White to move. How should White proceed? Can the Black passed pawns be stopped?
8/8/7p/5Kpk/1p2P3/p1b3P1/2N4P/8 w – – 0 1
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1.Ne3 (threat Ng2 and g4X) g4 2.Ng2 Bd2 3.h3
e5 wins either by stopping the ab pawns or by creating the Kf6X threat.
1.e5
It looks to me that the black bishop must stop the e-pawn or it queens with checkmate, even after a black pawn promotes. Therefore I’d move 1.e5. If 1… Bxe5 then 2. Kxe5 and the knight can capture one pawn and hold the other.
And if 1.e3 b4 so the bishop can intercept the pawn on e7, then 2. Nxa3.
Ne3…
Ng2…
followed by g4 mate and if black moved pawn onto g4 then h3 and mate next move
black really can’t stop it
White plays 1 Ne3 threatening 2 Ng2 and 3 g4#. If Black plays 1..g4, white plays 2 Ng2 threatening 3 h3 and either 4 h*g4# or if black plays 3…g*h3 then 4 g4 mate.
Yes, the pawns can be stopped with
1. e5, b3 2. Nxa3 …, but this ends in a draw.
There’s no need to stop the pawns:
1. Ne3, … 2. Ng2
and black will be mated in max. two moves
White wins with Ne3-Ng2 followed by g4++ or Ne4++ (if black g4)
How about we play 1. Ne3, then 2. Ng2 threatening 3. g4 mate? If then 2…g4, 3. Nf4 is mate. I can’t see how Black can stop this.
1.Ne3…any.
2.Ng2…any.
3.Either g4+ #
Or Nf4+ # if the black pawn advances to g4.
However I am not sure.
White plays 1 Ne3 threat 2 Ng2 and 3 Pg4 mate. If Black plays 1.. pg4 white plays 2 Nf4 mate. If Black plays Bishop move to prevent Nf4 then white plays Nd5 and mate follows.
White also has h3 when Black plays g4. I have not bothered to check these as white has clear win in the above variations.
It’s not about whether black pawns can be stopped, the real question is if black can prevent from being mated 😉
Ne3 and then to g2 to then mate with pawn to g4++
Good ‘morning’. Doesn’t 1. Ne3 win simply? The threat is to play (e.g. 1. -, a2) 2. Ng2! followed by g4# (or Nf4# if black moves g4).
There seem to be some defenses all ending in the same line:
1. -, Be5 (or g4/Bd2 giving a similar line) 2. Ng2 (threatening mate), g4 (2. -, Bxg3 3. hxg3 won’t help – mate on g4 or f4 next move) 3. h3! and black gets matedon g4.
Did I oversee anything?
Jochen
PS: 1. e5?!, Bxe5 2. Kxe5, Kg4! and black can trade off all white king side pawns playing h6-h5-h4 and the game is drawn.
Ne3 with a mate in 4, when black has to give up the Bishop and black’s pawns can’t even think of advancing much.
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Editor imchess.com