White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? How should White proceed?
8/5pp1/4p2p/4P2P/5PP1/k7/8/K7 w – – 0 1
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If I am white, I would play f5 as first move.
most probably 1. f5 Kb4 (of course not pawn capture since it lose immediately) 2.f6 gxf6 3. exf6 e5 4. g5 hxg5 5. h6 g4 6. h7 g3 7. h8=Q and white wins.
This seems really easy
1.f5! Kb4 (exf5 loses ) 2.g5!! (because 2.f6?? gxf6 3. exf6 e5 4.g5 e4 might draw since Black queens at the same time with check)
A)2…hxg5 3.f6! gxf6 4.h6 g4 5.h7 g3 6.h8/Q
B)2…exf5 3.g6! +-
Well i just checked with Fritz the lines i gave and 2.f6! is still winning but my line is much simpler and illustrates perfectly the breakthrough !
f5 K any
g5 K any
f6 Bingo
Arctic Knight
That looks like half of a half-gallon.
1.f5 Rb3, 2. f6 gxf6, 3. exf6 e5, Rb1 and White wins.
Black probably wins because he has a more active King.
Kb1 allows Kb4 letting the black king into the square of queening pawns at e8 and f8, and I think black has one more tempo to get into the square of the g-pawn as well. For example:
1. Kb1 Kb4
2. Kc2 Kc4
3. g5 Kd5 (hg5? 4.fg5, 5.h6 wins)
And white must exchange at h6.
Continuing:
4. gh6 gh6 (only move)
5. Kd3 Kc5 (only move, I think)
And white must be careful here, or he loses, I think. 6. Ke4 looks bad to me after black replies with Kc4 taking the opposition, but I am too lazy, and have had a bit too many margaritas to complete the analysis of this particular line. I will finish here with what happens if white doesn’t do the exchange at h6 at move 4 above:
4. Kd3? hg5!
5. fg5 Ke5
and black will have two connected pawns to zero for white. The only other major line here after 1. Kb1 is the g5 push one move earlier:
1. Kb1 Kb4
2. g5 Kc5
And white must still play the king to c2 anyway since f5 and gh6 both lose (left as an exercise)
3. Kc2 Kd5 (Kd4? 4. f5!! wins)
And, as before, white must exchange at h6 and be very, very careful with his king moves if he is not to lose (I don’t see any forced wins for white in this line). Back at move 3 for black in this line, I mentioned that Kd4 actually loses:
3. …..Kd4
4. f5 Ke5 (ef5 5.g6!, 6.e6 wins)
5. f6! gf6 (what else?)
6. gh6 and the pawn cannot be stopped.
All in all, Kb1 is, at best, drawn for white, and is easily lost with inaccurate play. It is easy to see, and to work out that either f5 or g5 wins:
1. f5 ef5 (see Kb4 below)
2. gf5 Kb4 (no pawn move works)
3. e6 fe6
4. fe6 and the pawn cannot be stopped.
Also,
1. f5 Kb4
2. f6 gf6 (nothing better)
3. ef6 e5
4. g5 e4
5. g6 e3
6. gf7 e2
7. f8(Q) with check, which leads me to the question of whether the b4 square was the best choice for black. Lets see if it makes any difference if Ka4 is played:
1. f5 Ka4
2. f6 gf6
3. ef6 e5
4. g5 e4
but, now, white can play
5. Kb2! and the e-pawn can’t even queen at all and black is still helpless against the passed pawn coming for white. I don’t see how 1. …..Kb3 changes anything since, at the proper moment, white’s king plays to b1 to stop black’s e-pawn.
I choose f5 as the winning plan for white, but I am certain g5 also wins.
Second anonymous commenter,
The key to this position is that white moves first and that his pawns are two ranks closer to the queening rank. Black’s king is too far away to defend.
Kb1 is obvious.
White wins by playing 1.f5
1. c5 or 1. g5 wins. If Black takes the pawn, then taking back wins. If the Black king moves, then either 2. g5 or 2. c5 wins.
g5 hxg5 fxg5 h6 gxh6 gxh6
The new h-pawn is free to promote. 1-0.
g5 should secure the win. Create a passed h-pawn.
1 f5 exf5, 2 gxf5 g6 3 e6 white passed pwns unstoppable
1 f5 exf5, 2 gxf5 any bl move 3 e6 white passed pwns unstoppable
1 f5 any bl move 2 f6 gf6 3 exf6 any bl move 4 g5 white passed pwns unstoppable
I think f5 is best. If exf5? then gxf5 and the e pawn will queen.
