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Black to Play

Pete Tamburro on

Published in Chess Puzzles

Lesson 20 of Chess Summer School: The power of advanced pawns. This is from Tattersall-Giorgadze, Ponferrada, 1997.


1...Rb1 2.Rc2 The rook can't be taken. The pawns push through: 2.Rxb1 c2 3.Rc1 b3 2...bxa3 3.e4 The rook can't leave the 2nd rank: 3.Rxc3 a2; Other tries last longer, but still fail: 3.h4 Kg7 4.Kf4 Kf8 5.Kf5 Rb2 Now it works!! 6.Rxc3?? Rxf2#; 3.Kf4 Rd1 4.f3 Kf8 5.Ra2 Ke7 6.h4 Rd3 7.g5 fxg5+ 8.hxg5 Kd6 9.Rxa3 c2 10.Rxd3 c1Q 3...Kg7! Not 3...Rb2 4.Rxc3 a2 5.Rc8+ (5.Ra3?? Rb3+) 5...Kg7 6.Ra8 and this will still be a struggle. 4.Kf4 Rb4 5.Rxc3 Ra4 The rook finally gets behind the pawn--where it belongs! 6.Rc1 Rxd4 White Resigned here as he saw the hopelessness of what was coming. Here's an example of what probably would have happened.7.f3 dxe4 8.fxe4 a2 9.Ke3 Ra4 10.Ra1 Kg6 Now the rook and pawn play is over and the black king steps out to create another passed pawn. Black also has the big advantage of being able to use the rook in a way White can't. That is the decisive factor.11.h4 Trying to stop the king is of no use as Black picks off the pawns.11...h5 12.gxh5+ Kxh5 13.Kf4 Ra3 14.e5 fxe5+ 15.Kxe5 Kxh4 16.Kf6 Ra7 Easy double duty.17.Ke5 Kg4 18.Kd4 18.Kf6 Kf3 18...f5 19.Kc3 f4 20.Kb2 f3 21.Rg1+ Kf4 22.Ka1 Ke3 0–1 A bit long-winded, but the two stages with the rook coordinating with the pawns and then with the king is very instructive.

 


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