Magnus Carlsen explains a little bit of endgame magic.

⚪️#280 (Strategy-ًWhite to Move)
🔸Barp,Alberto (2429)
🔸Basso,Pier Luigi (2529)
🔸78th ch-ITA 2018 Salerno

17.a4! [Provoking Black to weaken his castle position.]

[17.b4 Qa4 18.Rb1 Qxa2 19.Bd2 Kb8 20.Qxf7 Rhf8 21.Qxg7 Qc4 22.Bg5 Nc3 23.Bxd8 Rxd8 24.Qe7 c6 25.b5 Qe2 26.Qxe2 Nxe2+ 27.Kf1 Nc3 28.bxc6 Nxb1 29.Rxb1 bxc6 30.Rc1 Rd6 31.Rxc6 Rxc6 32.Bxc6 Bxd4 33.Ke2±; 17.h4 a6 18.a4 h5 19.Bd2 Kb8 20.Qb3 f6 21.Rac1 Ka8 22.Qc4 g5 23.hxg5 h4 24.a5 Ba7 25.Qxd5 Qxd5 26.Bxd5 Rxd5 27.gxh4 Bxd4 28.Be3 Rxh4 29.Rxd4 Rdxd4 30.Bxd4 Rxd4 31.gxf6±]

17...a5 18.Bd2 c6 19.Qb3±

1–0

⚪️#280 (Endgame-White to Move)
🔸Stupak,K (2580)
🔸Kostenko,P (2449)
🔸Pavlodar Open 2018

26.Nd4! [26.Re2 Ng5 27.Qf4 Rd1 28.Qxf5 exf5 29.Nc3 Rc1 30.Re8+ Kg7 31.Ne2 Rb1 32.b4 Nf3 33.h3 h5 34.hxg4 fxg4 35.c5 Ne1+ 36.Kh1 f5 37.Re7+ Kf6 38.Rxb7 Nf3+ 39.Kg2 Re1 40.Rb6+ Ke7 41.Rb7+ Ke8=; 26.Nc3 Ng5 27.Qf4 Qxf4 (27...Qxc2 28.Qxg5+ Qg6 29.Qxd8+) 28.gxf4 Nh3 29.f5 exf5 30.Nd5„]

26...Qg6 27.Re2 Ng5 28.Rb2? [28.f4! gxf3+ 29.Nxf3 Nxf3 30.Qxf3 b6 31.Qe3 Qd3 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Rf2±]

28...Qh5?! [28...h6! 29.Rd2 Qe4+ 30.Kf1 e5 31.Nc2 Rxd2 32.Qxd2 Qh1+ 33.Ke2 Qf3+ 34.Kf1 Qxb3=]

29.Kh1?? f6? [29...Rxd4 30.Qxd4 Nf3 31.Qd8+ Kg7 32.h4 Qe5 33.Rb1 Qe4 34.Qd1 Nxh4+ 35.f3 Nxf3–+]

30.h4 e5! 31.Nc2 Rd1+ 32.Ne1 Nf3 33.Re2 Qe8 34.Qe4 Qg6 35.Qxb7 Nxe1 36.Qb8+ Kg7

0–1

🔸TCh-CZE Extraliga 2018–19
🔸Round 3
⚪️Miton,K (2592)
⚫️Huschenbeth,N (2589)
🔸1-0

9.Nxd5! [This discovered attack brings White an extra pawn.]

[9.cxd5? exd5 10.Qc2 c5=]

9...Bxd2 [9...Nxd5 10.cxd5 △d×e6 10...Bxd2 11.dxe6! Bxe3 12.exf7+ Rxf7 13.fxe3 Rf8 14.Rc1+–]

10.Nxf6+™ Qxf6 11.Nxd2 c5 12.Bf3!± [Exchanging the opponent's powerful bishop and protecting the d4 pawn indirectly.]

[12.Nb3?! Rfd8 13.Qc2 a5! △a4 14.dxc5 bxc5² △a4]

⚪️#281 (Strategy-ًWhite to Move)
🔸Di Benedetto,Desiree (2271)
🔸Andolfatto,Maria (2065)
🔸78th ch-ITA 2018 Salerno

Unity Chess Strategy Multiple Choice 281
public poll

A) Bd3 – 3
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 50%
Hansika, @ZhenruiGu, Arianna

C) R×c8+ – 2
👍👍👍👍👍 33%
Hadi, @meti_niko

B) h4 – 1
👍👍 17%
Uday

👥 6 people voted so far.

⚪️#281 (Endgame-White to Move)
🔸Utegaliyev,A (2518)
🔸Kazakov,K (2358)
🔸Pavlodar Open 2018

Unity Chess Endgame Multiple Choice 281
public poll

C) Ne4 – 3
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 60%
@raienr, Hansika, Arianna

B) B×g5 – 2
👍👍👍👍👍 40%
Hadi, Uday

A) a3
▫️ 0%

👥 5 people voted so far.

The good old days if only we could travel back in time.
The 1959 candidates tournament.
Young Tal was in perfect shape and chess players like Fischer,Petrosian, and Benko were yet to reach they're peak. Gligorich and Olaffson were already at they're peak.

@UnityChess

"In order to improve your game you must study the endgame before everything else; for, whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame."

🔸 Jose Raul Capablanca

@UnityChess

There are riches galore in Edward Winter's feature article, just posted, on Pal Benko. And do not miss the tailpiece...

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/benko.html

Amsterdam, 30th March 1996. In the 7th round of the Euwe Memorial, Garry Kasparov faces Vladimir Kramnik.
Kasparov won this game in 43 moves.

@UnityChess

Garry Kasparov 🆚 Vladimir Kramnik

10th Euwe Memorial (1996), Amsterdam NED, rd 7, Mar-30
Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer. Classical Variation Kantscher Line (B66)

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