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
white must avoid to get a ending with the wrong (a) pawn so after Ka6 and Bd3 blocking blacks King this position should be won easyly
white must avoid to get a ending with the wrong (a) pawn so after Ka6 and Bf4 blocking blacks King this position should be won easyly
Dead draw.
Are you sure? I think there may be a win for white. The critical factor control of the queening square,so either white must control a8 or force black to move the b-pawn. If 1.Ka6 what then for black? If Ka8 then Bf4 forces black to move the b-pawn after axb white will win. I think other lines white can capture the black pawns with the bishop and control a8 e.g.
1.Ka6 Kc7 2.Be3 Kc6 3.Bf2 Kc7 4.Ka7Kc6 5.Bxb6
Not checked this on a computer yet though!
White wins after Kh3! If the black K goes to h1, then Bc5 forces the g pawn to g4 to be captured (hxg4) which wins or…if the black K goes to f1 (or f2), then Kh2 followed by the B capturing both black pawns and the promotion of the h pawn since the black K can no longer get back into the corner to draw.
A win for White if White gets the King away from a8 and it must do that before capturing the pawns
1.Ka6 Kc8
(1…Ka8 2.Bf4 b5 3.axb5 a4 4.b6 a3 5.b7#)
(1…Kc7 2.Be3 Kd7 3.Ka7)
2.Ka7 Kc7
3.Be3 Kd6
4.Bxb6 Ke6
5.Bxa5 Kd7
6.Bb6 Ke7
7.a5 Ke6
8.Kb8 Kd7
9.a6 Kc6
10.Bc7 Kb5
11.a7 Kc4
12.a8=Q
Easy peasy draw. Opposite bishop can’t win.
If the black pawns were absent, it would be a draw for White’s a-pawn as the Bishop is not the same colour as the queening square.
BUT WHITE WINS BY STALEMATING THE BLACK KING !
White plays 1 Kh6 Kh8 2 Bf3 b5 3 axb5 transforming the drawing a-pawn into a winning b-pawn. The win is simple.
If 1 … Kc7 2 Bf3+ & Black’s king can no longer play to a8 to block the a-pawn.
White can’t win with the a-pawn since this particular K+B+rook’s pawn vs K is drawn as the white bishop is the wrong color for the a8 square- this is true as long as the black king has access to the a8 square.
With the above in mind, white must set up a zugzwang to force black to move b5 so that white can convert his a-pawn into a b-pawn, or that the black king is forced away from the corner. I would start simply with Ka6 taking away the b7 and a7 squares from black’s king:
1. Ka6 Ka8 (alternatives later)
2. Bf4!
The black king is now immobilized and he is forced to play b5:
2. ……. b5
3. ab5 a4
4. Bd6 a3
5. Ba3 and white wins with ease from here.
At move 1, black could play the king elsewhere so that white can’t immobilize him on a8:
1. Ka6 Kc7
2. Bf4
Cuts off the access to b8, and for the moment, the black king is cut off from the corner. Continuing:
2. ……..Kc6
Or [2. …Kc8 3.Kb6! Kd7 4.Kb7 and black cannot prevent Bc7 followed by Bxa5 and the march of the a-pawn.] Continuing:
3. Be3
The key moment in this line, I think. If white tries a move like Ka6, he will lose his a-pawn to Kb5. Also, white has to avoid moves like Bh2 and especially Bb8 as the flexibility of the bishop is limited on those squares: [3.Bb8? Kc5! and now black’s Kb4 winning the a-pawn can’t be prevented.] With 3.Be3, white forces the issue before the black king can make his end around move on white’s remaining pawn. Continuing from move 3 above:
3. …….Kc7
Or [3. …Kd5 4.Bb6 Kc4 5.Ba5 Kb3 6.Kb5 wins with ease]. Continuing:
4. Ka7
Cutting the black king off from the corner. Else, white will have to back track to win this. Continuing:
4. …….Kc6 (making for a-pawn again)
5. Bb6
And white controls c5 and b5 cutting the black king off from the a pawn long enough to win. Continuing:
5. ……..Kd7 (planning to play Kc8)
6. Kb7
Here 6.Ba5 is still good, but might be a move longer, I am just not sure. Continuing:
6. …….Kd6
7. Ba5 and it is over- the a pawn will queen.
Draw? Hmm…
kc6 somehow force white play b5
whoops. meant ka6
Ka6! Ka8
Bf4! b5(only available move)
axb5 a5(nothing else but waiting for b7#)
K-a6 wins
Win for white. Getting control of b8 and a8 is the key, so black can not move his king into the corner.
1. Ka6 Kc7
2. Be3 Kc8
3. Ka7 Kc7
4. Bxb6 Kc6
5. Bxa5 Kc5
6. Kb7
It’s a win for white, of course. the trick is to let black be in zugzwang, so he must play b5. I think.
The only way for white to win is to get the pawn off the a file, so he has to force black to play b5. This can be done with Ka6 followed by Bf4.
Whitw wins. 1 Ka6! Ka8; 2 Bf4 b5; 3 a:b etc.
Easy win. Just do not allow Black to reach a8 or play Kc6 and b5. Then gobble up all his pawns.
White plays Ka6.
When Black plays Ka8, Bf4 instantly wins.
b5 loses evidently.
against Kc8 White will play Ka7, gobble up the b6 and a5 pawn with his Bishop, force Black to leave the c-file and wins by Kb7 and a4—-a8 Queening.
against Kc7 White has Be3 and Black has the choice between Kc8 Bf4 or allowing White to play Bxb6 with an easy win.
Not so easy or dead as it appears:
1. Ka6 (if black plays Ka8, then Bf4 stalemating the king, forcing b5, then after axb5 it’s mate two moves later.)
1. … Kc7 (on Kc8, Bf4 blocks the King away from getting back to a8.)
2. Be3 (now if the Black King goes to b8 or c8 then Bf4 will either lead to the king stalemated in the corner or herded away from the key a8 square.)
2. … Kc6
3. Bxb6 (and the black king must move away allowing the white king the b7 square, then the bishop will grab the last black pawn then it’s all over.)
Just goes to show there are exceptions to pretty much every ‘rule’ in chess.
I don’r remember the procedement, but you must try to translate your pawn from the a to the b file.
What happens after
1. Ka6 Ka8
2. Bf4
ahould be clear to everyone now.
Let’s take a closer look at
1. … Kc7
Here both 2.Bf4 and 2.Ka7 look good (preventing Kb8).
I prefer 2.Ka7 with the simple plan 3.Be3, 4.Bxb6 and 5.Bxa5!
How will black prevent/delay this?
1. Ka6 Kc7
2. Ka7 Kc6
3. Be3
Only move that now avoids 4.Bxb6 would be the strange
3. … Kd5 threating to go and grab a-pawn, but then:
4. Kxb6 game over