8/8/4r2p/2R3p1/k4p2/n2N1P1P/6PK/8 w – – 0 1
White to move. Is this a drawn endgame? How should White proceed?
Level of difficulty: 2.5 out of 4
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Endgame tactic
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Rxg5! (use the Knight fork threat)
I would use the knightfork in a different way, because there are still drwaing chances for black with a pawn down, till the rook is in play.
1. Ra5+ !!(forcing into the fork on a5 or b3) Kxa5 (better than Kb3)
2. Nc5+ Kb4
3. Nxe6 and now making use of blacks figures beeing placed on the wrong side of the board.
4. a4 with grabbing the pawns
Webmaster: After Kxa5, Nc5 is not a check…
I think Rxg5 is the right move as after the knight fork white also threatens to win the g5 pawn.
Rxg5 hxg5 Nc5+ and Nxe6 and black collapses
By the way, Suzan, I hate to complain about such details, but orange is an unbearable color for the dark squares. I chose not to try and solve the puzzle precisely because of this.
Rxg5! is the only move, black can not take on g5 with the h5 pawn because after Nc5+ Nxe6 white also win the g5 pawn, black should try to keep their rook but they are losing.
Rxg5 is the winning move. However I have not seen a line where Black does not capture the rook. Leaving the rooks on would probably be better for him.
1…. Rd6
2.Nc5+ (Nb2+ would be met with Kb3 winning a piece)
2. … Kb4
3. Rf5 Rd4
4.Ne4 and black’s position crumbles.
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“By the way, Suzan, I hate to complain about such details, but orange is an unbearable color for the dark squares. I chose not to try and solve the puzzle precisely because of this.”
If you do not want to attempt to solve the puzzle you are free to do so, however it is not necessary to make a comment about it. Susan is providing a great website for free and she updates it very frequently with important puzzles and stories. I personally find it amazing how she has the time to do so with all the other projects she has taken on to improve chess. So do u really want to keep Susan from putting her own style on the chessboard squares? Please have some consideration and appreciation for Susan and do not complain about something so minor when the entire website is providing a tremendous service to chess fans.
Anonymous’ top 10 reasons not to try the puzzles (other than orange squares):
10. Brain hurts.
9. The light squares are too light.
8. Waiting for E.T. to return his call.
7. Pawns are too shapely.
6. Fire, bad.
5. 2.5 out of 4? More like 2.6.
4. Happy Meal wasn’t as happy as usual.
3. Odd numbered year – bad luck to think during odd numbered years.
2. Tooth fairy really gypped him last night .
1. Irritated by what the squirrels are saying about him.
Lighten up. At least only half of the square are orange. Imagine if they all were.
jcheyne
Rxg5 and then Nc5+ and black is gone.
Btw, those who complain of the color, pls note that this site is free. Susan is doing a great service to the chess community. Pls dont try to ridicule her or her efforts. If there was any such thing as a “Nobel Prize for spreading chess culture”, it would go hands down to Susan.
Dear Susan Polgar, Pls dont get put down by such people. Pls continue your excellent service.
Come on, stop arguiing about this one post. Anonymous is right: the choice of the colours isn’t best.
Me and many others aren’t annoyed by it and we try to ignore the colours. But some probably can’t and they feel deflected by (let’s say) yellow ‘black’ squares.
It’s their right to say this and I do not feel Susan’s great work critisized by it.
It’s just a “hello Susan, I don’t like this one thing, perhaps there are others thinking the same, it is a hint how you can do even better – just think about it” and such critics trying to help to improve something (in german it is “kontruktive Kritik”) should be regarded as something positive.
Greetings
Jochen
PS: these colourful squares – a good sign that Susan is female 🙂
Women use more colours than men even know….
Susan, are you ever going to provide solutions? It’s well and good to leave it to folks here to work it out, but sometimes we can’t find anything better than winning a pawn, when the real solution entails winning a piece. Please be a responsible puzzle-setter.