White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Rc8 winning a bishop
(Bxg7 Rb8, Ba2 g8=Q BxQ)
White has to play correctly after though or black will draw. If you don’t manage to take the pawn and keep the rook, then make sure you take with the opposition.
I don’t see a “killer blow”, but there is a “normal” grinding win after Rc8 when you can win the light Bishop for the pawn (eg. …BxP, Rb1+, or else g8=Q BxQ, RxB). The resulting position is won for White, because Black’s King is too far away.
The plan is:
1) Rook prevents the Black King reaching the e-file
2) March the White King to g4
3) Trade Rook for Pawn and Bishop
4) White Queens the pawn since Black’s King can’t get to the f-file in time to win the opposition.
There must be something better, but in a game I would certainly play this rather than look for something more forcing, since it requires no calculation and is completely simple to play.
Rc8 should win here- carries the double threat of g8Q winning the white squared bishop, and Rb8 skewering the king and white squared bishop.
Looks like 1.Rc8!
if 1…Bxg7 2.Rb8+ then Rxb3
if 1…Kb7 2.g8(Q) Bxg8 3.Rxg8
1.Rc1 trying to pin Bb3 from b1
doesn’t work because of 1…Ka5!
0-0-0
-0-0-
1.Rc8 B.g7 2.Tb8+ Kc5 3.T.b3
Rg2 looks so obvious that surely it cannot be the solution! So what is it? 🙂
But Rg2 is met by Bg8!
So I think the correct line to play for White is:
1. Rc8! Bxg7
2. Rb8+ 1-0
If any other move, then g8=Q, Bxg8, Rxg8 1-0
How about Rc8 when Bxg7 loses the white squared bishop to Rb8ch. I suspect that is better than winning the balck squared bishop as white’s remaining pawn is on a white square and his king will be immoveable when it reaches g4.
I can’t see an obvious forced win but the strategy seems OK.
Rc8
Rc8 ?
Rc8 Bxg7
Rb8+ Kc7
Rxb3 +-
or
Rc8 Kc7
b8Q +-
Rc8 with Rb8 next move…
1. Rc8 wins a piece for the pawn after 1…B:g7 2. Rb8+. The resulting ending is an easy win for white.
Ok, the ending after winning the bishop is actually pretty easy, if you have played this kind of ending before, but Lorfa is correct- care is still required:
1. Rc8! Bg7
It should not matter how black chooses to lose a piece here:
2. Rb8 Kc5
3. Rb3
And, now, what white will do here is force the exchange for the bishop and pawn for the rook under favorable circumstances to reduce down to a K+P vs K ending:
3. …..Bd4 (coming to e3)
4. Kh3 Be3
5. Rd3 Kc4
6. Rd8 Bd4
7. Kg4 Be3
8. Rf8
So, now, has double attacked at f4. The best that black can now do is to try to get in front of the pawn, but this is hopeless:
8. …..Kd5
9. Rf4 Bf4
Black can probably put up longer resistance by retaining the bishop, but, in the end, he would be forced to give up the bishop for the pawn just to prevent a queen from being born on f8. Continuing:
10.Kf4 Ke6
11.Kg5 Kf7
12.Kf5!
The only winning move in this position is 12.Kf5 taking the opposition. The rest is trivial:
12. ….Ke7 (or Kg7)
13.Kg6 Ke8
14.f4 Ke7 (Kf8 15.Kf6!)
15.f5 Kf8 (else, 16.Kg7+-)
16.Kf6! Ke8
17.Kg7+-
Now, at black’s third move, it is reasonable to ask if black could do better by getting his king over the d-file first? Let’s see why this doesn’t work:
3. …..Kc4
4. Rb8 Kd5
5. Re8
So, now, can black get the king in a better position prior to the exhange that is coming at f4? Let’s see continuing this line:
5. …..Kd4 (alternatives follow)
6. Kh3 Be5
7. Kg4 Kd5 (what else?)
8. Kf5 Bc7
9. Re4 and now black can’t even play Kd6 without dropping f4 with no compensation.
Back at move 5:
5. …..Bd4 (to get to e3)
6. Kh3 Kd5
7. Re8 Kd6
Here, black could try the hopeless attempt to double protect the f4 pawn by putting the bishop on e3 and the king on e5: [7. …Be3 8.Kg4 Kd4 9.Re4 Kd5 10.Rf4 Bf4 11.Kf4 and we saw this postion was lost earlier]. Continuing:
8. Kg4 Be3
9. Re4 Kd7
10.Rf4 Bf4
11.Kf4 Ke6 (nothing holds here)
12.Kg5 Ke7 (Kf7 13.Kf5! wins)
13.f4 Ke6
14.Kg6 and the rest is easy.