Skype coaching session, 23 October 2016. 

Please note: Re-structuring of the sessions now offers the option for guests to bring their own games for group discussion. 

Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at: 

http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm 

The following were examined: 
The Philidor position is reviewed (on mp3 audio only). 
Study position #4 from practical play. 
Guest game, 27 moves with brief notes and without notes. 

Paul Benson. 

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Study position #4 from practical play. 

White to play. 
White: Kg5, Ra7, Pc7, Pf5. 
Black: Kc8, Rc4, Pg7. 

White is a pawn up but the c7 pawn is surrounded and can be captured whenever black chooses. The white king cannot assist in the protection of the c7 pawn, so the result of the game will be decided over on the kingside. White must find a means to make the f5 pawn into a passed pawn, but how? 

White plays, 1. Ra8+, leaving black to make a decision with the king. 

Black plays, 1. ... Kxc7, there is little to be gained in trying to be clever here. Instead, 1. ... Kd7, allows, 2. c8=Q+ Rxc8 3. Rxc8 Kxc8 4. Kg6 Kd7 5. Kxg7 Ke7 6. f6+, and the white pawn promotes. 

White must justify the deliberate loss of a pawn and plays, 2. Ra7+, skewering the black king and g7 pawn. 

Black plays, 2. ... Kd8. Clearly the black king must run for the kingside, but is this enough to gain a draw? This is where both players must call on their previous lessons of rook endings study. Those who have done their homework will have the opportunity to take the best that the position has to offer them. 

White plays, 3. Rxg7, and creates a passed f-pawn in doing so. The important features for the attacker are that the king and passed pawn are both on the 5th rank. The important feature for the defender is that the king has yet to occupy the promotion square of the attacking pawn. 

Black plays, 3. ... Ke8, the defending king must occupy that all-important promotion square, the moment of decision is now with white. Instead, attempting to follow the defending strategy recommended by the Philidor position of claiming the defending 3rd rank fails here. Why? Because the other important feature of the defending king occupying the promotion square is absent when the king is sitting on the d8 square. If black had tried, 3. ... Rc6, white could have cut off the black king from reaching the promotion square with, 4. Rg6. Black must not exchange rooks with, 4. ... Rxg6+ 5. Kxg6 Ke8 6. Kg7, and the f-pawn promotes. So after, 3. ... Rc6 4. Rg6 Rc1 5. Re6, the black king is prevented from reaching the f-file and the white king can safely chaperone the pawn forward to the 7th rank, and then proceed to the Lucena position which is a simple win. 

White plays, 4. Kg6, which pushes the moment of decision back onto black. There were other choices for white as follows: 
(A). If, 4. Ra7 Rc6, and black has achieved the Philidor position, the defender can force a draw. White might try, 5. f6, but, 5. ... Rc1, and the defending black rook gives an inescapable series of checks from the white back rank against the attacking king who cannot find shelter. 
(B). If, 4. Kf6 Rc6+ 5. Kg5 Kf8, and black has achieved the Philidor position, the defender can now force a draw. 
(C). If, 4. f6 Rc1 5. Kg6 Rg1+ 7. Kh7 Rf1, the defending rook must restrain the pawn from the rear, 8. Kg6 Rg1+, and the attacker cannot make progress. 
(D). If, 4. Kh6 Kf8 5. Kh7 Rh4+ 6. Kg6 Rg4+, and again the attacking white king cannot escape the checks without allowing a trade of rooks on the g7 square and the loss of the pawn. 

Black plays, 4. ... Kf8, occupying the promotion square. It is approaching the moment for black to demonstrate if the necessary lessons on how to defend correctly are stored in memory. 

