The Miles Report

by Tony Miles
The Best Endgame?
The Chess world has been fairly quiet of late. Kasparov is not
playing Anand just yet, and the new World Champion Alexander
Khalifman has only been seen turning out for his club team in the
European team championship. He was at least promoted to board
one - last time I noticed he was on three - but given the less than
world championly task of drawing with Jaan Ehlvest, his team
apparently being confident of victory on the lower boards . This he
managed with some comfort.
Anyway, this lack of activity is my excuse for boring you with one
of my own games - well actually just an ending.
At the end of the Capablanca Memorial in Havana this year I was
surprised to be awarded a prize for the best endgame of the
tournament. The surprise was not due to false or real modesty, but
to the fact that I didn't realise there was a prize! Also since the
game had only been played a couple of days before, and the crucial
part had only lasted a few minutes, I had given no real thought to
it.
However with the benefit of hindsight and the analyses of several
players (I am particularly indebted to Jon Speelman for sending me
a copy of his) it does turn out to be quite a fascinating position.
The game was played in the penultimate round and turned out to
decide first place - the two protagonists were tying for the lead at
the time. White handled the opening miserably and got a horribly
cramped position, but then a piece of carelessness by me allowed
him to reduce the damage to a minimum.
White: W. Arencibia Black: A.J. Miles
1.d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Bd2 b5 6.cd cd 7.a4 b4
8.Na2 a5 9.Nc1 e6 10.Nf3 Bd6 11.Bb5 Bd7 12. Bd3 O-O 13.Bc2
Nc6 14. Nd3 Qb8 15.O-O Bc8 16.Rc1 Ba6 17.Re1 Rc8 18.Bb1
Ne4 19.h3 h6 20.Nf4 Ra7?
Instead g5 keeps White tied down. This gives him a chance to
relieve his position by exchanges
21. Bd3
I had thought this to be impossible because of some permutation of
Bf4 and Nf2, but now noticed that this was not so... 21...Bf4 22.
Ba6 Be3 23. Bc8 Bf2 24. Kf1 Be1 25.Rc6 and 21...Nf2 22.Kf2 Bf4
23.ef Bd3 24.Rc6 Rc6 25. Ne5 both favour White.
21...Bd3 22.Nd3 Rac7 23.Qb3 Qb6 24.Red1 Qa6 25.Be1 Nb8
26.Rc7 Rc7 27.Rc1 Rc1 28 Nc1 Nd7 29.Qd1 Qc6 30.Nd3 Kf8
31.b3 f6 32.Qc1 Qc1 33.Nc1 Ke7 34.Kf1 e5 35.Ng1 Bb8 36.Nge2
Ba7 37.f3 Nd6 38.Nd3 g5 39.Bf2 Bb6 40.Ne1 Ke6 41.g4 e4 42.f4
f5 43.gf Nf5 44.fg hg 45.Ng3 Bc7 46.Nf5 Kf5 47.Ng2 Nf6 48.Ne1
Kg6 49.Kg2 Kh5 50.Bg3 Bg3 51.Kg3 Nd7 52.Nc2 Nb6
This was the ending both sides had aimed for. I trusted that the bad
white Knight would be sufficient for me to win, and Walter hoped
that the reduced material would let him hold.
53.Kf2
Not 53.Ne1? Na4 and the b-pawn queens.
53...Kh4 54.Kg2
The first critical position. Black can try to make progress on the
kingside by exchanging the g- and h-pawns and laying siege to e3.
However once the black Knight drifts too far from the queenside
White can play Nb4 and run the a-pawn. Hence I chose the more
violent approach...
54...Nc4
My selection was rapidly rewarded when Arencibia declined the
offer with...
55.Kh2 Nd2 56. Nb4
Or 56.Na1 Nf1 winning.
56...ab 57. a5 Nc4 0-1
Since 58. bc b3 59.a6 b2 60. a7 b1=Q 61. a8=Q Qb2 62. Kg1 Kg3
forces mate.
