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Rook endgames often end in draws, even when one of the sides has one (or even two) extra pawns. Thus, trading pieces to enter a pure rook ending is usually a difficult decision.
In round 3 of the London Chess Classic, Shreyas Royal correctly assessed that he could exchange queens with Amin Tabatabaei and convert his extra pawn into a win.
After 35.Qd6 Qxd6 36.cxd6 the resulting rook endgame is indeed winning. White went on to grab the opponent’s b-pawn while allowing Black to get a new queen of his own on the kingside. The resulting position with queen and rook against queen and rook was completely winning for White.
49...g1Q 50.Qd8+, and the white king’s activity is crucial to get the win. Royal found a couple more precise manoeuvres to prompt Tabataei’s resignation.
This is only one of the four instructive endgame positions which you can study and enjoy in our dynamic replayer below.
Endgames of the World Champions from Fischer to Carlsen
Let endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller show and explain the finesses of the world champions. Although they had different styles each and every one of them played the endgame exceptionally well, so take the opportunity to enjoy and learn from some of the best endgames in the history of chess.