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      Home  >  Chess Improvement • Chess Puzzles  >  Friday Brain Challenge

      Friday Brain Challenge

      Chess tactic, Puzzle Solving


      Black to move. How should Black proceed? No computer please.

      8/7p/5kp1/4p3/p3rPRP/3K2P1/2P5/8 b – – 0 1

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      23 Comments

      1. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 4:40 pm

        ..Re3. Black does a rook sac enabling the black pawn on the right make its way to Q promotion.

        SK

      2. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 4:49 pm

        That’s one winning strategy. The other one would involve sacrificing the h pawn to trap the white Rook.

        Mark

      3. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 4:59 pm

        Re3 loses, anon 11:40 and 11:49.

        1…Re3+
        2.Kxe3 a3
        3. fxe5+ Kxe5
        4. Ra4 and game over.

      4. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 5:00 pm

        1…Re3?
        2.Kxe3 a3
        3.fxe5+ and 4.Ra4

        … and White wins.

        Mark, I don’t see how you propose to win either. Could you provide a concrete line?

      5. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 5:03 pm

        1. … Re3+ loses after
        2. Kxe3 a3 3. fe+ Kxe5
        4. Ra4

        Other move 2s also lose.
        1. … Re3+
        2. Kxe3 ef
        3. gf a3
        4. Rg1

      6. kibitzer Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 5:30 pm

        This is one of the toughest one so far … I think I found one winning line though:

        1. … Rd4+
        2. Kc3 e4!
        3. Kxd4 h6! (to prevent Rg5)

        Now if white plays 4. Kxe4 then black plays a3 and the rook pawn cannot be stopped.

        If white plays 4. Kc3 instead then
        black plays 4. … Kf5, trapping
        the white rook … white now has to
        worry about both the e4 and a4 pawns.

      7. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 5:40 pm

        will the blk king needs to hide from check so the only move i see is Kg7 first, then wht king to go to the a pawn kc3 then maybe push the h pawn to h5 to attack the rook that all i can come up with in a short time.

      8. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 5:43 pm

        1. … Rd4+
        2. Kc3 e4!
        3. Kxd4 h6! (to prevent Rg5)

        Now if white plays 4. Kxe4 then black plays a3 and the rook pawn cannot be stopped.

        Oh, but it can — 5.h5 and the rook breaks free.

        If white plays 4. Kc3 instead then black plays 4. … Kf5, trapping the white rook … white now has to worry about both the e4 and a4 pawns.

        As if one win weren’t enough, 5.h5 wins for White in this line, too.

      9. kibitzer Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 6:13 pm

        If white plays h5 then black simply counters with g5!. This traps the white rook … it can’t go to either h4 or f4 squares.

        So do you have any solution yourself to the puzzle?

      10. kibitzer Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 6:25 pm

        Hm, g5 may not necessarily win for black, e.g.,

        1. … Rd4+
        2. Kc3 e4!
        3. Kxd4 h6
        4. h5 g5
        5. fxg5 hxg5
        6. h6 and white’s h pawn had to be stopped.

        Back to analysis …

      11. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 6:42 pm

        How about ..a3? Black scarcificing Rook for the promotion. If white king itself takes the rook then white movement is restricted by king itself.
        If White king continues to move without taking the rook along the h8-a1 diagonal at some point black rook can move to a4 to protect the pawn.

      12. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 6:50 pm

        1…a3
        2.fxe+ Rxe5
        3.Ra4

      13. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 7:18 pm

        h6 looks good.

      14. kibitzer Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 7:19 pm

        I think it has to be a King move first for black. Anon @1:42 has the right idea although I would probably play 1. … Kf7 for black instead and if white plays 2. Kxe4 then 2. … a3 wins for black.

        White can not take the black rook on the e4 square as doing so blocks the 4th rank for his rook — thereby preventing white to threaten the black a4 pawn.

        So the play may continue this way:

        1. … Kf7
        2. h5 a3
        3. Rh4 Re1
        4. Kd2 Rg1 wins for black (4. fxe5 a2 wins for black as well)

      15. kibitzer Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 7:29 pm

        Uh, my bad. Black should really play Kg7 and not Kf7 first. Kf7 does not prevent the Rh7+ if they exchange pawns on g6 after white plays h5. So the play should go like this:

        1. … Kg7
        2. h5 a3
        3. Rh4 Re1
        4. hxg6 hxg6 (white can’t play Rh7+ )
        4. Kd2 Rg1 wins for black (4. fxe5 a2 wins for black as well)

      16. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 7:36 pm

        Kf7 doesn’t work
        1…Kf7
        2.Kxe4 a3
        3.fxe a2
        4.Rf4+
        the black king must be on g7 otherwise white can use the tempo that he need to catch the pawn.

        1…Ke7
        2.Kxe4 a3
        3.Rg5!a2
        4.Rxe5+
        and white wins

        The king must be on g7 because then white can’t use any check to get the tempo that he need to catch the pawn

      17. kibitzer Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 7:55 pm

        Yup. You’re right and I did correct myself above.

        That was a good puzzle, Susan. Thanks!

      18. Anonymous Reply
        April 4, 2008 at 8:03 pm

        Black does in fact win with 1…Kg7, but White has a couple of tries:

        A) 2.Kxe4 fxe5
        3.fxe5 a2
        4.e6 a1=Q

        … with a won Q vs. R ending.

        B) 2.c3

        That’s a little tougher to beat, but Black still wins.

      19. Anonymous Reply
        April 5, 2008 at 12:24 am

        i like the idea with Re3+ followed by e4. i dont think white can afford to take on e3 but not sure.

      20. Anonymous Reply
        April 5, 2008 at 12:39 am

        i like the idea with Re3+ followed by e4. i dont think white can afford to take on e3 but not sure.

        See posts 3, 4, and 5 in this thread.

      21. Anonymous Reply
        April 5, 2008 at 12:56 am

        i like the idea with Re3+ followed by e4. i dont think white can afford to take on e3 but not sure.

        See posts 3, 4, and 5 in this thread.

        Friday, April 4, 2008 7:39:00 PM CDT

        none of these posts have my idea with 2..e4 in them. but thanks for your useless post

      22. Anonymous Reply
        April 5, 2008 at 1:05 am

        1…Re3+??
        2.Kxe3 e4??
        3.Rg5

        You’re welcome.

      23. Anonymous Reply
        April 8, 2008 at 3:41 pm

        1st) .. Ke6

        Now, the “a” pawn is going to promotion; possible lines which comes to my mind:
        2a) Kxe4 a3 and neither the rook nor the king can stop the pawn
        2b) f5+ gxf5 and the black rook is protected by the pawn… now
        3b) Rg8 Rg4
        4b) Rf8+ Ke7
        Ok, is not so obvious, but White obtains a skewer on the rank “3” or a pawn endgame with two passed pawns (won) or keeps the “a” pawn and “ef” isle of passed pawns.

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