Simple or not? You decide!

With 100s of Opening books flooding the market chess players are often get caught in the "opening frenzy" and forget about the basics. Examples below should remind you that knowing basic positions and ideas in Endgame can prove to be a crucial on any level, up to grandmaster. How devastating can this be - you are playing well for 60+ moves and 4-5 hours only to blow everything just moments before the game should reach a well-deserved outcome? The knowledge of Basic endgames is one of the 12 critical skills tested in my book on comprehensive evaluation and training - "Chess Exam and Training Guide".

Today's examples taken from the games of grandmasters from regular (not rapid!) tournaments.

First, a little warm up from Sarajevo Super-GM-Tournament:

What result do you expect? How should Black continue? Take 5-7 minutes before reading further.

First, note how you should answer the questions - the outcome is likely to depend on the move, thus you need to start with the 2d question before going back to the 1st one. In more complex static positions, the opposite is true; you best move will depend on your evaluation and the plan you select.

Back to the game. With Black to move, White has Opposition and Black Pc6 is doomed. 

So, Black should be aiming at either defending the pawn or at least gaining the opposition. And White can't prevent the latter. The best line 1…Kd7! 2.Kf6 Kd8! (diagonal opposition) 3.Ke6 Ke8 4.Kd6 Kd8 5.Kxc6 Kc8 6.Kd6 Kd8 7.c6 Kc8 (I hope you know how White wins if the a-pawns shifted 1 row up - a5-a6, but this is a subject for different discussion) 8.c7 =. Remarkably, in the game Black played 1…Ke8 and after 2.Ke6 resigned as White gets both - the pawn and the opposition.

Our second example is a Knight endgame from Russian Women's Championship:

What result do you expect? How should Black continue? Take 5-7 minutes before reading further.

Well, Black is worse, but the result depends on her immediate strategy and, specifically, the next move. White has more active King and better-placed Knight. However, Black has an outside pass pawn and, with only 2 pawns left, needs to find a correct moment to trade his N for them. Black has two reasonable ideas leading to two moves candidates. The fist one is to activate the N and combine pressure on White Ps with a distraction of advancing pawn h. The second one is more blatant - to sacrifice the N, distract the K with pawn h and send Black King to fight for the pawn-b with the clumsy Knight.

If you missed either of the two options you have an issue to work on. If you missed 1...Ng2 - you probably were too pre-occupied with 1...Nxf5 idea and forgot that no great move except for checkmate in 1 deserves to be played as soon as you see it. There is always a chance for a better alternative. Work on you move selection process. If you missed 1…Nxf5 - you missed a common tactical idea and need to work on Endgame tactics, specifically - sacrificing to trade down.

Once you identify moves candidates, next you need to combine calculation, knowledge of standard ideas and judgment. After 1…Ng2 2. Kf3 (2.Nf4?? Nxf4 3.Kf4 h4 and Black is winning, thanks to the outside pass pawn) Nh4+! 3.Kf4 Ng2+ 4.Kg5 h4 White can't manage to control the pawn h, defend the pawn on f5 and make progress. Black should send his K toward the pawn f (Ke7) and sit and wait. This conclusion is based on judgment based on some knowledge of these endgames. Study this position in greater detail or better practice against computer.

Tactical idea 1…Nxf5 is more definitive and thus might be more attractive to defender, however the clumsy N might be not as clumsy as it looks. 

Conclusions - study basic endgame ideas and positions well before you study more complex endgames.

Copyrighted @ 2005 Igor Khmelnitsky

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