----------------------------------------------------------------------- (12/04/1996, rev. 01/06/1998) Chess Basics, Letter 6 ########################## A DRAW, How?? ======================================================================= This question.from a CB participant .. >A question: What constitutes perpetual check? Does the position >have to be such that the King is "forced" to move to a certain square? Is >there >a certain number of moves before perpetual check becomes a draw? .. was the reason, to write some words about different possibilities for a draw. Games end in a draw .. *** By agreement, in even positions. *** Also a draw is, when the remaing material doesn't allow, to mate the other king (K:KB) or *** theoretical known drawn endings, ie. the 'wrong bishop' (compare former letters). Also in 'uneven' positions a player with disadvantage can reach a draw. From former letters we already know 'stalemate' Other possibilities are: *** If the 'same position' (important: not the 'same move sequence'), with the same player to move, appears a third time, both players (!- not only the player, who has to move) can declare the game as draw. (And this could be the case by perpetual check, too). *** Perpetual check - Often the party with minor material can achive a perpetual draw to prevent loss. Look at this position, where W. has material advantage, Q instead of R and 2 pawns more: W: Kg1, Qe7, Pe3,g3,h3 B: Kb3, Ra1, Pe4 with White to move, the king is in check. Here are more possibilties, then forced '3 times same position', but it can be seen, that there's no way out, Black has perpetual check. *** Another case of perpetual check: often pieces are sacrificed for an attack, and the attacking player sometimes, when the attack isn't completely sucsessful, must save a 1/2 point by perpetual check. This is a book variation as example: (Italian Opening) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.O-O Bxc3 9.d5 Bf6 10.Re1 Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 12.Bg5 Bxg5 13.Nxg5 O-O 14.Nxh7 Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Rh4 f5 17.Qh7+ Kf7 18.Rh6 Rg8 19.Re1 Qf8 20.Bb5 Rh8 21.Qxh8 gxh6 22.Qh7+ Kf6 23.Rxe7 Qxe7 24.Qxh6+ 1/2-1/2, perpetual check. *** Another rule for a draw is: After 50 moves, without capsure _and_ without a pawn move, either player can declare the game a draw. Solutions for tasks 15+16 (letter 4 IB) and 17-20 (from letter 5) ================================================================== +-----------------+ 8 | - r - + - + k + | Task 15 [*]: 7 | a - + - + - a a | Gelfand - Kramnik, 1996 6 | - + - + q + - + | 5 | + - Q - + a A - | 4 | - + - N - + - + | 3 | A - n - A - + - | 2 | - R - B - A - A | 28.- Qa2+ 29.Rxa2 Rb1++ 1 | K - + - + - + - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h +-----------------+ 8 | - + - r - k - + | Task 16 [**]: 7 | + - + - + a + - | Stricovic - Dautov, 1996 6 | - + - + n + a + | 5 | + - + - A - + - | 4 | - + - + - + R A | 3 | + - + - + N + - | 2 | - + r + - + A + | 49.Rxg6 fxg6 50.Nd4+ (Ne1+ is the same) .. 1 | + - + - + R K - | 51.Nxc2 wins a pawn - and the game +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 17 [*]: W.: Kg1,Qe2,Re1,Rf2,Bc2,Pa2,b2,c3,d4,e4,f4,g3,h2 (13) B.: Kg8,Qg6,Rc8,Rg4,Bb7,Pa7,b6,c4,d6,e6,f5,g7,h6 (13) Game Hummel - Theofel, 1996. Speculative chess: in this position Black played 27.- Qh5 and after 28.exf5? Blacks next move was 28.- Rxg3 29.Kf1 Qh3+ and W. resigned (or: a/ 29.hxg3 Qh1++ b/ 29.Rg2 Rxg2 -+) --------------------------------- Task 18 [**]: W.: Kf8, Rh5, Pg6 (3) B.: Kh8, Bg8, Pg7,h7 (4) 1.Rh6 and Zugzwang for Black: a/ 1.- B.. 2.Rxh7++ b/ 1.gxh6 g7++ --------------------------------- Task 19 [**]: W.: Kh1, Pa5, b5, c5 (4) B.: Kh3, Pa7, b7, c7 (4) 1 pawn surviving and promoting is the goal: 1.b6! axb6 2.c6! and 1 pawn is through 2.- bxc6 3.a7 or 2.- bxa5 3.cxb7 +-----------------+ 8 | - + - + - + - + | Task 20 [***] 7 | + - + r + - + - | Theofel-Freymann, 1995 6 | - + - + R + - a | 5 | + - + r a - + - | 4 | - + - a K + k + | 45.Rg6+ Kh4 (45.- Kh5 46.Rg8 Rg7 3 | A - + R + - + - | 47.Rxg7 .. 48.Rd1 .. 49.Rh1++) 2 | - + - + - + - + | 46.Rd1 1-0 1 | + - + - + - + - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h NEW TASKS ======================================================================= +-----------------+ 8 | r + - q - + - k | 7 | a - + - + a + a | White to move 6 | - a - + - n a A | 5 | + - + - + - + - | 4 | - + - + - + - + | 3 | + - + - + - + - | 2 | - Q - + - A A + | 1 | + - + - R - K - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 21 [*]: W.: Kg1, Qb2, Re1, Pf2,g2,h6 (6) B.: Kh8, Qd8, Ra8, Nf6, Pa7,b6,f7,g6,h7 (9) White wins, how? Answer: 1.