Dec-30-12
 | | GrahamClayton: Steiner avoids 112. f8=♕?? ♖e6+, when Black draws either with a perpetual check or stalemate. |
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| Apr-15-13 | | dunican: <GrahamClayton> How does Black draw after 113.Kd7? |
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Nov-22-13
 | | wwall: 94...Rh3? should lose. White can draw with 94...Rf1. Instead of 95.Ra2? which should draw, White can win with 95.f5! Ra3 96.h6+Kh7 97.Rf2 Ra5 98.Re2 Re7 99.Re5 Ra2 100.Re7 Kg8 101.f6 Rg2 102.Kf5 Rf2 103.Ke6 Re2 104.Kd7 Rf2 105.Re8 Kh7 106.Ke7 Kg6 107.h7 Re2 108.Kd7 Rd2 109.Kc6 Rc2 110.Kb5 Rb2 111.Kc4 Rc2 112.Kd3 Rh2 113.h8=Q and White wins. 97...Kg8? loses. Black can draw with 97...Kh6.
104.h6? should draw. White wins with 104.Ke6 Re1 105.Re5 Rc1 106.f6 Rc6 107.Kf5 Kh7 108.Re8 Rc5 109.Ke6 Rc6 110.Ke7 Rc1 111.f7 Re1 112.Kf8 Rd1 113.Re6 Rc1 114.Ke7 Rc7 115.Kf6 Rc8 116.Rd6 Kh6 117.Rd5 Ra8 118.Ke7 Ra7 119.Ke8 Ra8 120.Rd8 Rxd8 121.Kxd8 wins for White. 104...Rd2? loses. 104...Kh7 105.Kg5 Rg1+ draws.
White didn't have to take a rook. It is no perpetual check or stalemate after 112.f8=Q Re6+ 113.Kd7 Rd6+ 114.Qxd6 Kh8 115.Qh6 mate. |
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Jun-23-25
 | | KEG: A somewhat aggravating game to play over. Steiner outplayed Morton, but then missed numerous chances to close out the game. As <wwall> has shown, as late as move 104 Steiner committed a blunder that should have allowed Morton to draw the game, but the latter returned the favor, also on move 104. Neither player seemed to understand the essential elements of the Rook and pawn ending. After reviewing this game, it is no shock that Morton finished in a tie for last place (15th-16th) while Steiner ended up in a tie for 11th-12th with Denker. 1. d4 Nf6
2. Nf3 g6
Even in 1936 the King's Indian was (somewhat) known and (sometimes) played. 3. Bg5 Bg7
4. Nbd2
click for larger viewThis and 4. c3 are the most usual choices. While the text is logical, so is the natural 4. e3 (now that White's dark-square Bishop has gone to g5) and is less potentially cramping. 4... d6
While there is nothing much wrong with the text, 4...d5 or 4...0-0 are much more to my taste. 5. e4
Consistent with his 4th move.
5... Nbd7
An effort to support a later ...c5 or ...e5, but 5...0-0 or 5...d5 (or perhaps 5...h6 to harass the Bishop) may be superior. 6. Bd3
This looks like a positional mistake. 6. h3 allows White to keep his dark-square Bishop even after 6...h6. Moreover, d3 is not a great square for White's light-square Bishop. 6... e5
If Morton was looking for an aggressive counter, 6...c5 was probably his best choice. But 6...h6 was surely best, probably resulting in 7. BxN, which can't have been White's idea in playing 3. Bg5. 7. c3
This bolsters the White center, but 7, dxe5 looks simplest and best. 7... 0-0
8. 0-0 Re8
Yet again by-passing 8...h6.
9. Qb3 h6
Finally!
10. Be3
click for larger viewAfter an uninspiring beginning, an approximately even and unbalanced position was reached. Both sides clearly have chances. 10... Nh5
10...Ng4 allowing Black to trade Knight for Bishop was surely better. 11. Rae1
A square of doubtful utility for the a1 Rook. The other Rook would be a better candidate to occupy e1. 11... Nf8
Hardly the sort of dynamic play Black usually seeks in the King's Indian. 12. Kh1
White responds with a foggy move of his own. This all left: 
click for larger view12... g5?!
