Black to move. Can black win this position?
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Before proceeding for win beware of stalemate.
1…. a3
2.Ra2 Ke6
3.Rxa3 Rxa3 stalemate.
It rare to find a puzzle these days that isn’t already in my notes, but this one isn’t, and I don’t remember it otherwise, either. As Bhat points out, 1. …a3 is a stalemate if black captures the rook after 3.Rxa3, so if black is to win, he must find another plan. As it stands, white can keep his rook on the e-file at e2 or e3, preventing the king from getting to the queen side of the board. Can black put the rook on d5 and support the a-pawn from the fourth rank? Probably not- white can just attack the a-pawn from e4 and force the black rook back to a5. Right now, I don’t see a way for black to win this.
Just a suggestion:
If Black moves the rook to a6, with the possibility of 2. . . Re6, allowing the Black king to begin to move to the queenside.
Then if White plays
2. Ra2, Black can begin to move his king to the queenside.
If White plays
2. Re4
Black can play:
2. . . a3
What do you think?
Well, that works if white cooperates by attacking from e4, but white should just hold the balance with a move like Re3 which allows the capture if black pushes. After white does that, I just can’t see a path forward. I just don’t see a solution to the problem of a white capture on a3 with the white king on h4 that doesn’t involve black having played h6/5 at some point.
suggestion:
… ra7
?? kg7 intending h6 breaking the stalemate setup.
Yes, that is exactly the plan I have been looking at since yesterday, but I can’t really convince myself that it wins. The key line:
1. ………Ra7
2. Re3 h6
3. gh6 Kh6
4. Ra3
And now what?
Can not assimilate 3….. K(f7)h6
….. , ra7
re3 , kg7
ra3 … if re2 then a3 and ra2 or ra3 are met by h6 and white has lost a rank
, h6
gh6 , kh6
g5 appears to be required then … kg7 and … ra5 when (I reckon) black should win as white’s rook can’t
move without allowing a6 and white’s king cannot cross the 5th rank.
Yikes! Special king jump reserved for impossible puzzles!
1…Ra7 2.Re3 Kg7 3.Rf3 h6
after this white may accept or not accept the exchange but in any case stalemate threat is gone.
4.gxh6+ Kxh6 Here white has to decide whether to go ahead with g5+ or not.
5.g5+ Kg7 6.Ra3 Kf7
white has to give black K access to f5 since black r’s movement is hampered because of the necessity of blockig “a”pawn.7.Kg4 Ke6 8.Kf4 Kd5 9.Ke3 Ke5 10.Kd2 Kf5 11.Kc3 Kxg5
Oh, by exchange I mean exchange of pawns.
If there is a hole in this, it will be white’s decision to play g5+ early. A very complex rook ending, to say the least. Let’s take a quick look:
1. ……….Ra7
2. Re3 Kg7
3. Rf3 h6
4. gh6 Kh6
5. Ra3 Ra5 (a waiting move that cuts off the fifth rank to the white king)
6. g5 Kg7
7. Kg4 Kf7
8. Kf4 Ke6
9. Ke3
I think, you may have found the right line, Prof. Bhat. Obviously, white can’t play g5 at all. At this point in the line, white can’t keep the opposition either from e4 since black takes at g5 with impunity due to the skewer from g4. I guess the now is can white hold by never playing g5. I gotta think about this some more.
Is 4.gxh6 forced? The only alternative is 4.Ra3 else 4…. a3. After 4.Ra3 Ra5 white is coaxed to play 5.gxh6 else for 5.Rc3 (say) black plays 5… hxg5+ pushing white K back and advances 6… a3.
On thinking about this, I don’t think it matters whether white plays gxh6 or waits for black to play hxg5- the latter position should eventually wind up in the same place with the two king side pawns on the g-file on g5 and g4 rather than on g6 and g5, and white is really no better off since his rook is still tied down on the a-file- black will still win by outmaneuvering the white king to gain the two-pawn edge.
ra7
re3 kg7
rf3 h6
now gh6 is more or less forced as
ra3 ra5
kh3 hg5 is hopeless
ra3 ra5
gh6 kh6
kh3 kg5
kg3 ra8
kf3 kf6
kf4 ra5
ke4 ke6 and white has to give way
e.g.
kf4 kd6
ke4 kc5
ke5 kb4
I looked up the game as a matter of interest
Black pushed a4-a3 and drew.
The crux of the problem is white has to allow black K to either capture white P or allow him to rush towards ‘a’ pawn and dislodge R blockade.There could be some hope if white K could block ‘a’ pawn.