On this ‘allo-wine’ day, the Master had brought out the grand crus!

A few Rook endgames positions to get the brain working, followed by two high-calibre studies with solutions requiring millimetre-precise accuracy.

The game of the day was very lively, with White needing to win to overtake Black in the standings.
Needless to say, the audience got a bit carried away with the variations, which left little room for the fairies.

Nevertheless, there were a few ones, carefully selected by the Master.

We should also mention the heroic efforts of Jean-Pierre, who followed much of the lesson from his car on his mobile phone.

Well done to him!

Below is the Master’s report.

Enjoy the read, everyone.

The next lesson will take place on 28 November at 1.30 pm.

Master's word

"It is difficult to write about any form of mental illness, particularly one’s own, without giving the impression of examining an insect under a glass" (Gene Tierney).

https://youtu.be/cbqRbkNQ_lI   Do you miss Scandinavia as much as I do?   

https://youtu.be/-n-LULDiJxk?si=uJoZaI-Z_W-UUQti  Because of all the tears  Our eyes can't hope to see  The beauty that surrounds us   Isn't it a pity?

 "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience”(Mark Twain). 

"I shall vote against Europe – that Europe, that monster, that Holy Alliance of Capital. I shall vote ‘no’, glad to finally have my say on this wicked nonsense that links the great Atlantic wheeler-dealers to their dupes, our social democrats" (a visionary text by Maurice Clavel, written in March 1972 and, unsurprisingly, suppressed, which might well have provided an opportunity to revisit his ‘Gentlemen of the Censorship Board, good evening!’)

"We ought to invent a ‘political breathalyser’; we ought to make politicians blow into a balloon to find out whether they’re fit to steer the country into disaster." (Coluche). 

Proust gave Emmanuel Berl (the husband of Françoise Hardy’s music teacher) a telling-off, insisting that one knows nothing of love unless one has suffered for it. Although I prefer Berl to Proust, I believe the latter was right. And Françoise has never ceased to prove it. 

“Staging a theatre play is like being pregnant: a theatre role is like a child – it’s yours forever” (Eva Marie Saint, 1924–2026).

“There must be no proof of God’s existence, otherwise everyone would believe” (J.-P. Melville).

“Men-at-arms will fight, and God will grant victory” (Joan of Arc).

“More morality, fewer laws” (G. Thibon).

“1968 was the alpha, 2026 is the omega” (G. Cluzel).

“Millennial France has fallen into a slumber” (Ph. de Villiers, 9 October 2026).

“I’ve heard it said that France is finished, that it’s too late to save it. But France is as beautiful as ever, even enviable. Its greatness has not disappeared; it is just waiting to be reborn. In the space of a year, we have overcome a problem a hundred times more serious, without having the resources that France has at its disposal. France could achieve this in a week. ” (Nayib Bukele). NB previously quoted on 2 April 2024 and 1 July 2025.

“In the past, parents sent their children to school so that they might be turned into idiots; now, with the progress of the national education system, savages are also being produced there” (Renaud Camus).

An update, 20 years on, of one of my best discoveries on the theme of ‘as far as possible’: when analysing the same game, one must twice avoid the most distant rook move. Published on a forum which, at that time, featured some excellent contributions.

However, in keeping with a well-established habit, the forum in question did not respect the published articles and rendered the diagrams unreadable. The best way is to click here   https://norishare.com/XrsCEpf8HzD   but be warned! You must download it within two weeks. If you miss this deadline, you’ll have one option left: write to the site and provide your address. I’ll send you a new link.

(It is also available via Plus loin (716.39 Ko))

The beginning of the article is reproduced here: https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/moi-etyudy/rook-endings/r-p-vs-r-p.html In Janošević-Botvinnik, as in the Kram-Kas game from 2000, we find the two cases where one should not play as far as possible, with a real and a false ‘Fort Alamo’. In Filipov’s position, only the first case applies.

The first study can be summarised as follows: you see a good move – very well – but you still need to find the right moment to play it. The second study requires you to manoeuvre your king skilfully, two or three times.

For next month: a crucial decision to make in the Rook endgame, down a pawn, whether you’re playing White or Black. An extract from a spectacular modern study, and another, shorter but equally brilliant one.

Game of the day: Black was leading the championship, whilst White needed a win. Extreme tension, and a heartfelt tribute from the winner to his opponent. Such complexity that some moves will only be uncovered after lengthy analysis. The winner’s commentary is full of humour and of a high technical standard, despite a few ‘monster moves’ that went unnoticed.

Training: the #2 Argentine problems have multiple tries, the third has changed mates, and the fourth features a sacrifice. Then there’s a Swedish festival dedicated to Sven Ture Ceder (1904–1989). I discovered the first (brilliant) one when I was 14: one of the many problems that convinced me I’d never compose any myself! The next four also feature sacrifice keys; the one after that has an equally generous key; the penultimate one has several red herrings; and the last one has 13 variations leading to 8 distinct mates.

Sacrifices and model mates in the #3; #4 surprises with its third move. A logical effect repeated in #10, where the solution had been stuck. The helpmates shouldn’t give you a headache. The s#3 will take you a few minutes longer, and you can cut short your struggles with the s#6 whenever you like.

Solution to the puzzle involving the three legal moves with different outcomes: here are the examples promised in the last lesson:

Kh6, Ra8 / Kh8, Qd5 and Ka8, Qe8, Bh6 / Kh8, Qg8 (adrct).

Ka1, Pa2 & f6 / Kc2, Bf8 and Kd1, Re1 / Kc3, Rf1 (pessoa).

Ka6, Pb6 & c7 / Kb8, Rc1 (erony). The latter is the origin of the puzzle.

Revisited: https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2003/march-4-2003.html The famous Budapest Gambit (or Rouen Gambit?). An excerpt from a game from… 2019! Updated analysis at move 19.

https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2009/page-5.html  One of the most monstrous games in history. Incidentally, note the correction to the latest study (Penrose). The game has been enriched with recent theory and the analyses have been thoroughly revised (19th, 20th, 33rd & 42nd moves). Bear in mind that it will take you several days to study it!

A bit of current news. The young studies enthusiast, whom we celebrated here  https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2026/march-3-2026.html – and who, incidentally, preferred our advice to that of the “educational idiots from France” – is now 16 years old and has beaten the former World Championship challenger (currently ranked second in the world) Caruana, thereby taking the lead in the US Championship. Do you think the French magazine with a European-sounding title will apologise for having excluded Artistic Chess? One can always dream.

On the subject of art studies, Andy found a kindred spirit in his pawn endgame in Round 8 against Wesley So. Knowing that WS shares the same passion, I had contacted him in November 2018, offering him my 2016 prize. He was kind enough to solve it, appreciating the ZZ on the 4th move and commenting on the choice of the main line on the 9th. I thanked him and wished him further great success, which has certainly not failed to materialise.  https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/moi-etyudy/rook-endings/r-pp-vs-r-pp.html  

WS’s comment on AW: “Christian, from a very good family, disciplined and hard-working”. You certainly won’t find that sort of comment in our country, which, having once been “the eldest daughter of the Church”, has become completely self-destructive. Be that as it may, our heartfelt congratulations go to the Filipino grandmaster, the new US champion!  Más sinceras felicitaciones.

Enjoy your meal. Бог да ви благослови.