Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Heavy Piece Endgames - Chess.com

Heavy Piece Endgames - Chess.com

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Heavy Piece Endgames

Heavy pieces endgames are endgames when only queens and/or rooks and pawns are left on the board. The key factors are space and open files. Controlling a vital open file can be a decisive advantage.

Here are the most typical plans you can employ in heavy piece endgames:

1. Capture an open file and use it to burst into the opponent’s camp. To ensure that, you will often have to double or triple pieces along the file. After succeeding, you can either start devouring hanging pawns, or create mating threats by doubling your pieces along the back rank.

2. Attack a weak or isolated pawn and capture it. Often one can triple pieces targeting the pawn and force the opponent into defending it. Then the pawn becomes pinned, and you can attack the pawn with your own pawn, thus winning it.

3. Attack the opponent’s king. Heavy pieces are like fierce trolls when it comes to attacking. Two rooks or Q+R are a formidable battering ram team that can break the enemy castle when attacking along the eighth (and sometimes seventh) rank. Applying pressure via files can also be deadly. These heavyweights can also be supported by footmen – pawns.

Pogonina, N. (2501) vs. Kosintseva, N. (2518)
59th ch-RUS w | Moscow RUS | Round 4| 23 Dec 2009 | ECO: C89 | 1/2-1/2

4. Creating a passer and deflecting the opponent’s forces, followed by attacking the king or winning material.

Pogonina, N. (2442) vs. Kosteniuk, A. (2497)
61st ch-RUS w | Moscow RUS | Round 7| 26 Aug 2011 | ECO: C42 | 1-0

5. Also don’t forget about the option of transforming the position. Sometimes you should trade into a rook or queen endgame.

Muzychuk, A. (2540) vs. Pogonina, N. (2467)
Open C Women | Moscow RUS | Round 5| 4 Feb 2009 | ECO: B23 | 1/2-1/2
White has some pressure, but after

The main dish today will be my game against Salome Melia from the recent European Team Chess Championship.

