White to move. Is this a win or draw?
7k/1R4R1/7p/p2p3P/P2P4/8/KP4P1/r7 w – – 0 2
This is based on the game between L’Ami (2626) – Van Wely (2666).
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If white can escape the checks by going up the board, then he can win.
…but he may have to go all the way over by h2 to get there.
white must win. Kxa1 and checkmate with two rooks.
kxa1 is stalemate
looks like a win. King goes to b5 by way of h2, g3, f4 etc. Once K hits b5 check on b6 can retake with R or c5 takes with pawn and black then has a pawn move.
I don’t see anyway to avoid the black rook checks without stalemate so it looks like a draw. The only try would be to bring the white king to the 8th rank but black can still give checks without putting his rook on the seventh or being blocked
White win
its a draw
Looks like Black has a desparado (sp?) draw: 1. Kb3 Ra3+ 2. Kc2 Rc3+, etc, because if White ever captures the rook it is a stalemate.
Its a win.
There are some squares where the black rook can not go. b5, c5, e5 and g6.
The white king has to do a walk around the g pawn and up the board until it ends up on the b5 square from where the black rook can not check without loosing, since both the b6 square and the c5 squares are covered.
I think white can win.
The winning plan is to bring the WK to b5. Once there, the BR has no more desperado checks.
The path to follow is amazing and amusing!
Thank you Susan for this.
Its a win but very long way for the king from a2 – h1 – a6
k to b5 wins
han
white should win this one..dont capture the stubborn rook by your king..you should move ur king to the 7th rank so that the white rook can capture the black rook and in 1 move mate..got it..
white should win this one..dont capture the stubborn rook by your king..you should move ur king to the 7th rank so that the white rook can capture the black rook and in 1 move mate..got it..
white should win this one..dont capture the stubborn rook by your king..you should move ur king to the 7th rank so that the white rook can capture the black rook and in 1 move mate..got it..
White wins as follows:
1)Kb3 Ra3+ 2)Kc2 Rc3+ 3)Kd2 Rd3+ 4)Ke2 Re3+ 5)Kf2 Rf3+ 6)Kg1 Rf1+ 7)Kh2 Rh1+ 8)Kg3 Rh3+ 9)Kf4! Rf3+ (if 9)…Rh4+ 10)Rg4+-) 10)Ke5 Rf5+ 11)Kd6 Rf6+ 12)Kc5 Rc6+ 13)Kb5 and black cannot check anymore (if 13)…Rc5+ 14)dxc5 and no stalemate, if 13)…Rb6+ 14)Rxb6 Kxg7+-).
If between moves 3 and 5 the black rook doesn’t check from the third row, the white king will escape earlier to f4 square.
1.Kb3 Ra3+ 2.Kc2 Rc3+ 3.Kd2 Rd3+ 4.Ke2 Re3+ 5.Kf2 Rf3+ 6.Kg1 Rf1+ 7.Kh2 Rh1+ 8.Kg3 Rh3+ 9.Kf4 Rf3+ 10.Ke5 Rf5+ 11.Kd6 Re6+ 12.Kc7 Rc6+ 13.Kb8 Rc8+ 14.Ka7 Ra8+ 15.Kb6 Ra6+ 16.Kb5 +-
– SS
I think the desperado rook is not enough.
White has a safe square on b5. If rook checks on b6, then I can capture with b7 rook. If you check me on c5, I capture with the pawn and no stalemate as Black can play d4
So I think White king has to do a route like
Kb3-c2-d2-e2-f2-g1-h2-g3-f4-e5-d6-c5-b5 when Black is checking with the furious rook, and then is over.
White wins, as after running his king to b8!
1. Kb3 Ra3+ 2. Kc2 Rc3+ 3. Kd2 Rd3+
4. Ke2 Re3+ 5.Kf2 Rf3+ 6. Kg1 Rf1+
7.Kh2 Rh1+ 8.Kg3 Rh3+ 9. Kf4 etc…
get the king to a6 without taking the a pawn, wins
White king must go to b5 and no more stalemate checks
White wins eventually by running his king along the 7th rank, with black following giving rook checks on the 6th rank. Then..
After Kc7 Rc6+, Kb8 Rc8, Ka7 Ra8, Kb6 Ra6, Kb5 Black runs out of good checks. Rb6+, Rxb6 Kxg7 and its all over.
There is nowhere else on the board with a black pawn getting in the way of useful rook checks.
This must be a draw, because white king doesn’t come out of rook checks without taking the rook.
Going for the h pawn doesn’t help either, because white’s Rg6 doesn’t prevent the stalemate.
If the pawns in the d-line were at d5 and d6, then the white king should have a beautiful field on d7, I think (enforcing Re7 or Rf7).
It’s a win:
1. Kb3 Ra3+ 2. Kc2 Rc3+ 3. Kd2 Rd3+ 4. Ke2 Re3+ 5. Kf2 Rf3+ 6. Kg1 Rf1+ 7. Kh2
Rh1+ 8. Kg3 Rh3+ 9. Kg4 Rh4+ 10. Kf5
If the rook takes the pawn, it doesn’t exist a stalemate.
10 …Rf4+ 11. Ke5 Rf5+ 12. Kd6 Rf6+ 13. Kc5
Rc6+ 14. Kb5
1 – 0
White wins! it’s not completely true that “whenever white takes the rook it’s stalemate”!
maybe there are other squares too, but for sure b5 is a square for the white king where there is no useful check
(bl. Rb6/c5/b4 Rb6:/dc5:/Ka6!)