The natural and seemingly obvious (especially after Black's last move) 12...Ne6 was ignored in favor of the doubtful advance of the Black g-pawn. 13. Ng1
Another sultry doubtful move. It appears that, for whatever reason, Steiner chose not to lock the center with 13. d5. This left the following strange position which is difficult to evaluate: 
click for larger view |
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Jun-24-25
| | KEG: Post II
13... Ng6
While hardly a blunder, this looks far inferior to the more sensible plans at Black's disposal; e.g., 13...exd4; 13...c6; of 13...Ne6. Did Morton really think he had the beginnings of a King-side attack with his two Knights working in tandem? 14. g3
Once again Steiner declined to play d5 (and only did so on move 18 [!] after an exchange of minor pieces). 14... b6
Since Morton wound up bringing his light-square Bishop to e6, I am at a loss to explain what he was thinking in playing the text. 15. Be2
Another mystery move. Apart from preventing his buried Knight on g1 from coming to e2, the only thing the text accomplished was to drive Black's h5 Knight back to its more natural square. The move was especially strange given that Steiner then immediately shifted this same Bishop to c4. 15... Nf6
click for larger viewAll of the doubtful play by both sides has resulted in no significant gain for anyone. Chances remained about even. 16. Bc4?
This looks quite bad, allowing--as it did--Black to seize the initiative and advantage with 16...d5, something Steiner could have avoided with the indicated 16. d5. 16... Be6?
Both helping to justify Steiner's last move and simultaneously rendering his orn 14th move worse than useless. 17. BxB
The first exchange of the game. White was now better. 17... RxB
17...fxB would have avoided Steiner's next move, but both choices have their good and weak points. 18. d5
Finally d5 appeared on the board. Here, the choice was pretty obvious. 18... Rx7
19. f3 Qd7
20. c4 Rf8
Again not a true blunder, but not very pretty either: 
click for larger view21. Qc2 a5
22. Ne2 Nh7
After a lot of plodding re-shifting of pieces by both sides, the following position (still somewhat better for White) was reached: 
click for larger view23. g4
Creating a hole for Black on f4. All all the logical moves at Steiner's disposal, I again am mystified by what he was trying to accomplish. Perhaps he was thinking of bringing his Knight to f5. 23... Bf6
Another mystery move.
24. Ng3 Nh4
Perhaps looking to discourage Nf5 by White (which White could have played to advantage anyway). 25. b3
25. Nf5 was still best, Morton's last move notwithstanding. 25... Qe8
Another ugly move. He was obviously determined to bring his Rook to d7. It left the position as follows: 
click for larger viewIt now surely appeared that Steiner would take charge with 26. Nf5. But in fact the game now took a very different turn, albeit one that in good time gave Steiner what should have been a winning edge. |
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Jun-25-25
| | KEG: Post III
26. a3
26. Nf5 seemed indicated. But Steiner had another good idea. Bash ahead on the Queen-side. If properly executed, this looks like a potential winning strategy. 26... Rd7
Fighting a yesterday's battle and still fretting about Nf5 by White, Morton ignored the threats on the Queen-side. 27. b4!
