White to move and draw this fascinating endgame (by Hasek)
r7/7k/5R2/p3p3/Pp1pPp2/1PpP1Pp1/K1P3P1/8 w – – 0 0
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
A fascinating endgame
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Get the white rook on the H-file and exchange with Black rook. If Black King occupies H-file then get the white rook on the G-file to keep black king from coming to the g-file.
This one is fun! 🙂 🙂
My idea is, if the white King can get to the e file before the B rook penetrates, then it’s drawn. If the black R comes to h1 then Ke2 and the R has to withdraw to avoid stalemate (or give itself up and it’s drawn also).
The hard part is, in many lines the K is one square too far away. So Rh6+ can’t be played rigth away, and some tactics are required.
1. Kb1
black has to choose right away:
1. … Kg7
2. Rh6! Kxh6
and we’re one move ahead of the immediate sack (if not Kxh6 then the W rook just stays on the h file in safety)
3. Kc1 Rh8
4. Kd1 Kg7
5. Ke1 and if Rh2 then Kf1, and if Rh1+ then Ke2 and stalemate or repetition.
and if
1. … Rh8 then
2. Rf8! and it’s the same as above
It is a shame that Susan never follows up on these puzzles after she posts them. Rubypanther sees the correct idea but it is even more simple than that…White just plays Kb1-Kc1-Kd1 and lets Black win the rook, no reason to touch it or move to the h-file or anything.
As a correspondence player I love this type of position. It took me 10 seconds to solve, mostly because I have read Mednis’s endgame book with an entire section on drawing such positions in his chapter on How to Draw a Lost Endgame, the theme was very evident. However, no computer can see it (go ahead and try…even the much-vaunted Rybka is clueless after 15+ minutes).
Chess is full of such positions and those who play correspondence intentionally steer for such positions, making computer assistance next to useless. More over-the-board players should study positions like this prior to making claims of computer superiority!!
I am not an correspondent player, but I have a question for Ken. If you are not going to move the rook, then what about Kb1 Kg7, Kc1 Rh8, Kd1 Rh2. I think the previous poster’s advice of Kb1 Kg7, Rh6 is correct to win the vital tempo to get to f1 if necessary. My otb is only 2330 and I don’t have a computer; so, maybe I am missing something simple.
In the interest of completeness, perhaps it should be pointed out that Black, a rook ahead, can give back the rook, but still cannot win. In Rubypanther’s line, assuming Black played 4…Kg5 instead of 4…Kg7, then play might continue 5. Ke1 Rh2 6. Kf1 Rxg2!? 7. Kxg2 Kh4 8. Kg1! Kh3 9. Kh1=.
Fascinating.
After the idea was found I found the Rh6! blocking variation very fast but the Rf8! variation took me some time.
Quite nice!
Ken, I’m pretty sure your line loses after 1. Kb1 Kg7 2. Kc1 Rh8, so rubypanther’s variation is the only way to draw.
rubypanther… what if after Kf1 black sacrifices the exchange at g2? Is not black winning?
64,
Take a look at Michael’s analysis (three posts above yours).