White to move. Is this a win or draw for White?
1k6/8/1p6/pK6/P7/8/3B4/8 w – – 0 1
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White to move. Is this a win or draw for White?
1k6/8/1p6/pK6/P7/8/3B4/8 w – – 0 1
I haven’t analyzed it, but White has the wrong rook pawn. Looks like in order to win he needs to force the b-pawn to advance to capture it with his pawn, and get it off the rook file.
Draw, the bishop is a different color to the queening square of the pawn
Ah, Ms. Polgar, you sneaky devil!
As the blog host no doubt expected from some of the commenters, my first thought was this had to be a draw since white has the wrong bishop and the wrong pawn, but the puzzle just couldn’t be that simple, could it? So, I had to take a second, deeper look and then it occurred to me that white just might be able to force black to convert that a-pawn into a b-pawn, or give up the corner altogether. To do this, of course, white must force the black king into the corner, cut off the b8 square with the bishop, and definitely not take at b6! So, with all this in mind
1. Ka6 Ka8 (Kc7 or Kc8 below)
2. Bf4 b5 (only legal move, now)
3. cb5 and the lowly, now b-pawn marches to b7 and delivers the mate himself. So, clearly, black cannot play the king to a8 with his first move.
1. Ka6 Kc7
2. Bf4
Just about any waiting move with the bishop should work, but I haven’t exhaustively looked at them. Continuing:
2. …..Kc6
The point is that the black king is now cut off from the corner, and this would happen with any other bishop move at move 2 since white checks the black king at b8 on the third move, or takes control of the square with Bf4 if black plays the king anywhere else on his second move. Anyway, so now white needs to figure out how to win the b-pawn and the a-pawn without allowing black to get back to that corner. The problem is that if white tries a waiting move like Ka7, black liquidates white’s remaining pawn with b5, so white must find another bishop move. From just first principles alone, I would select Be3 for analysis for no other reason other than it takes c5 away from black’s king:
3. Be3
Now, black has a choice, try the end run around the king and bishop and attack the pawn at a4 by playing Kd5…Kc4 etc., or play to keep the king close to a8 threatening to enforce the draw that way. Let’s look at the end-around maneuver first before looking at the more important lines of staying close to the corner:
3. …..Kd5
4. Kb6 Kc4 (Ke4 5.Ka5 will win)
5. Ka5 Kd5 (what else?)
6. Kb6 and the pawn cannot be stopped. At move 4 in this line, black does no better by changing his plan in midstream:
4. …..Kd6
5. Bf4 Kd7 (what else?)
6. Kb7 Ke6 (no other plan left)
7. Bd2 Kd5
8. Ba5 Kc5
9. Bb6 and the pawn cannot be stopped.
Now, we can return to keeping the king close to a8 at move 3 for black:
3. …..Kc7
4. Ka7
I think white wins with a lot other moves here, and I have analyzed more than a few of them, but I like simplicity. Continuing:
4. …..Kc8 (Kc6 is below)
5. Bb6 Kd7
6. Kb7 Kd6 (we seen this, I know)
7. Ba5 Kc5
8. Bb6 Kb4
9. a5 and it is over, the pawn will queen. And, finally, at move 1 black can do no better with Kc8 as you would expect:
1. Ka6 Kc8
2. Bf4 Kd7 (Kd8 no better)
3. Kb6 Kc8 (what else?)
4. Ka7 Kd7
5. Kb7 Ke6 (no other plan)
6. Bc7 Kd5
7. Ba5 and I should not have to finish this if you have read this far, should I?
White wins with 1.Ka6 and 2.Bf4 in all variants.
win
ka6!
if black plays
1. … ka8
2. bf4 b5
3. axb5
1. … kc7
2. bf4+ kc8
3. ka7 and then kb7 wins
1. … kc8
2. bf4 and then kb7 wins
1.Ka6 Ka8
2.Bf4 b5
3.axb5 a4
4.b6 a3
5.b7 1-0
Win,
After 1. Ka6 Ka8 2.Bf4 b5 (only legal move), 3. axb – and now we no longer have a rook pawn and the bishop can clean up the remaining black pawn and its an easy win.
If 1. … K c7 2. Be3 Kc6 3. Bxb6 and black can’t get back to b8 and similarly he can get either around to the white pawn in time or back to the corner.
Anonymous,
That drawing motif depends on a stalemate theme.
1.Ka6! wins: 1…Ka8 2.Bf4! zugzwang b5 2.axb5 1-0; 1…Kc7 2.Bf4+ Kc6 (2…Kc8 3.Kxb6 Kd7 4.Kb7 wins) 3.Be3! Kc7 4.Ka7! followed by 5.Bxb6, 6.Kb7, and 7.Bxa5 1-0
1.Ka6 Ka8
2.Bf5 b5
3.ab a4
4.b6 a3
5.b7++
If 1..Kc8 then 2. Bf4 and then white grab the pawns snd use his king to guard the a8 queening square
An interesting position.
