% BOOKTITLE = Tactical Training in the Endgame (sample)
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "About this Publication"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{Goethe once wrote, "Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and
more complicated than we can conceive." He could well have had chess
endgames in mind. Endgames have fewer pieces on the board than middlegames but
this does not necessarily make them "easier" to play or understand. ---
Tactical expertise is, understandably, generally associated with middlegame 
(and sometimes opening) positions. However, tactics are also crucial in
endgames - a point that is sometimes overlooked. Even some quite simple
looking pawn endgames can feature complex tactical ideas. Tactics in endgames
also tend to be very different to middlegame tactics. As well as the familiar
themes of pins, skewers and forks, endgames also feature unique concepts that
rarely occur in middlegames such as pawn breakthroughs, manoeuvring for
zugzwang and active use of the king as an aggressive unit.} 1. Z0 {In this
book the highly experienced chess author and coach Cyrus Lakdawala guides the
reader through the complexities of endgame tactical play. Lakdawala assembles
positions that are most effective to improve tactical ability. Work your way
through this book and you will undoubtedly see the results in your own games.}
(1. Z0 {Cyrus Lakdawala is an International Master, a former National Open and
American Open Champion, and a six-time State Champion. He has been teaching
chess for over 30 years, and coaches some of the top junior players in the U.S.
}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Introduction"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Lao Tzu} 1. Z0 {The premise
of Isaac Asimov's classic I Robot novel is: How does a detective find a
murderer among a community of machines who all look and act exactly alike?
Many of us feel we are the novel's detective Del Spooner (played by Will Smith
in the movie version), when attempting to sort out endgame tactical themes,
which some students tell me look alarmingly alike. So numerous are they, that
they sometimes feel like an eternally expanding universe. The secret is to
transform the randomness into clearly recognizable patterns, which is the goal
of this book. Each game fragment, endgame study or mating problem in the book
has locked within it a mystery. The purpose of this book is to understand the
process of how to reveal this mystery. Are tactics and combinations the same?
The answer is yes and the only difference is degree, where a tactic is
basically short range, while a combination is longer. Beginning players equate
combinations with magic, when in reality the combination is simply a correct
identification of a hidden and classifiable geometric theme. There are three
necessary factors in a combination:} (1. Z0 {1) Our combination always begins
with abstraction, the core idea. The goal is to de-petrify the rigid mind of
orthodoxy and allow imagination to run free. At the same time, we must be
careful, since the one fact which imagination loathes is: the chess board is
subject to limits. Our idea, no matter how brilliant or how creative, must in
the end work}) (1. Z0 {2) The idea's implementation, the hard numbers of
calculation. We must take number 1 on the list and turn these pockets of
reductive abstraction into flesh, blood and bone reality. In this phase
clarity, accuracy and depth of calculation are essential. For example, in a
king and pawn ending there is no room for even a tiny rounding error of a
single decimal. In this book there are some calculation-dense studies -
especially king and pawn endings - where there are no tactics in them. Then
why did I place them in the book? Because calculation is a subset of tactics
and we should not consider them as separate entities.}) (1. Z0 {3) We use a
mix of logic and intuition to come to the conclusion, the assessment of the
aftermath. You can envision and calculate your combination perfectly and then
still bungle the assessment, where your winning position may in reality be a
losing or drawing position.}) (1. Z0 {If we stumble on any of the three, our
would-be combination may short circuit. Our equation is: abstraction +
mathematics + correct assessment = effective combination. --- In this book, I
took a different route from most tactics solving books. The difficulty level
of the composed works within it are steeply higher than most over the board
combinations. I tried to recreate a lesson with a student, where we tackle a
composed endgame study. I first break down the available data for the student,
piece by piece. Then we gather the data and look for the next logical step. If
the problem is too difficult, beyond what a club level player can manage to
solve, I actually spell out the entire sequence. Some studies are simply to be
played over to absorb their intricate patterns, not to be solved, due to their
high difficulty levels. Tactics and combinations don't exist in isolation.