Pogonina, N. (2451) vs. Melia, S. (2392)
18th European Teams w | Porto Carras GRE | Round 5.1| 7 Nov 2011 | ECO: B12 | 1-0
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O Bg6 7. c3 Nf5 8. Nbd2 Be7 9. Nb3 Nd7 10. a4 ( 10. g4 Nh4 ( 10... Nh6 11. h3 O-O ) 11. Nxh4 Bxh4 12. f4 f5 13. exf6 ( 13. g5?! h6 ) 13... Bxf6 ( 13... Qxf6 14. g5 Qe7 15. Bh5 ) 14. g5 Be7 15. Bg4 Bf5 16. Re1 Bxg4 17. Qxg4 Nf8 18. Nd2 g6 19. Nf3 Bd6 20. a4 ) 10... O-O 11. a5 ( 11. g4 Nh4 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 13. f4 f6 14. exf6 ( 14. f5 Bf7 ) 14... Bxf6 15. g5 Be7 16. Bg4 Bf5 ) 11... a6 12. Bf4 Rc8 13. c4 Bh5 14. Rc1?! ( 14. c5 ) 14... Nh4? ( 14... dxc4 15. Rxc4 ( 15. Bxc4 g5 16. Bd2 c5 ) 15... b5 ( 15... c5 16. dxc5 ( 16. d5 b5! ) 16... Nxc5 17. Nbd4 ) 16. axb6 Nxb6 17. Rc1 Nd5 18. Bd2 Qb6 ) 15. Nxh4 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Bxh4 17. Qg4 Kh8 ( 17... f5? 18. exf6 Bxf6 ( 18... Qxf6 19. g3 ) 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. cxd5 Re8 21. Qf7 ) 18. Rc3 ( 18. cxd5 exd5 ( 18... cxd5?? 19. Rxc8 Qxc8 20. Qxh4 ) 19. Rc3 Be7 ( 19... f5? 20. Qh5 g6 ( 20... g5 21. e6 Nf6 22. Be5 Kg8 23. Qh6 ( 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 24. g3 ) 23... Qe7 24. f3 Qxe6 25. g3 ) 21. Qh6 Rg8 22. Rh3 g5 23. Bd2 ) 20. Rh3 g6 21. Re1 Kg8 22. Bd2 Rc7 ( 22... f5 23. Qf4 Re8 24. Rxh7 Kxh7 25. Qh6+ Kg8 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27. Re3 ) 23. Qf4 Re8 24. e6 fxe6 25. Rxe6 Nf8 26. Re2 ) 18... dxc4 ( 18... Be7 19. Rh3 g6 20. c5 ) 19. Nd2 Be7 ( 19... f5 20. Qh5 g6 21. Qh6 g5 22. Nxc4 gxf4 23. Rh3 Rg8 24. Rxh4 Nf8 25. Nd6 ) 20. Rh3 Re8 ( 20... g6 21. Nxc4 Kg8 22. Bh6 f5 ( 22... Re8 23. Rf3 Bf8 ( 23... c5 24. d5 exd5 25. Rxf7 Kxf7 26. e6+ Kg8 27. exd7 ) 24. Bg5 Qc7 25. Qh4 h5 26. Qf4 f5 27. exf6 Qxf4 28. Rxf4 ) 23. exf6 Rxf6 24. Rd1 Nf8? 25. Nb6 Rc7 26. Bf4 ) 21. Nxc4 Nf8 22. Rd1 Rc7 ( 22... Rb8 23. Nb6 Qc7 24. Rf3 ) 23. Nb6 Bb4 24. Rdd3 Kg8 ( 24... Bxa5? 25. Rdg3 g6 ( 25... Ng6 26. Bg5 Qb8 ( 26... Ree7 27. Nc4 Bb4 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29. exd6 Qxd6 30. Qh5 Nf8 31. Bf6 ) 27. Qh5 Nf8 ( 27... h6 28. Bxh6 ) 28. Bf6 ) 26. Bg5 f5 27. Qh4 Qb8 28. Bf6+ Kg8 29. Nc4 Bb4 30. Nd6 Bxd6 31. exd6 Rf7 32. Be5 ) 25. Rdg3 g6 ( 25... Ng6? 