Endings 09 - Rook + knight vs Rook + Bishop.pdf - końcówki - andzinus

Endgame Corner

Rook + Knight

Rook + Bishop

Endgame

Corner

Following the underlying concept of this column it is now time to deal with

Rook+Knight vs Rook+Bishop. Although the ending rook and minor piece vs

rook and minor piece occurs very often in practical play, there is much less

literature about it than about pure rook endings. This is probably due to the

great complexity inherent in these endings. So I can only scratch the surface of

the ending rook+knight vs rook+bishop in this column, but I will try to stress

some very important points:

(1) The pawn structure is very important. If the knight occupies a strong,

secure outpost it can dominate the board.

(2) Is there a weak colour complex (or weak pawns) on squares opposite to the

bishop's colour? This is a good sign for the knight.

Karsten Müller

(3) The bishop likes to play on both wings . In open positions it can form a

very powerful duo of long range pieces. Robert James Fischer was especially

strong playing with rook and bishop. (for Fischer's endings with Bishop vs

Knight see an article by Hanon W. Russell in the ChessCafe.com Archives )

(4) Is the knight on a bad circuit or has limited scope ? This is usually a very

good sign for the bishop.

Of course activity is almost as important as in pure rook endings and several of

the themes and motifs of the ending knight vs bishop are valid here as well. I

want to start with positions favorable for rook and knight:

9.01 H.Herndl (2365) - S.Kindermann

(2530) AUT-chT9697

Black's knight has a dominating position

and Kindermann managed to convert his

advantage: 28...Ra4 29.Bf5 29.Rb6 Nc4

30.Rc6? doesn't work: 30...Ra1+ 31.Kh2

Nd2 32.g3 (32.Rxd6?? Nf1+ 33.Kg1

Ng3+ 34.Kh2 Rh1#) 32...f3 33.Rxd6 h5

34.Bxh5 Nf1+ 35.Kg1 Nxg3+ 36.Kh2

Nxh5–+ 29...h5 30.f3?! This weakens

the dark squares further and gives

Black's knight another strong outpost on

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Endgame Corner

e3. But it is very difficult to give a better defence for White, e.g., 30.Rb6

Ra1+ 31.Kh2 Kg7 32.Rxd6?! Nd3 33.g4 hxg4 34.hxg4 Nxf2 35.Rc6 Ra2

36.Kg1 Nd1 37.Rc1 (37.e5? f3–+) 37...Ne3 38.Re1 Kf6 and Black is clearly

on top. 30...Kg7! Kindermann brings his last unit into play, threatening to

penetrate White's position via f6-e5-d4. 31.Rc1 Kf6 32.Rc3 Nc4! Opening

the king's path and heading for e3 33.Bd7 Ra1+ 34.Kf2 Ra2+ 35.Kg1 Ne3

Now it is completely clear that Black is

winning. 36.g4 h4 Black doesn't want to

exchange pawns of course. 37.Rc7 Rg2+

38.Kh1 Rg3 39.Be8 Rxh3+ 40.Kg1

Rxf3 41.Rxf7+ Ke5 42.Re7+ Kd4 43.e5

Rg3+ 44.Kh2?! f3 and Herndl resigned

as he can't prevent mate: 45.exd6 Nxg4+

46.Kh1 Nf2+ 47.Kh2 Rg2#

The next example is favourable for the

knight again:

9.02 M.Krasenkow (2615) - A.Miles

(2550) New York 1997

Black has to be play extremely precise in

order to save the draw: 29...Rf1+?

29...g5! to transfer the bishop to g6 was

called for e.g. 30.Kg3 Rb3 31.Nxf7

Rxe3+ 32.Kf2 Re2+ 33.Kf3 Bd3

34.Nxg5 Rxe5 35.Kf4 Re2= (Krasenkow

in Informator 69/344) 30.Kg3 Bc6

31.Rc7 Ba4 32.g5! F ixing Black's pawns

on light squares. The next step in

Krasenkow's plan is to advance his

kingside pawns. 32...Kg7 33.h4 Kf8 34.Kh2 Kg7 35.g4 Rf3 36.h5 gxh5

(36...Kf8 37.h6 Bd1 38.Rc8+ Ke7 39.Re8+ Kd7 40.Rh8+-) 37.gxh5 Kf8

After 37...Rxe3 Krasenkow gives 38.Nxf7! Kf8 39.g6! hxg6 40.h6 Re4

41.Kg3 Re3+ 42.Kg4 Bd1+ 43.Kg5+- 38.h6! Bd1 39.Kg2 Be2 40.Rc8+

Ke7 41.Rc7+ Kf8

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Endgame Corner

After the repetition of moves Krasenkow

now deals the final blow: 42.g6! fxg6

(42...hxg6 43.Rc8+ Ke7 44.h7+-)

