How to Play Chess (Rogers)/Chapter 11

by Charlotte Boardman Rogers

CHAPTER XI

END GAMES

The student cannot give too much time to the study of End Games, for it is here that he can put to the test the information that he has acquired in studying the elementary principles of play. The End Game, he will remember, is the third division of a game of Chess when there are so few Pieces and Pawns upon the board that theoretical analysis of the moves has again become possible. All games, however, do not reach this stage, as it frequently happens that checkmate is given by a strong combination of forces after the opening moves, when the Pieces and Pawns are so far developed that the analysis of the moves which characterized the opening are no longer possible; but the student need not devote his time to this part of the game, as it is treated in a later chapter.

To illustrate the science of manipulating the Chessmen, when there are only a few left. on the board, the following examples have been selected from standard works on the subject. If the student has made a careful study of the contents of the preceding chapters, he will have no difficulty in following the moves and in understanding the reasons for making them.

The student should have his board set up for each example as indicated so that he can follow each move.

Example—I. White King and Queen Against Black King.

The Black King occupies K4, the White King Q3, and the White Queen Qsq, as indicated on diagram xv.

White has the first move and the student will see that his best plan of attack is to drive the adverse King into a corner or to the side of the board, bring his own King as close as possible, and give check

black.

white.

DIAGRAM XV.
END GAME, EXAMPLE I.
King and Queen Against King.

with his Queen. As Black holds the center of the board, his position is as good as possible, considering the odds. White must be careful not to give stalemate. The game is won by White in nine moves and is notated thus :—

	white.	black.
1.	Q—Kt.4	K—Q4
2.	Q—K4(ch.)	K—B4
3.	Q—Q4 (ch.)	K—B3
4.	K—B4	K—Kt.2
5.	Q—Q6	K—R2
6.	K—Kt.5	K—Kt.2
7.	Q—Q7 (ch.)	K—Kt.
8.	K—Kt.6	K—Rsq.
9.	Q—Q8, (mate).

The student will note that, for White's ninth play, there were four other moves which he might have made, all of which would have enabled him to win the game; they are Q—Kt. 7, Q—B8, Q—Q8 or Q—K8.

This example of an End Game illustrates the importance of the Queen as a mating force, and also illustrates, to the student, how important it is for him to protect her so that he can use her in just such methods of attack as were seen in the moves just notated. Black, having neither a Piece nor a Pawn on the board, could only hope to win by a drawn game if White had given a stalemate.

Example II.—White King and Rook Against Black King.

The Black King occupies QKt.4, the White King QKt. sq., and the White Rook QRsq., as indicated on diagram xvi.

This example illustrates the strength of the Rook as a mating force and, as in the former example, White's method of attack is to corner the adverse King. The position is in White's favor, as Black is already near the side of the board. The moves of the Rook, however, are more restricted than those of the Queen, so it takes eleven moves before White can give checkmate. The game is notated thus:—

	white.	Black.
1.	K—Kt.2	K—B5
2.	R—Qsq.!	K—B4
3.	K—B3	K—Kt.4
4.	R—Q5 (ch.)	K—B3
5.	K—B4	K—Kt.3
6.	R—Q6 (ch.)	K—B2.
7.	K—B5	K—Kt.2
black. white. DIAGRAM XVI. END GAME, EXAMPLE II. King and Rook against King.
8.	R—Q7 (ch.)	K—R3
9.	K—B6.	K—R4
10.	R—Q4	K—R3.
11.	R—R4, (mate).

If the student will go over these moves again, he will see that White, in his second turn, could have given check by playing R—QBsq., but that would have forced the King to play to Q5, which would have enabled him to get into the center of the board, which is just where White did not want him ; hence the move R—Qsq. was an excellent play. The student also sees that Black's ninth and tenth moves were forced moves, as White had left him no choice. While illustrating the use of the Hook in the End Game, this example also shows the student that it is sometimes better to let what appears to be a good move go by, for if White had taken advantage of his opportunity to give check it would have taken him a long time to force his adversary to the side of the board again. When the player has a choice of moves he should always consider the consequences and deliberate carefully before he plays.

 

Example III.—White King, Bishop and Knight Against Black King and Pawn.

The White King occupies QB6, the White Bishop Q6, the White Knight Q7, the Black King QR3 and the Black Pawn QKt.4, as indicated on diagram xvii.

The Knight is generally used to best advantage in the Middle Game, as his progress is not hampered by intervening forces, but in this illustration of an End Game, he is used most successfully in conjunction with the Bishop. The student will see that Black's only hope lies in queening his Pawn, for then he will be as well off as if he had not already lost his Queen. His efforts are in vain, however, for White wins in six moves. The game is notated thus:

	white.	black.
1.	B—Kt.4	K—R2
2.	B—B5 (ch.)	K—R.!
3.	K—Kt.6	P—Kt.5
4.	K—R6	P—Kt.6
5.	B—Q6	P—Kt.7
6.	Kt.—Kt. 6, (mate).

