White to move. Is it a win or draw?
8/6QK/8/8/8/8/7p/7k w – – 0 1
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It’s a win. After 1. Kg6 2. Kh5+ the king is just close enough. Get the queen down by checking, finally she checks on e2, black’s king moves to g1 (Kg3? Qf1!+-) and than n. Kg4!, h1Q n+1. Kg3 +-
I hope (and think) that is right. 🙂
Best wishes from Germany
Jochen
Without analyzing it, it should be a draw with the white king that far away. Normally white can win a position like this only if the king is closer. (But this may be an exception.)
My guess is that 1.Kg5 is the only way to try for a win. After 2.Kf4+ the black queen gets closer and should, in combination with the king advancing to g3, be able to deliver mate despite the new black queen.
Beelze
Win. Kg6 and Kf5 brings the king close enough to checkmate after pawn queens.
This is a win for white.
There are many ways to win depending on black’s moves but the first move should be the same in each variation.
1. Kg6 Kg1
The goal is to get black in a zugzwang where his queen has no good squares. Play could continue…
2. Kf5+ Kf2
3. Qh6 Kg2
4. Qd2+ Kg1
5. Kf4 h1=Q
6. Kg3 and white has no good squares.
Love the puzzles Susan! Thanks for posting them! Visit my blog sometimes! I post daily endgame puzzles there and highlight a famous GM (present and past) everyday. It’s the number 1 blog at chess.com
http://blog.chess.com/politicalmusic
This is an exception to the rule that the rook pawn on the seventh rank should yield a draw. I think white wins with
1. Kg6, Kg2 (or Kg1)
2. Kf5+, …
One possible line is the following
2. … , Kh1
3. Kg4, Kg2
4. Kf4+, Kh1
5. Kg3 , Kg1
6. Kf3+, K moves
7. Qa1 mate
Further analysis must be done when black looks for shelter on a square different from h1. I will come back to this later.
Good, Miguel! We will wait for you until you come back to this on a later analysis!
forget king moves, separate the black king and pawn with the queen, win the pawn = won game
EASY win! 1 Kh6. h3 or 4, doesn’t matter. 2. Qa2 pawn advances, gets gobbled by the King then it becomes a K Q vs K endgame.
It’s a win for white.
1)Qe5! Kg1 (1…Kg2 2.Qe2+! Kg3 3.Qf1 black cannot promote his pawn.White has all the time in the world to take his King closer to the action)
2)Qe1+! Kg2 3)Qe2+ (this line transforms into the above one)
Jochen, your solution is nice and clever. The solution of politicalmusic goes along the same lines. I was not aware of this technique.
1.Kg6 Kg2
2.Kf5+ Kf2 (2…Kh3 3.Qg4++) (2…Kf3 3.Qb7+)
3.Qb2+ Kg1 (3…Kg3 4.Qb7)
4.Kg4 h1Q
5.Kg3
Pavan, your line doesn’t work:
Qe5 Kg2
Qe2+ Kg1
Qe1+ Kg2 etc.
there is no reason for black to play Kg3.
CowboyNoel, you are looking at the colors or board backwards. Kh6 is a draw by stalemate.
Several people (Jochen first) have indicated the trickiest idea (that if the black king is on g1, then responding to black queening on h1 with Kg3 creates a situation where black loses the queen or gives up mate), but no one has really enumerated all the lines, so here’s my go at that:
It always starts with
1. Kg6 Kg1 or Kg2
2. Kf5+ and then
2. … Kh3
3. Qg4#
2. … Kh1
3. Kg4 Kg2 (3. … Kg1 4. Kh3+ and white will mate immediately or capture the pawn)
4. Qb7+ Kg1 (4. … Kf1 or Kf2 5. Qh1 and the pawn is lost and there is no stalemate)
5. Kg3 Kf1 (5. … h1Q 6. Qb1#, 5. … h1N+ is a won ending for white obviously)
6. Qh1+ and the pawn is lost and there is no stalemate
2. … Kf1
3. Qh6 Kg2 (3. … Kg1 4. Qc1+ Kg2 [any other move allows 5. Qh1 winning the pawn with no stalemate] 5. Qd2+ transposes to the main line, any other move loses the pawn with no stalemate)
4. Qd2+ Kg1 (4. … Kh1 5. Qe1+ Kg2 6. Qe2+ Kg1 [other king moves allow Qf1 which is followed by Qh1 winning the pawn with no stalemate] leads to the same idea as the main line)
5. Kg4 h1Q (Kf1 loses the pawn with no stalemate)
6. Kg3 and now 6. …Qh2+, Qh3+, Qg2+ and Qf3+ all lose the queen, while 6. …Qe4 gives up mate in two starting with 7. Qd1+, all other queen moves give up 7. Qe1#, and 6. …Kf1 7. Qd1+ followed by 8. Qxh1
2. … Kf2
3. Qh6 Kg3 (all other king moves either immediately lose the pawn or transpose into the 2. …Kf1 line above)
4. Qc6 and now black can’t stop 5. Qh1. After that the black king will be forced to shuffle between h3 and g3 to protect the pawn, giving the white king plenty of time to get to f1 allowing Qg2+ finally winning the pawn with no stalemate.
2. … Kf3
3. Qb7+ and black can’t stop Qh1 winning the pawn as indicated above.