This ending came up again today, in the Women's World Championship. Harika almost blew this ending against Tan in the Semi-finals. Fortunately, she won it with four moves to spare.
Recently, this endgame had come up both online on Twitter and at the club, and the ending ALMOST came up during USATS last week for one of our players.
Personally, I know this ending, and think most players over 1600 can learn it easily. I practice it the week before tournaments until I can bang out the moves instantly. I use the old 'W' method, and find that sufficient. You can find that one in any endgame manual, but perhaps I'll try to find a good YouTube video later. However, in a discussion on Twitter, one @FoptimusSublime suggested the Three Triangles method as being easier. Here's the link to the YouTube video he provided:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWZ7h2yrJME
Having watched it, I don't find the method any easier than the traditional method, but it's really a matter of taste. Use whichever method you find easiest to understand, BUT LEARN THIS ENDING! It's not really that hard, and it could keep you from blowing a hard won half-point.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
Averbakh's Barrier or When an Extra Bishop Ain't What it Used to Be
Grandmaster Karsten Mueller of Germany is one of the world's premier endgame experts. In addition to writing several outstanding tomes on the endgame, he also regularly hosts chess endgame videos on Chessbase.com.
One of his recent videos covers the concept he calls Averbakh's Barrier. I have included a pair of small chessbase game examples to quickly demonstrate the concept.
Click here to see the concept in pure form
This idea has clear practical application, especially for players such as yours truly, who often find themselves a piece down and in desperate need of yet another swindle!
Of Course, one has to be on the lookout for such possibilities, which is where quality endgame study (coupled with an open mind and a devious nature) can come in handy.
The alternative is to simply lose, which is where GM Mueller comes in, offering an example of a loss that did not need to be:
Click here to learn from someone else's mistake!
One of the advantages of studying endgames is that such ideas and concepts have application beyond the specific situation- these methods lead to a better understanding of the relationship among the pieces, king, and pawns, thus enhancing our overall understanding of the game.
For those who would like to play through GM Mueller's original video to see what you have been missing, click below (and speak well of our friends at Chessbase for making such things available for free!)
GM Mueller's original Chessbase video on the concept!
One of his recent videos covers the concept he calls Averbakh's Barrier. I have included a pair of small chessbase game examples to quickly demonstrate the concept.
Click here to see the concept in pure form
This idea has clear practical application, especially for players such as yours truly, who often find themselves a piece down and in desperate need of yet another swindle!
Of Course, one has to be on the lookout for such possibilities, which is where quality endgame study (coupled with an open mind and a devious nature) can come in handy.
The alternative is to simply lose, which is where GM Mueller comes in, offering an example of a loss that did not need to be:
Click here to learn from someone else's mistake!
One of the advantages of studying endgames is that such ideas and concepts have application beyond the specific situation- these methods lead to a better understanding of the relationship among the pieces, king, and pawns, thus enhancing our overall understanding of the game.
For those who would like to play through GM Mueller's original video to see what you have been missing, click below (and speak well of our friends at Chessbase for making such things available for free!)
GM Mueller's original Chessbase video on the concept!
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