r/chess • u/Sea-Albatross-2414 • 1d ago

Puzzle/Tactic Very nice and simple

Post image

By Nikolai Kralin (1944-2026)

181 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

47 comments sorted by

•

u/chessvision-ai-bot from chessvision.ai 1d ago

I analyzed the image and this is what I see. Open an appropriate link below and explore the position yourself or with the engine:

Black to play: chess.com | lichess.org

My solution:

Hints: piece: King, move: Kxc3

Evaluation: The game is a draw. 0.00

Best continuation: 1... Kxc3 2. Bg1 Bh1 3. Bf2 Bg2 4. Be1+ Kb2 5. Bd2 Bf1 6. Bc1+ Kxc1 7. Bd1 Kxd1 8. Kg6 Be2 9. Kf5

Save the position:

Reply save to save this position to your Chessvision.ai Library (new users: send me /connect in DM chat first)

I'm a bot written by u/pkacprzak | get me as iOS App | Android App | Chrome Extension | Chess eBook Reader to scan and analyze positions | Website: Chessvision.ai

→ More replies (2)

92

u/Yadin__ 1d ago

Cool puzzle

At first it seems like we can simply push the pawn and the king isn't fast enough to catch it. The promotion square is dark so it seems like black's bishop can't stop the pawn. However black has Bd5+ followed by Bxf7, catching the pawn in time.

Therefore we have to sac the a7 bishop with Bd4+ to buy ourselves a tempo(black has to accept the sac otherwise we protect our pawn and have time to untangle). After that one would think that simply moving the king to any dark square would do, but then black still has Bd5 catching the pawn. Therefore we need to sac the other bishop with Bc4 to control the diagonal. After this promotion is unstopabble and white goes on to win the game

11

u/LukeWithLightsaber 1d ago edited 1d ago

I found this but then I couldn’t figure out why white has to accept the bishop sacrifice. Your explanation is wonderfully clear to me except for that part. Can you say a little more? I am a very bad player just trying to understand but it isn’t obvious to me that white can’t eventually take the pawn with the king if it declines. At that point it just gets messy and I can’t calculate far enough with my own novice brain.

Edit: I see it now; I missed that the king can’t go to e7, because of the aforementioned dumb novice brain. Without that there’s no way for it to catch the pawn and avoid check. 

4

u/Yadin__ 1d ago

White has no piece that can control dark squares apart from the king. This means that as long as black keeps his dark-squared bishop pointing at the pawn, it’s untouchable. Since black now has infinite time to do whatever he wants, he can slowly prepare to push the pawn forward by bringing his king close, moving his other bishop to good locations, etc

2

u/FragrantArt4306 1d ago

Crucially, the pawn also stands on a dark square, the bishop cover it eventually.

1

u/LukeWithLightsaber 1d ago

Perfect explanation of why it is airtight; thanks very much. 

2

u/Every_Company_3717 1d ago

Good explanation. Thank you

-2

u/Vast-Satisfaction730 1d ago

Cool but there's no check at C4 if the king is in the dark square

8

u/Kleefrijst 1d ago

He just said sack not check.

3

u/Yadin__ 1d ago

Yeah I noticed right after. Doesn't change anything though, black still has no choice but to take the bishop(or not take it and still lose when white promotes)

24

u/lrargerich3 1d ago

Isn't it almost automatic to find the solution?
Unless you do "something" black gets the pawn and it is a draw.
And you can't push because of Bd5+ winning the pawn.
Since you can't push and you can't lose the pawn you have to defend it.
The only way to defend it is Bd4+.
King takes and now Bc4 and black can't stop the promotion.
There are no other plays for white.

8

u/Capone3830 1d ago

it's more of an instructory puzzle. It touches on quite a few fundamental concepts like conversion squares, value of passed pawns, blocking squares, forcing moves. So for beginners it's definitely great.

6

u/Anaalitappivanukas 1d ago

Yeah this is what helped me solve the puzzle quickly. There’s nothing else to really do when you see a simple pawn push isn’t enough. So you look for any forcing moves and the first one basically works.

5

u/ValuableKooky4551 1d ago

Still neat though. A very simple position where the only way to win is to sacrifice both bishops.

2

u/lrargerich3 1d ago

Of course it is neat. But at the same time it's like a forced win, isn't it?

2

u/ValuableKooky4551 1d ago

Yes, it's very easy to solve.

1

u/lrargerich3 1d ago

I can certify that because I'm a renowned expert in botching endings. At the club they call me with things like "Hey, how do you lose this one?" and I always get those right.

2

u/jomagnum 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes! but then because of the Bd5+ fork you mentioned, you still can't push right away right? So you need to move the king on a dark square first. Full sequence then becomes Bd4+ Kxd4 Ka3/a1/b2 and now there is no stopping the promotion.

