Black to move. How should black proceed? No computer please!!
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1…b4
2. Ke3 b3
3. Kf4 Kd3
4. Bf6 Kc2
5. Bxh4 b2
6. Kxf5 b1=Q
1…b4
2. Bf6 b3
3. Be5 Kd3
4. Bf6 Kc2
5. Bxh4 b2
6. Kxf5 b1=Q
7. g3
Well, here’s what I’ve worked out so far in the last 10 minutes. It’s time to go to bed, so I’ll just have to see in the morning what Yancey has worked out.
1. b4
2. Ke3 b3
3. Kd2 g3 (3.
4. Kc1 Kd3 (4. Bf6 h3)
5. Kb2 Ke4
6. Bc7 f4 winning
or if White king stays on Kingside
1, b4
2. Bf6 b3
3. Ke3 g3 ( 3. Kxf5 h3 4. gxh3 (( 4. Kxg4 hxg2 )) gxh3 5. Be5 h2 6. Bxh2 b2 )
4. Kf3 Kd3
5. Kf4 Ke2
6. Kxf5 h3
7. gxh3 g2
8. Bd4 b2
9. Bxb2 Kxb2
10. any g1=Q wins
Either I have keyed in nonsense late at night, or the editor behind this website’s computer is messing me up. I’ll try again:
1. b4 2. Ke3 b3 3. Kd2 g3 4. Kc1 Kd3 (4. Bf6 h3 ) 5. Kb2 Ke4 6. Bc7 f4 winning, or
1. b4 2. Bf6 b3 3. Ke3 (3. Kxf5 h3 4. gxh3 (( 4. Kxg4 hxg2 )) 4… gxh3 5. Be5 h2 6. Bxh2 b2 wins) 3 … g3 4. Kf3 Kd3 5. Kf4 Kc2 6. Kxf5 h3 7. gxh3 g2 8 Bd4 b2 9. Bxb2 Kxb2 10. any g1=Q
As I always write, it seems- it is important to understand the moves that aren’t correct. Here, it would throw away a win to play a hasty 1. …h3:
1. ………….h3?
2. gh3 gh3
3. Kg3
And now black can’t win- white’s king will gobble up the h-pawn, the bishop will control the f and b pawns long enough to allow the white king to get back into the game…….
3. …………Kd5
This is the most plausible attempt since supporting/pushing the b-pawn now is pointless- white sacrifices the bishop at b2 when needed and his king is too close to f-pawn already. Black is attempting to force the bishop to sacrifice for the f-pawn instead, but this is also hopeless because the white king is close enough to make sure it isn’t a sacrifice…..
4. Bb2 Ke4
5. Kh3 Ke3 (going to e2 to keep the white king out of f1)
6. Kg2 Ke2
7. Kg3
White has and had a lot of drawing options in the last several moves, but this line is easy to understand and prove out. Basically, black either had to allow the king to take up residence on f1, or move his king to e2 to prevent that, but with the pawn on f5, white just force the black king back to e3 just to avoid losing the f-pawn. White will then just return his king to g2 to repeat the positions. This is a dead draw after 1. ….h3.
The key to understanding the win is to recognize how invulnerable the f-pawn is at the start- to take the pawn with white’s second move costs white a critical tempo…
1. ……….b4!
2. Kf5
Alena and Lucymarie have the other alternatives fairly well proven out, so I just want to focus on this particular line because I consider it the most critical one because white is putting black to the test immediately. So, let’s again study what is wrong first…..
2. ………..h3?
3. gh3! gh3
4. Ke4!
White’s last two moves are only moves to draw, but it is the fourth move that white would have the most difficulty in finding because it is oh so tempting to play 4.Kg4 to force 4. …h2 followed by 5.Bxh2, but then black can, instead, play 4. …..Kd5 driving the bishop off of the a1/h8 diagonal which means he can’t return to that diagonal in time to capture at b2- it is this theme that is the precise reason for black’s very first move- the pawn needs to be on b4 or b3 in order to over tax the bishop’s mobility. With 4.Ke4 in this line, white prevents this attack on the bishop. Black can, of course eventually force white to sacrifice at b2, but then the white king is close enough to the h-pawn to reach g2 in time to stop it. So, at move 2, black cannot delay the attack on the bishop. From the top:
1. ………..b4!
2. Kf5 Kd5!
This puts white in zugzwang- the bishop either leaves the a1/h8 diagonal, leaves the h2/b8 diagonal, moves the g-pawn, or plays Kf4. None of these holds:
3. Bc7 h3 (b3 wins, too)
4. gh3 gh3 (or b3)
And white is lost- the white king can’t move to g4 without relinquishing control of the e5 square, and if he returns the bishop to e5 on move 5, black just plays b3 and the bishop can’t control both h2 and b2 at the same time- black sacrifices one pawn to queen the other. Or, at move 3
3. Bf6 h3! (probably the only move that doesn’t lose!)
4. gh3 gh3 (or g3)
5. Be5 b3-+
Or, at move 3…
3. Kf4 h3!
4. gh3 gh3 (or g3)
5. Kf5 b3!-+
Lucymarie,
I don’t know if you saw it the other day, but I did notice your return. You have been missed as have a lot of other commenters that seem to have fallen away over the last year and half. I think the problem is two fold and I know it has affected me- the comments with the correct answer are no longer held up by the administrator, nor are the puzzles as challenging as they were several years back. This particular puzzle was the hardest one in several weeks now.
Yes, Yancey, I did see your kind comment celebrating my return. Thanks.
I did, of course, notice that the puzzles had fallen off in subtlety, and that is too bad. But if the object is to attract very young and inexperienced players, and to sharpen their as yet untried tactical skills, then maybe most of the puzzles printed here are more appropriate than not. I don’t suppose that it is the aim of the administrator to attract all the diehard 72 year old women chess fans like me, because there aren’t many of my ilk left. 🙂