Endgame
Rook Endgames are a complicated category, even for the most experienced players. They are tricky and It is easy to go wrong, especially under the pressure of a game. A well-known saying among chess players is that all rook endgames are drawn, which indicates the complexity of these endgames, but even when it comes to drawing a drawn position, things are not that easy to achieve. However, don’t discourage yourself. This is not something you see at the club level only. But, strong players have faltered many times as well. You have to add the study of rook endgames to your daily routine and keep practicing as much as possible.
Chess Fortress: What is it, how to build one, and how can this knowledge help from the practical point of view? I would like to investigate a topic, that I find extremely important, yet it feels like it’s ignored and misunderstood by most club chess players.
First, let’s define, that a fortress is a position with the defending side down in material, yet impossible for the stronger side to make any decisive progress.
Grunfeld Defense is one of the main weapons these days against 1.d4 and is employed by the best of the best in the chess scene, to Grandmasters, Masters, and amateurs. It is nearly impossible that one doesn’t fall captivated by the dynamism and richness of one of the greatest choices against the Queen’s Pawn Opening.
Minor piece endgame, and a quite common one, was analyzed by me and my student a few days ago. One side has the bishop pair and 6 pawns (3 on each flank). And, the opponent has a knight and a bishop. Also, the 6 pawns are divided into 2 on the queenside and 4 on the kingside. It is a very interesting position, where the better side is trying to cash in on the advantage of the bishop pair and pawn majority on the queenside.
Endgames and 3 Easy Steps in Mastering Them. Any chess player who wants to make progress and increase his level should focus on improving his overall chess understanding; this can be done by studying classical games, strategy, and endgames. In this article, we are going to focus on the last phase of the game and where you can start in order to make it easier to learn and understand.
Common mistakes that occur in the endgame have to be encountered for this article. By bringing them to your attention, we hope to help you correct them. And, thus improve your play in this phase of the game.
As well as openings and middlegames, having a good understanding of the endgame is essential. It’s essential in order to become a strong chess player. Endgames can prove particularly tricky if you have little experience. Also, if you haven’t given them too much attention. For example, experienced chess players usually tend to show their superiority in this phase of the game. Even though, the rest of the game might have been quite level.
Capablanca’s Endgame Technique has always been one of my idols and the first conscious raise of my level happened after every day, 3-month study of his games. It was the winter of 2004-2005 and for three months, December, January, and February all I did was study and analyze Capablanca’s games every single day all day long. After this period I immediately won a strong open tournament and scored a GM norm.
Endgames Activity plays an important role in the endgames as you have probably heard before. We have many times emphasized the importance of creating a varied training schedule. Nowadays most of the players invest a lot of time into studying and learning openings. But, you should not forget about middlegame and endgame.
The opening is certainly an important part of the game. But, in order to really understand chess and improve your strength, you must see a lot of classical games. Also, you should solve many exercises, for developing both tactical and strategic vision.
I’d like to devote this article to the Rook versus Bishop endgames. It is a very important endgame and is often misunderstood and misplayed at the club level. This endgame is not as complicated as you may think but requires some knowledge and precision.
Rook versus bishop endgame may not be the most often seen ending, but it appears pretty frequently and there is a good chance you will see it in one of your most important games. Regardless of the side you play, there are two types of positions you must know. The first one is the “typical fortress”, how to set it up and how to defend it.
The second one is the exact opposite: how to attack the fortress, and how to “break-through”, winning the bishop or checkmating the king.
Rooks vs Knight situation might give you headaches during a practical game if you haven’t studied it beforehand. Continuing our series of articles on important endgames that every player should know, we are going to present you today this situation. From a theoretical point of view, this endgame is a draw.
There are, of course, exceptions and you must know what to be looking for. Also, what to try to avoid in order to achieve the desired result. If in the case of rook versus bishop things looked rather easy, in this case, the weak side must be more careful, as many times the drawing moves are unique.
