Capablanca Endgame

 

Endgame Mastery Capablanca - Tartakower Famous Endgame, 1924

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6...Ne3+ 7.Kf3 Nf5 If 7...Nd1 8.Rh6 Kf7 9.f5 Rxc3 10.fxg6+ Kg8 11.Ke2 Nb2 12.Bf5 With an easy win. (Variation by Alekhine) 8.Bxf5 gxf5 Who do you think will win from here?

XABCDEFGHY 8 + + m k +( 7z p p z + +R' 6 pr+ p zr+ + +& 5+ +p+pz P % 4P+ z P P z +$ 3+ P z +K+ # 2 + + + +" 1+ + + + ! xabcdefghy looks as if Black will be winning

Each side has a R, so the winner will be the player who can attack first. If it were Black's move he would play ...c5, a  pawn break to create an open-file, and then infiltrate with his Rook. Clearly White (to move) should be trying a similar strategy. The e-file holds no use as Black's Rook can contest too easily and his King can hold any possible entry  points. (Having the R on the outpost at e5 doesn't help as Black can play c6 with a solid position. 1.h5! White's Rook can now enter the enemy camp.

It  because White cannot stop Rxc3. However, White is the player with the upper hand because of his passed pawn on g5 and the possibility of activating his King. 9.Kg3!! It is very instructive to see how Capablanca is not interested in material equality, but concerns himself only with supporting his passed pawn.

1...Rf6 3.Rh1 to use his White 2.hxg6 plays hxg6 logically advantage on the K-side. He correctly ignores his weakness on the Q-side. Black however made a defensive move which he could have perhaps omitted. 3...Kf8 4.Rh7 Rc6 5.g4!  Capablanca realises that an active  position is far more likely to win the game than a small material advantage. 5...Nc4 6.g5! Capablanca allows Black to win a pawn,  but he has confidence in the passed

9...Rxc3+ Black can't10.Kh4 afford to waste time going for the a-pawn or the d-pawn. He must now play a more defensive role and stop White's pawn from promoting. Note that a pawn and rook cannot force their way  past a lone King, however add a King into the attack and White will win easily.   10…Rf3 11.g6  No need to waste time capturing the  pawn on c7. White simply makes a  pathway for his King to attack.  11…Rxf4+ 12.Kg5

 pawn that he creates. White's threat is Rh6 and f5. ©2006 Chess Kids ®   13 1300 00 44-C C HE HES SS www.c hes hess ski kids. ds.c c om.au

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XABCDEFGHY 8 + + m k +( 7z p p z + +R' 6 p z + +P+& 5+ +p+pm K % 4P+ z P r t +$ 3+ + + + # 2 + + + +" 1+ + + + ! xabcdefghy 12…Re4 12...Rxd4 5.Kf6! And now Black is in  big trouble.  13.Kf6! A touch of elegance. But this is seen again and again, White uses Black's  pawn as defence for himself! Cleverly ignoring the f5 pawn. Firstly it would waste time to take it, and secondly this Black pawn can now act as a shield for checks from behind. 13...Kg8 14.Rg7+ Kh8 15.Rxc7 Only now taking the pawn, with a threat of mate at the same time.   15…Re8 Only move.

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quite a forced win because of Rd8. eg. 16.Kf7 Rd8 17.g7+ Kh7 And Black's f pawn can create counterplay. 16...Re4 17.Kf6 Rf4+ 18.Ke5 Rg4 19.g7+  Obviously Black cannot afford to exchange Rooks as White's King is so much more active! 19...Kg8 20.Rxa7 Rg1 21.Kxd5 And now, when everything is under control, White can calmly munch all Black's pawns.  21…Rc1 22.Kd6 Rc2 23.d5 Rc1 24.Rc7 Ra1 25.Kc6 Rxa4 26.d6 Rd4 19.d7 And Black resigns. If he takes on g7 then d8=Q+, or if Black doesn't take the g-pawn then Rc8+ and d8=Q wins Black's rook. To quote Richard Reti, Capablanca’s management of this endgame “gives the impression of being so natural, that one easily forgets the difficulty of such  precise play. The difficulty is chiefly  psychological. In chess, as in life, one is so accustomed to place value on the material factors that it is not easy to conceive the idea of indulging in pawn sacrifices when there is so little available material.” 1-0 

16.Kxf5  Now White isn't afraid of any checks

from behind he grabs the pawn before it can become a nuisance. 16…Kf7 isn't ©2006 Chess Kids ®   13 1300 00 44-C C HE HES SS www.c hes hess ski kids. ds.c c om.au

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