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Win
1.h6!
Black’s king is overworked.
1.h6! Kg8 (1….c3 2.f7 and mate to follow), Black king had to “waste” a tempo and now he is in typical zugzwang position. If he moves on f7-f8 then h7! and if he moves on h7-h8 then f7!
2.Kb1!!!!
a)2….a3 3.Ka2! the summit of the pawn chain is attacked so the basis can’t move 3….c3 4.Kb3! +-
b)2…..c3 3.Kc2! idem 3…a3
4.Kb3! +-
c)2….b3 3.Kb2! +-
1.a6 Rg8 2.Rb1 and black is forced to move a pawn. Then white king goes in front of the moved pawn and starts eating them.
White wins with
1. h6 threatening f7
and if Black plays
1 .. Kg8, White goes on with
2. Kb1 and then .. a3/b3/c3 3. Ka2/Kb2/Kc2
and if 2 .. Kf7/Kh7 then
3. h7 or f7, respectively!
h6
Win for White. 1. h6 holds the Black king at bay; 2. Kb1 makes it impossible for a Black pawn to pass without that king’s support.
1. h6 Kg8 (else 2. f7 and promotes)
2. Kb1
Now, White’s king should bump up against whichever pawn advances. The Black king cannot move. (2. … Kf8 3. h7 and promotes; 2. … K h8 3. f7 and promotes.)
For example,
2. … b3
3. Kb2
2. … a3
3. Ka2 c3
4. Kb3
2. … c3
3. Kc2
The first move seems to me has to be h6 since f7 simply loses:
1. f7 Kg7 and both white pawns will fall. So, to keep the black king from g7, I would play h6:
1. h6
Here, the threat is f7 where the pawn cannot be prevented from queening on the next move, so black must play Kg8 immediately:
1. …..Kg8 (Kh7?? 2.f7 wins)
Here, the black king can hold up both pawns as long as he doesn’t have to move! For example, any move like Kf7 or Kf8 loses to h7:
2. …..Kf7 (Kf8 is the same)
3. h7
and the pawn queens as the king is cut off from g7 and g8. The same applies to the moves Kh7 or Kh8- they lose to f7. So, white has the black king immobilized on g8 and this means on his next move, black will have to play a pawn move. Of course, this also means the white pawns are immobilized since moving either one with the black king at g8 will drop both pawns. The question for white is, where should he put the king? The options are Ka2, Kb1, and Kb2. Lets look at each of these moves in order:
2. Ka2
Here, the third rank and second rank is cut off from white on move three if black moves either a3 or c3, and the white king will be forced back to either a1 or b1 on move 3. On 2. …b3+, the white king can play to b2, at which point black will be forced to drop a pawn on his third move with either a3 or c3, and lose the other two pawns as well on subsequent moves as his king is stuck on g8 (zugzwang!). So, at move 2 in this line, a3 or c3 is called for:
2. …..a3
3. Ka1
I don’t think it matters now what white does. Kb1 would lose, too (see below).
3. …..b3 (control rank 2!)
4. Kb1 c3
5. Ka1
Here, Kc1 loses immediately to a2:
5. …..c2
And, now, it is white who is in zugzwang:
6. f7/h7 Kf7/Kh7
7. h7/f7 c1(R)#
At move 3 in this line, white still loses with
3. Kb1 b3
4. Kc1 c3
5. Kb1 c2
6. Kc1 a2
7. Kb2 c1(Q)
8. Kc1 a1(Q)
So, at move 2, white cannot play Ka2. Lets look at Kb2:
2. Kb2
Here, black will now lose with a3 or c3 +:
2. …..a3?? (c3 is mirror image)
3. Ka2! c3(b3 4.Ka3 b2/c3 5.Kb2/b3)
4. Kb3 a2 (c2 is mirror image)
5. Ka2 c2 (b3 6.Kb3 wins)
6. Kb2 b3
7. Kc1 and black is in zugzwang- lose both pawns with b2, or give white a queen with Kf7/f8/h7/h8. So, at move 2, black must try b3 in this line. I will continue this analysis in my next comment due to length.
