Shocking revaluations

1. A KxQ vs KxG ending is a draw

2. A KxTT vs K is a draw

3. A KxR vs KxW ending is I don’t know

its pretty complicated

The witch is a pretty worthless piece though

Not if the guard is too far away. I think the queen could eventually fork it or something. Just a speculation.

True.

USELESS

KxTT vs K is win! I can prove.

Hide TT behind king. When king gets close, freeze king, and run king into it.

K+R vs K+W is a draw, the reason being that the attacker cannot place the defender in zugzwang. Consider the mating net for R vs K... at some point there is always a tempo-wasting move, putting the king in zugzwang and forcing it to retreat to a bad square. If the defender has a witch, the king doesn't have to move.

And yes, Q vs G is also a draw, assuming the king and guard are next to each other. There's no way the attacking king can approach a pinned guard for capture.

Here's an example. If black has no witch, 1.  Rg4 wins since black can only reply with 1... Ke8, allowing 2. Rg8#. But black has a witch, so black plays something like 1... Wa1 and white has no checkmate.

Zugzwang is an essential tool in a R vs K endgame, the witch takes that weapon away.

 More on Q vs G... if the guard is more than two squares away from the king, the queen will easily be able to stop them linking, which should be a win for the queen. I don't see how the guard and king can hope to fend off the queen when they are separated.

So, imo...

K+R vs K+W is always a theoretical draw,

K+Q vs K+G is a draw when the king and guard can link, and a win for the queen when they cannot.

No idea about the time thief. I'll be honest... I haven't studied the piece so don't really understand it, and have no intention of doing so because the idea we can move into check disgusts me.

agreeed