[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fortress 1"]
[Black "Berlin, Endgame"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "?"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[Annotator "Micawber"]
[Source ""]
[Remark ""]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/4b3/1pp1p1k1/p1p1P1P1/P1P3K1/4B3/1P6/8 w - - 0 1"]

{Blacks task is to deny the white pieces access to his position. In other word
he has to erect a fortress. In order to maintain a fortress its essential the
defender has sufficient waiting moves: moves that don't worsen or essential alter his position.} 1.Bf2
Bd8 2.Be3 Be7 {%02Black just waits with Bd8-e7-f8. White has no entry points}
 *

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NOQAF"]
[Black "Berlin, Endgame"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "?"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[Annotator "Micawber"]
[Source ""]
[Remark ""]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5b2/2p2k2/1p2pP2/p1p1P2K/P1P5/8/1P1B4/8 w - - 0 1"]

1.b3 {%02 Note that the same position with the bishop on d8 is indeed a fortress}
c6 2.Be1 {%02! the best waiting move. Black has no more neutral moves, and must worsen his position.}
Kg8 ( 2...Ke8 3.Kg6 Kd7 4.Kf7 ) ( 2...b5 3.Bxa5 ) 3.Kg6 Kh8 4.Bh4
Kg8 5.f7+ Kh8 6.Bf6+ Bg7 7.f8Q# *

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NOQAF2"]
[Black "Berlin, Endgame"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "?"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[Annotator "Micawber"]
[Source ""]
[Remark ""]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/1pp1pPk1/p1p1P3/P1P3K1/1P6/8/8 w - - 0 1"]

1.Kh4 Kh6 2.Kg4 Kg6 {%02
 [ it's clear that with simple means, white can't win] White must sac, in order
to lure the black king away from his guard duty at the entrance]}
3.Kh4 Kh6 4.f7 {!} Kg7 {%02 forced} 5.Kh5 ( 5.f8Q+ Kxf8 6.Kg5
{?} ( 6.Kh5 { !} Kg7 7.Kg5 Kf7 8.Kh6 {%02 transposes to the main line and wins}
) Kg7 {%02 throws the win away} ) Kxf7 6.Kh6 {!} ( 6.Kg5 Kg7
{=} ) Kf8 7.Kg6 Ke7 8.Kg7 Ke8 9.Kf6 Kd7 10.Kf7 Kd8 11.Kxe6 {%02 white wins}
 *

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "EndgameStudy"]
[Black "Micawber"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "?"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[Annotator ""]
[Source ""]
[Remark ""]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1k6/1pp1p1p1/p1p1P1P1/P1P5/1P6/K4B2/8 w - - 0 1"]

1.b4 {%02 ! White cant make progress without sacrificing} cxb4
2.c5 {%02 ! If white waits with this move, black plays c5 himself, and creates a new fortress}
b5 {%02 ! Again black creates a pawn barrier to keep the white king out}
3.Kb3 Kc7 4.axb5 cxb5 5.Be1 {%02! setting a nasty trap} Kb7 { !}
( 5...Kc6 6.Bxb4 axb4 7.Kxb4 {%02 white wins as the b-pawn will fall on the next move}
) 6.Bd2 ( 6.Bxb4 axb4 7.Kxb4 Kc6 {%02 and black wins !} ) Kc7
7.Be3 ( 7.Be1 Kb7 {+0.00} {} ) Kb7 8.c6+ Kxc6 9.Ba7 {%02 white finally has broken through}
Kd5 {%02 ! now white has problems with the defence of his d-pawn}
10.Bb6 ( 10.Bb8 Kc5 11.Bd6+ Kd5 {%02 white cant make progress}
12.Kc2 Kc6 13.Kd3 b3 {  !} 14.Kc3 a4 15.Kb4 {?} b2 {%02 and black wins}
) a4+ {!} 11.Kxb4 Kxe5 12.Kxb5 Kf5 13.Be3 a3 {%02= and the white bishop cant simultaneously stop the a-pawn and defend the g-pawn}
 *

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "G5_line"]
[Black "Berlin, Endgame"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "?"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[Annotator "Micawber"]
[Source ""]
[Remark ""]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3b4/2pk4/1p2p1p1/p1p1P2p/P7/6PP/1PPB1PK1/8 w - - 0 27"]

