2/23/22

White to Play and Win


I suggest playing this out on a real board.

 

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1 comment:

  1. John CoffeyFebruary 23, 2026 at 2:10 PM

    This is too complicated for my brain, so I played it out on a real board.

    Solution...


















    Here is what doesn't work:

    1. Kxd4 Kf6 2. Kc5 Ke5 3. Kxb5 Kxe4 4. Kc4 e5 5. b5 Kf3 6. b6 e4 7. b7 e3 8. b8=Q e2 9. Qf4+ Kg2 10. Qe3 Kf1 and the pawn on g4 prevents the Qf3+ that White needs to win. 11. Kd3 (11. Qd3 Kf2 12. Qd2 Kf1 13. Qf4+ Kg1 and White makes no progress.) 11... e1=Q 12. Qxe1+ Kxe1 13. Ke3 Kf1 14. Kf4 h5! 15. Kg5 Kf2 16. Kxh5 Kxg3 17. Kg5 Kf3 18. h5 g3 and Black queens first and with check.

    The move 14... h5! barely wins for Black.

    So after 1. Kxd4 Kf6 2. h5!, Black has some unpleasant choices. I don't think that he wants to retreat: If 2... Kf6 3. Ke5 Ke7 4. Kf4. If 2... Kg5 3. Ke5 and White queens first.

    So 2... h6 looks like the main line above except that Black doesn't have h5 later. 3.Kc5 Ke5 4.Kxb5 Kxe4 5.Kc4 e5 6.b5 Kf3 7.b6 e4 8.b7 e3 9.b8=Q e2 10.Qf4+ Kg2 11.Qe3 Kf1 12.Kd3 e1=Q 13.Qxe1+ Kxe1 14.Ke3 Kf1 15.Kf4 wins.

    I don't recall ever seeing an endgame where you have to prevent Black's winning move 14 moves later.

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