Friday, March 30, 2018

Chess Game of the Week, by Alan Lasser

  The endgame of the knight versus rook where both sides have pawns is very difficult for the knight.  To quote Pal Benko in Basic Chess Endings, “Unconnected pawns are still less promising here, since the short-stepping knight cannot defend two widely separated pawns and there are quite a few positions where it cannot even defend one pawn.”  

Elsewhere in the chapter, Benko shows us a position where the knight can draw because it can attack, supporting a pawn's advance and while still defending weak pawns the other side of the board.  

That’s quite a trick and here the World Champion gives it a try, sacrificing the exchange to create a precarious position and then dancing carefully to defend the weak pawns until the knight can escort one of them to the end of the board.  Against Magnus Carlsen, it’s the rook that must look for the draw.

 
GM Magnus Carlsen-GM Yifan Hou
1/20/18
2018 Tata Masters
50...Rg1 +2.12/34 51.Nc4 51. Nb3 Rb1 52. Na5 Rc1+ 53. Nc4 Re1 54. d6 Rb1 55. Ne5+ Ke8 56. Kc6 Rc1+ 57. Kb5 Rb1+ 58. Ka6 Ra1+ 59. Kb7 Kd8 60. Kc6 Rc1+ 61. Kd5 Rb1 62. b7 Rxb7 63. Ke6 Rb6 64. Nf7+ Ke8 65. f6 gxf6 66. Nxh6 Rb7 67. Kxf6 Kd7 68. Nf7 Rb1 69. Kg7 Rh1 70. g5 Rg1 71. g6 Ke6 72. Kh7 Rg2 73. d7 Kxd7 74. g7 Rg1 75. g8=R Rxg8 76. Kxg8 +0.08 Stockfish 51...Rc1 51... Re1 52. d6 Rb1 53. Ne5+ Kd8 54. Kc6 Rc1+ 55. Kd5 Rb1 56. Ke6 Rxb6 57. Nf7+ Ke8 58. f6 gxf6 59. Nxh6 Rb7 60. Kxf6 Kd7 61. g5 Kxd6 62. g6 Kd5 63. g7 Rb6+ 64. Kf7 Rb7+ 65. Kg6 Rb6+ 66. Kh7 Rb8 67. g8=Q+ Rxg8 68. Kxg8 +0.08 Stockfish 52.d6 Rb1 53.Ne5+ Kd8 54.Kc6 Rc1+ 55.Kd5 Rb1 56.Kc5 Rb3 57.Nc6+ Kd7 58.Nb8+ Kc859.d7+ Kd8 60.Kd6 Rd3+ 61.Kc6 Rc3+ 62.Kd5 Rb3 63.Kc5 Rb2 64.Kd6 Rd2+ 65.Ke6 Re2+ 66.Kf7
55.Nc5 1-0
 
 
 
[Event "2018 Tata Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"]
[Date "2018.01.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "GM Magnus Carlsen"]
[Black "GM Yifan Hou"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2834"]
 
