material advantage can mean nothing in the face of an uncontested bishop and an active king. I am always wary of endgame gen- eralizations, but before writing this month’s column, I had no idea just how accurate some clichés turn out to be. Read on ...
Frustrating Kamsky GM Gata Kamsky (2785) GM Aleksandr Lenderman (2609) 38th Annual World Open (4), 2010
Frequently, the only way to actually win
an OCB endgame is to deprive your oppo- nent of key defensive squares for his king and bishop. If you succeed in attaining a sizeable space advantage, your opponent might suddenly end up in Zugzwang, with no choice but to make a serious conces- sion. In this case, of course, Kamsky simply has no alternative.
44. ... Bb5 45. d5 Ke8 46. Bd4
A typical grandmaster move. Kamsky transfers his bishop to c5, where it will prevent … b7-b6 and cut off Black’s king.
46. ... Kd7 47. Bc5 Bc4 White has improved the position of his
bishop and pawns to the maximum, so it is high time to bring in the monarch.
48. Kf2 Bb5 49. h4 This was not strictly necessary, but it
certainly cannot hurt. In the unlikely event that White’s king reaches g7 and captures the h7-pawn, he will have the additional option of trading the g6-pawn in only two moves (Kh6 and h4-h5). Such “intuitive calculation” is a crucial tool in an experi- enced endgame player’s arsenal.
WHITE TO MOVE Gata Kamsky—and I can attest to this
firsthand—has an innate ability to outplay his opponent from an apparently unwin - nable position. This game is a case in point. Lenderman sacrificed a pawn in the opening and obtained a fearsome ini- tiative, but Kamsky somehow extinguished the fire and traded off both queen and rooks while retaining his material advan- tage. Unfortunately for White, though, reeling in the full point will not be a simple matter. If and when Black’s king reaches d7 (or e6), White will be hard-pressed to make any progress. For the moment, though, it is clear that he has no alterna- tive but to advance his central pawns.
44. e4 46 October 2014 | Chess Life
49. ... Bc4 50. Ke3 Bf1 51. Kd4 Bg2 Lenderman could have continued wait-
ing with 51. ... Bb5, but he smartly chooses to restrict White’s possibilities by practically forcing White’s reply.
52. f4 There was no sense in playing cat-and-
mouse with 52. Ke3, since the f-pawn will eventually have to advance anyway.
52. ... Bf3 Another prudent choice. By keeping his
bishop on the a8-h1 diagonal, Lenderman ties White’s king to the defense of e4. Since 53. e5 is obviously counterproductive (Black will have an immediate fortress after 53. ... Bg2), White’s options are lim- ited yet again—he must push the f-pawn.
53. Bb4 Ke8 54. Ke5 Bg2 55. f5 Already, menacing storm clouds begin
to gather over Black’s position. He can hardly allow another passed pawn on the kingside, so 55. ... gxf5 loses quickly after 56. exf5 Bh1 57. h5 Bf3 58. h6, when he cannot stop the threats of g5-g6 and Kf6- g7-xh7 simultaneously. Therefore, he must sit tight and keep waiting.
55. ... Bf3 56. f6 White has made substantial progress.
With the pawn on f6, his e- and d-pawns have become rather intimidating.
56. ... Bd1!
The only way to stay alive. Negligently keeping the bishop on the long diagonal with 56. ... Bg2?? would lead to calamitous consequences after 57. Kd4 Bf3 58. e5 Bg2 (it is too late for 58. ... Bd1: 59. Kc4! [taking away the crucial b3-square from the bishop] 59. ... Be2+ 60. Kc5 Bg4 61. e6! fxe6 [61. ... Bf5 62. exf7+ Kxf7 63. Kb6 is even worse] 62. d6 e5 63. Kb6 and Black is powerless against the threat of Kc7 followed by either f7+ or d7+, when he will lose the bishop) 59. e6 Bh3 60. exf7+ Kxf7 61. Kc5 Ke8 62. Kb6 and once again, Black cannot stop the pawns with- out giving up his bishop.
57. Kd6 Bc2
Walking the tightrope indeed! Black cannot allow the king to reach c7. 58. e5 Bb3 59. e6 In 15 moves, Black has literally been
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