1.h6 Kg8 (avoiding f7 or h7)
Now, black King cannot move
(Kf7 h7)
2.Kb1
2. … a3
3. Ka2 c3(b3 Ka3)
4. Kb3 a2
5. Ka2 c2
6. Kb2 b3
7. Kc1 ZugZwang
2. … b3
3. Kb2 and Black loses
2. … c3
3. Kc2
So it’s a win for the White
In my previous comment, I had shown how white can immobilize black’s king on g8 by playing the following beginning:
1. h6 Kg8
I had shown that at move 2, white loses with 2.Ka2, and had shown that black loses with the continuation
2. Kb2 a3? (c3 mirror image bad)
However, black, at move 2, can win with
2. …..b3!
Here, 3.Ka3 or 3.Kc3 loses quickly to c3 or a3 respectively as the white king will be forced to rank 4 in the first line allowing either the b or c pawn to queen as the white king will be one too many steps behind, or be forced to the d-file in the second line allowing the a-pawn to queen. However, the moves Kb1, Ka1, and Kc1 all lose very similarly to the lines I discussed in my previous comment. I will show just one again:
3. Kb1 a3 (or c3)
4. Kc1 c3 (a2 wins, too)
5. Kc1 a2
6. Ka1 c2 and we already know this is won for black.
So, at move 2, white cannot play Kb2, either. This leaves only Kb1 as an option. Again, from the top of the line:
1. h6 Kg8
2. Kb1
Now, of course, black has three moves a3, b3, and c3 to choose from. In a line in my previous comment, I had shown the position that arises from
2. …..b3
3. Kb2 and had shown that the continuation from this position was a win for white, so black cannot play b3. 2. …a3 and 2. …c3 are basically the same as mirror images:
2. …..a3
3. Ka2!
This is the only move for white. Indeed, I think we have already covered this position in the previous comment as well. Black has two losing pawn moves to choose from- 3. …b3 and 3. …c3:
3. …..b3
4. Ka3 c3 (b2 5.Kb2+-)
5. Kb3 wins both pawns. Or
3. …..c3
4. Kb3 a2 (c2 mirror image)
5. Ka2 c2 (b3 6.Kb3+-)
6. Kb2 b3 (what else?)
7. Kc1 b2
8. Kb2 and both remaining black pawns fall.
So, 1.h6 wins in all lines for white.
It’s a win! 1.h6, Rg8 2.Rb1! +-
1. h6 (a) Black LOSE – If king black move to Kh7 because pawn black will move to f7 and ready change to Queen at f8=Q (B) Black WON – If king black move to Kg8 after h6 because pawns white not enough step for change to Queen *So, this game depend to king black move – KNOCKOUT2010
h6 wins
han
win for white
It looks to me like h6 followed by f7 wins.
I think, 1:0
Lemme see here. a6 forces B to play Kg8. After that any B K move loses. So therefore, just hold back the white pawns. How? Kb1, then K in front of whatever W pawn advances. Yea, that seems to do it. W wins!
It is hard to believe but white wins in this position.
1 h6 Kg8 (forced) then 2.Kb2 black can not move his king and white king will come forward to any pawn which moves forward and eventually gobble up all the pawns and win.
h6 Kg8
Kb2 Zuggie
1. h6 Kg8 (or else white’s f-pawn queens within two moves)
2. Kb1! now, if black king moves to either side, white’s pawn on the other side will queen, so:
2. … a/b/c3
3. Ka/b/c2 and black will get into zugzwang sooner or later, losing pawn after pawn and finally having to move the king – 1-0
I think White wins:
1. h6 Kg8
2. Kb1 …
a. … a3
Ka2
b. … b3
Kb2
c. … c3
Kc2
This is won for black!
For example, once white sets ups best pawn position by playing
1. h6 Kg8
Now black’s king is immobile or White will queen so it is three pawns against the White king and they win as follows:
2. K anywhere b3 wins! a2 or c2 do not win!
For example:
3. Kb1 a3
4. Ka1 c3
5. Kb1 a2+
6. Ka1 c2
7. Kb2 a1=Q+ (or c1=Q+)
8. Kxa1 c1=Q#
Susan thanx for your blog and problems and the SPICE Chess Festival tournaments! I enjoyed playing and seeing the two Grandmaster round robbin tournaments!
h6 Kg8 Kb1 and Black will be in zugzwang. after a pawn push, White steps in front of the pawn, and Black will lose eventually.