This was my only win. The game was not so strong, however.
[Event "quick game"]
[Site "Tallinn"]
[Date "2015-05-11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Eintalu Jüri"]
[Black "Asmus Andres"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Opening "Ruy Lopez: classical (Cordel) defence"]
[ECO "C64"]
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6
3. Bf1-b5 Bf8-c5
4. Nf3xe5
4. c3 ECO
4... Nc6xe5
5. d2-d4 Bc5-d6
5... c6!
6. d4xe5 Bd6xe5
7. O-O Ng8-f6?
7... c6! =
8. f2-f4 +/-
8... Be5-d6
9. Nb1-c3 ?!
9. e5! Bc5+ 10. Kh1 Ne4? 11. Qe2
9... Bd6-c5+
10. Kg1-h1 c7-c6 ?!
10... a6
11. Bb5-c4 ?!
11. e5! cxb5 12. exf6 O-O 13. fxg7 Re8 14. Nd5 +/-
11... O-O ?!
11... d5! 12. exd5 O-O 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Na4! Be7 16. f5 +/=
12. e4-e5!
12... Nf6-g4 ??
This move loses the game. Black had to proceed 12... d5!
For example: 13. exf6 dxc4 14. Qh5 Bb4 15. fxg7 Re8 16. f5 +/=
13. Qd1xg4 d7-d5
14. f4-f5! +/-
Obviously, Black did not see that move.
14... d5xc4
14... Qc7 15. Bf4 !? dxc4 16. Ne4 Bd4 17. Nf6+ Kh8 18. Nxh7 Kxh7 19. Qh5+ Kg8 20. f6 +/-
15. Bc1-h6 g7-g6
16. Qg4xc4
16. e6!
16... Qd8-e7?
16... Qd4
17. f5xg6
17. Ne4!
17... h7xg6
17... Be6 18. gxh7+ Kxh7 19. Qf4 Rg8 20. Ne4
18. Nc3-e4 Bc5-b6
19. Bh6xf8?
19. Nf6+ Kh8 20. Qh4 won immediately.
19... Kg8xf8
20. Ne4-d6 ?!
20. Nf6!
20... Bc8-e6
21. Qc4-f4 Bb6-c7 !
22. Qf4-h6+ ?!
22. Rad1 +-
22... Kf8-g8
23. Rf1-f4 ?!
23. Ne4 Bxe5 24. Ng5 Bf5
23... Bc7xd6?
23... Qf8
24. e5xd6
24... Qe7xd6 ??
24... Qf8
25. Rf4-h4 Qd6-e5
26. Qh6-h7+ Kg8-f8
27. Qh7-h8+ Qe5xh8
28. Rh4xh8+ Kf8-e7
29. Rh8xa8
1-0
Thus, even my winning game was weak.
1. game: Eintalu - Asmus 1/2-1/2
[FEN "r4rk1/1p2bppp/4n3/1qP1p3/1P1pP2P/3P2PB/3BQ1K1/R4R2 w - - 0 1"]
This is an interesting position.
While White was thinking his next move, Andres philosophized about the contest for the open file. Neither player wants to give up the open a-file. Therefore, neither player wants to be the first to leave with one's rook the a-file or exchange it.
I answered that this situation can also be used to seduce the opponent's rook away from the kingside to start an attack on the kingside.
1. Ra1xa8 ?!
Here, the truth about the open a-file contest was that Black's Rook on f8 was overladen because it had to defend both the Rook on a8 and the pawn on f7. The right continuation was
1. Rxf7! Rxa1 2. Rxe7 Nd8 3. Qh5! +/- threatening with 4. Bf5.
1... Rf8xa8
2. Rf1xf7 ??
White decided to prove that it is possible to play against Andres with a missing rook. Better was
2. Bxe6 fxe6 3. Qg4 Qd7 4. h5 Ra2 5. Rf2 +/=
2... Kg8xf7
3. Qe2-h5+ g7-g6
4. Qh5xe5
Not 4. Bxe6+ Kxe6 5. Qxh7 Qe8 or 4. Qxh7+ Ng7 5. Bh6 Bf6.
4... Ne6-g7 ??
4... Qd7! -+
5. Qe5-d5+?
After Black's major mistake at the last move, White had a draw here:
5. Bh6 !! Bf6 6. Qd5+ Kf8 7. Qd6+ =
5... Kf7-f8
6. Qd5xd4 Ra8-d8!
7. Qd4-f2+ Kf8-g8 -+
The remaining part of the game is boring, and it demonstrates only how one can sometimes construct all kinds of traps even if the opponent has an extra rook.
And here I said:
"After making the rook sacrifice, White's position is excellent, but only that White's pieces have bad positions."
8. d3-d4 Qb5-d3!
