The Chess Project: Installment 3: Passed Pawns

I recently played an 8 (5) blitz game with my friend (each side has 8 minutes to play all his moves, with a 5 second increment added after each individual move).  Since my first post in this series was on mating with the Queen, and since this game ends with me applying the exact procedure I wrote about in that first post, I thought I’d share the game with the Blog (click on 1.e4 to activate the board and follow the game move for move):

[pgn]

[Event “dmsv vs. Prof_Martin”]
[Site ” Chess.com”]
[Date “Jun 13, 2015”]
[White “dmsv”]
[Black “Prof_Martin”]
[Result “1-0”]
[WhiteElo “1337”]
[BlackElo “1312”]
[TimeControl “1 in 0 day”]
[Termination “dmsv won by checkmate”]

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 4.d4 e5 5.Nf3 f6 6.Be2 Bb4 7.dxe5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Nc6 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.Bb2 Bf5 12.Bd3 Ne4 13.O-O Ne6 14.Rfe1 N6c5 15.c4 O-O-O 16.Bxg7 Rhg8 17.Bd4 Bh3 18.Bxc5 Rxg2+ 19.Kh1 Nxf2+ 20.Bxf2 Rxf2 21.Nh4 Rd4 22.Re4 c5 23.Rxd4 cxd4 24.Bxh7 Rf4 25.Ng6 Rg4 26.Rg1 Re4 27.Nf8 Re7 28.Bd3 b5 29.cxb5 Re5 30.Bf1 Re3 31.Bxh3+ Rxh3 32.Ne6 Rc3 33.Nxd4 Ra3 34.Rb1 Rxa2 35.Nc6 Rxc2 36.Nxa7+ Kb7 37.b6 Rc5 38.h4 Rh5 39.Rb4 Rh6 40.Kh2 Rh5 41.Kh3 Rh6 42.Rb5 Rxb6 43.Rxb6+ Kxb6 44.h5 Kxa7 45.h6 Kb6 46.h7 Kb5 47.h8=Q Kc4 48.Qe5 Kb4 49.Qd5 Kc3 50.Qe4 Kb2 51.Qd3 Kc1 52.Qe2 Kb1 53.Qd2 Ka1 54.Kg3 Kb1 55.Kf3 Ka1 56.Ke3 Kb1 57.Kd3 Ka1 58.Kc3 Kb1 59.Qb2#
1-0

[/pgn]

As you can see, after 47.h8=Q we have the position I wrote about in the first installment. Click on 47.h8=Q and then see how the mate is executed ‘in motion.’  After 47. the remaining moves were as automatic as can be. I don’t have to think about what to do at all, which is very, very helpful (when I have to think about moves in chess I usually screw up, and almost always end up selecting a sub-optimal move).

The game also illustrates the game-winning effects of a passed pawn–that is, a pawn that cannot be blocked or captured by another pawn.  In the game above, my passed pawn becomes a Queen and makes all the difference.  Of course, it won’t always be as easy to ‘promote’ one’s pawn as it was in the game above.  Sometimes you have to create passed pawns, and it pays to know some tricks for doing so.  For example, check out this position:

[fen]6k1/5pp1/ppp4p/8/PPP5/7P/5PP1/6K1 w – – 0 1[/fen]

White to move and win

This position looks very even, with a slight advantage to White since its a-b-c pawns are more advanced.  As it turns out, however, this makes all the difference, and with the move White can force a passed pawn that Black will not be able to stop from reaching the back rank.  White begins by pushing the middle pawn (in this case, the b-pawn):

[fen]6k1/ppp2pp1/1P5p/P1P5/8/7P/5PP1/6K1 w – – 0 1[/fen]

Obviously, Black has to capture–otherwise White will capture and promote his pawn. Suppose Black captures with his a-pawn:

[fen]6k1/1pp2pp1/1p5p/P1P5/8/7P/5PP1/6K1 w – – 0 1[/fen]

White responds by pushing his c-pawn!

[fen]6k1/1pp2pp1/1pP4p/P7/8/7P/5PP1/6K1 w – – 0 1[/fen]

White has created a double-threat that cannot be parried in one move.  If Black plays bxc6, then White plays a6, and nothing can stop White’s a-pawn from its promotion.  If Black plays bxa5, then White plays cxb7, and nothing can stop White’s c-pawn from its promotion.  Notice that capturing with the c pawn rather the a-pawn, after White pushes his b-pawn, doesn’t really change anything.  Either way, White is going to create a passed pawn and will win the game.