White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? What is the best continuation for White?
Cook, 1792
8/8/p7/p7/P7/7K/6p1/1Q3bbk w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Unusual endgame
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Maybe a win.
1. Qb8 prevents the g1 bishop from vacating the promotion square (Qh2# or Qxh2#). White will next try to place the queen on g3 when the light squared bishop is on f1, while also preventing the bishop from positioning for check along the h3-c8 diagonal.
For example:
1. … Bd3
2. Qe5 Bc4
3. Qe4 Bf1
4. Qf4 Bd3
5. Qf3 Bf1
6. Qg3 Some bishop moves and then 7. Qg2# or Qh2#.
Black wins easily. All he has to do is move the Bishop on g1 and Queen.
And congratulations to Texas Tech in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Tough loss for us Spartans.
Win for White. The idea is to first move the queen to b8, so that the threat of Qh2# immobilizes the g1-bishop. White then manages to bring the queen to g3 so that Black is in zuggzwang, after which White mates at either g2 or h2.
That is, White can (I believe) create a position identical to that of the problem’s initial position, except that the queen is on g3 instead of b1. Mate must then follow.
Caveat: I’m a patzer, but one possible variation is:
1.Qb8 Bc4
2.Qd6 Be2
3.Qf4 Bd3
4.Qg4 Bf1
5.Qg3
it looks like a draw after qb8 i think any other move is losing for white nither side can make progress Q vs 2 bishops or 2 knights i thought was a draw in most cases but black must be better if not qb8?
easy 1-0 after qb8 and maneovre to get the queen to g3 with black bishops on f1-g1 to zugzwang, any bishop move mate on h2 or g2.
Qb8 Bc4 Qb7 Bf1 Qc7 Bd3 Qc6 etc and the queen zigzags its way to g3, where it threatens both h2 and h1 simultaneously, winning.
White should be able to get both blacks a pawns and then promote his a pawn (or better said black will have to sack one of the bishops for it).
First white plays Qb8, then black has no choice but to move the f1 bishop somewhere. Then white plays Qc7. Black has to bring his light bishop back to f1. White takes the a5 pawn, etc. With constant mate threats white should be able to get both blacks a pawns.
I’ll leave you to work it all out, but the idea is clear.
I’m certain white can win this.
Ehh, it’s even easier than that! White doesn’t need the pawns at all.
1.Qb8 f1 bishop somewhere
2.Qb7 Bf1
3.Qc7 f1 bishop somewhere
4.Qc6 Bf1
etc.
until queen comes to g3 (with bishops on f1). Then it is zugzwang and black gets mated no matter which bishop he moves 🙂
Lets make it a bit more difficult and take away the three a-pawns.
White wants to play Qg3 with zugzwang.
1.Qb8 (preventing Bh2) Bc4
2.Qe5 Ba6
3.Qc7 Bd3
(3.- Bb5/Be2 4.Qg7)
4.Qf4 Ba6
5.Qg4 (blocking checks) Bf1
6.Qg3 +-
Black can try
5.- Bb7
But after
6.Qd1
Bf1 is not possible and Bg1 is pinned.
Black can not avoid
7.Kg3 and mate on the h-file.
1. Qb8, pinning the bishop on g1. Now the goal is to force the other bishop back to f1 and then play Qg3.
Therefore:
1. – Be2 2. Qf4
1. – Bc4 2. Qd6 Be2 3. Qf4
1. – Bd3 2. Qe5 Bc4 3. Qd6 Be2 4. Qf4
and now Black has only Bd3 after which Qf3 achieves the goal.
White want to reach a position exactly like the starting position except his Q is on g3 zugswang.
Qb8 Bc4 Qb7 Bf1 Qc7 etc until Q reaches g3. Very clever.
I can’t imagine white being lost..though I like the QB8 move which makes the f1 bishop oscillate back and forth……its a zugzwang situation if white is going to win it..though I can’t see it yet..
\\\\\\\\\white can draw easily any other way by pinning the G pawn…so thats too simple…and I trust thats too easy an answer…I’ll keep working on it.
Oh I get it now…Qb8…let the f1 bishop oscillate back and forth ..until you get the Q to g3 then when it (The Bishop at F1) has to move away…bang on g2…took me a while to figure that one out…THX SUSAN.
Mike Magnan
If white could play 1.Qb1-g3 black would have to resign immediately – he can only choose between mates on g2 and h2. How to reach this position without allowing any black activity (bishop checks)? It seems the longest line goes as follows:
1.Qb8 Bd3 2.Qe5 Bc4 3.Qd6 Be2 4.Qf4 Bd3 5.Qf3 Bf1 6.Qg3 1-0 (other bishop moves on move 1 transpose and lose more quickly).
Role of the pawns on the a-file: they take away fields b5 and a6 from the black light-squared bishop.
The Mighty Queen, if she was only at g3, (with black to move), but how to achieve that..
1. Qb8 Bf1 moves anywhere, otherwise Qh2#
2. Qb7 Bf1 (back to protect g2)
3. Qc7 Bf1-anywhere
4. Qc6 Bf1
5. Qd6 Bf1-anywhere
6. Qd5 Bf1
7. Qe5 Bf1-anywhere
8. Qe4 Bf1
9. Qf4 Bf1-anywhere
10. Qf3 Bf1
11. Qg3 and mates on either g2 or h2 on move 12.
This is a draw.
White must maintain control of the b8-h2 diagonal, always threatening mate on h2.
I still don’t see a clear win. All the lines seem to assume that black’s white bishop goes back to f1. But what if it goes to f3? E.g.,
1. Qb8 Be2
2. Qg8 Bf3!
Now there’s no zugzwang when the Q gets to g3.
I like Qh7 1-0
Brit-Mate
Mike Coffin, I was thinking the same as you, but it was only because visually it looked to me like the g2 pawn protected the bishop on f3, whereas of course it is in fact going the other way.
So after Qb8, Be2, Qb7, the B wouldn’t be protected on f3, so must return to f1, allowing the Q to wobble to g3.
Have a good day everyone,
doofus
I must be blind. After Be2 and Bf3, the bishop isn’t protected by the pawn, but it has the entire diagonal to play with. I don’t see a zugzwang if the B makes it to that diagonal.