White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? How should White proceed?
8/2p4p/1pP2k2/p2PRP2/P4r1p/7K/P7/8 w – – 0 50
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All rook and pawn endgames are basically drawn.
1.d6
Anonymous,
I remember the analysis that Anish Giri did of one of the Anand-Topalov games (Game 2, I think), and he stated about that game it was the most won rook-pawn endgame he had ever seen. It wasn’t 100% obvious to me, at least, not immediately, so he probably thinks of rook and pawn endgames as difficult in most instances.
As Andy Soltis once wrote: “All rook and pawn endgames are drawn if you’re a pawn ahead, but you can probably win if the material is equal.”
Who is Andy Soltis?
How about 1. d6! cxd6 2. Rc5!
The move that most suggests itself to me is Re6 (the f-pawn is toast anyway, so make the king take it is my immediate thought):
1. Re6 Kf5
2. Re7 Rd4
3. Rc7 Rd5 (forced, I think)
4. Rb7
Here, 4.Kh4 or 4.Rh7 could possibly lose to Rc5, at least, they don’t look as strong, but I am unsure, which is enough reason to not even try these lines. In any case, the doubled h-pawns of black are not that threatening (the same could be said of white’s a-pawns, of course). Continuing:
4. ……Kg5
Rc5 really doesn’t do much other than lose the h4 pawn. Continuing:
5. Rb6 Rd3 (best move I see)
6. Kh2 Rc3 (forced, I think)
7. Ra6
Here, Rb5 might be ok, but seems too slow to me, and it allows Kg4 which actually helps black’s prospects, in my opinion. Continuing:
7. …….Kg4
Hell, what can I say. After looking at this for 5 minutes, I like Kg4 anyway. Rc5 looks ok, but, I don’t see that it makes much difference. White’s c-pawn isn’t going to be able to decide this- he either trades the the c-pawn for black’s a-pawn, or he doesn’t. All in all, this line is looking drawish, and I don’t see a win for either side. If white can win, it must be some other move. I have one in mind, but will post it in a separate comment.
d6 works because black cannot use the rook to prevent queening
d6 KxR
dxc etc
d6 Rc4
Re6+ Kxf5
dxc
Well, my obvious move, Re6 didn’t seem to lead to anything other than a draw, so I will analyze the 2nd most obvious move:
1. d6 cd6 (only move)
Now, this was only the second most obvious because I didn’t immediately see white’s next move (two marguaritas will do that to you). I didn’t see it until I was actually analyzing the other position, but I should have since Susan actually posted a puzzle a couple of weeks ago that used the same damned principle. Continuing:
2. Rc5! dc5 (bc5 no better)
3. c7 and the pawn cannot be stopped. The only other major line I see here is
2. ……Rf5
3. Rf5 Kf5
4. c7 with the same result, but with both rooks off the board.
Maybe I am dreaming, or it is a fantasy variation, but it seems to me that 1.d6! cxd6 2.Rc5! might win…
Kamalakanta
Win for white on two lines, I haven’t finished a third.
1. d6 KxR
2. dxc Black can’t stop the Q, white wins.
1. d6 Rf3+
2. Kxh4 Rf4+
3. Kh5 KxR (Black is out of checks)
4. dxc etc
1. d6 cxd
2. Re6+ Kg5
3. c7 Rc4
4. Re7 too many choices
Mark
1. d6 cxd6 2. Rc5
d6, then after cxd6, Rc5 forces queening and seems enough
Very easy, it’s 2 a.m. and i just woke up ^^
1.d6!!
A)1…Kxe5 2.dxc7! +- (the only thing to do is not to go on the fifth rank after a check of the rook because Rxf5 check and Rf8 winning for Black !)
B)1…Rc4 but now it’s 2.d7! with a nice passed pawn which should ensure the win ^^
C)1…cxd6 2.Rc5!! +- a typical tactical theme in Rook endings !
This blog is great job, Susan, keep on, I beg you !
I think this is one of those breakthrough things. 1 d6! when the main line would be 1…cxd6 (not 1…Kxe5 2 dxc7 and queens)
2 Rc5!! and it looks like the c-pawn queens no matter what Black does.
I was also thinking along the line of what Yancey Ward had written, but after help from Crafty’s analysis mode, I am amazed with the best move found.
Probably I should not write it here, just that there are more certain way for white to win and promote which involves rook sacrifice on the second move.
1.d6 looks pretty good to me.
If 1..cxd6, then 2.Rc5. And other reactions by Black can be followed either by 2.d7 or 2.dxc7. Phil
d6 d6
c5
1.d6 Rc4
2.PxP RxP
3.Re6+
1-0
OR
1.d6 PxP
2.Rc5!
1-0
This is dificult for those whose chess is from books – 1d6 cxd6 2 Rc6 xR c7 should win – Vladd222, Toronto
The first thing that caught my eye is that the white pawns are awfully close to being queens. Then I wondered if 1.d6 might work, and a little cogitation showed that it does.
1. d6!, cxd6 2. Rc5!! +-
The white c pawn will get itself a new life as Royalty.
