White to move. How should White proceed?
k7/8/3R4/8/8/1b6/3K4/8 w – – 0 1
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White to move. How should White proceed?
k7/8/3R4/8/8/1b6/3K4/8 w – – 0 1
Nice easy one.
1. Kc3! and the Bishop is dominated.
1. … K moves 2. Kxb3
1. … Ba4 2. Ra6+
1. … Bc2 2. Kxc2
1. … Bd1 2. Rxd1
1. … Bg8 2. Rd8+
1. … Bf7 2. Rd8+ K moves 3. Rd7+
1. … Be6 2. Rxe6
1. … Bd5 2. Rxd5
1. … Bc4 2. Kxc4
1. … Ba2 2. Ra6+
Kc3 and surprinsingly the bishop is trapped. The most indirect way is 2.Bf7 which leads to Rd8+ any move and Rd7+ winning the bishop. Any other is an immediate fork
1 Kc3, Bf7 (other black replies lose the bishop immediately or to a rook fork)
2. Rd8+, Ka7 or b7
3. Rd7+ wins the bishop
1. Kc3 The only Black move that doesn’t immediately result in loss of the bishop is … Bf7.
2. Rd8+ Ka7 or Kb7
3. Rd7+ and the bishop is lost.
Mark
Unless I am missing something very subtle,
1.Kc3 seems to be winning for white. After this move, I can’t find a safe haven for black’s bishop.
1…Bf7
2.Rd8+ Kb7
3.Rd7+ and white captures black’s bishop in the next move.
Kc3 forces the bishop to f7. Any other square he’s captured by the king or forked by the rook on the next move. Rd8+ Kg7 Rg7+ winning the bishop
1. Kc3. Where will the bishop go? c4, c2, d1, d5, & e6 are all immediate captures. a2 and a4 lose to Ra6+. g8 loses to Rd8+. f7 loses to Rd8+ and then Rd7+.
Two choices out of the gate- either seal the black king on the edge, or start bringing the king forward with Kc3, attacking the bishop (of course, 1.Ra6 Kb7! prevents a skewer on the bishop). For me, it has always been a benefit to understand why the wrong moves are wrong. Let’s take a look at the two rook moves that seal black on the edge, before preceding with the actual correct winning plan:
1. Rd7 Ba4
There are a lot of drawing moves here, but this is the one that gets me to my point the quickest:
2. Re7
On Rc7, black can just play Kb8 giving a fundamental position we will see eventually anyway. Continuing:
2. …..Bc6
As black, you want the bishop on this long diagonal. This was the point of black’s first move. Continuing:
3. Kc3
Of course, white needs the king to come to the sixth rank to have any hope of winning. There is nothing at all gained by delaying this maneuver. Continuing:
3. …..Bh1 (just wait for white)
4. Kb4 Bg2
5. Kc5 Kb8
This is the only drawing move that answers the threat of Kb6. For example: [5. …Bf3?? 6.Kb6 Bh5 7.Rh7 and the mate is unstoppable]. Continuing:
6. Kb6
There is nothing better for white. Here, I just want to demonstrate the effect of the bishop on the long diagonal. Continuing:
6. …..Kc8 (again, an only move)
7. Kc5
Note how the bishop takes c6 away, forcing white to go around the white square to reach d6. Here, though, it makes no difference since black can still play Kd8 and draw:
7. …..Kd8 (or Kb8, Bf1, Bh1, etc)
8. Kd6
A rook move along the e-file just allows black’s king off the edge. Continuing:
8. …..Kc8 (another only move)
And it should be clear that white will never be able to get the opposition on the black king to actually enforce mate or loss of the bishop. The same applies to trapping the black king on the a-file with Rb6.
