Gyula Meszaros The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured B ishop Endings
Copyright © by CAISSA KFT English translation and layout: Zoltan Molnar
ISBN 978 963 87928 3 9 Publisher: CAISSA KFT H -6000 Kecskemet, Gyenes ter 18. Tel!Fax: 0036-76-481 603 E-mail:
[email protected] Home page: caissachessbooks.com
Kecskemet: 2010 Printed in Hektograf Nyomda, Piispokladany
THE SECRETS OF THE OPPOSITE COLOURED BISHOP ENDINGS by IM Gyula Meszaros
VOLUME ONE:
THE FIGHT OF THE LONELY BISHOPS
CAISSA CHESS BOOKS
5
Contents
Foreword
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Introduction l.Cs. Szekely - Gy. Meszaros ....................11 2.Meszaros' study ..............................13 3.Romanov- Chukaev ..........................14
Basic positions. Connected pawns 4. Tarrasch -central pawns ......................14 5. Tarrasch-central pawns ......................16 6. Averbakh-central pawns .....................17 7. Henneberger- central and bishop pawns ........18 8. Tarrasch- central and bishop pawns ............19 9. Henneberger- bishop and knight pawns
........20
10. Tarrasch- edge pair of pawns .................22 11. Theoretical position- edge pair of pawns ........22 12. Salvioli-edge pair of pawns ...................23 13. Averbakh- edge pair of pawns ................23 14. Tarrasch-edge pair of pawns .................24
Three connected pawns 1 5. Fahrni's study
..............................2 5
16. Lasker's study ...............................2 5 17. Cheron's study ..............................26 18. Cheron's study ..............................28 19. Popovic's study .............................28 20. Averbakh's study ............................29 21. Averbakh's study ............................31 22. Averbakh's study ............................31
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Split pawns with one square between them 23.Meszaros' study ..............................32 2 4. Shagalovich- Khalilbeili ............. . ........33 2 5. Salvioli's study ..............................34
Split pawns with two squares between them 26. Salvioli's study .......................... . ...34 27. Cheron's study ..............................3 5 28. Averbakh' study
............................36
29. Cheron's study ..............................36 30. Meszaros' study .............................37 31. Berger- Kotlerman ..........................38 ·
32. Rink's study ................................39 33. Cheron's study ..............................39 3 4. Cheron's study ..............................41 3 5. Jones- Edmonson ...........................42 36. Paulsen - Metzger (su pplementa ry study) ........43 37. Meszaros' study
............................44
38. Lisitsin's study ..............................46 39. Bhend- Leepin ....... . .....................46 40. Averbakh's study ........................... .47 41. Meszaros' study .............................48
Split pawns with three squares between them 42. Speelman's study ............................48 43. Meszaros' study .............................49 4 4. Speelman's study ............................50 4 5. Speelman's study ............................51 46. Averbakh's study ............................5 4 47. Speelman's study ............................5 4 48. Speelman's study ............................5 5 49. Speelman's study
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.56
7 50. Speelman's study .......... ................ . 57 .
51. Cheron's study .......... ...................58 .
Split pawns with four or more squares between them 52. Cheron's study .............."................59 53. Cheron's study ..............................61
Practical endings & games. Typical positions & rules 54. Zaitsev- Lutikov ............................61 5 5. Sillye- Karakas .............................62 56. Pines- Voronkov
...........................63
57. Charousek-Suechting .......................64 58. Portisch- Acs
..............................68
59. Walther-Fischer ...........................70 60. Korchnoi- Pelletier .........................71 61. Hjartarson- Piket ...... ............ .......73 .
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62. Meszaros' study .............................74 63. Tatar Kis- A. Horvath .......................76 64. Tolnai- Sherbakov ..........................78 6 5. Kaidanov-Antoshin .........................80 66. Larsen- Huebner ............................83 67. Horwitz's study .............................86 68. Bondarenko & Kuznetsov's study
..............87
69. Herbstrnann & Gorgiev's study ................88 70. Herbstrnann's study ..........................89 71. Maroczy- Pillsbury ..........................90 72. Chekhover's study ...........................91 73. Servat-Ternpone ...........................93 74. Sr. Paszler- T. Papp .........................9 5 7 5. Slekys- Panchenko ..........................99 76. Csom- Vaganian ...........................101 77.
Acs- Beliavsky
............................10 5
8 78.Chandler
- Andersson 79. Gy. Meszaros - R. Csolt6 80. Kapetanovic - Zi. Nikolic 8 1 . Bogoljubow - Ed Lasker 82. W ach - Bugajski . . . . . . . 83. Okrajek - Uhlmann . 84. Kotov - Botvinnik (1947) 85 . Kotov - Botvinnik ( 1 955) 86. Fuchs - Kholmov 87. Gevorgian - Gavrilov 88. Vaganian - Karpov 89. Averbakh's study . 90. Makarychev - Averbakh 9 1 . Norlin's study 92. Hodgson - Lanka 93. Aseev - Bagirov 94. Topalov - Shirov 95 . Nimzovich - Tarrasch 96. Kazantsev's study 97. Ki. Georgiev - Hracek 98. Nunn's study . 99. Anand - Karpov 1 00. E des - Toma Epilogue 1 0 1 . Averbakh's study 1 02. Averbakh's study 1 03. Topalov - Anand .
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1 09 111 .1 13 .1 14 .1 16 . 1 17 . 1 19 . 1 20 1 23 1 26 1 27 1 29 . 131 1 33 1 34 1 35 1 37 1 38 141 1 42 . 1 45 1 47 1 48 .
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151 1 52 153
9
FOREWORD Dear reader, you are holding the first part of a two-volume work in your hands. I'd like to lead you to a world mysterious and unknown even to trained chess players, in fact, more or less to grandmasters. I trust that reading this book will give you not only joy and entertainment but it will also help you to understand these extremely interesting and exciting endgames. Furthermore, I hope that, as a result, later on you will be able to successfully adopt in practice all that you learn from this book. The topics are the following: The three positions of the introductory part shed light on what urged me to deal in such minuteness of detail with oppo site-coloured bishop endings. In the basic positions I arranged in a row the most impor tant types of positions of connected and split pawns, the self confident knowledge of which is essential to be able to solve the more complicated, multi-pawn positions. In the examples of practical endings you can see all the virtues and errors which spring from the knowledge, or the lack of it, of the rules of opposite-coloured bishop endings. The epilogue supports all that was written, and briefly summarizes the rules. I should like to express my special thanks to my ex-pupil GM Ferenc Berkes for his many and profound analysing work, and for always finding time to discuss any newly arisen, inter esting-looking positions with me. IM Gyula Meszaros
10
11
(1) Cs. Szekely - Gy. Meszaros HUN Team ch. II, 1 996
ing o n a4.) 4.�c2 ! a 3 5.�b3 and we have the same posi tion as the developments in the game led to.
l...b:xa4
Black is obliged to split his pawns apart as after l . . .a6 2. axbS axbS 3.we2 we obtain the above-mentioned varia tions by transposition. 2.we2 wd5?! A lot more cunning con tinuation would have been 2 . . . Wc7! , whereupon the only l.a4 saving move is 3.�c2 ! since The last move of the time either trouble, with which White a) 3.b5? a3! 4.�c4 cxbS or does not yet let the draw out b) 3.�c4? �f8 ! 4.b5 (on of his hand. With the pawn 4.�d3 4 . . . wb6! wins. ) After sac he could have waited, be 4 . . . c5 5 .wd3 wb6 6.wc2 waS cause if l .we2 ! �c l 2.a4 bxa4 Black obtains a winning posi Or 2 . . . a6 3.axb5 axbS (on tion. The secret of the posi 3 . . . cxbS the simplest way to tion, and also the precondi hold the balance is 4.�e4! wc7 tion of victory, becoming ob s.wd3) 4.wd l �a3 s.wc2 �xb4 vious only in the end, is that 6. wb3 and White has reached Black's a4 pawn should not the drawish position (later I'll move! deal with it in more detail) . 3 . . . a3 4.�b3 �f8 5 . wd3 3.wd l �gS (after 3 . . . �a3? 4. �xb4 6.wc2 - see the game. �c2 �xb4 5 .�xa4 Black would 3.wdl?l lose his infantryman station-
Gyula Meszaros
12
Still 3 . �c 2 ! a3 4.wd3 called for.
IS
3 ... �£8 4.�c21 At last White has found the strongest move, though then, to say the truth, neither of us was aware of this fact . . .
4. . . a3 s.�b3t wd4 6.wc2 �b4 7.�a2 cS 8.�bl wc4 9. �alt wbS lO.�bl c4 l l .�a2 �e7 12.�bl wb4 13.�a2 �ffi 14.�bl a5 15.�a2
Black has squeezed out as much as he could of this posi tion, while White is moving his bishop to and fro on the squares a2 and b 1 . Can this fortress be broken? Well, the situation is not too promising. Yet, after thinking for almost half an hour, I could think
something up. The first part of my plan, in keeping with general endgame principles, is to lull my opponent into a false sense of security.
15 ... �h8 16.�bl �g7 17. �a2 �ffi 18.�bl a2! 19.�xa2 a4
The manoeuvring of the black bishop and the pawn sac on a2 was interpreted by my opponent as a sign of acquiescing to the draw. In asmuch as with the moves �b 1-a2 he could so far hold the position without any par ticular difficulty, on the basis of the principle "Stick to your well-tried moves!" he played 20.�bl?? again.
The game could have been saved only with 2'0.wd2 ! , as
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
after 20 . . . �g5 t 2 l .wc2 �f4 White holds the fortress with 22 .wb2 ! . There followed 2o.. wa3 21 .wc1 �gst 22. wc2 22 ... �d2!1
13
(2) Gy. Meszaros 1 996
.
A deadly zugzwang, upon which there is nothing left but to resign, as after 23.wxd2 wb2 one of the black pawns is queened. And for those who have still not realized why 4.�c2! was such a strong move , the following study will give the answer.
0-1
For the black king the way is clear to the a3 square, in contrast to what we saw in the previous game where Black had to sacrifice his a3 pawn to enable his king to in vade the enemy camp. Al though White can get two pawns for his bishop, Black still has a pawn left, and the corner is "good" at that!
l...a5 2.�bl
White cannot allow the enemy monarch to go to c3, because after 2.wc l wc3 3.wb l (or 3.wd l wb2 4.�xc4 a3 and Black wins easily.) 3 . . . a3 4. we i �gSt S .wb l wd3 6.wa l c3
14
Gyula Meszaros
his fortress would quickly collapse.
(3) Romanov Chukaev -
Soviet Union 1 97 1
2 ... wa3 3. wcl �gst 4. wc2 And now, employing the same zugzwang motif seen in the previous game, Black de cides the fight in his favour.
4... �d21!
s.wxd2 wb2 And one of the black pawns will be promoted to queen.
Of this game I naturally boasted to many chess player acquaintances of mine, until finally my friend FIDE Mas ter Istvan Taskovics modestly called my attention to the fact that he had already seen a very similar position in the Encyclopedia of Minor Piece Endings . . .
l...�c4t 2.wf2 �e2! 3.wxe2 wg2 0--1
And White resigned. So I have set the Danube on fire, but instead of discouraging me, it urged me to hard work. I had, in the meantime, col lected several hundreds of games with opposite-colour-
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
ed bishops, and was thinking of trying to systematize them somehow. While collecting, arranging and analyzing the games, I recognized more and more rules and laws. I real ized that, in contrast to public belief, positions with oppo site-coloured bishops are a lot more intricate than one would think at first (or even umpteenth!) sight. Besides, it is essential to know the basic positions, without which you have no chance to solve the problems arising. As far as I know - though it is possible that I have insufficient know ledge of it - up till now an exhaustive , elaborately de tailed work on opposite-co loured bishops has not been written. Now I should like to fill this gap, trusting that I can give the gentle reader a book which is not only inter esting and entertaining, but greatly contributes to acquir ing the required knowledge as well.
15
(4) Tarrasch 1 92 1
Of the connected pairs of pawns, we first examine the central pair. In the diagram med position you can see the safest defensive setup: the g8 bishop constantly attacks the dS pawn, hindering, at the same time, the advance of its e6 colleague.
LwcS wd7 2/�h4 r;;.fl 3,r;;.g5
{j;_g8
All Black has to do is move to and fro with his bishop on the squares g8 and f7, as White is unable to get any further. So the three criteria of the succesful defence are: 1 .) The king and bishop of the
Gyula Mesziros
16
defending side hinders the advance of the enemy pawns. 2.) The bishop of the defend ing side must attack the ene my pawn. 3.) It is necessary to make room for the bishop of the defending side to be able to make its waiting moves.
(5) Tarrasc h 1 92 1
White can only win if he can play e5-e6 at the proper moment, but to do this, he has to move his king to f6 or d6 to prevent the bishop sac rifice on e6. But even then his problem is far from being solved, because White also has to take care that the black
monarch may not get wedged between the pawns. The next bishop manoeuvre serves the latter purpose. l.�ell Giving check on the other diagonal (h4-d8) would not have been good, because 1 . �h4t wd7 2.we3 �g4 [or 2 . . . �g2? 3.e6t wd6 4.�g3t (on 4. e7? Black escapes with 4 . . . wd7) 4 . . . we7 5 .wd4 �h3 6.we5 and White wins. ] 3.wf4 �h3 4.wg5? (It would still not have been late to retreat with the repentant 4.we3) 4 . . . �g2 5.e6t wd6 6.wf6 �xd5 7.e7 wd7 and it's a draw. t ...�g4 2.�b4t wd7 Had White given check from h4 ( l .�h4t) , Black could have defended successfully with l . . .wd7, but thus he is watching helplessly as the white king occupies the f6 square, because after 2 . . . wf7 White would have gripped hold of the d6 square with 3.wc5 we7 4.wc6t wf7 s.wd6. 3.we31 �f5 4.wf4 �h3 s.wgS
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
17
7.d6 �c6 Black is now defending against the thrust d6-d7, and therefore the white king aims for the c7 square.
S.wffi �a4 9.�a5 �c6 10.we5 �a4 1 1 . wd4 �c6 12. wc5 �a4 13.wb6 wd8 14.wb7t we8 15. wc7 Zugzwang as the black bishop has to abandon the diagonal h3-c8, but Black had no defence against wf6 and then e5-e6 anyway. s ... �g2 6.e6t weB
So the white king is in pos session of c7 and, along with it, the win. So the criterion of the win is: the attacking side must place his bishop in a way that in case of a pawn push the defending side can not move between the pawns!
(6) Averbakh 1 954
There is nothing else. Now it is obvious why the white bishop had to give check from b4: the black monarch cannot move between the pawns!
In the diagrammed posi-
Gyula Meszaros
18
tion the white pawns have not yet crossed the halfway line. Black, though he must take care, is able to take up the defensive position.
l ...�c4! The only move. A serious blunder is l . . .�bS? 2.�b4t ! (and of course not 2.�g3t? we7 3.d5 �e8 4.e5 �f7 s .wd4 wd7 and Black builds up the fortress.) 2 . . . Wc7 (or 2 . . . We6 3.d5t we5 4.�c3t wd6 5 .wd4 �e8 6.e5t wd7 7 . e6t and Black is a tempo late.) 3.d5 �e8 4.e5 �f7 5 .e6 and White secures the win again.
2.�g3tJ wc6! Once again there is noth ing else, for e.g. if 2 . . . We6? 3.wd2 �b3 4.wc3 �a2 5.�h2, Black would get into zug zwang, and that would mean the triumphant advance of the white pawns.
3.wf4 �gs 4.weS wd7 s.d5 5 ... �h7
(Diagram)
The most sensible move, although after 5 . . . �£7 6 . wf6
6 . . we8 7.�f4 �gs s.wg7 �f7 9.�g3 �hS 1 0.e5 �£3 1 l .d6 wd7 1 2 .wf6 �dS Black's fort ress is impregnable. 6.wf4 �g6 7.e5 �fl And this position IS al ready very familiar. .
(7) Henneberger 1916
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
19
In case of a central and And White has got hold of bishop pawn the method of the f6 square, after which his achieving the win is invari victory cannot be doubted. able: if White can put his king on f6 or d6, he can win (8) Tarrasch 1 92 1 the game easily.
V:igSt!
1 .�b4 t would not yield a result: l ...w£7 ! 2.wd4? (2.�e 1 ! is followed by �h4) 2...�c2 3. e6t wf6 4.e7 wf7 and drawn.
t ...wd7 On l ...w£7 2.wd4 �a2 3.wcs �b3 (or 3 . . . �b 1 4.e6t weB S.f6 and White wins.) 4.wd6 would follow with a decisive advan tage to White.
2.wf4 �a2 3.�h4!
As we could see in the pre vious examples, the outcome of the game depends on whether the defending side can take up the proper defen sive position in due time . Compared to the central pair of pawns, the edge of the board is now one file closer, and this insignificant-looking difference makes the loss ine vitable for Black.
l...�fB 2.�c4t we7 3.wg4 3 ... �£7 4.wg5 we7 5. wh6t A terrible blunder would wd7 6.wg7 �d5 7.wffi be 3.5?? as Black would play
Gyula Meszaros
20
3 . . . �g7 saving a half-point right away.
(9) Henneberger 1916
3 ... �h6 4.�b3 Zugzwang: Black is com pelled to damage his position. 4 ... �g7 On 4 . . . wd7 5.£5 �g7 6.f6 would win. s.wh5 �hs 6.wg6 wm 7.wh7
�g7 8.�c41
Though objectively the po sition is a draw, White is try ing his best to attain victory.
l.�c4t
Another - and this time the final and mortal - zug zwang: Black loses his bishop and along with it the game. So it is worth bearing in mind that in case of a central and bishop pawn, the shorter dis tance to the edge of the board assists the attacking side !
On l .�hSt we7! 2.wg4 �d4 3.�g6 �c3 4.wh5 �g7! would follow. The black king guards the e6 square, and the way to g6 before the white monarch is closed by his own bishop. 5.�h7 wf7 and White cannot invade on the king's flank.
L.wg71 Now the g6 square must be kept under control.
2.�b51 After 2.we4 �d2 3.f6t wg6 4.£7 Wg7 the black king gets
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
wedged between the pawns and it's an easy draw.
2 ... wfl 3.wg4 wg7 4.wh5 Or 4.�e8 wf8 5 .�h5 we7 and we have the same posi tion as in the beginning. 4 ... �d4 5.�e8 wfB 6.�g6
wg7 The g6 square must not be left unguarded: after 6 . . . We7?? 7.wh6 �c3 s.�hs �d4 9.wg6 White achieves his aim.
7.wg4
It seems that every effort was in vain, as on his next move White will play 8.�h5 , and then there is no way to prevent the white king from occupying the e6 square. And yet Black escapes: it is enough for us to realize that the black
21
bishop, which hitherto could not abandon the long diago nal, can afford to ease itself of its burden for a breathing space. 7... �b6! Just as good is 7 . . . �c5 ! .
8.�h5
White could not play 8. f6t because of the 'hanging' of the g6 bishop. Black imme diately takes advantage of this one-move loss of time, and takes up the ideal defensive setup without delay. 8... �d8! So in case of a bishop and knight pawn it can be estab lished that the side at disad vantage can hold the position even if the enemy pawns had already crossed the halfway line by one square and the de fending side could not occupy the diagonal required for him.
Gyula Mesdros
22
(10) Tarrasch 1 92 1
g7t and then g8\Wt, so it is compelled to watch idly as the white king marches for ward to the Promised Land. 2. 47e4 White could calmly walk round the whole board (e.g. 47f3-e2 -d 1 -c 2 -b3-a4-bS -c6d7-e8-f7); the text is the shortest way to victory.
2 ... �c3 3.47£5
O f the theme o f connected passed pawns now we have only the knight and rook pawn left. But there is a lot more to be said about them than one would think at first sight! To achieve the win, the white monarch must get to £7, and there is only one way to carry out this plan:
l.�c41
After 1 .47g4? the black king would flee from the comer: 1 . ..47g8 2.�c4t 47£8! and it's a draw.
l. .. �d4 The black bishop cannot leave its watch (the a1-h8 di agonal) because of the deadly
A gross blunder was still possible with 3.47d5 , where upon White would have let the enemy king out of the comer - and, together with it, the win out of his grip.
3... �b2 4.47e6 47gB s.47e7t 47hs 6.47£7 And White wins.
(1 1) A theoretical position
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
Since after l . . .�c3? Black would get into the lost position seen just now, he is obliged to play the only move leading to draw.
23
spite of being a piece and a pawn up because of the wrong corner.
l...�d4 2.g5 �e3! The only, but quite satis-
factory, · defence . The white l...�fBI 2.�d3 Or 2 . wg5 �xh6t ! 3.wxh6 king now cannot go to h7 as, and stalemate.
2 ... wg8 3.wg5 wh8
And White can't get any further.
(12) Salvioli 1 887
for example , after 2 . . . �c3? whereupon 3.wh7 �d2 4.g6 �c3 S.h6 would follow, and Black has no defence against the thrust g6-g7.
3.h6 �d2 4.wh5 �e3 S.g6 �d4! And Black has taken up the already well-known drawn position.
(13) Averbakh 1 954
l.�c4 The only chance to wring out the victory. Once the black king can settle down in the corner, the bishop sacri fices itself on gS right away, and White cannot win in
If it were now Black's turn
Gyula Meszaros
24
(14) Tarrasch
to move, he would waste no time playing 1 . . .�e3 and then destroy White's dangerous g pawn with 2 . . . �xg5 (wrong corner! ) . However, White can play first, and though the move . . .
1 92 1
t.whS
. . . seems to be very fright ful, with full knowledge of the previous studies we can easily evacuate the black king from the danger zone.
t...wgs! A mortal sin would be l . . .�d4?? whereupon after 2.�d5 ! �c3 3.g6t wh8 4.wg4 White would win in the already well-known manner. 2.�d5t wf8! 3. wg6 Or 3.g6 �d4! and Black is taking up the drawn position.
3 ... �e3!
And Black has escaped.
I f White were to move, after I .wgS the full point could already be chalked up for him, but in the dia grammed position it is Black's turn to y lay. 1...wr6! 2.�d4t wf5 3.g7
�c4 And Black, even though in the last moment, has success fully blocked the enemy pawns. From the knowledge of this study we'll greatly be nefit later on. The most im portant realization is that Black can ensure the draw even without sacrificing his bishop!
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
(15) Fahrni
25
White.) 2 . . . �xf6 3.h81Wt wxh8 4.wxf6 White wins easily.
2.g7t {j);gg 7 On 2 . . . wxg7? 3.h81Wt ! wxh8 4.wxf6 White achieves the win in the manner shown just now. 3.£6�1
The defending side can build a fortress even against three connected passed pawns, but the criterion of a succes ful defence is that all of the enemy pawns should stand on the colour of their own bishop. Black is in zugzwang, but the wrong (naturally for Black!) corner is an ideal place for forming a stalemate nook. t ...whsr The only, but quite satis factory, defence. The f6 bish op could not move anyway, for after l . . . �c3? 2 . f6t (2. h81Wt wxhs 3.f6 wgs 4.we7 �b4t 5.we8 �c5 6.�d5t wh8 7.g7t is just as good for
4.w:xf6 - and stalemate.
(16) Lasker 1 926
Gyula Meszaros
26
In his textbook (Lehrbuch des Schachspiels) , Lasker con sidered the diagrammed posi tion a draw since White can keep the crucial black squares (d2, c3, b4) under control with both his king and bishop at the same time. But this is an erroneus statement be cause by sacrificing a pawn, Black turns the scale in his favour.
5.�xd2t wd3! 6.�a5 On 6.�e 1 c3 would win.
6 ... c3 7.wbl wc4t 8.wcl b4 And Black wins.
(17) Cheron 1 952
t.�d2 wd4 2.wb2 �g6
White is now in zug zwang. But why?
3.�a5 we3 4.wcl d2tl
The point of Black's idea is that he sacrifices his most dangerous-looking pawn, in return for which White can not take up the already well known defending position.
t.wfl t The move raising most dif ficulties for Black. After 1 . �f2?! �bS! 2.�e3 wg3! 3.�f2t wg2 4.�e3 f2t S.�xf2 w£3 we would practically end up in the same position of the pre vious example, where White loses rapidly because he can not take up the proper de fending setup.
t...wf4 2.�d4 �h3 3.�c5 we5 4. we3 �fl On the impatient pawn thrust 4 . . . f2? s .�d4t ! wf5 6.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
27
wxf2 wf4 7.we2 �g4t s.wd2 compelled to allow the ene would solve all of White's problems.
my king to go to a3.
t l .�g l wa3 12.wd4 �c4 13. 5.�a7 wd6 6.wd2 wc6 7.wc3 wc3 wa2 14.�d4 wbl 15.wd2 �bs 16.wdl �c6 17.wd2 �a41 wbS 8.wb3 �c4t 9.wc3 It might seem that after 9.wa3 Black falls into zug zwang, but in fact it is White who would lose the control over the dark squares (and the game, too) after 9 . . . �a2 ! [9 ... d4! 1 0.�xd4 �f7 l l .wb2 wc4 1 2 .�gl wd3 also wins. It is important to remember that this motif will occur sev eral times later on (Berkes, Meszaros) 10.wxa2 wc4 (Che ron's analysis) ]
9 ... wa4 lO.�cS �a6
The third and, at the same time, deadly, restriction, re sulting in the loss of the gl-a7 diagonal.
t8.wc3
No better is 1 8.�gl wb2 19. �d4t wb3 20.we3 wc4 2 1 .�e5 d4t 22.�xd4 (or 22.wf2 �c6 23.�f4 e3t) 22 . . . f2 23. wxf2 wxd4.
ts ... wct t9.�gt wdt 20. wd4 we2 21.wxd5 e3 22.wd4 f2 And Black wins. Another zugzwang, in con sequence of which White is
Gyula Meszaros
28
(18) Cheron 1 952
6.wc21 wb6 7.�c4 waS 8. wb3 And White has beaten off the attack successfully. So White must manoeuvre in such a way that he may avoid Lasker's position, and he must also take care that the black king cannot invade on the queenside.
