Exchanging into King Endings

Jones - Bellers, 1975

-+-+-+-+
+-+-+x+-
r+-+-+-+
+-+tX-+-
-+-+j+-X
+p+-+-+p
p+-+-+pK
+-+-+-+-
What makes players do the following? White swaps off his active rook, failing to see just 2 or 3 moves ahead.

  It is amazing how often this occurs.

1. Ra4+

[1. Rf6 or indeed almost anything else would have been better!]

1... Rd4 2. Rxd4+ exd4 3. Kg1 Kd3 4. Kf2 Kc2 0-1

 

Theory:Opposition,Triangulation, 1995

-+-+-+-+
+x+-J-+x
-+-+-+-+
P-+-+k+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+p
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
1. Kg5!

[1. Ke5 ? 1... Kd7 2. Kf6

[2. Kd5 h5 the bK is too near the a-pawn for White to win]

2... Kc6 Black can queen the pawn in seven moves]

[1. h4 Kf7 with the opposition 2. h5 h6]

1... Kf7 2. Kh6 Kg8 3. h4 Kh8 4. Kh5

[4. Kg5 Kg7 draws with the opposition]

[4. h5 Kg8 5. Kg5 Kf7

[5... Kg7 even this draws: 6. h6+ Kf7 7. Kf5 Ke7 8. Ke5 Kd7 9. Kf6 Kd6 10. Kg7 Ke7 11. Kxh7 Kf7]

6. Kf5 h6]

4... Kg8 5. Kg4

  taking the distant opposition

5... Kf8 6. Kf4 Ke8 7. Kg5 !

[7. Ke4 Kd7 8. Kf5

[8. Kd5 h5]

8... Kc6 9. Kg5 Kb5]

7... Kf7 8. Kf5

  again with the opposition but also with the pawn held back on h4

8... Ke7 9. Ke5 Kd7 10. Kf6 Kc6 11. h5 Kb5 12. Kg7 Kxa5 13. h6 b5 14. Kxh7 b4 15. Kg7 ! 15... b3 16. h7 b2 17. h8=Q b1=Q

[17... Kb4 King and Knight or centre pawn loses (Rook or Bishop pawns on the seventh draw) 18. Qb8+ Kc3 19. Kf6 Kc2 20. Qc7+ Kd1 21. Qb6 Kc2 22. Qc5+ Kd3 23. Qb4 Kc2 24. Qc4+ Kd2 25. Qb3 Kc1 26. Qc3+ Kb1 27. Ke5 Ka2 28. Qc2 Ka1 29. Qa4+ Kb1 30. Kd4 Kc1 31. Qc4+ Kb1 32. Kc3 Ka1 33. Qa4+ Kb1 34. Qc2+ Ka2 35. Qxb2#]

18. Qa8+ Kb4 19. Qb7+ Kc3 20. Qxb1 1-0

 

Hibbitt - Bellers , 1995

-+-+-+-+
+-+-J-+x
-+x+t+x+
+x+x+-+-
-+-+-Pp+
P-+-+-R-
-+-+-PkP
+-+-+-+-
How do you assess this position? Black has a menacing array of Queen's-side pawns and threatens simply ...Kd6, ...c5 etc. White's only chance is to create diversions on the King's-side and hope that it compensates.

1. Re3 ? 1... d4 2. Rxe6+ Kxe6 3. Kf3 Kd5 4. Ke2 ?

[4. f5 gxf5 5. g5 Ke5 6. h4 f4 !

[6... c5 7. h5 c4 8. h6 wins for White]

7. Kg4 d3 8. Kf3 Kf5 -+]

4... Ke4

resigns.

  Note how potent ...f4 can be at the right time. 0-1

 

Bellers - Pritchard 1995

-+-+-+-+
Xt+j+x+-
-XrXx+x+
+p+-+-+x
p+-+pP-P
+p+-Kp+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
White has been pressing throughout, but Black now threatens to equalise with ...Rc7.

32. f5 ! (that break again) 32... exf5 33. exf5 Rc7 34. fxg6 fxg6 35. Rxc7+ Kxc7 36. Kd4 Kd8 37. Ke4 Ke7 38. Kd5 Kd7 39. b4 Ke7 40. a5 Kd7 41. a6 Ke7 42. Kc6 d5 and resigns:

  43. Kb7 d4 44. Kxa7 d3 45. Kxb6 d2 46. a7 d1=Q 47. a8=Q 1-0

 

Bellers - Hodgson , 1977

-+-+-+-+
Xx+j+-+-
-+-+-X-+
+-X-+-+-
-+p+x+l+
+-+-P-+-
p+-K-P-+
+-+-+-N-
Against a youthful Julian Hodgson, White is paying the price of playing Grob's Attack!

25. Ne2 Bxe2 26. Kxe2 Kc6 27. f3 exf3+ 28. Kxf3 b5 29. cxb5+ Kxb5 30. Ke4 Kc4 resigns.

  But is the position before 25.Ne2 totally lost? The Knight is tied down, but the Bishop has to stay on g4 to keep it there, and meanwhile the Knight is guarding all the entry squares

 

Exchanging to won King ending,

Sarahs - Bellers, 1995

-+-+t+-+
Xx+-+-J-
-+x+-+x+
+-+-+-+-
-+-X-+-+
+-+-+p+-
pP-+tRr+
+-+k+-+-
Black is two pawns up with a passed d-pawn and control of the e-file. What is the best way forward? Double Rook endings can be difficult to win.

