Breakthrough

It is very much important to have passed pawn in endgame. Sometimes material on the board is even but it may be possible to have passed pawns for both on different wings (King side, Queen side. In endgame it is advantageous to have passed pawn on the side where your opponent has not castled. In general that is called majority on the queen-side. It is advantageous because your opponent king has to travel far to reach your passed pawn by the time you can just take off some of his pawns and gaining material advantages.

Pawn Breakthrough :

It is basically a process of creating passed pawn.In simple terminology;  finding correct series of pawn moves to produce passed pawn called pawn breakthrough.First we will go through some famous examples then we will dig this topic deeply.

Remember : You must be having prior knowledge of 'key square' and 'Rule of square' in order to understand pawn breakthrough.

Position 1: White to Move

This is very famous example to explain pawn breakthrough. See the diagram(^). White white to move, white can easily win with
1. g6!! hxg6 or 1....fxg6, 2.h6! gxh6, 3.f6 and wins
2. f6! gxf6
3. h6 and promoting the pawn and wins.

But there is question why white was winning on the given position?

• Black king was too much far from the queening square.
• White pawns were more advanced.White won't be able to win if pawn were on the 4th rank and black's pawn on 6th rank.

Position 2: White to Move

In this position(^), white can win with either with f5 or g5
1. g5 Kb4
2. f5 (threat is to g6 on next move, creating passed pawn on e file)exf5
3. g6!! fxg6
4. e6 and black king is not far from queening square.

again winning is thanks to white advanced pawn and king's positions.

In the both diagrams, kings were far from the action. But it is very much harder to evaluate position when king is in action. Let's look at some examples.

Position 3: White to Move

In the diagram(^), if black king was far from the action then white can easily win with 1. b6 - axb6 2. a6  but here position is different, as if 2. a6 then Kc6 and black can win even therefore much deeper calculation is required
1. a6! Kd6
2. b6!! Kc6
then pause for moment which one is better b7 or bxa7, yeap may be you got right
3. axb7! and wins (as b7 draws because 3...Kc7 and black can save a day due to stalemate tricks)

Position 4: Black to Move

In the given position(^) with white to move white can win easily Kd4, but if black to move then it is his or her only chance, How he/she can win? with 1....c3 2. bxc3 bxc3 3.Kd3 and white can easily get the black's passed pawn.

Think for some more time, may be you get that
1....c3
2. bxc3 b3!!
3. axb3 a3 which is not in the reach of white's king.


So there is no rocket science to learn pawn breakthrough, but below are some examples in the form of puzzles which you should try to solve first then look at the answers.

Test Positions

(1) White to Move

(2) White to Move

(3) White to Move

kasparov's octopus knight : Outpost

An outpost is a square where you can place your piece safely which can not be attacked by opponent's pawn and your opponent can not capture it without giving up some material advantage. Normally piece is protected by pawn but sometimes it can be protected by other pieces also. Any of your piece (Rook, Bishop and Queen) works well on an outpost but knight (Octopus) works better because its impact on nearer squares being short range piece.

Power of Octopus

Benefits of an Outpost :

• When a piece occupies an out post it becomes more powerful ( We have been told that knight on the 6th rank equals to rook)
• It creates problem in opponent's piece improvement. ( For example white knight on e6 creates problem in getting d and f files, pressure on g7 etc ), cramping your opponent's position
• Sometimes it is not favorable for your opponent to exchange the piece which is on outpost because it may create strong passed pawn or if protected by other piece than that piece will get outpost.
• An Outpost is used to launch to create successful king-side attacks

Strategy to find an outpost :

• Look for Isolated pawn, when your opponent has an isolated pawn then the front square  of that pawn can become outpost for you.
• When your opponent has advanced his/her pawn then it creates hole. Space behind the pawn can be outpost for your piece,  For example in the diagram white has advanced his pawn to d4,e5 and f4 which creates hole in e4 that is protected by  d5 pawn would be a great outpost for Black's knight or bishop. Even you can place knight on f5 but first need to play h5.

