(5) Study by von der Lasa
PCE #101
[White to play]

Keres completely bungles this ending. He concludes that Black's two knights can draw and he misses several twists along the way.

1.Qe6?
[The text is an error. White has a mate in forty-two beginning with 1.Qc7 Ne7 2.Qb7 Nfd5 3.Kf3 Kf7 4.Qb3 Ke6 5.Ke4 Kd6 6.Qa3+ Ke6 7.Qh3+ Kd6 8.Qh6+ Kc5 9.Qf8 Kd6 10.Kd4 Ke6 11.Qh6+ Nf6 12.Qe3+ Kd7 13.Qd2 Kd6 14.Qb4+ Ke6 15.Qb6+ Kf5 16.Qb5+ Ke6 17.Qe2+ Kf7 18.Qc4+ Ke8 19.Ke5 Nd7+ 20.Kd6 Nf8 21.Qe4 Nfg6 22.Qe6 Kf8 23.Kd7 Kg7 24.Ke8 Kh6 25.Kf7 Kg5 26.Qe4 Nf5 27.Qg2+ Kf4 28.Qxg6 Ke4 29.Ke6 Ke3 30.Kxf5 ]

1...Kg7 2.Kf3 Nh7?
This is a losing move. Keres actually discusses one of the two drawing moves but decides the text-move is better. [Keres examines 2...Nh8! 3.Kf4 Nf7 4.Qc6! but does not realize that that 4...Nh7! would keep the draw in hand for Black.; The other drawing move is 2...Ng8 ]

3.Kg4!
[Once again, White is winning. Keres looks at 3.Qd7+! but doesn't realize that it also wins.]

3...Nhf8 4.Qd6 Kf7 5.Qd5+ Kg7 6.Qd4+ Kf7 7.Kf5?
[And here Keres completely overlooks that 7.Qc4+! is mate in 31; and so is 7.Qd5+! ; The third and last winning move is 7.Qf2+! with mate in 32.]

7...Ne7+ 8.Ke4 Nfg6
and Keres concludes that White "has achieved nothing." 1/2-1/2