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Ka1 and you can kiss your sister
I can pretty much guess what white’s first move must be just based on the nature of the position without doing any calculation. It simply has to be Ka1. These types of chess problems with dual pawns on their original squares are almost always examples where “He who moves his pawn first loses”, or in this case, fails to win. Let’s look at white’s pawn moves to see how they lose:
1. g7 Kh7
And, now, white must must play Ka1 or g3/g4 since g8 will lose all three white pawns [2.g8Q Kg8 3.g4 c5 4.g5 c4 5.g6 (or 5.Ka1 c3 6.g6 c2-+) 5. …c3 6.Ka1 c2-+]. Continuing:
2. g3 c5
Now we can start to see where this is going. 2. …c6 draws: [2. …c6 3.g4 (3.Ka1 draws too, I think) 3. …c5 4.g5 c4 (or 4. …Kg8 5.Ka1 Kf7 6.g6 Kg8 7.Kb2! c4 (only move) 8.Ka1 c3 (only move) 9.h7 Kg7 10.h8Q Kh8 11.g7 with stalemate to follow]. Continuing:
3. g4 c4
4. g5 c3
5. Ka1 c2 winning easily.
So, basically, black needs to ensure that he never has to play c3 with the white king already at a1 when white can force the liquidation of all of his pawns, or have the last one blockaded on the seventh rank by black’s king. So, in the line above, white gave up the advanced h-pawn on his first move, and also gave black the ability to move his king at the same time. If white had started with 1.g3, black responds with c5. If white had started with 1.g4, black responds with c6. Let’s play this last one out to see how it goes:
1. g4 c6!
2. g5 c5
3. g7 Kh7
4. Ka1 c4
5. Kb2 c3
6. Ka1 c2 Or
5. g6 Kg8
6. h7 Kg7-+ Or
5. g8Q Kg8
6. g6 Kh8 (c3 7.h7 Kg7 8.h8Q=)
7. h7
Or, here, 7.g7 Kh7-+; or 7.Kb2 c3-+. Continuing:
7. …..Kg7 (c3 8.g7 Kg7 9.h8Q=)
8. Kb2 c3!
9. Ka1 c2-+.
You can play through these various subvariations at moves 2 through 4, but in all of them, after white’s first move, black always has the proper waiting moves to ensure that the stalemate can’t be forced.
So, to draw, all white need do is take away black’s ability adjust the move order by simply forcing black to move his c-pawn before white has to move his g-pawn. 1. Ka1 is the way to do this:
1. Ka1 c6 (b2 loses)
2. g3
Here, 2.g7 should also draw since white still has in reserve the right to play g3- in fact, since white will have to play g7 at some point, it probably doesn’t matter now when he plays it, though the calculation is harder if you allow black to move his king early in the variation. Continuing:
2. …..c5
3. g4 c4
4. g5 c3
And, now, white has accomplished the first part- forced black to play c3 with the white king at a1. The rest is straightforward, though white must be precise:
5. g7 Kh7
6. g6 Kg8
Black can’t save the win by playing Kh6: [6. …Kh6? 7.g8Q c2 8.Qh7! Kg5 9.Qh1+-]. Continuing:
7. h7 Kg7
8. h8(Q)Kh8
9. g7 Kg8/g7 with a stalemate.
The strategy must be for white to get stalemated, and a1 looks like a good field to be stalemated on, when c-pawn reaches c3. So I suggest:
1. Ka1 c6 (b2 Kxb2 helps white)
2. g3 c5
3. g4 c4
4. g5 c3 (preapared for stalemate)
5. g7+ Kxh7
6. g6+ Kg8 (must stop g-pawn)
7. h7+ Kxg7
8. h8=Q Kxh8
9. g7+ Kh7
10. g8=Q Kxg8 stalemate.
1. … c5
2. g4
is the same, only one move faster.
If black tries
6. … Kxh6
7. g8=Q
then black has no time to play c2, this is obviously loosing.
