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      [Next]
  • This is in endgame that where I
  • played black in a tournament around
  • 1990.
  • It is extremely
  • subtle.
  • But if you learn this endgame then
  • you will defeat almost all players
  • rated under 1800 at king and pawn
  • endings, and maybe about half of all
  • class A players as well.
  • I suggest playing through the
  • position on a real board.
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  • It is white to move. Who has the
  • advantage here? Should white be
  • playing for a draw, and if so, how?
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  • Black has an advantage because his
  • king is closer to the white pawns and
  • he has more reserve tempo moves that
  • he can make with his own pawns.
  • How should white play for a draw?
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  • White should bide his time. If black
  • chases after the c2 pawn then it will
  • take him 9 moves to queen the c7
  • pawn, while it takes white only 8
  • moves to capture the h7 pawn and
  • queen the g4 pawn.
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  • Instead white makes a mistake here.
  • By pushing the c3 pawn he loses one
  • of his reserve tempo moves and he
  • brings the c3 pawn one square closer
  • to the black king.
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  • Moving the black king here was a
  • mistake because ...
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  • White has moved closer to the h7 pawn
  • while the black king has moved
  • farther away from the c3 pawn.
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      [Next]
  • White draws by keeping his king in
  • range of the h7 pawn.
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  • So what should black do instead?
  • Black to move

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  • He moves his c pawn. He is not
  • worried about it being attacked
  • because he knows that white can't get
  • to it. White's only real play is to
  • go after the h7 pawn.
  • White moves his king because pushing
  • his pawn would be even worse...
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • We see now that it would take too
  • long for the white king to go after
  • h7 pawn.
  • This is the critical position. How
  • should black play here?
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • Now h6 will lead to a win or black
  • can play ...
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • Black to move

13








      [Next]
  • Wins.
  • Lucky for black he had one reserve
  • tempo move.
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  • Likewise ...
  • Black to move

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  • Moving the king outflanks white and
  • so does pushing the h pawn.
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  • What if the black king had gone here
  • instead?
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • By going after the G pawn he wins the
  • pawn race.
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      [Next]
  • Earlier I stated that pushing the c
  • pawn would be worse. Why is that?
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • This is similar to endgames we have
  • already seen where black has
  • opposition and wins.
21








      [Next]
  • We already said that white can draw
  • by going after the h7 pawn.
  • Suppose black wanted to try some
  • tricky moves to win?
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • Now if black tried to play c4 it
  • would be a disaster because white
  • would play c3 and outflank black.
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • Black to move

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  • There was a different choice for
  • black than to push the C pawn. We
  • will look at that shortly.
  • Black to move

25








      [Next]
  • Blacks "clever" strategy to win is to
  • go after White's pawn.
  • Black to move

26








      [Next]
  • Black to move

27








      [Next]
  • This doesn't look good for black.
  • Black to move

28








      [Next]
  • Black to move

29








      [Next]
  • Black is going after the c2 pawn but
  • white is trying the same.
  • Black to move

30








      [Next]
  • Black to move

31








      [Next]
  • Black loses.
32








      [Next]
  • A better choice for black was to keep
  • his king on the 4th rank.
  • Black to move

33








      [Next]
  • Black to move

34








      [Next]
  • This is a draw.
35








      [Next]
  • There was a different choice for
  • black than to push the C pawn.
  • Black to move

36








      [Next]
  • Again black tries to go after the
  • pawn.
  • Black to move

37








      [Next]
  • Black to move

38








      [Next]
  • It should be pretty clear that
  • Black's pawn is not far advanced
  • enough for black to win.
  • Black to move

39








      [Next]
  • Black to move

40








      [Next]
  • Black to move

41








      [Next]
  • Black to move

42








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  • This tranposes to a position that we
  • already saw...
  • Black to move

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      [Next]
  • And this is a draw.
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      [Next]
  • We said earlier that moving the black
  • king here was a mistake because he is
  • moving farther away from the c3
  • pawn.
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      [Next]
  • However, white made a bigger mistake
  • by going after the c7 pawn.
  • It should be pretty easy to see that
  • if Black goes after the g4 pawn, he
  • wins the pawn race.
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