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Amateur to IM Jonathan Hawkins Digital Instant
Download
Author(s): Jonathan Hawkins
ISBN(s): 9781936277407, 1936277409
Edition: Paperback
File Details: PDF, 5.70 MB
Year: 2012
Language: english
 Jonathan Hawkjns

AMATEUR TO IM

Proven Ideas and

Training Methods
© 20 1 2 10nathan Hawkins

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an
information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the Publisher.

Publisher: Mongoose Press

1005 Boylston Street, Suite 324
Newton Highlands, MA 0246 1
[email protected]
www. MongoosePress.com

ISBN 978- 1 -936277-40-7 (paperback)

ISBN 978- 1 -936277-42- 1 (hardcover)
Library of Congress Control Number 20 1 2943 804

Distributed to the trade by National Book Network

custserv@ nbnbooks.com, 800-462-6420
For all other sales inquiries please contact the publisher.

Edited by Sean Marsh

Layout: Andrey Elkov
Cover Design: Kaloyan Nachev
Cover photo of 10nathan Hawkins by Steve Con nor
Printed in China

First English edition

098765432 1
 Table of Contents

Introduction ....................................................................................................... 9

PART l
Thinking Techniques ........ . . .. . ... . ....................... ............ . .. . ........ . .. ...... . . ... .. .... . .... 13

Lesson 1
Reaching the Horizon - Reference Points in Calculation ........... . ..... .. ................ 14
Calculating with a goal i n mind
Key squares in king and pawn e ndgames
Opposition and outflanking
An arse nal of positions
Summary of Ideas ..... ........... ... . .... . ..... . ... .. .. .. . ..... . ..... . . . ... . .. . ... ... .... ........ ..... . . 21
The oretical Note s: opposition, distant opposition, outflanking .. ... .. .. ..... . . . . . . 22

Lesson 2
A Short Introduction to Planning in the Endgame ..... ... .. ... . . .. ...... . . . .. .. ... . ... . .. . ..... 25
Basic winning methods
Identifying long-term goals
Promoting our pawns
Attacking the e nemy structure

Lesson 3
Capablanca's Pawn Endgame ......... ... .. . . . . ... ..... ........ . .... .. .... . .... ... ......... . ....... . ..... 31
Combining planning with calculation
Maste ring ke y positions
Building blocks
Rese rve te mpi
Critical squares
Three training games
Summary of Ideas .. .. .. .... . . .......... ...... .. . ... . .. ..... .. .... . ....... ..... . . . ....... .. . . ..... . .. .... 47
Theoretical Notes .. . .. . ...... ...... . . .. . .... ....... .............. .. .. .... . . . ... . .... . . ...... .... .. .... . . 48

Lesson 4
Step by Step - A Guide to Little Plans . . ........... . ... ... .. ....... . ..... .......... . . . .... . ..... .... 51
Optimizing the pieces

3
 Understanding the concept of 'little plans'
Summary of Ideas ................. . .. .
. . ............ . .
. .... .. ......... ... ..... ... .
. . ........ . . . . . . . 63
. . .. .

PART 2
Principles and Essential Theory ...... . . . ....... . . ..
... .. ...... . ... ..
. ........... . ......... . ... .. . ...... 65

Lesson 5
Essential Rook Endgames ....... . ... . .......... . ...
. .... . .... .. ....... . ... . ....
. .... . .. ..
. .. .... . ........ . 66
Lucena position
Philidor's sixth rank defense
Passive back rank defense
The geometry of checking distance
Short-side defense
Cutting the king
Building a bridge
Summary of Ideas: Simple Defensive Procedures;
pawn on the fifth rank; pawn on the fourth rank ........ ....... .. . . .... . ... .. ...... . . 71
.

Theoretical Notes: Lucena position with a rook's pawn;

Philidor denied; knight's pawn on the fourth rank ........ . ...
. ...... . ...... . ..... . 81
..

Lesson 6
Bishop and Pawn Connections - Dynamic Defense . . . . . ... . .. .
. .. ...... . . .. ........... . . . ..... 90
II +� vs .t +� with blocked pawns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .

Fortresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

Positional ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Simplifi cation into a known drawn endgame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Illustrative game: Sasikiran - Carlsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

Summary of Ideas: 'solid' and 'passive ' ; fortress ..................... . .... . ... . ...... .... 103

Lesson 7
Pawn Walls Against Bishops .... . . . ............ . . . .. .. . . . ................... . ...... .. .................... l 09
Restraining a bishop with a pawn chain
.t +2� vs. �, with opposite-colored bishops and connected pawns
Summary of Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 20
Illustrative game: Akobian - Howell
Theoretical Notes: defensive set ups .......... ......... . ...... . ... . ........ . ............ ....... 1 26

Lesson 8
Dropping Down the Anchor . . . . . ....... . ..... . ......... . ....... . . . . .......... . . . ........ . ... . ............ 131

4
 Opposite-colored bishop endgames
The anc hor
Zugzwang and sacrifice
Breakthrough
The psychology of defense and attack
Illustrative game: Kramnik - Adams
Summary of I deas ...... . .. . ... . . ..... . .. .............. . .... . .......... .... . . . ............... . .......... 1 44
Theoretical Notes ..... . .... . .. . ..... . . . . .... ................. .................. . .......... . ... ......... 1 44

Lesson 9
Back to Reality - Other Minor-Piece Endgames ....... ........... . .. .... . . . .. . . .... .. ... ..... 1 47
Bishops of t he same color
The t heory of Ji + !\ vs. Ji. with same-colored bishops
Bishops dominating
I llustrative game: Karpov - Susan Polgar
Summary of Ideas . . ......... ............... . . . . . ...... . . . . . . . ....... ... . . ... .... . . . .... . ..... . . ..... . .. 1 63
Theoretical Notes: � +r'\ vs. i. .............. ................ . ...... . . . ................... . . ..... 1 63

Lesson 10
Exercises! ....................................................................................................... 1 69

PART 3
Endgame Explorations .. . .. . . .... . . ... . . . .. . ........... . ... . . . .... .. . ....................... . .. . ..... .. .... 175
Practical games
Endgame tabiyas

Endgame Exploration 1:
My Favorite Endgame ............. ... . .. . ... .. . ... .. . ... . .. . . .... .... ....................... ... .. .... .... . . 1 77
�+Ji. vs. �
Summary of Ideas . ...... ... .. .... ... ....... . ...... ....... . .. ................. . ......... ................ 1 93
Theoretical Notes: LoBi's two positions ....... . . . .......... . ....... ... . ....... . ............. 1 94

Endgame Exploration 2:
A Long Discussion of a Short Endgame .. . ...... . .... . ......... ..... . ....... ..... ............. . .... 20 1
Opposite-colored bishops
Summary of Ideas . .... . ........ . ............. .. ..... ... . ....... . ........... . ............. . ............. 218
Theoretical Notes: important discoveries ........... ......... .. .... . ..... . .................. 219

