A difficult position

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Avatar of Themistoklis

Can someone help me with this position? It's black to move.

Avatar of rooperi

Is Black playing up the board, ie h8 at bottom left?

Avatar of Shivsky

I'll take a stab.

Well the FEN code indicates that White is bottom.

With that being the case, Black can only hope to draw.

With Black to move, I see Black's c pawn on c2 when White queens on f8.

Isn't a bishop pawn on the 7th a theoretical draw against a lone King and Queen (the Black king runs to a1 at the critical moment with the stalemate idea).

But there's another Black pawn (h pawn) that can ruin the stalemate idea. So maybe we  try to liquidate our own h-pawn first with 1...h3 2.Kxh3 (or else a draw with 2 queens and no cheap tactics on hand)

I'd say 1...h3 is the plan followed by 2.Kxh3 c4, ...c3,c2 and play for the stalemate-draw idea.

Could be horribly wrong about this ... hope to be proven so.

Avatar of chry3841

dead draw if black queen's where his king is:

Avatar of Shivsky

@chry3841: Not a stalemate ... that's why 1...h3 was to be played first.

Avatar of chry3841

ahh right, didn't count that, with h3 first it works the draw for back

I posted after you becouse making the diagram took much time so I could'nt read your post before posting mine...

Avatar of Themistoklis

@rooperi h1 is on the bottom right.

I was stydying a chess book when this position came to my mind. I was trying to find a forced win for white after c4(without black playing h3 in the first 3 moves) but I found this variation which is also drawish for black.

Avatar of Themistoklis

I came to the conclusion that after 1...h3 and 1...c4 black can draw this position. Do you think I am right?

Avatar of Themistoklis

I think you are right Nikos! The variation I posted is not the best for white.

So only h3 is a draw!