Author: Robin Smith
Date: 18:08:07 09/20/01
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On September 20, 2001 at 13:00:17, Roy Eassa wrote: >On September 19, 2001 at 01:10:00, Robin Smith wrote: > >>Can any programs solve this ending? >> >>[D] k7/8/4p3/7P/8/3P4/1Bb4P/K7 w - - 0 1 >> >>Kazantsev, 1950 study >> >>Solution: 1.Bh8! > > >Could somebody please explain why Bh8 is the only way to win? What's the >winning plan? Black has a strong defensive plan. If black gets his king in front of the h-pawns, blockading them, and his bishop to a square that defends the e-pawn, white will not be able to make progress. So white MUST prevent this. The only way to prevent this defensive plan is to get the white king to g7 as quickly as possible, keeping black's king away. Thus the first moves of the main line go: 1.Bh8! Kb7 2.Kb2 Bxd3 3.Kc3 Bf5 4.Kd4 Kc6 5.Ke5 Kd7 6.Kf6 Ke8 7.Kg7 Once white has the king on g7, the next step is to march the forward h-pawn up the board, threaten to queen, and force black to give up his bishop for it. White then queens the remaining h-pawn. Meanwhile white's bishop prevents black from queening the e-pawn. The rest of the study solution as given is 7...e5 8.h6 e4 9.h7 e3 10.Kh6 e2 11.Bc3 Bxh7 12.Kxh7 etc. Of course black can play different moves, but the end result is essentially the same. Robin
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