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Alexei Shirov can do more than play spectacular sacrifices; he also
possesses very good endgame technique. This month I want to look at a
few of his recent rook endings. The first example is a typical endgame
from the Sveshnikov variation of the Sicilian Defense:

87.01 A.Shirov (2755) - V.Topalov (2780)

XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares 2008 [B33]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6
Endgame 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Bg5 12.Nc2 0–0 13.a4 bxa4 14.
Rxa4 a5 15.Bc4 Bd7 16.0–0 Ne7 17.Ra3 Nxd5 18.Bxd5 Rb8 19.b4
Corner axb4 20.Nxb4 Qb6 21.Qe2 Bb5 22.Bc4 Rfc8 23.Bxb5 Qxb5 24.Qxb5
Rxb5 25.Rd1 g6 26.g3 Kg7 27.Nd5 Rc4 28.Ra7 Bd8 29.Rd7 Ba5
The ChessCafe
Karsten Müller White’s advantage is small but very Puzzle Book
stable. One of his plusses is that he can by Karsten Müller
activate his king in the long run, while
Black’s king must wait at home. First
Shirov activates his second rook.

30.Re1! Bb6

30...Bxc3? runs into a direct mating

attack: 31.Re3 Bd4 (31...Rxe4 32.Nxc3
+–) 32.Rf3+–.

31.Nxb6
Play through and download
the games from Of course not 31.Rb7?? Bxf2+–+. The Magic of
Chess Tactics
ChessCafe.com in the
31...Rxb6 32.Re3 Rc8 33.Rf3 Rf8 by Karsten Müller
DGT Game Viewer.

The Complete
DGT Product Line Now comes the second phase: Shirov
activates his king.

34.Kf1 g5 35.h4 g4 36.Rf5 h6 37.Ke2

Rc6 38.Kd2 Kg6 39.h5+ Kg7 40.Kd3
Rb6 41.Rc7 Rb1 42.Kc4 Rd1 43.Kb5

Dvoretsky's Endgame
Manual
43...Kg8?
by Mark Dvoretsky

This allows White’s f5-rook to penetrate

further. 43...Rc1 44.Kb6 Rb8+ 45.Ka7
Rf8 46.Kb7 Rc2 was called for.

44.Rf6 Rd2 45.Kc6

 45...Kg7?

Now Black is lost. He had to try 45...

Rd3 46.Re7 Rd2, which still retains
some drawing chances.

46.Rg6+ Kh7 47.Rxg4 Rxf2 48.Kxd6

Re8 49.c4 Rd2+ 50.Kc6 Rf8 51.c5 Rd4
52.Rb7 Kh8 53.Kb5 Rd1 54.c6 Rc1 55.
Kb6 Rc8 56.c7 Re8 57.Ra7 Rb1+

57...Rc8 does not help, as White’s rook g4 will come to the queenside
sooner or later, e.g. 58.Rh4 Kg7 59.Rh2 Kf6 60.Rb2 Ke6 61.g4 Kd7 62.
Rd2+ Ke7 63.Rd5 f6 64.Rc5 Rb1+ 65.Kc6 Rb4 66.Rb7 Rxe4 67.Rb8+–.

58.Kc5 Rc1+ 59.Kd5 Rc2 60.Ra6 Kh7 61.Rc6 Rd2+ 62.Kc5 Ra8 63.
Rh4 1-0

63.c8Q? Rxc8 64.Rxc8 Rc2+ is of course too hasty.

In the second example both sides were most likely in time trouble:

87.02 A.Shirov (2755) - A.Rustemov (2552)

German Bundesliga 2008

White is better, but because of the large

drawish tendency of rook endings this
position should be drawn.

39...d3?

Too hasty; 39...Rb2 40.Kxh4 d3 41.Rd7

Rxb6 42.Rxd3 Rb5= draws comfortably.

40.e6?

Missing 40.Kf6!, when the important f7-pawn will fall, e.g. 40...d2 41.Rb8
+ Kh7 42.Rd8 Rxb6+ 43.Kxf7 Rb7+ 44.Kf6 Rb8 45.Rxd2 Rf8+ 46.Ke7
Kg7 47.e6 Ra8 48.Rd8 Ra7+ 49.Rd7 Ra8 50.Kd6+ Kf8 51.Rh7+–.

40...fxe6?!

40...Rb5+ drew relatively easily, as after 41.Kf6? Rf5+ 42.Ke7, Black has
42...Re5.

41.Kxg6 Kf8 42.Kf6 Kg8 43.Rg7+

Now Black chose the wrong way.

43...Kh8?

White wins the h4-pawn with check and

his connected passed pawns decide the
issue. 43...Kf8 was called for: 44.b7 e5
45.Rd7 Ke8 46.Rxd3 Rxb7 47.Re3 Rb6
+ 48.Kxe5 Rb2 49.Kf4+ Kf7 50.Kf3
Kg6 51.Re4 Kg5=.

44.Rg4

44.b7? d2 45.Rd7 Rxb7 46.Rxd2 Rg7=.

44...Rxb6 45.Rxh4+ Kg8 46.Rd4 Rb3

Another instructive moment has arisen.

