Sunday 8 March 2009

What happened next?


This is a picture from round 1 of the Exeter Chess Congress. White to play: what happened next?

7 comments:

Mark Leonard said...

It looks to me like any king move wins, so I'm guessing g6+??

dfan said...

I'm guessing gxh6 e.p. and draw.

Mark Leonard said...

I never get these right. Is it a stalemate? Something like 1.Kd6 Kg7 2.Ke7 Kg6 3.Kf8 Kf5 4.Kf7 Kh8 5.g6?? =
Or did Black claim a draw using the 50-move rule?

Simon Waters said...

I'm with the almost any king move wins school of thought, so knowing club level chess - draw agreed.

Simon Waters said...

Ah maybe - Kf5, Kg7, g6??, Kh6 and white went home and kicked the cat?

Jack Rudd said...

I hadn't thought of that one, dfan, but no, black has not just played h7-h5. (If he had, he'd be the one kicking himself: h7-h6 would have drawn.)

Simon, you've got it almost right.

Simon Waters said...

Let's see the draw with white Kh6 I described, the draw with g6 when the King is on h8 already guessed.

White could push his king down the f file, play g6, g7, and draw like a normal KPvK. Or spotting that draw drop the g pawn, win the h pawn, and still draw....

Or, in similar style to mine we could end up with white Kf6, Pg7, Ph4, Black Kg8 Ph5 with Kh7, Kf7, Kh6, p-g8Q(?? Under promoting to a Rook wins still) drawn.

Save us the suspense.