5
Endgame Exploration 3:
Skeleton of the Minority Attack - Endgames in the Karlsbad Structure . ... .. . . ... 224
QG 0: Exchange Variation
Important structures
Illustrative game: Arkell - Kiriakov
Summary of Ideas ...................................................................................... 248
Theoretical Notes: minority attack; transforrnations .... .. .... .. .... ................. . . 248

Endgame Exploration 4:
Extra Pawn on the Queenside
Part 1 - Positional Advantage . ............... ... .............. . .. ....................... ............... 25 1
Rook behind passed pawns
Zugzwang
Infiltration
Summary of Ideas . .... . ........ . ............. . .... . ..... . . .. . ..... . . . ... . .... . ..... .. . . ... . . ...... . . ... 258
Theoretical Notes: Kopaev Line; Alekhine Line .............................. . . ......... 258

Endgame Exploration 5:
Extra Pawn on the Queenside
Part 2 - Walking the Borderline .. ... ..... . ... . . .. .. .. . . .... . ... ...... . . . ........ .... .......... . ... . .. . 268
Steckner position
Dautov position
Unzicker position
Dvoretsky position
Zugzwang position
Skewed Dautov position
Summary of Ideas .. . ....... . ... .. . .... .. ........... .......... .... . . ....... . . .. .... ... .................. 290
Theoretical Notes: more on the Steckner position .............. . .. . ....... . ....... .. .. . 292

Endgame Exploration 6:
VI f on the Warpath!
Development in the Endgame .... . . ...... ...... .......... .... ..... . ............ ............. . ....... .. .. 294
Andersson - Marovic
Andersson - Hort
Andersson - Robatsch
Andersson - Nyback
Summary of Ideas .. ......... . . . .............. .. .. . . ..... ..... . ..... . ...... .. .... . .. ..... ..... .. . . . ..... 311
Theoretical Notes: knights against passed pawns; L-barrier;
pawns on the seventh rank . . . .. ....... . . . .. .. . . . ... . ........ . ....... ........ ............... ........ 3 12

6
Endgame Exploration 7:
Positions for .Analysis .................. . . . . . ..... ..... . ............................ .......... ...... . . .. ..... 319

Solutions to Exercises .. ................... . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . ... ................ .......... . .... . . . . . ....... 323

Follow-up Solutions .................................... . ...... . . . . . ... .............. . . . ............... . . . . . . 357

Final Thoughts ....... ........... ......... . . .. . . .............. .... ...... . . ... . . . ......... . . . .. . . ......... . . . ... 366

Bibliography ............... . . . ..... . ................ . ...... ....... . . .. . ....... . . . ............................... 368

7
 Introduction

Hello, chess friends!

This is Intern ational Master 10nathan Hawkins from England. You find me just
as I am finishing writing this book. I will try to keep this introduction short . . .

We can trace the history of the book you now hold back i n time eight years.
Somewhere around that time there came a point when I decided I'd had enough.
Being a (relatively) weak chess player wasn't for me. I committed a large portion of
my time to studying chess, which was, in hindsight, quite a bad idea since I was start­
ing university at the time.

I always had quite a strong memory for chess. Ever since I learned the game I
could recall all of my games - and the games of others - easily. So openings were
my topic of study and I could memorize opening theory with no problem. I actually
made some improvement in playing strength with this rather artificial method of
study. At some point though, this all changed and I became addicted to studying the
endgame. I filled notebook after notebook with endgame analysis. This is what led
to my biggest improvement. It also felt as if my better understanding helped me to
assimilate more knowledge.

Now - eight years, approximately 400 rating points and two GM norms later - I
am passing on some of the endgames I studied to you. These represent literally my
first steps up the chess ladder. I hope you will find the material interesting and that it
will help you in some way.

Why the Endgame?

Why did I choose the endgame for the subject of this book? Why will it improve
the reader' s chess?

The simple answer is that I am convinced a careful study of the endgame sparked
the biggest leap forward in my own game. Can It really be that the endgame is more
important than other phases of the game?

9
 Amateur to IM

I would say that it is more a question of balance than of one phase being more
worthy of our study time than another. Let us sketch the portrait of a modem player
to illustrate the typical imbalance:

� With the wealth of opening literature, and the ease of access to the latest
Grandmaster games on computer databases, it is no great task to build up a high­
level opening repertoire. Time consuming perhaps, but the path to take is not a dif­
ficult one.

Indeed, I have listened to Grandmasters lament the unfairness of this. Gone are
the days when the 'weaker' player can be routinely dispatched in the opening.

� Combined with the knowledge of standard schemes in the middlegame

- linked to their opening repertoire (which is relatively easy to attain , by playing
through master games in the relevant openings) - we have painted the picture of
quite a formidable foe.

All of this is perfectly reasonable , and I encourage the reader to spend time doing
exactly these things.

We have, however, a clear motivation here for focusing (at least some) of our
chess energy on the endgame:

� Our opponents will typically have a clear weakness in this area.

� We want to fortify our game with a strong endgame foundation; otherwise

we will be throwing away many good positions (and points!) .

O f course, we must expect a certain amount o f crossover between the phases of

the game . Knowledge of endgames is useful when studying the openings; often mod­
ern opening theory is so deep that it transposes directly into endgames.

All of this not new advice; in fact, most players know this already. Why then is the
endgame such a neglected phase of the game?

There is no question it is more difficult to study than, say, the opening. Most
endgame works, typically featuring general rules and many theoretical positions, are
rather too dull to study. By the time we get the theoretical position we memorized,
many years may have passed and we have forgotten the details. Computers often of­
fer little help. I found this very evident when analyzing the opposite-colored bishop
endgame Aronian- Bacrot in 'Endgame Exploration 2 ' .

10
 Introduction

We are all guilty of mimicking the world's strongest players to some degree, and
it is true that they work considerably on openings. The reason is that they are already
proficient in theoretical and technical endgames. Occasionally this is not the case
and, as we do a few times throughout this book, we can enjoy the feeling that we
know something an elite player did not!

Aims of the book

I did not intend in any way for this to be an exhaustive theoretical manual.

My aim was always just to start the ball rolling and help the reader to think about
chess in a different and more coherent way. Everything we learn we will try to under­
stand to the level where it can be used in a practical game.

� I wanted to show that chess is an interesting game which is definitely not

played out; there are often countless possibilities in even the most innocent looking
position (take the Aronian - Bacrot game I discuss later, for example).

� I wanted to teach good principles in the endgame and (although it was not
my primary goal) to show some important theoretical endgames. Some of the theo­
retical endgames in the book are not essential knowledge, but I saw no reason to
dumb anything down if they were relevant to the analysis.

� I also wanted to spark the reader' s interest in analysis and investigation of

chess positions. Always search for the truth, and never pass something by without
understanding it.

The astute reader will notice that some of the examples in the book are quite
recent. It is true that I updated some of the games from my original notebooks. Be
assured I only did this when I felt the new example was stronger than the old.