1. Rb6 Bd5 (on that diagonal)
2. Kd3
Heading for c7, of course. Continuing:
2. …..Bh1 (waiting for white)
3. Kd4 Bg2
4. Kc5 Ka7
Another only move. For example, if black makes a waiting bishop move [4. …Bh1 5.Rh6! Bb7 6.Kb6! Bc8 (6. …Kb8 7.Rh8 Bc8 8.Rg8 Ka8 9.Rc8#) 7.Rh8 Kb8 8.Rg8 Ka8 9.Rc8#]. The point being that white clears b6 for his king by attacking the bishop with the rook from the seventh rank. The only bishop move where where the same plan doesn’t work is 4. …Bb7, but that still loses, though the method is more involved even if it is straightforward: [4. …Bb7 5.Kd6! Kb8 (5. …Ka7 6.Kc7 Be4 {6. …Ba8 7.Rb1 Be4 8.Rb4} 7.Rb4 and the bishop is lost with the game) 6.Kd7! Ka8 (6. …Ka7 7.Kc7 is the line above) 7.Kc7 wins instantly]. Continuing:
5. Rb2
Nothing wins, now. Continuing:
5. …..Bh1 and we shouldn’t need to continue in this line since it is clear that white has the exact same problem he had in the line starting with Rd7- he simply can’t get the opposition on the black king at the right time to threaten both mate and the bishop at the same time.
In my next comment, I will discuss the winning move of 1.Kc3.
IT looks like after 1.Kc3 the black bishop has no safe square to go to.
Easy one- Kc3 so you force the bishop to “hand itself in” lol.
Then “PATZER sees check, PATZER does Check” in order to pick up the Bishop !
In my previous comment, I showed how black draws if white insists on hastily trapping black’s king on the edge by playing either 1.Rd7 or 1.Rb6. Black draws easily by getting the bishop onto the a8/h1 diagonal, and then getting the king out of the corner at the appropriate time when the white king reaches the fifth rank, and then holds the draw by always moving his king out of opposition when white plays into it. From this position, white can only win by winning the bishop, it is draw otherwise. If the bishop were on c4, b1, e4, f5, g4, f3, g2, f1, h3, h1, or h5, winning the bishop is impossible.
1. Kc3
And the bishop has nowhere to run- it is lost at a4 and a2 by Ra6+, it is lost at g8 to Rd8+, and at f7 to the combo of Rd8+ followed by Rd7+, and it is captured by either the rook or the king at c2, c4, d5, and d1.
I seem to remember us having this problem once before.
Easy but instructive. It’s important to measure the consequences of all moves. Here the simple 1, Kc3 wins.
Effectively moving the B to a2 or a4 loses to Ra6+; moving the B to g8 to Rd8+ as does B to f7, 2. Rd8+, 3. Rd7+ and 4. R*f7. QED.
The only surprise is how the Bishop has 9 moves yet all 9 lose it.
psyche/anonymous.
1.Kc3! and the bishop has no square to run to.
The bishop must be most easily won with:
1. Kc3! Bf7 (enforced, Ba2/a4 Ra6+)
2. Rd8+ Kb7
3. Rd7+
Kc3 Bf7 Rd8+ Kb7 Rd7+ followed by RxB. All the other bishop moves are even simpler to respond to.
The correct move for white would be;
1. Kc3!
Black´s bishop is virtually trapped.
Thanks,
Henry
1. Kc3 leaves black bishop nowhere to hide.
Ba2/Ba4 Ra6+
Bg8 Rd8+
Bf7 Rd8+ followed with Rd7+
how about this:
1. Kc3 Bf7
2. Rd8+ Kb7
3. Rd7+ Kc6
4. Rxf7
greets, jan
1. Kc3
if Ba2 or Ba4+, Ra6 picks up the B
if Bg8 Rd8+
if Bf7 Rd8+ and Rd7+
Kc3 Bf7 (all other moves lose as well)
Rd8+ Kb7
Rd7+
Kc3 in a nanosecond
(1) Kc3
Now the Bishop is lost wherever it moves.
If the Bishop moves to a file,
Ra3+ loses the Bishop.
If the Bishop moves to g or f file,
the Bishop is lost by Rd8+
or followed by Rd7+ respectively.
Special endgame – you mean chess or the Japanese disaster?
Special endgame – the money rolls on as people are dieing.
Special endgame – when does it start in America, in Germany, in the arabian world?
Let’s play chess now – it is the only thing we can enjoy while the world is going down.
You know me? Yes, you do
1.Kc3 wins the Bishop.
1.Kc3 Bf7 2.Rd8+ Kb7 3.Rd7+.
1.Kc3 and on next move white takes black bishop.
Draw obviously.
Every patzer and his dog knows KRKB is draw.