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endgame problems

endgame problems

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WHITE TO PLAY

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Originally posted by robbie carrobie
[fen]1k6/1P6/2P5/P7/5ppp/8/6K1/8 b - - 0 1[/fen]

WHITE TO PLAY
unsolvable you chickens! well i couldn't do it either, still dont know what the solution is after many attempts.

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Originally posted by robbie carrobie
unsolvable you chickens! well i couldn't do it either, still dont know what the solution is after many attempts.
Kg1 I think wins for white. ER.... perhaps not!

( I need to think again!!)

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It's not really solvable, because there aren't any forced moves. But here's one solution I came up with:

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1.a6f3
2.Kf2h3
3.c7Ka7
4.c8=Q

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Originally posted by vivify
It's not really solvable, because there aren't any forced moves. But here's one solution I came up with:

[pgn][Date "????.??.??"]
[Result "*"]
[FEN "1k6/1P6/2P5/P7/5ppp/8/6K1/8 w - - 0 1"]

1.a6 f3+ 2.Kf2 h3 3.c7+ Ka7 4.c8=Q
*[/pgn]
3...kxc7!

2 edits
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Originally posted by robbie carrobie
[fen]1k6/1P6/2P5/P7/5ppp/8/6K1/8 b - - 0 1[/fen]

WHITE TO PLAY
There is only one winning move for White- all other moves win for Black.

Here's a hint: Black will lose if he is forced into a position where he has to move his king. White's goal is to maneuver his king in such a way that, when Black inevitably moves his pawns, he can place his king in a position to blockade them so that subsequent pawn moves would only result in black losing them one by one.

When that is accomplished, black will be in zugzwang. He will either lose all his pawns, or he will have to move his king, and if his king moves, white can advance his pawns and win.

Yeah, I know it's a big hint, but knowing the plan does not mean that the position will play itself, so you still have to find the moves.

EDIT: The important thing is to know how a king can stop three connected passed pawns in the absence of any other piece intervention. Know that, and all positions like this become much easier to solve.

2nd EDIT: We need an endgame blog.

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Originally posted by Paul Leggett
There is only one winning move for White- all other moves win for Black.

Here's a hint: Black will lose if he is forced into a position where he has to move his king. White's goal is to maneuver his king in such a way that, when Black inevitably moves his pawns, he can place his king in a position to blockade them so that subsequent pawn moves woul ...[text shortened]... d all positions like this become much easier to solve.

2nd EDIT: We need an endgame blog.
oh its no use , no matter how i shuffle my king around, one of the outside pawns always makes queen! How hard can it be, its a one in six chance for goodness sake.

P.S thanks for the hint, ill get this sucka if it takes me all summer, which it probably will.

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1.Kg1Kc7
2.b8=QKxb8
3.a6g3
4.Kg2Kc7
5.a7

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Originally posted by michael liddle
3...kxc7!
*bangs head on keyboard*

Thanks.

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And SG is offically God.

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Originally posted by SwissGambit
[pgn]
[Event "Edited position"]
[Date "2013.06.23"]
[Round "-"]
[White "-"]
[Black "-"]
[Result " "]
[FEN "1k6/1P6/2P5/P7/5ppp/8/6K1/8 w - - 0 1"]
[SetUp "1"]
1. Kg1 { ! - it is extremely important to wait and directly blockade any pawn that may advance. If 1.a6? then 1...g3! and white's K must let a P advance to f3 or h3, which is death. } 1... K establishes a direct blockade, it is all over. } 4...Kc7 5.a7 {1-0}
[/pgn]
yes i eventually got it through a process of elimination, King has five moves, all moves on the second rank fail because black will be able to reach a formation and queen a pawn and we cannot stop him. Kf2 ...h3, Kh2 ...f3 and we end up with a formation that is impossible or us to stop, that leaves three moves, Kf1, Kg1 and Kh1. Kf1 ...h3, Kh1 ...f3 and again we are in an formation that is impossible for us to blockade effectively, the only move therefore, after having eliminated all others must be Kg1!! and now if ....g3 then Kf2 and we blockade successfully or eat pawn, or if ...h3 then Kh2 and we blockade successfully or eat pawn, or if ...g3 then Kg2 and again we are successful.

a thoroughly instructive problem, thanks to everyone for taking the time. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to play through branches of variations in the the annotation window.

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Originally posted by robbie carrobie
yes i eventually got it through a process of elimination, King has five moves, all moves on the second rank fail because black will be able to reach a formation and queen a pawn and we cannot stop him. Kf2 ...h3, Kh2 ...f3 and we end up with a formation that is impossible for us to stop, that leaves three moves, Kf1, Kg1 and Kh1. Kf1 ...h3, Kh1 ... ...[text shortened]... dn't it be nice to be able to play through branches of variations in the the annotation window.
oops double post sowwy!

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That SwissGambit guy has got a brain🙂

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OK not a problem as in a "white to win" type, but in this game I've just played over on chesscube there are some real endgame problems I need to solve. The guy I was playing was rated some 300 points higher so when he kept exchanging down I was quite happy as I thought I could draw the endgame fairly easily, but he posed some real issues for me to deal with. I'm white the fun starts at move 25. My mind set is "easy opposite coloured bishops draw"


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1.e4e6
2.d4d5
3.Nd2dxe4
4.Nxe4Nd7
5.Nf3Ngf6
6.Nxf6Nxf6
7.Bd3b6
8.O-OBb7
9.Bg5Be7
10.c3O-O
11.Qc2h6
12.Bh4Bxf3
13.gxf3Nh5
14.Bg3Nxg3
15.fxg3c5
16.Be4Rc8
17.dxc5Bxc5
18.Kg2Qc7
19.Rad1Rfd8
20.Rxd8Rxd8
21.Rd1Rxd1
22.Qxd1f5
23.Bc2Qd6
24.Qxd6Bxd6
25.Bb3Kf7
26.Kf2Kf6
27.Ke3e5
28.Bd5Bc5
29.Kd3g5
30.b4Bf2
31.c4g4
32.a4Bg1
33.Ke2Bxh2
34.Kf2gxf3
35.c5bxc5
36.bxc5Ke7
37.c6f4
38.gxf4Bxf4
39.Kxf3Kd6
40.Be4Bg5
41.Kg4Bd8
42.Kh5Kc5
43.Kxh6Kb4
44.Bc2Kc3
45.Bd1e4
46.Kg6Kd2
47.Bg4e3
48.Kf7e2
49.Bxe2Kxe2
50.Ke8Ba5
51.Kd7Kd3
52.c7Bxc7
53.Kxc7Kc4
54.Kd6a5
55.Ke5Kb4
56.Kd4Kxa4

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      what I thought was an easily drawn endgame proved to be anything but (and I'm sure I missed loads in the game and the analysis so feel free to point it out !)

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