Saturday 28 March 2020

Count The Weaknesses

HERE is an instructive rook-and-pawn ending from Tartakower and du Mont's 500 Master Games Of Chess.
White has just played 49.Kg1-g2 in José Capablanca - Boris Kostić, game one, Havana match 1919  
How many weaknesses does each side have?
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[Notes in italics are algebraicised from 500 Master Games Of Chess.]
Now that the battlefield is cleared, manoeuvring will be superseded by active advances.
Black's disadvantage consists in the fact that he has two weaknesses at c5 and g7, whereas White is vulnerable only at b3.
I guess congratulations are in order if you reached the same conclusion as Tartakower/du Mont regarding the number of weaknesses. I am fairly certain my count, if I had not read their notes first, would have been rather different.
For what it is worth, Stockfish10 reckons the position is dead-equal, while Komodo10 gives White an advantage of 0.14 pawns, which is as good as equal.
49...Ra6 50.Kf3 Ra2 51.Bg3 Ke8
A more-stubborn resistance is offered by 51...Ra7, guarding his second rank, and ...Kf7, to be followed by ...g6, relieving the blockade.
The engines are happy with Kostić's choice.
52.Bf4 Ra6 53.Be3 Ra1 54.Kg4 Ra7?!
In chess, as in life, the right perception often comes too late.
The engines strongly dislike the text, preferring 54...Kf7 or 54...Rg1+.
55.Kh5 Kf7 56.Rd5 Ra3
Seeking salvation in counterplay, for if  56...Rc7 [then] 7.h4 (relying on zugzwang) Bf8 58.Rd8 Be7 59.Ra8, and Black must, one way or another, let go.
After the above variation, a sample line given by the engines runs 59...Bd6 60.Ra6 Be7 61.Rb6 Bf8 62.Bf4 Rd7 63.Rc6 Rd3 64.Rc7+ Ke8 65.Kg6 Be7 (if 65...Rxb3?, then 66.Rc8+ Ke7 67.Be3 etc) 66.Be3 Kd8 67.Rb7 Rxb3 68.Kxg7 Ke8 69.Rb5 Rc3 70.Bxc5 Rxc4 71.Bxe7 Kxe7 72.h5, when the game will be decided on the kingside. This is a long line, but the engines have White winning, or at least massively better, throughout.
57.Rd7?!
Clearer, according to the engines, is 57.Bxc5 Bxc5 58.Rxc5 Rxb3 59.Rc7+.
57...Ke8 58.Rd3 Kf7 59.h4 Ra7 60.Rd5 Ra5?
This seems the decisive mistake. The engines give 60...Rc7, protecting c5 and Black's second rank.
61.Rd7 Ke8 62.Rd3
The engines' 62.Rc7!? may be even stronger.
62...Kf7?!
The engines give 62...Ra3 63.Kg6 Kf8 64.Rd5 Rxb3 65.Bxc5 Bxc5 66.Rxc5 Rh3 67.h5 with a large advantage to White.
63.Rd5
Señor Capablanca has composed a Zugzwang Symphony! If 63...Ke8, [then] 64.Kg6, and if 63...Bf8, [then] 64.Rd7+ Be7 65.Rc7, and still the black king has to give up the control of  g6!
63...Ra3 64.Bxc5 Bxc5 65.Rxc5 Rxb3
Numerically even, but the active position of White's king and rook decides the day.
66.Rc7+ Kf8 67.Kg6 Rf3 68.Rf7+ Ke8 69.Rxg7 Rf4
Or 69...Rxf2 70.Rb7 Rf4 71.c5 Rxh4 72.Kxf6 with a huge advantage.
70.h5 Rxc4 71.Kxh6 Kf8
If 71...b3, then 72.Rb7, eg 72...Rc3 73.Kg6 etc.
72.Rb7 Rg4 73.f3
Challenging a decision.
73...Rg5 74.Rxb4 Kf7
Clearly not 74...Rxf5 75.Kg6 Rg5+ 76.Kxf6, winning at once.
75.Rg4
In a subtle manner White frees his king.
75...Rxf5 76.f4 Ra5 77.Rg7+ Kf8 78.Rb7 f5 79.Kg6 Ra6+
If 79...Rc6, then 80.Rb8+ Ke7 81.h6 etc.
80.Kxf5
Many positions with rook, bishop's pawn and rook's pawn versus rook are drawn, but this is not one of them.
80...Ra5+ 81.Kg4 Ra6 82.Kg5 Rc6 83.f5 Kg8 84.f6 Rc8 85.Rg7+ Kf8 86.h6 1-0
A victory of logic and nerves.

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