8/8/4p3/pP1pP3/p2P4/Pk4p1/2b4p/3R3K w – – 0 1
White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White?
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1.Rd2 Be4+
2.Rg2 Bd3
3.Rxg3 wins
1.Rd2 Kc3
2.Rg2 wins as well
nice puzzle
Rg1 to defend King from bishop and to stop black queenside pawns. Aftwerwards the b pawn converts to queen, which just has enough time to check white King and controle white pawns.
It looks like a win (as usual, I guess). There may be several acceptable lines, but here’s what I came up with:
1. Rd2 Be4
2. Rg2 BxR
3. KxB Kxa
4. b6 Kb2
5. b7 a3
6. b=Q+
And now I think white can pull check shenanigans and eventually pick off black’s a pawns, but I haven’t thought about it too hard. Someone else do it :).
I looked at 1. Rd1 first but that is a loss for white due to 1…Be4+ 2. Rxe4 dxe4 and even if white gets queen first with a check he will loose. Preventing the mate Be4 must then be done by 1. Rd2 Be4+ 2. Rg2 and then white can peacfully promote to a queen.
It took me a while to figure this out. Black is threatening mate in 1 with Be4. The obvious defenses are Re1 and Kg2.
After 1.Re1 black plays Be4 anyway! 2.Rxe4 dxe4 3.b6 e3 4.b7 e2 5.b8=Q Ka2! and there is no way to prevent black from queening and mating. White queens first, but black queens better!
The second try 1.Kg2 loses to 1…Bxc1 2. b6 Bf3!
So black has to try something else…
1.Rd2! Be4 2.Rg2 Kxa3 (2…Bd3 3.Rxg3 pins the bishop) 3.b6
Now white still has to watch out for stalemate tricks, but it seems he is just in time to win the pawns on a5 and e6 and then sac his queen for the a3 pawn, reaching a winning pawn endgame.
For example: 3…Bxg2 4.Kxg2 Ka2 5.b7 a3 6.b8=Q Ka1 7.Qd6 a2 8.Qxe6 a4 9.Qb6 a3 10.Qa5 (not Qb3 because after h1=Q Kxh1 g2 Kxg2 it’s stalemate) 10…Kb2 11.Qb4 Kc2 12.Qxa3 Kb1 13.e6 etc.
There are other possibilities in the end, but they all are similar.
I wonder what I missed this time though! 🙂
Kind regards,
PdV
Rg1 followed by b6,b7,b8=Q
Natural try is 1.Re1 to prevent mate 1…B4e+ but then 2.Rxe4 dxe4 and even if white gets queen first with a check he will be mated. So preventing mate must be done by 1. Rd2 Be4+ 2. Rg2 and then white will get a queen and be able to mate black. Other moves than 1…Be4+ cannot prevent the b-pawn to promote.
I would play
1. Rd2
All in all is tough to stop white ‘b’ pawn.
A win.
1. Td2 Le5+
2. Tg2 Ld3
3. b6 La5
4. Txg3++
This is by G McArthur and was composed in 1862!
1. Rd2! wins for white, although he will have to be careful in that black will have a stalemating possibility, as black then pursues the b pawn and lands with his king on a6, he must then underpromote to rook, or black will be stalemated.
1.Rd2! wins. Basically all I had to figure out was how to get the rook to g2 and parry the threat of Be4 mate. Rg1 however fails to 1…hxg1=Q+ 2.Kxg1 Bd3. So
1.Rd2 Be4+ 2.Rg2 Kc4 3.b6 Kb5 4.b7 Ka6! 5.b8=R and white wins.
-Seems Rd2 is winning move.
I was calculating 1.Re1?! Be4+ 2. Re4 de 3. b6 e3 4. b7 e2 5. b8Q+ Kc2 6. Qc7+ Kd1 black seems to be winning. So maybe: 1. Rd2 Be4+ 2. Rg2 Ka3 3. b6 Kb2 4. b7 a3 5. b8Q+ and white should draw with perpetual checks.
Nice lines given. Some of them came to my mind, too and I think all is said what is said.
My thoughts were like
1. Re1?, Be4+! with the nice line given by PdV (5. -, Ka2!) and the queen can’t help his king. This took me some time to see. Very nice.
1. Kg2?, Bxb1 2. -, Bf3 was easy to find afterwards.
Finally 1. Rd2 came to my mind (it was the last senseful move to try) and the line after Be4+ 2. Rg2, Kc4 3. b6, Kb5 4. b7, Ka6 5. a8R! was an easy consequence of it.
(Formerly I wouldn’t have found this stalemate idea but Susan’s exercises have sensibilized for these things. :))
Some other things to calculate were 1. Rd2, Kc3 but black comes late just one move: 2. Rxc2, Kxc2 3. b6, Kd2 4. b7, Ke2 8. b8Q, Kf2 (threating g2+) 9. Qb2+ (just in time) (not 8. Kg2??, h1Q+! 9. Kxh1, Kf2 -+).
Rest seems to win handily. Or is there again anything we all have overseen so far?
No, Jochen and SD, you’re absolutely right. There is an underpromotion!
To summarize :
Source : McArthur, London Ty, 1862, #240
Cooked ? No
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