Before starting this book you should have learned how to mate with King and Queen against King, and with King and Rook against King. I'm sure you've had many opportunities to win games like this.
Other endings with no pawns occur much less frequently. Some of them are extremely difficult to play, but even so it's worth knowing what's supposed to happen in these situations.
We start with King and Two Bishops against King. Did you manage to checkmate when you tried this one out?
It's not too difficult to do, although quite a bit harder than King and Rook against King. Before you see how it works, a few tips.
1. Use your Bishops on adjacent diagonals.
2. Use your Bishops and King together to force the enemy King towards the corner.
3. When he reaches the corner, put your King a Knight's move away from the corner.
4. Play a waiting move with one of your Bishops to set up the mate.
5. Watch out for stalemate when his King's on the edge.
Set up Diagram 224 on your board and play through the solution.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-mk-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-vL-mKL+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 224
White to move
1. Bd3
So that the Bishops are on adjacent diagonals: b1-h7 and c1-h6.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+k+-+-+&
5+-+-+L+-%
4-+K+-vL-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 225
Black to move
Again on to the next diagonal to his colleague. Look at the squares controlled by the two Bishops.
6... Kb6
7. Bd7
To control c6.
7... Ka5
8. Kc5
Forcing him towards the corner.
8... Ka6
9. Bc7 Kb7
10. Bb6 (Diagram 226)
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+k+L+-+-'
6-vL-+-+-+&
5+-mK-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 226
Black to move
Now the Bishops are on the a4-e8 and a5-d8 diagonals. The Black King is restricted to a few squares in the corner. If he goes to a6, Bc8 mates at once.
10... Kb8
11. Kc6 Ka8
12. Bg1
Releasing b6 for the White King. Not 12. Kc7 stalemate!
12... Kb8
13. Kb6 Ka8 (Diagram 227)
XABCDEFGH
8k+-+-+-+(
7+-+L+-+-'
6-mK-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-vL-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 227
White to move
Again we have to be careful: 14. Bh2?? is stalemate and Bc6+ doesn't help. In this position a WAITING MOVE is called for.
14. Bh3 Kb8
15. Bh2+ Ka8
16. Bg2#
Study the last few moves carefully. It's quite easy to force the King to the corner, but, if you haven't seen how to do it, not so easy to find the mate.
Next, King, Bishop and Knight against King.
Yes, it is possible to force mate here, but it's VERY DIFFICULT and also VERY RARE, so you don't really need to know how to do it at this stage in your chess career.
Even so, you'll find it interesting to play through our example and see how it's done. You can only force mate in the same colour corner as your Bishop, so as Black is forced to the edge of the board he'll head for the other corner. Let's assume the first part of the job is done and Black's reached h8 when we have a white-squared bishop, as in Diagram 228.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-mk(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-mK-+&
5+-+L+-sN-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 228
White to move
In this example we decide to mate Black on a8, so we force him along the side of the board one square at a time.
1. Nf7+ Kh7
2. Be4+ Kg8
3. Bf5
A WAITING MOVE. White intends Bh7 to control g8.
3... Kf8
4. Bh7 Ke8
5. Ne5 (Diagram 229)
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+k+-+(
7+-+-+-+L'
6-+-+-mK-+&
5+-+-sN-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 229
Black to move
Heading for d7 to control f8.
Now Black has two plans. He can try to get back to the other corner with Kf8, or he can make a bolt for freedom with Kd8.
XABCDEFGH
8k+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-mK-+L+-+&
5+-sN-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 231
White to move
17. Bd7
A final WAITING MOVE.
17... Kb8
18. Na6+ Ka8
19. Bc6#
Look carefully at the moves of the White pieces. The King moves along the sixth rank. The Knight performs a zigzag manoeuvre between the fifth and seventh ranks: f7, e5, d7, c5, b7. The Bishop also zigzags between the sixth and seventh ranks: h7, g6, f7, e6, d7, c6.
Now back to Diagram 229 to look at Plan B.
5... Kd8
6. Ke6 Kc7
7. Nd7 Kc6
It looks as if Black's escaping. But...
8. Bd3 (Diagram 232)
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+N+-+-'
6-+k+K+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+L+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 232
Black to move
... White's pieces conspire to force Black back again by controlling b5 and c5. Now Black's gradually cornered by the White army.
8... Kc7
9. Bb5
Equally good is Be4, forcing the Black King to the back rank, when play continues along the lines of Plan A.
