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Monday, June 2, 2014

Bad Bishop And/Or Zugzwang

In the diagrammed position with Black to Move, see if you can determine if there is a way to for White to hold the position. Put differently, can White find a way to make a draw?

If it were White to move in this chess position, then Ke1 would most certainly draw as it would prevent the Bf1 encroachment.  If there is a win for the second player, it has to involve getting the Black Monarch to g1 attaching the White f2 pawn.

There is some risk in this idea as the Black e4 pawn could become vulnerable. This weakness would be no more if the Black prelate could get to the d3 square where it is also attacking the White c4 pawn.



A theme here is Zugzwang which means any move you make will eventually lose. White's King is stuck at e1 defending f2. Maybe White could play pawn to a3 clearing the a2 square for his Bishop to occupy and perhaps avoid Zugzwang.


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