It’s easy to imagine this position arising. It’s easy to imagine your opponent offering a draw. It’s easy to imagine your not wanting a draw and thinking while your opponent says, “C’mon, I can let you have both my pawns and you can’t win because you’re a-pawn’s queening square is the wrong color for your bishop.” Then, you see he’s right. You need a light squared bishop to force the pawn into a8. You agree to a draw. After the game, an amused stronger player points out the win. How does White win?

- Solution: As GM Isaac Kashdan pointed out in Chess Review back in 1936, the win is simple, which is annoying as all get out if you had accepted a draw! The trick is to not take the pawns right away. In fact, you corner the king and “stalemate” him so his pawn is forced to move and get captured, thus putting your pawn on the g-file for an easy win: (one example, but you’ll get the idea!) 1.Bd2! (to stop the king from going to a5 and then a4) 1… Kb7 2.Kc5 Kc7 3.Bf4+ Kb7 4.Bg3 Ka6 5.Bc7 Kb7 6.Kd6 Ka6 7.Kc6 Ka7 8.Bd8 Ka6 9.Bb6 b3 10.axb3 b4 11.Bc5 Ka5 12.Bd6 Ka6 13.Bxb4

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