I wonder if you managed to mate with King and two Knights against king. If you did, it's only because your opponent made a mistake! It's possible to mate, but not to FORCE mate with two Knights. It's easy enough to drive his King back to the side of the board, but you'll eventually reach a position like that in Diagram 234. Black's in check.
XABCDEFGH
8-mk-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-mKN+N+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 234
Black to move
If he plays Ka8??, Nc7 is mate, but if instead Kc8! he's perfectly safe. If you reach this ending with two Knights it's safe to agree a draw because your opponent will have to do something pretty stupid to get mated.
Chess isn't always fair, though. Although you can't force a win with two Knights against a lone King, you can sometimes win with two Knights against King and Pawn by stalemating the King, forcing the Pawn to move and then mating.
Now on to positions where both sides have pieces. First, Queen against Rook. This is nearly always a win, but again it's not always easy to prove. There's a story behind this one. Most books will tell you that the player with the Rook should keep his pieces close together to avoid FORKS. But several years ago, American Grandmaster Walter Browne was challenged to play Queen against Rook against a computer which kept its King and Rook far apart. The first time he failed to win within the required 50 moves. more recently, Nigel Short failed five times to beat John Nunn's home computer within 50 moves, so it's clearly not as easy as many people think.
The idea is to force the King to the side of the board, and then play for a series of checks finishing with a QUEEN FORK. The sort of position to aim for is shown in Diagram 235.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-wQ-+-+(
7mkr+-+-+-'
6-+K+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 235
Black to move
Try to work out for yourself how White wins if Black plays other moves in variations d, f, g and i.
Very briefly, here's what happens in a few other endings without pawns.
a) Queen against Two Minor Pieces.
Usually a win but often very difficult. Until recently, it was thought that Queen against Two Bishops or Two Knights was usually a draw, but recent computer analysis has proved that the Queen nearly always wins.
b) Rook against Bishop.
Usually a draw, but the Rook sometimes wins, especially when the defending King is in a corner of the same colour as the square the Bishop moves on.
c) Rook against Knight.
The Rook sometimes wins by trapping the Knight if it strays too far from the King, for example in Diagram 236.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-mK-+(
7+-+-+-+r'
6-+-+k+-sN&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh Diagram 236
White to move
This is from a game Neumann-Steinitz (Baden Baden 1870) where White could have drawn with Ng8, but instead blundered with Ng4?. The first official World Champion played Rh4 and trapped the Knight on a4 eight moves later. but he could have won at once with 1... Rh3, when 2. Ke8 Rh8#, or 2. Kg7 or Kg8 Rg3 (PIN!), or 2. Nf2 Rf3+ (FORK!).
d) Rook and Bishop against Rook
Usually a draw with best play but difficult to defend. In practice the Rook and Bishop often win.
e) Rook and Knight against Rook.
Again usually a draw but rather easier to defend than Rook and Bishop against Rook.
Even though the positions in this chapter occur very rarely it's well worth at least knowing what the result should be, as it will enable you to plan your play better in the ending.
If you have a chess computer, set up some of these positions and play them out against your computer, taking first one side and then the other. Can your computer mate you with two Bishops? Or with Bishop and Knight? Can it beat you with Queen against Rook? Use different starting positions for the pieces each time. Try getting your computer to play against itself and see what happens.
QUIZ
1. If you're studying chess in a school or club, demonstrate to your teacher that you know how to mate with the Two Bishops. Start from the position in Diagram 224. If you're learning at home, play it out against your computer or training partner until you win every time.
2. Have a go at Bishop and Knight against king from Diagram 228. You don't need to get it exactly right to pass, but your teacher will see whether you have some idea of how to go about it.
3. You'll need to score 4 out of 5 in our mini-quiz on endings without pawns. This time, what you've read in the lesson won't always help you to find the answers.
Q1.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-vL-+-+-+$
3+-+L+-+-#
2-+K+-+-+"
1mk-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh
White to move
What is the quickest way to win?
Q2.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-vL-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-sN-+-+-#
2-+K+-+-+"
1mk-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh
White to move
What is the quickest way to win?
Q3.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-mk(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+R+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-vl-#
2-+-+K+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh
White to move
How can you win the Bishop?
Q4.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-mK-+k+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-sn-+-+-+"
1+-+-+R+-!
xabcdefgh
White to move
How can you win the Knight?
Q5.
XABCDEFGH
8-+-mk-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-mK-+-+&
5+-+L+-+-%
4-tR-+-+-+$
3+-tr-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefgh
White to move
How can you mate quickly? ACTIVITIES
In the last chapter we'll be looking at some more gambits. If you enjoyed playing the Danish Gambit, or even if you didn't, have a go at some of these openings and see how you get on.
