The First Move
McHenry Area Chess Monthly Bulletin
Volume 1 Number 6                                 August 2004                                             Page 7 of 13

23. Rxc1 O-O (not 23… hxg6 24. Rc8+!) 24. Be4 and White went on to win the game in short order.

The following position is a rook and pawn endgame between Gary Barker and Akhil Dutta. Black has just moved 45… Rc6, attacking White’s pawn. What is your evaluation of the position?

In the game, White player 46. Kd5 and after 46… Rf6 47. Ke5 Rc6 a draw was offered. Would you have accepted it? Unfortunately, Gary did. But there’s still time for 48. d5! and the queen pawn can only be stopped by a rook sacrifice. If 48… Rxc4 49. d6 and White’s position is clearly winning. Or if 48… Rc5 49. Kd4 and Black is stymied. White’s better king
 

position and protected passed pawn are two powerful advantages, and even though rook and pawn endings are often drawn, this didn’t have to be one of them.

Finally, we have Lang Vs. Vucenovic after 13. Bg5?. Black can win a piece but must do it properly. How would you proceed?

Zoron correctly played 13… Nxe4, but after 14. Bxe7 played 14… Qxe7 15. Rxe4 for an even exchange. Instead, he should have played 14… Nxe7, allowing the bishop on b7 to protect the knight on e4, and if 15. Ne5 Nd6 protects the bishop. This was the one that got away, as Black later lost.

 

Look at these positions and more by viewing the games with analysis on our website. Our viewer allows you to play over all the games, including variations, with just an easy click of your mouse. It’s fun and informative to use. Check it out!

A Checklist for Chess

In order to improve their performance at chess, some people study endgames. Other people study the openings. Others pour over grandmaster games. All of these are good, and all will improve your game and rating. But nothing will help if you drop a piece during tournament play, or allow the tables to turn because of an overlooked check. This can happen even to anyone, even talented players , but there are ways to prevent them from happening to you.