Epic Endgame: Win with a Passed Pawn

Hello Friends, I am RuyLopez1000 and I will show you an epic endgame:

Alekhine vs Capablanca had a famous endgame in the last round of the 1927 WCH which is textbook.

Alekhine had an extra Queenside passed pawn in a rook endgame:

This position is a forced win.

The strategy is given in the endgame textbooks:

1. Put your rook behind the passed pawn.
2. Push your passed pawn as far as possible.
3. The opponent will blockade the pawn with their Rook.
4. Bring your King to support the pawn.
5. The opposing King will have to go to the passed pawn to defend against this which deflects their King from defending the Kingside.
6. You will then bring your King to the Kingside to win the Kingside pawns.
7. The defending side ideally will blockade the pawn with their King, leaving the rook to defend.

There are three practical complications:

1. What to do if the King and Rook win the passed pawn.

In Case 1 the strategy is to bring your King to the Kingside. An easy strategy. Quoted Alekhine comments in the annotations are from the book 'Alexander Alekhine's Best Games' (p.142). His moves are converted to algebraic notation.

2. What to do if the King simply blockades the opposing King.

In Case 2 the strategy is to move your rook up and down until Black retreats their King.

• If the rook moves push the passed pawn.
• If the king moves then approach the passed pawn first if possible, otherwise approach the Kingside pawns.
• If Black pushes their pawns this will make the pawns easy targets as they will be extended.

The computer defense is for the opponent to retreat the King and set up a Rook + f6, g6 barrier. But then you can bring your rook behind the Kingside pawns to attack them.

3. What if the rook defends the Kingside, stopping the King from winning the Kingside pawns.

In Case 3 the strategy is to use one of your pawns to break down the pawn structure. And use your rook to help attack the Kingside pawns.

And that's how you win.

Full Game: Here is the full game between Alekhine and Capablanca. Winning this game made Alekhine the World Champion. It took four days to play due to adjournments.

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