Author: Albert Silver
Date: 15:17:17 06/09/01
Go up one level in this thread
[D] 8/p4pp1/3rk2p/4p3/2P5/2K4P/P2R1PP1/8 w - - 0 1
As the position is quite interesting, and the win less than obvious at times,
here is a more thorough analysis of the path to victory if White trades rooks.
BTW, although Crafty's opponent played 3.c5 (also losing) I have found 3.h4 to
be White's most resilient response.
The analysis is worth studying as one can learn a lot about the different
possibilities of attack and defense in complex pawn endings.
The PGN can be found below. For the newbies, just open the Windows Notepad,
paste the PGN, and save it with a .PGN extension. Then open it with your
favourite chess program.
Here is an example (as posted elsewhere in the thread):
White just played 5.c5. What do you play as Black? There is only one winning
move, with a few that draw, and some that lose!
[D]8/p7/2k2ppp/2P1p3/1K4PP/8/P4P2/8 b - -
If you chose:
a) 5...a6? you get a draw at best after 6.h5 gxh5 7.gxh5 and here White has a
powerful resource: 8.Kd3! Kxc5 9.Ke4 and if Black runs after the a-pawn White
goes straight to the h-pawn.
b) 5...a5+ ?? 6.Kc4! h5 7.gxh5 gxh5 8.a3 Black will be in zugzwang very soon.
a4 9.Kb4 f5 10.Kc4 f4 11.f3 e4! 12.fxe4 f3! 13.Kd3 Kxc5 14.Ke3
f2 15.Kxf2 Kd4 16.Kf3 and Black is lost.
c) 5...Kd5?? 6.Kb5 h5 7.gxh5 gxh5 8.c6 Kd6 9.a3 f5 (9...e4 10.Kc4 Kxc6 11.Kd4
and Black is worse.) 10.c7 Kxc7 11.Kc5 again Black is worse, possibly lost.
d) 5...f5?? 6.h5! and White wins.
The only winning move is
e) 5...h5!! 6.gxh5 gxh5 7.Kc4 f5 8.Kb4 f4 9.Kc4 (9.f3 e4!) e4 10.Kd4 e3 11.fxe3
f3 12.Kd3 Kxc5 13.a3 a6 14.e4 f2 15.Ke2 Kd4 16.Kxf2 Kxe4 0-1
[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Round ""]
[White "Commercial Program"]
[Black "Crafty"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Eco ""]
[Annotator "Silver Albert"]
[Source ""]
1.Rxd6+ Kxd6 2.Kb4 {White pretty much has to play this to prevent an immediate
Kc5.}
Kc6 3.h4 {I find this move to be a trickier defense than 3.c5, though it isn't
enough to save.}
( 3.c5 f5 4.Kc4 a6 ( 4...g5 {?} 5.g4 {!} ) 5.h4 ( 5.a3 f4 6.a4
a5 7.h4 g6 8.f3 g5 9.h5 e4 {!} 10.fxe4 g4 11.Kd3 Kxc5 12.e5 Kd5
13.e6 Kxe6 14.Ke4 f3 15.Ke3 ( 15.gxf3 {?} g3 ) fxg2 16.Kf2 Kf5
17.Kxg2 Kg5 ) g6 6.g3 a5 7.f3 ( 7.a4 g5 8.hxg5 hxg5 9.f3 g4 10.fxg4
fxg4 ) g5 8.hxg5 hxg5 9.g4 e4 10.fxe4 fxg4 ) g6 4.g4 f6
( 4...f5 {?} 5.h5 {!} gxh5 6.gxf5 h4 7.f6 Kd7 8.c5 h3 9.c6+ {!}
Kc7 ( 9...Kxc6 {??} 10.f7 h2 11.f8Q h1Q 12.Qa8+ $18 ) 10.f7 h2
11.f8Q h1Q {=} ) 5.c5 ( 5.Kc3 h5 6.gxh5 gxh5 7.Kb4 f5 8.c5 {This just transposes
to the main line.}
f4 9.Kc4 e4 10.Kd4 e3 11.fxe3 f3 {etc.} ) h5 ( 5...a6 {?} 6.Kc4
h5 7.gxh5 gxh5 8.Kd3 {!} Kxc5 9.Ke4 Kc4 ( 9...Kb4 {If Black runs for the a-pawn,
White goes straight for... the h-pawn!}
10.Kf5 Ka3 11.Kg6 {!} ) 10.Kf5 Kd3 11.Kxf6 ) ( 5...Kd5 {??} 6.Kb5
h5 7.gxh5 gxh5 8.c6 Kd6 9.a3 f5 ( 9...e4 10.Kc4 Kxc6 11.Kd4 {And Black is
worse.}
) 10.c7 Kxc7 11.Kc5 {again Black is worse, possibly lost.} )
( 5...f5 {??} 6.h5 {!} ) ( 5...a5+ {??} 6.Kc4 {!} h5 7.gxh5 gxh5
8.a3 {Black will be in zugzwang very soon.} a4 9.Kb4 f5 10.Kc4
f4 11.f3 e4 12.fxe4 f3 13.Kd3 Kxc5 14.Ke3 f2 15.Kxf2 Kd4 16.Kf3 )
6.gxh5 gxh5 7.Kc4 f5 8.Kb4 f4 9.Kc4 ( 9.f3 e4 ) e4 10.Kd4 e3
11.fxe3 f3 12.Kd3 Kxc5 13.a3 a6 14.e4 f2 15.Ke2 Kd4 16.Kxf2 Kxe4 0-1
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