Without the initial concept, calculation, planning, logic and assessment, the
combination doesn't just magically appear from the void. A combination always
has preceding causes and conditions. It isn't just pure math, as some believe.}
) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Training Tools"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{"You don't have to solve them." GM Bill Lombardy} 1. Z0 {I met GM Bill
Lombardy 40 years ago when we analyzed a game I played against FM Mark
Duckworth. We talked about chess training and he gave me this advice: "Go
through books of composed mating problems and endgame studies." I told him
that they were artificial and also too difficult to solve. His response
puzzled me: "You don't have to solve them. Just try for a few minutes and
then look up the answer." I thought it was bizarre advice and to my deep
regret didn't listen to Bill until 39 years later, when I first discovered the
training power of endgame studies and composed mating problems, especially
mates in 2. --- After retiring from tournament play in 2019, I took up solving
and was shocked to see my online rating rise (59-year-old players are not
accustomed to improvement!). Then I began incorporating composed works for the
first half of chess lessons and I was staggered by the results. Virtually
every student who solved on a daily basis, improved. The most dramatic example
is my student Jonathan, a member of the San Diego Chess Club. For the last 20
years he cycled between a rating of 1290 and 1360. Then after only six months
of solving (mostly mates in 2. For endgame studies he mostly looks up the
answers after a few minutes), he soared to 1576. I'm certain that he would
have broken 1600 if the COVID-19 pandemic had not hit at the time and the San
Diego Chess club hadn't closed down. --- All my life I have been better at
strategic play than tactics. I was a tactical Helen Keller, who at the late
age of 59, finally found my Anne Sullivan. For desire to arise we must be
aware of a superior alternative to what we currently have. Club level players
want to improve. From my experience with students, most are proficient in the
opening, decent strategists and most know their basic endings. Three
underdeveloped factors I find over and over are:} (1. Z0 {1) An inability to
calculate clearly, deeply and accurately. Calculation is critical for a
combination's correct implementation. For this reason, I added a lot of
calculation exercises in the book, since calculation cannot be separated from
tactics and combinations. We all have a fear of heights when we calculate long
lines. If you for example work on king and pawn endings, I absolutely
guarantee improvement in your calculation abilities. They are not the proper
venue for idle speculation and reliance of intuition. It's all number
crunching and hidden ideas.}) (1. Z0 {2) Missed tactical opportunities, both
for their own side and also missed combinations coming from the opponent as
well. Most of us are handicapped by our illiteracy of profoundly embedded
geometric patterns.}) (1. Z0 {3) Lack of tactical and even strategic
imagination. Imagination is larger than the sky, since it encompasses every
idea in the universe. We may not realize that the vast majority of us are in a
creativity rut, since we only look for conventional patterns. A composed work
is a nuclear explosion, which obliterates rigid pattern orthodoxy. There are
literally hundreds of thousands of patterns which we don't recognize and some
which we can't even imagine existing. These can be mined from endgame studies
and mating problems, which tend to be several magnitudes more profound than
the vast majority of over the board combinations.}) (1. Z0 {When it comes to
combinations it's one thing to dream it and quite another to make it come true.
The reason most players fail to improve tactically isn't lack of talent, or
even lack of drive. We work feverishly on our openings, as if studying for our
college entry SAT exam. It never occurs to us that our time may be better
spent working on problem solving skills. It boils down to a misplaced priority
of overstudy of openings and understudy of the art of solving problems over
the chess board. That is all chess is: solving different problems and endgames
are the perfect venue for it. If the opening is the Renaissance period and the
middlegame the Industrial Revolution, then endings represent the
post-apocalyptic society, with only a few remaining survivors. You can bs your
way through in both opening and middle games and still get away with it. In
endings, forget it. The need for precision skyrockets and guessing is
downplayed. It's all calculation, planning and finding hidden tactics. --- It
is the student's job to listen and work, and the teacher's job to point.
Lately I have been pointing a lot in the direction of composed works, which I
discovered are essentially conventional combinations, on steroids. The word
"composed" tends to come with a cargo of fear of being unable to solve and
frankly, ignorance of the benefits. Many people believe a composed work is a
place of make-believe, which has little to no application on our real-life
chess. This is far from the truth. A composed work is a radical alteration
from our normal training with combinations from tournament games. If we work
on tactics in the conventional way, without progress, don't expect a change to
follow unless you make a change in your training. They are in general, more
difficult to solve than conventional puzzles, extracted from tournament games.
