Mattison 1927
White to move and win!
Level of difficulty: Difficult
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knight f7+
King g8
a7
Kingxf7
a8 White gains a queen on a8.
Alternatively, after a7, black could play rook b7, but white gains a queen anyway..
🙁 i have no board for analysis.
first suggestion: 1. nf7+ kg8 (kh7 2. ng5+ kg6 3. a7) 2. a7 re6+ 3. kd1 re8 4. nd6 rf8 (ra8 5. b6 bd4 6. b7) 5. nf5 threatening with nxg7 and preventing rf1+ and bd4 at the same time. kd1 is essential for this reason
probably there are mistakes (as often in my calculations), but this may give a general idea
again a nice endgame study.
axel
danielita: consider 2 … re6+ and re8
Amazingly,
1.Nf7+ Kg8
2.a7 Kxf7
3.a8=Q Rxb5
4.Qa7+
only draws after
4…Kf8!!
you mean the Q+P vs R+B endgame is a draw?
not very surprizing, i of course thoght it must have been difficult, but decided it was doable. the main problem is passing the dark squares; apparently, black can’t make a stable construction blocking the pawn: white king approaches and threatens to exchange Q for R+B and emerge in front of the pawn. it appeared to me that the main problem is d4 sq: e.g. rd8, bf6 kg7 and I see no apparent way to break through. however, in this example white can put the pawn on d5 almost immediately (qa7 and d4)
there must be examplsare there any known examples from GM paractice. any examples?
you mean the Q+P vs R+B endgame is a draw?
In this specific case, yes. But the tablebases say that 4…Kf8!! is the only move to draw. Who’da thunk? Doesn’t 4…Kg8 look like it should be just as good? But it’s not.
Greetings,
1.a7! Re6+
2.Kd1 Re8
3.Nf5!! (Covers important d4 square from Black Bishop)
3…Bf8
4.d4! (Covers c5)
4… Ra8
5.b6 and wins
Happy New Year
King.
1.a7 Re6+ 2.Ke1 Re8 3.Nf7+ Kh7 (or Kg8 I can’t see difference) 4.Nd6 Rd8 5.b6 Bd4 6.Nc8 Rxc8 7.b7 wins.
This is my oppinion.
pitor: 7… rc1+ and bxa7 =
Unfortunately you are right. Then I for King’s solution.
vote for
king…
3…instead of bf8, bd5
looks like a draw from there.
oops…meant 3…b-e5
anon 5:25 — you mean 3…Be5, not 3…Bd5, right?
king — I like your idea of 3.Nf5. Alas, I still can’t demonstrate a win for White after 3…Be5. For what it’s worth,
1.a7 Re6+
2.Kd1 Re8
3.Nf5 Be5
4.b6 Ra8
5.Ne7 Bb8
6.Nc6 Bxa7
7.bxa7 Kg8 (or Kg7)
is drawn. Improvements for White, anyone?
I’d try: Nf7+ Kmoves Nd8 ! preventing Re6, and threatning Nc6.
If Rd6 then Nc6 anyway
exactly! that is why white ought to play 1. nf7+! (see second post from the top) rather than 1. a7
(1. nf7 kg8 2. a7 re6+ 3. kd1 (essential in his line; in Kings’ variation white could play kf1 as well) re8 4. nd6 rd8 (rf8 — see above) 5. nf5 be5 6. ne7+ kf7 7. nc6 8. ra8 b6 and there is no bb8. 1-0
i didn’t see 5… bf8 though (nice idea pointed by King) and here we have to employ the idea of Pitor (6. b6 bc5 7. nc8!) since my refutation (rc1+) no longer valid
We have to CONCLUDE THAT THERE IS NO WIN HERE because (I’m citing posting above) “1.Nf7+ Kg8 2.a7 Kxf7 3.a8=Q Rxb5 4.Qa7+ only draws after 4…Kf8!!” as Nalimov tells us :-), and 1.a7 doesn’t win because of be5
🙂
axel
besides i have just offered this problem to our friend fritz and he came up with 1. a7 (i do not have tablebases installed).
Okay, a little digging into the archives solves the mystery. As so often happens here, we all seem to have come up with a piece of the solution.
Mattison’s proposed solution (this is just the main line; he had lots of notes) turns out to have been:
1.Nf7+ Kg8
2.a7 Re6+
3.Kd1 Re8
4.Nd6 Rd8
5.Nf5 Bf8
6.b6 Bc5
7.Ne7+ Kh8
8.Nc8 Rxc8
9.b7 1-0
… but 2…Kxf7! cooks. Maybe Mattison just assumed that
1.Nf7+ Kg8
2.a7 Kxf7
3.a8=Q
… was a win for White, without realizing that
3…Rxb5
4.Qa7+ Kf8
… saves the day for Black.
Let’s cut Mattison some slack, though. His 1927 vintage hard drive probably wasn’t big enough to hold all the 6-man tablebases 😉