Annotated chess game: Great Endgames Series

ANNOTATED GAME

Great Endgames Series - Pawn Endings
Juri Randviir vs. Paul Keres
Annotated by: bikerman

(1954)
Chess opening: Scotch (C45), Paulsen attack

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Main annotation taken from Steve Giddins' book 'The Greatest Ever Chess Endgames'

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 a6 8. Ba4 Ne5 9. Qe2 Ne7g6 10. Nd2 Nf4 11. Bxf4 Qxf4 12. g3 Qg4 13. Qxg4 Nxg4 14. h3 Ne5 15. Bc2 d6 16. O-O-O Bd7 17. Nf1 O-O-O 18. Ne3 Rde8 19. Rd2 Bc6 20. Nef5 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 Bd7 22. f4 Nc6 23. Nxc6 Bxc6 24. Re2 Re7 25. Kd2 f6 26. Re3 Rhe8 27. Rhe1 g5 28. f5 Re7e5 29. c4 b5 30. b3 Kb7 31. Kc3 Kb6 32. Kd4 Bd7 33. Bd1 Ka5 34. Bc2 Kb4 35. a3+ Ka5 36. Rf1 c5+ 37. Kd3 bxc4+ 38. bxc4 d5 39. g4 Re5xe4 40. Rxe4 Rxe4 41. cxd5 Rxg4 42. hxg4 Bb5+ 43. Ke3 Bxf1 44. Bd3 Bxd3 45. Kxd3	This is a particularly interesting position. Black has an extra pawn, but since it is the backward pawn on h7, it does not look all that valuable, as it seems unlikely to produce a passed pawn. Meanwhile, the white king is quite active in the centre, and he has a Pawn Endings passed pawn on d5 to set against Black's passed c5-pawn. However, despite these first impressions, the hpawn in fact turns out to be vital after all. There are two reasons. One is that it provides a reserve tempo with ... h7-h6, which can play a vital role in a king dance for the opposition. Secondly, there is also the potential tactical breakthrough ... h5, should the black king be located within the square of the resulting white passed pawn after the reply gxh5. These factors prove sufficient to win the game for black, but only thanks to some extremely nifty footwork by his king.



45... Kb5	This is the only move to win, since after 45 ... Kb6 46 Kc4 a5 47 a4 Black would be forced to expend his precious reserve tempo with 47 ... h6. As will become clear later, the resulting position would only be a draw.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 11-Oct-13: This is probably the most instructive moment of the whole ending: the retention of the 'reserve tempo'. Both sides will be seeking to place their opponent in a 'zugzwang' position, but with that ...h6 'waiting move' available to Black, White will find that much harder to achieve. Effectively he has to do it twice.


46. a4+ Kb6 47. Kc4 a5	Now we have the same position as in the previous note, but with White to move -a crucial difference.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 11-Oct-13: 'Zugzwang' #1!


48. d6	Keres shows that White has no alternative to this exchange of passed pawns, since after 48. Kc3 Kc7 49. Kc4 Kd6 50. Kb5 Kxd5 51. Kxa5 .. Black wins with the neat 51 ... Kc6! imprisoning the white king in front of his a-pawn.



48... Kc6 49. d7 Kxd7 50. Kxc5 Ke7 51. Kd5	A vital moment. The move 51 Kb5 is is not possible, because after 51 ... h5! 52 gxh5 g4 the g-pawn promotes,whilst the white h-pawn is stopped by Black's king (see the introductory remarks). This is the key point of the whole ending, and shows that Black's extra h-pawn is not the irrelevance it may have first seemed. The threat of ... h7-h5 means that the white king is effectively held in an invisible prison, bounded by the square of the g5-pawn, and cannot go left of the c-file or further forward than c5.



51... Kf7	Now 52 ... hs is again a threat, this time with a quieter follow-up, e.g. 52 Kd4 h5! 53 gxh5 Kg7! (with the idea of simply ... Kh6 and ... Kxh5) 54. Kd5 g4! 55. Ke4 Kh6 56. Kf4 Kxh5 winning easily.



52. Ke4 Kf8	Now 52. ... h5? 53. gxh5 Kg7 is not possible because of 54. Kf3 Kh6 55. Kg4 and the white king is in time to defend the hS-pawn. The point of the text is that White is in zugzwang. His king has to stay on the e-file, to be able to meet the threat of 53. ... h5 54. gxh5 Kg7
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 11-Oct-13: This sort of thing shows how fine an endgame player Paul Keres was.


53. Ke3	The only move, but now we see that this too has its drawbacks.



53... Ke7	The black king changes direction and heads back to the centre. White must come to meet him and take the opposition, but, crucially, Black still has his reserve tempo in his pocket.



54. Ke4 Kd6 55. Kd4 h6	And here it is. Black takes the opposition and the white king must give way.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 11-Oct-13: That's the beauty of having a waiting move in hand. Black at once switches the Opposition from his opponent to himself. White could just about resign here, in my view, so straightforward is the win from here on.


56. Ke4	Going the other way also loses, once again because of the strike by the hpawn: 56. Kc4 Ke5 57. Kb5 h5! Now the white king is outside the square of the g5-pawn! 58. gxh5 Kxf5 59. Kxa5 g4 60. Kb5 g3 61. a5 g2 62. a6 g1 Queens and wins.



56... Kc5 57. Ke3 Kd5	57 ... Kb4 also wins, but allows unnecessary counter-play after 58. Kd4 Kxa4 59. Kd5 Kb3 60. Ke6 etc. Keres' move maintains Black's dominance and wins without any alarums.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 11-Oct-13: I think I would have played 57.Kb4 myself, but there is no doubt that the game continuation is much better.


58. Kd3 Ke5 59. Ke3 h5	Fittingly enough, it is the h-pawn which administers the coup de grace.



60. gxh5 Kxf5 61. Kf3 Ke6	As Keres points out, this is again simpler than 61 ... g4+ 62. Kg3 Kg5 63. h6 although Black is still winning after 63 ..Kxh6 64. Kxg4 Kg6 65. Kf4 f5



62. Kg4 Kf7 63. Kf5 Kg7	A highly instructive endgame, showing several important themes.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 11-Oct-13: These endings have slipped under my radar. More people should look into these! It might be nice to annotate the earlier parts of the game as well, as they led to the situation from which you begin. I gave it ****. The 5th star would have been awarded an the rest of the game also been annotated.