I stink at endgames. All right. There. I said it.
2 recent games where I had clear advantages (at least I thought so).
First one, I drew:
Game 9761099
Second game, I think I've blown it and my opponent goes and resigns for no reason that I can tell.
Game 9547777 (Is this really a win for me? I don't really see a good way to win the game.)
Now, I've got 2 in progress (won't discuss until they're done, obviously) where I'm blowing advantages in the end game and may have to settle for draws in both.
Anyone want to be so kind as to tell me what I'm doing wrong?
I had a quick look at one of your games where you drew and for example at move 16 he could have played f5 as your King was still in the center. What was the need for 14. Ng5?
All that is long before the endgame. You also needed to try and get your rook behind the pawn.
I had a look at game 9761099. On general theoretical principles, I see three issues: 1) Black should have held onto the a-pawn. Outside pawns often prove decisive in rook endgames (because the opposing king must usually maneuver far away from everything else to blockade them). Allowing White to take the Black a-pawn left White with the effective outside b-pawn. 2) Corollary to allowing White to take the a-pawn, White then dominated the a-file with his rooks, penetrating the Black camp. 3) Corollary to dominating the a-file, White then penetrated to the 7th rank with combined R+Q. With those cumulative advantages, White might have squeezed more than a draw out of it.
In the first game,there were quite a few mistakes. 18...Qf6 looks like a waste of time,but you played 19.Rfe1?,instead of 19.Ne4 geting rid of his Bishop pair. I think you threw the win away with 40.gf:? as this splits your pawns. 40.g3 was better,and his f-pawn looks like a goner. In the final position,it's a draw,as the WK can't leave the h-pawn. Black can grab it and still get behind the c-pawn in time.
Originally posted by sundown316That's what I was just looking at, except I was going to push the g-pawn two squares.
In the first game,there were quite a few mistakes. 18...Qf6 looks like a waste of time,but you played 19.Rfe1?,instead of 19.Ne4 geting rid of his Bishop pair. I think you threw the win away with 40.gf:? as this splits your pawns. 40.g3 was better,and his f-pawn looks like a goner. In the final position,it's a draw,as the WK can't leave the h-pawn. Black can grab it and still get behind the c-pawn in time.
Originally posted by sundown316On g4 Black plays Rd2,so that the WK can't leave the f-pawn
In the first game,there were quite a few mistakes. 18...Qf6 looks like a waste of time,but you played 19.Rfe1?,instead of 19.Ne4 geting rid of his Bishop pair. I think you threw the win away with 40.gf:? as this splits your pawns. 40.g3 was better,and his f-pawn looks like a goner. In the final position,it's a draw,as the WK can't leave the h-pawn. Black can grab it and still get behind the c-pawn in time.
I also find these endings with heavy pieces and only a one pawn advantage difficult to win. On the second game White probably was not in the mood to struggle in an attempt to get a draw out of it and figured with a pawn up you would eventually win anyway.
I think your best chance for a win in the first game was on move 33. You could have picked up another pawn with 33.Qc4+ also attacking the c5 pawn, then after the king moves 34.Rc6 attacks the pawn again and there is no defense. An endgame with a two-pawn advantage is so much easier to win than the ones you had.
The idea by SwissGambit is good, but Black can do better as follows and can probably still get the draw.
In the 2nd game Game 9547777 there appears to be very straight
forward wins missed by both sides within a few moves of each other.
First Black.
White's win, a bit trickier (you have to find one move!) but with a pawn
on the 7th you must look at all promotion ideas.
Check that 2nd line. It looks OK but I'm not long in after a rather long shift at work.
In the first game, it looked like you needed to immediately play Rc1-b1 to get behind the pawn. If he goes ...f3, then as suggested, you go g4 and try and pick off the f-pawn while tying down his rook with your passed b-pawn.
The second-It looked like ...Ne6 was a mistake. Instead ...Nf3+ and then Bxf3 Qxf3 threatens Qg2+ with a winning Pawn ending a pawn up, so he goes Kxh3. Then Qh1+ Kg4 Qh5+ Kf4 Qh6+ skewers his queen and he can't avoid it except by going into the lost pawn ending.