Endgame Solving Competition

EASTER 2000

WINNERS:

Alexander Vojna

Ukraine

A

Henryk Kalafut

USA

B+

Paul Cheng

China

C

POSITION 1. White to play

Dolgov, 1966

:2B5/8/6P1/8/8/1K6/6Pb/r4k2:

1.g7 Rb1+ 2.Ka4! [2.Ka2? Rb2+ 3.Ka3 Bd6+= 2.Kc2? Rb2+ 3.Kd3 Rb3+ 4. Ke4 Rg3-+] 2...Ra1+ 3.Kb5 Rb1+ 4.Ka6 Ra1+ 5.Kb7 Rb1+ 6.Ka7 Bg1+ [6...Ra1+ 7.Ba6+] 7.Ka8! Ra1+ 8.Kb8! Bh2+ [8...Rb1+ 9.Bb7 Bh2+ 10.Kc8 Rc1+ 11.Kd8 Rd1+ 12.Ke7+-] 9.g3! Bxg3+ 10.Kb7 Rb1+ 11.Ka6 Ra1+ 12.Kb5 Rb1+ 13.Ka4 Ra1+ 14.Kb3 Rb1+ 15.Kc2! [15.Ka2? Rb2+ 16.Ka3 Bd6+=] 15...Rb2+ 16.Kd3 Rb3+ 17.Ke4 Rb4+ 18.Kf5 Rb5+ 19. Kg4! White WINS.

POSITION 2. White to play

Denes

:8/1p3p2/2p1p1p1/P2kP3/P2p1PP1/8/2K4P/8:

1.h4 Ke4 2.h5 gxh5 3.gxh5 Kf5 4.Kd2! c5 5.Kd3 f6 6.h6 Kg6 7.f5+ Kxh6 8.fxe6 Kg7 9.e7 Kf7 10.exf6 Ke8 11.Kc4 Kd7 12.a6! bxa6 13.a5 Ke8 14.Kxc5 d3 15.Kd6 d2 16.Ke6 d1Q 17.f7#

POSITION 3. White to play

Keres vs Euwe

Match Game, 1940

:4r1k1/3n1ppp/1n6/8/rp2PP2/4B3/2R1KNPP/3R4:

1.Rc6 Ra2+ 2.Ke1 [2. Kf1 b3! 3. Bxb6 b2 4. Bd4 4...Rb8 5. Rb1 Ra1 6. Rxa1 bxa1Q 7. Bxa1 Rb1+ 8. Ke2 Rxa1 9. Rc8+ Nf8+=] 2... f5 [ 2...b3? 3. Bxb6 Ra6 4.Rxd7 Ra1+ 5. Rd1 b2 6.Rcd6 b1Q 7.Rxb1 Rxb1+ 8.Ke2+-] 3. e5 ... [3. Bxb6 Nxb6 4. Rxb6 fxe4 5. Rxb4 e3 6. Ne4 Rxg2 7. h3 Rh2+=] 3... Nxe5! 4. fxe5 Rxe5 5. Rd8+ Kf7 6. Rc7+ Kg6 7. Rd6+ Kh5 8. g4+ fxg4! [ 8...Kh4? This was the move played in the game and now white quickly wins: 9. Rxg7! Rxe3+ 10. Kf1 h5 11.Rh6 +-] 9. Nd1 ... 1) 9. Nxg4 Kxg4 10. Rxg7+ Kf3 11. Rg3+ Ke4 12. Rxb6 Rxh2 13. Rxb4+ Kd5=; 2) 9.Rc5 Rxc5 10. Bxc5 Nc4! 11. Rd5+ g5! 12.Bxb4 Ne3! 9... Ra1! 10. Rc5 Rxc5 11. Bxc5 Nc4 12. Rd5+ g5! 13. Bxb4 Ne3 14. Bc3 [ 14. Rd2 Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 Nxd1 16. Kxd1 g3! 17.hxg3 Kg4 18. Bd6 h5 =] 14... Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 Nxd1 16. Kxd1 g3! 17. hxg3 Kg4 18. Be5 h5 19.Ke2 h4 DRAW.

POSITION 4. Black to play

Spielman vs Euwe

Wiesbaden, 1925

:8/8/4k1p1/1p4P1/1P1r4/7R/7K/8:

1... Kf5! [ 1... Rxb4? 2. Rf3! (2.Re3+ Kf5 3.Rg3 Rh4+ 4.Kg2 Rg4 with a win) 2…Rg4 3.Rf6+ Ke7! 4.Rxg6 Kf7 5..Rf6+ =] 2. Rc3! (Spielman played 2.Rb3? .Kxg5 3.Kg3 .Kf5 4.Kf3 .Ke5 5.Ke3 Kd5 Black wins. The White King is cut off from the b-pawn.) 2.Rxb4 3. Rc5+ Kg4 4. Kg2! [ 4. Rd5? Kh5! 5. Rc5 Rh4+ 6. Kg3 Rg4+ 7. Kf3 Rxg5 -+] 4... Rb3! 5. Rd5 Kf4! 6. Kh2! Rb2+ 7. Kh3 b4 8.Rc5 b3 9. Rb5 Rb1 10. Kg2! Kg4! 11.Kf2 Kh3! 12. 12. Ke2 b2 13. Kd2 Rg1 14.Rxb2 Rg2+ 15. Kc3 Rxb2 16. Kxb2 Kg4 17. Kc3 Kxg5 Black WINS.

POSITION 5. White to play

Selezniev, 1913

:8/8/2p1P1P1/1kP5/8/1PR3p1/PKP5/4q3:

1.g7! [1.e7? Qxe7! 2.Rxg3 Qe5+ 3.Rc3 Qg7! 4.a3 Ka4 and Black wins] 1…Qxe6 2.Rxg3 Qe5+ 3.Rc3 Qxg7 4.Ka3! Qg5 [4…Qxc3 stalemate] 5.Kb2 Kb4 6.Rc4+ DRAW.