1. Ka1 ! and it is stalemate after
1. …, c6
2. g3, c5
3. g4, c4,
5. g5, c3 1/2
Erik Fokke, Amsterdam
The Netherlands
we must go for a stalemate with the king on a1 and the black pawns on a2, b3 and c3. Maybe like this:
1. Ka1 c5
2. g4 c4
3. g5 c3
4. g7+ Kxh7
5. g6+ Kg8
6. h7+ Kxg7
7. h8Q+ Kxh8
8. g7+ Kxg7/Kg8 stalemate
or 1. … c6
2. g4 c5
3. g5 c4
4. g7+ Kxh7
5. g8Q+ Kxg8
6. g6 c3
7. h7+ Kg7
8. h8Q+ Kxh8
9. g7+ Kxg7/Kg8 stalemate
also we might play g3 on the second move and transpose to the first line.
greets, jan
1.g4 c5
2.g5 c4
3.Ka1 c3
4.g7+ Kxh7
5.g6+ Kg8
6.h7+ Kxg7
7.h8=Q Kxh8
8.g7+ Kxg7
– game draw (1/2-1/2) with insufficient
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,I don’t see a draw for White piece,but let me just,display few moves.
1.g4 c5
2.g5 c4
3.g7+ K*h7
4.g6 Kg8 [ Here again there ends the show for the white piece ]
=====********=====
1.g3 c5
2.g4 c4
3.g7+ K*h7
4.g5 c3+
5.K*c3 a1(Q)+
6.K*b3 Qb1+
7.Kc4 Qd1+
8.Kd5 Q*g5+
9.Kc4 Qh6
10.g8(Q) K*g8
11.Kd5 Kf7
12.Ke4 Kf6
13.Kd5 Qf4
14.Kc5 Ke6
15.Kb5 Qd4
16.Kc6 Qd5+
17.Kb6 Kd6
18.Ka6 Kc6
19.Ka7 Qb5
20.Ka8 Qb7++ Mate
Black Wins the game.
Well,but the question is how White draws the game ? Which means their must be away to attain draw[As per the questioner(Moderator) ]
So I couldn’t figure a way out at this point of time for White piece’s draw.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
Hi Susan POlgar,
Well,this will be my second post for this puzzle because in my previous post,I had missed to discuss about”Ka1″combination but even that doesn’t lead white piece to draw,to my understanding.
1.Ka1 c5
2.Kb2/g3/g4 c4
3.Kb2/g3/g4 c3+
4.Ka1 c2 [ Here ends the show for White piece ]
So,I don’t think White draw is possible at this position but I am ready for surprise from brainy minds of this blog.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]
1g4 c5
2g5 c4
3Ka1 c3(White King is in stalemate position after white pawns are given up)
4g7+ Kxh7
5g6+ Kg8
6h7+ Kxg7
7h8=Q Kxh8
8g7+ draws
1. g3 c6
2. g4 c5
3. g5 c4
4. Ka1
(1. … c5 is similar, with white replying Ka1 to …c4)
Now, 3. … c3 is stalemate. 3. … b2 and white can take all black pawns.
1. g4 c5
2. g5 c4
3. g7+ Kxh6
4. g6+ Kg8
5. Ka1 c3 stalemate
is an obvious idea. Unfortunately Black can instead play
1. g4 c6!
2. g5 c5
3. g7+ Kxh6
4. g6+ Kg8
5. Ka1 c4
6. Kb2 c3+
wins for Black.
So instead play
1. Ka1 and either
1. … c6
2. g3 c5
3. g4 c4
4. g5 c3
4. g7+ Kxh6
5. g6+ Kg8
or
1. … c5
2. g4 reaching the same result.
This is a really neat puzzle. I liked reading all of the analyses. Like with many end-games, it has to do with opposition.
1. g4 can be met with c6! (as in Bob’s and others’ analyses above)
and 1. g3 can be met with c5!
So white cannot wait to play Ka1 and must play it immediately. Then, depending on whether black plays c6 or c5, White can counter with g3 or g4, respectively.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,to me,if Black Piece player is an expert,then he can even avert stalemate.
So I am not convinced that White piece can give a transfix combination for a stalemate just because there exist an opening – lol,which favors Black piece to avert stalemate.
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]