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Black to Play

Pete Tamburro on

Published in Chess Puzzles

You can’t get a much simpler endgame than this—or can you? Fischer, as Black, reached this position against Gligorich in 1959. Only one move draws. Any other move loses. If you know the principle of opposition, this one is easy. If not, you had better learn it!


Solution:

1...Kb8! 2.Kb5 [2.Kc5 Kc7 3.b5 Kb7 4.b6 Kb8! 5.Kc6 Kc8 6.b7+ Kb8 7.Kb6]2...Kb7 3.Kc5 Kc7 4.b5 Kb7 5.b6 Kb8! 6.Kc6 Kc8 7.b7+ Kb8 8.Kb6 Black always has to be able to step up, one square apart from the White king, to make it White’s move. Otherwise, White gets to force the Black king to move aside and lose. Fischer found the move, of course.

 


Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.

 

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