Some of my students complain bitterly that they are too difficult to solve. My
philosophy is that going easy on ourselves in our training, is misguided
compassion. --- We are all obsessed with statistics. Your score on the first
try of the book isn't important; your score the second time is. Because the
second time you come armed with the imprints you picked up on your first
reading. You see a level 4 or 5 position and think: "I'm in way over my
head!" You are not alone and you are not even expected to solve it. Even
partial solving earns progress. I say this over and over to whoever is willing
to listen: don't worry about getting problems, studies and combinations
correct. Your improvement comes from the process of trying (and often failing)
and then looking up the answer. That's it. If you do this with enough of these,
your internal database loads up with tens of thousands of geometric patterns
which previously were a mystery. There is no move or idea which is considered
too crazy to even consider. In fact, after around a year of solving, our mind
automatically seeks out previously unthinkable patterns and ideas. A composed
work is that strange place where the outlandish is actually logical,
reasonable and normal. Ideas in our tournament games tend to be linear,
logical, with a beginning and an end.}) (1. Z0 {We rarely look for radical
geometric shifts, which at first appear impossible. Our aptitude for chess is
a result of nature's lottery. To some, becoming a strong player is easy, while
to others, progress comes miserably slowly, or not at all. Whatever your
natural ability, solving combinations, endgame studies and composed mating
problems will raise you from where you currently are. Our questions find their
answers for those who endure with patience and keep solving. --- The current
default belief system in the world chess community is: composed endgame
studies are useful improvement tools, while composed mating problems are
artificial, and therefore of no practical training value. I can tell you this
belief is false. I put students on a regiment of mating problems, usually
mates in 2 moves and can testify to their improvement in tactical skill. In
this book there is a big final chapter/test for solving mates in 2. For
stipulated mating problems there is no middle ground. Either you find the mate
in 2, or you don't. Mate in 3, 4, 5 or winning Black's queen doesn't count.
With immersion, we get better and better. Good luck on your journey! --- Many
thanks to Nancy for proofreading, thanks to professor Steven Dowd for
composing millions of mates in 2 for the book, and finally thanks to Ville
Matias (Father Vasilios) for his untiring help in researching tactical endings.
}) (1. Z0 {Cyrus Lakdawala, June 2021}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "4: Rook Endgames"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{I don't know if this is true in general but of all categories, rook endings
arise more than any others, at least in my own games. In this chapter there
will be a mix with the number of rooks on the board, but they will be the only
pieces on the board.} 1. Z0 {Queens, knights and bishops will be added in
later chapters.} *

[Event "091: Okonchaniya - Kon protiv Slona"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1958.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kopaev, N"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/P7/8/8/8/8/4k2K/R7 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1958.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{White wins --- Level 4.5 --- (see the following game for the solution)} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Solution 091"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/P7/8/8/8/8/4k2K/R7 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{1) White is a pawn up. --- 2) Black's rook is tied to a8, since if it moves
without giving check, White promotes. --- 3) Here is the big problem: White's
king is a million miles away and Black's king threatens to stroll over to b6,
followed by ...Rxa7. --- EXERCISE: Find a way to disrupt Black's plan. ---
ANSWER:} 1. Ra3 $3 {With this move Black's king must waste time moving
laterally to the queenside. It allows White's king just enough time to come to
the rescue of the a-pawn.} (1. Kg3 $2 {This is the move the majority of us
would play in a tournament game, (mis)believing it to be White's only winning
try.} Kd3 2. Kf4 Kc4 3. Ke5 Kc5 $1 (3... Kb5 $2 4. Kd6 Kb6 5. Rb1+ {reaches
the composition's conclusion}) 4. Ke6 Kb6 $1 {(now is the right time)} 5. Kd6
Rxa7 6. Rb1+ Ka5 $1 {draw.}) 1... Kd2 2. Kg3 Kc2 3. Kf4 Kb2 4. Ra6 $1 {
Absolute precision is required.} (4. Ra5 $2 {loses a tempo and allows Black to
draw after} Kb3 5. Ke5 Kb4 6. Ra1 Kc5 $1 {.}) 4... Kb3 5. Ke5 Kb4 6. Kd6 Kb5 7.
