I want to talk today about one of the oldest grudges in chess. A simmering hatred that often breaks out into open warfare on the streets of our beloved city.

No, not <that> one! I'm talking about the war between pawns and rooks. It's a battle that has been going on since before the dawn of time. A feud as old as vampires vs werewolves, aliens vs predators, Autobots vs Decepticons, Arsenal vs Chelsea.

It started with a pawn's bottom. His rear end. Buttocks. You see, every rook spends a goodly part of the opening staring at a pawn's arse. When naturally he would love to be out rampaging across the board. Or staring at the queen's arse.

Then we get the early middle game, when the pawns like to needle a rook. They stab him with little pointy sticks across a diagonal, safe in their interlocking pawn chains.

Annoying, irritating, mosquito-like.

And the rook gets really annoyed and angry because he can't do diagonals. His only response is direct force along rows and files. So he thunders along, sometimes knocking over innocent pieces in the process.

Then comes the late middlegame/ early middlegame. The board is emptier now and the rook has more space to trundle. And now the pawns need to be afraid, be very afraid. Because this is when rooks murder pawns with considerable ease.

Later in the endgame and the pawns strike back. They scramble their way to the seventh rank and, like Prince Charles, just need that last little push to become monarchs. Then the rooks will see who's boss!

So the rooks gets his revenge with "ye olde patented longe checke". And that's the trick that black is relying on in today's POTD. He plays his rook <somewhere> down south. Then if white crowns the pawn, black checks on the d file, checks on the c file and then exchanges the newly created queen.

The pawn responds by getting one of his mates to take away the rook's checking squares. That's why 51...Re2 and 51...Re1 don't work. After 52. Bxg5 the bishop stands ready to guard the c1 and d2 squares that the rook needs for his checking trick. Whatever black does with his f pawn, the Bg5 will defend against those annoying long rook checks.

Hence black has to play Re3 or Re4 (and let's not get into a pointless argument about which is best, okay?). On e3 or e4 the black rook is well placed to do his <d file check/ c file check> thang. He has avoided the landmined squares of c1 and d2. And the bishop and pawn can't do a darned thing about it.

1) The black rook must must sacrifice itself to stop Pc7 from promotion via a something like 51 ... Re2/Re1 52 c8=Q Rd2+/Rd1+ 53 Kc7/Kc6 Rc2+/Rc1+ 54 Kb7 Rxc8.

2) Pf4 is going to be difficult to stop, but so is Pa5

3) Once we have traded off Re8 for Pc7, Bd8 will be free to run riot, but unfortunately the bishop needs to stop Pa5 as well as Pf4 and that could well be the tipping point!

51 ... Re2 looks problematic due to 52 Bxg5 Rd2+ 53 Kc8 and black is unable to push Pf4 So lets try 51 ... Re1

<51 ... Re1>

52 c8=Q Rd1+ 53 Kc7/Kc6 Rc1+ 54 Kb7 Rxc8 55 Kxc8 f3 56 Bb6 a4 winning

<52 Bxg5 Rd1+>

53 Kc6 Rc2+ 54 Kb7 Rxc7 55 Kxc7 f3 56 Be3 a4 winning

<53 Kc8 f3>

53 Kb7 Rd7!

53 Kb8 Rb1+! 54 Ka2/Kc6 f2 55 c8=Q f1=Q 56 Qc2 Kg6 white has run out of checks and must think defensively! But black simply trades queens and promotes Pa5!

<54 Be3 Rd3!>

This move frees up the rook to move to the c file and wins the game.

55 Kb7 Rd7
55 Kb8 Rxe3 56 c8=Q Re8
55 Bc5 Rc3
55 Bb6 a4

51....... Re1

if

A)

52.c8Q Rd1+
53.Kc7 Rc1+
54.Kb7 Rc8
55.Kxc8 f3!
56.Bxa5 f2
winning

my first thought was about
55.......fxg3
which is only drawing because whites bishop catches two pawns and throws himself in for the last one.

B)

52.Kd6 leads to Rc1 as well

White threatens 52.c8=Q and Bxg5.

The imminent promotion suggest 51... Re1 to x-ray the white king:

A) 52.c8=Q Rd1+ 53.Kc6(7) Rc1+ 54.Kb(d)7 Rxc8 55.Kxc8 f3 56.Bb6 a4 - +.

B) 52.Bxg5 Rd1+

B.1) 53.Kc6 Rc1+ 54.Kb6 Rxc7

B.1.a) 55.Kxc7 f3 56.Be3 a4 - +.

