Kubbel 1928
White to move. Can White hold this position? How should White proceed?
3k4/3p2R1/1p1K4/3P4/8/8/8/4q3 w – – 0 2
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1. Rg8+ Qe8 2. Rh8!! b5 (2… Qxh8 is stalemate) 3. Rxe8+ Kxe8 4. Kc5 and a draw will happen.
Spotted the main idea almost immediately however playing through the endgame variations were a bit tricky.
1.Rg8+ forcing 1…Qe8
Now if white plays 2.Rxe8 then 2…Kxe8 and the white king is forced to play 3.Ke5 (the only other legal move 3.Kc7 allows the b pawn to queen) and I think this is winning for black. Here is a possible variation
3.Ke5 Ke7
4.d6+ (otherwise the black king comes to d6) Kf7
5.Kd5 Kf6
6.Kc4 Ke6
7.Kb5 Kxd6
8.Kxb6 Kd5
9.Kb5 Kd4
10.Kb4 d5
and all black has to do is keep marching his king down the d file and then letting the pawn follow.
So what else can white do after
1.Rg8+ Qe8
White has an amazing resource at his disposal, the seemingly silly anti-intuitive move
2.Rh8!! (sometimes spectacular moves arrive once you begin to consider the outrageous)
if 2…Qxh8 then white is stalemated in the middle of the board!
So black is forced to play his only sensible legal move
2…b5
Now white can play
3.Rxe8 Kxe8 and since the b pawn moved it is no longer protecting the c5 square (this is the key difference from the previous variation) and allows white to play
4.Kc5 which looks like a draw
4…Ke7
5.Kxb5 Kd6
6.Kc4
Now the tempting 6…Ke5 loses! to
7.Kc5
if 7…d6 then 8.Kc6 and black is in zugzwang so he will be forced to lose the d pawn and cant stop the white pawn from queening.
if 7…Kf7 then 8.Kd6 and again black cant protect his own pawn or prevent the d5 pawn from queening.
So after 6.Kc4 black is forced to retreat and the game is drawn as neither side can make progress.
No, after:
1.Rg8+ Qe8
2.Rxe8+ Kxe8
black wins.
2. Rh8!! with an unbelivable zugzwang.
1.Rg8 Qe8
2.Rh8 b5 (Qxg8 pat)
3.Rxe8 Kxe8
4.Kc5 1/2
Rg8, Qf8, Rh8!!, QxRh8 stalemate
What is wrong with:
1. Rg8+ Qe8
2. Rxe8+ Kxe8
3. Ke5
Should be a draw for White.
Very nice!
First move is obvious, the second is not!
1. Rg8+ Qf8
So what is the alternative to the loosing Rxf8+? (Kxf8 Kc7 b5)
2. Rh8!! b5
Kind of zugzwang since Qxh8 is stalemate!
3. Rxf8+ Kxf8
4. Kc5
Enabling this move was the point. This is a draw.
1 Rg8+ Qe8 2 Rh8 and if queen takes rook it is stalemate, next move rook takes queen (a kind of zugzwang as black wants to pass, if he moves the pawn it lets the king out).
1. Rg8+ Qe8
2. Rh8!!
a. 2…Qh8 stalemate
b. 2…b5 3. Re8+ Ke8 4. Kc5 and so on…draw
1. Rg8+ Qe8 2. Rh8 (just a waiting move and forcing black to move his pawn to b5. Black cannot play Qxh8 because of stale-mate). b5
3. Rxe8+ Kxe8 4. Kc5 and White king will capture the b-pawn and it will be a draw.
1. Rg8+ Qe8
2. Rh8 — just a waiting move and also forcing black to play b5 pawn push. If Qxh8, it will be stale-mate.
2. … b5
3. Rxe8+ Kxe8
4. Kc5 and the b-pawn will be gone. The position will be a draw.
1. Rg8+..Qe8 forced
2. Rh8!..
A. If 2..Qxh8.stalemate
B. If 2..Kmoves 3. Rxe8+ and white wins
C. If 2.. b5. 3.Rxe8+.Kxe8..4.Kc5..Ke7.. 5. Kxb5.Kd6 6.Kc4 and white draws easily. If black gets adventurous he can lose!
Harry
To Anand Gautam:
Interesting question, but I think this looks not so good for white if black plays accurate:
1. Rg8+ Qe8
2. Rxe8+ Kxe8
3. Ke5 Kc7!
Black king wants to help his b pawn.
A)
4. Kd4 Kd6!
5. Kc4 b5+
6. Kxb5 Kxd5
B)
4. d6+ Kc6