may 4 2004
Little training for the French championship: an easy h#4 and a difficult s#4.
One listener having mentioned Botvinnik's anger, in connection with a study by Libourkine, at the "artificial" positions where a white King walks on the 8th row behind the black pawns, I think it is worth remembering that Botvinnik himself had, eleven years earlier, brought a white King in... a8! As my grandmother used to say: "do as I say, don't do what I do". Enclosed are the documents in the dossier, making a (rare) exception to the principle of not presenting extracts from my books.
Do you want to drive the computers crazy? And all those who swear by them? Show them this study by Uncle Fred! The monster regains some hair of the beast with the next one, where two pawns draw against a rook. But he is still messing around with the Lommer's one, where one cancels with one less rook. Finally, he masters the one where one wins with B+N+P against B, whereas the only pawn is condemned.
In one case as in the other, we know well that the pseudo-pedagogues of our beautiful country will not make their pupils study these examples, preferring to dumb them down with supposedly early subtleties which are beyond them. Precisely then, that all the practice of tournaments shows us that it is in the endgame that everything is played out. It was Einstein who said, apparently, this: "two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, but as far as the universe is concerned, I am not absolutely certain".
Nevertheless, since our last study ends with a Bishop and Knight against the King alone, allow me to quote a recent letter concerning this finale and the one with Queen
against rook (without pawns). Question: I understood well the W method you give, but not very well how you bring the enemy King to the band. The same goes for Queen against rook. Answer : The survey I had made in the big game bases had shown that those who do not manage to win K+B+N / K always (100%) succeeded in pushing the King to the board, but did not know how to go on because of ignorance of the method. Well for Q / R, it is exactly the same! Play naturally by centralizing your Queen and advancing your King, by moving the Queen (white, let's say) sometimes in the other half of the chessboard than the one where the black King is, and you won't have any problems. Finally, Philidor and Ponziani are essential, but also the two examples of Chéron/Berger. For example, practice playing precisely the two suites 5...Rd1 and 5...Rd2 [in Ke5, Qc8 / Ke7, Rd7] : the rook must end up in the box !
Played ten years ago, the game of the day is a vigorous attack (it was either that or strategic choking) after Black has improved... the last part of the Botvinnik-Tal revival match. All is lost for White, with a human face, around the 26th move. But miracles can happen.
See you in a fortnight and enjoy the game.
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