Understanding Rook vs. Minor Piece Endgames

Understanding Rook vs. Minor Piece Endgames

Understanding Rook vs. Minor Piece Endgames

Understanding Rook vs. Minor Piece Endgames

eBook

$18.99  $24.95 Save 24% Current price is $18.99, Original price is $24.95. You Save 24%.

Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers

LEND ME® See Details

Overview

A Journey into the Land of Rook vs. Minor Piece Endgames Knowing the abilities and limitations of the minor pieces and their cooperation with a rook is very valuable for mastering the secrets of the royal game and this can be studied best in the endgame. The book before you now will take you into a mysterious and charming world. The actors in these fairy-tale stories are the rook, the bishop, and the knight. This book is the third volume in the authors’ acclaimed Understanding Endgames series. It follows a dual philosophy, like their previous works, Understanding Rook Endgames and Understanding Minor Piece Endgames. It deals with seven-piece minor-piece endings in some detail. These endgames are often so deep that pre-tablebase analysis almost always contained errors. Many new discoveries are revealed here. In addition, the authors emphasize the important five- and six-piece endings every club player should know. But to really understand minor piece endings, these theoretical positions are of course not enough. Sub-chapters on the principles of each material configuration have therefore been added. “If you enjoy beauty in chess, if you want to improve your handling of the endgame, and if you want to become closer friends with the rook, bishop, and knight on the chessboard, then this journey into the land of rook and minor piece endgames will reward you.” – from the Foreword by Alex Fishbein

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781949859126
Publisher: Russell Enterprises, Incorporated
Publication date: 01/10/2020
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 23 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

German grandmaster is considered one of the world's great endgame authorities. His works on the endgame have been universally acclaimed..

Computer expert and chess master Yakov Konoval has been instrumental in refining the theory of many six- and seven-piece endgames.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 2
Rook versus Bishop Endgames

The rook is much better than the color-blind bishop. Often it starts a powerplay on the color complex the bishop cannot control. But the pawnless ending usually is drawn nevertheless.
(a) The pawnless ending
This is generally a draw. The rook only has chances if the defending king is very badly placed. The main exception is when the defending king is cut off in the dangerous corner, the one which the bishop can control. If the defending king is in a safe corner it is usually drawn, but the following trick is worth knowing:

02.01 Sachdev – Schut
Wijk aan Zee 2012

[Diagram]

56.Rc7!? Be6? Black falls into the trap. 56...Bb3 draws, e.g., 57.Kg6 Kh8 58.Rc8+ Bg8

[Diagram]

Now Black has taken the typical drawing defensive set up. 59.Rc1 Bh7+ 60.Kf6 Bg8 61.Rh1+ Bh7 62.Rh2 Kg8 63.Rb2 Kh8 64.Kf7 Bg8+ 65.Kf8 Bh7=; 56...Bd3=

[Diagram]

With secure control over the g6-square, there is an alternative drawing formation.
57.Kg6! Kh8 57...Bh3!? is refuted by the surprising 58.Re7!! when the rook wins the dominance duel: (58.Rf7? Bg2 59.Re7 Bc6 60.Re6 Ba4=) 58...Kf8 59.Re5 Now the bishop cannot come back to a good diagonal, e.g., 59...Bg2 60.Kf6 Bf3 61.Rf5 Bc6 62.Rc5 Bd7 63.Rh5 Kg8 64.Rg5+ Kf8 (64...Kh7 65.Rg7+i; 64...Kh8 65.Kf7i) 65.Rg1 Bc8 66.Rc1 Bd7 67.Rb1 Ke8 68.Rb8+ Bc8 69.Rxc8+I 58.Rh7+! 58.Re7? Bg8= 58...Kg8 59.Re7 1-0

02.01A Instructive Example
So one of the best tries against a defense in the safe corner is the following:

[Diagram]

1.Re7!? This sets a trap, which is especially good if the clock is on the queenside and Black is short of time. 1...Bd6? 1...Bf4, 1...Bg3 and 1...Bh2 draw. 2.Ra7+ Kb8 3.Rd7i

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews