White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for white? How should white proceed?
Be sure to find the best moves for both sides.
Endgame by Cohn
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No Linares this year ;(
This kind of position is generally a draw, but the position of the black king keeps the queen from getting to that square, so 1.g7 looks like a win to me.
Looks like a draw after 1.g7 Ka3 2.g8Q and the black Queen can triangulate between the squares b2,b8 and h2.
With no access to the long diagonal of a1/h8 for the black queen (to pin the g-pawn when it goes to g7), white’s first move has to be g7 to take this important tempo:
1. g7
I can’t see any way of preventing the new queen from being born. So black must focus on getting perpetual draw after. This idea isn’t silly. The king is in the corner, and the squares next to him on the h-file and the 8th rank will be blocked by his own pieces, and if black can check on the long diagonal, then white will have to block with the queen or rook, which then opens up a file or rank so that the black queen can check along those, forcing a retreat of the white piece to block that check, and so forth. For this to work, black must be able to avoid getting the queen pinned to the king on the diagonal by the new white queen, so, on the first move, black must move the king off that diagonal. I really have no idea if one move here is better than another in some of these, but a move like Ka2/b3 is clearly worse since white will queen with check. This leaves Ka3, Kc2, Kb1, and Kc1. Let’s just take a look at one of them first to see the idea:
1. …..Kb1
2. g8(Q)
Else, black pins the pawn with Qb2, and I doubt the white king can escape the checks when he tries to unpin the pawn. Cont.:
2. …..Qb2
Delivering the check. Cont.:
3. Rg7
I am not guessing. I can see the win now if black persists in checking the white king. On Qh2+ white will block with the queen at h7 and check black simultaneously. Clearly, black must choose a different square for the black king at move 1. Let’s look at the options. We can eliminate Kc2 for the same reason that Kb1 failed- white will block Qh2+ check with Qh7+ as before.
1. …..Kc1
Now white cannot queen the pawn. Let’s just play it out so it is clear why:
2. g8(Q)Qb2
3. Rg7 Qh2
4. Qh7
Or 4.Rg7 Qb2:
4. …..Qb8
5. Rg8
Or 5.Qg8 Qh2:
5. …..Qb2 (Qe5 ok, too)
And it is clear that white can’t escape the checks. So, white must play another move at move 2, and it pretty much has to be a rook move since Kg8 will either repeat, or get the king out in the open where he can never escape the checks from the black queen, but which rook move? Rh6 seems most natural to me.
Due to length, continued in my next comment.
How can white lose? 1. g7 and black can’t take the pawn or pin it. So it will queen next move. But perhaps black can set up a perpetual.
game is Draw
1.g7 Kc1
2.g8Q Qb2+
3.Qg7 Qb8+
4.Qg8 Qb2+
5.Rg7 Qh2+
6.Qh7 Qb8+
7.Rg8 (Draw)
or
1.Rh6 Qg5
2.Kh7 Qf5
3.Rh2+ Kc3+
…(Draw)
In my previous comment, I had discussed why the following beginning was proper for both sides:
1. g7 Kc1
At this point, white basically had a choice of rook moves to make progress. 2.Rh6 looks natural to me, but I want to show, first, why other rook moves are not promising:
2. Rh5 Qf3 (attacking the rook)
3. Rc5
Or [3.Rh6 Qc3 4.Kh7 (4.Rc6 draws; 4.Rg6 Qh3 5.Kg8 with a draw at best for white) 4. …Qd3 5.Kg8 Qd5 6.Kf8 Qd8 7.Kf7 Qd7 and it is clear white can never escape the checks without risking losing, if it isn’t already lost]. Or [3.Rh7 Qc3]. 3.Rc5 with check is an attempt to win the tempo required to queen the pawn. Continuing:
3. …..Kd1
4. g8(Q)
Now, black can only draw by winning the unprotected rook, or forcing a perpetual check. I see only one way to do this:
4. …..Qh1!
5. Qh7
On 5.Kg7, black wins the rook with Qg1+. Continuing:
5. …..Qa8 (only move)
6. Qg8
Or 6.Kg7 loses the rook to Qa7+. Continuing:
6. …..Qh1!
And white must either concede the rook, or black just keeps repeating the checks from a8 and h1.
Other rook moves than Rh6 also fail at move 2, but some are more tedious to work out:
2. Rh4 Qg3 (attacking the rook)
3. Rc4 Kd1
4. a8(Q)Qe5 (Qh2, not sure it =s)
5. Kh7 Qh5
6. Kg7 Qg5
7. Kf7 Qd5!
8. Kf8 Qd8 Or
7. Kf8 Qd8 Or
5. Qg7 Qh5
6. Kg8 Qe8
7. Kh7 Qh5
8. Qh6 Qf7 winnning the rook. The point being that the rook is too far away to play a role, and the queen is not enough to defend the king against the checks by herself.
Now, let’s turn to 2.Rh6 to see why it is different. from the top:
1. g7 Kc1
2. Rh6 Qg5 (attacking the rook)
3. Rc6 Kd1 (nothing holds)
4. g8(Q)Qh5 (nothing better)
5. Kg7! Qg4
6. Rg6 consolidating. Or
4. …..Qe5
5. Kh7! Qe7 (Qh5/h2 6.Rh6)
6. Qg7 Qe4 (Qh4 7.Rh6+-)
7. Rg6 consolidates.
So, we must back up to move 2 for black to see if he had anything better than Qg5. The other attack on the rook, from d2 still loses to Rc6:
2. …..Qd2
3. Rc6 Kd1
4. g8(Q) and there are no double attacks possible before white can block a check with the queen on the 6th rank, or with rook itself with the king on the 7th rank to protect it.
