White to move. How should White proceed?
Hint by Chess Today: White wins, but only with ‘outside of the box’ thinking!
Source: Chess Today
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1.Be1 Bxe1 2.Kf6 with the idea of Ke6,d7,c8,xb7 and wins.
Kamalakanta
Kama, your idea wont work…blacks e pawn will queen way sooner then whites b pawn.
en passant?
c5xd6
I do not see any defence for black after 1.Bc3. Moving the black king would obviously lose.
Should the black bishop retreat on the h4-d8 diagonal the white bishop would get to e1, winning.
So, 1…Bf2 2.Kf6 Bxe3 3.Ke6 and white’s pawns should prove stronger than black’s bishop.
DV
After 1. Bc3 I would play 1. … Bg5. If the king takes the bishop I will take the pawn and go to the c8 square. And white is not able to break through.
I insist on th en passant.
I don’t see anything at all for White?
Obviously giving up the f-pawn with crossing down to the queenside to hit the pawns is a draw. So the King can’t move.
1.Be1? loses, you can’t distract the white bishop like that.
1.Bc3 (or Bb4, or Ba5) Bf2 2.Kf6 and Black doesn’t take on e3 but plays 2…Be1!! and if 3.Bxe1 stalemate. Moving the bishop doesn’t work as Black keeps offering, so only 3.Ke6 is possible. Black then can take the B and then the e3 pawn and move to f4 and wins.
1.Bc1 also fails to 1…Bbf2 and the stalemate problem.
White can’t even try to give up the f-pawn and trap the B, it has too many squares. White can’t trade bishops and get the opposition to win as the black king will be stalemated at a8.
Can anyone post the solution? I would love to see it.
Ken
White would like to bring its king to e6. Then it can capture b7 pawn easily.
Black Bishop stops it by being on the h4-d8 diagonal.
Also, Black would like to capture e3 pawn and White can mate by d6-f8 check.
It seems white can LET it capture the e3 pawn but prevent it from queening.
1. Bc1 (to avoid repeat via Bc3, Bf2, Bc1, Bh4)
1. … Be7/d8 (keeps King from going to f6, then e6)
2. Bb2 (to avoid repeat via Bc2, Bh4) then
Wins with 2. … Be7/d8 3. Be1 (takes away h4 square) +- 3. .. Be7/d8 4. Bg3 Be7/d8 then 5. Bd6+ Be7 6. Bxe7 Kxe7 Kg8 –> f8.
OR, it waits a turn by Bf4 (if Black Bishop is on Be7 and then has to move).
if 2. .. Bh4 3. Bc3 then 3. .. Bf2 4. Kf6 +-
4. .. Bxe3 5. Kf6 Bf2 6. Ke6 e3 7. Kd7 e2 8. Kc8 e1=Q 9. Bxe1 Bxe1 10. Kxb7 Bg3
(not Bf2-Bxd4 as Kxc6 – Kxd5) thus, 11. Kxc6 Kxf7 12. Kd7 Bb8 13. c6 wins.
It’s way over my head. It seems when White King goes to f6, Black Bishop will hunt down the White Bishop. White can’t take it or it will be stalemate. If white loses the Bishop, it reduces black’s moves to queening and white loses. Sorry. Can’t be done.
its a draw..
1. Bc1 Bf6 or Bg5, because capure in f7 and draw Kd7-c8=
i am crazy?
I said a possible solution. It’s not 100% but possible.
En passant
It’s a study of 1870, en passant wasn’t allowed those days.
My Fritz11 says it is an equal situation. I set up this position without allowing the en passant move.
So I just can repeat myself.
En passent is not allowed in a study. It’s nonsense, it’s nice as a joke, but never the solution of a study. Put away your computer and think logical, by deduction, don’t be lazy, be human.
I never use computer when I want to find the solution.
I have found nothing. Maybe you are right I don’t know I’m not an expert. But I really say that I can’t find any other solution, if white wins.
“Outside of the box thinking.” says the comment. I can deduce only to the en passant from this. If it is really forbidden then it is a wrong study. If it is a joke, yes it is not a good one.
Well, If there is a real solution I would also wonder it. 🙂
OK, I’ll try then:
1. Bc1 Be7/d8
2. Bb2 Bd8/e7
3. Bc3 Bh4 (otherwise Be1 comes)
4. Bd2 Bg3 (what else)
5. Kh5 Kxf7
6. Kg4 Bh2
7. Kh3 and black bishop is a goner.
Having in mind this line black will try different:
1. Bc1 Be7/d8
2. Bb2 Bh4
3. Ba3 (zugzwang)
.. Bf2
4. Bc1 Bh4 (or Bg3 5. Kh5 with similar line as above)
5. Bf2 1-0
You see, computers aren’t always the solution, especially with such old studies. ;O)
5.
That very last move of course 5. Bd2 (sorry, easy to make type errors by head)
1.Bc1 I play Bg5. If you take it I will tkae th pawn an go to the c8 square. And white is not able to break through.
Who is that guy anyway? I googled Lequesne, he broke out of a madhouse in 1869! That was probably the outside the box question.
You’re rigth, it looks draw after all.
Please Susan!
Tell us the truth, I would like to know if I went mad. 🙂
Oh my God!
if:
1. Bc1 Bg5! (threaten Bxe3)
2. Kxg5 Kxf7-e7-c7-c8-d8 =
The blacks don’t have her bishop’s need, after they capture in f7
this problem is a trap
the correct is 1. cxd6!!! ap
by stulzer
1. Bc3 Bg5
2. Be1! Bxe3
3. Bh4 Bxd4
4. Bg5 (with the idea Bh6+) Bg7
5. Be7+ Kxe7
6. Kxg7 1-0
It works also
1. Bc3 Bg5
2. Be1! Bxe3
3. Bg3 with the idea Bd6+
Clever, Simone. Thanks for solving the problem after all! There was more to the eye …
That means computers might still think too materialistic. The winning line in amount of moves isn’t long.
Well done!
1. Bc3 Bg5 2. Be1 I would play Bh4
I fail to see why you can’t play …Bg3 after Bc3.
Kf6 still leaves …Be1 with white not able to take because of stalemate.
Pitor…
1. Bc1 .. Bg5………..ok
2. Bb2 .. try to take the pawn…
seen anything?
Well I would not take the pawn, I think that is not good.
I insist on the en passant as the only way to win.
No one has pointed out that there’s no FEN string under the diagram like we usually see. But then:
5k2/1p3P2/1Pp3K1/2Pp4/3Pp2b/4P3/3B4/8 w – d6 0 1
… would kind of give away the show.
Without 1.cxd6 White has no win.
Susan’s remark: “No computer please!” is also missing.
That might be another clue of a joke: 1. cxd6 ep
If it is, and it must be, it costed way too much time for a lot of players. 🙁
I thought humor didn’t exist in 1870?
“It’s a study of 1870, en passant wasn’t allowed those days.”
What the hell are you talking about? En passant is part of chess since the 15th century.
To prev anon: Finally someone bite at the joke. It took a while. But humor didn’t exist in 1870, did it?