White to move. Is this a win or draw? How should white proceed?
8/8/R3BK1k/8/8/8/4r3/8 w – – 0 2
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I was wondering when we would get a R+B vs R endgame puzzle!
You could ask your sister Judit how to win. I think she knows.
I fortunately spent a good amount of time thinking about this yesterday, and studying tablebases for the positions that arose from the Dominguez-Polgar game from yesterday morning, but even without that extra study, this one is actually a pretty easy example of this ending.
From this position, I would start immediately with Ra8, though Ra3 and Ra1 should both also be forced wins:
1. Ra8
Threatens Rh8#, and the black rook can’t get to 7th rank in time to block at h7, taking at e6 just reduces to an easily won R + K vs K ending, and Kh5 is still mate after Rh8 since the bishop has the g4 square covered. This leaves only Rf2+ and Kh7, but if black plays Kh7, white replies with Bf5+ followed by Rh8 mate, so we have only Rf2:
1. …..Rf2
2. Bf5
White must keep the black king on the edge of the board, so 2.Bf5 is the only way to win. Now, black is in zugzwang and must either sacrifice the rook at f5, or allow Rh8 mate- there are no other options.
Now, lets look at 1.Ra3
1. Ra3
Threatens Rh3# and the black king can’t escape with Kh7 or Kh5, so black must sacrifice at e6, check from f2, or guard h3 by playing to h2:
1. …..Rf2
2. Bf5
Again, a king move by black is mate on the next move, so black must now play the rook to h2:
2. …..Rh2
3. Ra8 and there is no way to prevent Rh8# on the next move. The same will apply to the move of 1.Ra1. And, lastly, at move 1 above, guarding h3 immediately will fail:
1. Ra3 Rh2
2. Ra8 Rf2 (Kh7 3.Bf5 Kh6 4.Rh8#)
3. Bf5 wins.
1Ra8 wins
You could try Ra8 and win immediately or wait 25 moves to tease your fans.
I’d try 1.Bf5 2.Ra8 3. Rh8
1. Ra3!
Now king moves lead to nothing because the king can neither escape via g8 nor via g4, since the white bishop controls both squares.
A: 1. … Rh2 to prevent mate on the h-file.
2. Ra8 Kh2
2. … Rf2+
3. Bf5 and mate next move with Rh8# or loss of the rook (Rxf5+) and an easy win for white.
3. Bf5+ Kh3
4. Rh8#
B: 1. … Rf2+
2. Bf5 Rh2
3. Ra8 and mate with Rh8#
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,I thought that somebody at this blog would have given the solution for this puzzle by this time.
Anyway,I can give solution set of moves for this puzzle but I am anxious to see,other’s clever response to this puzzle,if they all fail/not interested,to give solution without assistance then I will give the possible solution to this puzzle.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
For the simple reason that escape via g4 is closed, I found it very easy to see that closing g8 with
1. Ra8
threating mate, ties black king to the f-file, and therefore has to win. Here is no escape via h5.
Since Kh7? now fails to Bf5+ Kh6, black must try
1. … Rf2+
2. Bf5
and black has no other moves to avoid Rh8# than to give his rook.
Much more interesting position is in 4-b game of Polgar in WCC 2011.
White: ka3, rh2
Black: kf3, rb1, bd3
Black to play and win.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Others had discussed the possible moves – nothing to add further.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
+M9 1.Ra3 Rxe6+ 2.Kxe6 Kg5 3.Ra4 Kg6 4.Rg4+ Kh5 5.Kf5 Kh6 6.Kf6 Kh7 7.Rh4+ Kg8 8.Rh3 Kf8 9.Rh8++