“In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame.” – José Raúl Capablanca
Very unpleasant ending to defend but the world champion did it without a mistake. Event: 34th ECC Open 2018 Date: 2018.10.18 White: Svidler, Peter WhiteElo: 2756 Black: Carlsen, Magnus BlackElo: 2839 Result: 1/2-1/2 Conclusion: 1. In the open position with pawns on both sides bishop is usually better than knight. Very often it […]
White is better because this is one of classic positions where the bishop is better than the knight. The pawns are on both flanks and what is most important white king is closer to the center than black king. Of course with best play Black shouldn’t lose but it’s not an easy job when […]
In this practical rook ending Black is winning. She has much better king which can go forward, better placed rook and a passed pawn on b-file which will decide the game. Event: 34th ECC Women 2018 Date: 2018.10.17 White: Pogonina, Natalija WhiteElo: 2485 Black: Cramling, Pia BlackElo: 2465 Result: 0-1
In this game a much weaker player by rating had a chance to crash a former European champion. Critical position: Everything revolves around who will end up in zugzwang. Event: TCh-CHN 2019 Date: 2019.04.10 White: Inarkiev, E. WhiteElo: 2692 Black: Lan, Zilun BlackElo: 2333 Result: 1/2-1/2
If in similar positions with a tied king the bishop can protect its weak pawns on the other wing, a win will be possible only if somehow in some wondrous way a second passed pawn can be created. A brilliant, truly study-like example on the theme was contributed by the former world champion Mikhail […]
6.6.2. Rook against two pawns Even though, statistically speaking, rook is materially much more valuable than two pawns and most often than not, manages to prove its tactical merit and power, in these endgames the weaker side has quite good prospects to get saved. Position of pieces greatly effects the outcome of the game. […]
Even more beautiful is the study by F. Saavedra dating from 1895, which point out the unsurpassed depths of chess play. ← Basic EndingsBasic Endings →
Key squares and the opposition are the basic rules in king and pawn endgames. This video is recapitulation of positions P-12, P-13 and P-14 from Basic Chess Endgames by GM Vlado Kovacevic.
In the position with the central pawn on the seventh rank, there is an essential difference between the situation with the black king on the shorter and the king on the longer side. Black can be saved only when his king on the shorter side, provided that he can check sideways. The following position […]
