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This looks lost, and is lost for white if he gives a rook check, but not if he avoids this (i.e. delayes it till move #5)!
1. Kg3! d2
Enforced. e2 Kf2 … Ke1.
2. Rd8!! Kb1
Here e2 Rxd2+ was the big tempo gaining point.
Now the rest is easy.
3. Kf3 Kc1 (e2 Kxe2)
4. Ke2! (Kxe3?? is a draw) Kc2
5. Rc8+ (the time had come) Kb2/Kb1
6. Kd1 (the goal)
White wins!
Very nice!
It is a win for white!
1.Kg3!.d2! (Not 1….e2.2.Kf2!.wins easily for white. As WK stops both pawns)
2.Rd8!.Kb3. (Not 2…e2?.3.Rxd2+!! And 4.Rxe2 for a easy win).
3.Kf3.Kc2.
4.Ke2!!’ And white wins easily!
So if black K was in any other position on the board than just a2, this was a win for black, since d2 could be followed by e2.
Sometimes the margin between loss and win can be that small!
Marvellous.
White wins by fIrving the Black pawns to commit themselves before moving the Rook.
1. Kg3 d2
1. … e2 2. Kf2 and White moves the King to e1 and d2, then plays the Rook to c8 and c1. At that point, if the Black King is on b2 (attacking c1) White can play Rook to e1 and Black doesn’t have time to guard the d3 pawn before White plays Kxd3. If the Black King is on, say, b3 – so that Re1 gives Black the chance to play Kc4 guarding the d3 pawn, White can simply leave the Rook on c1 and play Kxd3, since Black can’t capture the Rook on c1.
2. Rd8 Kb1
Of course 2. … e2 loses to 3. Rxd2 with check. If the Black King were not on the second rank . . .
3. Kf3 Kc1
4. Ke2
and White wins by checking with the Rook on c8 to drive the Black King away from the c file to the b file (the Black King is stuck on c1 or c2 before that, since giving up contact with the d1 square allows White to simply play Kxe3), then playing Kd1, and only then moving the Rook to e8 followed by Rxe3. For example
4. … Kc2
5. Rc8+ Kb1
6. Kd1 Kb2
7. Re8 Kc3
and Black is one tempo too late to prevent Rxe3.
Rather than “must know endgame” I would call it “two must know principles for endgames”:
1. When defending with the Rook against two far-advanced connected pawns on the same rank, don’t move the Rook behind one of the pawns until one of them advances. Because if you do, the player with the pawns can simply advance the other pawn, and you’ve wasted a move with the Rook. If White had played 1. Rd8 e2 2. Re8 Kb1 and … d2 next, or if White had played 1. Re8 d2 2. Rd8 Kb1 and … e2 next. The lost tempo is critical.
2. Patience! Bring your King up, continue to improve its position as much as possible, and drive the other King as far away as possible, before trying to capture the pawns.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen this “must know endgame” before. But if you know the principles, it’s pretty easy to figure out and quickly realize how White wins.
It is a win for white!
1.Kg3!.d2! (Not 1….e2.2.Kf2!.wins easily for white. As WK stops both pawns)
2.Rd8!.Kb3. (Not 2…e2?.3.Rxd2+!! And 4.Rxe2 for a easy win).
3.Kf3.Kc2.
4.Ke2!!’ And white wins easily!
First we have to assess the position and strength of various pieces.
black’s connected passed pawns are very strong.They would win the game for black had it not been for the poor position of black K viz.2nd rank.K on any other rank would win.White K is just one square away from where he could contain (not capture) the pawns.White R is separating black K from his pawns but may have to change duty. Now,
1.Kg3 d2 best reply by black 1…. e2 would lose spinelessly.
2.Rd8 Kb3
3.Kf3 Kc2
4.Ke2 Kc1
5.Rd7 waiting move.He plans Rd3 when black K is at c2 but moves to c1 because of obligation to move.
5…. Kc2
6.Rd3 Kc1
7.Rc3+ white was preparing for this move to drive black K away temporarily from d pawn for capturing e pawn
7….. Kb2
8.Rxe3 Kc2
9.Rd3 Now it is easy win. when I saw this puzzle I remembered Yancey speaking about Nalimov tablebase. i tried it online and got the solution as white mating on 22nd move after 1.Kg3. 1.kg4 would be draw and any other move loss for white.Even though the position is not worth probing further I was curious about Nalimov.I tried 3 times once I mated in 18 moves,next in 23 moves and finally in 22 moves. But one thing I learnt the line is shortened when you bring WK to the left of R on the same side as BK.Although I was not sure about the lines I chose, his prediction looks all right.Thanks to Yancey for introducing Nalimov,but limitation of 6 pieces only restricts its use.
I forgot to show why 2nd rank is the worst for black K.
1.Kg3 d2 2.Rd7 black could play 2… e2 and win the game had black K been there say at a3. 2.Rxd2 e1=Q.
But now it will be 2.Rxd2+ Ka3 3.Rxe2.Of course one could argue that if black K were at a3 but WK at g4 white would still win.
This seems easy, only caution is needed, no out-of-the-box thinking.
The black king (Bk) must stay in its own file for the moment, while the white king (WK) approaches the pawn.
1. Kg3 .. d2;
(after 1 .. e2 the WK approaches even more, e.g.: 2. Kf2 .. Ka1/Ka3; 3. Ke1 .. Ka2; 4. Rd8)
2. Rd8 .. Kb2; (Kb1)
3. Kf3 .. Kc1; (Kc2 doesn’t change much)
4. Ke2 .. Kc2; (Kc1)
now the rook will swing along the d file until Rd3 can be played with the Bk on d2, forces it to d1, then ditches the Bk away from Rxe3, and there is no support for the d pawn now (Bk back in defense? WR back to d3).
I think I was unnecessarily harping on timing Rook’s moves for giving check from c3 and taking the e P instantly.Even a simple variation like this is O.K.
1.Kg3 d2 2.Rd8 Kb1 3.Kf3 Kc1 4.Ke2 Kc2 5.Rc8+ Kb2 6.Kd1 Kb3 7.Re8