First we have the KING'S GAMBIT:
1. e4 e5
2. f4 (Diagram 237)
XABCDEFGH
8rsnlwqkvlntr(
7zppzpp+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-zp-+-%
4-+-+PzP-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2PzPPzP-+PzP"
1tRNvLQmKLsNR!
xabcdefgh Diagram 237
Black to move
Black can accept the gambit with exf4, when 3. Nf3 is White's most popular move. A good reply for Black then is 3... g5. What's the point of this move?
You can also try 2... Bc5 (The KING'S GAMBIT DECLINED) or 2... d5 (the FALKBEER COUNTER-GAMBIT)
An opening which can turn out rather like the King's Gambit is the Vienna Game. One variation starts:
XABCDEFGH
8r+lwqk+ntr(
7zppzpp+pzpp'
6-+n+-+-+&
5+-vl-zp-+-%
4-zPL+P+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2P+PzP-zPPzP"
1tRNvLQmK-+R!
xabcdefgh Diagram 239
Black to move
If Black takes the pawn, White continues with c3 and d4, gaining time to set up a strong pawn centre.
This is called the Evans Gambit, named after a Welsh sea-captain who invented it in about 1827.
Try these openings out for yourself. We'll look at some games with them in the next chapter.
Masters of the Universe 15
In the last two parts of Masters of the Universe we take a look at some of the players who may be making the chess headlines over the next few years.
Many of today's leading Grandmasters are younger than Kasparov: in their twenties or even their teens. Among his possible future rivals are Alexei Shirov, of Latvia and Veselin Topalov, of Bulgaria. Until recently we would have included Gata Kamsky, born in Russia, who defected to the USA in his teens, but he seems to have given up chess to study medicine. But the young man Kasparov believes will be his successor is none of these. Vladimir Kramnik is a Russian who was born in June 1976. Kasparov has predicted that Kramnik will eventually beat him and take the world title. Look at this game, played when he was 14, you can see why.
This move introduces the SVESHNIKOV VARIATION, another very complicated line in the Sicilian Defence. This move weakens Black's position on the d-file: his d-pawn will need to be defended by pieces and d5 may become a strong square for a White Knight. In return he hopes to get active play for his pieces.
XABCDEFGH
8r+lwqkvl-tr(
7+-+-+p+p'
6p+nzp-+-+&
5+p+Nzpp+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3sN-+-+-+-#
2PzPP+-zPPzP"
1tR-+QmKL+R!
xabcdefgh Diagram 240
White to move
Black's pawns have been shattered and he has nowhere safe for his King. White has established a Knight on d5 and has a slight lead in development. BUT, Black has the two Bishops, is attacking White's e-pawn and can develop all his pieces actively.
11. Bd3 Be6
12. Qh5 Rg8!?
After this move things get even more chaotic. Black attacks g2, leaving his h-pawn to be taken. White had previously played g3 or c4 in this position. Brodsky prefers to complete his development.
13. 0-0-0 Rxg2
14. f4?
Trying to open up the centre to get at the Black monarch. The trouble is that he's also opening up the Black Rook's path to c2. According to Kramnik, White should have played Qf3.
Anyone like to have a go at guessing Black's next move?
8... Bh6!!
A remarkably imaginative idea, gaining time by attacking the Knight on e3. The point is that 19. Qxh6? loses to 19... Rxc2+!, and if 20. Nxc2, Nb3#, or if 20. Bxc2, Ne2#.
White's managed to win the Rook, but he cannot cope with Black's attack. The immediate threat is 23... Ra1+ 24. Kd2 Nxb5+.
23. Bd3 Qb6
Now the threat is 24... Ra1+ 25. Kd2 Qb4+ 26. c3 Qxb2+ 27. Bc2 Qxc2#. You hadn't forgotten, had you, that the Bishop lurking on h6 was PINNING the Knight on e3?
24. Be4
24. c3 loses to 24... Ra1+ 25. Bb1 Ba2, so White vacates d3 for his King.
24... Ra2
25. c4 Bxc4
26. Kb1 Qa5
Another way to win was 26... Ra1+! 27. Kxa1 Qa6+ 28. Kb1 Ba2+ 29. Kc1 Qc4+ 30. Bc2 Nb3#
27. Nd5+
27. Nc2 would have allowed a neat mate in two: 27... Ra1+ 28. Nxa1 Qa2#, so White resorts to desperation.
27... Bxd5
Not the quickest way to win: he could have mated in four by 27... Kd8 28. Rxd4 Ra1+ 29. Kc2 Qa4+ 30. b3 Qxb3#
28. Qxd4
Hoping for 28... exd4 29. Bxd5+ (DISCOVERED CHECK!) followed by 30. Bxa2 with two Rooks for the Queen.
