< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 3 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing> Feb-28-12 newton296 : realized black is in looking for a draw and his king is already in stalemate. realizing that, the rook sac + ending plays itself. about 7.5 sceonds Feb-28-12

Phony Benoni : <LoveThatJoker> You're right. Somehow, I was visualizing the White king going to g4 when ...Rg3+ would be necessary. Feb-28-12 CHESSTTCAMPS : In this rather barren endgame position, white has a Q+2Ps for a pair of rooks. At first, I took this to be "White to Move" (and win) and I was stuck. White appears to be trying to force a zugzwang where one of the black rooks is forced to leave the 6th and the other is picked off by check, e.g. 51... Re4?? 52.Qf8+. However, black can force a draw immediately with 51...Rxe3+! 52.Kxe3 (Kf2 Rd2+ is no better) Rd3+ and it's a draw by perpetual check or stalemate, e.g. 53.Ke2 Rd2+ 54.Ke1 Rd1+ 55.Kf2 Rd2+ 56.Kg3 Rd3+ 57.Kh4 Rh3+ 58.Kxh3 stalemate. Also, there appears to be no way for white to make progress after 51... Rb6 and the rooks simply shuffle around on the 6th rank. The WK can never get to 6th rank and no white pawn can advance without being taken. Feb-28-12 JG27Pyth : Has it become fashionable to play things out to the last move? I mean once Rxe3+ is played don't you look at the board for a sec and extend your hand? Feb-28-12 CHESSTTCAMPS : <newzild> points out the only serious winning attempt if black allows the WK to cross the d-file. Feb-28-12

FSR : 51...Rxe3+ 52.Kxe3 Rd3+, shake hands, sign scoresheets, proceed to bar. Feb-28-12 Memethecat : I like endgame POTD, the answer is usually clever. Draw by rep is within whites grasp & the sneaky b5 pawn wants watching, its Tuesday so you would expect a 1 or 2 mv answer. Phew! had my bearings all wrong & thought f5 pawn was protecting the R, that could've been embarrassing. To get out of this with more than a draw will need a blunder. <51...Rb6 52b4> hoping for 52...Rxb4 53Qf8+ <52...Re4 53b3> I'm split here, just saw something that might work, <53...Rbe6 54b2 Rxe3+ 55Kg2 Rg2+> Nope! this is rubbish! its a draw. I should be looking for a stalemate. In which case the quickest way is <51...Rxe3+ 52Kxe3 Rd3+ 53K~> Just Keep checking on the d file, (don't let K out or it will get help) if K goes to h4, check on h3 & it has to take. stalemate. It has to be, everything else takes ages, in fact I could of got draw by rep in my 1st line but this is more fool proof. ***

Yes! had to be.

Good workout for Tuesday morning/afternoon though.

^.^ Feb-28-12

Once : Chess is this strange mixture of brutality and chivalry. On the one hand we have a battlefield where pieces and pawns are being cheerfully slaughtered. If we could only see it, the 64 squares would be awash with blood and gory splattery bits. With a heck of a lot of blue blood around g8 and g1. But on the other hand, we have a chivalrous code of conduct which says that kings cannot be harmed and we must always take it in turns to move. In the final position white would dearly love to be playing Othello or Scrabble. Can't you move, old chap? Then I'll move again. March that b pawn up the board and mate on the back rank. Or white would love to play draughts and force black to move. The black king would have to move into check and then white would rip his head off. Am I the only one who plays draughts with sound effects - BOINNGG! -?? Instead, let's picture that final battle scene in Braveheart. Mel Gibson wearing woad (several centuries too late) and tartan (several centuries too early) has lost the battle. The English archers have cut down most of the scottish army. He is surrounded on all side by mounted english knights with hulking great swords and nasty looking spiky clubs. And Mel really wants to say is "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our FREEDOM!!" And if the censors would let him, he would add the words "you Pommie b*****ds." But what happens instead is that he says "Excuse me, chaps! It seems that I can't move. And you lot have moved already this turn. So I declare this battle a draw." All the English army look at each other in bewilderment. Eventually one says: "He's right, you know. We can't fight on if he can't move." And at that, the white army shoulder arms and slope off down the pub to mutter about what might have been. William Wallace lives to lose another battle and the Scots need to look for another unlikely folk hero to make up for the fact that they've never won a war. Okay, maybe not. Feb-28-12