43.Rxh7 Rxe3 (43...Kg8 44.Rg7+ Kh8

45.Ne8+-) 44.Rh8+ Ke7 45.Re8+ Kd7

46.h7 1–0

Now I want to show positions favouring

the bishop:

9.03 R.J.Fischer - M.Taimanov Palma

de Mallorca izt 1970

Black is a pawn up, but Fischer's bishop

is too strong as it supports the advance of

the passed a-pawn: 47.a5 47.Rb5? spoils

it of course: 47...Rxb5 48.axb5 Nd7

47...Re8 (47...Nd7 48.Rc7 Ne5 49.Bb7

Rd8 50.Rc1+-) 48.Rc1 After 48.a6

Black's rook manages to get behind the

a-pawn: 48...Re1+ 49.Kf2 Ra1 50.Rc6

but White has nevertheless good chances

to win. 48...Re5 49.Ra1 Re7 50.Kf2

White's king heads to the queenside to support the a-pawn or to win Black's

weak b-pawn 50...Ne8 After 50...Kf8, one sample line runs 51.a6 Ra7

52.Ke3 Ke7 53.Kd4 Kd6 54.Kc4 Kc7 55.Kxb4 Kb6 56.Bb7 Nd7 57.Rf1 f6

58.Rd1 Kc7 59.Ka5+- 51.a6 Ra7 52.Ke3 Nc7 53.Bb7 Ne6 54.Ra5 Kf6

(54...Nd8 55.Rb5+-) 55.Kd3 Ke7 56.Kc4 Kd6 57.Rd5+ Kc7 58.Kb5! and

Taimanov resigned due to 58...Nd8 59.Rc5+ Kd6 60.Kb6 Nxb7 61.Rc6++- .

It wasn't too late to blunder with 58.Kxb4? Nd8=.

9.04 R.J.Fischer (2740) - M.Taimanov

(2620) Vancouver cqf 1971

Black's knight has very limited scope

and White's rook is more active than its

counterpart, so Taimanov again faced a

very tough job: 35.h4 h5?! I don't like

this move as it fixes the h-pawn on a

light square. 35...Ne7 was probably

preferable although Black's task is still

very difficult. Putting all pawns on dark

squares with 35...f6? loses unfortunately:

36.Re6+ Kd7 37.Ke4 f5+ (37...Re8?

38.Rxe8 Kxe8 39.Bb5 Kd7 40.Kd5+-) 38.Kf3 Rf6 39.Rxf6 gxf6 40.Bb5+-

36.Rd3+ Kc7 37.Rd5!? Fischer forces more Black pawns onto light squares

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Endgame Corner

- a good strategy in this type of ending. In the following lines, it is difficult

to say, when exactly Taimanov's position was lost. 37...f5 38.Rd2 Rf6

39.Re2 Kd7 40.Re3 g6 41.Bb5 Rd6 42.Ke2 Kd8?! This allows Fischer to

simplify into a winning bishop vs knight ending. 42...Rd5 seems to be

tougher. 43.Rd3! Kc7 44.Rxd6 Kxd6 45.Kd3 Of course not 45.Bxc6??

