White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? How should White proceed?
3k4/8/P4P2/5Kp1/6Bp/8/6r1/8 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
A classic chess tactic
About Author
Draw. 1.a7 or Bf3 draws cause black Rook is able to take both white Pawns.
Draw.
Draw.
At first glance starting with Kg6-Kg7 looks like a win, whilst the black Rook & King bother eachother stopping both pawns.
I stick with a win for white.
A bit tricky! White has 2 passed pawns 2 squares away from queening; Black has 2 passed pawns 3 and 4 squares from queening. White just needs to queen and the queen will easily stop the black passed pawns and rook.The position is a win for white!
1.Kg6! Now Black Rook can no longer handle 2 passed pawns.
>A-1…Rxg4.2.f7!.
>>A1-2…Ra4.3.f8=Q+
>>A2-2…Ke7.3.a7!.Ra4.4.Kg7!.Rxa7.5.f8=Q+.Ke6+.6.Kg6!
>>A3-2…Rf4.3.a7!.Rxf7.4.a8=Q+.Ke7.5.Qa7+.Kd6.6.Qxf7
>B-1…Ke8.2.Kg7!.Rf2.3.a7! and queens
>C-1…Rf2.2.a7!
>>C1-2….Rxf6+.3.Kxf6. and 4.a8=Q+
>>C2-2….Ke8.3.a8=Q+
>>C3-2…Kc7.3.Bf5! and f8 queens!
>>C4-2… Ra2.3,f7!.
>>>C41-3…Rxa7.4.f8=Q+
>>>C42-3…Ke7.4.Kg7!.and 5.f8=Q+
>>>C43-3…Ra6+.4.Be6!.Rxe6+.5.Kxg5 and queens at a8 or f8!
>>C5-2….any pawn move.3.a8=Q+
>D-1…Ra2.the toughest.2.Be2!
>>D1-2…Rxe2.3.f7!
>>>D11-3…Ra2.4.f8=Q+
>>>D12-3…Ke7.4.a7!.Ra2.5.Kg7!.Rxa7.6.f8=Q+.Ke6+.7.Kg6!
>>>D13-3…Rf2.3.a7!.Rxf7.4.a8=Q+.Ke7.5.Qa7+.Kd6.6.Qxf7
>>D2-2…Kc7.3.f7! and 4.f8=Q
>>D3-2…Ke8.3.Kg7! followed by 4.f7+ and 5.f8=Q
>>D4-2….pawn move.3.f7!.Ke7.4.Kg7! and queens at f8.
Having worked it out, it seems simple to advance f pawn when BR is not on f file and advance a pawn when BR is on f file! of course care is to be taken that BR is not allowed to capture a pawn with check or pin an otherwise queening pawn.
Harry
1.Kg6 Rxg4
(1… Ra2 2.Be2 Rxe2 3.f7 Ke7 4.a7 Ra2 5.Kg7 transposes.)
(1… Ke8 2.Kg7 also wins)
2.f7 Ke7
3.a7 Ra4
4.Kg7 Rxa7
5.f8=Q+ Ke6+
6.Kg6 Kd5 7.Kxg5
1. Ke6! wins.
I remember this puzzle, and I seem to have gotten it hilariously wrong the last time, too. For some reason, I thought the following line was key:
1. Kg6! Rg4
2. f7 Ke7
3. Kg7??
Yikes! White wins with the pretty obvious 3.a7 here:
3. a7! Ra4 (Rf7 4.a8Q)
4. Kg7!
And now white must queen a pawn. Probably best at this point is to just concede the queen at f8 and try to reconnect the king to the pawns by playing an immediate Ke6:
4. ……Ke6 (Ra7 5.f8Q+-)
5. f8Q! Ra7
6. Kg6
And with the black king cut off at the moment from the pawns, it looks winning for white from here. Black cannot save the g-pawn by pushing it since Qf5+ wins the pawn, I can’t even be sure he doesn’t lose rook by playing g4. I think white wins this.
White wins. Kg6, Ra2, Be2!
White wins. Kg6, Ra2, Be2!
Kg6
Kg6 and white wins