BTCh Div IV Rd5(Monday League)

These league games are not rated but are fiercely contested nevertheless. Usually the games are not input into any database and are lost forever but many interesting games are played.

RAC 2.5-VSG 3.5

My team lost narrowly and I contributed a quick loss to the match. The board one game was much closer and had some interesting points in the endgame reached.

Bednay,D (2255) - Nadasi,B (2161) 
Sicilian 5.f3 e5[B55]
BTCh Div IV (5.1), 21.01.2013

Position 1

There is no doubt that white has the better structure and the better chances. White should white play now?

White to Play

27...Rah8

TCh-AUT 2012-13 GM Ribli(HUN)

Here is an instructive game from veteran GM Ribli who grinds out a long R-R ending that is a theoretical draw but still is worth playing out.

GM Ribli,Zoltan(HUN)

Ribli,Z (2554) - Sebenik,M (2543)

Semi-Tarrasch [D41]

TCh-AUT 2012–13 Graz AUT (5.2), 18.01.2013

Positon 1
Black is a pawn down but kept the rook active. The kingside pawns have been arranged optimally after 35..h5 so if white tries to advance with h3/g4 black will trade off a pair of pawns with ...hg and the draw will be one step closer.

How should white start the winning attempt off?

White to Play

35...h5

Position 2
The defense is going as planned for black. The queenside pawns have been liquidated and now a set of kingside pawns will be liquidated. White advanced on the kingside and after 42.g4 hg, white must decide how to recapture. 

What do you suggest?

White to Play

42..hg

Position 3
Black has been defending stubbornly for 87 moves now. What should black do now?

• 88...Ke5 activating the king and attacking the e4 pawn
• 88...Rg1+ forcing the king to retreat or go to the h-file and be marooned
• Something else

Black to Play

88.Kg4

TCh-SLO 2012 GM Ribli

Here is an instructive game played by veteran GM Ribli from the recent Slovenian TCh.

The game features a R-R ending where Ribli(white) eventually converted an extra pawn. However, an examination of the game shows many instructive points.

Black did not simply roll over and lose and white did not wave his magic grandmaster wand and cast a rook ending spell over the board. Black had to make a series of tough defensive decisions and was eventually not able to make enough correct decisions.

White too did not not play a perfect game but, in the end any inaccuracies did not affect the result of the game.

Ribli,Z in the Bundesliga 2011-12

ChessTigers.de

 

Ribli,Z (2554) - Zupe,M (2323)
Closed Catalan[E08]
22nd TCh-SLO 2012 Slovenia SLO (6), 02.12.2012

Position 1
Black is in check. How should black respond?
-40...Kxc5 winning a pawn but allows 41.Rd7 with havoc on the 7th rank
-40...Kc7 keeping the 7th rank under control.

Black to Play

40.Rd6+

Position 2

The R-R ending is in the technical phase and white has the task of converting the P+. How should white proceed?

• 47.Kf3 activating the king
• 47.g4 to threaten h5 fixing the kingside
• 47.Re4+ putting the question to black of where the king will go. Then white will play according to what black answers
• 47.Rb4 threatening dangerous checks from the side
• Something else

White to Play

 

46...Ra5

Position 3

There are passed pawns on both sides so the race is on. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play

62...Ra1