Author: Marc Bourzutschky
Date: 08:20:26 12/14/02
Now that Eugene Nalimov is generating 6-man endgames with pawns, I think one of the more interesting endings with a single pawn and like pieces present is KBBPKR. With an h-pawn, where Black threatens to just sacrifice his rook for White's right-colored bishop, there are many positions where White can still win with subtle manoevering. An example is the study by Markov below, which was erroneously thought to be a draw. [D] 8/7k/4K1Rp/6b1/8/5b2/8/8 w [Event "64-Shakmatnoe Obozrenie"] [Date "1997.??.??"] [White "Markov, E."] [Black "?"] [Result "0-1"] [FEN "8/7k/4K1Rp/6b1/8/5b2/8/8 w - - 0 1"] 1. Kf5 Be7 $1 (1... Be4+ $2 2. Kxe4 Kxg6 3. Kf3 $11) 2. Ra6 Bc5 3. Ra5 Bd4 4. Ra4 Bg7 5. Ra2 Bc6 6. Ra6 Bg2 7. Rd6 Bf1 8. Rb6 Bh3+ 9. Kf4 Bd4 10. Rd6 Bc5 11. Rc6 Ba3 12. Kg3 Bf1 13. Kg4 Bb2 14. Rb6 Bd4 15. Rd6 Be3 16. Kg3 Bg5 17. Rb6 Bd8 18. Rb1 Bc4 19. Rc1 Bb3 20. Rc3 Ba4 21. Rc4 Bb5 22. Rb4 Be8 23. Re4 Bh5 24. Re5 Bf7 25. Rf5 Be6 26. Rf8 Bc7+ 27. Kh4 Be5 28. Kh5 Bc4 29. Rf2 Bd6 30. Rc2 Bf7+ 31. Kg4 h5+ 32. Kh3 Be6+ 33. Kh4 Bg4 34. Rc4 Be7+ 35. Kg3 Bd7 36. Kg2 Bd6 37. Rd4 Bc6+ 38. Kh3 Be5 39. Rc4 Bd7+ 40. Kh4 Kh6 41. Rc7 Bf6+ 42. Kg3 h4+ 43. Kf3 Be6 44. Rc5 Kg6 45. Kf4 Bb3 46. Rc6 Bd1 47. Re6 Bh5 48. Rd6 Be2 49. Rd5 Be7 50. Ra5 Kh6 51. Rf5 Ba3 52. Rf6+ Kh5 53. Rf5+ Kg6 54. Rg5+ Kh6 55. Rg2 Bc1+ 56. Ke4 Bb5 57. Rc2 Ba3 58. Ra2 Bd6 59. Rd2 Bb8 60. Rb2 Bc6+ 61. Kd3 Ba7 62. Ra2 Bb6 63. Kd2 Bb5 64. Rb2 Ba5+ 65. Ke3 Bc4 66. Kf2 Kh5 67. Kg1 Bc3 68. Rc2 Bd4+ 69. Kg2 Bd5+ 70. Kh3 Be6+ 71. Kg2 h3+ 72. Kh1 Kg4 73. Re2 Bf5 (73... Bd5+ $2 74. Kh2 $11) 74. Re8 Bf6 75. Kh2 Bg5 76. Rg8 Bd7 77. Rg7 Bc8 78. Rg8 Bf5 79. Kg1 Kh4 80. Rf8 Be6 81. Rf3 Kg4 82. Rd3 Bf5 83. Ra3 Bf4 84. Ra2 Be6 85. Rb2 Bd5 86. Rf2 Kg3 87. Rg2+ Kf3 88. Rb2 Ke3 89. Rf2 Ke4 90. Re2+ Kd3 91. Rb2 Bc4 92. Rb1 h2+ $19 93. Kg2 Bd5+ 94. Kh3 h1=Q+ 95. Rxh1 Bxh1 96. Kg4 Ke4 97. Kh5 Kf5 98. Kh4 Bg2 99. Kh5 Bg3 100. Kh6 Kf6 101. Kh5 Bf3+ 102. Kh6 Bf4+ 103. Kh7 Kf7 104. Kh8 Be3 105. Kh7 Be4+ 106. Kh8 Bd4# 0-1 Even more interesting is the fact that with a g-pawn there are positions that take very long to win (up to 180 moves to mate), with sometimes over 100 moves required before white even moves the pawn from the starting square. Below is such a position, a