Tuesday, December 04, 2018

(291) The ending of rook´s pawn and a bishop which does not control the corner square Vs the adjacent knight´s pawn

On the evening of November 17th 2018 I happened to think about a slightly unusual ending of  rook´s pawn and a bishop (which does not control the corner square on which the pawn promotes) Vs knight´s pawn.
Although the position is similar to one which arose in the game Timman Vs Mestel, London 1982, which Timman won and also to that which arose in the fifth game of the Korchnoi Vs Karpov, World Championship Match, Baguio City 1978, which Karpov clung on to draw, my machinations soon led me to realise that it was in fact also drawn.
Here, by the way, is a game from two men who would later contend The Times 1993 World Championship Match. In the ending that arose at move 93 the position is actually won for the man with the bishop as the doubled knight´s pawn means that, after the defender is compelled to give it away, the resultant position will not be a stalemate - https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1070432

The following day I competed in a Rapids event in the town of Sumacárcer in the province of Valencia and, during my third round game as black against the Spanish Fide Master  Juan Llinares Tolledano the very set up arose at move 62 -
1. f4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. e3 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. d4 c5 6. dc5 Qa5 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2 Nc3 9. bc3 Qc5 10. Nd4 O-O 11. O-O Nd7 12. Bf3 Nb6 13. Rb1 d5 14. Kh1 Bd7 15. e4 de4 16. Be4 Rab8 17. Qf3 Nc4 18. Bc1 b6 19. Rd1 Rbd8 20. Be3 Ne3 21. Qe3 Bg4 22. Rd2 Rc8 23. h3 Bd7 24. Rd3 Rc7 25. Rbd1 Ba4 26. f5 Rfc8 27. fg6 hg6 28. Qf3 Be8 29. Ne2 Qe5 30. Rd8 Bf6 31. Bb7 Kg7 32. Bc8 Bc6 33. Qf2 e6 34. Ba6 Bd8 35. Rd8 Bd5 36. Qd4 Qd4 37. Nd4 Rc3 38. Bd3 Ba2 39. Rd7 a5 40. Rb7 Bd5 41. Rb6 a4 42. Ra6 e5 43. Nb5 Rc5 44. Ra4 e4 45. Bf1 Rc2 46. Kh2 e3 47. Nd4 Rf2 48. Kg1 Kf6 49. Ra3 Rd2 50. Ne2 Kg7 51. Re3 f5 52. Nc3 Bf7 53. Be2 Kf6 54. Bf3 g5 55. g4 Be6 56. gf5 Bf5 57. Ne4 Be4 58. Be4 Rb2 59. Bf3 Rd2 60. Bg4 Rb2 61. Re2 Re2 62. Be2 Kg7 63. Kf2



The game then concluded -
63...Kh8 64. Kg3 Kg7 65. Kg4 Kh8 66. Kh5 Kg7 67. Bc4 Kh8 68. Kg4 Kg7 69. Kf5 Kh8 70. Kf6 Kh7 71. Be6 Kh8 72. Kg6 g4 73. h4 g3 74. Bd5 g2 1/2-1/2 

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