既視感 (Déjà vu)

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – Antoaneta Stefanova
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 11, 2014
8/4k3/R5K1/7P/8/8/8/5r2 w - - 0 66

Notes by Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez.

66. Ra7+ Kf8?? 66. ... Ke6! is a draw, as I’m sure Karsten Müller would be delighted to show in his Endgame Magic show on playchess.com. 67. Ra8+! Ke7 68. h6 Rg1+ 69. Kf5! Stefanova must have forgotten that now White’s Pawn does not need the help of the King to advance, as Black’s awkward king position does the job for her. 69. ... Rf1+ 70. Ke5 1 : 0. 70. Ke4?? Rf8=; [now, after] 70. Ke5 Re1+ 71. Kd4 Rd1+ 72. Ke3 Re1+ 73. Kd2 Rh1 74. h7 and Black cannot stop the Pawn, unless she sacrifices a whole Rook. Tragic, truly.

So far, Grandmaster Ramírez Álvarez.
Strangely enough, a very similar endgame occurred in the sixth Women’s World Chess Championship 1937, where Italian star Clarice Benini blundered half point the same way as Stefanova.:

Milda Rudolfovna Lauberte – Clarice Benini
6th Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; Stockholm, 1937
8/6RK/3k3P/8/8/4r3/8/8 b - - 0 54

From the diagram position (after 54. h6), Clarice threw away half point with 54. ... Re8?? A typical sample of bad endgame technique! After 54. ... Ke6! Black easily draws; for example: 55. Kg8 Kf6 56. Rf7+ Kg6. Now, instead, the sad epilogue: 55. Rf7 Re1 56. Kg8 1 : 0.