Ra1 Kb6 8. Rb1+ $1 {Black's position becomes constricted.} Ka6 {EXERCISE:
Demonstrate White's win.} (8... Kxa7 9. Kc7 $1 {wins Black's rook, or mates.})
9. Kc7 $1 {ANSWER: Paradoxically, we allow Black to take our rook pawn, with
check! --- Threatening 10 Ra1+, followed by Kb7.} ({The natural} 9. Kc6 $2 {
blows it:} Rc8+ 10. Kd7 Rh8 {draw.}) 9... Rxa7+ (9... Kxa7 {The coroner ruled
it a suicide.} 10. Ra1# {.}) 10. Kc6 $1 {Black must hand over the rook to
evade mate on the a-file.} Ka5 11. Ra1+ {. Black's rook falls.} 1-0

[Event "092: FIDE revue"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1959.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Herbstman, A"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/Pk6/5R2/6p1/1p4Pp/7K/2p5/8 w - - 0 3"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1959.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{White draws --- Level 4.5 --- (see the following game for the solution)} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Solution 092"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/Pk6/5R2/6p1/1p4Pp/7K/2p5/8 w - - 0 3"]
[PlyCount "14"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{White's position is a game of Dungeons and Dragons, where we are given a
choice of doors to enter, each containing its individual danger on the other
side. --- 1) We are up a rook for two pawns. --- 2) Our a-pawn is one square
from the promotion square, which immediately sets our radar up for tactics
based on its deep position. --- 3) Our gigantic problem is that the king is
far away and it is up to our lone rook to deal with Black's two deep passed
queenside pawns, one threatening to promote immediately. --- 4) On top of this,
even if by some miracle we manage to win both black queenside passers in
exchange for our rook, we are still lost in the king and pawn ending, since
Black is up a connected passed rook pawn on the h-file. --- 5) Our king
position on h3 lead me to believe (correctly) this was going to be a
stalemating problem. We can give up our rook and even allow Black to promote
to a new queen, as long as we lure Black's new queen to our second rank, which
would create stalemate. Such is my endless dilemma: I am skilled at
discovering the study's theme and then have no idea how to deal with the
implementation. --- EXERCISE: Find a way to set up this drawing scenario I
described in number 5 on our list. --- ANSWER: Move the rook to a6,
threatening a8Q+. The rook of course is immune since if taken, White promotes
with check.} 3. Ra6 $1 ({Not: -- a)} 3. Rc6 $2 b3 4. a8=Q+ Kxa8 5. Rc7 Kb8 $1 (
5... b2 $2 6. Rxc2 b1=Q 7. Ra2+ Kb7 8. Rb2+ $1 Qxb2 {stalemate}) 6. Rc3 Ka7 7.
Rc6 Kb7 8. Rc3 Ka6 9. Rc5 Kb6 10. Rc3 Ka5 11. Rc4 Kb5 12. Rc3 Kb4 13. Rc8 Ka3 {
and Black wins.}) ({b)} 3. a8=Q+ $2 Kxa8 4. Rc6 b3 5. Rc7 Kb8 (5... b2 $2 6.
Rxc2 b1=Q 7. Ra2+ $1 Kb7 8. Rb2+ Qxb2 {Stalemate}) 6. Rc3 Ka7 $1 7. Rc6 Kb7 8.
Rc3 Ka6 $1 9. Rc5 Kb6 10. Rc3 Ka5 $1 11. Rc4 Kb5 12. Rc3 Kb4 {.}) 3... Ka8 {
So big deal. Black easily dealt with our shallow threat. We can move the rook
to c6, but then will simply play ...b4-b3, protecting the c2-pawn, while
threatening ...b3-b2. It's the only move I see, so I played it there anyway,
not knowing how to proceed after that.} 4. Rc6 b3 {We aren't going to stop ...b3-b2,
so we may as well cover our a-pawn.} 5. Rc7 $1 b2 {Now I saw the answer.
--- EXERCISE: How do we reach the desired stalemate scenario, as described in
note 5? --- ANSWER: First give check on c8 and give away our a-pawn. Why?
