White to move. Is this a win or draw for White? How should White proceed?
5k2/5p2/4P1P1/5P2/2B5/5r2/8/K7 w – – 0 1
Prokes 1942
Hint: This requires serious calculation
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Difficult endgame
About Author
1. g7+ Kxg7
2. e7 Re3
3. Be6!! 1-0
wh wins with
g7, e7 and Be6
han
1. g7+!! Kxg7 (1… Kg8 2. f6 Rxf6 3. e7) 2. e7 Re3 3. Be6!!
It occurs to me that the bishop must obstruct, for a win. 1. g7+ Kxg7 2. e7 Re3 3. Be6 should win: 3. …Rxe6 4. fxe6 and the pawns keep the king at bay=>e8Q.
As for options for black, 1. …Kg8 does not seem better than the main line. There is 2. … Ra3+ 3. Kb1 Ra8 which would seem to prevent coronation, though white only needs the f pawn to stay alive if the bishop survives.
However, 4. Bb5 Ke6…
So better should be to prevent the rook manouevre, though 1. Bd5 Rxf5 2. g7+ Kxg7 3. e7 doesn’t work, so the answer must be 1. f6 Rxf6 2. g7+ Kxg7 3. e7 and the rook cannot help since the bishop covers all relevant squares, and the king cannot stop the pawn either.
What is left is to consider the case where the rook does not take on f6. 1. … fxe6 is immediate suicide: 2. g7+ Kg8 3. Bxe6+
1. … fxg6 2. e7+ Ke8 3. Bb5+ is no better. And some other rook move, or a king move? A King move loses to exf7+, and a rook move similarly as far as I can see: 1. f6 Ra3+ 2. Kb2 Ra8 and g7+, exf7+ are coming with a win.
So 1. f6 Rxf6 2. g7+ Kxg7 3. e7 is the key.
f6 wins
If … Rxf6,
g7+ Kxg7
e7 (pawn cannot be stopped)
This should be win for White. 1.g7+ Kg7 2.e7 Re4 3.Be6!
Alimuzzaman
After 1.g7? Kg7 2.e7
black has 2.- Ra3 3.- Ra8.
So first 1.f6! Rf6
2.g7 Kg7 3.e7 4.e8Q
But after 3.- Rc6 4.e8Q Rc4 I saw no capture of the rook and R+Pf7 vs Q is a draw.
The database confirms this.
This endgame is incorrect.
1. g6-g7 Kf8-g7
2. e6-e7 Rf3-e3
3. Bc4-e6
a.
How about 1. f6 ? The threat is 2. e7+ and 3. Bb5+. Black can answer:
1) 1…Rxf6 2.g7+ Kxg7 3. e7 with promotion. White bishop controls key squares e6,f1 and a6
2) 1…fxg6 2.e7+ Ke8 3.Bb5+
3) 1…fxe6 2.g7+ Kf7 (or Kg8) 3.Bxe6+ and white queens
4) 1…Re3 2. g7+ Kg8 3.e7 with 4.Bb5. Other rook moves meet similar response
1. f6!
1… Rxf6 2. g7+ Kxg7 3. e7
1… fxg6 2. e7+ Ke8 3. Bb5+
1… fxe6 2. g7+ Kf7 3. Bxe6+
1… Ra3+ 2. Kb2 R moves 3. g7+
I am probably wrong… but I say g7, kxp e7 Re3 Be6. My calculations stop here, am I on the right line Miss Polgar?
By LondonProblems (twitter)
Ok, since white has a draw in hand with gf7, I assume we are looking for a win. My very first thought is to play g7 as a way to lure the king away from e8 and e7. Let’s see if that gets us anywhere:
1. g7 Kg7 (Kg8 2.f6 Rf6 3.e7+-)
2. e7 Re3
3. Be6 Ra3
4. Kb2 Ra8
5. Bd7 Kf6 (required, I think)
6. e8(Q)Re8
7. Be8 Kf5=
I don’t see any alternative lines within this variation that win for white. So 1.g7 is not a winning move. My second thought is to try the same sort of thing on the other side of the black f-pawn- though I don’t see why it would be materially different in white’s favor since he can’t play the corresponding move to Be6 in the above line- Bg6:
1. e7 Ke7 (Ke8 2.Rg3 f6+-)
And now what for white? He can hold the draw with 2.Bf7, but there are no winning moves here that I see.
No, we can eliminate e7 and g7 as winning lines for white, though they should both draw. Will continue in my next comment.
