Push that pawn!

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Mal_Smith

Mar 22, 2014

I'm a beginner who is clueless about endgames. What's the optimal strategy in the endgame below, white to move.

I ran out of time in a comedy of errors. If you want a laugh, look at the game:

http://live.chess.com/live?v=2014022101#

"Push the passed pawn" seemed the obvious next move. So I made that. But he just stopped it with his R.

On reflection, I think getting the K active to help protect that passed pawn might have been the thing to do.

What are the best resources for learning how to deal with situations like this? Is chess mentor useful in this regard?

notmtwain

Mar 22, 2014

You should post the game so we can see what you actually did. Basically, you want to get behind your pawns. As you found out, you can't immediately get behind the c pawn. Still, you can win his a pawn and then use the three queenside pawns supporting each other with the rook's help to run forward.

Your king's main job was to stop his pawns. It was sitting in its nice little broken pawn position and it would have been tough for black to get past. The last thing you want to do it to open things up for him.

Mal_Smith

Mar 22, 2014

Thanks for the detailed game commentary notmtwain. Below is an attempt to play it again *slowly*, with your game plan.

I'm assuming black has to get the K active... as the R & 2 pawns will be too much for the black R to handle alone... although I'm not absolutely sure of that...

In this I show black also queening... I could easily stop that with my R, but I'll leave it in to show my biggest fear, maybe black has better move on the K side to make a better queening threat?

notmtwain

Mar 22, 2014

BackTo1200OrBust wrote:

Thanks for posting the game notmtwain, I'll do that next time, if I work out how to do it. Note the P sacrifice in 35. is just a pure blunder.

I managed to get my R behind his pawns to decimate his Q side. Now I need to R to get back - obeying the rule that a R belongs behind a passed pawn. Shame that rule clashes with "get behind your opponents pawns" :)

Are you saying the "broken Pawn pattern" is Good? Is it a general case that K sitting with three pawns can defend against a K with four pawns, if the pawns aren't adavnaced an dthere'a lot of trouble on the Q side?

Can't his K advance and stop my passed pawn, even if I get my R behind it.

My opponent suggested a draw... I'm not sure if he was acting on the principle "all R & P games are draws" or if he had good reason to fear my passed pawn.

How can I win his a pawn and retain all three of my pawns?

In 15:10, under time pressure, should I have just accepted the draw? For equal ranking players I might just do that in future...

Yes, you were completely winning with the position you showed.

Mal_Smith

Mar 22, 2014

Here's another scenario where the R tries to go it alone with the two pawns:

notmtwain

Mar 22, 2014

BackTo1200OrBust wrote:

Here's another scenario where the R tries to go it alone with the two pawns:

I am sure I am screwing things up but I think you get the idea that white is far from helpless here and is probably winning with good play.

Mal_Smith

Mar 22, 2014

I am sure I am screwing things up but I think you get the idea that white is far from helpless here and is probably winning with good play.

It makes sense, it would at least give him more to think about than my original rubbish. In your first black move I don't think he should move the R, then he at least gets rid of one white pawn... plus moving his K immediately into the actions seems a good idea (?).

But, all in all, keeping the K in defence and marching pawns down the Q side with the R seems a good plan.