46...Rb2 47.g4 Rf2+ 48.Kg6 e5 49.Rxd3

e4 50.Rd4 e3 51.Re4 e2 52.Re8+ Rf8 53.
Rxe2+–;

46...e5+ 47.Kxe5 Rb5+ 48.Ke6 Rb6+

(48...Rb2 49.g4 d2 50.Kf6+–) 49.Kd5
Rb2 50.g4 Rd2 (50...d2 51.Kc4 Kg7 52.
Kc3 Ra2 53.Kb3+–) 51.Ke4 Re2+ 52.
Kf3 Rh2 53.Kg3 Rd2 54.Rd7 Rd1 55.g5
Kf8 56.Kg4 Ke8 57.Rd4 Kf7 58.Kh5 Ke6 59.g6 Kf6 60.h4+–.

47.Kxe6?

First White must improve the position of his rook: 47.Rd8+! Kh7 48.Rd7
+ Kg8 (48...Kh6 49.g4 Rb5 50.Rd8 Kh7 51.Rxd3+–) 49.Kxe6 Rb6+ (49...
Kf8 50.g4 d2 51.Kf6 Rb6+ 52.Kf5 Rb5+ 53.Kg6 Rb6+ 54.Kh5 Rb2 55.g5
+–) 50.Kf5 Rb5+ 51.Kf4 Rb2 (51...Rb4+ 52.Kf3 Rb3 53.Rd4 Kf7 (53...
Kh8 54.Ke3 d2+ 55.Ke2 Rg3 56.Kf2+–) 54.Ke3 Rb2 55.Rf4+ Ke7 56.Rf2
+–) 52.g4 d2 53.g5 Kf8 54.Kf5 Ke8 55.Rd3 Kf7 56.g6+ Kg7 57.Rd7+
Kf8 58.Kf6 Rb6+ 59.Kg5+–.

47...Rb2?

A mistake in return. The king had to gain space first: 47...Kg7 48.Kf5 Rb5
+ 49.Ke4 Rb2 50.g3 Rh2 51.h4 d2 52.Ke3 Rg2 53.Kf4 Rh2 54.Kg5 Kf7
55.g4 Ke6 56.h5 Ke5 (56...Re2=) 57.Rd8 Ke6 (57...Ke4? 58.Kh6 Rg2 59.
g5 Kf5 60.g6 Kf6 61.Kh7 Rg5 62.Rd6+ Kf5 63.Rxd2 Rxh5+ 64.Kg7+–)
58.Kg6 Ke7 59.Rd3 Re2 60.Kg5 Rf2 61.Kh4 Kf6 62.Kg3 Re2=.

48.g4 d2

48...Re2+ 49.Kf6 d2 50.g5 Rf2+ 51.Kg6 Kf8 52.h4+–.

49.Kf6 Rb6+ 50.Kg5 Rb5+ 51.Kg6 Rb6+ 52.Kh5 Rb2 53.g5 Kf7 54.g6
+ Ke6

54...Kg7 55.Rd7+ Kf6 56.Kh6 Rb8 57.Rd6++–.

55.g7 Kf7 56.Kh6 Rb8

56...Rb3 57.h4 Rg3 58.Rf4+ Ke7 59.Rf1+–.

57.Kh7 1-0

Black resigned because of 57...Rg8 58.Rd7+ Ke6 59.Rxd2 Kf7 60.Rf2+

+–; 57.Rxd2 wins as well: 57...Kg8 58.Rd6 Ra8 59.Kg6 Rb8 60.h4 Rb6
61.Rf6+–.

Exercises (Solutions next month)

E87.01 A.Shirov (2699) - V.Tukmakov

(2551)
Odessa Pivdenny Bank 2007

How did Shirov finish Black off?

 E87.02 L.Aronian (2759) - A.Shirov
(2699)
Wch Candidates final Elista 2007

How did Shirov save himself? Calculate

the variation to the final fortress!

E87.03 A.Shirov (2739) - S.

Mamedyarov (2752)
World Blitz Moscow 2007

Black to move and draw.

Solutions to last month's exercises

E86.01 M.Taimanov – R.J.Fischer

Candidates qf3, Vancouver 1971

Taimanov had missed 46...Qd4+ and

had to resign, as he loses his rook: 47.
Rf2 Ra1+ 48.Kh2 Qxf2–+.

E86.02 R.J.Fischer – W.Wagenfeld

Chicago simul 1964

42.Qh7+?

Now Black’s king escapes to the

queenside. Centralising the queen with
42.Qe4+ cuts the king’s escape route:
42...Kf7 (42...Kd7 43.Qxd4+ Qd6 44.
Rg7++–) 43.Qxb7+ Ke8 (43...Kf6 44.
Qb6+ Kf7 45.Qg6+ Ke7 46.Qe4+ Kf7 47.Qf5+ Ke7 48.Re1+ Re3 49.
Rxe3+ dxe3 50.Qxf8+ Kxf8 51.Kg3+–) 44.Re1+ Re3 45.Qc8+ Kf7 46.
Rxe3 dxe3 47.Qxf8+ Kxf8 48.Kg3+–.

42...Kd6 43.Qg6+ Kc5 ½–½

E86.03 R.J.Fischer – S.Reshevsky

2nd Piatigorsky Cup, Santa Monica 1966

35...Rb4?

Now Black’s queen plays no real role. It

had to be activated at once: 35...Qxf4 36.
Qe7
 Then comes the point: 36...Rg8!! the
rook defends purely passivly to free the
queen from defensive tasks. White
cannot win, e.g. 37.Rh5+ Kg6 38.Rh4
Qe3+ 39.Kh2 Rh8!! 40.Rxh8 Qf4+ and
White cannot escape from the checks.

36.Qf3 Kh6 37.g3! Qxh3 38.Qxd5 1-0

Black resigned because of 38...Rxb2 39.

Qe6+ Kh7 40.Qg6+ Kg8 41.Qxg7#.

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