| Jan-05-07 | | yalie: cant believe smirin lost that endgame .. that pawn push was totally unnecessary 49 ke2 also looks shady |
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| Jan-05-07 | | TheSlid: <yalie> You are not alone. I followed the game today from a work station that forbids access to this site. At around move 35-40, I got the impression that the game was being played out as some sort of sophisticated joke. How does a GM lose from such a position, with symmetrical pawn structure? |
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| Jan-05-07 | | norami: With five seconds per move in the endgame, I guess anything can happen - games like this show why rapid time control games can be amusing to watch but aren't really serious chess. |
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| Jan-05-07 | | notyetagm: From the official website:
<Alexey Shirov demonstrated his excellent endgame technique, winning a completely symmetrical rook ending with what looked only a minimal advantage. 'We witnessed highly skilled endgame play by Black and subpar play by White', - concluded grandmaster Valery Beim, the tournament commentator.> Kamsky has said that Shirov is the best living endgame player. Here is exhibit A, winning a rook endgame with a symmetrical pawn structure. |
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| Jan-06-07 | | Ulhumbrus: The move 11...f5 suggests that with the bishop pair or with a Bishop for a Knight, Black can afford to take this liberty. After 23 Rxe8 Rxb2 White has gained nothing from Black's backward e pawn as Black has exchanged it for White's b pawn. 30…Rd5 is open to question, as Black relinquished his B for White's N. All the same, after 33…Ra3 Black's R is placed actively while White's R is placed relatively passively.
With 36...Ke5 Black's K has a slight advantage in space and development over White's K so that with his more active Rook Black has now not just one asset but two assets, amounting to a strong advantage instead of just a slight advantage. After 48...Kh5 Black's advantage has increased further to a winning degree because he has acquired a third asset: an attack against White's weak f4 pawn. Perhaps one can say that the move 40...h5 has had this effect by inducing f4, and that the move 40..h5 has acquired a third asset, a moving mass of pawns on the King side, one which after f4 is exchanged for another third asset, namely, the prospect of an attack upon White's f4 pawn. With three assets instead of just one, Black's advantage has now increased to a winning degree. Thus Shirov begins the R and P ending with one asset, that of a more active Rook, making by itself a slight advantage. He increases this advantage by acquiring a second asset, that of an advantage in development for his King and consequently some advantage in space. Shirov then increases this strong advantage to a winning degree by acquiring a third asset, a moving mass of KIng side pawns, which induces f4, after however which Black's advancing King side is exchanged for another third asset, the prospect of an attack against White's weak f4 pawn. This ending is instructive. It provides a lesson in how to increase an endgame advantage to a winning degree, by acquiring additional positional assets, one by one. |
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| Jan-06-07 | | TylerD: Kamsky said that?
Well, I m inclined to agree, now that Karpov has his best days behind him. |
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| Jan-06-07 | | Veryrusty: I agree generally with <Ulhumbrus> in that the position is never *quite* equal: Black has Bishop over Knight, then trades that for active Rook (Ra3) over passive Rook (Re2) and spatial advantage. But <40...h5 has had this effect by inducing f4>, I think White got impatient. It's unclear to me how Black makes progress if White shuffles Ke2-Kf2 and holds f3-g3-h3 as a phalanx.
Of course, at five seconds a move, who *wouldn't* get impatient? That's why they play the games! |
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| Jan-06-07 | | Veryrusty: Another thing now occurs to me. Imagine a position where White is Ka6, Pawns f2 g2 h2, and Black is Ka8, Pawns f4 g4 h4. With Black to move, Black wins by g3, then if hg, h3 and Black gets a Pawn through for queening.
With the Pawns a rank advanced (as in the game), White queens a move behind Black so it's unclear, but if *I* were playing a rapid game, my instincts about not wanting to wind up three-against-three might impel me to try to avoid exchanging the Rook and instead force Pawn exchanges (when ahed, trade pieces not pawns, when behind, trade pawns not pieces), as with the in-hindsight-hasty f4. |
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| Jan-07-07 | | hitman84: Fine display of endgame technique by Shirov!
Black's Advanced pawns and King created enough problems for white besides white's rook was passive. |
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| Jan-24-07 | | aazqua: More like pathetic absence of technique from smirnin. |
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Kibitzing
