Chess Puzzle #tmZk2 — Expert, Black to move, endgame

Position

White: king g4; bishop d1; pawns a6/h3. Black: king e3; bishop b6; pawns d2/f4/h4. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Kxh4 — king g4→h4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: f3 — pawn f4→f3. Opponent replies Kg3 (king h4→g3).
3. Best move: Bc7+ — bishop b6→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg4 (king g3→g4).
4. Best move: f2 — pawn f3→f2. Opponent replies a7 (pawn a6→a7).
5. Best move: f1=Q — pawn f2→f1, promotes to queen.

Why this works

Black's solution exploits the tempo race between passed pawns by maintaining control of White's bishop through perpetual checks while pushing the f-pawn toward promotion. After 1...f3, White's king must stay close to the advancing pawn; 2.Kg3 is forced. Then 2...Bc7+ gives check along the a5-e1 diagonal, and crucially, after 3.Kg4, the move 3...f2 threatens immediate promotion on f1. White's 4.a7 tries to race with a queen of its own, but 4...f1=Q arrives first and is unstoppable—Black's new queen on f1 controls the promotion square a8 (along the a1-h8 diagonal after the bishop repositions) or delivers checks that prevent White's pawn from queening. The bishop on c7 was the key: it delivered a check at the critical moment, buying Black a free tempo while the f-pawn closed in.

What to practice

In opposite-coloured bishop endgames with passed pawns, calculate whether your pieces can deliver checks while pushing your own pawn. A check that doesn't stop the opponent's immediate threat is worthless, but a check that forces the king away from the queening square—or that wins a full tempo while your pawn advances—is often the difference between a draw and a win. Here, the bishop check on c7 forced the king to move at exactly the moment when the f-pawn's advance became unstoppable.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, bishop endgame, crushing, endgame, promotion, very long. The key move is f3.

Position data

FEN: 8/8/Pb6/8/5pKp/4k2P/3p4/3B4 w - - 3 58

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