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f5 and Queen sacrifice.
That is nice tactic.
Puzzle for Alena:
8/k1p4p/p1Pr1P2/8/5p1p/7K/5P2/4R3 w Bron 1971 white to move and win
I saw how to win the rook instantly but I haven’t solved how to deal with the black pawns so far.
1. f7 Rf6
2. Re7 Kb6
3. Kxh4 h6
4. f3 a5
5. Kh5 a4
6. Re8 Rxf7
7. Kg6 h5
8. Kxf7 Kxc6
I’m going to think how to catch all black pawns now. It’s a very difficult task.
Not terribly difficult, but precision is required near the end. In the most resistant lines, black will advance the a and c-pawns to the point that the white king will be required to help guard the c1 square. That is the key line to study from the point above at move 9.
As I always advise in pawn endings- count the moves. In this particular case, count the number of moves it takes black to safely advance the a and c pawns in order to prevent white from winning one of them before it reaches the 2nd rank. Then count the moves it takes white to win at f4, the h-pawn, get the rook to the 1st rank and to get the king to d2 to cover c1. Doing that will clarify white’s best procedure from move 8 above.
9. Rh8 Kb5
10. Rxh5+ Kc4
11. Ke6 Kb4
12. Rh4 a3
13. Rxf4+ Kb3
14. Rh4 a2
15. Rh1 c5
16. Kd5 c4
17. Kd4 c3
18. Ra1 c2
19. Kd3 Kb4
20. Kxc2 Kc4
21. Rxa2 Kd4
The main line would have been after your first 8 moves from yesterday:
9. Rh8 Kb5
10.Rh5 Kb4
In your line, black wastes a tempo with 10. …..Kc4 then 11. ….Kb4, which makes the ending easier for white. Preserving that tempo makes white’s play more difficult by forcing him to find only moves near the end…..
11.Ke6 c5
12.Ke5 c4
13.Kf4 a3
14.Ke3 a2
15.Rh1! Kb3
16.f4 c3
17.f5 Kb2
18.Kd3!
Every other move for white at move 18 draws or loses since black is threatening a1Q to win the rook- white must make contact with the c-pawn to prevent this so that he can take it on the next move after giving up the rook……
18. ………..c2
19.Kd2!+-
This is an important position in R vs P endings- the rook by itself is no defender against a pawn set up like black’s- the king is needed to help the rook capture safely at c1 if that is the pawn black queens first, or to capture at c2 after black queens the pawn at a1 winning the rook.
1. f5+ Kh7
2. Qxh6+ Kxh6
3. Rh8+ Kg5
4. Rh5+ Kxg4
5. Bf3#