Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Astana chess tactic
About Author
Black to move. How should black proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
1)…g5 2)gxh5
[if 2)hxg5 h4 same outcome]
2)…h4 3)h6 Kf6 4)h7 Kg7 5)neither K nor B can stop the Black h-pawn running in to h1=Q !
1. … g5!! wins for Black. Let us see White’s options one by one
2. Kc3/Kd2 hxg4 0-1
(wins two pawns)
2. gxh5 gxh4
3. h6 Kf6
4. h7 Kg7 0-1
(cannot stop h pawn from queening)
2. hxg5 h4
3. g6 Kf6
4. g5+ Kg7 0-1
(cannot stop h pawn from queening)
e3 and e2 are unavailable to white’s king due to the knight/f-pawn combo. In addition, white’s own f-pawn hinders his bishop’s coverage of h1. Putting the facts together should lead one to investigate the pawn push g5 in order to create a passed h-pawn:
1. …..g5!
2. hg5
I will cover the alternatives one by one, but suffice it to say that none will hold for white:
2. …..h4!
3. g6
The white king cannot catch the h-pawn because he has to go around the e3/e2 squares and through e1- not enough time. Nor can the bishop guard h1, as I wrote above. Of course, at first glance, it appears that white queens the half-move before black will, but it only appears that way- black has time to stop the white pawn:
3. …..Kf6!
4. g5
If 4.Bf5 planning 5.g5 in reply to h3, black just plays 4. …Nxf5 instead to win. Continuing:
4. …..Kg7!
5. Bf5
Otherwise, black just pushes the h-pawn forward to win. Continuing:
5. …..Nf5
6. Ke2 Kg6 and the rest is trivial.
So, back at move 2, white needs to find something better than 2.hxg5:
1. …..g5
2. gh5 gh4! (g-pawn becomes h)
3. h6 Kf6! and again black stops the passed white pawn, and his own h-pawn still can’t be stopped.
Or:
1. …..g5
2. Kd2 gh4
I think 2. …hg4 will win, too, but is less clear to me. Continuing:
3. Ke1 h3 (hg4 wins too)
4. Kf1 hg4
5. Bb7 g3 and this is clearly lost for white.
1. …g5!! since the White King is not able to move towards the King’s side
And now A) 2.hxg5 h4 and the pawn cannot be stopped
B) 2.gxh5 gxh4 and, whereas Black’s King can reach via f6-g7 the white pawn, White cannot do the same with Black’s “h” pawn.
A very nice strike! 🙂
1. …g5!!
since White’s King is not able to stop Black’s pawn on the King’s side.
And now:
A) 2.hxg5 h4
B) 2.gxh5 gxh4 and whereas Black’s King is able to reach the pawn advance via f6-g7, White’s King cannot do the same with Black’s passed pawn.
A very nice strike! 🙂
1. … g5
2. hxg5 h4
or
2. gxh5 gxh4
black queens, black king stops white pawn from queening.
greets, jan
1. … g5! and black will get a free pawn.
Not to see this is terrible I think.
Of course the simple g5 gives both sides a free pawn, black king easily stops white pawn on h8, white can’t stop black pawn since e-file is blocked and white f-pawn blocks the bishop.