While 27. Nf5 remained a strong choice, the text was consistent with his last move, and was arguably best. It left: 
click for larger viewHaving little choice, Morton played:
27... axb4
28. axb4 Rd8
click for larger view29. Ra1
The obvious continuation. But perhaps 29. c5 was even stronger. After the text, Morton was able to seek some small relief via the exchange of Rooks on the a-file: 29... Ra8
30. Ra2 RxR
31. QxR
click for larger viewNow Morton was at a cross-road: did he now want to swap Queens despite his cramped position. The answer should probably have been "No," but: 31... Qa8
32. Ra1
Nearly guaranteeing that he will now own the potentially deadly a-file: 32... QxQ
Not a great development for Black, but I see nothing better. 33. RxQ Rb8
click for larger viewWith two Knights "on the rim," Morton obviously had much the inferior ending. But with so many pawns and pieces still on the board, there is no easy win for White. The most obvious way to try to exploit the situation was 35. Ra7. 34. b5 was another good possibility. But Steiner decided to let his Rook menace the a-file and try to bring his Knights into stronger locations. This plan, however, was unduly slow, and could have allowed Morton the time he desperately needed to regroup: 34. Ne2? Bd8
Defending the c-pawn in the case of Ra7 by White was a possible plan, but it was surely time to bring the Knights into the game, probably beginning with 34...Nf8. 35. Nc3
Continuing his plodding strategy rather than take the fight to Black with 35. Ra7. 35... Nf6
35...Nf8 still looks like the superior way to bring the Knights to the rescue. 36. Kg1
The King is a fighting piece in the endgame, but here 36. Nb5 or 36. Ra7 were probably called for. 36... Kf8
This left:
click for larger viewAn interesting and highly difficult endgame has emerged. White is still far better placed, but Steiner definitely had his work but out for himself to try to win from here. |
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Jun-25-25
| | KEG: Correction:
Oops. The correct position after 36...f8 was:
click for larger view |
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Jun-25-25
| | KEG: Post IV
37. Kf2
Not terrible, but still plodding along. The more forceful moves for White were 37. Nb5 or 37. Ra7. 37... Ng6
Meanwhile, Morton was beginning to bring his Knight back from sabbatical. Now, all of a sudden, Black has the prospect of 38...Nf4 with some decent counterplay. 38. Nb5
Steiner now had another decent alternative: 38. Nf1 followed by 39. Ng3. 38... Kg7
Incredibly, now that Morton had a chance to give White something to think about, he ignored the chance to play 38...Nf4 (surely best) in favor of the basically useless text. This left: 
click for larger view39. Ra3
Weak. White had the pleasant choice here between 39. Ra7 or 39. Nf1 (with Ng3 to follow). Now Black could have made a fight of it with 39...Nf4. But instead he played the awful: 39... Ne7?
Now, yet again, Steiner could have played either 40. Nf1 or 40. Ra7 (or maybe even 40. Ra6). But, inexplicably (and perhaps because of time pressure), he played the useless: 40. Nc3?
Now Morton could have repaired some of the damage from his last move by bringing his e7 Knight back to g6. But that would have entailed recognizing (and implicitly conceding--always difficult to do) that his prior move was bad. So now he just marked time with the pointless: 40... Kg8?
Perhaps I am being too hard given the move-40 time control. In any case, the players (with the time control behind them and a chance to examine the position over-night) seemed to get their acts together: 41. Nf1!
On the correct track (at last!).
41... Ng6
Ditto for Morton.
42. Ng3
click for larger view42... Nf4
This move would have been more useful for Morton if played a few moves earlier. 43. Nb5!
click for larger viewSteiner now had achieved major progress and careful defense was probably Black's only chance. Instead, however, Morton went off the rails here with: 43... h5?
This move allows White to spring a pretty tactical refutation: 
click for larger viewWhite now can win with 44. gxh5 [44. Nxh5 also seems to win] after which Black has either to try to survive with White's passed h-pawn on the board or else run into: 44...N4xh5 45. NxN NxN 46. Ra7 Rc8 [what else?] 47. Bxb6! cxB 48. Nxd6 Rb8 49. Nxf7 after which Black's position (his extra piece for White's three extra pawns notwithstanding) looks completely untenable (e.g., 49...Bf6 50. c5! bxc5 51. bxc5 after which White's two connected passed pawns on the Queen-side are irresistible. But here, as I will discuss in my next post on this game, Steiner seemed to lose the entire thread of the game and soon let Morton get very much back into the game. |
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Jun-28-25
| | KEG: Post V
44. BxN?
This does of course win a pawn (at least temporarily) and leaves White in control of the a-file and thus may be a theoretically winning move, but it gives Black lots of play. 44. gxh5 (as discussed in my last post) or 44. Nxh5 were much stronger and almost certainly winning options. 44... gxB
Clearly better than 44...exB, for whatever that's worth. 45. Nxh5 NxN
46. gxN
click for larger viewFor all my quibbling about Steiner's missed opportunities, he now was (a least temporarily) up a pawn in an endgame he should probably have been able to win, even if not as overwhelming a position as he might have enjoyed. Among other things, his control of the a-file was a huge plus. And even if he loses his h5 pawn, he sill had a passed h-pawn two ranks back. 46... Kg7
46...Kh7 might have been marginally more accurate, 47. Ke2?
