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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Chess Endgame Study: How powerful is the Queen?


Hello Everyone,

Here is a fine endgame study for you. Interesting and forceful play can take care of your opponent's Queen even if you only have minor pieces!

You can run the solution in the flashplayer below but think about the puzzle for a while first.

G. Zakhodyakin
64, 1939-40
Tie for first prize

White to play and win


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at

5 comments:

  1. I was going to say I'm not so sure there is a win after 1 ... Rg8,
    but after 2hours and lots of help from our friend Fritz I may have found one. I must say though this is why I find endgame studies so frustrating, they tend to be presented as though there were a single golden line waiting to be found;

    but IMHO 'Woodpushers' opinion, there is if anything much choice available to a player in an endgame. Going over the games of Really Good players in the Middle game, usually have the move made in my short list of canidate moves, (Unless I've missed some deep tactical point) but in the Endgame ... thats Unknown Country so too easy to get lost.

    Still thanks for the Puzzle the Solution provided is Beautifal, provided Black Chooses to engage in a Pawn Race he cant win.


    [Event "Problem "]
    [Site "64"]
    [Date "1940"]
    [Round "?"]
    [White "Wht 2 Mv and Win"]
    [Black "G. Zakhodyak in 64, 1939-40 Ti"]
    [Result "1-0"]
    [Annotator "Alexandra K."]
    [SetUp "1"]
    [FEN "7r/2P1B2p/2k3P1/6P1/7K/7p/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
    [PlyCount "23"]

    1. g7 Rg8 2. Kxh3 Kxc7 3. Bf6 Kd6 4. Kg4 Ke6 5. Kh5 Kf7 6. Kh6 Rc8 7. Kxh7 Re8 8. Bd4 (8. g6+ Kxf6 9. g8=Q Rxg8 10. Kxg8 Kxg6) 8... Rc8 (8... Ra8 9. g6+ Ke6) (8... Rg8) (8... Ke7 9. g8=Q Rxg8 10. Kxg8) 9. g6+ Ke6 10. g8=Q+ Rxg8 11. Kxg8 Kf5 12. g7 *

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting and forceful play can take care of your opponent's Queen.....

    sorry i don't see a queen on the board???

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sure you need to promote to a Queen first :-)

    It's not so easy, so you can simply click on the triangle below the diagram and you'll see the solution. BOTH white and black will get Queens :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kiran Anand, New DelhiSeptember 10, 2010 at 9:44 AM

    Oh Chess Queen this is too difficult please give some easier puzzles also for the weekend for ordinary chess lovers and players like me. thanks. I love you and your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jose Fernandes, MadridSeptember 10, 2010 at 9:46 AM

    Awesome. Can it be actually calculated like that on the board? Do Grandmasters calculate that much?

    ReplyDelete

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