If we push the position to the left by one square, there will be not enough room for th� black monarch to go around his infantryman, and therefore he is unable to break the white fortress.
(19) Popovic 1 949
1.we21 we4 2.�c4 �g3 3. �bs wdS 4.wd3 �e1 4 . . . e2 5 .�c4t ! and drawn.
s.�a6 wc6
In the following example White successfully breaks through White's defence line.
1...wc6 2.�4 wbst 3.wc3
On 3.�d2 �b7! (Black would not get any further after 3 . . . wa4 4.wc3 wa3 S .�c l t wa2 6. �d2 wb 1 7.�f4 �£7 8.�e3 �g6
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
9.�d2 as White would not al low the black monarch to go over to the king's flank.) 4. wc3 wc5 5 . �e3t wd5 6.�f4 �a6! would follow with the same plan as in the main line.
3... �b7!
29
ting into zugzwang all the time .
4.�e3 �a6 5.�d2 To the same result would lead 5.�£2 wc6 6.�e3 wd5 7. �f4 �b5 ! Zugzwang! 8.�e3 we5 9.�d2 �a6! 1 0.�e3 w£5 1 1 . wd4 wg4 12.wxe4 c3.
5 ... wc5 6.�e3t wdS 7.�f4 we6 s.�e3 wf5 9.wd4 wg4 And Black wins.
(20) Averbakh 1 954
The key move! Black must transfer his bishop to a6 so that it will protect not only the c4 pawn but that on d3 as well. Then his king marches over to the king' s wing and sets his pawns going at the right moment. White can do nothing against the decisive manoeuvre, since while the black bishop can walk merrily up and down on the squares a6-b5, he keeps get-
1...1!75 After 1 . . . wd6 we reach the position of the preceding stu dy where White is to play, but from the point of view of the de noue m e n t it d o e s n ' t
Gyula Meszaros
30
make any difference: 2.�c3 (or 2.�e3 wc6 3.�d2 wbS 4. wc3 �b7 5.wd4 �a6 6.wxe4 wa4 7.we3 wb3) 2 . . . wc6 3.�d2 wbS 4.�c3 �b7 S.�e l �a6 6. wxe4 wa4 7.we3 wb3 8.�a5 c3 and Black wins in both cases.
2.we3 Of course the dS bishop could not be taken: 2.wxd5? c3 3.�xc3 e3 4.wd4 d2 and the d-pawn is queened.
2 ... �b7!
Zugzwang!
3.�c3 �c6 4.�d2 After 4.�b2 we6 5 .�c3 wdS 6.�d2 �e8! White would lose in the same way as in the main line .
4... we51 s.�c3t wdS 6.�b4 �e8! It is important now to real ize that the black bishop must be manoeuvred over to the diagonal b l -h7. 7.�d2 �g6 8.�b4 �h71 (Diagram) Zugzwang. 8 . . . �£5 ! is just as good. Averbakh's study is essentially identical with the
example just seen. Black's plan did not change, but his bishop has one more square on the kingside to manoeuvre (in Popovich's study a6-b5, in Averbakh's h7-g6-f5).
9.�el wcS 10.�d2 �g6!
And this puts an end to the ousting process: the white bishop is compelled to aban don its ideal post, the d2 square, and at the cost of a pawn Black invades the ene my fortress. It is worth men tioning that a serious blunder would have been l O . . . wbS? in view of l l .wd4! and Black can start it all over again.
l l .�el wb5 12.wd4 wa4! 13. wxc4 e3 14.wc3 �f5
And the last, umpteenth,
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
31
zugzwang means a capitula tion for White.
And the fortress is un breakable.
(21) Averbakh
(22) Averbakh
1 954
1 954
The position in the previ ous example was pushed to the left by one square. The suitable area for free manoeu vring has shrunk so small on the queen's flank that it is practically of no use at all, and White easily averts any attempts of the black mo narch on the kingside.
Black's position may look more promising than in Che ron's study shown in example 1 8, but here, too, the white fortress is impregnable.
l...wes 2.wd3 Of course not 2 .wxc5?? b3 3.�xb3 d3 and Black wins.
2 ... wf4 3.�b3 wf3 4.�dtt wt2 s.�b3 wel 6.�c2
1...wd6
Or l ...wb4 2.wc2 wa3 3.�e2 and Black achieved nothing.
2.�c2 we6 3.�dl wf5 4.�c2 wf4 s.we2! And White easily beats off the besiegers.
32
Gyula Meszaros
(23) Gy. Mes zaros 1 997
After de �ling with the connected passed pawns, now we examine the typical posi tions and rules mostly charac teristic of split pawns. If the distance between the pawns is one square, the attacking side can only win in excep tional cases. In the diagram med position, though the cor ner is wrong for White, the black king has been cut away from the h8 square.
l .h6! �h8
The bishop could not go elsewhere, for example, to 1 . . . �d4?, because White would have closed the long diagonal right away with 2.f6.
2.�b3! Zugzwang. On 2.f6? Black escapes in an instructive manner: 2 . . . we8 3.�b5t wf8 4.h7 (Nor does 4.�a4 wg8 5 . h7t w f8 6.�b3 we8 make any difference.) 4...�1
/
This is the sacrifice that saves Black. 5.wxf6 and it's stalemate ! 2 ... we8 Or 2 . . . �d4 3.f6 and the h pawn makes the promotion square. 3.wh7 �f6 4.wgs And White wins easily.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
(24) Shagalovich - Khalilbeili Soviet Union 1 963
33
gl with c4-c5, the black bish op is compelled to manoeuvre along the queenside diagonals shrunk to minimal. Mortal zugzwang is foreshadowed . . .
5 ... �c7
Black would have reached the same position as that in the main variation after 5 . . . �d2 6.wb6 �e3t 7.c5 �f4 8.a5 . 6.c5 �aS 7.wb5 �c7 8.a5
In the following position the ruin of Black is caused by the fact that he cannot occu py the vital c7 square with his king. l.�h31 �b6 Or l . . we7 2.we5 wd8 3.wd5 �e3 4.wc6 and Whie achieves the win in the same fashion as it happens in the game. 2.we4 �aS 3.c4 we7 4.wd5
�b8 9.wb6 �c7t lO.wa6!
.
wd8 s.wc6 With the aid of its bishop, the white king has succesful ly cut the enemy monarch away from the b8 square , essential for building a fort ress. Since White can any time close up the diagonal a7-
Zugzwang. As the c7 bish op must constantly attack the aS pawn (otherwise White plays wb7) , the black mo narch is hopelessly moving away from the battlefield. lO ... we7 1 1 .wbSl �b8 Resigning to the unalter able: l l . . .wd8 1 2.a6 �b8 1 3.
34
Gyula Mesdros
wb6 �c7t 1 4.wb7 would also have resulted in losing the game for Black. 12.wb6 And Black surrendered. It is a rare - though not unique ! - example of triangulation, one of the important weapons of pawn endings, often a deci sive factor in opposite-co loured bishops endings. 1-{)
l.we6 �a3 2.�f3 wd8 3.wf7 �b4 4.e6 �a3 And White is obliged to come to terms with the draw, because there is no way to improve his position. (26) Salvioli 1 887
(25) Salvioli 1 887
Here , too, the distance between the white pawns is only one square, but white can easily keep the enemy in fantrymen in check.
If we transfer the eS pawn to the f5 square, then the pawns are separated by two files, and White achieves vic tory without difficulty. 1. we6 �cS 2.�a wds 3.£6 �b4 4.f7 �a3 s.wf6 �h2t 6. wg6 �a3 Or 6 . . . We7 7.c7 and one of the pawns, is queened. 7.wg7 And White wins.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
35
(27) Cheron 1954
Zugzwang. Since the black monarch can no longer move from the e6 square, the black bishop is compelled to aban don the great diagonal. 5 . . . �d3 Or 5 . �d5 6.£5t w£7 7.f6 �e4 8. wf4 �c6 9. we5 and White's king has invaded the enemy camp.
In this case White's task is considerably harder. We must realize that Black cannot take his bishop away from the b l -h7 diagonal, and also, his king cannot move away too far from the e6 square, or the 6.c6 f-pawn immediately dashes forward. White can only win Only now does it become if he is able to push his c clear why the control over pawn to c7. The criterion of the d6 square is so important! the advance of this pawn is 6... �e4 7.c7 wd7 8.�d6! And White wins easily. the control over the d6 square - this plan is realized by White with the following manoeuvre. V�!c71 wdS 2.�b6 we6 3. �aS wdS 4.�b4 we6 s.�a3! .
.
36
Gyula Meszaros
(28) Averbakh
The position in the dia gram is a draw, because the pawns are located on the diagonal of the attacking bi shop (on one diagonal!), and the king also helps to guard the invasion points. 1. wdS wf6 2. wcS we7 3.�g4 wf6 4.wb5 we7 5.wa6 wd8 And White cannot break through the black defence line.
The white king is staying in the enemy camp in vain: his pawns cannot move forward.
l.�g4!
1 957
The trickiest attempt at winning. On 1 . wf5 Black holds his ground with l . . .wd4 2.We6 (The f-pawn must not be pushed because it would fall prey outright to the black forces: 2.f4 We3!) 2 . . . Wc5 3.�e8 �c7! (A gross blunder would be 3 . . . wb6? as after 4.wf5 ! Wc5 5.f4 wd4 6.wg5 we4 7.f5 the f pawn would thread its way through the h2-b8 diagonal.) 4.wd7 wb6.
The white pawns are con trolled by the black bishop on one diagonal and it is assisted in its work by its monarch, too.
Black is also on the look out, since every other move would be losing for him:
(29) Cheron
l ... �c71
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
l . . .�d6? 2.
2.ws wd4 3.we6 wcS 4.wd7
wb6 And the black fortress is as firm as a rock.
(30) Gy. Mes zaros 2002
37
zugzwang: l .�c3 �h3 2.�e5 �c8 3.\!ie7 wc6 4.wf6 wdS 5 . wg5 we4 6.wg6! Zugzwang, which is often brought about with the aid of king triangu lation, a frequent weapon in pawn endings. 6 . . . �d7 (or 6 . . . wd5 7.5 wxeS 8.f6 �e6 9 . c8\W �xeS 1 0. f7 and the pawn is promoted to queen.) 7.wf6 wdS 8.we7 wc6 9.wd8 and White wins. 1... wc6 2. wf6 wd5 3. wgS
we4 4.�d2r
If we push the pawns one sqare forward, then the black bishop will not have enough space to make its waiting moves. Black is soon to get into zugzwang, which results in his loss of the game.
l.we7 White can choose another way to put his opponent into
Zugzwang.
4 ... �d7 Whatever Black plays, he is obliged to damage his posi tion: 4 . . . �h3 5 .wf6 wd5 6.5; 4 ... �5 S .wf6 �c8 6.we7 wdS
Gyula MesZiiros
38
7.wd8; 4 . . . �e6 s .wf6 wds 6.5 and White wins in both vari ations.
5.wf6 wd5 6.we7 wc6 7.wd8
And Black is compelled to put an end to further resist ance.
(31) Berger - Koderman Arkhangelsk 1 948
White's position looks hope less, but with exact defence he can still hold his own. In the event of split pawns, when the distance between them is two squares and one of them is a knight pawn, the position is a draw if the co lour of the defending side's bishop is the same as that of the knight pawn's promotion square.
l.we2 b3 2.wdl wb4 3.�h7 wa3 4.�g6 wb2 On 4 . . . b2 5 .�b 1 would fol low, shutting the black king out.
5.�£71
The threat was 5 . . . wa 1 fol lowed by the advance of the b-pawn.
s ... wa2 6.�e6 wa3 7.�5!
If the black monarch leaves the second rank, the white bishop also has to return to the b 1 -h 7 diagonal. Black cannot get any further: the fortress is impregnable.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
39
(32) Rinck 1916
White - don't forget: it's a study! - naturally does not I n this study, White can fall into the carefully set trap achieve victory because of (3.b8®? �xeSt ! 4.®xe5 and it's the unfortunate position of stalemate ! ) , and is content the black pieces. Yet the solu with a minimal material ad tion is not so easy. vantage just sufficient to win.
Uue4tl
Everything would have been spoiled with l . e6? whereupon Black would es cape after l . . .�c5 2.�d5 wf6 3.b7 �d6 in the same fashion as we saw saw in the previous example.
1...wh6l Black is fighting to his last breath: on the basis of 'every thing is the same' , he sets a witty stalemating trap.
2.b7 �g7 3.b8�!!
3 .. wg5 4.wa2 wf4 s.e6t .
And Black must capitulate.
(33) Cheron 1 958
Gyula Mesziros
40
The colour of the defend ing bishop is opposite to that of the knight pawn's promo tion square. This statement suggests that White is going to achieve the win, yet Black is able to build an unbreak able defence line.
1...we6 2.�b2 wd7 3.bs Nor does White get any further if he leaves his pawn on b4: 3.wb5 �dS 4.wc5 �b7 s .wd4 we6 6.we3 wf5 7.wf2 �c6 8.wg3 �b5 9.wh4 �e8 10. �c3 �bs l l .whs �est 1 2.wh6 �bs 1 3.wg7 we6 1 4.wf8 �c6
3 . . �c4 4.wa5 �d.S s.b6 �b7! .
The black bishop has suc cesfully closed the queen's wing, so the white king tries his luck once more on the kingside. 6. wbs we6 7. wc5 �as s. wd4 �c6 9.�c3 �b7 10.we3 wd.S The simplest.
l l .wf4 �c6
12. �a5 And White could achieve nothing because the black bishop is able (from one diag onal, a4-e8) to keep the b pawn in check and prevent the white monarch from fighting its way over to the queen' s flank.
Or 1 2 .wf5 1 2 . . . wc5 ! 1 3.�d4t Wxd4 1 4.e6 Wc5 1 5 .b7 �xb7 1 6.e7 �c6 and Black has suc cessfully stopped the enemy pawns.
t2 . . we6 13.�c3 wdS .
White is unable to im prove the position of his king
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
without losing one of his pawns, therefore the position is a draw.
(34) Cheron 1 957
In the diagrammed posi tion the white monarch has got hold of the f6 square, which is essential for victory. Black cannot prevent White from pushing his pawn to e7, and this results in his losing the game.
41
follow, and the b-pawn pro motes.
4.e6t we8 5. we5 we7 6. �gSt we8 7.wd6 �c4 8.e7 �d3
White has successfully rea lized the first part of his plan, and now it's the knight pawn's tur:ri to do his bit. 9.wc5 wd7 lO.bs �e2 n .b6
The game is decided: what ever Black plays, the white king invades his position from somewhere (either from the square c7 or £8) . l . ..�fl 2.�c5 �c4 3.�e3 1 1 ... �£3 �b5 On l l . . .�hS 2 .wd5 �e8 1 3. On 3 . . . �d5 4.b5 �c4 5 .b6 weS wc6 1 4.�e3 �hS 1 5 .wf6 �dS 6.�c5 ! (the first move of wd7 1 6.�d2 wc6 1 7.�a5 �e8 the manoeuvre bringing vic t s.wg7 �hs I9.w£B wd7 20.b7; tory!) 6 . . . �c4 7.�b4 �b3 8.�a5 On l l . . .�a6 1 2.wd5 �b7t �dS 9.e6t ! �xe6 1 0.b7 would 1 3.we5 �£3 1 4.wf6 we8 (or
Gyula Mesdros
42
1 4 . . . �d5 1 5 .b7! �xb7 1 6.<1>£7 �dS t 1 7.<1>£8 and the e-pawn is queened.) 1 5 .
e6 �b7 16. d6 would win.
12.d4 e8 13.e5 d7 There i s nothing else, otherwise 1 4.d6 and 1 5 .c7 would follow. 14.:ffi �hS The last straw. On 14 . . . �d5 1 5 .b7 �xb7 1 6.<1>£7 would fol low whilst 1 4 . . . e8 is met by 1 5 .e6 and White wins in the already well-known manner.
neously control the c7 square as well. It is necessary to remark that there is another manoeuvre to meet this requirement: 1 8.�f4! c6 1 9 . �c7 d7 20.�d8 and White wms.
18 ... c6 19.�a5 d7 20.b7
And the pawn is queened.
(35) Jones - L. Edmonson USA 1 983
15.g7 c6 16.�e3 d7 17. fB �g6 18.�d21
The final redeployment, deciding all. White must de fend his knight pawn in such a way that he should simulta-
With his unfortunately placed bishop on a7, it is not simple for White to increase his advantage to a decisive extent.
l.e6t
It seems that there is no better, because after l .�b8
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
wc8 2 . rj)_c7 wd7 3.rj)_d6 wc6 4.rj)_c7 (or 4.rj)_c5 WxcS 5 . e6 wxb6 6.e7 rj)_c6 and it's a draw.) 4 . . . wd7 s .r;;_b8 wc6 6. rj)_a7 wd7 White has to push the e-pawn anyway.
l ...we8? Black does not seize the opportunity to save the game to a draw. Equally losing was l . . .r;;_xe6? 2 .b7 and l . . .wc6? 2 . e7 wd7 3.b7! rj)_xb7 4.wf7. And if l . . .wd8?, then 2.e7t we8 3. weS rj)_b7 4.wd6 wins. The so lution would have been 1 . . . wc8! but t o make such a 'bold' move it does no harm to know the endgame below.
(36) Paulsen - Metzger Nuremberg 1 888
43
Owing to the wrong cor ner square it is not easy to convert the advantage , but with exact play White can still achieve victory.
t.wd4!
In the game l .wc4? hap pened, and after l . . .bSt ! 2 . axb6t wb7 3.wb5 wa8 4.rj)_b8 Wxb8 5 . Wc6 Wc8 the game ended in a draw. Just as bad is l .wc5? in view of l . . .b6t 2. axb6t wb7. So it is by all means necessary for White to manoeuvre in such a way that Black cannot get rid of his 'harmful' pawn! L.wc6 On l . . .b5 2 .a6! b4 3.wc4 b3 4.wxb3 wc6 5 .wc4 would fol low and the black monarch cannot attack the white pawn.
2.rj)_b6 wd6 3.wc4 wc6 4.wb4 wd6 5.wb5 wd7 6.wc5 weB 7. rj)_a71 (Diagram)
Of course, the black king must no be allowed to go into the corner.
Gyula Meszaros
44
And Black resigned. His decision was justified, for Black is entirely helpless against White's plan. For example:
5 ... �g2 6.e7 �f3 7.�d8 �g2 s.wc7 7... wc7 The b-pawn cannot move. 7 . . . b6t is met by 8.Wxb6; and if 7 . . . b5 then 8.a6 would de cide.
8.wb5 wd7 9.�b8 weB 10. �f4 wd7 1 1 .wb6 wc8 12.�g3 And Black loses his last fighter - and the game as well. With knowledge of this endgame, it is not so hard to find the move l . . .Wc8! in the previous example. All Black has to do is take his king to b7 and sacrifice his bishop for the e-pawn. As White is un able to thwart this plan, the position is drawn. But let's re turn to the game!
2.weS �b7 3.wd6 �as 4.�b8 �b7 s.�c7
And White wins easily. We might say that everything is all right, yet we would be greatly mistaken if now we regarded the affair as closed!
(37) Gy. Mes zaros 2000
It is White's turn to move, and (yet) he wins. I had two reasons why my doubts have not dispelled in connection with the fact that this posi tion might perhaps be won
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
after all. The first was that the white king has got hold of the f6 square required to achieve the win. My second reason was that in accordance with the general endgame princi ples, White must bring his bishop to c7 (that is, he must improve its position) , and the solution must be sought only after this program is complet ed!
l.�b8! wc6 2:�c7 wd7
A position in which zug zwang seems to be mutual. White's bishop cannot freely manoeuvre. The solution is simple, and we had already seen it in preceding examples as well: zugzwang with a king triangulation!
45
3.wtsr This is the plan that es caped both the players' and the analyst's attention. 3 ... �e6t No better is 3 . . . �c4 4.�d6 wc6 5 .�c5 ! (the white bishop has broken loose !) 5 . . . wd7 6. �b4 �b3 7.wf6 �c4 8.�a5 ! �d5 9.e6t, nor 3 . . . we7 4.�d6t wd7 5 .�c5 wc6 6.�d4 wd7 7.wf6. 4.wgS! �d.S s.wf61 And White has succeeded in leaving his opponent with the move. Now Black can only damage his position, which means White's victo ry. The key to the solution once more is: a.) One of the . general endgame principles: the Law of Patience (increase the strength of your pieces to maximum before the decisive manoeuvre ! ) ; b.) Zugzwang can be created not only by moving the bishop, but by moving the king as well ( tri angulation) .
Gyula Meszliros
46
(38) Usitsin 1 956
The distance between the pawns is two squares, and the corner is wrong for White. It it were White's move , he would win easily. For exam ple: l .wb6 wd7 2. wa7 �g2 3. wb8, and for the 'bad' pawn Black is compelled to give up his bishop, but Black is to play.
l ... wd7 2.d5 we7 Black can only move his king, yet he does not fall into zugzwang because the three tasks ( 1 : to protect the d5 pawn; 2: to constantly control the b8 square; 3: to put the king on e6) are beyond White's power.
3.wd4 wd7 4.�b8 wc8 5.�d6 wd8
According to Lisitsin only this move ensures the draw, but in fact Black can also hold his own after 5 . . . wd7 6.we5
. . �c6 ! ! Grandmaster Ber kes' move. (6 . . . wd8? would of course lose to 7 .we6 wc8 8.�f4 wd8 9.d6 �c6 1 0.a7 �d7t 1 1 . wd5) 7.�c5 �a8. 6
.
6.we4 wc8 7.we5 wd7 8.�b8 wc8 9.�a7 wd7 10.�b6 wc8 And White cannot Im prove his position.
(39) E. Bhend P. Leepin -
Luzern 1 954 In the next example the corner is good, but the white bishop does not have a long enough diagonal to take part effectively in the proceed ings.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
47
(40) Averbakh 1 979
V�bS After l .�d3 wb6 2.�e2 wc7 White, if he wants to achieve anything, must play 3.�b5 .
l ...�b4 2.�c6 wb6 3.�b5 wc71
Too simple for Black to fall for is 3 . . . wxb5?? 4.a7 and the a-pawn promotes.
4.�c6 wb6 5.�b7 wc7
And it's a draw because White has no useful move to improve his position.
If we transfer the white king from e6 to bS , Black can not avoid defeat.
1.�£3! �d6
2.d6t was threatened.
2.�e4 Zugzwang: Black cannot stop the white pawn from ad vancing to d7 and the white king from marching to e8.
2 ... �g3 3.d6t wbs 4.d7 �h4 5.wc6 wa7 6.�d3 �d8 7.wd6 wb8 8.we6 �h4 9.wfl wc7 10. weB �gs 1 I .�e4 (Diagram) After this move the game is as good as over.
11 ... wb6 12.�b7 wc7 13. �c8
Gyula Mesziros
48
If we transfer the black bishop to e3, the position is already an easy draw.
t.wc4 wd6 2.wd3 �b6 3.we4 �a7 4.�£3 �b6 5.1!75 we7 6. we5 Or 6.�g2 �a7 and Black is also waiting.
6 ... �c7t 7.wd4 �b6t 8.wc4
The position in the dia- wd6 9.wb5 �a7 gram is practically identical And the black fortress is position the with final of impregnable. Cheron's earlier study (see example 34) . The only differ(42) Speelman ence is that here we pushed the pieces to the left by one file. This small alteration is of no significance, as here, too, Black cannot avoid defeat.
(41) Gy. Mes zaros 2008
The pawns are separated by three squares, and still White cannot win due to his b-pawn having advanced too far ahead.
twa wgSI
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
Black cannot allow the white king to go over to his own kingside (to the hS square ) , because then he would lose. For example: 1 . . . {j;_c7? 2.wg4 {j;_b8 (or 2 . . . wg7 3. wgs {j;_dst 4.f6t l
49
2.{j;_c8 {j;_c7 3.we4 wf6 4.wd5 {j;_h2 5.wc6 we7 6.wb6 {j;_b8 And it's a draw, because the white monarch is unable to break into the enemy camp.
(43) Gy. Mes zaros 2000
4 . . . {j;_rl6t S.W£5 and White wins.) 3.wh5 {j;_f4 4.{j;_c8 {j;_c7 (on 4...wf7 5.wg4 {j;_c7 6. wg5 {j;_d8t 7 .f6! White is breaking through Black's defence line.) s .wh6 {j;_bs 6.wh7 wf7 7.{j;_e6t wf6 s.wgB {j;_d6 9.{j;_c8!
And Black is in zugzwang which results in his losing.
The only (but extremely important!) difference in com parison to the previous posi tion is that White's knight pawn has not yet advanced to the seventh rank. The fact that Black is unable to close the way before the enemy monarch is a decisive factor. l.wdS we7 2.wc6 (j;_e5 3.wb7
{j;_d4 Or 3 . . . wd8 4.wa8 and Black
50
Gyula Mesdros
has to give up his bishop for the b-pawn. 4.wc7 �eSt 5.wc8 And White wins.