mate in 150. These positions were analyzed with an EGDB generated with Johan de Koning's FEG program, freely downloadable from www.chessmaster.com. [D] 8/5B2/8/K7/7B/3r4/6P1/1k6 b [Date "2002.12.13"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "1-0"] [FEN "8/5B2/8/K7/7B/3r4/6P1/1k6 b - - 0 1"] 1... Rd4 2. Bf6 $1 Rf4 3. Bg6+ $1 Ka2 4. Be7 $1 Kb2 5. Be8 $1 Kc3 6. Kb6 $1 Kd3 7. Bb5+ Kd4 8. Bc6 $1 Rf7 9. Bc5+ Ke5 10. Be3 $1 Rf8 11. Kc5 Rd8 12. Bg5 Rc8 13. Bd2 Rg8 14. Be1 Kf4 15. Bd5 Re8 16. Ba5 $1 Rh8 17. Kd6 Rh6+ 18. Ke7 $1 Ke5 19. Bf7 Rh7 20. Bc7+ Kf5 21. Kf8 $1 Rh8+ 22. Bg8 Kf6 23. Bd8+ Kf5 24. Ba5 Rh2 25. Bd5 $1 Rh4 26. Ke7 Ke5 27. Bf3 Rh7+ 28. Kf8 Ra7 29. Bd8 Rh7 30. Be7 Kf5 31. Be2 Rh6 32. Bd3+ Kg4 33. Kf7 Kf4 34. Bc2 Rc6 35. Bd1 Kg3 36. Bf3 $1 Ra6 37. Bd5 Ra5 38. Bc6 Ra6 39. Bf3 Kf4 40. Be2 Rc6 41. Bh4 Kf5 42. Bd8 Kf4 43. Bf3 Rc3 44. Bb7 $1 Rc2 45. Be7 $1 Kf5 46. Bd5 Rd2 47. Bc6 Rd4 48. Ke8 Kg4 49. Bd8 Rc4 50. Bf3+ Kf5 51. Kd7 Rd4+ 52. Ke7 Rc4 53. Bd5 Rc3 54. Kf7 Rc1 55. Bh4 Ra1 56. Bc6 Ra3 57. Be7 Rd3 58. Ke8 Rd4 59. Bc5 Rd2 60. Bb4 Rd4 61. Ba5 Rc4 62. Kd7 Rd4+ 63. Ke7 Rc4 64. Kd6 Rd4+ 65. Bd5 Rd3 66. Kc6 Rd1 67. Bb4 Rc1+ 68. Kd6 Rd1 69. Bc3 Rd3 70. Be5 Rd2 71. Bh2 Rd1 72. Kc6 Rc1+ 73. Kd7 Rd1 74. Kd6 Rd2 75. Kc5 Rc2+ 76. Kd4 Rd2+ 77. Kc4 Rd1 78. Bf3 Rd2 79. Bg3 Rd8 80. Bd5 Rc8+ 81. Kd4 Rd8 82. Kc5 Rc8+ 83. Bc6 Rg8 84. Bd6 Rg6 85. Bf3 Rg8 86. Kd5 Re8 87. Bd1 Ra8 88. Bc2+ Kg5 89. Be4 Re8 90. Bd3 Kg4 91. Kd4 Re6 92. Be5 Re8 93. Bb5 Re7 94. Bc6 Kg5 95. Bg3 Re6 96. Bb7 Re7 97. Bf3 Re8 98. Kd3 Re7 99. Be2 Re8 100. Bf2 Kf5 101. Be3 Rd8+ 102. Kc2 Ke4 103. Bh6 Rd6 104. Bf3+ Ke5 105. Bd2 Rd8 106. Kd1 Rd3 107. Ke2 Ra3 108. g4 Ra4 109. Bg5 Ra2+ 110. Ke3 Ra3+ 111. Kf2 Ra2+ 112. Kg3 Ra4 113. Bd2 Ra3 114. Bh6 Ra4 115. Bg7+ Ke6 116. Bd1 Ra7 117. Bb3+ Kd6 118. Bb2 Rb7 119. Ba3+ Ke5 120. Bc2 Kd5 121. Kf4 Rf7+ 122. Bf5 Ra7 123. Bb2 Ra2 124. Be4+ Ke6 125. Bd4 Ra4 126. Bh8 Ra2 127. g5 Rf2+ 128. Kg4 Re2 129. Bf5+ Ke7 130. g6 Rg2+ 131. Kf4 Rf2+ 132. Kg5 Rg2+ 133. Bg4 Ra2 134. Bc3 Rg2 135. g7 Kf7 136. Kf4 Kg8 137. Bd4 Kh7 138. Kf3 Rg1 139. Bxg1 Kxg7 140. Bd4+ Kg6 141. Kf4 Kf7 142. Kg5 Ke7 143. Be5 Kf7 144. Bf6 Ke8 145. Kg6 Kf8 146. Bd7 Kg8 147. Bd4 Kf8 148. Bc5+ Kg8 149. Be6+ Kh8 150. Bd4# 1-0
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