Endgame studies sometimes go to extremes, e.g. by demonstrating a win in 584(!) moves in a study, in which King, Rook, two Bishops (standing on the same colour), and pawn fight against King, Queen and Pawn. But are these and similar studies relevant for the theory of the endgame or practical games? It depends. Siegfried Hornecker takes a closer look.
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Study of the Month: April 2021
What is an ‘endgame study’? By definition, it is (unless an author specifies otherwise) a position in which White wins or draws
in exactly one way.
How do you know that there is exactly one way? Endgame tablebases (EGTB) are a proof, but unlike many other genres, there is no way to use brute force or heuristically solve an endgame study to find a complete proof of it being correct. That is where cook hunters come in. A cook is an incorrectness in an endgame study, either a refutation or a dual. A dual first and refutation later might lead to a unique solution, but not to a correct study usually, as the author’s intention is lost. Let’s explore cooks!
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It all started with this game in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational in which Jorden van Foreest miraculously saved a lost endings against world-class GM Teimour Radjabov with a seldom seen mad rook strategy. There are some very deep studies that illustrate this motif. The kamikaze piece is usually a rook or a queen, and it takes great strategic insight to avoid taking it without at the same time relieving the stalemate.
Now the question arises: can other pieces become similarly suicidal? Before we answer this question, here are some further remarkable examples that were sent to us, by Emil Vlasák, the author of the original Mad Queen article.
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Try winning the above position with the white pieces. You can enter moves, and the diagram will defend with Black. If you want to try a different defence you just go back and enter a black move yourself. The board will switch sides and the engine will continue with the white pieces.
You have solved the study if you can clearly win it against the engine.
We will publish full analysis of the position with all plausible lines in the coming days.
Until then, the challenge is on: can you capture the queen without stalemating the black king?Please do not post solutions in the feedback section below – we do not want to spoil the fun for other readers. Just tell us if you solved the puzzle, how long it took, and your opinion of it. Did you enjoy the mad queen theme?