This is a practical endgame position that will also test your knowledge of basic endgame theory. There will be more about that in the solution. Although there are few chessmen on the board, this is a position, by J. L. Votruba, that will require you to do some very competent thinking. Black is threatening to promote one pawn right away and another pretty soon and also has the queening square for your pawn covered. You have a challenging task ahead of you. Good thinking!

Solution:

1.Bb2 g1=Q [Based on the stalemate coming up, Black could get cagey with 1...g1=B By promoting to a bishop, White has to be careful and play: 2.Kxa6 Kg8 3.Bxd4 Bxd4 4.Kb7 Be4+ 5.Ka6 (A terrible mistake would be 5.Kb8 Be5 6.Kc8 Kf7 7.Kd7 Bf5+ 8.Kc6 Bc8 9.Kb6 Ke7 10.Ka7 Bxc7 and you have to know that a king and two bishops can force checkmate against a lone king.) 5...Bf5 6.Kb7 and Black will have to give up a bishop to stop White from getting a queen.] 2.c8Q+ Bxc8 3.Bxd4+ Qg7 [3...Qxd4 is stalemate!] 4.Bxg7+ Kxg7 and, here, every tournament chess player knows that an a- or h- pawn can’t be forced through to queen if the pawn holding side has a bishop the opposite color from the queening square. In this line, the White king would simply shuttle between a1 and b1. If Black gets too close, White gets stalemated on a1 here as well. An extremely well constructed study that teaches all sorts of endgame lessons.

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