I should say a few words about the structure of the book and how best to use it:

� It is split into two main parts. The first half is quite lightweight, and focuses
on some thinking techniques, pri n ciples and some essential theoretical endgames.
The second half is quite deep and involves analysis and discussion of some very spe­
cific types of endgame. There is also a short section of exercises.

� M ost chapters have a 'Theoretical Notes' section at the end. Any theoreti-
cal endgames or particularly interesting variations which cropped up in the main
lessons and required further coverage are discussed there.

11
 Amateur to I M

When we encounter a specific theoretical position (or type of position) I would

recommend playing it out several times, against a playing partner or an engine. My
favorite way to do this is to play without studying the position at all. Only afterwards
do I study the analysis of the position and repeat the process. In this way you will see
the problems in the position really clearly, since you are already committed to think­
ing rather than just memorizing.

When playing over the annotated games (or game fragments) the primary goal is
to retain the patterns and ideas, and the secondary goal is to use the arising positions
to hone your analytical skills. Memorizing the game, move by move, is not something
you need to consciously try to do. Once you understand the moves and ideas this will
happen automatically. To this end I would recommend playing over the games quite
rapidly in order to digest the main points. Later, upon completion of the chapter in
question, you can look at the games and side variations in more detail.

OK, we will leave it there. Let's play some chess!

10nathan Hawkins
March 2012

12
 Part 1

THINKING TECHNIQUES
In this part we will look first at calculation in the endgame. We will see that
this is often not as daunting as it may seem. Having solid reference points where
we can stop our lines and evaluate the position is the key. This will form the basis
for Lesson 1.

Then we will introduce planning in the endgame. The fundamentals of this are
easy to grasp. Usually we are targeting a weakness , looking to somehow ultimately
promote a pawn, or a combination of the two. We will look at some examples to
make this clear in Lesson 2.

In Lesson 3 we will examine examples of how to combine these two basic skills.
That is, how calculation moves us along to the realization of a plan. If we imagine a
starting point and a destination we wish to reach, then the tactics (calculation) form
the sides of a path from one to the other. We cannot stray from the path in favor of
a more direct route, lest we run headlong into these tactical problems. Sometimes a
destination will prove unreachable without leaving the safety of the path , so we must
choose a more realistic goal.

Finally in Lesson 4 we will look a little deeper at the art of planning, and intro­
duce what I call 'little plans ' . These are short-term plans which improve the position
and can be realized one after the other. While never losing sight of our grand ideas
to win (or draw) the game, we recognize that in pmctice it is often done in small ,
cumulative steps.

Generally the examples are quite simple in this part, in order to make the tech­
niques easier to understand. As well as the techniques it is important that the reader
can also grasp the actual theoretical positions we are studying. These fundamental
endings are important for any aspiring player to know.
 Lesson 1

Reach i n g the Horizon -

Reference Points in Calculation

LESSON AIMS

� Realize the importance of calculating with a goal in mind.

� Master the concept of key squares in king and pawn endgames.

� Understand the ideas of opposition and outflanking in king and pawn endgames.

� Realize the importance of having an arsenal of positions we can evaluate ac­

curately without calculation.

So we put aside some time to work on Kupreichik - Tseshkovsky

our chess. How do we use that time? The
most common method is to either study USSR Ch., Moscow, 1 976
openings, or solve chess problems.

Consider the following problem:

(Diagram in the next column)

After some examination of the vari­

ous knight discoveries we hopefully fi nd
the solution.

27.lLlc8+! llJc5

27 . . .�c5 28.�xc5+ llJxc5 29.Md8#,

White to play and win
27 . . . <it'e8 28 .�e7#.

28. �xc5+ �xc5

14
 Lesson 1. Reaching the Horizon - Reference Points in Calculation

29.Md8# to illustrate the difficulty in calculation

without a goal in mind.
The problem was made easier for us
in two ways.

� We knew White had a winning

position.

� We had obvious points at which

to stop our calculation, namely when
Black was checkmated.

As soon as we see the words 'White

to play and win ' , we begin calculat­
ing, using the tactical patterns in the
position, looking to achieve one of The notorious Queen vs. Rook endgame
two things.
What is our plan to win this position?
� Checkmate. Intuitively we think of:

� Decisive win of material .

� Winning the rook (then we can
In most game situations, this is not stop calculating) .
plausible. The depth of calculation re­
quired to see a forced checkmate, for � Checkmating the black king.
example, is beyond even a computer in
all but the simplest of situations. � We also have a vague notion
that it will be good to drive the king to
The idea that strong players calcu­ the side of the board.
late to the end, seeing everything along
the way, is simply not true. In certain
situations they will calculate deeply be­ Attacking the king and the rook is
cause the position demands it. However, indeed the correct plan (there is noth­
knowledge of specific positions and types ing else to attack!). After a short piece
of positions makes their job much sim­ of calculation we conclude that winning
pler than this in the majority of situations. the rook is no easy task, and checkmat­
This is similar to formulae and other such ing the king is also much too difficult to
methods in mathematics which Teduce a calculate. The horizon is too distant for
problem and solve it much more easily these aims, but maybe forcing back the
than through a brute-force method. king will be achievable. Let us suppose
we achieve this and reach the following
Let us take a situation without pawns, position:

15
 PART 1. Thinking techniques

Is White winning?

Perhaps you already know the an­

swer, but let us think how we would set
about evaluating the position.

Can we calculate to checkmate?

Every possible variation?

No, clearly this is ridiculous.

Now what? Can we calculate until we queen the

pawn? That would truncate our calcula­
What next? Still there is no obvious tions; we only need to calculate to the
way to win the black rook or checkmate moment we queen the pawn as after that
the black king. We don't actually know if we can use our knowledge of king and
we made progress in the last few moves. queen vs. king to win the game.
How can we tell? In effect our calcula­
tions are wasted since any position we Still, it seems difficult (perhaps not
see in our mind's eye we cannot evalu­ impossible, but this is only a simple ex­
ate. ample) to calculate every variation until
we achieve a supported advance of the
� Calculation without a goal is pawn to e8.
wasted.
Crash Course in Key Squares

A simple example of effective In the endgame of king and pawn vs.

calculation king, it is useful to talk about the con­
cept of key squares.

Some readers will already be familiar

with these ideas, but I have encountered
2200+ rated players who are not. Even
if you are familiar with this, I urge you
to read on in any case to refresh your
memory as these concepts will be im­
portant later.

A key square is a square on which

White to play if the stronger side's king stands, the
pawn achieves a supported promotion
by force.

16
 Lesson 1. Reaching the Horizon - Reference Points in Calculation

For instance: How do we find the location of the

key squares for a given pawn position?

As we have already mentioned it

depends of whether or not a pawn has
crossed into the enemy half of the board.

They are located as follows:

White to play

Obviously White plays the move:

1. <;t>d7

Which achieves a supported promo­

tion of the pawn.

