Vojtek, Vladimir – Vesselovsky, Serguei (2000), presented by Andreas
Black to move. Is this a win, draw or loss for Black?
8/8/3p2pp/3P4/2k1K1PP/8/8/8 b – – 0 47
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Looks like (1) .. h5 (2) gxh5 gxh5 (3) Kf5 Kxd5 (4) Kg5 Ke5 (5) Kxh5 was forced. A race of the pawns would end even but I do not see how locking in the white king, i.e. via (5) Kf5 would alter that result. Or am I wrong altogether?
Best I can see is a draw.
A) 1… h5 gxh5 2. gxh5 Kc5 draws if the white king goes after the black pawn or not. If the king stays home he occupies d3 when Kxd5 for a draw. If he runs for it, endgame is Q vs. Q
B) 1… g5 ends in a pawn race that ends in a draw
C) Kc5 draws similarly; white can force a pawn race which draws or …Kxd5 Kd3 draws
Or am I wrong altogether?
Your line is right. 5…Kf5! is the only move to win.
A) 1… h5 gxh5 2. gxh5 Kc5
Typo? Mis-aligned move numbers? After:
1…h5
2.gxh5 gxh5
… 3.Kc5 isn’t a legal move.
B) 1… g5 ends in a pawn race that ends in a draw
I think not.
C) Kc5 draws
We agree about that. (That’s 1…Kc5, right?)
The line I calculated was 1…Kc5 2.h5 g5 3.Kf5 Kxd5 4.Kg6 Ke6 5.Kxh6 Kf6 a key position; many similar lines leads to this position. 6.Kh7 Kf7 7.h6 d5 8.Kh8 d4 9.h7 d3 stalemate.
1. … h5 (keeping the white h-pawn as far from queening as possible)
2. gxh gxh
3. Kf5 Kxd5
4. Kg5 Ke5
5. Kxh5 if d5, pawn race is a tie, so..
5. … Kf5
6. Kh6
If 6. … Kf6 7. h5 (Kh5 repeats for draw) d5 8. h6, then if 8. … Kf7 (Black’s king is trapped, but he can stalemate himself before white queens), so…
6. … d4
7. Kg7 d3
8. h6 d2
9. h7 d1=Q
10. h8=Q draw.
Alternative try:
1. … Kc5
2. h5 gxh
3. gxh Kc4
4. Kf5 Kxd5
5. Kg6 Ke5
6. Kxh6
Now, d5 loses to Kg7(g6), so..
6. … Kf6
7. Kh7 Kf7 draw by repetition or stalemate
Alternative try 2:
1. … g5?
2. hxg hxg
3. Kf5 Kxd5
4. Kxg5 Ke5 and white queens first but draws.
It seems someone has to really play poorly to lose this.
I could have said, what anonymous@3:42:00 said….
The line I calculated was 1…Kc5 2.h5 g5 3.Kf5 Kxd5 4.Kg6 Ke6 5.Kxh6 Kf6 a key position; many similar lines leads to this position. 6.Kh7 Kf7 7.h6 d5 8.Kh8 d4 9.h7 d3 stalemate.
Nice analysis. Note that 2.h5! is crucial to White’s drawing chances; anything else loses. Hm, maybe that’s a hint about what Black’s first move ought to be ….
By the way, anonymous@3:42, the white king has to go for the black pawn. “Staying home” results in:
1. … h5
2. gxh gxh
3. Ke3?? Kxd5
4. Kd3 Ke5
5. Ke3 Kf5
White has a choice:
(A)
6. Kd4 Kg4
7. Kd5 Kxh4
8. Kxd6 Kg3 and h-pawn queens
(B)
6. Kf3 d5
7. Kg3 Ke4 and white is toast
White cannot stay home because black can snatch the h-pawn and white cannot stop both pawns.
1….h5! The only move that wins.
1. … h5 (keeping the white h-pawn as far from queening as possible)
2. gxh gxh
3. Kf5 Kxd5
4. Kg5 Ke5
5. Kxh5 if d5, pawn race is a tie, so..
5. … Kf5
6. Kh6
If 6. … Kf6 7. h5 (Kh5 repeats for draw) d5 8. h6, then if 8. … Kf7 (Black’s king is trapped, but he can stalemate himself before white queens), so…
6. … d4
Do I have the position wrong? After:
1…h5(!)
2.gxh5 gxh5
3.Kf5 Kxd5
4.Kg5 Ke5
5.Kxh5 Kf5 (!)
6.Kh6
… Black’s pawn is still on d6, so “6…d4” isn’t legal just yet. Did you mean 6…d5?
… Black’s pawn is only on d6 at this point.
If you meant to continue:
6…d5
7.Kg7 d4
8.h5 d3
9.h6 d2
10.h7 d1=Q
11.h8=Q
… that’s not drawn after:
11…Qd7+!
I think this is a win for black.
1 … h5
2. gxh5 gxh5
Now, white can make a run for the pawn, but even queening will lose.
