This is a chess improvement exercise. It is white to move. Would you accept a draw in this position as white? If yes, why? If not, what is your game plan? Play it out against a friend or against the computer.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Excellent chess improvement exercise
Black is winning. Black is up a knight.
White to move, he could take the knight if he wanted…
White better take the draw or else!
white pawn wins !!!
white pawn wins !!!
For those who think white can just take the knight:
1. Qc4?? Qf2
2. Kh1 Qf3
3. Kg1 Qd1
4. Kg2 Qd2
5. Kh3 Qe3 is easily won.
On a purely material level, white is about a pawn to the good (knight = roughly three pawns), but the b-pawn is going to be tough to hold onto, so I would evaluate this position about even just based on the material. However, if white can mobilize the e/f-pawn combo, he might well win this. White’s main problem in my opinion is the king’s safety. So I would simply play 1.Qe2 here to stop Qf3:
1. Qe2
In this position, black cannot play a move like Rb8 attacking the pawn because the knight is still under attack, and is only indirectly protected by the threat on f2, so black might well attack the b-pawn with the queen while protecting the knight:
1. …..Qc3
2. Rd4
I looked at Rb1, but Nd2 followed by Nf3 seems to win the b-pawn immediately. Continuing:
2. …..Na3 (idea Nc2)
3. Kg2
To get the king in a more secure place, and to better control f3. So, now, I think white’s king is basically safe for the moment, and now I think black’s king is more the issue. Here, I think white can start pushing in the center. So, black has a real decision here- should he trade the queens or not? My gut is telling that black will do best here to get that queen from out behind that e-pawn:
3. …..Qc2
4. Qc2
I have looked at this for a while. I think white can keep the queens on the board with Qf1, but not Qe1 since black can check from c6 and then play Nc2 forking the major pieces (then all the winning chances belong to black). I just think it safer to grant black’s request for liquidation:
4. …..Nc2
5. Rc4 Na3
6. Rc3 Nb5
So, I do like white’s chances to win here better than I did at the start. Maybe my choice for black’s defense is deficient- especially the exchange of the queens, but this is difficult to evaluate without going off in the deep woods of speculation. As things stand here, maybe white can play 7.Rd3 and start pushing some pawns on the kingside. Black will be lucky to draw this, I think.
Rd7, threatening mate, forces Black to give up the Q/R battery to stop the mate. White can then take the Knight safely. As long as White’s queen controls the light diagonal after exchanging Rooks and capturing the Knight, White pushes the pawn and wins.
7:55 has it right
I think white should draw. I saw this variation
1.Qxc4 Qxf2+ 2.Kh1 Qf3+ 3. Kg1 Qxd1+(Winning the rook on d1)
I think white should draw. I saw this variation
1.Qxc4 Qxf2+ 2.Kh1 Qf3+ 3. Kg1 Qxd1+(Winning the rook on d1)
Rd7 allows Qa1 check forcing the queens off the board.
On Rd7, black will force the rook back to d1 with Qa1 check, or improve his position:
1. Rd7 Qa1!
2. Qd1
White could return the rook to d1, but then black could return the queen to f6. Also, 2.Kg2 is a blunder- black will win the queen with Nxe3+, or get mated. The other option, to block the check with the queen, doesn’t lose, but gives up all the initiative:
2. …..Qd1
3. Rd1 Rb8
4. Rd7
If 4.Rb1, then black plays Nd2, and then 5.Rb2 is met by Nc4 again. At least Rd7 hinders black’s king. Continuing:
4. …..Rb4
5. Re7
I am not going to go deeper into this. I don’t think white can win this. I am pretty sure he needs to keep the b-pawn as long as possible, and 1.Rd7 Qa1 2.Qd1 just doesn’t hold it at all, or concedes a draw by repetition.
I would not resign or draw, would play Rd7 threatening Qxh7. But then Black goes for Qa1+ and then White must go Rd1 and Black can go back to Qf6!
So then I would like to play something like Qe2. Not sure of a winning line, but I would not like to accept a draw.