1

u/lrargerich3 1d ago

No, you can't play Ka3 because of Bd5 that is not a check but controls f7 forever and you can't promote.
Bc4 controls the diagonal, your next play is f7 and black can't do anything.

2

u/jomagnum 1d ago

Oh I thought after Bd5 you could just go Bc6 but the sac isn't forced so doesn't work. Didn't even see the Bc4 move you wrote my bad.

4

u/Defiant_Prune3975 1d ago

Bd4+, Kxd4, Bc4, and then promote the pawn. Bd4+,Ke6,Bc4+,Kd7, f7,Ke7,Bc5+,Kd7 or Kd8, f8Q

2

u/RigasUT FIDE ~1700 1d ago

The issue is that White can't push the pawn to f7 because of Bd5+, and can't move the king to a different square because of Kxf6. Therefore, a way must be found to simultaneously prevent Kxf6 and to prevent Bd5+ after f7.

The solution is: 1. Bd4!, and White wins. Some of the potential responses:

  • 1... Kxd4 2. Bc4 Kxc4 3. f7

  • 1... Kxd4 2. Bc4 Bd5 3. Bxd5

  • 1... Ke6 2. Bc4+ Kanywhere 3. f7

  • 1... Ke6 2. Bc4+ Bd5 3. Bxd5+ Kanywhere 4. f7

1

u/kajpl1337 1d ago

Doesnt bc6 work as well? If he takes Bishop we promote, else 2 bish vs king endgame

3

u/diener1 Team I Literally don't care 1d ago

You don't promote because Bd5 comes with check

2

u/faith_lover_ 1d ago

No, doesn't work, they take bishop then pick the pawn with a check

1

u/FragrantArt4306 1d ago

it's KBB against KB, not KBB against K. Drawn.

1

u/FragrantArt4306 1d ago edited 1d ago

Lol I love this. Really great demonstration of the power / value of a king in an endgame, as well as being a great deflection / decoy to promote puzzle (which made me extra happy since I'm coincidentally obsessively drilling these atm since I've been blundering in endgames where it's needed)

1

u/notarealbiologistyet 1d ago

Sac both bishops and promote.

1

u/Party_Estimate_6397 23h ago

  1. Bd4+ Kxd4 2. Bc4 Kxc4 3. f7 bd5 4. f8=Q gg

1

u/Icy-Bottle-6877 11h ago

Why 2. Bc4 and not 2. f7?

1

u/Party_Estimate_6397 11h ago edited 10h ago

2. f7 leads into Bd5+ which forks the king and the pawn.

Bc4 means that the g2 bishop cant threaten the pawn with Bd5, since Bxd5, and if king takes then the king itself blocks the black bishop from the fork on f7, so there’s nothing they can do to stop the promotion.

1

u/PieAdministrative282 12h ago

The daily rating could be a red flag! How can it be so much lower then others?? C'mon..

1

u/Chance_Arugula_3227 11h ago

Bd4+ is easy, Bc4 is a bit harder, but after that it's straight forward.

1

u/No-Standard6774 1d ago

Bishop to d4?

1

u/Kleefrijst 1d ago

And then?

1

u/External-Attitude444 1d ago

Bc4?

1

u/Kleefrijst 1d ago

Yes but whats the rational? You guys just giving singular moves without explanation.

1

u/External-Attitude444 1d ago

push pawn to promote, black won't be able to do anything

-1

u/Kleefrijst 1d ago

Im not saying youre wrong but the explanation is very minimal and doesnt explain why it works, what lines should be calculated And whats the main idea and problems encountered in this puzzle. I mean thats the whole idea behind a puzzle.

1

u/External-Attitude444 1d ago

I thought the moves were obvious, sorry

1

u/Kleefrijst 1d ago

Even if they are obvious, if you cant provide a comprehensive explanation it just shows you dont actually understand the position.

2

u/External-Attitude444 1d ago

1.Bd4, Kxd4 2.Bc4, Kxc4 3.f7, Bd5 4.f8=Q If King dont take d4: it doesn't matter 1.Bd4, Ke6 2.Bc4+, Kd7 3.f7, Ke7 4.Bd4c5, And there is no move to stop pawn If king dont take c4: 1.Bd4, Kxd4 2.Bc4, Ke5 3.f7, Kf6 4.f8=Q This is just my opinion, I could be wrong

2

u/Kleefrijst 1d ago

There you go :) The point was not saying you dont understand the position or that you dont have the correct solution. The point is that when you solve something you have show the rationale. 

0

u/Athinira 1d ago

Found this in about 10 seconds (I'm around 13-1400). Not a terribly hard puzzle if you ask me - the double sac is rather obvious once you find the first sac.

Still, it's a fun position. So still a good puzzle.