3. Kf5 Kxd5
4. Kg5 Ke5
5. Kxh5 Kf5
6. Kh6 d5
Now, Black keep his king where it is until he queens. White will have to move his king to g7 in order to queen. So you will eventually end up with … d1=q then h8=1, with the black king on f5 and the white king on g8 with black to move.
Now the idea is to manuever the queen in close until the black king can get into a mating position without the white queen giving check for example:
… Qd7+
Kh6 Qe6+
Kg7 Qe7+
Kg8 (Now the Black King Moves in) Kg6!
There is no check for the white queen, and mate is coming.
I suspect others (e.g., Anonymous 4:12) see the same line as what I’m posting. I’m looking just at the diagram, but I think this typical maneuvering with White’s King trapped on the edge is right: 1… h5 2 gh gh 3 Kf5 Kxd5 4 Kg5 Ke5 5 Kxh5 Kf5 6 Kh6 d5 7 h5 (7 Kg7 Kg4) Kf6 8 Kh7 d4 9 h6 (9 Kg8 Kg5) Kf7 10 Kh8 d3 11 h7 Kg6 (11… d2 is stalemate) 12 Kg8 d2 13 h8=Q d1=Q 14 Qh4 Qd5+ 15 Kh8 (15 Kf8 Qf7 mate) Qa8+ 16 Qd8 Qxd8 mate. -BlueWalker
Yes, typos galore.
The line you typed is what I meant.
I tried to make Qd7+! work, but couldn’t:
11. … Qd7+!
12. Kh6?? Qe6+!
13. Kh7 Qg6# or
13. Kh5 Qg6, 14. Kh4 Qg4#
So…
12. Kg8 Qe8+
13. Kg7 Qe7+
14. Kg8 Kg6! (queen can’t stop mate?)
15. Qh6+ if KxQ stalemate, else Kf5 and the danger is gone
11…. Qd7+!
12.Kg8 Kg6!
and Black wins.
Blue Walker,
You suggested:
11 h7 Kg6 (11… d2 is stalemate) 12 Kg8 d2 13 h8=Q d1=Q 14 Qh4 Qd5+ 15 Kh8 (15 Kf8 Qf7 mate) Qa8+ 16 Qd8 Qxd8 mate
Why not 14.Qg7+ and all danger is over for white?
Kery,
You said —
So…
12. Kg8 Qe8+
13. Kg7 Qe7+
14. Kg8 Kg6! (queen can’t stop mate?)
15. Qh6+ if KxQ stalemate, else Kf5 and the danger is gone
However, with black Q on e7, if Kxh6, then white can move to h8, no stalemate.
I am blind. In my line, Qh6+, KxQ does not result in stalemate because h8 is now available for the white king. Mea Culpa!
Jeepers, that is embarrassing. So much so, that I will forever remember how to win this ending.
1… h5
2.gxh5 gxh5
3.Kf5 Kxd5
4.Kg5 Ke4
5.Kxh5 Kf5
6.Kh6 d5
7.h5 d4
8.Kg7 d3
9.h6 d2
10.h7 d1=Q
11.h8=Q Qd7+
12.Kg8
(12. Kh6 Qe6+ 13. Kg7 Qe7+ 14.Kg8 (14. Kh6 Qg5+ 15. Kh7 Qg6#))
12… Kg6
13.Qh6+ Kxh6
14.Kf8 Kg6 and mate next move.
The only line is the line I thought ended in stalemate via Qh6+. As so many pointed out, Kh8 is available, so black wins.
Blue Walker’s line draws, as does anything else. In other words, 7. … Kf6? is a mistake. See chesschick’s post.
Jeepers, that is embarrassing.
I know just how you feel. I did that once.
Okay, maybe more than once.
Oops. Thanks, kerry and chesschick. I did wonder why no one else had posted my “solution,” with nearly all of the moves being so natural. Now I know.
I didn’t see your solution before I posted, chesschick, and in that line I’d looked only at …Qd7+; Kh6 Qe6+; Kg7 Qe7+; Kh6 (instead of Kb8) Qh4+? and thought that was drawn, but mate in two with … Qg5+ (not Qh4+) does the trick. -BlueWalker
B) 1… g5 ends in a pawn race that ends in a draw
I think not.
Grrr. I was sure you’d typed 1…h5 2.g5 (which does win for Black). You’re quite right that 1…g5 leads to a draw — either 2.h5 or 2.hxg5 is adequate. Remind me to read more carefully in the future.
You are all assuming black is playing from bottom. What if he plays from the top?
It’s a very easy win for black. He just plays e2 and promotes his pawn 😉
Anon @ 2:49, I also thought black was moving towards the bottom of the board. But black can’t play 1…e2 since he is in check. If he moves his king, white plays a6 or b6 and both pawns promote on the same move, so it is tricky and I didn’t figure it out completely.
I played black side of this position against Fritz 10 and won with h5.
We went into position with extra pawn for black (2 vs 1) and it is a tricky endgame with tempo included, but black is wining.