Well, I didn’t spend much time on this puzzle, but I think the idea is:
1. d6! cxd
2. Rc5!! and I cannot see how to stop the c pawn
Perhaps 1. d6 is the key. If 1. …Kxd6 2.dxc7 and a new queen, while if 1. … cxd6 2. Rc5! in order to prevent the black rook from threatening the c pawn. If the black king approaches, white’s rook still defends the pawn, while if black takes the rook, then with this tempo white gets a new queen.
This should win despite black having many pawns.
The c6 pawn is advanced and it needs to breakthrough and create as many blockades as possible.
1. d6 (breakthrough. if pawn is not taken 2. dxc7 and the queening cannot be stopped) 1..cxd6 2. Rc5! (blockade) 2..bxc5 3. c7 Kxf5 4. c8Q+ 1-0
I like 1. d6:
1. … Kxe5
2. dxc7 and promotes
1. … cxd6
2. Rc5 and promotes
This looks interesting:
d6 cd6
Rc5 (cutting off the c file) b/dxc5
c7 promoting
If
d6 Kxe5
dxc7 wins.
1.d6
1. d6! (1…K:e5 2 dc and queens) cd 2. Rc5!! and queens
Wow!
1.d6!? 1…cxd6(forced i think else 2.dxc7 queens)2.Re6+ Kxf5 Still cant see white winning
1. Re8 (forces black to make a choice: capture the f5 pawn or go after white d5 pawn with his rook). Let’s say black plays:
1. … Kxf5
2. Rf8+ Ke5
3. Rxf4 Kxf4
4. d6 and white should win
or
1. … Rxf5
2. Rf8+ Ke5
3. Rxf5 Kxf5
4. d6 and white should win easily.
Black can try and go after the white’s d pawn:
1. … Rd4
2. Rd8 Ke5
3. f6! and white should win.
or
1. … Rd4
2. Rd8 Kxf5
3. d6! and white should win.
1. d6 wins
e.g.,
1. … Kxe5 (or Rd4)
2. dxc7
or
1. … cxd6
2. Rc5 dxc5 (or bxc5 or Ke7 or Re4)
3. c7
or
1. … Rxf5
2. Rxf5 Kxf5
3. dxc7
first move d6.
1. d6 K*e5
2. d*c7
next note c8-Q
1. ….. c*d6
2. Rc5 d/b*c5
3. c7
next move c8-Q
1. ……. Rc4
2. d*c7 R*c6
3. Re6+
1-0
d5 cxd
Rc5 and the cpawn is unstoppable
d6 KxR dxc7 and black can’t avoid promotion of the pawn.
I like this variation:
1. d6 cxd6
2. Rc5 and either the c pawn promotes or black has to sac his (or her) rook.
There’s a bunch of black pawns in the resulting Q vs R ending, but I think that white will manage to win.
What about: 1. d6 c:d 2. Rc5 White wins I think
1. d6 cxd6
2.Rc5
Hi Susan Polgar,
Ref: “R&P endgame challenge”
Sub: White wins the game.
I am showing here,one possibility of White’s win.
1. Re6+ K*f5
2. Rh6 Kg5
3. R*h7 Rf3+
4. Kg2 Kg4
5. Rg7+ Kf4
6. Rf7+ Ke4
7. R*Rf3 K*d5
8. Rf5 Ke6
9. Rh5 Kd6
10.R*h4 K*c6
11.Rh5 Kb7
12.Kf3 Ka6
13.Ke4 Kb7
14.Kd5 c6+
15.Kd6 c5
16.Rh7+ Ka6
17.Kc6 c4
18.Rh8 Ka7
19.Rh7+ Ka6
20.Kc7 b5
21.Rh6+ Ka7
22.a*b5 c3
23.Ra6+ mate.
White win’s the game.
By
Venky[Chennai – India]
I like the objective: white to queen
then win.
a) 1.d6 cd6 2.Rc5!bc5 3.c7 white queens
b) 1.d6 Kxe5 2.d6xc7 white queens
c) 1.d6 Rc4 2.d7! Rd4 3.Re8 and white
will queen
All lines will probably win for white
What about something crazy like 1.d6?
If 1…Kxe5 the dxc and white promotes.
If 1…cxd then maybe 2.Rc5
2…cxd (or bxc) then 3.b7 and promotes
1.d6
I think i got it
1. d6! cxd6
2. Rc5!! and the ‘c’ pawn is marching.
From what I could see, 1.d6 is the move for white. Black has lot of options here:
1….cxd6
2.Rc5! dxc5 (or 2….bxc5)
3.c7 and I don’t see a way to stop white from queening his c-pawn and I think it’s a decisive advantage.
1….Kxe5
2.dxc7 and white queens in the next available chance (i.e., after all the rook checks are exahusted for black)
1….Rxf5
2.Rxf5
Now if the black king takes white rook, white has all the time in the world to queen his pawn or else if the black king goes after white pawn, white will have have a rook which is definitely a win for white.
Am I missing something here?
Just a quick look and I find d6 directly an interesting move. I haven’t looked if d6 cxd6 Rc5 with a white queen coming with a white queen is a fortress for black. Seems worth exploring from a white perspective any how 🙂