A. Position—White: K at QKt8, P at QR7
Black: K at QR8, Q at QB3
Black must stop the pawn and plays Q-Kt3ch. White answers with K- R sq and is stalemate unless White lets the Kt’s file free again. This end-game can only be won if the stronger King can assume the opposition in two moves. Therefore, if in the above example the Black King was standing at Q5, Black would win as follows: 1. … Q-K1ch; 2. K-Kt7, Q-K2ch; 3. K-Kt8, K-B4; 4. P-R8 = Q, K-Kt3. and White cannot cover the mate.
B. Position—White: K at QKt8, P at QB7
Black: K at Q5, Q at QB3
White draws: 1. … Q-Kt3ch; 2. K-R8, QxP stalemate.
C. Position—White: K at QKt8, P at QKt7
Black: K at Q5, Q at QB3 White loses.
1. K-R7, Q-R5ch; 2. K-Kt6, Q-Kt5ch; 3. K-B7, Q-B4ch; 4. K-Q8, Q- Q3ch; 5. K-B8, Q-B3ch; 6. K-Kt8, K-B4; 7. K-R7, Q-R5ch; 8. K-Kt8, K-B3; 9. K-B8, Q-R3, etc.
END-GAMES FROM MASTER PLAY
In the following pages I give some instructive examples taken from tournament play. Step by step we will find how very important is the knowledge of the simple endings treated in the last chapter. We shall see that it is often necessary to consider many moves ahead to find the correct line, but that it is nearly always possible to foresee every consequence with unfailing certainty. Moreover, because of the reduction of forces there is no call to take very many variations into consideration. This explains why there is a tendency in modern master play to enforce the exchange of pieces, as soon as there is the slightest advantage sufficient to bring about one of the elementary end- game positions, in which the win can be forced.
1. FROM A GAME TEICHMANN-BLACKBURNE (BERLIN, 1897).
