Rook and pawn endgames are notoriously tricky - which means that in practice, they're notoriously drawn. This particular position indeed looks rather tricky for white (to move) to win, as both 1. b7 and 1. Rb7 can apparently be met by 1. ... Kc6.
But white has something crafty up his sleeve. Can you spot it?
9 comments:
YAY!! saw it immediately!!! Rd8!! and either the rook is won or KxR, b7 where the promotion cannot be stopped
Not quite I'm afraid - there's more to it than that.
1. Rd8+ Kxd8 2. b7 Rb4 3. Kxb4 c5+ 4. Kxc5 Kc7 is a textbook draw, after all . . .
true...i did it in a couple of seconds in my head and hence missed that one...(back to the drawing board)
Don't go all the way back to the drawing board - you're on the right track!
fortunately I didn't (i only recieved this message as I was to post the solution!) and while asleep (i know, I know) I found kb5! instead of taking the pawn followed by kc7, ka6, kb8, kb6, b4, a4 etc with white having 1 extra tempi
MY KINGDOM FOR A TEMPI!!!!!!!
love the puzzle, the solution is brilliant (too bad i found it in my sleep though, I'm unlikely to fall asleep over the board)
Well done - you got it!
And finding it in your sleep? Wow, your brain must be working overtime on chess!
Not exactly: I work out heaps of stuff during my sleep (I have written large portions of essays in my sleep for example) and I was suspicious of the moves you gave me immediately as not being complete, but I was too tired to work it out at the time and so went to bed (due to the word "apparently" I looked at b7 etc for a bit before realising that it was trickery).
The fact that I had missed the reply c5 just may have helped me in an OTB scenario as I would have completely missed the drawing line until then and at the move c5 would have been forced to try and consider ways to win and may have stumbled over the right move-seems an example of where an oversight may be indeed helpful, he he he (maybe though)
I dont do much on chess anymore, just it is my school holidays and I stumbled across this site and when i had started on the puzzle, it ticked away during my sleep.
Thats enough of my life story, but the puzzle is especially good as it is one that has many similar occurances in real games
It sounds like you're more productive asleep than I am awake!
i doubt it...esp as those essays are done the night before they are due...i have a tendency to be lazy with schoolwork and the essays probably get written during sleep as there is no other time for it
by the way the puzzles etc on this site are good...keep up the good work!!!
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