Valeriy Aveskulov - Improving the Endgame Technique; Vo 3 Pawn Endgames

2. TRICKS BY THE PAWNS

2.1. PAWN BREAKTHROUGH

As it is mentioned in the glossary paragraph, a pawn breakthrough is a penetration of the opponents position, or destruction of the defense, often by means of a sacrifice. Im sure many of you know the famous puzzle with White pawns on a5, b5, c5 facing Black pawns on a7, b7, c7. I still remember my kid, looking shocked by seeing how 3 pawns outplay the same number of pawns in a symmetrical position. We have already seen a good breakthrough example in the Uhlmann-Sachdev game (Blacks 47-th move). The legendary German player had forgotten about the breakthrough idea and lost a winning position. Lets see some more examples.

Aveskulov,Valeriy (2519) - Beljskj (1917)
Ukrainian club championship, 2013

Diagram 74 (Black to move)

White is about to win a pawn and Black tries to save it with the move 49... B c5? which allows White to demonstrate some knowledge of pawn breakthroughs. [Saving minor pieces on the board will not save the game but is more resistable. 49... K c6 50. K xd4 f6 51. N d2 and N goes to e6. 51... B d6 52. N b3 B e5+ 53. K d3 B b2 54. N d4+ K d6 55. N e6 K e5 56. N xg7 K f4 57.c5 K xg4 58.c6 B e5 59. K e4+- ]

49... B c5? 50. N xc5 K xc5 51.g5! [Black resigns. 51.g5 f6 move is easy to forget. No breakthrough any longer but White can put Black into a zugzwang. (or 51...hxg5 52.f6+- and h-pawn promotes.) 52.g6!+- ] 1-0

Guliev,Sarhan (2485) - Tukmakov,Vladimir B (2605)
zt Nikolaev, 1993

Diagram 75 (White to move)

32. B xe5 leads to a position with many passed pawns for both sides. Preciseness is priceless in these situations! 32...dxe5 33. K e3?? [Unfortunately, White could not calculate the lines correctly, although the breakthrough idea would lead to a win. 33.a4 K d6 34.a5 c4 ( 34... K xd5

Diagram 76

35.a6!+- is probably a move that the Azeri player could not see. b5-b6 is unstoppable.) 35.a6! The same - before playing b5-b6 White advances a-pawn. 35... K c5 36.d6! Black king cannot stop all the opponents pawns. 36... K xd6 37.b6+- ] 33... K d6 34. K e4 c4 35.a4 c3 36. K d3 K xd5 White resigns because he loses his queen side pawns and Black remains with a free passed pawn on a7. 37. K xc3 K c5 38.h3 e4 39.g3 e3 40. K d3 K b4 41. K xe3 K xa4-+ 0-1

Khamrakulov,D (2503) - Sebag,M (2476)
PRO League Group Stage chess.com, 2019

Diagram 77

White is a pawn up but Black is going to take on e4 and move towards the queens side to pick up other opponents pawns. A pawn breakthrough is exactly what White needs. 41.b5! [ 41.c5 with the same idea would also work 41... K xe4 42.b5+- ]

41.b5! K xe4 42.c5! Now c5-c6 decides the game. 42...axb5 43.c6! bxc6 44.a6 and White is winning.

Nakamura,Hi (2777) - So,Wesley (2780)
chess.com, 5+1, 2018

Diagram 78 (White to move)

Of course, online blitz games are not as serious as the classical battles but chessboards and chess pieces remain the same. Moreover, reviewing such games provides us with instructive insight to mistakes. In this case Hikaru Nakamura was the one who forgot how tricky pawn breakthroughs can be. B e5? [ 38. B b8 h4 39. K d3 would make the game much longer; although Black should also be winning here.]

38. B e5? B xe5 39.dxe5 h4! [Before breaking through, there is a need to fix pawn h3. We saw something similar in Guliev-Tukmakov (move 35.a6). 39...g4? 40.h4= ] 40. K d4 g4 White resigns. 0-1

2.2. EXCHANGES THAT CLEAR UP THE PATH FOR THE KING

A pawn breakthrough is usually connected with some sacrifice, so it makes sense to differentiate simple pawn exchanges that clear up the path for your own king. Lets call it the clearance idea . First of all, I want you to look at a couple of classical endgames.

Cohn,Erich Rubinstein,Akiba
St Petersburg, 1909

Diagram 79 (White to move)

White mistakenly offers a transfer to the king and pawn endgame. R c1? [A prevention of R h4 by means of 24.f4! will maintain a balance.]

24. R c1? R xc1 25. K xc1 There is nothing special that the Black king can achieve in the center. But in the pawn endgames even one small weakness, in the corner of the board, can decide the game. 25... K f6! King goes to h2-pawn. 26. K d2 K g5 27. K e2 K h4 28. K f1 K h3 29. K g1

Diagram 80

What to do now? Akiba Rubinstein prepares a clearance of the king side to bring his king to the queen side. 29...e5 30. K h1 b5 31. K g1 f5 32. K h1 g5 33. K g1 h5 34. K h1 g4 35.e4 [or 35.fxg4 fxg4 36. K g1 ( 36.e4 h4 37. K g1 g3 38.hxg3 hxg3 39.f3 g2-+ ) 36...e4 37. K h1 h4 38. K g1 g3-+ ] 35...fxe4 36.fxe4 h4 37. K g1 g3 38.hxg3 hxg3 White resigns because nothing can disturb the Black king from transferring to the queen side. 0-1

Sveshnikov,Evgeny (2545) - Kasparov,Garry (2545)
URS-ch47 Minsk, 1979

Diagram 81 (Black to move)

Black K is more active but the queen side (pawn a2) has a weakness that Black can attack. How to progress? Exchanges! 36... K b4 37. K c2 K a3 38. K b1 a5 39. K a1 a4 40.bxa4 K xa4!

Diagram 82

[Surely 40...bxa4? would give nothing. 41. K b1 K b4 42. K c2 K c4 43. K d2 K d4 44.a3= holding the Black K with an opposition.] 41. K b1 [ 41. K b2 does not help because of 41...b4! (but not 41... K b4?? 42.a3+ K a4 43. K a2 b4 44.axb4 K xb4 45. K b2 and opposition on the 2-nd rank saves White) 42. K c2 K a3 43. K b1 b3-+ with the same end.] 41... K a3 42. K a1 b4 43. K b1 b3 White resigned because the unhindered Black king takes pawn on the king side. 0-1

Andre,Gordon (2265) - Koepke,Christian (2304)
2.BL Ost: Garching-Magdeburg, 2017

Diagram 83 (White to move)

In the next game, a friend of mine was unlucky - his opponent didnt know of the clearance idea but still managed to choose the right move at the critical moment. 50.a3 [After the game Gordon said that he had thought that 50. K b1? is also drawn. But Rubinsteins idea would decide the game there. 50... K a3 51. K a1 a6 52. K b1 b5 53.cxb5 axb5 54. K a1 b4 55.cxb4 cxb4 56. K b1 b3 57.axb3 K xb3-+ ]