Key squares of the white c3-pawn

The square d7 we call a key square of
the pawn on e6. This means its occupation
A white pawn on c3 is in its own half
leads to a winning position for White.
of the board, so we know it has three key
squares. These squares are located as
A pawn anywhere on the board (ex­
shown in the diagram: two ranks ahead
cluding a rook' s pawn) has either three
of the pawn on its own file, and the two
or six key squares, depending on the
adjacent files.
pawn's location.

� A pawn that is in its own half of

the board has three key squares.

» A pawn that has advanced into

the enemy half of the board has six key
squares.

So, for example, a white pawn on e4

has three key squares. A black pawn on
e6 has three key squares. A white pawn
on g5 has six key squares. A black pawn
on b4 has six key squares. Key squares of the black e6-pawn

17
 PART 1. Thinking techniques

Similarly the black pawn on e6 is in its The black pawn on g3 has the key
own half of the board and has three key squares as marked in the diagram. With
squares. These squares are d4, e4, and f4. the pawn so well advanced it becomes
more intuitive - and easier - to visu­
alize that occupation of these squares
would ensure a supported promotion.

A rook's pawn, as you might expect,

is much harder to promote so has less
key squares, and they are correspond­
ingly harder to reach (usually impossi­
ble if the defender's king is reasonably
placed) . The squares for a rook's pawn
are fixed and don't depend on how far it
is advanced.

Key squares of a white d5-pawn

The white pawn on d5 keeps its key

squares as in the earlier example (c6,
d6 , e6) , but because the pawn has ven­
tured into the enemy half of the board
it acquires some extra ones. These are
located one rank nearer to the pawn, so
it is in a sense 'easier' to reach the key
squares of this further advanced pawn.
Reaching any of these six squares with
the white king will ensure victory.
Key squares of a rook's pawn
One final example:

A white a-pawn has key squares b7

and b8. A black h-pawn has key squares
g2 and gl.

What all of this means is that any king

and pawn vs. king situation is reduced to
essentially one question.

� Can the stronger side's king

reach any of the key squares of the
pawn?
Key squares of the black g3-pawn

18
 Lesson 1. Reaching the Horizon - Reference Points in Calculation

o If the answer is yes, then the Temporarily preventing access to the

position is winning; if the answer is no key squares.
then the position is a draw.
S.\tIbS!

White to play.
Can he win?
Forcing access to a key square

First we identify the key squares of

Utilizing the opposition of the kings
the pawn on b4: these are a6, b6 and
to force access to one of the key squares
c6. Now we calculate until White either
on the next move. So we can conclude
reaches a key square or until we decide it
White is winning in the initial position.
is impossible to do so.

Squeezing
l .\tIc2 \tIe7

I n one specific case, that of a pawn

2. \tIb3 \tId6
on the sixth rank, there is a modification
to the rule.
3.\tIa4!

After 3 .\tIc4?? \tIc6! it is impossible

to reach the key squares.

3 \tIc6
...

4.\tIaS

Threatening to move to a6 which we

know is winning, therefore we only need
to calculate one response by B lack.

4 .\tIb7
.. Black faces the squeeze

19
 PART 1. Thinking techniques

White to move is unable to reach the simple to see that White cannot reach the
key squares (c7, d7, e7, c8, d8 and e8) key squares, so the position is a draw.
without losing the pawn.
Using knowledge to evaluate posi­
However, the black king can be tions dramatically increases the ac­
squeezed out by the following sequence. curacy and dramatically decreases the
amount of calculation involved.
l.d71J;)c7
Crossing the bridge
2.lJ;)e7 when you come to it

This is a function of the fact that it is It is worth mentioning that a popular

no longer possible for the black king to approach I have encountered, especially
step backwards. Note also that by advanc­ regarding some endgame positions, is
ing the pawn, White can access the key the idea that you can figure out the posi­
squares of the pawn on d7 in this case. tion when you reach it.

Now, finally, we can return to the For example in the king and pawn
original problem . . . vs. king situation we have just discussed
there are two different approaches.

� Player A understands the idea of

key squares and wins the position easily.

� Player B has some vague no-

tions about 'opposition ' and ' putting
the king in front of the pawn' ; he feels
intuitively that the position is probably
winning, but he isn't certain. Player B
is, however, a reasonably strong player
and he wins the position with only a tiny
White to play amount of extra effort than Player A.

The problem with Player B's ap­

With knowledge of key squares, the proach is to be found some moves earlier
calculation is very simple. It takes only a in the game, before we even reach the
second or two to convince ourselves that position in question. Seeing this posi­
Black is powerless to prevent the white tion only in his mind's eye and not hav­
king from reaching any of the three key ing the opportunity to play the position
squares (d4, e4 and f4) . out he cannot tell if he should head for
it or steer toward something else. He is
I f i t was Black to move first, it is also forced to guess.

20
 Lesson 1. Reaching the Horizon - Reference Points in Calculation

SUMMARY OF IDEAS

� Deep calculation is usually not

necessary and will often be inaccurate.

� Without a goal in mind, calcu­

late loses much of its power.

� Your goal should be to build

up an arsenal of patterns and pieces of
knowledge which allow you to evalu­
ation certain situations. When you
reach these situations in your calcula­
tions you can decide whether to head
towards or steer clear ofthem. Key squares for rook pawns

We also studied some theoretical po­ Note that we are talking about 'nor­
sitions: mal ' positions of the kings in these ex­
amples. Obviously if the weaker side can
� Positions of king and pawn vs. trivially capture the pawn then the key
king can be solved using the concept of squares are irrelevant.
key squares. The defender must guard
these squares to achieve a draw; the � The only real exception to the
stronger side must strive to reach the rule is the sixth rank squeeze.
squares with h is king.

Squeezed out
'X' marks the spot
Black to move draws, but White to
Rook pawns have their own set of play wins by squeezing out the black
key squares. king with l . b7 and 2.�a7.

21
 PART 1 . Thinking techniques

THEORETICAL NOTES

A word on the idea of opposition � The opposition i s only a means

to an end.
Before we leave the world of king and
pawn vs. king I think this is a good time � The use of opposition is to lose
to mention the sacred concept of the op­ the opposition in a favorable way, usu­
position; the idea of opposing the kings ally by outflanking.
to create a Zugzwang situation such as
the following:
Distant opposition and outflanking

Perhaps you have come across the

definition of opposition which is usually
given as something like:

� If we can draw on the board a

rectangle with all four vertices the same
color, and if the two kings stand on two of
these vertices, then the side who is to move
does not have the opposition. This sounds
confusing but it is simple when seen
Step aside graphically:

A familiar situation. Black to play

loses, because after

1. . .'�te8

White answers with

2.�c7

. . . and the pawn promotes.

Note though that after White to play.

Who has the opposition ?

White has actually lost the opposi­ We can draw a rectangle where all
tion , but he doesn't care as the pawn is four vertices are dark squares, and the
now promoting. kings sit on two of these.

22
 Lesson 1. Reaching the Horizon - Reference Points in Calculation

cept of outflanking. I suggest you try it

yourself, ideally playing against a friend
before playing over the analysis.