(44) Speelman
White's task is to help one of his pawns to move for ward, but Black is - at least for the time being - holding fast. l.�c8 Black is in zugzwang. He is at a crossroads: he either moves away from the central squares, or he allows the white king to penetrate his position. t...wf7 The other option, as we have just remarked, would have been for Black to stop
controlling the h6 square and let the white king in his camp. For example: l . . .�b6 2. wh6 �d4 3.wh7 wf7 4.�e6t wf6 S. wg8 �cS On S . . . we7 6. �b3 weB (on 6 . . . wf6 7.�c2 we7 8.�e4 weB 9.�dS we7 1 0.�e6 �b6 l l .wg7 �d4t 1 2.wg6 �cS 1 3.�c4 �d4 1 4.�d3 wins.) 7.wh7 we7 8. wg6 Zugzwang: Black is ob liged to give free way to one of the white pawns. 8 . . . wd7 9.f6 wd6 1 0.£7 we7 l l .b6! �eS (or l l . . .�xb6 1 2.wg7 �d4t 1 3. wg8 and the pawn is queened.) 1 2 .b7 wf8 1 3.wf5 �b8 1 4.we6 and White wins. 6.�c8
Zugzwang. 6 . . . We7 (or 6 . . . �b6 7.wf8 IileS 8.�e6 wd6 9 . w£7 IileS 1 0.�d7 wd6 l l .�c6 IileS 1 2.wg6 �dB 1 3.�g2 and Black loses because of the
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
zugzwang.) 7.wg7 �d4t 8.wg6 wd8 9.�e6 we7 IO.�c4 and one of the white pawns lunges forward.
51
position White can emerge victorious. l.�d7 wf3 Black has to take care of four (!) things at the same time: 2.wg4 we7 On 2 . . . �b6 3.wf4 wf6 4.we4 1) to prevent the f-pawn from We7 S .wdS would follow, and rushing forward; 2) to keep the white monarch presses the b-pawn from reaching forward to assist his b-pawn. the promotion square; 3) to hinder the white king from 3.�e6 Zugzwang: Black is now going to dS ; 4) to hinder the unable to prevent the white white king from going to hS. king from occupying the g6 He is of course unable to meet all these requirements, but or dS square. 3 ... wf6 4.wf3 �b6 s.we4 we7 long and stubborn resistance in a tournament game often 6. wdS eats away the opponent's And White wins. strength. White's task would have been facilitated both by (45) Speelman L .W£2?! 2.wh2 wf3 3.wh3 �f6 4.b6 wf4 5 .b7 �eS 6.f6 and one of the pawns promotes; and l . .. �eS 2.Wgl ! (of course not 2.b6? wf4 3.wg2 wgS 4.wf3 �d4! 5.b7 �eS and Black has the already well-known drawn position.) 2 . . . �d4t 3.wfl wf3 4.�e6! Zugzwang. 4 . . . �e5 5 . b6! wf4 6.we2! wgs 7.wd3 and White gets hold of the dS Even from this cramped square.
Gyula Meszaros
52
2.wh2 �f6 3.wh3 Threatening 4.b6. 3. . wf4 Black would have fallen into zugzwang after 3 . . . �d8 4.�e6! and after 4 . . . wf4 5.wg2 the white monarch would seize one of the two squares (d5 , h5) of key importance. .
7... �e5 On 7 . . . �c5 8.f6! we5 9.f7 wf6 1 0.�e8 and White wins. 8.wf2 �d4t 9.we2 we4 10.
�e6 �c5 l l.�c8 wf4
4.wg2 �d4 s.�e6 �c5 6.�c81 Of course not 6.f6? we5 , and o n account o f the double attack the pawn is lost.
6... �d4 or 6 . . . wg4 7.�d7 wgs s.w£3 wf6 9.we4 we7 l O.wdS and White has taken hold of the d5 square.
7.�d7l
Zugzwang.
Black can continue in sev eral ways, but with the text move he can 'last' the longest. For example: l l . . .�d6 1 2 .b6! (After 1 2.f6? we5 1 3.f7 wf6 the f-pawn is lost.) 1 2 . . . we5 (or 12 . . . wf4 1 3.wd3! and the white king invades on the queenside .) 1 3 .wf3! wf6 1 4. wg4 and the h5 square is secured; l l . . .�b6 1 2 .f6 wd5 1 3.f7 �c5 1 4.b6 Wc6 1 5 .b7; l l . . .�d4 1 2.�d7! Zugzwang. 1 2 . . . �e5 (On 1 2 . . . wf4 1 3.wd3 wes 1 4.f6! wins.) 1 3.b6 wf4
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
1 4.wd3! and in each variation White tips the scales in his favour.
12.wd3
It was still possible to botch everything by impa tiently pushing the b-pawn, for example: 1 2.�d7 �e7 1 3. b6? l!lgS ! 1 4.wd3 �cS ! 1 5.b7 �d6 1 6.we4 �bs 1 7.\!lds wf6 and this drawn position is all too familiar to us.
12 ... \!leS 13.�e6! Zugzwang. 13 .. �b6 Or 1 3 . . . �e7 1 4.wc4 wd6 1 5 . wd4 �d8 1 6.we4 we7 1 7.wf4 wf6 1 8.wg4 and the white monarch walks comfortably over to the hS square. .
14.we2!
53
It took the white king 1 4 ( ! ) moves to get from the cor ner (h 1 ) to e2, which is only three squares away. At first hearing this may not seem a great achievement, yet it is at this point that the game takes a quick turn. Black has to make a choice: which inva sion point is he to leave unguarded?
14... \!lffi On 14 . . . wf4 1 5 . f6 ! we5 1 6. f7 �cS 1 7 .b6 l!lxe6 1 8 .b7 would follow, and White pro motes a pawn to queen.
15.\!l£3 we5 16.wg4 wffi
16 . . . �e3 would be followed by 1 7.�b3 �b6 1 8.\!lgS �c7 1 9. wg6 �dB 20.�c4 wd4 2 1 .f6 l!lxc4 22.f7 �e7 23.b6.
17.wh5
Or 1 7.wf4 followed by we4, and White has successfully realised his plan.
Gyula Meszaros
54
(46) Averbakh 1 950
42) doesn't work, as after 5 . . . �xf5t 6.wf4 �c8 the de fending bishop can return and prevent the other pawn from being promoted to queen.
(47) Speelman
If we push back the pawns vertically by one square , Black's task will be even easier. t .we3 Or l .wc5 we6 2.wb5 wf5 3. wc5 we6 4.�b8 �a8 and White cannot break through on the queen's wing. t ...�c6 2.w£2 wg4! And White is compelled to come to terms with the draw. Mind you, Black has another option to successfully fight back the enemy monarch: 2 . . . ii!?g6 3.wg3 �b7 4.wg4 �cst and now the analogous chess giving with 5.f5t we saw in Speelman's study (example
White's play is given: his king must break through on the king's wing. t.w£31 �d7 Black is compelled to wait passively, since the sequel l . . .we6 2.wg4 wf6t 3.wh5 ; or 1 . . .�f5 2. wg3 we4 3.�d6 wd5 4.�c7 wc4 S .�a5 would only be grist to White's mill.
2.wg3 we4 (Diagram)
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
55
his active king, can calmly start his pawn.
3J!2b6! A clever, prophylactic move which averts any possible rudeness on the black king's part, since on 3.�d6 Black could yet hold with 3 . . . wd5 . 3... �c8 Nor did 3 . . . wfS help in view of 4.Wf3 �b5 5 .We3 and the way toward the centre has opened for the white king. 4.�c7 wf5 S.wf3 �d7 6.we3 And the way is open to the black camp.
I .bs wd7 After l . . .�d3 2.wb6 �e2 3. wc6 the b-pawn is marching on. 2.wb6 �d3 The only move, because 3. Wa7 and then 4.b6 was threatened. 3.waSr
(48) Speelman The following position is in fact a sequel to the previ ous study. White , thanks to
3... wc8
Gyula MeszAros
56
3 . . . �e4 would be met by 4.b6 �b7 5.£5.
4.b6 wb7 s.�c7 wc6 6.wb4
�e4 7.\!?c4 wd7 8.\!?d4 �b7 9.
weS And the white king arrives on e5 just in time.
(49) Speelman
3.�c7 wd7!? It enables a more stubborn resistance than the continua tion 3 . . . \!?e7 4.�b8 l!?e6 5 .�e5 . 4.�b6 we6 After 4 . . . \!?e7 5.�d4 l!?e6 6. �e5 ! we find ourselves in the above-mentioned zugzwang variation.
s.�a7!
A familiar prophylaxis: it is advisable to keep the bishop as far as possible from the black monarch! After 5 .�c7 wd7 6.�b8 l!?e7 7 .�e5 i>e6 White can start it all over agam.
s ... wf5 6.�b8 we6
The white monarch has already broken through on the king's wing. I n consequence of a series of zug zwangs, Black is gradually driven out of his own camp. t.wh6 �d3 2.wg7 we6 No better is 2 . . . �c4 3.�c7 �d3 4.wf7 �c4t 5.\!?e7 �b5 6. �e5 either, and the way to the c5 square is open for the white king.
If 6 . . . �c4, then 7 .�c7 puts Black in zugzwang, in the same way as . . .
7.�e51
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
7... we7 After 7 . . . �£5 8.b5 the on rush of the b-pawn carries the day.
8.wh6! wfl 9.wg5 we6 10. �b8! The ousting is over: one of the pawns starts, and this means victory for White.
(50) Speelman
With the knowledge of the previous three examples we might draw the (erroneus!) conclusion that White will also achieve the win in the position seen in the diagram. But at the proper moment Black can force the b-pawn to b6, while successfully fight-
57
ing back the white monarch's attempts at breaking through on the kingside. The aim is to take up the positional drawn position (fortress) presented by Averbakh.
l...�dS!!
Only at first sight looks good l . . .�bS? as after 2 .
2 ... w5 3.wh4 �fl! (Diagram) The simplest. Also leading to draw is 3 . . . �£3! 4.�c7 �e2 5.wg3 �d l 6.�e5 �hS (a gross blunder would be 6 . . . we4??,
58
Gyula Meszaros
(51) Cheron
because after 7.b5 �e2 8.b6 �a6 9.wg4 White would in vade Black's position.) 7.b5 (or 7.wf2 we4) 7 . . . �e8 8.b6 �c6 9.wh4 wg6 I O.wg4 �d7t.
4.b5
Or 4.wg3 �ds s .w£2 we4, and we are in the same posi tion where we started from.
4... wg6r s.b6 On 5.wg4 �e6t 6.wf3 w£5 7.we3 �d7 8.b6 �c6 9.wd4 �b7 l O.wcS we6 keeps the balance.
If we push the Averbakh study seen in example 46 one square to the left, we have the position seen in the diagram. Here, too, the distance bet ween the pawns is three squares, the comer is good, and the space on the kingside is too great for Black to be able to hinder the white mo narch from a "friendly" visit.
l.wd3 wf4 2.we2 �b6 3.wn s ... �d5 6.wg4 �e6t 7.wf3 �a7 4. wg2 �b6 �dSt 8. we3 wf5 The logical-looking 4 . . . wg4 And it is a draw because Black has successfully taken up the fortress presented in Averbakh's study (see exam ple 46) .
would be followed by S .eS ! w£5 6.e6, and with the e-7 pawn threatening to promote Black's problems would only multiply.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
59
s.wh3 �£2 6.�b7 wgs 7.�c6 wf4 After 7 . . . �a7 8.�d5 (and then 9.e5) 8 . . . wf4 9.wh4 White fights his way through Black's defence line. 8.�d5 �e3 Or 8 . . . wg5 9.e5 w£5 1 0.e6 wf6 l l .wg4 we7 1 2.wf5 �d4 1 3.�g2 !
An important bishop ma noeuvre which is worth im pessing on your mind. 13 . . . wd6 1 4.�h3 we7 (On 1 4 . . . �b6 1 5 .wf6 would be decisive. ) 1 5 .we4 �a7 1 6.wd5 and now it is on the queenside that the white king invades the ene my camp.
9.wh4 weS lO.whS wf6 l l.�b7 �a7 12.wh6 �b6 13. wh7 �d4 After 1 3 . . . Wf7 1 4.�d5t wf6 1 5 .wg8 �cS 1 6.�b7!
1 6 . . . wg6 1 7.�c8 wf6 1 8.�£5 Black would get into a mortal zugzwang. t4.wgs �cS Or 14 . . . we7 1 5 .�d5 �a7 16. eS and the advance of the e pawn would result in White's victory.
15.�d5 weS 16.wf7 wd6 t7.wf6 And White wins.
(52) Cheron 1 954
Gyula MeszAros
60
In case of pawns separated by four or more squares, the defending side can only hope to achieve a draw if there is also an edge pawn on the board, the corner is bad for the attacking side, and the defending king can flee to this corner. That's what the next two studies will be about. The white king ought to get to a l , but, incompre hensibly, he sets out for the other direction . . . t.w£4! �e2 Neither is l . . .a2 any better as after 2.�d4 �e2 3.we3 �d l 4.wd2 g3 S.wc l ! (The insolent bishop is of course taboo) 5 . . . g2 6.wb2 the white mo narch arrives just in time.
2.�d41 wb7 3.we31
Only now does White's first move become clear: the black bishop forced to e2 can be attacked with tempo by the white king on his way to the a l square. 3... �bs 4.wd2 g3 s.wc2 g2
6.wbt
And the white king has arrived at the corner. It seems to be a transposition if White begins with 1 . �d4? (instead of l .wf4) , yet it actually loses because of l . . .wc7! (of course not l . . .a2? in view of 2.wf4!) 2.wf4 �c8! (on 2 ... �e2? 3.we3! White would escape in the same manner seen in the main variation) 3.we3 a2 4. wd2 wc6! 5 .wc2 wdS ! 6.�f6 (or 6.wd3 g3 and Black wins) g3 7.wb2 g2 and the g-pawn pro motes. White missed the tempo he won by attacking the e2 bishop (now the black bishop covered the g4 pawn from c8!), so the black king was able to chase away the white bishop from d4.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
(53) Cheron
(54) Zaitsev - Lutikov
1 954
Soviet Union 1 976
61
For those who have stud ied the typical positions of the connected rook and t.wgS! knight pawns, it will be no Faulty is l .wf4? as after 1 . . . problem to find the proper a 2 2 .we3 h 4 3.wd2 h 3 one of defending setup. the black pawns is queened. l.�e8! wgS 2.�fl �el 3.�e8 l ... �e2 2.wf4 �b4 4.�fl W£5 5.�e8 �d6 6. And not 2.�f6? a2 3.wf4 h4 �d7t wf6 7.�es wg7 s.we4 4.we3 h3 S.wf2 �g4 and Black wh6 9.�fl wg5 to.wa wh6 n. wms. we4 gS 2 ...h4 3.we3 �b5 Sooner or later Black has Or 3 . . . �c4 4.wd2 h3 s .wc l to decide to push the pawns. �a2 6.wc2 wb7 7.wc3 �c4 (or t2.wf5! 7 . . . wc6 s.wb4) s.wc2 ! �d3t (Diagram) 9.wb3 and drawn. 4.wd2 h3 5.wc2 And White is taking up And it's a draw. the defending position introIn order to escape success fully, White adopts the plan seen in the previous example.
62
Gyula Meszm-os
he would successfully take up the drawn position after 1 . w£2 ! whS 2.�e7 g4 3.we3 g3 4.wf4!, but Black is to play first.
1 ... wg31 2.�c7t
Naturally, Black could not take the gS pawn: 2.�xg5? h3 and Black wins.
2... wh3 3.wf2 duced by Tarrasch (see exam ple 1 4) .
1 2. . .g4 13/��eB g3 14. �c6 h4 15.wg4 �e7 And Black, admitting that further attempts are sense less, offered peace to his op ponent. ¥.r¥.z
(55) Sillye - Karakas Sinaia 1 960
White is getting ahead of the developments, as passive waiting would result in a quick capitulation, e.g. : 3.�b8 g4 4.�c7 g3 s .�d6 wg4 6.�c7 h3 and Black wins easily.
3 ...g4 4.we3 g3 5.wf4 g21 6.�b6 wh2 7.wg4 h3 s.wh4 "Catch 22" - one would think, but Black has not shot his bolt yet.
8...g11!!1 1 1
If it were White's move,
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
A magnificent vacating sac rifice (g2 square) , after which White falls into a mortal zug zwang! (For the sake of his torical fidelity it must be re marked that in the game 8 . . . �f3 9.�c5 g l ® ! ! occurred, and it is also a fact that Black could have made the move g l ® ! ! as early as the sixth move. )
9.�xgtt wg2! to.wg4 �aS n.wh4 �£3!
Zugzwang. 12.a8® �:taB 13.wg4 �b7
t4.wh4 �£3! The last, decisive , stab. White resigned.
(56) Pines Voronkov -
Soviet Union 1 957
63
White ought to defend against the advance of the g pawn, but in case of Black's accurate play this plan is inexecutable. l.�c5 In the game l .Wg l occur red, and after l . . .�c4 2.wh2 a) 2.wg2 �dSt 3.wf2 w5 ; b) 2.wf2 w5 3.�c5 g4 4.wg2 �dSt 5 .wh2 wgS 6.�e7t whS 7.�d6 g3t 8.�xg3 hxg3t 9. Wxg3 �b3; c) 2.�c5 wh3 3.�e7 g4 4. w£2 g3t s .wf3 g2 6.�cs wh2 7.wg4 h3 8 . wh4 g l ® ! ! and Black wins in all variations. 2 . . . Wh5 3.�£2 g4 and White capitulated. The text move was given an exclamation mark by the analysts, as the only continuation leading to draw, but in reality after . . . l . . �c4! White cannot save his position. A gross blunder would be l . . . whS? 2 .wg l �c4 3.wf2 g4 4.we3 g3 (or 4 . . . h3 5 .�d6 wh4 6.wf2 and the posi tion is equal. ) 5 .wf4! and .
Gyula Meszaros
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White has successfully brought about the already well-known drawn position.
endgame conduct. In fact, none of them (neither the players nor the author) were aware of the niceties of the diagrammed position.
2.wg2 Or 2.0.e7 0.d5 ! 3.0.d8 (3.\!?gl l!?g3! This must have escaped the analysts attention. 4.0.xg5 h3 and the h-pawn pro motes.) 3 . . . \!?hS 4.\!?gl g4 5.1!?£2 g3t 6.\!?e3 h3 and the h-pawn cannot be arrested. 2 ... 0.d5t 3.wf2 wh3 And Black wins.
(57) Charousek - Suechting Berlin 1 897 In his book Vegjatekiskola (Endgame School) Jeno Ban praises White for his virtuosic
t.0.d2 wf5 2.wt2 0.d3 3.g4t l!?g6 4.\!?g3 f5 5.h4?! An unnecessarily commit ting move which does not provide an opportunity for the opponent to err. With his connected h-g pawns, White can only win if he is able to keep his b2 pawn from being exchanged (the a8 corner is bad!), but the life of the b2 pawn is in Black's hands. Black should not trust in his d4 pawn ever playing a lead ing role in this performance,
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
therefore he ought to have played c4-c3 long ago, getting rid of White's only dangerous piece. Instead of 5.h4?!, a bit more cunning would have been 5 .h3 as after s . . . fxg4? 6.hxg4 c3 7.bxc3 dxc3 8.�xc3 �c4 9.f4 �e6 l O.�aS �d7 1 1 . �d8 �e6 1 2 .�h4 �d7 1 3.
65
the bl-h7 diagonal in order that, exploiting White's pos sible error, it can sacrifice itself on g6 for the white kingside pawns. But this statement is faulty for several reasons. The first is that Black can hold the balance even without sacrificing his bish op, and to do this, he must attack the pawns from the rear (that is to say, 6 . . . �e2 de serves no question mark but an exclamation mark!). The second reason is that first Black has to get rid of the b2 pawn, and only then sacrifice his bishop. Otherwise White will take on c3 with his bish op, simplifying for a totally won pawn ending.
Gyula M�szaros
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7.h5t wh7?1 It does not lose yet, but it is obvious that Black has no idea about what he should play for. The solution is very simple, only you must know Tarrasch' position: 7 . . wf7 8. wf4 c3! 9.bxc3 dxc3 10.�xc3 �d 1 1 l .Wf5 �e2 1 2.Wg5 �d 1 1 3.wh4 ·�e2 1 4.g5 we6 1 5 .g6 w£5 and it's a draw. But let's not be wholly unjust, because this game was played 24 years before the publication of Tarrasch' study! s.wh4 �d17 Black is throwing away the half-point. He could still have escaped after 8 . . . �£3! 9.wg3 a) No better is 9.g5
�b2t wh6 20.g7 wh7 and Black would build up the fortress again; 9 . . . �d 1 1 0.wf4 wg7 1 1 .<1?£5 wfl 1 2.wg5 c3 1 3.bxc3 dxc3 1 4.�xc3 �e2 and Black takes up the proper defending posi tion. But the pawn sac with R .. c3? would have been pre mature yet, for after 9.bxc3 dxc3 1 0.�xc3 �d1 1 l .g5 �c2 12.�e5 ! (on the impatient 1 2 . g6t? �xg6 1 3.hxg6t Wxg6 1 4. wg4 wf7 1 5 .<1?£5 we7 1 6.we5 wd7 1 7.wd5 wc7 1 8 .wc5 wb7 the black king would have fleed to the comer.) 1 2 . . . �d3 and only now 1 3.g6t �xg6 1 4.hxg6t wxg6 1 5 .wg4 wf7 1 6.<1?£5 we7 1 7 .we4 wd7 1 8.wd5 Wc8 19. Wc6 and Black would have lost on account of the zugzwang.
9.gs wg7 On 9 . . . �c2 1 0.�f4 �e4 1 1 . �eS c3 1 2 . bxc3 d3 1 3 .�f4 White wins in the same fash ion we'll see at the end of the game.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
1o.g6 wf6 l l .�gSt wg7
67
13 ... d31
The move giving most prac A sad awakening. After 1 1 . . .\l'l£5 1 2.g7 the pawn would tical chances. After 1 3 . . . dxc3 promote . Only now does it 1 4.\!lgS c2 (or 1 4 . . . �xh5 1 5 . turn out that the pawn sacri �f6t wg8 1 6.wxh5 c 2 1 7.�b2 fice with c4-c3 would not and the white bishop collars only have liquidated the b2 the black pawn.) the c-pawn pawn but it would also have would reach the promotion opened the diagonal a2-g8, square with check, but the indispensable to survive. only trouble is that Black is 12.�e7 checkmated. 1 5 .h6t wg8 1 6. And Black resigned. Though h7t wg7 1 7.�f6t wfB 1 s.hB®#. objectively the position is los 14.�g5 �a 1s.�d2 wf6 16. ing, Black could still have c4!! tried to resist with . . .
12 ...c3 White can only win in a study-like manner:
13.bxc3 On 1 3.wg5? �xh5 ! 1 4.�f6t wg8 1 5 .�xd4 (A terrible blun der would be 1 5 .bxc3?? as af ter 1 5 . . . d3! Black would win!) 1 5 ... cxb2 1 6.�xb2 �e2; And if 1 3 .�c5?, then 1 3 . . . cxb2 1 4. wgS (or 1 4.�xd4t wh6 1 5 . �xb2 �xh5 1 6.g7 � f7 and drawn.) 1 4 . . . �xh5 1 5 .�xd4t wg8 1 6.�xb2 �e2 would fol low with an equal position.
A splendid breakthrough on the basis of the principle "create as distant passed pawns as possible". The d2 bishop restrains the enemy infantry men on one diagonal, what's
Gyula Meszaros
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more, it covers its own, new ly-born, passed pawn on a4. 16 ...bxc4 17.�c3t w£5 18.
a4 �dS 19.a5 �b7 20.g7 Also winning is 20.a6 d2 2 l .�xd2 c3 22.axb7 cxd2 23. b8® dl® 24.®f8t We6 25.®f7t WeS 26.g7 but White needn't take unnecessary risks. 20. . �d5 2l .a6 d2 The only move, or else one of the white pawns will be queened. .
22.�d2 Q;>f6 23.�c3t wfl 24.wg5 wgs 2s.wf6 wh7 26.we5 And White wins easily even without the hS pawn.
1-0
(58) Portisch - Acs HUN Team ch 2002
Here the players were al ready inside their last five minutes. White's plan is this: l .eSt WxeS 2.e7 �xe7 3.�£7 �cS 4.�xh5 wf5 5 . �e8 we6 (the threat was 6.�d7t) 6.�c6 �d4 7.�b7 �c3 (7 . . . Wd7 is met by 8.�e2) 8.�c8t WeS 9.�xg4, exchanging his doubled e pawns for a connected pair of h-g passed pawns. l .eSt Wxe5 In the game, the young grandmaster of Paks played l . . . Wg7? and after 2 .�c6 �e7 3 .�e8 wh6 4.�£7 he was quickly compelled to resign, whereas the position was ac tually an easy draw. All Black has to do is bravely enter into his opponent's intention, that is to say:
2.e7 �e7 3.�f7 �cS 4.� Q;>£5 s.�e8 we6 6.�c6 �d4 7. �b7 �c3 8.�c8t weS 9.�xg4
(Diagram) We returned to the begin ning of our analysis. What we must know about the dia grammed position is that it is
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
69
And now White can no longer win!
to.�dt wf6 n . �c2 we5 t2.wf3 wf6 t3.wg4 �f2 t4.wh3 we5 15.g4
If White wants to get any further, he must play g4.
15 ... wf4 16.g5 �el 17.g6 �c3 18.h5 wg5 19.�dl a5 20. a draw, independently of the wg3 wh6 2t.wf4 wg7 22.wfS existence of the queenside �d2 23. we6 �h6 24. wd7 �gS pawns. In his 1 92 1 study 25.wc6 wh6 26.wbs �dB (example 1 4) , Tarrasch shows the proper defence. It doesn't make any differ ence if White tries to hinder his opponent's plan: 9.wf2 We4 1 0.�xg4 �d4t 1 1 .We2 �e5 1 2 .wf2 �d4t 1 3.wg2 �c3 1 4. �f3t We3 1 5 .g4 �e 1 and we are in the main variation.