Robin01 : We have a Crazy Rook ending. I guess someone else called it a "Drunken Rook" ending. How many other names are there for the Rook in this type of ending? Feb-28-12 5hrsolver : here is a nice puzzle on chessbase

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail... Feb-28-12 Yodaman : I am surprised that a 2500+ player didn't just accept a draw offer after 51.Rxe3+. Maybe one or more players were in time trouble. Feb-28-12 eblunt : If I was Black with loads of time on my clock, and White was very low on time, I'd be tempted to play Rb6, just to see if white sat there thinking about it for too long before taking the draw herself with some queen checks .... Feb-28-12

kevin86 : I could see no win withy black-so I looked for the draw. Without the rooks,black is stalemate-now to force the king to eat the rooks---so it's check check check... I see a check as like a cough;it usually is just a minor nuisance,but if it lingers,it MUST be dealt with. Feb-28-12 SuperPatzer77 : <FSR: 51...Rxe3+ 52.Kxe3 Rd3+, shake hands, sign scoresheets, proceed to bar.> <FSR> LOL LOL. They both must've enjoyed themselves at the bar. I bet my boots they smiled with each other. LOL LOL. It is just like sharing a peace pipe with each other. SuperPatzer77 Feb-28-12 SuperPatzer77 : <rhickma4: ....If White takes the R it is stalemate, if she does not White continues checking on the d file> <rhickma4> Black (not White) continues checking on the d file. SuperPatzer77 Feb-28-12

chrisowen : <SuperPatzer77> Castle down and bludgeon him e3 enact go for ground it a coop eel! 51...Rxe3+ ok crew hanging in aloof a breeze, draw 'crazy rook' see definate high-ball king chased rooks end ogle amok as some people stated, my total recall is black holes in e3 a chink in philosophic starting with rh2h6 ordain e4 d5 tithe farming qxf6 looking good for white win wash 51.kf3 you rope in formal agree-ment in effect a sponge finger both girls excelled to par dont it clog old rb6 ar king shuffle but wriggle he might skirt it explore my gallery and spruce again enter a phase jocky earned in rooks hold him I gather queen forage... level it tellin backache! Feb-28-12 hedgeh0g : 51...Rxe3+ forces a perpetual. Saw an analysis of this game just yesterday. Feb-28-12 TheBish : V Cmilyte vs Lahno, 2012 Black to play (51...?) "Easy"

It looks like White doesn't have any realistic winning chances anyway, but behind slightly behind in material, Black should take an easy draw when it's available -- now! 51...Rxe3+! 52. Kxe3

Either way it's perpetual check, so may as well take the rook. 52...Rd3+ 53. Kf2 Rd2+ 54. Kg3 Rd3+ 55. Kh4 Rh3+ 56. Kxh3 stalemate. If White goes toward the first rank, the checks keep coming! Feb-28-12 ajile : Got it. Black's king is stalemated so all he has to do is get rid of his 2 rooks. Feb-28-12 ajile : Note also that the key to Black's defense is the f5 pawn which keeps the king from escaping to a center square where the queen might be able to help. Feb-28-12

Penguincw : Yes! I got a Tuesday puzzle right, which isn't too surprising. Also, I'm pretty sure a lot of people got it too. Feb-28-12

maladictum : I was amazed that white had to have the draw forced on her. As soon as the first rook was sacrificed, it should have been obvious... Feb-28-12 BlackSheep : Well I must be an idiot , after a 1 second glance I thought "this is a draw" but being a puzzle I thought that black is supposed to gain a serious advantage and after an in depth look (Chucky beat me the other day and I wasnt about to lose to a 2* conundrum) I had to give up thinking all I can do is draw at best and on seeing the conclusion I'm embarrased to be me realising how much time I wasted on it . . . . . Damn you CHUCKY!!! Feb-28-12 VincentL : "Easy".

This is obviously a stalemate.

Black´s king cannot move, and his queen cannot get back to assist against rook checks.

So 31.....Rxe3+, and if 32. Kxe3, Rd3+, etc.

Let´s check. Feb-28-12 DarthStapler : Got it easily Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 3)

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