White to move. Is this a win for White?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
King and Pawn endgame 4-6-07
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White to move. Is this a win for White?
I can’t see any way to drive the Black king out of g8/h8. With the pawn on h7, it seems impregnable.
Black could even play h6 later and allow the setup White g6/h5/h4 & Black h6. That would still be impregnable, dispite +2 pawns and a protected passer!
it’s a draw
Hi,
here is a plan. White advaces g-pawn to g5 and forces black by Zugzwang to advance h-pawn to h6. Then either whites king can capture blacks pawn (blacks king is assumed to be confined by opposition to h7, h8 or g8) or h6 has to take on g5 where white retakes with its pawn on h4. Then white has two connected passed pawns.
Does that suffices to force queening one pawn?
Best,
Jakob
This one is a draw due to the rook pawn. Yesterday is a win despite the rook pawns. Neither puzzle is too difficult…is there room to deflect our outflank the enemy king, or not?
Ken
jacob, the idea is good, but how are going to force black King to h6 without advancing your h-pawn? 😎 Black King always has either g8-f8 or g8-g7 pair of squares
If you advance your pawn to g6, then there is no zugzwang (Kh8 Kf7 g6 hg hg 1/2)
Hi,
a possible line:
Ke6, Kh6
g5, Kg7
Ke7, Kg8
Kf6, Kh8
Kf7, Zugzwang h6
K g6,
either … Kh7 and white take h6
or … h6xg5
h4xg5 Kg8
and now I don’t know.
Best,
Jakob
Hello Jakob,
you can’t force black’s king to h8. If that would be possible you were right. I tried that, too, but after Kf6 black can play Kf8! instead of Kh8?? which allows white to play Kf7! with a win like you have shown.
I hope there is a win for white but my tries all ended in a draw.
Who shows me how to win?
My thoughts:
Pushing whites pawns won’t give a win because after white’s g6 black doesn’t capture by himself but let’s white decide what to do.
But gxh7 and g7(+) both lead to an easy drawn game. Only way to force black to capture on g6 is a Zugzwang position (Kh8 white: Kf7/8) but that leads to stalemate after exchange of pawns.
So the only way to win is to force the black king to h8 and stalemate the king with Kf7/8 without having moved h5-h6 (then h7-h6 with easy win for white). But without taking away g7 by white’ h5-h6 black has Kg8-Kf8-Kg7 and white king can’t controll all of these so black can’t be forced to h8.
After h5-h6 white can force Kh8 but then it’s too late – it’s draw.
So I agree with the posters above – I think it’s draw but I still hope someone can show me that I oversaw something.
Greetings,
Jochen
i could not find a win for white either (of course i’m far away from being perfect…). but because i’m a little big-headed about my endgame skills i’d offer loud (and not proud here!) a draw to black – and – experience taught me: black tends to accept such draw offers.
🙂 greetings
its a win lol
I don’t see any way to drive the black king from his comfortable critical squares h8, g8, g7, h6. Black need never move his pawn, but merely shuffle his king to the appropriate critical square. White’s pawn triad is rather innocuous due to the positional burden of doubled pawns on the h file.
White cannot encircle the black king and obtain control of g8 and h8 because of latent stalemates.
1. Ke6 Kh6 2. Ke7 (2. g5+ Kxh5 black demolishes the triad) Kg7 3. h6+ (3. Ke8 Kh6 stops the white king approach) Kg8 (3. … Kxh6? 4. Kf8 +-) 4. g5 Kh8 5. h5 Kg8 6. g6 Kh8 (6. … hxg6? hxg6 +-) 7. Kf6 (7. Kf8 hxg6 8. hxg6 stalemate) Kg8 8. Ke7 Kh8 9. Kf8 hxg6 10. hxg6 stalemate.
All attempts to advance the pawns seem to result in the same impasse at g7, g8, h8.
1. Ke6 Kh6 2. Ke7 Kg7 3. g5 Kg8 4. h6 (4. g6 Kg7) Kh8 5. h5 Kg8 6. g6 Kh8)
A pleasing and educative ending. I’d love to see the win for white if there is one, but am compelled to doubt that it is a win. I wonder if this is a composition or if it actually happened over the ob
ard.
Cheers and good chess to all.
Randy
My main line
1. Ke6 Kh6
2. Ke7! Kg7
3. g5! Kg8
4. Kf6 Kh8 (4. .. h6 5. Kg6)
5. Kf7 h6
6. Kg6! hxg5 (6. .. Kg8 7. Kxh6)
7. hxg5 and it is a win
I could think of some of the possible following possible defence by black.
1. Ke6 Kh6
2. Ke7! Kg7
3. g5! h6
4. Ke6 Kh8 (4. .. hxg5 5. hxg5)
5. Kf6 Kh7
6. Kf7 Kh8
7. Kg6
First chase the black king to 8th rank and then move the pawn.
