Saturday, July 3, 2010

Endgame Lessons

Transitioning to the endgame can be a powerful winning strategy, even in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Of course, once you reach the endgame, it is still necessary to play it properly...

perrypawnpusher - zsilber
blitz, FICS, 2010


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8


Black has a strong defense in 5...Kf8. See "Critical Line: 5...Kf8" Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Revisited.

The retreat to e8, however, has the weakness of keeping Black's King on the e8-h5 diagonal.

6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Qh5+


7...g6 8.Qxc5 Nf6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.d3 d6


11.Qc3 Rf8 12.Bg5

This is not best, as Black can now reply with 12...Nxe4, winning a pawn.

12...Kf7



Looking to safeguard his King by castling-by-hand. He gets his wish of King safety, but 13.Qb3+ (instead of what I played) would have cost him a piece.

13.Qxf6+ Qxf6 14.Bxf6 Kxf6


Winning this endgame should be "a matter of technique" for White. [Insert laugh track here.]

15.Nd2 Kg7 16.f4 c5 17.Rae1 Rae8 18.Nc4 Ba6 19.Ne3 Bb7


20.Nd5

Sloppy: White drops one pawn and doubles another in order to get Black to exchange the remaining pieces.

20...Bxd5 21.exd5 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Rxf4 23.Re7+ Rf7 24.Rxf7+ Kxf7


The game is still a win for White. He has to properly manage the tempos in the position, however.

25.Kf2 Kf6 26.Ke3 Ke5 27.c4 h5


28.h4

It was important for White to see 28.d4+ cxd4+ 29.Kd3. Black's King will eventually have to move away from protecting the pawn at d4.

The text weakens White's Kingside, even if it does help in the battle of the tempos.

28...Kf5 29.Kf3 a5 30.b3 Ke5 31.Ke3 Kf5


32.Kf3

Something to be aware of here was the alternative 32.d4 as White can then get a passed pawn in the center or on the Queenside faster than Black can get one on the Kingside: 32...Kg4 33.dxc5 dxc5 34.Ke4 Kg3 35.Ke5 Kxg2 36.Ke6 Kh3 37.Kd7 Kxh4 38.Kxc7 etc. or 32...cxd4+ 33.Kxd4 Kg4 34.a4 Kxh4 35.b4 axb4 36.a5, etc.

Alas, I missed it. But that was not my only chance to win.

32...g5 33.g3

Static, stagnant and stultifying!

The proper route was 33.hxg5 Kxg5 34.Kg3 h4+ 35.Kh3 Kh5, when White can head for the strategy named above with 36.g4+ hxg e.p. 37.Kxg3 when White's King will head for e3 in order to play d3-d4.

Now the game is even.

33...gxh4 34.gxh4 Ke5


35.a3

Because White's last few moves have weakened his Kingside, he does not have the resources of d3-d4.

For example, 35.Ke3 Kf5 36.d4 Kg4 37.dxc5 dxc5 38.a3 Kxh4 39.b4 cxb4 40.axb4 a4 41.c5 a3 42.d6 cxd6 43.cxd6 a2 44.d7 a1/Q 45.d8/Q and the Q + P vs Q + P ending is likely drawn.

White had a swindle available, after 35.Ke3 Kf5 36.d4 Kg4. He could play 37.a4!? instead of 37.dxc5. If Black took the bait and played 37...Kxh4?, then White would Queen first with 38.dxc5 Kg5 (38...dxc5 falls to 39.b4 cxb4 40.c5, etc.) since 39.c6! allows White's pawns to advance and fall to clearance sacrifices.

However, if after 35.Ke3 Kf5 36.d4 Kg4 37.a4!? Black brings his King back with 37...Kf5, the game is drawn.

35...Kf5 36.a4 Ke5 37.Ke3 Kf5 38.Kf3 Ke5 39.Ke3 Kf5 40.Kf3 Ke5 41.Ke3 Kf5 42.Kf3 Game drawn by repetition

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