The only strategy left that is reasonable as first glance is to pin the pawn with Qb2, but this is going to fail rather trivially:
2. …..Qb2
3. Rh1! with Rh2 to follow.
Now, we are left with the first move alternative of Ka3 for black to close this analysis out:
1. g7 Ka3
2. Rh6
Now, if black attacks the rook with Qg5, Ra6 or Rh3 wins pretty similarly to the lines discussed above (left as an exercise to the curious). On Qd2, white will probably want to chose Rh3. It seems several moves shorter to me, but I might be missing something. And, of course, Qb2 still loses to the rook checks, but this time from a6 and b6.
So, all in all, 1.g7 followed by 2.Rh6 seems to wins for white. I can’t find an adequate defense for black.
I think this is a draw with best play. A very nice puzzle.
1.g7 and now black cannot prevent the pawn from promoting. In order to draw, then after the promotion to queen on g8, the black queen needs to be able to give perpetual check on a dark squared diagonal, either at d8,f6,h5, or else at b8,e5,h2.
In the current set-up, the black king on b2 prevents the perpetual, because the pin Qg7 by white prevents black from checking at f6 or e5. Therefore the first black move must be a king move.
The king must move to a square off the long diagonal, and not in check from g8 or h7.
Therefore 1…Kc1! is the only drawing move for black.
Doofus, you are close, I think. However, white need not queen with his second move, but he must choose carefully.
Trying to analyze doofus’ line:
1. g7 Kc1!
Looks like a great move to hold the draw, threats perpetuals both via a8-a1, and the triangle b2-h2-b8. And will not be checked by white.
a)
2. g8=Q Qb2+
3. Qg7/Rg7 Qb8/Qh2
the triangle perpetual occurs, or
b)
2. Rh6 Qa8+
3. g8=Q Qa1+
is also perpetual, or
c)
2. Rh6 Qa8+
3. g8=N Qa1+
4. Rf6
stops the perpetual, but now Q vs R+N is a draw anyway, or
d)
2. Rh6 Qa8+
3. Kh7 Qe4+
4. Rg6 Qh4+
cant’t see that white escapes from the checks in this line either.
Is there something else that I have overlooked?
1.Rh6! Qg5 2.Kh7 Qe7+ 3.g7 Qe4+
a) 4.Kh8 Qe5
b) 4.Rg6 Qh4+ 5.Kg8 Qe7
Of course my first post wasn’t complete.
The ultimate attempt to win should perhaps be:
1. g7 Kc1
2. Rh5! threating Rc5+
2. … Qa8+
3. g8=Q Qa1+
4. Qg7 Qa8+
5. Kh7 Qe4+
6. Qg6 Qe7+
7. Kh6 Qe3+
8. Qg5 Qe6+
still looks like a perpetual….
On the other hand, 2. Rh4 should have prevented 5. … Qe4. The line above would stop after 5. Kh7.
But then
2. … Qf1 (prevents Rc4+)
3. g8=Q Qf6+
wins rook and draws.
Or
1. g7 Kc1
2. Rh4 Qf1
3. Rh5 Qd4
difficult to see a progress for white….
i think its a win for white
i think white can with this line 1.g7! then 1…Kb1 2.g8Q Qb2+ 3.Rg7 Qh2+ 4.Qh7+ or 1…Kc1 2.Rh6! Qb2 3.Rh1+ also 1…Ka3 2.Rh6! Qb2 3.Ra6+
I suspect it is actually a win. After
1. g7 Kc1
2. Rh6 Qa8+
3. g8=Q Qa1+
4. Kh7 etc.
I think eventually white can maneuver his king towards the center, and black will run out of good checks and be forced to trade Qs. I haven’t found any perpetual check after 2. Rh6. 2…Qb2 fails to Rh1+ Kc2 Rh2+ followed by RxQ.
2… Qg5 is met with Rc6+ And shortly thereafter g8=Q.
pht,
You analyzed the following as a draw:
1. g7 Kc1
2. Rh6 Qa8+
3. g8(Q)Qa1+
And I forgot to include this variation yesterday in my haste to finish, however, white can escape the checks long enough (a single move in which black can’t check is enough):
4. Kh7
I now think 4.Qg7 also wins, but 4.Kh7 is the line I worked out yesterday:
4. …..Qb1 (Qa7 5.Qg7 wins)
5. Rg6
Here, other moves are probably winning, too, but the ones I looked at all eventually came back to this position, so it is the key variation. Continuing:
5. …..Qb7 (the only check)
6. Kh8
And, now, we branch in two directions through the move Qh1 and Qb2 (the only two checks):
6. …..Qh1
7. Qh7! Qa8 (the only check)
8. Rg8!
This is not a draw, though it looks like the ideal position- there is one big problem in black’s set up:
8. …..Qa1 (the only check)
9. Qg7!
And, now, black is out of checks for a move- his king is blocking the path to the h-file for the queen. It is only a matter time before black is forced to exchange the queens via the checks from the g-file white is going to deliver.
Or, at move 6 for black:
6. …..Qb2
7. Qg7 Qb8 (Qh2 8.Qh6 with check)
8. Kh7 Qh2 (the only check now)
9. Qh6+ and the queens must be exchanged.
A good puzzle. Thanks to Yancey and others for looking a little deeper than I managed, and finding that white is still well placed for a win!
Hi Susan Polgar,
Yesterday,I didn’t log into to internet – so I am checking this puzzle now.
Brainy minds of this blog had already discussed the best suggested move for white piece to win the game,for this puzzle nothing much needs to be added my side – Good.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Thanks to Yancey Ward for a very good analyze!
It seems correct when I see it…