Today, we will look at an endgame where the evaluation will change as we explore the hidden ideas behind the position. This is the reason for the name of the article. In other words: not every position that looks winning is indeed a win. First, th...
As I mentioned in the previous article, my friend sent me the endgame to take a look at it. At the end of the article you will find the details of who played which side. At first, I couldn't figure out what is going on in the game but after playin...
When you try solving a problem you try to do it the simplest way. Before resorting to complex means, one needs to try at first all the simple solutions. This time I tried to play out the position with the most brutal means. Passive defense is usua...
Opposite-colored bishops never cross each other’s paths. As they control squares of different colors, a chess game featuring them has its own specifics. By saying “a position with opposite-colored bishops”, we mean that there are no other light pi...
Last week I assigned a set of positions to test your endgame understanding, to provide new ideas as well as to repeat the covered material. Every learned topic has to be tested, to provide feedback on where we stand. Endgame positions in this set ...
I know how everyone is excited about opposite colored bishops’ endgames. These endgames do not feature lengthy calculations like pawn endgames do. They are not as complex and unpredictable as queen endgames are. Usually, the opposite colored bisho...
I cannot believe how quickly time passes! We are already up to opposite colored bishops endgames. Certainly, during my games, I am now more willing to go into endgames, how about you? There are disadvantages to too often going into endgames- the g...
This series of articles is designed to improve your endgame technique. Every week there is a position at the end of the article for you to play out with someone or a computer. The detailed explanation of how to get the maximum out of these e...
This series of articles is designed to improve your endgame technique. Every week there is a position at the end of the article for you to play out with someone or a computer. The detailed explanation of how to get the maximum out of these exer...
This series of articles is designed to improve your endgame technique. Every week there is a position at the end of the article for you to play out with someone or a computer. The detailed explanation of how to get the maximum out of these exercis...
Here we are at the very top of the endgame ladder: at pawn endgames. Pawn endgames are very different from other endgames. We can rely on the famous saying: there is no evaluation in endgames, there is only a result of win, loss or draw. Pawn endg...
We will continue this week with another light pieces endgame example. This time the position is more dynamic because both sides have passed pawns. Which side would you choose if I gave this position to you? My nature cries for the white pieces – I...
What do we know about bishop vs. knight endgames? The bishop is a long range piece, thus it requires an open space on the board. On the other hand, the knight does not need much space for maneuvering, since it is a more flexible piece – able to mo...
Last week my intention was to play out an endgame position that I have to present today during the weekend’s tournament in Washington DC. Somehow, I imagined a calm atmosphere, sitting somewhere in a nice restaurant, and playing out an endgame wit...
We explored in the previous article some of the ideas that white and black can exploit in this complex endgame. After playing the endgame twice, David and I had some ideas of what works and what doesn’t. We came to the conclusion that white has to...
The endgame is the final part of a chess game, characterized by a small number of pieces left on the board. Many chess players fall in love with studying the opening and middlegame and forget about the endgame, considering it to be dull. Some of t...
Last week after I assigned two positions to play out, I had no idea that just one would have been more than enough. The positions turned out to have tons of interesting hidden resources that my sparring partner, IM David Pruess, and I successfully...
When hearing about a chess novelty our minds automatically translate it to an opening novelty. But there are endgame novelties as well! I was genuinely surprised to read an article about Ivanchuk’s endgame novelty: it was a whole new, fresh plan i...
When the most famous chess coach of all time Mark Dvoretsky writes a book about endgames his first chapter is usually dedicated to the endgame tragicomedies. The tragicomedies happen when one or both sides do not know some theoretical and usually ...
The topic of the next set of columns will be endgames. As an introduction to the future column I want to show you the examples of the endgames from the recent US Women’s Championship. The first time I learned about endgame strategies was when I w...
Here's another endgame masterpiece played by Capablanca. Once again, like my last article featuring one of his games, his opponent is Yates. In this game, Capablanca is able to win a pawn in the middlegame and then simplify into a rook endgame whe...
I thought that this game was very interesting. Garry Kasparov faces off against The Times (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times) in a 1998 charity consultation match. The game eventually transitions into a endgame where each side has three mino...
This game of Capablanca's is extremely interesting. In the opening, he induces little weaknesses in Yates' position, which he exploits in the middlegame. Then, in the endgame, his knight circles about a pawn like a hawk and then swoops down to cap...
Capablanca rarely played blindfold chess, but when he did, he produced games that were filled with original ideas. Here, he takes on his old rival Corzo and two others. Capablanca makes many pawn thrusts in the game that remind one of a famous Pil...