1 .\t a2!

Taking opposition.

1. .. \tb8!

If 1 . . . \t a7 then 2.\t a3 takes opposi-

A dark-cornered rectangle tion again.

Since it is White to move, then we 2. \tb2!

conclude that Black has the opposition.
However having the opposition is one Taking opposition.
thing, but whether it is useful is another
thing altogether. 2 ... \t a8

Consider the following problem. Now comes a key moment. White

could maintain opposition with 3 . \t a2
(or 3. \t c2) but clearly repeatedly tak­
ing opposition on the second rank isn't
going to achieve any progress. Also if we
blindly advance with 3 . \t b3 Black will
play 3 . . . \t b7 taking direct opposition
and checkmate is no longer possible.

3.\tc3!

White to play and win!

Before you throw the book away, one

stipulation:

� White may move the gC 1 once

and only once.

This is a good exercise in the useful­

ness of opposition and teaches the con- Outflanked

23
 PART I. Thinking techniques

Outflanking the black king. Out­ Slowly White is making progress by

flanking means making fOIward progress repeatedly taking opposition then using
but placing a file between the kings (in it to outflank.
this case the b-file). This file prevents
Black from taking direct opposition (op­ 6 ... � a8
position on the same file).
7.�c5 �b7
3 ... � b7
8.� b5 � a7
Black can claim the opposition with
3 . . . � a7 , but White outflanks again with Or 8 . . . � a8 9.�a6 � b8 1 O. � b6
4.� c4. If Black continues to keep op­ � a8 1 1 .l:Ic8#
position he is mated with 4 . . . � a6 5.� c5
� a7 6.� c6 �a8 7 . � c7 � a7 8J:Ial # At 9.�c6 � a8
some stage Black will have to return to
the b-file after which White will retake 10.�c7 � a7
direct opposition as in the main line.
1 l .l:Ial#
4.�b3!

Retaking opposition, and beginning

to repeat the method.

4 ... � a7

5.�c4! � b8

6.�b4

Nowhere left to run

Now practice the problem again from

the beginning. Once you have mastered
it you will understand outfl anking and
how the concept of opposition translates
onto the chessboard.

Opposition again

24
 Lesson 2

A Short Introduction
to Planning in the Endgame

LESSON AIMS

� Recognize the basic methods by which an endgame can be won.

� Understand how to identify the long-term goals of both sides in a given

endgame.

The first question which arises in any I n an endgame the material will
position is a general one: "What should often be too reduced to mount a suc­
I be doing?" cessful attack on the king, so in most
cases when we discuss objects of attack
It is of course nice to have a grand we are talking about pawns and pawn
plan, even if its realization is distant and structures.
move-to-move matters are more reliant
on smaller, shorter plans (more on this We should also keep in mind the de­
later). fensive corollaries of this:

. Strategy (or the accumulation of � I mproving our own structure.

strategy) is ultimately either an attack
on some aspect of the enemy position, � B lockading passed pawns.
or the promotion ofa pawn. Ifwe reduce
this specifically to the endgame we can We will now examine five positions
amend this slightly and state our two and decide which of these ideas (or both
fundamental ideas as: - greed is always good in chess!) is ap­
propriate for each. Some ofthe positions
� Promoting our pawns. also occur elsewhere in the book.

� Attacking the enemy structure. My aim is not to do rigorous analysis

of games or positions (although some of

25
 PART 1. Thinki ng techniques

the positions will be subjected to this in � Creation of a passed pawn for

later chapters), but rather to draw some Black is impossible, unless he can some­
logical conclusions and make verbose how win the white pawns for free .
assessments.
� The only way t o force a change
in the pawn structure is to advance . . . g6-
Let us begin!
g5, this does not seem helpful to Black
as after White captures hxg5 Black is left
POSITION 1 only with his (wrong) rook's pawn. Fur­
Tseitlin - Finkel thermore this altering of the structure
Beersheba, 1 996 does not yield any weakening of White's
structure.

The conclusion is that we cannot cre­

ate a passed pawn by changing the struc­
ture. Therefore we MUST attack the a­
pawn as it is the only possible idea here.

If the a -pawn moves to f3 maybe

we can attack the g3-pawn and force it
to move also, then maybe we gain some
chances against the white king and cre­
ate some routes of infiltration for the
Black to play black king.

What observations can we make re- Maybe - but we must attack a , that
garding Black's long-term strategy to much is clear.
win this game?
N ote that despite the extra piece, it
We will brainstorm and then draw seems unlikely that we can crash through
conclusions at the end: on a since it will be difficult to attack it
enough times.
� The h 1 square is the wrong color
for Black's bishop, which will affect how Perhaps the only possible chance
we carry out any simplifications. Hence would be a large scale sacrifice/exchange
in general Black cannot even exchange on a (at the right moment) leaving a win­
rooks here, as White could quickly play ning king and pawn endgame. This actu­
a-f3 followed by g3-g4 exchanging ally occurred in the game, although White
Black's g-pawn. could have avoided it with correct play.

� The a pawn is the only vulner- We can jump ahead to the moment
able point in White's camp. when this occurred:

26
 Lesson 2 . A Short I ntroduction to Planning in the Endgame

White again has the material advan­

tage, but what should he be doing?

� Black's pawn structure at the

moment is very solid and restricts the
white knights.

� fl is a potential point of attack

in Black's pawn structure. If White could
win this pawn for free then a combined
attack against Black's remaining pawns,
Black to play king, and the creation of a passed white
f-pawn would easily be enough to win
69 � xf2!
... the game.
And B lack crashed through, winning
a pawn. If White continues: � Despite what I said at the be-
70.Mxf2 ginning of this chapter, White does have
then Black replies not with 70 . . . enough firepower to mount a significant
Mxf2+ which leads only t o a draw, but assault on the black king here. White's
with attack will only be successful if White
70 \t> e3!
... can break down the solid pawn structure
After the forced sequence 7 1 .MXfS which is at the moment giving the black
gxfS 72. \t> g2 \t> e2 Black has a winning king a relatively safe haven .
pawn endgame.
� Black ' s rooks are not insignifi-
cant and could mount an attack of their
POSITI ON 2 own against White ' s a-pawn, so it would
Larsen - Marianovic be good to tie them to defensive roles.
Bled/PoTto r
� An exchange of rooks would
clearly favor B lack, who would be left
with the only remaining major p iece.

� White's options would be re-

stricted should Black play the move
. . . h6-hS. The resulting structure would
be difficult for White to alter favorably,
although he would stil l have the plan of
attacking the fl-pawn.

