Which Two Books ?

[Mick Norris]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qc2 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nc5 10. Be3 Qe7 11. f4 b6 12. Bxc5 Qxc5 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. Rd4 O-O-O 15. Bd3 g6 16. Be4 Rhe8 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Rhd1 d6 19. Kb1 Re6 20. g3 Qc6 21. Qb3 Rd7 22. Qb4 f6 23. exf6 Rxf6 24. Re1 Rf5 25. Ree4 Rc5 26. Qb3 d5 27. cxd5 Rdxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. Kc2 Qd7 30. Re2 Qf5+ 31. Kc1 Qd3 32. Qc2 Qc4 33. Rd2 Rc5 34. Rd3 Qe4 35. Qd2 b5 36. Rd4 Qc6 37. Kb2 a5 38. Rd3 Rc4 39. Rd4 Rc5 40. Qd3 Kb6 41. Qd2 Qf6 42. Rd5 Rc4 43. Qe3+ Ka6 44. Re5 Rc6 45. Qd3 Rb6 46. Qd5 Qc6 47. Qxc6 Rxc6 48. Re7 h5 49. Rh7 Re6 50. f5 gxf5 51. Rxh5 Re2+ 52. Kb1 Rf2 53. h4 Rf3 54. Rg5 Rxc3 55. h5 Rf3 56. h6 Rf1+ 57. Kb2 Rh1 58. Rg6+ Kb7 59. Rf6 c6 60. Kc3 Rh3 61. Kd4 Rxg3 62. Ke5 b4 63. Rxf5 Rh3 64. Rf7+ Kb6 65. h7 a4 66. Kf4 Rh1 67. Kg3 b3 68. axb3 axb3 69. Rf3 Rxh7 70. Rxb3+ Kc5 71. Rc3+ Kd5 72. Kf2 Re7 $1 73. Rc2 c5 74. Rc1 c4 75. Re1 Ra7 76. Ke3 Ra2 $4 {DIAGRAM? Presumably Black miscalculated the possible king and pawn ending. He could win by 76... Re7+ 77. Kf2 Re4 for if 78. Rxe4 Kxe4 79. Ke2 c3 80. Ke1 Ke3) 77. Rd1+ Kc5 78. Rb1 Ra3+ 79. Kd2 Kd4 80. Rb8 {White has achieved a drawn position, but...} Ra2+ 81. Kc1 Kc3 82. Kb1 Rh2 83. Rg8 Rh1+ 84. Ka2 Rd1 85. Rc8 Rd4 86. Kb1 Kd2 87. Kb2 Kd3 88. Kc1 Rg4 89. Rd8+ Kc3 90. Rd1 $4 (90. Kb1) 90... Kb3 91. Rh1 c3 92. Kb1 Rg2 93. Rf1 Rb2+ 94. Kc1 Ra2 95. Kb1 c2+ 0-1

[Tim Harding]

Thanks, Mick; can you please explain how you did that?
Black could have played 75...Re4 in fact.

[Brian Towers]