With a piece still on the board for him, white, apparently, has a draw in hands and this can be achieved quite easily with the two following moves:
1) Kxb6 and white will never be able to chase the black king away from a7, a8 and b8 squares.
Another obvious option for a draw would be,
1) Bxa5 bxa5 (even if black does not capture the bishop here, it’s a draw)
2) Kxa5
The idea, for a win, would be to chase the black king away from ‘b8’ square towards king-side and then get white’s pawn into b-file (we’ll have to see if this is actually required). Let’s see if white can squeeze out a full point out of this game.
An immediate check with his bishop (Bf4+) does not achieve anything. Same is the case with any other bishop move. This leaves us to choose to which square white’s monarch wants to go. c6 or a6. Let us try both.
1) Kc6 Ka7
Now black can safely play his king in a7, b7 and a8 squares and I don’t see any way in which black king can be pursued away from that corner. This leaves us with one last option Ka6 for white’s first move. Let us see if this helps white any better.
1) Ka6
Here black has 3 main options Ka8, Kc8 and Kc7. Let us see them one by one.
1) …… Ka8?
2) Bf4! B5 (forced)
3) axb5 a4 (forced)
4) Bd6 a3 (forced again)
5) Bxa3 Kb8
6) Bd6+ and white queens the pawn.
Let us see how Kc8 fares for black:
1) …… Kc8
2) Kxb5 Kd7 (2…. Kd8 3.
3) Kb7 any move
4) Bc7 any move
5) Bxa4 any move
6) Bb6 and white queens the pawn.
Finally for Kc7
1) …… Kc7
2) Bf4+ Kc6 (any other move will be converted into one of the previous lines)
3) Be3 (threatening Bxb6) b5 (what else?)
4) Axb5+ Kc7
5) Ka7 and white queens the pawn first (with a check) and wins.
Should be winning for White. He plays 1. Ka6. If then 1. … Ka8 then 2. Bf4 and Black must play 2. …b5. Then 3. a x b5 wins.
If 1. … Kc7 then 2. Be3 and white manages to get his King to b7 before taking Blacks pawns. Then the Bishop collects the pawns with an easy win.
It is a win for White, surprisingly.
1. Ka6 is the only winning move, as far as I can understand.
1…Ka8 the King sticks to the a8 square which is his only drawing trick.
2. Bf4! Zungzwang.
2…b5 only move.
3. axb5 a4 only move
and Mate in two!!!
Wonderful!!
Thanks Susan from Israel.
It’s a win for white. White doesn’t take the pawn with the king but rather with the other pawn once black’s king can’t move and is forced to move the pawn and then white takes it with the pawn which is going to get promoted.
win for white.1.Ka6 Ka82.Bf4 b5 3.ab5
White wins with 1.Ka6
If black is trying to stay in the corner, white forces black in a ‘Zugzwang’ position and gets mate:
1.Kh6 Ka8
2. Bf4 b5 (Zugzwang)
3. axb5 and Mate in 2
If black is trying to avoid this position, he will be pushed aside by King and Bishop…
1.Kh6 Kc7
2.Bf4+ Kc6
3.Be3 Kc7
4.Ka7! Kc6
5.Bxb6 …and now the King is pushed away, the Bishop takes a5 and Black isn’t able to block the pawn.
Question for Anonymous (August 4, 2010 8:16:00 PM CDT):
Does White’s a-pawn have to remain being an a-pawn???
1.Ka6 Ka8
2.Bf4! b5
3.axb5 a4
4.Kb6 a3
5.Kc7 a2
6.Be5 +-
or
1.Ka6 Kc8
2.Bf4 Kd7
3.Kxb6 Kc8
4.Ka7 Kd7
5.Kb7
and after Bd2 and Bxa5 the freed a pawn marches to a8.
white wins
1.Ka6 Ka8 2.Bf4 b5 3.axb5 etc..
1. Ka6 Ka8
2. Bf4! (Zugzwang) b5
3. axb and mate in 3 moves
It’s not a draw! White can win, but he needs to “transform” his “a” pawn into a “b” pawn, thanks to stalemate motif (forcing Black to push in b5). He can succeed by playing 1.Kc6!
and now:
A) 1. …Kc8 2.Bf4 and now Black must advance his pawn, losing at once 2. …b5 3.axb5 (and then the Black pawn can be easily stopped whereas the White one can go on), or playing 2. …Kd8 3.Kb7! Now White can calmly pick up the Black pawns with his Bishop since his King firmly controls the promotion square of his “a” pawn.
B) 1. …Ka8 2.Bf4 b5 (forced) 3.axb5 and then Black’s pawn can be easily stopped by the Bishop and the new “b” White pawn is decisive.
