A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames

A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames

Nikolay Minev

Foreword by

Yasser Seirawan

2004

Russell Enterprises, Inc.

Milford, CT USA

A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames

© Copyright 2004, 2010

Nikolay Minev

and Russell Enterprises, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 1-888690-22-4

Published by:

Russell Enterprises, Inc.

P.O. Box 3131

Milford, CT 06460 USA

http://www.russell-enterprises.com

info@russell-enterprises.com

Cover design by Janel A. Lowrance

Translated from Bulgarian by Krassimir Totev

Table of Contents

Foreword by Yasser Seirawan

About this book and how to use it

Chapter One: Strategy and Tactics of Rook-and-pawn Endgames

Important Features of the Pieces

Tactical Elements

1. The Skewer

2. Double Attacks

3. Pinning

4. Deflection

5. Far-advanced Pawns

6. Stalemate

Strategic Elements

1. Coordination of the Pieces

2. Active and Passive Pieces

3. Pawn Structure

4. The Importance of Time

5. Shelter for the King

6. Transition to a Different Type of Endgame

7. Material and Positional Advantage

Chapter Two: Basic Rook-and-pawn Endgames

Rook and Pawn versus Rook

1. Rook and non-rook Pawn versus Rook

2. Rook and rook pawn versus Rook

Rook and Two Pawns versus Rook

1. Rook and Doubled Pawns versus Rook

2. Rook and Two Connected Pawns versus Rook

3. Rook and Two Isolated Pawns versus Rook

Rook-and-pawn Endgames with Equal Pawns

1. Rook and Pawn versus Rook and Pawn

2. Other Rook-and-pawn Endgames

Rook-and-pawn Endgames with an Extra Pawn

1. Rook and Two Pawns versus Rook and Pawn

2. Rook and Three Pawns versus Rook and Two Pawns

3. Rook and Four Pawns versus Rook and Three Pawns

List of Other eBooks

Foreword

It is always a pleasure whenever I’m allowed to write a foreword to one of IM Nikolay Minev’s books. It brings me particular joy to introduce English readers to this remarkable work. As I’ve written in previous forewords, Nikolay and his wife, Elena, immigrated to America in the mid-80s and fortune smiled upon me when the couple stopped in Seattle on their way to Los Angeles, their intended destination. Fate further intervened when Nikolay and I became neighbors living in the same downtown Seattle condominium building. In no time Nikolay and I had established our schedule; Friday evenings at 6PM or 7PM became our time together. Our meeting time depended upon when ESPN Sports network featured its Friday Night Fights program. Pugilism is our favored viewing sport and after a few good contests, where a fighter is sent to a different time zone, a perfect mood for Nikolay and I to study chess is created.

Normally our training sessions begin wiith an overview of the best games of the week or month as we carefully replay them together. Nikolay is a tactical deviant and he is always on the lookout for unusual tactical patterns with which he likes to stump me to find the surprising winning shot. I had better be fast as Nikolay expects a sharp eye and a quick hand. After enjoying ourselves for a few hours we then settle down to a bout of story telling. Nikolay is a master story teller and I’m a captive audience. After fifteen years of regular meetings, Nikolay still shares original stories that are recalled as a result of my excessive prompting. Certain recollections will cause Nikolay to scurry to one of his many bookcases and remove a cherished item or two. Invariably these works are either in Russian or Bulgarian and it is a secret annoyance that I too can’t share his pleasure as he sets up the positions they contain, sharing the knowledge therein.

Surprisingly, one tome becomes a constant guest in our discussions and it is the very work that you, dear reader, are now holding. As most chess players know, Rook-and-pawn Endgames represent approximately half of all endings reached in master games. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that chess players wishing to improve their skill must thoroughly familiarize themselves with this critical part of endgame study. When we play through a modern game and reach a specific rook endgame, Nikolay might blurt out Draw! or Win! To which I might agree, or seriously doubt. Let us be sure, Nikolay will say and off he goes to retrieve the oracle. He has used the Bulgarian version of his work so often that the position is discovered almost at once. Sometimes the position at hand is slightly different than the one in the book and it is precisely these positions Nikolay likes best. Nikolay has developed his own methods of study and what he suggests is that after fully understanding a specific position, the student should change the set-up. Would the position still be a draw if the pawn were shifted one file or rank? Would the position still be won if the defender had an extra tempo? It is this curiosity and the desire to know with a certainty that makes Nikolay such an enjoyable training partner. He is only satisfied when he is sure that he has mastered the position at hand.

