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Now the quickest to mate is 1... Kc7, threatening 2... Qb8+ and 3... Qd8#. White can only delay this by 2. Re7+ Kd6 3. Rd7+ Ke6 but now white is in complete zugswang - the king can't move because of Qb8#, the pawn can't move because of Rxf8#, the rook can't leave the seventh because of Qe7#, but it also can't leave the d-file because of Qb8#. Another easy win is 1... Qd6, with the threat of 2... Qb8+ 3. Ke7 Qb7+ 4. Ke6 Qxf7+, or if white defends with 2. Re7, then, among other things, 2... Qb8+ 3.Kd7 Qc7+ 4.Ke6 Re1+ picks up the rook. But no. Leon played 1... Re1 Around the board, a lot of eyes were opened quite wide - queen versus bishop's pawn on the seventh is a notoriously difficult ending. Was this even a win any more? Had we just thrown away the NCC? The game continued - and now if white gets to the g-file it is a draw, because if, say, 3... Qe6?? 4. Kg8 Qg6+ 5. Kh8! and now 5... Qxf7 is stalemate. So Leon played 3... Qg3 avoiding stalemate traps, but is there a win? The game - still on increments of course - continued And now the point is 5... Kc7! when (5... Kc7) 6. f8=Q allows 6... Qd7#. Had the king been one square further away, it would have been a draw. Instead, the finale was and Leon moved his king, via d7 (which would have been stalemate) to d6, and mate next move. 7... Kd6 0-1 Source(s): St Benildus take first ever NCC, Kevin Burke, St. Benildus C.C. web pages, April 28, 2023. Event information: Match scorecard and event pairings & results, Chess-Results.com. Download pgn. |