C) of course 1. …b5 shows it all the same
Win for white after Ka6. If the black king goes to a8 in order to block queening, the white bishop goes to the b8-h2 diagonal and traps him. Black is forced to play b5 and after a4xb5, black will be checkmated before the black a pawn can queen. If black king goes the other way, it can be kept off the b8 square by bringing the the bishop to the b8-h2 diagonal. Typical line could be
Ka6 Kc7
Be3 Kb8
Bf4+ Kc8
Now the king is out of action and the black pawns can be cleaned up.
Black to play draws with Ka7, White is unable to win, as could happen in my game with Kiril Georgiev, Italian Teams Championship 2010, if I had played the right defense
The trick is not to take the b6 pawn but to move king to a6. After black moves Ka8, Bf4 Black King cannot move and white pawn will be on b file after black plays b5. A win for white 🙂
1. Ka6 wins. There is no stale mate as long as there is the black b-pawn. For example:
1. … Ka8
2. Bf4 b5 (only move)
3. a4xb5 a4
is easily won by White. Other first moves by black are won in essentially the same way.
Win for white !
Ka6 – Ka8
Bf4 – b5
axb – a4
Bd6 – a3
Bxa3 etc.
I believe that it’s a win even if we’ve got the wrong bishop.
1.Ka6! forces Ka8 2.Bf4 b5 3.axb5+- if black doesn’t play Ka8 then he does not occupy the corner and cannot hope for a draw.
No Draw!
1. Ka6 Ka8
2. Bf4 +-
or
1. Ka6 Kc7
2. Be3 Kb8 (2. … Kc6 3. Bb6 +-)
3. Bf4+ Ra8 ( 2. … Rc8 3. Kb6 +-)
4. Be5 +-
by stulzer
White wins!!!! That a-pawn can becomne a b-pawn: 1. Ka6 Ka8 2. Bf4!! b5 3. axb5 etc…
White wins!!!! Dont you all see 1. Ka6 Ka8 2. Bf4!!! b5 3. axb5 with an easy win for white
UMMMM You guys misses the win for white.
1. Ka6 Ka8 2. Bf4!! b5 (forced) 3. axb5 and white wins easily.
Ka6 Ka8?? Bf4 is a clear win since black is force to give the b pawn. But Ka6 Kc8 is not that clear…
White wins.
1.Ka6, Ka8 2. Be3, b5 3. a:b5, a4, etc.
I’ll give it a shot. Looks like you need to force Blacks B pawn to move forward one so that white’s A pawn can take it and become a b pawn. Otherwise, black would be able to force a draw.
So,
1. Ka6 Ka8
2. Bf4 b5
3. axb a4
From there, white can use the bishop force a zugzwang (think that is the right term), keep blacks new a pawn from queening and gain the opposition.
I think, it is a win for white:
1. Ka6 Ka8 (if Kc8 then 2. Ka7)
2. Bf4 b5
3. ab a4
4. b6
1:0
In fact, it will end with mate, by the b pawn.
It’s an easy white win. Just don’t take the b6 pawn with the queen, but instead force white into a zugzwang where he must play b7-b6 and avoid that axb5 is stalemate. A moe like 1. Ka6 should do the job.
White wins:
1. Ka6! Ka8
2. Bf4
and now zugzwang:
2. … b5
3. axb5 and it is quite easy now
If the king is the only piece to move, it’s a draw. But one black pawn can move if Ka6.
Despiter the wring colour rooks pawn this is a win for white.
Ka6 Kb8
Bf4 b5
axb5 and white wins
or
Ka6 Kc8
Bf4 Kd7
Kxb6 Kc8
Kc8 Kd8
Kb7 and with by under control white can mop up the last pawn and shepherd his home.
Susan U using King tricks! NO FAIR!!!
Draw – wrong bishop
Just taking the Black pawns doesn’t work because Black’s King can’t be coaxed away from a8 and the White a-pawn can’t promote.
But if Black can be forced to play … b5 then the White a-pawn can become a b-pawn!
1. Ka6! and Black has a choice to make. Let’s look at 1. … Ka8 first:
1. … Ka8
2. Bf4 b5 (only legal move)
3. axb5 a4
4. b6 a3
5. b7#
Black’s other legal first moves are 1. … b5, 1. … Kc8, and 1. … Kc7.
1. … b5
2. axb5 wins easily
1. … Kc8
2. Bf4 Kd7
3. Kxb6 Kc8
4. Bg3 Kd7
5. Kxa5 Kc6
and White wins because Black cannot reach the queening square.
1. … Kc7
2. Be3 Kc6 (2. … Kc8 3. Bf4)
3. Bxb6 Kd5
4. Bxa5 Kc4
5. B moves followed by 6. a5 and the pawn and the queening square are safe