Endgame. Q vs R+P
QUEEN VS ROOK+PAWN ENDGAME
Introduction
Recently we review the Q vs R endgame. Not easy no? Even top GMs can botch it as we saw in the Morozevich-Jakovenko game.
Well, Q vs R+P still is more difficult. Requires more technique and there are many exceptions. Positions in which the weaker side can built a fortress. I remember the game Carlsen-Matlakov, 2019. It turn out that Magnus, with his awesome technique, he managed to gobbel the pawn with ease and went for the more simple Q vs R ending. But Matlakov didn't want to play it and he simply resign after losing the pawn. In that moment I thought, what are you doing? The Q vs R is also a challenge for any player. I was ignorant. The fact is that being Q vs R+P more difficult as I know now after studying it, you understand Matlakov decision because if Magnus plays with ease the more difficult Q vs R+P ending, after taking the pawn, is logical to think he won't have any problem in the ensuing Q vs R ending. So hopelessly Matlakov decided wisely to resign.
A bit of theory
When Magnus won the Matlakov game he was exultant. In his own words "I knew it wasn't a fortress, I learn it at school". Well, he could have been a bit more insightful and say, a bishop (or central) pawn, with the pawn on third rank or further is a win for white. Which is equivalent to say that if the pawn had been in the 2nd rank or be a Knight pawn, there is a fortress and with skilled play black can draw.
So I thought, if he learnt it at school why we don't have a try ourselves. And this was the budding idea to create this review.
So let's look at the first position of the Magnus game:
Ideas:
Black pretends to create a fortress defending the Rook with the Pawn. So it's Rd5 and he wants to shuffle Rd5-Rb5-Rd5.
White must attack the pawn from behind as only the bKing can defend it. But white will need the help of her King.
If we look at the Rd5 and we draw from the Rook a line that goes from d1-d8 and another line from a5-h5, we will have divided the board in 4 parts. So white needs to take the King from the 1st.quarter in southeast, to the 3rd.quarter in northwest. To achieve this she will have to pass two controls. The Rook controls the 5th rank so white must manage using zugzwangs, to move the rook from the 5th rank and then her King will be able to cross to northeast area.
Once in NE area there is another control. The bRook controls the d file so wKing again must cross the d line to be able to land NW that is the place from where white will attack from behind and gobble the bPawn.
When we understood that, what better to follow the Magnus game and get a clear cut of how the technique is achieved? Lets see how the 16th WC executes this:
The technique reviewed again from the following position:
