A.J.'s "N+P" Endgame School, Study No. # 01 |
When I saw this game, I knew I had to have it for my endgame school. (The whole of the game is too uneven for annotation.)
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1.e4 c5; 2.Nf3 d6; 3.Bb5+ Bd7; 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7; 5.0-0 Ngf6; 6.Re1 e6; 7.c4 Be7; 8.Nc3 0-0; 9.d4 cxd4; |
Ok ... this is the game. I refuse to analyze it in detail, that might take a month. (It was also a VERY spotty struggle!!)
However!
We have reached an extremely
interesting ending after Black's 45th move here.
{See the
diagram just below.}
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Black could be better here ... or can White find a way to force in his KRP from this position?
FEN:
(7k; 1p3p2; 8; 4NNKP; 8; pn6; 8; 8)
I must admit that when I first looked at it, I thought that White was probably lost, it is not easy to stop Black's RP.
46.Ne7?,
{Diagram?}
A pity ... White misses a chance for a real "once in a lifetime" K.O.
(Believe it or not, the move 46.Kh6, wins in all lines.)
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[
>/= 46.Kh6!! f6;
{Diagram?}
This must be the best defense, Black tries to win a tempo off one the White Knights ...
as well as creating a "run to daylight." (Black wants to run to the Q-side.)
********
a). (</=)
46...Kg8?!;
{Diagram?}
Nothing will save Black, but this is an error. (Albeit, a minor
one.)
White's next play threatens a mate in just one move.
47.Nd7! Nd4!; 48.Ne7+ Kh8;
49.Ne5 Nf5+[];
This looks silly ... but it is actually forced for Black in this position!!!
(</= 49...a2???; 50.Nxf7#.)
50.Nxf5 f6;
{Diagram?}
Again - this is forced.
(Pushing the RP allows the mate pointed out after Black's forty-ninth move.)
51.Kg6! fxe5;
52.h6! a2; 53.Nd6! a1Q;
Materially, White is lost. And it is not that often that you promote (your pawn) first
and lose this badly. However, it is White to move, and now everything will happen with check.
54.Nf7+ Kg8; 55.h7+ Kf8;
56.h8Q+ Ke7; 57.Qd8+ Ke6;
58.Ng5#. {Analysis
Diagram.}
An almost unbelievable finish.
(Take a
look at the position - just below.)
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To me this mate is as spectacular as a fireworks display, and as beautiful as any glorious sunset
that I have ever beheld.
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b).
</= 46...a2??;
{Diagram?}
This move is a blunder, but it is not what I would call an obvious one - not at all.
47.Ne7! a1Q; 48.Nxf7#.
{Analysis Diagram.}
This would be an insignificant mating pattern, except for a few small details.
A mate with two Knights and a King (in the endgame) is probably very rare, I have never seen more
than a handful of possible examples from actual games in my whole life.
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Take a close look at the above mate. (It is a VERY basic mate, {see # Z} or mating pattern.)
I was once showing a friend/student
a few pointers right before a (rated) tournament over 20 years ago.
A master walked up and told me that this mate could NEVER
occur in a REAL game of OTB chess!!!
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We now look only at the moves that the computer says are best.
(Basically, Black must continue to run away with the King, or be mated as in the variations given above.)
47.Nf7+ Kg8[]; 48.Kg6 Kf8;
49.h6 Ke8; 50.h7 Kd7;
51.h8Q, ("+/-") {Diagram?}
White should win easily. ]
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Now White loses ignominiously.
46...f6+;
47.Kxf6 Kh7;
48.Nf5 a2; 49.Ng6 Nd4!; ("-/+")
{Diagram?}
White RESIGNS. (0-1)
The first player cannot stop the
coronation of Black's a-Pawn.
(Nor can he effect the promotion of his own foot soldier.)
A curious game, and a sad story, ... of what "might have been."
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby, 2005. All rights reserved.
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(Page {first} created for my web-site, January, 2005.) First, main posting: Monday; February 14th, 2005. Last edit: 09/12/2005 .
