Chess Summer School Day 7. OK, let’s say you got the first six positions and are feeling really good about yourself and your king and pawn ending skills. In many, you were a pawn up. How about if the material is even and all on the same side of the board? How would you win for White here?

By Dr. Neustadl: 1.b4!! [1.d4?? b4 2.Kf6 c5 (Also 2...c6=; 2...Kd7=) 3.dxc5+ Kxc5 4.Ke5 Kc6 5.Kd4 Kd6=] 1...c5 [1...d4 2.Ke4 Ke6 3.Kxd4 Kd6 4.c3 Kc6 5.Ke5 Kd7 6.Kd5 c6+ 7.Kc5 Kc7 8.c4 bxc4 (8...Kb7 9.cxb5 cxb5 10.Kxb5) 9.dxc4 Kb7 10.Kd6 Kb6 11.c5+ Kb7 (11...Kb5 12.Kc7) 12.Kd7]2.d4!! cxb4 [2...cxd4 3.Kf6 Kd7 4.Ke5 Kc6 5.Kxd4 Kd6 6.c3 Kc6 7.Ke5] 3.Kf6 Kd7 4.Ke5 Kc6 5.Ke6 Kc7 6.Kxd5 Kb6 7.Kd6 Kb7 8.Kc5 and wins. An excellent lesson in using the opposition with a pawn sacrifice. If you didn’t play through the variations, especially after move one, please do it! Good lessons there, too!

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