9. Bd2-e3 Qd3xe4+
10. Kg2-h2 Rd8-f8
11. Qf2-e1 Rf8-f3
12. Be3-f2 Qe4xe1
13. Bf2xe1 Ng7-f5
14. d4-d5 Rf3-d3
15. d5-d6 Be7-f6
16. Bh3-g2 b7-b6
17. h4-h5 Bf6-e5
18. h5xg6 h7xg6
19. Bg2-e4 Rd3-e3
20. d6-d7 Be5-c7
20... Re2+! 21. Kh3 Bc7
21. Be4-d5+ Kg8-f8
22. c5xb6 Bc7xb6
23. Be1-f2 Re3-e2
24. Kh2-g1 Re2xf2 ??
24... Bxf2+ 25. Kf1 Nxg3+ 26. Kg2 Ke7
25. d7-d8=Q+ Bb6xd8
26. Kg1xf2
Now, Black has only an extra piece. Suddenly, Black offered a draw.
Andres did not want to use the chess clocks. But the present game had been painfully lengthy, and we had wasted more than an hour in the coffee. Andres wanted to play some more games. But perhaps he did not remember, how to give checkmate with the Bishop and a Knight — probably White will eventually sacrifice its Bishop for the Black's g-pawn.
Anyway, he was right that I could resist one more hour. As a last resort, one can always check whether the opponent remembers how to checkmate with a King + Bishop + Knight against the King. At least, in the coffee chess.
1/2-1/2
2. game: Asmus - Eintalu 1-0
[FEN "4rr1k/p2q2bp/1p3np1/2ppB1N1/5P2/2P5/PPQ3PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 1"]
White has a slightly better position.
1. Qc2-f2
Perhaps, stronger was
1. f5 Rxe5 ?! 2. Rxe5 Ne4 3. Rxd5! Qxd5 4. Qxe4 Qxe4 5. Nxe4 gxf5 6. Nd6 or, better,
1... gxf5 2. Rxf5 Kg8 3. Rf1 Ne4! 4. Rxf8+ Kxf8!
1... Kh8-g8
1... Ne4!
2. Qf2-h4 h7-h6
3. Ng5-f3 Nf6-e4
3... Ng4
4. Be5xg7
4. c4 g5
4... Qd7xg7
4... Kxg7
5. Nf3-e5
5... g6-g5 !?
5... Kh7 =
Unfortunately, White successfully avoided the traps.
6. Qh4-h5 g5xf4
6... Kh7 7. fxg5 Nxg5
7. Ne5-g6!
7. Rxf4 ?? Rxe5 8. Rxf8+ Qxf8 9. Qxe5 ?? Qf2+ 10. Kh1 Qxe1 #
7. Ng4 Qg5 8. Nxh6+ Kg7 9. Qxg5+ Nxg5 10. Ng4 =
7... f4-f3 ??
7... Rf7 8. Nxf4 Re5 =
As it follows, White avoids all the traps.
8. Qh5xd5+
8. Rxf3? Rxf3 9. gxf3 Kh7 10. fxe4 Rxe4
8... Qg7-f7
8... Kh7 ?? 9. Nxf8+ Rxf8 10. Qxe4+
8... Rf7 ?? 9. Rxe4 Rxe4 10. Qxe4
9. Qd5xf7+
9. Rxf3 Qxd5 10. Rxf8+ Kg7! 11. Rxe8 Kxg6 12. R8xe4 +/=
9... Rf8xf7
Unfortunately, Black had miscalculated the combination beginning with 7... f3? It was not possible to proceed 9... Kf7 as it was earlier planned:
9... Kxf7? 10. Nxf8 f2+ 11. Rxf2+ Nxf2 12. Rxe8 Kxe8 13. Kxf2 Kxf8 14. Kf3 +-
10. g2xf3?
10. Rxf3! +/-
10... Rf7-g7
11. f3xe4 Rg7xg6+
12. Kg1-f2 +/=
After making a wrong combination, in which White did not fall into the traps, Black has some chances to draw the rook endgame with a missing pawn.
Finally, the endgame K + R + P against K + R was on the board, with Black's King on the right place - on White's queening square.
Then, Black suddenly was able to lose that classical
"Philidor position".
White's Pawn was on the c-file, making it more difficult to defend after a mistake had been made.
Philidor Position
1... Rg1-g6! makes an easy draw
Neither was Black able to see the variations nor remember the endgame theory - the
"6. rank defence". It is meaningless to give checks from the 1. rank, because White's King can hide behind the Pawn c5, suddenly threatening to give checkmate on the 8. rank. Black has to keep one's Rook on the 6. rank, on the longer side, to deter White's King from striking forward. If White moves the Pawn on c6, Black has to immediately move one's Rook on the 1. rank to give the checks. Then, White's King cannot hide behind the Pawn anymore.
Otherwise, this rook ending belongs to higher mathematics. See:
Nunn, J.
Secrets of Rook Endings (1999), pp 209-220.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ABOUT THE PHILIDOR POSITION
SUMMARY
In the 1. game, 1. Rxa8?! Rxa8 2. Rxf7?? was a major mistake. But after 1. Rxf7! White had a strong attack. This game also illustrates how one can naturally arrive in the situation when one is forced to know how to checkmate with a bishop and a knight.
In the 2. game, the classical Philidor position was finally on the board. It demonstrates both how one can naturally arrive at such a position from a complicated rook endgame, and how important it is to remember the ideas introduced by Philidor in 1777.
In the 3. game, after 12... Ng4?? 13. Qxg4 d5 Black won the piece back, but White used the time factor to attack the King: 14. f5! dxc4 15. Bh6 with a winning position.
