White to move. How should White proceed?
8/pB4Pb/4k3/8/K2P4/8/8/8 w – – 0 1
Rinck, 1915
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Be4
1.Be4 Bg8 2.d5+
White wins. What was difficult was spotting White’s second move. After that it was easy to see that White can simply gobble up Black’s a-pawn, and then the Black king becomes an overworked piece trying to cover the advance of the d-pawn and keep White’s king from invading towards the king side.
1. Be4 Bg8
2. d5+ Ke5
3. Kb5 Kd6
4. Ka6 Bf7
5. Kxa7 Kc7
6. Ka6 Bg8
7. Kb5 Kd6
8. Kb6 Bf7
9. Kb7 Bg8
10. Kc8 Ke7
11. Kc7 Kf6
12. d6 Be6
13. d7 Bxd7
14. g8=Q+
If 9…. Kd7 then
10. Bf5+ Kd6
11. Be6
Lucymarie
Hi Susan Polgar,
Ref: “Classic endgame” [White has to move]
Sub: White wins the game [Seems simple ]
Example
=======
1.Be4 Kf6
2.B*bh7 K*g7
3.Be4 Kf4
… Then its child’s play for White to win the game.
By
Venky[Chennai – India]
1.Be4 Bg8 2.d5+
The two pawns are really dangerous
for instance
A)2…Ke5 will never work because white can keep on playing 3.Ka5 and the bishop en prise cannot be taken
3…Kxe4? 4.d6 Be6 5.g8/Q Bxg8 6.d7 +-
B)2…Kd6 3.Ka5 there’s just nothing to be done there
C)2….Kf6 if it doesn’t work now, then white simply grabs the a pawn, brings the king, etc.. because nothing can be taken
3.d6!
a)3…Ke6 4.Bd5+ Kxd5 5.d7 +-
b)3…Be6 4.Bf5!! absolutely wonderful 4…Kxf5 (4…Bxf5 5.g8/Q) 5.g8/Q Bxg8 6.d7+-
OK, I can’t get more than a draw for white, so I’m hoping that we can figure this tough one out together.
1.Bc8+ (looks important for bishop to be on this diagonal to prevent black’s bishop from occupying it, hindering the advance of the d-pawn)
Kf6 2.d5 Kxg7 3.Kb5 Kf8 4.Kc6 Ke7 5.Kc7 Bg6! 6.d6 Be8 7.d7 Bxd7 8.Bxd7 and white gets a draw.
1.Be4 Bg8 then it looks like black king takes the g-pawn and makes it back with more than enough time to stop the d-pawn.
1.d5+ Kf6 2.Kb5 Kxg7 3.Kc6 Kf7 4.Kc7 Bf5 and the d-pawn is stopped.
1.d5+ Kf6 2.Kb5 Kxg7 3.Bc8 Kf7 4.Kc6 Ke7
Anybody got something better?
Hi John,
Maybe Be4 followed by d5 works better. That way the black king is forced to block the d pawn while the black bishop is forced to block the g pawn. Now the white king is free to capture black’s ‘a’ pawn.
@John: I think it must be Be4! After Bg8, 2. d5 – Kf6, 3. d6 – Le6 (black cannot take the pawn because of d7) 4. Bd5! – Bxd5, 5. d7 – Bc6+, 6. Ka5 – Bxd7, 7. g8Q 1-0
Another variation is: Be4 – Bg8, d5 – Kd6 and I am not really sure what happens then, but I would imagine that white can just pick up the a-pawn and win the resulting endgame. I think.
John @8:37 – yes, I think after:
1. Be4! Bg8
2. d5+! Kd6
3. Ka5
black will soon end up in a zugzwang. White should get rid of black’s a-pawn and get his king to c7 and then advance his d-pawn. If at any time black takes white’s bishop simply advance the d-pawn – the black king is out of reach and the bishop cannot block both d & g pawns.
1 Be4 Bg8
2 d5 Kf6
3 d6 Ke6
4 Bd5+! kd6
5 Bg8 Ke7
6 Ba2 and wins.
If black pays 2 Ke7 or kd6 then Kb5 probably wins, but I didn’t analyze completely.
White wins.