But now Steiner, for reasons I am unable to fathom, declined to turn the screw and avoided the far stronger 47. Ra7, not only here, but likewise on his next two turns. 47... Kh6
48. Kd3? Kxh5
49. Ra2? Rc8
click for larger viewThanks to all his dawdling, Steiner may already have blown the win. But still had serious winning chances with the very strong 50. c5! But Steiner, clearly misunderstanding the position, played: 50. Rg2? Bf6
click for larger viewIt is now doubtful that Steiner still had a win. Nonetheless, he would have had serious winning chances with 51. c5. But Steiner, thinking only of the King-side, played a weak move that should have allowed Morton to draw: 51. Rg4?
Now either 51...Bg5 or 51...Ra8 (since 52. Nxc7 would allow 52...Ra3+ and then 53...Bh4) should have allowed Black to hold the game. But now Morton, also mis-reading the position, gave Steiner renewed winning changes: 51... Kh6?
52. Kc3 Kh7?
Compounding his error on move 52. This allowed Steiner to get his Rook comfortably back to the open a-file while still keeping an eye on his h2 pawn: 53. Rg2 Bd8
54. Ra2 Kg6
click for larger viewQuite an interesting endgame. Unfortunately, and as will be seen, neither player handled it very well. |
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Jun-29-25
| | KEG: Post VI
55. Kb3?
Still mysteriously declining to try 55. c5 or 55. Ra7, either of which might have given Steiner at least decent practical chances to win. Perhaps time trouble was an issue, since Steiner was approaching the move-56 time control. 55... Bh4
Maybe Morton had similar time pressure, else he might have played 55...f5! with fine drawing chances. 56. Rg2+
The last move before the time control, which may again explain why Steiner failed to play the much stronger 56. Ra7 or 56. c5. 56... Kh7
57. Rg1
Finally getting ready to try a push on the Queens-side: 
click for larger view57... Bd8
He might have played 57...Kh6 immediately, but the text was a defensive move he might soon need to play anyway. 58. Ra1 Kg6
Preparing to target the King's side.
59. Ra2
More dithering by Steiner. Or was he looking to gain time by repetition before attempting the break-through? 59... Bh4
Obviously happy to repeat moves. Note: It is not clear that the three-fold repetition rule was yet in effect at US Championships. 60. Rg2+
And yet again ignoring the strong c5 push.
60... Kh7
And still looking to repeat moves.
61. Rg1
Still not willing to play c5.
61... Bd8
Back and forth.
62. Ra1 Kg6
63. Rb2
Another mystery move and another failure to try c5. This left: 
click for larger view63... f5
One might have expected reshuffling the Bishop, but here Morton decided to take matters into his own hands. On any reckoning, this was a strong move, although he might have just sat back and waited to see whether Steiner was ready to make a real effort to win the game. 64. Nc3
click for larger view64... fxe4?
Huh. Perhaps Morton's prior move was based on a serious miscalculation. The text lets White's Knight take up a strong position. 65. Nxe4 Be7
66. Ra7!
Finally. Was Steiner about to make a serious effort to win the game?: 
click for larger viewSadly for endgame art, Steiner did not follow up 66. Ra7---at least not for a few moves--and this already protracted game continued in fits and starts, as I will discuss in my next post on this game. |
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Jun-30-25
| | KEG: Post VII
66... Kf7
The position may or may not be a theoretical win for White at this point. If it is, Steiner probably had to try to play both sides of the board, perhaps now proceeding with 67. h4. But all that soon became moot. 67. Kc3 Ke8
Moving his King in the wrong direction.
