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[Puzzle Road] Avoiding the stalemate! (P33)

[Puzzle Road] Avoiding the stalemate! (P33)

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Kyu13
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Welcome to Puzzle Road!

We’re back to the endgames puzzles! Alright, today we will analyze one of the endgames I played today against a friend (this friend will recognize himself) and saw the right move, but still played a blunder… I seriously don’t know why I did not play that, what I calculated!

The move here does not allow Black to stalemate in this position. Moreover, maybe we can force our opponent to play nonsense moves? Let’s see how and why! But first, you will have to try yourself solving this puzzle. Else, it would not be called Puzzle Road!

33/ Avoiding the stalemate! (topic: stalemate, checkmate, and pawn promotion + tempos)

First move: g5 (!!)

If hxg5 is played by Black we can, after taking the g7-pawn, push our h pawn and checkmate the black king before the black pawns arrives on its promotion square and check our own king with a queen.

If fxg5 is played by Black, we take back with the pawn. After that, we have two possibilities: after Kingf8, we play f7 followed by Kingg7 to control the promotion square of our pawn. If Kh8, we take the h-pawn and Blac is forced to play Kg8: now we can take the direct opposition with King g6 and one of our pawns is forced to come on a promotion square!
After 1. … / Kh8, we play f7 and Black is forced to move a pawn, because their King cannot move. We control all the squares! He’s blocked! And then, just checkmate by making a Queen or a Rook on f8!
After 1. … / Kf8, take the g7-pawn and you should normally promote him correctly if you take care to the possible stalemate!

I hope this puzzle was useful to you for your endgame training and have fun in playing chess!
@Kyu13

                                   

More blogs written by @Kyu13:
The main question: How to become a stronger player?
The Scotch Game: A good opening?
Reach 2000 with this trick used by GMs!