Breaking Routine

For those keeping track, my five positions per day in Thomas Engqvist, 300 Most Important Chess Positions (2018) faltered. I continue to work through this book, but some days do two or three positions. This morning, I spent some time on number 246, a terrific ending played by Akiva Rubinstein against Emanuel Lasker in 1909. Had I remained on track with five per day, I would have been at position 266.

I have faltered in that routine, but also deliberately broke my routine in a rapid game this morning with good results, although my play could have been improved.

Internet Opponent -- Stripes,J. [B21]
Live Chess Chess.com, 17.02.2025

1.e4 e6 2.f4 c5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d3

Black to move

My database shows that I've been on the Black side of this position no less than 98 times in online play.

4...d6

4...d5 is the main move and my norm, but I've also played 4...g6, Nge7, a6, and d6. I last played my move in this game on the Internet Chess Club in 2002.

5.c3 b5?!N

5...Nf6=
5...g6 6.a4=
5...Be7 6.Be2=

6.a3

6.d4+/=

6...Bb7= 7.Be2 Nge7?!

The knight's prospects from this square are limited and the dark-squared bishop is denied its natural square.

8.Qc2

8.Be3 g6 9.0-0 Bg7 10.h4

8...g6 9.b4?! cxb4 10.axb4 Bg7

White to move

11.Ra2?

11.d4 a6=

One gets the sense that neither player grasps the needs of the position.

11...0-0

11...Rc8 12.Qb3 Qb6 and Black has an advantage.

12.Be3 a6

12...d5 13.e5 d4! (13...Nf5 also leads to advantage for Black) 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Bxg2 Black is better.

13.Nbd2 Rc8

14.-- △Nxb4 Black is getting pressure on White's position.

14.Rb2

Black to move

14...Nb8

14...f5! 15.e5 15.Qb3 d5 16.e5 d4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bxg2 19.Bf3 Bxh1-/+

15.d4 Nd7 16.Bd3 Nb6

16...f5! was still the correct idea.

17.Qc1 Na4

17...Rc7 can be played at once.

18.Rc2 Rc7 19.0-0 Qa8 20.Re1

20.Qa3

20...Rfc8-/+

White to move

Black's pieces are well coordinated. Although completely different, the position sparked a memory of a correspondence game that I played in the 1990s (see "Playing by the Book"). In that game, I had pressure along the long diagonal a1-h8 and along the b-file and broke through to victory with penetration on the b-file.

21.Nb1?

21.Bf2 Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Rxc3 23.Qb1 Rc7 Black maintains an advantage, but there is still a game to be played.

21...Bxe4-+ 22.Ng5?

22.Bxe4 Qxe4 23.Bf2 Qd3 24.Rd1 Qf5

22...Bxd3 0-1

Three Positions

My beginning students—young players in grades kindergarten through second grade—saw three positions in chess club this afternoon. These all occurred in my online play this morning.

White to move

White played 50.Bd7 and the students were asked how they would play as Black. Oblivious to the dangers, they made the same error as my opponent in the blitz game: capturing the bishop with 50…Bxd7 ends the game with stalemate. 50…Kxd7, on the other hand, leads to victory for Black.

Black to move

The students found 53…Re1+ 54.Kd6 Rd1+. It was unclear whether all of them would exchange rooks, however. We then pushed the pawn to promotion and worked on the elementary checkmate of queen and king against a lone king.

White to move

The third position was rather advanced for these students. I discussed my thought process during the game, looking for ways to restrict the knight’s mobility. I played 34.Kf1. Black’s reply 34…Nd4 did not seem to me the best choice. Some of my students indicated that they would exchange bishop for knight. We then discussed the resulting weakness of the Black pawn on d4. After 35.Bxd4 exd4 36.Ke2, Black resigned.

While looking at the position, I discussed the imbalances of bishop vs. knight and differences in the pawn structure. This concept takes time for students to grasp. Several have heard it in the past and they will hear it again.

Exhilarating

Blitz chess can reinforce bad habits. It can induce stress. It can produce horrendous play and terrible disappointment. It can be addictive.