I think you mean:
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qc2 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nc5 10. Be3 Qe7 11. f4 b6 12. Bxc5 Qxc5 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. Rd4 O-O-O 15. Bd3 g6 16. Be4 Rhe8 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Rhd1 d6 19. Kb1 Re6 20. g3 Qc6 21. Qb3 Rd7 22. Qb4 f6 23. exf6 Rxf6 24. Re1 Rf5 25. Ree4 Rc5 26. Qb3 d5 27. cxd5 Rdxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. Kc2 Qd7 30. Re2 Qf5+ 31. Kc1 Qd3 32. Qc2 Qc4 33. Rd2 Rc5 34. Rd3 Qe4 35. Qd2 b5 36. Rd4 Qc6 37. Kb2 a5 38. Rd3 Rc4 39. Rd4 Rc5 40. Qd3 Kb6 41. Qd2 Qf6 42. Rd5 Rc4 43. Qe3+ Ka6 44. Re5 Rc6 45. Qd3 Rb6 46. Qd5 Qc6 47. Qxc6 Rxc6 48. Re7 h5 49. Rh7 Re6 50. f5 gxf5 51. Rxh5 Re2+ 52. Kb1 Rf2 53. h4 Rf3 54. Rg5 Rxc3 55. h5 Rf3 56. h6 Rf1+ 57. Kb2 Rh1 58. Rg6+ Kb7 59. Rf6 c6 60. Kc3 Rh3 61. Kd4 Rxg3 62. Ke5 b4 63. Rxf5 Rh3 64. Rf7+ Kb6 65. h7 a4 66. Kf4 Rh1 67. Kg3 b3 68. axb3 axb3 69. Rf3 Rxh7 70. Rxb3+ Kc5 71. Rc3+ Kd5 72. Kf2 Re7 $1 73. Rc2 c5 74. Rc1 c4 75. Re1 Ra7 76. Ke3 Ra2 $4 { Presumably Black miscalculated the possible king and pawn ending. He could win by 76... Re7+ 77. Kf2 Re4 for if 78. Rxe4 Kxe4 79. Ke2 c3 80. Ke1 Ke3} 77. Rd1+ Kc5 78. Rb1 Ra3+ 79. Kd2 Kd4 80. Rb8 {White has achieved a drawn position, but...} Ra2+ 81. Kc1 Kc3 82. Kb1 Rh2 83. Rg8 Rh1+ 84. Ka2 Rd1 85. Rc8 Rd4 86. Kb1 Kd2 87. Kb2 Kd3 88. Kc1 Rg4 89. Rd8+ Kc3 90. Rd1 $4 (90. Kb1) 90... Kb3 91. Rh1 c3 92. Kb1 Rg2 93. Rf1 Rb2+ 94. Kc1 Ra2 95. Kb1 c2+ 0-1

[John McKenna]

For what it's worth, my recommendations for the Ambitious Aspirant:

Training for the next tournament (which may be months away) starts as soon as critical self-analysis of the latest one has been done.

Two books to work through steadily BEFORE the event (not starting the week before):

1. Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual (preferably the 4th edition, which takes account of 7-man tablebases). As you say, R+P endings are particularly vital. To avoid the kind of gross errors seen today in Carnstam v Aabling-Thomsen from the second round of the Politiken Cup. (Can somebody please post this as an interactive game as I don’t know how…?) Black’s 76th turned a win into a draw and White’s 90th move returned the favour.