Remember : NOBODY will force your opponent to create hole in his position, you have to create it.

Now for better understanding lets look at Kasparov's game against Karpov; World Championship Match Game No 16

Kasparov's Octopus Knight

In this game Kasparov sacrificed a pawn in order to get his knight on d3 and went on win. This is one of the Garry's Masterpiece and in the book 'The Mammoth Book of the worlds's Greatest chess Games' credit given to the knight on d3 which they called Octopus knight.

Kasparov wrote : Such Games are remembered for a long time, and in particular by the winner himself after literally putting part of his soul into sustained realization of his plan.... None of my earlier creation are compare with 16th game as regards the grandiosity of overall plan. " There is one other important reason why I can confidently call this game my supreme creative achievement. The Value of any brilliantly won game 

increases in accordance with the strength of the opponent. What is noteworthy is the fact that this victory was achieved over such a super-class player as Karpov"

Game Explained by Mozart of Chess

Carlsen is now challanger of Vishy Anand, let's see what 'The Mozart of Chess' is saying on the game played  against Anand in 2011.

Grandmasters' stalemate tricks

Stalemate is a resource or tactical weapon which can be used by the player with inferior position in order to save a game. Try to solve some puzzle those are taken from grandmasters' games. 

Puzzle 1 : Adams vs Dimitrov

Puzzle 2 : Evans vs Reshevsky

Puzzle 3 : Bernstein vs Smyslov

Drawing with Vancura Position

So far in Rook ending we have discussed Philidor Position (Drawing Method) and Lucena Position (Winning method), today we are going to discuss Vancura position(Drawing method).

Position's characteristics :

• Strong side is having an extra pawn and that is rook pawn.
• Pawn is not beyond its six rank (Pawn is on h6 in diagram)
• Strong side rook is tied up in defence (in front of the pawn, Rook is on h8)
• Defender rook attacks pawn from the rank (Rook attacks pawn from c6 in diagram)
• Defender king must be on other-side of the board in the corner (in our case King is on b7 or a7) so that stronger side rook can not check the king to promote the pawn or can sacrifice the pawn in order to set up skewer.

Drawing Method :

Key :Do not allow your opponent to support pawn with the help of king.

1. Kg5  Rc5+
h7 was not possible because of Rh6! 2. Kg5  Rh1 3. Kg6 Rg1+ 4. Kf7 Rf1+  5. Ke7 - Ra1 draws, Please not that defender king must be in corner(b7 or a7) if defender Majesty is on c7 the white can win sacrificing pawn with Ra8! if ....Rxh7 then Ra7+ wins or Defender king is on b6 then Rb8+ and can promote the pawn to queen.

2. Kf6 Rc6+ (Important square in Vancura position for defender rook)

3. Ke5 Rg6 (attack continue through 6th rank on pawn)

4. Kd5 Rc6

5. Rh7+ Kb6 etc

Summary : Pawn can not be advanced because defender rook gets behind the pawn and Stronger side king cannot  advance because of checks.

For better understanding and clear picture of the position lets go through some examples.

White to Move

1. Kb5 Rf5+
2. Kb6 Rf6+
3. Kc5 Rf5+
4. Kd4 Rf6
(4... Rf4+ ?? 5. Ke5 Rf6 6.
Rg8+ And wins)
5. Ke5 Rb6
6. Kd5 Rf6
7. a7 Ra6
1/2-1/2

Black to Move


1... Rh1
(1... Rg1 ? 2. Kf5 Rh1 (2... Ra1 3. Ke5 winning) 3. Ra7+ Kh6 4.

Rb7 Winning) 

2. Ra7+ Kg8
1/2-1/2










Drawing Zone
In 1950 Peter Romanovsky published below drawing zone

In the position, with Black to move ; Black can draw by reaching Vancura Position only and only if White king is on one of marked square otherwise white wins













Examples of Drawing Zone