This puzzle was sent in by LuisSR. White to move and win!
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Bishop and Pawn endgame
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This puzzle was sent in by LuisSR. White to move and win!
My guess is that white wants to queen the a pawn. the white bishop will capture the black e pawan on e2. Meantime white runs over and wins the black a pawn and queen the white a pawn.
I do not know if there is enough time to do all this. I have not yet made any moves on the board.
The above is my simple analysis.
I forgot to say that the first move is a4 to protect the white a pawn. if black were to play a4 then the white pawn could be captured.
I am finding it gets very tricky. This is a real cool puzzle. I like this one.
the black king needs to guard e2 when white takes the pawn on e2.
but there is another trick. black can try to attack the pawn on a4 so when the bishop takes on e2 then black grabs the pawnon a4. White must keep the pawn to win. bishop + King is a draw.
But if black simply runs to attack a4 then the white king can take the e pawn and that wins for white.
Basically I see a win for white. I am not sure that black can guard his pawn and attack a4
I do not have any hard list of moves. and that is really needed here.
But this is all based on my guess that a4 is the best first move. Maybe something else is better. But a4 seems really good for white.
This was a good problem it consumed much of my program’s
processing power! A good work
out – I will need a dual core
soon! Thanks Susan!
I programmed black to move first1
Blah! 🙁
I don’t think the solution starts with a4. This wastes a valuable tempo, since the bishop will have to abandon protection of the rook pawn to capture the king pawn.
My idea is that the white king should continually threaten capture of the king pawn, so that the black king is not free to meander over to capture the white rook pawn immediately. The black king pawn must then advance and the bishop then captures it and white then plays a4 and the bishop comes back to protect the pawn.
1. Ke6 1. e4
2. Kf5 2. e3
3. Kf4 3. e2
4. Bxe2 4. Kc3
5. a4 5. Kb4
6. Bb5 and wins, since the white king will capture the rook pawn and the bishop will control the queening square.
Am I missing something?
“1. Ke6 1. e4
2. Kf5 2. e3
3. Kf4 3. e2
4. Bxe2 4. Kc3
5. a4 5. Kb4″
and what’s next if 2…Ke3?
Rather… what’s next if 1…a4?
a4! only win
A really nice one,
the trick is 1.a4!
If 1.a4 is not played, black
moves a5-a4, blocks the a3 pawn and
captures it with the king, deflecting
the white bishop with the e-pawn.
Easy to overlook in time-trouble.
1.a4!
The only way to victory.
if 1.Ke6? a4! Fixing the pawn
2.Bxa4 (or 2.Kf5 Kc3=)
2…Kc3
3.Bb5 e4!
4.Ke5 e3
5.Ke4 (5.a4 Kb4=)
5…e2 and 6.Bxe2 Kb3=
1…e4 2.Ke6
or2.Kf6; or2.Kg6
2…e3
3.Kf5! Kc3
4.Kf4 Kd2
5.Kf3+- A clasic zugzwang position
DBI
Thank you, Susan, for posting! I hope you all have found it interesting.
As was said above, any other move than 1. a4 is drawish (black simply plays 1. … a4 and approach the king to a3 unprotected white pawn).
Greetings,
-Luis
Somebody’s gotta help me out here…
I dont understand why the a-pawn is lost if 1.ke6 a4 2.Bxa4 ..?
If 2… kc3 why not 3.Bc5 (or 2…kc5 3. Bf8) and then 4.a4 ?
Anonymous,
1. ke6 a4
2. Bxa4 Kc3
3. Bc5 e4
4. a4 Kb4
Now black pushes the pawn and when bishop captures it in e2 then the king do the same with a4 pawn.
FEN:
8/5K2/8/pB2p3/3k4/P7/8/8 w – – 0 1
Played with this position last night. White’s first move needs to be a4.