White to move. Can White save this game? How should White proceed?
8/1p6/p7/P7/7p/8/4K1kp/5R2 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Special endgame
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White to move. Can White save this game? How should White proceed?
8/1p6/p7/P7/7p/8/4K1kp/5R2 w – – 0 1
1. Rh1
Rh1!
White doesn’t need the rook; white only needs to put black in zugswang so that after b7-b6 white can capture and queen first. After the king takes the rook on h1, the white king moves back and forth from f1 to f2 until black runs out of moves and has to play b6 and lose.
If 1. Rh1 then if 1… Kxh1, it is a draw.
Rh1 Kxh1 Kf2 h3 Kf1 b6 axb6 1-0.
Rh1 h3 Ke1 Kxh1 Kf2 b6 axb6 1-0.
That’s the best I’ve come up with.
1 Rh1 … If Black plays Kh1 or Kh3 White plays Ke1 or Ke3 which is sufficient to force b6. If Black plays Kg3 or h3 white plays Kf1 or Ke1 then Kf1 and black must abandon and lose both pawns.
Rh1! and followed by white king f2
1. Rh1 should bring Black sooner or later into zugzwang…
Easy: Rh1 and black will either lose his pawns or, after taking the rook, get into zugzwang with his king locked in at h1. Beelze
1.Rh1! If black takes white traps the king and eventually queens his pawn and mate. Otherwise white will drive the black king back (after he has run out of pawn moves) and win easily as well.
Th1
That’s fun stuff. White amazingly not only draws but wins the game with 1. Rh1.
If Black takes the rook the idea appears in its original form:
1. … Kxh1
2. Kf2 h3
3. Kf1 b5
4. axb6 a5
5. b7 a4
6. b8Q a3
7. Qa8 mate
Otherwise the Zugzwang method works anway.
1. … h3
2. Ke1 and now Black has to decide, if his King leaves the square g2 in order to take on h1 with the same game as seen above or in order to run away.
2. … Kg3
3. Kf1 Kf4
4. Rxa2 and the resulting endgame is not too complicated too.
From Spain…
1)Rh1,Kh1
2)Kf1,h3
3)Kf2,b6 o b5
4)ab6,a5
5)b7,a4
6)b1=Q,a3
7)Qa1++
1)Rh1,Kg3
2)Ke1,Kg2
3)Ke2,Kg3 and draw
1.Rh1!!! Kxh1 2.Kf1/f2 h3 3.Kf1/f2 b5 4.axb6 “en passant” +- a5 (no stalemate dear !) 1-0
1. Rh1!!, Kxh1
2. Kf1!, h3
3. Kf2, b5
4. axb6,… and white win 😉
1.Rh1 K:h1 2.Kf1 h3 3.Kf2 1-0
The good old-fashioned stalemate trick should be enough. Put the rook on h1 and you will either win the h-pawns or as soon as Black takes the rook with his king, you stalemate him and forces him to eventually move his queenside pawns, and White will promote.
1. Rh1 with the idea of stalemating black king so he’s forced to move b-pawn. So:
1…Kxh1 2. Kf2 h3 3. Kf1 b5 4.axb6 and wins
1…h3 2.Ke1 Kxh1 (Kg3 3. Kf1 with 4. Rxh2) 3.Kf1 b5 4.axb6
1…Kg3 (probably best) 2. Kf1 h3 3.Ke1 Kg2 4. Ke2 Kg3 5. Kf1 Kf3 6. Rxh2
Rh1 ! Kh1 Kf2 stalemates blacks king so pawn moves are left and after h3. Kf1 b5 and b6 are the only legal moves when white will take en passent. This will leave white with a passed b pawn and black with a passed a pawn. White’s pawn will queen on b8.
1.Rh1 and white wins.
if 1. …Kxh1
then 2. Kf2.. black is in zugswang and will eventually have to move the b7 pawn. If black king does not take on h1 then white king will go to e1, f1 and then h2 pawn will fall.