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I first thought I had to avoid 1. … Bg7+, but it didn’t work, so I have to try:
1. h7! Bg7+ (enforced)
2. Kd4 Bxh7 (enforced)
3. d7 h2
4. d8=Q h1=Q
5. Qd5+! Qxd5
5. Kxd5
With both h-pawns gone it’s peaceful for white, white wins easily.
Sorry, the exchange of queens has to be a dead draw, so I must re-think here. But don’t find a way to avoid a sack of the h-pawn. The idea must be to get rid of both h-pawns without spending the d-pawn:
1. Ke3! (avoids Bc6+ and chases black’s h-pawn)
1. … Kxh6 (h2? h7)
2. Kf3! Bd7 (only move defending h3, Bc6+ Kg3 Bd7)
3. Bf2!
Chases a-pawn as well, black’s bishop seems overloaded, can’t go for white’s a-pawn without missing the d-pawn. And black’s h-pawn isn’t a threat, king controls it.
1.h7 Bg6+ 2.Kc2 Bxh7 3.d7 h2 4.d8 (Q) h1 (Q) 5.Qd1+! Kg6 6.Qb1+ Kf7 7.Qb7+ Qxb7 8.axb7 and White promote to another Queen. The life will be easier for white after all!
Boy, this was a tough one. The hardest, hardest move to find is the second one. I spent a long time trying to avoid the beginning because it just seems like straight up draw, but no other beginning looked less drawish.
The obvious h7 to queen the h- pawn fails to the check from g6 with the bishop. However, it might still be worth looking at as a way to divert the black bishop from eyeing d7. Let’s take a closer look:
1. h7 Bg6 (What else?)
2. Kc4!
I will return to this move in a moment. I don’t think white can win this with any other king move. Why I chose this square will become apparent below, if you pay attention. Continuing:
2. …..Bh7 (again, what else?)
3. d7!
Here, 3.Bg3 can only draw this at best since black will use the tempo to play Bf5 to cover d7. Continuing:
3. …..h2
I will cover the intermediate check from g8 below since it does change things just a bit.
4. d8Q h1Q
So, we have reached the next critical moment. White cannot win this by exchanging queens since black will just sacrifice his bishop for the remaining white pawn and claim a draw. There are checks from d1, d5, and e8. I went through all three, and am pretty sure black can draw on Qe8 and Qd5. However, Qd1 has an additional threat that forces black’s hand:
5. Qd1! Kg6 (Kg5/h6 6.Bd2+-)
6. Qb1!
Keeping the threat of the discovered check if the black king puts himself on a dark square. Also positioning the queen for a winning double attack. Continuing:
6. …..Kf7
Of course, again, Kf6/g7 loses to the discovered check of Bc3, and Kg5/h6 loses to Bd2+. He can return the king to h5, but this drops both black pieces to Qxh7+ followed by Qxh1. Continuing:
7. Qb7! and white will exchange queens at b7 and then queen his new b-pawn to win.
So, back at move 3, black could put in one check with his bishop at g8 before continuing the push of the h-pawn. This prevents the threatened check from h7 at move 7 above, but white has an alternative attack to win:
3. …..Bg8
4. Kc5 h2
5. d8Q h1Q
6. Qd1 Kg6
7. Qb1 Kh5 (again Kf7 8.Qb7+-)
8. Qf5 Kh6
9. Bd2 Kg7
10.Bc3 Kh6
11.Qf6 Kh5 (Kh7 12.Qh3#)
12.Qh8 skewers the king and queen to win the game.
Now, you should be able to work out why every other white king move at move 2 for white fails. Putting the white king on d2 or d1 at move 2 blocks the key move of Qd1+ as does Ke2. Of course, Ke4 fails due to black queening with check. Kd2 and Kc3 fail due to the blocking of the bishop’s access to both squares, while Ke3 blocks the bishop check from d2. Finally, Kc2 fails because it blocks the key check from b1. Only Kc4 avoids all these pitfalls.
Both chessland and Yancey Ward:
You have both thougt the same way as I did initially:
4. d8Q h1Q
but this seems far too complicated!
Tell me, what is wrong with my last idea:
1. Ke3! Kxh6 (Enforced. Bg6? d7)
2. Kf3!
Blacks h-pawn is now under full control, will never queen, Bc6+ will not help black, and white shall continue with
3. Bf2
4. Bxa7
and a-pawn shall eventually decide, black bishop can’t take care of both a-pawn and d-pawn.
Jeez, there were a lot of typos in my comment that I am at a loss to explain right now. Maybe senility is setting in. In any case, the main line is at least correct, though some of the commentary at the end is flawed with misnamed squares (like d1 for d4, or in one place Qh3# in place of Qg7#, and I have no clue how I miswrote that etc.). I need to proofread more carefully.
pht,
Your line is a clear draw because of the bishops of opposite color. Even with the white pawns on a7 and d6, black will cut the white king off from ever reaching b8 to support the a-pawn’s advance. White’s king will have to come over to watch the h-pawn and to win it. Black will win at h6, and have time to march his king over to plant himself on d7 and also to win at a6 in some lines or just observe a8 with the bishop. Let’s just play it out for demonstration:
1. Ke3 Kh6
2. Kf3
Clearly there can now be nothing better. He must either play Kf3, Kf2, Bd2 (to gain the tempo for subsequent Kf2/f3, or Bg3. On Bg3, black just starts moving the king over towards the d-file. On Kf2, white has taken the square away from his bishop to win at a7. I will cover th3 2.Bg3 sideline at the end. Let’s continue the above line:
2. …..Kg6 (visually simplest)
3. Bf2 Kf5 (Kf6 ok, too)
4. Ba7 Ba5 (visually easiest)
5. Bc5
Can you find a better move here? I can’t. 5.d7 just drops the d-pawn and black then plants the bishop on the a8/h1 diagonal and the a-pawn will never queen. If white plays 5.Kg3, black replies with Ke6 to stop the d-pawn, and white will then lose the a-pawn because it is blocked for one move by it’s own bishop. Continuing:
5. …..Ke6
6. a7
So, white has managed to preserve both the a and d-pawns, but this is a classic drawn position since the black bishop and black king will form an impenetrable barrier to white’s king to support a-pawn’s advance. Continuing:
6. …..Bc6 (Bf1 also ok here)
7. Kg3
Only move that doesn’t lose for white. Continuing:
7. …..Bg2
Black draws even with Kd7, Bd5, Bb7 etc. giving up the h-pawn: [7. …Bd5 8.Kh3 Kd7 and black will never move the king again, and he will just move the bishop to safe squares along the a8/h1 diagonal and white’s king cannot ever cross the b7-c7 line to reach b8 to support the advance of a8. Like I wrote, classic draw. Of course, after 7. …Bg2, black just retains the h-pawn and will just move his king between e6 and d7 until the white king relents the attack on h3, and then move the bishop along the diagonal. White can make no progress regardless.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,nice but not though puzzle.
Others had already discussed in line with White’s win.
A slight variation is given below
Example
=======
1.h7 Bg6+
2.Kc3 B*h7
3.d7 h2
4.d8(Q) h1(Q)
5.Qe8+ Bg6
6.Qh8+ Kg5
7.Q*Qh1 – Should there be any further doubt in White’s win at this position ?
Logic : Immediately after gaining queen – If white cautiously and continuously gives check to Black then White wins the game in ease.[ Maximum move 35 ]
By
Venky [ India – Chennai ]