White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? How should White proceed?
3k4/8/P4P2/5Kp1/6Bp/8/6r1/8 w – – 0 1
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White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? How should White proceed?
3k4/8/P4P2/5Kp1/6Bp/8/6r1/8 w – – 0 1
Are there no comments because the system is broken, or because no-one has a clear idea of what to do (like me)?
I think it might be that the puzzle hasn’t been posted to the puzzle subsection- I had to search down the main page to find it, something I rarely do these days.
In any case, this is an old puzzle I remember quite well- the first time it was posted, I botched it hilariously. My own notes indicate the last posting was on August 7th or 8th of 2014. Since I overwrote the original notes, I don’t know when the first posting was any longer. One should at least find the 2014 posting in Susan’s archive.
Here is the last posting: Link
Win for white!
1. Kg6!
A. 1….Rxg4. 2. f7!
A1- 2…..Ke7. 3. a7! Ra4. 4. Kg7! and white f pawn queens!
A2- 2….Rf4. 3. a7! and a or f pawn will queen. black cannot prevent both at the same time.
B. 1….Ra2. 2. Bc8!!
B1- 2…..Kxc8 BK cannot stop f pawn. 3. f7!
B11- 3…Rxa6+.4. Kxg5!. Ra5+. 5 Kg6. (this looks drawish with a perpetual. WK cannot go to 7th rank for BR can pin with Ra7 to liquidate f pawn and Black h pawn will queen. Moreover White cannot play 5. Kxh4 due to Rf5 and black wins f pawn and the game).
B12- 3…Rf2. 4. a7. Kb7 stops a pawn and Black will queen h pawn.
Hence B does not work for white.
so
C- 1…Ra2. 2. Be2!! will win for White as in A..if
C1- 2…Rxe2. 3. f7!.
C11- 3…Ke2. 4. a7!. Ra2. 5. Kg7 and queens a or f pawn.
C12- 3…Rf2. 4. a7!. and a or f pawn will queen.
C2- 2…. Ke8. 3. Kg7! and white will queen f pawn!
Hence white to move wins with 1. Kg6! and variations A and C.
originally thought Bc8 wins but the right move is Be2 as in C.
I did not even remember that I had solved it years ago. I did it all over again now.
Yancey, thanks for putting the past link.