Because it needs to be removed from the board if we are going to launch our
stalemate combination, since with it on the board, our future Ra2 will not
come with check.} 6. Rc8+ $1 Kxa7 7. Rxc2 $1 {Step 2: Chop the c-pawn and
allow Black to promote.} b1=Q 8. Ra2+ $1 {Step 3: Attraction. If Black's queen
takes the rook, we achieve our stalemate.} Kb7 (8... Qxa2 {is immediate
stalemate.}) 9. Rb2+ $1 {Step 4: Double attack/attraction/stalemate. I insist!}
Qxb2 {. Stalemate.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "093: New York/Los Angeles match"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1961.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Reshevsky, S"]
[Black "Fischer, RJ"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1P6/P3p3/8/5k2/8/4K1p1/r7 b - - 0 49"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1961.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{Black to play --- Level 3.5 --- (see the following game for the solution)} 
*

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Solution 093"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1P6/P3p3/8/5k2/8/4K1p1/r7 b - - 0 49"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{We are unaccustomed to seeing Bobby Fischer miss mates, which is just what he
did here. --- EXERCISE: What is Black's best move? --- ANSWER: Zwischenzug and
not promote on g1. Moving the king to e4 serves two important functions: 1. In
this line White does not get to promote with check. --- 2. This line is a
forced mate in 5 moves, while White can resist if Black immediately promotes.
GM Issac Kashdan pointed out this simpler win.} 49... Ke4 $1 {The center is
strengthened at the cost of the periphery, which turns out to be a good deal
for Black.} (49... g1=Q $6 {This is the human move and the one Fischer played
in the game. He still won. Yet his move allowed Reshevsky to prolong the game
and continue to resist after} 50. b8=Q+ {after which Fischer was forced to
work out a line which dodged perpetual check.}) 50. b8=Q (50. Kd2 g1=Q 51. b8=Q
Qc1+ 52. Ke2 Qe3# {.}) 50... Ra2+ $1 51. Ke1 {Every downward spiral has its
floor and White's unfortunate king just reached it.} g1=R# $1 ({Or the less
flashy} 51... g1=Q# {.}) 0-1

[Event "094: Havana Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fischer, RJ"]
[Black "Durao, J"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/2R5/4p1pp/3kP3/P1p2PP1/2P5/1P2K2P/8 w - - 0 46"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{White to play --- Level 3 --- (see the following game for the solution)} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Solution 094"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/2R5/4p1pp/3kP3/P1p2PP1/2P5/1P2K2P/8 w - - 0 46"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{Black is dead, from a legal and medical standpoint. Yet his spirit lingers on.
Durao is refusing to resign. Fischer is three pawns up, yet his a4-pawn hangs
and also Black has a strong king position. --- EXERCISE: If you find one
strong move, you can force Black's resignation. What is it? --- ANSWER: Mating
net.} 46. b4 $1 {Threat: Ke3 followed by Rc5 mate, to which there is no
reasonable answer.} (46. b4 $1 cxb3 (46... Rxa4 47. Rc5+ Ke4 48. Rxc4+ Kd5 49.
Kd3 Ra5 {and mate is coming}) 47. Kd3 $1 Rxa4 48. c4+ {costs Black his rook.
After} Rxc4 49. Rxc4 b2 50. Rb4 {White wins.}) 1-0

[Event "095: Deutsche Schachzeitung"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1967.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Wotawa, A"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/Pp6/1p3R2/1p6/1K6/3k4/8/8 w - - 0 3"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1967.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{White wins --- Level 5 --- (see the following game for the solution)} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Solution 095"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/Pp6/1p3R2/1p6/1K6/3k4/8/8 w - - 0 3"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{Our goal is simple: We must keep our a-pawn alive, while winning all three
black pawns, getting our king to b7 to eject the black rook on a8, so we can
promote our a-pawn. Now the object may be simple, yet the implementation is
incredibly subtle. I'm not going to sugar-coat this and tell you this one is
easy to solve. I kept falling for drawing traps, so be extra alert. ---
EXERCISE: How should White proceed? --- ANSWER: Step 1: It's crucial for us to
retain our final pawn, so we need to swing our rook to the a-file.} 3. Rf3+ $1
Kc2 4. Rf2+ $1 {This subtle zwischenzug is only found by the most alert among
us.} ({When first attempting to solve this study I fell for the natural and
shallow} 4. Ra3 $4 {and only then did I notice} Kb2 $1 {. Black holds the draw
since our rook runs out of squares along the a-file:} 5. Rb3+ Ka2 6. Ra3+ {
is perpetual check.}) 4... Kc1 $1 {This puts up the greatest resistance.} ({
After} 4... Kb1 5. Kb3 $1 {(threatening Rf1 mate)} Kc1 6. Rf1+ Kd2 7. Ra1 Kd3
8. Ra2 $1 Kd4 9. Kb4 Kd5 10. Kxb5 Kd6 11. Kxb6 Kd7 12. Kxb7 {wins.}) 5. Ra2 {
Now White threatens to eat all three black pawns and shift the king to b7.} Kb1
6. Kb3 $1 (6. Ra3 $4 Kb2 $1 {is the same draw as displayed in the note above.})
6... Kc1 (6... b4 7. Rh2 Kc1 8. Rh1+ Kd2 9. Ra1 {wins.}) 7. Ra3 $1 (7. Ra1+ {
wastes time.} Kd2 {Now White blows it with} 8. Kb4 $4 (8. Ra2+ Kc1 9. Ra3 $1 {
White transposes and still wins}) 8... Kc2 9. Kxb5 Kb2 10. Ra4 Kb3 $1 11. Ra1
Kb2 {is a repetition draw.}) 7... Kb1 8. Kc3 $1 {This move gains two full
tempi.} (8. Kb4 $4 Kb2 $1 {is drawn.}) 8... Rc8+ ({a)} 8... b4+ 9. Kxb4 Kb2 10.
