The legendary German grandmaster, Sigbert Tarrasch,
once said that all Rook endings lead to a draw.
While it's true that Rook endings provide a lot
of opportunities for stubborn defenders, it's
also true that even a small material advantage
can lead to a win.
There are many Rook endings where a player has
one extra pawn, but the win is far from simple.
It's generally easier to win such an endgame
if that extra pawn is passed on the opposite
side of the board from the other pawns. Frequently
the stronger side also has to create an additional
weakness in the opponent's position in order
to earn the full point.
Zhuravlev - Bronstein, Odessa 1974
Black is up a pawn here and his King is placed
well in the center. On the other hand, White's
King is also close to the c-pawn and there is
some counterplay against the g6- and h6-pawns.
To win this game, Black needs to create a weakness
in the opponent's kingside position that will
keep White's King busy and force it to stay away
from the c-pawn. First, Bronstein pushes White's
Rook away from the c5-square.
35…Kd6 36.Rc8 f4!
As simple as this! In case of 36…Kd5 37.Ke2
f4 White can play 38.g4! and Black would have
a hard time making further progress.
37.gxf4?
This move gives Black no trouble at all. However,
37.Rd8+ Kc5 only helps Black bring his King closer
to the embattled area, while 37.g4 f3! 38.Ke1
Rxg4 allows Black to win at once.
Perhaps 37.Ke2 was more stubborn: 37…fxg3 38.fxg3
Rg4! (The g3-pawn is now very weak.) 39.h5!?
(39.Kf3 h5! and Black's King marches up and helps
shuttle the c-pawn to its dream home on c1.)
39…gxh5 40.Rh8 Rg6! 41.Kd2 Kd5 32.Rd8+ Rd6 43.Rc8
Kd4 44.Rg8! Kc5+! 45.Kc2 Rd3 and Black eventually
wins.
37…Rxf4 38.h5 g5
Black avoids 38…gxh5, which may give his opponent
some chances.
39.Rh8 Rf6
Now Black will run his King up the board so
it can escort the c-pawn on its journey. White
doesn't have any way to stop this plan.
40.Ke2 Kc5 41.Ke3
Unfortunately for White, he can't play 41.Kd2
because of the f-pawn. Now Black cuts off his
opponent's King.
41…Rd6 42.Ke2 c3 43.Rc8+ Kb4 44.Rb8+ Ka3
45.Rc8 Kb2
The Black King will hide behind the c-pawn and
apply the Lucena “bridge,” which will eventually
force a win. Click to read more about THE
LUCENA POSITION.
46.Rb8+ Kc1 47.Rg8 Rd2+
Now 48.Ke1 c2 49.Rg6 Rd3 50.Rxh6 Kb2 51.Rb6+
Rb3 52.Rxb3+ Kxb3 53.Kd2 Kb2 wins for Black,
so White resigned. | 