Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Black can save the game with a little stalemate trick,
1. … g4 2. h4 Kg6 3. Ke6 Kh5 and White has to allow the BK to move back to g6 so can’t play 4. Kxf5 and there’s no way for White to make progress.
Well done, James!
Thanks very much.
Another puzzle for Alena;
5k2/8/6p1/4R3/8/8/2p1p1KB/5n2 w – – 0 1 Neistadt, 1966
This problem is, unfortunately, invalid because of a cook (two solutions at a key move) found at move 4 for white, but is still a fun exercise in horse taming.
1. Bf4 Ne3+
2. Bxe3 e1=N+
3. Kf1 or Kg3 (I don’t see the difference between these two moves)
3…Nd3
4. Rb5 c1=Q
5. Bxc1 Nxc1
I’m stuck here.
3.Kf1 is the more precise move, and was the main line the composer of the problem had in mind. 3.Kg3 is a variation of the cook that arises later after 3.Kf1. The position after 3.Kg3 Nd3 4.Rb5 c1Q 5.Bc1 Nc1 is winnable by white, but he has to win the knight who can be trapped by the rook and king still.
Trapping and winning the knight, however, is easier to find in the 3.Kf1 line. That is your clue- you have to trap the knight.
And, I think I will add one more clue- think about the knight when it recaptures on c1 with the king on f1- where is the best square for the rook to cut off the knight’s escape?
I thought about your clues. I will continue my line
6. Kf2 Na2
7. Rb3 Ke7
8. Ke3 Kd6
9. Kd4 Ke6
10. Rb2 Nc1
11. Kc3 Kf5
12. Kd2 Kf4
13. Kxc1 Kg3
Please, can you give me easy puzzles rook vs knight? I want to work out how to trap a knight. I’m also looking forward to your difficult puzzles.
That line wins the knight. The composer had in mind…
3. Kf1 Nd3
4. Ra5!
As I wrote, 4.Rb5 was the cook- it wins similarly to the line you show immediately above, but is more complicate- after 4.Ra5, black probably puts up more actual resistance by moving the king forward rather than immediately queening the pawn, but white can always force the action by playing 5.Ra3 attacking the knight. In any case, the main line solution continues…
4. …………….c1Q
5. Bc1 Nc1
6. Ra3+-
Taking the squares a2, b3, and d3 from the knight while the white king controls e2 and will walk in for the kill at c1.
So, I will pick out a really difficult puzzle and put it in the comment thread after this one.
And a second puzzle that requires one to pay attention to details:
4k2r/5R1p/4K3/7p/8/8/8/8 w k – 0 1 White to move and win.
I saw an idea instantly.
1. Re7+ Kf8
2. Rf7+ Kg8
3. Kf6 h6
4. Ra7 h4
5. Kg6 Kf8
6. Ra8+ Ke7
7. Rxh8 Ke6
8. Rxh6 Kd5
9. Rxh4 Ke5
I had fun with this puzzle. Now I’m going to bed and the first puzzle I will solve tomorrow.
I posted this second puzzle because a large number of commenters here the first time it was posted thought for sure that 1.Ra7 would win, overlooking the fact that the FEN clearly indicated black could still castle after that move. You have to pay attention.
Here is another puzzle, not terribly difficult as a mate in 6, but is hilarious in that the main line involves a check by every single move, including black’s. In addition, white gives up man after man while not taking a single black piece in the process.
1n4bQ/pq6/1ppppr2/R1b2kr1/2Pn4/1P1P1NPp/3P1K1N/1BB5 w – – 0 1
If you hadn’t said “a check by every single move, including black’s” I wouldn’t solve it.
1. Nh4+ Ke5+
2. N2f3+ Nxf3+
3. d4+ Nxd4+
4. Nf3+ Nxf3+
5. d4+ Kxd4
6. Bb2#
Yes, it is hilarious :).
Yes, that last move of black’s breaks the check theme and breaks mars the puzzle, just a bit, but there was a move by black at move 5 that also checks white.