9... �el l
And White cannot im prove his position. It is a part of the story that while the two grandmasters were strug gling with each other, a live ly debate evolved in the cor ridor among the players of the two teams, trying to guess whether or not the position could be won. To pass judge ment on it, the choice imme diately fell on me as an "ex pert", and when after a short think I declared that the posi tion was a "dead draw", just very few people believed me. Nor did even the two grand masters for a while during the post mortem analysis! . . .
Gyula M�szaros
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(59) Waltlier - Fischer Zurich 1 959
It is seemingly of no signif icance which pawn of his White pushes first; the crite rion of achieving the win is that the b-pawn should reach the sixth rank.
l .b4! In the game followed: 1 . a4? wc7 2.b4 wb8! (On 2 . . . �f4? 3.wa6 wd6 4.b5 wc5 5 .b6 wb4 6.�d 1 would come with deci sive force.) 3.a5 (or 3.wa5 wa7 4.b5 �c7t s .wb4 �d6t 6.wc4 wb6 and Black has successful ly blocked the enemy pawns.) 3 ... wa7 4.wc4 (on 4.wa4 �g3 5 .b5 �c7 6.�d5 �d8 7.wb4 �c7 8.b6t �xb6 9.axb6t wxb6 10.
wc4 wc7 1 l .wd4 wd6 1 2 .we4 we7 1 3.wf5 wf8 1 4.wg6 we7 Black would hold the bal ance, since the white mo narch could win the h4 pawn only at the expense of letting the black king into the cor ner.) 4 . . . �g3 5.wb3 �e 1 6.wa4 �d2 7.�h5 �e 1 8.b5 �£2 9.�e2 �e3 1 0.wb3 �d2 !
1 l .b6t wb7 1 2.wa4 (or 1 2 . �f3t wa6 1 3 .b7 wa7 and drawn.) 12 . . . wc6 1 3.�b5t wc5 1 4.�e8 �e 1 . The position in Tarrasch' study has been brought about. Now Black can hold his position even without a piece sacrifice, so a draw was agreed. l ..wc7 2.wa5 wb8 It is hard to give any ad vice because Black cannot hinder White's plan. ·
.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
3.b5 �cS 4.b6 �a3 s.wa6
Zugzwang.
s ... wc8 6.wa7 �cS 7.a4 �d4 8.a5
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Although this is seemingly a simple position, holding the draw requires Black great accuracy. L.�gt l 2.wh31 The craftiest continuation, as after the other possibility 2.h3 �£2 3. wg4 wg7 4.h4 wf6 S .�c2 �e l - the sides can calmly sign the peace treaty.
2 ... wm
And White wins. Well, the victory of the Swiss chess player against young grand master Bobby Fischer would have depended only on this much !
(60) Korchnoi Pelletier -
Biel 200 1
Incredible as it may seem, this seemingly good - but in fact inconsistent with the basic principles (!) - king move loses. What Black must de fend against is the advance of the g-pawn and not the h pawn, therefore he should have commanded the bishop back to cS : 2 . . . �c5 ! 3.l!?g4 (or 3.g4 �d6 4.\!?g2 �e7 5 .h3 �h4
Gyula M�szaros
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wg7 7.wg3 wf6 s.�c2 �d6t 9. wh4 �f4 l O.whS and now the white pawns get going) 7.wf4 wg7 8.g5 and White's knight pawn has crossed the halfway line, which means victory for him at the same time . ] 4.h4 (White does not get any further either after 4.wh4 7 . . . wh6! (7 . . . wf6? would fail �gl ; or after 4.wf3 �d6 5 . h4 to achieve the desired aim, as �b4 6.g4 �e l ) 4 . . . �£2 s.wh3 after 8.�c2 Black would fall wf6 6.�c2 weS 7.g4 wf4 and into zugzwang. 8 . . . �g5t 9.wg3 Tarrasch' position has been �d2 1 0.wh4) 8.�c2 �d8 and brought about. the fortress has been built 3.g4 wf6 4. wg3 �e3 up.) A bit trickier would have 3 ... wg7 [It is no use striving been 4 . . . �c5 as White can still for repeating moves with 3 . . . err: 5.h4? (5 .wh4! wins easi �gl i n view o f 4.wf3! (to an ly.) s . . . �b4 6.wf4 �d2t 7.we4 easy draw for Black would �e l 8.g5t wg7 9.h5 �d2 1 0 . lead the continuation 4.h4? h6t wh8 and with his bishop �£2 s.wh3 wg7 6.g4 wf6 7.�c2 stranded unhappily on £5, the weS 8.g5 wf4) 4 . . . �c5 5 .g4! white king cannot defend his (Once again White would let gS pawn. the win slip away with 5.h4? 5.�c2 �b4! 6.wf2 - or 6.g4 �e l 7.h5 And of course not 5.h4? in �d2 and the position is even - view of 5 . . . �d2 ! 6 . . . �e7 7.wg2 wg7 s.wh3 wf6 s . �d2 6.wh4! 9.g4 �b4 1 0.�c2 weS l l .gS (Diagram) wf4) 5 . . . �e7 6.h3 �h4 (or 6 . . . 6.wf3 wg7 7.wf4
..
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
73
36.f4!
And Black resigned.
1-0
On 36. h4? gxh4 37.wg2 (Only seemingly good is 37. gS since after 37 . . . �e7 ! 38.f4 �d6 39.g6 �f8 40.wg2 wc7 41 . wh3 wd6 42 .wxh4 we7 43.wgs �g7 it t'\J.rns out that White cannot win in view of the violation of the "pawn push rule".) 37 . . . �c5 ! ! Black would escape.
(61) J. Hj artarson J. Piket -
Tilburg 1 989
Every other move loses, but to the question of why I will give you the answer only in the following study!
36.. gxf4 .
White's plan is given: he must create a pair of passed pawns. But this realization is not enough by a long chalk because White 's choice of which pawn to sacrifice makes all the difference!
No better is either 36 . . . Wc7 37.fxg5 wd6 38.wg2 weS 39.h4 wf4 40.�c8 �b4 41 .wh3 �e l 42.g6 �c3 43.g5 �g7 44.wg2 �b2 45 .wf2 �c3 46.we2 �d4 47.wd3 �h8 48.wc4 and the forging ahead of the white
Gyula Meszliros
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monarch decides the battle; or 36 . . . �e7 37.fxg5 �xg5 38. wg2 wc7 (or 38: .. �h4 39.
(62) Gy. Mes zaros 2007
37.h4 wc7 On 37 . . . �b4 38.wg2 �e l 39. wh3 wc7 40.gs wd6 4 1 .wg4 f3 42.h5 f2 43.h6
43.wg4 a4 44.h6 �f8 45.wh5
And Black resigned. The final stage of the game re quired no comment, but at the beginning of our analysis we left some questions unan swered; to these I will give you the answer in the course of the solution of the next study.
1--0
If in the previous game grandmaster Hjartarson had sacrificed his h-pawn, then his opponent could have drawn, but there is a vast dif ference between the two po sitions: in the game in ques tion, the white king is on f1 , but here, in this study, it stands on the gl square ! l.�fl!l The only move ensuring the win. At any rate, it is not difficult to see that both after l .g5 �e7! 2.f4 �d6 3.5 �f4 4.g6 �es s .wg2
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
{j;e7 3.wg2 wc7 4.wf3 {j;gS 5 . w e 4 wd6 White's kingside pawns are forced to station on light squares, and Black com fortably builds up his fortress. But what happens if l .wg2 is responsed with l . . .(j;cS ! ! ? 2.f4 a) On 2.g5 (j;e7! (and not 2 . . . h3t? in view of 3.wxh3 {j)_x£2 4.wg4 wc7 5.wh5 wd6 6. g6 (j;d4 7.wh6 we7 8.g7 and White wins.) 3.f4 (j;d6 4.g6 {j)_f8 s.wh3 wc7 6.wxh4 {j;g7 7.wg5 wd6 8 . 5 we7 the fortress would be built just in time; b) The line 2.(j;fl h3t 3.wg3 h2 4.{j;g2 (j;d6t 5.f4 wc7 would be identical with the main variation; 2 . . . (j;d6 3.wf3 h3! 4.(j;fl h2 S.{j;g2 wc7 6.g5 and White sooner or later wins the ene my bishop, and the a-pawns are still on the board. The comer is good, and it looks that the h2 pawn counts for little. 6 . . . wd7 7.5 (j;eS 8.wg4 (or 8.we4 wd6 9.f6 we6 10. (j;h3t wd6 l l .{j;g2 we6 and
75
White cannot get further.) s . . . we7 9.whs (j;c3 I O.wg6 (j;d4 l l .f6t we6 1 2 .wh7. White wins his opponent's bishop in any case, but in the meantime his king has moved away from the future area of war. 1 2 . . . (j;xf6!
Black might yet wait with the sacrifice, but thus he can just wring out the desired draw with tempo. 1 3 . gxf6 wxf6 14.wh6 wes 1 s .wgs wd4 1 6.wf4 wc3 1 7.wg3 wb2 1 8.a4 wa3 19.a5 wb4 20.a6 waS 2 1 . {j;b7 h l ® 22.(j;xh l Wxa6 and drawn. Given the knowledge of this variation, now the initial move of White is clear: its aim is to hinder the h4 pawn from pressing forward. l ...wc7 l . . .(j;cS? would have failed in view of 2.(j;h3!
Gyula Meszaros
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l l.�d71 Threatening 1 2.�e8 mate !
1 1...wg6 t2.wg4 h3 t3.f5t wfl t4.Wxh3 And White wins easily. 2 . . . wc7 3.wg2 �d6 (the threat was 4.f4) 4.Wf3 �c5 (and now 5.we4) 5 .we2 �d6 6.wd3 and Black is now helpless against White's plan.
(63) S. Tatar Kis - A. Horvath HUN Team ch 2008
2. wg2 �d6 3. wa �cS 4. we2 �d6 S.wd3 wd7 6.we4 we6 7.f4 wf6 Since the black pawn could not move from the h4 square, White's bishop can effectively join in the battle, with the result that White achieves the win without any particular effort.
8.g5t wg6 9.�h3 �c7 10. wa whS
In spite of the material balance, White's position is lost. 46...eS 47.Wf2 f5 48.wg3 �g'P.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
A typical error which is not a 'privilege' of amateur chess players alone, but is also characteristic, at least in the same extent, of grandmasters' way of thinking - viz. , hold ing fast to material (though their motive is somewhat dif ferent) . The solution is very simple: while the white mo narch is busy liquidating the h3 private, the pair of passed pawns are lunging forward, and White will not have enough time left to take up the proper defensive setup (wf2 , �d2 ) . The queenside pawns are of no importance for any of the sides; for White , because the black bishop controls all four of them from one diagonal, and Black's a-pawn is almost en tirely valueless in view of the wrong corner. On the evi dence of all these, Black could have easily achieved the win with 48 . . .f4t ! There may have followed 49.\!?xh3 l!?e6 50.\!?g4 (or 50.�£2 wf5 5 l .�e l e4
77
52.wh2 e3 53.\!?g l f3 54.�h4 l!?g4 55 .�e l �b5 and in view of the zugzwang, White ra pidly loses.) 50 . . . wf6 5 1 .�£2 �d7t 52.\!?£3 wf5 53.�e l e4t 54.\!?e2 �b5t 55 .wd2 (or 55. wf2 e3t 56.\!?£3 �c6t 57.\!?e2 l!?e4 and Black wins.) 55 . . . e3t 56.\!?c3 l!?e4 and now no one can arrest the black pawns. In the game followed: 49.a4 �fl so.bs f4t 5 l .wh2
�xb5 The only chance to grind out a win, since after 5 1 . . . axb5 52.axb5 �xb5 53.wxh3 l!?e6 54.\!?g4 wf6 55 .�£2 �d7t 56.\!?£3 wf5 57.\!?e2 e4 58.wd2 l!?g4 59.�e l \!?£3 60.�h4 �b5 61 .\!?c3 e3 62.wd4 �c6 63.\!?d3 would follow with a typical situation of Catch 22, where neither side can improve his position. It is a fact that after
52.axb5 axb5 53.�£2 b4 White's position seems to be critical.
54.c6tl (Diagram)
Gyula Mesdros
78
54... Wxc6 Or 54 . . . wxd6 55 .�c5 t ! wxc6 56.�xb4 and the position is equal.
55.�c51
A spectacular pawn sacri fice, the only saving move at the same time! Black must have examined only 54.�e l ? whereupon h e would really have won after 54 . . . £3! (54 . . . b3?? i s only enough for the silver medal: 55 .�c3 e4 56. wxh3 e3 57. wg2 wc6 58. w£3 wd7 59.we2 wc6 60.�d4 wd7 61 .wd3 wc6 62.wc3 e2 63.�£2 and Black loses all his pawns.) 55 .wg3 55 . . . h2!
56.Wxh2 f2! 57.� b3 and the b-pawn cannot be stopped.
The bishop is taboo, other wise the d-pawn promotes, but thus the bishop can in terfere in the struggle, win ning an important tempo.
ss ...b3 s6.�a3 e4 s7.wxh3 e3 58.wg2 e2 59.wf2 f3 60.wel And here they agreed to a draw. Y.z-lh
(64) Tolnai - Sherbakov Bern 1 992
The essence of Black's fleeing plan is that he marches into the (good) corner, ex-
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
changes his a-pawn against one of the 'white queenside pawns, after which he can already sacrifice his bishop with a light heart.
79
4... wf6 s. wa2 �d6t
l...a41
Black instantly starts car rying out his plan made for destroying the queenside pawns.
2.wdl
The white monarch is not idling around either, he is running to help his soldier on b2. 2 ... �e51 The h2 pawn being of no importance whatsoever, Black does not waste time on liqui dating it.
The white king must not be allowed to go to a3!
6.h4 wg7 7.c3 e3 8.wbl wh6
9.�£3 wg7 1o.wc2 Or lO.�d l wh6 and it's a draw because the bishop can not take on a4, or the e-pawn would promote.
3.wcl There is no better as after 3.c3 a3! 4.bxa3 �xc3 5 .h6 We7 6.�c4 wf6 Black would suc cessfully realize his notion.
3 ... we7 4.wbl White does not yet give up his hope of winning; to a quick draw would have led the continuation 4.�b5 e3 5.�xa4 �b2t !
10 ... a31 That's what it's about ! After taking the pawn:
Gyula Mesdros
80
l l .b:xa3
with his king, and then sac White agreed to a draw. rifice his bishop on dS for the Instead of the text, also con second white passed pawn. side red was 1 1 . b4, but after Against this plan White can 1 1 . . . a2 ! 1 2 .wb2 �eS 1 3 .b5 do nothing. Nor would the �xc3t the conclusion of peace trickier variation of this idea (i.e. forcing the h6 pawn to is inevitable. lh-lh hS, creating thereby a hole in gS) succeed: l .wd2 �a8 2.wc3 (65) Kaidanov - Antoshin Bryansk 1 984 �b7 3.wb4 we7 4.�g7 hS s .wc3 wd6 6.wd2 wdS 7.we 1 wc4 8. wfl wd3 9. wg 1 we2 and the unexpected counterattack of the black monarch suddenly makes the white king's day dreams of attack melt away. Therefore White - for lack of anything better - opts for the third path. 1.wn If in the diagrammed posi tion White played the stere otyped l .�f4?, he would be in for an unpleasant surprise, as after l . . .gS ! ! 2.hxg5 hxgS 3. �xgS , in spite of his two extra pawns, the game would end inevitably in a draw. All Black has to do is hurry to b7
l ...�as 2.\iJgl �dS 3.wh2 �a8 4.wg3
White's another attempt at weakening the gS square would also have ended in failure in view of 4.wh3 �dS s.g4 fxg4t 6.wxg4 �a8 7.wh3 �dS 8.wg2 �a8 9.\iJfl �dS 1 0 . we2 �a8 1 1 .wd2 �dS 1 2.wc3 �a8 1 3.wb4 �dS 1 4.\iJcS we7 1 5 .�g7 hS 1 6.wb4 wd7 1 7.wc3
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
81
weB 1 8.wd2 wb7 19.we l �c4!, and once again the white king does not reach the Pro mised Land. 4... �d5 5.�c7 we7 The only move as, for example, on 5 . . . �a8 6.wf4 g5t 7.we5 ! gxh4 (on 7 . . . we7 8.h5 ! wins.) 8.wd6 f4 9.exf4 wf6 10. �d8t wfS 1 l .�xh4 e3 1 2.fxe3 with the draw, with a piece �xg2 1 3.wc7 �d5 1 4.wb8 we4 down - true, in return for 1 5 . a8® �xa8 1 6.Wxa8 Wxe3 three pawns - he enforces the 1 7 .£5 ! ; whilst on 5 . . . g5 6.h5 win! 7 ...bxgs s.bxgs wfl 9.f41 �a8 7.�e5 �d5 8.wh2 (now Only this move was held the king stroll is good at last!) good by the analysts, putting 8 ... �a8 9.wg1 �d5 l O.wfl �a8 1 l .we2 �d5 1 2.wd2 �a8 1 3 . a question mark (by the way, wc3 �ds 1 4.wb4 we7 1 5 .wc5 rightly) to 9.wf4?, though the �a8 1 6.wb6 wd7 1 7.�g7 White variations given are entirely bad. 9 . . . wg6 1 0.f3 wfl? would collect the full point. With 10 . . . wh5! Black holds, 6.�f4 g5 What is this? On 7 hxg5 e.g. 1 l .g4t (or 1 l .fxe4 fxe4 hxg5 8 �xg5 it's a draw after 1 2.We5 Wxg5 1 3.a8® �xa8 1 4. wxe6 wg4 1 5 .d5 wg3 1 6.we5 all! wxg2 1 7 .wxe4 w£2 1 8 .wd4 7.�5tll �xd5 19. Wxd5 Wxe3) 1 l . . .fxg4 (Diagram) 1 2.fxe4 �c6 1 3.g6 Wxg6 1 4. Magnificent! While with wxg4 �xe4 1 5 .wf4 �a8 1 6.we5 two pawns up White would wfl 1 7.e4 we7 and the posi be compelled to come to terms tion is equal.
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l l .fxe4?. A very weak move. ( l l .we5 ! exf3 1 2 .gxf3 �xf3 1 3.g6t We7 (At once losing would be 1 3 . . .Wxg6 because of 1 4.wxe6 �a8 1 5 .d5 wg5 16.d6) 1 4.g7 wf7 1 5 .g8®t wxg8 1 6. wxe6 �b7 1 7 .wxf5 wf7 1 8.e4 we7 1 9.e5 �d5 20.e6 wd6 (on 20 . . . �xe6t 2 1 .we5 ; whilst on 20 . . . �b7 2 1 .we5 �c6 22.d5 �b7 23.d6t would decide .) 2 1 .wf6 wc7 22.e7 wd7 23.a8® �xa8 24.wf7 would win.) 1 1 . . . fxe4 1 2.we5 wg6 1 3.a8® �xa8 1 4.wxe6 wxg5 1 5 .d5 wg4 1 6.d6 �c6 1 7 .d7 �xd7t 1 8.wxd7 wg3 1 9.wd6 w£2 20.g4 wxe3 2 1 .g5 wd2 22.g6 e3 23.g7 e2 24.g8® e l ® and it's a draw.
9 ... wg6 IO.wh4 �as n.g41
The point of this move will
become obvious only after ten moves.
l l ... fxg4
Idle waiting does not help Black either. After l l . . .�d5 1 2.gxf5t ex£5 the white mo narch strolls over to the queen's wing, and the three white passed pawns triumph over the bishop. 1 3.wg3 wf7 1 4.wf2 we7 1 5 .we l wd6 1 6.wd2 wc7 1 7.wc3 wb7 1 8.wb4 wxa7 � 9.wcs �gs 2o.wd6 wb6 2 1 .g6 wb5 22.we5 wc4 23.wxf5 wd3 24.d5 �xd5 25 .We5 �b3 26.£5 wxe3 27 .f6 wd2 28.f7 and White wins. 12.wxg4 �d.S t3.wg3 wfl
14.wf2 we7 15.wel wd6 16.wd2 �c6 17.wc3 �a8 18.wb4 �d'S 19.g6 we7 20.wc5 wf6 21.£51
White creates his third
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
passed pawn, which rapidly decides. 21. .. �a8 22.fxe6 wxe6 23.
dSt And Black laid down his arms.
1--0
(66) B. Larsen - R. Huebner Leningrad 1 973
83
pawn, which is sufficient to drive the advantage home . Black's c-pawn does not make too much difference as the white bishop can block it in a way that meanwhile it is able to protect its pawns advanced either to f6 or aS . After ana lysing for some moments, an interesting idea flashed oc curred to me and I felt that perhaps the position was not lost for Black after all. Any how, the two introductory moves of Black's plan are rather astounding!
l. .. c41
To the following position my attention was called by grandmaster Berkes. White's plan is simple: with his king he occupies the g5 square, then, at the proper moment, he plays �h5 , and on gxh5 he takes the f5 pawn! As the result of the exchange, he gets hold o f another passed
In the game l . . .�b5? was played. The German grand master is trying to hinder the advance of the a-pawn, but the trouble is that in view of the series of zugzwangs the passed pawn can only be slowed down but not stopp ed, and what's more, Black is helpless against the threat of h4-h5 . 2.we3 we5 3.�g7t we6 4.�£8 wd5 5 .wf4 c4 [On 5 . . . wd4 6.wg5 (and naturally not
84
6.h5? because of 6 . . . gxh5 7.wxf5 h4! and Black would equalize.) 6 . . . �e8 7.a4! wc4 (or 7 . . . �xa4 8.wxg6 f4 9.wf5 c4 1 0.wxf4 c3 1 l .�g7t wd3 12. �xc3 wxc3 1 3.h5 wd4 1 4.g4 and White wins easily.) 8.wf6 wb4 9 . we7 �xa4 1 0 .wf7 f4 1 l . wxg6 wc4 1 2 .wf5 would follow, with decisive advan tage to White. ] 6.�g7 we6 7.�c3 �d7 8.Wg5 Wf7 9.a3!
Gyula Meszaros
maneuver, slowing down the black king's counterplay. 5 . . . wbS 6.wf4 c4 7.�b4 wa4 8.wg5 f4 9.gxf4 �d3 1 0.£5 gx£5 (on l O . . . �x£5 1 l .h5 would win outright) 1 l .f4!
would be a coup de grace for Black. 2.�d2 The most logical-looking continuation: Black must be Zugzwang. Now Black al- prevented from getting hold ready sees that the push of of a tactical pawn, as then the h-pawn is a far greater White would have to keep his danger for him than that of eye constantly on the enemy the a-pawn, but there is no soldier, for example: 2.we3 c3 longer way out of the trap. 3.�g7 c2 4.�b2 �fl S .g3 �bS 9 . . . �c8 10.a4 �d7 1 l .a5 �c8 6.wf4 �c6 7.wg5 (or 7.g4 fxg4 12.�b2 �b7 1 3.h5 ! gxhS 1 4. 8.fxg4 wd7 9.wg5 �e4 and the wx£5 and Black ceased to re- black monarch flees into the sist. No better is l . . .wdS in corner giving shelter to him.) view of 2.we3 �c4 3.a3 �fl 7 . . . wf7 8.f4 �d7 9.a3 �bS 10. 4.g3 wc4 S .�ffi! An important hS gxhS 1 l .Wxf5
The Secrets of the 0pe,osite-Co1oured Bishop Endings
85
the pawn sac Black removes from his bishop's path the already unnecessary and worth less pawn, enabling the a6 bishop to efficiently join in the fight. The other purpose will become obvious after. . . In comparison to what occurred in the game, a great difference is that the control of the c2 pawn shares White's attention and strength. 1 1 . . . �e8 1 2.we5 wg6 1 3.5t w£7 1 4. wd4 �d7 1 5 .we4 we7 1 6.f6t we6 1 7.wd3 c l ® 1 8.�xc l wxf6 and a draw can be agreed.
2 ...c3!!
A magnificent sacrifice, ser ving several purposes. The first is that at the expense of
3.�c3 f41
Black employs the rule of fixing the pawns in order to hinder White ' s plan. Now White can never play �g3 or �g4 as Black would then take on g3, put his bishop on the bl-h7 diagonal, and march with his king to the a8 cor ner. 4.a4 wf5 5.a5 �b5 6.�b4 Nor is the customary piece sacrifice recommended by grandmaster Pinter any bet ter for White: 6.�d2 !? �a6 7. �xf4 wxf4 8.g3t we5 9.we3 �b7 I O.g4 �a6 l l .f4t wf6 1 2 . h 5 gxh5 1 3.gxh5 w 5 and the white pawns cannot make a good move. 6 ... �a6 7.�d6 �bs 8.wel �a6 9.wd2 �fl 10.�c7
(Diagram)
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(67) Horwitz 1 889
10... �a6 There is no sense in being violent, as striving for quick swaps would come to grief: l O . . . gS? 1 1 .h5 �xg2 1 2 . we2 ! g4 1 3.fxg4t Wxg4 1 4.h6 �e4 1 5 .a6 wgS (or 1 5 . . . f3t 1 6.we3 and White wins.) 16. �xf4t !
Despite the minimal mate rial, White launches a mating attack. l.�c2t waS 2.b4t wa6 3.wc61 A blockade which forces Black into zugzwang.
3... wa7
The only move, as 3 . . . �a7 is met by 4.�d3#. 4.b5 waS 5. �e4!
