Lesson 10 by GM Ron Henley

UMBC, room ECS 023, 4-21-99

Notes by David Joyner. (No claim to completeness.)

Theme: Introduction to pawn endgames, part 2.
  1. Opposition
  2. Triangulation
  3. In the square (of the passed pawn)
  4. Rule of the quadrant
  5. Displacing the enemy king (deflection)
  6. Elbowing out
  7. Check and skewer
  8. Queening on the diagonal
  9. Outside passed pawns
  10. Connected passed pawns
  11. Pawn breakthrough
  12. Space advantage
  13. Stalemate
  14. Coordinated squares
Cvetcov's book Pawn endings and Kmock's book Pawn power were used as references for this lecture.

Position 10.1: Solution to homework problem from lesson 8).

In Forsyth notation: 

2k5/6pp/pp6/2p5/1PR4P/P7/5PPK/3r4








Black to play.


1. ... Rd5 2. bxc5 Rxc5 3. Rxc5+ bxc5 4. Kg3 Kd7 5. Kf4 Ke6 (or Kd6) 6. Ke4

What does Black do in this position? What is the correct strategy - to keep the king back on d6-e6 or to advance the king to protect the passed c-pawn? Both lines seem to draw with proper play but care is required.

As a general rule, you always want to advance your pawns as far as possible in the eventuality of capturing your opponents pawns and getting into a pawn race.

Position 10.2: From Klovan-Yelistrov, 1963.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/8/2k2p2/p6p/P1P2K2/8/7P/8








White to play and draw.


1. Kf5 Kc5 2. h5! Kxc4 3. Kg6! (don't take the f6, to prepare for move 10) Kb4 4. Kxh5 Kxa4 5. Kg6 Kb4 6. h4 a4 7. h5 a3 8. h6 a2 9. h7 a1=Q 10. h8=Q.

Position 10.3: From Chronia-Shivogin, 1954.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/5p2/6pp/8/8/5P2/p5PP/k1K5








White to play and win.

One possibility: 1. g4 f5 2. gxf5 gxf5 3. f4 h5 4. h4 stalemate.

1. Kc2 (to prevent Black possibly queening with check) f6 2. h4 g5 3. hxg5 fxg5 4. g4 h5 (forced) and white wins.

1. Kc2 f5 2. g3 g5 3. g4 f4 4. h3 and black is forced to lose a pawn.

Position 10.4: Nakamura-Carr, US Open, 1998.

In Forsyth notation: 

2r1q1k1/p5p1/1p2p1p1/2ppP1N1/3P1Q2/2P2R2/PP2b1PP/6K1








White to play and win.

Best is 1 Qh4! Bxf3 2 Qh7+ Kf8 3 Qh8+ Ke7 4 Qxg7+ Kd8 5 Nf7 Kd7 6 Nd6+ Qe7 7 Qxe7+ Kxe7 8 Nxf7+ Kd8 9 gxf3 and white seems to have a won K+P endgame.

Question: What if white plays instead 1. Qf7+ Qxf7 2 Rxf7 cxd4 3 cxd4 Rc1+ 4 Kf2 Rf1+ 5 Kxe2 Rxf7 6 Nxf7 Kxf7 7 h4 g5. Can white win? Answer: Analysis shows that with proper defense, black hould be able to draw.

Position 10.5: 3 vs 3 pawn break.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/ppp5/8/PPP5/8/8/8/k1K5








White to play and win.

1 b6 axb6 2 c6 bxc6 3 a6 and white wins.

1 b6 cxb6 2 a6 bxa6 3 c6 and white wins.

Position 10.6: "quart grip" (from Kmoch's book Pawn power).

In Forsyth notation: 

8/5pp1/4p2p/4P2P/5PP1/1k6/8/1K6








White to play and win.

1 g5 Kc4 2 f5! exf5 3 g6! fxg6 4 e6 and white wins.

1 g5 Kc4 2 f5! hxf5 3 f6! gxf6 4 h6 and white wins.

1 g5 Kc4 2 f5! Kd5 3 f6! and white wins.

Position 10.7: 2 vs 2 pawn break.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/7k/5K1p/6p1/6P1/7P/8/8








White to play and win.

1 Kf7 h5 2 h4! and white wins.

Position 10.8: Study of Kling and Horwitz.

