White to move and draw. No computer please!
Hint: It is not as easy as you think 🙂
7K/8/3k4/4R1R1/8/8/7p/r7 w – – 0 0
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Get the Black king to the a-file the move the rook to the a-file. If black queens play RxR+ and then take the Q on a1
Getting to 2000
well, not even with computer help i can find a draw to white.
Are you sure this is a draw ?
Do i need i new computer ?…lol
First the rook to the h file, black queens and the give check with the other, if the black king goes to the a file check on a4, and if RxRa4 RxQh1, if the king doesn’t go there, keep checking.
What I meant to say was:
Get the Black king to the a-file the move the rook to the h-file. If black queens play RxR+ and then take the Q on a1
Or, you can check with the rook until the King is on the a-file, then place the other rook on h-file attacking the black pawn on h2. If black queens first, check the king on the a-file forking king and rook. If the rook captures the white rook, then white takes the queen on h1, draw. If the king goes to the b-filre without capturing the rook, you check again with the rook on the a-file. White should avoid the queen on h1 because can recapture the rook on hi with check, then the black King captures the other rook.
I see a problem.
The Queen on h1 prevents the check at d5. So that if
1.Rh5, h1=Q
2.Rd5+ is met by Qd5
and I don’t see a draw anymore.
Got to keep thinking
sesenta, you are correct. Then the solution must be, think, think.
I don´t think it is that simple. First get the black king to the a-file, then move the rook to the h-file. Then black queens. White check on a5 and black moves his king to b6. But here I get lost, because there is no way to keep checking, the king moves along the 6th row and when get to the d-column there is no check available without losing a rook.
sesenta, i take it back. I think my solution is correct except that now if black moves the king to the b-file ignoring the fork, white should not take on h1 but instead take the black rook on a1. White should draw against the queen.
1. Rd5+ Kc6
2. Rc5+ Kb6
3. Rb5+ Ka6
4. Rh5 h1=Q
5. Rbg5 Qa8+
6. Rg8 Qc6
7. Rg6 Qxg6
8. Ra5+ Rxa5 1/2-1/2
I just realized black can take on h5 with check and follow up with another check on g6 if White goes to a white square. Then black will be able to fork king and rook if the white king goes to a dark-square. So, think again.
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The only way I see (after having tried some other variations posted above) is
1. Rd5+ […]
3. -, Ka6
4. Ra5+! (to deflect the rook) Rxa5
5. Rg6+, Kb5
6. Rg8, Ra2
and now I am not quite sure how to end this game.
Probably 7. Rh4 has to come.
E.g.
7. -, Kc5
8. Kg7, Kd5
9. Kf6
I am not quite sure how black is going to approach his king without checking on the f-file, but if he does so white can approach himself!?
Hmm, any opinions?
Regard from Germany
Jochen
Lots of checks forcing the black king to move between squares c/d/e/f files… until the 50 move rule kicks in
Duh! My bad… Didn’t read the hint 🙂
1. Rd5 Kc6
2. Rc5 Kb6
3. Rb5 Ka6
4. Rh5 h1=Q
5. Rbg5!!!!!!!…. Qa8+
6. Rg8!! Q wherever
7. Rg6 Ka7
8. Rh7 draw
Q is lost because of the mate threat
Regards from Guayaqui, Ecuador
Erick
Nice analysis, Erick. Just for the sake of completeness, there’s one more wrinkle after 6.Rg8!:
6…Qc6
7.Rg6! Qxg6
8.Ra5+! Kb7
9.Ra7+! Kc8
10.Rc7+!
… is White’s only route to a draw.
Well, finally got the complete solution, amazing indeed.
My computer could not get it alone but with the help of other posts in here, i finally got to it :
Anonymous said…
1. Rd5+ Kc6
2. Rc5+ Kb6
3. Rb5+ Ka6
4. Rh5 h1=Q
5. Rbg5 Qa8+
6. Rg8 Qc6
7. Rg6 Qxg6
8. Ra5+ Rxa5 1/2-1/2, well, not quite yet because i dont have to take, it still takes acurate play to draw:
8. Ra5+ Kb7 (and white cant take the rook !)
9. Ra7+ Kc8
10.Rc7+ Kd8 (inviting the losing 11.Rc8+ Ke7 12.Rc7+ Kf6 and white loses)
11.Rd7+ Ke8 (again inviting for a mistake)
12.Re7+ …and the king can go back and forward in the 8 rank allways followed by the rook..or:
12. … Kf8
13. Rf7+ Qxf7 stalemate
allways a draw…Great Puzzle
I am not sure if there is a solution.
Aren’t the moves Rbg7 etc., under the assumption that the queen will hurry into checking the black king?
What if 5…. Qc6!?
jfi said…
8. Ra5+ Rxa5 1/2-1/2, well, not quite yet because i dont have to take, it still takes acurate play to draw:
Not true, at this point the rook checks the king all day long, if the rook is taken then you have a stalemate.
What if 5…. Qc6!?
6.Rg6
… draws.
8. Ra5+ Rxa5 1/2-1/2, well, not quite yet because i dont have to take, it still takes acurate play to draw:
Not true, at this point the rook checks the king all day long, if the rook is taken then you have a stalemate.
True, sort of. White still has to exercise a little care about which rook check to give. For example:
1.Rd5+ Kc6
2.Rc5+ Kb6
3.Rb5+ Ka6
4.Rh5 h1=Q
5.Rbg5 Qa8+
6.Rg8 Qc6
7.Rg6 Qxg6
8.Ra5+ Kb7
9.Ra7+ Kc8
10.Rc7+ Kd8
11.Rc8+?
… loses.
Hmm… so the solution is to coax the black queen to g6, and use the rook to check the white king from close quarters forever….
For me the solution is quite correct, but the fifth move is
Ra5+ RxR
6 RxQ and draw
1.Rd5+ Kc6
2.Rc5+ Kb6
3.Rb5+ Ka6
4.Rh5 h1=Q
5.Ra5+? Kb6
… and Black wins.
If Kb6 then Rb5+
and the Rook can continue to check on the fifth row forever, so or it is a draw for equal ending (if at the fifth move black captures the rook in a5) or it is a draw for perpetual check.
Alessandro,
Unfortunately, the checks don’t go on forever:
1.Rd5+ Kc6
2.Rc5+ Kb6
3.Rb5+ Ka6
4.Rh5 h1=Q
5.Ra5+ Kb6
6.Rb5+ Kc6
7.Rc5+ Kd6
8.Rd5+ Qxd5