White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? No computer analysis please. This is a good one to figure out on your own. Enjoy!
8/7p/pp6/k1pn2B1/P2P4/KP5p/5P2/8 w – – 0 6
This is based on a theme puzzle by Smyslov.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Good morning, Susan!
1. Bd2+ .. Nb4
2. Bf4, preventing 2 .. h2 and threatening 3. dxc5, so
2 .. Nd5
3. Bd6 .. b5
4. dxc5 .. b4+
5. Kb3-c2-d4 and it’s over.
1 dxc5 threatening mate with 2Bd2.
So 1…bxc5
2 Bd8+ Nb6
3 Bc7 – Black can do nothing but advance his h pawns now since if
…c4 b4++. White does not have to even Q his f-pawn since he can capture the 2 black pawns on h2 and then black is in zugzwang and must play …c4.
Morning! I gave up and got the help of the computer. It is a beautiful one.
Consul, you got the right ideas and you have to refine your execution a very elegant and clear cut no-way out solution.
1. Bd8 h2
2. dxc h1Q
3. b4+ Nxb4
4. Bxb6#
Ohi, i see my comment is the one published so far…
This makes me think there’s some fault in my analysis! lol
Anyway i know there are a lot of variations, and my analysis is not complete! 🙂
this is damned hard, i tried very hard i couldnt find
Consul:
After 2. Bf4 I think Black can play 2. … cxd4
3. Bd2 wins the black knight but loses after 3. …b5
4. Bxb4 Kb6
5. Bd6 d3 and the bishop can’t stop both pawns.
3. Bd6 Nd5 also seems good for black to me.
Sorry to be purely negative, but I am stumped for a better line for white right now.
Here the simple 1. Bd8! wins.
I think 1. Bd2+ Nb4 2. Bf4 fails to the move Consul wants to prevent 2. .. h2! 3. Bxh2 Nc2+ and so on.
The bishop will be used as a pendulum, finally landing on e7, after which mate cannot be prevented.
1.Bd8! threats 2.dxc5 3.b4+ 4.Bxb6#
1…. cxd5!
2.Be7! threats 3.b4+ Nxb4 4.Bxb4#
2…. b5
3.Bd8+ Nb6
4.b4#
very nice!
my cup of tea with lemon was wonderful though it didnt help me to find a win for white, maybe there is only a draw
after hours of thinking my drawish line goes like this
1.dxc5 bxc5
2.Bd8+ Nb6
3.Be7 Nd5
4.Bd8+ Nb6
the third move threatens mate with
4.b4+ cxb4
5.Bxb4++
1. Bd8 c4 and now?
2. bxc4 h2 -+
2. Bxb6+ Kxb6 -+
2. b4+ Nxb4 -+
2. other cxb3 -+
Thank you Jim Lin!!! ^_^
I’ll look for a better continuation!
I still don’t find a good solution here:
1. Bd8 is replied by c4, and white’s ‘b’ pawn is lost, and h2 is still a threat!
How about:
1. Bd8
Threatening 2. dc5 followed by 3. Bb6+ and 4. b4++)
1… cxd4
(Or 1… c4 2. Bf4! c3 4. Be7! b5 5. Bd8+ Nb6 6. b4 mate)
2. Be7! Nxe7
3. b4 mate
Ok, let me see!
Mhm… mhm… ya, after
1. Bd2+ .. Nb4
2. Bf4 .. cxd4
3. Bd6
after
2 .. h2
3. Bxh2 .. Nc2+ ok and so what?
4. Kb2 and so on!
Let’s see who’s going to run out of pawns…
Sorry for multiple posting Susan, but i’ve to say that in last Lin Jin’s line White mates via 4. b4+
Oh yes I forgot the reply to 1…. c4!
1.Bd8! c4
2.Bg5! threats Bd2
2…. c3 (h2 3.Bd2+ c3 4.Bxc3+ Nxc3 5.b4#
3.Be7! and same line as my first comment
Cheers!
Why do all people here consider just
2 .. c3??
1. Bd8 .. c4
2. B(e7 to h4) cxb4!
Consul, because of
1.Bd8 c4
2.Bg5 cxb4
3.Bd2+
Sorry, correct is
1.Bd8 c4
2.Bg5 cxb3
3.Bd2+ Nb4
4.Bxb4#
I am sorry, but without you giving the full solutions in symbolic and word commentary, there is absolutely no progress for us, only degradation of what little we know. Please consider adding full solutions to each puzzle you give. Who knows, later you can even profit by publishing a book (with solutions) from these puzzles?
I think black has a better defense:
1.Bd8 c4
2.Bg5 Nb4!
