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Welcome to BK Academy of Chess, by Tyrone Ferrara as
Black__Knight from chess.com. Let us examine this position,
a composition by Richard Reti. How should white play?
Rf8 is incorrect. It is a good try because it is important
to attack one of the connected passed pawns.
However, the correct answer is Rg8
attacking the outside pawn. But let's examine why Rf8
does not work. After Rf4, how should black play to win?
My first thought was Kd5 but
this is incorrect.
Because white simply takes the g-pawn and
now white has many ways to hold form the draw.
I like the method of drawing by attacking from behind.
The rook attacks the pawn and harrasses the K with checks.
The pawn make it to the 2nd rank but black becomes stuck
and is unable to improve the position.
With the king in front of the pawn, the rook attacks the
b-pawn. And as soon as the king steps out, the rook checks
the king. If the king steps away from the pawn,
the rook attacks the pawn.
And black is unable to improve it's position.
So I ask again: how should black play for the win?
Black must advance the b-pawn
to play for the win.
After Rxg4, how should black continue playing for the win?
Again, black must push the b-pawn to continue playing for
the win. What is white's best try in this position?
Rg5+ is whites best try in the attemp to draw this position.
Now you might be asking: Black__Knight why would white
allow the King to cross over to help the pawns promote?
The answer is, because white is setting a trap.
How should black play for the win?
Moving the king to the 3rd rank is incorrect.
Now the rook can attack one of the pawns and if black
tries advancing the other pawn to the second rank,
the rook takes with check gaining the tempo
needed to guard the promotion rank.
This forces black to play Kc2, to get off of
the 3rd rank and to protect the b-pawn from being taken.
How should white play to hold for the draw?
The correct answer is Rc4+. If instead, white tries to
attack the f-pawn, the b-pawn will promote.
Right?
Now if Kd3 to attack the rook
The rook simply returns to attacking the b-pawn and
the position is back to where we started.
So black plays Kd2 to avoid the 3rd rank.
So how should white continue playing for the draw?
Because king is not on the 3rd rank, attacking one of the
pawns does not work, now that the rook can not take with
check to gain the tempo needed to guard the promotion rank.
In rook endings, when in doubt just check the king.
Right?
Now what white is really trying to do, is to draw the king
back to the 3rd rank so that the rook can attack the far side
pawn. Giving white the tempo needed to take the pawn with
check to have the time needed to guard the pomotion rank.
Right?
All white has to do is to continue and when the king steps
in front of its pawn, the rook will attack the far side pawn.
So let's return to the position to see how black wins.
So I ask agian: how should black continue playing for the win?
Ke5 is the correct answer because now
the rook does not have enough time to attack the pawn and
and take it, without the other pawn promoting.
When the king was on the 3rd rank, the rook took the pawn
with check to gain the needed tempo for the rook to guard
the promoting rank. So what is white's best try?
Rg5+ is whites best try. So how should black play?
Black can play Kf4 because of the far advanced b-pawn.
The king attacks the rook; the rook has no more checks and
white does not have time to attack and take the b-pawn.
Now attacking from behind with Rg8, to harrass the king
with checks black manages to excape.
like this for example,
Now how should black play for the win?
Black advances the b-pawn because the pawn is
just too close to the promotion rank for white to
hold for the draw. Now let us back up a few moves and take
a look at Rg1. How should black play for the win?
Kd4 is incorrect.
So how should white take advantage of black's blunder?
Rd1+ and white can hold for the draw.
However, what is black's best try to play for the win?
Ke4 because if the king come down onto the 3rd rank,
the rook can attack the far side pawn and will have time
to take it and return to guarding the promotion rank.
So how should white continue playing for the draw?
You have to be careful here because
Re1+ is incorrect. This method of drawing works when the
rook is attacking from behind, but not from the front.
So now how can black take advantage of white's blunder?
With Kf4, the king moves behind the pawn,
not in front of the pawn, as was the case
when the rook was attacking from behind.
Now when the rook attacks goes to attack
the b-pawn, the f-pawn promotes. As opposed to attacking
from behind, because the king is not in front of the pawn.
So I ask again: how should white play for the draw?
The correct answer is Rd2.
Now if the king moves onto the 3rd rank,
we already know how white can play for the draw.
Now if the king moves behind the pawn with Kf4,
white can now attack the b-pawn because the f-pawn can not
advance. So whites can take the b-pawn and return to b1.
to hold for the draw. Now let us
take a look to see how black wins. Black wins by
advancing one of the pawns, in this case the f-pawn.
When white attacks the pawn, the b-pawn adavances.
The rook is doing all it can so why not bring in the king.
Unfortunately, white's king can not help.
And black wins the game by attacking the rook.
Now let's go back to the original position to see
how easy it is for white to hold for the draw by
attacking the outside pawn. Forcing the pawn to advance
so that the rook can attack and take the f-pawn.
Notice the separating between the pawns, 4 ranks in between.
White now plays Rf1 to guard the promoting rank
and waits for the king to make its move. With Ke3,
the king has made it's move to attack the rook
in the attempt to try to promote the g-pawn.
Now how should white play to hold for the draw?
Right, the rook attacks the other pawn.
Now if black plays Kf2, the rook can take the pawn with
check, winning the other pawn for the draw.
Now how should white play to continue playing for the draw?
With kd3, black is now trying to promote the b-pawn.
So the rook switches to attacking the other pawn.
Thanks for tuning in to BK Academy of Chess.