White to move. How should White proceed?
8/5pp1/4p3/p3Pk1p/P1Kp1P1P/1PbN2P1/8/8 w – – 0 43
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1.b4
A)…if Black does nothing then 2.b5 and the pawn cannot be stopped.
B)1….axb4 2.a5 b3 3.a6 b2 4.Nxb2! Bxb2 5.a7 and the pawn promotes
C)1…Bxb4 2.Nxd4 axb4 3.a5 Ke4 4.a6 d3 5.a7 d2 6.a8+ and white will win this.
The most obvious move to me is
1. b4 ab4 (Bb4 see below)
2. Nb4 Bb4
3. Kb4 d3
4. Kc3! Ke4
5. Kd2 Kd4
6. a5 Kc5
7. a6 Kb6
8. Kd3 Ka6
9. Kc4 Kb6
10.Kb4 and, though I still don’t know who will win this, I think another line might be a better choice for white (and a more efficient use of my time since I could spend an hour looking this position over carefully), but where?
At move 2 above, could white play
2. a5 b3 (anything else?)
3. a6 and I don’t see how the pawn is stopped now.
The loose thread in this analysis is black’s first move after b4. There were three other alternatives- Bb4 Ke4, Kg4:
Line with 1.b4 Bb4:
1. b4 Bb4
2. Nb4 ab4
3. a5 Ke4
4. a6 d3 (only move I see)
5. a7 d2
6. a8(Q)Ke3
7. Qd8 Ke2 (b3 meaningless)
8. Qd3 Ke1 (nothing better)
9. Qe3 and it is over. At move 2 in this line, black could have played
2. …..Kg4
3. Nc6 Kg3
4. Na5 Kh4
5. Nb3 and black’s h-pawn will queen one move behind white’s a-pawn in the best case scenario and be taken by white’s new queen. So, 1. …..Bb4 is no defense for black.
Line with 1.b4 Ke4:
1. b4 Ke4
2. b5 and the pawn is unstoppable. Simple enough.
Line with 1.b4 Kg4:
1. b4 Kg4
2. b5 Kg3
3. b6 Kh4
4. b7 Kg3
5. b8(Q) and there is no counterplay for black.
So, 1.b4 should be powerful enough to force a win, but if black replies with ab4, white must push the a-pawn instantly to win most quickly, if at all.
1. b4 axb4 2. a5 b3 3. a6 b2 4. Nxb2
I wonder if b4 works. If black does nothing it’s a queen in 4 moves so action is forced.
b4 axb4 a5! b3 a6 (Ba4 is too late) b2 Nxb2 Bxb2 a7
b4 Bxb4 Nxb4 axb4 a5 black can’t queen without the king’s help and that is just too slow
Surely 1. b4 wins. The pawn can take but that frees the a4 pawn and the knight takes back. The knight blocks the bishop. Whatever the black king does, it will be to slow.
I can see 1. b4 axb4 2. Nxb4 d3 3. Nxd3 Be1 4. Kb5 and the pawn exchanges for the bishop. If the bishop does not do this, the knight goes to f2 to block the black king, and the king supports the pawn’s advance.
1. b4
Looks unstoppable…
I think black wins. Black can march his king to capture all the kingside pawns.
no, b4 and white wins…
han
b4 crashes through…white wins.
b4 and white wins
b4 won’t win – it will lead to both having queens…
this leads to win for white (Nc5 followed by Kc4 later at crucial stages wins it for white)
1.Nc5!
a)
1…Kg4
2.Ne4 Bb2
3.b4 Kf5
4.Nf2!
this move covers 3 squares and black king can’t penetrate…
4…hxb4
5.Kxb4 Bc3+
6.Kb5
and black will be forced to give up his bishop next move…
6…f6
7.exf6 gxf6
8.a5 e5
9.a6 exf4
10.gxf4 Kxf4
11.Kc4!
now, black can’t play 11…Ke6 which is met by 12.Nd1+ Kd2 13.a7!
11….Kf6 leads to 12.a7
if 3…hxb4
4.Kxb4 d3
5.Kc4!
(5.Nf2+ Kxg3 6.Nxd3 Bd4!)
