White to move. Without your computer, can you find a win for White? This was an actual game. White is a 2600 GM and he drew this game. Can you do better?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Endgame lesson
About Author
1. Qe6 h1=Q
2. Qxg6+ Qg2
3. Qxf5 +-
Xargon, the true one …
xargon, that was exactly what the GM did and he drew 🙂
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
How about checking the king by moving the Queen to d1,c2,b1 and b5 – and then take g5 with check?
White has to check on d2 and then keep on checking d5-c5-c6 and take the g-pawn with a check. Black has to keep close to the h1-square. After Kf2/f1 then back to c6 which forces black back to g1 and then simply king closer to the black pawn and change queens and win the pawn-voilá!
Huitag
Susan,
I would try to close the black king in h1 by checks in e3, f3 ad g3.
Then I would take withe king near the pawn g6 and give the queen in for the pawn in h2 before capturing g6 and f5.
At the end of the plan the f pawn should be enough to win.
am I right?
1.Kd4! h1=Q
2.Qe1+ Kg2
3.Qh1 Kh1
4.Ke5 and white wins
I’d use the following checks (assuming the king alternates between g1 and g2): d1 c2 b1 b7 b6 g5, then exange on h1 and with the king and pawn.
i think the winning idea is to promote the f-pawn and sacrifice the queen for the black h and g pawn
1. Qd1+ Kg2
2. Qd5+ Kg1
3. Qd4+ Kf1
or
3… Kg2 4. Qd5+ Kg1 5. Qc5+ Kg2 6.
Qc6+ Kg1 7. Qxg6+ +-
or
3… Kh1 4. Qf2 g5 5. fxg5 f4 6. g6 f3 7. Qxf3+ Kg1 +-
4. Qc4+ Kf2
5. Qc6 Kg1
6. Qxg6+ Kf1
7. Qh5 +-
just my two pence, greetings
ops, I wrote “…and with the king and pawn.”
Should be ‘win’ before ‘with’, of course.
This one is easy
The final ending with the pawn in the rook column is usually a draw by stalemate but this time, black has sadly got more pawns
1.Qe3,Kf1
2.Qf3, Kg1
3.Qg3, Kh1
4.Kd3, g5
5.Ke2,gf4
6.Qg8,f3
7.Kf3,f4 (the last one before being stalemated but… too late)
8.Qg2
Vohaul, why not:
1. Qd1+ Kg2
2. Qd5+ Kg1
3. Qc5+ Kg2
4. Qc6+ Kg1
5. Qxg6+ +-
@last anonym 3.qc5+ is also fine – i think – i prefered the check on d4 because the queen has the h8 square under control – most probably instinct … i don’t know 🙂
greetings
Vohaul, actually I just copied your moves from the first variation. The first variation as given by you leads to a repetion of position after move 4 (same as position after move 2).
Then, after Qxg6+, Qh6 wins. If black queens, Qxh1 Kxh1, Kd4 Kg2, Ke5 Kf3, Kxf5+-
@anonym – i didn’t use a comp to check the lines – so – if you think i did oversee a position repetition please feel free to do better.
i’m not a strutter – but i’ve spent less than 5 min on the given position – so – there is a good chance, that i’ve miscalculated something (and i’m far far beyond of being a GM…)
greetings
Use checks to set up taking g6 with check.
Greetings,
Nice puzzle, both Vohaul’s idea and the stalemate idea wins… although I like the stalemate idea better.
Best Regard
King
taking the g6 pawn is bad plan.
Sorry if similar appears above, but I’d check with Q to get K on h1 “stalemate”. Black is forced to advance g pawn. Take it. Black then must advance f pawn. Take it with Q . His K comes out of corner and we swap Q for pawn, leaving our now g P to queen.
Banjanx
Actually, the stalemate technique does not work. After,
1. Qe3+.. Kg2 prevents Qf3+
Yes, vohaul’s technique is the only answer to me.
YBN
I regret that my solution was incorrect. I played the position against fritz a couple of times. Vohual line with 3…kg2 is what caused fritz to resign after whites Qxg6+. I reached it through a different move order, but the idea is the same. My first try was dismal.
It may not be the best but I did get a winning position against Fritz:
1.Qd1+ Kg2
2.Qd2+ Kg3
3.Qd5 Kxf4
4.Qg2 Ke5
5.Qxh2+ Ke6
6.Kd4 Kf7
7.Kd5 g5
8.Qh7+ Kf6
9.Qh6+ Kf7
10.Qxg5 f4
11.Qxf4+
why not just kd4?
– vinay
First i’d like to bring my queen on c6 (attacking h1 square and g6 pawn).
I will do that by giving checks (many routes are possible, checks on a7-g1 and a8-h1 diagonals for example).
When my queen is on c6 I see that black’s king MUST be (or go) on g1 in order to stop Qh1 winning (just a side line here could be if black “abandoned” his pawn and take f4 pawn but then Qxh2 and queen with king will win easily against black’s two pawns).
Then I take Qxg6+. First step complete.
Black now has 3 choices:
1) …Kh1 Qxf5 Kg1 and queen comes on h-file stopping the passed pawn (and f4 will queen)
2) …Kf1 Qxf5 and if …h1Q Qb1+ (skewer)
3) …Kf2 I just see I could use the simple idea: Queen on h file: Black must protect h2 (or Qxh2 wins easily)or if he tries …h1Q Qxh1 …Kxh1 and my king is faster on f5; if anything else I will take on f5 with my king
In fact after Qxg6 there are many different way to win for white.
Resume: Go to c6 with my queen while giving check-check-check, then take on g6 then easy win
@jean-luc – aha… !!! a real enlightenment
^^