"The Final Countdown" by Willem Hajenius & Herman van
Riemsdijk, 1997 Cadogan Chess, Flexicover, English Algebraic
Notation, 128pp., $17.95

About six weeks ago, we reviewed "Castling to Win" by Robert
Timmer, a Dutch author whose book had originally appeared
several years ago in Holland. The English version was improved
and enlarged; the book was very good. The same pattern seems to
have been followed with the recent release by the British
publishing firm Cadogan of a very interesting book, also originally
published in Dutch, about King and Pawn endings, "The Final
Countdown," by Willem Hajenius & Herman van Riemsdijk.

When originally published in Dutch, the book was titled "Veldjes
tellen" or "Counting little squares." It was well received by the
Dutch press. Indeed, it is a fascinating, if short, journey into the
world of pieceless endings...

The authors have basically divided K&P endgames into two
categories: those in which key squares play a role, and those where
they do not. The subject matter concerns itself with the fight over
key squares and the underlying theory built around them. The
authors presume little knowledge of these endings, They build
from the ground up in a logical, structured way, leaving the
conscientious reader with valuable insight into these deceptively
simple endings.

The book is divided into nineteen short chapters, with titles such as
"Key Squares", "Blocked Pawns" and "Foundations of the Three
Ranks System." The theory of these endgames is stressed, the
intent being to have the reader understand why positions are won
or drawn. A chapter with 56 endgame positions to solve is
presented at the end of the book, with helpful, instructional
explanations of the solutions.

From the chapter "Key Squares"...

(See Diagram) White can take on g5 in two different ways: one is
correct, the other is wrong.

White: Kh1; pawns - f4, h4 Black: Kh6; pawns - f7, g5

White to play and draw H. Mattison "Deutsches Wochenschach",
1918

Not 1.fxg5 + ? Kh5 2.g6 fxg6 and 3...Kxh4 where the black king
has arrived on a key square. After 1.hxg5 +! Kh5 it is still tricky: a)
2.Kg2? Kg4 3.g6 fxg6 4.f5 gxf5! (4...Kxf5? 5.Kf3 draw) and Black
wins. b) 2.Kh2? Kg4 3.g6 fxg6 4.f5 Kxf5! (4...gxf5 5.Kg2 draw)
and wins.

The surprise is 2.g6! fxg6 3.f5!! gxf5.

White managed to "move" the key squares: with the pawn on f7
these were potentially e5, f5 and g5; with the pawn on g6 the key
squares became f4, g4 and h4 but now they are e3, f3 and g3, just
within reach of the white king.

With the "rule for correspondences" as a beacon we now find:

4.Kgl! (the only move; 4.Kg2?? Kg4 and Black wins; 4.Kh2?
Kh4!) 4...Kg5 5.Kf1! (again the only move) with a draw.

The next example is also quite beautiful, and therefore, famous:

Diagram: White: Kc2; pawn - b2 Black: Kf6; pawn -a4

White to play and win C.E.C. Tattersall "A Thousand Endgames"
1910

As Y. Averbakh and I. Maizelis point out in their book
"Comprehensive Chess Endings" this composition on Diagram 7
has been attributed erroneously by many authors to F. Dedrle, who
published it in a mirrored fashion without stating its source, in
1921.

Actually this composition resulted from inspiration in a real game
where a certain Dr. Cassidy showed the surprising winning method
in 1884.

The only winning move is 1.Kb1! when Black still finds a vicious
reply with 1...a3! and now White must reply with 2.b3!.

But certainly not 2.b4? because in this way white would "push" the
key squares (the three squares in two rows front of the pawn) too
far away.

After 2...Ke6 3 Ka2 Kd6 4.Kxa3 Kc6 5.Ka4 the mission has been
accomplished: the white king arrives at an access square without
Black being able to reach the blocking square b6 in time.

It should be stressed that if the black king would have been on f5
instead of f6, Black draws just in time with: 1 Kb1 Ke4! 2. Ka2
Kd3 3 Ka3 Kc2.

Overall, this is a good book with an interesting approach to a very
elemental aspect of the game. It could however have used the
guiding hand of an alert editor. Translated from the Dutch, the
English version is surprisingly awkward in places. The British
publisher does not appear to have given the text the editorial
attention it needed. Be that as it may, you should not let that
unfortunate aspect prevent you from acquiring what is overall a
very decent effort about a subject that is not easy to master. "The
Final Countdown" will serve as an illuminating beacon for almost
all except the weakest players into the fascinating world of King
and Pawn endings.