8/1p5p/p7/6p1/6P1/3K4/p4RP1/1k6 w – – 0
White to move. How does White hold this game?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
- About Us
- Chess Improvement
- Chess Puzzles
- Chess Research
- College Chess
- General News
- Home
- Major Tournaments
- News
- Polgar Events
- Privacy Policy
- Scholastic Chess
- SPICE / Webster
- Susan’s Personal Blog
- Track your order
- USA Chess
- Videos
- Women’s Chess
- Contact Us
- Daily News
- My Account
- Terms & Conditions
- Privacy Policy
1. Kc3 a1=Q+
2. Kb3 and Black cannot avoid mate on the 1st rank with the Rook
2.. Q moves
3. Rf1 #
Hi,
1. Kc3 forces a1=…
But there is more than queens. What about a knight? A knight prevents Kb3.
regards,
Jakob
1. Kc3 a1(N)
Any other promotion and white should win by 2. Kb3
2. Rb2+ Kc1
3. Ra1 and black should draw by repetition with 2 …Kb1.
1. Kc3 a1(N)
2. Rb2+ Kc1
3. Rxb7
Now, I would usually say White will win this, but I’m still reeling after the Zhurbinsky/Chatsky endgame, so I’m not so sure.
By the way, does anyone have that game. (Susan posted the puzzle on 11/23.)
jcheyne
Very cool. I completely missed the King just ‘walking through’ the a1=Q+.
The walking via c3 is the first thing I looked at, because they occur in some KQ v K and RP end games just before the results switch from a win for the queen to a drawn.
egaion posted :
…
2. Kb3 and Black cannot avoid mate on the 1st rank with the Rook
…
Inaccurate. 2 … Qb2+ sacs the queen and “avoids mate on the 1st rank”.
We’re looking at an endgame, people. Accuracy in analysis is a must!
Cheers!
S.
“The walking via c3 is the first thing I looked at[…]”
That’s funny. I immediately looked at the known maneuver 1. Rf1+ 2. Ra1?, xa1 3. Kc2 which doesn’t win here of course and I coultdn’t think of anything else for a long time.
Fortunately I suddenly found Kc3.
This is also well-known, for black it is a well known desaster…
After 1. -, a1N I, too, prefer 2. Rb2+ and Rxb7. Black does need to long time to activate knight and king to do anything against the white rook and the coming passed pawns.
Cute.
Yes, 1.kc3! cleans the table beautifully.
1.Kc3! a1(N) (of course not 1…a1(Q)+ 2.Kb3 and white wins)
2.Rb2+ Kc1
3.Rxb7 Nc2 (or else white plays Rxa7, threating mate on a1, losing another tempo)
4.Rxh7 and that should win for white since white also will win black’s g pawn and march his g pawn.
henryk.
just for the fun …
and why the heck could the same thing not be done by
1.kc4… ?
i’m missing the lines, that’s why i suspect a lot of “silicon friends” around here …
😉
vohaul:
I chose 1. Kc3 because Black must respond to the immediate mate threat, and the under-promotion gave Black at least something for the a2 pawn.
I don’t see a win for White beginning with 1. Kd4, do you?
jcheyne
(carbon-based)