Kxc6 46.Kd3 Kd5 47.c4+= 45...Ne7 After 45...Kc7 simplifying into the

pawn ending wins: 46.Bxc6 Kxc6 47.Kc4 Kd6 48.Kb5 Kc7 49.Ka6 Kc6

50.c4 Kc7 51.Ka7 Kc6 52.Kb8+- 46.Be8 Kd5 47.Bf7+ Kd6 48.Kc4 Kc6

49.Be8+ Kb7 50.Kb5 Nc8 51.Bc6+ (51.Bxg6?? Nd6#) 51...Kc7 52.Bd5

Ne7 (52...Nd6+ 53.Ka6 c4 54.Bg8 Kc6 55.Bh7 Ne4 56.Bxg6 Nxg3 57.Be8+

Kc5 58.Ka7 Ne2 59.Bxh5 Nxf4 60.Bf3+-) 53.Bf7 Kb7 54.Bb3 Ka7 55.Bd1

Kb7 56.Bf3+ Kc7 57.Ka6 Nc8 58.Bd5 Ne7 59.Bc4 Nc6 60.Bf7 Ne7 61.Be8

Kd8

62.Bxg6! Now Black is defenceless

against White's queenside pawns:

62...Nxg6 63.Kxb6 Kd7 64.Kxc5 Ne7

65.b4 axb4 66.cxb4 Nc8 67.a5 Nd6

68.b5 Ne4+ 69.Kb6 Kc8 70.Kc6 Kb8

71.b6 1–0

The next example went no better for

Taimanov:

9.05 R.J.Fischer (2740) - M.Taimanov

(2620) Vancouver cqf 1971

75...Ng6 75...Nxg4!? was easier:

76.Rxg4 (76.hxg4 Ke6 77.Rf4 Rf7=)

76...Re7 77.Rg6 Re6= 76.Ra6 Ne5

77.Kf4 Rf7+ Now 77...Nxg4? doesn't

work any longer: 78.hxg4 Rg8 79.g5

Rf8+ 80.Kg4 Ke5 81.Kh5 Kf5 82.Kh6+-

78.Kg5 Rg7+ 79.Kf5 Rf7+ 80.Rf6

Rxf6+ 81.Kxf6

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Endgame Corner

The position is still drawn, but now great

care is required: 81...Ke4? (81...Nd3

82.h4 Nf4 83.Kf5 Kd6 84.Kxf4 Ke7=;

81...Kd6 draws as well.) 82.Bc8 Kf4

83.h4 Nf3 84.h5 Ng5 85.Bf5 Nf3 86.h6

Ng5 87.Kg6 zugzwang 87...Nf3 88.h7

Nh4+ 89.Kf6 1–0

I want to end this column with two of

my own games:

9.06 J.Hector (2546) - K.Müller (2523)

International Hamburg City

Championship 2001

Something had gone wrong after the

opening and I had to pin all my hopes on

the passed e-pawn: 29...Nf3 30.Rd8+

Kf7 31.Bb4 Ng1 I had originally

planned to continue with 31...c3? until I

spotted 32.Rf8+ Kg6 33.Rxf3 e2 34.Re3

Rd6 35.Bxd6+-. At first I had only seen

35.Rxe2 Rd1+ 36.Kxd1 cxb2 when I can

fight on. 32.Rf8+ Kg6 33.Re8 e2

34.Kd2 Rc7 35.Re7

35...Rc8?? a sad error in time trouble,

which spoils everything as Black's rook

can't move to f8 in the critical line.

35...Rc6! was called for, when it is very

difficult to prove a win for White, e.g.,

(A) 36.Bc3 Rc8 37.Re6+ (37.g4 Rf8

38.Rg7+ Kh6 39.g5+ Kh5 40.Bf6 Re8)

37...Kg5 38.Ke1 Rf8 39.Bd2+ Kf5

40.Re7 Kg6; or B) 36.g4 36...Kg5

37.Ke1 Rf6 38.Rg7+ Kh6 39.g5+ Kxg7

40.gxf6+ Kxf6 41.Bc5 Nxh3 42.Bxa7

Nf4 43.Bb8 Nd5 44.Kxe2 Ke6 and

White is better, but is he winning ? 36.Ke1+- Rd8 37.Kf2 Rd1 38.Be1 Rc1

39.Kxg1 Rxe1+ 40.Kf2 Rb1 41.Kxe2 Rxb2 42.Kd2 a5 43.Re5 Rb1

44.Rxa5 Rg1 45.h4 h6 46.h5+ Kf6 47.Kc3 Rg2 48.Ra6+ Ke5 49.Rg6 Kd5

50.a4 1–0

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Endings 09 - Rook + knight vs Rook + Bishop.pdf

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