White to move. Can White win this?
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White to move. Can White win this?
Dead draw! Black can sacrifice the knight for the last pawn. Tough luck for white.
After 1.a4 (as in the pawn ending earlier), Black can’t allow White to play 2.axb5 or 2.cxb5 with check, as White would follow with 3.Bh5, dominating the poor Nh8.
So 1.a4 Kb6!?, perhaps? Black’s idea is …Nf7-Nd6-Nxb5
I was wrong: 1.a4 Kb6? 2.a5+ Ka6 3.cxb5+ Kxb5 4.Be2+ and 5.b5(+) wins
Better defense: 1…bxa4 2.b5+ Kb6 3.Bxa4 (no time for 3.Bh5?? a3) 3…Ng6 (idea (Ne7-Nc8-Na7 threatening Nxb5, so the Bishop has to babysit b5–blockade draw?)
Black does have tempo moves Kb6-Kb7 if the WK tries to invade from d8
I suspect White may be winning this as well: if the BK goes to b7, then the Ba4 can reposition to d3 via c2 (indirectly double-protecting b5.)
Or simply 1.a4 bxa4 2.b5+ Kb6 3.Bxa4 Nf7 and I don’t see a way for White to trap the knight.
White should win with 1. Bh5, which keeps the knight at bay and gives White some moves for opposition (between h5 and e8). Black has some choices:
1. … cxb4
2. axb4 bxc4 (2. …
3. Kd4 and White wins this.
1. … bxc4
2. Be8+ Kb6
3. b5 Ka5
4. a4 Kb4 (4. … Kb6 5. Ke3 and White outflanks Black’s pawns while preparing to promote the b-pawn)
5. b6 c3
6. b7 c2
7. b8(Q) Kc3 (7. … Kc4 8. Qb2 N move 9. Bb5#)
8. Qe5+ Kd2 (8. … Kb3 9. Qa1 and White will promote the a pawn without interference)
9. Qh2+ Kd1
10. Qxh8 c1(Q)
11. Qh1+ K move
12. Qxc1 and the bishop will stop Black’s c-pawn while White’s a-pawn promotes.
1. … Kb5
2. Kd5 cxb4
3. c5+ Ka5
4. axb4+ Kxb4
5. c6 Ka3
6. c7 b4
7. c8(Q) and White wins
jcheyne
Duh. That was easy!
I was fixated on 1.a4 and overlooked that White could lose tempi at will with the Bh5-Be8 shuffle.
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No it is not that easy and 1. Bh5 will only draw, too, I think.
The apawn can’t win with the bishop.
So after
1. Bh5, bxc4!
(of course not cxb4 2. axb4 and the infinity numbers of tempi Bh5-e8-h5-e8 and so on helps white to easy win that game) I do not see anything else then anonymous’ try
2. Be8+, Kb6
3. b5
but know black must (and can) immediately (before white can play a4) play
3. -, Nf7! draw
The simple idea from the other position (1. a4) does not win, too.
Billbrock showed that above.
I do not think white can win this if black can exchange more pawns (which hite can’t avoid) and secure his knight (so Bh5 has to happen at an early time).
I see no win – I think that is a draw.
Greetings
Jochen
Sorry Jochen, but you’re wrong. White can win with the a-pawn since he/she got the right bishop. A possible line could be 1. Bh5 bxc4 2. Be8+ Kb6 3. b5 Nf7 4. Bxf7 Kxb5 5. Be8+ Ka5 6. Ke3… White will continue with 7. Kd2 and 8. Kc3 eventually picking up blacks pawn and winning by promoting that last pawn.
Roger
Argh!? I remember having looked at the colours and having seen that they are different – I am getting colour blind!? 🙂
Probably I have looked at a1 instead of a8…
Of course white can win with that bishop and that pawn I can’t imagine why I thought something different.
Thank you for correcting me.
Funny.
Greetings
Jochen
Bh5 locks the Knight in forever and white can go around his business. White can even use the Bishop by always keeping it on the h5=e8 diagonol whereas Black looks like he’s just down a piece