Next, black plays Kb3.
Now I think with careful play white can open up a file for one of his pawns. I’ll let somebody else figure that part out.
white can break through.
g5. If black takes then take back play and h6 later.
If black doesn’t take, then g6, now black has to take. and then play f5. and open e file.
What about g5?
advance g and h pawns to break through.
1)g5 ( hxg5 2)fxg5 .. and then 3)h6 ). If black doesn take, then
It seems to me that white achieves a break-through by playing 1.g5!. If black takes, white’s h-pawn goes through (1…hxg5 2.hxg4 Kb3 3.h6…), and if he starts bringing the king over (1… Kb3), white will play 2.f5. Now white is threatening 3. f6 when black is forced to take, but then white’s going to take on h6 and again the white h-pawn has a free path ahead. Black can’t stop white of achieving this or a similar break-through.
I guess white could start with 2.f5 as well.
White loses.
1. f5 Kb3 2. f6 gxf6 3. exf6 e5 4. g5 e4 5. gxh6 e3 6. h7 e2 7. h8=Q e1=Q#.
White wins.
1. g5 Kb4 (if 1. … hxg5 2. fxg5 followed by 3. h6 and promotes)
2. f5 exf5 (if 2. … Kc5 or … hxg6 Black promotes with 3. f6 gxf6 4. gxh6)
3. g6 fxg6 (or … f6)
4. e6 and promotes
I vaguely recall that Kmoch had some funny name for this — “quart grip”??
White wins. f5, f6, g5 as necessary break through. The symmetric g5 to start doesn’t work because black’s h pawn queens, whereas the white king can stop the k pawn.
This position’s key is whose turn is to move. That side wins!
As Yancey Ward put it.
White moves 1.f5! And just creates a passed pawn which is out of reach of the Black King.
White Wins!
1. g5 Kb3 2. f5 hxg5 3. f6 gxf6 4. h6 +-
1. g5
White wins.
White’s only hope, since he does not have the opposition might be g5 with the intent of creating a passer.
Any other move would allow black to calmly take his king to e3 and clean out.
f5 king move
f6 pxp
pxp king move
g5 pxp
h6 etc…
White wins 🙂
f5 AND g5 and then black is forced to capture and white gets a queen before black can do anything about it. Of course if black captures immediately he is also lost. Similar to the three pawn phalanxes opposing each other
I keep having to drop by and answer these for you guys –
White wins because his pawns are far advanced
g5, black king moves, f5 and white breaks through by threatening f6 and g6
1.g5 or 1.f5, both should win for white.
The pawn formation is some times known as the quart grip, a white pawn queens by force
1.g5 Kb3(1…hxg5 2.fxg5followed by h5 and the white h pawn queens)
2.g6 f6 3.exf6 gxf6 and the white g pawn queens
more to follow
The notorious quartgrip. After 1. f5 ef, 2. gf the e-pawn will promote. After 1. f5 Kb4 2. f6 gf 3. ef Kc5 4. g5 and a pawn will promote on h8.
I stand corrected, white doesn’t lose but wins:
1. f5 Kb3 2. g5! and then white wins.
1.g5! +- eg, 1…Kb3 2 f5! and if ef5 3g6 or if 2…hg5 3 f6
white wins, push pawns until eventually one will crown!
jb.
1.f5 Kb3 2.g5! Kc4 [hxg5 3.f6 gxf6 4. h6 g4 5. h7 g3 6.h8Q ] 3.g6. White wins.
White wins.
f5, if ignored then g5.
any pawn move wins.
Kb1 is obviously bad. It just gives Black a chance to get back.
The pawn breakthrough is obvious. Push the f or g-pawn; it doesn’t matter which. And keep pushing; as soon as Black captures, White can force a passer.
This is a book win for White.
World Champion Botvinnik used a three pawn versus three pawn position similar to this to define a combination.
Kings start on the same squares as in this puzzle.
Blacks pawns are on f7, g7 and h7.
White’s pawns are on f5, g5 and h5.
White to play and win. Enjoy!
The trick is to set up two things to happen at once and Black is lost.
Back to Susan’s puzzle…
You may have to do the set up more than once in the position.
Start with 1. f5 and work it out.
GREAT breakthrough teaching position!
Thanks, Susan for the review.
Peter / chesstoplay
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,many had given most of the best combination.
My initial move will be “g5”,White wins.
By
Venky [ Chennai – India ]