— P. Anandh
Is my analysis good enough or am I missing something obvious???
Take a look at my post, above, anandh.
4. Kf6 Kh8?? or 4. -, h6?? wins for white, of course, but 4. -, Kf8! and what shell white play?
Jochen
PS:
” Anonymous hat gesagt…
its a win lol “
So, tell us how.
Yes. I missed that point. I tried my best and end-up only in draw
— P. Anandh
Hi,
I’m just a beginner, but it seems
clear to me that black’s h-pawn
must be taken out of there. And if
black advances his h-pawn, then it
could be captured by white’s king
because white sets up his three
pawns such that he tries to force
a pawn exchange remaining with a
deadly (non-rook-file) g-pawn.
Now black will refuse to do this,
but white can either force the
black king off of h7 OR force
black’s h-pawn to capture white’s
g-pawn. If black pulls his king
back to h8, then white’s king can
capture black’s h-pawn–So black
must NEVER advance the h-pawn,
otherwise the above will happen.
This was basically stated by other
posters, but keeping this in mind:
1. Kg5
if … h6+, doomed as mentioned
above:
2. Kg5 h6+
3. Kf5 Kf7
4. g5 Kg7
5. Kc6 Kg8
6. Kf6 Kh7
7. Kf7 (zugzwang) Kh8
8. Kg6 (zugzwang again) hxg5
9. hxg5 Kg8
10.h6 (black is lost)
So instead:
1. Kg5 (opposition) Kh8
2. Kh6 Kg8
3. g5 Kh8
4. g6 (zugzwang) Kg8
5. g7 Kf7
6. Kxh7 (black is lost)
Is my logic flawed?
Anton
Hello anonymous,
I saw your post very late so I didn’t answer before.
First I have to admit that this was an idea I didn’t have (attacking from below) – but even with the Kh6-idea black seems to have a defense:
1. Kg5 Kg8! (not Kh8 as you propose) 2. Kh6 Kh8
3. g5 Kg8
4. g6 Kh8!
5. g7+ Kg8 and white is in zugzwang not black.
If white would have one waiting move… but white’s pawns just stand in the way.
So very good variation but can you find anything against this last obstacle, too?
Greetings,
Jochen
Sorry, Anton, I now see you’re not “anonymous” but you’re “Anton”.
This post might be out of topic here but I prefer talking to named people instead of anonymous ones and so I have to apologize that I didn’t address you right.
So far… I just had to say this.
Jochen
Hi,
Thanks Jochen,
You are right.
I looked at it some more, and it
seems like black can end up with
a position of:
wKf6,Pg6,Ph6,Ph5
bKh8,Ph7
With either white or black to move,
seemingly removing useful use of
triangulation for white.
(black king alternating g8 and h8)
Thoughts?
Anton
Hi Anton,
I think in your last position it doesn’t matter if black or white has to move. It’s a fortress and white can’t win.
Of course, white can never take g6xh7 because of the well-known draw with the rook pawn(s). White can just play g7+ if it is mate because if not then after g7+ Kg8 blacks king can’t be expelled out of the edge.
But if white takes away the g8-field (what can’t be forced without having played h5-h6) then black can play h7xg6 because h5xg6 leads to stalemate.
I think white’s pawn mustn’t approach to h6.
All tries with g5-g6-g7(+) (after maneuvres with the kings, without having played h5-h6, without having taking away g8 because then black would have played hxg before with stalemate) end up in draw because Kg8 g7+ (white king on f6) forces h7-h6 but white can’t take him because of stale mate.
So until now we have a few attacking tries (and in a normal game I would try them all :)) but black can defend against them all.
1) Attacking from below with Kh6.
Defense: After Kh6 black must be able to go to h8 that’s easy after Kg5 Kg8!
2) Trying to push the pawns.
Defense: Black never captures on g6. Only if white cages black king on h8 he has to play h7xg6 but then it’s going to be stalemate.
White can win as many tempi as he needs with triangulation (thanky Anton, I learned this english word new!) but that doesn’t help.
3) Trying to cage the black king on h8 without having moved h5-h6.
Defense: Black can triangle on g7/g8/f8 so white can’t force the king to h8.
Susan, tell us, is it a draw or is there a white attack we haven’t found until now?
Greetings,
Jochen
Those who wish to be put out of their misery can consult the online server of perfect play for all positions of 6 pieces or fewer at the
Knowledge4IT EGTB Server
which is maintained by Eiko Bleicher of Berlin, who is also the author of the Freezer endgame-analysis program.
Ui, thank you, kwregan. Nice tool!
So draw is the correct answer – fortunately the opponent does not play perfect in the game so white can still try here….
Nice puzzle! Thanks for reviving it, Anton.
Greetings,
Jochen