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White to Play

Pete Tamburro on

Published in Chess Puzzles

Many endgames are capable of being calculated right to the end. This endgame, a study by R.K. Guy, is a real mental gymnastic. Can you figure it out all the way to the end? Obviously, White needs to save the pawn. How?


Solution:

Did you do all the variations in your head? Here are some things that don’t work… 1.Nb6 Kf4 2.Nd5+ Kg3 nor 1.Kg6 Kf4 2.Kh5 Kg3

1.Nc7 Kf4 2.Ne6+ Kf5 3.Nd4+ Kg5 4.Ne2 Kh5 5.Ng1 Kg5 6.Kg7 Kh5 7.Kf7 Kg5 8.Ke7 Kh5 9.Kd6 Kg6 10.Ke5 Kg5 11.Nf3+ Kh5 12.Kf5 Kh6 13.Kg4 Kg6 14.Nxh4+ Kh7 15.Nf3 Kg7 16.h4 Kh7 17.h5 Kg7 18.Kg5 Kh7 19.h6 Kg8 20.Kg6 Kh8 21.Ne5 Kg8 22.h7+ Kf8 [22...Kh8 23.Nf7#] 23.Kf6 Ke8 24.h8=Q# If Black tried something different on move three, White still wins: 1.Nc7 Kf4 2.Ne6+ Kf5 3.Nd4+ Kf4 [3...Ke4 4.Ne2 Ke3 5.Ng1 Kf2 6.Kg6 Kxg1 7.Kg5 Kf2 8.Kxh4 Kf3 9.Kg5] 4.Ne2+ Kf3 5.Ng1+ Kg2 6.Kh6 Kxg1 7.Kh5 Kg2 8.Kxh4 Try doing all the lines in your head now. Good imaging practice!

 

Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.


 

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