White to move. Can White hold this endgame?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Endgame challenge
About Author
White to move. Can White hold this endgame?
If i remember correctly, its a draw, if the white king can get to the corner (importaint: save corner and pawn on 4th or 3rd rank). So 1.Kf4 to prevent Rg5 is my guess. Also importaint is the black king on c7, so after 1…Rb2 there is 2.Be5+ and after 1…Rh5 2.Kg4 h3 3.Kh5: h2 4.Be5+ =
Tobe
White can hold the draw bacause the bishop is on the right color, i.e. not of the color of the queening square of the rook pawn.
That’s clever. The rook can’t pin the bishop on the 2nd rank if the king can get to h1 because of stalemate.
Eg., 1. Kf4 h3 2. Kg3 h2 3. Kg2 Ra2 4. Kh1 and the rook cannot capture the bishop
1. Kf4 h3 2. Kg3 h2 3. Kg2 Ra2 4. Kh1
{ and then Black’s king should approach on the black diagonal to avoid …Be5xh2}
4…Kd6
{ What can White do here except wait with bishop moves? }
5. Bd4!
( 5. Bc1 Ra1 -+ )
{ Black plans to meet king moves with Bd4-b6-c7xh2 or Bd4-e3-f4xh2. And, this might hold a draw in this line.
Perhaps the simpler
1. Kf4 Kd6 2. Kg4 Ra4+ 3. Kh3 Ke6
{ approaching the pawn before White’s bishop can grab it }
4. Bc1 Kf5 5. Kh2 Kg4 6. Be3 Ra2+ 7. Kh1 h3 8. Bc5 h2
{ and …Kh3, R-1st_rank+ }
will get the job done. At least it is probably more trying for White.