� If White advanced with h4-hS

White to play then Black would face significant prob-

27
 PART I. Thinking techniques

lems resolving the tension . Allowing So we can conclude that the advance
White to capture on g6 would severely h4-h5 is highly desirable for White.
expose the black king and give White However, once we select a destination we
the additional possibility of creating a must then consider how we will reach it.
passed e-pawn. Capturing . .. g6xh5 or I n the game Larsen in fact rejected the
advancing . . . g6-g5 would massively im­ immediate h4-h5 on tactical grounds (I
prove the value of White 's knights, and presume he was concerned that after the
dramatically weaken the black structure reply . . . IIa4-a3 followed by . . . l:'t a7 -b7
and the black king. may ultimately force him to exchange a
pair of rooks) .
It is worth taking a closer look at why
this is so: Of course this type of judgment call
is normal; chess is all about making de­
cisions. Here the decision is whether to
play h4-h5 and allow .. J� a3 , or to avoid
. . J� a3 but allow Black to play . . . h6-h5.

POSITION 3
Aronian - Bacrot
FIDE World Cup,
Khanty-M ansiysk, 2005

Weakened black pawn structure

I n this structure (or a similar one

without the h5- and g5-pawns) the white
knights would have much more scope to
fi nd posts from which they can put seri­
ous pressure on the black structure and
king. In particular, a white knight on f5
would be a tower of strength, perhaps White to play
cemented in by the white pawn advanc­
ing to g4. The pressure on the h6-pawn What are our observations this time?
would probably be enough to tie the
black king to the h7 square. Notice also � White has no real targets to
that Black simply has more pawn weak­ attack. Attacking the f5-pawn (e.g. by
nesses; both h6 and f7 are now weak. moving the king to e6 and bishop to
White may even be able to win after an d3 or h3) would be ineffective as Black
exchange of rooks in this case. would simply advance . . . f5-f4.

28
 Lesson 2. A Short I ntroduction to Planning in the Endgame

� White must queen a pawn to � The idea played in the game

win the position. Moving the king up to l:t
was . . . h8-a8-a6-b6( -b4) , attacking the
b7 to force through the a-pawn suggests weakness on b3. Notice how the white
itself but White cannot afford to lose his rook is short of squares from which it
e- and f-pawns. can protect this pawn.

� The correct plan is to use the � It seems likely that B lack will
2 vs. 1 majority on the e- and f-files to be able to improve his pieces sufficiently
create an additional passed pawn, then to put significant pressure on the white
to attempt to queen one of these pawns. pawn weaknesses, but not enough to win
This is the only possible winning at­ the weak pawns outright. The additional
tempt. p lan of creating a passed pawn on the c­
file remains in the position and can be
POSITION 4 used in conjunction with the pressure.
Hawkins - Short
98th British Championship � This is key, when both ideas
Sheffield, 20 1 1 are possible: use both resources (attack­
ing the structure and creating/pushing
passed pawns).

POSITION 5
Nakamura - Kudrin
Western States Open, Reno, 2004

Black to play

Black has more of a choice this

time.

� B lack can clearly create a passed

pawn on the c-file, either simply by . .. c5- White to play
c4, or . . .b7 -b5 and capturing on a4.
What should White be looking for
� Can Black attack the white struc- here?
ture? At first it seems he can - but not very
effectively. Perhaps by ... <i!l c5-b4, or some � If White can flush out the king
piece pressure on the e3-pawn . . . ? with it d8+ , while controlling the b7

29
 PART I . Thinking techniques

square with his king, he may be able to � He certainly cannot win the c5-
simply push through the b-pawn. How­ pawn in any trivial way, but some patterns
ever, this cannot be forced, as White suggest themselves. By using the fact that
cannot prevent Black from putting his Black cannot exchange bishops, White
king on b7 and leaving it there if he can force the black bishop from the g l -a7
wishes. diagonal and occupy this himself. Then
perhaps he can arrange � d5 .i d6 with
� We quickly realize that an at- the black bishop on f8 (for example).
tack against the c5-pawn is the correct
plan. The evaluation is completely de­ The specifics must be worked out, but
pendent on whether or not White can the plan to attack (and win) the c5-pawn
win this pawn. is the foundation of White's strategy.

30
 Lesson 3

Capablanca's Pawn Endgame

LESSON AIMS

� Understand the example of how to combine planning with calculation.

� Master the key position and the overall play of Capablanca's pawn e ndgame.

� Realize through training games how effective the calculation becomes when it
is combined with key reference points and achieving clear plans.

I n a practical game, combining good Mostly these are reasonably simple,

planning with good calculation is key to but in Capablanca's final case precise
playing the position well. I n this chap­ technique is required. I am referring to
ter we will see an example of calculation the following situation.
and planning working together. I also
urge the reader to pay special attention
to the methodology we use to 'learn' this
endgame position.

In his book CapabJanca s Last Chess

Lectures, Capablanca discusses a set of
endgames of the type featuring king and
two pawns (connected) against ki ng and
a single pawn (on the same file as o ne
of the stronger side's pawns) . I n each
case all three pawns are on their starting
squares, so each time it is an exercise in White to pJay
using good technique, leading to a tri­ Before we proceed, the reader may
umph for the stronger side. wish to take some time to practice play-

31
 PART 1 . Thinking techniques

ing this position against a partner (hu­

man or silicon) . It can be useful to get
a 'feel ' for a position by playing it out
before studying the theory.

Our plan is not complicated. We

want to create a passed pawn and queen
it. Exactly how we go about it is the im­
portant part as we want to avoid stum­
bling into a theoretically drawn posi­
tion.

Also it is important to ask ourselves: Careful with the tempi!

"What positions/ideas that I know/have
studied are relevant here?" Here White's plan is to place the
pawns on g5 and h5, and play the break­
Every position is made up of layers of through g5-g6. It is vital though that the
building blocks (positions which could black king sits on the square h8 when
potentially be reached from the given White plays g6. Let us see why:
position) . Of course we must also con­
sider general ideas and principles that
could also be relevant.

In our position the most important

thing for us to recall are the king and
pawn versus king positions we examined
earlier (paying particular attention to
the notion of key squares).

Other building blocks are at work in

the position too (the reader may know
some) , which we will examine now. White to play - White wins

Building Block A From here White can proceed:

This first building block will be a dis- l .g6 hxg6

cussion of the set of positions where the
white king has reached the square h6. If 1 . . .�g8 then 2.g7 �f7 3.� xh7
In this circumstance Black can do little and wins.
other than alternate his king between the
squares g8 and h8. 2.hxg6

32
 Lesson 3 . CapabJanca's Pawn Endgame

Reaching a position we already know

as winning. Of course not 2. � xg6?? with
an immediate draw.

3.g7 � f7

And the pawn promotes.

Time to calculate
But what if the black king sits on g8?
We need to achieve the advances h5
and g6 with the black king on h8 and
avoid the sce nario with the king on g8 !

Now that we know what to aim for,

as usual this means we can perfonn ef­
fective calculations.

First pushing the pawn to g5 cannot

do any harm to our position, since we
can control the black king position by
choosing whethe r to play h2-h3 or h2-
h4 with our h-pawn (this is calle d hav­
White to play - draw ing reserve tempi tempi we can choose
-

whethe r or not to use ) .

