White to move. How should White proceed? Is this a win, draw, or loss for White?
8/8/5B1p/7p/p2P3P/k3p3/P2bP3/K7 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
B & P endgame
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1. d5, Bb4
2. Bg7
(1-0)
the problem with d5 is Bc3+! and stalemate once taken.
The move I want to play first is Be7 exchanging the bishops and driving the king back, otherwise, black gets Bc3 in and makes life difficult. Let’s see where that gets us:
1. Be7 Bb4
2. Bb4 Kb4
And, here, I can see two possible plays for white, Kb2 (my original thought) or d5. Taking them in order:
3. Kb2 Kc4 (a3 4.Kc2 Kc4 5.d5!+-)
4. d5 Kd5 (only move I see)
5. Kc3 Ke4 (Ke5 no different)
6. a3 Ke5
7. Kd3 Kf4
8. Kd4 Kg4
9. Ke3 Kh4
10.Kf4! and white keeps black hemmed in for one extra move and wins the race with a mating attack that is a motif of mate (the cornered queen) that Susan posted as a problem a few weeks back. Continuing:
10. ….Kh3
11.e4 Kg2 (Kh2 no better)
12.e5 h4
13.e6 h3
14.e7 h2
15.e8(Q)h1(Q)
16.Qe2 Kg1 (Kh3 17.Qg4, 18.Qg3#)
17.Kg3 and mate follows no matter what black does. So, I think this line does win for white, and I don’t any alternatives for black that can hold.
The other line for white that starts at move 3:
3. d5 Kc5
4. d6 Kd6
5. Kc3 looks just like the line above from move 6 forward, however, as I am playing through this, I may as well show the following continuation:
5. …..Kc5
6. Kd3? Kb4
7. Ke3 Ka3
8. Kd3 Ka2
9. Kc2 Ka3(a3/Ka1 will draw too)
10.Kc3 this is required since e4 should lose to Kb4 as black catches the e-pawn and wins the h-pawn while white is forced to go out of his way to pick up the a-pawn. But, at move 6 in this line white wins with:
6. a3! and black is in zugzwang and will lose as before if he plays Kd5, and if he tries
6. …..Kb5
7. Kd4 and white picks up enough tempi to win the e3 pawn and the game.
So, all in all, 1. Be7 should be a forced win for white.
LMAO! Just after I navigated back to the front page, it hit me- I had missed the quickest win of them all- a beautiful zugzwang position after white’s second move!
1. Be7 Bb4
2. Bc5!! and black has only one legal move and it loses immediately.
Good grief! I need more coffee. I should have seen that instantly.
How about:
Be7+, Bb4(forced)
Bc5
Now, black must take the white bishop (forced). White can win i think!
I think 1.Be7 Bb4 2.Bc5 and due to zugzwang, black must play 2…Bxc5 3.dxc5 and white promotes and wins, no?
1. Be7+ Bb4
2. Bc5! 1-0 because black has to take. pawn takes and runs down the board
1. Be7 Bb4 2. Bc5 Bc5 3.dc5 +-
1 Be7+,Bb4(unique)
2 Bc5!, BxB (Unique)
3 dxA wining…
1. Be7+ Bb4
2. Bc5 (1-0)
From Spain…
1)Be7+,Bb4
2)Bc5,Bc5
3)dc5,Kb4
4)c6+-
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,”Yancey Ward” has already given the best initial move,”Be7+” – White wins the game.Kudos to “Yancey ward”
Venky[Chennai – India]
1. Be7+ Bb4 only move
2. Bc5!! Bc5 only move
3. dc5 1-0
Greetings from Bulgaria – land of chess masters and great warriors!
Easy win, obviously.
1. Be7 Bb4 (forced)
2. Bc5! Bxc5 (forced)
3. dxc5 and the Black king can’t catch the c-pawn. At best, something like
3. … Kb4
4. c6 Kc3
5. c7 Kd2
6. c8=Q Kxe2
7. Qc2+
but White can easily separate the Black king from the e-pawn, capture it, and mop up.
1.d5? Bc3+ and stalemate so 1.Be7+ Bb4 2.Bc5 Bxc5 is the only remaining move 3.bxc5 1-0 the pawn promotes !
Be7 Bb4
Bc5 Bc5
dxc5
c6,7,8=Q
1.Be7+ Bb4 2.Bc5 Zugzwang!
Let’s take it easy. Le7+ Lb4 Lc5 1-0.
It seems like Be7 will work out for white Be7 Bb4 Bxb4 Kxb4 Kb2 Kc4 d5 Kd5.
Now Ka3 Ke4 and both sides are 7 moves from queening with a likely draw.
Kc3 Ke4 a3 Kf4 and my head is getting foggy
1.- Be7+ Bb4
2.- Bc5 Bxc5
3.- dxc5 Kb4
4.- c6 Kc3
5.- c7 Kd2
6.- c8=Q win
1. Be7+ Bb4 2. Bc5 Bxc5 3. dxc5 and the pawn promotes.
1.Be7+ Bb4 2.Bc5 zugzwang.
Yancey Ward’s solution wins too but mine is better lol.
1. Be7+, Bb4
2. Bc5, Bxc5
3. d4Xc5, Kb4
the white pawn on c4 advances and is promoted!
1. Le7 – Lb4, 2. Lc5 1-0
1.Be7+ Bb4
2.Bc5! Bxc5 (only move)
3.dxc5 and the c-pawn queens. White wins even after Black takes the e-pawn, since the Queen can stop Black’s e-pawn from queening.
How about 1.Be7+ Bb4 2.Bc5! forcing a bishop exchange and then queening the c-pawn.
Easy. 1. Be7+ Bb4 2. Bc5 and Black is forced to take the Bishop.
Bxc5 3. dxc5 and White’s pawn c5 will then run to c8.
Be7 then Bc5 wins
1.Be7 Bb4
2.Bc5! BxB (forced)
3.PxB and easy win.
nice zugzwang!
I checked this on my Fritz 12, since I could not see the win. And the solution is so beautiful. Hard to find for humans if you only see the diagram.
1.Be7+ Bb4 2.Bc5!
Blacks is obliged to take BxB and white’s pawn is never caught.
Very interesting Puzzle.