Practical Chess Endings

Chernev's masterwork should be on every chess player's bookshelf. However I don't think it's one you should read from cover to cover in one sitting - I prefer to open it up at random whenever I have fifteen minutes or so to spare and then have a serious attempt at studying the position and working out the solution. This is not something which can be done if the tv, radio or wife are turned on.

Here is the study which I attempted today, it was originally composed by Kurt Richter in 1939 (*) and it's White to play and win:



(*) Or possibly the ending of a genuine game between Erik Richter and Dörnte.

Originally posted by Fat Lady
Chernev's masterwork should be on every chess player's bookshelf. However I don't think it's one you should read from cover to cover in one sitting - I prefer to open it up at random whenever I have fifteen minutes or so to spare and then have a serious attempt at studying the position and working out the solution. This is not something which can be done if 0 1[/fen]

(*) Or possibly the ending of a genuine game between Erik Richter and Dörnte.

is the idea that after the white king moves, lets say d4 and one of the pawns advance lets say ...d2, white gets a tempo move on the black king with by b7 and the king can reach one of the pawns on the second? never mind i can see its not working.

This is good and well worth solving for that enchanting moment when all is revealed.


It's actually quite easy.

The pawns on the 6th beat the Rook so forget all attempts at trying to stop them.

As always look for forced and olny moves by Black. (and check ALL checks.)

Hi Fat L.

Did that book not once go under the title of 'Chessboard Magic.'

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Did that book not once go under the title of 'Chessboard Magic.'

No, Chessboard Magic! has endings / endgames from Master games whereas Practical Chess Endings has more instructive stuff that all of us really ought to know. For example:

White to play and win. Not a particularly tricky one, but if you play through enough of these sort of endings you get a feel for when something similar is likely to happen in your own games.

Hi Fat Lady.

Had the two of them once. Chessboard Magic was endgame studies
though much more elaborate and difficult than PCE.

I thought PCE was an updated and added to version of Chessboard Magic.

Not finding this one easy myself GP! Although end games are the weakest of all my chess weaknesses.

I can see an idea for the solution but can't work this out in my head after the point where black promotes.

My thoughts are that the white king needs to go and support the b-pawn to allow the rook to move. But you can't cross the path of the rook - e.g. Kd6 would allow the black King a route out on b6.

I think the rook needs to finish the game off on the a-file because there must be a white pawn push of b6+ at some point to trap the black king a6.

So if I were a betting man (which I most surely am - apologies to the wife), the first move or two needs to be moving the king, probably to c5.....but....black will promote the d-pawn in two moves and all hell breaks loose. It's at that point I can't see how you would ever get a rook across to he a-file.

Maybe I will set a board up to try and work this out but think it is probably beyond me.

1. Kd6 Kb6 allows White to gobble up the dangerous pawns on the sixth rank. For example,


So after 1. Kd6 it looks like Black's best try is 1. ... d2:

Good point indeed, this is why I never beat anyone half decent.

I think I can see it now then, and it was completely different from my idea obviously (another bet lost).

Does this work:
1.Kd6 d2
2.Kc7 c1Q
3.Ra6+! bxc6
4.b6+ Ka8
5.b7+ Ka7
6.b8Q#

Not sure if that's correct notation for a pawn promotion to queen?
Very nice problem - so I was kind of right in what first wrote, in that the rook was never going to get across to the a-file if b6+ was played first. Apart from that it was all wrong, wrong, wrong. Need to think more before typing.

I think if I was white in that position I would be very close to resigning and if not definitely throw it away within a move. I don't know how one is able to spot solutions like that OTB with time pressure. It is hard enough on cc with the added bonus of having the analyse board feature.

The lads are still struggling on this.
(The White King uses his b-pawn as a cudgel. Bang, Bang,Bang.)

Fat Lady's problem does have practical value.
If you did not know two pawns on the sixth rank very often beat a Rook
then you do now.
And I can show games where the final act (bang,bang,bang) has been
put to good use. Actually a lot of you have probaly used the same idea
in your games but you not Checking ALL Checks. (enough clues.)

This is an example from Chessboard Magic.
(I found a site where you can download the studies.)

It's good and well thought out. But I'd struggle to see it all fit into a game.
It is not your everyday ending and the set up is just too perfect so that
everything will work. But well worth seeing.

It's by Gorgiev and White to play and win.


I'll give the solution.

I tried and I tried, but I couldn't get it. Then I tried something completely different and got it. Very interesting wrap up.