Icannos/chess_studies huggingface dataset:
[Event "English Opening!󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿: How about avoiding the Grunfeld?"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qkiEGvJu/7ymQdS7n"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessBeginner210"]
[ECO "A16"]
[Opening "English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation"]
[UTCDate "2021.11.24"]
[UTCTime "22:38:40"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ The Grunfeld Defense is a common problem for d4 players. (Well, not at my level, where nobody knows how to play hypermodern openings, but at ~2000 elo.) So I'm going to show you how to play c4 to beat the Grunfeld. You remember our starting move, right? } 1. c4 Nf6 { Grunfeld players look to use this setup highlighted in red. Play Nc3. [%cal Rg8f6,Rg7g6,Rd7d5,Gb1c3] } 2. Nc3 g6 { Here, if you like playing against the Grunfeld (like me), then you play d4 and transpose into it. But if you want to avoid it entirely, then you play e4. [%cal Rd2d4,Ge2e4] } 3. e4 { This will soon transpose into a King's Indian Defense, a much different opening than the Grunfeld. } *
[Event "English Opening!󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿: Thank you for watching!"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qkiEGvJu/rRkX4Gqd"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessBeginner210"]
[ECO "?"]
[Opening "?"]
[UTCDate "2021.11.24"]
[UTCTime "22:45:59"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Thank you for visiting my study! } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Introduction"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/i8C1m7oU"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "4k3/R7/8/8/8/8/8/4K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Welcome to another instructive study by NoseKnowsAll. This interactive study is for newer players and those <1600 lichess, taking you through the absolutely most important endgames to master. For those of you at the lower end of this rating range, take your time and try to see why other ideas may not work out. For those at the top, master these positions so you can nail them in blitz games!

If you're looking for more advanced endgame positions that are equally important, please check out Intermediate Endgames You Must Know instead: https://lichess.org/study/UsqmCsgC

Throughout this study, I will also provide general endgame tips that these important endgames showcase. Whenever this general advice occurs, I'll write it just like this:

PRO TIP: Always bring your king up in the endgame!

If you find this study useful, please heart it and share it with any friends! [%cal Ba7h7] } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Staircase mate"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/aad83qtx"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/8/4k3/Q7/1Q6/4K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Welcome to another instructive study by NoseKnowsAll. This interactive study is for newer players and those <1600 lichess, taking you through the absolutely most important endgames to master. For those of you at the lower end of this rating range, take your time and try to see why other ideas may not work out. For those at the top, master these positions so you can nail them in blitz games! } 1. Qbb4+ { Notice how both queens defend each other, and together the queens control the 3rd and 4th rank. There's only one place for the poor black king to go: up! [%cal Bb4h4,Ba3h3] } 1... Kd5 2. Qaa5+ { Up, up, and away! [%cal Ba5h5,Bb4h4] } 2... Kc6 3. Qbb6+ { See how it's nice the queen on b6 is already protected? Our pattern does not depend at all on where black's king goes. [%cal Bb6h6,Ba5h5] } 3... Kd7 4. Qaa7+ { [%cal Ba7h7,Bb6h6] } 4... Kc8 5. Qbb8# { With every move coming with check, you can be sure you're heading towards checkmate and not going to accidentally stalemate your opponent. [%cal Bb8h8,Ba7h7] } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Sideways staircase mate"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/HYMvmWf4"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/4k3/2Q5/3Q4/8/4K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ A common occurrence in many of these endgames: without pawns on the board, the definition of "up" is irrelevant! You can re-orient this mate any way you want. As Ender Wiggin from the novel "Ender's Game" once put it: the enemy gate is down. } 1. Qce4+ { In this example we perform the same staircase mate but this time walk the king to the far right of the board to his doom. [%cal Bd3d8,Be4e8] } 1... Kf6 2. Qdf3+ { [%cal Be4e8,Bf3f8] } 2... Kg5 3. Qeg4+ Kh6 4. Qfh3# { Notice how you can premove this entire checkmating sequence. The black king can't stop you! } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Staircase mate with a rook"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/RFzyvDZm"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/2k5/1R6/Q7/8/4K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ This same staircase mate works just as well with a queen and a rook too. You have to be careful though - the rook MUST be closer to the black king than the queen. } 1. Qa5+ { [%cal Ba5h5,Bb4h4] } ( 1. Qa4 Kd6 2. Qb5 Kc7 3. Qc5+ $6 { This orientation of the pieces is definitely not the right way to go. Notice how the queen is closer to the king than the rook. Now you might accidentally lose your queen if you try the same staircase mate... } 