And White achieves the win because the black king cannot go over to the a8 cor ner. l l.wc3 �fl And Black holds the ba lance.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
87
Creating a battery, which exploits the x-ray strength of the bishop on the long diago nal.
loured bishop endings (see the previous example) , it does no harm if the cornered ene my king quickens our imagi s . wa7 nation a bit. Again, Black has no other l. �e7t l option, since on 5 . . . �a7, for a Snatching a pawn with 1 . change, 6.wxc7# would mate. �xg7? would have been equi 6.�d5 valent to wasting a half point Any other bishop moves away in view of l . . .�h7! 2. are good along the h l-a8 di �c3 �xfS ! agonal. Black is in zugzwang, 1...wh6 2.gst wh7 therefore White is . calmly On 2 . . . wh5 3.wf4 g6 Black waiting for the enemy king to has to push his pawn in any reappear in the target cross. case because on next move 6... wa8 7.b61 cxb6 8.wxb6# White would play �£8 any 1--0 way. 4.f6 �c4 5.�£8 �b3 6.�h6 �c4 7.we5 wg4 8.wd6 wf5 9. (68) Bondarenko, Kuznetsov We7 and White wins. 1 966 ..
3.g6t whs
Or 3 . . . wh6 4.wh4! �c4 5 . �g5#
Although mating attacks seldom occur in opposite-co-
4.£61 gxf6 Only Black's agony would
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be lengthened by the sequel 4 . . . �h7 5.£7 �g8 6.wh4.
5.� mate.
in the last moment - takes the a8 square under control. Or doesn't he?
l .c6!
1-0 (69) Herbstmann, Gorgiev 1 929
White is pinning his hopes on his passed a-pawn, but all his efforts seem to be futile because Black - even th ough
White would have bungled everything if with l .a6? he had wanted to reach the pro motion square as fast as pos sible, because after l . . .�e4t 2.wh2 d4 the black bishop would comfortably keep the white pawns in check.
l ...�e4t 2.£31! A dazzling sacrifice ! In return for the pawn, White wins two tempi which he, quite unexpectedly, uses for a mating attack on the enemy king. But what might that have to do with the a-pawn? 2 ... �t 3.wh2 dxc6 4.a6 c5 Neither could 4 . . . d4 help because of 5 .wg3 �d5 6.�c5 d3 7.wh4! (of course not 7.wfl?? in view of 7 . . . d2 ! 8.we2 �c4t 9.wxd2 �xa6) 7 . . . wg7. Though Black has staved off the direct mortal threat: 7 . . . d2?? 8.�£8 mate,
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
89
(70) Herbstmann 1 954
after 8.a7 d2 9.a8® d l ® 1 0. \W£8# he gets checkmated all the same.
s.wg3 �e4 6.wh41 wg7
White's position looks cri Though Black wards off tical, but his king has the ta the mate threat, he renders possible a diagonal-closing lent of a real escape artist! . . . l.wa3 �gS obstruction combination. As on l . . .�f6 2.b4 �b2t 3. 7.�eSt wfl s.�d41 wb3 bs 4.�b l !
And the hero of the white army is now pressing forward unhindered to the promotion square.
wxb l stalemate would follow, Black chooses another way to win the a2 bishop.
2.b4 �ctt 3.wb3 �b2 4.bs �f6 s.wa3 �e7t 6.wb3 �c5 Zugzwang, yet White finds shelter:
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were no more material on the board. Grandmaster Maroczy solves the task at hand in an elegant manner.
l.e61 fxe6
7.wa4n w:xa2 And it's stalemate again. A nice achievement!
(71) Maroczy - Pillsbury Munich 1 900
Black's doubled a-pawn and light-squared bishop would be reduced to a mere formality if the white king stood already on al and there
Should White refuse the pawn sac, White would achie ve the draw even more easily: l . .. f6 2.e7 �fl 3.�d2t wg4 4. �c3 and Black cannot 1m prove his position. 2.£xe6 �xe6 3.we5! Not the only one, never theless the sequel ensuring the surest draw. 3.wd3 a2 4. c2 a3 (otherwise the white monarch flees into the corner giving him shelter) After 5 . �al l the white fortress i s im pregnable.
Of course, Black can yet give it a try, for example: 5 . . . wf4 6.wc l we3 7.wc2 �d5 8. <.t>c 1 wd3 9.wdl �f3t 1 0 .wc 1
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
c4, but with the aid of the stalemate motif, shown in example 23, White firmly holds out. It is important to know that the a 1 bishop must not move unnecessarily, or White quickly comes to grief, for example: 1 0 . . . wc4 1 l .wd2 wb3 1 2.�e5? a1 ®!
1 3.�xa 1 wa2 1 4.�e5 wb 1 1 5 . Wc3 �d5 ! and Black wins. 1 1 .�c3! �e4 ( 1 1 . . . Wxc3 stale mate.)
1 2 .�a 1 and Black can't get any further. 3 . . �b3 4. wd6 c4 It also does not help Black .
91
if he lets his pawn to be lost, because after 4 . . . wf4 5 .Wxc5 we3 6.wb4 wd3 7.wxa3 ! (7. �f6?? a2 8.wa3 Wc2 and Black wins.) 7 . . .Wxc3 White, in good style, escapes into stalemate. s.wc5 wf5 6.wb4 a2 7.wa3 we4 s.wb2 wd3 9.wal The white monarch has at last arrived at the desired cor ner, creating thereby the third stalemating pattern. Here the game ended in a conclusion of peace.
(72) Chekhover 1 950
The posltlon in the di agram weirdly resembles ex ample 31 (Berger - Kotlerman,
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92
Arhangelsk 1 948) , only here Black has a third pawn as well. If White were able to force the enemy knight pawn to b2, the d7 pawn would lose its significance.
l.�e81 The immediate attack of the b3 pawn with l .�f7? would have missed the mark because after l . . .wb4 2.we2 wa3 3.�g6 (threatening 3 . . . b2) 3 . . . d5 ! 4.�£5 wa2 S .�e6 b2 6. �xdSt wa l Black wins. l ...wc6 2.we2 All White has to do is wait till Black pushes his pawn to b2 or moves away with his king from the dS square . Again bad would have been 2.�f7? because of 2 . . . d5 ! 3.�e6 wcS 4.�f7 wc4 S .�e6 (or S.we2 wc3 6.�xd5 wc2 and Black wins.) S . . . wd3 ! . Black diverts the enemy bishop from the diagonal a2-g8 with a neat mate threat! 6.�f5t wc3 7.�e6 d4 8.�£5 wb2 (With the im patient pawn push Black would let the win slip out of
his hands: 8 . . . d3? 9.�xd3! wb2 (or 9 . . . wxd3 and stalemate.) 1 0.�c4! and White takes up the proper defending position just in time.) 9.�e6 �b4 10. We2 Wc2 and Black wins. 2 ... �cl 3.wd1 �b2 4.we2
�d4 5. wd1 wd6
Sooner or later Black must move his king, but it entails the forcing forward of the b3 pawn.
6.�f71
6...b2 7. �g6 From now on everything is going on according to the well-known pattern. 7...wcS s.we2 d5 9.�5 wb4
10.�g6 wa3 1 1.�b1 r wb3 12. wd1 wc3 13.we2 �cS 14.wd1
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
93
d4 1s.we2 wb3 16.wd3 And Black cannot improve his position.
(73) R. Servat - M. Tempone ARG ch 1 995
49.�bl?
The theme of Opposite-co loured Bishops with Rook(s) will be dealt with in another volume, therefore in the game followed . . . 47. . J�a3? 48.!0013 � "Since the black passed pawns are not far from each other, fighting out the win won't be easy," the commen tator states. (Well, this state ment did not make us any wiser. It's an eyewash, one might say.)
Once again, we can be wit nesses to the classic case when no one knows (neither the players nor the analyst except for us, of course !) what it's all about. Yet the solution is very simple, it's enough for us to bring to mind example 31 (the game Berger-Kotler man) . All White has to do is trade his pawns against the h pawn of his opponent, and once he does it, the position is a draw. That is to say: 49.g4! �e7 SO.gS �xgS . If Black wants to win, he is compelled to sacrifice his bishop, but his pawns have not pressed suffi ciently forward yet. S l .hxgS hxgS 52.wg4 wd4 (or 52 . . . wf6
Gyula Meszaros
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53.�d3 and drawn.) 53.wxg5 e5 54.wg4 e4 55.wf4 e3 56.wf3 and drawn.
49... wd4 50.�a2? The good move is still 50. g4! �e7 5 l .g5 �xg5 52.hxg5 hxg5 53.wg4 e5 54.wxg5 e4 55.wf4 e3 56.wf3 and we have the the same drawn position just seen.
The piece sacrifice, a typi cal weapon in positions with opposite-coloured bishops, now works splendidly! 54.hxg5 50... e5 51.�bl No longer works 5 l .g4 as hxg5 55 .�£5 b4 56.we2 (or after 5 l . . .e4t 52.we2 �e7 53. 56.�c2 e4t ! 57.�xe4 g4t 58. g5 �xg5 54.hxg5 hxg5 55 .�e6 wf4 g3 59.�c6 b3 60.wxg3 b2 b5 56.�d7 b4 57.�e6 e3 58. and the black pawn is queen we 1 we5 ! the black pawns ed.) 56 . . . e4 57.�e6 e3 58.wfl cannot be constrained. we5 and one of the black 5 1 ...b5 pawns dashes forward, quick Black can't see the wood ly deciding the game. 59.�£7 for the trees! He should have g4 60.we2 wf4 6 l .�e6 g3 played 5 l . . .�e7 ! in order to 62 .�d5 b3 and one of the keep the white pawns from black pawns is promoted to moving, apart from the fact queen. that the plan beginning with 52 ... �e7 the move g4 is no longer exe At last! cutable. 53.�5 b4 54.�g6 �f6 55. 52. �g6 �c2 wc3 56.�bl b3 57.wg4 Or 52.g4 �e7 53.g5 �xg5 ! wb2 58.�e4 wc1 59.wf5 �hs (Diagram)
60.wg6 b2 61.wm6 bl� 62. �bl And White resigned. His
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
decision was justified because after. . .
62 . . . wxbl 63.wh7 e4 64. wxh8 e3 65.g4 e2 66.g5 el® Black wins easily.
0--1
(74) Sr. Paszler - T. Papp Decs 2000
95
spent in training sessions deal ing with opposite-coloured bishops. 55 ... £6 Fruitless would have been 55 . . . wh7 56.�£'8 ! A typical move: the bishop attacks the pair of edge pawns from be hind, hindering every coun terplay. 56 . . . wg6 57.wb4 f6 58.wc5 and Black cannot im prove his position.
56.exf6?1
The following game might be most graphically characte rized by saying: "The Fight of Generations" . Facing each other are, on White's part, more than half a century's ( ! ! ) experience acquired a t the chessboard, and, on the other side, an age of not more than 1 1 years and several lessons (now I can't remember if they were more or less than fifty!)
A weak move, whereas it does not lose yet. By means of the capture , Black's pawn structure suddenly becomes dynamic and mobile, suitable for creating a passed pawn.
56...g:xf6 57.wd4?
But this is already a grave
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error. White should have set his pawn surplus going with 57.g4! so that he could also threaten to create a passed pawn. 57 . . . e5. It is hard to re commend anything better to Black. 5B.fxe5 fxe5 59.�d6! e4 60.wd4 �d3 6 l .�c5 wf7 62.we5 Wg6 63.�b4 �c2 64.�d2 and Black is unable to improve his position.
�e2 63.wc3 weB 64.�d6 wd7 65 .�£8 wc6 66.�g7 wd5 67. �xf6 we4 68.�e7 wxf5 69.wd2 �g4 70.We3 We6 White is un able to hinder Black's plan. 59... �d5tl Everything would have been bungled with 59 . . . wg6? in view of 60.5t! and the draw can be agreed. 60.wd4 wg6 6t.we3 wf5 62.
Also considered was 59.5 but after 59 . . . e5t (naturally not 59 . . . exf5? because of 60. wc5 we6 6 l .�f4) 60.wc3 60.We3 can be met by 60 . . . �a2 (threatening 6 l . . . �b l ) 6 l .wf3 �b3! 62.g4 �d l t 63. we3 �xg4 64.we4 �d l 65 .wd3 weB 66.�b4 wd7 67.�£8 wc6 68.�e7 wd5 69.�xf6 �g4 70. �e7 �xf5t and in comparison to what occurred in the game, White has no pawn on g3. And after 60.Wc5 WeB 61 . wb4 wd7 62.�£8 wc6 63.�g7 wd5 64.�xf6 we4 would fol low, with the same position as in the game. 60 . . .�e2 6 l .�c5 �g4 62.wb4
On 63.wd3 �c6 64.we3 e4 65 .wd4 (or 65 .wf2 we6 66.�b4 5 67.we3 wd5 6B.wd2 wc4 69.�£8 wb3 70.�e7 b4 7 1 .�£8 �d7 72.�e7 e3t 73.wd3 �b5t 74.Wxe3 Wc3 75 .g4 fxg4 76.5 b3 77.f6 �eB and Black wins.) 65 ... wg4 66.�xf6 wxg3 67.we3 (or 67.�g5 b4 6B.5 b3 69.�c l w£3 70.f6 �eB 7 1 .wc3 �f7 72.wd2 wf2 and one of the black pawns is queened.) 67 . . . b4 6B.5 Wg4 69.�e7 b 3 70.f6 b2 7 1 .£7 b l ® 72.£8® ®d3t 73. wf2 e3t 74.Wgl ®dl t 75 .®fl (75 .wh2 ®h l #) 75 . . . e2 and Black wins.
57 ... h5! ss.�d6 wfl s9.we4
�e7 eS 63.fxe5
63...fxe5 64.�d6 e4?1 With the text move, Black
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
makes his task more difficult, though so far he played the endgame in a grandmaster like manner. White's only chance is to play �g4 so that he can also get hold of a passed pawn. Black has no reason to hurry, that is to say, first he has to hinder his opponent's possible counter play. Besides, pushing the e pawn violates the rule of pushing pawns. On the basis of all these, 64 . . . �b3 65.wd2 we4 66.�b4 �e6 67 .�c3 wd5 68.we3 �5 69.�b4 �g6! 70. �c3 e4 7 l .wd2 wc4 72.�e5 b4 73.�f6 �5 ! 74.�e5 wb3 75. �d6 e3t!
Here the bishop has no thing to seek, better was 65 . . . �c6! 66.�d6 we6 67.�b4 wd5 68.g4. Otherwise 68 . . . �d7 would follow. 68 . . . hxg4 69.h5 �es 70.h6 �g6 7 l .wf4 wc4 72.�d6 b4 73.wxg4 b3 74.�e5 e3 75 .wf3 wd3 with an easy win. 66.�d6 �d3 67.�c5 weS 68.�b4 �c4 69.�c3t wdS? Black does not sense the impending menace . . .
70.�b4?
(Diagram)
76.4>xe3 Wc3 77.�e5t Wc2 78. wf4 �g4 would have achie ved the win without any particular difficulties.
65.�c5 �c4?1
Nevertheless White misses his chance, since after 70.g4! hxg4 7 l .h5 g3 72.h6 g2 73.wf2 e3t 74.wxg2 �d3 75 . wf3 wc4 7 6 . �a5 e 2 7 7 . we 3 (or 7 7 . h7
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�xh7 78.wxe2) 77 . . . b4 78. �xb4 wxb4 79.wd2 the game would have ended in a draw.
70... �fl 71.�d2? Still 7 1 .g4! was necessary, as after 7 l . . .hxg4 72.h5 g3 (or 72 . . . we5 73.h6 wf6 74.wxe4 wg6 75 .�f8 with equality. ) 73.h6 g 2 74.wf2 e3t 75 .wg l �d3 76.wxg2 wc4 77.�e l �e4t 78.wfl wd3 79.�b4 Black can not improve his position, therefore he is compelled to come to terms with sharing the point.
71...�g2?1 7 l . . .�h3 wins with ease.
72.�a5?1 White had his last oppor tunity to play 72.g4!?, though even then he cannot avoid defeat. 72 . . . hxg4 73.h5 we5
74.h6 wf6 75 .wd4 (Now the plan we've just seen no longer works as after 75 .�b4 wg6 76. �f8 �£3 77.wf4 wh7 White is in zugzwang. 78.�g7 b4 79. �f8 b3 80.�g7 wg6. Another zugzwang, resulting in the loss of the game.) 75 . . . wg6 76. �f4 �£3 77.wc5 �e2 78.wd4 �d3 79.wcs wh7 80.wb4 The same lot as in the main variation falls to the white monarch after 80.wd4 b4 8 1 .�d6 b3 82.wc3 �c4 83. �f4 �g8! 84.wd2 (on 84. wb2 g3! 85.�xg3 Wxh6 the same position would be reached as in the main variation.) 84 . . . wg6 85 .wc3 w£5 86.�e3 g3 87. h7 �7 88. wxb3 wg4 89. wc3 wfS 90.wd2 wg2 9 L�f4 w£2 and Black wrings out the win. 80 . . . g3!
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
8 1 .�xg3 wxh6 82.wc3 wg5 83.�e5 wg4 84.wd2 w£3 and the study by Cheron seen in example 34 has been brought about, true, with reversed co lours. 85.�d4 b4 86.�c5 b3 87.wc3 �c4! 88.wd2 �bs 89. �b6 �a4 90.�d4 e3t 9 1 .�xe3 b2 and Black wins. 72 ... �£3 73. wd2 White has got tired in the struggle . A more stubborn re sistance would have been en abled after 73.�e 1 �g4 74.�a5 �d7 (Also good for Black is 74 . . . wc4 75.wxe4 b4 76.we3 wc3 77.we4 wb3 78.wd3 wa3) 75.�e 1 �e8 76.�a5 , whereas after 76 . . . �g6 Black can calm ly start with his king on the queen's flank.
99
The rest is simple.
77.wxb3 e3 78.�a5 we2 79. wc3 wfl 80.wd3 e2 8l .we3 �g4 And White resigned. De spite all the mistakes and in accuracies it's a very inst ructive endgame!
0-1
(75) Slekys - Panchenko Bratislava 1 992
73 ... wc4 74.�b6 b4 7S.wc2 If there were no queenside b3t 76.wb2 wd31 pawns, White would easily hold the draw owing to the good corner (h 1 ) . However, with this the possibilities of defence are by no means ex hausted: the possible lack of the b3 and e3 pawns would also result in White's escape, besides, the plan of a fortress
Gyula Meszaros
100
to be built up on the light squares is seriously taken into consideration.
l...h5! Black knows what it's all about. On the stereotyped 1 . . . wg7? White would have es caped. 2.wf3 �f4 On 2 . . . �c5 3.b4! �d4 (or 3 . . .�xb4 4.wxe3 wf6 s .w£3 wg5 6.Wg2 and the white monarch settles down in the corner.) 4.�a6 ! h5 5. We4 would follow, and the e3 pawn, the apple of the black army's eye would be killed in action. 3.�g4!
7.wd4 aS 8.�£3 we6 9.we4 wf6 1 O.�h5 and Black is unable to break through his opponent's defence line. By the way, the text move is none other than the adoption of the principle of the "one-diagonal" bishop: the white bishop restrains his opponent's kingside pawns on one diagonal (dl-h5).
2.wf3 �f4! 3.�a6 �gs 4.b4
White has no choice. After 4.we4 h4 s.�fl h3 6.wf3 h2 7 .�g2 b5 he would have a far worse position compared to what occurred in the game.
4... wf7 s.a4 wf6 6.a5 we5! 7.axb6 axb6 8.�fl wd4 9.b5 h4 10.we2 The white monarch is fight ing hard for his life. Losing right away is 1 0.�e2 in view of 10 . . . Wc3, as well as 1 0.�h3 in view of 10 . . . wd3.
3 . . . �g5 4.�h5 ! A very nice manoeuvre with which White hinders the movement of the enemy king and pawns. 4 . . . wf6 5 .we4 we6 6.a4 wd6
to ... we4 t t.�h3 wf4 t2.�d7 wg3 t3.wfl h3 t4.�c6 On 1 4.�e6 e2t ! 1 5 .Wxe2 Wg2 would finish White off.
t4 ... wh2! (Diagram)
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
101
(76) Csom Vaganian -
Buenos Aires Olympiad 1 978
Keeping up the threat of e2t.
15.�f3 �h61 Zugzwang.
16.�e2 wg3 17.�c4 e2tl 18.Wxe2 After 1 8.�xe2 h2 the h pawn promotes.
1s.. wg2 19.�d5t wgl .
Since White loses his bi shop, he resigned.
�1
A position of chess historic importance, arising in the sixth round of the Olympiad, on the fourth board of the Hungary-Soviet Union match. The game finally ended in a draw, so the match was won by the Soviets (Spassky, Pet rosian, Polugaevsky, Vagani an) 21!2: 1 1/2. As we cannot turn back the wheel of his tory, we cannot tell what would have happened if grandmaster Csom had won this position. What we do know, however, is that the Hungarian team accomplished such a feat which is unprece dented in the history of Chess
102
Olympiads: it could win ahead of the Soviet Union! ! But let's return to our original theme: can the position be objecti vely won? According to the hitherto published analyses, the answer is no. What's more, grandmaster Csom him self had expressed his opinion on it in a rather sceptical manner more than a quarter of a century ago in the book entitled Our Victo.zy at the Chess Olympiad. Well, then let's start our research with what he opined in this book!
41.g2 Or 4l .fl £7 42.e2 e7 43.�c6 d6 44.£3 eS 4S .d3 �f2 46.g4 �b6 47.c4 �e3 and the black fortress is impregn able.
41...f7 42.f4 gxf4 43.gxf4
"Together with many others, I didn't think for a moment that my win in this opposite coloured bishop ending might be doubted. After all, it is a well-known thesis: the posi tion wins if between the
Gyula Meszaros pawns there is at least a . distance of three files. And in addition, the h -pawns still exist!" As now we are already aware, grandmaster Csom's statement is erroneus. The distance of three files bet ween the pawns does not mean an automatic victory (let's just recall the positions in examples 42, 46 and 50!), besides, surpus material (h pawns) can also benefit the defending side (see example 44, where in case of Black's improper defence White wins by putting his king on the gS square. But here this possi bility - with the black pawn stationing on h6 - is out of the question.) 43... e7 44.�c6 e6 45.wf3 "After my opponent sealed his move, I stood up from the table with a calm heart, see ing that Black is unable to hinder the penetration of my king and the move of my pawns at the same time . Only during my home analysis did
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
103
I realise that it was an except to the c7 square at the right ional situation: although I can moment, while its king's get to b7 with the pawn, the movement depends on his setup �b8-we7 holds the white colleague. The next, or draw. I was almost paralyzed rather, the same day I set by the realization that we down to the table to resume might even lose this impor the battle in a rather worn tant match - mostly through out state. I had expected 46 . . . my fault. It's impossible that �b6 ! a s the sealed move . this position cannot win, I What Vaganian played lost a reiterated, but the analysis tempo in comparison." lasting till early morning re 45 ... �gl 46.we4 �b6 47. vealed a lot of things. Two �d5t wd6 48.�c4 wc5 49.�fl kinds of winning plans pre �c7 "The very thing we had sented themselves: a) to re move the black king from the been counting on!" 50.h4 vicinity of the f-pawn at the cost of sacrificing the b pawn, to win the bishop against the f-pawn, and, after playing h4-h5 , to promote the h-pawn in spite of the bad corner square . b) To play wg4-wh5 and to win the h pawn for my f-pawn. Unfor tunately, we found that nei ther plan was executable ! The key to the defence is that the "On the evidence of the black bishop, moving along game, this already leads to the a5-d8 diagonal, must get sharing the point in a forced
Gyula M�sdros
104
manner. The other alterna tive was 50.w5 , but since there is no win after 50 . . . wd5 5 1 .wg4 we6 52.5t wf6 53.wh5 �f4 54 �d3 �e3 I refrained from it. Yet if there is still a chance, it should be sought here !" Well, White can of course experiment, but if Black defends precisely he cannot win. 50.w5 wd5 5 1 . wg4 we6 52.5t wf6 53.�d3 (On 53.wh5 other moves also give an easy draw, for ex ample: 53 . . . Wx£5 54.wxh6 wf6 55 .h4 �g3 56.h5 �c7 57.wh7 wg5 58.h6 �b6 59.wg7 �d4t and White is unable to im prove his position.) 53 . . . �d6 54.b6 �c5 55 .b7 �d6 56.wh5 wg7 and the fortress has been built up.
50... �d8 51 .h5
With 5 1 .'\!;>5 White could have yet set a trap, but Black was not obliged to walk into it. 5 1 . . .�c7 ! (Diagram)
(After the greedy 5 1 ...�4? White would easily win after 52.wg6 wd4 53.£5 we5 54.b6 wd6 55 .b7 wc7 56.�g2) 52. wg4 wd5 53.£5 we5 54.�d3 wf6 55 .wh5 wg7 56.�c4 �d6 57.b6 �c5 58.b7 �d6 59. wg4 wf6. And again, the fortress is ready.
51. .. �c7 52.5 wd6 53.�h3 "In order that 54.f6 may not be followed by 54 . . . we6. " 53...�d8 54.�g4 � f6 55.b6
wc6 56.b7 wxb7 57.'\!ldS wc7 58.we6 �c3 59.£6 "Nor can White make any headway after 59.We7 �b4t 60.we8 �c3."
59... wds "The black king has re '\ch ed the position ensuring the draw. What yet followed was" 60.£7 �b4 61.�e2 �a3 62. �c4 �b4 63. wf6 �c3t
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
"And it's drawn ( 112 : 112) , for after 64.wg6 we7 65.wxh6 w£8 the two pawns can be re strained." During many years I re viewed this position several times; I don't even dare to tell how many hours I've spent analyzing it! The final conc lusion is that in case of Black's proper defence it is tenable, but with this the story is by no means over: I am going to serve the dessert only now!
