This was an actual game at the Polgar Chess Center today. Black to move. How do you evaluate the position? How should Black continue? No computer please!
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a4a3
I must get my eyes checked! I ment to say h4h3!
What I did was to set up the board with white to move. I switched colors of the pieces. It is just easier to work on the puzzle that way for me.
This is another great puzzle for learning. It is sort of simple but has great learning potential.
Anyone who can work this out over the board in a regular game is a very good player. Obviously there is a draw in there someplace or we would not get it as a puzzle to solve. I learned from looking for it.
This is another puzzle with counter intuitive moves. That will be my only hint. Great puzzle.
……. h3
Kf2 Kf4
Kg1 Kxf2
e5 queens
black is lost
I agree with anonymous above. It would be easier to have the game presented with white to move up the board.
If black tries to go over to the pawn on b4 the e pawn still runs and queens. So black is in a difficult position.
I could be wrong here, it’s very complicated.
I think the key moves for Black are h3, Kd4, and a5. I think the key ideas are that black win the c pawn and then can slow down both white pawns (e pawn and a pawn after bxa5), while getting his own c pawn and h pawn into play.
Am I right?
If 1. … h3; 2. Kf2 Kf4; 3. Kg1! Ke5; 4. Kh2. The basic problem with most tries is that if Black captures the f pawn, White’s e pawn queens. If Black moves to the b file, he stays within the square and can stop the e pawn from queening. But White need not run the e pawn. He can instead play f4! and if …gxf4, the g pawn runs. So Black can’t go after the b pawn either.
I think I made a mistake in counting moves with my previous post. I don’t think it works after all — white grabs the h pawn in plenty of time to still stop the c pawn.
If black just moves his king around (f6, e6, e5) white can’t penetrate with his king because he has to stay in the square of the h pawn. He can’t break through with f4, because THEN black can play h3 first and then take the pawn gxf4. If white tries to move closer to the h pawn before breaking through with f4, then black gets into position to take with his king instead of his g pawn. How can white do anything? Any attempt to break through doesn’t work.
I played this position against my computer and managed to have all three results… It’s very complicated, and I learned a lot!
I think if blacks stay quite it should be draw If whites try some thing they might lose
I think that this position is drawn. White’s K goes over to the g and h files and just homesteads there. Set up a house, move in the furniture, plant a yard. That’s his home. The B king can’t take any f pawn because the e pawn queens. He’s basically got to guard the e pawn.
So both Kings settle into their respective new homes and peacefully agree to draw.
concrete analysis reveals, that there is just one single move to keep the draw for black.
1…Kf6!
1…h3? loses after 2.Kf2!!Kf4 3.Kg1 – and the h-pawn will fall
1…Ke6? loses after 2.f4!! Kf6 3.fxg5+ Kxg5 4.Kf3.
greetings!
I believe it is a draw; here is my analysis (without computer):
1… Kf6!! 2. f4!? h3! (every other moves lose)
3. Kf3 (or f2) gxf4 and neither camps can make progress
other moves are ineffective: if the king goes on column D, h3 actually wins for black! If it goes on e2 of f2 Ke5 is a simple draw
All other moves lose for black
on 1… h3?! I found
2. Kf2 Kf4
3. e5!? Kxe5
4. Kg3 Kd4
5. Kxh3 Ke3
6. Kg3 and wins
on 1…Ke6?! (which seems as good as Kf6)
2.f4! h3
3.f5+! Ke5
4.Kf3 wins
Loïc
Great puzzle Susan.
Hope you find some more like these 2.
Molto semplice!
sacrfice h pawn and after avanced the king to kill the pawns!my move is 1…h3.No comp,but i don’t have the chessboard with me(it is heavy to take and put here so i m thinking with the
chessboard in my mind so it is all intuition!
Molto semplice!
sacrfice h pawn and after avanced the king to kill the pawns!my move is 1…h3.No comp,but i don’t have the chessboard with me(it is heavy to take and put here so i m thinking with the
chessboard in my mind so it is all intuition!