3... Kd7 4. Rd4+ Ke6 5. Qe5+ $4 { Oops! Remember: with the rook between the queen and enemy king, there's no way for his king to attack any of your undefended pieces! } 5... Kxe5 $1 ) 1... Kc6 2. Rb6+ { [%cal Bb6h6,Ba5h5] } 2... Kd7 3. Qa7+ Kc8 4. Rb8# *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Exercise 1: Staircase mate with a rook"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/Tg5fUN8X"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/2k5/R7/1Q6/8/4K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Your first exercise. What's the easiest way to staircase your opponent, given the way the pieces are currently setup? } 1. Rc4+ $1 { Yes! With the rook in front of the queen (in this case, between the king and queen), we can be certain that the rook is always protected. The staircase mate follows immediately. [%cal Bc4c8,Bb3b8] } ( 1. Qb5+ $4 { Don't worry, this is a typical mistake. With the queen in front of the rook, you might forget that sometimes the queen is undefended and can be freely captured. Try again. [%cal Gc5b5] } ) ( 1. Qb4+ { Yes this move wins, but we haven't created the staircase mate we know and love! } ) ( 1. Rb4 { This move should also create the correct staircase if you were planning to follow up with Qa3->Qa5. But why reshuffle our pieces when they're already setup perfectly to staircase our opponent in a different direction? } ) 1... Kd5 2. Qd3+ ( 2. Qb5+ { Excellent! You have now setup the staircase mate we know and love - walking the black king up the board. For this exercise, though, let's try to walk the black king to the h file instead. } ) 2... Ke5 3. Re4+ Kf5 4. Qf3+ Kg5 5. Rg4+ Kh5 6. Qh3# { This checkmate is the easiest of all the checkmates, but being able to pull this off quickly is a crucial part of everyone's game. Even the World Champion Magnus Carlsen needs to know this checkmate! https://lichess.org/II6pkHsh#123 } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Ladder mate"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/7EktV4MO"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/8/8/1k6/R7/2Q1K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Sometimes your pieces are in a different position than the usual staircase mate, and instead you can perform this so-called ladder mate. Note that this is not any better or worse than the staircase mate, but having both checkmates fully under your belt can be useful if there are more pieces on the board! } 1. Ra3+ { The beginning of the ladder mate. We will walk the king down the board as if he is climbing down a ladder. [%cal Bc1a3,Ba3c3,Bc1c3] } ( 1. Rb2+ { If you fully understand the staircase mate, we can use this to see that this move leads to a quick checkmate. However, let's learn a new way to checkmate instead! Sometimes the pieces aren't set up for the classic staircase mate. } 1... Ka3 2. Qa1# ) 1... Kb4 { Notice how the king only has one legal move! } 2. Qc3+ Kb5 { Again, only one legal move! } 3. Ra5+ { As with the staircase mate, we must start with the rook in order to ensure all our pieces stay protected. } ( 3. Qc5+ $4 { Starting with the queen is a no-go! } 3... Kxc5 ) 3... Kb6 4. Qc5+ Kb7 5. Ra7+ Kb8 6. Qc7# { This checkmate pattern gets its name from the squares our queen and rook took - resembling a ladder. [%csl Gc1,Ga3,Gc3,Ga5,Gc5,Ga7,Gc7][%cal Gc1a3,Ga3c3,Gc3a5,Ga5c5,Gc5a7,Ga7c7] } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: A small trick in the ladder mate"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/QBJ0JaTk"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/1k6/8/R7/8/2Q1K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ This position is identical to the previous one, except the black king lies on b5 instead of b4. If we naively follow the ladder mate sequence, we might be in for a rude awakening... } 1. Qc3 Kb6 { Black again only has one move. Note, however, that none of white's moves have been check. } 2. Ra5 Kb7 3. Qc5 Kb8 4. Ra7 $4 $10 { Oops. We accidentally stalemated the black king! This will probably only occur if white is too busy premoving the ladder mate pattern to notice that these moves weren't coming with check. To avoid falling into this, just make sure that your last rook move hits with check. This can be accomplished many different ways, but my personal choice would be a king move. } ( 4. Kd2 $1 Kb7 { Black again only has one legal move. But this move walks directly into the ladder mate we know and love. } 5. Ra7+ Kb8 6. Qc7# { Nice. The pattern hits exclusively with checks and ends in checkmate. } ) *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: The two rook shuffle"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/7SsNnILX"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/8/8/3k4/1R6/R3K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Our last king-less checkmate uses two rooks. We want to perform the staircase mate, but because rooks can't protect diagonally, we'll have to make a few intermediate moves in order to get the job done. } 1. Ra3+ { Just as in the staircase mate - whenever we can control all the squares along two consecutive ranks/files, the king must move towards his doom! [%cal Ba3h3,Bb2h2] } 1... Kc4 $1 { A clever move by black - he sees that you are trying to checkmate him with the staircase method, so he stops you in your tracks. So what can we do? } 2. Rh2 $1 { We quickly move our rook as far away as possible from the enemy king and continue our idea of checking him up the board.