B.1.b) 55.Bxf4 Rc2 56.Kxa5 Rxh2 57.Kb4 (57.g4 Ra2+ 58.Kb4 hxg4 - +) 57... Rf2 58.Bc7 (58.Kc3 Rxf4 59.gxf4 h4 - +) 58... Rf1 59.Bd6 Ke6 60.Bc5 Kd5 61.Ba7 Ke4 62.Kc3 Kf3 63.Bb8 Rg1 64.Kd3 Rxg3 65.Bxg3 Kxg3 66.Ke2 Kg2 - +.

B.2) 53.Kc8 f3

B.2.a) 54.Be3 Rd3 55.Bb6 (55.Bc5 Rc3 56.Bd4 Rxc7+ 57.Kxc7 a4 - +) 55... a4 56.Kb7 Rc3 followed by 57... Rxc7 - +.

B.2.b) 54.Kc7 Rd7 55.Kb6 (55.Be3 Rxc7+ 56.Kxc7 a4 - +) 55... Rxc7 56.Be3 a4 - +.

B.2.c) 54.Kb8 Rb1+ (54... Re1 55.c8=Q Re8 56.Bd8 f2 57.Qf3+ + -) 55.Ka7 f2 56.c8=Q f1=Q 57.Qd7+ Kb6 58.Be3 looks unclear.

51... Re3 seems to be preferable, instead of 51... Re1, to avoid the problems related to the control by the bishop of some dark squares, namely c1 and d2:

A) 52.c8=Q Rd3+ is similar to A above.

B) 52.Bxg5 Rd3+

B.1) 53.Kc6 Rc3+ is similar to B.1 above.

B.2) 53.Kc8 f3 54.Kb7 Rc3 55.Be3 a4 - +.

The crucial line appears to be agb2002's B.2.c:

52. Bxg5 Rd1+ 53. Kc8 f3 54.Kb8 Rb1+ 55.Ka7 f2 56.c8=Q f1=Q 57.Qd7+ Kb6 58.Be3

I am assuming that by 57.... Kb6, 57... Kg6 is intended. But then White can improve with 58. Qe6+! since 58... Kxg5?? 59. h4#! After 58. Qe6+ Kh7 59. Bf4 in this line, Fritz 5.32 thinks the position is equal; Black can't really stop a White perpetual except by giving perpetual herself.

For this reason it might be better to play 54....f2 immediately rather than 54... Rb1+. The point is to prevent Qd7+ by leaving the Rook on d1.

Thus we will reach <Jim from Providence>'s position (54...f2 55. c8/Q f1/Q):

click for larger view

51...Re3 52.Bxg5 Rd3+ 53.Kc6 f3 and a Pawn promotes: 54.Kb7 Rc3 55.Be3 Rxc7+ 56.Kxc7 a4 57.h3 a3 58.g4 h2 59.Bd4 hxg4 60.hxg4 f2 61 Bxf2 h1=Q and the Q should beat B+P. Also possible is
51...Re3 52.Bxg5 Rd3+ 53.Kc6 Rc3+ 54.Kb6 or Kb7 f3! and a Pawn promotes.

Before checking here's the position colours reversed:

click for larger view

(White to play) and a corresponding Crafty End Game Trainer link http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t... After 51...Re3 the EGT plays the colours-reversed equivalent of 52.gxf4 gxf4 53.Ke6 Rc6 54.Bh4 a4 55.Bf2 threatening Bc5 so it is time for 55...Rxc7 and the two passed Pawns will win.

Time to check the actual game:
====
Black defended differently and lost differently. 54...Rd3+ is a nice final twist, but 54...Rxc7 also won (transposing into my analysis).

<agb2002: [snip] 51... Re3 seems to be preferable, instead of 51... Re1, to avoid the problems related to the control by the bishop of some dark squares, namely c1 and d2> My sentiments exactly. The win is still there (see EGT colours-reversed link) but is more difficult.

click for larger view

/

But then there is 51...R(down somewhere) 52.Bxg5 and this is where the difference lies on where to place the rook. Unfortunately I went with 51...Re2 which is one of the worst squares for it! I didn't count on 51...Re2 52.Bxg5 Rd2+ 53.Kc8!. I should have spent more time on this.

At 4:15 I determined that black will win by saccing the rook for the queen, moving the rook down the e-file and it took me 40 more seconds to determine that <probably> (I had no real good reason) the e3 square was best, with the intention to put the king in check, then in check again and take the pawn or queen.