These days, Nikolay’s eyesight hasn’t been so good and he has taken to pushing the oracle in my direction and asked me to follow the analysis. While the chess moves are clear, Bulgarian remains a mystery to me. This had caused me to constantly complain, Nikolay, please, you’ve got to get me the English version! Fortunately, for both Nikolay and myself, Hanon Russell of Russell Enterprises is a mutual friend and when I proposed this project to him, he was quite enthusiastic. Nikolay less so. Working slowly on his translation, several years later the English version of the book was completed. Its publication, needless to say comes as a great relief to me and I’m very proud of the work that Nikolay and Hanon have done as now I can enjoy all the commentary that eluded me for years.

The original Bulgarian work had been translated into Russian and that edition sold out in huge quantities. Virtually a whole generation of Soviet players have intently studied this work which leads me to tell my own remarkable story: Following the September 2002 Russia versus the Rest of the World event in Moscow, I played the role of trainer/co-captain for the Rest of the World Team. After great adventure, the Rest of the World Team won despite being vastly out-rated. After the match, Garry Kasparov invited me to visit his Moscow flat where we landed in front of a chess board. Being chess players one should always be ready for an impromptu blitz session and we were soon bashing our moves out. In one particular game I had been pressing an initiative for some time when suddenly Garry Kimovich called out, Draw! I begged to differ; the edge was mine. Garry disappeared for a few moments and came back with a book on rook endings. Within seconds he had found the exact position on our board, showed the analysis and exclaimed, Minev! Well, what to say? I was all prepared to challenge the highest ranked player in history to continue the game, but I wasn’t prepared to challenge Minev. We re-set the pieces for the next game.

Dear readers, this is a work that should be enjoyed and treasured. Carefully examine the chosen examples and challenge yourself to understand them fully. Your efforts won’t make you a Garry Kasparov but you will be following in the footsteps of many of the world’s masters.

Yasser Seirawan

Amsterdam

September 2004

About this book and how to use it

A full-length chess game has three phases: the opening, the middle game, and the endgame. Often, the contest does not reach a final decision in the first two phases, and moves into the endgame, where the same high-intensity struggle continues, to exploit a material or positional advantage. Inability to handle such final positions is a major disadvantage for any ambitious chess player, since it could ruin an otherwise perfectly conducted game in just a few moves. Mastering endgame technique is equally important for defense of difficult positions. There are many examples where the weaker side has had the opportunity to save the game, but missed it due to ignorance of fundamental theoretical positions. Long-term observations all over the world indicate that young and talented chess players are reluctant to study the endgame, considering it to be simpler, while focusing their efforts mostly on the opening and middle game. The consequence is a decreased opportunity for higher achievements. It is no accident that all world champions and other great masters from past and present are excellent interpreters of endgame positions.

For players wishing to use this book to improve, and penetrate deeper into the secrets of chess, we will define the term endgame. It covers all positions with relatively few pieces. The main debate has always been how to recognize the borderline between middle game and endgame. Some authors consider that the endgame starts when kings assume an active role without being exposed to a major mating threat. This definition is vague, and though it defines one crucial element of the endgame, it still is not sufficient for all endgame positions. In addition, such a definition is not appropriate for classification and systematic studies.

The author proposes the following definition: an endgame is a position in which, other than kings and pawns, there are a maximum of four additional pieces on the board. With very few exceptions, this definition also complies with the basic rule for the current international classification of chess endgames. It divides endgames into four major groups according to the most powerful piece on the board:

Pawn Endgames – Only kings and pawns on the board.

Queen Endgames – One or both sides have a queen.

Rook Endgames – No queens; the most powerful piece on the board is a rook.

Minor Piece Endgames – No queens, no rooks, the most powerful pieces are bishop(s) and/or knight(s).

The purpose of this book is to familiarize the reader with the theory and practice of rook-and-pawn