Fine... or was it?? Lets take a look at what happens if White does
take the Knight, 55.bc dc (not 55...b3 56. Na3)
My first thought was that 56.d5 b3 57.Na3 c3 58.d6 c2 59. d7 (59
Nc2 is hopeless: 59...bc 60.d7 c1=Q 61. d8=Q Qc2 62.Kf1 Qa4 63.
Qh8 Kg3 64. Qe5 Kh3 and Qg5 is impossible because of
Qd1-f3-g3) 59...c1=Q 60. d8=Q Qb2 61. Kg1 Qa3 and the black
King runs towards a1.
However , as Speelman points out, 61. Kf1 Qa3 62. Qh8 Kg3 63.
Qe5 Kf3 (63...Kh3 64. Qf5 doesnt help) 64. Qf6! ( I had
overlooked this check!) Ke3 65. Qc3 forces a perpetual.
Even more interesting, though, is 56. Kf2. Speelman gives this an
!, which is curious, suggesting White is trying to win?! The point is
that White can catch the queenside pawns, for example 56... b3 57.
Na3 c3 58. Ke2 Kh3 59 Nb5! and now best seems to be ..b2
60.Nc3 g4 61.Kd2 g3 62. Kc2 g2 63.Ne2 Kg4 64.d5 Kf3 65.Ng1
Kf2 66.Nh3 Kg3 drawing. However Black can also try 56... Kh3
when Speelman gives 57. d5 b3 58 Na3 c3 59. Ke2 g4 60. d6 when
Black is struggling to draw. But black can improve with 59...b2!
and if 60. d6 b1=Q 61. Nb1 c2 wins. So 60.Kd1 g4 61.d6 g3 62. d7
g2 63.d8=Q g1=Q 64 Kc2
Now the simple 64...Qc1 65.Kb3 b1=Q 66. Nb1 Qb1 67. Kc3 Qb4
is probably enough to win, but even clearer is 66...Qb2 67 Kc4
Qb4 68. Kd5 Qb1.
The point is that White can never take the c-pawn, e.g., 69 Qh8
Kg3 70 Qc3 Qd3 71. Qd4 Qd4 72 Kd4 Kf3 and wins, so the black
King walks out of the checks and the c-pawn decides.
This is still not the end, though, as White too can improve by
57.Ke2! ,threatening Ne1, when Black has to go for 57... b3
58.Na3 when ..c3 59.Nb5 draws as above, and 58....g4 59.d5 is no
better .
So, was the whole position drawn after all?? Well, before we give
up lets just go back to the position before 54... Nc4, and consider
the quiet approach.
54... Nc8 55. Ne1 Nd6 56. Nc2
If 56. Kh2 Nc4 wins
56... Nf5 57. Kh2 g4 58 hg Kg4 59.Kg2 Nh4 60.Kf2 Nf3!
Not .. Kh3 61 Nb4! Now though the Knight stays within range of
a8 ( Nf3-g5-e6-c7), thus preventing Nb4.
61. Kg2
If 61. Na1 Kh3 will transpose.
61...Nd2 62.Na1 Kh4 63 Kf2
Not 63.Kh2 Nf1
63...Kh3 64 .Ke2 Nb1 65.Nc2
If 65. Kf2 Na3 wins the king ending , with the white Knight
trapped.
65...Kg2 66. Ne1 Kg1 67. Nc2 Nc3 68. Ke1 Kg2 69. Na1 Kf3 70.
Nc2
Or 70.Kd2 Nb1 71.Kc1 Ke3 72 Kb1 Kd2 73 Nc2 e3 winning.
70...Nb1
Even .. Ne2-g3 is good enough.
71.Kd1 Na3 winning easily.
So what does this all prove??Well, fairly clearly that the best
endgame prize was not merited! That my judgment is better than
my play? (Not a surprise with advancing age and laziness.) That
violence doesn't pay - except in practice? Probably just that fortune
favours the lucky.
Copyright 1999 Tony Miles. All rights reserved.