White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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Special endgame improvement with Anand
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
I remember this one well. Black’s king on the seventh rank proves to be a weakness. With some of the notes I had on this problem from my text files:
1. Kc6 Rc2
2. Kd6 Ra2
If, on moves 1 or 2, black captures at f2, white sacrifices the rook at g8 and queens the pawn to win. If black continues checking from d2 and e2 at moves 2 or 3 in this line, white plays Ke6 and Kf5 to win the black pawns. Black has no choice but to return the rook to a2, but now white makes use of the fact that the black king and the white a-pawn are on the same rank:
3. Rc8 Ra7 (Ra6 is below)
4. Rc7! Rc7
5. Kc7
Now, black can try two strategies- he can try to keep white’s king from winning at g5 by cutting him off, or black can make for f2 and get a counter attack, but both are lost (counter attack first):
5. …..Kf6
6. Kd6! f3 (Kg6 7.Ke6; Kf7 7.Ke5)
7. Kd5
And the white g-pawn plays the key role- cutting off f5 against the black king. The rest of this line is left as an exercise for the curious.
Or, at move 5:
5. …..Kf7
6. Kd6
Most direct, and heading for e5/f5.
6. …..Kf6 (Kg6 7.Ke5; Kg7 Ke5)
7. f3
Here, 7.Kd5 wins too as a transpostiion to a line above. Continuing:
7. …..Kg6 (Kf7 8.Ke5 Kg6 9.Ke6+-)
8. Ke6 Kg7 (Kh6 9.Kf5; Kh7 9.Kf5)
9. Kf5 Kh6
10.Kf6 and g5 and the other black pawns will fall.
The key variation arises on 3. …Ra6,but the method is similar in many lines, but the most different follows below:
3. …..Ra6
4. Rc6! Ra1 (or Ra2 or Ra3, etc.)
5. Rc7 Kf6
6. Rb7 Rd1 (Ra6 7.Kc7 Kf5 8.Rb5)
7. Kc7 Ra1 (Rc1 8.Kb8+-)
8. Rb6 Kb8 and black will lose his rook.
1.Kc6 Rc2+ 2.Kd6 Rd2+ 3.Ke6 Ra2 4.Re8 Rxa7 5.Kf5 Ra5+ 6.Re5 ++-
Clear similarities with the previous puzzle.
If white wasn’t check now, it was an instant win with Rg8+.
One would believe this is about utilizing the fact that black K is stuck on g7, and at the same time, black rook, when not checking, is stuck on a-file.
This might give some possibilities for xugzwang!
And black can certainly not take f2.
Would be wonderful if white king could simply go and grab g5 pawn, but I can’t see that it is possible. Problem is king must come via f5, and when on f5 then Ra5+ stops it.
A place white king can go to, is g2/h2, but what to do there?
If white king tries to stand close to a7 pawn, it will be constantly checked.
Or if he approaches the black rook, this will simply jump up and down a-file, e.g.:
1. Ka5 Ra2+ (enforced)
2. Kb4 Ra1 (Kb2+? Ka3 wins)
3. Kb3 Ra6 etc.
So, I simply don’t find a win with a7.
My next idea then would be to try and exchang my best pawn a7 for g5, but this is also difficult.
I think e.g. about playing Rd8 when my king is on e6, but on e6 my king is checked before I can play Rd8.
What is it that I have overlooked?
If Black rook keeps checking White king along the files, then White king can march over to f5-square to win. Can do the same thing if Black rook watches a-pawn along a-file. If Black rook does neither of these things, White rook can check Black king from 8th rank, and queen the a-pawn with check next move.
An easy technical win for a player of Anand’s class
1 Kc6 Rc2+ 2 Kd6 Rd2+ 3 Ke6 Ra2 4 Re8! Rxa7 5 Re7+ Rxe7 6 Kxe7 Kg6 7 Ke6 +- Black is in zugwang.
dear Lucy,
There is something more.Black can support g P by … Ra5+ in reply to Kf5.for that he should stop checking on file when WK reaches d6 and revert R to a file.White counters it by Rc8 abandoning a7 pawn. if BR captures a7 ,Rc7+ will exchange Rs and P endgame is won as white can impose opposition thanks to f3. If black himself plays f3 that P will be lost.If black refuses capture at a7 and simply plays … Ra6+,it is answered by Rc6.If black still refuses to capture say by … Ra1 white plays Rd7+ ,safeguards a7 and will bring WK to b8 and win.
I think the right idea is to run the K across the 6th rank. Eventually, Black will put the R back onto the a-file rather than checking the K from e6 to f5. When he does, White moves the R to e8, then after R:a7 Re7+ (or even a check from d7) forces R’s off the board and gives White a won pawn ending thanks to the aggressive K position.