Last night, I felt a moment of positive exhilaration when I had a forced mate in three, I won on time with 0.1 seconds left. It was a thrilling moment!

It was a three minute game with no increment. At move 32, White was under one minute remaining. At move 40, Black was under one minute. After move 50, White had 11.4 seconds and Black had 21. The position was equal

51.Kf3 Kf5 52.Ke3? g5?

52...d2 and Black is better.

53.fxg5 Kxg5 54.Rg1+ Kf5 55.Rf1+ Ke5

After 55 moves, White is down to 9 seconds, while Black has 11.8. The position remains equal.

56.Rd1 Ke6 57.Rxd3 Rxd3 58.Kxd3

The exchange restores the material balance, but also makes the game easier, especially for Black.

58...Kd5

Seizing the opposition.

59.Ke3

59.Kd2 Kc4 60.Kc2 d5 was possible and also equal.

It seems that the clock will decide the result.

59...Kc4 60.Kd2 d5

60...Kb3 61.Kd3 and Black almost certainly will err with so little time. 61...Ka3 would be the only move.

61.Kc2 d4

Time for both players is precariously short. White has been moving slightly faster than Black.

62.cxd4 Kxd4 63.Kb3

We have reached a simple pawn ending that should be drawn, although only Black can win on time after White loses the last pawn.

63...Kd3 64.Ka3 Kc3 65.Ka2 Kxb4

66.Kb1??

A game losing blunder, but only if Black does not run out of time. If Black's clock expires, the game is drawn.

66...Kb3 67.Ka1 b4 68.Kb1 Ka3!

Lots of endgame practice and study and I instantly knew that my king had to go to the a-file to preserve the winning advantage. Nonetheless. 0.9 seconds came off the clock.

69.Ka1 b3 70.Kb1 b2 71.Kc2 Ka2 72.Kd3 b1=Q+ 73.Kc4

73...Qf5!

The shortest distance to mate. Again, I found this move instantly because I've been in this position against the computer many times, but it still took 0.9 seconds off the clock.

White had 2.8 seconds to Black's 1.5.

74.Kd4 Kb3 75.Ke3 Kc3

White's last 1.9 seconds expired while Black had 0.1 remaining. The game could have been drawn. What a feeling to play the last 25 moves in 21 seconds!

Applied Study: Lesson from a Youth Tournament

After spending parts of several days last week on a particular endgame offered in Thomas Engqvist, 300 Most Important Chess Positions (2018), it arose in a game that I was watching during a youth tournament yesterday. I attempted to take a photo of the position, but the student on the move made his move before I snapped the image.

Black to move

The image on my phone combined with my memory allowed me to set up the game on my iPad last night and play it out against Stockfish. I hope some students can learn something from this analysis. An exclamation  mark after a move indicates that the move played is best, or equal best, as measured by the shortest distance to checkmate.

As usual, the moves in bold are from my game against Stockfish. Other moves are suggested improvements.

1...Kg5!

1...Kf5 was played by the child 2.Rc5+ wins, but was not played. Eventually, Black was able to promote the g-pawn, forcing White's rook off the board.

2.Kg2 h4

I remembered this idea from Engqvist, but it is not the engine's top choice as it extends the distance to mate by three moves.

2...Rb4 is best.

3.Rd3 Rf5

3...Ra4

4.Rb3 Rc5

4...Rd5 is slightly more accurate.

5.Rb2

Black to move

5...Rc4

I considered but did not fully calculate 5...h3+ 6.Kg3 Rc3+ 7.Kh2 Kh4 8.Rb4 Rc2+ 9.Kh1.

6.Ra2 Kf4! 7.Rf2+ Ke3! 8.Rb2

Black to move

Rd4!

I'm hoping to exchange into an easy pawn ending.

9.Rb1 Rd2+! 10.Kg1 g3! 11.Rb3+ Rd3!

Six consecutive best moves are the result of book study and practice against the computer.

12.Rb8

Black to move

12...h3

My move is based on an idea in the book: threaten back-rank checkmate, but there was a faster way to accomplish this goal.

