White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
White looks to be in a fair amount of trouble because of all Black’s advanced passed pawns. But there is a stalemate possibility: if White can deflect the Black rook off
of the f-file, then Qf3 would lead to a stalemate. So:
1. h6 Rxh6
2. Qf3+ Kxf3 stalemate
Black could try
2… Kh4
3. Qf4+ Kh5
4. Qf5+ Kh4
5. Qf4+ leading to a draw by repetition
If the Black king goes to h2, then
White checks with Qf4+ winning the
rook, and whether White can win
at that point, I don’t know.
So White gets a least a draw after
1. h6 Rxh6
2. Qf3+
So maybe there is a better first move
for Black other than 1… Rxh6
1… a4 looks like a good try
1. h6 a4
White can still try 2. Qf3 but after
2… Rxf3, White is busted.
It is amusing that Black can still
win after the mistake 2… Kxf3 here, since after
1. h6 a4
2. Qf3+ Kxf3
3. h7 Re6 or Rb6 wins
but 3… Rh6 runs into 4. h8=Q, and Black cannot take the queen with either the rook or the bishop, since that does lead to the dreaded stalemate.
So, maybe there is something better for White to try after
1. h6 a4
but I can’t help but think that
after 1. h6 a4
or perhaps even better for Black
1. h6 Rf8
it would be very difficult
for White to draw with a perpetual
or draw by repetition.
If I were White, I would
heave a huge sigh of relief
if Black responded to 1. h6 with
Rxh6. Who knows, it just might
work.
Lucymarie,
That analysis looks good to me. There is no win here for white that I can see- white is trying to draw. I think black’s best chance to make progress after 1.h6 is Rf8 to cover h8 twice and keep white from forcing draw through a stalemate- but this is only better because of the variation numbers- it offers white the most chances to go wrong, but I do see a clear path for white to draw and give black a chance to muck it up- so it is a double edged sword.
1. h6 Rf8
2. h7
Here, black has few options- there are no paths to the 1st rank that aren’t blocked by black’s own men or not covered by white’s queen. Here is how black could go wrong:
2. …..a4??
3. Qg2! Kf4 (Kh4 4.Qg8 Rf5 5.h8(Q))
4. Qg8 Rf5
5. h8(Q)Bh8
6. Qh8 and now it is black who is in danger of losing. However, this is a tough, tough win to bring in for white. White can surely win the a-pawn, and should be able to combine checks to force black to block the rook’s protection of the c and f-pawns long enough to allow the queen or the king to pick them up. If I have time later today, I will look at these continuations.
At move 2 above, black must play
2. …. Rh8
This protects the rook with the bishop, stops any Qg8 in its tracks since the rook is protected, and since white’s king can never stray from f1, white is left only with perpetual check attempts. I haven’t the time to see if black can find a winning plan here like walking the king up to h7 and winning the last white pawn, but I find it hard to believe the king can go anywhere the white queen doesn’t want him to.
From Spain…
1)h6,Rh6!
2)Qf3!+,Kf3=
Draw
1)h6,Rf4
2)Qg2+,Kh4
3)Qh2+,Kg5
4)h7 +-
Gretings from Spain
I could not find any way to win, but a lot of to draw.
Juarez Belém
Brazil