Every Russian Schoolboy Knows - Rook Endings with an outside passer - Part 2

Opening: B80, D58: Sicilian: Scheveningen variation, QGD: Tartakower (Tartakower–Makogonov–Bondarevsky) System

Player(s): Yermolinsky, Fedorowicz, Timoschenko

Arguably, rook endgames with 3 on 3 on the Kingside and an outside passed pawn on the a- or b-files, are one of the most frequent endings in tournament practice. Virtually every chess player can recall those. The reason for that is that minor pieces often get traded in the tactical skirmishes of the middlegame, while rooks are normally the last to enter the stage. Oftentimes, both players silently agree on a line leading to such endings, they both hope to reach their goals, the strong side to win and the weak side to draw. Therefore, we have a borderline situation. The ability to outline one's opponent in such endgames goes along way toward overall tournament success. Experienced players understand the importance of the relative positioning of the rooks. Your rook always belongs behind the passed pawn, be it yours or the opponent's! For the attacker, the problem is that he rarely gets that. You may be sitting on a nice advantage in the middlegame, but then your experienced adversary suddenly pitches a pawn, pieces get traded, and his rook arrives in the second rank. What then? The nature of rooks is such that a perfectly placed defender's rook does multiple jobs. It stops your pawn from promoting, cuts off your king, and keeps an eye on your pawns on the Kingside. What to do then? This series of videos will attempt to offer some suggestions.

Video #2 shares two examples from my own games, and both times I had to defend. To my credit I got the job done. The important part is to never let the attacker's king out to the 3rd rank. Close attention should be given to the positioning of your own king, as White begins to advance his g-pawn. The best way the defender positions his Kingside pawns is the f7-g6-h5 chain, but what if he can't get to it?

Teacher's library (558) B80 D58 Yermolinsky Fedorowicz Timoschenko endgame