Can You Find Black's Most Tenacious Defense And White's Winning Plan
Yancey_Ward
8/7p/p2p1P1P/kp1P4/1pp2P1p/1P1P1Pp1/1P3K2/8 w - - 0 1
Yancey_Ward
8/7p/p2p1P1P/kp1P4/1pp2P1p/1P1P1Pp1/1P3K2/8 w - - 0 1
Editor
Well done, Alena.
Oops.When I was solving the puzzle with the chess board I forgot to put it back.
1.Kg2 h3+
2.Kxg3 h2
3.Kxh2 cxb3
4.f7 Ka4
5.f8=N a5
6.Ng6 hxg6
7.h7 g5
8.h8=Q gxf4
9.Qe5 dxe5
10.d6 e4
11.d7 exf3
12.d8=N f2
13.Ne6 f1=N+
14.Kg1 f3
15.Nc5#
Editor
Alena, how exactly is white going to play 12.d8Q f2 13.Qd1? There is a white pawn on d3 still.
It's the most difficult variation of this puzzle. It's hard to find the fifth and the ninth move.
1.Kg2 h3+
2.Kxg3 h2
3.Kxh2 cxb3
4.f7 Ka4
5.f8=N a5
6.Ng6 hxg6
7.h7 g5
8.h8=Q gxf4
9.Qe5 dxe5
10.d6 e4
11.d7 exf8
12.d8=Q f2
13.Qd1 f1=N
14.Qxf1 f3
15.Qa1#
Editor
To Arein and Alena. Black trying to win a pawn race to queen by capturing at d3 is not his stingiest defense. This much of both solutions is correct: 1.Kg2! h3 2.Kg3 h2 3.Kh2. It is at this point that black has a more difficult defense to overcome. Be imaginative about how black might try to draw this position.
V-1
1.Kg2! h3+
2.Kxg3 Kb6
3.f7 c3
4.f8=Q Kc5
5.Qc8+ Kd4
6.bxc3+ bxc3
7.Qh8+ Ke3
8.Qxc3 h2
9.Kxh2 a5
10.Qxa5
V-2
1.Kg2 h3+
2.Kxg3 h2
3.Kxh2 cxd3
4.f7 Kb6
5.f8=Q a5
6.Qd8+ Ka6
7.Qxd6+ Ka7
8.Qc5+ Kb7
9.Qxb5+ Kc7
10.Qxa5+ Kd6
11.Qxb4+ Kxd5
12.Qc3 c2
V-3
1.Kg2 cxd3
2.f7 d2
3.f8=Q d1=Q
4.Qd8#
V-4
1.Kg2 cxd3
2.f7 h3+
3.Kxg3 d2
4.f8=Q d1=Q
5.Qd8#
v-5
1.Kg2 cxd3
2.f7 d2
3.f8=Q Kb6
4.Qxd6+ Kb7
5.Qc6+ Kb8
6.Qc2 h3+
7.Kxh3 d1=Q
8.Qxd1 g2
9.Kxg2
*3.. c3
3.... cxd3 mate in 13
*3.... cxb3
And now,
3.Kxh2
2 . ... h2
2.Kxg3
so,
1... h3+ 2.Kxh3 g2 3. Kxg2 cxb3 leads to a draw
1.Kg2