Chess Puzzle #5yamR — Advanced, White to move, endgame

Rating 1641 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, endgame, long, pawn endgame, sacrifice.

Position

White: king f4; pawns a4/b4/c4/f5. Black: king h4; pawns a6/b6/c6/f6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh5 — king h4→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: b5 — pawn b4→b5. Opponent replies axb5 (pawn a6→b5, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: c5 — pawn c4→c5. Opponent replies bxc5 (pawn b6→c5, captures pawn).
  4. Best move: a5 — pawn a4→a5.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, long, pawn endgame, sacrifice. The key move is b5.

Position data

FEN: 8/8/ppp2p2/5P2/PPP2K1k/8/8/8 b - - 0 39

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.