PRO TIP: Rooks need space to work. When checking the king, make sure your rook is as far away from the king as possible! } ( 2. Rb4+ $4 Kxb4 { Both staircase patterns fail! } ) ( 2. Rc3+ $4 Kxc3 { Both staircase patterns fail! } ) 2... Kb4 3. Rg3 { Now that both rooks have escaped the black king's reach, we can continue the staircase checkmate. } ( 3. Rh4+ $4 { Stay alert to your opponent's threats! } 3... Kxa3 ) 3... Kc4 4. Rh4+ { [%cal Bh4a4,Bg3a3] } 4... Kd5 5. Rg5+ { Up he goes! [%cal Bg5a5,Bh4a4] } 5... Ke6 6. Rh6+ { [%cal Bg5a5,Bh6a6] } 6... Kf7 7. Ra5 $1 { We've been here before. Give your rooks space to check before continuing the staircase mate. } 7... Kg7 8. Rb6 Kf7 9. Ra7+ { [%cal Bb6h6,Ba7h7] } 9... Ke8 10. Rb8# *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Exercise 2: The two rook shuffle"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/OrUEVA1k"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/8/2k5/4K2R/6R1/8 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Exercise 2: Let's checkmate the king using the two rook shuffle we just learned. But there's a problem... our king is actually in the way! } 1. Ke2 $1 ( 1. Kd2 { Also completely correct! Play Ke2 instead for the solution I input into this exercise. } ) ( 1. Kf2 { Also completely correct! Play Ke2 instead for the solution I input into this exercise. } ) ( 1. Ke4 { This is a great move if you were planning to checkmate the king by pushing him towards the a file! Nice! However, this exercise asks you to perform the same shuffle we just saw instead. } ) ( 1. Kf4 $2 { This move doesn't get out of the way of our rooks, right? } ) ( 1. Kf3 $2 { This move doesn't get out of the way of our rooks, right? } ) ( 1. Rg4+ { While this move will certainly checkmate eventually, you're not making immediate progress here because black can play Kc3! Your king is in the way of your rooks. } ) 1... Kd4 2. Rg4+ { And now we've reached the same checkmating pattern we just learned. Let's play this out to checkmate so that you can fully practice it. } 2... Ke5 3. Rh5+ Kf6 4. Ra4 ( 4. Rb5 { Equally good. Play Ra4 for the intended solution, with this move to follow next. } ) 4... Kg6 5. Rb5 Kf6 6. Ra6+ Ke7 7. Rb7+ Kd8 8. Ra8# { Nicely done!
PRO TIP: Once you have mastered fundamental endgames, you'll see them pop up everywhere! Keep your eyes out for ways you can transform a position that you don't fully understand into one you have already mastered such as by playing Ke2 at the beginning of this exercise.
Here's Magnus Carlsen himself pulling this off! https://lichess.org/bqu8Ozhr/black#65 } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: The queen box"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/56iA0NCU"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/3k4/8/2Q5/4K3/8 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ While this is not the fastest way to checkmate with just a queen and king left, this is definitely the easiest. So how do we push him down the board? Our goal is to imprison the black king in an ever-shrinking box, and then finally checkmate him. } 1. Qb4 { Our queen moves a knight's move away from the king (so it is not hanging for free), and shrinks the box the king can travel within to just the 4 top ranks. [%cal Bb4h4,Bb4b8] } 1... Kc6 ( 1... Ke5 2. Qc4 { [%cal Bc4c8,Bc4h4] } 2... Kf5 3. Qd4 { We can checkmate our opponent in any quadrant of the board. Remember to stay a knight's move away from the king! [%cal Bd4d8,Bd4h4] } ) 2. Qa5 { [%cal Ba5a8,Ba5h5] } 2... Kb7 3. Qc5 { We are again a knight's move away from the king. While this new box has changed from the previous ones, do notice how it is smaller.
PRO TIP: Centralizing the queen is a good idea if you can't quite get any pattern to work out. [%cal Bc5c8,Bc5a5] } 3... Ka6 4. Qb4 { [%cal Bb4b8,Bb4a4] } 4... Ka7 5. Qb5 { The king is now stuck to only two squares, and is ready to be checkmated [%csl Ra7,Ra8][%cal Bb5b8,Bb5a5] } 5... Ka8 6. Kd3 $1 { CAUTION: DO NOT STALEMATE YOUR OPPONENT.
Once our opponent is completely restricted, we bring our king into the action.
PRO TIP: A lone queen cannot ever checkmate a king. } ( 6. Qb6 $4 $10 { Stalemate!
PRO TIP: Make sure your opponent's king always has at least one square it can move to after you make your move. } ) 6... Ka7 7. Kc4 Ka8 8. Kc5 Ka7 9. Kc6 Ka8 10. Qb7# { With our king fully participating, we are able to checkmate the king by placing our queen directly in front of the king. Now that we finally can cover those last two squares in the box, black is checkmated. } ( 10. Kc7 Ka7 11. Qb7# { Just as good. } ) *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: An important king standoff"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/8ZE0KEgU"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/3k4/8/3K4/7R/8 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ When the kings are exactly two squares away from each other, they are in what's known as "opposition." Notice how both kings are holding their ground against each other.

PRO TIP: When two kings are in opposition, the player who has to move their king FIRST must give up ground. [%cal Gd3c4,Gd3d4,Gd3e4,Rd5c4,Rd5d4,Rd5e4] } 1. Rh5+ { In this case, white can force the opponent king backwards with this annoying rook check.
This concept of taking opposition between two kings in order to force your opponent backwards will be a crucial part of many endgames, especially king and pawn endgames. [%csl Gc5,Gc4,Gd4,Ge4,Ge5,Gd5][%cal Gd3c4,Gd3d4,Gd3e4,Bh5a5] } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: A first rook mate"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/XAhp9gWl"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/3k4/7R/4K3/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ First I will introduce the old-fashioned way to checkmate with the king and rook (which takes forever). In the upcoming chapters, we'll see more efficient technique. Here, the main idea is to keep forcing the black king up the board by taking away more and more ranks from him. To do this, we need to take opposition from black. } 1. Rg6 $3 { A genius waiting move that forces black to self-destruct. Either (1) black has to move into opposition with Ke7 (reaching the position we saw from the previous chapter), (2) the black king voluntarily moves onto the back rank in which case Rg7 seals his fate, or (3) we get a chance to chase him down to the edge of the board. } 1... Kc7 ( 1... Ke7 $6 { [%cal Ge5d6,Ge5e6,Ge5f6] } 2. Rg7+ Kf8 3. Kf6 { The progress we're looking for. Black is now trapped on the back rank. } ) ( 1... Ke8 $6 2. Rg7 Kf8 3. Kf6 { The progress we're looking for. Black is now trapped on the back rank. } ) 2. Kd5 Kb7 3. Kc5 Ka7 4. Kb5 { Finally, black has to walk into opposition, and we can force him onto the back rank. } 4... Kb7 { [%cal Gb5a6,Gb5b6,Gb5c6] } 5. Rg7+ { [%csl Ga6,Gb6,Gc6,Gc7,Gb7,Ga7][%cal Gb5a6,Gb5b6,Gb5c6,Bg7a7] } 5... Kc8 6. Kc6 { With the king stuck on one less rank than the original position, we repeat the same pattern until checkmate. } 6... Kd8 7. Ra7 $3 { The genius waiting move again.