12...Kf3 13.Rf8+ Kg4 14.Rg8+ Kh3 15.Rf8 Rd1+ 16.Rf1 Rxf1+ 17.Kxf1 Kh2.

13.Re8+ Kd4! 14.Rd8+ Kc3

14...Ke4 15.Re8+ Kf5

15.Rc8+ Kd2 16.Kf1

Black to move

16...Rf3+! 17.Kg1 Re3

17...h2+ 18.Kg2 Rf2+ 19.Kxg3 h1Q

18.Rd8+ Ke2! 19.Ra8 Rd3! 20.Re8+ Kf3!

The king marches toward the rook until it runs out of checks.

21.Rf8+ Kg4! 22.Rg8+ Kf5! 23.Kf1

Black to move

23...Ra3

23...h2

24.Rf8+ Kg6! 25.Rb8 g2+ 26.Kf2 Ra2+! 27.Kf3

Black to move

27...Kg7

27...g1Q?? 28.Rg8+ and a draw.
27...h2!

28.Rb7+ Kf8! 29.Rb8+ Ke7! 30.Rb7+ Kf6

30...Kd6

31.Rb6+ Ke5 32.Rb5+ Kd4! 33.Rb4+ Kc3! 34.Rb1

Black to move

34...h2! 35.Rc1+ Kd4

35...Kd2

36.Rd1+ Ke5!

Finding shelter behind White's king

37.Re1+ Kf5! 38.Re8 h1Q!

The rest should be easy.

39.Rf8+ Ke6! 40.Re8+ Kd7! 41.Kf4 Qh4+! 42.Kf3 Rf2+

42...Kxe8

43.Ke3 Qf4+

43...Kxe8 44.Kd3 g1Q

44.Kd3 Rd2+ 45.Kc3 Qd4+ 46.Kb3 Rb2+ 47.Ka3 Qb4#

Finishing with the queen and rook roll from Pandolfini's Endgame Course (1988), and excellent endgame resource by chess coach Bruce Pandolfini for young players.

Revising Plans

In late December, I set myself a course of study of 300 Most Important Chess Positions (2018) by Thomas Engqvist. Although the author suggests learning five positions per week, my plan was to work through five per day. I maintained this schedule until last Thursday.

Friday, my wife and I left for a weekend at a lake cabin and some play in the snow with our puppy. I took the book along, but did not spend as much time working on it as planned.

Upon my return, there were further distractions that kept me from resuming my rapid pace through the book. One of the endgames gave me some trouble as I tried to beat Stockfish from a winning position. Parts of three days this week were invested in this one endgame.

Black to move

Black's best move here, according to Engqvist, is Re1+, but the computer also played Rh1 in some games against me. It took several tries and some time studying Engqvist's analysis before I succeeded is winning with White. I ended up using another study by Genrikh Kasparian as the starting position. This one does not appear in Harold van der Heijden's Endgame Study Database, but Engqvist’s position could occur in the study I used.

The past two days, I have resumed my project of working through five positions per day. If there are no further disruptions to my plan, I should finish in early March. I do have a two-day break planned during a weekend Swiss at the end of February.

Windmill!

Black threatens checkmate, but it is White's turn and both of Black's pieces threatening mate will soon be gone.

Rook vs. Bishop

A Technical Endgame

When I reached this position yesterday, I was about a minute behind on the clock in a game where I had difficulty getting an advantage against a much lower rated opponent. Only when he walked into a knight fork that gave him a choice of losing a bishop or the exchange did the game seem to be going my way. I had White.

White to move

31.Nxf4+! Bxf4

31...Kf6 32.Kb3 Nd1 33.Nd3 might have forced me to work harder.

32.Kxb2 Kf6 33.f3

While reviewing the game, I thought this move was an unnecessary loss of tempo. The pawn can move when g4 is attacked. Better, it seems to me was to create some threats with my rook. Even so, this is not so easy, For instance, 33.Rh8 b6 34.Rc8 c5 35.Ra8 a5 and I'm not sure how to proceed.

33...b6 34.Kb3 a5 35.Rh8 Ke7 36.Rc8 Kd7 37.Rf8 Ke7 38.Rg8 Kf6

White to move

39.Ka4

39.c5 b5 40.Rc8 seems better. I have been moving fast, too fast and still have 5 minutes remaining in a ten minute game.