White plays, 5. Ra7, when there are two winning lines threatened which black needs to prevent: 
(A). 6. Ra8+ Ke7 7. f6+ Ke6 8. Re8+ Kd7 9. Re1, and the black king is cut off from the promotion file, the Lucena position is now within the reach of white. 
(B). 6. Ra8+ Ke7 7. f6+ Kd7 8. Kf7, and white will soon achieve the Lucena position. 
But these are only threats available to white, it is black to move and avoid them by using the correct defensive strategy. 
In the game white might have instead tried, 5. Rf7+, testing black. 
The options then for black are: 
(A). If, 5. ... Ke8 6. Ra7 Kf8 7. Ra8+ Ke7 8. f6+ Ke6 9. Re8+ Kd7 10. Re1, the black king is cut off again. 
(B). If, 5. ... Kg8, looks dangerous as it creates a back rank mate pattern, but after, 6. Ra7, black can disrupt the pattern with, 6. ... Rg4+, after which, 7. Kf6 Rf4, the defending rook must restrain the passed pawn from the rear, 8. Ra8+ Kh7 9. Rf8, and now the black rook must prepare to give a series of checks along the ranks with, 9. ... Ra4, intending, Ra6+, Ra7+, or, Ra5+, as appropriate. The attacker can only prevent this series of checks with, 10. Re8, but then black adopts the correct defensive strategy by putting the rook back behind the pawn with, 10. ... Rf4, and the attacker cannot make progress. 

Black plays, 5. ... Rf4, placing the defending rook behind the passed pawn. It is absolutely necessary for the black rook to be holding the pawn from the rear, nothing else will do here, other moves will lose. 

White plays, 6. Kf6, creating that mating pattern again. Instead, 6. Ra8+ Ke7 7. f6+, gets nowhere as, 7. ... Rxf6+, is a capturing check, the reason why the defending rook must be on the same file as the pawn, the defender draws. 

Black plays, 6. ... Kg8, running the defending king to the short side of the attacking passed pawn. Had black instead chosen, 6. ... Ke8, running to the long side, the wrong side, white would have a win with the plan, Ra8+, Rf8, Kg7,and, pawn f6. It might appear that running the defending king onto the short side of the attacking f-pawn is putting it into a possible mating net. Not so. The defending king must be on the short side to give the defending rook the opportunity to give the series of checks along the ranks as shown above. If the defending king goes to the long side, the wrong side, the king then interferes with the checks from the a-file, and the defending rook does not have enough files on the short side between itself and the attacking king when it tries to give the series of checks. 

It is now drawn. The concluding moves could be, 7. Ra8+ Kh7 8. Rf8 Ra4 9. Ke7 Ra7+ 10. Kd6 Ra6+ 11. Kc7 Kg7, and white soon loses the f5 pawn. 

Condensed drawing line. 
1. Ra8+ Kxc7 2. Ra7+ Kd8 3. Rxg7 Ke8 4. Kg6 Kf8 5. Ra7 Rf4 6. Kf6 Kg8 7. Ra8+ Kh7 8. Rf8 Ra4. 

* * * 

## Annotated Guest Game. 

White: Jim Slagle, 1674 (FTP). 
Black: Regis Gerbaux, 869 (FTP). 
Event: Skype_Chess, October 2016 - January 2017. 
Result: 1-0 in 27 moves. 
Opening: Bird's Opening, A02. 

| Note: The ratings given are taken from the FTP email group. The newly created Skype Chess group has started a rating list but insufficient games have been played thus far to produce meaningful ratings. || 

1. f4 e6 

| There are many options for black here. Think in terms of selecting a system rather than a particular move. With, 1. ... c5, there is a number of Sicilian set-ups available. Perhaps, 1. ... d5, and, 2. ... c5, aiming at a Dutch Defence colours reversed option is sensible. The more flexible, 1. ... Nf6, or, 1. ... g6, leave white to find a variation more consistent with the Bird's Opening. Lastly, there is the, "fighting", 1. ... e5, putting the question to white. The independent tactics arise after, 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6, which is the From Gambit, very active but a well-prepared player with the white pieces should cope comfortably. Instead, 1. ... e5 2. e4, is a neat side-stepping transposition into a King's Gambit. 