1. Be4 Bg8 (1. … Bxe4? 2. g8Q)
2. d5+
Black is tied up! The immediate … Kf6 fails:
2. … Kf6
3. d6 Ke6 (3. … Kxg7 4. d6 wins)
4. Bd5+! Kxd6 (4. … Kxd5 5. d7 wins)
5. Bxg8 followed by 6. B moves and 7. g8Q wins
White’s plan is to take the a-pawn with her King and then bring her King over to support the g-pawn.
Black can play 2. … Ke5 but trading on e5 lets the g-pawn queen and the White Bishop is immune:
2. … Ke5
3. Kb5 Kxe4?
4. d6 Bd6
5. g8Q Bxg8
6. d7
Black can try to protect her a-pawn with her King but then the d-pawn pulls it away:
2. … Kd6
3. Kb5 Kc7
4. Ka6 Kb8
White has no “tempo” moves and triangulation fails but:
5. d6! forces through to d7
e.g.
5. … Be6 (5. … Kc8 6. Bf5+ followed by 7. d7 wins)
6. Bc6 Bg8
7. d7 Kc7
8. Kxa7 Bc4
9. Ba4 and Black must let the White king out of the box
The most obvious beginning/plan to me is Be4 driving the black bishop onto g8, then advancing the d-pawn where it is now protected by the bishop and limits the mobility of black’s bishop and king even more. Let’s see if that gets us anywhere looking like a win:
1. Be4 Bg8 (only move)
2. d5
And, here, the line will diverge in different directions depending on whether or not black blockades the d-pawn, attacks the bishop with the king, or tries to win the unprotectable g-pawn.
Variation A with 2. ….Kd6:
2. …..Kd6
3. Ka5! Bf7 (Ke5 is like Var B)
4. Ka6 Bg8
5. Ka7 And this is a won ending. The only delay is to keep white’s king out of the action by taking the opposition, but that will not work as the d-pawn controls c6. Continuing Variation A:
5. …..Kc7
6. Ka6! Kd6 (black has to give way)
7. Kb7 Bf7 (Kd7 8.Bf5 Kd6 9.Be6!)
8. Kc8 Bg8 (Ke7 or Ke5 9.Kc7 wins)
9. Kd8 Bf7 (Ke5 10.Ke7 wins)
10.Bf3! Bg8 (Ke5 or Kc5 11.Ke7)
11.Kf7 and black will be forced to concede his bishop for the g-pawn and white will eventually queen the d-pawn.
Variation B with 2. ….Ke5:
2. …..Ke5
3. Ka5! Ke4 (Kd6 like Var A above)
4. d6! Be6 (only move)
5. g8(Q)Bg8
6. d7 wins. At move 3 in this variation black could have played
3. …..Kf6
4. d6! Be6 (Ke6 5.Bd5!; Kg7 5.d7)
5. Bf5! Kf7/e5 (Bf5 6.g8; Kf5 6.d7)
6. Be6 and one of the pawns will queen. This line also covers the variation at move 2 where black plays 2. ….Kf6.
Variation C with 2. ….Ke7:
2. …..Ke7
3. Kb5 Kd7 (Kf6 4.d6; Kd6 4.Ka6)
4. Kc5 Kc6 (Bf7 5.Bh7; a5 5.Bf5)
5. d6 Kd7
6. Bd5 Bh7
7. g8(Q)Bg8
8. Bg8 and white wins.
I think this covers all of the possible second moves for black that are truly relevant. Moves like 2. ….Kf7 are like Variation B. So, this plan looks like a winner in all variations.
No, black cannot take the g pawn after Be4 Bg8.
2. d5+ Kf6 3.d6 Kxg7 4.d7 queens
2. .. Kf7 is even worse and
2. .. Ke5 attacking the bishop doesn’t work because both the remaining pawns cannot be stopped by the bishop on g8
2. .. Kd6 Kd7 and Kd8 is just passive and allows the white king to calmly snatch the a pawn and move in to guide one of the remaining pawns to victory.