My next thought is to play f6, and this seems to win:
1. f6 Rf6 (see fe6 below)
2. g7 Kg7
3. e7 and the difference between this and the first line I posted above is that there are no rook checks on the white king since f1 and a6 are covered and no way for the rook to get to the 8th rank. Black does even worse with
1. …..ef6 (fg6 2.e7 Ke8 3.Bb5+-)
2. g7 Kf7 (Kg8 3.Be6+-)
3. Be6 Ke6
4. g8(Q) and black can’t even take at f6 without dropping the rook immediately.
I think, its only a draw.
A. the line with instantly 1. g7+ Kg7 2. e7 Re3 3. Be6! does not win because of 3. ..Ra3+ 4. ..Ra8
B. the better line with 1. f6 Rxf6 2. g7+ Kxg7 3. e7 is only a draw because of 3. ..Rf4 attacking the bishop and on promoting the e pawn rook and pawn against Queen in this position should be only a draw.
Ok, I think I see the reason for the hint about serious calculation, now. On looking at the endgame that arises with 2….Rf6:
1. f6 Rf6
2. g7 Kg7
3. e7 Rc6 (best move I think)
4. e8(Q)Rc4
This endgame with the rook and bishop’s pawns may not be all that easy to win. I have had this type of endgame many times before from both sides in blitz games, I have always been able to draw with the rook and pawn as long as I didn’t lose the rook on the very first checks by force. So, let’s take a deeper look at this line’s continuation. The only check that white has right at the start is
5. Qe5 Kf8
And, as long as the black king doesn’t stray away from the pawn, I see no way to check the king and attack the rook successfully- the only checks that attack the rook are on files and ranks, not diagonals to the rook. So, to be successful, white is going to need to bring the king forward:
5. Kb2 Kg6 (is ok that I see)
6. Kb3 Rc5 (to keep king away)
And, now white can try to find a square for the queen that forces the rook to give way, or continue to attack the rook with the king:
7. Kb4 Rc1
And, now, I still don’t see any successful double attack. White can force the king away from the g-file, but this is just as useless as anything else I see:
8. Qg8 Kf6 (only move)
9. Qh8 Kg6 (Ke7 is ok, too)
I could continue in this vein, but I don’t really see the point- even if the queen finds a way to force the rook to give up the c-file, I am pretty sure it makes no difference. Let’s return to move 6 and see what happens when black just gives up territory to white’s king and allows him to approach.
In rook vs queen endgames, the player with the queen can only win the game with her king’s help if the rook can reach his own king and be protected by him, so this is the most relevant line:
6. …..Rf4
Again, I can find no forced double attacks with the queen, so the king must come forward:
7. Kc3 Rf3 (so what?)
8. Kd4 Rf4
9. Ke5 Rf5
10.Ke4 Rf2
And, now what?
11.Qc6 Kg7
12.Qc3 Rf6 (only move I see)
13.Qg3 Kh6 (Kh7, Kh8, Kf8 ok, too)
14.Ke5 Rg6
15.Qh4 Kg7
And there is simply no way to win this as white- his king simply has no approach because the rook can always be guarded by the pawn, and the king cannot come in from behind since he can never cross the 6th rank now.
The question is this- does it matter where on the board this complex of rook, king, and pawn are? I am not a good enough player to know. I suspect it doesn’t matter as long as the white king is cut off from getting behind the black pawn. If the king is behind the pawn, then there may be the possibility of double attacks on the pawn itself, but if you really want to know, I would have to consult a book on endgames. Like I wrote above, I have always been able to draw this kind of endgame with the rook and pawn vs the queen-king, and I have done so easily. I suspect this is general draw, though there may be specific locations on the board combined with whether or not the king is behind or in front of the pawn where the queen is decisive.
I see at least a couple of other players have noted the problems with the rook + pawn vs queen endgame. I will take another look at the starting position, but it is hard to see any other move for white that better than 1.f6.
Could someone dump the position after 1.f6 into Rybka or Fritz? I would be very curious what they have to say about this position. I am going to check the Nalimov table base to see, but I am confident the position is a draw.
my first idea was the completely obvious 1.g7+ Kxg7 2.e7 Re3? 3.Be6!
But there is simply 2…Ra3+ 3.Kb2 Ra8 =
so there is the need to do something else 1.f6!! threatening e7+ and g7+
A) 1….Ra3 2.Kb2+-
B) 1….Rxf6 2.g7+ Kxg7 3.e7 +-
C) 1….fxe6 2.g7+ Kf7 3.Bxe6+!
D) 1….fxg6 2.e7+
Hint: If 1. g7+ Kxg7 2. e7 Ra3+ 3. Kb2 Ra8 4. Bb5 Kf65. e8=Q Rxe8 6. Bxe8 Kxf5 7. Bxf7 1/2-1/2
It’s a Draw… (f6 Rxf6 g7+ Kxg7)
It’s a draw (f6 Rxf6 g7+ Kxg7)