Chess Puzzle #3nqx0 — Advanced, Black to move, endgame

Position

White: king c3; pawn b3. Black: king e4; pawn f4. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (5 moves)

1. Opponent setup: b4 — pawn b3→b4. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Ke3 — king e4→e3. Opponent replies b5 (pawn b4→b5).
3. Best move: f3 — pawn f4→f3. Opponent replies b6 (pawn b5→b6).
4. Best move: f2 — pawn f3→f2. Opponent replies b7 (pawn b6→b7).
5. Best move: f1=Q — pawn f2→f1, promotes to queen. Opponent replies b8=Q (pawn b7→b8, promotes to queen).
6. Best move: Qc1+ — queen f1→c1, gives check.

Why this works

This endgame hinges on a race where Black's f-pawn queens with tempo. After 1...Ke3, Black's king supports the pawn's advance while staying close enough to stop White's b-pawn. The critical point is that 2...f3 and 3...f2 occur while White is committed to pushing b5–b6–b7–b8. When Black plays 4...f1=Q+, the newly crowned queen delivers check on c1, forcing White's king to move before the b8-queen can assist. Black then captures the b8-queen or delivers checkmate depending on White's king move. The race favors Black because the f-pawn reaches f1 in four moves while the b-pawn reaches b8 simultaneously, but Black's queen arrives with tempo (check), winning the resulting queen endgame or delivering an immediate mate.

What to practice

In pawn races toward promotion, calculate whether the faster-queening side gains a tempo through check or attack on the opponent's new queen. A queen that promotes with check forces the opponent's king to respond before they can defend or promote with their own piece. This tempo swing is often decisive: if both sides queen, but one queen moves first with a forcing move (check, attack on the other queen), that side dictates the endgame and typically wins the resulting queen duel.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, pawn endgame, promotion, very long. The key move is Ke3.

Position data

FEN: 8/8/8/8/4kp2/1PK5/8/8 w - - 1 79

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