In any of the above immediately non-challenging black choices, white will usually choose between a Classical Dutch formation with, Nf3, pawn e3, Be2, and O-O, or the Leneningrad Dutch formation with, Nf3, pawn g3, Bg2, and, O-O. || 

2. e4 

| White chooses to drift back into mainline territory. Instead, either of the Dutch Defence colours reversed plans given above would be more consistent with the independence of the opening choice. || 

2. ... Bc5 

| Only move 2 and my limited database has no previous examples of this choice. Instead, 2. ... c5, transposing into the Sicilian Grand Prix Attack is the most popular choice here, though aiming to keep a French Defence pawn formation with, 2. ... d5, is also sensible. Neither is better or worse than the other, it is all about selecting a system with which you have experience, and this means from either the black or white perspective. 

With the game move black has set a little trap. If white gets careless with, 3. Nc3, black might break up the white kingside with, 3. ... Bxg1 4. Rxg1 Qh4+ 5. g3 Qxh2 6. Rg2, and black must choose between the apparently aggressive, 6. ... Qh1, but this queen might begin to feel uncomfortable if white castles queenside, or the more careful, 6. ... Qh6. || 

3. d4 Bb6 
4. Be3 d6 

| Black is deferring creating any central tension until more pieces are developed by both sides. White is willing to take central space with the pawns, and who amongst us wouldn't play similarly? However this means the pawns can also become targets as the middlegame starts. Win some, lose some. || 

5. Nf3 Nc6 
6. c3 Nf6 
7. Bd3 O-O 
8. Nbd2 

| Some rather murky tactics needed to be calculated here. It begins with, 8. e5 Nd5, hitting the white e3 bishop. The question here is, has white a winning Greek gift sacrifice with, 9. Bxh7+ Kxh7 10. Ng5+, with the usual queen invasions available? Not really, but it is not immediately obvious why. If the black king retreats with, 10. ... Kg8, then 11. Qh5 Re8, seems to end with a, Qxg7+ mate in 5 more moves, enjoy calculating. However, the alternative black king flight with, 10. ... Kg6, is less clear because after the thematic, 11. Qg4, black has the extremely annoying, 11. Nxe3, attacking the white queen and effectively stopping any ideas of mating the black king. || 

8. ... e5 

| Black makes a move to challenge the centre. If white is not careful there is a possibility of the d3 bishop becoming inhibited by white pawns sitting on light squares. || 

9. Qe2 

| A different strategic approach was to relieve some of the central dark square pressure by removing the black b6 bishop from the game with, 9. Nc4. || 

9. ... Bg4 

| Black pins the white f3 knight and so increases the pressure on the white d4 pawn. || 

10. d5 

| White had to find some means to prevent losing the d4 pawn. Unfortunately this method fixes the white centre pawns while reducing the activity of the d3 bishop. Black has won the opening skirmishing of white pawn expansion against black piece activity. || 

10. ... Bxe3 
11. Qxe3 Bxf3 
12. Nxf3 exf4 
13. Qxf4 Ne7 

| The knight transfers to the kingside where yet again the battle for the dark squares will continue. || 

14. O-O Ng6 
15. Qd2 Re8 

| The strategic aims of the middlegame are laid out. White hopes to achieve the central push, pawn e5, giving life to the light square d3 bishop. Black seeks to prevent that white pawn break, leaving the d3 bishop a passive observer. Black did however have a different means to fight for control of the e5 square with the knight manoeuvre, Ng4, and then, N4e5, which permanently plants a black knight on the beautiful outpost of the e5 square. || 

16. Rae1 c6 

| Again, the plan of, Ng4, to be followed with, N4e5, is a good idea. Black should ignore the queenside pawns, any action over there might only offer white something to play against. || 

17. c4 

| Perhaps white should have opened up the centre / queenside with, 17. dxc6, which at least gives black some sort of pawn weaknesses to worry about. || 

