Whoever first said it, and although his intent was undoubtedly humorous, there is a lot of truth behind the aphorism, especially when pawns are equal, or the superior side has only a one-pawn advantage.
The following position arose in my round-five game.
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| Black has just played 32...Be5-c7 |
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Black's advantage in this ending stems mainly from having the better rook-and-minor-piece combination and, despite it being an ending, from being ahead on development.
The number of pawns is equal, which encouraged me to play 33.Nd6?!, but after 33...Bxd6 34.cxd6 Re3 it soon became clear Black had a large advantage, and my opponent had little trouble bringing home the full point.
Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 suggest instead 33.Nf6, after which White has the more-active minor piece.
Black is still better, but White has more drawing chances than in the game.
LESSON: a rook-and-pawn ending often offers salvation in a difficult position, but some such endings are just too bad to be entered into with any reasonable hope.
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