28... Ra1+
29. Kc2 Rxd1
30. Qxd1 Qa4+
31. Kc3
White resigned before Black could play Qc4#.
Vladimir Kramnik is now one of the top four players in the world, and could well become the next World Champion. But there is another possibility: a girl called Judit Polgár.
One of the big chess stories of the past decade has been that of the three Polgár sisters, Zsuzsa (born in 1969), Zsofia (born in 1974) and Judit (born in 1976). Or, in English, Susan, Sophia and Judith if you prefer.
The girls all learned chess at the age of four, spending eight to ten hours a day studying the game and only going to school to take exams. Zsuzsa was only four and a half when she won the Budapest Under 11 Championship with a 100% score By the age of 14 she was stronger than anyone else of that age before her except Bobby Fischer. In her later teens her progress slowed down but in 1991 she became a Grandmaster and she is now the second highest rated woman in the world behind her sister Judit, and, as you read in the last chapter Women's World Champion.
The middle sister, Zsofia, is not as highly rated as her two sisters, but had her moment of glory in Rome in February 1989. Her score of 8˝/9 was one of the best tournament results in the history of chess.
Judit, the youngest, is the strongest of the sisters. She was winning tournament games against Grandmasters when she was eleven, and in 1991 at the age of 14, she became the world's youngest ever Grandmaster, just beating Bobby Fischer's record. She is now rated among the top dozen or so players in the world.
Even at the age of seven she was a very strong player: the only player who may have been stronger at that age was Sammy Reshevsky. Play through this game and judge for yourself.
White: Judit Polgar Black: Szendrei
Budapest 1984
Opening: Sicilian Defence
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 a6?!
White can now play 5. c4 with an advantage in space, but Judit prefers to transpose into known territory.
5. Nc3 Nf6
6. Bc4
This used to be Judit's favourite move in the Najdorf Variation. It was Bobby Fischer's favourite as well.
6... e6
7. Bb3
It looks like a waste of time to move the Bishop again, but in fact this is the most popular move here. The Bishop will have to move anyway if Black plays b5.
7... Be7
8. f4 0-0
9. Qf3 Nbd7 (Diagram 242)
XABCDEFGH
8r+lwq-trk+(
7+p+nvlpzpp'
6p+-zppsn-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-sNPzP-+$
3+LsN-+Q+-#
2PzPP+-+PzP"
1tR-vL-mK-+R!
xabcdefgh Diagram 242
White to move
9... Nc6 or Qc7 would be more active moves here.
10. g4 e5
11. Nf5 Nc5
12. Nxe7+ Qxe7
13. g5 Nfd7
14. f5 a5?
White already has a strong attack against the enemy King, plus a firm hold on d5, while Black has few counter-chances. This move is far too slow and young Judit rapidly builds up a winning position.
Black resigns. The threat is Rg7 and Qxh7#. He considered 21... Qxf6 22. Bg5 Qg7 23. Be7, winning the Queen, and 21... Rg8 22. Qxh7+! Kxh7 23. Rh4#. A better defence was 21... Bxf5 22. exf5 Qxf6 but White is still winning: 23. Rh4 Qg7 24. Bh6! Qg1+ 25. Ke2 Qxa1 26. Bxf8 Kg8 27. Rxh7 Kxf8 28. f6 Qg1 29. Rh8+.
LESSONS FROM CHAPTER 15 Most top young players make use of chess software on their PC, or a chess computer, in their training programme. Here's how you can use your chess computer to improve your play.
1. USE YOUR COMPUTER TO PRACTISE NEW OPENINGS BEFORE YOU START TO PLAY THEM IN TOURNAMENTS.
2. USE YOUR COMPUTER TO PRACTISE ENDGAME POSITIONS LIKE THE ONES IN THIS CHAPTER - LEARN HOW TO SET UP POSITIONS ON YOUR COMPUTER.
3. USE YOUR COMPUTER TO ANALYSE YOUR OWN GAMES - SET UP INTERESTING POSITIONS FROM YOUR GAMES AND SEE WHAT THE COMPUTER RECOMMENDS.
4. WHEN YOU START TO BEAT YOUR COMPUTER REGULARLY IT'S TIME TO GET A STRONGER ONE. YOU'LL GET LITTLE BENEFIT FROM PLAYING AN OPPONENT YOU CAN BEAT EASILY.