68. Kd3!
Actually quite a fine move by Steiner. To be able to make progress, White has to be able to bring the King to the King-side and also be able to attack with the Knight beginning with Nc3. The text vacates that square for the Knight. 68... Kd7?
Still on the wrong track. He had nothing better than the defensive 68...Bd8. The text left: 
click for larger view69. Nf2?
Missing the obviously stronger 69. Nc3.
69... Bh4?
In turn, Morton missed an important defensive retort: 69...Rb8! with 70...b5 to come unless White locks the position with 70. b5, in which case Black can play 70...Rh8 with excellent drawing chances. 70. Ng4
Thanks to Morton's last move, the text now is very strong. 70... Be1
click for larger viewMorton's listless play now gave Steiner an opportunity to shine: 71. c5! bxc5
Not 71...dxc5? 72. bxc5 bxc5 73. Nxe5+ with an easy win. But even after the text Black's back was to the wall. 71...Kd8 72. Ke4 b5 73. cxd6 cxd6 was the only other (besides the text) legitimate chance for Black. 72. bxc5
click for larger view72... Bb4
Black's best chance, though likely not sufficient to save the day against best play by White. 73. cxd6 Bxd6
click for larger view74. Ke4?
Just as he was on the brink of breaking through, Steiner missed 74. h4 (since if then 74...Rh8 White would have had the nasty trick 75. h5! since 75...Rxh5 would have lost the Rook to a Knight fork 76. Nf6+), Whatever the situation before, there now was new life for Morton. 74... Rh8
75. Ra2
click for larger view75... Rh3
Tempting, but perhaps even better was 75...Ke7.
76. Rf2!
Now White is poised to win a pawn with Nxe5. But is this sufficient to win? 76... Ke7
The best chance.
77. Nxe5
Now Morton had to make another key decision:
click for larger viewShould Black head for the Rook and Pawn ending or keep the minor pieces on the board? |
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Jul-01-25
| | KEG: Post VIII
The "key" decision I mentioned in my last post is only one for humans. Our silicon friends tell us that Black has a draw whether he exchanges minor pieces or not. So maybe a close examination of the position is a waste of time. I will have none of that. This was a game played by humans, and as will be seen trading minor pieces led to problems Morton was unable to solve over the board. From where I sit, 77...Kf6 was best. But Morton disagreed and played:
77... BxN?
Stockfish doesn't like my "?", but...too bad:
78. KxB
click for larger viewRook endings can be incredibly difficult, and this one was no exception, 78... Rh5+
79. Ke4
If instead 79. Kxf4, then Black gets a very likely draw (I am referring, of course, to actual over-the-board play) after 79...Rxd5 60. h4 [80. Rx2 c5 is not significantly better] Rc5. After the text, Morton faced a problem he failed to solve: 
click for larger view79... Kf6?
The pitfalls of Rook endings! Black has a likely (and of course a theoretical) draw with 79...Rh4 (e.g., 80. Rc2 Kd6 81. Rd2 Rh8 82. Kxf4 Rf8+ after which the Black Rook can menace the White f and h pawns until White is caught in a holding pattern or relinquished the f-pawn. This, of course, is difficult to spot over the board in the heat of battle, another reason to dislike 77...BxN. Now White has what should have been a clear win: 80. Rc2
80. Rd2 should also win.
80... Re5+
There is nothing better. The position was now:
click for larger viewAnd here is an endgame problem for Steiner, who apparently was unaware that Rook plus f-pawn and h-pawn against Rook is usually a book draw. But this game was played in 1936, five years before the publication of Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings was first published. So now Steiner now made what today would be deemed an amateur's error and played to win both Black pawns at the cost of "only" his d-pawn. Unfortunately for him: 81. Kxf4??
