Table Of ContentModern Practical Endings
International Grandmaster Julian Hodgson
Published by TOURNAMENT CHESS
Contents
Introductlon 5
Fundamentals 7
Chapter One ICiDc and Pawn v lOng 9
Chapter Two IClug and Two Pawns v lOng 16
Chapter Three lOne and Pawn v lOng and Pawn 25
Chapter Four An Actlve lOng versus a Passive lOng 38
Chapter Five Forcing a Pawn Breakthrough 44
(C) Tournament Chess Publication August 1993
A TOURNAMENT CHESS PRODUCTION
Introduction
Last year I decided to do started with king and pawn
something about my dreadful endings which, supposedly,
lack of knowledge and under hardly ever occur, as opposed
standing of basic chess end to the much more 'relevant'
ings. I had realised for a long Encyclopaedia of Rook and
time that my endings were Pawn Endings? The reason is
simply not up to scratch. simple - often to make pro
Indeed, I would often avoid gress in an ending, you have
exchanging into simplified to offer an exchange of pieces.
endgames in case I had missed If, however, you do not have
something or there was some a clue whether the ensuing
thing I did not know about. king and pawn ending is a win
With that end in mind I sys or a draw, how can you ever
tematically plodded through make the right decision?
the entire Encyclopaedia of A booklet, such as this, is
King and Pawn Endings - all far ·too small to give every
1610 positions! Perhaps not relevant piece of information
the most exciting of ways to that you might need to know,
spend an evening but it cer but what I have tried to do is
tainly taught me about king to give as many important
and pawn endings! guidelines that will be rele
You might ask why I vant in a practical game.
julian Hodgson,
London,
August 1993.
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Modern Practical Endings
International Master Byron Jacobs
Published by TOURNAMENT CHESS
Modern Practical Endings
International Master Chris Ward
Published by TOURNAMENT CHESS
Fundamenta.la
\
The reader will see in this Thus if it were Black to
booklet various references to play he would be forced to
opposition and triangulation. give way and allow White's
king to advance, e.g. 1 ... filtf6
Part 1 Opposition would allow 2 ~dS or 1 ... ~d6
allow 2~fS.
Opposition is a term that The next example should
is often used in king and help to clarify the situation
pawris endings but to actually somewhat.
define it in simple language is
not as easy as it sounds!
Let's take the most basic
position with just the two
kings on the board.
In this position if it were
White to move he could now
play 1 filte4! and gain the
opposition. Black would now
like to say "pass" and let his
The kings are directly opponent have another turn
opposite each other with just but sadly in chess this is not
one square separating them. allowed! Black's king is forced
Now in this position whoever to give way, e.g. 1 ... ~d6
is not on the move has the allows 2 ~fS followed by 3
opposition. filtxgS winning or 1 .. . filtf6
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allowing 2 '\ftdS and 3 '\ftxcS would give one example of its
winning. By grurung the use - it is, however, required
opposition White's king has in king and pawn endings
forced a decisive breakthrough much less than people think.
into the enemy position. If,
however, it were Black to
move in the initial position he
could play 1 . . . ~eS!
I have taken this position
from Reuben Fine's excellent
manual Basic Chess Endings.
The direct 1 '\fte3? would
fail to 1 . .. '\fteS. Therefore
grumng the opposition and White triangulates with his
thus also winning. king.
A further example can be 1 ~d21
found on page 27. Now Black is in zugzwang.
Both 1 ... fitjlc6 and 1 ... '\fteS are
Part2 met by 2 (jfte3 when White
Triangulation picks up the e4-pawn and
with it the game - White wins
As many of you have pro because he had more squares
bably heard the term at one available for his king than his
stage or another, I thought I opponent.
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Chapter One
King and Pawn v .King
My first real vivid experi At the time all I knew
ence of a king and pawn end about the position was that it
game occurred when I was was supposedly an 'easy' draw
only 8 years old. I was playing but I could not for the life of
in the London U-12 Champion me work out how to draw it.
ships. My opponent was First I analysed 1 .. . 'ifle8? 2
Simon Brown who is currently 'ifle6 'iflf8 3 f7 'iflg7 4 'ifle7 and
England's International Direc White wins. Secondly I anal
tor of chess. It was a crunch ysed 1 ... ~f8! 2 ~e6 ~e8 3 f7+
game to decide the winner of ~f8 and again I thought we
the tournament. reached the same position
Mter a very hard struggle but forgetting that this time
(for those of you who are it was White's turn to move
interested, the opening was a so that after 4 'iflf6 (the only
Morra Gambit - I had Black!) move to defend the f7-pawn)
we ended up in the following the position is in fact drawn
position due to stalemate.
So you might ask - which
S Brown-J Hodgson of the above did I plump for?
London U-12 Ch 1972 Well, sadly I chose 1 ... 'ifle8 -
here was my logic:
i) it is an easy draw;
ii) 1 ... 'ifle8 and 1 .. ~g8 are,
in fact, the same;
iii) So, as there are two
backward diagonal king moves
and only one straight back,
the correct choice must be
the more common move, i.e.
one of the diagonal moves - in
some ways logical, but in this
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case wrong. As a postscript, 62 IIxh2??
while I had been thinking After the correct 62 nas!
about which move to make a the rook and pawn ending is a
huge crowd had gathered relatively easy draw.
round to watch. After I had 62 ... gxh2+
made the wrong decision and 63f3}xh2
had lost, I promptly burst White has won a pawn but
into tears! - not all stories has transposed into a lost
have a happy ending! king and pawn endgame.
The above position is of 63 ... f3)h4?!
fundamental importance to This move does not throw
king and pawn endings. If, away the win but clearly
however, we were to take a shows that Black is on the
very different position the wrong track.
result could so easily change. 64 f3)g2 gS??
Let's take a look at the fol A terrible blunder after
lowing position. which Black can no longer
win.
Pg Japar - Maree A 65 f3)h2! g4
Manila 011992. 65 ... f3}g4 does not help as
after 66 f3}g2! White keeps the
opposition and prevents Black
from making progress.
66 f3)g2 g3
67 f3)g1!
Not 67 f3)h1?? f3}h3 68 f3}g1
g2 and Black wins.
67 f3)h3
68 ~h1 g2+
69 ~g1 ~g3
~~
This is a classic case of If we now take the posi
whether White should ex tion after 64 rJtg2 we find that
change rooks and go into a Black should play 64 ... f3}g4!
king and pawn ending or keep taking the opposition. White's
them on and remain in a rook king is now forced to give
and pawn ending. The game way, e.g. 65 ~h2 ~f3! 66 ~h3
continued: g5! 67 f3)h2 g4 68 f3}g1 ~g3 69
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