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David Bronstein vs Alexander Kotov
Training Match Tournament (1952), USSR
Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation (A54)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Sep-13-04  kevin86: This is a strange set-up for the endgame explorer. Though it fits the parameter of three moves,it is definitely not a normal queen v rook ending. From the beginning,the queen is doomed to capture from the rook-there is no escape.

Unlike the other drawn cases of this endgame,this example does not involve poor play or "exhaustion". It is however a good lesson that what I mentioned elsewhere--that a queen should ALWAYS win v a rook-is not necessarily true.

Sep-13-04  mjk: What game was Kotov playing when he skipped 67.♖xa1+ -- some aesthetic side-bet?
Sep-13-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: <mjk><What game was Kotov playing when he skipped 67.Rxa1+> It definitely looks like he thought he had some chances,, and threw in the churlish checks when he realized 66 Kb3 would not mate, but lose to 66...Qd4.
Apr-23-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eggman: <<... that a Queen should ALWAYS win versus a Rook - is not necessarily true.>>

Although this statement is technically correct I find it very misleading. When you say that a given endgame is a win, you make normal assumptions. The only positions in which the QUEEN-PLAYER TO MOVE cannot win are extreme situations in which he is in check or his Queen is pinned to his King by the Rook. Two examples:


click for larger view


click for larger view

(By the way in the second example (worth remembering) Black draws because after 1.♔h3 ♖h7+ 2.♔g4 ♖g7+ 3.♔h5 ♖h7+ 4.♔g5 (4.♔g6 ♖h6+!) ♖g7+ 5.♔h6 ♖h7+! White can only escape checks by heading to the e-file, when ...♖e7 secures the half-point.)

The point is that to say based on these and other similar examples that ♕ vs ♖ is sometimes drawn would be like saying that ♔+♗+♘ vs ♔ is sometimes drawn because of the following.


click for larger view

But one assumes that an ending doesn't start out with the advantaged-player under some kind of draw-forcing assault. Otherwise virtually any ending could be said to be sometimes drawn. And for that matter, if we reverse the positions of the White King and Queen in the first example, then we could say that ♕ vs ♖ is sometimes a win for the Rook! But again, surely this is extreme and misleading?

May-04-06  kevin86: I recently saw something like this:


click for larger view

White moves:f4+! Black must either lose the knight or capture the pawn,either way,resulting in a draw.

Feb-08-09  WhiteRook48: which game was it?
Mar-07-09  WhiteRook48: whoa!
Jan-28-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: When I was in high school, I once drew this ending in an offhand game against our chess team's coach, Hubert Freestrom. We eventually reached a position like this:


click for larger view

I played ...Rf2+! 1/2-1/2

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