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Engames for Dummies Like Me Part III
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In this issue, we are going to cover basic draws. We've already discussed automatic draws, but we will talk about reaching a draw when you are in a losing position with few pieces. (We covered basic opposition in Part II). I will assume that the reader has a knowledge of basic themes such as opposition, triangulation, outflanking, stalemate, minor piece + long king cannot mate, basic king and pawn opposition. If any of this sounds foreign, look back at part I and II. (The links are below).
Rook Pawns
Throughout endgame studies, you will learn that the rook pawns usually have some special room or exception. Since the rook pawns have the unique character of not having a files to the left and right, this decreases flexibility. For instance. A nonrook file, like the E-file has the D, and F file next to it. There is only the G file next to the H-Rook file. Likewise, the A-file only has the B file to keep it company. If we think about the general principles or chess, pieces are more powerful when they are in the center of the board. In this case, the pawn can be weak because of the limited ability of his defender.
I remember playing a guy in one of my first over the board tournaments when I was rated around 1400, he was 1770 at the time and he offered me a draw. I accepted quickly as there was no possibility for me to win. He actually went on to win the reserve section but I couldn't for the life of me understand why he gave me a draw with two extra pawns! I couldn't believe it! Had he gone mad?!
Poor guy, he over-estimated my understanding of endgames at the time. This is something that all player should know, but here I was a C class player at the time, and I didn't know rook pawns were automatic draws!
In a nutshell, if there is a rook pawn, you want to get to the corner as soon as possible. In particular, the rule is that you want to get to the Bishop's 7th rank or closer, but the Rook's 6th is just as fine.
(From white's perspective)
If the Rook is in the A-file you want to get any of these squares (a8, a7, a6, b8, b7, c8, or c7)
If the Rook is on the H-file you want to get to these squares (h8, h7, h6, g8, g7, f8, f7).
The rule is, if you can get to one of those squares before the pawn hits the sixth rank, you will automatically draw. It does not matter where your opponent's king is placed. From the first example of my game... little did I know that I was on one of these squares! (C8!). My opponent knew the rules and with reasonable play, it was a dead drawn game.
But what if the king is in front of the pawn? Again, it doesn't matter...
What about that first example? There were two pawns!
Quick Points to remember
Minor Pieces v. King and Pawn
This is something that really simple but really easy to mess up in a time scramble. We will start with the bishop.
The funny thing about the knights is that I've seen plenty of games where people have resigned a dead drawn position with the knight!
Quick Points to Remember
The next edition we will cover more topics such as... Track me to keep up with the series.
Here is part II http://www.chess.com/forum/view/endgames/endgames-for-dummies-like-me-part-ii
Here is part I http://www.chess.com/forum/view/endgames/endgames-for-dummies-like-me-part-i