tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57726894266049739.post1390660876746370426..comments2024-03-28T11:37:38.689-07:00Comments on Chess Skills: WinningJames Stripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13437334325501974461noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57726894266049739.post-58970397708752525892016-10-29T10:42:55.696-07:002016-10-29T10:42:55.696-07:00He was down to four seconds before the elementary ...He was down to four seconds before the elementary ending was reached. By varying the amount of time I spent on my moves, I threw him off his rhythm to burn four seconds. We were using my DGT clock. On a Chronos, that four seconds would have been one, plus the three second delay. The DGT adds the three seconds at the end of each move.<br /><br />I have Nunn's two other books on the ending, as well as Minev's classic, Levenfish and Smyslov, <i>Rook Endings</i> (1971), and several other endgame books, including the first two editions of Dvoretsky--one print, one Kindle.<br /><br />I have used ChessTempo's ending course on occasion. I prefer playing against my own computers. These days, that's most often the iPad version of Stockfish.James Stripeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13437334325501974461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57726894266049739.post-18139167945830419552016-10-28T13:40:03.793-07:002016-10-28T13:40:03.793-07:00Oh, I misread, your opponent had four SECONDS plus...Oh, I misread, your opponent had four SECONDS plus delay in that first position. More plausible that he flagged now, though I think he should be able to hold that position on just time delay.Todd Bryanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678958123728884949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57726894266049739.post-9889054361570927752016-10-28T13:28:13.658-07:002016-10-28T13:28:13.658-07:00Nice, glad to see you had a good result!
Cool tha...Nice, glad to see you had a good result!<br /><br />Cool that you reached two theoretical rook+pawn positions after your recent post on this topic. I can only think of two times I have ever reached R+P vs R in a tournament game, although I am obsessed with this type of ending.<br /><br />It is really bad that your opponent managed to lose that R+g-pawn vs R ending. White can just shuffle Ra1-b1 and Black does not have a single idea to even make a threat. I wonder how your opponent got himself into trouble here? <br /><br />In your last ending, you could try to squeeze blood from a stone by using your f-pawn as a shield with 1.Kf3. Now one curious little trick is 1...a2 2.Ra5+ Kh4?! (2...Kf6! with idea 3.Kxf4 Rh1! reaching Philidor is clean) 3.Kg2! and you're going to win Black's a-pawn. Problem is, this structure is objectively drawn even if White wins Black's OTHER pawn, but your practical chances to win here are now nonzero.<br /><br />If you like these endings as much as I do, chesstempo.com has a great Endgame mode for $4/month where you can play 5-man R+P vs R endings against the computer. And if you are a truly insane person, you can pick up Secrets of Rook Endings by Nunn--an entire book on KRP vs. kr! (I haven't read that one, but I intend to one day).Todd Bryanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678958123728884949noreply@blogger.com