PRO TIP: When checking with a rook, it's often best to keep as much space from enemy kings as possible. } ( 7. Rb7 $6 { This doesn't accomplish the same thing as Ra7 because we're not far enough from the king. } 7... Kc8 { With the kings in opposition, we would love to play Rb8#... } 8. Rb8+ $4 Kxb8 $10 { Oops. The rook was too close to the king. } ) ( 7. Rh7 $6 { The right idea, but the wrong execution. Black is never going to intentionally walk into opposition, so the game will continue like so: } 7... Ke8 8. Kd6 Kf8 9. Ke6 Kg8 { Our rook is again too close to the enemy king. We'll have to reposition it two more times before being able to checkmate. } ) 7... Ke8 8. Kd6 Kf8 9. Ke6 { Notice how it's immediately checkmate if at any point black walks into opposition with our king. } 9... Kg8 ( 9... Ke8 { Walking into opposition immediately results in checkmate. } 10. Ra8# ) 10. Kf6 Kh8 11. Kg6 { Again, we've chased black to the edge of the board and the king has to self-destruct by walking into opposition. } 11... Kg8 { [%cal Gg6f7,Gg6g7,Gg6h7] } 12. Ra8# { [%csl Gf7,Gg7,Gh7,Gh8,Gg8,Gf8][%cal Gg6f7,Gg6g7,Gg6h7,Ba8h8] } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: The rook box"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/OPBv5FWe"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/8/8/8/3k4/1R6/3K4 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Instead of the previously described (and painfully slow) pattern, we will now instead checkmate the king by squeezing it into a smaller and smaller box. The key advice to remember here is: the enemy gate is down. So with every move, don't worry about how we shrink the box, let's just shrink the overall box! } 1. Re2 $1 { The black king is already stuck on less than one-half of the board. [%cal Be2e8,Be2a2] } ( 1. Rb3+ { This is the old-fashioned way to learn it. When the kings are lined up, we can check the king back and he must be stuck on less ranks/files of the board. But does this really limit the overall squares the black king can move to? Hardly... [%csl Gc2,Gd2,Ge2][%cal Gd1c2,Gd1d2,Gd1e2,Gb3h3] } ) 1... Kc3 { First we'll see what happens if black thinks that the only way he's going to get checkmated is on the 8th rank. Next chapter we'll revisit this position and see better defense from black. } 2. Rd2 { [%cal Bd2d8,Bd2a2] } 2... Kb3 3. Rc2 { [%cal Bc2c8,Bc2a2] } 3... Ka3 4. Kc1 { Always improve the king when the rook can no longer tighten the box. } 4... Kb3 5. Kb1 Ka3 6. Rb2 $1 { The black king is now stuck to a single file. Remember: the enemy gate is down, which in this case means we are checkmating the opponent against the far left wall. [%cal Bb2b8,Bb2a2] } 6... Ka4 7. Kc2 Ka3 8. Kc3 Ka4 { With the king trapped on one file, we need to again use opposition in order to find a checkmate. As in the previous example, we can only checkmate the black king once the kings are lined up in opposition. In this case it's against the far left wall instead of the top wall. } 9. Rb1 $3 { Excellent! Now the opponent has to either step into opposition with Ka3 and immediately get checkmated, or we can chase him all the way up the board until he has to step into opposition. } ( 9. Kc4 $2 { This move looks good, but the black king can escape this opposition and we're not any closer to checkmate. } 9... Ka5 ) 9... Ka5 ( 9... Ka3 $2 10. Ra1# ) 10. Kc4 { We continue our chase. Notice how the black king can no longer walk down the board because he would be stepping directly into opposition and therefore mate with Ra1#. } 10... Ka6 11. Kc5 Ka7 12. Kc6 Ka8 13. Kc7 { The chase is complete. With nowhere left to go, the black king is finally forced to walk into opposition and checkmate himself. } 13... Ka7 14. Ra1# *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: King and pawn endgame"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/2ru3TC7p"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/3k4/8/8/3PK3/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ The goal of every king and pawn endgame is to create a queen (or rook!) with this pawn. Once that happens, using what we've learned from the previous chapters in this study, we know how to checkmate the lone king.

Here, we again use opposition to push black's king back. This time the plan is to take control of the queening square. } 1. Kd5 $1 { Black must retreat, which allows our king to infiltrate even further. [%cal Gd5c6,Gd5d6,Gd5e6] } ( 1. d5 $4 $10 { A terrible mistake that draws the game. We'll see precisely how this plays out in a coming chapter, but in the meantime...
