FIDE Surveys – Adrian Mikhalchishin

1

Adrian Mikhalchishin:

Classics instructive mistakes

We know that Rook endgames are very
difficult as there exist huge theory plus
methods of the play sometimes are quite
difficult even for grandmasters. Great
trainer, late Mark Dvoretzky, made great
books on endgames – Endgames University
plus Tragicomedies in the Endgames. He
analyzed one my interesting game many
years ago. I disagreed with him, as my way
was possible, too. Mark agreed, but his
analysis went to be used in few other books
and articles. Now I’ll try to make some
review of thus typical endgame.

Mikhalchishin : Losev, Moscow 1974

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49...Kg4?
Looks very logical, but it was a bit unusual
way to draw here. 49...Kf5! 50.b4 h4= -
Brilliant Rook endgame tactics!
50.b4 h4
Black realised that his plan does not work
50...Rh3 51.Kd2! (51.b5 h4!=) 51...Rg3
52.Rg3 Kg3 53.b5 h4 54.b6 h3 55.b7 h2
56.b8Q+–.
51.gh4 Kf5 52.b5 Rh4 53.Kb2!?
Dvorecki correctly pointed out other
winning way: 53.Kc2! Rb4 (53...Kf4
54.Re7! Rh5 55.b6 Rb5 56.b7 Kf5 57.Kc3
Kf6 58.Kc4 Rb1 59.Rh7 Ke6 60.Kc5+–)
54.Rb3 Rc4 55.Kd3 Rc8 56.Rc3 Rb8 57.Rc5
(57.Kc4!) 57...Ke6 58.Kc4 Kd7 59.Kb4 and
in this theoretical position there is way to

win pawn end: 59...Rc8 60.b6! Rc5 61.Kc5
Kd8 62.Kd6!
53...Kf4!

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54.Rc3?
Does not win 54.Re7 Rh5 55.b6 Rb5.
Dvorecki has not commented on correct
winning method - to cut maximally: 54.Rd3!
Ke5 (54...Ke4 55.Kc3 Rh5 56.Rd4 Ke3
57.Rb4 Rc5 58.Kb3 Kd3 59.b6!) 55.Ka3
Ke6 56.b6.
54...Ke5 55.Ka3 Kd6 56.b6 Kd7 57.Rc7
Last try.
57...Kd8
57...Kd6? 58.Rc8, winning.
58.Rc6 Kd7 59.Rc7 Kd8 60.Rc5 Kd7 ½.

Simagin : Tarasov, Sverdlovsk 1957

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72.b6?
Correct preparing move was 72.Rd3!! Rg4
73.b6 Rg6 74.b7 Ra6 75.Kb2 Rb6 76.Rb3,
winning.
72...Rh6 73.Rb2

FIDE Surveys – Adrian Mikhalchishin

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73...Rh8??
Easy draw guaranteed 73...Kd7 74.b7 Ra6
75.Kb3 Rb6 76.Kc3 Rb2 77.Kb2 Kc7.
74.b7 Rb8 75.Ka4 Kd7 76.Ka5 Kc7
77.Ka6 Rh8 78.Ka7 1:0.

Grigorjev, 1927

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Famous study of greatest endgame expert
showed interesting defensive idea.
1...Rd3!
Fantastic move! Just not 1...Kf6 2.b6 Rh7
3.Kc3 Rb7 4.Rb1 Ke6 5.Kc4 Kd7 6.Kb5
Kc8 7.Rh1 Rg7 8.Ka6.
2.Kc2
Or 2.Ka2 Rd5 3.Rb1 Ke6 4.b6 Ra5 5.Kb3
Rb5 6.Kc2 Rb1 7.Kb1 Kd6.
2...Rd5 3.Rb1 Rc5 4.Kd3 Ke5 5.b6 Rc8
6.b7 Rb8 7.Kc4 Kd6 =.

Ovezova : Lomineishvili, Turin 2006

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49.Rf6
Starting manoevre to uncut the King,
otherwise it is not possible to move forward
pawn. 49.Re6 Kc7 50.Re3.
49...Kc7 50.Rf3 Ra2 51.Kg3 Kd6 52.Re3
52.g5 Ra4 53.g6 (53.Re3 Kd5 54.Kf3 Rb4
55.Re8) 53...Ke7.
52...Ra8 53.g5 Ra4 54.Kf3
54.g6.
54...Kd7 55.Kg3 Rb4 56.Kh3 Ra4 57.g6
Ra6 58.Rg3 Ra8

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59.Kh4?
59.g7 Rg8 60.Kh4 Ke6 61.Kh5 Kf7 62.Kh6
Ra8 63.Kh7+–. Winning was also classical
theoretical way: 59.Kg4 Ke7 60.Rf3 Rf8
61.Rf5.
59...Ke7 60.Rf3 Ra1?
It was only one way to draw and very
natural line! 60...Rf8! 61.Rg3 (61.Rf8 Kf8
62.Kg5 Kg7 63.Kf5 Kg8 64.Kf6 Kf8 65.g7
Kg8 66.Kg6 stalemate.) 61...Kf6 62.Kh5
Rh8 63.Kg4 Kg6=.

FIDE Surveys – Adrian Mikhalchishin

3

61.Kg5 Rh1 62.Rf7 Ke8 63.Kf6 Rf1
64.Kg7 Re1 65.Kg8 Rg1 66.g7 Rg2 67.Ra7
Rg1 68.Ra6 Ke7 69.Rh6 Ke8 70.Rh4 Ke7
71.Kh7 Kf7 72.g8Q 1:0.