(77) Acs - Beliavsky HUN Team ch 1 999
pion Miskolc received the Team of Paks. Apart from the prestige, the match had no particular importance as the teams could not change their placing (first and fifth) on the league table. On board two, grandmaster Csom tenacious ly defended his inferior posi tion against grandmaster Cher nin, while watching with dis may that on board one the game between Peter Acs, the mascot of Paks, and Alexan der Beliavsky, an uncompro mising fighter, the best player of Miskolc, was beginning to uncannily resemble his game against Vaganian! And what was even more bewildering for him was that the two excellent grandmasters appa rently did not have the faintest idea of what they should really play for! . . . 3s wg5 White 's plan is to con struct a pawn phalanx with h4-g3-f4 or, perhaps later on, with h4-g5-f4, after which ...
In 1 999, in the last round of the Hungarian Team Cham pionship, the already cham-
105
106
Gyula Mesdros
Black's kingside pawns would �b7 w£5 43.�cst wf4 44.wd5 be fixed on white squares. It �b8 45 .h4! (also a sequael looks sensible to hinder this, leading to victory is 45 .g4! therefore the right move ap wx£3 46.�£5 ! wg3 47.�g6 wxh3 pears to be 35 . . . g5 , but after 48.�h5 wg3 49.b6 wf4 50.wc6 36.�e4! wg7 37.we2 �b8 38. we5 5 1 .wb7 �d6 52.wc8) 45 . . . gxh4 46.b6 wg3 47.�h3 and h3! �d6 Or 38 . . . h6 39.wd3 wf6 40. White wins. wd4 we6 41 .�d5t wd6 42.we4, 36.g31 and the white monarch in Also good is 36.we2, but vades on the kingside. White must take care because he might be in for an awk 39.b5 h6 On 39 . . . h5 40.wd3! wf6 41 . ward surprise. 36 . . . wf4 On 36 . . . �gl 37.g3 wf6 (or wd4 we6 42.�g6! (also good is 42.h4! gxh4 43.�b7.) 42 . . . h4 37 . . . �xh2?? 38.wf2 and the bi 43.�h5 �a3 (or 43 . . . wd7 44. shop gets inprisoned) 38.h4 wd5) 44.we4 wd7 45 .wf5 �c l would follow. 46.�f7 wc7 47.�c4 wb6 48.wg4 37.g3t we5 38.�g8! h6 39. h4 (otherwise 39 . . . g5 follows) wc5 49.�fl ! �f4 50.g3! 39 . . . wd4 40.�f7! The b-pawn must be kept in any case. After 40.f4? wc3 41 .�f7 wxb4 42.�xg6 wc5 43. g4 wd6 44.g5 hxg5 no matter which pawn White recap tures with on g5, he cannot 50 . . . hxg3 5 1 .h4 g2 52.�xg2 win the game. 45 .fxg� (After wxb5 53.hxg5 �e3 54.g6 �d4 45 .hxg5 we7 46.£5 �d4 47.wf3 55 .wf5 wc5 56.we6 wins.) �c3 we find ourselves in Hen 40.wd3 wf6 41 .wd4 we6 42. neberger's study - example 9)
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
45 . . . �d4 46.h5 we7 47.h6 wf8, and once again, we are in Sal violi's study known in exam ple 1 2 . 40 . . . wc3 (or 40 . . . g5 41 .hxg5 hxgS 42.wfl we3 43.wg2 �b6 44.�d5 wd4 45 .�c6 wc4 46.b5 and White wins) 41 .b5 ! wb4 42 .�e8 wins for White. 36... wf6 37.we2?
A gross error. On the basis of what we have just seen, he should have played 37.h4! we7 On 37 . . . we5 38.�g8 h6 39. �£7 we would be in the varia tions just seen. 38.f4 �d4 39.we2 h6 The black monarch cannot move far away . from his
107
pawns: after 39 . . . wd6 40.�g8 h6 41 .�£7 �c3 42.b5 wcS 43. �e8 �f6 44.wf3 �c3 (or 44 . . . g5 45 .hxg5 hxgS 46.fxg5 �xgS 47.wg4 and the two knight pawns win without difficul ty.) 45 .wg4 �e l 46.h5 ! gxhSt 47.wxh5 �xg3 48.£5 �f4 49.f6 wd6 50.b6 �eS (on 50 . . . we6 5 1 .wg6 �es 52 .b7 hS 53.£7 we7 54.b8® �xb8 55 .wg7 �eSt 56.wg8 would follow) 5 1 .wg6 hS 52.b7 wc7 53.£7 �d6 54. �c6! White wins the enemy bishop in return for his f pawn, and thanks to his one diagonal bishop he gets hold of the full point without diffi culty. 40.�e4 wf6 41 .g4 Also good is 4 1 .b5 �cS 42. w£3 hS 43.�c6 we7 44.g4 for example: 44 . . . hxg4t 45 .wxg4 �e3 [45 . . .wf6 46.�e8! �e3 47. hS gS (or 47 . . . gxh5t 48.�xh5 and Speelman's study has ari sen - see example 44) 48.£5] 46.wg5 and White wins. 4 l . . .�c3 42.b5 �d4 43.g5t wg7 44.wf3 �cS 45 .wg4 �e3
Gyula Meszaros
108 Or 45 . . . h5t 46.wf3 w£7 47. f5 gx£5 48.�xf5 �d4 49.�d3 �c5 50.�e2 wg6 5 1 .we4 �f2 52.�xh5t !
�d6 41 .b5 h6 42.we4 �c7 the position seen in "the preceding game Csom-Vaganian would have arisen! The piquancy of the case is that, as mentioned in the introduction, all this was happening before grand master Csom's very eyes!
39.wa �gt?
A decisive piece sacrifice with which White tips the scales in his favour. 52 . . . wxh5 53.wf5 �d4 54.g6 wh6 55 .h5 and White wins. 46.�g6! wxg6 47.h5t wg7 48.wf5 �b6 49.we6 hxg5 50. fxg5 �e3 5 1 . w£5 �c5 52.h6t wh7 53.g6t ! wxh6 54.wf6 and White wins.
37...g51 38.f4
On 38.wd3 Black would construct the fortress with 38 . . . �gl 39.h3 �f2 40.g4 we5 4 Lwc4 wd6 42.�g8 h6 43.wb5 �e l .
38 ...h6?
Reciprocating White's mis take made on move 37. After 38 . . . gxf4! 39.gxf4 �b8 40.we3
39 ... gxf4! would have held the position. For example : 40. wxf4 �gt 4Lh4 �f2 42 .wg4 �e l 43.b5 �f2 44.�c6 wg6 45 . �e4t wf6 46.�d3 wg7 47.wh3 �b6 48.wg4 �f2 49.wf3 �b6 50.g4 �d8 5 1 .wg3 wf8 52.h5 we7 and White cannot make any progress. 40.h3 �d4?! Still 40 . . . gxf4. 41.we4 �f2 42.wa �el 43.
bS �aS 44.�c4 �b6?1 45.wg4
109
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
45 .. §ic7?? Here was the last oppor tunity for Black to take on f4. After the text move White converts his advantage with out any particular effort.
happened to fall into his hands and he read this lines!
1-0
(78) Chandler - Andersson Leningrad 1 987
46.fxg5t hxgS 47.h4 gxh4 48.wxh4
Naturally not 48.gxh4?? , as after 48 . . . Wg7 the game could already be agreed a draw. But after the text the game did not last long.
48 ... wg6 49.g4 �dst so.wg3 wf6 s l .wf4 And Black resigned. Being also an eyewitness to the game, I was looking search ingly at grandmaster Beliavs ky. The face of the uncomp romising fighter, the extre mely likeable grandmaster al ways aiming at victory, show ed complete lethargy, and he was playing his moves indif ferently. One could see that he was only waiting for the proper moment to resign . . . I wonder what would take place in him if this book
l.g41 The downfall of Black will be that he does not have enough time to carry out his plan consisting of two parts (putting his pawns on white squares - g6, h5 - and block ing the enemy pawns on c6 or b5 .
l ... wfl 2.�e3! Splendid! On the typed 2 . wf2 ? Black quickly rearrange his with 2 . . . g6 and then
stereo could pawns 3 . . h5, .
1 10
Gyula Meszaros
but thus he is completely famous study, the king ap helpless against the terrible proaches the direction of both pawns! 1 2.b5 (or 1 2.c7 wf6 1 3 . blow soon to occur. b5 wg6 1 4.b6 �c8 1 5 . we4 g4 2 ... we6 Or 2 . . . wg6 3.wf2 hS 4. with equality.) 1 2 . . . wd6 1 3 . gxhSt wxh5 5 .wf3 wg6 6.we4 we3 wc7 1 4.wd4 wd6 1 5 .wc4 �c6t 7.we5 wf7 8.wd6 and �h7 would hold the balance . 9 . . . wd4 White wins easily. 3.wf2 wd.S 4.h4 wc4 5.�d2 Or 9 . . . �e8 1 0.b5 ! wd4. Naturally the b-pawn could not wd3 No better was 5 . . . �d7 !? be taken. 1 l .c6 We5 either, but at least it would have given White the possibi lity to err, for example: 6.wf3 (with the plan of 7.h4-h5 , which would fix Black's pawns on black colour for good) 6 . . . wd3 7.�xh6! gxh6 8 . gS hxgS . So far, so good, but what's to 1 2 .c7! The sole winning be done next? sequel! After 1 2.wg4? wd6! 1 3 . w£5 � f7 1 4.g6 �c4 1 5 .g7 �b3 1 6.wg6 �g8 White is unable to break the enemy fortress! 1 0.g6 we5 1 l .g7 �e6 1 2 .b5 wd5 1 3 .b6! (on 1 3.c6? wd6 1 4. wf4 �g8 would follow; see the previous variation!) 1 3 . . . wc6 9.hxg5 ! 1 4.wf4 and White grinds out On 9.h5? wd4 10.h6 �£5 the win. His winning plan 1 l .c6 we5 ! . Just like in Reti's with full knowledge of the
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
111
above variations - is now very simple.
6/�xh6!
And Black laid down the arms, since after . . .
6. . .gxh6 7.g5 hxg5 8.h5
Also good is 8.hxg5 �e8 9. bS wd4 1 0 .b6 �c6 l l .g6. 8. . . wd4 9.h6 �d3 IO.c6 White queens a pawn anyway.
1�
(79) Gy. Mes zaros - R. Csolto HUN Team ch. 2006 In the middlegame I got into time trouble quite unne cessarily, and blundered in a p o s i t i o n I c ould have won
easily. Instead of the win I had already taken for gran ted, I had to face up to the fact that in the endgame ari sen I was lost. Since the fi nishing stage of the Chandler Andersson game is one of my favourite endings, I knew that 44... �e61 would finish me off. But this move can be found only by such a chess player who is fully aware of the rules of op posite-coloured bishop end ings, and this is not really typical even of grandmasters! Also considered was the piece sac with 44 . . . �fl 45 .wf2 �xg2 trusting that the three pawns can get the upper hand of the bishop, but after 46.wxg2 a3
Gyula Mesdros
1 12
47.wf3 W£7 48.we4 we6 49.wd3 h5 50.wc2 c4 On 50 . . . h4 5 l .�a5 g4 (or 5 1 . . .c4 52.�d8 w£5 53.�e7 and the black pawns drop, one after the other.) 52.hxg4 h3 53.�c7 c4 54.�f4 wd5 55 .wc3 we4 56.�c7 a2 57.wb2 c3t 58. wxa2 wd3 59.�f4 holds the position. 5 l .�b4 a2 52.wb2 White successfully restrains the ene my pawns. In the game, after a short think, my opponent played 44 . . . wf7? Black brings his king toward the centre of the board - this typical mistake is a frequent "visitor" in posi tions with opposite-coloured bishops! - and after 45.g3! we6 46.�g7 h5 47.�£8 wd5 48. h4 g4 49.�g7 he offered a draw, coming to realize that his pawns would not be able to break through the al-h8 diagonal. 45.�b2 wfl 46.�a3 c4 47.
wd4 h5 48.g4
White's other alternative,
waiting passively with 48.�b4, would also result in defeat: 48 . . . h4 49.we4 wg6 50.wd4 (or 50.�c5 �f5t 5 l .wd4 �d3 52. we3 w£5) 50 ... �xh3!
5 l .gxh3 g4 52.hxg4 h3 53. �d6 a3 54.wc3 wg5 and White is unable to arrest the black pawns. 48.. . wg61 Black is not in a hurry with the piece sac, preferring to improve his position first.
49.�cl
After 49.gxh5 t wxh5 50. �c l wh4 5 l .wc3 a3 52.�xa3 wxh3 53.wd2 wg2 we sud denly find ourselves in exam ple 43 (only with reversed colours) , where Black ac quires the full point without difficulty. 49...h4 50.�a3
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
Or 50.we4 c3 5 l .wd3 �xg4 52.hxg4 h3 and the h-pawn promotes. so ... �xg41
And now the sacrifice has popped offi
5 l .hxg4 h3 52.�d6 a3 53. wc3 wf6 And White is unable to hinder the white king from invading his position.
0-1
1 13
(80) Kapetanovic - Nikolic Yugoslavia 1 99 1
White would like to erect an inpenetrable rampart on the queen's wing, but it is by no means all the same how he lays the foundations of it.
twdll Ending in failure is both a) 1 .�d3? (followed by wd1 c 2 and �bS) l . . .wcS 2.wd 1 wb4 3.�c2 (on 3.�b5? wb3 would win outright.) 3 . . . a6 4.�d3 xa4 s.�xa6 wb3 6.�d3 wb2 and b) I .wd3 cS (wb4-a3-b2, and then a6, with the plan of bS) 2 .�b3 wb4 3.wc2 a6! zugzwang! L.wcS
Gyula Mesz4ros
1 14
Or l . . .�f4 2.�d3 wc5 3.wc2 wb4 4.�b5 and the position is equal. 2.wc1 wb4 3.wbt wa3 4.�dt
(81) Bogoljubov - Ed.Lasker New York 1 924
a6 Black is making a last at tempt at wringing out the win, but White is standing on guard.
5.�e21
36J;!c7?
s ... aS Nor does Black get any further after 5 . . . Wxa4 6.�xa6 wb3 7.�d3 bs s.�g6 b4 9.�f7t wa3 1 0.wc2. 6.�dt �f6 7.�c2 wb4 s.�dt
�eS 9.�c2 wc4 10.�g6 And Black, admitting that further tries are senseless, buried the hatchet. lh-Y.z
Slow but sure death would have waited for Black had White started with 36.wf2 in keeping with the most im portant endgame postulates toward his central pawns. But Bogoljubov, so as not to be given some tactical surprise, decided on exchanging rooks. 36... wm Black failed to notice that fortune has smiled on him - if fortune is the proper word for the opponent's error: After 36 . . Jhc7 37.�c7 b4! ! (Diagram)
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
38.axb4 �a6 39.d4 �d3 40. eS �c4 41 .\9£2 a6 42.we3 w£7 43.wf4 hS. White cannot win even in spite of his two extra pawns, because he is incap able of breaking through the defence system of the black army built up on the white squares. Black, in harmony with one of the most impor tant general endgame prin ciples, endeavoured to cent ralize his king, and this caused his downfall! Let's not forget that in opposite-co loured bishop endings it is not the general endgame principles which are primari ly relevant (and, inside of them, especially not the cent ralization of the king!).
37Jh:e7t wxe7 38.�d21 (Diagram)
1 15
White is now on the look out: not possible is 38 . . . b4? in view of 39.�xb4t , and White would take the pawn with check. (I hold it more pos sible that what White wanted to hinder was the move 38 . . . aS rather than the pawn sac rifice. Although Bogoljubov was one of the strongest mas ters of his time, endgame was certainly not one of his fortes . . . ) 38 . . we6 39.wf2 wd6 40.we3 wcS 41.�a5 �c8 42.�d8 �d7 .
43.�a5 g5? It is also a good advice worth bearing in mind that you should not move your pawns unnecessarily: make your waiting moves as well as
Gyula M�szaros
1 16
your moves wmmng tempi with your pieces!
44.�c3 h5? Overlooking a pawn, though it is no longer of any parti cular significance because af ter 44 . . . a6 45 .�f6 g4 46.�e7t wc6 47.d4 Black's position is also hopeless.
45.�d4t wd6 46.
One of White's pawns (d4) has got fixed on wrong co lour, and another (g3) stands on a wrong square. Black ex ploits the possibility offering itself in a spectacular manner.
l...b511 2.�b5
Also considered was 2.axb5 but after 2 . . . �c7 3.we3 �b6 4. �h7 (with the plan of 5.�g8) 4 . . Wf7! .
An elegant closing chord at the end, which breaks Black's stubborn resistance.
1-0 (82) Wach - Bugajski Poland 1 985
5.�c2 (On 5.wd3?? g6 Black would win the entrapped bishop.) 5 . . . e5 6.wd3 �xd4 by means of his connected pas sed pawns Black wins with out any particular difficulty.
2 ... �c7 3.we3
Which finger of mine shall I bite? After 3.g4 �b6 4.we3 eS the d4 pawn would be killed in action.
3 ... �xg3 4.�fl g5 5.�h3
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
1 17
we7 6.�g4 wd6 7.wd3 �£2 8. �h3 �gl 9.�g4 eS lO.dxeSt wxeS
18.Wxd3 wa And White resigned.
0-1
Against the d- and g-pawns White could just hold his ground (see Cheron's study in example 33) , but Black has an a-pawn, too, and the corner is good at that. Anyway, the po sition is practically quite iden tical with example 74 (Sr. Paszler-Papp, Decs 2000), on ly there the pawns were fixed on the kingside. In contrast to the game just mentioned, here Black converts his ad vantage in an exemplary man ner.
1 1 .�£3 �b6 12.we2 d4 13. �b7 wf4 t4.�c8 wg3 1S.wd3 g4 16.we2 �cS 17.�d7 d3tt
(83) Okrajek Uhlmann -
Nordhausen 1 986
It is hard to believe that after nine moves White will be compelled to resign, though he won't make any mistake. Black's undoubtedly fascinat-
1 18
ing play is none other than the full realization of the principle of creating the re motest possible passed pawns.
46 ... wf8 47.wdl we7 48.wc2 �c31 49.�a2 �xe51 50.wxd2 50 ...f61
Gyula Meszaros 6l .�b3 wf6 (or 6l . . .f3t 62 .<;9g3 f2 63.wg2 and drawn) 62 .�d l ! and White takes up the pro per defending position at the right time. We must by all means remark that White does not lose after 62.�d5 ei ther, since the position arisen - only with reversed colours - is fully identical with Hennneberger's study seen in ex ample 9.
5t .gxf6t wxf6 52. we2 wgS 53.wf3 wh4 54.wg2 g5 And White put an end to his resistance, being quite helpless against Black's plan (creating a passed pawn on the g-file , after which he would have a one-diagonal bishop) . For example:
The point of Black's plan: the pawn fixed on a wrong place, and doomed anyway, does not have to be won but exchanged! Winning the e3 55.�b3 h5 56.�a2 g4 57. and g5 pawns in return for hxg4 hxg4 58.�b3 wg5 59.�a2 their black colleague on a3 wf6 60.wf2 we7 61.we2 wd6 62. would have failed to serve the wd3 g3 63. we2 wcS desired purpose: so . . . �g3 5 1 . And Black wins easily. wc3 �h4 52.wb4 �xgS 53.wxa3 0-1 �xe3 54.wb2 f5 55.wc2 hS s6.wd3 �b6 s7.we2 gs ss.w£3 g4t 59.hxg4 hxg4t 60.wg2 f4
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
(84) Kotov Botvinnik -
Moscow 1 947
White, on the basis of ev erything is all the same , played . . .
l .bxc5 dxc5!
In the game, l . . .bxcS? oc curred and after 2.�e 1 ! h3 3.�g3 �fl 4.a3 �c4 5.wd2 �a2 6.wc3 �b 1 7.e5 �a2 8.exd6t wd7 9.�h2 �xdS 1 0.�g3 wc6 1 1 .�h2 �e6 1 2.�g3 wbS (or 1 2 . . . wd5 1 3.�h2 we4 1 4.d7 �xd7 1 5 .wc4 wf3 1 6.wxc5 wg2 1 7.�e5 h2 1 8.�xh2 wxh2 19. wd4 wg3 20.wc3 and the white king escapes into the corner giving shelter.) 1 3.�h2 wa4 1 4.wb2 aS 1 5 .�g3 �£5 1 6.�h2 c4 1 7.�g3 c3t 1 8.wxc3 wxa3
1 19
1 9.�h2 wa2 20.�g3. Black ac cepted his opponent's draw offer as after 20 . . . a4 2 1 .�h2 a3 22.wb4
22 . . . wb2 23.�e5t wa2 24. �h2 he can't get any further. The sequel chosen by Botvin nik is a gross blunder, in con trast to l . . .dxc5 ! , which keeps the principle of creating the remotest possible passed pawns in view.
2.�el h3 3.�g3 bS
While the connected white
Gyula Meszliros
120
central pawns are unfit even for frightening, the black infantrymen pressing forward on the queen's flank rapidly decide the battle.
previous one, objectively a draw.
5o. we2 wf5 51. wd2 wg4 52. �f6 wg3 53.�e7 wh3 54.�£6?!
4.wd3 aS 5/tih2 a4 6.�g3 a3 7.�h2 b4 8.wc4 �xe4 9.wxc5 b3 And Black wins.
(85) Kotov - Botvinnik XXII. Ch. Moscow 1 955
54.�xb4! would have easi ly equalized. It is interesting that Botvinnik himself put a question mark to the move 54.�xb4, making the follow ing comment in his work en titled Analityc and Critical Works 1 942-1 956: "Bad for The story goes on, or it White is the sequel 54.�xb4 might also be characterized Wxh4 because the bishop has by saying: "Tit for tat". In this to be given for the passed h example, too, events are cent- pawn". Well, this statement is red around the principle of a bit "rough-and-ready" as af creating the remotest possible ter 54 . . . Wxh4 SS.We2 �g3 56. passed pawns, but the posi- wfl h4 (or 56 . . . d4 57. exd4 tion is, in contrast to the wxf4 58.�d2t wg4 59.wgl gS
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
60.wh2 h4 6 l .�e3 wh5 62.�d2 g4 63 .�e 1 and White has taken up the proper defend ing position) 57.wg l h3 58. �e l t w£3 59.�d2 we2 60.�c l �£5 6 l .wh2 and a draw may be agreed upon with a calm heart. (I think that Botvinnik did not write what he saw but what he wanted to see ! . . . )
121
the consequence of ignoring (or not knowing) basic prin ciples. Also bad would have been 59.wxb3? in view of 59 . . . d4t 60.wc2 dxe3 6 1 .�c5 �f5t 62.wdl wf2 63.�b6 �d7 64. wc2 we2 65 .�c5 �a4t 66.wc3 w£3 67.wd3 �b5t 68.wc2 wxf4 69.wdl g5 70.hxg5 e2t 7 l .we l wxg5
54... wg4 55.�e7 �51
Black has not yet given up hope of wringing out the win, and - maybe learning a lesson from the error committed in the preceding game - he con cocts a "devilish" plan. 56.�£6 w£3 57 .�e7 b3 58. wc3 �e6 59.�c5?
A losing move, which is
And the position arisen is fully identical with Aver bakh's study shown in ex ample 40, only with reversed colours. The solution would have been the construction of an impregnable fortress with 59.wd2! b2 60.wc2 wxe3 6 1 . wxb2 wxf4 (or 6 l . . .d4 62.�c5 we4 63.wc l d3 64.wd2 wxf4 65 .�e7 and drawn) 62.�g5t w£3 63.wc3 we4 64.wd2, but White probably did not want
Gyula Mesdros
122
to give another pawn. At any rate, Kotov could immediate ly experience at his own expense that in opposite-co loured endings it is not the number of pawns but the rules that are of decisive sig nificance. For the second time, Botvinnik takes the op portunity presenting itself.
passed pawns into practice, and, of course, has not for gotten about the rule of the one-diagonal bishop either.
6L.wg31 Accuracy till the last mo ment! On the careless 6 1 . . . wg4? White would have es caped after 62. d5 !
59...g5!1
62 . . . �xd5 63.�£2 .
62.�a3 wxh4 63.wd3 wxg5 64.we4 h4 65.wf3 �d5t 60.fxg5 d4tl 61 .exd4
And White admitted that there was no reason to fight on, so he resigned. His deci sion was justified, for after . . .
Well, well, White has ob tained an extra pawn and a 66.wf2 wg4 67.wgt h3 68. hopeless position in just a few of minutes. (Far better is a wh2 �e6 69.�b2 w£3 70.d5 "dead draw" with two pawns �d71 The good corner and the down, isn't it!?) Yet nothing unusual happened, only Black one-diagonal bishop would has put the principle of cre have ensured the win. ating the remotest possible 0-1 •
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
(86) Fuchs - Kholmov Dresden 1 956
At the sight of the follow ing position it is hard to un derstand why the players did not agree a draw already. And it may seem definitely incred ible that White, a strong mas ter, should lose the game in the course of nine moves!
