Master Preparation II

Lesson 8: Converting middlegame advantages

Guest lecture by Senior Master William ``the exterminator'' Morrison (2509), 1995 Maryland Chess Champion and Member, UMBC Chess Team.

To excel at chess it is important to be able to convert middlegame advantages into won endings. Especially when both sides play well, it is not always possible for the better side to gain a decisive material or attacking advantage. Instead, the better side might--at the appropriate moment--head for the endgame. In this lesson we will study how to transform middlegame advantages into favorable endings.

In Game 1 playing White, Morrison converts a middlegame advantage into victory through tactical pressure against Black's weaknesses which include an isolated queen pawn. In Game 2, Timoshchenko transforms a middlegame initiative into a lasting and decisive endgame advantage. In this game, Timoshchenko patiently defeats Karpov with outstanding endgame technique.

Game 1: Morrison-Simpson (New York State Championship, 1988)

Game 2: Timoshchenko-Karpov (Moscow, 1967)