Endgame Studies

[George Best]

This position contains many surprises the deeper you dig.

[Aris Marghetis]

This position contains many surprises the deeper you dig.

These old classic studies really are incredible. I spent about six hours tonight working on pawn endgames, and for so many of the examples, I immediately assumed that one side was just lost.

Then, as I worked through it, often with help from authors, I was absolutely shocked at how much can happen even just with pawns left. After decades of playing, still blown away by this game.

[Mario Moran-Venegas]

Looking around seems that the variation was copied from one book to other. The position is in the Fine's Basic Chess Endgames No 135 with mentioning J. Faucher at the end of the variation.

Digging deeper found that the problem published in the British Chess magazine 1907 September issue. Google digitized it long time ago. A whole page is dedicated to the problem.
Move 17. h4 mentioned as a drawing one in this position




A better one 17. Ke2


While the author writes as a winning variation, Stockfish want to agree with that +147 at 41 depth. Though it takes a human input to go through moves and get =.

17...Kb2 18. Kd2 Ka3 19. Kc2 Ka2 20. h3



Here as the article is correct 20...a3 looses. (#10)

But 20...Ka3/a1 holds 21. h4 Ka2 22. f5 The article comments: "White will obtsin a Queen, and be able to stop the Black B P". Unfortunately, I could not find that stop.
22...gf (here Stockfish changed the mind. 22....ef5 was loosing indeed) 23. h5 f4 (and only King can hold this black pawn) 24. h6 f3 25. Kd2 but now other pawn will start marching 25... a3 26. h7 f2 27. Ke2 Kb2 28. h8Q



No win here again.


The article starts about dr. Hermann Neustadtl, and there is a sentence:

"His love of the game is evidenced by the fact that he has a library of upwards of 400 volumes on chess, inclusive of many rare work."


Would be interesting to find the source of Faucher's analyzes.

Yes there is a win Qb8+,,Qa7 then capture f7 then sac the queen for the a pawn. At no point can the king hide behind a-pawn.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Yes there is a win Qb8+,,Qa7 then capture f7 then sac the queen for the a pawn. At no point can the king hide behind a-pawn.

In the final position Black has a move 28...a2 and no time to grab f7.

[George Best]

Can we be the only people in the world to be questioning previous conclusions regarding Neustadtl-Porges? It seems to me that someone else must have looked at this and maybe there is a current leading authority on pawn endings who could be turned to. I wonder if there is someone with a chess engine running in a super computer.

[Emil Smilovici]

After 18...Kxc3, we have:



White plays and after:

19.f5 Kb2 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.fxe6 c3 22.e7 c2 23.e8Q c1Q 24.Qxg6

we reach:



with Black to play.

White looks better but is it a win?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

we reach:



with Black to play.

White looks better but is it a win?

24.... Kxa3 looses (tables tell me so) 25. Qd3+ https://syzygy-tables.info/?fen=8/8/.../2q5_b_-_-_0_1

If Black will be able to capture a a3 pawn with the Queen when White Ke6 it's draw

https://syzygy-tables.info/?fen=8/8/...k6/8_w_-_-_0_1


White can not go Ke4 if Black has a check on b1 or c2.

Thus

24...Qf1+



25. Ke3 (to escape through d4-c5) Qg1! +
26. Ke2 ( not 26. Kd2 Qf2 =) Qg2+
26. Ke3 (back) Qg1
27. Kf4 )toward e6) Qf2+
28. Kg4 Qg2+
29. Kf5 Qf3+
30. Ke6 Qxa3 = tablebase

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

After 18...Kxc3, we have:

White plays and after: 19.f5

instead of 19...Kb2

19.... gxf5 (to leave less pawns)


Two variations: A) g6 or B) h6 (Ke2 look like a waste of a move)

A

20. g6 fxg6 21. hxg6 Kb2 22. g7 c3 23. g8Q c2



24. Qxe6 c1Q 25. Qd6 {25. Qb6+ Kxa3 and 25. Qxf5 = tablebase} Qf1+ (Black turn to check and seems they hold it)


B
20. h6 (to have more pawns) Kb2 22. h7 c3 23. h8Q c2 =

[Emil Smilovici]

24.... Kxa3 looses (tables tell me so) 25. Qd3+ https://syzygy-tables.info/?fen=8/8/.../2q5_b_-_-_0_1

If Black will be able to capture a a3 pawn with the Queen when White Ke6 it's draw

https://syzygy-tables.info/?fen=8/8/...k6/8_w_-_-_0_1


White can not go Ke4 if Black has a check on b1 or c2.

Thus

24...Qf1+



25. Ke3 (to escape through d4-c5) Qg1! +
26. Ke2 ( not 26. Kd2 Qf2 =) Qg2+
26. Ke3 (back) Qg1
27. Kf4 )toward e6) Qf2+
28. Kg4 Qg2+
29. Kf5 Qf3+
30. Ke6 Qxa3 = tablebase

Thank you for looking into this.
So it seems it is a drawn position after all as the Neustadtl - Porges (1901) game ended.

[Henri Hughes]

what is thought about this position? its drawing but Im struggling to find the continuation, ideas are either Bc3 or Bxc5 but under time pressure I played Kg7 out of instinct blundering the game away