White to move. How should White proceed?
8/1B6/1p6/2k1p3/1p3bb1/pP3N2/P1K5/8 w – – 0 88
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As long as white moves Kd3 it should be drawn. Black can exchange the knight or bishops but can’t make progress with his lone passer. Otherwise the king can get to e4 and trade the passer with the knight. So long as the black king is kept out of d4 there’s no way for him to make progress. White either shuffles his bishop or king back and forth.
I cannot see a way to win with white, but I think white should play 1. Be4. White will not mind to have opposite colour bishops, and … Bf5 must be stopped or I believe white will lose. I think that is a fortress, the bishop can move along the b1-h7 diagonal and the knight should be able to move too, with restraint, though better it keep an eye on the e pawn, the knight and bishop ward off the black king.
That is what I think, I cannot see a winning combination or manoeuvre.
White’s two pawns down with no compensation and no hope of a mate, so he’s fighting for the draw.
1. Nxe5 Bxe5
2. Be4 does it. White plonks his King on b1 and shuffles his Bishop up and down the b1-h7 diagonal.
1. … Bf5+
2. Nd3+ Kd4
3. Ba6
2. … Kb5
3. Bd5
Jorg,
Kd3 could lose to Bf5+. I haven’t done a complete analysis yet, but it looks bad for white because of the terrible threat to b3:
1. Kd3 Bf5
2. Ke2 Be6! and I don’t see an answer to the threat of Bb3 that doesn’t just lead to a lost position anyway- only Ne1 holds for more than a few moves, but the black king penetrates and the white pieces become tied down and passive:
3. Ne1 Kd4 (no reason to be hasty)
4. Nc2 Kc3
5. Be4 Bg4
6. Kf1 Bd2
and white is in knots with no useful defense now.
Also, Be4 seems to be weak agains Be6, too, though white’s king isn’t pushed away like he is in the 1.Kd3 line:
1. Be4 Be6
And, now the black king is threatening to penetrate through d4 on any knight move, and any bishop move allows Bd5, while a king move allows Bd5 and a won endgame of bishop vs knight where black has an advanced passer. This all looks lost to me.
I don’t see why Kd3 would be week, because after Bf5 white can reply with Be4. With that, while position looks very drawish…
Yancey,
Like rogue I was thinking Kd3 Bf5+ Be4. White can trade the bishops and then the knight and pawn while keeping black’s king out.
Kd3 Bf5+ Be4 Bxe4 Kxe4 and threatening Nxe5 Bxe5 Kxe5.
How does black make progress after Be4?
You two look correct to me. If there is something better than Kd3 here I am not finding it. My initial concerns with Bf5+ appear to unfounded due to Be4 block. Threatening the b pawn with Be6 seems adequately answered by Ne1 and Nc2 as necessary. I tried lines to advance the backwards b-pawn and play a check with the bishop at c4, but the sacrifice doesn’t seem to lead anywhere other than a draw for black. I am only doubtful, now, about Kd3 because Jorg’s comment appeared so quickly.
1.Kd3!
to avoid 1….Bxf3 2.Bxf3 Kd4! seems to lose because of
1…Be6!
creating the threat of 2…Bxb3 (2.Nd2 Bxd2!)
2.Kc2
forced and now if 2…Bg4 3.Kd3! and =
2…Bd5! 3.Nxe5!!
if 3…Bxb7 4.Nd3+! and the endgame is drawn or 3…Bxb3+ 4.Kxb3! Bxe5 and the opposite-colour bishops draw
3…Bxe5 4.Bxd5 Kxd5 5.Kb1!
and Black cannot approach without stalemate. The white position is a fortress !
I must add that If 1…Bf5+ 2.Be4! now White can hold 2…Be6 3.Ne1 Bd5 4.Nc2 This wasn’t possible since 1…Be6 2.Ne1 Bd5! wins because Black breaks the blockade
I’d keep the knight were it is and the bishop on the long diagonal. Kd3 looks good. If black captures the knight, it gets to an opposite-colored bishops endgame which looks drawn. Don’t let the e-pawn advance.
Yancey,
It appeared quickly because I must have seen the puzzle early 🙂 Plus I didn’t do much calculation. In endgames like this my general thought is the king’s must be active. Any move but Kd3 seems to allow black’s king in and then it has to be all over. In all that I don’t calculate distinct variations since it’s pretty hard to see what black can do to advance anywhere.
I think perhaps White can just play 1.Nxe5 Bxe5 2.Bd4 and if White’s king stays in the corner Black can make no progress.
I think bringing king to the middle would be the best bet for white. I mean KD3, even if the bishop chebks, use the white bishop and thus king occupies the center.
After
1.Ne5! Be5 2.Be4
I don’t see a win for black.
After 1.Kd3
1. – Be6 2.Ne1 Bd5 looks strong.
1. Nxe5, if …Bxe5 then
2. Be4 and it seems to be a fortress as long as white’s bishop stays on the long diagonal.
Black can try to exchange light-square bishops but then black king still can’t get to the corner because of white a2 and b3 pawns.
If black sacs the bishop on b3 then white recaptures with the king and its still a drawn opposite-colored bishop ending.
LOL! Nice drawing motif! Wish I had seen that one.
I think that
1.Nxe5?? Bf5+! 2.Nd3+ Kb5!!
so that the bishop has to defend from f1 and e2 which will lose when the king will reach e3
3.Bg2 Be5 4.Bf1 Bc3 5.Kd1 Kc6 etc…
and the king goes to d4 the knight (white will move his king out of the pin ) goes out of the way black check on b2 and wins the a2 pawns
Really my previous solution is the only one ! But of course you have to see 2…Kb5 which is not possible to everybody !
1.Be4! draws.
Bxf3 Bxf3 is draw,
The only plan for black is 1…Be6 2.Kd3 Bd5 and then
3.Bxd5 Kxd5 4.Nxe5! Kxe5 5.Kc2
with draw
I agree with those who favour
1. Nxe5.
The point is that after
1. … Bxe5
2. Be4 … Black can not enter White’s pawn basis. Black must try to change the white Bishops (which is easy), probably on e4. But he can not prevent White to commute his King between the squares a1/b1/c1.
Timothée said…
I think that
1.Nxe5?? Bf5+! 2.Nd3+ Kb5!!
so that the bishop has to defend from f1 and e2 which will lose when the king will reach e3
But what if the bishop just stays on the long diagonal? How does the king get to e3?
Timothée brought the important remark:
I think that
1.Nxe5?? Bf5+! 2.Nd3+ Kb5!!
so that the bishop has to defend from f1 and e2 which will lose when the king will reach e3
But I beleave the conclusion is not right, because Black is not forced to defend from the first ranks. The Bishop can use the whole a8/h1 diagonal. Black needs his King to attack the Nd3. As he can’t pass the c5 square it tooks so many moves, that black can bring his Bishop back to defence the Knight from a6 or b5.
What i believe is that my first solution (1.Kd3 Be6 2.Kc2 Bd5 3.Nxe5!! Bxe5 4.Bxd5 Kxd5 =) is perfectly correct; So even if I’m wrong i would have drawn at the board ! But yes 1.Nxe5 seems perfectly in order !