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 c5 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.exd4 Nxc3 8.bxc3
Qc7 9.Bd2 Nd7 10.Qg4 Nf6 11.Qg3 Qxg3 12.hxg3 Bd6 13.Nf3 b6 14.a4 Bb7 15.a5
Ke7 16.Ke2 Ne4 17.Be1 h6 18.c4 Nf6 19.Bc3 Be4 20.Rhb1 Bxd3+ 21.Kxd3 Nd7
22.Nd2 Rhd8 23.Ne4 Bc7 24.Bb4+ Ke8 25.f4 Rac8 26.axb6 axb6 27.Ra7 Nb8 28.Rxc7
Rxc7 29.Nd6+ Kd7 30.Nxf7 Rdc8 31.Ne5+ $6 { +0.53/28 } ( 31.Bd6 { +0.92/25 }
31...Ra7 32.Rxb6 Ke8 33.Ne5 Nd7 34.Nxd7 Kxd7 35.Bc5 Rxc5 36.dxc5
{ Stockfish continues this variation 36...Ra3 37.Kd4 Rd6 38.ed Kd7 39.Ke5
Rb8 40.Rc1 Re8 +0.40 } ) 31...Ke8 32.Bd6 Rb7 33.c5 Nc6 34.Rxb6 Rxb6 35.cxb6
Nd8 36.Bc7 Ra8 37.Kc4 Nb7 ( 37...Ra2 38.Bxd8 Kxd8 39.Kc5 Kc8 40.Kd6 Rd2
41.Kxe6 Rxd4 42.Kf7 Rd2 43.Kxg7 Rxg2 44.Kxh6 Rxg3 45.f5 Rb3 46.f6 Rxb6 47.Kg7
{ = Stockfish } ) 38.Kb5 Ra2 39.g4 Ke7 40.g3 $6 { +0.16/30 } ( 40.Nc4
{ +0.58/27 } 40...Kd7 41.g3 Rc2 42.Be5
{ 42. Ne5+ Kc8 43. Nd3 Kd7 44. Be5 Nd6+ 45. Ka4 Ra2+ 46. Kb3 Rg2 47. f5
exf5 48. gxf5 Kc6 +0.25 Stockfish } 42...g6 43.Bc7 Kc8 44.Ne5 Rc3
{ 44...Rb2+ 45. Kc4 Rc2+ 46. Kd3 Rg2 47. Ke3 Rxg3+ 48. Kf2 Rb3 49. Nxg6 Rd3
50. Nf8 Rxd4 51. Nxe6 +0.08 Stockfish } 45.Nxg6 Rb3+ 46.Ka4 Rxg3 47.Nf8 Rxg4
48.Nxe6 Rg6 49.d5 Rf6 50.Be5 Rf7 51.Kb5 ) 40...Nd6+ ( 40...Ra1 41.Nc4 Kd7
42.f5 exf5 43.gxf5 Rb1+ 44.Ka6 Kc8 45.Be5 Rb4 46.Ne3 Rb3 47.Nd5 Ra3+ 48.Kb5
Kd7 49.g4 Ra5+ 50.Kc4 Kc6 51.Nf4 Nd6+ 52.Kd3 Rb5 53.Bxg7 Rxb6 54.Bxh6 Rb3+
55.Ke2 Nf7 56.g5 Rg3 57.f6 Nxg5 58.Bxg5 Rxg5 59.f7 Rf5 60.Ne6 Rxf7 61.Nd8+
Kd5 62.Nxf7 Kxd4 { draw Stockfish } ) 41.Bxd6+ Kxd6 42.Nc4+ Kd7 43.Kc5 Rc2
44.f5 exf5 45.gxf5 Rf2 46.Nd6 Rg2 $2 { +2.12/36 } ( 46...h5 { +0.03/31 }
47.d5
{ 47. Kd5 Rf3 48. b7 Kc7 49. Ne8+ Kxb7 50. Nxg7 Rxg3 51. f6 Rf3 52. Ke5 h4
53. Nf5 h3 54. f7 Rxf5+ 55. Kxf5 h2 56. f8=Q h1=Q 57. Qb4+ Kc7 58. Qa5+ Kd7
59. Qa4+ Kc7 60. Qa7+ Kc8 61. Qc5+ Kd7 62. Kg5 Qe4 63. d5 Qe7+ 64. Qxe7+ Kxe7 +0.08 Stockfish }
47...Rf3 48.b7 Kc7 49.Ne8+ Kxb7 ) ( 46...Rb2 47.Nf7 Rf2 48.Ne5+ Kc8 49.Kc6
Rc2+ 50.Kd5 Kb7 51.g4 Kxb6 52.Kd6 Rh2 53.Ke7 Kc7 54.Kf7 h5 55.gxh5 Rxh5
56.Kg6 Rh4 57.Kxg7 Rxd4 58.f6 Rf4 { database draw } ) 47.Ne4 Rb2 48.g4 Rb1
49.Nd2 Rh1 50.d5 h5 $4 { +17.50/30 } ( 50...Rg1 { +2.12/34 } 51.Nc4
{ 51. Nb3 Rb1 52. Na5 Rc1+ 53. Nc4 Re1 54. d6 Rb1 55. Ne5+ Ke8 56. Kc6 Rc1+
57. Kb5 Rb1+ 58. Ka6 Ra1+ 59. Kb7 Kd8 60. Kc6 Rc1+ 61. Kd5 Rb1 62. b7 Rxb7
63. Ke6 Rb6 64. Nf7+ Ke8 65. f6 gxf6 66. Nxh6 Rb7 67. Kxf6 Kd7 68. Nf7 Rb1 69. Kg7 Rh1 70. g5 Rg1 71. g6 Ke6 72. Kh7 Rg2 73. d7 Kxd7 74. g7 Rg1 75.
g8=R Rxg8 76. Kxg8 +0.08 Stockfish } 51...Rc1
{ 51... Re1 52. d6 Rb1 53. Ne5+ Kd8 54. Kc6 Rc1+ 55. Kd5 Rb1 56. Ke6 Rxb6
57. Nf7+ Ke8 58. f6 gxf6 59. Nxh6 Rb7 60. Kxf6 Kd7 61. g5 Kxd6 62. g6 Kd5
63. g7 Rb6+ 64. Kf7 Rb7+ 65. Kg6 Rb6+ 66. Kh7 Rb8 67. g8=Q+ Rxg8 68. Kxg8 +0.08 Stockfish }
52.d6 Rb1 53.Ne5+ Kd8 54.Kc6 Rc1+ 55.Kd5 Rb1 56.Kc5 Rb3 57.Nc6+ Kd7 58.Nb8+
Kc8 59.d7+ Kd8 60.Kd6 Rd3+ 61.Kc6 Rc3+ 62.Kd5 Rb3 63.Kc5 Rb2 64.Kd6 Rd2+
65.Ke6 Re2+ 66.Kf7 ) ( 50...Rc1+ 51.Nc4 Re1 52.d6 Rb1 53.Ne5+ Kd8 54.Kc6 Rc1+
55.Kb5 Rb1+ 56.Kc5 Rb3 57.Kc6 Rc3+ 58.Kd5 Rb3 59.b7 Rxb7 60.Ke6 Rb6 61.Nf7+
Ke8 62.f6 gxf6 63.Nxh6 Rb7 64.Kxf6 Kd7 65.Nf7 Rb1 66.Kg7 Rh1 67.g5 Rg1
{ database draw } ) 51.d6 Kc8 52.gxh5 Rxh5 53.Kc6 Kb8 54.Ne4 Rxf5 55.Nc5
1-0
 
 
 
 
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