White to move. Can you win this position since Black will play Rc8 then move the Rook back and forth between a8, b8, c8, d8, e8 and f8? Please no computer analysis. Have fun figuring it out using your own mind 🙂
7k/6pP/2r3P1/8/8/8/2B5/2Q3K1 w – – 0 1
Sigman, 1970
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Very dificult.
The solution must be Queen and Bishop in the a2-g8 diagonal but is not easy to execute because the Rook can chek the white King and the Bishop must avoid that playing in the same column of the Rook
With Q in f7 and B in f1 Rook has 4 squares: a8/b8/c8/d8 . Now Rc8 is a mistake because of Bc4, but if black plays Ra8 or b8 i don´t see the win.
am i missing something?
1. Qf4 Rc8
2. Qf7 Ra8 or Rb8 or Rd8
3. Ba4
if black did not play 2… Ra8, black can make some futile checks, but eventually white can play Be8 to break the communication between the black rook and king.
i feel like i’m missing something, but i can’t see it.
Start by forcing the rook to move back and forth on his first rank with 1. 1. Qf4. Now line up the Q and B on the a2-g8 diagonal, then play Qg8+ forcing Rxg8 and hxg8(Q) mate.
Guys…
Qf4 Rxg6 1/2-1/2
One problem for White is that after 1.Qf4 Rc8 2.Qf7 Rd8 3.Bb3, or similar lines, Black can try to give away his rook by checking the White king repeatedly. If the rook is captured, it is stalemate.
I have another idea as the posters above. As black mustn’t get a took check followed by stalemate the posotion with the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal cannot be forced I think.
But in my eyes it is even more simple (so I feel I have overseen anything?).
1. Qe3! (Qe1 seems to do the same job), Rc8 (forced) 2. Qe7! now the black rook only has the squares a8-b8-c8 to move betweem as long as he cannot check which can be avoided by moving the bishop in the same column. While doing this the bishop gets upwards and finally ends on b7.
One line may be: 2. -, Rb8 (2. -, Ra8 3. Ba6) 3. Bb5!, Ra8 (3. -, Rc8 4. Bc6! and white wins quite analogue) 4. Ba6!, Rb8 (Rc8? 5. Qxg7+!! +-) 5. Bb7 zugzwang Ra8/Rc8 6. Qxg7+!, Kxg7 7. BxR
Is the final position won? After having posted this line I see that this may be white’s desaster here. Back to the drawing board.
Best wishes from Germany (0:45 here already)
Jochen
And as soon as sended the post above, I saw that the final position certainly is won (my excuse is the time :)).
Get the king to e6, sacrifce the pawn on h7, than play Kf6 Kg8 g7 1:0 even without the bishop.
But is there another mistake in my line?
1.Qf4 Rxg6+! is a draw by perpetual check, or Black wins the queen, leaving wrong colored bishop and rook pawn endgame.
Yes, 1. Qa3, else Re6 – else, nice find.
march the king next to the black pawn and it is won for white.
Ah, that’s nice, ano 5:59. I did not see Re6. 1. Qa3 is a move I did not think of while thinking of ways how the queen can get from c1 to e7 in two moves. Always these diagonals. 😉
If you want to force Rc8 you must play 1 Qa3 or Qf4
1. Qe3 (e1) Re6!
1. Qf4 Rxg6 + is not draw because you cam play the King in the F column and have Bf5 against Rf6.
I have not the solution but i´m trying
One complicating factor is that the queen and h7 pawn cannot be sacrificed at g8 since the resulting king/bishop/pawn vs king/pawn endgame is a draw. And shielding the king with the bishop must be prophylactic- once the rook gets in a check, it can harass the king endlessly by simply moving to the square next to the king. For example:
1. Qa3 Rc8
2. Qe7 Ra8
3. Kf2 Rc8
4. Bd3 Rc2
5. Ke3 Re2
and the king will find no square that the rook can’t reach him.
In addition, once forced back to the eighth rank and the queen on the seventh, sacking at g7 doesn’t seem to work either since the resulting bishop and pawns vs rook is also a draw- the rook can always take at g6 and white has the wrong colored bishop. So far, that is all I have.
Jochen is right and already gave the solution:
1.Qa3 Rc8 2.Qe7 Ra8 3.Ba4 Rb8 4.Bb5 Rc8 5.Bc6 Rb8 6.Bb7 Ra8 (c8) 7.Qxg7+ wins and it is forced.
Qxg7+ is not so easy to see because you think that the Rook is forbiden due to the stalemate.
But in that case (Rb8 and Bb7)is not check so you can take the Rook after giving the Queen.
Very deceptive!
This is one position where visualization and general thinking are more important than calculation. The dream position for White is his Q on d6 and his bishop on c6, then every back rank square is attacked. White just needs to figure out how to do it.
1. Qf4? is a mistake, black plays 1…Rg6! and draws as white can not take the rook or move his king to the f file in view of Rf6.
White should start with 1 Qa3 and his queen will eventually get to d6and the bishop will gradually maneuver to c6.
For example, 1 Qa3 Rc8 2 Qd6 Re8 (2…Ra8 3 Ba4!) 3 Be4! and black can not use the stalemate defense.
-Justin Daniel
I just realized that my solution does not quite work as black can play ra8 after bc6 and the rook can not be taken. White needs his queen on e7 to throw in qg7 before taking the rook. Jochen’s solution appears correct. I would prefer to start with Qa3 for the first move though.
-Justin Daniel
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I would move the queen to e7 and bishop to c6 with intent of moving bishop to e8 to get in the way of the rook. this would allow Qf8 mate or if the rook takes the bishop on e8 then Qxe8 mate..
Jochen did post the solution, as Soylent Green points out. Nicely done, Jochen.
What?
1.Qf4 Rxg6+?
2.Kf2 Rf6
3.Bf5
still looks like White wins.
1. Qa3 Rf6
2. Qa8+ Rf8
3. Qxf8#