Temposchlucker

 I have inventorized my last 50 games. About 25% had a  rook ending in them. I am very bad at it. So I managed to draw won endings, and to lose drawn endings. I have no feeling whatsoever for rook endings. I solved my opening problems, I solved most middlegame problems, but in the ending I feel lost. I have a lot of endgame knowledge acquired over the years, like theoretical rook endings, but I fail to connect the dots. I never have encountered a Philidor or Luceena in my life. To summarize: I simply cannot concoct a plan for the ending. Screwing up a won ending is of course a luxury problem. Since I'm almost retired, it is high time to fix this problem. My Chessable course of choice is Conceptual Rook Endgames of GM Jacob Aagaard. He makes a bit the impression of a muddled thinker, but the subject of his course seems to be right on the money. Since I'm the one who is confused, I might well project my own shortcomings on him. But if that is the case, I'll iron that out. He...

  The components of a combination are glued together by tempo moves. What are we talking about? White to move r2qrk2/pb2nnpQ/1p2B2p/8/3P3N/P1P5/5PPP/R1B3K1 w - - 0 1 Tal, M. vs. Myagmarsuren, L. Backward thinking: What is it that we want? We want to give mate with Ng6# What prevents that? The knight on e7 How can we lure away Ne7? By giving a check with Qh8 What prevents that? The knight on f7 How can we lure away that knight? With Bxh6 threatening mate (the tempo move) Why can't pawn g7 take Bh6? Pawn g7 is pinned and prevents Qxf7 mate Forward thinking: 1. Bxh6 threatening mate in one (tempo move) 1. ... Nxh6 giving up the defense of h8 2. Qh8+ (tempo move) 2. ... Nhg8 3. Qxg8+ (with tempo) 3. ... Nxg8 giving up the defense of g6 4. Ng6# You see a mix of ordinary tactical themes (pin, luring, overload, mate in 1) which are combined with subtle tempo moves. The only thread that holds the combination together is the logical narrative.

 System 2 is mainly babbling from memory. "Capablanca said this, so I must try to do that" It is logic in the parroting style without true understanding. On the other side, there are the well-known patterns. We must guide our attention towards their point of contact, where the logic and the patterns meet, in order to glue the logic to the patterns, creating new patterns that can be absorbed along the way. What does that look like? White to move rq3rk1/b1p2pp1/p1n4p/5N2/2b1PpP1/5Q1P/PBB2P2/3RK2R w K - 0 1 The first pattern is a double attack with 1. Qc3 to the mating square g7 and the loose piece Bc4. How can black prevent the mate? There are two main ways black can try. 1. ...f6 blocks the long diagonal. But now it enables white to take the bishop 2.Qxc4+ with check. 1. ... Qb4 pins the white queen to the king. Where are the patterns? It are just the well known tactical patterns double attack, mate in one, pin, providing a tempo. Where is the logic? In the narrative.  The nar...