R4rk1/4qppp/6r1/4P3/1p5P/6P1/5P1K/R3Q3 w – – 0 1
White to move. How should White proceed?
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R4rk1/4qppp/6r1/4P3/1p5P/6P1/5P1K/R3Q3 w – – 0 1
White to move. How should White proceed?
This problem is hideously tough, or I am simply overlooking something. I would really like to put the 1st rank rook on a7 and drive the queen away from guarding the f8 rook:
1. R1a7 Qc5!
Almost surely the only plausible move for black here. He obviously can’t take at either a7 or a8, and Qe6 loses quickly to Rxf8: [1. …Qe6 2.Rf8 Kf8 3.Qb4 Ke8 4.Qb8 mates in one more]. However, with Qc5 black stays in the game:
2. Rf8 Qf8
Here, Kf8 might be ok, but is hard to evaluate for me after black plays the obvious defense of the d8 square: [2. …Kf8 3.Ra8 Ke7 4.Qd2! Qb6!, and maybe white can get some traction by playing 5.h5, but I just can’t quite see it clear.] 2. …Qf8 just looks better to me for black because it leads to a drawish looking rook ending:
3. Rb7
All I can see here for white. The b-pawn now falls:
3. …..Re6 (what better?)
4. f4 Rc6
5. Qb4 Rc2
6. Kg1
If white plays Kh3, black can check from c8 with the queen, and I doubt white can ever escape the checks afterwards if he blocks with g4. I think white is going to have to bring the king out to f3 to put a stop the harassment. Continuing:
6. …..Qb4
As long as white refuses to cooperate, I think black can do no better than to exchange the queens now. A check from c1 is worse than worthless- at least right now the white king is trapped on the 1st rank. Continuing:
7. Rb4 h5 (this or g6)
And white is up a pawn, but I would doubt this is a forced win.
Now, I have an idea for preventing black’s Qc5 move above by playing 1.Qc1, but I have spent an hour doing the analysis, and still can’t quite convince myself that white wins. Again, I am thinking I am missing something really obvious here.
1) qe4 wins it for white
R1a7 ?
I’m a neophyte. I say Rxf8
Qe4!
Yesterday, I analyzed the most obvious move to me 1. R1a7, and I think I showed white can win the black b-pawn, but ends up in a R+4P vs R+3P ending with his own king stuck on the first rank- an ending that looks drawish to me. Black’s key defense to 1.R1a7 was 1. …Qc5, and I thought maybe that 1.Qe3 or 1.Qc1 might be a way to undermine black’s defenses to R1a7. Either 1.Qe3 or 1.Qc1 takes away the c5 square from the black queen so that R1a7 is more effective. If this idea is right, then I think you can dismiss the move 1.Qe3 since black can put the rook at c6 with his first move, so let’s look at 1.Qc1 right now:
1. Qc1
Black has basically two options that I see- open a hole for the king at h6, or put the queen right now on b7 to prevent 2.R1a7:
1. …..Qb7 (alternatives later)
2. Rf8
Obviously, white can gain nothing with 2.R1a7 now since black exchanges at a8 starting with 3. …Qxa8!- and ending that might even be lost for white, but is sure not winning. Continuing:
2. …..Kf8
3. Qc5 Ke8
The only move. If black plays 3. …Kg8, white will play 4.Qc7 with the double threat of mate and QxQ. Of course, 3. …Qe7 allows 4.Ra8#. Continuing:
4. Ra7!
An obvious move, and again leaves black with only one plausible defensive move:
4. …..Rc6
5. Qd4
Keeps the pressure on black. Continuing:
5. …..Rc4
Again, black has few options. Continuing:
6. Qe3 Qc8
White is now threatening e6, so black gets his queen out of danger while guarding the e6 square. Also, black has connected his major pieces. Of course, black could not continue the harassment of the queen with Rc3 since white just takes at b7 and is up a rook after all is said and done (the queen is protected by f2).
