White to move. How should White proceed?
7n/3P4/p6R/1k4p1/2pK4/8/6r1/8 w – – 0 1
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White to move. How should White proceed?
7n/3P4/p6R/1k4p1/2pK4/8/6r1/8 w – – 0 1
1.Rb6! Ka5 (if 1…Kxb6 2.d8=(Q)+) 2.Rb2! Rxb2 3.d8=(Q)+ and 4.Qxh8
1.Rb6 Ka5 2.Rb2+-
Rb6
This is way too tricky. Can you give a hint?
White has to start with 1.Rb6+! If Black takes, then White queens with check, gives a couple of other checks, and picks up the rook (which is stronger than taking the knight). Black can’t allow this, so he has to play 1…Ka5. Now Black is threatening to stop White from queening, with either 2…Nf7 or 2…Rd2. White’s defence to this idea: 2.Rb2! Now 2…Nf7 3.Rxg2 is obviously hopeless, but so too is 2…Rxb2 3.d8Q+ followed by 4.Qxh8. A nice sequence based on attraction, line-clearing, and deflection.
Kc3 is best move to handle the game. other moves are listed as follows.
Kc3-Nf7
Rh7-Rf2
R*f7-R*f7
d8(promote to Queen)
Mahyar Esteki
(Manager of Independent Chess Players of APIIT University – ICPA)
1. Rb7 ..Kxb7
2. d8Q ..Kb5
3. Qd5 .. rook falls
Rh2 maybe?
It’s beyond me. I’m thinking Kd5 or Ke5 is the key, but even they seem to leave me with inferior endgames.
1. Rb6+
if 1..Kxb6 then 2.Pd8(Q)+ wins
if 1..Ka6 then 2.Rb2 wins (2..Rxb2, Pd8(Q)+, then 3..Qxh8)
if 1..Ka5 then Pd8(Q) wins ( Rd2+, 2. Kxc4 2..Rxd8, Rxa6#)
it was surprisingly tricky to see the check by promotion.
1. Rb6+ Ka4
2. d8(Q) Rd2+
3 Kxc4
threatening Rxa6# so black cannot take the Q
or
1. Rb6+ Kxb6
2. d8(Q)+
and 3. Qxh8
or
1. Rb6+ Ka5
2. Rb2 Rxb2
3. d8(Q)+
and 4. Qxh8
1. Rh6-b6+
A. If 1. … Kb5xb6 2. d7-d8Q+ queens with tempo.
B. If 1. … Kb5-a5
2. Kd4-c5 Rg2-d2 (not forced)
3. Rb6-d6 Rd2xd6
4. Kc5xd6 Nh8-f2+
5. Kd6-e7 Nf2-d8
6. Ke7xd8 c4-c3
7. Kd8-e7 c3-c2
8. d7-d8Q+ queens with tempo then cleans up the pawn on g5 and then the pawn on c1 if it queens next move.
C. If 1. … Kb5-a4
If now 2. Kd4-c5 … this time the pawn may not queen with tempo, and it would be difficult to clean up black’s pawns.
White instead has to try and clean up black’s pawns right away, starting with 2. Rb6xa6+
–br
1.Rb6+ Kxb6
2.d8=Q+
if 1…Ka5
2.Rb2 Rxb2
3.d8=Q+
if 1…Ka4
2.d8=Q Rd2+
3.Kxc4 Rxd8
4.Rxa6++
or 3…Rc2+
4.Kd3
hmm Rb6+ looks ok…
Rb6+ looks good to me
Hi!
I didn’t concretely see the solution but I saw some ideas.
1Rb6+Ka5 2Kc5Nf7(Rd2? 3Rb2!)3Rb1Ka4 4Rf1(Kxc4? Ne5+)Nd8 5Kxc4
if 5..Rc2+ 6Kd5 6..Nb7 7Rb1
6..g4 7Kd6! and then Rf8 and Rb8
if 5..Ka5 6Kc5 Rc2+ 7Kd5 Nf7 8Rf1 Rd2+ 9Kc4 Rc2+ 10Kd5 Nd8 11Kd6! and then Rf8 and Rb8
Rh2
Rb6+
1 Rb6+ Ka5
(1 .. Kxb6 2 d8=Q+ and the rook will fall after a check in the h1-a8 diagonal)
(1 .. Ka4 2 d8=Q Rd2+ 3 Kxc4 Rxd8 4 Rxa6#)
2 Rb2 Rxb2
3 d8=Q+ Ka4
… and the lack of coordination between black’s pieces gives White a winning advantage.
1.Rb6! Ka5 (Ka4 2. Kxc4!) 2.Rb2!!
Very tricky endgame indeed.
1 Rb6+ Ka5
2 Rb2 Rxb2
3 d8=Q+ Ka4
and the solution intended by the composer was
4.Kxc4, which must win
(Prokes, Casino di Saragossa, 1929, #10, third prize)