White to move. How should white proceed?
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White to move. How should white proceed?
1. Nb6+ axb6
2. Ra3+ Bxa3
3. Qb8#
16 seconds
Nice one….worked it out before I saw the comments…working on these is like lifting weights. The mind and muscles grow similarly progressively harder work!
Nb6+, axb6; Ra3+, Bxa3; Qb8#
Puzzle for Alena:
2k5/n5pB/K1P5/ppB5/2q4b/2pRP3/r7/4R3 w – – 0 1
This one is a lot of fun, but quite challenging.
At last I have solved it. My chess homework is done for today.
1. Bf5+ Kb8
2. Bxa7+ Ka8
3. Rxc3 Qxc3
4. Rc1 Qxc1
5. Be4 Ra4
6. Bf3 Rc4
7. c7+ Rc6+
8. Bb6 Bg3
9. c8=Q+ Bb8
10. Qb7#
And here is a second one a little easier, but instructive:
1k6/2b2p2/4p3/2p4K/P2P1P2/3PB3/1P4pP/8 b – – 0 3
I have tried to solve the bishop ending but I’m stuck.
1…Bxf4
2. Bg1 cxd4
3. h4 Be3
4. Bh2+ Kb7
5. Kg4 g1=Q+
6. Bxg1 f5+
7. Kf3 Bxg1
8. Kf4 Bh2+
9. Kg5 Bd6
10. h5
This is all correct, really. I don’t see any weak moves by white here, and black has a decisive edge, but it will be good study for you to work it all out. I realize you are thinking white’s connected passed pawns on the queenside and the passed h-pawn are dangerous, and they are, but black can keep them all in check long enough to win those on the queenside, but it takes really solid technique. Remember, white’s king is tied down keeping the f-pawn from getting away.
Take the position at move 10 after h5- if black plays 10 …..Bf8, white must either retreat the king to f4, or he must start moving the queenside pawns. Black then brings the king forward until he makes contact with the queenside pawns. Sure, the white pawns are safe from the black king if one protects the other, but they are in danger if white is ever forced to move them again. You will be looking to create zugzwang for white.
The only other concrete hint I might be able to give you would be this- if white were to be allowed /forced to capture at d4 in your line, where would you like the black king and bishop to be after this capture so that white is forced to move a pawn and lose it?
10. h5 Bf8
11. Kf4 Kc6
12. Ke5 Bg7+
13. Kf4 Kc5
14. a5 Kc6
15. b4 Kb5
16. Kg5 Bf8
17. Kf4 Bxb4
18. Ke5 Bf8
19. Kxd4 Bg7+
20. Ke3 e5
21. Kd2 Kxa5
22. Kc3 Kb5
23. Kb3 Kc5
24. Kc2 Kd4
This highlights a lot of the issues involved- so well done.
I didn’t want to give too many hints because it gives away the plan too much. But in summary, black uses the threat of bringing the king to d6/d5 to threaten e5 and e4 creating either connected passed pawns on the d and e files- or if white never plays dxe4, then black plays exd3 and will eventually queen either a d or f pawn. However, if white tries to defend against e5 by occupying e5 with the king, then black can set up zugzwang to win either the h-pawn or the queenside pawns.
Below is my entire analysis from your 10th move you posted yesterday I was going to post if you continued to get stuck:
10. h5 Bf8
There are lot lines that likely transpose from here for black because white’s position is constricted by the white king’s need to defend against the f-pawn- this is why the h-pawn is no threat and black can control it with the bishop alone. The main issue for black here is to work out how to advance in the center the e-pawn while, at the same time, keeping the a and b pawns under control with the king. To do this, black will need to use the king two way- attacking those queenside pawns and threatening to bring the king to d6/d5 supporting e5 and e4. This advance, however, must occur when the white king cannot threaten to capture at f5. After 10. ….Bf8, white must either retreat to f4 or h4, or he must play one of the queenside pawns forward. I will cover all these:
Variation 1 11.Kh4
11.Kh4 e5!
There are several winning plans after 11.Kh4, but with Kh4, white has taken the king too far away and white can advance the pawns with impunity…..
12. Kg3
With 12.Kg5, black just pushes 12. …e4! to win- left as an exercise. Continuing:
12. …………..e4 (not the only winning move here)
13.Kf2
Nothing holds here. Continuing:
13. ……………ed3!
14.a5 f4
15.b4 d2
16.Ke2 Bb4
17.h6 f3 -+
You might want to look at other moves for white in this variation just as an exercise, but none of them hold for white as you should be able to demonstrate easily.
Variation 2 with 11.Kf4
11.Kf4
With 11.Kf4, white is defending against an immediate advance in the center, so black must bring the king forward:
11. ……………Kc6
Black is threatening Kd5 followed by a bishop check from h6 and then e5-e4 etc. There isn’t a lot white can do about this……
12.b4
If white tries 12.Ke5, then Bg7+ 13.Kf4 Kd5 14.b4 Bh6 etc. Or, if 12.Kg5, then Kc5 13.b3 Kd5 etc. Continuing:
12. …………..Kd5 (Bxb4 wins, too)
13.b5
If 13.Kf3/g3, then Bxb4 14.h6 Be7 and black will gobble up the a-pawn with the king while guarding both h8 and d4 with the bishop on f6. Continuing:
13. …………..Bh6 (Kc5 should win, too)
14.Kf3 e5
15.a5 e4
16.Ke2 Kc5
17.b6 Kc6
18.Ke1 ed3
19.Kd1 f4 -+
Variation 3 with 11.b3
11.b3 Kc6 (with f5 under attack, the king must support the advance)
12.a5
If 12.b4, then Bxb4 wins as before. If 12.Kf4, then Kd5 wins as before. Continuing:
12. …………Kb5
13.b4 Bb4 with a decisive edge since white doesn’t have time for h6 due to Bd2+ skewering the king the pawn on h6.
There are, of course, variations within all of these that I haven’t covered, but pretty much all of them are either transpositions, or trivially easier wins for black. The main point, though is that white can’t make the queenside pawns a threat quick enough to prevent the black king from effectively supporting e5-e4-exd3.