123
needn't bother about its de fence . After 2.d5 Wxd5 3.�b6 we4 4.�d8 w£5 5 .we3 the black monarch would be doomed to immobility by his f6 pawn being in need of protection. 2 ... wfS 3.�f4 As we culd see in the pre ceding variation, the key to White's defending plan is the continuous attack of the f6 pawn. Seeing from the point of view of this, quite satisfac tory defence would have been given both by 3.�h6 g5 4.�g7 and 3.d5 �xd5 4.�d4. 3 ... g5 4.�c7 wg4 5.�d8
l ...f6
Black's plan is very simple: he plays wf5-g4 and then �g5 , and tries to create a passed pawn on the kingside. 2.wd2 White's only ambition is to hold the material balance. The d4 pawn is of no impor tance whatsoever, so White
This game is included in several books, among others in the Encyclopaedia of Chess
124 Endings - Minor Piece End ings, Mark Dvoretsky's Tech nique for the Tournamen t Player, Karsten Muller & Frank Lamprecht's Funda men tal Chess Endings, etc. Dvoretsky mentions that af ter 5 .we3 gxh4 6.gxh4 wxh4 7.wf4 wh3 8.�d8 White could still hold the position to a draw, and he is right. 8 . . . �c6 9.�xf6 h4 1 0.\tles wg4 1 1 .wd6 (naturally not 1 1 .d5??, for after 1 l . . .h3 1 2 .dxc6 bxc6 the h-pawn promotes.) 1 1 . . .h3 1 2 .�e5 wf3 1 3.d5 �e8 1 4.\tlcS b5 1 5 .wb6 we4 (or 15 . . . \tlx£2 1 6.Wxa6 Wg2 1 7.\tlaS h2 1 8. �xh2 wxh2 1 9.a4! bxa4 20. wb4 and White, adopting the typical weapon of pawn end ings: 'pawn devaluation', equ alizes.) 1 6.�g3 Wxd5 1 7 .Wxa6 wc4 1 8.wb6 wb3 1 9.�d6 and Black cannot improve his po sition. But he casts a doubt on the text move, though White is still not lost!
s ... gxh4 6.gxh4 wxh4 7. �t wg4 s.we3?
Gyula Meszaros
A losing move, just like 8. Wc3? recommended by the authors of Fundamen tal Chess Endings, although the tough ness of the position is equal to that of an intricate study. 8 . . . h4 9.wc4 h3 1 0.�e5 b6!
The authors of the afore mentioned book took only the following 'helping varia tion' in account: 1 0 . . . wf3? 1 1 . d5 Wx£2 1 2.\tlcS aS 1 3. d6 �c6 1 4.wb6 a4 1 5 .d7 �xd7 1 6. wxb7 wg2 1 7.wb6 h2 1 8.�xh2
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
wxh2 19.wc5 wg3 20.wd4, and the white king arrives at the a1 corner. The move 10 . . . b6! is self-evident, restricting the movement of the enemy king with the aid of the pawn push rule. 1 l .d5 (On l l .a4 �c6 12.a5 bSt 1 3.wc5 �e8 1 4.d5 w£3 1 5 . �g3 wg2 1 6. d6 h 2 1 7.�xh2 wxh2 1 8.f4 �d7 would follow, and after 1 9.wd5 wg3 20.We5 Wg4 the white pawns cannot fight their way through the diagonal h3-c8.) 1 1 . . .<1>£3 1 2 . d 6 �fl t 1 3.wd5 �b5 1 4.we6 aS 1 5 .We7 (or 1 5 .d7 �xd7t 1 6. Wxd7 b5 1 7.Wc6 b4 and Black wins.) 1 5 . . . �c6 1 6.wd8 b5 17. wc7 �e8 1 8.wd8 �hs 1 9.d7 �g4. The g4 bishop sacrifices itself for the d7 pawn, and the advance of the b-pawn de cides. But we would be wrong if we thought that with this we can finish the analysis, since objectively the position is still a draw! 8.a4! b5 (On 8 . . . h4 9.a5 h3 1 0.�e5 w£3 1 l .d5 w:xf2 1 2.d6
125
�c6 1 3.wd3 wg2 1 4.wd4 h2 1 5 . �xh2 wxh2 1 6.we5 wg3 1 7.we6 wf4 1 8 .d7 �xd7t 1 9.wxd7 would follow, and now it is Black who must hold the draw.) 9.axb5 axb5 1 0.wc3 h4 1 l .wb4 h3 1 2.�e5 �c6 1 3.wc5 �e8 1 4.d5 w£3 1 5 .�g3 wg2 1 6. d6 h2 1 7.�xh2 Wxh2 1 8.f4 �d7 1 9.5 and by pushing the f-pawn, White wrings out the draw after all!
8... �d5 9.�e7 bS
And White resigned. There may have followed . . .
10.we2 �c4t 1 1 .we3 h4 12. we4 h3 13.�d6 aS 14.f3t wgS 15.we3 b4 16.axb4 axb4 17. wf2 b3 18.�a3 �e6 19.�b2 wg6 20.wg3 wfl 2t .d5 �f5 22.d6 we8 And the black monarch strolls over to the queenside, where he wins the enemy bi shop for the b-pawn. The cor ner is good, and Black's one diagonal bishop solves every thing.
0-1
126
(87) Gevorgian - Gavrilov Moscow 1 992
White's position - in spite of the material balance - can not be saved. 43...h5! 44.wf2 �c4 45.�cl h41 Thanks to his passed a pawn, Black is the attacking side, therefore, in accordance with the rule of pawn push and fixing, he is fixing the h3 enemy pawn on the colour of his own bishop. 46.wg2 �b5 47.�a3 wf6 48. �cl �d7 49.�a3 It doesn't make any differ ence if White plays 49.f4, as after 49 . . . gxf4 50.�xf4 a3 5 1 . �c l a2 52 .�b2 �£5 53.�a l we6
Gyula Meszliros he loses in the same way as in the game. 49... �c8 50.�c5 �f5 51 .�a3 we6 52.�ct wd71
Black sacrifices a pawn! 53.�5 a3 54.�cl a2 55. �b2 wc6 56.c4 Another desperate pawn sac instead of resigning. 56 ... dxc4 57.�c3 wb5 And White resigned. It is worth making a mental note of how excellently the black bishop fulfilled three tasks si multaneously (and on one di agonal!).
0-1
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
(88) Vaganian - Karpov Soviet Union 1 969
127
maintains his valuable knight pawn. 4 . . . e3 5 .wd3 wf4 6.we2 wg3 7.�g8 wxh3 8.�a2 wg3 9.�g8 wf4 1 0.�a2 �b6 1 l .�g8 we5 1 2 .wd3 wd6 1 3.�a2 wc6 1 4. wc3 wb5 1 5 .�£7 e2 1 6.wd2 ( 1 6. �c4t wa4 1 7.�xe2 �d4t !
l ...gS! 2.£3 White cannot place his pawns in such a manner that he does not have at least one weakness left (even if it's hard to access) . Pushing the g-pawn would have made no difference either, for exam ple: 2.g4 e4 3.we2 weS 4.f3 Or 4.�g8 �c5 5 .�£7 wd4 6. �e6 wc3 7.�£7 wb2 8.f3 a2 9. �xa2 exf3t 1 0.wxf3 wxa2 1 1 . we4 (No better is 1 l .h4 wb3 1 2.we4 wc4 1 3 .wf5 gxh4 14. wf4 �d6t 1 5 .wf3 h3 1 6.wf2 �h2! and the white monarch cannot flee to the corner.) 1 1 . . .�£2 1 2.wf5 �h4 and Black
1 8.wxd4 a2 and the black pawn is queened.) 1 6 . . . wb4 1 7.Wxe2 Wc3 and Black wins.
2 .hS 3. we2 e4! ..
4.£x:e4?1
128
Nor does White escape af ter 4.g4!? though he would have encumbered his oppo nent's task considerably. 4 . . . h4 5.fxe4 we5 6.wf3 �c5 7.�f1 wd4 s.�g8 �d6 9.�f1 wd3 10. �g8 �e5 1 1 .�f1 wd2!
Gyula Mesdros Black grinds out the win. Black has gained his oppo nent's bishop in such a man ner that he did not allow the white monarch to obtain co unterplay) 15 . . . �6 1 6.Wf3 �d4!
Zugzwang. 1 7.wg2 �e5 1 8. It was premature to try to wf3 (On 1 8.�d5 we2 1 9 .�f1 win the bishop for the a-pawn we3 20.�d5 �f4 zugzwang with 1 l . . .wc3, since after 1 2 . would follow, and White we3 wb2? 1 3.wd3 �g7 1 4.�d5 would achieve the win in the a2 1 5 .�xa2 wxa2 1 6.wc4 wb2 already well-known fashion.) 1 7.wd5 wc3 1 8.we6 wd4 1 9.Wf5 1 8 ... �f4 1 9.wg2 wd2 ! . The race �es 20.wxg5 �g3 2 l .wf5 begins! 20.wf3 wc3 2 l .�d5 White is quite all right. wb2 22.we2 a2 23.�xa2 wxa2 1 2.wf2 (or 1 2.�e6 we 1 1 3. 24.wd3. Although Black failed wg2 we2 1 4.�b3 we3 1 5 .�d5 to force the white king be �d4 1 6.wfl wf3 1 7.e5t wg3 18. hind its pawn, the black mo e6 �c5 1 9.we2 wxh3 20.wf3 narch is not going to be an wh2 and Black wins.) 1 2 . . . idle onlooker of the events. �d4t 1 3.wf3 we 1 1 4.�c4 �e5 24 . . . wb3 2S.wd4 wb4 26.wds 1 5 .we3 (or 1 5 .wg2 wd2 1 6.wf3 wb5 27.e5 wb6 28.we6 (Sense wc3 1 7.�d5 wb2 1 8.we3 a2 1 9 . less would be 28.wd6?, for �xa2 Wxa2 20.wd3 wb3 and White would not be able to
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
move his e-pawn on account of the pin.) 28 . . . wc7 29.wf6 wd7 30.e6t we8. Zugzwang: White has to move, and that means the death of the e-pawn and the loss of the game, too.
4...g4!
129
9... �eSt! Another spicy closing chord at the end! The bishop cannot be taken, otherwise the g pawn would promote. And on . . .
10.we3 g3
An important momentum: Black, thanks to his one in the spirit of the rule of diagonal bishop, would win pawn push and fixing, Black easily, so White ceased to re is fixing the g3 pawn on the sist. colour of his own bishop. 0-1
5.hxg4 hxg4 6.�b3 �eS 7. w£2 we7 The black king is taking aim at the queenside. The white monarch does not want to re main an idle spectator of pas sing events, but Karpov stifles the attempt at breaking out in a self-confident manner.
(89) Averbakh 1 95 1
s.we3 �3 9.wd4 The black king is unable to go near to White's doubled a pawns, but this fact is by no means enough to achieve vic tory: another passed pawn is required! 1.wg5 wfl
Gyula Meszlb-os
130
Robbing a pawn with 1 . . . �xf3 would tum out badly for Black after 2.wxg6 we5 3.�e3 we6 4.�f4 because he would fall into zugzwang, and it would cost the h5 pawn.
2.£4!1 A paradox-like move the sense of which is soon to be 4...hxg4 come clear. Tempting seemed The other alternative was to be 2.g4?, but after 2 . . . hxg4 3.fxg4 fxg4 4.wxg4 we6 s .wgs 4 . . . fxg4 whereupon 5 .£5 gx£5 �e4 6.a8® �xa8 7.wxg6 wd7 8. 6.wxhs wf6 7.�g3 �£3 s.wh6 w£5 wc7 9 .a7 �c6 1 0.a8® �xa8 �e4 9.h5 �£3 1 0.�h4t wf7 1 1 . l l .h5 �d5 1 2 .h6 �b3 averts wg5 �e4 12.�g3 wg7 1 3.�e5t his opponent's threat just in wh7 1 4.h6 wg8 1 5 .a8®t ! �xa8 1 6.wg6 would win. time. S.hS gxh5 6.a8®1 � 7. 2 . �e4 3.�f21 wg7 Wxf5 Black is helpless against the As a result of the series of threatening break-through. Neither did 3 . . . �£3 help in pawn sacrifices, the material view of 4.g4! ! fxg4 (or 4 . . . hxg4 balance has been restored, s.hs gxhs 6.wxf5 �g2 7.�h4 but in the meantime a second �£3 8.we5 and White wins.) passed pawn came about in s.�g3 �e4 6.£5 gx£5 7.wxh5 - the white camp. The black see the variation with 4. fxg4! pawns do not want to become idle onlookers of the battle, 4.g4!1 but White beats off the last desperate assault self-confi (Diagram) dently. ..
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
7... wfl s.wg5 �£3 9.a7 �aB 1o.�h4 �a 1 t .f5r wg7 12.�g3 wfl 13.�eSt
13... �e4 Black is in zugzwang: on 1 3 . . . wf8 there follows 1 4.wf6 h4 1 5 .�d6t we8 1 6.wg7, while on the text move White dots the i with . . .
14.Wxb.Sr g3 1s.� wffi 16.wg4 �t 17.wf4 1-0
131
(90) Makarychev - Averbakh Lvov 1 973
There's no sense strolling over to the queenside with the black king, since the c2 square of key importance is kept under total control by the white monarch from the d l square , and his bishop from the diagonal b l -h7. But, nevertheless, the black king fights his way through this impregnable-looking rampart, while he will be doing really breathtaking things! . . .
t...weSr
Well, wasn't he supposed to go to the queenside? ! He certainly was, yet however surprising it may seem at first
Gyula MesZliros
132
(in fact, even second!) hear ing, the path to the queenside leads through the kingside!
2.�c2 wf4 3.�bt �h2 4.wf2 �gltl
pawn sacrifice either, as after 8.� wf4 9.�c2 we3 the way is open before the black mo narch towards the d2 square .
8 .. .f4 9.�g6 �e3 10.�c2 h5 1 1.�5 c5 12.�g6 h4 13.�5
White did his best to hin der the breakthrough with g4.
13 ...g4!1
The second surprise !
s.we2
The pestering bishop could not be taught 'manners', as af ter S . wxg l ? we3 6.wfl wd2 Black has already attained what may have seemed like a funny daydream a few moves ago.
s ... wg3 6.wn �f2 7.�c2 51
A spectacular move, the next link of Black's plan.
8.�bl After the piece sacrifice White could not accept the
'And yet it does move ! ' Galilee hath said.
14.hxg4
The only move, since after t 4.fxg4 f3 t s .gxf3 wxh3 1 6. gSt wg3 1 7.g6 �d4 the passed pawn created as the result of the breakthrough would quick ly decide.
14...h3 15.gxh3 Wxf3 16.g5 wg3 t7.g6 �d4 tB.h4 f3 t9.h5
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
�g7 20.we1 f2t And White capitulated. There may follow . . . 21.\f;>fl wf3 22.�c2 c4 23.
�fS �h6 24.�c2 we3 25.�5 wd2 26.wxf2 c2 27.� wxc2 And in four moves Black queens his pawn. A virtuosic endgame technique !
0-1
(91) Norlin 1 922
133
Black's pawn would imme diately regain strength. l .WeS? aS 2.wf6 a4 3.we7 a3 4.wf8 a2 S.�eS a l \\/1 6.�a l wxc7 and Black has escaped. This vari ation greatly helps us to find White's winning plan. Should the white bishop be able to cover the c7 pawn from aS , then it would be no longer necessary to be afraid of the black passed pawn. So White must create a one-diagonal bishop!
1 ...�£7 2.wb4 �e6 3.�e5 wc8
A very nice study in which everything is centred around one diagonal (aS-d8) .
1.wc3!
It wouldn't make sense for White to play for winning the black bishop, since
The only move, as 4.WcS was threatened. On 3 . . . �£7 4.WcS �b3 Or 4 . . . wc8 S .wc6 �eSt (on s . . . a6 6.wb6 �c4 7.�f4 zug zwang would follow, and the a-pawn drops.) 6.Wd6 �£7 7. �c3! followed by �aS , and the one-diagonal bishop is put in operation. S.wd6 (The threat is 6.\!;>d7) S . . . Wc8 6.�c3! would follow, and White has carried out his plan.
Gyula Meszaros
134
4.wbs!
SO wg4 �b6 .
4... wb7 Once again there is no thing else, otherwise White would have liquidated the a7 pawn with 5 .wa6.
s.wcS A nice triangulation (Wb4b5-c5) - Black's position now rapidly collapses. 5 ... �b3 6.wd6 wc8 7.�c3 And White wins.
(92) J. Hodgson - Z. Lanka Cappelle la Grande 1 992 Black's downfall is caused by his f7 pawn, fixed on wrong colour. (Diagram)
Black is compelled to wait passively while Black, before the decisive operation, in harmony with the "Patience" law of the general endgame principles, reinforces his po sition to the maximum.
51.�d5t we7
Black cannot exchange his doomed pawn for White's d7 soldier with 5 l . . .Wxd7 52.� because after 52 . . . We7 (or 52 . . . wd6 53.wt5 �d4 54.�d5 �c3 55 .wg6 �d2 56.wf6 and the black bishop has to be sacri ficed for the g-pawn.) 53.�d5 �d4 54.wt5 �e3 55 .�£3. Zug zwang. 55 . . . �d2 56.c5 �e3 57. c6 �b6 58.g6 �d4 59.c7 wd7 60.c81Wt Wxc8 6 l .We6 he is
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
compelled to lay down his arms.
135
moment has come to execute the piece sacrifice!
ss .. Wx£7 56.g6t we7 57.g7 On 52 . . . �c5 53.d8®t ! wxd8 wfl ss.gs®t wxgs s9.we6 w:£8 54.�xf7 wins. 60.wd6 �e7t 6l.wc7 a5 53.c5 �d8 And Black resigned. The d7 pawn is still taboo. 1-0 s2.wfS �aS
After 53 . . . wxd7 54.�xf7 wc6 55.we6 wxcS 56.g6 �c3 57.�e8 White wins his opponent's bishop, and the remaining a pawn will be sufficient to win. Yet it must be remarked that White must not push forward his pawn to the a6 square because then a book draw would arise.
.
(93) .A.Beev - Bagirov ,
Leningrad 1 989
54.c6 w£8 55.�xf7!
The bishop sacrifice on h6 is in the air, yet White does not hurry, applying the law of Patience from among the general endgame principles: before the final assault he improves the position of the f3 pawn. White cannot improve his position any longer, so the
l .f41 The impatient 1 .�6? does
Gyula Meszaros
136
not bring home the bacon: White achieves the win. 9.wf6 �e8 1 0 .we7 �hS l l .f6 l . . .wxh6 2.f4 (or 2.g5t wg7 3.f4 �c2 4.wg3 W£7 s .W£2 �dl ! wg8 1 2 .f7t �xf7 1 3.h7t wxh7 6.h6 �c2 7.we3 �g6 8.wd4 we6 14.Wx£7 wh8 1 5.wg6 and White and the pawns are doomed to WinS. 2.f5 wg7 3.�xh6tl immobility.) 2 . . . wg7 3.£5 (Nor does White make any prog ress after 3.wg5 �d l 4.£5 �e2 5 . h6t wh7 6.wh5 �xg4t 7. wxg4 wxh6 8. wf4 wg7 9. wes W£7 ) 3 . . wf6 4.h6 �g8 s .wg3 wgS 6.wf3 wxh6 and drawn. l ...�c2 Putting the bishop on an other diagonal does not help Black either, for example : 1 . . .�£7 2.£5 �e8 3.�xh6! And only now does the The f-pawn must not be sacrifice pop offl pushed farther because White 3... wxh6 4.f6! would be in for an awkward Now Black is helpless against surprise : 3 . f6? �£7 4.�xh6 the advancing white pawns. wxh6 S.gSt wh7 and White is 4... �d3 compelled to come to terms Or 4 . . . �b3 S.gSt wh7 6.g6t with sharing the point. wh6 7.wg3 �c4 8.wf4 and the 3 . . . wxh6 4.g5t wg7 s .wg4 white monarch marches over wh7 6.h6 �£7 7.wf4 �e8 8.we5 to the f8 square. �£7 s.gst wh7 6.£7! wg7 7.g6 Or 8 . . . �d7 9.wf6 (also good And Black resigned. What is 9.f6 wg6 1 0.wd6 �bs l l .h7 could have yet foliowed was . . . Wxh7 1 2.£7 is) 9 . . . �c8 1 0.g6t 7... �c4 8.wg5 � 9.h6t wxh6 l l .g7 wh7 1 2 .wf7 and wf8 tO.h7 wg7 n .gxf7 .
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
And one of the white pawns will be queened.
t-o
(94) Topalov - Shirov Linares 1 998
47 �h31! Not only spectacular but also the only winning move. Black would have achieved nothing with 47 . . . wd6 in view of 48.Wf2 ! . More accurate than 48.�xf6, after which White must yet work hard for the draw, for example: 48 . . . wc5 49.wf2 d4 50.we2 wc4 5 l .�e7! wc3 52.wd l �g4t (or 52 . . . wb2 53.�f6 a3 54.�xd4t wb l 55. we2 a2 56.wf3 a l \W 57.�al wxal 58.g4 �c2 59.wf4 and . . .
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White destroys even the last pawn of his opponent.) 53. wc l (53.we l ?? would of course lose outright to 53 . . . Wc2) 53 . . . wd3 54.�c5 ! �h5 55.wb2 (Not good is 55.�b6? in view of 55 . . . a3 56.�c5 a2 57 .wb2 al ®t !
58.wxa l wc3) 55 . . . we4 56. wc2 we3 57.wb2 and Black cannot break the white fort ress.) 48 . . . wc5 49.we3 �e4 50. �xf6 �xg2 S l .�a l wb4 52.wd2 wb3 53.�f6 a3 54.�e5 wa2 SS.wc l and Black does not get any further as his pawns can not break through the a l -h8 diagonal. Also considered was 47 . . . �e4, but after 48.wf2 W£5 49.g3 a3 50.we3 wg4 5 l .�xf6 Wxg3 one cannot see how Black can improve his posi tion. There is no sense in
138
Gyula M�szaros
swapping the a-pawn for White's h-pawn (see example 3 1 !), but another sound plan for Black is not available.
48.gxh3 The sacrifice could not be refused because the daring bishop would have cut down even the g2 pawn: 48.wf2 w£5 49.Wf3 �xg2t ! 50.Wxg2 We4 and Black wins in the same way as in the game.
48... w5 49.wf2 we41 Black first sacrifices a bi shop and now a pawn for a single tempo. But what a tempo this is!
50.�xf6
The closing chord! Since 54.We2 is met by Wc2 and one of the pawns will be queened, White ceased further resis tance.
0-1
(95) Nimzovich - Tarrasch Bad Kissingen 1 928
After 50.We2 d4 5 1 .�b2 f5 52.wf2 f4 the black pawns press forward unstoppably.
50...d4 Only now can we really understand the purpose of the sacrifices: the d-pawn is break ing through the diagonal, closing the way of the bishop at the same time. 5l.�e7 wd3 52.�c5 wc4 53.
�e7 wb31
The gist of Black's defend ing plan is to prevent White
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
139
from creating passed pawns. In the game, Tarrasch seri ously erred, playing . . .
l...c4? The simplest equalizing for Black was l . . .�b5 ! and after 2 . wg3 (or 2 .g4 fxg4 3.hxg4 �e2 4.wg3 �£3 5.c4 wc6 6.wf4 wd7 7.�f6 wc7 8.�c3 wc6 9.g5 wc7 10.we5 wc6 l l .wf6 �h5 1 2.wg7 �g6 and White's thinnish ex tra pawn on the queenside cannot be converted.) 2 . . . �fl 3.h4 h5 4.wf4 �xg2 s .wx£5 �£3 we essentially end up in the preceding variation where White cannot win. The king side pawns have stiffened in to immobility, and even if White succeeded in creating a passed pawn on the queen side, it wouldn't be enough to achieve victory. I found another continu ation beginning with an in teresting paw:q. sac, l . . .f4!?, the aim of which is to realize the rule of pushing and fixing the pawn. After 2.�g5 e3! (Diagram)
3.fxe3 fxe3 4.�xe3 �g6 5 .c3 �bl 6.a3 c4! in spite of being two pawns up, White cannot create passed pawns well. 7. g4 (7.wg3 would be met with 7 . . . �e4! and if White wants something, he has to push his pawns.) 7 . . . b5 8.wg3 wc6 9.wf4 wd5 1 0.wg5 we6 l l .wh6 w£7 1 2.h4 �d3 1 3 .h5 �c2 1 4.g5 �d3 1 5.b3 cxb3 1 6.�c l �e4 17.a4 (or 1 7.c4 bxc4 1 8.�b2 we6 19.g6 hxg6 20.hxg6 �xg6 2 1 .wxg6 c3 22.�xc3 b2 23. �xb2 wd5 24.w£7 wc6 and the black monarch marches into the corner.) 1 7 . . . bxa4 1 8.c4 We6 1 9.g6 hxg6 20.hxg6 �g6 2 1 .wxg6 we5 22.�b2t wd6 23. �a3t we5 and drawn.
2. wg3 wc8 3. wf4 wd7 4.�b4 we6 5.�c3 �d7 Black has too much trouble,
Gyula Meszaros
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Nor was 1 l . . .�d7 of any so he is obliged to make more and more unfavourable com help in view of 1 2.�b2 �e8 promises. The h7 and f5 pawns (on 12 . . . �c8 White would cre are weak, and sooner or later ate a passed pawn right away: the nightmare of a white sol 1 3.a4 bxa4 1 4.bxa4 �d7 1 5 .a5 dier furiously pressing for �c8 1 6.�c3 �a6 1 7 . wgS �c8 ward looms on the horizon. 1 s.wf6 w£8 1 9.hs wgs 20.�d4 The text is actually forced, for w£8 2 1 .�cSt wg8 22.�d6. Zug after S . . . �g6 6.wg5 wdS 7.g3 zwang, costing the f5 pawn bS 8.h4 wc6 9.b3 cxb3 10.cxb3 its life . 22 . . . �a6 23.wxf5 and wb6 1 1 .a4 bxa4 1 2.bxa4 wa6 White wins easily.) 1 3.wg5 1 3.a5 wbS 1 4.h5 �e8 1 5 .wxf5 �d7 14.m6 W£8 15.�a3t wg8 16. �cS . Black is in zugzwang and �xhS 16. Wxe4 is going to lose in the way seen in the preceding variation.
