Euwe, 1924
White to move and win.
Hint: This is an extremely difficult endgame and your computer programs may not be able to help much. This is one of those critical must know endgame positions.
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Hmm.It seems that the critical square for a brake in is the f4.A good idea woul be if white could place his king on the c4 square and then play f3-f4. If white can accomplish that the win would is easy to see. So let’s say:
1.Kg2 Ke6
2.Kf2 Kf6
(If 2. kd5 or any othe king move allows 3.f4 exf 4.gxf gxf 5.Kf3 Ke5 6.g5 Kf5 7.g6 Kxp 8.KxP Kf6 9.Ke4 Ke6 10.KxP Kd6 11.Kc4 Kc6 12.d4 Kd6 13.d5 and white wins)
3.Ke2 Kg5 (what else since 3…Ke5 loses to 4.f4 exp 5.gxp gxp 6.Kf3 and the above line repeats itself)
4.Kd2 Kf6
5.Kc2 ke6
6.Kb3 Kd5
7.Kb4 Kc6
8.Kc4 Kd6
9.f4! exf
10.gxf gxf
11.Kxp and white wins.
Any suggestions?
On the 6th move 6.Kb3 how about 6….Kc5?
If Black plays 6….Kc5 you may have to carry out some kind of triangulation to ”lose” a tempo, and at some point make the f4 break and win.
To make my point clearer, forget the move number,
when White place Kb3 Black can play Kc5 (it can happen, what then?
You may have to carry out some kind of triangulation at that moment to ”lose” a tempo, so White king is on b3 and the Black king on c5 but it is Black’s move, he plays Kb5 and White makes the f4 break and wins.
to pharoah:
Black can’t play 6…Kc5 since its previous move was 5….Ke6.
the only winning move for white is
1.Kg1! … +-
(1.Kg2? Kf6! 2.Kf2 Kg6! … =)
just my two pence …
greetings
my analysis – if you like it:
1.Kg1! …
[1.Kg2? Kf6! 2.Kf2 Kg6! 3.Ke2 Kf6 4.Kd2 Ke6 5.Kc2 (5.Kd1 Ke7 6.Kc2 Kd6 7.Kb3 Kc5) 5…Kd5 6.Kb3 Kc5= e.g. 7.f4 exf4 8.gxf4 gxf4 9.Kc2 f3 10.Kd2 Kd5 11.Ke1 Ke5 12.Kf2 Kf4 13.g5 Kxg5 14.Kxf3 Kf5]
1…Kg6
[1…Kg7? 2.Kf1 Kf7 3.Ke1 Ke7 (3…Ke6 4.Kf2 Kf6 5.Ke2 Ke6 6.f4 exf4 7.gxf4 gxf4 8.Kf3) 4.Kf2 Kf6 5.Ke2 Kg6 6.Kd2 Kf6 7.Kc2 Ke6 8.Kb3 Kd5 9.Kb4 Kd6 10.Kc4 Kc6 11.f4+-;
1…Kf6? 2.Kg2 Kg6 3.Kf2 Kf6 4.Ke2 Ke6 5.f4! gxf4 (5…Kd5 6.fxg5 Ke6 7.Kf3 Kf7 8.Ke4+-) 6.gxf4 e4 (6…exf4 7.Kf3 Kd5 8.Kxf4+-) 7.dxe4 Kd6 8.Kd3 Kc5 9.f5+-]
2.Kf2 Kf6
3.Ke2 Kg6
[3…Ke6 4.f4 +-]
4.Kd2 Kf6
5.Kc2 (only move to win) …Ke6
6.Kb3 (only move to win) …Kd5
7.Kb4 (only move to win) …Kc6
8.Kc4 (only move to win) …Kd6
9.f4 (only move to win) +-
e.g.
9…Ke6
10.Kc5 Kf6
11.Kd5 exf4
12.gxf4 gxf4
13.Ke4 Kg5
14.Kf3 Kg6
15.Kxf4 and so on
sometimes chess is not that easy it looks like, dear friends…:), thx good I’d never had a position like this in a real otb game …!
greetings
“must know endgame positions”
Why must I know this position?
” Anonymous said…
“must know endgame positions”
Why must I know this position?”
Because most advanced chess players understand (and learn) the important patterns in the game, especially the end part of the game when players can be mentally tired from the hectic middle game.
Toga II did not seem to have any difficulty to find the winning move Kg1…. Seems computers are better than Susan thinks.
Computers might be able to solve this one, but it’s much more satisfying to solve it using wetware!
There’s a double opposition at work here – if the white king can reach c4 (he reaches c4 if he can get to b3 or b4 and black cannot respond Kc5) or if he can play Kf3 and black cannot respond with Kg5 when two pawns of opposite colour are on f4 and f5, then white will win. These two oppositions hinge around the squares e2 and f6… from e2, white can reach f3 in one and b3 in three and from f6, black can reach g5 in one and c5 in three.
So white’s objective is to move to e2 when black is already on f6!
Anyway, from the given position, white wins by:
1. Kg1
(W can reach f3 in 2, but he can reach e2 in 2, 3, or 4 depending on his route! black must keep similar options open.)
1. … Kg7
(so far, so good… he can reach g5 in 2 and f6 in 2, 3, or 4)
2. Kf1
(f3 in 2, e2 in 1 or 2)
2. … Kf7
(g5 in 2, f6 in 1 or 2)
3. Ke1
(f3 in 2, e2 in 1 or 2 and now b3 in 3)
3. … Ke6
(g5 in 2, f6 in 1 or 2 and now c5 in 3)
4. Kf2
(f3 in 1, e2 in 1 !!)
4. … Kf6
(g5 in 1, f6 in 2 … oh oh )
5. Ke2
(mission accomplished – can still reach f3 in one, black can only match by Kg6, but them white gets to c4)
1-0
I got this one without moving the pieces too – it took a while, but I’ll know what to do if this sort of thing should ever come up OTB)
Stu
I just realized that since this is a question of opposition, if it were Black to move, it would be a draw … unless Black played 1. … Kf6 !!!!
Stu