39...Ke7 40.Rh8 Kd7 41.Rh5 Be3

White to move

42.Rf5

42.c5! Bxc5 43.Rxc5 bxc5 creates a nice problem position.

White to move

Analysis diagram

 44.c4 (44.Kxa5??=).

42...Ke6 43.Rh5 f6 44.Rh8 Kd7 45.Rh7+ Kd6 46.Rf7 Bg5 47.f4 Bh4

White to move

48.f5?!

48.Rh7 Bg3 49.g5 b5+ 50.cxb5 cxb5+ 51.Kxa5 and White is making some progress.

48...Bg5

48...Kc5 49.Kb3

49.Rf8 Kd7 50.Rb8 Kc7 51.Re8 Kd7 52.Re6 Kc7

White to move

53.c5

It finally feels as though I am making some progress. I have 3:30 left and my opponent has 4:42.

53...bxc5

Black spent 19 seconds on this move.

54.Kxa5 Kd7 55.Kb6 c4 56.Rxc6 Be3+ 57.Kb7 Bg5 58.Rxc4 Kd6

White to move

59.Re4

My plan is to leave the c-pawn as a threat that must be stopped while the rook and king force Black's bishop and pawn off the board and one of my kingside pawns promotes. So, first, Black's king must be cut off.

59...Kd5 60.Re6 Kc4 61.Kc7 Kd5 62.Kd7 Kc5 63.Ke7 Kd5

White to move

64.Kf7 Bh4 65.Rxf6 Ke5 66.Rc6 Kf4 67.Rc4+ Kg5 68.Kg7 Bg3

White to move

69.Re4

The immediate f6 was possible because the pin is met by another pin. 69...Be5 70.Rc5.

69...Bd6 70.c4 Bc5 71.Kf7 Bb4 72.Rd4 Bc5 73.Rd5 Ba3 74.c5 Kxg4 75.c6 Black resigned 1–0

My play was less that perfect, but good enough.

Half-Way

The five positions from Thomas Engqvist, 300 Most Important Chess Positions (2018) that I worked through today were all familiar from endgame work I did with a student six months ago or so. Two--a simple Philidor Position and a Lucena Position--I have been teaching eighteen years. Although review, one position composed by Max Karstedt and published in Deutsches Wochenschach in October 1909 confused me slightly because Stockfish made a move that differed from the solution that I knew.

In my struggle with the difference, I made an inaccurate move that was still winning, except that I could not win it.

White to move

In Karstedt's solution, Black's rook is on h1. Hence, Rc6+ sets up a skewer if the rook is captured. Nonetheless, 7.Rc6+ is still the best move and after 7...Kd5, both Rc8 and Ra6 are winning with a shorter distance to mate after Ra6. If 7...Kb5, 8.Rc8 wins.

After some contemplation, I played 7.Rb1. The computer could have opted for the idea in Karstedt's study nonetheless: 7...Rg8+ 8.Kc7 Rg7+ 9.Kb8 Rg8+ 10.Kb7 Rg7+ 11.Ka6 Rg6+ 12.Ka5 Rg3 threatens mate if White promotes, so 13.Rb5+ Kd6 14.Kb6 Rg8 15.Ra5 and the pawn will promote.

Instead, Stockfish 16 played 7...Rxb1 and I spent the next ten minutes being reminded that I have not learned queen vs. rook well enough to succeed against software.

Today was the 30th day in my quest to race through this book at five positions per day instead of the recommended five positions per week. Even this relatively easy day added another item to my "to do" list that is growing because of this pace. Yesterday, three positions game me some difficulty and this morning I spend some time looking through the first few chapters of Yuri Averbakh, Rook v. Minor Piece Endings (1978). The endings of rook and pawn vs. bishop (chapter 3 in Averbakh) serve as an excellent supplement to some ideas that Engqvist introduced yesterday.

I have now completed the first 75 positions on the opening and middlegame, and the first 75 endgames in Engqvist's book. I am on schedule.