Black to move. Is this a draw or loss for Black? How should Black proceed?
8/8/3p4/Pk3P1p/8/2R3K1/7r/8 b – – 0 52
Kamsky – Onischuk (US Championship 2010)
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Ra2 followed by grabbing the a-pawn with the rook and then playing to the 8th rank to stop white’s passed f-pawn will allow a draw.
well, knowing how the game went, black should probably try the following:
1. get white’s a pawn with black rook.
2. give up the black rook for the f-pawn.
3. advance the d-pawn, with support from the black king.
4. force white to give up the white rook for the black d-pawn.
don’t remember what black played here, but kamsky played a deadly Ra3 and there was no defense.
so, a line could be:
1. … Ra2
2. Kh4 Rxa5
3. Kxh5 Ra8
(if 3…Ra1, 4. Rf3)
4. f6 d5
5. f7 d4
6. Rc1 Kb4
7. Kg6 d3
=
if at any point, the white rook goes to d-file (to go to d8), the black rook will go to f8 and give itself up for the f-pawn.
Does this work?
Re2. Use the K to block the a pawn, and the rook to block the f pawn.
I don’t know how the game went, but my vote: Draw. White controls the back access to the f-pawn, so Black has to stop it from in front. While White easily eliminates the h-pawn and moves to deal with Black’s rook, Black can edge the d-pawn forward. With White’s King too far afield, Black should be able to draw with king and pawn against White’s rook.
A sample:
1. … Ra2
2. f6 Rxa5
3. f7 Ra8
4. Rf3 Rf8
5. Kh4 d5
6. Kxh5 Kc4
7. Kg6 d4
8. Kg7 Rxf7+
9. Rxf7 d3
10. Rd7 Kc3
11. Rc7+ Kb2
12. Rb7+ Kc2
13. Ra7 d2
14. Ra2+ Kd3
15. Ra1 Ke2
16. Ra2 Ke1
17. Rxd2 Kxd2
Fun Fact: In 1861, the Secretary of the Interior Caleb Blood Smith wrote to President Lincoln urging him to issue an Executive Order outlawing a new form of entertainment – Blitz Correspondence Chess – because it was hard on the horses. 🙂
Re2 seems forced here
Ra2 – use the rook to pickup the a pawn and stop the f pawn. Use the King to shepard the d pawn.
I really don’t see any first move other than Ra2. It seems absolutely critical to win the a-pawn since the f-pawn of white is prepared to march to victory. The strategy I would make for black is to play the rook back to the 8th rank asap, forcing the king to support the f-pawn, pushing the d-pawn forcing white to make a decision, either support the f-pawn with the rook or the king. I think Rf3 is going to be required and this will free up the black king to come in to support his rook in defending against the f-pawn. A completely plausible line is:
1. …..Ra2
2. f6 Ra5 (Ka5 weakens c-pawn)
3. Kf4 Ra8 (c4 4.Rc8 looks strong)
4. Kf5 d5 (counterplay required)
5. Ke5 Rf8
And now the key question has been put to white- how to protect the f-pawn while defending against the d-pawn. I will deal with king support of the f-pawn first:
6. Ke6 d4 (again, counterplay!)
7. Rc1 Playing the rook to c7 allows Kb4, d3, Kc3, and even though white can force black to exchange the rook for the f-pawn, the resulting endgame is drawn since black’s pawn reaches d2 in time with the king in support. Continuing:
7. …..d3 (I think Kb4 also works)
8. Ke7 Rf6
9. Kf6 Kb4
And now, the two pawns are advanced enough that black should have a draw in this line. Continuing:
10.Kf5 d2 (10.Rd1 Kc3 = I think)
11.Rb1 or anywhere else on the 1st rank doesn’t help. Continuing:
11. ….Kc3
And I don’t see any win for white in this line. He will be forced to give up the rook for the d-pawn.
I will consider the line where white doesn’t play 6.Ke6 in my next comment.
Continued from my previous comment (for space reasons)
1. …..Ra2
2. f6 Ra5
3. Kf4 Ra8
4. Kf5 d5
5. Ke5 Rf8
As I wrote in my previous comment, at this point, white has to make a decision- support the f-pawn with the king or the rook. 6.Ke6 looks drawn to me, but it is very easy to miss stuff in endgames like this. I will now consider the other move 6. Rf3. Continuing:
6. Rf3 now black has a few options here, and it isn’t easy to see what is best. If he tries to protect his d-pawn with Kc6 or Kc5
6. …..Kc5 (Kc6 is same, I think)
7. Ke6 d4 (counterplay again)
8. Ke7 Rh8 (what else?)
9. f7 Kc4
And I am damned if I can see a win here for white. This looks headed in the exact same direction as the line I analyzed before. White can force black to give up his rook for the pawn, but he, in turn cannot prevent black from theatening to queen his own passed pawn, and his king is too far away to aid the rook. The only play for victory is to block black’s coverage of the f8 square by playing 10. Rg3 with the threat of Rg8, but this fails, I think. Continuing in this idea:
10. Rg3 Rh7! this pins the pawn, and black can take it at he leisure and get a drawn endgame.
Will now go look to see what Onischuk did.