[Event "Politiken Cup"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2015.07.26"] [Round "2.47"] [White "Carnstam, Tomas"] [Black "Aabling-Thomsen, Jakob"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2034"] [BlackElo "2333"] [PlyCount "190"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qc2 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nc5 10. Be3 Qe7 11. f4 b6 12. Bxc5 Qxc5 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. Rd4 O-O-O 15. Bd3 g6 16. Be4 Rhe8 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Rhd1 d6 19. Kb1 Re6 20. g3 Qc6 21. Qb3 Rd7 22. Qb4 f6 23. exf6 Rxf6 24. Re1 Rf5 25. Ree4 Rc5 26. Qb3 d5 27. cxd5 Rdxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. Kc2 Qd7 30. Re2 Qf5+ 31. Kc1 Qd3 32. Qc2 Qc4 33. Rd2 Rc5 34. Rd3 Qe4 35. Qd2 b5 36. Rd4 Qc6 37. Kb2 a5 38. Rd3 Rc4 39. Rd4 Rc5 40. Qd3 Kb6 41. Qd2 Qf6 42. Rd5 Rc4 43. Qe3+ Ka6 44. Re5 Rc6 45. Qd3 Rb6 46. Qd5 Qc6 47. Qxc6 Rxc6 48. Re7 h5 49. Rh7 Re6 50. f5 gxf5 51. Rxh5 Re2+ 52. Kb1 Rf2 53. h4 Rf3 54. Rg5 Rxc3 55. h5 Rf3 56. h6 Rf1+ 57. Kb2 Rh1 58. Rg6+ Kb7 59. Rf6 c6 60. Kc3 Rh3 61. Kd4 Rxg3 62. Ke5 b4 63. Rxf5 Rh3 64. Rf7+ Kb6 65. h7 a4 66. Kf4 Rh1 67. Kg3 b3 68. axb3 axb3 69. Rf3 Rxh7 70. Rxb3+ Kc5 71. Rc3+ Kd5 72. Kf2 Re7 $1 73. Rc2 c5 74. Rc1 c4 75. Re1 Ra7 76. Ke3 Ra2 $4 { Presumably Black miscalculated the possible king and pawn ending. He could win by 76... Re7+ 77. Kf2 Re4 for if 78. Rxe4 Kxe4 79. Ke2 c3 80. Ke1 Ke3} 77. Rd1+ Kc5 78. Rb1 Ra3+ 79. Kd2 Kd4 80. Rb8 {White has achieved a drawn position, but...} Ra2+ 81. Kc1 Kc3 82. Kb1 Rh2 83. Rg8 Rh1+ 84. Ka2 Rd1 85. Rc8 Rd4 86. Kb1 Kd2 87. Kb2 Kd3 88. Kc1 Rg4 89. Rd8+ Kc3 90. Rd1 $4 (90. Kb1) 90... Kb3 91. Rh1 c3 92. Kb1 Rg2 93. Rf1 Rb2+ 94. Kc1 Ra2 95. Kb1 c2+ 0-1


2. “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Nobel economics prizewinner Daniel Kahneman (recommended to me by GM Jens Kristiansen at last year's world seniors. He had it with him on his Kindle.) It's not easy going; read when fully awake and concentrating. Fortunately it is divided into lots of short sections.

Books to bring to a tournament? These days I would not bring any chess book to a tournament. Least of all a long-outdated opening book like Hodgson & Day on the Grand Prix Attack or Alekhine's Games (full of dodgy combinations probably refutable by the engine on your phone).

Exciting novel or enthralling non-fiction for the plane journey, yes.
At the event itself: many years ago Stefan Fazekas was asked what was the secret of his being the surprise winner of the British Championship. He said it was bringing a boring bedtime book that enabled him to get to sleep swiftly. The Kahneman could fulfil that function too.

The week before the tournament is the time to check whether there are recent high-level games which impact your opening repertoire, and to plug any gaping holes in your openings.

Thanks, Mick; can you please explain how you did that?
Black could have played 75...Re4 in fact.

[Brian Towers]

Thanks, Mick; can you please explain how you did that?
Black could have played 75...Re4 in fact.

Tim, click on the double quote in the top right hand corner to "reply with quote" and then you can see how it is done.

[Brian Towers]

John, you've made the same mistake Mick made. You have commented out moves 78 through to and including white's 80th. Consequently it is not possible to play through the complete game as you have entered / copied it.

[John McKenna]

Sorry, Brian, I see you are dealing with the PGN tags but didn't realise you made a correction to Tim's original PGN file.

[John McKenna]

I only reposted Tim's original post to get it all over onto this page.

I've corrected my post, above, now to reflect your correction.

[Roger de Coverly]

[FEN "8/r7/8/3k4/2p5/4K3/8/4R3 b - - 3 76"]

A lookup on the tablebase at the Shredder site confirms that Re7+ followed by Re4 is the winning method.

If Kd2 instead, the deflection tactic c3 check is the winner, given that on Kd1, the same idea with c2 check is possible.

[Anthony Ibbitson]

I certainly agree with Andy Bak with his comments about the tactics book. Maybe one of your repertoire books if you have one to refresh your mind on a few lines. Also good for prep if you have an idea what lines one of your pairings plays. I know this event took place a few years ago now, so how was it?