5…f6
6.exf6 gxf6
7.a5
if 7…e5
8.Kxd3
(also possible is 8.Nxf6+ Kxg3 9.Kxd3 exf4 10.a6 Be5 11.Nd7 f3
with good chances for black…or white can even play 10.Nxh5+, but best is 8.Kxd3)
8…exf4
9.gxf4 Kxf4
10.a6 Be5
11.a7
and white can’t be stopped…
b)
1…Kg6
2.Ne4
now, Bb2 allows b4…otherwise black will lose the d pawn
c)
1…Bb2 or Bh1 allowws 2.b4
move b3b4, leads white to win
,
Umar
WHITE CAN WIN BY PLAYING b4.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Ref:”Miscellaneous endgame improvement” [ White has to move ]
Sub: White wins the game.
Well,as the question of the puzzle is “White has to move,how White has to proceed”,so,as the solver of the puzzle should guide the White,I am giving here the White’s move to win the game.[ In this combination,interesting variations exist,many leads White to win ]
Example one
===========
1. Nc1 Kg4
2. Ne2 Kf3
3. N*Bc3 K*g3[ Very interesting variations exist ]
4. b4 a*b4
5. K*b4 d*Nc3
6. K*c3 K*h4
7. a5 Kg4
8. a6 h4
9. a7 h3
10.a8(Q) h2
11.Qh1 k*f3
12.Q*h2+
Rest of the moves are child’s play for White to move the game.
By
Venky[Chennai – India]
This simply has to be 1.b4! Do not even bother to calculate, one of the queenside pawns should be able to advance and eventually promote.
Beelze
b4
b4
white may try b4
i don’t think, black can refute the
1. b4, axb4, 2. a5 queening attempt. jan
1. b4! brings White to win.
If 1. … Bb4 2. Nb4 ab4 3. a5 Ke4 3. a6 d3 4. a7 d2 5. a8Q (with check!) Ke3 6. Qd8 Ke2 7. Qd3 and curtain.
If 1. … ab4 2. a5 b3 3. a6 b2 4. Nb2 and Black is hopeless
On any other move (like 1. … Kg4 or Ke4) 2. b5 and the b pawn cannot be stopped (note that the d6 square is controlled by the e5 pawn to avoid the Bb4-Bd6 manouvre)
UD
b4 and its an easy win.
Doesn’t b4 win for white?
It’s hard to believe that 1. b4 isn’t the right move here. 1…ab 2. N:b4 and the a-pawn can’t be stopped, and 1…B:b4 2. N:b4 ab and the a-pawn is again gone.
So the right defense for black, incredible as it may seem, is apparently 1. b4 B:b4 2. N:b4 Kg4! but then 3. Nc6 K:g3 4. N:a5 K:h4 5. Nb3 and the a-pawn promotes before the black h-pawn.
Black could try 4…K:f4 5. Nb3 K:e5, but now 6. Kc5! seals off the black K and the a-pawn promotes.
Quite a lot of pretty ideas!
Black’s own pawns block the bishop’s attempt to block or capture
the passed QRP that the White produces after
1. b4 b4
2. a5 b3
3. a6 b2
4. Nb2 Ba5
5. a7 Bb6
6. a8=Q
1. b4 Bb4
2. Nb4 b4
3. a5 b3
4. Kb3 Ke4
5. a6 d3
6. a7 d2
7. a8=Q+ is no better for Black.
Lucymarie
Or in the last line that I gave, after
1. b4 Bb4
2. Nb4 b4
3. a5 Black can try
3… Ke4
4. a6 d3
5. a7 d2
6. a8=Q+
with same result: White wins.
Lucymarie
Am I blind? 1.b4 seems so self-evident.
1. b4
If 1…ab, then white queens the a-pawn, while his Knight prevents the black b-pawn from queening.
If 1…Bxb4, then
2. Nxb4 axb
3. Kxd4 and white queens
I’m having hard time finding a win in
1. b4 Bb4
2. Nb4 Ke4!
So far, nobody has analized that move.
Hi Susan Polgar,
As usual brainy minds had discussed many possibilities,kudos.
By
Venky[Chennai – India]