Author: Telmo C. Escobar
Date: 21:03:30 05/12/05
Go up one level in this thread
On May 12, 2005 at 16:38:44, Jack Lad wrote:
>[d] 8/p7/6p1/p6p/k2P3P/2N2P2/KP6/3q4 b - - 0 6
>6... Kb4 7.Nxd1 Kc4 8.Ka3 Kxd4 9.Ka4 Ke5 10.Kxa5 Kf4 11.b4 g5 12.hxg5 Kxg5
>13.Ka6 h4
>[d] 8/p7/K7/6k1/1P5p/5P2/8/3N4 w - - 0 14
>
>14.b5 h3 15.Kxa7 h2 16.Nf2 Kf4 17.b6 Kxf3 18.Nh1 Kg2 19.b7 Kxh1 20.b8=Q Kg2
>21.Qc7 h1=Q 22.Qd8 Qh2 23.Qb6 Qg1 24.Qxg1+ Kxg1 1/2-1/2
Let us examine this critical position:
[d] 8/p7/6p1/p6p/2kP3P/5P2/KP6/3N4 w - - 0 8
{here everybody likes 8.Ka3}. In a human gamne, why should one play such a
"risky" move like 8.Ka3?!
I can accept that, maybe, that move wins after all. But, let us reason like
human beings: why this move? You could reply: the plan is to queen the "b" as
soon as possible, as it's not so difficult to calculate that White will queen
first. Right, but any experienced player would smear dander in that idea: in
fact, it's not hard to calculate, as well, that a naive variation like
>8.Ka3 Kxd4 9.Ka4 Ke5 10.Kxa5 Kf4 11.b4 g5 12.hxg5 Kxg5
>13.Ka6 h4 14.b5 h3
looks like a draw.
So White should be advised not to go too soon for queening his pawn. The
logical plan is going to the kingside as soon as possible, so
[d] 8/p7/6p1/p6p/2kP3P/5P2/KP6/3N4 w - - 0 8
my suggestion is 8.Kb1! and the following line is pretty easy to calculate:
8...Kxd5 9.Kc2 Ke5 10.Kd3 Kf4 11.Ke2 Kg3 12.Ne3 Kxh4 13.Kf2 Kg5 and now...
...14.b3!
and Black is obviously lost. This, if my calculations are correct, is surely
the way a human player would play in a real game, and probably this is the line
Kubbel had in mind as well.
If you think that 8.Kb1! looks strange, I admit that I look for that kind of
"strange" move because of the well known following endgame:
[d]8/8/5k2/8/p7/8/1PK5/8 w - - 0 1
The solution is 1.Kb1, apparently funny, as 1.Kc3? is refuted by 1...a3! and
now it's mandatory 2.b3 with idea 3.Kc2, etc. In that variation (1.Kc3??) White
doesn't win because of the time lost (king to c3 and after returning to c2).
Let us return to the extraordinary Kubbel endgame:
[d]8/p5pq/8/p2N3p/k2P3P/8/KP3PB1/8 w - - 0 1
I admit that, at first, I didn't see the point of the genial move f2-f3. The
first moves are -from a human point of view- quite easy:
1.Be4 Qh6
[if 1...g6 2.Bd3 Qb7 3.Bc4! and wins. It seems that 1...Qg8 looks hard to
beat, and it's probable that, in a real game, I could think that White is
struggling for not losing the game, but if you are told that there is a win it
is in fact easy to find it: 2.b3+ Kb5 3.Bd3+ and the queen is lost]
2.Bd3 Qd2
The following move is apparently hard to see, but a practical player,
accostumed to play against humans, would think immediately about
3.Be2
because of the "trap" 3...Qxe2 4.Nc3+. Now the line that has been mentioned is
3...g6, but in my own calculations I found a difficulty about
3...a6.
Let us axamine why this was difficult for me, pondering about a wrong move:
4.Bxa6 (?) Qxf2 5.Be2
thinking all goes well, but-
5...Qg3! 6.Bc4 Qf2!
and it's plain that the queen, having both rows (2th and 3th) under control, is
capable to hold the game. Well, at least I was half satisfied as I imagined I
was penetrating in the subleties of the position. But, horror, then I saw that
after
4.Bxa6??
black could as well play simply 4...Qc2 and all is spoiled.
Then a cursory exmination of the position shows the importance that could have
the apparently inoffensive "f" pawn. The rest is easy: you first (after 3...a6)
essay 4.f4 (?), then you see that after 4...g6 White seems to be in zugzwang,
and finally you understand that 4.f3! with the idea 4...g6 5.f4 is the right
way.
The Kubble endgame is exceedingly beautiful!
Telmo
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