The Practical Endgame / Instruction
The Moment of Truth: Rook Endings
“[Rook endings] are often so complex, so replete with tactical nuances and daunting calculation tasks that even grandmasters tend to slip up at
critical junctures.” By GM DANIEL NARODITSKY
ROOK ENDINGS. WHAT NEEDS TO BE said? They are often so complex, so replete with tactical nuances and daunting cal- culation tasks that even grandmasters tend to slip up at critical junctures. The following captivating encounter be tween two of the strongest American chess play- ers of all time is a case in point.
The moment of truth IM Edmar Mednis GM Arthur Bisguier New York, 1959
passed pawns are not far enough advanced to generate serious counterplay. Black had two ways to contain the passer from behind, but only one kept the advantage:
A. 49. ... Rh3+? 50. Ke4 Rd3 is the most straightforward option, but it allows White’s king to break free and lend crucial support to the ailing pawn. After 51. Kxe5 Rd2, White has a choice between the adventur- ous 52. Rf8 and the cautious 52. Rb1. Let’s dive in headfirst!
A1. 52. Rf8 Rxb2 (52. ... b4?! is less test- ing: 53. cxb4 Rxb2 54. d7 Re2+ 55. Kd4 Rd2+ 56. Kxc4 Rxd7 57. Kxb3 with an immediate draw) 53. Rg8+ (but not 53. d7?? Re2+ 54. Kd6 Rd2+ 55. Kc7 b2 56. Rf1 b4 57. cxb4 c3, when the pawns are unstoppable) 53. ... Kf7 54. d7 Re2+ 55. Kf5 (the key difference: White’s king is able to stay away from the d-file) 55. ... Rd2 56. d8=Q Rxd8 57. Rxd8 b2 58. Rd7+ (forcing the king back) 58. ... Ke8 59. Rd1 b4 and a fascinating position arises.
Black is two pawns up, but his material
advantage will turn meaningless if he is unable to restrain the d-pawn. Bisguier, who let several promising (and risk-free) opportunities slip by earlier in the end - game, needlessly resorts to passive defense:
49. ... Rh8?? A very instructive moment. Optically,
Bisguier’s move is perfectly logical. After all, what better way to stop the passed pawn than to control its promotion square? In My System, Aron Nimzowitsch famously agreed with Dr. Tarrasch’s assertion that “The Rook’s proper place is behind the passed Pawn, whether it be his own or an enemy one.” Of course, blindly adhering to endgame dogmas is not the recipe for success, but a passive rook rarely stands a chance against a far-advanced passed pawn supported by the king. Furthermore, Bisguier should have intuited that his own
48November 2014 | Chess Life At first sight, White’s position appears
utterly hopeless, since 60. cxb4?? c3 fol- lowed by … c3-c2 is curtains. However, White has a few moves before Black actu- ally promotes, and he utilizes this respite to create improbable counterplay against Black’s vulnerable monarch: 60. Ke6!! bxc3 61. Rh1 Kf8 62. Kf6 Kg8 and now White uses his last tempo to remove the king’s only remaining protector: 63. Rg1! c2 64. Rxg5+ Kh7+ 65. Rh5+ Kg8 66. Rg5+
Kf8 67. Rh5 Ke8 68. Ke6 and Black’s king will never evade his bloodthirsty pur- suants. This king-chasing motif features prominently in chess compositions, but it seldom occurs in actual games.
A2. 52. Rb1 leads to the same result, albeit in a far less spectacular way. After 52. ... Kf7 53. Rf1+ Ke8 54. Ke6 Re2+ 55. Kd5 Rxb2 56. Re1+ Kd8 57. Re5! White’s piece activity compensates for his material deficit. After 57. ... Ra2 58. Rxg5 Kd7 White has nothing better than to repeat moves with 59. Rg7+ Kd8 60. Rg8+.
B. 49. ... b4! is the second way to contain White’s passer from behind. The key dif- ference between this move and 49. ... Rh3+ is that after 50. cxb4 Rd4, White’s king remains cut off and the passed pawn falls immediately. The b-pawn is also unsup- ported, and after 51. b5 Rxd6 52. Rc1 Rb6 53. Rxc4 Rxb5 White’s drawing chances are minimal. A far more resilient defense is 50. d7, but even here, after 50. ... Rh3+ 51. Ke2 (51. Ke4 Rd3) 51. ... Rh8 (an unfortunate necessity, since 51. ... Rd3? looks like a draw by perpetual after 52. Rd1 bxc3 53. Rxd3 cxd3+ 54. Kf2 cxb2 55. d8=Q b1=Q 58. Qe8+) 52. cxb4 Rd8 53. Rc1 Rxd7 54. Rxc4 Rb7 I seriously doubt that White has any real saving chances.
Phew! Of course, there is no way one
can accurately calculate even a third of these variations during the game, but my point is to demonstrate just how concrete, just how dependent on ostensibly incon- sequential details rook endings can be.
50. Ke4! Mednis must have breathed a sigh of
relief at this point. Indeed, Black is now unable to generate enough counterplay to stop White’s pawn from promoting.
50. ... g4!? The best practical chance. Houdini ini-
tially suggests 50. ... Re8, but 51. Kd5 e4
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