Author: Ferdinand S. Mosca
Date: 02:16:47 02/26/01
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On February 25, 2001 at 23:31:53, Uri Blass wrote: >On February 25, 2001 at 13:46:32, Sune Larsson wrote: > >> >> [D]8/5p1k/r5pp/P7/3R3P/6P1/5PK1/8 w - - 0 1 >> >> >> 1927 Alekhine won the 34th game in the battle vs Capablanca to become >> World Champion. He did it by playing 1.Ra4! in the above position. >> Black's rook has to block the pawn and white has at his disposal an >> endless reserve of rook moves along the a-file. Again, the future for >> black spells "Zugzwang". The general rule is that a passed pawn should >> be supported by a rook from the rear. That's why ideas of 1.Rd5? are >> wrong. > >Did you analyze Rd5 to find that it is a drawing move? > >If Rd5 is also winning then this is not a good test position. >I did not analyze the position so I do not know. > My initial evaluation of the above position is like this: Rd5!? is not very forceful but it is good. It is good because it protects the pawn at a-file and it stands to guard any activities by black along the 5th rank. I believe the issue here is the passed pawn at a-file. Ra4! is very good because it immobilizes the opponent's rook, moving the black rook will mean an advance of a passed pawn which is very unlikely to the move Rd5. But the ultimate use of Ra4 is seen later when your favorite program will choose to navigate his king towards the a-file clearing the lines there for the passed pawn. The king position is always a factor in endings. The white should not worry his kingside because the pawns there is enough to block the opponents pawns. Take note however that generally this idea is not good if black has pawn majority in the kingside. >I find that a lot of general principles are wrong in practical games. You must be kidding Uri. > >Here are 2 examples from the last comp tournament. > >1)Yace-shredder > >[D]3r4/6k1/2P3pp/p4pn1/Pp1P4/1P1R4/K1B4P/8 b - - 0 1 > >White should not lose by the chess principles that I know because rook and >bishop is better than rook and knight and white has 2 connected passed pawns >butI believe that yace is already lost in this position. Did you consider the king positions of both sides? I believe that practical games require all the general principles, and not just one or two of them. Regards, Dinan
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