Hi Chaps.
Had a PM requesting I do something about endgames,
I sent the PM back saying I will report offensive PM’s and
put a block on the lad’s account.
He got one of his mates to PM me, and then another and another…
So I capitulated.
The Pawn Race.
Both sides run a passed pawn whilst their Kings can only watch
and cheer them on.
The first to Queen and give the first check is critical.
Here White to play.
He promotes and has the first check but it is nothing.
He cannot force the King onto the same file, rank or diagonal
as the Black Queen. Draw.
However here, White to play.
White promotes then Qa8+ Qb8+ and QxQ.
More about that later.
Another often decisive factor without Queen winning checks is
the position of the two Kings. Concealed mates can lurk in some
of these King & Queen v King & Queen positions.
I dug out an example I played (and won) 34 years ago.
A. Laing - G. Chandler. Edinburgh President Cup. 1977
The opening may be off interest to some of you who don’t know this line.
In this well know position from the Danish Gambit white pulls back the
Queen d2 and theory classes this as a draw.
The 1400 DB totally agrees. P.117
White wins 43
draws 23
Black wins 43
A thematic tournament was played from this position so this will account
for the high number of times it has appeared.
Right onto the game and a fluked win.
(After you have seen the opening jump to move 38 it starts from there.)
Now we see the bones of the idea.
Beligol - Artaxerxes RHP 2005 White to play.
1.Ke3! d1=Q (taking a Knight with a check also losses) 2.Qf2 mate.
Regulars of the Planet Greenpawn can now guess what comes now.
Yup. The missed wins and the ending from Looney Tunes.
Daromott - Zorro the Fox RHP 2008.
Zorro missed the staircase manoeuvre.
Stephanwale - chessnut57 RHP 2005. Another tale of woe.
Right back to pawn races.
Looker - Joao Giudice RHP 2009 Black to play.
It all comes down to counting.
Both Kings have to waste a tempo to get out of the way.
Then even with Black to play White Queens first in 6 moves
So just a wee bit of care is needed where the Kings move to.
Every move is precious, fortunes have been won and lost,
reputations made and broken all because of one insignificant
little move.
Black cannot play 1..Ka5 or 1…Ka6 because White Queens
then checks on a8 and b8 winning the Queen.
1…Ka4 is OK because 2.Qa8+ Kb3 3.Qb7+ Kc2 is a draw.
So 1…Ka4 is OK and so is 1…Kc4 for the same reason.
1….Kc5 allows White to Queen with a check and a book win.
(Always try to ensure you do not allow a promotion with check.)
What about 1…Kc6? that is what was played.
We end with this.
Always a pleasure to see someone whose endgames is worse than mine.
This is awful. Really awful chess. (don’t look).
Milli - kingboss030 RHP 2009
what I see. I f I had made up that ending nobody would
have believed it.
I check out the posted link game.
On the other hand... this endgame occurred in a league match last season. Neither player was in time trouble, and although the player with the Black pieces has a reputation for ridiculous escapes, this one takes the biscuit:
http://www.sheffieldnomads.co.uk/games/0910/bwdkml.htm
Worth noting that the score was 3-2 to us at the time, so this draw secured the match 3.5-2.5! Both players are currently ECF graded 150+.