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        riddles >> medium >> Chess Endgame
        
(Message started by: THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 3rd, 2003, 3:46am)
Title: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 3rd, 2003, 3:46am
White to play. Can he win?
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by wowbagger on Sep 3rd, 2003, 4:04am
Experience teaches me to be careful, so I better ask for the sake of carity: [hide]Is there any reason why you didn't give the letters and numbers of the ranks and files[/hide]? Don't know whether that matters, because [hide]I obviously assume standard notation etc., like the thing with the cross being the King[/hide].

If you didn't screw up the position, this looks like [hide]an easy (not medium) win for White after 1. h4[/hide].
Where's the catch?

As a side note: I find your diagram a little too large, but opinions on this may differ according to screen resolution or whatever.
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 3rd, 2003, 5:01am

Quote:
Is there any reason why you didn't give the letters and numbers of the ranks and files?

No devious reason, except that coordinates are turned off on my copy of Fritz. In future I will include them for the sake of newbie chess puzzle solvers. (I can't see any way to replace attachments.) As for the board being too large, note that the coordinates are illegible on Stefan's smaller board in his current chess puzzle in Hard.

I guess you mean:[hide]

1. h4 Kc7
2. h5 Kb6
3. h6 Ka5
4. h7 a6

Your move...

[/hide]
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by wowbagger on Sep 3rd, 2003, 6:51am
That's a very funny and clever idea. :D
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 3rd, 2003, 8:39am

Quote:
That's a very funny and clever idea.

Have you given up so quickly?  ::)
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by wowbagger on Sep 3rd, 2003, 8:45am

on 09/03/03 at 08:39:10, THUDandBLUNDER wrote:
Have you given up so quickly?  ::)

Of course I haven't. :o
It's just that I have some other things to do besides solving chess puzzles - unfortunately.
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by Snifit on Sep 3rd, 2003, 10:28am
I don't see a problem with wowbagger's solution.

[hide] If the black king gets to a6, it is impossible for white to checkmate him with one queen, yes, but the white queen could free up the pawn stuck at f6, which can then become a second queen. With two queens, the black king can be checkmated.

Sorry about the run-on sentence. [/hide]
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by wowbagger on Sep 3rd, 2003, 10:35am

on 09/03/03 at 10:28:50, Snifit wrote:
I don't see a problem with wowbagger's solution.

Alas, there is one. :(
Namely, that [hide]you can't just straightforwardly promote your Pawn to a Queen by 5. h8Q (following the moves T&B gave - note that the Black King moves to a5 in the third move), because after 5. ... b6! you can't free the Black King with your sixth move, so it'll be a stalemate[/hide].
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by Stefan Kneifel on Sep 4th, 2003, 1:54am

on 09/03/03 at 05:01:46, THUDandBLUNDER wrote:
1. h4 Kc7
2. h5 Kb6
3. h6 Ka5
4. h7 a6

Your move...

[hide]
5. h8N b6
6. Ng6 fg
7. f7 g5
8. f8N g4
9. Nd7 g3
10. Nb8 g2
11. Nc6#
[/hide]
:D
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 4th, 2003, 2:28am

Quote:
5. h8N b6

5...b6, eh? I didn't say it was a helpmate, Stefan!  :P  (Here, 8. f8=Q mates one move quicker.)

What if 5...Kb6?
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by visitor on Sep 4th, 2003, 11:23am
If black doesn't go for the stalemate, then 6. Nf7. By the time the black king can go back to the stalemate, the knight can sacrifice itself to set him free and the cleared pawn can then promote to a queen.
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 4th, 2003, 11:47am
Yes, visitor, 6 Nxf7 Ka5 loses for Black.

Instead, Black can play 6...Kc7 which prevents the pawn from safely queening.
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by visitor on Sep 4th, 2003, 1:25pm
Okay, if Kc7, then Ng5 followed by pawn to f7 and start advancing the h pawn. Black can't touch the knight or the h pawn without allowing the g pawn to queen.
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by Snifit on Sep 4th, 2003, 7:32pm
Ahh, thanks for setting me straight there, wowbagger. I guess I should have read T&B's list a little more carefully.  :-/
Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 4th, 2003, 7:41pm

Quote:
Okay, if Kc7, then Ng5 followed by pawn to f7 and start advancing the h pawn.

What h-pawn? It was sacrificed on move 5 in order to avoid stalemate.


Quote:
Black can't touch the knight or the h pawn without allowing the g pawn to queen.

And where did the g-pawn come from? This must be a version of fairy chess that I am not familiar with.  ???
(I guess you mean f-pawn.)

Title: Re: Chess Endgame
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Sep 4th, 2003, 8:56pm
After

1. h4 Kc7
2. h5 Kb6
3. h6 Ka5
4. h7 a6
5. h8=N Kb6
6. Nxf7 Kc7

we have the following position:


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