30... d3

  completing the stranglehold

31. b4 b6 32. a4 Rxf2 33. Rxf2 Re2 34. Rxe2 dxe2+ 35. Kxe2 Kf6 36. Ke3 Ke5 37. a5 bxa5 38. bxa5 c5 0-1

 

Bellers - Evans, 1977

-+-+-+-+
+x+-Sj+-
x+-+-+-X
+-PxR-+-
p+-P-+x+
+-+-KxP-
-P-+-P-+
+-+-+-+-
White swaps off into a won K+P ending, but it isn't as easy as White first thought. Simply 47.b2-b4 would have been stronger.

47. Rxe7+ Kxe7 48. Kf4 h5 49. b4 Kf6 50. b5 axb5 51. axb5 Ke6 52. c6 ?

[52. Kg5 wins easily]

52... bxc6 53. bxc6 Kd6 54. Kg5 Kxc6 55. Kxh5 Kb5 56. Kxg4 Kc4 57. Kxf3 Kxd4 58. Ke2 Kc3 59. Kd1 Kd3 60. g4 Ke4 61. g5 Kf5 62. f4 1-0

 

Thornley - Bellers, 1995

-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-Xj
x+-+-+-X
P-+-+x+-
-+-+x+dP
+-+-+-P-
-+-+-P-+
+-Q-+-K-
White is a pawn down but seems to have everything covered. Black must do something active to break through.

55... f4 (that move again) 56. Qxf4 Qxf4 57. gxf4

 

-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-Xj
x+-+-+-X
P-+-+-+-
-+-+xP-P
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-P-+
+-+-+-K-
how do you assess this position?

57... Kg6 58. Kg2 Kf5 59. h5

[59. Kg3 h5]

59... Kxf4 60. Kf1 Kf3 61. Ke1 e3 62. fxe3 Kxe3 63. Kd1 Kf4 64. Kd2 Kg5 65. Kc3 Kxh5 66. Kc4 g5 67. Kc5 g4 68. Kb6 g3 69. Kxa6 g2 70. Kb7 g1=Q 71. a6 Kg5

  resigns: advanced Rook pawns do draw against K+Q but not K+Q+P! 1-0

 

Furnewell - Frost , 1995

-T-+-+-+
+-Tj+-Xx
x+x+x+-+
+-RxP-+-
-+-+-P-+
+-+-+-+-
pPr+-KpP
+-+-+-+-
I'm not sure how to categorise this one: Black thought he was transposing into a won K+P ending because of the protected passed d-pawn, White presumably thought it was won. Who was right?

26... Rb5

  White has the choice: leaving the rooks on may have been easier

27. Rxb5 cxb5 28. Rxc7+ Kxc7 29. Ke3 Kc6 30. Kd4 a5 31. a3 a4 32. h3 g6 33. g3 h5 34. g4 h4

 

-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+j+x+x+
+x+xP-+-
x+-K-PpX
P-+-+-+p
-P-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
35. f5

  But

[35. Ke3 Kc5 36. f5 draws easily! 36... exf5 37. gxf5 gxf5 38. Kf4 d4 39. e6 Kd6 40. Kxf5 d3 41. Kf6 d2 42. e7 Kd7 43. Kf7 d1=Q 44. e8=Q+]

35... exf5 36. gxf5 gxf5 37. Ke3 Kd7 38. Kf3 Ke6 39. Kf4 d4

0-1

 

Bellers - Saqui, 1983

-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+x+xJ-+
+x+xR-+x
-P-P-Xl+
+-P-+-+-
-+-+-Pk+
+-+-+-+-
Finally, an ending to demonstrate the resources that may exist when all seems lost. The key to this ending is the greater mobility of the rook, and the ability of the wK to gain entry on the White squares.

44. Re1 Ke7 45. Rh1 f3+ 46. Kg3 Kf7 47. Kf4 Kf6 48. Ra1 Ke7 49. Ke5 Kf7 50. Kd6

  two pawns now go, but it's still got to be won

50... Bf5 51. Kxc6 Bd3 52. Kd6 Kf6 53. Rh1 Kg5 54. Kxe6 Bc4 55. Ke5 Kg4 56. Rg1+ Kh3 57. Rg3+ Kh2 58. Rxf3 h4 59. Rf4 h3 60. Rg4 Be2 61. Rg7 Bf3 62. Kd6 Bg2 63. f4 Kg1 64. Rh7 h2 65. f5 Be4 66. Rxh2 Kxh2 67. f6 Bg6 68. Ke6 Kg3 69. f7 Bxf7+ 70. Kxf7 Kf4

 

-+-+-+-+
+-+-+k+-
-+-+-+-+
+x+x+-+-
-P-P-J-+
+-P-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
Black has wriggled well but this K+P ending is won for White

71. Ke6 Ke4 72. Kd6 Kd3 73. Kxd5 Kxc3 74. Kc5 Kb3 75. d5 1-0

Class: