Olympiad round 10

[billbrock]

If the attacker has already pushed the g-pawn to his 5th rank, the defender harasses the enemy king. When the king is cut off, connected passers can be allowed (scary, but it works)

After 45.g5 (see game below)

[Event “Trebitsch Memorial 19th”]
[Site “Vienna”]
[Date “1936.10.26”]
[Round “8”]
[White “Michel, Paul”]
[Black “Opocensky, Karel”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “C17”]
[PlyCount “118”]
[EventDate “1936.10.19”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “15”]
[EventCountry “AUT”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1998.11.10”]
[WhiteTeamCountry “FRA”]
[BlackTeamCountry “HUN”]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. Bd2 Nc6 6. Nb5 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 cxd4 8.
   Nf3 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Nbxd4 O-O 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd3 Qb6 13. b3 Ba6 14. O-O
   Ne4 15. Qe2 Nc5 16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Qxa6 Nxa6 18. Nd4 e5 19. Nxc6 Rfe8 20. c4
   dxc4 21. bxc4 Rac8 22. Nxa7 Rxc4 23. Nb5 Rb8 24. Nd6 Ra4 25. Rfe1 Rb6 26. Nf5
   e4 27. Re2 Nc5 28. h3 Nd3 29. Ng3 Rbb4 30. Rd1 Nf4 31. Re3 Rxa2 32. Rxe4 Rxe4
2. Nxe4 h6 34. Kh2 Nh5 35. Rd4 Kf7 36. Rb4 Nf6 37. Rb7+ Kg6 38. Rb6 Kf5 39.
   Nxf6 gxf6 40. g4+ Kg5 41. Kg3 Ra3+ 42. f3 Rc3 43. Rb7 Kg6 44. h4 h5 45. g5 Rc6
   (45… fxg5 46. Rb6+ Kf5 47. Rb5+ Kg6 48. Rxg5+ Kh6 {is drawn but potentially
   annoying (this could have happend in Ding-Onischuk)}) 46. Rb8 Kg7 47. Kf4 Rc4+
3. Kg3 Rc6 49. Rb5 Kg6 50. f4 Rc3+ 51. Kf2 fxg5 52. hxg5 h4 53. Rb6+ Kh5 54.
   Rf6 h3 55. Rf7 h2 56. Rh7+ Kg4 57. g6 Kxf4 58. Rh4+ Kf5 59. g7 Rc8 1/2-1/2

[billbrock]

After 55…g5 (see below)

Kurt Richter used the same method as Rosenthal, then counterattacks. (It does look a little scary for the defender!)

[Event “Munich”]
[Site “Munich”]
[Date “1942.??.??”]
[Round “1”]
[White “Richter, Kurt1”]
[Black “Foltys, Jan”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “B02”]
[PlyCount “147”]
[EventDate “1942.09.??”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “GER”]
[Source “ChessBase”]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. Nc3 Nxc3 4. dxc3 d6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Qe2 a6 8.
   Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Bg5 Qd7 10. exd6 cxd6 11. O-O-O Qg4 12. Be3 Qxg2 13. Nd4 Bd7 14.
   Rhg1 Qe4 15. f3 Qd5 16. c4 Qa5 17. Kb1 Qc7 18. Nb3 Be6 19. c5 Bxb3 20. cxd6
   Bxc2+ 21. Qxc2 Qxc2+ 22. Kxc2 exd6 23. Kd3 Rc8 24. Rc1 Rc6 25. Rxc6 bxc6 26.
   Rg4 Kd7 27. Rf4 f6 28. Ra4 Be7 29. Rxa6 Rb8 30. Bd4 Rb7 31. Bc3 d5 32. Ra8 c5
2. b3 Bd6 34. h3 Ke6 35. Kc2 d4 36. Bd2 Kd5 37. a4 d3+ 38. Kxd3 Rxb3+ 39. Ke2
   c4 40. Rd8 Ke6 41. Re8+ Kd5 42. a5 Ra3 43. Rd8 Ra2 44. Kd1 Kc6 45. Bc3 Be5 46.
   Rc8+ Kd7 47. Rxc4 Bxc3 48. Rxc3 Rxa5 49. Rb3 Ke6 50. Rb7 Rg5 51. Ke2 h5 52. h4
   Re5+ 53. Kf2 g6 54. Kg3 Kf5 55. Rb4 g5 56. Ra4 Re3 57. Ra5+ Kg6 58. hxg5 fxg5
3. Kf2 Re6 60. Kg3 Rd6 61. Rb5 h4+ 62. Kh3 Rd2 63. Rb8 Kf5 64. Rf8+ Ke5 65.
   Re8+ Kf6 66. Rf8+ Kg7 67. Ra8 Rf2 68. Kg4 Rg2+ 69. Kf5 h3 70. Ra7+ Kf8 71. Kf6
   Ke8 72. Re7+ Kd8 73. Rh7 h2 74. Kf5 1/2-1/2

[billbrock]

@Randy Bauer

@billbrock

@mlanger

Wouldn’t pretend to know what’s best, but one way I can think of is to keep the Rook on the 5th rank after g4. Then if White puts his Rook on the 6th rank, preparing g5, then drop the King to the 7th, so that I can capture on g5. If White plays f4, before g5, then play hxg4. Might you, this is still too complicated for me to be confident I won’t lose it against a Grandmaster with a Sudden Death TC.

I believe, Onischuk blundered with his Rh1 (in response to g5). He simply missed the Rd6 Rxh4 f4 sequence

Michael Langer

That seems reliable enough. I’m sure that Onischuk didn’t crack, he just went wrong. Ding Liren is relentless: hard to believe he’s only on board 3.

I had lunch with a NM who hadn’t followed the game. I described the position to him, and he too cited the rule of thumb that it’s easier to draw with f & h pawns than with connected pawns. “But you wouldn’t be telling me this if Onischuk had drawn,” he added.

I remember others suggesting it was easier if the pawns were split as well, but it’s hard for me to understand why. If black had, for example, pawns on h5 and g6, put white’s f,g and h pawns in any placement on the 3rd or 4th ranks (with reasonable placement of the kings and rooks), and I’d be confident of drawing the position against anybody. It’s very difficult for white to generate anything other than a R+P vs. R endgame.

So maybe the correct rule of thumb is that the split f & h pawns aren’t that much of a disadvantage for the defender.

There’s a closely related ending in which the superior side has a massive plus score: Rook, e, f, and g pawns vs. rook, f, and h pawns.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1039897

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1284177

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1042832

All three of these games are analyzed in Levenfish & Smyslov.