So, how should white continue here? He can play 7.Qf3 with twin threats of Qxf7 and Ra8:
7. Qf3 Qe6! (nothing else holds)
8. Qb7 Rc8! (only defense)
9. Qb5 Qc6 (Kf8 10.Qb4 unclear)
Now, it is just almost pure speculation on my part:
10.Qb4 Rc7 (anything better?)
And, I just can’t quite see what white has here other than a pawn and a bit of pressure. With black’s king out away from the pawns, I keep thinking I have to be missing something obvious here, but what?
Back at move 7 in the line above, white could try attacking the g7 pawn instead, and this line is even more complicated and speculative on my part:
7. Qg5 Rc7 (anything better?)
8. Qg7! Qf5
White will get the rook back if black takes it: [8. …Ra7 9.Qg8 Kd7 10.Qf7 and the white is up at least 2 pawns, though the queen ending is beyond my ability to evaluate due to black’s passed pawn out of immediate reach of white’s king.] With 8. …Qf5, black is offering the rook for a perpetual starting with Qxf2+. So, I think, if white wants to try for the win, he will have to check from a8:
9. Ra8 Kd7!
Here, Rc8 loses quickly: [9. …Rc8 10.Rc8 Qg8 11.Kd7 Qc8+-]. Continuing:
10.e6 Ke7
On Kxe6, Qxe6, and Kc6, white puts the queen on d4 to threaten moves like Re8+ Qd8+, and Qb6+- they all look losing to me, but are too complicated for me to be very sure. You tell me if white can win here. Maybe black does best to play 8. …Rxa7 in the main line:
8. …..Ra7
9. Qg8 Kd7
10.Qf7 Kc6
11.Qa7
And, white is up two pawns, and has his own advanced passer. I would think this is winning, but queen pawn endings are very difficult to evaluate even with fewer pawns on the board.
I simply have to be missing something easier here.
1.RXf8+ Kxh8 2 Ra8+ wins
1.. Qxf8 2 Qe4 wins. Threatening Ra8
2…f5 3 Qd5+ Qf7 3 Ra8#
After 2 Qe4 the either lose the queen or a rook
by: Tsekmate
Qe5!?
Dear Yancey,
I agree with you that 1. Qc1 is the best 1st move for White.
But after
1. Qc1 Qb7 2. Rxf8+ Kxf8 3. Qc5+ Ke8 4. Ra7 Rc6 5. Qd4 Rc4 6. Qe3 Qc8
I think White can improve with 7. Qf3 over 7. Qg5
For what it is worth:
7. Qf3 Qe6 8. Qd3 g6 (Black has to stop White from playing Qxh7) 9. Ra8+ Rc8 10. Qb5+ Kd8 11. Ra6 Qc4 12.
Rd6+ Ke7 13. Qd7+ Kf8 14. e6 fxe6 15. Rxe6 Qc3 16. h5 gxh5 17. Re3 Qc2 18.
Rf3+ Kg8 19. Qe6+ Kh8 20. Rf7 Qc3 21. Qh6
Tsekmate:
1. Rf8 Qf8!
2. Qe4 Rb6! (or Re6, too)
And now 3.Ra8 is met by 3. …Rb8.
To the commenters that suggested, 1.Qe4:
1. Qe4 Re6
Not really sure this is best, but this move accomplishes the feat of removing the threat of Rxf8 by allowing Qf8 and Re8:
2. Rf8 Qf8
3. Ra8 Re8
I really don’t know what white should do at move 2, but nothing really stands out as winning to me. 2.R1a7 is met again by Qc5, and a move like 2.R1a4 looks well defended by g6 or even maybe b3.
Lucymarie,
Interesting. I didn’t spot 8.Qd3 in this line when I was working on it (I could only find 8.Qb7), and it looks pretty forced to me after that, and when 12.Rd6+ falls, I think is clearly over for black
Nicely done!!!