Pawn Promotion

Question 1

White to play and win

Answer 1

2-223: 1.Bh6 Bc6 If 1…b3+ 2.Kb1 gxh6 3.g7 White wins. 2.Bxg7 Be7 3.Bh6 and White promotes, but not 3.Bh8? Bf8 4.g7? Bxg7 5.Bxg7 Kdg4 6.Bxf6 Kxe4 7.Bxe5 Kxe5 8.Kb3 Kxf6 9.Kxb4=.

Question 2

White to play and win

Answer 2

2-224: 1.Qxe6 fxe6 2.Rb8 and White promotes.

Question 3

White to play and win

Answer 3

2-225: I included the first move for each side (1.Rc8+ Rxc8) to make it easier. 2.Qxa7 Kxa7 3.bxc8N+ 2.bxc8Q+ Kxc8 3.Qc3+ fails because the bishop or queen can interpose the check and save the bishop.

Question 4

Black to play and win

Answer 4

2-226: 1…Qe1+ 2.Qf1 Qxd1 and Black promotes with mate after either 3.Qxd1 f1Q+ 4.Qxf1 Rxf1#; or 3.Rxf2 Qxf1+ 4.Rxf1 Rxf1#; 3.Rc1 Qxc1 4.Qxc1 f1Q+ 5.Qxf1 Rxf1#; and if 3.Ba6, then 3…Qxc2 wins easily. The immediate 1…f1Q+? fails to 2.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 3.Qxf1.

Question 5

White to play and win

Answer 5

2-227: 1.Na5 Other moves also serve to block the a-file: 1.Na3; 1.Ba5; 1.Ba3. After this, White promotes to a queen, which is much better than just promoting immediately and letting the black rook capture the queen.

Question 6

White to play and win

Answer 6

2-228: 1.Rh6+ Kf5 2.Ra6 Whiy win a rook, when you can get a whole queen and win easily?

Question 7

White to play and win

Answer 7

2-229: The most famous promotion problem: 1.g6 hxg6 2.f6 gxf6 3.h6 wins or 1…fxg6 2.h6 gxh6 3.f6 wins. Note that the latter line with the f-pawn capture would not win if Black’s king were one file closer.

Question 8

White to play and win

Answer 8

2-230: 1.Bxe6 fxe6 2.f7 This kind of double promotion threat is often possible against knights on the eighth rank.

Question 9

White to play and win

Answer 9

2-231: 1.Ne6 Kf7 If 1…Bf6 2.Nxf4 Bg5 3.Nd5 wins easily. 2.Nxg5+ hxg5 and the two separated passed pawns win easily, e.g., 3.c4 g4 4.fxg4 Kf6 5.c5 Ke5 6.c6 Ke4 If 6…Kd6 7.h6 wins without a fight, so Black tries to counterattack with his center pawns. In this case it is not enough: 7.c7 f3+ 8.Kf1 f2 9.c8Q Kf3 If only Black had an extra tempo to play …e2#! 10.Qf5+ and White wins easily.

Question 10

Black to play and win

Answer 10

2-232: 1…h3 2.Nxh3 e2 promotes. You can often sacrifice one pawn to promote another. It is a common theme that is good to know!

Question 11

White to play and win

Answer 11

2-233: 1.f6! Interference. Other moves lose, e.g., 1.h5? Ke5 2.h6 Kf6 3.Kb2 Kf7 and Black wins the h-pawn with …Kg8 and …Kh7. 1…exf6 2.h5 f5 If 2…Ke5 3.h6 is the point, as Black cannot play …Kf6 to stop the pawn. 3.h6 f4 4.h7 f3 5.h8Q+ wins easily.