Anyone here good at chess endgames?

[DrPhill]

My phone reckons white (upper case) to mate in 4

I can not see it..... can you?

 

[niagra]

Been staring at this for age! I'm sure the first move has to be Rf7 check as this appears to be the only forced move for black to Kg6. That's as far as I can take it so far...

 

[DrPhill]

Thats what I thought. But my phone then did not say 'white to mate in 3'

I assumed Rf6+, with the black king's options now limited to six squares, but I cannot make it work.....

 

[dzj]

Pawn to g4?

 

[DrPhill]

Pawn to g4?

Nah - the phone knows about en-passant, and that opens things up a bit too much.

 

[RogerS]

Knock his King over? Mate in 1 ?

 

[AJB Temple]

e8 Rook to back rank forces bishop to move or be taken
If King moves forward he is quickly trapped
Then check the king with second rook
King moves behind his black pawn
Rooks squeeze him over
?

 

[jordec66]

I'm not a good player and had to look up the names of the squares (and I still got it wrong and had to redo it), but here goes:
1 - K to H1 to H2 (it shouldn't matter what he moves now)
2 - Pawn from G2 to G3
Blk shld take your pawn now to put you in check
3 - K to G3 taking blk pawn
He should move his pawn to G4 to protect his King (this is where it might fall down, as surely the computer would know not to do this)
4 - Rook to G4

 

[DrPhill]

..........(this is where it might fall down, as surely the computer would know not to do this).

The program is a good player tactically (better than me usually) but strategically it is poor. Unfortunately It will play a very good end game. I cannot make mate in four. I can manage about eight.......

 

[jordec66]

I think I can do 5, using some of the moves in my earlier post, but can't do 4! I want to get the chess set out as my brain forgets where the pieces are!

 

[DrPhill]

I think I can do 5, using some of the moves in my earlier post, but can't do 4! I want to get the chess set out as my brain forgets where the pieces are!

This is how the program plays to your plan (as I understand it):

Kh2, Pd6
Pg3, PxP+
kxP, Be6

Three moves gone and no hope of mate next move.......

I think that moving the pawns opens up the corner and gives the king more space to move.

(Please note that I am not a good player either, so I could easily be wrong).

 

[jordec66]

Yes, I can see that now as I have the chess board out! I can't figure it out. Still looking though.

 

[jordec66]

Have you tried forcing the en-passant rule, g2 g4, forcing blk to move h4 g3. I think I can do 6 moves, not 5! Try this

White
H1 h2
G2 g4
h2 g3
H3 h4

Depending on blk move,
if g5 g4, then g7 g5
if g5 h4, g3 h4 then g7 g5

Let me know if you get it.

 

[DrPhill]

Wasted a day on it, eventually swapped sides to see what the phone did. Putting it together this is what the phone expected to happen.

R(e1)e7 Pg4 (not sure why, I will need to figure this out)
PxP Kf4
Kh2 Ba6
Be3++

Phone is way better than me at tactics..... it spotted this in a couple of seconds tops. It has taken me all day and help to figure it.

 

[dzj]

Yes, that Pg4 move I also don't understand. I'd sooner go for Bb7.