This small change makes the world l.g4 �h8

of diffe re nce . White can no longe r
2.gS � g8
win .

l ,g6 bxg6

l . . . � h8 is also drawn.

2.bxg6 � h8

Reaching a drawn position.

Returning to the start position of

Bui lding B lock A, our plan is now
clear. h3 or h4?

33
 PART l . Thinking techniques

Now hopefully the reader will be take exactly five moves to play h5 and
able to choose correctly between the g6 (g4, g5, h4, h5 and finally g6 in some
possibilities 3.h3 and 3 . h4 . . . order).

3.h3! If both sides fell into this position

then whether or not White is winning is
3 . h4?? is to be avoided. Note that the essentially a matter of luck.
error is irreversible as there is no way to
give back the tempo after this move. 3 . . . A quick calculation tells us that it is
� h8 4 . h 5 �g8 5 .g6 hxg6 6.hxg6 � h8 not White's lucky day:
draw.
l .g4 �h8
3 ... � h8
2.gS �g8
4.h4 � g8
3.h4 � h8
S.hS � h8
4.hS � g8
6.g6 bxg6
S.g6 bxg6
7.bxg6
6.bxg6 �h8
Winning.
draw
As a final illustration , consider the
following variant of Building Block A. We can now draw some conclusions
about Building Block A:

� After the white king reaches

h6, he plans a supported advance of the
pawn to g6.

� The advance g6 must be made

with the correct tempo, so that after the
exchange of pawns a winning king and
pawn vs. king endgame is reached.

� By keeping at least one pawn

White to play - no reserve tempi on the second rank, White ensures vic-
tory because of his option to push his
Notice here White has no flexibility pawn one or two squares according to
in carrying out his pawn stonn. He will circumstance (creating Zugzwangs).

34
 Lesson 3 . Capablanca's Pawn Endgame

This idea of 'reserve tempi' is often re­

ferred to as 'Steinitz's r ule ' after the first
world champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, who . . . is not working because 3.f7?? is stale­
in his book The Modem Chess Instructor mate. Of course, White is still winning if
(1889) wrote: he plays 3 .�g6 and backtracks.

"The option of moving (the pawns) I nstead the winning sequence is:
one or two squares ought to be reserved
for the ending. " 1.�h6! �h8

Or 1. .. � fJ 2.�h7
Maybe you were wondering ...
2.g6 � g8
Perhaps when playing the training
game, some readers attempted to oc­ 3.g7
cupy f6 rather than h6 with the king.
Pushing the black king into the large
As we saw in the endgame king and part of the board and queening the
knight's pawn vs. king, it is better to pawn.
occupy the rook's file with the king to
squeeze out the enemy king into the A similar principle applies in the
large part of the board. Squeezing the endgame we are discussing:
enemy king into the corner i ntroduces
stalemate defenses.

Looks good - but isn't

Remember me? Even here, i n a situation which would

appear to be the best possible version for
Recall that: White (both white pawns on their initial
squares, so maximum flexibility with
1.�f6?! �h7 tempi) , his strategy is still flawed.

35
 PART 1. Thinki ng techniques

Wit h White followi ng an analogous

strategy to that when the white king was
on h6, the game could continue: 6 ... h6 also draws

l .g4 �f8! 7.g7

Any movement of the h-pawn results After any other move Black can cap­
in its immediate loss. 1... � h8?? Is simi­ ture on g6 securing a simple draw by
larly weak because of 2. �t7! forcing the protecting the key squares.
h-pawn to move.
7 . . . h6
2.gS �g8
Whi te has no ti me to capture the h6-
3.h3 pawn with 8.�g6 since he will create a
stalemate. Any other move and the g7 -
Trying to cash in the reserve tempi so that pawn is lost.
when g5-g6 arrives the black king is on tB.
Draw
3 . . � f8
.

Note we considered here the worst

4.h4 � g8 case scenario for Black, and concluded
White's plan still wasn't working (we
S.hS � f8 cannot say the position was not win­
ning, as White could admit his mistake
6.g6 and reposition his king to h6) .

In many chess situations it is useful

to think in terms of how bad the worst
case scenario is (and how good the best
case scenario) . Ifwe calculate that even if
things go as badly as they can, we can still
defend, we are probably on safe ground.

Important aside - Critical squares

Before going any further it will be

useful to add an extra i dea to our arse­
Stalemate tricks are on the way nal , that of critical squares.

The culmination of White's strategy. Earlier with regard to the endgame

Now 6 . . . hxg6?? 7.hxg6 �g8 8 .g7 wi ns king and pawn vs. king, we discussed the
for White, but... key squares (squares which wi n the game

36
 Lesson 3 . Capablanca's Pawn Endgame

if the stronger side can reach the m) . White to play and occupy a critical
Now we will extend this idea to include square
the endgame king and pawn vs. king and
pawn, in particular the situation whe re 1.�g5
the pair of enemy pawns is blocked.
Occupying one of the critical squares
of the d5-pawn. This means now that
the d5 -pawn will fall by force . Let us see
how this works:

2.�f6 is just as effective . B lack can­

not stop the white king occupying e 5
next. This progression along the critical
squares towards the target pawn is typi­
Critical squares of the d5-pawn
cal .

The cri tical squares fonn this pat­

tern, name ly the three squares on e ithe r
side of the pawn.

In chess tenns the importance of this

Now it is clear the d5 -pawn must fall
is that if the white king reaches any of
by Zugzwang, since White can attack it
these six squares marked ' X' then the
from both e6 and e5 and it can only be
black pawn will fall by force .
defended from c6.

All will become clear with a handy

example .

Winning the pawn on the next move .

However, White should not celebrate too
much as this does not ne cessarily equate
to winning the game . Indeed, here the
position is drawn.

4 ... � c7

37
 PART 1 . Thinking techniques

Reaching a drawn endgame, the key Walking along the line of critical
squares c6, d6 and e6 are out of White's squares.
reach.
3.� c2 � e2
In situations with a pawn which has
crossed into the enemy half of the board Winning the d3-pawn.
( "passed the demarcation line" as Aver­
bakh would say) , then the stronger side
can WIn.
We know Black is winning this po­
sition as his king has reached the key
square d3.

Black to play and win the dj-pawn

Here we can quickly make an assess­

ment of the position. Black should win
because:

By playing 1 . . . � f3 (or even 1 Wg3)

...

Black will occupy a critical square of

the d3 -pawn , therefore the pawn d3 will
fall. White to play -
Black wins, as predicted
� With the white pawn gone, the
key squares of the d4-pawn will be c3,
d3 and e3. Upon winning the d3-pawn, And Black wins, as we predicted.
the black king will stand on the square
d3 itself, a key square. Therefore Black
is winning. Building Block B

(See diagram)

Ou r second building block con­

siders a position where Black has ex-

38
 Lesson 3 . Capablanca' s Pawn Endgame

plored a different defensive method,

namely advancing h is pawn to the h6
square.

