White to Play
Pete Tamburro
on
Published in Chess Puzzles
The great winning move is: 1.Rb5 The “fails” are worth looking at: 1.Rb6 Rf1 2.Ka3 Rc1 3.Rb5 Rg1 4.Rb6 Rc1=; 1.Rb3 Rf1 2.Rg3 Rf8=; 1.Rb4 Rf1 2.Rg4 Rf8 3.Kb5 Kxb7 4.Kc5 Kc7 5.Kd5 Kd7 6.Ke5 Ke7 7.Rh4 Rf3 8.Rh8 Rg3 9.Kf5 Rg1= 1...Rf1 2.Rg5 Rf8 3.Kb5 Kxb7 4.Kc5 Kc7 5.Kd5 Kd7 6.Ke5 Ke7 7.Rf5 Rg8 7...Rxf5+ 8.Kxf5 Ke8 (8...Kf8 9.Kf6) 9.Ke6 Kf8 10.Kf6 Kg8 11.g7 8.Rf7+ 8.Rg5? Kf8 9.Kf6 Rg7 8...Ke8 9.Kf6 Rf8 10.Kg7 The key to so many rook and pawn endings is that the losing side has to get to the queening square before the winning side.
Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.