Weekly Endgame Study (56)
2 February 2008 10:00 AM
Every Saturday an endgame study is published at ChessVibes, selected by IM Yochanan Afek: player, trainer, endgame study composer and writer. A week later the solution is published. Good luck with the instructional occupation of solving a study!
D. Gurgenidze
1971
White to play and draw
Next week the solution.
Solution last week:
Our knight is under double-attack and pinned. Of course I can’t check every possibility, but I’m sure If we lose it after Rxb1, the mate is imminent. So everything we do has to be very forcing.
1. Qc2+ and 1. Qh2+ would be forcing and keep material balance, but they don’t look very strong.
I like 1. Qf7+ because black can’t take the knight with 1…Kxb1 because of 2.Qb3#
After 1. Qf7 Kb2 the only forcing moves are 2. Qf2+ and 2. Rg2+. I didn’t analyse Qf2+, because i suddenly noticed the “beauty” of Rg2+. Black still can’t play …Kxb1 and the king can’t escape. So Qxg2 is forced. Because we are looking for a draw we can safely play 3. Qf2+. If black takes the queen, it’s stalemate. If Black takes the knight we will have an easy to hold (or even win) Q vs. R+2pawns endgame. So the black king must escape via. 3…Kb3.
4. Qxg2 fails to the simple tactic …Rb1+ 5. Ke2 Rb2+ and we’re lost.
So (1. Qf7+ Kb2 2. Rg2+ Qxg2 3.Qf2+ Kb3) 4.Qxb6 keeps the pressure and I think it should be easy afterwards to get a draw by perpetual.