3.Bd2 b5!
4.Bxb4 Kb6
White will win the game, but there’s still something to do.
i didnt find
1.Bd8
because of 1…Nb4
and here i decided there is no mate for white,
after having read the solution,
my mistake was to search only for mate,
but now i found the continuation
2.dxc5 Nc2+
3.Kb2 h2
4.cxb6 h1=Q
5.b7+ Kb4
6.b8=Q+ Kc5
7.Qb6+ Kd5
8.Qb7+
winning the Queen
the march of the pawn is terrible, not even the Queen controlling the square b7 can stop him 🙂
this study was very hard but also very instructive
this is all i have so far:
dc bc
Bd8+ Nb6
Bc7 to stop the h pawn
then the question seems to be how does black stop the f pawn.
black has a hard time avoiding zugzwang
apologies to anyone with similar results (i didn’t really read the previous answers)
1.Bd8 Nb4
2.dxc5 Nc2+
3.Kb2 h2
doesn’t work for black because of
4.Kc3 any
5.Bxb6#
Ok, Jean-Claude, sorry! ^_^
c4 was interesting but not the best reply
1. Bd8!? .. Nc3 and on whatever is not Bxb6+ or b4+ Black replies with .. Nb5+, and if axb5, Kxb5.
The most annoying line for Black in the 1.Bd8 option is:
1. Bd8 .. Nc3
2. dxc5 .. Nb5+
3. axb5 .. Kxb5
4. Bc7, and now Black can at least draw with bxc5.
But writing down all the lines is painful!!! °~°
Am i wrong? And have you checked the option
1. Bd2+ ?
the line nonetheless is relevant, ok i see my mistake, thanks for reading and carefully analyzing, because i do the same with the other comments, so we can improve for black exchanging move order:
1.Bd8 Nb4
2.dxc5 Nc2+
3.Kb2 Kb4
4.cxb6 h2
5.b7 h1=Q
6.b8=Q+
winning the Queen
if 4.Bc7 then 4…bxc5 not losing for black
i hope with these variations we have it complete now, i’m proud of working together and finding the solution altogether
thanks consul for this wonderful variation, a marvellous idea of defense, sacrifising the knight on a white square where thw king is absolutely secure of the dark-squared bishop
but at the end white can win with
4.cxb6 h2
5.b7 h1=Q
6.b8=Q+ Kc5
7.Qb6+ Kd5
8.Qb7+
winning the Queen
if 4…Kc6 instead of 4…h2
then 5.Bc7 will stop the black pawn
1. Bd8 .. Nc3
2. dxc5 .. Nb5+
3. axb5 .. Kxb5
doesn’t also work:
4.cxb6 h2?
5. b7 and white will win
therefor:
4. cxb6 Kc6
5. Bc7 and it stays hopeless
susan now we have it complete 🙂
at least i think so 🙂
please tell us if we’re wrong
its marvellous what a group can do what a single person can’t
although each of us is maybe not very strong, we altogether seem to be much stronger than every single one.
one of the most valuable principles of life: the human being is a social being, we are created for working together 😉
1. Bd8 c4 2. Bg5 Nb4 (2… c3 3. Be7 b5 4. Bd8+ Nb6
5. b4#) 3. Bd2 b5 4. Bxb4+ Kb6 5. Bd6 +-
This position is tricky indeed. I never use a computer for my analysis because I prefer to calculate the variations myself. So after 15-20 min I think the following:
The two hot moves are Bd2+ and Bd8.
1. Bd2+ Nb4 2. Bf4 h2 3. Bxh2 Nc2+ 4. Kb2 Nxd4 5. Bf4 Nf3, not great for white.
1. Bd8 and now:
(a) 1…h2 2. dxc5 h1=Q 3. Bxb6+ Nxb6 4. b4#
(b) 1…Nb4 2. dxc5 Nc2+ 3. Kb2 and here:
(b1) 3…Nd4 4. Kc3 Nxb3 (4…Ne2+ 5. Kc4) 5. Kxb3, 1-0
(b2) 3…Kb4 4. cxb6 Nd4 (4…h2 5. b7 h1=Q 6. b8=Q+ Kc5 7. Qb6+ Kd5 8. Qb7+, 1-0) 5. Kc3 Nc6 6. Bc7, 1-0
Conclusion? A bishop is better than a knight 😛
Yours,
FM Rauan Sagit, ELO 2390
Stockholm
Sweden
I think I forgot a very important variation. It can already be found in here, but I will give it anyway.
1. Bd8 c4 2. Bg5 c3 3. Be7 c2 4. b4+ Nxb4 5. Bxb4#
/Rauan