26. Be3 h6 ( 26... Bxa5 27. Qh5 Bxb6 28. Qxh7+ Kf8 29. Rxg6 fxg6 30. Rf3+ Rf7 31. Bh6 ) 27. Qh5 ( 27. d5 exd5 28. Qxb4 Rxe5 ) 27... Bf8 28. Rxg6 fxg6 29. Qxg6 Kh8 30. Nc4 Qd7 31. Nd6 ) 26. Bg5? ( 26. Rd3 Be7 ( 26... Bxa5 27. Bg5 f5 ( 27... Qb8 28. Bf6 Bxb6 29. Qg5 ) 28. exf6 Rf7 29. Nc4 Bc7 30. Qh4 ) 27. Bd2 f5 28. Qd1 Nd7 29. Qb3 ) 26... Be7 27. Bh6 f5 28. Qf4? ( 28. exf6 Bxf6 29. Rd3 Rf7 ) 28... Bc5 ( 28... c5 29. Rd3 cxd4 30. Qd2 ( 30. Rxd4?? g5 ) ( 30. Qxd4 g5 ) 30... Rc5 31. Rxd4 Rc1+ ( 31... Qc7 32. Rc3 Rxc3 33. bxc3 Qxe5 34. Bxf8 Bxf8 35. Nd7 Qg7 36. Nxf8 Rxf8 37. Rd7 Rf7 38. Rd8+ Rf8 39. Rd7 ) 32. Qxc1 Qxd4 33. Re3 Nd7 ) 29. Bxf8?! ( 29. Rd3 Bxb6 30. Bg5 Qd5 31. axb6 Qa5 32. Rd1 Qxb6 33. b3 ) 29... Rxf8 30. Rd3 Bxb6 31. axb6 Rd7 32. Rhg3 Qxb6 ( 32... c5 33. h4 Rxd4 34. Rxd4 Qxd4 35. Qh6 Qxe5 36. Rd3 Qg7 37. Qd2 ) 33. h4 Rfd8? ( 33... Qxb2 34. h5 Rg7 35. Rb3 Qc2 36. hxg6 Qd1+ 37. Kh2 Qh5+ 38. Rh3 ( 38. Kg1 hxg6 ) 38... Qxg6 39. Rhg3 Qf7 ) 34. Qh6? ( 34. h5! Rxd4?? 35. Qh6 Rxd3 36. hxg6 ) 34... Rg7 ( 34... Rxd4?? 35. h5 Rxd3 36. hxg6 ) ( 34... Qb4 35. h5 Qf8 36. Qf4 Rg7 ) ( 34... Qxb2 35. h5 f4 36. Rh3 ) 35. h5 Kf7? ( 35... Qxb2 36. hxg6 Kh8 ) 36. Qg5 Kg8? ( 36... Ke8 37. Qf6 Qc7 ( 37... Re7? 38. Rb3 Qa7 39. hxg6 hxg6 40. d5! cxd5 ( 40... Rxd5 41. Rh3 Kd7 42. Rh8 ) ( 40... exd5 41. e6 ) 41. Rgc3 ) 38. Qxe6+ Qe7 39. Qb3 Rd5 ) 37. Qf6 Re8 ( 37... Qc7 38. hxg6 Re8 39. gxh7+ ) 38. hxg6 ( 38. h6! Rf7 39. Rxg6+ hxg6 40. h7+ Rxh7 41. Qxg6+ Kf8 42. Qxh7 ) 38... h6 39. Qh4 f4 40. Qxf4 Rf8 41. Qd2 ( 41. Qxh6 Qxb2 42. Kh2 Rxf2 ( 42... Qxf2 43. Rg4 ) 43. Rg4 ) 41... Rf5 42. b3 ( 42. Qxh6 ) 42... Rh5 43. Rdf3 ( 43. d5! cxd5 44. Rxd5 exd5 45. Qxd5+ Kh8 46. Qf3 ) 43... Qd8 44. Qf4 ( 44. Rf6 Rxe5 45. Rgf3 Rf5 46. Rxe6 Rxf3 47. gxf3 h5 48. Qe3 Kf8 49. Qf4+ Kg8 50. Qe5 Kf8 51. Rf6+ Kg8 52. Qe6+ Kh8 53. Rf5 ) 44... Rg5 45. Rxg5 hxg5 46. Qe4 Qd5? ( 46... Qe8 47. Rf6 a5 48. Qd3 b5 49. g3 a4 50. bxa4 bxa4 51. Qb1 a3 ( 51... Ra7 52. Qb6 Qa8 53. Rxe6 a3 54. Rxc6 a2 55. Rc8+ Qxc8 56. Qxa7 ) 52. Rxe6 Re7 53. Rf6 Kg7 54. Qa2 Ra7 55. Rf7+ Rxf7 56. gxf7 Qxf7 57. Qxa3 ) 47. Qg4 Rxg6 ( 47... Qd7 48. Qxg5 Qe8 49. Rf6 a5 50. Rxe6 ) 48. Qh5 Kg7 ( 48... Qe4 49. Rh3 Kf7 50. Qh7+ Kf8 51. Qh8+ Rg8 52. Qf6+ Ke8 53. Qxe6+ Kf8 54. Rh6 ) 49. Rh3 Kf7 50. Qh8 Rg7 51. Rh6

After having played the opening somewhat carelessly I could have ended up in trouble. However, my partner blundered on move 14, so I got a sizeable advantage. After the move 25. Rdg3 I had hardly any time left, and made a few mistakes. Pushing the h-pawn is a well-known resource that aims to weaken the Black pawn chain and open up files for the attack. In mutual time trouble Melia couldn’t handle the pressure, so I won the decisive game of the Russia-Georgia match.

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