Test your chess: daily chess puzzle #8 : part 2

White to play and win

Part 2: my earlier posting looks at one failed attempt to win.

BP Donnelly v S Lewis 1965

Solution

Seeing that 1 Rb7? fails, what is the solution? Alas, since I checked my solution in the book first, I saw that the winning move was 1 d8(N)+!

The move has two points. The first one is that if 1…Rd8 (best) then 2 Rb7+, moves the R away with tempo, and 3 Ke2.

Stockfish suggests this is near winning for white. Certainly, at best black will be tortured. It is arguable that black does indeed have the 'necessary' two weaknesses (one being he is a pawn down, two being the weak a and c pawns) for the principle to apply, but of course chess is more concrete than that. I have tried to defend as black against Stockfish, and failed each time. It is a good exercise, and I also played it as white once, and managed to defeat it, but not that easily. The position is actually a very good training position.

The second point is neater: if say 1…Ke7 then 2 Re6+! since the Nd8 defends the Re6.

The Nd8 falls, white plays Re2, and we have substantially the same ending.

If I were black here, I wouldn't be totally sure whether my chances of a draw are better with rooks on or off. I think my decision would depend on the day of the week, i.e. more or less random.

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