Re John’s post, if black goes after the f-pawn in the 1 Be4 line he cannot keep control of both white pawns
1. Be4 Bg8
2. d5+
A) 2. …Kf6 this is the pretty line
3. d6
A1)3… Ke6 controlling the pawn immediately
4. Bd5+
A2) 3… Bf7 intending to play Ke7 if the pawn andvances
4. Bg6 Be6
5. Bf5 so pretty 🙂
A3) 3… Be6
4. Bf5
B) 2…. Kd6
Black’s problem is that he is now passive. White gobbles up the a-pawn, and plays his K to b8 trying to reach f8. If black blocks white with his king on d7 then white plays Bf5+ and Be6.
eg.
3. Ka5 Bf7
4. Ka6 Bg8
5. Kxa7 Kc7! (best defence)
6. Ka6 Bf7
7. Kb5
B1) 7…. Kd6
8. Kb6 Bg8
9. Kb7 Kd7
10. Bf7 Kd6
11. Be6+
B2) 7…. Bg8
8.Kc5 follwowed by Bf5 and Be6
My last post was wrong on the final point. This should be correct I hope.
1. Be4! Bg8
my first try 2.kb5 kf7? 3. Bd5+ KxP BxB KxB and with care white wins the pawn race. But 2. Kf6 ruins this entirely.
So 2. d5+!
If Kd6 it’s trivial.
If Kf6 3. d6 Ke6 4.Bd5+! and wins.
Or Kf6 3.d6 Be6 4. d7!
And two hanging pawns can’t be taken fast enough.
This is a great study. Seems 1. Be4 Bg8 2. d5 wins by forcing the black king to block the d5 pawn while the white king goes to collect a7. If the black king tries to prevent the white king from moving on the 8th rank toward the bishop, e.g. with Kd7, white has the maneuver Bf5+ followed by Be6.
Beautiful visual, thank you Susan.
Great problem! I totally missed Bd5+, which is really the key here. Very subtle.
@John: well unfortunately Bd5 (1. Be4 – Bg8, d5+ – Kf6, d6! – Be6, Bd5?) is wrong… because of the simple Bxd5…
But instead Bf5!! is as TIMOTHEE showed a brilliant move instantly winning. 🙂
From my earlier comment:
> 3. d6 Ke6 (3. … Kxg7 4. d6 wins)
Typo: that should say 4. d7, not 4. d6, of course.
I also didn’t specify a response to Black’s 3. … Be6 option. My original thought was 4. g8Q? but this throws away the win to 4. … Bxg8 5. d7 Ke7 and Black draws comfortably.
TIMOTHEE has come to my rescue though and showed me the beautiful saving move 4. Bf5!
3. d6 Ke6 (3. … Kxg7 4. d7; 3. … Be6 4. Bf5!)
This comment has been removed by the author.
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(Mistakes again. Corrected comment:)
People omitted variations after 1. Be4 Bg8 2. d5+ Kd6. One person even stated it is trivial.
Clearly, White King can move and take the BP on a7, but Black can move Bg8-f7-g8. WK will not be able to reach c7 if BK doesn’t move. If White plays Bg6 (when BB is on g8) or Bh7 (when the BB is on g8) then the BK takes the Pawn. If W plays Bg6 when BB is on f7, BB goes back to g8.
Could someone explain how White will win in this case, please?
What I think is, after capturing a7, WK should come to c4, protecting the pawn. Then W plays Bg6 when the BB is on g8 or Bh7 when BB is on f7. White either wins the Bishop for the g-pawn and wins the resulting K+B+P vs K endgame, or forces the BK to move d6, and the WK marches Kc4-c5-c6-c7 and then d6.
To Umesh @5:30 PM:
White’s objective after taking the a7 pawn should be one of:
1. Move towards f8 via the 8th rank
2. The sequence of moves Kc5-d6-Bd5
3. The sequence of moves Bf5+-Be6 (with black king on d7 and bishop on f7)
Black can probably stop any one of these plans, but not all of them. So, after:
1. Be4 Bg8
2. d5+ Kd6
3. Ka5 Bf7
4. Ka6 Bg8
5. Kxa7
Now, if black plays:
5… Kc7
6. Ka6 Kd6
7. Kb6 Bf7
8. Kb7 Kd7
9. Bf5+ K~
10. Be6! and black is lost.
You can work out the other variations keeping in mind the three plans of white.