In Forsyth notation: 

k7/2p1pp2/2P3p1/4P1P1/5P2/p7/Kp3P2/8








White to play and win.

1 f5 e6 2 fxe6 fxe6 3 f4 K-any 4 f5! and white wins.

1 f5! gxf5 (white threatens to play e6 next) 2. e6 fxe6 3 g6 and white wins.

Position 10.9: Study of Cvetcov.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/5pp1/7p/5P1P/2k3P1/2p5/2K2P2/8








White to play and win.

Note if white plays 1 f4 then 1 ... f6 stops the threat 2 g5.

1 f6! gxf6 2 f4 Kd4 3 g5! Ke5 4 gxh6 Kf6 5 Kxc3! and white wins.

Position 10.10: From a tournament game, Zubarev-Grigoriev.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/5K2/kp6/p1p5/P2p4/1P6/2P2P2/8








Black to play and win.

1 ... b5 2 axb5+ Kb6! 3 Ke6 a4 4 bxa4 e4 and black (probably) wins.

Position 10.11: From Shikova-Kalmukova.

In this position, white has more space and a better pawn structure. How does this advantage get converted into a win?

In Forsyth notation: 

8/1pp1k2p/1p1p1p2/3P1K2/P1P3P1/8/1P5P/8








Black to play and win.

1 ... c5 2 dxc6ep 3 b4 and white wins with the outside passed pawn.

1 ... Kf7 2 b4 Ke7 3 b5 Kf7 4 g5 fxg5 5 Kxg5 Kg7 6 h3. Now white can force the black king to h8 and play pawn breakthrough at c5, creating a passed pawn to win.

Position 10.12: Study of Botvinnik, 1952.

Again, as in the previous position, white has a space advantage.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/5pk1/6p1/8/2K2PP1/8/8/8








White to play and win.

1 Kd5 Kf8 2 Ke5 and white wins by penetrating the black position.

1 Kd5 Kh6 2 Ke5 g5 (if ... Kg7 then 3 Kd6) 3 f5 and white wins.

Position 10.13: From Brinkmann-A. Rubenstein.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/8/8/8/p1p3p1/PpP3k1/1P4P1/6K1








White to play. Black wins.

1 Kf1 Kh2 2 Kf2 Kh1 3 Kg3 Kg1 4 kxg4 Kxg2 and black wins.

Position 10.14: From Cohn-A. Rubenstein.

in 1913-1914, A. Rubenstein was an amazing talent, which possibly better than Em. Lasker who was world champion at the time. The Rubenstein-Lasker games were absolutely fantastic.

The position below is a very famous endgame. You must know this game. It is basic fundamental knowledge to be a chess master.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/pp2kppp/4p3/8/1P6/P3PP2/5P1P/2K5








Black to play and win.

1 ... Kf6 2 Kd2 Kg5 3 Ke2 Kh4 4 Kf1 Kh3 5 Kg1 e5 (gaining space) 6 Kh1 b5 7 Kg1 f5 8 Kh1 g5 9 Kg1 h5 10 Kh1 g4 11 e4 fxe4 12 fxe4 h4 13 Kg1 g3 14 hxg3 fxg3 15 f4 exf4 16 e5 f3 17 e6 g2 18 e7 Kg3 19 e8=Q f2 mate.

Position 10.15: Study of Kubbel.

Kubbel is one of my favorite composers of minor piece endgame studies.

In Forsyth notation: 

2k5/3p4/P7/Pp6/8/4k3/8/8








White to play and draw.

1 Kd4 d6 2 Kc3 d5 3 Kd4 b4 4 Kxd5 b3 5 Kc6 Kb8 6 Kb6 b2 7 a7+ Ka8 8 Ka6 b1=Q stalemate.

Position 10.16: Study by Gorgiev.

Here the white king is boxed in and it seems as though white must lose.

In Forsyth notation: 

K1k5/7p/8/2P5/8/8/P7/8








White to play and draw.

A pawn race obviously draws: 1 a4 h5 2 a5 h4 3 a6 h3 4 a7 h2 5 c6 h1=Q stalemate (or 5 ... h1=R 6 c7 Kxc7 stalemate). However, black can do better: 1 a4 h6! 2 a5 h5 3 a6 h4 4 a7 h3 5 c6 h2 6 c7 h1=Q mate. So white cannot play 1 a4. he must play a waiting move which forces black to show his hand.