White to play

White to play
This is really two positions in one, as
the evaluation is changed completely de­
White can make no further progress
pending on which side is to move. With
without playing the move g4-g5 which
White to move he cannot make progress
will result in a simple drawn endgame
and the game should be drawn.
(we know the black king has only to re­
turn to f8 to draw) .
1.�e4

With B lack to move, the situation is

l . h 5 � e6 will transpose to the main
drastically changed. White now has two
line.
trumps: the opposition and an optional
reserve tempi with h4-h5.

3.hS

Sooner or later White must play this

move to win the opposition, otherwise no
forward progress via outflanking is pos­
sible. An attempt to drag the black king
to the queenside with 3 . � c4!? (hoping
for 3 . . . � c6?? 4.g5! when White wins)
fails to 3 . . . � e5 with an attack against Black to play
the white pawns.

39
 PART 1 . Thinking techniques

This is the outflanking White had in

mind when he declined to play 5 . � d6,
1 . . . � g6 is similar but makes White's because ...
task slightly easier. There follows 2.�e5
� f7 3.�f5 �g7 4.� e6 � g6 5.h5+! 6 ... �g6
transposing to our main line, only with
fewer moves played. 7.h5+!

After 1 . . . h5 White of course replies . .. this vital move breaks Black's side
2.g5+ ! and the position is winning. Only opposition. We have now reached the
a modicum of care is needed e.g. 2 . . . � f7 position which , as was mentioned in
3.�e5! (3.�f5 ? ! � g7 4.g6?? � h6! and the notes, could also be reached after
Black is saved by stalemate themes. ) 1 . . .�g6. It was also important for White
3 . . . �g6 (or 3 . . . � e7 4.g6) 4.�e6 �g7 to calculate here the line 7 . . . � g5 which
5 . � f5 � f7 6.g6+ � g7 7.�g5 and wins. is insufficient for Black in view of8.�f7
� xg4 9.�g6 and White wins.

Now Black is in Zugzwang and must

allow an outflanking. We can consider this position as
a critical squares situation due to the
2 .. �r6
. blocked pawns on h5 and h6.

White perfonns the outflanking.

4.�e5 � f7

Here the outflanking 5. � d6 i s not ef­

fective due to 5 ... � f6, keeping the white
king out via side opposition. White i n­ Critical squares of the h6-pawn
stead retains his opposition for now, and
forces another Zugzwang situation. The addition of the g4-pawn does
not change the critical squares (but does
5 . . . � g7 change the result of the game, since af­
ter the capture on h6 White will be two
pawns up).

40
 Lesson 3 . Capablanca's Pawn Endgame

Because of the geometry of the board Using the blocks ­

(i6, j6 and k6 do not exist!) the h6-pawn White's route to victory
has only three critical squares.
Now that we have our building blocks
and prerequisite knowledge, we can
consider White 's plan to win the game
in this endgame in general.

h6 is falling; White wins easily

We can see that the white king stands White to play

on the critical square e6, thus the h6-
pawn will fall. So no calculation is need­ � Infiltrate with the king to the h6
ed; clearly the winning of the h6-pawn square (attack on the defender's struc­
will win the game. ture) . Try to achieve this with a mini­
mum of pawn moves. Leaving one or
For completeness, here's a sample both pawns on their initial squares will
continuation. keep reserve tempi, which may be useful
later.

� Once the king reaches h6, push

the pawns to g6 and h5 in such a way to
achieve a winning king and pawn end­
IO.\tf7 \t h8 game (i.e. play the move g5-g6, creating
a passed pawn, at the moment Black's
1 l \t g6
. king is on the h8 square) .

White wins. � If Black changes the position

by playing the move h7-h6 at any stage,
bring the king to f4 and push pawns to
h4 and g4 i n such a way that Black has
\t f6 and the move (Zugzwang situation
in Building Block B).

41
 PART 1 . Thinking techniques

� J f Black plays his pawn to h5 at

any stage, White should be able to win
the pawn. This will be achieved either by It is key for Black's defensive chances
playing h2-h4 (if the white pawn is still on that he establishes as strong a king position
g2) and entering the critical squares of the as possible. Although ultimately he may be
h5-pawn, or by blocking with g4-g5 (if the pushed back he hopes at the very least that
white pawns are already on g4 and h4). White will have to expend some of his re­
serve tempi (with the pawns) in doing so.
Three training games

We now have all the tools to play this

endgame to a high level and it is time to To tre able to take opposition when the
play the position and test out our skills. white king advances to the fourth rank.
To do this we will now examine three
informal training games I played with 3.�f4 � f6
a friend (although I would advise the
reader to play his own too). I n each case Since now shuffling along the fourth
I took the black pieces. rank will not progress White's cause,
Black has ensured the expenditure of
First training game at least one of White's reserve tempi to
reverse the opposition. But how will he
This game (and the three subsequent choose to cash in one of his tempi?
games) commenced from the standard
position below: 4.g4??

This is in fact a terrible mistake as we

will see.

White to play

1.�f2

Beginning ajourney on the long road

to h6. Route to h6 blocked

42
 Lesson 3. Capablanca's Pawn Endgame

White's problems become clear. How the black king is on h8, then White will
is his king to reach the square h6? squeeze out the black king and win the
game.
S.h3!?

A tricky attempt , but the downside is

that White has no reserve tempi left after
this. Still , Black's task is made much eas­
ier if the white king leaves the f4 square,
which would allow h7-h5 . For example
5 . � e5 �g5 6.h3 h5 or 5 .� g3 h5, in
both cases securing a simple draw.

S ... � g7!

What's this? Black retreats voluntar­

ily! Black can draw also by maintaining Time to Calculate!
his king position, but he heads immedi­ Should � g8 or � h8 be played?
ately for the drawn version of Building
Block A. The point is that from g7 Black
can choose whether to go first to g8 or 6 ... � g8!
to h8 so he controls the tempi, since
if White has no reserve tempi left then Correct! After 6 ... � h8 ?? 7.� h6 � g8
Black should be able to draw ifhe calcu­ 8 .g5 � h8 9 . h4 � g8 I O. h5 � h8 I l .g6
lates correctly. hxg6 1 2.hxg6 �g8 1 3 .g7 � f7 1 4. � h7
and White wins.
6.�gS
7.�h6
Forcing access to h6. 6 . . . h6+ is not
sufficient to draw because of 7.�f5 If White does not occupy h6 then
(not 7.�f4?? � g6! 8.h4 � tO reaching Black will simply return to g7 with his
the drawn version of Building Block B king and make the decision again on the
since it is White to move) 7 . . . � f7 8 .h4 next move. 7 . � tO does not help as dis­
� g7 9.�e6 with a winning outflanking cussed earlier in the chapter.
maneuver.
7 ... � h8
A critical decision now awaits Black.
The outcome of the game depends on 8.h4 � g8
making the correct choice between
6 . . . � g8 and 6 . . . � h8. Remember that 9.hS � h8
with the white king established on h6,
if White achieves the advance g5-g6 and lO.gS � g8

43
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