Something New In An Elementary Rook Ending?
I didn't cover the Mind Sports event in Beijing much for the blog, but I did follow it to some degree on my own. One game really caught my eye, and I will share it with you in a moment. The game was an unlikely candidate as an attention-getting: a rapid game that reached a drawn rook and pawn vs. rook endagme after 64 moves and that ended, appropriately enough, in a draw 68 moves later. The defender was never lost, and the drawing methods used have long been known to endgame theory.
What caught my eye was something "mathematical" or "philosophical": it seemed to me at one point that Teimour Radjabov, who had the extra pawn, had managed with a brilliant idea to eliminate the independent significance of one drawing method by showing that he could force the defender (Wang Yue) to switch to a different drawing method, one which is a bit more complicated in practice. Specifically, it seemed for a while that Radjabov had shown that the strong side could force the defender to go from the Karstedt Maneuver to the Last Rank Defense. That doesn't change the objective evaluation of the ending, but such a reduction would be of real theoretical significance.
Upon closer examination, it turns out not to be the case. No doubt tired and short of time, Wang Yue may have gotten befuddled and tricked into a Last Rank Defense, while I, well-rested and in the leisure of my study, was temporarily tricked as well. After patient examination, I realized that this was not the case, and Wang Yue could have returned to the Karstedt after all. Still, Radjabov's concept was truly ingenious, and a very nice practical idea we should all incorporate into our endgame repertoires.
Curious? Have a look here. There are four fragments there. The first three demonstrate basic defensive ideas in rook and pawn vs. rook endings, going from easiest (Philidor's Method) to slightly less easy (the Karstedt Maneuver) to more difficult (the Last Rank Defense). After laying the basic theoretical groundwork we turn to the Radjabov-Wang Yue game, with an emphasis on the point where the former's great practical idea forces Black out of the cookbook Karstedt and makes him find his bearings.
Reader Comments (4)
There is an even simpler way to stay on the Karstedt which is 96... Kg8! with the idea 97.Ra1 Rg2+ 98.Kf6 Rf2 and so on.
[DM: Very good. I don't think that 96...Kg8 97.Rb1 Kf8 is simpler than 96...Rf3 97.Rb1 Rf2, though, but perhaps equivalent.]
[DM Update: My apologies - I'm not sure why I read 97...Kf8. Your suggestion looks completely correct!]
Dennis,
My point is the idea Rg2-f2 and Black King is always on the short side.
Jordi
[DM: If we continue by a single move the line I gave in reply to your previous comment, the black king will be forced to the long side. You gave 96...Kg8, and I offered 97.Rb1 Kf8. Let's go one more move: 98.Rb8+. After 98...Ke7 Black's king is no longer on the short side. He's not in any trouble; he's just not on the short side. It's equivalent to my original suggestion of 96...Rf3 97.Rb1 Rf2 (98.Rb8+ Ke7).]
[DM Update: What I said is correct but irrelevant, as you gave 97...Rf2 instead. As noted in the previous comment, you are right! Mea culpa.]
A very useful refresher course! Thanks.
Interesting try by Radjabov. I think most grandmasters would have already agreed a draw. I appreciate them making the weaker side prove they can draw. Carlsen and Nakamura also seem to do this. Thanks for bringing this game to light. BTW, Happy New Year, Dennis.