Chess

Who said endgame studies have nothing to do with real life? Here are a study and a game with something in common.

First the study: the diagram position, composed by F Prokop in 1926, is White to play and draw. The natural 1.f8=Q loses prosaically to 1...Bxd7 2.Bb1+ g6 since 3.Qf7+ is met by Qg7+, forcing the exchange of queens. 1.Bb1+ g6 comes to the same thing, so White must look for something more dramatic. Noting that 1.f8=N+ Kh8 offers no hope, the only other forcing move is 1.Nf8+ Kh8, and now the only chance is 2.Ng6+ Qxg6 3.f8=Q+ Kh7. Both 4.Bg8+ and 4.Qg8+ now lead nowhere, but White has another trick up his sleeve: 4.Bb1! with the idea that 4...Qxb1 is met by 5.Qf5+! Qxf5 stalemate.

But Black does not have to take the bishop immediately. he can play instead 4...Bc3+! when 5.Kxc3 Qxb1 6.Qf5+ Qxf5 is no longer stalemate. But White declines the bishop with 5.Ke3! and keeps up the dance with 5...Bd4+! 6.Kd2!! This time 6...Qxb1 is met by 7.Qh8+! Kg6 8.Qh7+! Kxh7 stalemate. So on it goes in circles with 6...Be3+ 7.Kc3! Bd2+ 8.Kd4! with a draw either by stalemate or by perpetual harassment.

The latter theme is shared by the following miniature from the Dortmund tournament. When Anatoly Karpov has the white pieces against Judit Polgar, he usually grinds away hard for many hours trying to squeeze out a positional victory. Here's what happened at Dortmund last week:

White: Anatoly Karpov

Black: Judit Polgar

1 d4 d5 8 Nxb5 axb5

2 c4 e6 9 Qxa8 Bb4+

3 Nf3 Nf6 10 Bd2 Nb6

4 Nc3 dxc4 11 Qc6+ Bd7

5 Qa4+ Nbd7 12 Qb7 Bc8

6 e4 a6 13 Qc6+ Bd7

7 Bf4 b5 Draw agreed

If White had played 10.Nd2, then 10...e5! 11.dxe5 Nb6 would have led to the same finish: a draw by perpetual harassment.