And white manages to get to b5, e.g.:
1.Kb3 Ra3 2.Kc2 Rc3 3.Kd2 Rd3 4.Ke2 Re3 5.Kf2 Rf3 6.Kg1 Rf1 7.Kh2 Rh1 8.Kg3 Rh3 9.Kf4 Rf3 10.Ke5 Rf5 11.Kd6 Re6 12.Kc5 Rc6 13.Kb5 1-0
(of course there are other possibilities for black, but none of them hinder white from finally reaching b5 – or finishing the game earlier…)
White wins! Sample line:
1.Kb3 Ra3
2.Kc2 Rc3
3.Kd2 Rd3
4.Ke2 Re3
5.Kf2 Rf3
6.Kg1 Rf1
7.Kh2 Rh1
8.Kg3 Rh3
9.Kf4 Rf3
10.Ke5 Rf5
11.Kd6 Rf6
12.Kc5 Rc6
13.Kb5 Rc5
14.Kb6 Rc6 (14…Rb5 15.Ka6 wins)
15.Kxa5 Ra6 (15…Rc5 16.Rb5 wins)
16.Kb5 Ra5
17.Kc6 Rc5 (17…Ra6 18.Rb6 wins)
18.Kd7 and White wins.
White wins!!
1. Kb3 Ra3+ 2. Kc2 Rc3+ 3. Kd2 Rd3+ 4. Ke2 Re3+ 5. Kf2 Rf3+ 6. Kg1 Rf1+ 7. Kh2 Rh1+ 8. Kg3 Rh3+ 9. Kf4 Rf3+ 10. Ke5 Rf5+ 11. Kd6 Rf6+ 12. Kc5 Rc6+ 13. Kb5!! Rc5+ 14. dxc5 1-0
not 13…Rxb6+ because of Rxb6 white wins
It’s a win but it will take like 20 moves or more, because the black rook can keep suicidally checking the white king. The white must use one of his rooks to interpose a check, then the black will have little choice to but to lose his rook. Black king takes the other rook and then it’s a normal pawn endgame with white advantage.
White wins, King path Kb3 -c2,d2,e2,f2,g1,h2,g3,f4,e5,d6,c7,b8,a7,b6,b5 and hurray .. Rb6+ is met by Rxb6.
King takes rook. Some may call this a stalemate, but my rule if the game ends in a stalemate but you have more material, you get 3/4 of a point which is better than a draw and almost as good as a win.
White runs his king to b5 and the checks stop as …Rc5+ is met by dxc5.
to avoid the stalemate trap, the white king has to escape all the way via b3, h1, g3, d6-c5-b5, and then the black rook can’t check no more, because on c5 the white pawn will capture setting loose the black pawn on d5, on b6 the white rook will capture, allowing the black king to capture the other rook. greets, jan
White K has to go to d6 – c7 – b8 – a7 – b6 – b5 for no more checks to the wing the game
White wins – the king will eventually go to b5, via b3, e2, g1, g3, e5 etc. When it arrives on b5, black will no longer have any checks resulting in a stalemate, and it’s an easy win afterwards.
I can’t seem to figure out how to avoid the desperado checks….I thought going for h6 might work…but nope…can’t see it…if there IS a winning pattern…I’d love to see it.
Black will usually have two ways to give check, and optimally, the Rook will give check next to White’s King, so that a rook can’t interpose.
White needs to find a square in which a Black Rook check will be answered by a rook capture or a pawn capture that frees Black’s pawn to move. Looking at the position, White needs to maneuver her King to b6 and Black’s Rook to c6, with Black to move.
To do this, White must go on an interesting tour.
1 b3 Ra3+
2 Kc2 Rc3+
Black tries to keep White confined to the first and second ranks.
3 Kd2 Rd3+
4 Ke2 Re3+
5 Kf2 Rf3+
6 Kg1
This is how White escapes the second rank. If the pawn on g2 weren’t there, the game would be drawn, as Black would still be stalemated after the Rook on g7 captured his Rook on the g-file.
6 … Rf1+
7 Kh2 Rh1+
8 Kg3 Rh3+
9 Kf4 Rf3+
Forced, as 9… Rh4+, 10 Rg4 eliminates the stalemate.
10 Ke5 Rf5+
Or 10… Re3+, which leads to the same position after 11 Kd6 Re6+
11 Kd6 Rf6+
12 Kc5 ….
White could also take a tour around the Rook on b7 and end up at b5 with Black’s Rook at a6, but this way is faster.
12 … Rc6+
13 Kb5
The game of Ring-Around-The-Pawns is over. Both 13… Rb6+ 14 Rxb6 and 13… Rc5+, 14 dxc5 remove the stalemate.
Greetings from Spain.
1)Kb3,Ra3+
2)Kc2,Rc3+
3)Kd2,Rd3+
4)Ke2,Re3+
5)Kf2,Rf3+
6)Kg1,Rf1+
7)Kh2,Rh1+
8)Kg3,Rh3+
9)Kf4,Rf3+
10)Ke5,Rf5+
11)Kd6,Rf6+
12)Kc5,Rc6+
13)Kb5 and whithe win the game