17. ... c5 

| A finesse. It appears the black queenside activity starting with, 16. ... c6, was a bluff. Black always wanted to lock the centre but perhaps felt if the c-pawn was advanced to the c5 square in one move, then white will capture by en passant. || 

18. h3 Qd7 

| Yet again, black would appreciate a knight on the e5 square first with, Nd7 - Nde5, and then work out where the queen and rooks could find fun later. || 

19. Kh2 Nh5 

| Perhaps heading for the f4 square, which will put pressure on the white kingside pawns. White will not allow such a luxury, and so this attempted knight manoeuvre should have been rejected as being unfruitful. || 

20. g3 a6 
21. Qg5 

| Taking advantage of the unprotected black h5 knight. The tempo gained offers white a chance to gain life for the restricted d3 bishop. || 

21. ... Nf6 
22. e5 

| So the strategic battle for the dark squares, in particular the e5 square, has eventually been won by white. There is however just one tactic which had to be allowed for by white when making this vital central break. || 

22. ... dxe5 

| The white e5 pawn is protected four times and attacked three times. So, if black could find a means to reduce the protection-count to three, then black would be able to win the white e5 pawn. That is the strategic guidance, but in positions where the tension mounts like this, there are almost always less obvious tactics lurking in the background waiting to be discovered. 

Black might have tried, 22. ... h6, trying to drive the white queen away from the defence of the e5 pawn, if, 23. Qd2 Nxe5, and black has won the white e5 pawn. However, the white queen does not have to retreat. White can continue to test black with, 23. e6, leaving black to work it all out. Some sample lines are: 
(A). If, 23. ... fxe6 24. Qxg6, white wins a piece. 
(B). If, 23. ... Qc7 24. exf7+ Qxf7 25. Qxg6+, white wins a piece. 
(C). If, 23. ... hxg5 24. exd7 Nxd7 25. Bxg6 fxg6 26. Nxg5, and black has doubled g-pawns for the ending, not fatal but needs to be handled with care. 
(D). If, 23. ... hxg5 24. exd7 Rxe1 25. Rxe1 Rd8 26. Bxg6 fxg6 27. Nxg5, again those doubled g-pawns need care. || 

23. Nxe5 Nxe5 
24. Rxe5 Rxe5 
25. Qxe5 

| The exchanges have given white a protected passed d5 pawn. This in itself is not decisive, but black will always have to allow for this pawn in the variety of endings to come. A king and pawn ending will be winning for white, while endings involving pieces will be hard work for black. || 

25. ... Re8 
26. Qg5 Re2+ 
27. Bxe2 
Black resigns, 1-0 

| A catastrophe which defies explanation, or does it? The white bishop on d3 has done absolutely nothing all game. It is sometimes possible to forget such pieces are present on the board. The bishop has effectively become invisible, contributing nothing to either attack or defence, and consequently it appears that black did not think of the e2 square being protected when advancing the rook. || 

* * * 

## Unannotated Guest Game. 

White: Jim Slagle, 1674 (FTP). 
Black: Regis Gerbaux, 869 (FTP). 
Event: Skype_Chess, October 2016 - January 2017. 
Result: 1-0 in 27 moves. 
Opening: Bird's Opening, A02. 

1. f4 e6 
2. e4 Bc5 
3. d4 Bb6 
4. Be3 d6 
5. Nf3 Nc6 
6. c3 Nf6 
7. Bd3 O-O 
8. Nbd2 e5 
9. Qe2 Bg4 
10. d5 Bxe3 
11. Qxe3 Bxf3 
12. Nxf3 exf4 
13. Qxf4 Ne7 
14. O-O Ng6 
15. Qd2 Re8 
16. Rae1 c6 
17. c4 c5 
18. h3 Qd7 
19. Kh2 Nh5 
20. g3 a6 
21. Qg5 Nf6 
22. e5 dxe5 
23. Nxe5 Nxe5 
24. Rxe5 Rxe5 
25. Qxe5 Re8 
26. Qg5 Re2+ 
27. Bxe2 
Black resigns, 1-0 

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