- ... --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | K>K>K + - + - + | 7 | + - + - + - + - | White to move 6 | - + - + - + - + | *Three* positions in one diagram 5 | + - + - + - + - | A>B>C 4 | - + - + - + - + | 3 | Q>Q>Q - + - + - | 2 | a>a>a + - + - + | 1 | + k>k>k + - + - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 22 [**]: *A*) W.: Ka8, Qa3 (2) B.: Kb1, Pa2 (2) *B*) W.: Kb8, Qb3 (2) B.: Kc1, Pb2 (2) *C*) W.: Kc8, Qc3 (2) B.: Kd1, Pc2 (2) Question: All 3 positions the same? If not: which one would you prefer as White? --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | r + - + r n k + | 7 | a b + - + a a - | White to move 6 | - + - a a + - a | 5 | + q + - + - B Q | The motiv in this task in German is called 4 | - A - A - + - + | 'Zwickmu"hle' - is the English name 'whip-mill'? 3 | + - + - N - R - | 2 | A + - + - A A A | 1 | + - + - R - K - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 23 [**]: W.: Kg1, Qh5, Re1,g3, Bg5, Ne3, Pa2,b4,d4,f2,g2,h2 (12) B.: Kg8, Qb5, Ra8,e8, Bb7, Nf8, Pa7,d6,e6,f7,g7,h6 (12) Game Torre - Lasker, Moskau 1925: Torre won. How? The name of the motive is a first hint. Answer: 1. ... --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | - + - + - + - k | 7 | + - + - + - + - | White to move 6 | a + - + - + Q + | 5 | A - + - a - + - | 4 | - + - + A + - q | 3 | + - A A b - + - | 2 | - + - + - A K + | 1 | + - + - + - + - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 24 [***]: W.: Kg2, Qg6, Pa5,c3,d3,e4,f2 (7) B.: Kh8, Qh4, Be3, Pa6,e5 (5) Game Browne-Planinc, 1974. In this position White had advantage, but he played 1.fxe3? here. How could Black use this, to save a half point? Answer: 1.- ... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Games section: ====================================== Dennis Bretz - Alan Coffield, IECC CL7-1996.10, Queens Gambit Declined [D53] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 (*0) 5.e3 h6 (*1) 6.Bh4 O-O 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.cxd5 Nxd5 (*2) 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Rc1 (*3) N7f6 11.Nf3 Qb4 (*4) 12.e4 (*5) Nxc3 (*6) 13.Rxc3 (*7) Qxb2 14.Rxc7 Qxa2 15.O-O (*8) b6 16.Re1 Ng4 (*9) 17.Re2 Qa3 18.Qb1 Qd6 19.Rec2 a5 20.e5 Nxe5 (*10) 21.Nxe5 Qxd4 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.Nxf7+ Rxf7 24.Rxf7 Ba6 25.Rc6 Rd8 26.Bc2 Bb5 27.Qxb5 (*11) Qa1+ 28.Qf1 Qb2 29.Rd7 (*12) Rf8 30.Qe2 Qc1+ 31.Rd1 Qf4 32.Rxb6 1-0 AC commented the game as follows: After getting in to a little trouble I thought that my move 20...Nxe5 was a good move. Unfortunately, I followed with 21...Qxd4 which was a very bad move. .. HT: I think the position was lost, before 20.- Nxe5 happened. And then you can't declare the last move, before the final crash happened, as responsible for the lost game. CB-participants should replay the game a first time simply with the score above, to find their own opinion, then a second time, together with the following comments. Then we can see, where and why the game was lost. *0 - now, with another order of moves, the QGD (main line) is reached (note: the QG is not a real gambit, in that sence as described in the last letter. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 - QG Accepted - Black can't keep his pawn more). *1 - the main line here is 5.- O-O 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4. *2 - here 8.- exd5 is better, to make the diagonal c7-h3 free for the Bc7. *3 - 10.Nf3 / 11.O-O, to complete the development sooner. *4 - (?) Suspicious, to expose the queen here! First the pieces should be developped, 11.- N7f6 / .. Bd7 or better 11.- b6 / .. Bb7. *5 - (!?) more solid 12.Nge2, or - if White doesn't want to sacrifice his poisened pawn on b2 - 12.Qd2. *6 - 12.Nf4! (--> g2/d3) *7 - also 13.bxc3 is good here, with an impressive white center, but White wants his 'poisoned pawn'-variation. *8 - After 15.O-O White has more than compensation for the pawn: development complete, one rook already on 7th rank. *9 - (?) - No: it was clear, that W. will move R from f1 via e1, e2 to c2. Necessary was a last attempt to develop the pieces in the back rank. *10- in a lost position Black now looses additional material. Also a try to shield h7 could not help: 21.- f5 22.Ng6 (->e7->c8) Re8 23.Bb5 +-. *11- another piece lost; White's back rank is protected good enough. From this point on Black could have resigned, and did so after 5 more moves. *12- Black has a problem with the back rank now. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | __o Heiner Theofel | | _`\<,_ IECC TD Swiss Tournaments ---> results under: | | (_)/ (_) http://kerouac.pharm.uky.edu/rgbIECC/IECC.html | + ~~~~~~~~~~~ --------------------------------------------------+