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Daily Puzzle Analysis for Thursday 4.2.26

Daily Puzzle Analysis for Thursday 4.2.26

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It’s Time for a Thursday puzzle! 


Legend: (Color Version)

  • Observations in Yellow

  • Strategies in Purple

  • Responses (Unforced, Anticipated or Actual) in Orange

  • Fails (Potential or Actual) in Red

  • Successes (Potential or Actual) in Green

On setting up the board, we observe:

* We are down to Kings and Pawns in the endgame, and are equal on material.

* Black has a pawn downfield on the a file.

* There does not appear to be a King Trap.

* It is our turn to move.

* The puzzle’s title is “When Push Comes To Capture”

* It is Thursday.

 

The above observations inform potential strategies:

My first thoughts on setting up the board – what a confusing layout! Without file letters and row numbers it would be difficult to determine what’s happening here. We do know that we’re always playing ‘up’ the board, and that it’s White to play, so that is helpful too. And I suppose we very rarely begin the puzzle in check – if ever. But on first glance this position is a bit confusing.

It appears that Black can Queen their a pawn and there is no way for our King to catch them. But it’s our turn, so what we can we do on our end?

Opening with gxf5 could be met with 3 likely responses, gxf5, g5, or a3.
-----If gxf5, we can h5, and now it’s a race to the finish line. It’s a race that Black will win, but we have Black’s King on the long dark diagonal where the a pawn will promote, so that when we promote we will check, skewering their King against their Queen, and when Black moves their King we will win their Queen, securing a definitive material advantage, and the game. This would play out as follows:
----------2. ...a3, 3. h6 a2, 4. h7 a1=Q, 5. h7=Q+ Kc4 (or Kd3, or Ke3), 6. Qxa1.
-----If g5, we can h5, and the same is true, although a potential detour is introduced into the equation if Black at any time pushes g4 in the sequence. We respond fxg4, and continue the race to the same conclusion.
-----If a3 however, things get a bit more complicated. We can either f6, or fxg6. Neither will land us on the long dark diagonal, but fxg6 at least wins us another pawn, meaning we’ll emerge from the race with a Queen and three pawns vs a Queen, and with potential to promote at least one more of them. So let’s assume a3, and our response of Fxg6.
----------Black would almost certainly a2, to which we g2, then they a1=Q and we g1=Q. But now the shoe is on the other foot, Black can next Qa2+, skewering our King against our Queen! And when we move him, we lose her. That seems like a no go. 

What if we instead open with h5? This means the race is on from the start. Black could respond in one of two likely ways, gxh5, or a3.
-----If gxh5, we can gxh5, and the race is back on again, this time with our soon to be Queen on the skewering file.
-----If a3, the race begins uninterrupted, as we simply march past Black’s g pawn to arrive in skewering position.
-----I suppose it’s also possible that Black plays fxg4, however we can then fxg4, and Black is left with the same two options above, both of which result in our skewer. Golden.

Ok, it’s a plan – but how could it fail?

Honestly, I’m not sure that it can, but after my spectacular fail yesterday, it’s entirely possible I’ve miscalculated something. 


One way the skewer could certainly fail is for Black to move their King before promoting. This is entirely possible, even likely if they see the skewer coming. But if they do, they cannot move their King into a position where it would protect a1, so whether we capture the a pawn as a pawn or as a Queen or on the cusp it shouldn’t matter, as we’ll have a Queen and they will not in the end. I think we’ve got this.

Ok, but is there a BETTER PLAN?

There is no checkmate here that I can see. And we’re going to lose the race to promotion no matter what. They key is to promote in the right place at the right time to win their Queen, or to eliminate their pawns while promoting. This plan seems to accomplish either goal depending upon our opponent’s responses.

Confident in my plan, I set the board aside and engage with the puzzle online.

 

h5 is correct, and Black chooses to a3.

 

h6 is correct, and Black pushes with a2.

h7 is correct, and Black Queens with a1=Q.

 

h8=Q+ is correct, and Black flees with Ke3.

 

Qxa1 is correct, and the PUZZLE IS SOLVED!

A Thoughtful Thursday puzzle from a mystery puzzler.

Have a great day everyone.