Kenilworth Kibitzer

Before there was Fischer, there was Reshevsky, the first American to threaten the Soviet machine.  The 1953 Candidates tournament was as close as he came to a world championship match, and indeed how close he came.  This game was as important as Keres-Smyslov in determining the final standings.  An endgame approached, and Reshevsky had every reason for optimism...

31. b6   Rb8?

Bronstein gives the amazing 31. ... Rxa3!  32. b7  Rb4  33. Rd8+   Kh7  34. b8=Q  Rxb8  35. Rxb8  Rd3  36. Rf1  Rc3!  with a likely drawn 4v3 rook endgame.  Tragically easy for us humans to miss...

Instead the game heads down more prosaic channels...for now.

32. Rd6  Ra4

33. Rxc2  Rxa3

34. h3    Rb3

35. Rcc6  Rb2

36. e4      h5

37. e5      h4

38. Rd4?!   

Bronstein: And here it might seem that nothing can save Black.  Nevertheless, I would not have traded my b-pawn for the insignificant h-pawn.  Couldn't White have relocated his rook along the seventh rank?  

Bronstein gives 38. e6  f6  39. Rc7! Rxb6  40. R6d7 as winning, as indeed it is.

38. ....     R2xb6

39. Rxb6  Rxb6

40. Rxh4  Rb1+

41. Kh2    Re1

Bronstein: In order to understand what follows, keep in mind that there are some rook endings in which two extra pawns are not enough to win...sometimes it is impossible to win the ending with rook and f- and h-pawns against rook, or rook and two connected passed pawns against rook, if the pawns can be blockaded.  Geller is hoping to transpose into one of these endgames.  

What follows is a series of suboptimal moves, each of which is individually insignificant but which lead collectively to a truly poor move.

42. f4      Re3

43. Rg4  Kh7

44. Rg3   Re2

45. h4     Re4

46. Rf3   f6

47. exf6  gxf6

48. Kg3?!  Kg6     (48. g4!)

49. Ra3  f5

50. Ra6+ Kh5

51. Rf6??   Re3+       (51.  Ra8 is still sufficient to win)

52. Kf2   Ra3        (Now the problem with Rf6 - stalemate is in the air!)

53. g3    Rf3+!!         (See below for analysis of 53. Rxg5+)

54. Ke2  Rxg3

55. Rxf5+ Kxh4

56. Kf2    Ra3

57. Rg5   Rb3

58. Rg1  Kh5

59. Ke2  Ra3

60. f5     Ra5

1/2-1/2    

A tragedy for Reshevsky....but what about the simple 53. Rxg5+  Kxh4, going into a 2v0 rook endgame?

But this too is drawn!  An unusual case, but with White's king cut off below the third rank, his pawns cannot advance unchallenged.   If the f-pawn advances the Black king chases it, and the combination of king and rook will blockade the g-pawn.   An unusual draw, requiring key conditions - connected pawns with the black king in front, an active Black rook and a mostly inactive White rook (in its worst position in front).    

Try this against Fritz - it's oddly frustrating.