White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? How should White proceed?
8/3P4/1P2p3/K1k1P3/P5R1/7P/4r3/3r4 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Difficult R & P endgame
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Rb4
White wins by…
1. b7 Rb2
2. Rg8 Rxb7
3. Rc8+ Kd5
4. d8=Q+ and wins…
and White also wins by…
1. b7 Rb2
2. Rg8 Rxd7
3. Rc8+ Kd5
4. b8=Q Rxb8
5. Rxb8 Kxe5
6. Kb6 and White wins
My first thought was simply b7 followed by b8, because for black neither Rd7 (threatening mate on a7) nor Re5 works, since the new queen controls both squares. But of course b7 is answered by Rb2. So the solution is to distract the black rook from b2:
1. b7 Rb2
2. Rg2!
and now:
I.)
2. … Rxg2
3. b8=Q
and black loses, because the pawn on d7 cannot be stopped without sacrificing a rook:
3. … Rxd7
4. Qc8+
Any other move is also answered with Qc8+ and the black king has to go to the d-file, blocking the rook from protecting the d8 square and black might even lose a rook if careless, so play might continue:
3. … Rgd2
4. Qc8+ Kd5
5. d8=Q+ Ke4
Two queens against two rooks…
II.)
2. … Rxb7
3. Rc2+
Again the king has to go to the d-file.
3. … Kd5
5. d8=Q+ Kxe5
6. Qxd1
I think the right solutions is:
1 b7 Rb2
2 Rg2! Rb5+
(2 .. Rxg2 3 b8=Q Rxd7 4 Qb5+ Kd4 5 Qxd7+)
(2 .. Rxb7 3 Rc2+ Kd5 4 d8=Q+ Kxe5 5 Qxd1)
3 Ka6 (3 axb5? Ra1+ 4 Ra2 Rxa2#)
3 .. Rb6+
4 Ka7 Rxb7
5 Kxb7 Rxd7
but now white has a winning R+3 pawns vs. R+pawn ending.
1. b7 Rb2
2. Rg8 Rb7
3. Rc8 Kd4 (or d5)
4. d8=Q and wins rook
1.b7 Rb2 2.Rg2! (2.Rg1? Rxb7)
2…Rb5+! (Rxb7? 3.Rc2+) 3.Ka6 Rb6+ (Rxd7? axb5 wins)
4.Ka7 Rxb7+ (Rxd7 5.Rc2+)
5.Kxb7 Rxd7+ 6.Ka6
It seems to me that white is winning here, but it’s not so clear
1.b7! Rb2 2.Rg2! Rxb7 3.Rc2+ and 4.d8/Q