27.c4 {!} g5 {%02 ! probably the most stubborn defence} 28.g4
{%02! Other moves like 28.f4, 28.f3 and 28.Kf3 doesnt seem to win}
hxg4 {!} ( 28...h4 29.f4 {!} Ke8 ( 29...gxf4 30.Kf3 Ke8
( 30...Bg5 31.Bxf4 Bd8 32.g5 Ke8 33.Kg4 {%02 and the h-pawn falls: white wins}
) 31.Kxf4 Kf7 32.g5 Kg6 33.Kg4 c6 34.Kxh4 Kf5 35.Kh5 {%02 and white wins}
Kxe5 36.g6 ) 30.f5 Kf7 31.Kf3 c6 32.Ke4 Kg7 33.fxe6 Kg6 {%02 to prevent white's king breaking through with Ke4-f5}
34.Bc3 { !} Be7 35.b3 Bd8 {%02 Now white has to sacrifice as waiting moves will not improve his position}
36.e7 Bxe7 37.e6 {%02
 ! This is why the white bishop had to be on the a1-h8 diagonal. Black is in
zugzwang: either allow the bishop on the queenside or the king on f5.}
Bf6 38.Be5 {!} Be7 39.Bc7 Kf6 40.Bxb6 Kxe6 41.Bxa5 {%02 And white has won the all important a5-pawn}
) 29.hxg4 Ke8 30.f4 {%02 black has to take on g4 (otherwhise white will play his king to e4 and play f5)}
( 30.Kg3 {%02 has no independant significance and transposes to the main lines}
) gxf4 31.Bxf4 Kf7 32.Kh3 Kg6 33.Bg3 Bg5 {%02! black plans a defence with his bishop outside his pawnchain}
( 33...c6 {%02 Here we examine black's plan to keep his bishop behind his pawn chain}
34.Bh4 Bc7 35.Bf6 {%02 White needs to defend the e-pawn} Kh6
36.Kh4 Kg6 37.b3 Kh6 38.g5+ {%02! In order to bring black into zugzwang white needs to restrict the freedom of movement of the black king}
Kg6 39.Kg4 {%02 Now black cant move his king as this would allow white to play Kg4-h5}
Bb8 40.Bd8 {!} Bxe5 ( 40...Ba7 41.Bc7 {%02 white wins} ) 41.Bxb6
Bc3 {%02 Black must protect his a-pawn} 42.Bxc5 Bd2
( 42...e5 43.Bd6 Bb2 ( 43...e4 44.Kf4 e3 45.Kxe3 Kxg5 46.Kd3
Be1 {%02 Other bishop moves like Bf6 or Bb2 drop the a-pawn after white plays Bc7}
47.Kd4 Bf2+ {%02 Black has to prevent Kd4-c5} 48.Ke5 {%02 White wins (black cant prevent that white's king reaches c6 after which all blacks remaining pawns will drop)}
) 44.b4 {%02 ! White threatens to free his a-pawn} Ba3 {%02! Blacks only move to prevent that white gets a passed a-pawn}
45.Bxe5 Bxb4 46.Bc7 Bd2 47.Bb6 Bc3 ( 47...Bxg5 48.Bxa5 {%02 white wins thans to his passed a-pawn}
) 48.Kf4 Bb4 49.Ke5 {%02 white wins (his king will break through to c6 after which blacks remaining queenside pawns drop)}
) 43.Be7 Kf7 44.Bd8 Kg6 45.Bc7 {%02 White would lilke to play Kg4-f4-e5-xe6. For the moment the bishop on d2 prevents this}
Bb4 ( 45...Bxg5 {?} 46.Bxa5 {%02 white wins thanks to his passed a-pawn}
) 46.Kf4 {%02 white allready threatens to break through} Bc3
{%02! to prevent Ke5} 47.Bd8 {%02! Now black must move his king as a bishop move either drops a5 or lets white king get to e5.}
Kf7 48.Bb6 Kg6 49.Be3 {%02!! Black has no good defence against white's main plans (1) Ke4-Bd4-Ke5 (2) Ke4-Kd3-Bd2}
Kf7 50.Ke4 Kg6 51.Kd3 Bb4 52.Bd2 Bxd2 53.Kxd2 Kxg5
( 53...c5 54.b4 {%02! white wins} ) 54.b4 {%02 and white wins} )
34.Bh4 Bf4 35.Bf6 {%02 forced} Kh6 36.Kh4 Kg6 37.b3 {!}
( 37.g5 {%02? This method doesnt work if blacks bishop is outside his pawnchain}
Bc1 38.b3 Bb2 {%02
! its essential that black keeps the e-pawn under attack. Note that Bd8 will be
answered by Bxe5 and black has protected his c7 pawn.} 39.Kg4
Bc3 40.Kf4 Bd2+ 41.Kg4 ( 41.Kf3 Kf5 {=} ) Bc3 {=} ) Bh2 38.Kh3
{!} Bf4 39.Kg2 {%02! Whites king is on his way to e4 and d3}
Bd2 40.Bd8 c6 41.Bxb6 Bb4 42.Kf3 Kg5 43.Bd8+ Kg6 44.Bh4 {%02
! The idea is to play the bishop to e3 where he simultaneously attacks c5 and
restricts the black king. Later on you will see that in one variation white must drive the king to the seventh rank.}
Bd2 45.Bf2 Bb4 46.Be3 {%02 Black is in zugzwang} Kg7
( 46...Ba3 47.Bd2 Bb4 ( 47...Bb2 48.Bxa5 {%02 white wins thanks to his passed a-pawn}
) 48.Bxb4 {%02 white wins the pawn ending without difficulty} )
( 46...Bc3 47.Bxc5 Bxe5 48.b4 {%02 again white creates a passed a-pawn and wins}
) 47.Ke2 Kg6 48.Kd3 {%02! and again black is in zugzwang} Kg7
( 48...Ba3 49.Bd2 Bb4 50.Bxb4 cxb4 51.Ke4 {%02 white wins the pawn endgame}
) ( 48...Be1 49.Bxc5 Kg5 50.b4 {%02! and white wins: he creates a passed a-pawn}
axb4 51.Be3+ ) 49.Bd2 {%02
! Thanks to the fact that blacks king has been driven to the seventh rank,
white can exchange into a won pawn ending. He will be just in time to protect his g-pawn.}
 *

