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Lost it in the endgame

Lost it in the endgame

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P
Bananarama

False berry

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Here's a game I just finished not more than 5 minutes ago. I resigned as black has forced a queen exchange, and there is no way I can stop his pawn from queening. I have to say that black played what I thought was a won endgame for me quite skillfully (maybe that's why black's rating is so much higher than mine!!):



In the opening, I was trying to gain as much space as possible in the centre to help eventually initiate a kingside attack. I also tried to target the hole on the f6 square as a starting point. I was actually very happy with 13. h5!, maintaining the pressure on the f6 square and not retreating the bishop. Unfortunately, I couldn't maintain it after the subsequent exchanges, although black's kingside had been weakened.

I think the other quality move was 32. Qb8, leading to the gain of a pawn on the queenside. In retrospect, I think this would have been good enough to win had I followed up with 36. Qxg7+, exchanging queens and leaving black to worry about runaway pawns on both sides of the board (despite my doubled pawns on the kingside). I think I got greedy, trying to up my advantage by another pawn, and this shot me in the foot. By grabbing the pawn with 37. Qxb6, I allowed black's queen to run amok and whittle my advantage down slowly but surely, due to the black king's less assailable positioning and nimble queen moves.

I thought I would be able to hold, or force my own queen exchange later in the endgame, but black marched his king down to my end of the board, giving his queen a powerful mobile post from which to threaten my king. I should have activated my king earlier on, possibly with 44. Kg3 instead of 44. Qh8+ with a spiteful check. After that, black had me on the run with a series of queen checks that nipped my pawns one by one. After 66. Qe5+, I couldn't stop the queen exchange and subsequent queening of black's c-pawn, so I resigned. I have to tip my hat to black, excellent play in the endgame which I hope to emulate one day.

Any other suggestions to improve my game here?

FL

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I hate to say this, but it looks drawn to me!

1. Qxe5 Kxe5
2. Kxf3

and then if Black tries for a win (pushing the pawn clearly fails):
2. ... Kd4
3. Ke2 Kc3
4. f4 Kb3
5. f5 c4
6. f6 c3
7. f7 c2
8. f8=Q c1=Q

(5. Kd2 might be a quicker way to draw)


I would say you lost the advantage sometime around move 48 with all those silly queen moves between a1, a2, b2, c2 etc!

P
Bananarama

False berry

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Originally posted by Fat Lady
I hate to say this, but it looks drawn to me!

1. Qxe5 Kxe5
2. Kxf3

and then if Black tries for a win (pushing the pawn clearly fails):
2. ... Kd4
3. Ke2 Kc3
4. f4 Kb3
5. f5 c4
6. f6 c3
7. f7 c2
8. f8=Q c1=Q

(5. Kd2 might be a quicker way to draw)
D'oh! Oh well, chalk up one more lesson in endgame theory. I was envisioning

1. Qxe5 Kxe5
2. Kxf3 Kd4
3. Ke2 Kc3
4. Kd1

which would lose to:

4. ... Kb2

protecting the queening square c1, and winning the pawn race. As stated above - d'oh!

w
If Theres Hell Below

We're All Gonna Go!

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Originally posted by PBE6
Any other suggestions to improve my game here?
a general piece of advice: you're not required to check every time it's legal. 🙂 now, because of your futile checks, the enemy queen gained about a brazillion free tempi, at the same time forcing your queen to useless diagonals/files/ranks. it looks to me like you almost completely ignored non-checking queen moves.

learning KQkr mate is an excellent antidote to poor queen handling. learning to see the non-checking possibilities, how to restrict the enemy king and even force zugzwang.

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

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Originally posted by PBE6
Here's a game I just finished not more than 5 minutes ago. I resigned as black has forced a queen exchange, and there is no way I can stop his pawn from queening. I have to say that black played what I thought was a won endgame for me quite skillfully (maybe that's why black's rating is so much higher than mine!!):

[pgn][Event "March 2009 Longhaul Octet V" ...[text shortened]... te one day.

Any other suggestions to improve my game here?
I like 33.Qxa7+. White's Rook seems like a much better piece than Black's - seems a shame to trade it so readily.

If Black responds with 33...Re7, then just 34.Qxb6, safely eating another pawn. If 33...Kf6, 34.Rd7! is very annoying.

FL

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The ending has become the strongest part of my game. My favourite endings book is one of the classics - Practical Chess Endings by Irving Chernev.

Here's one of the positions in the first chapter:


It's a great one for chess lessons as it show two important endgame concepts - the attacking king driving the defending one away (like two magnets of the same polarity) and a pawn sacrifice to get a passed pawn. I challenge the person I'm coaching to beat me three times in a row with White and they very rarely manage it. A few weeks ago one student fell at the final hurdle when he walked into a silly stalemate trick (to be fair, I only allowed him two minutes on the clock to finish the game):

1. Kd5 Kd8
2. Ke6 Kc8 (I try Ke8 the first time!)
3. Ke7 Kb8
4. Kd8 Ka7
5. Kxc7 Ka8
6. b6

P
Bananarama

False berry

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Originally posted by wormwood
a general piece of advice: you're not required to check every time it's legal. 🙂 now, because of your futile checks, the enemy queen gained about a brazillion free tempi, at the same time forcing your queen to useless diagonals/files/ranks. it looks to me like you almost completely ignored non-checking queen moves.

learning KQkr mate is an excell ...[text shortened]... to see the non-checking possibilities, how to restrict the enemy king and even force zugzwang.
Good advice, I'll have to take a look at KQkr endings for sure. I was planning on getting Silman's "Complete Endgame Course" shortly (been saying that for weeks now...), but I see Fat Lady found much use in "Practical Chess Endings" by Irving Chernev. Any recommendations for or comparisons between these two?

w
If Theres Hell Below

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Originally posted by PBE6
Good advice, I'll have to take a look at KQkr endings for sure. I was planning on getting Silman's "Complete Endgame Course" shortly (been saying that for weeks now...), but I see Fat Lady found much use in "Practical Chess Endings" by Irving Chernev. Any recommendations for or comparisons between these two?
I've been thinking of getting a practical endgame book as well, and was going to ask fat lady about the chernev book as well. 🙂 many people like the silman book, but I'm looking for something different. more practically oriented, as I already have more than enough of dry theory to plow through...

P
Bananarama

False berry

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Originally posted by wormwood
I've been thinking of getting a practical endgame book as well, and was going to ask fat lady about the chernev book as well. 🙂 many people like the silman book, but I'm looking for something different. more practically oriented, as I already have more than enough of dry theory to plow through...
Wow, just took a look at your profile and you've had stunning improvement over the last few years - congrats! 🙂 What aspect did you tackle first, or gave you the most satisfaction?

R

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Originally posted by wormwood
I've been thinking of getting a practical endgame book as well, and was going to ask fat lady about the chernev book as well. 🙂 many people like the silman book, but I'm looking for something different. more practically oriented, as I already have more than enough of dry theory to plow through...
I thought Silman's was practically oriented?? 😕
Hm,now I must reconsider buying that one.

FL

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Originally posted by Romanticus
I thought Silman's was practically oriented?? 😕
Hm,now I must reconsider buying that one.
Well the good thing about the old books is that you can generally pick them up very cheaply. I think I paid 99p (+ perhaps £2 postage) on eBay for my copy of Practical Chess Endings.

w
If Theres Hell Below

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Originally posted by PBE6
Wow, just took a look at your profile and you've had stunning improvement over the last few years - congrats! 🙂 What aspect did you tackle first, or gave you the most satisfaction?
tactics have been my main thing by far.

http://chess.emrald.net/tProfile.php?TacID=516

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