PRO TIP: Always get your king up in the endgame. Especially in king and pawn endgames, be sure to get your king as active as possible before pushing pawns. } 1... Kd6 2. Kd4 $10 ) 1... Kc7 2. Ke6 Kd8 3. Kd6 { Taking opposition again means the black king must retreat again. [%cal Gd6c7,Gd6d7,Gd6e7] } 3... Ke8 ( 3... Kc8 4. Ke7 { This amounts to the same thing as in the main line. } ) 4. Kc7 { Now that white has control of the d8 square, we can push our pawn all the way home until we queen. [%csl Bd8] } 4... Ke7 5. d5 Ke8 6. d6 Kf7 7. d7 Ke7 8. d8=Q+ $18 { We'll be able to win this endgame as in https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/56iA0NCU } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: King and pawn endgame"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/A1W1Huoz"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/3k4/8/8/4K3/3P4/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. Kd5 { As before, we always seek opposition in these king and pawn endgames in order to force the black king backwards. [%cal Gd5c6,Gd5d6,Gd5e6] } 1... Kc7 2. Ke6 Kd8 3. Kd6 { Opposition again! [%cal Gd6c7,Gd6d7,Gd6e7] } 3... Ke8 { We now need our pawn a little closer in order to show how to finally kick the black king away from d8 for good. } 4. d4 ( 4. Kc7 $6 { It's too early for this because black can now dive bomb our pawn, and we'll have to retreat in order to defend it... } 4... Ke7 5. d4 Ke6 6. Kc6 Ke7 { This is still winning, but we now must transpose to the main line in order to win from here. } ) 4... Kd8 5. d5 { White already has the opposition between the kings, so again black must give ground. } 5... Kc8 6. Ke7 { [%csl Bd8] } 6... Kc7 7. d6+ Kc8 8. d7+ Kc7 9. d8=Q+ $18 { After promotion, checkmate is soon to follow. } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Drawing a king and pawn endgame"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/fHmVLjSJ"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/3k4/3P4/3K4/8/8/8 b - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Black has to step backwards, but because white has pushed their pawn too far, black can draw this endgame by always trying to gain opposition. } 1... Kd7 2. Ke5 Ke7 $1 { Opposition! White cannot enter with the king. First let's see how to keep drawing this if white tries a different approach with their king. We'll see what happens if they push the pawn a little later. } 3. Ke4 Kd6 4. Kd4 { We return to the original position.
PRO TIP: Get your king up in the endgame as much as possible. No matter which side you are playing. } 4... Kd7 5. Kc5 Kc7 $1 { Opposition! White cannot enter here either. } 6. d6+ ( 6. Kb5 Kd6 7. Kc4 { If white ever leaves the defense of the pawn, we can now pressure the pawn, forcing white to retreat. } ) 6... Kd7 7. Kd5 Kd8 $1 { Black must be ready to gain opposition from white no matter which direction they head to: the e file or the c file. [%cal Gd5e6,Gd5c6,Gd8e8,Gd8c8] } 8. Ke6 Ke8 $1 { Opposition. White makes no progress on this side of the pawn. } 9. Kd5 Kd7 10. Kc5 Kd8 $1 11. Kc6 Kc8 $1 { Opposition again. White makes no progress here either. } 12. d7+ Kd8 13. Kd6 $10 { If white ever pushes this pawn to the 7th rank, we immediately get stalemated. Black draws the game.
This concept of opposition is explored further in the next endgame study: https://lichess.org/study/UsqmCsgC/YBtOyp2n } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Exercise 4: Can you draw this?"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/6bficx4X"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "8/8/3k4/3P4/3K4/8/8/8 b - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ This important endgame requires both sides to fully understand the power of taking the opposition. Strong players can draw this position given less than 1 second. Can you? } 1... Kd7 ( 1... Ke7 { This also draws. But be careful about giving up opposition after Ke5. If you were on the back rank, this would be a losing maneuver! } ) ( 1... Kc7 { This also draws. But be careful about giving up opposition after Kc5. If you were on the back rank, this would be a losing maneuver! } ) 2. Ke5 Ke7 $1 ( 2... Kd8 $4 { Oh no! After Kd6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) ( 2... Ke8 $4 { Oh no! After Ke6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) 3. Ke4 Kd6 4. Kd4 Kd7 ( 4... Ke7 { This also draws. But be careful about giving up opposition after Ke5. If you were on the back rank, this would be a losing maneuver! } ) ( 4... Kc7 { This also draws. But be careful about giving up opposition after Kc5. If you were on the back rank, this would be a losing maneuver! } ) 5. Kc5 Kc7 $1 ( 5... Kc8 $4 { Oh no! After Kc6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) ( 5... Kd8 $4 { Oh no! After Kd6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) 6. d6+ Kd7 ( 6... Kd8 { Yes this also draws. Play Kd7 instead to get back to the main line. } ) ( 6... Kc8 $4 { Oh no! After Kc6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) 7. Kd5 Kd8 $1 ( 7... Ke8 $4 { Oh no! After Ke6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) ( 7... Kc8 $4 { Oh no! After Kc6, your opponent takes the opposition and wins the game. } ) 8. Ke6 Ke8 9. d7+ Kd8 10. Kd6 $10 { Nice job escaping with the draw.
