White to move. Is this a win or draw for White? How should White proceed?
8/5P2/8/Q7/K7/8/6qp/7k w – – 0 1
Tabidze, 1999
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Q & P endgame challenge
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1. Qe1+ Qg1 2. Qe4+ Qg2 3. Qb1+ Qg1 4. Qb7+ Qg2 4. f8=Q wins
1. Qe1+ Qg2 2. Qe4+ Qg2 3. Qb1+ Qg1 4. Qb7+ Qg2 5. f8=Q!
and Black is helpless since 5. … Qxb7 is answered by 6. Qf1#.
1.Qe1+ Qg1 2.Qe4+ Qg2 3.Qb1+ Qg1 4.Qb7+ Qg2 5.f8=Q!(5…Qxb7 6.Qf1#) +/-
Qe1, e5, b1, b7
f8=Q
White can’t just promote and allow the exchange of the queen otherwise the game is drawn 1.Qe1+ Qg1 2.Qe4+ Qg2 3.Qb1+ Qg1 4.Qb7+ Qg2 5.f8/Q! (5….Qxb7 6.Qf1 mate!) 5…Kg1 6.Qb6+ Kf1 7.Qb1+ Qg1 8.Qf3 mate !
White can’t just promote and allow the exchange of the queen otherwise the game is drawn 1.Qe1+ Qg1 2.Qe4+ Qg2 3.Qb1+ Qg1 4.Qb7+ Qg2 5.f8/Q! (5….Qxb7 6.Qf1 mate!) 5…Kg1 6.Qb6+ Kf1 7.Qb1+ Qg1 8.Qf3 mate !
Seems a win: 1.Qe1+ Qg1 2.Qe4+ Qg2 3.Qb1+ Qg1 4.Qb7+ Qg2 5.f8Q! Qxb7 6.Qf1 mate
LOL! I almost gave up on this one! I thought I had it solved immediately with
1. Qe1 Qg1
2. Qe4 Qg2
And I thought 3.f8(Q) wins, but then I noticed that black takes at e4 with check. Then I thought this was some sort or deeper study than a clear forced mate, and spent 30 minutes looking for something more subtle before I returned to the line above. After another 10 minutes of staring at the position, it hit me- pin the queen at g2 from a square different than e4 or c6, the rest was easy. From the top:
1. Qe1 Qg1
2. Qe4 Qg2
3. Qb1! Qg1
4. Qb7 Qg2
And, now, f8(Q) wins:
5. f8(Q)Qc6 (Qb7 6.Qf1#;else below)
6. Qc6 Kg1
7. Qfc5 Kf1
8. Qf3 Ke1
9. Qc1#
At move 5 above, black still loses with
5. …..Qe4
6. Qe4 with the line above. Or
5. …..Kg1
6. Qb1 Qf1
7. Qbf1#
Hello
1. Qe1+ , Qg1
2. Qd4+ , Qg2
3. Qb1+ , Qg1
4. Qb7+ , Qg2
5. f8=Q winning
If Qxb7 6. Qf1#
and if Kg1 6. Qb1+ , Qf1 77. Qxf1#
Greetings from Spain
1.Qe1 Qg1
2.Qe4 Qg2
3.Qb1 Qg1
4.Qb7 Qg2
5.f8=q +-
1. Qe1+ Qg1 2. Qe4+ Qg2 3. Qb1+ Qgi 4. Qb7+ Qg2 5. f8Q and if …Q:b7 6. Qf1#
There are probably other ways to win, but the prettiest is:
1. Qe1+ Qg1
2. Qe4+ Qg2
3. Qb1+ Qg1
4. Qb7+ Qg2
5. f8=Q Kg1
5. … Qxb7; 6. Qf1 mate
6. Qc5+ Qf2
6. … Kh1; 7. Qc1 mate
6. … Kf1 holds out longer than the main line, but 7. Qc1+ Kf2; 8. Qc2+ wins the Queen and Black won’t survive for long.
Now 7. Qxf2+ Kxf2; 8. Qh1 wins easily, but even faster/better is forcing either mate or win of Black’s queen, by . . .
7. Qc1+ Qf1
8. Qh1+ Kxh1
Again, Black can last longer by giving up his Queen after 8. … Kf2, but it’s still a quick win for White.
9. Qxf1 mate
The key here is Black’s King, which is hemmed in by the Pawn. White takes advantage of this:
1 Qe1+ Qg1
2 Qe4+ Qg2
If White’s King were on a3 or a5, White could now promote her Pawn as she does below. As it is, Black would take the Queen with check. So White maneuvers her Queen to a better position.
3 Qb1+ Qg1
4 Qb7+ Qg2
5 f8=Q! Kg1
5 …. Qxb7, 6 Qf1#
6 Qb1+
Mate follows next move.
The procedure 1. Qe1+ Qg1 2. Qe4+ Qg2 3. Qb1+ Qg1 4. Qb7+ Qg2 5. f8=Q should win, since … Qxb8 6. Qf1# and there doesn’t seem anything else to do.
1. .. Qe1
2. Qg1 Qe4
3. Qg2 Qb1
4. Qg1 Qb7
5. Qg1 f8=Q should win
1.Qe1 Qg1 2.Qxe1 Kxe1 3.f8=Q #Black resigned because white had a queen now !!! – KNOCKOUT2010
Four consecutive Queen checks appear to win it for White: e1+, e4+, b1+, b7+. Each time, Black must interpose the Queen. Then White plays 5.f8=Q, and if Black takes on b7, then Qf1 mates. Phil
A draw for White is easy, so it must be a win.
win
queen down check
queen up check
pawn queens
black plays queen takes queen and queen down is mate.
1.Qe1+ Qg1 2.Qe4+ Qg2 3.Qb1+ Qg1 4.Qb7+ Qg2 5.f8=Q! wins for white.
forced moves that is why easy but very aesthetic none the less
Qe1+ Qg1
Qe4+ Qg2
Qb1+ Qg1
Qb7+ Qg2
f8/Q Kg1
Qc5+ Kh1
Qc1#
Qe1+, Qe4+, Qb1+, Qb7+, f8=Q by Stephen
1. Qe1 Qg1
2. Qe4 Qg2
3. f8Q
Qe1-e4-b1-b7 and then f8=Q.. please give some reasonably tough ones on occasion please..
Qe1+ Qg1
Qe4+ Qg2
Qb1+ Qg1
Qb7+ Qg2
f8=Q and black is toast.
Qe1+ Qg1 forced
Qe4+ Qg2 forced
Qb1+ Qg1 forced
Qb7+ Qg2 forced
f8queen and now if Qxb7, Qf1 is checkmate.
Qe1+ Qg1
Qe4+ Qg2
Qb1+ Qg1
Qb7+ Qg2
f8(Q) QxQ
Qf1++
If black does not take the Q on b7 and plays Kg1 then Qc1+ leads to mate.
1. Qe1+ Qg1 2. Qe4+ Qg2 3. Qb1+ Qg1 4. Qb7+ Qg2 4. f8=Q (5…Qxb7 6. Qfl#)5…Kg1 5. Qb1 Qf1 6. Qb/fxf1#