Hi. I don’t know how else to communicate with you other than via a blog comment. I posted a comment to this blog. Why hasn’t it been approved?
I’d appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Ouch. Onischuk played the rook to h1 and allowed Kamsky to play f6. I am guessing he planned to put his rook behind the pawn and realized too late that white just blocks with Rf3. In any case, white preserved that critical a-pawn, and it was pushed as well as the f-pawn, while the h-pawn was well controlled by white’s king. Black must have bee badly short of time at that stage of the game.
This is the Kamsky-Onischuk game from the US Championship. Black did not play Re2 and lost.
Well, if Onischuk had played Re2, he would have succeeded in losing anyway:
1. …..Re2
2. f6 Re8 (only move)
3. Kf4 d5 (h4 or Ka5 see below)
4. Kg5 d4 (Ka5 5. Rc5 wins)
5. Ra3 Kb4 (Ka6 6.f7 wins)
6. Ra1 and white pushes both pawns and one will queen. Black’s pawns are not supported by the king and cannot save him.
Finally,
3. …..h4
4. Kf5 Re5 (nothing better)
5. Kg6 Re1
6. Rf3 and a new queen or a lost rook cannot be prevented.
Or
3. …..Ka5
4. Kf5 Kb4 (Re5 see above)
5. Rd3 Kc5 (what else?)
6. f7 Rh8 (nothing better)
7. Ke6 h4
8. Rd6 Rh6 (d3 no better)
9. Ke5 Rh5
10.Kf6 Kd6 (yay, black wins rook)
11.f8(Q)and no matter where black moves his king, the rook at h5 is toast in a double attack.
No, I think Re2 is just a losing as Onischuk’s Rh1 was.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,nothing additional to existing comments required – the situation is well analyzed by others,so “Re2” will place the Black in better position.
By
Venky[ Chennai – India ]
Ra2 is the best try.
I am not sure if Re2 draws, but I would play here 1…Ra2 2.f6 Rxa5 with …Ra8, sacrificing Rook and pushing d-pawn. It seems me a draw.
1.. Rh1 ? loses after 4.f6 Rg1 5.Kf4 Rg8 6.Ra3
Since 1. Rh1 and 1. Re2 don’t work, how about 1. Ra2? 1…f6 2. R:a4 f7 3. Ra8 is just in time. Now, when white plays 4. Rf8 the black rook must come to the f file, allowing the black king to rejoin the d-pawn and push it.
Eventually, white’s king will gobble up the h-pawn and come to the support of the f-pawn, but by then black will have to give his rook for the d-pawn and white will give his for the f-pawn.
Drawn
That’s a complicated position and I have no board at my hands. Nevertheless I suppose the only chance for black is Ra2, then 2. Rd3 is critical as Ra5 is met by Rd5+ with an easy win. Better therefor is
2. Rd3 Kc5
3. f6 Ra5
4. f7 Ra8
That’s the end of my no-board-analysis. Somebody any ideas (or corrections of course)?
Must be Ra2 of course,to take the a-pawn and then to the 8 rank. Looks easy, what am I missing? Whit can push the f-pawn, but black counters with the d-pawn.
I wanted to just play d2. But Rd6 and white has to take the pawn since Kc3 Kxh7 Kc2 and the a pawn promotes after the rook takes the d-pawn or does h pawn also queen?
d2 Rd6 Kc3 Kxh7 Kd2 a6 d1(q) Rxd1 Kxd1 a7 nope
d2 Rd6 Kxa5 Kxh7 is also no good.
Ignore my last comment I’m seeing the board backwards 😛
1…Ra2 saves the game
1.f6 Rxa5 2.f7 Ra8
a) 3.Kh4 d5 4.Kxh5 d4 5.Rc1 d3 6.Kg6 Kb4 7.Kg7 d2 8.Rc1 Kc3
b) 3.Rf3 Rf8 4.Kh4 d5 5.Kxh5 d4 6.Kg6 Kc4 7.Kg7 Rxf7 8.Kxf7 d3
Nobody seems to have looked at:
1. … Ra2
2. Kf4 Rxa5
3. Ke4
My powers of analysis are poor, but this seems to me to set Black problems.