This example also illustrates White's attacking method of forcing his Opponent

black.

white.

DIAGRAM XVII.
END GAME, EXAMPLE III.
King, Bishop, and Knight against King and Pawn.

into the corner in order to checkmate him.

 

Example IV.—White King and Pawn Against Black King.

The White King occupies Ksq., the White Pawn K2, and the Black King Ksq., as indicated on diagram xviii.

The student will note that both Kings occupy their original positions at the beginning of the game. White has the advantage, having a Pawn, but his success depends upon his ability to queen it. This illustration is interesting, as it takes White twelve moves in order to win, when he plays first; while if Black has the first move, White gives stalemate in the fifteenth move and the game is a draw. If White moves first the game is notated thus:—

	white.	black.
1.	K—B2	K—Bsq.
2.	K—K3	K—K2
3.	K—K4	K—K3
4.	P—K3	K—Q3
5.	K—B5	K—K2
6.	K—K5	K—B2
7.	K—Q6	K—B3
8.	P—K4	K—B2
9.	P—K5	K—Ksq.
10.	K—K6	K—Bsq.
11.	K—Q7	K—B2
12.	P—K6 (ch.)	Resigns
black. white. DIAGRAM XVIII. END GAME, EXAMPLE IV. King and Pawn against King.

Black has to move to avoid the check and as White can Queen his Pawn in two moves and as the White King is so situated that he protects the Pawn until it is Queened, there is nothing of advantage to Black that he can do.

If Black had had the first move, the game would have resulted in a stalemate after White's fifteenth move. It is notated thus:—

	white.	black.
1.	...........	K—K2
2.	K—B2	K—B3
3.	K—K3	K—K4
4.	K—Q3	K—Q4
5.	P—K4 (ch.)	K—K4
6.	K—K3	K—K3
7.	K—B4	K—B3
8.	P—K5 (ch.)	K—K3
9.	K—K4	K—K2
10.	K—Q5	K—Q2
11.	P—K6 (ch.)	K—K2
12.	K—K5	K—Ksq.
13.	K—B6	K—Bsq.
14.	P—K7(ch.)	K—Ksq.
15.	K—K6 (stalemate).

Example V.—White King and Two Bishops Against Black King.

The White King occupies Ksq., the White King's Bishop KBsq., the White Queen's Bishop QBsq. and the Black King Ksq., as indicated on diagram xix .

black.

white.

DIAGRAM XIX.
END GAME, EXAMPLE V.
King and Two Bishops against King.

The student will note that each Piece occupies its original position at the beginning of the game. White's method of attack is to force his adversary into a corner square or into one that adjoins a corner and then checkmate with the Bishop that is on the square in the same diagonal. White can accomplish this in fourteen moves. The game is notated thus:—

	white.	black.
1.	B—KR3	K—Qsq.
2.	B—KB4	K—K2
3.	K—K2	K—KB3
4.	K—KB3	K—K2
5.	B—KB5	K—B3
6.	K—KKt.4	K—K2
7.	K—KKt.5	K—Qsq.
8.	K—KB6	K—Ksq.
9.	B—QB7	K—Bsq.
10.	B—Q7	K—Kt.sq.
11.	K—KKt.6	K—Bsq.
12.	B—Q6 (ch.)	K—Kt.sq.
13.	B—K6 (ch.)	K—Rsq.
14.	B—K5 (mate).

The possibilities for Black to win in this game are so small that the only thing for him to do is to move back and forth, postponing White's victory as long as possible. There are many instances, however, where the odds are in favor of one player, which result in a drawn game because the lone King cannot be forced from some advantageous position that he has gained.

Example. VI.—White King, Bishop and Pawn Against Black King.

The White King occupies KB4, the White Bishop K2, the White Pawn KR5 and the Black King Qsq., as indicated on diagram xx.

This Example illustrates a drawn game, White having the advantage in numbers and Black the advantage in position. Unlike most of the other illustrative End Game positions, White's hope of winning lies in his ability to keep the adverse King from getting in a corner and this is just what he succeeds in doing. The game is drawn after Black's fifth move. Black plays first. The game is notated thus:—

	white.	black.
1.	...........	K—K2
2.	B—B4	K—B3
3.	B—Q5	K—Kt.2
4.	K—Kt.5	K—Rsq.
5.	P—R6	K—R2
black. white. DIAGRAM XX. END GAME, EXAMPLE VI. King, Bishop and Pawn against King.

As White cannot force Black to leave his corner, the game is drawn.