Kasparian 1939, presented by Andreas
White to move and win.
5Q2/8/8/8/p7/1p6/6r1/k1KR4 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
A very difficult puzzle
About Author
Kasparian 1939, presented by Andreas
White to move and win.
5Q2/8/8/8/p7/1p6/6r1/k1KR4 w – – 0 1
1. Qa3+ Ra2 2. Rd2 Rxa3 3. Rb2
1. Qa3+ Ra2 2. Rd2 b2+ 3. Qxb2 Rxb2 4. Rxb2 a3 5. Rb1+ Ka2 6. Rb8 (7, 6, 5, etc) Ka1 7. Kc2 a2 8. Kb3
This is my oppinion.
I concur to Pitor’s answer.
Just checking: White wins in Pitor’s second line after 8…Kb1 9.Rh8 a1=N+ 10.Kc3 Ka2 11.Re8 Kb1 Re2.
I completely missed the very important 5.Rb1+.
This is not very difficult in my eyes.
Qa3+ jumps into ones eyes very fast and the variation with the mate (after Ra2 2. Rd2!!) is easy to find and after that one can be sure that this mut be the solution.
The hardest thing for me was finding the win after b2+ instead of Rxa3 but KNOWING there must be a way you can solve this variation, too.
Maybe very hard to see in a game but easy to find if you know it’s a puzzle with a solution.
Best regards
Jochen
I don’t have a board with me here and I cannot see how letting black take the queen on a3 and then moving the rook to b2 wins. If R-b1+ then doesn’t the king just retreats to a2?
Is there a site with a board tool where one can enter in the position notation there to be able to play with it?
Also, just a suggestion for Susan: maybe you could post puzzles with no positive solutions 3 out of 4 times? Usually, since I know a solution exists, I just look at the most outrageous moves first and assume there is a winning continuation. It’d be great if there were puzzles where the solution is simply to gain equality in the position, not just attaining a draw in desperately bad situations or stunning wins.
Phil,
After 3. Rb2
Black has only 1 legal move: Ra2
Then 4. Rb1 is mate
I dont see the win after
qa3+ ra2
rd2 b2+
qxb2 rxb2
rxb2 a3
with draw?
1. Qa3+ Ra2 2. Rd2 b2+ 3. Qxb2 Rxb2 4. Rxb2 a3 5. Rb1+ Ka2 6. Rb8 (7, 6, 5, etc) Ka1 7. Kc2 a2 8. Kb3
8…Kb1
How to win then?
”8…Kb1
How to win then?”
9.Ka3+ Ka1
10.Rh8 Kb1
11.Rh1 + and wins.
“”8…Kb1
How to win then?”
9.Ka3+ Ka1
10.Rh8 Kb1
11.Rh1 + and wins.”
You mixed up many things here. 🙂
9. Rb1+, Ka2 10. Rb6!, Ka1 11. Kc2, a2 (Ka2 12. Ra6 1:0) 12. Kb3, Kb1 13. Rg6!, a1N+ 14. Kc3 is an easy won position.
Of course Rb6 and Rg6 are unique moves. 😉
Best wishes
Jochen
Jochen, something’s garbled in your line — for starters, your first move “9.Rb1+” isn’t even legal. Anon 8:45’s solution looks fine to me.