Hackettstown Chess Club: The End of Tactics

I will not be challenging the prevailing view that improving players should focus on tactics but they should be familiar with technical endings like the Lucena position ,the Philidor position, or the Bishop + Knight vs King ending here among the most basic endings. The end goal of tactics is not always mate but sometimes a favorable ending.

Here's one such technical draw from the World Open that I mishandled due to time pressure against a young player Kadir Pillai.

Black can draw by giving lateral checks from the 1st rank when the White King approaches the pawn on b7 while maintaining his King on the 7th rank or in front of a pawn. White is looking to sacrifice the rook with check on the 8th rank followed by a8=Q or to win Black's rook with the manoeuvre Rh8 and Rh7+ after Black captures pawn with Rxa7 when the king stray from the g-file.

34. a5 Rb2?

In time pressure I played quickly sticking to the principle that the rook should be behind the passed pawn but after Rb5 35 a6 Rxe5 36 a7 Ra5 the rook gets behind the passed pawn just in time to stop Rg8+ followed by a8=Q.

35. a6 Ra2
36. a7 h6? taking another shelter, the square h6 away from the king.
37. h3 h5 38. h4 g4?

(38... gxh4 39. Kh2 Ra1 40. Kh3 Rh1# was worth a try in time pressure)

39. fxg4 hxg4 40. Kh2 Ra3 41. h5 Kh7 42. h6 Ra4

My King is stuck on the 7th rank pawn because of Rh8+ than a8=Q.

43. Kg3 Ra2

44. Kh4 and the White King simply infiltrates Black's position to pick up more pawns.
1-0

My 61 Memorable Games
Later I found myself near a table with 4 copies of the infamous "My 61 Memorable Games" on sale for $200. I thought the book was a hoax when it appeared briefly on ebay before Fischer's death with bidding reaching a few thousand dollars. I quickly flipped thru this large format book on good quality paper. It contains sixty games from the original book with new analysis and plenty of photographs of Fischer. The 61st game is the 10th game of the return match with Spassky. The appeal of this book is quite limited with all the controversy surrounding its authenticity and a high price tag now that the original My 60 Memorable Games is back in prints.

I'd rather be in Philadelphia

I resisted the siren call to reenter after I failed to survive the accelerated schedule. I took a zero point bye as I did not notify the TD early enough and decided to enjoy the 4th of July festivities on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.