Nº12 Daniele Gatti

Draw

Daniele Gatti (Italy)

wKc1,Nb3,Bh4,Pb6,c7,e2,e3,g2,g3,g5/bKd7,Bh5,Pb7,e4,f5,g4,g6,h3

Primary Try: 1. Sc5+? But 1. … Kc8! 2. Kd2 hxg2! [-+]
Secondary Try: 1. Sd4? But 1. … h2! 2. Sb5 h1=Q+! 3. Kd2 Qa1 4. Sa7 Qa5+ 5. Kc2 Qc5+ 6. Kd2 Qb4+ 7. Kc2 Qc4+ 8. Kd2 Qc5! 9. Ke1 Qc2 10. Kf2 Qc1! – White is in zugzwang and cannot avoid to spoil the north-west fortress [-+]

1. Kd2! h2
Secondary Variation: 1. … hxg2 2. Sd4! g1=Q 3. Sb5! Qa1 4. Sa7! Qa5+ 5. Kc2! Qc5+ 6. Kd2! Qb4+ 7. Kc2! Qc4+ 8. Kd2! Qc5 9. Ke1! Qc2 10. Kf2 Qc1 11. Kg2! – Unlike in the try, now g2 square is free and White can play waiting moves, keeping the north-west fortress unchanged (= positional draw).

2. Sc5+ Kc8 3. Sxe4 fxe4 4. Ke1 h1=Q+ 5. Kf2 Qh2 6. Kf1 Qh1+ 7. Kf2 Qh2 8. Kf1 Qxh4! 9. gxh4 g3 10. Ke1 Kd7 11. Kd2 Bf3 12. Ke1
12. Kc3? Bxg2! 13. h5 gxh5 14. g6 Bh3! 15. g7 Be6! 16. Kd2 g2! [-+])

12…Bg4 13. Kd2 Be6 14. Kc3!
Secondary Variation: 14. … Kd6 15. Kd4! Bf5 16. Kc3! Kc6 17. h5! gxh5 18. g6! Kd7 19. g7! Bh7 20. Kd2! h4 21. Ke1! Kc8 22. Kf1! (= positional draw))

14… Bh3 15. Kd2 Bxg2
15. Kd4? Bxg2! 16. h5 gxh5! 17. g6 Bh3! 18. g7 Be6! 19. Kxe4 g2! [-+]

16. h5!
16. Ke1? Bh3! 17. h5 gxh5 18. g6 Ke7 19. g7 Kf7! [-+])

16….gxh5 17. g6 Bh3 18. g7 Be6 19. Ke1 h4 20. Kf1 g3 21. Kg1 (= positional draw)

Black King cannot transfer to f7 to guard g8 and consequently capture g7 pawn, because it needs 2 moves, and if he loses contact with c8 square, the black Bishop is overloaded and at least one white pawn is going to promote.

AUTHOR NOTE: Also works 11. Kd1 Bg4 12. Kd2 Bf3 13. Ke1 Bg4 14. Kd2 Be6 15. Kc3 Bh3 and transposition to main line, with identical final position, and solution one move longer (=). The whole play is essentially the same, so I considered 11. Kd1 only as a waste-of-time minor dual