So, 51....Re3. And after 52.Kb6 and 53.BxP I was happy for my decision.

Result: Succeeded with lucky guess.

<Life Master AJ> Don't sweat it, none of us are getting younger :-)

I believe that white can simpify quite easily here.

If 51...Re4 52 c8N Rd4+ 53 Nd6+, then comes 53...Rxd6+ 54 Kxd6 f3

click for larger view

It all depends on how much time you have left on the clock in your classical game. For instance, in this game, at move 51, black may have been quite low on time, and AJ's 5-minute limit would seem quite reasonable. In another puzzle, like that one the other day on move 11 or so, you could spend 45 minutes on it and still be okay on your clock.

Where to move the rook? My first inclination was to move it far down the board, to e1 or e2. But at second blush those squares seem inferior because after Black plays ...f3 the rook may hang to the bishop on one of its checking squares, e.g. 1...Re1 2.Bxg5 Rd1+ 3.Kc6 Rc1+ 4.Kb7 f3? 5.Bxc1 or 1...Re2 2.Bxg5 Rd2+ 3.Kc6 f3? 4.Bxd2. Maybe the latter line is still winning for Black after 3...Rc2+ 4.Kb7 f3 5.Be3. However, 1...Re3! looks more accurate since now 2.Bxg5 is out of the question: 2...Rd3+ 3.Kc6 f3 0-1, since 4.Be3 is met by simply 4...Rxe3.

Even in the final position(-1) Black comes up with the nice check where any move by the White King allows the capture of the Bishop, but even that was not needed. Simply advance the a-pawn. The Bishop cannot stop both pawns. The King is too far away to help. I saw people talking about Rxc7...why? Make White waste a tempo pushing the pawn to c8 before taking it.

The pawns on a4 and f3 are guarantee a Queen is coming Black's way. Finding the cute Rook check is nice and makes Re3 the best of the best but other lines are plenty good enough as well.

In the Re2 line was there any discussion of fxg3 in the position with the pawn on c7 and the King on c8? It appears to win for Black as well...at least Bxd2 gxh2 has Black Queening first with both Rook pawns left on the board.

So after gxh2 which way does White's King go? In this position all Black needs to do is force the Queen trade and with the position of White's King once again one of the two Rook pawns will Queen.

Kb7 loses immediately to h1Q+.

38. rxe6 Kxe6
39. Kxc8

Hi, <David2009>. Your end-game trainer has been very useful to me (and others), so thanks for your welcome.

< <agb2002> wrote: <johnlspouge> End of sabbatical? >

Hola, <Antonio>. I am on vacation and accordingly, able to post earlier (as you must have noticed). I am under scientific review next year, with one student's project lagging a little, so my return is only temporary, about another week.

If you want to simulate real game situations then it can be a useful exercise to set yourself a time limit which mirrors the amount of time you might have in a game.

I play most of my chess at 90 minutes for the entire game, so I can rarely afford too many thinks of more than 5 to 10 minutes. So I mostly look to solve POTDs in under five minutes.

If you play that way, you are not looking for perfection in your analysis, just a pragmatic decision about which move to play. Judgement can replace analysis in order to save time.

On the other hand, if you want to focus on accuracy and board vision, it can be useful not to have a time limit. Then you strive for a thorough and detailed analysis, where judgement plays a lot less of a part.

In Think like a Grandmaster, Kotov describes how he trained himself to analyse by looking at the most complicated positions for between half an hour and an hour.

What I will sometimes do is to spend five to ten minutes in initial human mode. Then look up the solution, read the kibitzing, write a story. Then go back over any bits I didn't understand without a time limit.

And sometimes, like yesterday's POTD, I use <David2009>'s crafty trainer to see how easy or hard it is to win a supposedly won position.

click for larger view

plus a Crafty End Game Trainer link to play the ending out interactively: http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t.... You are white, drag and drop the move you want to make.

48 Rxh5? drops the Bishop after which Black should win. However, 48.Rh8+ Kf7 49.Rxe8 Kxe8 50 Kb5 appears to draw with the Bishops of opposite colours, although Black can give White a hard time: 50...Kd7 51 Bf6 f4 52 Bxg4 f3 54.Be3 Kd5 55.Kb6 Ke4 56.Bg1 Kd3 to reach

click for larger view

I wasnt sure between e4 and e3 but felt both should work. Re4 might not prevent a later Bd3 in some lines, but I dont see how that matters. Unless I missed a clever finesse by W the WB cannot stop both the B passed pawns.