Monster Your Endgame Planning
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Efstratios Grivas MONSTER YOUR ENDGAME PLANNING VOLUME 1 Chess Evolution Cover designer Piotr Pielach Monster drawing by Ingram Image Typesetting i-Press ‹www.i-press.pl› First edition 2019 by Chess Evolution Monster your endgame planning. Volume 1 Copyright © 2019 Chess Evolution All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. ISBN 978-615-5793-15-8 All sales or enquiries should be directed to Chess Evolution 2040 Budaors, Nyar utca 16, Magyarorszag e-mail: [email protected] website: www.chess-evolution.com Printed in Hungary TABLE OF CONTENTS Key to symbols ...............................................................................................................5 Foreword .........................................................................................................................7 Th e Endgame .................................................................................................................11 Th e Golden Rules of the Endgame ...........................................................................15 Evaluation — Plan — Execution ............................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 1. PAWN ENDINGS Pawn Power .................................................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 2. MINOR PIECE ENDINGS Bishop Power ................................................................................................................41 Knight Power ...............................................................................................................59 Good Bishop vs Bad Knight .....................................................................................77 Good Knight vs Bad Bishop .....................................................................................97 Mixed Pieces Power ...................................................................................................121 CHAPTER 3. MAJOR PIECES ENDINGS Rook — Strategical Exploitation ............................................................................ 141 Rook — Material Exploitation .................................................................................159 Queen Power .............................................................................................................. 177 Queen & Rook Power ...............................................................................................199 CHAPTER 4. MIXED PIECES ENDINGS Rook & Bishop Power ............................................................................................... 219 Rook & Knight Power .............................................................................................. 237 CHAPTER 5. VARIOUS PIECES ENDINGS Combined Power ....................................................................................................... 257 Index of Games ..........................................................................................................277 Index of Openings (ECO Classifi cation) ............................................................. 281 KEY TO SYMBOLS = Equality or equal chances White has a slight advantage Black has a slight advantage White is better Black is better +– White has a decisive advantage –+ Black has a decisive advantage unclear with compensation with counterplay with initiative with an attack with the idea only move Nnovelty ! a good move !! an excellent move ?a weak move ?? a blunder !? an interesing move ?! a dubious move +check #mate Th e ‘Rule of the Th ree Weaknesses’ can be helpful to evaluate nearly any endgame: 1. One weakness = slightly better (). 2. Two weaknesses = clearly better (). 3. Th ree weaknesses = winning (+-). Remember this important rule; it will help you to make the correct decisions, even when you are still in the middlegame — in the endgame for sure! FOREWORD Th e MYEP series off er training on Today we have shorter time-controls a vital subject, the choice of the ‘best’ and there isn’t really enough time to available endgame plan. As is com- dig on the subtleties of each ending. monly accepted, a correct Evaluation of the position, a strong Plan and an You have to know and to repeat accurate Execution are the three im- knowledge; don’t be carried away by portant factors that separate ‘the ex- the usual myth of the ‘chess talent’. As pert from the amateur’. I repeatedly wrote and proved ‘talent is the excuse of the failed’. In a way, effi cient training on the three above mentioned concepts can ‘Unfortunately’, the modern chess help a chess player mature and lead player is entitled and forced to work him to new successful paths. more than his predecessors. Th e mod- ern chess trainer as well needs to pre- Th e today Author has at his disposal pare more delicate themes, under- powerful databases, tablebases, ana- stand them and teach them as well lysed material, books and by adding to his students. So, there is plenty of his knowledge, you will get what you room for everything and for every- are looking for! body who is thirsty for knowledge. Th e endgame is the phase of the game Knowledge is the key word. And that it has been extensively analysed knowledge is absorbed sub-con- and formed to concrete conclusions, sciously; it is impossible to remember although in nearly all the books I do everything you study. So, it is highly know, very little space is dedicated to important to work with good material forming plans. and good trainers in order to improve and get higher in the Chess Olympus I think this is because of space limita- Mountain. tions and because it’s a diffi cult theme that doesn’t looks too interesting for Nowadays the help of the Silicon the readers. But a modern chess play- Monster (chess analysis engines) is er cannot really choose what he likes quite valuable, as it can save an author or prefers — this has nothing to do countless hours of analysis and check- with openings! ing. But still the role of the qualifi ed 8 MONSTER YOUR ENDGAME PLANNING. VOLUME 1 trainer remains important; he knows With this book-series I have sought to where the truth is — he knows what to provide a training guide that will be keep and what to throw away... helpful mostly to players in the 1500– 2200 range — corresponding to a low- I do not like to claim that everything er club level up to those with aspira- I wrote is perfect and completely tions for a FIDE title. sound; I always think of the surprise factor; I just try to present my thoughts Of course, the books may well also be honestly and with responsibility. useful for players weaker than 1500, or for those stronger than 2200, but this is a decision these players should HOW TO DEAL WITH make for themselves! THE BOOK In this book there are 78 tests, each based around a game. In each of these tests, the starting point is the fi rst dia- Back in 2007 I published my fi rst gram. Th ere is an evaluation of the di- English language book on planning agrammed position, which helps the (Modern Chess Planning — Gambit), reader to understand some important which was later translated and pub- facts about the position itself. lished in the Greek, Spanish and Ira- nian languages, making it a best-sell- A presentation of three possible plans er. In 2019 I published a two-volume follows. Th en the reader must decide series called ‘Monster Your Middle- which is the most valuable/best plan. game Planning’ and now it was time Th e best plan receives a maximum of to do the same on the Endgame! All 50 points. Th e other, less good, bad four books are published by ‘Chess or indiff erent plans normally receive Evolution’. some points or none at all, depending on their actual value and correctness. Th e format is the same as in MYMP, Some of the plans receive no points at with 13 thematic chapters, where in all; they are just bad! each of them 6 tests are included (in each volume). Each theme is analysed Aft er completing the work on each by modern concepts and tips, which test, the reader must take a look at will drive the reader to the right path. the solution, where he can fi nd the For me solving the tests is not the answers. In the solutions, the game most important feature. Understand- is analysed until its end, so the read- ing them and learning how to do the er can better understand why the re- job in an over-the-board game is far warded plan was the ‘best’ in the posi- more important and what counts at tion and how it worked out. Th ere are the end of the day! a few examples where the best avail- 9 able plan was overlooked, but these As one might notice from the are exceptions and the games are nev- score-table, expectations are a little ertheless quite interesting. higher than usual for the categories listed, as in this book the evaluation By this point, you will have received of the position is given by the author some very good training. But then, beforehand, and this is a great help for it will do no harm to measure your the reader. A correct evaluation of any ‘strength’ on this subject. Th e max- position is one of the most signifi cant imum score is 3.900 points and you factors in chess, but that could be the should divide your total score by 1.5: subject for another book. Total Points Planning Strength It is now time for you to work and train on that important chess con- 2400–2500 Grandmaster