Here's Magnus Carlsen nailing this technique against the upcomer Alireza Firouzja as well! https://lichess.org/VRbVnnAa/black#138 } *
[Event "Beginner Endgames You Must Know!: Thanks for enjoying this study!"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj/uCRQ1IkV"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "4k3/R7/8/8/8/8/8/4K3 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2021.05.24"]
[UTCTime "16:53:15"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ Be sure to like this study and share with your friends if you enjoyed it! Feel free to ask/answer any questions in the chat room if you're stuck on a key idea. You can check out my other instructive studies too if you're working on improving your game.
-NoseKnowsAll

* Beginner endgames you must know! https://lichess.org/study/wukLYIXj
* Intermediate endgames you must know! https://lichess.org/study/UsqmCsgC (the next in the series)
* More endgames you must know! https://lichess.org/study/xtDSXkyi
* Advanced endgames you must know! https://lichess.org/study/UO2zqigQ
* Rook endgames you must know! https://lichess.org/study/bnboDhFM
* Knights | How to dominate your opponents! https://lichess.org/study/kI8ikTU4
* Bishops | Slice through the opposition! https://lichess.org/study/kNn68T8l
* Rooks | Infiltrate for activity! https://lichess.org/study/U7tTRtdj
* Always sacrifice the exchange! https://lichess.org/study/h3ccaYFE
* Beautiful checkmates https://lichess.org/study/YtBYXc3m [%cal Ba7h7] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 31. The Knight is the best piece to block a passed pawn"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/IjP71cLx"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp3ppp/3n4/2pPp3/4P3/2N5/PP2BPPP/R2Q1RK1 w Qq - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "11:36:02"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ Thanks to its ability to jump over all units, the Knight is considered the best piece to block a passed pawn, because its range isnâ€™t impaired by the pawn itself.
â™¦ The Bishop is the second best blockader, especially if the pawnâ€™s adjacent diagonals are open. [%csl Gd6,Rd5][%cal Ge8d6] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 32. Pawn majority distant from the enemy King is an advantage"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/rHZX9wo8"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "r2r2k1/pp3pbp/5qp1/2p5/8/1P2PQP1/P2N1PKP/1R1R4 b q - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "11:39:38"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ Majority is when a player possesses more pawns on one side than the opponent. For example, 2 against 1, 3 against 2, etc...
â™¦ In many cases, majority results in a spatial advantage, but most important is that this majority always produces a passed pawn, when pawns are correctly advanced. [%csl Rf3,Ya2,Yb3,Ba7,Bb7,Bc5][%cal Ge7f6,Rf6f3] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 33. Minority Attack"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/aMny9urU"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "3rr1k1/1pb2pp1/p1p2n1p/1P6/P3P3/2N1BP2/6PP/2RR4 b q - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:00:35"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ Whenever a color has majority of pawns on one side, the other color may perform a minority attack.
â™¦ This attack consists of advancing pawns in order to force trades, leaving the opponent with only one isolated pawn or a backward one. [%csl Ya4,Yb5,Ga6,Gb7,Gc6][%cal Bb4b5] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 34. Avoid Unnecessary Trades"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/La5t6KHs"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "r1b2rk1/pp1nqppp/2p1p3/3n4/2BP4/2N1PN2/PP3PPP/2RQK2R w q - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:03:36"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ As a general rule, you should only trade pieces:
â™¦ When your opponent has the initiative
â™¦ When you are in a restricted position
â™¦ In order to weaken your opponentâ€™s pawn structure
â™¦ When you are in material advantage
â™¦ In order to trade off a passive piece for an active one of your opponent
â™¦ In order to simplify position and reach a more favorable endgame
â™¦ In order to eliminate an important enemy defense [%cal Bc3e4] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 35. The value of a piece varies according to its position"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/JtdFadhh"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "rn2kb1r/p3qppp/2p2n2/1p2p1B1/2B1P3/1QN5/PPP2PPP/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:09:17"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ The value of a piece is, generally, consistent with the number of squares it dominates, because the more squares it controls, the more it threatens the opponent.
â™¦ A well-positioned piece is of much higher value than the equivalent enemy piece that occupies a bad position.
â™¦ In general, a well-positioned piece has the following qualities: it is protected, has great mobility, isnâ€™t easily attacked, cooperates with the other pieces and attacks enemy pieces or pawns. [%cal Bc3b5] } 1. Nxb5 cxb5 2. Bxb5+ Nbd7 3. O-O-O { [%csl Yf6,Yd7] } 3... Rd8 4. Rxd7 Rxd7 5. Rd1 Qe6 6. Bxd7+ Nxd7 7. Qb8+ Nxb8 8. Rd8# { Morphy's Game. } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 36. Whenever possible, place your Rooks on the 7th or 8th rank"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/43KE2gQI"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "5rk1/pp1R1p1p/2p3p1/8/8/8/PPP2PPP/5K2 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:13:17"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ A Rook on the 7th rank is an advantage, not only because it represents danger to enemy pawns, but also because it restricts the opponentâ€™s King and creates various mate possibilities. [%csl Yb7,Ya7,Yf7][%cal Bd2d7] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 37. Double Rooks on the 7th rank"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/PtIyiYRm"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "br3rk1/2R2p1p/6pB/8/8/7P/5PP1/3R1K2 w - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:16:33"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ Two Rooks occupying the 7th rank is an extremely dangerous weapon, because the enemy is condemned to the most complete passivity. [%cal Bd1d7] } 1. Rdd7 { â™¦ The enormous amount of pressure on the pawn base and the possibility of innumerous tactic themes, almost always turn this advantage into a win. [%csl Bc7,Bd7,Yf7,Yh7,Yg8] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 38. Not always a pawn should be promoted into a Queen"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/8k4nBhqr"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "5N2/3q3k/6p1/6K1/r7/8/5PPP/8 b - - 0 1"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:19:20"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ In amateur games, automatically queening a pawn has been the reason for many stalemate draws. [%cal Bf7f8,Rf8h7,Rf8d7] } 1... Kg7 2. Nxd7 { â™¦ Carefully consider which piece is most appropriate for that specific circumstance. } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 39. Keep your Knights close to the center"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/BfU965gm"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "rn1qk2r/pb1pbppp/1p2pn2/2p5/2PP4/2N2NP1/PP2PPBP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 7"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:22:16"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ Knights, more than any other piece, need to be close to the center of the chessboard.
