Fantastic combination

[Lekko]

Please, please, Kaitlin?

Here is a light little gem, White moves and wins - domination problem!

FEN Viewer

Supplementary question, why on earth is there a white pawn on b2?

Re5. Rook can't deal with both the pawns.

[Jesper Norgaard]

I hope this isnt an easy one ????

Ahem, hard pressed, no it's not an easy one.

I can give a little help. If 1.Re6 threatening b7 1...Kxb6 2.d7+,Kc7 3.Rxa6,Kxd7 (not Rxd7 because of Ra7+ winning) 4.Rb6 white is well on his way to winning - but after 2...Kb7! there seems to be no point. So 1.Re5! is the first move, forcing 1...Rxe5 2.d7 (not 2.b7??,Re8). Now what?

[Kaitlin]

I was just about to put that answer

1. Re5 RxRe5
2. d7 ....

[Jesper Norgaard]

I was just about to put that answer

1. Re5 RxRe5
2. d7 ....

Okay, Kaitlin, but how do you win against 2...Re6+
???
The idea is something like 3.Kh5,Rxb6 and 4.d8Q is stalemate

[Igor_Goldenberg]

It's a beauty!

[Desmond]

Supplementary question, why on earth is there a white pawn on b2?

Interesting point. If we take it that the d6-pawn started its life on d2, then the b6 pawn must have started on e2 or f2!

[Kaitlin]

Okay, Kaitlin, but how do you win against 2...Re6+
???
The idea is something like 3.Kh5,Rxb6 and 4.d8Q is stalemate

I don't understand the question and can't work out the question.


But, can I have another puzzle please .



And no-one put any answers untill next Sunday.

[Jesper Norgaard]

I don't understand the question and can't work out the question.

But, can I have another puzzle please .
And no-one put any answers untill next Sunday.

Answers perhaps in white

Kaitlin, I think we are not quite finished with this one. Note Igor's comment, it's a beauty! So far you have only seen the pin ...

Your solution is the pin 1.Re5,Rxe5 2.d7 and now we want your answer to 2...Re6+ (ehm, you have 4 choices Kg7 or Kh7 or Kg5 or Kh5) and 3.Rxb6.

How do you win from here?

Cheer up, gal', there is time till Sunday if you put a little work in it ...

[Garrett]

Lol - nice problem !

[Desmond]

Answers perhaps in white

Kaitlin, I think we are not quite finished with this one. Note Igor's comment, it's a beauty! So far you have only seen the pin ...

Your solution is the pin 1.Re5,Rxe5 2.d7 and now we want your answer to 2...Re6+ (ehm, you have 4 choices Kg7 or Kh7 or Kg5 or Kh5) and 3.Rxb6.

How do you win from here?

Cheer up, gal', there is time till Sunday if you put a little work in it ...

I guess the main line is Rxb6 then d8=N in the line you gave earlier, when the black rook is dominated and wherever it moves it will be captured or forked and captured next move.

A variant would be if black doesn't take the b-pawn with the rook, with the idea of d8=Q then placing the rook next to the white king ad nauseum. The queen guards the b6-pawn so it's still a staley if the rook comes off the board.

I originally thought that that broke the study but I since found a solution.

[Jesper Norgaard]

Interesting point. If we take it that the d6-pawn started its life on d2, then the b6 pawn must have started on e2 or f2!

To get c2xb3 and something like d4xc5xb6 and e2xd3 we need 4 pieces to give up in 4 transitions. It is the same result with e.g. c2xb3 and e2xd3xc4xb5 also 4 transitions are needed. That is easy since black needs only to keep 2 pawns and a rook, so can give up 6 pawns and 6 pieces.

More comments below in white:

I guess the main line is Rxb6 then d8=N in the line you gave earlier, when the black rook is dominated and wherever it moves it will be captured or forked and captured next move.

Correct.

A variant would be if black doesn't take the b-pawn with the rook, with the idea of d8=Q then placing the rook next to the white king ad nauseum. The queen guards the b6-pawn so it's still a staley if the rook comes off the board.

I originally thought that that broke the study but I since found a solution.

I had some trouble setting up that idea, for instance 2...Re7 3.b7! and it won't appear with a pawn on b6 - and note 3...Re6+ 4.Kg5 Rb6 5.Kf5! and black is in zugzwang.

So the most forcing line is simply 2...Rd5 3.b7,Rxd7 4.b8=Q Rd6+! and checks ad libitum in the d-file - how does white win? Black will not win by 5.Kg7? Rg6+ 6.Kf7 Rf6+ 7.Ke7 Re6+ 8.Kd7 Rd6+ 9.Kc7 Rc6+ 10.Kb7 Rb6+ 11.Ka7 Rb7+ 12.Ka8 Ra7+ for sure (a real King hunt, he, he) ... by the way it seems 11...Rxb8 12.Kxb8 Kb6 (taking the opposition with the only legal move) 13.Ka8 Ka5! or 13.Kc8 Kc6 black keeps the opposition and the draw since if white plays a5 black just runs back and capture it.

[Kaitlin]

Step 1. I worked out the Question (I think).
Step 2. I'm not sure I haven't missed something in the Answer I worked out?



1. Re5 Rxe5 2. d7 Re6+ 3. Kg5 Rxb6 4. d8=Q *

[Jesper Norgaard]

1. Re5 Rxe5 2. d7 Re6+ 3. Kg5 Rxb6 4. d8=Q *

1. Re5 Rxe5 2. d7 Re6+ 3. Kg5 Rxb6 4. d8=Q * is more or less the spite stalemate and just an obstacle to get to the solution(s). As Boris mentioned above, 4.d8=N! is the right way, and the rook is lost, for instance 4...Rb8 5.Nc6+ or 4...Rd6 5.Nb7+.

We have a few pending matters:

Question 2.1: How will white win after the straight-forward 1.Re5 Rxe5 2.d7 Rd5 3.b7 Rxd7 4.b8=Q Rd6+ followed by checks in the d-file?

Question 2.2: In which variation(s) is it important that there is a white pawn on b2, that is white can't win without it?

[Oepty]

Lovely problem, enjoying it greatly.
Thanks
Scott

[Igor_Goldenberg]

1. Re5 Rxe5 2. d7 Re6+ 3. Kg5 Rxb6 4. d8=Q * is more or less the spite stalemate and just an obstacle to get to the solution(s). As Boris mentioned above, 4.d8=N! is the right way, and the rook is lost, for instance 4...Rb8 5.Nc6+ or 4...Rd6 5.Nb7+.

We have a few pending matters:

Question 2.1: How will white win after the straight-forward 1.Re5 Rxe5 2.d7 Rd5 3.b7 Rxd7 4.b8=Q Rd6+ followed by checks in the d-file?

Question 2.2: In which variation(s) is it important that there is a white pawn on b2, that is white can't win without it?

The first is easy - main line is drawn without b2 pawn after 4...Rb5 5.axb5 Kxb5 (followed by a6-a5-a4)
The second is trickier. The solution looks obvious, but I spent quite some time working it out:
5.Kg5 Rd5+ 6.Kf4 Rd4+ 7.Kf5! Rd5+ 8.Qe5!! and the pawn ending is winning (thanks again to b2 pawn as black can draw with very precise play without it)