Judgement vital in tricky endgames

Chess Checks

Rook and minor piece endings are complicated to understand as many a time calculations alone cannot decide the game. Judgement gained from experience is vital and can be the deciding factor between victory and loss.

In the game which follows, White is better almost throughout the game but at a crucial juncture where Black could have equalised the game, he blunders with a wrong move by the King. What is perplexing is the fact that Black could have exchanged a piece and gained a pawn and in the process enhanced his drawing chances.
White: Zurab Sturua (2540) – Black: Anatoli Vaisser (2565)

Yerevan, 1996
Dutch Defence
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5
The Dutch Defence
 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 d5 5.Nf3 c6
Here 5. ..dxc4 or 5. ..Nc6 is a good continuation
6.0–0 Bd6 7.b3
White can also play 7.Bg5
7. ..Qe7 8.Bb2 b6 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.Nd2 0–0 11.Rc1 a5 12.e3 Na6 If 12...Ne4 13.Ndf3 Nd7
13.Qe2. If 13.Qc2 b5
13...a4. Black introduced a novelty here. If 13...Rac8 14.Rfd1 (14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Qb5 Bxe5 16.dxe5 Nd7 17.Rfd1) 14...c5 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Qb5 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Nd7 18.Bxd5+ Bxd5 19.Qxa6 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Qxe5 21.Qxb6
14.bxa4. If 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Qb5 Nb4 16.Qxb6 Ba6 17.Rfd1 Rfb8
14...Bxe5. If 14...Nc7 15.Qd1 (15.cxd5 cxd5 16.Nc6 Qe8)
15.dxe5 Nd7 16.a5. Interesting move! If 16.cxd5 cxd5 17.Qb5 Nac5
16...Nac5. If 16...bxa5 17.Nb3 Nac5 18.Ba3 a4 19.Nxc5 Nxc5 20.cxd5
17.Nb3 Ba6. If 17...Nxb3 18.axb3 Rxa5
18.Rfd1 Bxc4
If 18...Nxb3 19.axb3 bxa5 20.Qd2
19.Rxc4. White sacrifices his rook for the bishop to get positional advantage
19. ..dxc4 20.Qxc4 Nxb3. If 20...bxa5 21.Ba3
21.axb3 Rxa5. If 21...bxa5 22.Qxc6 Rad8 23.Rd6 Nb8 (23...Rfe8 24.Rxe6 Qxe6 25.Bd5)
22.Qxc6 Nb8
If 22. ..Ra7  23.b4  And if 22...Nxe5 23.Qxb6 Qc5 24.Qxe6+ (24.Qxc5 Rxc5 25.Ba3 Rfc8 26.Bxc5 Rxc5 27.Bf1) 24...Nf7 25.Rd7 And if 22...Rd8 23.Rd6 Nf8 24.Qxb6 Rxd6 25.exd6 Qa7 26.Qc6
23.Qxb6 Ra6 24.Qb5 Qc7
Black can try out invading the seventh rank with 24. ..Ra2
25.Rc1 Rb6. If 25...Qd7 26.Qxd7 Nxd7 27.Rc7 Nb8 28.Bd4
26.Qa4 Qd7 27.Bd4
If 27.Qxd7 Nxd7 28.Rc7 Rxb3
27...Qxa4 28.bxa4 Ra6 29.Rc4 Rf7. If 29...Nd7 30.Bb7 Ra5 31.Rc7 Nxe5 32.Bc3
30.Kf1. If 30.Rc8+ Rf8
30...g5 31.Ke2 Kg7. The Kings have started advancing to enter the warfare. If 31...f4 32.exf4 gxf4 33.g4 Kg7 34.Be4
32.Kd3 Nd7. If 32...f4 33.exf4 gxf4 34.Be4
33.Bb7. Not exactly the right continuation. Better is 33.f4
33...Ra5. Black should have considered 33. ..Nc5+  34.Rxc5 Rxb7
34.Bc6. White makes a mistake. Correct continuation is 34.f4
Diagram 1
34...Kg6. A blunder? If 34...Nxe5+ 35.Kc3 Kf8
35.Bb5 Ra8 36.Kc3 Rb8 37.Rc6 Re7 38.Kb4 Kf7 39.a5 Ra8 40.Rd6 Nb8 41.Bc4
If 41.a6 Nxa6+ 42.Bxa6 Rb8+ 43.Bb6 g4 44.Kc5 h5 45.Kc6
41...g4 42.Kb5 h5 43.Bb6 Nd7 44.Bd4 Rb8+ [44...Nb8]
45.Ka4 Nf8 46.a6 Rc7 47.Bb3 Ra8 48.Ka5 Rb8 49.Ba4 Ng6 50.Rd7+! Rxd7 51.Bxd7 Ne7 52.a7 Rd8 53.Bb5 Ra8 54.Ka6 Rd8 55.Kb7 Nd5 56.Ba4. If 56.a8Q Rxa8 57.Kxa8 Nc7+ 58.Kb7 Nxb5
56...Nb4 57.a8Q Rxa8
Black has to part with the rook
58.Kxa8 Nd3 59.e4 f4 60.Bb5 Ne1 61.Be2
1–0
Diagram 2
Black to play and win
1.   .. Ng3+ 2.hxg3 Rf6 3.Rxf2 exf2 4.Qxa7 Rh6 checkmate