â™¦ First, because a Knight can control 8 squares from the center, while from the borders it controls only 4.
â™¦ Second, because a Knight needs 4 moves to cross the chessboard and reach the other side, while from the center it takes only 2 to get to one of the borders. [%csl Bc3,Bf3] } *
[Event "ðŸ’¡ Chess Tips [ Part 4 ]: 40. Rooks should rapidly occupy open or half-open files"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/qh6X5hLD/wpqF2BlR"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Toxenory"]
[ECO "?"]
[FEN "r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n5/1B2p3/4n3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQR1K1 b kq - 0 5"]
[Opening "?"]
[SetUp "1"]
[UTCDate "2016.08.11"]
[UTCTime "12:23:45"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ â™¦ During opening, Rooks are the last pieces to be developed, because they are effective when they settle on open or half-open files.
â™¦ Usually, the ideal squares to place Rooks are e1, d1 and c1 (e8, d8 and c8 for Black), because from these positions they can put pressure on the center and defend the backrank at the same time.
â™¦ A Rook may, however, be an effective defense when placed on the 2nd file, while it still operates aggressively in the file. [%csl Be1,Ye8,Ye4][%cal Bf1e1] } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 1"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/5byS5HzD"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.09"]
[UTCTime "21:33:54"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 { Develop knights (Nc6/Nf6) before bishops. } 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Nc3 ( 6. c3 { Strongest move; discussed on ch. 3. } ) 6... Bf5 { Bf5 is strong; opt for Bg4 to pin the knight if bishop isn’t placed on e2. } ( 6... Bg4 { Bg4 is a mistake in this position. } 7. h3 Bf5 8. Ne5 { Position is now equal. } ) 7. O-O e6 { E6 is best. } 8. Bf4 Be7 { Be7 or Bd6 is good. } 9. Re1 O-O { Castling is great for black (position is currently at -0.7); expansion on the queen side with Rac1 and a6/b5 will lead to an exciting game. The knight can eventually hop into e4 as well. } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 1 cont. (2. Nf3)"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/ubwdLu6x"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B10"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.11"]
[UTCTime "02:09:22"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 { Nf3, a very common move among beginners. This position can also transpose into that of the first chapter. } 2... d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nc6 { Follow the same principals and themes as the first chapter. } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 1 cont. (4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bd3)"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/DHhrx4Uz"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.09"]
[UTCTime "22:13:19"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 { Essentially the same theme, but white’s light-squared bishop is placed on d3 rather than e2. } 1... c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bg4 7. Bf4 { Bf4 in this position is a blunder. } 7... Nxd4 8. Be2 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 { White is just down a clean pawn and black has the easier game
10. e6 11. O-O Bc5/Be7 12. Rad1 O-O/Rc8 is promising: } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 1 cont. (4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3)"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/JnenBXId"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.09"]
[UTCTime "22:40:12"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3 { c3, the best move in this variation for white. } 5... Nf6 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. Bf4 e6 8. O-O Bd6 { An equal game, but fighting chances for black. Attempt to trade off the dark-square bishop and continue to make simplifications. Also, never let go of the d5 pawn which would allow for a d4-d5 pawn break. } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 1 cont. (5. c4)"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/Z14guKaO"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.11"]
[UTCTime "02:20:13"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 exf6 { In this position, black is already slightly better. Put bishops on e6 and d6 (if Nc3, opt for Bb4). } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 2"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/fOnCFRFT"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation, Rubinstein Variation"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.10"]
