“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
In a similar position with pawns one file more distant from the edge of the board Black is also saved by a stalemate combination, but here he must show some skill. White to move cannot win because Black can again cunningly make use of the shortage of space. ← Basic EndingsBasic Endings →
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All this superiority of White, this brilliant coordination between the king and the rook is not enough to win the game if the pawns are along the edge of the board or just one file away from its edge! When pawns are situated along the edge of the board, it is easy to notice […]
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When the black king stays with his far advanced pawns, he will most often win if the white king is not near enough. However, if the white king and rook control the promotion square, the situation is fundamentally changed. White to move wins since thanks to a brilliant coordination of his pieces, he can […]
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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. […]
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Even more beautiful is the study by F. Saavedra dating from 1895, which point out the unsurpassed depths of chess play. ← Basic EndingsBasic Endings →
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Occasionally, due to an awkward rook position, White must strain himself in order to save a draw. The following is a witty example discovered by Stamma as long ago as the 18th century. Although the queening of the pawn cannot be prevented, White to move draws strikingly. ← Basic EndingsBasic Endings →
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In the example 32, with Black to move, we understood a huge defending value of opposition. This very experience may serve as a landmark to win in a wonderful study by R. Reti from 1928. The white rook attacked, and after the forced 1.Rd1? d4 the position would be drawn since due to opposition […]
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Knowing the drawing area makes the decision making much easier. A quite instructive case, showing the crucial relevance of opposition and shouldering, which happened in the Amelung – Erler game, Riga 1887. Position evaluation depends on who is to move! ← Basic EndingsBasic Endings →
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In non-rim pawn endings the weaker side’s chances for rescue are much smaller, except in cases when the pawn and the king had already arrived on the seventh rank. Namely, the winning plan examined in example 10 will not be efficient in positions with non-rim pawns because Black will easily defend himself through the […]
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