Studies to Improve your Endgame knowledge.

 

To encourage OTB Chessplayers and Chess trainers to use Endgamestudies for improving their (students) endgame knowledge.

Let your students try to solve them first.

 

A great number of studies which are both instructive but also very famous are commented.

The studies are chosen because the positions could appear in a normal chessgame.

(More studies and more commentary will be added).

 Selection is made by Boll, Peter

 

The Bomb.

Thanks to German composer Paul Heuacker (1899-1969) who created the following beautiful endgamestudy, theme Decoy.

I give this study the name Bomb because of the key move 4. Bd4 !!

The Bishop drops in, sacrificed and destroys blacks defense totally.

(More about this composer: Heuäcker, Paul 1899-1969)

 

Ballet Dancing.

The following famous study is composed by former World champion Emanuel Lasker, which shows the use of Opposition.

Pre-knowledge is that a Queen can win over a Rook.

More studies of Lasker, to be found here: Lasker, Emanuel 1868-1941

I named this study Ballet Dancing because of the repeating stepping moves of both Kings and Rooks.

The white King dances with the black Rook. It takes its steps from the a-b file as the black Rook from c-b file.

The white Rook and the black King also dance downwards together....

The Saavedra Barbier-shop.

The following study is very famous because of its history where it first was thought to be a draw.

The manoeuvre of the white king, every good player should know.

Because the study was published and discussed by Barbier and improved by Saavedra, I named this study the Barbier-shop.

Also because the king walks down the file like a razor and shaves eventuallly the black Rook.

 

 

The Bridge.

Although this very old study (1634 !) is nowadays technical knowledge which every player should know, it still is a composition.

The white rook moves to the 4th rank to build a bridge for the King to shelter.

 

 

 

Indian theme.

The next study shows the Indian theme.

The white Knight constantly hinders the black Rook to get to the white pawn.

 

How Pythagoras law fails in chess...

The king-manoeuvre in this study is named after the composer.

The king moves on the diagonal and that serves two threats.

One to capture the black pawn and 2nd to support its pawn at c6.

Remind that the distance from h8 to a1 is the same seven moves as from h8 to h1 or h8 to a8.

What would Pythagoras say about chess and mathematics, a2+b2=c2 does not work here...

Another name used by insiders for these type of study is the Reti-walk.

Another example with the same idea where white is able to draw. More studies from chess master Richard Reti, see: Réti, Richard 1889-1929

 

Falling of your Chair.

In the next study I fell of my chair when they showed me the first two moves.

A brilliant Reti-walk of the white king with two threats.

 

The Dancing Queens.

Also a Queen can make a Triangular manoeuvre.

I named this study Dancing Queens because the Black and White Queens dance together until the time stops...

 

The Illogical Song.

Would you find at first sight this illogical key bishop 5th move in your game, if you had not seen it before like here?

White has to stop two black pawns?

This study was composed by the famous French / Catalan composer Rinck, Henri 1870-1952.

 

 

 

An elementary trick?

If you have seen the previous study, the next might be easy.

But would you find it yourself in a game if you never saw this manoeuvre?

 

Lost in de Desert.

Have you ever lost a rook having so many free fields (12) to go with so few opponents?

Having to much stuff.

The famous russian Alexei Troitzky shows that a knight alone can win if things are really odd (for black).

More about this productive composer, see: Troitzky, Alexei 1866-1942

Stalemate defense

Escaping with stalemate is often a theme in Endgamestudies. But you have to see many of them to find them later in your game.

 

Escape to Alcatraz

White seems lost because of the two black pawns.

The following study is a beautiful example of another stalemate defense to remember.

 

 

Another amazing escape

White's Bishop is in danger.

Finding the solution is a great task.

How Rooks work together

Black threatens a2-a1=Q but that is not enough.

A long march.

It looks as if white can't make progress, until he finds his long march.

Mating structures you have to see many, to find them later in your games.

The starting move here is most important. It decoys the king.

If you see the end of the study, you understand why the position needs a disturbing black pawn at h5.

Black hopes for stalemate, but white is awake.

The Saavedra trick again.

Although white is material up, the trick to win is not easy to find.

Domination of the black Queen by white Knights and Bishop in a gamelike position.

Study from the most productive composer ever. Some accurate subtle white play is needed to win.

White needs to sacrifice his Knight to free a field for the f-pawn.

Also here white needs to sacrifice a piece to get control of field h8 and have a threat with Rh8. And again underpromoting to avoid stalemate, is the second artistic point in this study.

Nice coorperation of the Knight and Rook.

A forced variation but you need to see the necessary underpromotion. Be aware that 3 Knights can mate.

An amazing silent move

Zugzwang for black, means any move makes it worse.

With a Quiet move solution 5.Qd3, black is in Zugzwang.

(Nice in the end two discover checks).

The famous Henri Rinck (France, 1870-1952) composed more than 1600 studies. More studies of him in, see: Rinck, Henri 1870-1952

Here a few which will learn you some important tricks.

Sometimes to many material kills you. The Black king in the corner is not safe. Using a silent move at the end is one of the beauties of this study.

The Knight and Bishop catch the Queen, can you find this task?

Can ypu see this deep combination where Knight and Bishop work together and profit from mating issues because the black king is not safe.

The white Rook and Knight dominate the Black Queen.

The white Rook and Knight dominate the Black Queen.

The following study shows a king manoeuvre as a waiting move.

The next study shows a pin where two bishops cooperate.

Sacrificing all to get the last pawn to promote to Queen.

Elementary manoeuvre to get the pawn promoted. Rehurse it.

Elementary manoeuvre to win with a rook-pawn. The black king needs to stay on g7 (after move 6) otherwise white has a7 and a Rook-check or Rh8-h7+.