Ra4 Kc2 11. Ra2+ Kb1 12. Kb3 b5 13. Ra5 Kc1 14. Kb4 Kc2 15. Kxb5 Kb3 16. Kb6
Kb4 17. Kxb7 {wins.}) ({b)} 8... Kc1 $4 9. Ra1# {.}) 9. Kb4 {Our king got a
free jump to the fourth rank.} Ra8 10. Kxb5 Kb2 11. Kb4 $1 (11. Ra4 $4 Kb3 $1
12. Ra1 Kb2 {Draw.}) 11... Kb1 12. Kb3 $1 {We keep repeating the same
tempo-gaining mechanism.} Kc1 (12... b5 13. Ra5 b6 14. Ra6 Kc1 15. Kb4 Kc2 16.
Kxb5 Kd3 17. Kxb6 Kd4 18. Kb7 {wins.}) 13. Ra4 $1 Kb1 14. Kc3 $1 Rc8+ 15. Kb4 {
Once again Black's rook is forced to move back to a8 to prevent promotion.} Ra8
16. Kb5 Kb2 17. Kxb6 Kb3 18. Kxb7 $1 1-0

[Event "096: Sachové Umenie"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1974.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hasek, J"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1p2pp2/1Pp1P1k1/7R/5P2/5P2/2r5/5K2 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1974.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{White wins --- Level 4.5 --- (see the following game for the solution)} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Solution 096"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Cyrus Lakdawala"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1p2pp2/1Pp1P1k1/7R/5P2/5P2/2r5/5K2 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[SourceTitle "TT Endgame"]
[Source "EverymanChess"]
[SourceDate "2021.11.30"]

{EXERCISE: The only way to win this is to find a promotion combination. How?
--- ANSWER: Push forward the f-pawn, offering our rook.} 1. f5+ $1 Kg7 ({a)} 
1... Kf6 2. Rh6+ Kg7 3. Rh7+ {transposes.}) ({b)} 1... Kxh5 2. exf7 {We
promote and win.}) 2. Rh7+ $3 {Step 2: Offer the rook again, this time on h7.}
Kf8 ({a)} 2... Kg8 3. Rxf7 Rb2 4. Rxe7 {.}) ({b)} 2... Kxh7 3. f6 $1 {promotes
one of the pawns. Every chess player has seen this kind of pawn promotion idea,
unless maybe you live on a planet which circles Betelgeuse.}) 3. Rxf7+ Ke8 {
Black prevented pawn promotion, yet this is little comfort, since White now
achieved a won rook ending.} 4. Rh7 {Threatening back rank mate.} Kf8 5. f6 $1
{Pawn breakthrough. White threatens back rank mate again.} exf6 6. Rxb7 {
Black won't be able to deal with two white passed pawns, supported by a rook.}
Rb2 7. Rf7+ Ke8 8. b7 (8. b7 Kd8 ({after} 8... c5 9. Rc7 {there is no defence
to Rc8+ and promotion}) 9. Rf8+ Kc7 (9... Ke7 10. b8=Q) 10. b8=Q+ Rxb8 11. Rxb8
Kxb8 12. e7 {and Black's king is out of luck, one square too far away.}) 1-0