Krikheli, Suomen Shakki 1985

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1.b3!
It is necessary to go forward slowly - does
not work 1.Rd2? Kg1 2.Ke5 Kf1 3.Kd4 Ke1
4.Rh2 Kd1 5.Kc3 Rc8 6.Kb3 Rb8 7.Ka2
Kc1.
1...Kg2 2.Ke5 Kf2 3.Kd4 Ke2 4.Rh3 Kd2
4...Rd8 5.Kc3 Rc8 6.Kb2 Rb8 7.Rh4.
5.Rh2 Kc1
5...Kd1 6.Kc3 Rc8 7.Kb2.
6.b4!
Win is possible just with the tactical help!
6...Rb4 7.Kc3 1:0.

Nakar : Rozentalis, Jerusalem 2015

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49...Rh4?
Here cutting is wrong. Black would be OK
after 49...Ke7! 50.Rc6 Rh4 51.b6 Kd7=.

50.Rd6!
Now the black king is cut off along the d-
file and this is the crucial difference with the
line 49...Ke7! 50.Rc6.
50...Ke7 51.Rd2 Rg4 52.b6 Rg6 53.Rb2!
Rg8 54.Kb4! Kd7

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55.Rc2! Rc8 56.Rc5!
Classical transfer into winning pawn end.
56...Rc6 57.Kb5 Rh6 58.Ka6 Rh1 59.Kb7
Rb1 60.Rd5 Ke6 61.Rd4 Ke5 62.Rd3 Ke6
63.Kc7 Rc1 64.Kb8 Rb1 65.b7 Ra1
66.Rd4 1:0.

Shahinyan : Timofeev, Kazan 2015

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Black had to cut off the white king along the
3rd file immediately, with 52...Ra3! or after
52...Ka5 53.Rb1 Ra3!
Instead he cut the white king along the c-
file, which in this case did not work:
52...Rc2? 53.Rb1 Rc8
This position would be drawn even if the
white king was on e4 and the black rook on
d8.

FIDE Surveys – Adrian Mikhalchishin

4

54.Kd3 Rc5 55.Kd4 Rc8 56.Kd3 Rc7
57.Kd4 Rc4 58.Kd3 Kc5 59.Rb2 Rc1
60.Kd2 Rc4 61.Kd3 Rc1 62.Kd2 Rh1
63.Rb3 b4 64.Kc2 Kb5 65.Rg3 Ka4
66.Kb2 Rh2 67.Kb1 b3 68.Rg8 Ka3
69.Ra8 Kb4 70.Rb8 Ka3 71.Ra8 Kb4
½.

Lyell : Valgmae, Caleta 2010

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53.Rf1?
The best way to hold draw here was 53.Ke5!
Ra4 54.Rh2!= (54.Rg1? Kh6–+).
53...g5?
53...Ra5!
54.Ke5 Re7 55.Kd4 Kg6

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This is a very important theoretical position
- White can hold it if he can prevent the
advance of the enemy pawn.
56.Kd3??
56.Rg1! Re8 57.Kd3=.
56...g4!–+ 57.Kd2 Kg5 58.Re1 Re1 59.Ke1
Kh4 60.Kf1 Kh3 0:1.

Fine, 1941

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1.Ra4!
It is famous theoretical position.
1.Kh4? Rb8 2.Ra2 Kf3 3.Ra3 Kg2 4.g4 Rh8
5.Kg5 Rg8 6.Kf5 Rf8 7.Ke6 Rg8 8.Ra4
Kg3=;
1.Kh3! Rb8 2.Ra4 Rh8 3.Rh4 Rb8 4.Rh5+–.
1...Rb8
1...Kg2 2.Kh4 Rb8 3.g4 Rh8 4.Kg5 Rg8
5.Kf6+–.
2.Kh3! Rh8
2...Kf3 3.Rf4 Ke3 4.Rh4 Ra8 5.Rh5 Ke4
6.g4+–.
3.Rh4 Rg8 4.Rf4 Ke3=

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It was believed to be draw, but Anatoly
Karpov found way for win.
5.Kg2 Ra8
5...Rh8 6.Ra4 Rh7 7.g4+–.
6.Rb4 Ra2 7.Kh3 Ra8
7...Kf3 8.g4 Ra8 9.Rb5+–.
8.g4 Kf3 9.Rb5 Rh8 10.Rh5 Rg8 11.Rf5
Ke4 12.Kh4 +-. (Analysis – Anatoli
Karpov)

FIDE Surveys – Adrian Mikhalchishin

5

Morozevich: Gelfand, Monte Carlo 2005

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72.Kf1?
Absolutely correct way was 72.Ra6 Kg2
73.Ke3 Rg4 74.Ra2 Kh3 75.Ra1 g5 76.Rh1
Kg2 (76...Kg3 77.Rd1 (77.Rg1 Kh3 78.Rh1
Kg2 79.Rh5 Rg3 80.Ke4 g4 81.Kf4=) ).
72...Kh2 73.Re2 Kh1 74.Re7 Rf5 75.Ke2
g5 76.Ke3 Kg2 77.Ke4

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77...Rf4 78.Ke3
Or 78.Ke5 Kg3 79.Rg7 g4.
78...Rf3 79.Ke2 g4 80.Re4 g3 81.Rb4 Rf8
82.Rh4 Re8 83.Kd3 Kf2 84.Rf4 Kg1
85.Kd2 g2 86.Rf7 Rh8 87.Ke2 Kh1 0:1.