The winning move was 81. Kd4. This was counter-intuitive in 1936, so Steiner should probably not be faulted for not knowing what presumably every strong tournament player knows today: 81... Rxd5
82. Rc6+ Kf7
83. Rxc7 Kg6
click for larger viewAs Fine/Benko point out:
"This ending has been notorious since the famous Marshall--Rubinstein, San Sebastian 1911, although it had already occurred in a game Steinitz--Blackburne, Vienna 1898. The drawing idea is simply this: White cannot hold both pawns if he wants to try to win, but must sacrifice one of them to divert the Black king. It stands to reason that he will sacrifice the rook pawn. But...rook and bishop pawn vs. rook is a draw when the Black king is on the edge of the board...except for one special position." Soltis adds an interesting footnote to all this in his biography of Marshall: "The family of rook, BP and Rp positions is so notoriously complex that Mikhail Botvinnik...decided that he must master it before the 1948 world championship tournament because he didn't deserve to be world championship if he didn't understand it." In fairness to the players here, even after the publication of Basic Chess Endings, there remain all sorts of tricks and traps--including some positions where the two extra pawns win--that only the strongest players could expect to know all the nuances. [For a complete breakdown of such endings, see Understanding Rook Endings by Muller and Konoval, pp. 32-34. With all that by way of background, I will discuss beginning with my next post on this game how this ending proceeded and how both players erred before Steiner finally triumphed. The key points in the finale have already been spelled out on this site by <wwall> on whose comments I have relied in working my way through the remaining portions of this game. |
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Jul-01-25
| | KEG: Post IX
84. Rc6+
Driving the Black King back looks logical--unless you know about these sorts of Rook and 2 pawns against Rook endings: 84... Kf7
At first blush, 84...Kh5 looks better, but in fact the text also draws with best play. 85. h4
Seemingly making progress, but not really once you study the relevant endgame literature. 85... Ra5
86. Kg4
click for larger viewSuperficially, it appears that Steiner was getting close to victory. As we will see, however, that was not the case. 86... Kg7
87. h5 Ra1
88. f4 Rb1
89. Kg5 Rg1+
90. Kf5
click for larger viewAppearances notwithstanding, this is still a book draw. 90... Rf1
91. Rg6+ Kf7
92. Rg4 Rh1
93. Kg5 Kg7
94. Rg2
click for larger viewSo far, nothing much has changed. But here, as demonstrated on this site by <wwall>, Morton made what should have been a fatal mistake. 94... Rh3?
As <wwall> has shown, 94...Rf1 draws. For that matter, other Rook moves on the first rank draw as well. The text, however. misplaced the Black Rook and allowed White a crushing retort, the position now being: 
click for larger view95. Ra2?
As <wwall> has shown, 95. f5! wins. Now, the game was again a book draw. But not for long! 95... Rg3+
96. Kf5 Rh3
97. Ra7+
click for larger view97... Kg8?
This should have been a fatal retreat. As <wwall> correctly notes, 97...Kh6 draws. In fact, it is the only move by Black to hold the game. After what should have been his losing 97th move, Morton again faced defeat: 
click for larger viewNow Steiner could have sailed to victory. In reality, as we will see, things didn't progress quite that way and it took another blunder by Morton for Steiner eventually to prevail, |
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Jul-02-25
| | KEG: Post X
98. Kg5
Now, thanks to Morton's weak 97th move, Steiner could even have threatened mate with 98. Kg6. Consigning his King to the back rank was now shown to have been a potentially fatal error. In any case, Steiner's actual move was also sufficient to win (if properly followed up). 98... Rg3+
99. Kf6 Rb3
100. f5
click for larger viewSteiner's last move makes the win a tad more difficult (100. Rg7+ followed by 101. Rd7 was simples) but it really didn't spoil anything. 100... Rf3
This should have made Steiner's task simpler.
101. Ra5
101. Ra8+ followed by 101. Ke6 was the easiest route to closing out the game. 101... Rf1
102. Re5 Kf8
103. Rd5
Threatening mate on the next move.
103... Kg8
The only plausible way to extend the game:
click for larger view104. h6?