[UTCTime "02:10:46"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 { White’s light-squared bishop on d3 restricts black’s light-squared bishop by preventing it from going to f5. } 4... Nc6 { Nc6 hits the weak pawn on d4, a critical theme in the caro-kann. Also, after 5. c3 Nf3, white’s queen won’t be able to give check on the a5 square. An important theme in this variation is the danger of the b5 square and its diagonal towards the king along with b1-h7 diagonal. Another logical continuation would be a6 to restrict the b5 square. } 5. c3 { The best move for white. Moves like Nf3 allow for the bishop to jump to g4. } ( 5. Nf3 Bg4 ) 5... Nf6 { Nf6 controls the g4 square. If white wants to continue the restriction of the light-squared bishop, the move h3 would have to be played, which would in turn inhibit white’s development. } 6. Bf4 Bg4 { A comfortable game for black in which problems are unlikely to occur. Common themes include trying to trade off the light-square bishops and further simplifications. Main line includes 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Nd2 e6. Only downside is that white’s dark-squared bishop restricts black’s bishop from coming to d6. } 7. Qb3 { Here is a game that continues from this position (Aronian vs Caruana): } 7... Qc8 8. Nd2 e6 9. Ngf3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rae1 Bh5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bg6 14. Bxg6 hxg6 15. a3 Qc6 16. Nf3 Ne4 17. Bf4 f6 18. Nd2 g5 19. Be3 f5 20. f3 Nd6 21. Bf2 Nc4 22. Nxc4 dxc4 23. Qc2 Bf6 24. Re2 Rad8 25. Rfe1 Rfe8 26. Bg3 f4 27. Bf2 Kf7 28. Re4 Qb5 29. Qe2 Qd5 30. g3 fxg3 31. Bxg3 Re7 32. Rg4 b5 33. f4 gxf4 34. Bxf4 Rh8 35. Rf1 Ke8 36. Qe3 Rh5 37. Qg3 Rf5 38. Qg2 Kd7 39. Re1 a5 40. Bg3 Qxg2+ 41. Kxg2 b4 42. axb4 axb4 43. Ra1 Kc6 44. Ra4 Rb7 45. Re4 bxc3 46. bxc3 Rb3 47. Re3 Kb5 48. Ra8 Bxd4 49. Rxe6 Bxc3 50. Rb8+ Ka4 51. Rc8 Rb4 52. Ra6+ Kb3 53. Bd6 Rf6 54. Rac6 Rg6+ 55. Kf3 Rb7 56. Rxc4 Rf7+ 57. Ke4 Rg4+ 58. Kd5 Rf5+ 59. Ke6 Rf6+ 60. Kd5 Rxd6+ 61. Kxd6 Rxc4 62. Rxc4 Kxc4 63. Ke6 Bd2 64. Kf5 Bh6 65. Ke4 Kc3 { Aronian, L. - Caruana, F., 0-1, chess.com Speed 3m+1spm 2017, 2018, https://lichess.org/aCYoermQ } *
[Event "Caro-Kann: Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 2 cont. (5... Nf6 6. h3)"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/VJb8YgoJ/NDt1fOU5"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Hairy_poppins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation"]
[UTCDate "2020.12.10"]
[UTCTime "03:44:04"]
[Variant "Standard"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 $5 { h3!? The move we discussed before is a slow move but is heavily preventing black from developing the light-squared bishop. } 6... g6 $1 { g6! Preparing to fianchetto the dark-squared bishop while also giving us a square to develop the light-squared bishop. } 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. O-O Bf5 $1 { Bf5! Our solution to developing the light-squared bishop. White has a choice on whether to take or to ignore. Let’s see what happens when takes: } 9. Bxf5 ( 9. Re1 $2 Bxd3 { White has traded off his best minor piece: the light-squared bishop on d3. } 10. Qxd3 O-O 11. Bf4 Ne4 12. Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Nxd2 e6 { Here, black’s pawn structure is solid and shouldn’t have any problems. You have the choice of maneuvering the knight to c4 (via Na5) or you can push the a and b pawns down the board. Great fighting chances for black! } ) 9... gxf5 { The pawns on f5 and d5 allow for a strong hold on the e4 square in which we can eventually put our knight. In fact, the only way for white to kick our knight out would be the dubious f3. } 10. Bf4 O-O 11. Ne5 e6 12. Nd2 Ne7 { The e7 knight can eventually jump to g6 and kick the bishop from f4. Eventually, the knight will move to e4 where it will be very hard for white to force it away. The e4 knight will be a very powerful piece that can be heavily utilized. The fianchettoed bishop can eventually move to h6 after white’s bishop moves to h2/g3 after the Ng6 maneuver. The middle game after this position will be comfortable as all of the pieces seem to work in harmony. } 13. Re1 { Here is game that continues from this position (Nun vs Rogers): } 13... Ng6 14. Bh2 Ne4 15. Nd3 Bh6 16. Nf3 f6 17. Re2 b6 18. Qb3 Rc8 19. Kh1 Qd7 20. Rae1 Kh8 21. Ng1 Rfe8 22. f3 Nd2 23. Qd1 Nc4 24. f4 Nd6 25. Nf3 Ne4 26. g4 fxg4 27. hxg4 Bg7 28. Rg2 Rf8 29. Reg1 a5 30. Qe1 Qb5 31. Nf2 f5 32. gxf5 exf5 33. Nxe4 dxe4 34. Ng5 Rf6 35. Qd1 Bh6 36. Nh3 Nh4 37. Re2 Qd5 38. Re3 Nf3 39. Rg2 Rg6 40. Rxg6 hxg6 41. a3 Kg7 42. Bg3 b5 43. Ng1 Ne5 44. Qf1 Rh8 45. Kg2 Ng4 46. Re1 Rc8 47. Qe2 Kg8 48. Nh3 Bg7 49. Ng5 Bf6 50. Bh4 Rc7 51. Kg3 Bxg5 52. Bxg5 Rh7 53. a4 e3 54. Bh4 g5 55. fxg5 Qd6+ 56. Kh3 Nf2+ 57. Kg2 Rxh4 58. Qxe3 Qh2+ 59. Kf1 Ne4 { Nun, Jiri - Rogers, Ian, 0-1, CZE-chT 9495, 1995, https://lichess.org/nGSVXeml } *