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WHITE R-F1 BLACK R-A7 CHECK
K-G8 R-A8 CHECK
R-F8 AND WHITE QUEENS PAWN
1.Rb5 Ra7 2.Kh6 Ra8 3.Rg5 Rh8 4.Kg7 Rxh7 5.Kxh7 … when the pawn steps forward then Rg3 e2 Re3 stops the pawn
I think 1.Rb5 to block
the black King should be okay.
1. Rb5 Ra6+
2. Kg6 Ra8
3. Rh5 Rh8
4. Kg7 ….
1….e3
2. Rb3
renium
I would say Rh1. If black plays Ra7+ then Kg6 (no more checks). Once white queens and black has to give up the rook, pushing the pawn doesnt work because white can skewer along the e-file. Also the white King is not that cut off. It can come back and support the pawn if black tries to protect the pawn with his King.
>WHITE R-F1 BLACK R-A7 CHECK
>K-G8 R-A8 CHECK
>R-F8 AND WHITE QUEENS PAWN
Black’s chance is Ra7+ followed by Rxh7. White needs to get the king back to win the black pawn in order to win.
You need to meet Ra7+ with Rf7 in order to shield the *pawn* from the rook. It’s not about shielding the king.
But it looks like 1. Rb6+ Kd5 2. Rf6 e3 3. Rf8 Rxf8 4. Kxf8 e2 5. h8=q e1=q is a draw.
So as others have said, cutting off the king is the winning plan
indeed a very special position, and indeed one, to keep in mind…
1.Rb5! the only winning move here, and of course, because it cut’s off the king from the defense of the e-pawn.
[1.Rf1? Ke5! 2.Rf8 Ra7+ 3.Kg8 (3.Rf7 Ra8 4.Rf2 Ra7+?) 3…Rxh7 4.Kxh7 e3=]
1…Ra7+
[1…e3? 2.h8Q Rxh8 3.Kxh8 e2 4.Rb1 – game over!]
2.Kg6 Ra8
[here is the first reason, why this endgame position is important – the tricky 2…Ra1 3.h8Q Rg1+ 4.Kh6 Rh1+ is refuted by 5.Rh5! but this maneuver is far from standard, it does not work all the time – frankly, it’s good luck for white…!]
3.Rh5 Rh8
[and here are the next bad lines arriving for black. in similar positions the alibi move 3…e3 might work, but unfortunately, it does not here: 4.h8Q! Rxh8 5.Rxh8 e2 and the queening of the pawn is stopped by 6.Re8+… what a bummer!]
4.Kg7 it is all over now
e,g. 4…e3 (what else?)
5.Kxh8 e2
6.Rh1+- white wins
greetings
PS: sometimes sidelines are of more interest than mainstream “solutions”, aren’t they?
greetings!
This almost looks like Short’s game of yesterday!
Vohaul summarizes nicely, but note that 1.Ra1!? (not a very human move) also wins in the initial position, though not nearly as cleanly.
1…Rxa1 is lost per the tablebases; I suppose that with 1…Rb8, Black could force White to find the previously-missed maneuver.