1 c6 h6 2 a3 h5 3 a4 h4 4 a5 h3 5 a6 h2 6 a7 h1=Q stalemate.

Position 10.17: From Ye Rowguang-Wang (?).

This game shows good flexibility in thinking and knowledge of endgame resources on black's part.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/3K3p/5k1P/4p1p1/6P1/5P2/8/8








Black to play and draw.

Not 1 ... Kg6 2 Ke6 Kxh6 3 Kf5!, when white wins.

1 ... e4! 2 fxe4 Ke5 3 Ke7 Kxe4 4 Kf6 Kd5! 5 Kg7 (5 Kxg5 Ke6 and the black king heads to h8 with a draw) Ke6 6 Kxh7 Kf7 draw.

Position 10.18: Stalemate study.

In Forsyth notation: 

1k6/8/p5p1/6p1/6P1/5P1P/6PK/8








White to play and draw.

1 f4! a5 (if black captures the f4 pawn, white gets a passes pawn with 2 h4 a5 3 h5 gxh5 4 gxh5 a4 5 h6 a3 6 h7 a2 7 h8=Q1 and white wins) 2 fxg5! a4 3 Kg3 a3 4 Kh4 a2 5 g3 a1=Q stalemate (white smothers himself!).

Position 10.19: Bianchetti study.

Coordinating squares motifs is a most complicated concept. This problem is the epitome of coordinating square studies. Some discussion of coordinating squares can be found in Cvetcov, pages 22-23 and in Averbach's Endgame book.

In Forsyth notation: 

7k/1p6/1P2p3/1P2P3/4P1p1/6P1/8/K7








White to play and win.

Key entry points for white are at f4 and c5. Some coordinating squares are
Ke3-Kg6, Kf4-Kh5, Kc5-Ke7, Kd4-Kf7.

The winning move is 1 Ka2!

Position 10.20: Study of Grigoriev.

Triangulation.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/8/3pPk2/3P1p2/5K2/8/8/8








White to play and win.

1 Kg3 Kg7 2 Kg2 and white triangulates to win...........

1 Kg3 Kg6 2 Kh4 Kf6 3 Kh5 and white penetrates the black position to win.

Position 10.21: Study of Grigoriev.

We have already looked at this position (see Position 8.13) but with black to play. Now it is white to play.

In Forsyth notation: 

8/8/8/1p6/1P6/3P1k2/3K4/8








Black to play and win.

1 Kc2 Kf4 2 Kb2 Kf3 (Ke3? 3 Kc3 and white wins) 3 Kb3 Kf4 4 Kc2 Kf3 5 Kd2 and now we are in the same position but with black to move.

5 ... Kf4 6 Ke2 Ke5 7 Ke3 Kd5 8 Ke4 Kc4 9 d4 Kxb4 10 d5 Kb5 11 Ke5 b4 12 d6 Kc6 13 Ke6 b3 14 d7 b2 15 d8=Q b1=Q 16 Qc8+ Kb-any 17 Qb8+ and skewers the black king.

Position 10.22: Study of Botvinnik, 1958.

A study by the former world champion ending in an "epulet" mate (the mating opsition looks like the military shoulder bars it is named after).

In Forsyth notation: 

8/4pk2/1p4p1/1P3p3/3pP2P/3K2P1/4P3/8








White to play and win.

1 Kc4 e6 2 Kd3 g5 3 hxg5 Kg6 4 Kd2 Kxg5 5 Ke1 Kg5 6 Kf2 Kg5 (not 6 ... Kh3? 7 Kf3! and white wins by penetrating the black position) 7 Kg2! Kg4 8 Kh2 Kh5! 9 Kh3 Kg5 10 g4 Kf4 11 Kh4 Kxe4 12 g5 Kf5 13 Kh5 e4 14 g6 Kf6 15 Kh6 d3 16 g7 dxe2 17 g8=Q e1=Q 18 Qg7+ Kf5 19 Qg5#

HTML by David Joyner. Last modified 5-2-99. Used freeware recorder by Jack Woodbury (woodbury@escape.ca) for diagrams.