Tuesday, 9 April 2013

Endgame save

OK, it's your ninth birthday and you're playing Black in your third long-play game of the day, against the second seed in your section of an important national tournament.   You get down to K + PP each, but things aren't looking too good.   It's White (Oliver Howell 103) to play:



1.   f6    gxf6
2.   Kxf6   h5!

If now 3. gxh5, the new h-pawn cannot promote, so a draw was agreed.  

But let's look at the other possible move for Black (2... Kh7), which leads to some interesting complications which might be difficult to find across the board:

3.   Kf7    Kh8
4.   Kg6    h5 (the only move to survive)
5.   Kxh5   Kh7 (opposition, and a draw)
If instead 5.  g5, then NOT ...h4??, since 6.  Kf7   h3 is a clear win for White.
So after 5.   g5, Black saves the game with ...Kg8!   Then if 6.   Kxh5    Kg7 draws.

A good and mature save by Anita Somton.

2 comments:

  1. Ian Wallis9 April 2013 at 21:51

    Some one has been studying their endgames!
    Great find, I bet some county standard players wouldn't have noticed it...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Silas Peck10 April 2013 at 02:28

    2. Kh8 draws too (3. Kg6 h5).

    I was playing in the U16s section, I might send a position.

    ReplyDelete
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