White to move. Can White win this?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Rook and Pawn endgame
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White to move. Can White win this?
Hmmm. Would be cool if Re8 works?
Main Line
1. Re8+ Kxe8
2. g7 Rg8
3. f6 and zugzwang
Alternative
1. … Kg7
2. f6+ maybe?
And I don’t know whether the R vs P endgame is definitely won for White, but with the Black pawn and King so far back it could be.
My first thought was 1.Kd7 here. It looks kinda pretty after:
1. Kd7 fxg6 2. Re8+ Kg7 3. Rxh8 Kxh8 4. f6 Kg8 5. Ke7.
The problem is that 1. Kd7? Kg7 is a straight forward draw after 2. gxf6 Kxf7.
I don’t want to give away the real answer. However, I will say that it involves a really pretty zugzwang.
Nathan
@Rocketooy
Nice job finding that super pretty zugzwang. Your alternative line works, but no reason to make it tougher on yourself.
1. Re8+ Kg7 2. Rxh8 Kxh8 3. f6 wins pretty simply. 2. f6+ also works, just a little more technique required.
Nathan
5k1r/2K2p2/6P1/4RP2/8/8/8/8 w – – 0 1
Nice one — the key is the Re8+, followed by f6+. Then the White Rook takes on H8. Eventually, The White King will catch the remaining black pawn. White wins.
D.
Nathan – why wouldn’t the answer to 1 Re8+ be 1 … Kxe8 ? I don’t see how that helps.
Rocketboy, after your main line, white wins.
And after 1….Kg7, then
2. RxR KxR
3. f6 wins for white.
I think the easiest way after
1.Re8+ Kg7
is
2.RxR KxR
3.f6 pxp (3…Kg8 4.g7)
4.Kd7
and white queens first and wins easily.
@marc_j : Read first post by rocketboy
Finding Re8 and the named variations is easy – but is anyone here woho watched for black’s defense (after 1. Re8 KxR 2. g7) Rf8!?
Of course white can simply play gxf8 because the pawn endgame isn’t that hard to win but white must pay attention anyway so I think this variation should be named.
Greetings,
Jochen
(sorry for faults, english is not my mother language)
After 1 Re8 Kxe8 2 g7 Rf8, things do get interesting. If white goes ahead with f6, Black just moves Rg8 one move later and now White is the one in zugzwang. On the other hand, if White takes the Rook immediately then 3 gxf8=Q Kxf8 4 Kd7 Kg7 5 Ke7 f6 6 Ke6 and zugzwang again…
Good thought, jochen. That Rook move makes White’s work a little harder.
And I knew that Re8 works; I was just wondering why Black would respond to it with anything other than Kxe8. Kg7 just turns it into an instant Rook trade.
1. Re8+ is of course the most attractive answer, but Kd7 also seems to win:
1) If 1 … Kg7, 2. Ke7, fg (Rf8; 3. f6, Kg8; 4. g7, R-any; 5. Rh5) 3. f6
2) If 1 … Rh1; 2. Re8, Kg7; 3. Re7 wins.
@markj
1. Re8+ Kxe8
2. g7 Rf8
3. f6 Rg8
White is not in zugzwang…
4. Kc8 and the ball is back in Black’s court with the same win as in the main line.