12.gxf4 �d7 Black is defending against creating a passed pawn, but cannot avoid his fate. White wins easily thanks to his g-pawn. The final posi tion is essentially quite iden tical with that seen in ex ample 66 (Larsen-Hi.i.bner) , only there Black had a c4 pawn, too, which was of no significance whatsoever. 6.g3 bs 7. wgS wfl s.h4 �ca
9.wh6 wg8 10.b3 cxb3 l l.cxb3 f4
13.wg5 wfl 14.5 �c6 1s. wf4 we7 16.we5 �e8 17.wxe4 �c6t 18.we5 �e8 19.wd5 �flt 20.wc5 �e8 21.�e5 �d7 22. wb6 wfl 23.£6 �es 24.£4 we6 25.wa6 (Diagram) The simple creating of a passed pawn would also have been crowned with success.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
141
Having a cursory glance at the position, one would think that a quick peace agreement can be expected, but White still has something up his sleeve .
l.�h8!!
25.wa5 w£7 26.a4 bxa4 27. bxa4 we6 28.wb4 wd5 29.a5 Wc6 30.�d4 �£7 3 l .a6 �g8 32. a7 wb7 33.wc5 wxa7 34.wd6t and White wins.
25 ... wf7 26.b4 we6 27.a4 bxa4 28.b5 And Black has at last capi tulated.
1-0
(96) A. Kazantsev 1 950
Insufficient to win was 1 . �a3? �xd3! (Neither does White win after l . . . e5 ! for ex ample: 2.�d6 wb7 3.wb2 �xd3 4.wc3 �£5 5.�xe5 wc6 6.wd4 wd7 7.wd5 we7 with equality. But l . . .wb7? would lose to 2 . wb2 �xd3 3.wc3 � £5 4.wd4 wc6 5 .we5 wd7 6.wf6 weB 7. h6) 2.wb2 �e4 3.wc3 e5 ! 4.wc4 wb7 5 .wc5 wc7, and the black monarch returns to the king side.
L.wb7
Or l . . .e5 2.wb2 �xd3 3.wc3 �h7 (on 3 . . . �e4 4.�xe5 wb7 5.wd4 �£5 6.wd5 wcs 7.�d4 wd7 8.we5 �c2 9.wf6 would follow, winning for White.) 4.wc4 wb7 5 .wd5 e4 6.we6 e3 7 .\t>£7 e2 8 .�c3 and White wins. 2.wb2 � 3.wc3 �f5 4.
wd4 wc6 5.\t>eS wd7 6.wf6 we8 7.wg7!
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(97) K.. Georgiev Z. Hracek -
Altensteig ( 1 1 ) 1 995
A paradox-looking but in fact entirely logical move : White cannot allow the black king to go to the g8 square, so he immures his bishop for the period of a couple of moves. After 7.(f}_g7? {j;_c2 8.{j;_h6 {j;_d 1 9. wg6 {j;_c2t l O.wgS wf7 the posi tion is a draw.
7... e5 8.h6 e4 9.h7 e3 10. wh6 e2 1 1 .{j;_c3
And the bishop from h8 gets back just in time to arrest the enemy passed pawn.
1-0
Here the problem is simi lar to what we saw in the pre ceding, No. 96, example: the eS bishop is in the way, obst ructing the path before his own monarch towards the enemy queen's wing. The so lution is now self-evident:
59.{j;_h81 {j;_h3
Nor did 59 . . . wh7 help ei ther on account of 60.{j;_f6 wg6 6 1 .(f}_g5 wf7 (or 6 1 . . .{j;_h3 62 . weS {j;_g2 63.f4 {j;_e4 64.we6. Zugzwang. 64 . . . {j;_c2 65 .wxd5 w£5 66.wc6 {j;_e4t 67.d5 (f;_£3 68.wc5 {j;_e4 69.{j;_e7 wg6 70.d6 wf7 7 1 .wb6 and gradually all of Black's pawns drop.) 62.
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
weS �c6 63.wd6 �b7 64.wc7 �a8 65.wb6 we6 66.wxa6 �c6 67.a4! bxa4 68.b5 a3 69.�c l a2 70.�b2.
60.weS �g2 61 .£4 wfl 62. �f6 �e4 63.�g5 we8 64.we6?1
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the f-pawn, which would have resulted in Black's swift capitulation. For example : 64.£5! wd7 65 .f6 �g6 66.wxd5 �f7t 67.wc5 wc7 68.�f4t wd7 69.wb6 we6 70.wxa6 �e8 7 1 . �eS wdS (or 7 l . . .�d7 72.d5t wf7 73. a4 bxa4 7 4. bS and White will soon queen his pawn.) 72.£7 �x£7 73.wxb5 and White wins easily. In his next two moves, White could still correct this inaccuracy, but he is going on, with his head bowed, towards the apawn . . . 64... �£3 65.wd6 �e4 66.wc6
Although with this move White does not let the win wfl 67.wb6?1 slip out of his hand for good, he takes_ the first step down the slippery slope. Sooner or later the white king must start towards the queenside, but in his great haste he is forgetting about a very im portant general endgame pos tulate - viz. , 'Patience'. Be fore the decisive maneuver, It would not have been too White could (and should!) have improved the position of late to retire with the repen-
144
tant 67.wd6!, after which the position can still be won with ease. Though White wins the second pawn, too, Black's king - first of all thanks to his opponent's pawn 'forgotten' on the f4 square - comes to counterplay surprisingly quickly. 67 ... we6 68.wxa6 �d3 69. waS wf5 All this would not be possible if White's pawn stood already on f6 instead of f4. 70.a4 bxa4 71 .W:xa4 we4 72. bS wxd4 73.wa5 �f5 74. wb6?
Though the position is still winning, now White's task is by no means easy. 74.b6! �c8 75 .£5 weS 76.f6. Even now the
Gyula Meszaros f-pawn must be pushed up to the sixth rank! After 76 . . . we6 77.wb5 �b7 78.wb4! (There's no sense in hurrying as Black is in zugzwang. 78. wc5 �a8 79.f7? wxfl 80.wd6 wg6 8 1 . wc7 W£5 82.b7 �xb7 83.wxb7 wg4 84.wc6 d4 and White falls behind by a tempo.) 78 . . . �c6 (on 78 . . . �a8 79.wc5 �b7 80.f7 wxfl 8 l .wd6, whilst on 78 . . . wfl 79.wc5 we6 80.f7 wxfl 8 1 . wd6 �a8 82.wc7 we6 83.b7 �xb7 84.wxb7 wf5 85 .wc6 d4 86.wc5 d3 87.wc4 we4 88.wc3 would decide the outcome of the game.) 79.wa5 ! �b7 80. wb5 . Zugzwang: by means of triangulation, the white king has got the upper hand over the enemy monarch. 80 . . . wf7 8 l .wc5 we6 82.f7 wxfl 83.wd6 d4 84.wc7 �f3 85 .b7 �xb7 86.wxb7 we6 87.wc6 we5 88. wc5 we4 89.wc4 d3 90.wc3 and White wins.
74... �d7 75.5 The f-pawn is compelled to start in order that it may distract the d7 bishop's atten-
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
tion from the bS pawn at the cost of sacrificing its life. 75 ... � 76.wc6 wc4 77.b6
145
(98) J. Nunn 1 998
�c8 78.b7 �b7t 79.Wx.b7 d4 so.wc6 d3 8 t . wd6 wc3 82.we5 d2 83.�t Wxd2 84.wd4 The resulting pawn ending is a dead draw. White yet makes some moves before ac quiescing to the unchange able. On 84.wf4 wd3 85 .\!igS WQ4 86. wxhS wf5 would fol low. 84. . wc2 85. we4 wc3 86. wf5 wd4 87. wgS weS ss. Wxh5 wffi And White agreed to the draw. Now, the question may arise why such an excellent grandmaster with vast know ledge commits (toward the end of the game, in all li kelihood in the pressure of time trouble) such errors? The answer is not too comp licated, but I will talk about it on another occasion . . . 1h-lh .
The position in the diag ram is the study of English grandmaster Nunn; a simul game of his played in 1 977 served as the basis for it. t.wffi �h4 2.wfS wd6 3.g311
A dazzling pawn sacrifice, putting into practice the prin ciple of creating the remotest
Gyula Mesdros
146
possible passed pawns. Onediagonal bishop and zugzwang are also not negligible factors: it is by means of them that White forces out the wm.
3 ...fxg3
identical with the main varia tion would arise . ) 1 3 .®g7t we8 1 4.�f7t wd8 (on 1 4 . . . we7 1 5.�c4t would win the queen, but Black cannot avoid his fate anyway.) 1 5 .c7t !
On 3 . . . �xg3 White wins in the following manner: 4.wxg5 �e 1 S .h4 �aS 6.h5 we7 7.wg6 wf8 s.�ds ! ·
1 5 . . . �xc7 1 6.®f8t wd7 1 7. �eSt and the black queen is lost.
4.�g2 g4 An important moment: the enemy monarch cannot be al lowed to go into the corner! Though Black's only surviv ing pawn can now get going, White's h-pawn reaches the promotion square with check. 8 . . . £3 9 . h6 f2 I O.h7 f1 \!!! 1 l .h8®t we7 1 2 .\!!l e St wf8 (on 12 . . . wd8 1 3.®d6t weB 1 4.®d7t wf8 1 5 .®g7t we8 1 6.�f7t would come, and a position
A forced pawn sac which Black could have put off only for a short time. 4 . . . wc7 S .weS g4 (or s . . . wc8 6.wd6 wd8 7.c7t weB 8.wc6 g4 9.�fl and mate on next move.) 6.hxg4 and essentially we find ourselves in a position identical with the main line.
5.hxg4
A serious mistake would be S.wxg4? as after S . . . �d8 6. h4 we6 7.h5 wf6 8.wxg3 wg7
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
the black monarch would escape into the comer. 5 ... �d8 6.g5 �aS No better was 6 . ./tJe7 m view of 7.wg6 w£8 8.wh6 7.wf6 And White wins.
(99) V. Anand A. Karpov -
Lausanne 1 998
Black's aS passed pawn alone is insufficient to achieve the win, so another passed pawn must be created on the kingside . For Karpov, this task is just an easy 'finger exercise' . . . 40 ...f41 By means of the pawn fixing rule, Black isolates the
147
hS pawn fixed on wrong co lour from its colleagues. True, to carry out this plan, the private on f4 will pay with his life, but thus an assymetric pawn structure is formed, making it easier for Black to create a new passed pawn.
41.�b2 �e8 42.�cl a4 43. �4 a3 44.�e3 � 45.wf2 �e8 46.�d4 �c6 47.�c3 a2 48. g3?!
Idle waiting would also have resulted in a slow but sure death for White . For example: 48.we3 wg6 49.wf2 wf5 SO.we3 hS S l .�a l gS 52. �b2 g4 53.fxg4t wxg4 54.wf2 h4 55.�c3 w£5 56.�b2 we4 s7.we2 �bs t ss.w£2 wd3 59.
148
w£3 �c6t and Black wins. Yet it should be remarked that every pawn move is only grist to Black's mill.
48 ... h5 49.g4 A desperate attempt at breaking out, but Karpov has no mercy. No better for White was either a) 49.wg2 g5 50.wf2 wg6 5 1 . g4 (or 5 l .we3 wf5 52.�b2 h4 and the new black passed pawn quickly decides.) 5 1 . . . h4 52.wg2 h3t (52 . . . �xf3t 53. wxf3 wf7 54. we2 weB also wins. The white monarch cannot go to the d-file, or else the h-pawn would promote, therefore he is compelled to watch idly as the black king penetrates his position on the queenside.) 53.wxh3 �xf3 54. wg3 �d 1 55.�b2 wf7 and Black achieves the win in the man ner just described; Or b) 49.f4 wg6 50.we3 wf5 5 L�b2 wg4 52.wf2 h4 53.gxh4 wxf4 and Black liquidates the h-pawn, too.
49...h4
Gyula Meszliros
And White resigned. There may have followed yet . . .
50.f4 �e4 51 .�d4 g5 52.f5 Or 52.fxg5 wg6 and White's g-pawns get lost.
52 ...exf5 53.gx:f5 g4 54.£6
�d5 And there is nothing left for White but to resign.
0-1 (100) Z. Edes K. Toma -
Liptovsky Mikulas 20 1 0
For a trainer, there i s no thing more rewarding than seeing that a pupil knows and employs perfectly what (s)he was taught. In the following example, the 17 -year-old young Hungarian lady of Slovakia
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
defeats her IM opponent, a lot more prospective on pa per, with a virtuosic endgame technique.
149
f7 pawn becomes clear for the white king. 35 . . . �d3 36.Wc6 �e4t 37.wd6 �d3 38.we7 �f5 39.wxf7 wd7 40.wf6 ! . Zug 32.e51 zwang: Black is compelled to A very nice move which is allow his opponent's king to seemingly in contrast with go back to the queenside. the pawn-fixing rule. Well, 40 . . . wc8 4 l .we7 �g4 42.wd6 not only seemingly but in re �f5 43.Wc6 �d3 (a bit more ality as well, but in this game unpleasant would have been events are not centred around 43 . . . �c2, but after 44.wb6 �d3 the pawn-fixing rule. Yet that 45 .wa7! - zugzwang - white much I must tell that White would have won in the same did fix the f7 pawn, but let's way as in the game.) 44.wb6 proceed successively . . . �c4 45 .f5! White would have achieved nothing with 32.we5 wd7 33. f5 in view of 33 . . . exf5 34.exf5 gxf5 35 .wf6 �d5 and Black has comfortably defended her self. 32 .. wd7 A splendid breakthrough The text is my idea. In the game, 32 . . . �b5 occurred, and which White had taken into after 33.wc5 wd7 34.wb6 (the consideration already on move threat was 35 .Wb7) 34 . . . Wc8 32! . 45 . . . exf5 (or 45 . . . gxf5?? 35 .h4. Zugzwang: The black 46.g6 and the pawn pro monarch cannot move, and motes.) 46.Wc6. And now back his bishop must cover the a6 to the queenside again! 46 . . . pawn, so the way towards the �bSt 47.wd6 f4 48.�e l f3 49. .
Gyula Mesdros
150
�g3 �c4 50.e6 �b3 5 l .e7 �fl 52.we5 f2 53.�xf2 wxc7 54.wf6 �e8 55.wg7 and in this hope less position Black resigned. 33.wcS �a 34.wb6 �e4 Black sacrifices his a6 pawn, in return for which he would like to build up an impenetrable defensive line on the queenside. 34 . . . �e2?? would be of course met with 3S .wb7.
35.w:xa6 �£3 36.wb6 wc8 37.�c3 �e4 38.h4 �£3 39.a4 �e4 40.a5 �£3 4l .a6 �dS 42.a7 �a 43.�aS �g2 44.wc5 wd7 45.wd4 �a White has strenghtened his position to the maximum, but Black is not too worried about being two pawns down, as his fortress seems to be ve ry strong. White, however, finds the crack on the es cutcheon!
after 46 . . . gxf5 . There might follow 47 .wc5 f4 48.c8®t ! wxc8 49.wd6 wb7 50.we7 �e4 S l .wxfl f3 52.�e l with deci sive advantage to White. 47.e6t! fxe6 48.we5 Though material balance is restored, Black's position is hopeless. 48 ...�e4 49.�b6 wc8 SO.wffi
f4
46.5!!
(Diagram)
46.. exf5 .
Black would lose quicker
51.a8®tl �8 52.Wxg6 �£3
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
Or 52 . . . £3 53.wxh5 f2 54. �:x£2 wxc7 55.g6 eS 56.wg5 and White wins with ease.
53.wf6 �e2 54.g6 e5 55. wxe5 f3 56.wf6 f2 57.�xf2 wxc7 58.g7 �c4 59.we7
And White achieves the win.
1--0
(101) Averbakh
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taining the fortress, Grand master Timman holds it an important criterion that the task of the defending side's king and bishop be inter changeable ; to put it suc cinctly, we might call this rule "the variability of func tions". Giving an example, he begins his article with a study of Averbakh.
1 954 We have come to the end of our book. At such times it is customary to finish it with something of a real 'smasher'. I think we'll have no reason to complain, because the God dess Caissa was benign to us: what has happened in the eigth game of the Anand Topalov World Champion ship match is considered as a real treat! In my analysis I made full use of Grandmaster Timman's excellent article written on this game, pub lished in New In Chess. From the point of view of main-
Without the g-pawns the position would be an easy draw, besides, the possible exchange of the a-pawn for Black's last surviving pawn on g6 would also fail to bring the desired success - let's just recall example No. 3 1 ! If White is to move, then the
152
white monarch is able to in vade th� black camp, and with the aid of zugzwang he achieves the win.
Gyula Mesdros
(102) Averbakh 1 954
l.wc3 �fl.
Also fruitless would have been I . . .wd7 in view of 2.wd4 we6 3.wc5 wd7 (or 3 . . . �e2 4. wc6 and White wins with ease.) 4.wd5 �d3 S .weS and the resulting position is iden tical with the main line. 2. wd4 �e2 3. weS wd7 4. wffi �d3 s.w£71 5 . a6?? �xa6 6.wxg6 i>e8 and Black has taken up the already well-known drawn position.
If it is Black's move, he is capa� l� of constructing an impregnable fortress.
1... wd7 2. wc3 i>e6 3. wd4 �b71 In the previous position
s ... wds 6.�b4 wd7 7 .�cS this move would not have wd8 s.�b6t wd7 9.�c7 been enough, since there the Zugzwang.
white monarch stood already
9 ... �e4 10.a6 �d3 l l .a7 on the cS square, and after �e4 12.wffi we8 13.we6 �f5t wb6 he would have got hold 14.we5 of the c7 square. And White wins. 4.wc5 wd7 s.wb6 �f3 6.a6 wc8 7. wa7 �g41 (Diagram) So far the imp ortant b 7 square w a s gua rd e d by t h e black bishop , w h i l e the d 7
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
pawn and the kingside by the king, but now the roles will be interchanged! s.<;!ib6 �f3 9.wc5 wd7 10. wd4 we6 And White is unable to pe netrate into his opponent's camp.
(103) Topalov - Anand Match game 8, Sofia 201 0
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White i s a passed pawn up, and he threatens to penetrate with his king on both wings into his opponent's camp. Ac cording to Grandmaster Tim man, Black's problems are made even worse by the fact that he cannot play h5 , since White can thus create a pas sed pawn on the h-file more easily (see Black's plan in example 86) . Black should first improve the position of his bishop in the same way we just saw in Averbakh's study, but Anand brings his king towards the centre of the board in a stereotyped manner . . . 34... wd7? 34 . . . �c2! 35.we3 wd7 was necessary; the difference will become clear in just a mo ment.
35.we37 Topalov returns the error! After 35 .wd2! Black's bishop cannot join in the battle. For example: 35 . . . �b l (Premature would be the
154
thematic pawn sac with 35 . . . eS, as after 36. �xeS rl>e6 (or 36 . . . �e6 37.rl>e3 �c4 38.Wf4 �fl 39.g3! �e2 40. rl>gS �xf3 4 l .Wh6 and the h7 pawn drops. White creates another pawn on the king's wing, which quickly decides.) 37.g4 �b l 38.Wc3 ! �a2 39.b3! �bl 40.�g3!
Black would fall into zug zwang. 40 . . . wd7 There is no thing else, for after (40 . . . �a2?? 41 .wb2 the black bishop would be entrapped.) 4 1 .rl>d4 rl>e6 42.wc5 wd7 43.wd5 . Now the way is open towards the black kingside pawns. 43 . . . �d3 (After 43 . . . �a2 44.We5 �b3 45 .Wf6 White would convert his advantage in a way identi cal with the main variation;
Gyula Mesdros
the loss of the b3 pawn is of no significance whatsoever.) 44.we5 �e2 45 .wf6 �xf3 46. gs �hs 47.wg7 we6 48.wxh7 wd7 49.wg7 rl>e6 so.�es wd7 s 1 .wn wds s2.�f6t wd7 s3. �e7 Wc8 54.We8 �g4 55.h5 ! and White achieves the win. 36.wc3 �a2 37.wd4 rl>e8 38.rl>e5 wf7 39.�g5 ! Threat ening 40.d7 and then 4 l .d8®. 39 . . . we8 40.wf6 and the white monarch has invaded on the kingside. 3S ... �c21 36. wd4 After 36.�e5 �a4 37.wf4 h6 38.wg4 �bs 39.hs �d3 40.wh4 �c2 4 l .g4 �d3 White has achieved nothing concrete. 36... we8 37.we5 wfl 38.�e3 Or 38.�g5 �a4 and now Black controls the d6 pawn with his bishop. 38 ... �a4 39.wf4 �bs Timman mentions that the pawn sacrifice 39 . . . wf6 40. �d4t eSt still does not work as after 4l .�xeSt rl>e6 42.�c3 (or 42.rl>e4 �bS 43.wd4 �fl 44. g3 �e2 45.We3 �dl with equal-
The Secrets of the Opposite-Coloured Bishop Endings
ity.) 42 . . . wxd6 43.wg5 the h7 pawn gets lost. This state ment (i.e. the loss of the h7pawn) is true, but 43 . . . we6 44. wh6 �c2 !
(Naturally after 44 . . . <.!7£7? 45 .wxh7 �c6 46.wh6 �d5 47. h5 gxh5 48 .wxh5 White would easily collect the full point owing to the queenside pawns. ) 45 .�e l (After 45 .g3 w£7 46.wxh7 g5t 47.wh6 gxh4 48.gxh4 �d l 49.f4 �c2 50.wg5 we6 Black's fortress, thanks to his one-diagonal bishop, is impregnable, the same way as it is after 45 .wxh7 g5t 46.wh6 gxh4 47.wg5 h3!) 45 . . . <.!7£7 46. wxh7 �d3! (on 46 . . . g5t? 47. wh6 gxh4 4B.�xh4 �d3 49. wg5 �fl 50.g4 �e2 5 1 . f4 White wins without difficul-
155
ty. ) 47.wh6 �fl 48.g3 �e2 49.f4 wf6 50.�c3t wf5 the black fortress is as firm as a rock, that is to say, the pawn sac with 40 . . . e5t does work after all! Anyway, the 'jetti soning' of the e6-pawn is quite self-evident, but the nightmare of being another pawn down proves to be stronger than rules! 40.�c5 After 40.wg5 �e8 4 1 .wh6 wg8 42 .�d4 �d7 43.g4 �c6 44.f4 �d7 45 .�e5 �c6 46.h5 gxh5 47.wxh5 w£7 48.wh6 �e4! Black would yet hold his ground, in contrast to the move 48 . . . wg8?, after which Black would lose in the same manner as he did in the game. There may follow 49.�d4 �c2 50.�c5 weB 5 l .wg7 wd7 52.wf6 �d l 53.wg5 �c2 54.£5 ex£5 55.gxf5 h6t 56.wf6 �d3 and one cannot see how White can get any further. 40... wf6 4t.�d4t wfl After a short think, Anand decides on passive defence.
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4 1 . . .e5t still ensures the draw. For example: 42.�e5t we6 43.we4 (or 43.�c3 �fl 44. g3 wxd6 45 .wg5 �e2 46.f4 we6 with equality.) 43 . . . �fl 44.g3 �g2 45 .g4 �hi 46.h5 gxh5 47. gxh5 h6 48.�f4 �g2 49.�xh6 wxd6 50.�g7 we6 5 l .wf4 �fl 52.wg5 �d3 and we are in an already well-known position.
42.wg5 �c6 43.wh6 wgs 44.h5 �es 45.wg5 wfl 46.wh6 w8s 47.�cS gxh5 48.wg5 wg7 49.�d4t wf/ 50.�e5 h4 51. Wxl14 wg6 52.wg4 �b5 53.wf4 wfl 54. wg5 �c677
immobility. On the basis of the rules, he should have left his bishop on the fl-a6 dia gonal, and attack the enemy pawns from the rear. The pu nishment will be almost im mediate!
ss.wh6 w8s 56.g41
And Black resigned. The f3 pawn is taboo in view of the pawn push d6-d7, and after . . .
56... �b5 57.g5 �c6 58.�g71
58... �e8 59.f4 (Zugzwang)
59 ... �c6 60.g6 hxg6 61. A losing move. Not seeing his opponent's plan, Anand believes that he has doomed Topalov's kingside pawns to
wxg6 The white monarch gets hold of the e7 square, and, along with it, the win.
1--0
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Symbols used
Symbols used
t tt
Check Double check # Checkmate Good move Excellent move !! White wins 1-0 0-1 Black wins 1/2-112 Draw
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Th e Mayor of Miskolc is making th e opening move of th e Anand - Lek6 match
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Miskolc is the third biggest city in Hungary; the inhabi tants are fond of culture and sports very much here. In the last few years, great athletes from Europe and all over the world met here and measured swords with one another, for example, in ice-hockey, handball, basketball, karate, boxing, and speed way. Two of our frequented events have become traditional, namely the Bartok + International Opera Festival in summer and the more and more popular Kocsonya Festival in winter time. It is well-known that chess, too, has got serious traditions in Miskolc, for there has been a several times national cham pion chess team and a number of players of international level originating from Miskolc or still living here. Furthermore, we proudly state that Peter Lek6 has opened his first chess school in our city. Peter Lek6 played in the last few years against such big names as Michael Adams, Anatoly Karpov, Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik and the absolute champion of chess, Viswanathan Anand. I wish all our guests and visitors a pleasant stay and a very good time in our city. Sandor Kali Mayor of Miskolc
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