This premature advance yet again gave Morton a chance to save the game. Now, as <wwall> has pointed out, Black can draw with 104...Kh7, the position now being: 
click for larger view104... Rf2?
Missing what proved to be his final opportunity to avoid defeat. 105. Re5
105. Ke6 or 105. Rd8+ followed by 106. Ke6 were more accurate. But the text didn't spoil the win for Steiner. 105... Rf1
105...Ra2 or 105...Rb2 might have given Morton practical chances. After the text, Steiner had no difficulty in wrapping up the game. 106. Ke7
click for larger view106... Ra1
107. f6
The end was now very much in sight.
107... Ra2+
108. Ke6
Best. Black is now doomed:
click for larger view108... Rh7
This only hastened the end.
109. Rg5+
Black has no decent reply:
click for larger viewWhile the game is now plainly over, there were a few cute twists before the end that I will discuss in my next post on this game. |
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Jul-03-25
| | KEG: Post XI
109... Kh8
Black is in a mating net from which there is no escape. If instead 109...Kf8 White wins with 110. Ra5 (or 110. Rb5 or 110. Rc5) after which Black can delay mate by a move or two only by sacrificing his Rook. 110. f7!
click for larger viewThe classic way to win such endings. White sacrifices his h-pawn to force the Queening of his f-pawn (after which mate follows directly). 110... Rxh6+
Anything else leads to an even faster mate.
111. Ke7
click for larger view111... Kh7
Seemingly setting a trap for White:
click for larger view112. f8(R)
Apparently thinking, as at least one contributor on this site did, that 112. f8(Q) leads to stalemate. But as <dunican> and <wwall> have pointed out, if then 112...Re6+ (hoping for 113. KxR?? stalemate), White just plays 113. Kd7 (or 113. Kd8 for that matter) and wins. But even after the needless under-promtion, White has a easy win: 
click for larger view1-0 |
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Jul-04-25
| | KEG: Update,
Any suggestion that Rook, f-pawn, and h-pawn against Rook is fully known to experts today would be refuted by yesterday's blitz game between Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri. This game lasted over 130 moves. Though a theoretical book draw, Carlsen pressed hard for a win and--probably because this was speed chess--Giri erred at least twice, each time giving Magnus winning positions. And on both occasions, Magnus missed the win. Granted this was speed chess and I reckon that these two champions (Carlsen arguably being the greatest endgame player of all time) would have been able to handle the problems flawlessly in classical chess. But the fact that these positions are not routine even for the best champions explains why Steiner and Morton missed so many opportunities in the contest I have been analyzing. |
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| Jul-04-25 | | stone free or die: <<KEG> (Carlsen arguably being the greatest endgame player of all time)> Ooh, this caught my eye, arguably I'll let it slide by! . |
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Jul-05-25
| | KEG: <stone free or die>There are several other candidates for the title of greatest endgame player of all time (Capablanca and Smyslov being amongst the others to be considered), but surely Carlsen is part of the conversation. |
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| Jul-05-25 | | stone free or die: Yes <KEG>, Carlsen is on Olympus, but I wouldn't want to bias a good argument by giving out the crown up front. I agree with the mentions of Capa and Smyslov, but as a traditionalist, I always want to include Rubinstein as well. <It is rumored that after the game finished grandmaster Spielmann shouted: "Akiba, if you lived in the Middle Ages you would have burned at the stake: what you do in rook endgames can only be called witchcraft!"This is the way Mark Dvoretsky put it in his excellent Endgame Manual. > https://en.chessbase.com/post/how-s... Here's a reddit thread on the topic - with the modern bias baked in, of course: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comm... |
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Jul-06-25
| | KEG: <stone free or die> Yes, I should have mentioned Rubinstein in my pantheon. |
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| Jul-06-25 | | stone free or die: It's been said, by some, that I always try to get the last word in. Not here though, I'm trying to get the last video in, instead! The famous "Too weak, too slow!" vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY2...
Notice the book on Carlsen's left?
https://www.amazon.com/Fundamental-... |
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Kibitzing
